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Pinning and Planning – May 5

Early this morning, I will be paddle boarding along the Crystal River.  My Cinco de Mayo fiesta will begin once I return home to the ice cold Margaritas waiting for me there.

Zim Zari (our favorite local Tex-Mex restaurant) typically offers kids eat free all day on Sunday, but for this Sunday’s Cinco de Mayo fiesta, kids eat free before 3:00 p.m.   I considered going to Zim Zari for dinner but once I sat down to plan our dinner menu for the week, I realized we would be eating a few times this week.  ¡Así, Zim Zari es no va!  Though we may stay home for our Cinco de Mayo fiesta, I may Skinnytaste’s Mexican Unfried Ice Cream add tonight’s to the menu to sweeten the deal.

Friday, we leave for the TradeWinds on St. Pete Beach for Mother’s Day.  I’ve never been there and I can’t wait to soak in some sun, absorb some Vitamin D for my mother’s Day gift and run along the beach.  With all the eating out we’re doing this week, I’m going to definitely need to find time for fitness.

Speaking of finding time for fitness, don’t miss out on this awesome fitness giveaway happening here! Win it just in time for Mother’s Day and give the gift of fitness!

And now for our dinner menu for the week:

S – Copycat Chipotle Burrito Bowls with Cilantro Rice

M – Roasted Veggies and Shaved Asiago on Flatbread

T – Roasted Mojo Chicken with Tomato Zucchini Orzo

W – Loaded Baked Potatoes (My family will eat this. I will be at the Boston Memorial Run.)

Th – School’s McDonald’s Night (I will be at National Moms Night Out.)

F – Picnic on the beach

What’s on your dinner menu this week?  What are your Cinco de Mayo plans?  What are your Mother’s Day plans?



Cinco de Mayo Menu

PhotobucketI had a bit of blogger failure.  With Cinco de Mayo on the horizon, I forgot to create and plan a Mexican inspired dish to share for Friday Food Fight.

Then, it dawned on me.  I don’t need to share anything new.  I’ll spotlight some of my favorite Mexican dishes I’ve already shared for a Cinco de Mayo menu. Yes! That’s the ticket!

Of course, every good Cinco de Mayo fiesta needs to keep the margaritas flowing.  Iron chef Allan’s Better Than Margaritaville Margaritas will definitely put the ole’ in your day.

Better Than Margaritaville Margaritas

Most Cinco de Mayo menus offer very little vegetarian options.  Serve this tasty Roasted Vegetable Mexican Lasagna and you will please everyone.

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

Wholly Diablo Shrimp served Skinnytaste’s Skinnytaste’s Southwest Black Bean, Quinoa and Mango Medley would make a mucho bueno combo.

Wholly Diablo Shrimp

Skinnytaste’s Southwest Black Bean, Quinoa and Mango Medley

If you feel Mexican food needs meat, but want to keep things relatively low fat, how about a ground turkey Mexican Lasagna?  This dish will please a whole crowd of carnivores.

Mexican Lasagna

Chicken-Mushroom {and Spinach} Quesadillas adds some healthy greens to your fiesta.

Chicken-Mushroom {and Spinach} Quesadillas

If your Cinco de Mayo can’t be complete without tacos, then try these Ground Turkey Tacos.

Ground Turkey Tacos

For an undersea Cinco de Mayo inspired taco selection, serve Banging Baked Fish Tacos or Blackened Baja-Style Talapia served in a corn tortilla.

Banging Baked Fish Tacos

Blackened Baja-Style Talapia

If more plato needs more pollo, try Pollo Relleno or Chicken Veracruz served with Spanish Rice.

Pollo Relleno

Chicken Veracruz

Spanish Rics

For dessert, the obvious choice would be Mexican Wedding Cakes for Cinco de Mayo, but you prefer something a bit more festive and decorative, try these Piña Colada Cupcakes.

Mexican Wedding Cakes

Piña Colada Cupcakes

What’s on your Cinco de Mayo Menu?

Thanks for joining our weekly Friday Food Fight! Can’t wait to see what everyone is flinging this week!



*Also submitted at*

Chicken Veracruz

Goya sent me an assortment of goods and their recently released cookbook: Healthy, Tasty, Affordable Latin Cooking to try.

