Weekday vs. weekend breakfast

Apple peanut butter oatmeal

I have no dinner items this week worth blogging, so I thought I’d focus on breakfast. I’m fairly regimented as far as breakfast goes. Minus the occasional fruit smoothie, I have a standard weekday breakfast and a standard weekend breakfast. Weekend breakfast is a slightly undercooked whole grain English muffin with a generous layer of nutella. Ahhhhh, nutella. I had nutella for this first time in my last this past fall and it was a love at first bite situation. Ironically enough, I bought nutella when Brett and I were first trying out “real oatmeal” for the first time. Brett was getting into mountain biking, and kept reading that oatmeal is the perfect pre-ride breakfast. So we decided to try it out. Brett was having a difficult time choking it down until we tried with the Peanut Butter Company’s dark chocolate dreams peanut butter. If you’ve never had this…try it! It has less fat and calories that the peanut butter we normally buy (Teddy’s all natural chunky) and fairly low sugar.

At any rate the chocolate peanut butter/oatmeal combo worked for Brett…until the day that Hannaford stopped carrying it. With options running out, I decided we would try nutella. Even though this chocolate hazelnut spread bills itself as “part of a healthy breakfast”, it’s obviously not the best thing for you. But it’s so incredibly delightful. So, when Hannaford started carrying dark chocolate dreams again, we decided to switch back. Three weeks later I decided I just couldn’t live in a house without nutella any longer – and it’s been a staple in our pantry ever since.

Because it’s not crazy healthy, I only let myself have it on weekends (or snow days, holidays, or any other reason I decide on the spot). I would have featured a picture of it right here, but one, it’s not the weekend and two, there’s no time for pausing to find a camera when there is a fresh English muffin with nutella sitting on the counter…”someone” (cough, cough, Brett) would eat it!

So back to the weekday breakfast.

Where this recipe came from

In our experiments with Brett’s perfect oatmeal, I found a combo that I absolutely love! The best part is that (on most days) I can go until 10:30/11 without a snack. For me that’s good! Here's a pic of the kind we buy...it's definitely healthier than the "white" Quaker kind and I actually like the texture better.

Making the recipe

I realize that anything involving a pan and the stove top might seem like a stretch for a weekday breakfast. Let me assure you that when Brett travels (which is most days lately), I’m getting myself and two young kids up, dressed, fed, ready for the day and out the door by 7:25. I’m not complaining, because I know most people have hectic mornings, but if I have time to make this oatmeal –then you can too (seriously, it’s not like I’m interrupting coffee time out on the veranda or something). This whole thing literally comes together in 5 minutes!

The results

Obviously, I think this is good if I eat it everyday! Adela loves it too…She’ll happily sidle up and share a bowl with me. Bodie? Not so much…you say oatmeal to him and he runs in the opposite direction.

The recipe

1 cup water

½ cup rolled oats (not the instant ones)

½ apple, peeled and large-chopped

1 heaping tbsp peanut butter

Sprinkle of cinnamon

Sprinkle of coconut

Heat water in small saucepan on high until boiling. Add oatmeal, apple, peanut butter and cinnamon.

Lower heat to med, med-high, stirring. Cook until desired consistency about 3-5 minutes. Top with coconut and serve.

**Special shout out to two of our favorite families that had baby boys today!! Congrats to Amy, Ray and Mya on baby Ryan and Amanda, Trevor and Everett on baby Charlie. So excited for you both...and I can't wait to get my hands on those babies!!

Baked chicken buritos

Baked chicken burritos

I just realized that this will be the first “Mexican” (or Chenail version of Mexican, which is more of a "southwest”) meal that I have blogged. In real life, we eat chicken/turkey, bean, rice combos all the time. In fact, it’s pretty much the only fast food Brett and I ever eat – you know the kind where you can see everything that’s in there and distinguish it? I realize that a fast food burrito (and no, I’m not talking Taco Bell – I mean Moe’s, Fresh City, Chipotle…in our area we have Hot Harrys), is not necessarily the lowest calorie option. But when you can eat a meal on the run that incorporates protein and veggies that leaves you full and satisfied– it’s definitely not the worst-case scenario.

Where this recipe came from

I took all of the flavors I love (and again, can distinguish) from my favorite take out burritos, wrapped them up and baked them. I love that baking these with a little olive oil gives them an extra crunch.

