Roasted Chicken, Apples, Leeks, with Pumpkin and a Side Salad

This menu works – it was easy and delicious.  I like the new recipes and will definitely keep them in my collection with a couple of changes.  Thank you Real Simple!

1) Regarding the Winter Lentil Soup, you probably don’t have to double the recipe as I did.  The recipe says it serves 6, but I think making the recipe as it was written originally, would easily serve 2 adults and 2 kids (with hearty appetites) for 2 meals – especially if you are going to put it over pasta the second time you serve it.

2) Also, depending on your time, you might do half leeks and half onion (purchased pre-chopped) in the Winter Lentil Soup to save yourself some time.

3) If you choose to make the tomatillo salsa for the chicken enchilada recipe, I would add mango if you are not going to put in jalapeno.  Even if you are purchasing a jar of salsa verde, you might consider adding mango for a change of pace.

Consider shopping this “simple” menu or another menu from a previous week.  Let me know how it goes!

Winter Lentil Soup

Final Weekly Menu – Inspired From Real Simple’s “Easy, Delicious Meals Cookbook”:

Monday: Roasted Chicken, Apples, Pears, and Leeks, Pumpkin, and Side Salad

Tuesday: Winter Lentil Soup with Apple-Cinnamon Muffins or scones or bread

Wednesday: Chicken Enchiladas, with Salsa, and Fruit

Thursday: Winter Lentils over Pasta with Pears, Pumpkin and Side Salad

Chicken Enchiladas (or Burritos) with Fruit and Cherry Tomatoes

Regarding the shopping list, some have mentioned that the list is too spaced out and it prints on several pages.  I apologize for that.  I am working on the next phase of the website and plan to take care of this problem.  Until then, if you copy and paste the list from the website to a word document, you can go to “Format” on your toolbar, click on “Paragraph”, and set the “after spacing” to 0.  Then you can reduce the font size.  This will help minimize the number of pages until I get the next phase of Busy Lives Healthy Eats finished. Thanks for your patience!

Winter Lentil Soup Over Pasta, Steamed Pumpkin, Pears, and a Side Salad

Final Master Shopping List

For 2 Adults and 2 Kids

Entrees

3.0 lbs. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2.0 lbs. Chicken legs

Vegetables/ Fresh Herbs

4 Leeks

2 Small zucchini, diced (optional – only if you are making the tomatillo salsa)

2 Small red onions (1 is optional – only if you are making the tomatillo salsa)

1 Small cooking pumpkin

3 Sweet potatoes

1 Bunch kale

Greens for salad

Tomatoes and other salad fixings – I purchased avocado, cherry tomatoes, figs, regular tomatoes, and carrots

2 Small sprigs of fresh rosemary

1 T Fresh thyme

Optional for homemade salsa made in a food processor for Wednesday night. Or you can save time and just buy salsa verde in a jar:

1 lb. Tomatillos

1 Jalapeno (I am only going to use 1/3 of one)

1 C Fresh cilantro

1 T Fresh lime juice

Fruit

6 Crisp apples (Braeburn, or other)

4 Pears (Bartlett or Bosc)

1-2 Mangos (optional for tomatillo salsa – you can also add to jarred salsa verde for a nice twist)

2-3 Avocados

Extra or other Fruit for breakfast and lunch – I purchased 5 kiwis, 1 small watermelon (last of the season), and extra apples and pears

Dry Goods

3 T Olive oil

Canola oil spray

Shell pasta

1 28-Ounce can whole tomatoes, drained – or other non-canned shelf stable tomatoes

1/2  C Brown lentils

Dr. Oetker’s Apple Cinnamon muffin mix (or other muffin mix – feel free to buy bread, or make something from scratch if you are so moved…)

Salt

Pepper

Dairy

1 ½ C Grated cheddar or Monterey cheese (from cow or goat’s milk)

½ C Plain yogurt (from cow or goat or vegan)

½ C Grated parmesan or manchenga cheese

Frozen

½ C Corn (from ear or frozen and thawed) (optional – only if you are making the tomatillo salsa)

Bakery

12 Tortillas (corn or flour)

Recipes

The Recipe

Roasted Chicken, Apples, and Leeks Pumpkin and a Side Salad

From Real Simple’s Easy Delicious Meals

Serves 2 Adults and 2 Kids for 2 meals – or reinvent the chicken the second night and make enchiladas or tacos.

