What's for Dinner? Easy Baked Chicken, Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Quinoa

I want to start off by saying that I took a nice long break to focus on planning and enjoying our beautiful wedding! I couldn't ask for a sweeter husband and more supportive family, it was an amazing time!! Here's a glimpse of our beautiful ceremony:

 

 

With that being said, now I can continue..

 One thing my husband tells me the one thing he enjoys the most about my cooking is how good his stomach feels afterwards. Let me explain. Sometimes when you go out to eat, or eat unhealthy foods, you are left with rumbling in your stomach and feelings of extreme fullness. Heartburn, indigestion, etc. are signs that you ate something that your body is not digesting well.

Over time, poor digestion leads to malnutrition and, according to the Mayo Clinic, can lead to various health problems, including fatigue, depression, weakened immune system, anemia, muscular weakness, digestive, lung and heart problems and poor skin integrity. Poor digestion equals poor health.

That is why I strive to use natural ingredients that are whole foods in my meals so that after the meal, you are left with a happy tummy and a healthy body!

 

Eating healthy can be easy once you get used to cooking your own meals. Here is what I made for dinner with a break down of 3 easy recipes: Baked Chicken with Lemon & Herbs, Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Quinoa and a light salad. Please read through all recipes and follow the steps to see how to prepare them so that everything is ready at the same time. This takes practice but comes easy over time.

 

Baked Chicken with Lemon & Herbs

 

 

8 chicken thighs, bone in and skin on

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 tbsp melted butter

2 tsp dryed basil

1 tsp dryed oregano

 

 

Step 1: prepare chicken and put in oven for 50 minutes total.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken thighs into a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Prepare marinade by mixing olive oil, butter and lemon juice in a small bowl. Add in herbs and mix well. Pour marinade over chicken and toss to coat. Let the chicken marinade for 10-30 minutes in the fridge. Once chicken has marinated, layer the chicken out into a large baking dish, skin up and cover dish with aluminum foil. Place in heated oven. total cooking time is 45 minutes plus an extra 5 minutes for browning.

 *Add sweet potatoes to oven with chicken after 15 minutes. Once you remove the sweet potatoes, remove the aluminum foil, turn heat up to 450 degrees and allow chicken to brown for about 5 more minutes.

 

Roasted Honey Sweet Potatoes

 

2 lbs sweet potatoes (or 4 large), rinsed and cut into 1 inch cubes

2 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp melted butter

1 tsp lemon juice

2 tbsp honey

salt and pepper to taste

 

Step 2: Cut and rinse sweet potatoes, toss with glaze and place in oven with chicken for 30 min.

Place cut sweet potatoes into a large bowl. Make a simple glaze for the potatoes by mixing olive oil, butter and lemon juice. Add in honey, mix well. Pour over the sweet potatoes and toss to coat. Season with salt and lightly with pepper. Spread out the sweet potatoes evenly onto a large baking sheet. Place them in the oven once chicken has been baking for 15 minutes. The potatoes will take 30 minutes to fully cook and you should toss them around half way through to make sure the cook evenly. Remove from oven once tender. *You will then need to brown the chicken for 5 more minutes on high heat. Allow potatoes and chicken to cool some before serving.

 

Quinoa

 



1 cup quinoa, rinsed well

2 cups water

1 tbsp butter

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin for flavor

 

Step 3: Rinse quinoa well and cook for 15-20 minutes until fluffy

Once well rinsed, add quinoa and water to a medium size saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, add butter and simmer for 15-20 minutes until fluffy. Season with salt and cumin once cooked.

**Optional: add in finely chopped veggies such as squash and zucchinni, carrots, spinach or bellpepper half way through cooking. Other ideas for flavor:  use 1 cup water and 1 cup broth. Which ever option you choose, dont over do it. Quinoa has a great nutty flavor and doesnt require much additions, it tastes well just lightly seasoned. And of course, it's gluten free! It is very nutrient dense and is a complete protein source, providing all essential amino acids. Read more about it here:  http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=142&tname=foodspice

 

Salad


Spinach

Chopped tomatoes

Chopped avocado

Coconut vinegar

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Step 4: Create a light, easy salad to go with your meal for added veggies.

Toss some awesome veggies with a light dressing, salt and pepper right before your meal is ready. I have been using coconut vinegar on my salads along with olive oil and it gives such a great taste. It also is very low glycemic, and is an abundant source of 17 amino acids, minerals, vitamin C, broad-spectrum B vitamins, and has a nearly neutral pH. Its very healthy and inexpensive. The Coconut Secret Raw Coconut Vinegar can be ordered at my favorite site: www.vitacost.com.



If you followed the steps and watched the timer, all items should be ready about the same time.  Here's my finished meal:

 

Enjoy!!



