WINNER WINNER, CHICKEN, sun-dried tomato, and orzo DINNER!

Now THIS is a keeper! Nick said it was one of his favorites! Try it out, and see what you think. I pulled this off of eatingwell.com and it had received 5 stars. We agree with the ratings! I took step by step photos, so enjoy the progress of the pictures. Here's a teaser though of the end product!

Okay so here we go!

Ingredients:

8 oz of whole wheat orzo (WHOLE WHEAT TASTES COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THAN WHITE, but if you can't find it, go with white anyways!)

1 cup water

1/2 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes, divided

1 plum tomato, diced

1 clove of garlic, peeled

1.5 t dried marjoram, divided

1 T red wine vinegar

2 t plus  1T olive oil, divided

4 boneless, skinless, chicken breast halves (I bought 3 big whole breasts and butterflied them because they were cheaper!)

1/4 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1 bag frozen artichoke hearts (Couldn't find these, so I used 2 cans of whole artichoke hearts, but really, 1 can would have been plenty, quartered!)

1/2 cup grated parmesan

Directions:

First, cook the orzo according to the box directions. Drain and rinse. Set aside.

Meanwhile,  place the water, half of the sun-dried tomatoes, the plum tomato, the garlic, 1 t of the marjoram, the vinegar, and 2 t of the olive oil in a food processor or blender. Pulse until mixed, but still chunky! It will resemble salsa:

A this point, transfer the juice/sauce into a pan to boil it in soon!

Season your chicken on both sides with salt and pepper and brown in a skillet with 1 T of the remaining olive oil. My chicken took awhile, but if you have thinner pieces, probably about 2-3 minutes per side. Mine were more like 5-6 minutes per side!

At this point, once they have finished cooking, set them aside and cover them to keep them warm.

Now, pour your tomato sauce into a pan and bring to a boil. Measure out about 1/2 of a cup and set aside (to pour over chicken at the end before serving!)

Once it is boiling, reduce heat and add the remaining sun-dried tomatoes, orzo, artichoke hearts (drain these if you buy the canned kind!), and 6 T of parmesan cheese. Cook about 2 minutes until orzo has been warmed and cheese is melted throughout pot:

At this point, you may be sketched out by my pictures. BUT PLEASE. I wouldn't post a bad recipe!

You can either slice up the chicken and serve it over the orzo, or you can leave it as breasts (which for time's sake, I did!)

Top each person's plate of chicken and orzo with a sprinkle of dried marjoram, parmesan cheese, and reserved sauce.

TO DIE FOR. Eat 2 servings- there's no way you can't! AND TRY TO FIND THE WHOLE WHEAT ORZO!

A couple pictures for you!

ENJOY :)

Nick sure did! WE BOTH went back for seconds! I cannot urge you enough to MAKE THIS DISH! It only takes a total of about 30 minutes!

Porcupine Meatballs.... and some fresh banana muffins!

So... today I was home alone until about 2pm when Nick got home from Tennessee. I had 2 leftover over-ripe bananas that I didn't want to throw away. Well- banana bread is boring, but banana muffins... not so much!

For dinner, we had porcupine meatballs (they get their name from the rice that sticks out of them like quills) over some spaghetti. ALWAYS a delicious and fool-proof dish! I'm going to feature our dinner first, just because, muffins aren't nearly as exciting as a budget dinner, right!?

So, the first thing you need to know about this dish, is it takes a lot of time. Give yourself 1.5 to 2 hours from start to finish. You have to boil the rice, saute the onions until they are soft and translucent, then mix it all together, and still bake for ONE HOUR! Worth it, I promise, but just set aside the time, or you will be rushed, frustrated, and upset at the end!

Porcupine Meatballs:

1 lb ground turkey

2 cups cooked rice (I use Boil in the Bag- KROGER brand! One bag will yield your 2 cups)

3/4 cups onion, chopped very small

1 teaspoon Olive Oil

1 can 28 oz crushed tomatoes

1 bay leaf

Salt and Pepper

(I happened to have had leftover chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, so I diced those up and threw them in for extra kick!)

