Thai Chicken Pizza

Ease: 4/5     Kid-friendliness: 3/5     Taste: 3.5/5     Time: 4/5

Prep: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 6 minutes

I have to admit, this was a weird one for me. After my first couple of bites, I wasn't sure if I liked it but it was such a unique flavor that I kept taking bites to see, and by the end I was quite enjoying it. It was a bit on the spicy side for my daughter, but I can see it being one of those recipes that as you make it, it grows on you until it's one in regular rotation. A fun twist on pizza anyway!

What you'll need:

• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 boneless chicken breast
• 1 tsp Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy Seasoning
• 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 3 Tbsp creamy or crunchy peanut butter
• 2 Tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp water
• 12 " pizza crust (I got one of those pre-made ones from the bakery section)
• 3 green onions
• 6 mushrooms
• 1 C mozzarella cheese
• 1 C washed bean sprouts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat oil in a small nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. 

Cut chicken into small bite sized pieces. Add to pan and sauté until chicken is no longer pink. Sprinkle with spice and set aside. 

Soften peanut butter in a coffee mug in the microwave for ~ 15-25 seconds. Whisk in soy sauce and water (continue adding a bit of water until the sauce becomes slightly runny).

Spread sauce over pizza crust. Top with sauteed chicken. Wash and finely chop green onion. Wash and slice mushrooms. Scatter both green onions and mushrooms over pizza base. Top with cheese. 

Bake for 5 minutes. When timer rings, change oven setting to broil. Watch carefully and remove when cheese begins to bubble. 

Rinse bean sprouts in a colander under cold water. Pat dry. Remove pizza from the oven and sprinkle uncooked bean sprouts over top. 

Enjoy!

The recipe is from my current favorite cookbook

Cashew Chicken

Ease: 3/5     Kid-friendliness: 3/5     Taste: 5/5     Time: 3/5

Prep: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 6 minutes

Cutting up chicken into bite sized pieces is probably my least favorite food preparation activity. It is so laborious! But I love a good stir-fry and this one is a new favorite. It's not the greatest for small kids because of the nuts, so I had to make a little bit without nuts for my son, but my daughter liked the nuts. My husband and I (before kids) used to go to a restaurant called Brewster's, mostly because they have an awesome beer sampler tray, but also because they had a really good cashew chicken dish. This recipe reminded me of that. All the meal needed was a cold Brewster's beer.

What you'll need:

• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp rice wine or dry sherry
• 2 tsp ginger
• 500 g skinless boneless chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp cornstarch
• 3 Tbsp canola oil
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 C salted roasted cashews
• streamed rice, for serving

In a large bowl, stir together 2 Tbsp soy sauce, the wine, and the ginger. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Set aside for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine 2 Tbsp water, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and cornstarch and stir to dissolve the sugar and cornstarch. 

Heat a large frying pan (or wok) over high heat and add 2 Tbsp canola oil. Remove and drain the chicken from the marinade, and discard the marinade. Add the chicken to the pan and stir-fry until opaque (~3 minutes). Transfer the chicken to a bowl. Return the pan to medium heat and add 1 Tbsp canola oil. Add the onions and stir-fry for 10 seconds. Return the chicken to the pan and add the cashews. Give the sauce a quick stir, add to the pan, and stir until the sauce thickens slightly (~1-2 minutes). Serve with rice!

And Happy September Everyone! Can't believe we burned through August like that...

Shredded BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Ease: 4/5      Kid-friendliness: 4/5     Taste: 5/5     Time: 3.5/5

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 to 12 minutes

Everyone loved these! A perfect backyard summer meal. Get your napkins out!

What you'll need:

• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter or margarine 
• 1/2 C minced yellow onion 
• 1 C ketchup
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce
• 2 good sized boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into halves
• vegetable oil
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 4 - 6 large sandwich rolls

Warm BBQ to medium high heat. 

To make the sauce, in a medium sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter or margarine. Add the onion and cook until soft (~3 minutes), stirring occasionally. Add the ketchup, soy sauce, lemon juice and tabasco sauce. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes. Set aside. 

Lightly brush or spray the chicken on both sides with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over direct medium heat until the meat is firm and no longer pink (~8 to 12 minutes), turning once. Remove from the grill and let rest 3-5 minutes. Shred the chicken, add the the sauce pan and heat through over medium heat. 

Grill the rolls over direct medium heat until lightly toasted, (~ 1 minute). Built each sandich with a roll and some chicken. Very tasty!