Goya’s cookbook, Healthy, Tasty, Affordable Latin Cooking, features 30 healthy recipes from Latin America and Spain as well as a healthy Latin twists to American favorites.  The MyPlate/MiPlato bilingual approach focuses on the First Lady’s Let’s Move initiative to help promote healthy eating in the Hispanic community.  All the Healthy, Tasty, Affordable Latin Cooking recipes are simple to follow and offer nutritional information.

I typically buy organic canned goods and rice and tend to stay away from packaged spices.  However, I was surprised to learn about the assortment of organic Goya foods available, which were spotlighted in the cookbook after the recipes.

Although many of these items are not available at my supermarket just yet, the organic Goya products can be found online at the Goya e-store.  Thankfully, Goya sent me their Quinoa to try, which I shared last week.

All the recipes featured in Goya’s Healthy Tasty Affordable Latin Cooking can be found at Goya.com and to make their healthy, tasty meals even more affordable, Goya coupons are available online too.

I tried a few recipes, but I’ll share the most recent recipe that was kid-approved (and Iron Chef Allan) approved.  Although Goya’s Chicken Veracruz recipe calls for GOYA® Adobo Light All-Purpose Seasoning with Pepper, I prefer to make my own mixture of “adobo” by adding garlic powder, oregano and turmeric.  I also added a fresh jalapeño rather than a canned pickled one.  This Goya’s Healthy Tasty Affordable Latin Cooking – Chicken Veracruz recipe can be found here, but I’m sharing my adaptation.  This dish can also can be prepared with turkey or fish.

Chicken Veracuz
5.0 from 1 reviews

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Recipe type: Chicken, Entree
Cuisine: Mexican
Author:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4-6
A tender, tangy Mexican-style chicken
Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp. GOYA® Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
  • 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • 1 cup Pomi Strained Tomatoes
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper
  • GOYA® Manzanilla Olives Stuffed with Minced Pimientos, thinly sliced
  • 1 jalapeño, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp GOYA® Capers
  • 1 Bay leaf
  • 2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
Instructions
  1. Using a meat mallet, pound out chicken breast to approximately ½ inch thickness.
  2. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook until light golden brown on both sides, flipping once, about 5 minutes; set aside.
  3. Stir in onions, cooking until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add jalapeño and cook until softened. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
  4. Add turmeric and oregano to pan and cook for about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato sauce, 1 cup water, salt, pepper, olives, jalapeño, capers and bay leaf. Bring tomato mixture to boil.
  5. Return chicken to pan. Cook, flipping once, until coated in sauce and cooked through, about 15 minutes.
  6. To serve, divide chicken and sauce evenly among serving dishes; sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with rice.

 Photobucket

Thanks for joining our weekly Friday Food Fight! Can’t wait to see what everyone is flinging this week!


*Also submitted at*

Pinning and Planning – April 14

I only have one more week to deal with hubby’s crazy travel schedule which is right in the middle of FCAT week (Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test). Grades 3-12 grade will endure a completely ridiculous, stressful exam in order to be promoted.  It’s a horrible exam and everyone feels the pressure statewide: the students, the teachers, the administrators and the parents.  *sigh* Thankfully, I will only be flying solo one evening during testing week.

As for our dinner menu, last week we packed on the protein to prepare my muscles.  This week, I’m serving lots of brain food for good test scores.

S – Pork Chile Verde with Cilantro Rice (Still refining this tasty recipe! Use juice of 3 limes and no zest!)

M – Caprese Paninis and Broccoli Salad

T – Chicken Veracruz with Garlic and Spinach Rice

W – Penne and Asparagus

Th – Black Bean Quesadillas and/or Cuban Quesadillas (Reduced fat Swiss Cheese, Pickles and leftover Pork Chili Verde)

F - Pizza

What’s on your dinner menu this week?



Pinning and Planning – April 7

The first week back into routine after Spring Break seemed to go well.  The candy is mostly all gone, except for the nest of chocolate bunnies camping out in my pantry.

Hubby travels again this week , so there’s more simple, easy cook-ahead meals on the menu this week.  Plus, I have the Iron Girl Half Marathon this Sunday, therefore I’ll be eating a bit more protein this week in preparation for the race.

S – Garden Minestrone Soup

M – Black Bean Quinoa Mango Medley

T – Pork Chile Verde with Cilantro Rice ( Still refining this tasty recipe! Use juice of 3 limes and no zest!)

W – Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry with Brown Rice

Th – Chicken-Mushroom {and Spinach} Quesadillas

F – Leftovers

S- Pasta

Are planning meals packed with protein too this week?  What’s on your dinner menu?



Butterflied Whole Chicken with BBQ Sauce

PhotobucketI have a guilty pleasure confession.  One of my favorite shows at the moment is Worst Cooks in America.  You see, I watch this show with a bit of arrogance because I used to be one of the America’s worst cooks.  Iron Chef Allan would agree.

While watching each episode, I cringe while they chop.  I sneer as they slice.  “Someone is going to lose a finger!”

Over the years, I’ve learned to become better in the kitchen out of necessity so my family wouldn’t starve to death.  During my culinary adventures in the kitchen, I’ve learned that cooking isn’t difficult and making foods from scratch isn’t scary.  Most importantly, I’ve learned how important it is to read a recipe in its entirety before cooking.

Apparently, the contestants on Worst Cooks in America haven’t learned that yet.

Anne Burrell and Bobby Flay are the hosts of the show and we are big Bobby Flay Boy Meets Grill fans.  In one episode, the contestants were expected to butterfly a whole chicken by removing its backbone.  Not a complimented process, but you would never have known it watching the worst cooks.  Watching the episode prompted Iron Chef Allan to perform a spinectomy on a poor defenseless whole chicken.

Bobby Flay demonstrates the steps to butterflying a whole chicken in this video.

Iron Chef Allan followed Bobby Flay’s instructions for butterflying and then grilled two whole chickens.  (You can even cut the backbone out by using a pair of kitchen sheers, an Anne Burrel method.) He made his own BBQ using the Joy of Cooking recipe.  When combining the ingredients, he used my own chili powder and also added natural ketchup (the kind without corn syrup) to the mixture.

When grilling the chicken, Iron Chef Allan grilled one side for 20 minutes and then basted it and smothered it with BBQ sauce after he flipped it.

The beauty of cooking a butterflied whole chicken this way is that the chicken grills more evenly.  Iron Chef Allan also tried this method with my Mojo Marinade and the results are truly delicious.  So, don’t be scare to slice a spine out of a chicken.  Give it a go next time you grill!

As for the BBQ sauce, I realize I’m opening a can of worms between the whole north-south North Carolina BBQ sauce vs. Mephis debate.  I don’t know anything about that. We were just craving a simple BBQ sauce and this one is works for us.

(I apologize in advance for the come-hither chicken food porn.)

BBQ Sauce
Print
Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: American Barbecue
Author:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 16
Recipe borrowed from the Joy of Cooking. A sweet-savory BBQ with just the right heat.
Ingredients
  • 1 ½ cups Heinz Simply Heinz Ketchup
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 Tbsp dry mustard
  • ¼ chili powder
  • 1 tbsp ground ginger
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 TBSp vegetable oil
  • 3 lemon slices
Instructions
  1. Combine ingredients in a 1-quart saucepan. Simmer for five minutes, stirring often.
  2. Remove the lemon slices, if desired. The sauce will keep covered and refrigerated for up to two weeks.

Thanks for joining our weekly Friday Food Fight! Can’t wait to see what everyone is flinging this week!


*Also submitted at*

Pinning and Planning – March 24

Spring break has sprung!  The family and I have a week filled with fun, which means healthy meals on the run.  However, timing dinner with the time we arrive home may be difficult or we may be tired to cook dinner after a long day at Busch Gardens.  So, we’ll need to keep the dinners simple.

I don’t know how simple this is to plan, but these plastic eggs filled lunch and snacks on the go look like a fun idea for the kids!  Maybe I can sneak these into Busch Gardens?  They would never suspect lunch inside plastic eggs!

Sunday we’re planning a family get together and cook-out.  Iron chef Allan has mastered the Bobby Flay way to grill a whole chicken, which is a beautiful beast.   By grilling the chicken this way, it cooks evenly and produces a gorgeous, crispy crust.  Basically, you remove the backbone of the whole chicken and then butterfly it.  Here’s a video where Bobby Flay demonstrates his butterfly no-backbone grilled chicken method.