If you want spaghetti with these, add some whole wheat pasta to your grocery list!

So here's how it goes. Cook your rice according to the box. Cook the onions in a skillet with the olive oil. Add about 1 tablespoon of water and cover them. Let them soften about 10 minutes in the pan over medium heat. Watch them- if the water runs out, they can burn! Add water if you need to as they go! Throw the rice and the onions in a mixing bowl. I added some chipotle peppers, and then SALT AND PEPPER! Then, add your turkey and MIX WELL. I use my hands, but do whatever you prefer!

Form into 8 porcupines, I mean meatballs! Place them in a 9X13 pan. Cover with the crushed tomatoes and their juice. Add bay leaf. Cook at 350 degrees for one hour. Here mine are at about 50 minutes:

Once you take them out, and serve over pasta, top with some parmesan cheese! DELICIOUS. You'll want to eat the whole pan, but, they are filling, so you'll probably stop around 2. Unless you're my husband... 3 or 4 is his stopping point!

TOO GOOD! TOO EASY! TOO CHEAP! Look how small that grocery list is! These are healthy, but if you aren't so concerned about healthy, use ground beef, or even regular ground turkey (I use the extra lean kind!) ENJOY!

Now, for the banana muffins. Nothing too special or crazy here. I just wanted to use up the bananas, but they really did turn out pretty good. We like them a lot! Easy recipe too!

Basic Banana Muffins

1 and 3/4 cups floud (I used soft wheat and ground my own flour, but all purpose works!)

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 t salt

2 t baking powder

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup cooking oil

1/2 cup milk

2 mashed bananas (the riper and browner, the better!)

Ground cinnamon

So... mix the dry ingredients together. Set aside. Mix the wet ingredients together (not including the banana yet!) Add the wet to the dry. Mix well. Stir in the mashed bananas. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. It was closer to about 17 for me... but just start watching them after 15! Don't let them get too brown!

You could add chocolate chips, or nuts. I'd say throw in 1/2 of a cup of either. But I just wanted easy! THE BEST PART: Didn't have to go to the store to make these. I had all the ingredients on hand! They are in their tupperware sitting in the pantry for snacks now :) YUM!

Enjoy:)

Pumpkin "TO DIE FOR" Cookies!!

Okay- allow me to preface with this. I don't eat cookies often. Actually, I cannot remember the last time I ate a cookie. UNTIL TODAY. Not only are these pretty low fat/calorie, there are 3 ingredients. You read it right. THREE INGREDIENTS! My husband and I both love them and have already consumed 6 of the 28 it makes! I was planning on sharing these, but maybe i'll share the next batch!?

Here's what you need: ONE box of spice mix (carrott cake mix supposedly works as well). ONE cup of bittersweet chocolate chips. ONE 15-oz can of pumpkin puree!

Yes, thats the extent of your grocery bill to make this treat! NO EGGS. NO OIL. NOT EVEN WATER!

First, pour the cake mix in a bowl and add the can of pumpkin:

Now, you want to blend it together until it looks like one big gob of pumpkin and no white cake mix is left!!

At this point, gently stir in your cup of chocolate chips. All you choco-holics, add the whole bag! BUT- I didn't, and I don't think it needs it!

Spoon heaping tablespoons onto a greased cookie sheet.

Put it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 13-15 minutes. They won't look much different shape-wise! Here's a picture of mine just before I pulled the little guys out!

Now- at this point. EAT THEM AT ANY TIME. Since I've been typing this, Nick and I have each had about 2 more cookies. I was able to scrounge 28 cookies out, but I bet you could do 24 really. 2 batches, and be done with it! OH THEY WERE SO GOOD. I did let some of them cool before i plucked them off the tray and into my mouth...