Making the recipe

Ok, so I LOVE spicy food. Love love love it. Before having kids I could take it or leave it, but during my pregnancy with Bodie I had to have it ALL the time – as in, I would go through an entire jar of sliced jalapenos per week. Anyway, while my urge for all things spicy has settled down, if I’m having something that “works” with spicy, I go for it. Since I was making this dinner for the whole family, I just topped mine with Tabasco and called it a day. In a previous lifetime though, I would have added crushed red pepper and Tabasco to the chicken filling.

Also, I committed a cardinal sin while cooking this dinner…I forgot to add the cheese inside the burritos. As I told Brett (which felt like telling him I had totaled the car), he suggested I add cheese to the top. So I did and shoved these guys under the broiler. The problem is that I don’t use my broiler for melting cheese often and once I caught a whiff of the burnt cheese, it was too late. Luckily I topped my burritos with salsa, so the picture looks less terrible. Lesson learned…NEVER forget the cheese!

The results

It took some coaxing, but the kids ate these! Phew! Having sour cream available for dipping definitely didn’t hurt, but tortilla, rice, beans, chicken, tomato was consumed…I was a happy lady!

The recipe

1 ½ cup chicken stock

¾ cup brown rice

3 tbsp olive oil, divided

¾ - 1 lb chicken breast

1 tsp chili powder

Salt and pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ onion, chopped

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

¾ can of diced tomatos with jalapeno

½ cup sour cream

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or whatever kind you like)

Whole grain tortillas (this made 7 burritos,but you could get more of less depending on how much you fill yours up)

Preheat oven to 425. Heat chicken stock in a small saucepan over high heat until boiling. Add rice, knock heat to low and cook until tender, about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over med heat in a large skillet. Cut chicken in bite-sized pieces, toss with chili powder, salt and pepper and add to the pan. Cook about 5 minutes, until the chicken starts to brown and add onion and garlic, stirring.

Once chicken is cooked through and onions are soft, another 3-4 minutes, add drained black beans, ¾ of the can of tomato, (As you know my husband has an aversion to :large chunks” of tomato, so I had to process mine in the food processor before adding), sour cream and rice. Stir together and heat through.

Put a generous amount of filling down the center of each tortilla, wrap the ends and roll it up.

Place, seam-side down, in a baking pan coated with cooking spray. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Brush remaining olive over the top of the tortillas and spring with garlic salt.

Bake for 20 minutes. Serve with sour cream, diced avocado or salsa.

Soup and dippers for one

Butternut squash soup with apple and spinach quesadillas

So, I'm going to take a page out of Maryea's book at Happy Healthy Mama and blog a fall soup. This is one I actually make quite a bit, but since I've only blogged 20 or so recipes and two of them have been about butternut squash, I've been saving this one.

Pretty much this is a lame dinner week at the Chenail household (unless you'd like me to blog ANOTHER veggie pasta?) I didn't have my creative hat on during my routine Saturday Hannaford trip. Therefore, the house is full of a bunch of staples and nothing that I would call fun...so here we are a big bowl of hot squash - YUM! (Somewhere my husband just threw up in his mouth)

Where this recipe came from
Ummmm....I cooked frozen squash in a pan one day - voila! The quesadillas though, are a collection of flavors I had in a panini out for a work lunch one day. the panini was actually spinach, apple and brie -but I swapped cheddar and mozerella since I didn't have any brie (PS...the brie was fab - so if you're shopping before making this one - or happen to have some on hand (do people "keep" brie in the house?), go for it!

Making the recipe
The squash cooks quicker that you would think, even when it's right out of the freezer. That means this is one that could be whipped up in less than 15 minutes!

The results
I had intended to serve the soup to the kids as a dip for quesadillas. And I was about to go easy on myself and make one spinach apple quesadilla and one plain cheese for the (likely) event that they wouldn't eat the spinach apple. While I was making dinner, however, Bodie moseyed on over asking for bowtie pasta. For some reason, he is recently obsessed. At any rate, we had leftovers from last night (bowtie pasta) which he happened to see in the fridge (ooops), and I couldn't find an excuse for why he couldn't have them. He also spotted the package of tortillas and asked for a round one (i.e. he wanted to eat it out of the package). So, I compromised....I heated up a tortilla, cut it into squares, and served them to the kids with cheese, pasta, cucumbers and the apple. For me - dinner was delightful!

The recipe(s)
*Note: as the title indicates, this made one (plus a little) serving. Feel free to multiply as needed (although if your family is like mine - a serving for one works just fine!

