9-26-11 Dinner Blog

Tomato-Herb Chicken, Roasted Broccoli, and a Side Salad

The dinner prep was soooo easy.  I spent about 10 minutes putting everything in the crock pot and set the crock pot on low for 6 hours.  Midday I put rice in the rice cooker.  Once we were home again, I began the final prep for dinner.  I spilled the broccoli, which I had cut up yesterday, (Oh, I forgot to add that to my pre-prep list in my last blog update), on to a lightly sprayed roasting pan, and put it into a 450 oven for 4 minutes. I stirred the broccoli and put back in the oven for another 3 – 4 minutes and then pulled it out.

While the broccoli was in the oven, I made a small side salad with greens, figs, (yes, they are so amazing right now!), tomato, and a few carrots that had been cut up for Thursday’s soup.  I also sprinkled some raw buckwheat on my salad and my husband’s and topped with the no oil vinaigrette.  Had to disclose the buckwheat as you might wonder what it was in the picture.  It is very healthy and just adds crunch…

I portioned the rice, chicken dish, and broccoli and served!  So very easy!

4 Servings of Tomato-Herb Chicken, Roasted Broccoli, and a Side Salad

The Verdict

The meal was a bit bland.  I usually use canned tomatoes and they have added salt. Instead I used the shelf stable tetra packed tomatoes (it is like a coated cardboard box).  There is no salt added to these tomatoes. Each serving only had 10 g of sodium!  That said, I had to add a teaspoon of salt, divided across all our plates, at the dinner table which greatly enhanced the flavor. My husband and son rated the meal a 7.  But my daughter the tough critic, liked the mild flavor.  She rated it an 8.5!  Go figure!

In asking more probing questions, I may have been able to improve the flavor using pasta instead of rice.  Also, I wonder if I had added a bit of grated cheese if that would have added some flavor.  Lastly, if I had shredded the chicken and put it back in the crock pot for 15 minutes before serving, would the chicken have absorbed more flavor from the juice?  Hard to know.

The broccoli was well received.  I sprinkled about 1 t of minced onion, thyme, salt, and Old Bay Seasoning.  Everyone liked the flavor.  My husband and I loved our side salad and my kids at theirs with no complaints – no news is good news!

So an easy night but only OK results…

Oven Fried Chicken, Roasted Beets, Fresh Green Beans, and a Side Salad

There is not much to change this week.  On the shopping list I prioritized the smoked turkey thighs over the ham hocks based on how good they tasted in the soup. Other than that, the original plan works!  Let me know how it goes!

Weekly Menu

Mon: Oven-fried Chicken (bake Wednesday’s chicken too), beets, side salad, fruit

Tues:  Shrimp stir fry with soba noodles, snow peas, pineapple, tomatoes, green onions, and garlic with Ginger- Hoisin sauce

Wed: Oven-fried Chicken, squash, side salad, fruit

Thurs: Split Pea Soup

Chicken Stir-Fry, Vegetables, Pineapple and Soba Noodles

Master Shopping List

For 2 Adults and 2 Kids (scale accordingly)

Entrees

3.5  lbs Boneless skinless chicken

1.75 lbs Shrimp

2 Smoked turkey thighs (highly recommended) or a Ham Hock

Vegetables

6 Beets (2 dinners and for lunch salads)

Acorn squash

Greens for salad

Snow peas

1 Red bell pepper

4 Tomatoes

1 Bunch Green onions

5-6 Cloves Garlic

1/2 C Carrots, chopped

1/2 C Celery, chopped

3 Medium onions finely diced

1/2 t Peeled, minced ginger

Fruit (For Breakfast, lunch and dinners)

Pineapple

3 pears

2 mangos

3 kiwi

Dry Goods – you will likely have most of these items if you used last weeks menu

Olive oil or canola oil

Olive or canola oil spray

2 Bay leaves

2 t Ground cumin

1/4 t Dried thyme

3/4 t Chili powder

3 1/2 T Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (or low-sodium soy sauce)

1/2 t Honey

1 t Hoisin sauce

2 t Rice wine vinegar

Salt and pepper

Soba noodles

2 C Green split peas

1 C Bread crumbs

Dairy

1 C finely shredded cheddar cheese- got goat cheddar instead

Bakery

Bread for soup – shopped this on Thursday

Oven-Fried Chicken (The Second Time Around), Roasted Beets, Steamed Squash, and a Side Salad

Split Pea Soup with Smoked Turkey Thighs

Recipes

Oven-Fried Chicken, Roasted Beets, Fresh Green Beans and a Side Salad

For 2 Adults and 2 Kids

Recipe can be doubled and served again 2 days later. No need to reinvent this meal!

