Destressing Christmas Already? ... Yep!

   
If you really want to destress your holidays, start now! Twelve Tips to Destressing Christmas has a plethora of ideas to help make your celebrations meaningful and joy-filled.

Things like being intentional about your celebrations, creating memories, planning meals, smart and green gift-giving, decluttering, and much more!

Give yourself the gift of a destressed Christmas!

More on Christmas:
Labeling Storage with Digital Pictures
The Very Best Apps and Websites for Holiday Gift List Organization
Recycling My Christmas Tins into Pantry Storage

Getting Organized for School - Planning Dinner

  

Happy Labor Day! Hope your day is enjoyable! For some this is the last hurrah before school starts. For others, school has already been in session for a while.

Whenever school starts for you, reality sets in at the time! Summer is nice - schedules are more flexible, days are longer, vacations break up routines. But if you're a parent of school-aged kids, it's kind of nice to restore some of those routines again when school starts.

One of the biggest items to consider is dinnertime. Studies show that kids who eat dinner with their families several times a week are less likely to get involved in drugs and crime. It's a nice way to catch up with the family and can be the central focus of the day.

But. .. it takes planning, doesn't it? In order to save precious time, I recommend planning menus for the week and shopping just once a week. Each extra trip to the grocery store is a real time-drainer! Meals don't need to be elaborate, just tasty and balanced, to keep everyone functioning at peak energy.

Create an arsenal of quick, easy favorites - enough choices so you and your family don't get bored. If you need some help, check out our Hassle Free Dinners and Three Steps to Planning Dinner.

More on quick dinners:
Dinner in 15 - Citrus Salmon
Dinner in 10 – Lime Dill Chicken
Dinner in 10 – Chicken with Cranberry/Mandarin Sauce

 

Saving Time in the Kitchen - Cook it Once, Serve it Twice

Today marks 38 years being married to my wonderful husband! It has been a wonderful ride and keeps getting better! Now on to our post for today ...

Since my husband and I are empty nesters, I have been experimenting with new recipes to stave off cooking boredom. You certainly don't have to be empty nesters to get bored with what you're cooking, though. If putting a meal on the table gets to be tedious, here are a few ideas to make it easier:

Double your recipes. When I cook, I try to make twice as much, so I don't have to cook every night. Thankfully, my husband likes leftovers (more than I do!), so it works for us.

If your family can't stomach leftovers, you can still cook something once and serve it twice. Cooking extra meat gives you a head start on another meal - an entree salad, stir fry, fajitas, wraps, fried rice, soups, sandwiches, and more. You may want to remove the extras before you serve dinner, though, so there will actually be extras!

You can do the same with veggies as well. Add cooked carrots, cabbage and/or broccoli to fried rice. Add cooked veggies to a stir fry or soup. Serve a veggie platter one night and use the leftovers in a stir fry, salad, or soup the next night.

When I make rice, I usually make a large quantity. It can easily be turned into a pilaf the second time around, used in fried rice, or turned into a main dish by adding meat and/or veggies. My gluten-intolerant husband uses it for breakfast instead of bread. And, just reheating it in the microwave is an obvious option, too

Extra beans can be make a second appearance in salsa, salads, soups, vegetarian tacos, etc.

Cooking extra takes a little more time, but at least you don't have to start from scratch when it's time to put another meal together.

I try to plan my meals a week at a time in order to be intentional about using food twice.



Here's one of my favorite recipes in which leftover chicken and rice can be used: Cashew Chicken. It rivals restaurants!

Cashew Chicken (from my Hassle Free Dinners)


1 lb. Boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins
4 Celery stalks
2 c. Carrots
1 Onion
2 T. Sesame oil
4 T. Soy sauce or Tamari
4 T. Chicken broth/bouillon
2 T. Cornstarch
4 T. Cold water
1 c. Cashews
Optional veggies: snow peas, green beans, sugar snap peas, broccoli, cabbage, red or green peppers

Microwave covered chicken on high 5 minutes or until no longer pink inside. (Or use leftover chicken.)
Slice celery and carrots; chop onion.
In wok or non-stick skillet, heat the oil on medium high and briefly sauté vegetables.
Add soy sauce and broth. Simmer until vegetables are just tender.
Dice cooked chicken.
Mix the cornstarch with the cold water and add to the simmering mixture. Allow to thicken.
Add the chicken and the cashews.
Season with salt and pepper.
Serve piping hot over rice.
4 servings

More about saving time on dinner:
Hassle Free Dinners
Three Steps to Planning Dinner eWorkbook
Organizing Dinner - Double or Triple a Recipe

Dinner in 10 - Chicken with Cranberry/Mandarin Orange Sauce

  
Here's an entree that takes about 10 minutes: Chicken with Cranberry/Mandarin Sauce that I got from Woman's Day Magazine years ago. It's a great combination of flavors and a good way to use up those cans of cranberry sauce!

