2 Step Easy Balsamic Chicken

This week has been super hectic! I mean crazy busy! I feel like I haven't had a moment to sit down and just breath! The kids and they're activities are non stop, then they have been recovering from the colds that they had and then the baby was sick too! but she's much better now just recovering too.  Anyhow with the preface how I have had zero time this week I threw this together.  I actually did this on a Monday night and that happens to be our most hectic evening of the week!!  A helpful note for this chicken is to MAKE EXTRA! the leftovers are simply delicious for the next day!

Happy eating from my kitchen to yours! 

What You Need:

4 chicken breast

salt and pepper to taste 

1 bottle of balsamic vinaigrette dressing (I used Kens Dressing for mine)

How to:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place your chicken in a deep baking dish.   While your oven is pre-heating take a minute to season your chicken with salt and pepper.  Then pour the entire bottle of dressing over your chicken.  Cover with tin foil allowing the sides to be partially exposed. cook for 45 minutes or until your chicken reaches an internal temperature of  170 degrees Fahrenheit.  Pour reaming balsamic liquid that, you will find on the bottom of your baking dish on top of the chicken for additional yumminess. 

Asian Beef

This weekend was a abnormal one.  Typically we like to go out and do some outdoor activities, but this weekend we were not able to due to the girls not feeling well, and my son was recovering from his cold as well.  So we capitalized on the weekend and made it a lazy one.  We decided to have two movie night! which is out of the ordinary for us.  We watched the Croods which is such a cute movie! and we watched Epic and we all passed out so I can't give you the appropriate ratings lol.  But while we were home bound I whipped up this Asian beef, it's super easy and really tasty enjoy!  

From my kitchen to yours Happy Eating!  

Adapted from: All Recipes

What You Need:

1 ( 1 1/2- to 2-pound) flank steak

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 Tablespoons honey
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tablespoons minced fresh ginger
3 scallions, thinly sliced

How To:

Place the plastic bag in a large bowl and then add the soy sauce, balsamic vinegar and oil to the bag. Whisk in the honey, garlic, ginger and scallions. Add the steak to the bag, flipping it to coat it in the marinade, and then seal the plastic bag.

Place the steak in the fridge and marinate for about 2-4 hours the longer the better though.

When ready to cook, remove the steak from the fridge and preheat your cooking surface (grill or stove top grill pan). Remove the steak from the marinade.  Boil  the leftover liquid on medium for about 5-10 minutes.  Sear the steak on each side for about 4 minutes each side. Let the steak rest for 5 minutes and then slice it against the grain and serve. Once the marinade has finished boiling add it on top of the steak for added flavor. 

Easy Cheesy Bacon Rounds

Yesterday was amazing,actually this past week was incredible! it was hectic as usual, with the kids and their activities. Both kids are in dance, my daughter is in tap and ballet, and my son recently tried out for hip hop and he loved it so there is our Monday nights and then on Tuesday nights we have boy scouts meetings and of course school but all in all it was fantastic. Yesterday we went to Sweet Frogs which is a frozen yogurt place by us, this is where I take the kids every Friday,  that's of course they do not have any behavior issues in school for that (and yes I bribe them with that! :) and it works!).  Anyhow, last night we had family movie night we watched the movie Epic and my husband was the only one who lasted through it!  the baby was already fast asleep before the movie, so he only had to carry my daughter ,son and me to bed! he said that he looked over and Jasmine and I were in a cocoon on the couch together snuggling and my son was snuggling with pups.  But then this morning we all committed that we would finish it and quite frankly we just haven't been able to get around to it yet.  For family movie night I wanted to make a really yummy snack for us and I made these yummy cheesy bacon rounds, so if you like potato skins you are gonna love these and the best part it really doesn't take a lot of work like regular potato skins, because they cook in about 30-40 minutes!  From my kitchen to your's Happy Eating!  

Adapted from: All Recipes 

What You Need:

4 baking potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch slices

1/4 cup melted butter

8 slices bacon - cooked and crumbled

8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup chopped green onions

How To:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C)
2. Brush both side of potato slices with butter; place them on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in the preheated 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until lightly browned on both sides, turning once.
3. When potatoes are ready, top with bacon, cheese, and green onion; continue baking until the cheese has melted

NOTE:  If your are in a hurry you can also use bacon bits for this recipe as well! 

