Russian chicken with apricot jam

Get ready for a quick and delicious go to recipe!

Russian Chicken with Apricot Jam!

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup sugar free or less sugar apricot jam
• 1/3 cup or 1/3 of an 8oz jar of russian dressing
• 1/2 package of onion soup mix (make sure you mix the package before pouring out half to insure you get the beef bullion as well as the little dehydrated veggies in the package)

Mix these three ingredients together in a small bowl

Place 1.5 lbs of chicken inside of a deep covered baker from pampered chef (a glass pan works about the same, i'd use an 8x8).

Pour the sauce on top of the chicken and cook for 30 mins at 400°.

Take out of oven and shred chicken inside the pan and let sit for 5-10 mins. This will allow the cooked chicken to absorb most of the sauce! Yummmmmy

Best served on cooked quinoa but can also be served with rice, pasta, or salad

Seriously, you have to know that it is amazing when the kid smiles this big! She loooves this dinner!

Parmesan Chicken & bonus baked spaghetti

Here is a big favorite dish! Very good and pairs well with a lot of sides. You can do noodles and a red sauce, tortellini, on a bed of rice, or lots of other things! This particular time I did baked spagetti. But here is the recipe for the chicken:

Parmesan Chicken

Breading:
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley or 1 TB dried

Sauce:
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp pepper
3/4 tsp salt
3 TB lemon juice

Cut up around 2 - 2 1/2 lbs of chicken into strips. Then dip the chicken in the breading then the sauce then the breading again. By dipping it twice into the breading it creates a more covered chicken strip.
Place on baking sheet at 350 for 30 mins or until chicken is done.
If using a deep covered baker like me cook at 400 for 30 mins.

You can melt mozzarella cheese on top for the last 5 mins of cook time.

For the baked spaghetti, cook the noodles and drain. Then combine with your choice of red sauce. Put all that inside the deep covered baker (after you take out the chicken but leave the juices). Cover with your choice of cheeses. I used mozzarella and cheddar cheese. Let cook at 350 for 10 mins. Serve with parmesan chicken on top! Enjoy!

Italian Salisbury Steak

This dish may not look like a picture perfect dish but believe me it is AMAZING!!!!! It tastes so good and it is about 30 mins from start to finish. I usually pair it with yam that I cook in the microwave in a special potato cooking pouch. Anyway here is the recipe! Enjoy!

Italian Salisbury Steak

ingredients: 1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 lb ground beef

1/3 cup italian style bread crumbs

1 egg, beaten

dash of onion powder

1) In a bowl mix thoroughly 1/4 cup of the soup, beef, breadcrumbs, egg, and onion. Press into 6 oval patties. 

2) In a skillet over high heat, in 1 TB hot oil, cook patties till browned. Spoon off fat. 

3) Stir in remaining soup & 3 mushrooms sliced up (optional). Cover. simmer for 20 mins or until done. Turning patties over occasionally. Serve on top of noodles and sprinkle heavily with Parmesan cheese. 

Scheduling

It is noon and my daughter just went down for a nap and I find myself thinking about what I have to make for dinner. Then my mind starts to do the process of first what kind of meat I want. Then when I finally have an idea I then have to think about what recipe I have to do with that meat. On top of all that I have to think of stuff I have in the cupboards and fridge that I can use for the meat and the side dish. It usually is all too overwhelming that I decide to just go out to eat. Well I figured out something that works great for me - a schedule.

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are CHICKEN! 

Tuesday, Saturday, and Sunday are other meat days like fish, pork, or beef. 

Thursday is TACO NIGHT! or enchiladas if the tacos get boring :)

Then to keep things interesting I have to try a new recipe each week. 

I've been doing this for over a week and it has been such a load off. Now I only have to come up with what recipe to use and it has been so much easier. Give it a try!

Awesome Chili

Are you ready for a high protein yet awesomely delicious and filling meal? Chili is a meal that can be served when its sunny or snowy. I love how easy and delicious and healthy it is. My husband is big into working out so having a meal that he loves that will also be good for his goals makes it even better! Plus you can make it all in one pan, making clean up a breeze!

