Easy Chicken Lo Mein

This is one of our favorite dinners. My kids can’t get enough of it.
My 2 year old eats all of the veggies and then sneaks more from her brother’s plates when they aren’t looking. It’s super easy and comes together really quick for a perfect weeknight meal.

• 3 chicken breasts, cubed
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. sesame oil
• 2 small zucchinis, cut in 1/2” wedges
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 red bell pepper, cubed
• 1 can baby corn
• 16 oz. box thin spaghetti

Sauce:

• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp. rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp. canola oil
• 1 tbsp. sesame oil
• 2 tbsp. hot pasta water

Combine soy sauce and chicken in a bowl, stir to coat and set aside. Chop all vegetables as directed, set aside. Combine sauce ingredients (except hot pasta water. Add that just before you drain your spaghetti), set aside. Fill a large pot with water and cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, coat a large pan with the sesame oil and pour in chicken/soy sauce. Cook on medium heat until just cooked through. Add zucchini, broccoli, red pepper, and baby corn. Stir to combine and continue to cook until vegetables are just fork tender. When pasta is ready, drain and add to chicken and vegetables. Add sauce and combine everything until well coated.

Coconut Curry Soup

Oh. My. LOVE.
This is my new favorite soup. We’ll be eating it A LOT this soup season.
The coconut milk adds a fantastic depth to the flavor. SO GOOD!

• 1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1 cup Water
• 2-3 tsp. Curry Powder (I used 3 tsp.)
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Pepper
• 1-2 lbs. chicken breasts (I used 3 frozen breasts)
• 2 lbs. Carrots, sliced
• 2 Yukon Gold Potatoes, cubed
• 1 cup frozen Peas, thawed
• 1 can Unsweetened Coconut Milk
• 1 Red Pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup Sliced Green Onions

Combine the chicken soup, water, curry powder, salt and pepper. Put carrots and chicken breasts in a crock pot and pour the soup mixture over the carrots and chicken. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Remove chicken and shred or cube and return to crock pot. Add remaining ingredients, cover and cook for 30 minutes on high. Potatoes should be just fork tender when ready.

Enjoy! 

{Recipe adapted from On Our Dinner Table}

Cilantro Lime Rice

My boys eat this by the pound! :)
It’s a copy-cat recipe for Chipotle’s rice (which my kids adore). It’s a keeper.

• 1 cup extra long grain rice or basmati rice
• 1/2 lime, juice of
• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro
• 3 tsp. vegetable oil

In a small heavy pot, add rice, water, 1 tsp oil and salt (I just used my rice cooker, and it worked perfect). Boil on high until most of the water evaporates. When the water just skims the top of the rice, reduce to low and cover about 15 minutes. Shut off flame and keep covered an additional 5 minute.

In a medium bowl, combine chopped cilantro, lime juice, rice and remaining oil and toss until completely mixed.

Makes 4 servings.

{Recipe from Gina’s Skinny Recipes}

Zucchini Bites

Be careful! These are so addicting! We’ve made several batches
in the last 2 weeks using our garden fresh zucchinis!

• 2 cups shredded Zucchini
• 1/2 cup Bread Crumbs
• 1/2 Onion, finely chopped
• 8 oz. Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
• 2 Eggs
• 1/4 cup Fresh Parsley, finely chopped {I have used 1 Tbsp. Dried Parsley, that was good too}
• 1/2 tsp. Garlic Salt

{If you’re lazy, like me, put your parsley and onion in a food processor and chop it up in there! I don’t like huge chunks, so that does the job perfectly!}
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix well. Scoop into a well greased mini muffin pan. Fill to the top, but not overflowing. Bake at 350* for 18-20 minutes. Let cool.
Makes about 2 dozen.

Homemade White Bread

This bread was SO easy to make.
My first time making bread loaves ever and all 4 turned out perfect!
My kids devoured a whole loaf hot out of the oven. DELISH!

In a small bowl, combine:

• 2 Tbsp. Yeast
• 1 Tbsp. Sugar
• 1/2 cup Warm Water

Set this aside for the yeast to grow.

In a large* bowl, mix together:

• 4 cups HOT Water
• 1/3 cup Oil
• 1/3 cup Sugar
• 4-1/2 tsp. Salt

Then add:

• 6 cups Flour

Mix together well.

Now pour your yeast mixture into your large bowl with your flour mixture. Mix well.

Now add:

• 5-7 cups Flour {This entirely depends on the temperature, humidity, and atmosphere of your baking area – you want the dough firm, and just barely not sticky}

Knead for 5-8 minutes, until your dough is a nice firm ball. (*If you use a REALLY large bowl, you can knead right in your bowl with no need to dirty your countertop! Use one hand to rotate the bowl around and one hand to knead right inside your bowl)

Cover the dough, and let it rise until double (about an hour) and punch it down.