Recipe adapted from Weber's Real Grilling

Grilled Chicken Panini's in a Hurry

Ease: 5/5     Kid-friendliness: 4/5     Taste: 4/5     Time: 5/5

Prep: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Sometimes, I am just at a loss for what to make at lunch time. If I don't have leftovers or sandwich stuff, it can be a real challenge to think of something quick and easy and not just have KD. Again.  Here is a quick, easy one I rely on.

What you'll need:

• 375 g frozen stir fry veggies
• 375 g cooked chicken strips or chunks (you can buy packaged ones now)
• 4 whole wheat paninis
• 4 large lettuce leaves
• ranch dressing (or BBQ or pesto sauce)
• shredded marble cheese
• sandwich press or grill 

Over medium heat, heat a bit of water in a nonstick pan. Pour in the frozen veggies. Cover with a lid for ~2 minutes to soften the veggies. 

Uncover the pan, add the chicken and saute until the chicken is warmed through, and the veggies are tender (~5 minutes).

Meanwhile, preheat sandwich press or grill. 

Spread ranch dressing on paninis, sprinkle with cheese and top with a lettuce leaf, and some of the veggies and chicken mixture. 

Press the panini until the cheese is melted (~1-2 minutes).

Serve!

Chicken and Spinach Pesto Pasta

Ease: 3/5     Kid-friendliness: 4/5     Taste: 4/5     Ease: 3.5/5

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

I love pine nuts. Love them. And pesto. And my family loves pesto. So I thought I'd try my hand at making some homemade pesto. On the plus side, my husband (my biggest critic), said it tasted better than the jarred stuff (YES!). On the downside, I found it a bit high maintenance. Any recipe that requires me to use a blender, a pot AND a pan, is a lot in my books.

This pesto has a nice mild flavor.

What you'll need:

• garlic, 1 small clove
• 2 Tbsp pine nuts
• 1 1/4 C baby spinach
• 1/2 C grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 C olive oil 
• 2 Tbsp butter or margarine
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 lb whole wheat rotini noodles (really, any noodle would work)
• 2 C cooked chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 C feta cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. In a blender (or food processor), combine the garlic, pine nuts, spinach, and 1/4 C of the parmesan cheese. Chop. You will have to stop a couple of times to scrape down the edges. With the machine still running, gradually add the oil from the hole or spout in the top. Season with 1/4 tsp salt and a couple of grindings of ground pepper.

Add 1 Tbsp of salt to the boiling water. Add the pasta. Cook, stirring occasionally until al dente, according to package directions (~14 minutes). Drain; reserving ~ 1/2 C of the cooking water. Add the chicken to a large serving bowl.

While the pasta is cooking, over medium-high heat, melt the butter or margarine. Add the chicken and cook, until heated through and no longer pink (~ 5-8 minutes). Add the chicken to the serving bowl along with the pesto, feta cheese and remaining 1/4 C parmesan cheese. Toss, adding as much cooking water as required to make a nice consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve!

Adapted fromWilliams-Sonoma The Weeknight Cook: Fresh and Simple Recipes for Good Food Everyday, chicken and arugula pesto pasta recipe.

Baked Parmesan Chicken

Ease: 4/5     Taste: 5/5     Kid-friendliness: 3/5     Time: 3/5

Parmesan chicken is one of my husband's favourites. It's a good Father's Day dish. Of course, he likes his battered but that's adding a whole n'other step, not to mention a bunch of fat we don't need. Both my kids love pasta sauce too, so recipes that "mask" meat and veggies using pasta sauce, are always on my list.

This is a favourite recipe from my current favourite cook book: Williams-Sonoma The Weeknight Cook: Fresh & Simple Recipes for Good Food Everyday

Truth moment: I don't know what kale is so I used spinach (the black blobs in the picture) I had in my fridge that would otherwise have gone out with the trash this week.

If you're looking to reduce the fat, use less cheese as I find this recipe calls for a lot of cheese.

What you'll need:

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• salt and pepper
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 bunch spinach (or kale), stems removed and leaves torn into large pieces 
• 2 C purchased tomato-basil pasta sauce (my favorite is Prego)
• 8 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 C fresh parmesan cheese, grated (I used about half this amount)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large ovenproof frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and brown both sides, turning once (~7 minutes). Remove to a plate.

Add the spinach to the pan and saute over medium-high heat until wilted,~ 1 minute. Return the chicken to the pan and pour the tomato sauce over the chicken and spinach. Place 2 mozzarella cheese slices (I only used one) on each chicken breast and sprinkle with the parmesan cheese. Bake until the cheese is golden and the chicken is cooked, about 20 minutes. Serve to your husband with a kiss!