There's no way you won't love these! I guarantee it! I'm guessing there won't be many of these left by the end of the day. Here's a close-up and I'm headed out to seal them up for the time being before they truly do disappear!

ENJOY!!!!

Greek Pasta Bake: With "Leftovers Salad!"

So, this was another success. With tons and tons of leftovers! We could have served this to a family of 8 i think! (As long as no one wanted seconds, which is highly unlikely!) I had taken an oriental ramen noodle salad to Nick's sister's house this week for a dinner, so I had tons of leftover pine nuts, almonds, and sunflower seeds to use up in a salad! (ORIENTAL SALAD WAS AMAZING! No pictures, but I've got the recipe if anyone wants it!)

Anyways, this dinner was a delicious Football Saturday stay at home meal!

So back to the bake. Here it was, right out of the oven! Oh so yummy and the smell was to die for in the kitchen!

I threw together a lose salad, like i said, of torn iceberg lettuce (99 cents!), leftover almonds, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, remaining chopped onion and green pepper and olives from this dish, as well as the spanish chicken in the previous post. I added a little feta cheese leftover from this dish, some cherry tomatoes, and the salad was good to go!

I know, i know, but you want the recipe for the good stuff! Here it is!!

Greek Pasta Bake

1 package (12 oz) whole wheat penne pasta

4 cups cubed cooked chicken breast ( I bought about 2 lb of chicken, diced it, and cooked it myself- cheaper than pre-cooked chicken!)

1 can (29 oz) tomato sauce

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained

1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

2 cans (2.25 oz each) sliced black olives

1/2 red onion chopped

2 T chopped green bell pepper

1 t dried basil

1 t dried oregano

1/2 cup shredded skim mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup crumbled reduced fat feta cheese

- If using raw chicken, dice and cook through

- Cook pasta according to package, drain

-Combine chicken, pasta, tomato sauce, tomatoes, spinach, olives, onion, green pepper, basil, and oregano in a large bowl and mix well

-Transfer to a casserole dish or a 9X13 pan coated in cooking spray. Sprinkle with the cheeses and bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes until cheese is melted.

Here she is peeking out of the oven!

Pull out, serve, and enjoy! SO SO good, and SO SO easy. Not pricy at all if you bargain shop on chicken! Here was Nick's plate: he added a little parmesan cheese to top it off!

ITS A KEEPER!

Spanich Chicken

Okay- now this dish, was pretty good, if I do say so myself, and I usually don't brag about my own cooking! Spanish chicken- yum! If you don't like Mexican, don't be scared of this dish- its nothing like a Mexican Restaurant entree, I can guarantee that! So here's the recipe:

Spanish Chicken:

4 boneless skinless breast halves (I found some Perdue chicken that was THINLY sliced breast halves- PERFECT! I recommend these if you see them!)

2 T EVOO

1 medium onion, chopped

1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 cup water

3/4 cups uncooked long grain rice (I used brown)

2 t chicken bouillon granules

1-3 t chili powder

1/8 t cinnamon

1/8 t cumin

1/8 t pepper

1/2 cup picante sauce

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 can (2.25 oz) sliced black olives, drained

In a large skillet, you brown chicken in oil for 2-3 minutes per side, until you get that good golden brown look!

 Remove the chicken and keep warm. In the same skillet, saute the onion, green pepper and garlic until tender. Stir in the tomatoes, water, rice, bouillon, and seasonings. Bring to a boil.

Then, pour everything into a greased 9X13 pan or any casserole dish you have. Top with the chicken.

COVER (I forgot to do this, and the rice could have been a LITTLE more tender!) and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, or until rice is to your desired tenderness. I took a picture at this point:

Uncover and spoon the picante sauce over the chicken, then sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5 minutes longer, just until the cheese is melted and then top with olives before serving. SOOO SOO GOOD! Here's a final picture:

PLEASE! Try this one. And enjoy :)

Garlic Chicken Stir Fry- IN THE WOK!