Let is rise again until it’s double.

Punch it down and divide into 4 equal balls. Roll each ball into a rectangle (about the width of your bread pan and 1 inch thick), then roll up the long way to make a loaf. Pinch the ends down. Place in a greased loaf pan, seam side down, and let rise about an hour and a half. Bake at 375* for 20-25 minutes. Optional: Butter the top of the loaves right when you pull them out of the oven. Enjoy!

{If you’re using dark bread pans, reduce your heat to 350* and bake for about 25 minutes.}

Makes 4 loaves.

Mexican Lasagna

This is soooo yummy. It kind of has the flavor of
tamales meets enchiladas, lasagna style.
…So if you dig those, then you’re going to want to try this.
I just had leftovers for lunch and it' was just as good reheated. YUM!

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 8 oz. can tomato sauce
• 8 oz. sour cream
• 8 oz. cottage cheese
• 4.25 oz. can chopped green chiles
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 bag corn tortilla chips

Preheat oven to 350*

Brown the ground beef and onion until beef is cooked through. Add garlic powder, salt, black beans and tomato sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Combine the sour cream, cottage cheese and green chiles. Set aside.

Lightly spray an 8x8 baking dish with no-stick spray, then put a layer of chips at the bottom (you could just as easily use corn tortillas for this step) of the pan. Then put half of the meat mixture, then half of the sour cream mixture and half of the cheese. Repeat layers.

Top with crushed chips and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until it’s all bubbly and heated through.

Let it sit for a few minutes to cool. Serve with a side salad and/or corn!

{{This recipe is fantastic to freeze. I usually double the recipe and freeze one! Just assemble (don’t bake it), cover tightly and freeze. Thaw in the fridge overnight and bake as directed.}}

Stuffed Zucchini

This was really tasty.
The stuffing mixture is delish, and it’s pretty dang healthy too!

• 2 medium zucchinis
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/2 pound Italian sausage
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup dried Italian bread crumbs
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 can (15 oz.) crushed tomatoes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13x9 inch baking dish with no stick spray.
Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise. With a spoon, scoop out the seeds. Chop and reserve about 3/4 of the seeds for the stuffing. Salt and pepper the seeded zucchini. In a medium bowl, mix together the ground beef, sausage, chopped onion, bread crumbs, egg, crushed tomatoes and the reserved zucchini seeds. Place the meat mixture equally into all of the zucchini halves; mixture should be piled up over the top. Place the filled zucchini halves into the prepared baking dish.
Bake in preheated oven for approximately 45-55 minutes.

Garlic Lime Chicken

This is very good! My favorite part of this was the broth over the rice.
It had a very good flavor! I will definitely make this one again…

• 4-5 Chicken Breasts
• 1/2 Cup Soy Sauce (low sodium is best)
• 1/3 Cup Lime Juice
• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced OR 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Dry Mustard
• 1/2 tsp. Pepper

Place chicken in a crock pot. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Serve over rice. Make sure to get some broth over the rice, yum!

This would also be delish added in with a stir fry of veggies. Shred the chicken into large pieces and stir fry the broth with some veggies. Yum!

Bridget’s Make-Ahead Meatballs

I didn’t take a picture, sorry. They’re meatballs. Pretty easily imagined… ;) This is my favorite recipe that I’ve tried so far for meatballs. They’re so much better than those grossly fatty frozen kind from the grocery store (not that those don’t work in a pinch!) But these are worth the time, very yummy!

• 4 lbs. Ground Beef
• 4 Eggs
• 2 cups Dry Bread Crumbs (I used the Garlic and Herb flavor – deLISH!)
• 1/2 cup Onion, chopped finely
• 1 tbsp. Salt
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/2 tsp. Black Pepper

Preheat oven to 400*.
In a large bowl, beat eggs well. Add the next 5 ingredients. Mix. Add beef and mix really well.
Spoon (I used my small pampered chef cookie scoop) onto a cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes.

Using the small scoop, this recipe yielded 115 meatballs. To freeze, arrange in a single layer on a cookie sheet (once they are cooled) and freeze for about 30 minutes. Remove from freezer and pack into freezer ziploc baggies. Return to freezer.
I did mine in the quart size bags and counted out 16 in each, so each time I want to use meatballs I just pull out one bag. Excellent!

Cheesy Garlic Pinwheel Rolls

These are the BEST rolls I have EVER had in my life. Seriously.