Pene with Pesto and Potatoes

Ease: 3.5/5     Kid-friendliness: 4/5     Taste: 3/5     Ease: 3.5/5

This is a quick, simple pasta dish. If you like pesto, you'll probably like this. I added a little less pesto than what the recipe called for, thinking my kids might not like such a strong pesto flavor. Turns out they love pesto!

What you'll need:

• 3 white boiling potatoes
• salt
• penne, ziti or other tubular pasta
• 1 C green beans
• 1 C basil pesto
• 1/2 C grated parmesan cheese

Put the potatoes in a medium sized pot, and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and cook until tender (~20 minutes). Drain and let cool. Peel the potatoes and cut them into small cubes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add some salt, and pasta. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. 5 minutes before the pasta is ready, add the beans (I added the beans 8 minutes before as they were frozen).

Drain the pasta and beans, reserving 1/2 C of the cooking water. In a large serving bowl, mix a few tablespoons of the water with the pesto. Add the potatoes, pasta and beans and toss to combine. Add as much remaining cooking water to achieve a nice consistency for the sauce. Top with parmesan cheese, and serve! Makes 4 servings. 

Chicken Ranch Wraps

Ease: 5/5     Kid-friendliness: 5/5     Taste: 4/5     Ease: 5/5

There is nothing to this recipe. You can barely even call this a recipe. I just appreciate being able to find snack and lunch ideas for my kids. It's easy to fall into a rut when it comes to snacks and lunches. My daughter would love to eat grilled cheese sandwiches and goldfish every day, but I figure a little variety is a good thing. This recipe is also an easy way to use up left-over roast chicken or turkey, or left over chicken breasts from supper the night before.

These are a favorite of my daughter's.

What you'll need:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 bell pepper (I used 1/2 a green one, and 1/2 a yellow one), cut into think strips
• 6 pieces of lettuce
• 2 C cooked chicken, cut into strips (to save time, most grocery stores now sell packaged cooked strips of chicken and turkey breasts). 
• 6 whole wheat tortillas
• 2 Tbsp ranch dressing (I use light)
• 1 C shredded cheese (I used marble)

In a small skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the pepper and sauté until tender (~ 3 minutes).

Spread a thin (or amount that you desire) layer of ranch dressing evenly over one side of a tortilla. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Layer a lettuce leaf, some pepper, and some chicken in the centre of the tortilla. Roll up tortilla length wise and enjoy (quick tip for toddlers: I often put the cheese on top and cut the wrap in half, and then heat it in the microwave for 20 seconds. This melts the cheese, and "seals" the wrap making it a little easier for my daughter to eat)! Makes about 6 wraps. 

Turkey Vegetable Chili

Ease: 3/4     Taste: 5/5     Kid-friendliness: 3.5/5     Ease: 3.5/5     Time: 3.5/5

Camping Chili!


There's a lovely spot in the mountains we traditionally go to every May Long Weekend (this will be our first camping trip with TWO kids, and in typical Alberta fashion anything can happen with the weather, so wish us a ton of luck!). Every camping trip we take, I like to bring a big pot of this chilli with us. It's more only mildly spicy, making it kid-friendly, and it's fairly quick as far as chili's goes, plus packed full of veggies, giving it two thumbs up. I like it with mushrooms, but my husband gives me grief when I include them, so this recipe is without.

What you'll need:

• 1 lb ground Turkey
• 1 can (398 mL) diced tomatoes with juice
• 1/2 green pepper, diced
• 1/2 red pepper, diced
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1/2 C corn
• 1 can red kidney beans, rinsed
• 1 can brown beans (in molasses or tomato sauce) 
• 3 Tbsp Chili powder (or to taste)
• 1 package Safeway Select vegetable beef soup mix

In a deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook turkey, breaking up with a fork until all pink is gone.

Stir in tomatoes with their juice, chili powder, soup mix, vegetables and 3 1/2 C water. 

Reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally until veggies are tender and sauce is thickened, about 20 minutes

Add beans and heat through. 

So good!

(By the way, is it "chili", or "chilli"? I never know.)

Health(ier) Chicken Nuggets

Ease: 2.5/5     Kid-friendliness: 5/5     Taste: 4/5     Time: 3/5

My daughter LOVES McDonald's chicken nuggets. We have one whole drawer in her toy shelf dedicated to McDonald's toys. Which told me, we probably go there a little too often. So I searched around for a healthier option for nuggets.

I'll start by staying that I thought these tasted better than McDonald's nuggets and they may save you some fat, but they don't save you any time or effort, which is the whole reason we go to McDonald's in the first place. But if you or one of your family members has a craving for nuggets, but don't want the extra fat, these will satisfy. My daughter seemed to eat them with as much enthusiasm as the restaurant ones anyhow.