Kid's Portion of Roasted Chicken, Apples, Leeks, Pumpkin and a Side salad

Ingredients:

4 Apples, quartered

4 Pears, quartered

2 Leeks (white and light green parts), halved crosswise and lengthwise

6 Small sprigs of fresh rosemary

2 T Olive oil

1 t Kosher salt

¼ t Pepper

3.0 lbs. Boneless skinless chicken breasts

2.0 lbs. Drumsticks, skin peeled off

Greens for salad and toppings

Pumpkin (already steamed in the oven and scooped from the shell)

For the pumpkin:

¼ t Cinnamon

¼ t Salt

1 t Butter/ Earth Balance margarine

¾ T Maple syrup

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400

1. Lightly spray olive oil in two large roasting pans.
2. Add the apples, pears, leeks, salt, and pepper, and spray lightly again.
3. Add the chicken and rosemary and spray lightly again and nestle the chicken into the fruit and leek mixture.
4. Roast the chicken for 30-40 minutes.
5. While chicken is cooking prepare a side salad with salad toppings and low-fat salad dressing, and prepare the pumpkin.
6. Warm pumpkin in the microwave with cinnamon and salt.
7. Add butter and maple syrup to the pumpkin and mix well.
8. Once chicken is ready, warm pumpkin mixture and serve!
9. See if this recipe doesn’t have “Fall Harvest” written all over it!

The Recipe

Winter Lentil Soup

From Real Simple’s Easy, Delicious Meals

Serves 2 Adults and 2 Kids for 2 Meals

Serving Winter Soup

Ingredients:

1 T Olive oil

6 Leeks, washed and cut into 1/4 “ half-moons

2 28 oz cans of tomatoes

2 Sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” pieces

1 Bunch kale, thick stems removed and leaves cut into ½ “ wide strips

1 C Lentils

2 T Fresh thyme

2 t Kosher salt

¼ t Pepper

½ C Grated cheese (optional)

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in a large soup pot.
2. Add leeks and cook until softened, 3-4 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes and cook for 5 more minutes.
4. Add 12 C water and bring to a boil.
5. While waiting for soup to boil, call mom, or anyone else who is not afraid to tell you the truth,
6. Once boiled, add sweet potatoes, kale, lentils, thyme, salt and pepper to the soup.
7. Simmer until lentils are tender, about 35 minutes.
8. While soup is in its final simmer, make muffins, scones, or slice some bread to serve with soup.
9. Ladle into bowls and serve with grated cheese if desired.

Recipe for Chicken Enchiladas

From Real Simple’s Easy, Delicious Meals 

Serves 2 Adults and 2 Kids

How to Fold a Burrito

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs of chicken, cooked

1.5 C Cheese, grated

2 Avocados, chopped

1.5 C Salsa, homemade or from a jar

2 Small zucchini, chopped

1 Small onion. Chopped

½ C plain yogurt (optional)

Optional – Tomatillo Salsa (made in food processor)

1 lb. Tomatillos, papery husks removed

1 Jalapeno, seeded and/or 1 mango, chopped

1 C Fresh cilantro

1 T Lime juice

If your kids are not big zucchini or onion fans, put the zucchini and onions into the food processor and add to the salsa.

Instructions:

Make Ahead:

1. If you choose to make the tomatillo salsa, put all ingredients in food processor (except mango).
2. Pulse until finely chopped.
3. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

Dinner Prep

Preheat oven to 400:

1. Get chicken, cheese, avocados, salsa and tortillas out of the refrigerator.
2. Shred chicken with 2 forks.
3. Mix Chicken, cheese, avocado and salsa together in a big bowl.  Add zucchini and onion to mixture if not in the salsa.
4. Warm tortillas on a griddle.
5. Spoon a generous, rounded, ½ C of the chicken mixture onto the tortilla.
6. For flour tortillas, which are larger, fold the sides of the tortilla in, fold up the bottom flap and roll.
7. For corn tortillas, which are smaller, roll the bottom flap up and roll, making an open-ended tube shape.
8. Repeat until tortillas and chicken mixture have been used.
9. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
10. Add some fruit or a side salad to the plates while chicken is cooking.
11. Serve!

