Ma Whats For Dinner?» chicken

Buffalo Chicken Pasta

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:00:38 +0000

Baby it’s cold outside…

And that means comfort food to me!

So this pub favorite has gotten a make over…

So good, you’ll make this a new staple.

Big shout out to my girl, Shell over at Things I Can\’t Say !

She blogged about how much her kids liked this dish and it sounded so amazing I had to make it immediately. Let’s just say we were ALL licking the plates clean.

Buffalo Chicken Pasta

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes

1 pound penne

2 t salt

1 ½ t pepper

1 T garlic powder

1 T Cajun seasoning

1 pound chicken, diced

2 T oil

3 T hot sauce, Frank’s or Tobasco, divided

1 cup mayo

1/2 cup ranch dressing

¾ cup milk

1 cup chopped celery

½ cup chopped scallions

shredded mozzerella

chopped blue cheese

Put on a pot of water to boil and when it does toss in some salt to season it and add in your pasta and cook until al dente.

Season chicken with the spices. You can pour it all into a ziploc bag to shake it all up. Heat oil over med-high heat and cook chicken until it’s cooked, about 5 minutes or so. Next add 2 T hot sauce and cook for an additional minute or so. This part always makes me cough, but I use A LOT of hot sauce, I like mine extra spicy!

Combine mayo, ranch, and milk and mix. It will be lumpy, then stir in additional T of hot sauce. It depends on how hot you want it. Add this to the skillet with the chicken. Cook a few minutes, until heated.

Pour over pasta and stir to combine. Top with fresh celery, scallions, mozzarella and crumbled blue cheese. Sooo good! Thanks, Shell! This one is going into permanent rotation!!!

Best chicken ever

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:04:47 +0000

Ever get into a dinner time slump?

Get sick of having the same ol thing week after week?

That’s when it’s time to bust out the big guns…

This is one of our go to recipes when we need to shake things up.

It’s easy…
It’s affordable…

It’s delicious…

It’s the BEST CHICKEN EVER!

WHAT YOU NEED:

3-4 pounds chicken (thighs, legs, and/or boneless breasts)

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup soy sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 t. prepared mustard

3/4 cup ketchup

1/3 cup honey

Salt & Pepper

WHAT TO DO:

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.

Lay your chicken in a large baking dish, skin side down.

Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Pour sauce over chicken.

Bake at 325 for 1 hour.

Turn chicken skin side up and bake for 1 more hour.

Serve on top of buttered brown rice or whole wheat noodles.

Be sure to spoon on lots of sauce, it’s delicious! My kids love this one with some garlic roasted broccoli!

Back to School Week – Chicken Roll Ups

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 11:00:07 +0000

I know the school year is just starting…

But I love to start things off with a bang when it comes to lunches.

This is my boys favorite…

So I decided it needed a little bloggie love.

Check out these delicious chicken sammies!

Chicken Rolls Ups

WHAT YOU NEED:

4 whole Spinach sandwich wraps
1    cup Cooked white rice
1      cup Grilled chicken thinly sliced
½    cup Carrots thinly sliced
½    cup Red peppers thinly sliced
½    cup Alfalfa sprouts
½    Avocado sliced
Mayo or mustard (for sticking)

WHAT TO DO:

Lay out the wraps on your cutting board. Spread just a thin layer of mayo or mustard over the wrap to help everything stick.

Lay half of the rice down into the center of one of the wraps and press it out so it thinly covers the center of the wrap. Do the same for the second.

Evenly distribute your chicken between the two wraps laying it in an even row over the rice. Be sure to keep it in a single line.

Follow suit with your carrots, red pepper, sprouts and avocado. Now fold in the right section of your wrap over the ingredients and slightly pull then back toward you, then continue to roll over and make your self a tube.

Cut your tube into sushi roll looking slices.

You can cut them straight or on an angle then arrange them on a plate. Serve these with edamame or even edamame chips! You’ll have your kids yelling Arigato.

If you don’t have spinach wraps you could use whole wheat ones.

Or, if you have a kid like Brady, you could skip the wrap all together and just roll up your goodies inside a big piece of romaine lettuce!

Salad Week – Pesto Pasta Salad

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 11:00:43 +0000

This is one of our favorite recipes.

You can make it quickly by taking some help from the store…

In other words,

Pick up a container of pesto sauce and a rotisserie chicken.

Or make ‘em from scratch…

That’s how we roll, yo…

Pesto Pasta Salad

WHAT YOU NEED:

1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

6 cloves of garlic, divided

4 cups fresh basil leaves

1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 T divided

1 T fresh lemon juice

1 cup parmesan cheese

S&P

1 box whole wheat rotini or ziti

1 cups cooked chicken, diced

1 large zucchini, diced

1 yellow squash, diced

1/2 cup yellow green beans

WHAT TO DO:

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Season with salt when boiling and cook pasta until al dente.