Spray a nonstick pan with cooking spray. Cook chicken tenderloins on medium heat for five minutes on each side or until no longer pink inside. I salted mine with garlic salt.

Meanwhile, mix a can of whole berry cranberry sauce, a can of drained mandarin oranges, and sprinkle in some red pepper flakes. Red pepper flakes are powerful, so treat gingerly. Heat in the microwave until warm but not too hot. Serve over the chicken.

Serve with couscous and fresh veggies.

How simple is that? I always try to keep cans of whole cranberry sauce and mandarin oranges on hand for a quick meal. Chicken tenderloins can be cooked without thawing. Voila! A quick meal when cooking sounds overwhelming.

More quick cooking:
Super Simple Time-Saving Meal - Horseradish Encrusted Salmon
Organizing Dinner in 2013
Organizing Dinner - Double or Triple a Recipe

Super Simple, Time-Saving Meal - Horseradish Encrusted Salmon

 

One of my new favorite meals is Horseradish Encrusted Salmon! So simple! It makes a very quick and easy meal. Even my skeptical children loved it!

Here's what I do: slather horseradish sauce on a piece of salmon that is skin side down in a baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes until the salmon is flaky and opaque. The horseradish will turn brown in spots, but that's ok.

Serve it with some couscous, which cooks in just a few minutes, or microwave some sweet potatoes.

Add microwaved asparagus (microwave about 3 minutes and season with garlic salt and butter).

By the time the salmon is ready, the sides are too.

Even if you're not a big fan of horseradish, I think you'll love this!

More on dinner:
Organizing Dinner in 2013
Organizing Dinner - Double or Triple a Recipe
Three Steps to Planning Dinner eWorkbook
Hassle Free Dinners

Recycling My Christmas Tins into Pantry Storage

My pantry exploded over the holidays, as it does every year. Extra ingredients for those special foods = chaos. 

In the past, I've made a bunch of cookies - everyone's favorites. But now that my husband and one daughter are gluten intolerant, my Christmas baking habits have changed drastically. And before Christmas my other daughter and son-in-law said they were going to try going gluten-free. 

So ... Christmas baking was almost nonexistent! No need to store large quantities of baked goods. We did make some gluten-free goodies, but they didn't stay around long. 

I have collected tins throughout the years in which I would store my cookie supply. We actually like fruit cake and ordered one from Collin Street Bakery for several years. And I've collected others along the way. This year, all these tins were just cluttering up my pantry! 

I had a brainstorm last week when reorganizing my pantry. Why not store things that usually live in bags in my tins? Bags are messy, unsightly, and definitely not bug-proof!! I really don't like bags! Especially those with a zip lock a few inches from the top of the bag which makes it almost impossible to pour the ingredients without making a mess. 

Tins are so much more pleasant! Ingredients are easily retrieved with no mess. I stored flour, powdered sugar, brown sugar, and chocolate chips in my tins. Then I labeled them for easy locating. 

I love how this cleaned up my pantry, getting rid of those ugly bags. I even have empty tins in which to store other items in the future. 

As you may remember, I've recycled clear plastic containers and canning jars as additional pantry storage. So a majority of my pantry storage is no cost. It may not be matchy-matchy, but the price is right and I'm oh so green! 

What do you use for pantry storage? 

More on pantry storage:
Three Steps to Organizing Your Kitchen
A No-Cost Organizing Solution for Your Pantry
Redbook: Clever Storage for Plastic Wrap, Foil, and Reclosable Bags 
 

Organizing Dinner in 2013

After the holidays, it feels good to put some structure back into your life, doesn't it? An aspect of that is putting a quick, tasty, balanced meal on the table every night. I feel strongly that providing a good meal for my family is part of creating an atmosphere for their success.

These days, it is even more motivating to plan dinner with food becoming more expensive. I recently read an article on ways to fight rising food costs, which suggested:

- eat at home
- plan your menus before shopping
- shop infrequently
- don't buy prepared food.

