Almond Diet

Phase one of Separating from your Husband of 10 years and realizing you need to be divorced- I lost my cooking passion and effort. I didn't want to cook. I was sad, felt alone. I had been on a healthy eating kick for 6 months and decided I didn't have the energy to cook anymore. So at night I would feed the kids, "kid food," and have almonds for dinner. I recently discovered how much I love almonds on a girls beach trip. They are amazing and come in all flavors and they are healthy. But likely not if you eat a whole can which I had been known to do. Crazy things happen to you when stressful times arise, such as, The Almond Diet, as I like to call it. I learned a lot about myself in this time and know that everything happens for a reason.

My New Life

I have been MIA on the blog the past two years. My life had taken an unexpected but long overdue turn. I am recently separated and heading towards divorce. I had lost who I was in my marriage and now am much happier and getting the old, "me," back. I am hoping to post some new quick recipes now that I am a single half time mom. I also have been doing lots of light, low calorie meals and have lost a lot of weight. At any rate, blogging and cooking was a happy time in my life and I want to reclaim that part of me. After all I could use some, "therapy," in rediscovering myself. Cooking has always been calming and therapeutic for me. Thanks for coming along for the ride. -jennifer

Greek Chicken Penne Pasta

Found this recipe on line after seaching for a few ingredients I had and tweeked to what I had and thought would be good. I wanted to make something with feta cheese. Ingredients 1/2 a small onion chopped 1/2 a red bell pepper chopped 1 large garlic glove minced halved or quartered cherry or grape tomates (how ever many you want!) 2 chicken breasts cut into 1 inch pieces or strips Kalmata Olives chopped to your taste Salt and Cracked pepper on chicken 2 tbs olive oil (or more) 1 tsp oregano 1 tsp parsley 1-2 lemons (squeeze on pasta after tossing) 10-12 oz feta cheese (one round container) 8-10 oz penne pasta (I used a little over half the box) Make in large sauce pan Sautee onion, pepper, garlic in olive oil about 5 min. till onions are cooked Add chicken and cook till done add seasonings (oregano and parsley), olives some S and P to taste Add chopped tomatoes and simmer about 20 minutes Add cooked pasta, squeezed lemon juice and Feta cheese and toss all together Delicious!! Isaac and I loved it!! I imagine it is pretty healthy! Use the whole box of pasta and just add more of everything and use 4 breasts.

Sweet and Sour Chicken with a Little Spice!

Sweet and Sour Chicken I love sweet and sour chicken but the recipes I was finding on line were too sweet. I read a few and tweeked them just a little to Isaac's and my liking! Chicken (enough for 3 people w/ NO leftovers or 2 very hungry people) 2 large breasts cut into 1 inch pieces corn starch about a cup 2 eggs lightly beat(may not use all...definitely need more than 1 egg) salt and crack pepper....I put quite a bit of cracked pepper 1/4 or less of canoloa oil...enough to coat pan Sauce 1/2 cup sugar 2 tbs ketchup 2 tbs soy sauce 1/2 cup vinegar 1 tsp garlic salt 2 tbs sriracha sauce Coat chicken with corn starch then egg...brown in hot oil over high heat. Do not cook chicken through. Cook until lightly brown. Place browned chicken into greased dish (I used olive oil Pam) Pour sauce over chicken. This is the right amount of sauce for 2 large breasts. If you make 3-4 breasts I would make more sauce. Bake on 325 for 1 hour. Set timer every 15 minutes and turn chicken to coat w/ sauce. Serve over rice. Next time I will add chopped red pepper and onion to the chicken before baking.

Taco Soup

This is soooooo easy and yummy! Isaac and KG love it!
Just dump it all in a pot and simmer a couple hours.

1 large can diced tomatoes
1 can rotel w/ green chilis
1 can black beans
1 can northern beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can corn
1 pkg ranch dressing
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 pound ground beef cooked
1 beef kilbalsa sliced into rounds and in half sauteed
Top with sour cream and cheese and serve over or with chips.

Sauteed Chicken in Balsalmic Honey Pan Sauce

I love any recipe where you sautee the chicken! It is easy, fast and such a tender way to cook chicken. I found this recipe on line while searching sauteed chicken recipes.

OK...this is for my dear friend Beth...who was my guinea pig the very first time that I made this. It was delicious the FIRST time. Then I tried to repeat it...she tried to make it and we both had failed attemps! What had I done different other than follow the recipe???? Obviously I had forgotten something I did. Which is why I need to write stuff down! Then it hit me!!! I added WAY MORE honey to it! And I had my sister in law Jenn's REAL honey...from REAL hives...made from REAL bees, out of her parent's yard! It will be good with honey from the bear shaped bottle though...just not as delicious!!

So I tweaked it and changed the name! The original recipe also calls for shallots...which I NEVER have on hand...so I changed that part too.
I also realized I do NOT add enough pictures. So, as I cooked tonight I snapped away. Kenzie Grace saying, "Mommy, why are you taking pictures of food?" And Isaac freaking out when she almost dropped the new camera into the sink. Hey...I thought up on our high bar was a safe place! Who knew?
Here it is
Pound, S & P, lightly flour the chicken

Then sautee till light brown on each side. About 3-4 min. on med-high heat.

Mix together 1/2 cup broth
1/2 cup balsalmic
3 tbs honey
and whisk! This will dissolve the honey. (Also, this is for 4 breasts...I only use 1/4 cup of the broth and balsalmic for two breasts)

Remove chicken from pan and (DO NOT RINSE PAN) add about 4 tbs. of chopped onion and 2 tsp. (remember this is for 4 breast...although I doubt it would matter how much onion and garlic you added. More may be better!) Sautee a few min.
Then add mixture of Balsalmic, honey and broth. Add some chopped fresh Rosemary. (which I forgot tonight...but I didn't have any. I had grown a plant at our old house. ) Drizzle honey on each side of the chicken (SO..more honey is KEY!!)and place chicken back into pan.

Sautee for at least 20 minutes covered...more will not hurt it! I did it for about 40 on low. Spoon sauce over chicken while it cooks.

I served it with fresh steamed green beans. YUMMY! And pretty healthy!

Nanny Tatum's Chicken w/ White Gravy

This was my absolute favorite meal as a child and teenager!  I even requested that my mom make it for my 18th birthday dinner with some of my close friends.  It was always a popular meal at my house.  And I always wanted it served with "sticky rice".  My mom would get comet rice and be sure to make it sticky!!

I have made this meal many times.  I still love it!  And it always reminds me of my Nanny Tatum.  
It is super easy and most of you already know a recipe like it!

1 can of cream of chicken OR cream of mushroom soup mixed w/ 16 oz of sour cream.

Lay dried beef on the bottom of a pyrex dish.  Lay 4-6 chicken breast on top.  Top with mixture of soup and sour cream.  Cover with foil and bake on 300 for 3 hours...taking foil off the last 30 minutes. 

Serve with rice and peas or green beans.  I prefer peas!  SO YUMMY!