Easter is this Sunday and Iron Chef Allan and I haven’t even planned the meal yet. We love lamb on Easter, so that will probably be the main course.  Then, for side dishes, it will probably be the usual sides such as mashed potatoes, creamed spinach and a large salad.  Traditional foods aren’t the healthiest  but they are comforting and a welcomed break and cheat from healthy eating.

Speaking of cheats, I also need to plan some kind of dessert for the kids.  My oldest daughter loves to help plan and create new dessert ideas.  She had talked about a cupcake Easter basket and then I stumbled upon this Easter basket cupcake with Peeps.  Anything with Peeps is a hit in this house!  There’s also this chick cupcake which is also cute.

Enough about the sweets!  Here’s our dinner menu for the week.  It looks like I thought anything with a tortilla-wrap-sort of meal would keep things simple this week.

S – BBQ Butterfly Grilled Whole Chicken with Mashed Cauliflower and Low Fat Coleslaw

M – Skinnytaste’s Pasta with Asparagus

T – Grilled Jerk Chicken Wraps with Mango Salsa

W – Banging Baked Fish Tacos with (leftover) Low Fat Coleslaw

Th – Chicken-Mushroom {and Spinach} Quesadillas

F – Pizza

S – Grilled Lamb with Creamed Spinach and Mashed Potatoes

Are your kids on Spring Break?  What types of meals do you plan when the kids are home? What ‘s on your Easter menu?



Pinning and Planning – March 10

It’s another crazy busy week for this mom on the run.  I have two nights out this week for blogging related events and a third night I will spend at Chrissy’s sister’s house in Parish for the Sarasota Half Marathon.  That means Iron Chef Allan will have to fend for himself and feed the kids a few nights this week, although I decided to be nice and prepare a baked ziti.  The other nights, I foresee Dad making breakfast for dinner.

Publix has tons of meats on this sale this week with Murphy’s and David’s corned beef brisket being one of them.  As much as Allan loves corned beef, we only eat it once a year.  It’s our little St Patrick’s Day splurge.   After running a half marathon on St. Patrick’s Day, I think I would have earned my St. Patrick’s Day corned beef dinner and green beer a good Irish stout.

Here’s our dinner menu for the week.

S – Mojo Roasted Chicken with Tomato Zucchini Orzo

M – Lentils and Pasta

T – Baked Ziti

W – Pork Chile Verde with Cilantro Rice (Recipe note: Use juice of 3 limes and 1 tsp zest)

Th – Breakfast for dinner

F – Pizza

S – Pasta

S- Corned Beef with Cabbage and Boiled Garlic Butter Red Potatoes

Is corned beef your St. Patrick’s Day splurge too?  What’s on the menu for you this week?  Any new recipes?



Chicken Pot Pie Soup

PhotobucketI love chicken pot pie, but ironically we never ate it growing up.  It’s one of those comfort foods I learned to love in my college days, although it was probably a Healthy Choice version that I loved and lived on during my university years.

During my teaching days, I would pack Amy’s Kitchen Vegetable Pocket Sandwich in my lunch.  These days, its Sweet Tomatoes Chicken Pot Pie Soup served over a warm buttermilk biscuit that I can’t resist for lunch.

So when I stumbled upon Skinnytaste’s Chicken Pot Pie Soup recipe, I was thrilled to find a low fat way to enjoy my favorite comfort food without all the calories and fat.  Unfortunately, I am sad to report this was another Skinnytaste dish that didn’t quite do it for me.  But I desperately wanted it to work!  Therefore, I decided to revamp Skinnytaste’s recipe with my own touches and flair, but still keeping it a low fat recipe.

I used some of her techniques, like the flour slurry, but I made some basic changes beginning with the vegetables.  I sautéed the onions and celery to create a base for the soup.  Once the veggies were soft and translucent, I added sliced white mushrooms instead of bella and cooked them until soft.

In another pan, I prepared chunks of chicken breasts by sautéing them in some olive oil, garlic and thyme.

I omitted the bouillons cubes and replaced it with 2 cups of chicken stock.  I also  omitted the potatoes and replaced it with gnocchi for a thicker, chunkier comfort food soup.  And for some extra body, I added a splash of sherry to give the soup a bit more body.

And with that, we have a winner!