Recipe for Warm Winter Lentil Soup Over Pasta, Pumpkin, Fruit, and Side Salad

Inspired from Real Simple’s Easy, Delicious Meals

Serves 2 Adults and 2 Kids

3 Servings of Winter Lentil Soup Over Pasta, Steamed Pumpkin, Pears and Side Salad

Ingredients:

Pasta

2 ½ C Winter Lentil Soup

Side Salad

Fruit

Pumpkin

Instructions:

1. Make pasta according to package directions.
2. Warm Winter Lentil Soup from earlier in the week.
3. Warm pumpkin from earlier in the week.
4. Make side salad
5. Add some seasonal fruit
6. Serve!

10-5-11 Dinner Blog

Chicken Enchiladas (or Burritos) with Fruit and Cherry Tomatoes

Everything happens for a reason.

Some of neatest inventions have come about “by mistake”.  Take Mrs. Wakefield, for example, owner of the “Toll House Inn” in 1930, who substituted broken chocolate pieces for cocoas powder one day, thinking the chocolate would permeate the entire cookie.  It didn’t and Toll House Cookies were born.

Our mistake with Wednesday night’s meal doesn’t promise fame or riches, but it was a good one.  On Sunday when I was pre-prepping for the week, my husband wanted to help. This is a topic for a different day, but Busy Lives Healthy Eats has gotten the interest of everyone in the family and they all want to be involved!  Nice!  Anyway, knowing that it was easy and used a food processor, (machines are manly), I gave him the recipe for the chicken enchiladas and asked him to make the tomatillo salsa. (This is an optional part of the recipe – you can substitute salsa verde or any salsa if time and energy are in question.)

My husband busied himself with a few quick chops and quickly reported he was done.  I was surprised at how much salsa it made!  Wow!  All that from 10 tomatillos!  It took me a minute to figure out that the zucchini, onion, and corn, that was supposed to go in the enchilada whole, was now pulsed to a pulp in the salsa.  YIKES!  But my initial sense of alarm, was tempered by the fact that a) I was getting help in the kitchen; and b) This might be a chance to create my own Jessica Seinfeld recipe – lemonade from lemons!

Wednesday Night Dinner Prep

It was 4:30 and I had some time. I got out my ‘salsa’ and all the other ingredients for dinner.  First, I shredded 1.5 lbs of the chicken from Monday’s dinner and cut up 2 avocados.  Then I mixed 1.5 C grated cheese, 1.5 C ‘salsa’, 1.5 lbs. shredded chicken, and the 2 avocados in a large bowl, and scooped some of the mixture  into warmed whole wheat tortillas.

How to Fold a Burrito

And with a few minutes left until the chicken was done, I laid out plates, portioning some watermelon and few cherry tomatoes that are plentiful right now.

Baking the enchiladas *or burritos)

Once the chicken was done, I gave everyone one burrito, spooning some salsa on top.

The Verdict

The first bite, yielded some constructive criticism.  The kids thought it was good but bland.  I agreed and was very disappointed.  The original recipe called for 1 jalapeno.  Knowing my kids, that was not going to fly, so I left it out.  Bland was the result.  But fear not, my son had the answer!  “I think it needs mango”, he said.  As luck would have it, I had purchased a mango when I shopped on Sunday!  So. asking the kids to stop eating for a minute, I raced to cut and chop a mango, mixed it in with the salsa, and waited impatiently while everyone tasted their “new” meal.

“New and improved”!  My son and daughter both gave it a 9.5.  My husband who came home later and was immediately given the new and improved salsa gave it a 10!  The mistake of putting all the enchilada ingredients (except for the cheese and chicken) in a food processor was far from a mistake.  Rather than layering all the ingredients on the tortilla, I just put one scoop!  And because the zucchini was blended in, and it just looked like salsa, everyone ate it with smiles!  Thanks Jessica! Perhaps I should try broccoli in their next time!

The watermelon was sweet but the tomatoes were even sweeter!  They tasted like candy! – Really!  My son took some in his school lunch on Thursday!