Chicken and Rice Casserole

Portabella mushrooms give this casserole a different and rich flavor. Finely chopped veggies are not as noticable for picky eaters. Veggie broth and seasoning help disguise the brown rice. Sometimes a casserole dish can help get your family to eat whole grains and veggies without knowing it. Enjoy  :)

Ingredients
2 cups all natural chicken broth (read label, some contain MSG)
1 cup rice
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced into 1 inch cubes
Extra virgin olive oil for cooking
1 onion chopped, finely chopped
1/4 cup celery, finely chopped
1/2 to 1 whole red bellpepper, finely chopped
2 chopped portabella mushrooms- 1 inch cubes
2 tsp basil, 2 tsp oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp garlic
2 cups spinach, chopped finely
1 tomato diced into small pieces
1 cup cheese ( I used half munster and half parmesan)
2 eggs lightly beaten
Extra cheese for topping *optional


Preaheat oven to 325.
 Heat broth, add rice and 1 tsp salt. Bring to boil. (optional- add 1 tbsp butter). Reduce heat and simmer covered until water is absorbed and rice is tender. Approx 20-25 minutes.
While rice is cooking, Saute diced chicken in large skillet on medium high heat in oil, season with half of basil and oregano, salt, pepper and 1 tsp garlic. Remove chicken and set aside in a large bowl.
Add a little more oil and saute onion, bell pepper and celery until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add mushrooms and 1 tsp garlic, cook until just tender. Add the rest of basil and oregano. Add mixture and cooked rice to bowl with chicken.
Mix tomato, cheese, eggs and spinach in a separate bowl. Add this to chicken, vegetables and rice mixture. Now, you should have all ingredients blended in one bowl.
Pour mixture evenly in a greased 9 by 13 baking dish. Bake in oven for 35 - 40 minutes until cooked and lightly golden bown. You can add cheese and put the entire dish back in oven at 450 degrees for about 5-10 minutes to brown if you are ready to eat now.
***Or
If you have more time and are not eating tonight, remove and let cool completely (about 1 hour).  This will allow the casserole to set. Once cool, slice into pieces, top each piece with cheese and put slices in oven at 450 degrees for about 10 minutes when ready to eat. The slices will be more composed, not falling apart and the top will be nice and browned.

Chicken Fajitas

It's Fajita night!! Here's a yummy fajita recipe that can be enjoyed over rice or traditionally in tortillas of your choice with your favorite toppings. Marinade included in the recipe.

Fajita Marinade:
1 cup cold water
1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tsp basil, 1 tsp oregano
4 crushed garlic cloves
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
14 cup red wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon and 1 lime
1/4 bunch of cilantro, chopped finely
1 1/2 to 2 lbs chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch strips

Add lemon juice to cold water followed by other ingredients while whisking in between. Finally, slowly whisk in olive oil. Marinate chicken for 30 minutes in fridge, covered. When ready to use, take chicken out of marinade with tongs and remove excess water by damping with paper towels.

Fajita ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
3 chopped and seeded bell peppers, color of your choice
Salt and pepper to taste
Marinated chicken
1-2 tsp mexican seasoning (or use a blend of chili powder, cumin and paprika)

Heat pan to medium high heat. Add oil and marinated chicken. Season with salt, pepper and mexican seasoning. Use lid to drain excess water if necessary in order to brown chicken. Remove chicken once fully cooked and set aside. Add oil and onions, cook until tender and lightly browned. Add peppers and cook until just tender; season with salt and pepper. Add chicken back to skillet. Serve with tortillas, fajita style or over brown rice as a fajita bowl like picture below. We also use greek yogurt to top with instead of sour cream. For gluten free, use corn tortillas. Enjoy  :)

Chicken and Bell Pepper Roll Ups

These chicken roll ups are a great way to change up your regular taco routine! They are very easy to make and also a great way to get more vegetables in your diet. 

Chicken and Bell Pepper Roll ups

Estimated cooking time:15 minutes

Makes about 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 yellow, 1 red and 1 orange bell pepper, rough chopped

1 cup spinach, freshly & finely chopped 

¼ cup sundried tomatoes, rough chopped

2 lbs chicken- cut into 1 inch small cubes or small strips

2 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil

½ tsp garlic, chopped

Seasoning- salt and pepper

Dice all veggies separately and set aside. Season chicken with salt and pepper and brown on medium-high in large skillet in 2 tbsp  olive oil or coconut oil. Remove chicken and set aside. Add bell peppers to skillet and cook on medium high for a few minutes until tender. Make sure to leave space between vegetables when sauteing to make sure moisture can evaporate and this will aid in browning your vegetables. 

Add sundried tomatoes, garlic, salt and pepper to skillet with bell peppers. Add chicken back to mixture and make sure chicken is fully cooked.  Remove from heat and add fresh chopped spinach to mixture. Mix well. Put a few tablespoons of the finished product in a heated corn tortilla and top with Greek yogurt (healthier choice than sour cream) or cheese if you like. Enjoy!

Gluten free pasta with chicken sausage

Gluten Free pasta with chicken sausage

Estimated cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

Chicken sausage- 12 ounce pack of fully cooked sausage sliced on diagonal into ¼ inch slices. ( I like Al fresco roasted garlic chicken sausage with onion & herbs. Its also Gluten Free)

1 tbsp oil

1 tbsp butter

½ tsp garlic chopped

1 bag of Gluten free brown rice spiral pasta (you may use any type of pasta)

juice of ¼ large lemon

½ tsp lemon zest

2 tsp basil pesto (or 1 tbsp fresh chopped basil)

salt to taste

1 tbsp fresh grated Parmesan cheese( to add on top of finished pasta)

Cook pasta. While pasta is cooking, sauté sausage until brown in large skillet on medium high heat with 1 tbsp oil, garlic & 1 tbsp butter. Remove from heat once brown. Drain pasta once it is tender. Don’t overcook. Add remaining ingredients to pasta and then add to skillet with sausage. Toss to mix. Serve immediately with fresh grated Parmesan cheese on top.

*This works great with any type of pasta, regular or whole wheat. You also may use a different type of sausage if you prefer.