Meanwhile in the bowl of a food processor combine toasted pine nuts and garlic. Pulse quickly, about 10-15 seconds. Next add in basil and a pinch of S&P.

Turn the food processor on and allow basil to be chopped. Next stream in olive oil, slowly, until well combined. Add in lemon juice. Pulse it again and add in parmesan cheese. Once it is all combined set aside until your pasta is done.

2 minutes before pasta will be finished toss in your yellow green beans. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water (I always save a cup of water in case my sauce needs to be thinned out a bit.)

In a separate skillet heat the remaining tablespoon olive oil over high heat. Chop remaining garlic clove and add it to the oil. Just before the garlic begins to brown add in your zucchini and squash. Cook for about 5 minutes, until it begins to soften up.

In a large bowl, pour half of your pesto sauce. Pour pasta and veggies on top of the sauce. Top with chicken. Pour remaining sauce on top and mix well. Season with S&P if necessary.

Fiesta Week – Grilled Fiesta Tequila Chicken

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 11:00:30 +0000

Need some healthy grilled chicken to go along with all this fiesta food!

Check out one of our absolute favorite ways to spice up the grill.

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 whole chicken, cut up

1/2 cup of good tequila, love me some tequila

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

2 limes, juiced

2 oranges, juiced

2 lemons, juiced

1/2 cup pineapple juice

2 jalapenos, diced

4 cloves of Garlic, chopped

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 T cumin

1 t chili powder

1 t paprika

S&P

Cayenne Pepper to taste (Optional)

WHAT TO DO:

Grab your chicken, rinse and pat it dry. Toss the cleaned chicken into a large plastic ziploc bag.

Grab a big bowl and pour the tequila, olive oil, juices, jalapeno, cilantro, spices and S&P. Mix well.

Pour your marinade over the chicken in the bag. I also throw my squeezed limes, oranges and lemons, in with the chicken.

Place in the fridge and let marinate for at least 1 hour, but I let it go overnight.

Heat your grill up good and high. Spray with cooking spray to keep chicken from sticking.

Grill chicken until cooked through and juices run clear and the internal temperature hits 170. Takes a good 15-20 minutes or so for the big breasts and thighs. Less time for the wings and legs.

Grab a margarita and it’s dinner time!

Quick and Easy Pasta Week – Spicy Chicken Sausage and Veggies

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 11:00:32 +0000

It’s quick pasta week…

Part Deux!

How about an organic chicken sausage and whole wheat deal for ya?

It’s delicious…

Good for you…

And quick!

How’s that for a slam dunk?

Spicy Chicken Sausage and Veggies with Whole Wheat Pasta

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 package Organic Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage, sliced (I used Bilinsky’s)

1 T extra virgin olive oil

1 large zucchini, sliced

1 large onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

S&P

1 jar Francesco Rinaldi ToBe Healthy Spicy Marinara Sauce

1 box whole wheat pasta

Chopped basil and oregano for garnish

Grated parmesan cheese for garnish

WHAT TO DO:

Set a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Cook pasta to package directions. Be sure to salt your water before you put your pasta in! Cook to al dente, then drain water and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Toss in your sausage and cook until nicely browned. About 7 minutes or so.

Once your sausage is nice and browned, add in your zucchini, onions, and garlic. Season with S&P. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes or so, until your veggies start to soften up.

After your veggies are soft add in your pasta sauce and bring mixture up to a boil. Once it boil, knock it back to a simmer and wait until your pasta is ready.

Combine your whole wheat pasta with the sauce and serve.

Top with chopped herbs and cheese.

Light n Lively Meatballs

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 14:21:44 +0000

Ever make chicken or turkey meatballs and have them end up all dry on you?

Well check this out!

These meatballs are good for you and your waistline….

They are totally juicy and delicious.

Best part is that you cook them in their own sauce.

You’ll never eat regular meatballs again!

Light n Lively Meatballs

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 pound ground chicken breast

1 small eggplant

3 T chicken stock

1/2 small onion, grated

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 egg white

1/3 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

S&P

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling

1 jar store bought spaghetti sauce (We use Francesco Rinaldi ToBe Healthy Tomato Basil Sauce)

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 box whole wheat pasta cooked to al dente

WHAT TO DO:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and set a pot of water on high for your pasta. Season your water with salt and cook pasta according to package directions.

Cut your eggplant in half and place on a baking sheet. Cook on 425 for about 10 – 15 minutes until soft. Allow to cool a bit then scrape out the yummy eggplant from it’s skin and add to a large bowl. Knock back the heat on your oven to 375.

To the bowl with the eggplant add in your chicken, chicken stock, grated onion, chopped garlic, egg white, bread crumbs, parsley, parmesan cheese, and S&P. Mix well to combine.

Grab a muffin pan. Yes a muffin pan! Place a healthy spoonful of sauce into each muffin well.