With a little planning, you can prepare delicious and nutritious meals at home for a fraction of the cost of eating out. When you consider four combo meals at a fast food restaurant comes out to at least $20, you could buy steak or fish, real vegetables and fruit for less than that for a family of four. It takes a few more minutes, but you don't feel guilty afterwards!

If you are at a loss as to what to plan for dinner or if you're bored with what you've been cooking, I have an answer for you: Hassle Free Dinners. I spent a couple of years creating this information, with a year's worth of seven dinner menus per week. Each weekly menu contains color-coded instructions for each day of the week and a weekly shopping list.

Recipes show amounts for two, four, and six servings so you don't have to do the math. Nutritional information and cost per serving is listed for most recipes. And no entree is repeated during the entire year.

Each week includes 1-2 chicken, 1-2 beef, 1-2 pork, and 1-2 fish recipes, with one meatless meal. Each meal includes protein, carbs, and something red and something green - fruit and/or veggies. Menus are listed according to months, and use seasonal produce for that time of year. Don't worry - no liver or Brussel sprouts!

This system allows you to shop once a week, saving bunches of time and money. I read the other day about a woman who plans her meals on the way home from work, keeps recipes in her car, and stops at the store each night on the way home. Even if she spends only 20 minutes each time she shops, that's 100 minutes for five days. I can usually do my weekly shopping in an hour or less when I have a plan.

Hassle Free Dinners is for people who don't mind cooking, but don't like to plan or are out of ideas. It's a marriage of dinnertime and professional organization, streamlining the time you need to spend in the kitchen in order to put a decent meal on the table.

More on planning dinner:
Hassle Free Dinners
Three Steps to Planning Dinner
Piggy-Back Dinners

5 Safety Lessons for Holiday Hosts

 Can't believe Thanksgiving is less than a week away! We're going to be celebrating at our daughter's house, as it's easier on our granddaughter to be at home. Our son-in-law is a gourmet cook, so it should be fabulous. Of course, we'll share with sides and desserts, but haven't decided yet what to bring. Any ideas?

Here's another article on safety while preparing holiday meals: 5 Thanksgiving Safety Lessons for Holiday Hosts by Catherine Jones. She comes from the food service industry and shares from her expertise there.

"It's your turn to host Thanksgiving dinner. Your house is filled with family and friends, many of whom are "helping" you in your suddenly cramped kitchen. There are dishes everywhere, open drawers and cupboards, steam rising from boiling pots, and where did you put that carving knife?

For those who work in food preparation, this chaos is all too familiar. And so are the hazards. So here's some advice from the food service industry to help you and your guests stay injury-free in your kitchen this Thanksgiving-and throughout the year.

The Hazards and Safety Practices of a Busy Kitchen

The food service industry is not the most hazardous, but it does have its dangers. Here's how to handle five common food service hazards that can also be found in many kitchens on holiday weekends.

1. Slips, trips and falls. Dress for cooking with safety in mind. Choose low-heeled, secure shoes with a non-skid sole and an enclosed toe. (A falling measuring cup can inflict as much damage on your toes as a falling hammer if it lands the wrong way.)Don't hurry; take short steps to prevent slips.Pick up trash and food scraps that fall to the floor, and wipe up spills promptly to prevent slipping accidents.

2. Collisions. Be alert for potential collisions with others, especially at doorways and around the stove.When passing someone who may not see you, say, "Behind you."

3. Burns and scalds.   

• Never wear loose clothing or baggy sleeves while cooking.
   
• Don't reach across fryers, stoves and other hot surfaces and materials.


• Use potholders when handling pots.


• Use caution around steam and boiling water. Protect your face and arms when lifting pot lids. When removing the cover from a boiling pot, expose the far side of the pot first, to release steam.


• Never leave oil under heat unattended.
   
• Never overfill a fryer with oil or food.
   
• Cool oil before moving it.
   
• Turn pan handles aside so they don't get bumped or snag on clothing, but keep them clear of other burners.
   
• Before microwaving food, vent the container by lifting the edge of the cover.
   
• Use caution when opening covered containers that have been in the microwave, and open them away from your face.

4. Heat illness. Kitchen workers are at risk for heat illness as well, so drink plenty of water and make sure you take an occasional break from your hot kitchen.

5. Cuts from knives or other sharp kitchen tools.

• Unplug the food processor when loading, emptying or changing blades.
   
• Keep knives sharp. Dull knives require too much force to operate; they can slip and cause cuts.
   
• Use the right knife for the job.
   
• When cutting, slice down and away from your hand and body.
   