And the pumpkin?  I totally forgot about it warming in the microwave.  Oh well, everyone was quite satisfied with their dinner – one burrito each and some fruit was more than enough.  Pumpkin is on the menu for Thursday night!

10-3-11 Dinner Blog

Roasted Chicken, Apples, Leeks, with Pumpkin and a Side Salad

Sunday Pre-Prep

I shopped and prepped for the week on Sunday.  While I normally only spend about 45 minutes prepping, I actually spent just over an hour this time.

Washed and cut all the leeks

Peeled and cut the sweet potatoes

Washed and cut the kale

Washed and cut the chicken

Made the tomatillo salsa for Wednesday

Baked the pumpkin

Why the extra time?  I blame it on the leeks and the kale!  Because the soup and chicken recipes serve 6 and 4 respectively, and I plan to serve variations of these meals on two different nights, I had to pro-rate my ingredients, which left me washing and cutting 8 leeks!  I did not add any additional kale, but washing each leaf and cutting the stem out, is a bit time intensive.

That said, kale is soooo healthy and I know I do not serve enough of it so I am not ready to abandon the kale.  Keeping the kale in the recipe and taking the time to prepare it might be worth it.  The flavor of the soup and my family’s ratings will be the test.  But I am wondering whether or not I could do a combination of leeks and onions instead of having to prep all those leeks. Onions I can purchase pre-chopped, which would reduce my prep time.  More on that later…

Monday Dinner Prep

Thank goodness I shopped and prepped on Sunday.  My day was packed with meetings, volunteer work at school, and carpooling.  I started with my first meeting at 8:30 and didn’t come home to start dinner until 5:40.  My son and I had another meeting at 7 so I was going to have to get going!

I pre-heated the oven to 400, laid out two roasting pans and lightly sprayed olive oil (you can substitute canola oil spray).  I cut the apples and pears and then dumped them along with the leeks and rosemary in the roasting pans, lightly salting and mixing them together.

Moments from putting the Roasted Chicken, Apples, Pears, and Leeks in the oven

The chicken came next which I nestled among the fruit and leeks. I sprayed a bit more olive oil to make sure the chicken was coated, and then popped the trays in the oven for about 35 minutes.

While I was waiting for the chicken, I made a side salad with tomatoes and avocado, and lightly drizzled no oil salad dressing.  For my husband and I also sprinkled some raw granola and sprayed a bit of Bragg’s Liquid Aminos. Then I got one container of pumpkin out of the fridge.

(On Sunday, I had done most of the pumpkin pre-prep. I had cut the pumpkin, scooped out the seeds, and baked each half, flat side down, in a roasting pan with 1/2” of water for about an hour. Once I could pierce the skin of the pumpkin easily with a fork, I knew it was done.  I let it cool a bit, which also gave time for some of the steam in the pumpkin to evaporate. Lastly, I scooped the meat out of the shell and stored it in two containers in the fridge.)

So getting the pumpkin on the plates last night was easy! I spooned the pumpkin into a bowl, adding ¼ t cinnamon, ¼ t salt, and warming for 1 ½ minutes in the microwave.  Then I added 1 t “butter” (I used Earth Balance, a plant based margarine), and ¾ T maple syrup and stirred everything together.

Once the chicken was ready, I warmed the pumpkin again for 1 minute in the microwave and served the meal, grinding a bit of pepper on the adult servings of chicken.

Serving Roasted Chicken, Apples, Leeks, Pumpkin and a Side Salad

The Verdict

9’s all around!  My daughter had the highest rating of a 9.25…  Everyone felt the chicken was very flavorful and the cooked, soft fruit was a hit. They also ate the leeks and never even asked about them, but if you think your kids would object, just serve the chicken and fruit and leave off the leeks.  As for the pumpkin, it was a show stealer – everyone LOVED it and said it reminded them of pumpkin pie and Thanksgiving!

…And a bountiful dinner it was!

Kid's Portion of Roasted Chicken, Apples, Leeks, Pumpkin and a Side salad

The Recipe

From Real Simple’s Easy Delicious Meals

Serves 2 Adults and 2 Kids for 2 meals – or reinvent the chicken the second night and make enchiladas or tacos.