I used a heavy freezer bag for rolling the bread crumbs, but even then the crumbs punctured it, so have a second bag handy to transfer to once the crumbs are rolled out. Rolling them on a tea towel helped (if anyone has a better suggestion for crushing bread crumbs, let me know!).

What you'll need:

• 1 3/4 C herb seasoned crumb stuffing mix
• 1/4 C grated parmesan cheese
• 3 Tbsp margarine
• 1/4 C low fat buttermilk
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F

Measure stuffing mix into resealable plastic bag. Seal bag and place on flat surface. Crush crumbs by rolling and pressing rolling pin over bag. 

Open bag and add parmesan cheese. Reseal bag and mix thoroughly.

Melt margarine (in microwave on high for 45-60 seconds or in saucepan on stove over low heat). 

Place melted margarine, buttermilk, and pepper in medium shallow bowl. Stir well. Set aside.

Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry with paper towel (not sure if this step is really necessary).

Place chicken on cutting board and cut with small, sharp knife into 16 chunks of equal size (about 8 pieces per chicken breast)

Dip each chicken chunk into buttermilk mixture, let drip, place 3 dipped chunks at a time into bag of crumbs. Seal bag and shake until chunks are coated. 

Place coated nuggets on an ungreased baking sheet. 

Place baking sheet in oven. Bake nuggets for 4 minutes, then turn and bake for another 4-5 minutes (I had to cook mine closer to 15 minutes before they were done) until golden brown and chicken is no longer pink. 

Serve!

Recipe from American Heart Association Kids' Cookbook

Fiesta Chicken Salad

Ease: 5/5     Taste: 4/5     Kid-friendliness: 3/5     Time: 4/5

Black beans and corn = a good relationship

Was feeling like something light last night and we're still all about getting use out of our "Broil King" (despite our winter-like weather), so hubby BBQ'd up a family pack of chicken for us. This is a quick easy salad to make but if you serve it as a stand-alone entrée, like I did, you'll have a pack of pantry raiders later on. It would thus be better served as a side or lunch entrée. On the plus side, you can use the remaining beans, tortillas, cheese and chicken to make wicked nachos!

What you'll need:

• 1 head green leaf lettuce (or lettuce of your choice), chopped
• 1/4 C black beans, rinsed
• 1/4 C corn, cooked 
• 1 cooked (BBQ'd is especially nice) breast of chicken, lightly seasoned with tex mex spice
• 1 medium carrot, grated
• 1/4 C crushed tortilla chips
• 1/2 C Tex Mex cheese

Combine above ingredients in a large bowl. 

Dressing:

• 1/4 C salsa
• 1/4 C ranch dressing

Voila!

Chicken Vegetable Soup

Ease: 3/5     Taste: 5/5     Kid-friendliness: 4/5     Time: 2/5


Family: 0; Nasty Cold: 4
Don't hide away the soup recipes just yet...

For me, nothing says Spring like the arrival of a bad cold. And one has hit our household. I find soups to be a little high maintenance in terms of prep work, but they are sometimes worth it. They are a way to get vegetables into your children (admittedly, I often have to bribe my daughter with a grill cheese sandwich), you can make a ton and they usually freeze quite well. Which means the next time you catch a cold, you'll have some great homemade soup on hand to perk you up and give you a deserved night off in the kitchen.


Mine looks a lot more minced up than yours probably would. That's because I chopped the vegetables really fine so that my poor snotty nine month old could eat it too.


What you'll need:

• 8 C chicken broth (or stock if you've recently made a roast chicken and made stock from it)
• 1 pound cooked chicken breast, cut into bite-sized chunks; if you haven't recently made a roast chicken, Lillydale does make packaged cooked chicken breast chunks now. Super convenient! Great for sandwiches too. 
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 2 medium stalks celery, coarsely chopped (include tops)
• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into bite sized cubes
• 2 large carrots, sliced
• 1 tsp poultry seasoning
• 1 tsp crushed dried thyme
• 2 tsp crushed dried basil
• 1 large bay leaf
• 8 black peppercorns
• onion salt to taste
• 1 1/2 C frozen peas

Place the broth in a large soup pot, and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, and reduce heat to medium. 

Add the chicken, onions, garlic, and celery to the pot and stir to mix. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes.

Stir in the potatoes, carrots, and seasonings. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Stir in the peas, cover, and simmer for 15-30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. 

Remove and discard the bay leaf. Serve and enjoy!


Recipe inspired by "Turkey Vegetable Soup" in Karen Bellerson's Low Fat, No Fat Cooking