Quick and Easy, That's Me!

This post is about MEALS people. I have been on a mad hunt for cheap, easy, delicious meals for the last several months...something about adding another mouth to the mix to increase my desire for speed!

So, my goal it to take a couple proteins and then find different ways to use them so it doesn't feel like the same protein all the time. So far, it's been successful, but I don't have the world's pickiest eaters either.

I begin by buying chicken and ground turkey from Costco. I don't buy the frozen breasts because they always seem dry to me and I hate thawing chicken before I can use it! I buy the Foster Farms Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts in the meat case where they come 2 breasts to a packet (a total of about 12 breasts for about 18 bucks. I also buy the ground turkey that comes with 4 containers of about a pound or so each.

I will keep the chicken in the refrigerator until a day or 2 before the expiration and then freeze what I haven't used yet. This keeps my meat ready to cook and then keep it from going to waste if I haven't used it all.

Here are the meals I would make with the chicken to keep us from being bored with chicken:

Basic Broiled Chicken
I broil a generic seasoned chicken for use in several recipes that require cooked chicken. This one I use for Pollo Bowls, Chicken Pot Pies, Chicken Salad, etc...)
1. Season chicken with a generous amount of salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and a little seasoned salt (I like Lawry's Seasoned Salt best)
2. Broil on high for 7 minutes and turn over and broil another 7 minutes. This makes the most moist chicken. Always let the meat sit for a bit because it keeps cooking through. If you cut into the thickest part of the breast and see that it is still pink, broil it for another minute or two.

Pollo Bowls
1. I buy the Rice-a-Roni Whole Grain Spanish Rice mix when they go on sale. It's the only brown rice I like. I mix up the rice.
2. Chop up some Basic Broiled Chicken (if I don't have some already cooked they I broil a couple seasoned chicken breasts on high for 7 minutes per side.) I ALWAYS MAKE EXTRA TO USE FOR ANOTHER MEAL.
3. Couple cans of black beans heated up on the stove.
4. Grated cheese (huge bag from Costco)
5. Favorite Salsa (huge container from Costco)
6. Sour Cream

Layer a scoop of rice, then beans, then chicken, cheese, salsa and sour cream in a bowl and enjoy. It's delicious, satisfies my craving for El Pollo Loco and it's healthier.

Broiled Soy Sauce Chicken (Make extra for Chinese Chicken Salad Night)
I soak some chicken breasts in straight soy sauce (green onion is good in it too) for about 15 minutes or so. I use that time to make vegetables, get rice cooking or change diapers and stop melt downs. After 15 minutes, I broil the chicken on high for 7 minutes turn it over and broil for another 7 minutes. Let the chicken rest a few minutes to continue to cooking through. It is so moist and yummy. If your breasts are really huge (lol), then you may need to broil longer to keep the fat part from being pink.

Chicken Asparagus Roll Ups
1. Blanch asparagus in some boiling water for 2 minutes, then remove to a bowl and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.
2. Make a sauce using: 3 Tbsp. apricot preserves or jam, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, 1 tsp. olive oil. Set aside.
3. Take boneless, skinless chicken breasts and either pound them thin or butterfly them. I butterfly because I don't want to wake my sleeping babe! Anyway, the point is thin chicken.
3. Season the meat on both sides using salt and pepper.
4. Take several asparagus and roll them up in the chicken and secure with 12 inch pieces of kitchen string or toothpicks.
5. Brush roll ups with the prepared sauce.
6. Broil for about 10 minutes flipping half way through until done. You can also baste with more sauce.
*This can also be cooked on the grill, but I would soak the toothpicks in water for 20 minutes before use so they don't catch fire on the grill.

Apricot Balsamic Chicken
Saute pieces of chicken that were seasoned with salt and pepper, onion powder and garlic powder until cooked through. Add small jar of apricot preserves, 3 TBSP balsamic vinegar and some sliced green onion to the pan. Stir to heat, combine and coat the chicken. Serve over rice. (Thanks to Angie Winkler for this light and yummy recipe. Originally from Cooking Light)

Chicken Pot Pie

1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas and carrots or 1 cup peas and 1/2 package of frozen Parisian carrots (Small balls of carrots)
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup chopped onions
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
2 1/2 to 3 cups cut-up cooked chicken or turkey (I use a rotiserrie chicken from Costco or whatever cooked chicken I have on hand)
Pastry for 9-inch Two-Crust Pie (I use Pillsbury Ready Made Pie Crust - in the Pillsbury Cookie refrigerator case)

1. Rinse frozen peas and carrots in cold water to separate; drain. (I put them in the microwave with some seasoned salt and butter for a few minutes)
2. Remove chicken breasts from chicken and cut into chunks. Melt butter in 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour, onion, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in broth and milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in chicken and peas and carrots; remove from heat.
3. Heat oven to 425°.
4. Unroll pastry and put into a pie plate. Pour chicken mixture into pastry-lined pan.
5. Place remaining pastry on top of pie. Cut out designs with 1-inch cookie cutter or slices with a knife. Turn edges of pastry under and flute.
6. Bake about 35 minutes or until golden brown. (I usually go 25 minutes or so).