Ingredients:

4 Apples, quartered

4 Pears, quartered

2 Leeks (white and light green parts), halved crosswise and lengthwise

6 Small sprigs of fresh rosemary

2 T Olive oil

1 t Kosher salt

¼ t Pepper

3.0 lbs. Boneless skinless chicken breasts

2.0 lbs. Drumsticks, skin peeled off

Greens for salad and toppings

Pumpkin (already steamed in the oven and scooped from the shell)

For the pumpkin:

¼ t Cinnamon

¼ t Salt

1 t Butter/ Earth Balance margarine

¾ T Maple syrup

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400

1. Lightly spray olive oil in two large roasting pans.
2. Add the apples, pears, leeks, salt, and pepper, and spray lightly again.
3. Add the chicken and rosemary and spray lightly again and nestle the chicken into the fruit and leek mixture.
4. Roast the chicken for 30-40 minutes.
5. While chicken is cooking prepare a side salad with salad toppings and low fat salad dressing, and prepare the pumpkin.
6. Warm pumpkin in the microwave with cinnamon and salt.
7. Add butter and maple syrup to the pumpkin and mix well.
8. Once chicken is ready, warm pumpkin mixture and serve!
9. See if this recipe doesn’t have “Fall Harvest” written all over it!

9-29-11 Dinner Blog

Making Braised Chicken Gumbo - sauteing bell peppers and flour

Admittedly, there was a little less chaos in the house at dinnertime last night.  I am not saying chaos was absent; it was just not at the level of Tuesday evening…

I began by getting out the “bland” Tomato-Herb Chicken and shredding the meat with 2 forks.  I was a bit worried that I was already at a disadvantage since the first night’s meal was lacking in flavor, but I pushed that thought to the back recesses of my mind, and forged ahead.

Then I dripped 1 T canola oil down the side of a saucepan over medium heat and turned the pan so the oil covered the surface.  I added the bell peppers and 2 T flour, stirring about 2 minutes, until the peppers began to soften and the flour was golden brown.  Next, I scooped 2 ½ cups of the chicken and sauce, and poured 2 cups of low sodium chicken broth, followed by 1 cup sliced okra (I bought it frozen), 1 cup pre-cooked rice (which I had already made on Monday), and 1/8 t of cayenne pepper (add more if you like it really spicy).

Making Braised Chicken Gumbo - sauteing bell peppers and flour

I brought the entire mixture to a boil, simmered for 10 minutes and served.

FYI – I went light on the kids’ servings not knowing if they would like it or not… I was also afraid the kids might react to the cayenne negatively.  I had more than 2 ½ cups of Tomato-Herb Chicken, so I portioned the kids’ bowls with a ratio of ½ gumbo and ½ Tomato-Herb Chicken to dilute the cayenne a bit.

Additionally, I was originally going to serve fruit and a side salad with this meal, but this one dish meal looked so hearty, and I was exhausted, so I decided to keep it simple and just go with the gumbo.  If you have more energy than I did last night, prepare some fruit or a side salad while the gumbo is simmering for 10 minutes.

Total time:  About 22 minutes!

The Verdict

Two thumbs up!  Redemption!  From bland to flavorful!  Everyone really enjoyed the gumbo and found it very satisfying.  9’s from my husband and son and an 8.5 from my daughter – who reminds me that 8.5 is an excellent score…

Everyone had a little bit more.  My son tried the Braised Chicken Gumbo straight, and loved it!  My daughter, always sensitive to spice, preferred the ½ and ½.

Sorry I have no pictures to share but I totally forgot!  This is the first time since June 7^th that I missed taking photos before we sat down to eat!  I can’t believe one of my kids didn’t remember!  So sorry!  Trust me, it looked good! 🙂

Recipe:

1 Diced bell pepper – any color

2 T Flour

2 1/2 C Tomato-Herb Chicken (see 9-27-11 recipe)

2 C Low sodium chicken broth

1 C Sliced okra

1 C Cooked rice

1/8 – 1/4 t Cayenne pepper

1. Heat oil in saucepan.

2. Add bell pepper and flour.  Stir 2 minutes until softened.

3. Add Tomato-Herb Chicken, chicken broth, okra, rice, cayenne pepper.

4. Bring to a boil. Simmer 10 minutes.  Serve.

5. See if you don’t think about Mardi Gras in 22 minutes!