• Keep your fingers and thumbs out of the cutting line.
   
• Carry knives with the cutting edge angled slightly away from your body and the tip pointed down.
   
• Don't hand a knife to someone. Instead, place it down on a clean surface and the let the other person pick it up.
   
• Don't place knives near the edge of a countertop.
   
• Don't use a knife while distracted.
   
• If you drop something, let it fall. You can receive serious cuts if you try to catch falling knives or glassware.

Conclusion: It's a lot of work preparing a holiday meal, but it doesn't have to be dangerous. With care and attention, you can stay safe and injury-free, and able to enjoy the blessings of a special meal with your loved ones. Happy Thanksgiving everybody!"



More on Thanksgiving:
Getting Organized for Thanksgiving
Three Steps to Planning Dinner
Pulling Off a Smooth Thanksgiving Meal - Food Handling Safety

Pulling Off a Smooth Thanksgiving Meal - Food Handling Safety

    
As we prepare for holiday meals, we need to organize with safety in mind. I found the following article on food safety. I had not considered some of these suggestions before - they are definitely ones to practice! By putting these tips into practice, you'll help create wonderful memories, not ones that include the emergency room! 

"Thanksgiving is upon us and with it comes the traditional turkey dinner. However, the improper storing, cooking, and serving of roast turkey can lead to the growth of harmful bacteria like salmonella, which can cause foodborne illness. 

The DuPage County Health Department advises consumers that safe food handling of turkey and other holiday foods is essential in preventing foodborne illness. Here are some tips to share with your family for preparing a Thanksgiving bird safely.

• Thaw the frozen turkey in the refrigerator. Allow one day for each five pounds of turkey. A twenty-pound turkey will take about four days to thaw. Hint: Remove neck & giblets from inside the bird as soon as possible to hasten thawing.

• Do not thaw on the kitchen counter. If you do not have time to thaw in the refrigerator, you may thaw it in cold water, provided that the turkey is in a leak-proof packaging, it is submerged, and the water is changed every half-hour. Allow 30 minutes per pound of turkey to thaw in cold water.

• Cook fresh turkeys within two days, thawed ones within four days.

• Wash your hands with hot, soapy water before and after handling raw poultry. Wash all knives, cutting boards and utensils also after using for raw poultry.

• Read and follow the cooking directions on the label. Cook turkey until it is done (165°F). Do not slow cook overnight at low temperatures or partially cook. Some turkeys come with pop-up thermometers. They are to be used only as a guide to doneness. Take the temperature with a meat thermometer to be sure the temperature is over 165°F.

• Stuffing should not be prepared a day ahead and the turkey should not be stuffed until ready to cook. A quicker, safer method is to cook the stuffing separately in a casserole, using some of the pan juices to flavor and moisten the stuffing.

• Eat the meal as soon as it is prepared. Do not leave leftovers out on the counter or table after dinner. Cut the meat off the bones and put it in shallow containers in the refrigerator.

• Reheat all leftovers to 165°F. (Use your meat thermometer.) Gravy should be brought to a rolling boil."

Source: DuPage Health 


More on Thanksgiving:  
Planning Thankfulness into Your Thanksgiving Celebration  
Getting Organized for Thanksgiving  
Planning Ahead for Thanksgiving

Getting Organized for Thanksgiving

    
We haven't decided yet where we'll have Thanksgiving this year - at our house or our daughter's. Nevertheless, wherever it is, I'm sure we'll both be pitching in to pull it off. 

What about you? Hosting Thanksgiving this year? Don't despair - there's plenty of help out there! 

Disney Printable Planner 
Even Micky and Minnie can help. Disney offers a Thanksgiving printable planner with several different lists, including a countdown schedule for Thanksgiving Day.  

 

Thanksgiving 101

If you're a novice, or are feeling a little inadequate in some area, Taste of Home offers Thanksgiving 101. They have tutorials on everything from making gravy to setting the table . 

Thanksgiving Survival Guide
And here's a Thankgsiving Survival Guide written by Aviva Goldfarb on Cozi: 

"I get the jitters before hosting almost any gathering. But with all the build-up to Thanksgiving, it feels like the stakes are even higher than usual. To keep it in perspective, I try to remember what is most important-to be with family and friends and appreciate our blessings. But if I'm hosting the feast, I still have a lot of work to do! I've devised some strategies for making the evening easier on us, while still indulging our guests:  

Don't try to do it alone 
Just because I love to cook, doesn't mean I have to do it all! If anyone volunteers to bring something, I take them up on it. I also try to involve the kids with the preparation, either by asking them to make place cards or table decorations, or clean the house. (A friend of mine cherishes the Thanksgiving tablecloth her kids made on which they traced their hands in fall colors and wrote what they were thankful for.) 

