Artichoke Pesto Chicken

               ...with roasted broccoli

Some serious food is going down in our home.  I am so thankful we tried EMEALS. (<--Click there to see what I'm talking about) Changed the way we do meals. It's been a few weeks since I made this lovely meal, but I had to post it because it's worth sharing. 

Here it goes:

Artichoke & Pesto Chicken & Roasted Broccoli

1.5+ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts 

1 T olive oil

14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained 

1/4 c pesto sauce 

14 oz can quartered artichoke hearts, rinsed & drained

Season both sides of chicken with salt & pepper. Heat oil in large skillet over med-hi heat. Place chicken in skillet; cook turning once to brown each side. Remove chicken from pan; set aside. Pour tomatoes into pan. Cook 1 min, stirring occasionally. Stir in pesto & artichokes. Return chicken to pan. Cover; reduce heat to med. Simmer 5-10 min, or until chicken is cooked through.

(as you can see I used fresh diced cherry tomatoes, way better in my opinion & we served this meal over pasta)

Fresh Head of Broccoli, trimmed & cut into spears (or one pack of frozen spears)

3 T Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 400 ̊. In large bowl, toss broccoli, oil, salt & pepper together. Place broccoli on baking sheet in single layer. Bake 20 min, until tender & browned.

I have to say I've never had broccoli this way. And...I don't think I could eat it any other way after this. If you've never had it this way, you are missing out. 

Have a blessed evening,

Chicken Quinoa Soup

Why hello. I'm still here. Just a few days of intense potty training has exhausted me. Ya, she's still in diapers. But we're getting there. =)

I whipped up a beautiful soup yesterday and was really happy with the results. 

Here we go:

1 Cup Shredded Carrots

1/2 Cup Celery

1/2 Onion Diced

1 Tbsp Butter

1/2 cup flour

2 Cans of Chicken Broth (14 ounces each)- I used stuff I made, YUM!

1 Cup Milk

1 cup cubed Chicken (off the bone is the best)

1 1/2 cups cooked plain Quinoa

s/p to taste

Melt butter and put in veggies till soft. Then add the flour, I took it off the burner to combine. Then I added the liquid ingredients and mixed them together well. And then put on high till it boiled pretty good. Now add the chicken and cooked Quinoa. And then add S/P to taste. That's all. 

How to cook Quinoa:

  2 Cups Water to 1 Cup Quinoa

 (see here for nutrition facts, it's pretty amazing how good this is for you!)

 Boil then turn it to low & put the timer on 15 minutes. Boom. =)

So yummy!! Even Carter didn't mind some with a little applesauce.

Oh and speaking of Carter did you know...

$2 of ORGANIC (did you hear that?? Organic!!) Carrots cooked and put in the magic bullet makes this...

 That's a super savings! And I didn't even peal the carrots, haha. 

Just clean em up, chop em up, cook em up, and magic bullet bullet em up with a little water. 

BOOM! I could have made more, but my guess is he's not going to be eating much baby food because he already eats lots of other things just diced up small. Oh and then I froze most of this. So when I need them I just take them out and put in the fridge a day before so it can thaw. 

Super easy!

Happy February!!

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

You know those nights you want something to eat that warms you heart and soul. Homemade chicken pot pie is high up on that list. A friend of mine, MJ, posted on facebook about her lovely Chicken Pot pie coming out of the oven and it made me want it. Thanks MJ, no....... THANKS MJ!!! =)

 For real though, it is one of my favorites. I was very thankful I had cooked up some chicken a week or so ago and froze it. It was perfect for this dish. One thing I did NOT have to do. Always nice.

I got out my handy cookbook. You know, the one you get when you're married and you use ALL the time. Yes, that one. I have the Better Homes and Garden one, the Breast Cancer edition actually, it's pink. I looked up this recipe. Ok it's not called Chicken Pot Pie, but it's really what it is.

And so I whipped it up all while jumping over and tripping on Mega Blocks. 

If you've ever stepped on one you'll know why I mentioned this. 

Ouch! 

First start by preheating the oven. 

(Something you don't want to forget!)

 400 degrees. Ok?

I started with the crust, the part that brings it all together. 

A little flour, Salt, Crisco, and cold water. Pretty basic. 

Please don't tell me you use the store bought crust,

 it's not THAT hard to make. 

Then roll it out with some flour. It should match the size pan you are using. 

Then I cut up two whole carrots and one large onion. 

(I didn't have celery, bummer!) 

Carrots are not in the recipe, red peppers are. But I like carrots. 

Then added some flour, salt, and pepper to make a roue. 

The part that makes the Pot Pie thick.

Then I added the chicken broth, milk, and poultry seasoning. 

And heat on medium heat till bubbling. It should thicken.

I then diced up about 2 cups of cooked chicken.

I then added the chicken & some frozen peas. It should now look like this. 

Put the mixture in a baking dish.

Top the mix with the crust and brush a scramble egg.

And then put in the oven to bake for 30 minutes.

Isn't she adorable?

It comes out looking like this. Ooey gooey yumminess!!! 

Now is the hard part, letting it sit for 20 minutes. Ya.

And I almost forgot to get a photo of what it looks like inside. 

Ya, it was THAT good! And I was that hungry. 

Oh & this is the cutie who watched me eat it. Wondering where his food was. 

Don't worry I did give him some peas and pears.

My husband said that was one of the best meals he's eaten in awhile. Boo ya! I love hearing that. I mean it's been awhile since I've put together a meal like that. I guess it's true. I agree. 

Hope this inspires you. 

Happy cooking,