Chicken Pot Pie Soup
5.0 from 1 reviews

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Recipe type: soup
Cuisine: comfort food, soup
Author:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8-10
A low fat version of a favorite comfort food.
Ingredients
  • 1 lb chicken breast, cut into 1” chunks
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • ¼ cup flour
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • ½ cup cold water
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 1 medium chopped onion
  • 1 pint sliced mushrooms
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 10 oz frozen classic mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, green beans, corn)
  • ½ tsp fresh ground pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 4 cups fat free milk
  • 2 Tbsp sherry
  • 1 package gnocchi
Instructions
  1. Create a slurry by combining ½ cup cold water with flour in a medium bowl and whisk until well blended. Set aside.
  2. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Add garlic and sauté for about a minute. Add chicken breast chunks and salt, pepper and a pinch of thyme. Sauté for about minutes or until no longer pink. Set aside while preparing soup.
  3. Heat olive oil in a large stock pot. Add chopped celery and onions and sauté until soft and translucent. Add mushrooms and sauté until soft.
  4. Add chicken stock, thyme, pepper, salt and frozen vegetables and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer on a low heat until vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes.
  5. Add 2 Tbsp sherry, milk and slowly whisk in slurry, stirring well. Slowly return to boil. Then, add chicken and gnocchi. Cook until gnocchi floats, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Serve with warm drop biscuits.

Thanks for joining our weekly Friday Food Fight! Can’t wait to see what everyone is flinging this week!


*Also submitted at*

Marsala Chicken and Mushroom Casserole

PhotobucketDuring these Friday Food Fights, I’ve expressed my love for casseroles numerous times.  They’re simple, quick and easy to throw together and will happily feed the whole family, although Iron Chef Allan is not a fan of casseroles.  He claims they’re just a mess of mush.  That may well be the case for some soup-based casseroles, however, this one passes the Iron Chef Allan taste test.  Perhaps, it’s because I make the marsala sauce from scratch rather dumping in a can of mushroom soup like so many other casseroles.

I stumbled upon this recipe in Rachel Ray Every Day years ago.  Actually, it was Allana who found the recipe.  Years ago, I had my kids flip through food cooking magazines and tear out recipes they thought looked tasty to them.  Essentially, I had them help plan our family dinner menu.  This recipe was the one that Allana liked and years later, she remembers it to be the one she picked and still loves it.

Though the recipe was highlighted as a Rachel Ray 30-Minute Meal, it lacked some important elements, like measurements.  It listed all the ingredients, but never stated how much of each.  Back then, I was pretty new to cooking and hadn’t earned my apron stripes quite yet.  So, I had Iron Chef Allan list the appropriate measurements for each ingredient.  You can still see his original chicken scratch notations on the recipe page.

Plus, I prepare my own chicken instead of using store-bought rotisserie chicken and I’ve omitted the parsley.

IMG_9370

Still incorporating this dish into our weekly rotations, I decided to feature it my Sunday menu planning blog post feature, Pinning and Planning.  I searched the Internet for a recipe link and found it on the Rachel Ray website with actual measurements unlike the original magazine publication, however, the measurements were larger quantities than Iron Chef Allan suggested.

Yet another fine example of why he is called Iron Chef Allan.

Marsala Chicken and Mushroom Casserole
5.0 from 1 reviews

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Recipe type: Dinner
Cuisine: Casserole
Author:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6-8
Adapted chicken mushroom casserole recipe feature in Rachel Ray Every Day.
Ingredients
  • 1 cup rice
  • 1 lb chicken tenders or breast meat cut into strips
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 1 pint sliced mushrooms
  • 1 Tbsp flour
  • ¼ cup Marsala wine
  • ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees .
  2. Prepare rice as directed on package and set aside.
  3. In a large skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil. Add minced garlic and sauté until golden brown. Add chicken strips, season with salt and pepper and cook until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Remove chicken and place on a dish to the side to cool. Once cooled, roughly chop into bite size pieces.
  4. Melt the butter in chicken skillet. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour on top and stir in for 1 minute. Stir in the Marsala and cream and continue stirring until slightly thickened. Stir in 1 cup water, salt and pepper.
  5. Prepare a 9 x 13 casserole with cooking spray and spread the rice evenly over the bottom of the pan. Top with the chicken. Pour the mushroom gravy on top and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove foil and set oven to broil. Broil for about 5 minutes for a golden brown crust.

 


Thanks for joining our weekly Friday Food Fight! Can’t wait to see what everyone is flinging this week!

*Also submitted at*

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