Easy 5 Ingredient Rice Pilaf

Yesterday was an amazing day! I was able to go to the gym,and  wear out the baby at the kids club they have at that the gym.  When I picked her up from the kids club a little boy who was about 3 years old was singing this lovely tune "Shots, Shots, Shots", to the tune of the Aristocats DVD that they had put in for the kids!!!!  If you were there you would be on the floor laughing just as I was! kids say the most hilarious things. They are especially great at repeating exactly, what you don't want them to say also lol!.  So I arrived home and to my surprise the baby took a looong 2 1/2 hour nap for me YAY!!!!! score for mom. I was able to clean up a bit and start dinner before the afternoon crowd came home. 

Later that day I  did the afternoon pick up and I noticed I had a sicky on my hands when I went to pick up my daughter from pre-school.  My daughter hops in the car and said to me "Jordan (my son) got me sick!" We all started laughing and on our way home we went.  I have a great time in the afternoon pick ups!.  My best friend and I do a carpool daily.  She takes the morning shift, because I am not a morning person by any means and then I take the afternoon shift. So in the afternoon I have 5 kids in the car telling me about their day and what they did the day before. My girlfriends daughter who is 9 just cracks me up! she tells me these mishaps that happen when they go out, and it always seems to be when they are with there dad! I'll get into details with that another day, but take it from me the afternoon drive home is literally the highlight of my day! 

I was in the mood for rice last night with dinner but I really wanted to make something more than just plain ol' rice I wanted a little something extra so I thought I would do a super simple rice pilaf that you can put together in a flash! I hope you all enjoy this as much as we did! 

From my kitchen to your's Happy Eating! 

Adapted from: www.foodnetwork.com

What You Need:

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup water

1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts

1 cup long-grain white rice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 

How To:

Bring the broth and water to a boil in saucepan over medium heat.

 Reduce the heat to low and keep hot .In another saucepan, heat oil over medium heat.

 Add the scallions and cook for about3 minutes. Stir in the rice, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and cook for another 2 minutes.

 Pour in the hot broth mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and 

cover the saucepan. Cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 20 minutes.

4 Ingredient Easy Ice Cream Cake

Here in Florida we really don't ever have any seasons unless you might consider a season being 1) HOT      2) Hotter and 3) Hottest, that's typically what we deal with around here.  So today while some of you may be experiencing a cool fall day we are still walking around in flip flops and tank tops.  In honor of our very hot climate I wanted to make something really special for the fam.  Wednesday nights we do dessert and we read the Bible together after dinner, so I have to make something; otherwise I will never hear the end of it from my 7 year old and 4 year old.  While the baby was napping I decided to quickly make this, and when I say quickly, I mean quickly! it took me about 5 minutes and then I threw it in the freezer to chill until after dinner tonight.  I know everyone will enjoy this, even those of you in the cooler climates, sometimes you just gotta have some ice cream!!   Happy eating from my kitchen to yours! 

What you need:

16 ice cream sandwiches 

16 ounces of Cool Whip

A bag of mini Ore cookies (make sure to crush them up)

Sprinkles

How to:

Get yourself a 9x13 inch pan (Glass preferably)

Layer the bottom with cool whip, then put a thin layer of crushed Oreo's then lay the  ice cream sandwiches flat on top of the cool whip and Oreo's.  Repeat layering. Evenly spread the remaining whipped topping, and lastly add the Oreo's and the sprinkles to finish on top. Let freeze for at least 30 minutes prior to eating. 

Crock Pot Chicken and Soba noodle soup

This week I feel like I we are living off of soups! My son came down with the flu and I think the rest of us are starting to get a little hint of hint of it also.  So with that said my remedy is well I'm sure you guessed it is Soup!  I made a chicken soup for the gang in the crock pot( which is my all time favorite way to make soup) and I realized that oops! I'm out of the long spaghetti so, as I'm on a scavenger hunt in my pantry I passed the soba noodles and I thought "I can just break these up a bit and toss em' in"  and sure enough it turned out to be incredible! Just because the soba noodles do not become super soggy like the pasta does, the soba noodles can stand up to a hearty soup and stand out in it as well!.  Soba noodles are actually a from buckwheat so it gives less carbs and more protein.  This soup is super hearty and just down right delicious! 

Happy Eating from my kitchen to yours! 