1.75 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

1 C Bread crumbs

1/2 C Finely shredded cheddar cheese – I use goat’s milk cheddar

¾ t chili powder

½ t salt

Olive oil or canola oil spray

Water in a small bowl

Make ahead of time:

Preheat oven to 400

1. Wash beets and cut off root and stems
2. Cover beets in foil
3. Place in a foil lined roasting pan and pop in the oven for 1 hr.
4. Check for doneness: A fork should pierce the beet easily
5. Place beets, still wrapped in their foil, in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them

For the Chicken:

Preheat oven to 350

1. Wash and cut the chicken into smaller pieces
2. Mix remaining ingredients in a large bowl
3. Create an assembly line of chicken, water, breading, and a lightly sprayed roasting pan.  (If you are making a double batch you will need 2 roasting pans)
4. Wet the chicken, dredge in breading and place on roasting pan
5. Repeat until all chicken is breaded and on roasting pan
6. Slide into oven and set timer for 20 minutes

For the rest of the meal:

1. Take the beets out of the refrigerator.
2. Peel off foil and with your fingers peel off beet skin
3. Slice and place in a microwave-safe bowl
4. Heat for 1-2 minutes
5. Set aside for serving
6. Portion greens on each plate and add whatever salad fixings you have on hand

When chicken is ready, portion on each plate and serve. Compare to your favorite chicken nugget and see if we aren’t on to something…

Shrimp Stir-Fry with Vegetables, Pineapple and Soba Noodles

For 2 Adults and 2 Kids

Ingredients:

1 Package of Soba Noodles

1 Bell pepper

½ bunch green onions

1 Tomato

¼ – 1/3 lb. Snow peas

8 t rice wine vinegar

6 t Braggs Liquid Aminos or low sodium soy sauce

2 t Fresh ginger, chopped

2 t honey

4 t hoisin sauce

1.75 lbs. shrimp

2 T Canola oil

Fresh pineapple cut into pieces

Instructions:

1. Heat water for soba noodles.
2. Wash and chop bell pepper, green onions, tomato.
3. Rinse snow peas.  You can substitute with different vegetables: broccoli, mushrooms, edamame, etc.
4. Combine rice wine vinegar, liquid aminos (or low sodium soy sauce), ginger, honey, and hoisin sauce and set aside.
5. When water is boiling, add soba noodles per package direction (~6 minutes).
6. Heat wok and pour 1 T canola oil down the side of the wok and spread the oil around.
7. Add bell pepper and green onions.  Let sit a moment before stirring.  When beginning to get tender, add tomato and snow peas and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
8. Remove veggies from heat.  Add one more T of canola oil down the side of the wok, spread it around and cook the shrimp 3-4 minutes or until cooked.
9. Add the veggies, noodles and ginger hoisin sauce.
10. Portion a serving on each plate, top with pineapple and serve!

Oven-Fried Chicken (The Second Time Around), Roasted Beets, Fresh Green Beans and a Side Salad

For 2 Adults and 2 Kids

Recipe can be doubled and served again 2 days later. No need to reinvent this meal!  Ideally, When this is served the second time around, the chicken is already cooked and just needs to be warmed up.

Ingredients:

4-6 Beets

1 Acorn Squash

1.75 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

1 C Bread crumbs

1/2 C Finely shredded cheddar cheese – I use goat’s milk cheddar

¾ t chili powder

½ t salt

Olive oil or canola oil spray

Water in a small bowl

Make ahead of time:

Preheat oven to 400

1. Wash beets and cut off root and stems
2. Cover beets in foil
3. Place beets in a foil lined roasting pan
4. Cut acorn squash in half the long way, scrape out the seeds and put meat-side down in a roasting pan with 1/2″ of water
5.  Pop both pans in the oven for 1 hr.
6. Check for doneness: A fork should pierce the beet easily
7. Place beets, still wrapped in their foil, in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them
8. Using a tablespoon, scrape out acorn squash meat and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.

For the Chicken:

Preheat oven to 350

1. Wash and cut the chicken into smaller pieces
2. Mix remaining ingredients in a large bowl
3. Create an assembly line of chicken, water, breading, and a lightly sprayed roasting pan.  (If you are making a double batch you will need 2 roasting pans)
4. Wet the chicken, dredge in breading and place on roasting pan
5. Repeat until all chicken is breaded and on roasting pan
6. Slide into oven and set timer for 20 minutes

For the rest of the meal:

1. Take the beets out of the refrigerator.
2. Peel off foil and with your fingers peel off beet skin
3. Slice and place in a microwave-safe bowl
4. Heat for 1-2 minutes
5. Warm squash
6. Set aside for serving
7. Portion greens on each plate and add whatever salad fixings you have on hand

When chicken is ready, portion on each plate and serve.

Split Pea Soup with Smoked Turkey Thighs

For 2 Adults and 2 Kids (2 meals)

2 C (1 lb.) Split Peas

10 C Water

½ C Celery, chopped

½ C Carrots, chopped

2 C Onions, chopped

2 Bay leaves

3 Garlic cloves, minced

2 t Ground cumin

½ t Dried thyme

2 T Bragg’s Liquid Amino Acids or low sodium soy sauce

½ t Salt

2 Smoked Turkey Thighs

1. Put everything in a crock pot and cook on high for 6-8 hours.

OR

1. You can also cook on high for 3-4 hours the night before, put in the fridge before you go to bed, and finish cooking the next day.  Taking into account that the soup will be cold, cook on high for 6 more hours.
2. Once soup is done, remove the smoked turkey thighs discarding the bones and skin.  Shred the meat and return to the soup.
3. Serve and see how many recipes taste this good and are this fast!