Chinese Chicken Salad
Greens
Mandarin Oranges
Top Ramen Noodles (crunched up, fun for the kids to do - use a ziploc bag cuz the packages explode!)
Cilantro (optional)
Feast From the East Sesame Dressing (available at Costco in CA)
Leftover Soy Sauce Chicken
Mix together and enjoy.

BBQ Chicken Pizza
I make my own pizza dough and use Basic Broiled Chicken, cheese, shredded carrots, cilantro and BBQ sauce to make a delish pizza. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes or until melted and golden crust.

Mexican Rice with Chicken & Peas & Beans
1/4 c. oil
2 c. uncooked rice
1 8oz. can of tomato sauce
4 cups chicken broth (or water)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder (if you want it spicy)
Cooked chicken
frozen peas
can of beans. I use kidney or black
1. Heat oil over medium heat in a large saute pan.
2. Add rice and cook, stirring, until rice turns white and very lightly brown.
3. Remove from heat and stir in tomato sauce. It will splatter and sputter, so be careful. Stir well.
4. Stir in broth and return to heat. Bring to bubbling. Cover and reduce heat to low.
5. Cook for 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.
6. Add cooked chicken pieces, thawed peas, and drained beans. Add seasonings to your liking. Stir well.
7. Continue to cook on low for about 5 minutes to allow for ingredients to heat through and liquid to absorb.

Turkey Meals:

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Sauce:

1/4 Cup soy sauce

4 teaspoons fish sauce (doesn't taste or
smell like fish!)

4 teaspoons sugar

Meat:

1/4
Cup soy sauce

4 teaspoons fish sauce (doesn't taste or
smell like fish!)

4 teaspoons rice vinegar

1 Tbl oil

1 large shallot (I used 1/2 sweet onion,
finely diced cuz i didn't have a shallot)

2 Tbl minced, peeled fresh ginger (I used 2
pinches of powdered ginger cuz i didn't have fresh)

2 garlic cloves, minced (I used 1/4 tsp.
garlic powder cuz i didn't have fresh)

1 small jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
(i used half a medium jalapeno)

1 lb ground turkey
(you could use ground pork too)

2 large heads of Bibb, Boston or Iceberg
lettuce

Cilantro for garnish

Shredded carrots for garnish

1. In a small bowl,
combine soy sauce, fish sauce, and sugar and stir until sugar
dissolves. Set sauce aside. In another small bowl, combine soy sauce,
fish sauce and rice vinegar and set aside to add to meat when it's
cooking.

2. Heat a large skillet or wok over high
until hot. Add oil and swirl to coat skillet. Add shallot, ginger,
garlic, and jalapeno and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add turkey and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon
until almost cooked though, 5 minutes. Add soy sauce and vinegar
mixture. Stir until meat is cooked through. Serve in lettuce leaves with
spoonful of sauce, shredded carrots and some cilantro. YUMMY!

Basic Seasoned Turkey
When I make my turkey that I buy in bulk. I often cook a bunch and season it so I can use it in other things. It saves me time and is always yummy.
Ground turkey
Salt and pepper
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Worcestershire sauce (A good sprinkling all over)
Chili Powder (If you like spicy)
Brown the meat with these seasonings then drain any fat. I store it in my fridge or freezer for the following recipes:

Turkey Lettuce Tacos (AKA Exploding Tacos)
Basic seasoned turkey
Taco fixins
Iceberg lettuce of Butter or Boston Lettuce for lettuce cups. I use Iceberg cuz it's cheap at Costco.
Put some meat in a lettuce cup and all the other stuff you like in a taco. It's fresh and delicious. Sometimes they explode a little, but we just use a fork then to eat what drops.

Spaghetti Sauce for Pasta
Add seasoned turkey meat to jarred sauce for an instant meat sauce that it very hearty. You can make it really thick and use it as a Sloppy Joe too.

Turkey and Bean Burritos
Add cooked turkey to refried beans. Wrap meat/bean mixture in a tortilla with cheese, salsa and sour cream. Yum. If you feel like pan frying them in a little oil, then you have instant chimichangas.

Phew! That was a lot of typing. Now that my wrists are hurting, I will sign off until another day. Tonight's menu is Chicken Roll Ups so I better get cracking. Oh wait, it's only 4:16pm and Kenny doesn't get home til 6 or later. Guess I have plenty of time to kill before dinner needs to be made. Maybe a walk is in order since the illusive sun is shining here in cloudy Washington!