French Bread Dough:
1 Tbsp. yeast
1 1/2 c. warm water
1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
4-5 1/2 c. flour
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 egg yolk

Garlic Butter:
1/2 c. (1 stick) of real butter, softened to room temp.
1 1/2 Tbsp. garlic bread seasoning (I use Johnny’s Garlic Spread)

Shredded mozzarella cheese (enough to cover the dough)

Combine yeast, water, and sugar in large mixing bowl and allow to stand 10 minutes or until bubbly. Add salt, vegetable oil, and egg yolk (discard egg white) and combine. Add 3 c. flour and mix well until combined. Add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough that barely sticks to your finger. Knead, either by hand or in mixer, for another 2-3 minutes. Cover and allow to rise 1 hour.
While dough is rising, combine butter and garlic bread seasoning. Set aside.
Roll your dough into a rectangle that's about 18-20 inches by 6 inches. Smear garlic butter over the entire surface of the dough and then sprinkle with cheese.
Roll up jelly-roll style and then use thread to cut into 12-18 equal slices. Place each slice in a muffin tin(spray with cooking spray first). Cover with a clean damp cloth. Preheat oven to 350 and allow rolls to rise while the oven is heating.
When the oven is ready, bake for 18-22 minutes.
You're going to need to keep a CLOSE eye on these during the last 10 minutes--once you notice the cheese getting brown, place a sheet of aluminum foil over the rolls (you don't need to press it down, just lay it on top).
 *Original recipe from Our Best Bites

South Pacific Chicken

I found this recipe on some random recipe site and thought it sounded interesting.
It’s pretty good. Not my favorite, but I will definitely make it again. It could be a little
sweeter, if you ask me. Maybe a tablespoon or two of brown sugar?

• 4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
• 1 can chicken broth
• 1/4 cup vinegar 
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can (20 oz.) pineapple tidbits, don’t drain
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 5 green onions, sliced

Put your chicken in a crockpot. Add peppers and green onions. Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over the chicken/veggies. Cook on low 6-8 hours.
Before serving, break chicken up into chunks or roughly shred. Ladle broth/chicken mixture over a bowl of rice.

Mom’s Frog-Eye Salad

There are lots of different variations of this salad. But this is by far my favorite.
My kids inhale this stuff. It’s super tasty, super easy, and can be
made ahead of time for any occasion.

• 6 oz. Acini de Pepe (found in the pasta aisle)
• 2 (15 oz.) cans Tropical Fruit, reserve 1 cup of juice
• 3-1/2 oz. Flaked Coconut
• 1 small pkg. Instant Vanilla Pudding
• 1 (8 oz.) Cool Whip
• 1/2 bag Mini-Marshmallows

Cook the acini as directed. Rinse and allow to cool completely. Add each of the remaining ingredients, except juice and marshmallows. Add 1/2 cup of the juice first. Mix together well. Add more juice if needed. Add the marshmallows right before serving. Enjoy!

Baked Potato Salad

This is my number 1 favorite potato salad recipe ever.
It tastes just like a baked potato with all of the best toppings.
It goes perfectly with all of the summertime BBQ flavors!

• 3 large baked potatoes, cooled, peeled and cubed
• 1/2 cup sour cream (I used lite and it tasted great)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I always use the “made with olive oil” kind to save a few calories/fat)
• 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (I use the precooked kind)
• 4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 2 green onions, sliced and then chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 dash celery salt or seasoning salt
• 1 dash garlic powder
• 1 dash paprika
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley or chives

Gently stir together all the ingredients in a large bowl using a large spoon, reserving a little cheddar, green onion and bacon for garnish. Transfer to a serving dish.

Top with reserved shredded cheddar, green onion slices and bacon crumbles.

{{When I make this for family get-togethers, I double this recipe.}}

My Vegetable/Rice Stir-Fry

{{a healthier version of fried rice}}

• 2 cups Cooked Rice, cooled slightly (leftover rice works perfect too!)
• 2 cups Broccoli Florets
• 2 cups Zucchini, cut it small wedges
• 1 cup Carrots, shredded (or cut baby carrots in 1/2” slices)
• 1 cup Snow Peas, halved
• 1 cup Peas, frozen
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 eggs, fried and scrambled
• 1 cup Turkey Ham (or Chicken Breast), diced
• 1 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup Classic Stir-Fry Sauce (by House of Tsang)
• 1 tbsp. Low-Sodium Soy Sauce

In a large wok or saucepan, steam all veggies in 1/4 cup water with lid over the pan for 5 minutes on med-high heat. Remove lid, and push all veggies to the outer edges of the pan. Add olive oil and minced garlic to the center of the pan and let cook for one minute. Stir around to coat veggies. Add turkey ham and stir fry until heated through. Add rice, stir-fry sauce and soy sauce. Stir around to coat. Add scrambled egg and gently stir. Serve hot.

1-1/2 cup serving = about 240 calories
This recipe serves 6, 1-1/2 cup servings (approx.)