What you Need:

Crock Pot

6 cups chicken stock (if you want you can add 4 cups chicken stock and 2 cups water if you don't have enough stock)

2 cups of chopped baby carrots

3 stalks of celery chopped

1 large onion chopped

1 green bell pepper chopped

2 chicken breasts 

1 table spoon of dried basil

1 table spoon of dried oregano

1 table spoon of dried parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 lb dried soba noodles 

How to:

Add all ingredients to crock pot except for soba noddles they will go in 15 minutes prior to serving, Turn crock pot on high for 6 hours. 

Before serving you want to shred you're chicken breast so that the chicken will be bite size and nicely combined in the soup.

Break the soba noddles apart and add them to you're soup 15 minutes prior to serving. 

Niccoles Happy Kitchen: Sticky Honey Garlic chicken wings

Niccoles Happy Kitchen: Sticky Honey Garlic chicken wings: This weekend we were super busy we went to Santa's Enchanted Forest which is huge Christmas themed carnival down in Miami Florida...

Tabbouleh Salad

Lunch is by far my favorite meal of the day! it's actually the only meal during my day that I can sit alone and chew and digest without having to share, or clean up a spill and break up a fight between the little ones, if you have kids you defiantly know where I'm coming from! eating in peace is a hot commodity!. Today was a bit different though; I decided to whip myself up some Bulgar rice and I was going to have a some chicken on the side (boring! I know!)  so I said to myself "I know there has got to be a way where I can jazz this up!" and low and behold I came across tabbouleh salad which I love, love, love! I hope you all enjoy it just as much as I did! and for the weekend try to make a little extra! it's great for snacking!  Happy eating from my kitchen to yours!

Adapted from: Ina Garten 

What you need:

1 cup bulgar rice

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)

1/4 cup good olive oil

3 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts (1 bunch)

1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves (1 bunch)

1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (1 bunch)

1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced

2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

How To: 

Place the bulgar in a large bowl, pour in the boiling water, and add the lemon juice, olive oil, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Stir, then allow to stand at room temperature for about 1 hour.

Add the scallions, mint, parsley, cucumber, tomatoes, 2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper; mix well. Season, to taste, and serve or cover and refrigerate. The flavor will improve if the tabbouleh sits for a few hours.

Shepard's Pie 

Today was a real busy day, I went to my women's group meeting at church and that takes a good 2 hours of my morning and then I had to hit up the grocery store thereafter.  That is when I realized that I hadn't even taken anything out for dinner!  So I decided that I would pick up some ground turkey and a sack of potatoes and shepherds pie immediately came to mind.  This shepard's pie is a bit different than the traditional though,  It is a bit more healthful and it doesn't weigh you down when you're done.  This is a super quick meal to make and you can even opt to make this ahead on the weekend and pop it in the oven on you're busy weeknights.  Happy eating from my kitchen to yours! 

Making the Potatoes what you will need

• 1-1/2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, diced
• 3/4 cup fat free chicken broth
• 2 tbsp fat free sour cream
• salt and pepper
• paprika

The filling

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 tsp oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 8 oz mushrooms, diced
• 10 oz frozen mixed vegetables
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup fat free beef broth
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp of Italian seasoning 
• salt and pepper

Boil potatoes in water until cooked and soft. Drain and mash with chicken broth, sour cream, salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 400°.

In a large saute pan brown meat. Season with salt and pepper. When cooked, set aside on a plate. Discard any fat in the pan, add oil, onion and garlic and saute on medium heat about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and celery and saute another 3-4 minutes. Add flour, salt and pepper and mix well. Add frozen vegetables, beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, thyme, chopped meat and mix well.Simmer on low about 5-10 minutes.

Spread the meat mixture on the bottom of a 11x7 glass baking dish. Top with mashed potatoes, using a fork to scrape the top to make ridges and sprinkle with paprika. Bake 20 minutes or until potatoes turn golden. Remove from oven and let it cool 10-15 minutes before serving.

Note:  Feel free to substitute the ground turkey for any other kind of ground meat that you may prefer. 

Lemon Chicken with Broccoli

Chicken and broccoli happens to be one of my favorite take out foods! However;   I find that most times there is way to much salt added and it's also way to oily.  So I decided that I would make my own take out for dinner! It's clearly less expensive, I made it quicker then if I placed an order from the Chinese restaurant, it's healthier and it's budget friendly as well.  My family really enjoyed this and I hope yours will too!!  Happy eating from my kitchen to yours! 