Butternut squash soup
1/2 bag frozen butternut squash (peeled and cubed)
1 - 1 1/2 cup chicken stock (depending on how thick or thin you like your soup)
2 tbsp milk or half and half
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 tbsp honey
salt and pepper to taste
sprinkle of crushed red pepped (if desired)

Put a small saucepan over med high heat and add squash.

Cook, stirring until the squash begin to soften, about 5-7 minutes. Add chicken stock and cook for a few more minutes.

Use an immersion blender to process until smooth (or transfer to a blender if you don't have an immersion blender). Add milk and all spices. Stir together and serve.

Apple spinach quesadilla
1 tbsp olive oil
1 whole grain tortilla
1/4 box frozen spinach, defrosted with all liquid squeezed out
1/4 apple sliced thin
2 tbsp shredded cheddar
2 tbsp shredded mozzarella

Heat olive oil in a skillet over med heat. Put tortilla in pan and layer spinach, apple and cheese over half of the tortilla.

Cook for 2 minutes. Flip "un-topped" tortilla top over the "topped' side. Cook for 2 minutes, until browned. Flip tortilla to the other side and cook for another minute or two until fully browned and cheese is melted. Serve warm!

Snow day = soup day

Thai chicken noodle soup

Despite the title of this post, I really don’t want to get into the weather. Yes, the snow and cold this year is ridonkulous, but I’m tired of talking about it, thinking about it and dealing with it. It’s winter…it is what it is.

What I do want to talk about is what this recipe made me think of as soon as I started eating…college. Don’t worry, I’m not getting into anything crazy here – but if you can’t look at a noodle soup (amongst other things) and not be transported back to college –then you didn’t have the same experience that I did. Ahhhhh, the Cup O Noodles. My roommate…scratch that - my best friend, cousin and roommate, Amy and I ate a LOT of these freshman year. So much in fact that I’m beginning to think that the salt I ingested from those noodles that first year had a lot to do with my “freshman 15” weight gain (and suddenly feel slightly better about it). Just thinking back to filling up that hot pot, opening up that lid (just the tiniest amount) and letting those bad boys cook…well, it’s almost enough to bring a tear to my eye!

Where this recipe came fromI pretty much threw together all of the flavors I associate with thai food – a little heat and some sweet. I wouldn’t go so far as to call this “real thai”, but it worked for me.

Making the recipeSoup is great for cooking everything all in one pot. I didn’t have any cilantro or scallions on hand, or I would have added them. I used parsley instead, but I definitely think that the cilantro would have been better. Use whichever you like better…or none at all!

The resultsI loved this. I pulled some pasta and veggies out on a plate for Bodie since he’s not the biggest fan of soup. He loved that he got to have chopped peanuts in his pasta, which made it crunchy (note to self…add chopped peanuts to meals when appropriate). I gave Adela a bowl of soup and she did a really good job with it…until I caught her dumping out the broth on her placemat (Another note to self: don’t take your eyes off Adela during dinner). In the end this one was great and easy for me to have a dinner I loved and be able
to make enough modifications for the kids to eat it without an argument...yeah!

The recipe*Note: I made enough for me and the kids for dinner – which would probably be about 2 adult servings. Increase amounts as needed, but remember it’s soup – put as much “stuff” in there as you like!
2 tbsp olive oil
2 chicken breasts (I used 2 large thin sliced ones), diced
½ cup carrots, cut to the size and shape you like
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3-4 cups chicken stock
2 scallions, chopped (I didn’t have these – but I would have used them)
¼ tsp. Ground ginger
¼ tsp. Chinese five spice powder
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 lime
1/3 package of buckwheat sobo noodles or angel hair pasta (My sobo noodle package had 3 bundles, so I used one. Any thin pasta would be fine too)
2 tbsp parsley, chopped (or cilantro)
¼ cup peanuts, chopped
Pinch of crushed red pepper

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over med heat. Add carrots, and cook for 2 minutes. Meanwhile mix chicken with ginger, Chinese five spice powder, salt and pepper. Add to sauce pan and brown for 5 minutes or so.

Once chicken is mostly brown, add mushrooms. Cook 4-6 minutes more until chicken is cooked through and mushrooms are getting tender. Add honey, soy sauce, lime juice and chicken stock. Stir and turn up heat to high. Once the soup is boiling add sobo noodles/pasta.

Keep at a boil until noodles are cooked through. Add parsley. Serve topped with chopped peanuts and crushed red pepper if desired.