Make a menu ahead of time 
By the Sunday before the feast, I make a list of everything we are serving, from appetizers to coffee. I note who is making each item and when I need to start my assignments. I even jot down my daily tasks on my calendar.  

Grocery shop early 
I make a detailed grocery list (consulting the menu I've decided on) and buy the groceries by Tuesday, so I can start cooking on Wednesday.  

Cook in advance 
Most of the trimmings can be cooked well in advance of dinner, and then warmed before the meal. Even the turkey can be finished cooking (we even slice it!) hours before the meal. (Just put that Norman Rockwell image of the father cutting the bird at the table out of your mind!)  

Get the house and table ready the night before 
To avoid exhaustion on the big day, I make sure the house looks nice and the table is set before I go to bed on Wednesday.  

Keep appetizers easy 
Before dinner, I serve simple foods, such as gourmet cheeses, nuts, store-bought gourmet spread for crackers, vegetables and dip, and fresh popcorn.  

Send the kids out for a picnic and sports before the meal 
This strategy, suggested by my friend and colleague, Jeanne Rossomme, frees the kitchen for the big feast, and calms the kids so there is a higher probability of civilized behavior when guests arrive. Have plastic containers ready so you can pack up leftovers This makes clean-up easier. But save a slice of cooked turkey breast for next week's recipe for turkey pot pie!  

Take the last thirty minutes off 
An experienced hostess once told me that I should try to hold sacred the last half hour before guests arrive. I use this time to get myself cleaned up and put my feet up for a few minutes. That way I'm not utterly exhausted before the evening begins.  

Give thanks and eat slowly 
After sitting down, each guest shares one thing for which they are thankful. This simple tradition really sets the right mood. Then we enjoy the feast we've all helped to prepare, and we try to remember to savor the time together after all our hard work." 

Happy Planning!! 

More on Thanksgiving:
Organizing Your To Do List
Everything You Need to Know to Pull Off Thanksgiving
Three Steps to Planning Dinner

Destressing Christmas - Freeze-Ahead Recipes

     
As it gets closer to Christmas, life gets more hectic. It becomes harder to put a healthy meal on the table with Christmas programs, shopping, and parties added to your already busy schedule.

If you have the opportunity, double up on some freezable meals or partial meals.  Some recipes that lend themselves to doubling and freezing are: taco meat, spaghetti sauce, lasagna, chili, soup, baked ziti, and meatloaf. 

If you're making breads, make two loaves and freeze one for your family later or for gifts.  

If you make Christmas cookies, make up the cookie dough now for the kinds of cookies your family likes. Freeze it in small batches - I like to flatten the dough in gallon zip-lock bags, so they stack nicely in the freezer. Then when it's time to have fresh Christmas cookies, take out what you need, form into cookies, and bake. Most of the work is already done!

By working ahead now, your freezer recipes may save the day when life gets more hectic!

More on cookies:

Cookies, Cookies, Cookies

Time-Saving Steps For Rolled/Cut Out Cookies

Getting a Jump on Christmas Cookies

Decluttering Your Food Supply - A Moratorium on Grocery Shopping Challenge

      
It's nice to have a stockpile of food to choose from, but sometimes it can feel like too much. That's how I've been feeling lately. So I decided to challenge myself by not going grocery shopping for as long as possible. My challenge is to prepare interesting and balanced meals with what I have.

We purchased a half-share in a Hutterite (like Amish) farm and receive a bunch of veggies every week. It has been fun to figure out ways to use all this beautiful produce. So that has contributed to my store-less adventure. 

And when I run out of plastic food containers, I know it's time to use up all those sauces and salad dressings I've made and stored in the fridge.    

So ... I'm trying to use up the meat in my freezer, canned goods and fresh food in creative ways. I haven't been to the grocery store in almost two weeks. We have some rice milk in UHT containers which is getting us by. I had bread in the freezer and we've made a loaf. 

I may draw the line at coffee creamer, though. When that runs out I may get a few essentials like eggs, milk and fudgecicles. But I still want to work on using up frozen and fresh items, and buying as little as possible. 

So what have we been eating? Corn chowder, Sesame Green Beans,
Delectible Marinated Chicken, stir fries, and curries. 
 