Delightfully adapted from WW 360

Ingredients

	2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
	1/2 tsp table salt, divided
	1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
	12 oz uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast(s), thinly sliced
	2 tsp olive oil
	1 1/2 cup(s) fat-free, reduced sodium, chicken broth, divided
	2 tsp minced garlic
	2 1/2 cup(s) uncooked broccoli, small florets
	2 tsp lemon zest, or more to taste*
	2 Tbsp fresh parsley, fresh, chopped
	1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Instructions

• On a plate, combine 1 1/2 tablespoons of flour, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper; add chicken and turn to coat.
  
• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, turning as needed, until lightly browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes; remove to a plate.
  
• Put 1 cup of broth and garlic in same skillet; bring to a boil over high heat, scrapping up browned bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Add broccoli; cover and cook 1 minute.
  
• In a small cup, stir together remaining 1/2 cup of broth, 1/2 tablespoon of flour and 1/4 teaspoon of salt; add to skillet and bring to a simmer over low heat.
  
• Cover and cook until broccoli is crisp-tender and sauce is slightly thickened, about 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in chicken and lemon zest; heat through.
  
• Remove skillet from heat and stir in parsley and lemon juice; toss to coat. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Creamy Vegetable soup (hold the cream)

This week has been pretty trying; the kids got some sort of a stomach bug and they have been on the ever so wonderful (BRAT) diet for the past week.  For those of you who may be unfamiliar with it it's a variation of bananas applesauce rice and toast. Anyhow, the kids tummy's were still a bit sensitive so I wanted to make them a really healthful yet tasty meal that would be easy on their belly's.  This is how I came up with this fab soup and it was something that the entire family enjoyed, including the baby!  I hope you all enjoy delish dish! Happy Eating!!

Ingredients:

2- 32 ounce box of chicken stock (or if your a vegetarian you can certainly substitute this will vegetable broth)

4 cups of water

drizzle of olive oil

10 garlic cloves

baby carrots chopped

2 onions chopped

1 zucchini chopped

1 yellow squash chopped

4 stalks of celery chopped

2 cups of raw broccoli

1 yellow bell pepper chopped

1 table spoon dried parsley

1 table spoon dried basil

salt and pepper to taste

4 cups of brown rice

Heat the pot that you will be making the entire soup in on medium.  Drizzle your olive oil on the bottom of the pot. Then add onion, garlic, carrots, zucchini, squash, yellow bell pepper, celery and let them caramelize (this should take about 5-8 minutes.)  After the vegetables have caramelized add your chicken stock.  Next add broccoli  dried parsley and dried basil and salt and pepper.  Cover pot and turn stove on high for about 20 minutes and let all the vegetable get happy together (this process makes vegetable tender) .  Lastly add the brown rice about 40 minutes before serving

(Tip) You may need to add more water to soup while the rice is cooking, keep an eye on it to make sure the rice does not absorb all the liquid, I had to add about 4 cups of water during this process.

Taco bread braids

Have you ever had one of those nights where you haven't been to the grocery store in about a week and your kids have eaten you out of house and home and you feel like there's nothing in your house but maybe a pack of ground meat? Well that was my issue the other night! and I didn't want to really put out a spread! So I found this online and made a few changes that make it a lot easier for quick dinners or even lunches!  Enjoy! Happy eating!!

 Source: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Taco-Braid

Ilb. of any lean ground meat ( I used turkey)

2 cups of Mexican cheese and 1/4 cup of queso blanco

Pillsbury pizza crust ( you can find this in the cooler isle of your market)

1 sweet onion chopped

1 bell pepper chopped

2 cloves of minced garlic

8 ounces softened cream cheese

2 cups of your favorite salsa

In a skillet put a good drizzle of olive oil, the onions, bell pepper, 2 cloves of garlic, and cook on medium heat until caramelized (which means they are softened and have a browned color)  then add the meat keeping the temperature on medium.  When meat is browned it is ready.  

Combine creme cheese and salsa together in a bowl and mix.  Then spread onto the pizza crust, which should be laying opened flat.  Then add the meat mix on top of the cream cheese spread.  On top of the meat, layer the cheeses as well.  

Pizza crust- You want to cut small pieces on the sides so that way you are able to braid the top part of the dough.  Braid dough by overlapping the loose cut pieces over each other.  Put in oven and bake as directed on back of the dough package.  Eat and enjoy.  Happy eating!!