CHILI

1 lb of ground beef (at least 93% lean)
2 - 15oz cans of chili beans (low sodium)
1 - 15oz can of black beans (drained)
1 - 15 oz can of red kidney beans (drained)
6 oz of salsa

salt
onion powder
lawry's seasoned salt

















fritos
cheddar cheese (shredded for topping)

Cook the ground beef in a pot over medium-high heat till cooked. Drain off fat if needed. Combine the cans of beans and salsa all at once. Stir then season with salt, onion powder, and lawry's seasoned salt. I did about 1/4 tsp onion powder and 1/2 tsp of the seasoned salt (also did a sprinkling of regular salt but i figured the seasoned salt would do the job just fine). You should really do it to your own tastes but that is what I did and it turned out delicious!
In a single serving bowl lay down a pile of fritos, then the chili, and then top with cheese. Enjoy!!!

Instead of fritos you could also make some cornbread! Still delicious!!!

Zucchini slices!

Here is a simple and delicious way to cook zucchini. Summer is coming up and all those with gardens know that zucchini can take up your life ;) so here is a fast and healthy way to cook up a great side dish!

Preheat oven to 400°

Take your zucchini and wash them. (About 3 small zucchini per baking sheet.) Don't peel the veggie, lots of the nutrients come from the skin of the zucchini.
Then cut off the ends, about 1/2 an inch. Now slice it, about 1/4 of an inch thick. (Try to do consistent widths so the slices cook evenly)

Take out a baking sheet and spray lightly with canola oil. Lay the cut zucchini down in a single layer. Now spray the zucchini with a little oil. Sprinkle on a little salt. Put in preheated oven for 8 minutes.
Take the sheet out and flip the zucchini over (you dont have to do each one but most of them, remember we are trying to keep it simple ;)
Sprinke a little more salt and then some parmesan cheese (doesn't have to be freshly grated, I used the regular kraft kind) and put back in the oven for 8-10 more minutes depending on if you like it a little more crisp.
Enjoy!

Cheesy Chicken

First let me say I got the original base of this recipe from the back of a Campbell's Cream of Chicken soup can. You can find that here :

http://www.campbellskitchen.com/recipes/cheesy-chicken-rice-casserole-27173

but I made it better! so here you go --->

CHEESY CHICKEN

1 can of cream of chicken soup

fill that can almost up with water

2/4 cup of uncooked quoina

1/4 cup of uncooked rice

(you can substitute all quoina or all rice but I really like the combo mentioned above. You can find quoina anywhere, even in walmart. It cooks just like rice but it has a higher protein content than rice and its a whole grain (white rice is pretty much just starch) so its much better than just rice.)

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1-2 cups frozen veggies: like corn. peas, carrots, and whatever else you want

1.5-2 lbs of boneless chicken breasts

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

You mix the first 6 ingredients in a bowl. This allows a good distribution throughout the dish of the rice and quoina so it will cook evenly. 

Then put the chicken on the bottom of the dish. I used a pampered chef deep covered baker but you can also use a regular casserole dish. Like a 11x8 inch dish or 11x7 inch works too. 

Then I put the stuff from the bowl on top

.

I kinda scrape off the stuff from the top of the chicken and then i put the veggies on top of the mixture. then put the lid on (or foil on top of the dish) and cook in the oven at 400degrees for 45 mins. Take it out of the oven, put cheese on top, and let it sit for 10 mins. Then stir it up and enjoy!!!!

If it comes out runny just put it back in for 10 mins :) 

Let's Start at the Beginning

 I've watched my share of food network and all the whoknowswhat that the chefs put in the dishes. And frankly, as fun as it is to watch, I know I will never make any of it. Why? It is just NOT normal!

I'm a stay-at-home mom with some great recipes. Recipes that are easy to follow and easy to fall in love with. They are good for you and the entire family.

So stay tuned because this food blog is out there for all the "normal" cooks.