A way to be efficient with what I have. Not a bad thing in these days and times! 

More on efficient food use:

Six Ways to Save Money on Food by Planning Ahead

Spring Cleaning Your Food

Organizing the Pantry

An Easy Way to Store Tablecloths

    
My mom gave me this idea on storing tablecloths: hang them up on hangers! She keeps hers in her basement near her washer and dryer. As soon as they come out of the dryer, they go on hangers to avoid wrinkles.

I keep mine in my guest room closet. In the past, I've used an entry closet. Anywhere where you have a little extra closet space or space for a hanging rod can work. Stuffing them into drawers just creates wrinkles, and ironing is not my idea of a good time!

More on storing linens:

Preventing a Linen Closet Avalanche - Storing Sheets

Get Organized Month - Declutter Your Linen Closet

Three Steps to Organizing Your  Closet (Kindle version)

Streamline Your Time in the Kitchen - Get Ready for Summertime Salads

      
Sorry I haven't written for a few days. My daughter, granddaughter and I took a few days to help my Mom celebrate her 80th birthday! I'll try to put some pictures up soon. What a special time it was to have four generations together! 

But back to reality now, and that means cooking dinner.

In planning my menus for this week, I selected a bunch of summer main-dish salads. To streamline the process, I baked a bunch of boneless skinless chicken tenderloins when I prepared dinner tonight. Just 15 minutes at 350 degrees in glass baking dishes, sprayed with cooking spray.

I'll be using all the chicken in the next few days, but it could be frozen in meal-size portions. I diced it all, so that step is done.

Here's what we had for dinner tonight - very quick and easy!

 Apple Chicken Slaw

1/2 cup poppy seed salad dressing
3 1/2 T. mayonnaise
4 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
8 cups coleslaw mix
2 medium apples, diced and dipped in orange juice
Lettuce leaves

1. In a small bowl, combine salad dressing and mayonnaise. 

2. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, coleslaw mix and apple. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat. Serve on lettuce-lined plates if desired. Serve with fresh veggies and/or bread if you wish.

4 generous servings

Lately, I've been doubling up on portions, so I only have to cook every other night. This salad keeps nicely, but most of the other salads I plan to make don't lend themselves to serving twice. But at least the chicken is ready! 

More quick summertime meals:

Simple Summer Meal

Quick, Easy Summertime Meal - Steak Salad

Quick and Tasty Chicken with Artichokes, and Mushrooms

Three Steps to Planning Dinner

Quick, Easy Summertime Meal - Steak Salad

    
I love quick and easy meals, as you know. And I especially love cooking once and using it twice. Here's a meal I came up with, adapted from a similar recipe. 

We had steak on a previous night with just a little left over. So I added blue cheese and walnuts to ramp up the protein a bit. I was very proud of myself for turning a little bit of leftover steak into a meal! Here's my recipe:

Steak Salad

Salad greens (I used spinach and romaine)

Leftover grilled sirloin steak, sliced very thinly

Blue cheese 

Walnuts

Dried cranberries

Snow peas, sliced in thirds

Zucchini, sliced very thinly

Green onion, sliced

Layer each plate with quantities to your liking. Serve with your favorite salad dressing. We used a sweet vinaigrette. 

More quick, easy meals:

Organizing a Quick Dinner - Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken

Dinner in 10 - Herbed Tilapia

My Husband's Quick and Easy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken

Quick and Tasty Chicken with Artichokes, and Mushrooms

 

Organizing a Quick Dinner - Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken

      
I love finding a recipe for a quick meal, don't you? Both my husband and I enjoyed it this recipe from AllRecipes, and I'll cook it again. I used chicken tenderloins, which made the cooking time even faster. Served with couscous and fresh veggies, dinner is on the table in a flash!
     

 Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken

Ingredients:

• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
  
  
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
  
  Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix together salt, black pepper, cayenne, paprika, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, onion powder, thyme and parsley. Sprinkle spice mixture generously on both sides of chicken breasts.
2. Heat butter and olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute chicken until golden brown, about 6 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons garlic powder and lime juice. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently to coat evenly with sauce. 

Nutrition Amount Per Serving - Calories: 220 | Total Fat: 10.7g | Cholesterol: 84mg

 More quick recipes:

Quick and Tasty Chicken with Artichokes, and Mushrooms

Get Creative with Leftovers for a Quick Meal

Dinner in 10 - Chicken with Cranberry/Mandarin Sauce

Planning Dinner (Kindle version)