Okay, so this was delicious! We both loved it! Not too pricey, not too complicated. Pretty perfect if you are a garlic fan. NOTE: ALL THOSE WHO DISLIKE GARLIC... STEER CLEAR OF THIS RECIPE. 12 CLOVES REQUIRED!

Anyways, I made this dish in my new wok, which was awesome! I snapped a picture just because I was so happy to use another new kitchen appliance! Coming soon- THE PASTA MAKER! Thats besides the point though! You cook this dish without the lid, so be ready for your kitchen to smell like PARADISE (If China is paradise to you!) So, anyways, I marinated the chicken all day (it only requires about 30 minutes), but after that, i whipped this baby up in about 10 or 15 minutes!

I served it with brown rice, but I would recommend basmati or jasmine rice just due to the nature of the dish! Sometimes its worth it to bypass the healthy rice in a dish like this! I'LL DO IT NEXT TIME!

So, I realize this picture is a LITTLE blurry, but it was such a close up of the chicken, scallions, and mushrooms, I just couldn't resist!!! Here's the recipe:

Garlic Chicken Stir Fry

2 T EVOO

1 pound chicken (I used tenders) cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 1/2 cups water

3 T Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce

1 T Rice Wine Vinegar

1 T cornstarch

10 scallions, biased cut into 1 inch pieces

1 cup thin sliced fresh mushrooms

12 cloves of garlic, peeled, and minced (I ran them through a garlic press!)

You could throw water chestnuts in, but I chose not to!

2 cups cooked rice, whichever you prefer!

Whisk together water, soy sauce and vinegar. Pour over chicken. Marinate at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Drain and reserve marinade.  Add cornstarch to marinade, stir, and reserve.

Heat oil in the wok over medium-high heat. Stir fry the scallions, garlic, and mushrooms in the wok for about 3 minutes, remove and reserve.

Add chicken to the wok and stir fry until no longer pink. Push chicken away from the center of the wok, and add cornstarch mixture to center. Stir fry until thick and bubbly. Return veggies to the wok and cook together about 1 more minute.

Serve over rice.

YUMMMMMY! This is a keeper! Enjoy :)

Lime Pepper Chicken and Whole Wheat Couscous!

Lime Pepper Chicken and Whole Wheat Couscous

Our first real dinner, alone, at our apartment, since the honeymoon!!! This dinner was pretty good if I do say so myself! Nick seemed to enjoy it, but I still think its too early on for him to actually express any dislike of what I cook! Anyways, this was an easy marinade which only calls for 30 minutes in the fridge, but i gave it a good 10 hours since I had the time to plan ahead and do so! I just put some salsa in some condiment cups as a little dipping sauce (could be heated, but we ate it cold), and then I served some whole wheat couscous plain on the side!

The chicken was delicious! The marinade is the juice of one lime, a tablespoon of olive oil, a teaspoon of dried thyme, salt, pepper, and 1 large clove of minced garlic. Really easy, but really good! I baked it in the oven at 375 for about an hour, but I think it was done a little sooner! I need to purchase a meat thermometer with some of the gift cards we have to get better cooking times going, but it wasn't dried out at all! We loved it!

A pretty square meal indeed, here is a rough version of the recipe I used:

Lemon Pepper Chicken with Couscous

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 lime, zested and then juiced

1 large clove of garlic, minced or crushed

1 T Olive Oil

1 tsp dried thyme or basil

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp salt

Any kind of salsa you prefer

1 cup whole wheat couscous

Put chicken in a tupperware. Mix all other ingredients together with a whisk and then pour over chicken. Keep in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, but the longer the better! When ready, preheat oven to 375, and bake 45 minutes to an hour in a shallow baking dish.

Wait until the chicken is about 10 minutes from being done and cook couscous according to box directions! Ouila! Easy, delicious, and cheap! Enjoy!