Next, form your meat mixture into golf sized meatballs and place on top of the sauce in the muffin wells. The boys each took a row for themselves and made their share.

Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. I like to flip the meatballs mid cooking process so they get all covered with sauce.

Serve on top of pasta and with a side salad and you’ve got a meal everyone will love and feel good about!

Leftover Pizza Pie

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 11:00:26 +0000

So last week we were grilling up a storm.

But we didn’t get through everything.

So faced with a fridge full of leftovers…

We threw ‘em together on a pizza.

One word…

YUM!

WHAT YOU NEED:

Leftovers from Chicken Kabobs

Leftovers from Veggie Kabobs

1 whole wheat pizza dough (try grabbing one from your local pizzeria)

1 jar of Francesco Rinaldi Pasta Sauce

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

WHAT TO DO:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Lay your pizza crust down on a pizza stone or baking sheet.

Top pizza crust with your pasta sauce.

Cover the pizza with your leftover chicken and grilled veggies.

This is the fun decoration part.

Cover with cheese and cook for 15-18 minutes at 425.

Don’t have any pizza dough?

Don’t worry!

Try some whole wheat pitas or english muffins!

Don’t have any leftover chicken?

Make ‘em plain cheese or use what you have!

I left this one half cheese…but it’s all about options!

Bacon and Pineapple…

Pepper and Mushroom…

Pepperoni and Olive!

Whatever is in the fridge just toss it on.

Most important is to get in the kitchen with the kids and have fun!

Grilling Week – Steak and Chicken Kabobs

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Mon, 23 May 2011 11:00:58 +0000

Who doesn’t love food on a stick?

I certainly do…

And so do the kids!

As the calendar says spring I’m trying to wish the weather into cooperation…

Thus, I do hereby dub this week…

Grilling Week.

Come on and get your fire on!

This recipe is always a hit and you’ll laugh when you see how easy it is…This is why I love the grill!

Steak and Chicken Kabobs

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 pound organic chicken

1 pound organic rib eye steak (you can go with whatever steak is on sale if you want)

1/2 cup BBQ Sauce (or you can use store bought, I like Sweet Baby Rays)

1/2 cup italian dressing (Love Newman’s!)

WHAT TO DO:

Grab a large ziploc bag. Pour in your BBQ sauce and your italian dressing.

Cut your chicken and steaks into 1 inch cubes.

Toss them into your marinade and put them in the fridge.

Let them marinate for at least 1 hour, but they can sit for up to 24 hours.

Remove from marinade and poke them onto skewers. Be sure to keep your chicken on one and the beef on the other, way easier for cooking times!

Heat up your grill to medium high. Be sure to wipe it with some oil to start so your meat doesn’t stick.

Toss them on the grill and cook to your desired doneness on the steak (we like medium rare) usually about 3 minutes per side. Leave the chicken on until the juices run clear.

I take the boys off the sticks so they don’t end up playing swords with them but how your clan likes to eat ‘em is up to you.

Serve up with some Rajun Cajun Potatoes and dinner is served!

Get Healthy Week – Chicken with whole wheat penne and veggies

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Tue, 17 May 2011 11:00:29 +0000

It’s spring time!

That means summer is coming.

You know what that gets me thinking of?

Bathing suits.

I’m so not ready to start slipping into a bikini!

So we’re getting healthy this week.

And eating delicious at the same time.

Check out this quick and healthy meal….

CHICKEN WITH WHOLE WHEAT PENNE AND VEGGIES

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 box whole wheat penne

2 T olive oil

2 zucchini, halved and sliced thin

8 oz mushrooms, sliced

1 clove garlic

4 scallions, diced

2 chicken breasts, pounded thin and sliced into bite sized pieces

1/2 t red pepper flakes

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

1/2 cup marinated artichoke hearts

1/2 cup chicken stock

10 basil leaves, torn

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

S&P

WHAT TO DO:

Bring a large pasta pot of water to boil. Add the penne and cook to al dente.

While the pasta cooks heat a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add 1 T of your olive oil.

Toss in your zucchini, mushrooms, garlic, scallions, lemon zest and red pepper flakes. Season with a bit of S&P and let your veggies soften up.

After about 5 minutes, remove veggies to a plate and set aside.

Add remaining oil to the pot.

Season your chicken with S&P and add it to the hot pan. Cook chicken on both sides until brown and cooked through, about 8 minutes or so. Squeeze lemon juice over the chicken and add the veggies back in. Add in your artichoke hearts and chicken stock scraping up any brown bits left on the bottom of the pan.

Drain your pasta (reserve a cup of the pasta liquid in case you’d like to add more to your sauce) and toss pasta with the chicken/veggie sauce. Sprinkle on your parmesan cheese, basil, and pine nuts.

Viola! Quick easy healthy meal!