Freezer to Oven: Honey Teriyaki Chicken & Rice

 Oh my!  This is a great home-made take-off of Asian Teriyaki Chicken & Rice dishes you get at your favorite Asian restaurants like Panda Express.

I did some slight variations like used a little over 2 pounds of chicken and two 12 ounce packages of frozen stir fry vegetables.  I also used a tri-blend rice instead of jasmine.  Also, I used Avocado Oil instead of olive oil.  And I did the No Freeze Option.  This is supposed to make 6 servings but I ended up with 8.  I froze the leftovers.

Here's the original recipe and directions:

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed

1 Tbsp Onion Onion Seasoning

1/2 tsp Seasoned Salt

1 (16 oz) package frozen broccoli stir-fry vegetable blend

4 c cooked and cooled jasmine rice (1 1/3 c uncooked)

1 bottle Honey Teriyaki Sauce

1.  In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add chicken, Onion Onion Seasoning and Seasoned Salt.  Sauté until chicken is cooked through, about 5-6 minutes.  Cool.

2.  In a greased freezer to oven-safe 13x9-inch baking dish, combine chicken with remaining ingredients.  Toss to coat.

3.  Cover with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil.  Seal well, label and freeze.

4.  To bake from frozen, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Remove foil and plastic wrap.  Loosely replace foil.  Bake 1 hour.  Remove foil; stir.  Recover and continue baking 10-15 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read food thermometer.

Serve with Asian-style green salad.

No Freeze Option:  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Prepare through step 2.  Cover with foil.  Bake 35-40 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Nutrition Per Serving:

Calories: 450

Total Fat: 7g

    Sat. Fat: 1g

Cholest: 85mg

Sodium: 1,550mg

Carbs:  62g

Fiber: 2g

Sugar: 22g

Protein: 35g

Freezer to Oven: Mama's Creamy Chicken Penne Bake

 

It's been awhile since I posted recipes.  Oh was this so delicious!  I did some modifications to the original recipe - used gluten free pasta and did not include the baby spinach leaves nor the optional items.  Actually, I did sprinkle a little bit of grated mozzarella & cheddar cheese.   Also, I didn't use as much of the Mama Mia Marinara Sauce Mix due to its spiciness.  I did the no-freeze option and dished up the leftovers to put in the freezer.

Here's the original ingredients:

12 oz penne pasta
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
1 (8 oz) pkg sliced fresh baby bella mushrooms
2 tsp Garlic Garlic Seasoning
1/2 tsp Seasoned Salt
4 c chopped fresh baby spinach leaves
1 (15 oz) jar four cheese Alfredo pasta sauce
1 (14.5 oz) can no salt added diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 c Mama Mia Marinara Sauce Mix
3/4 c plain panko bread crumbs, optional
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese, optional
2 Tbsp butter, melted, optional

1.  Prepare pasta according to package directions, cooking 1 minute less that al dente.  Rinse with cold water and drain well.  Place in a greased freezer to oven-safe 13x9-inch baking dish; set aside.

2.  Meanwhile, in large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add next 4 ingredients.  Saute until chicken is cooked through, about 5-6 minutes.  Stir in spinach; remove from heat and let spinach wilt.  Cool; add to pasta.

3.  In medium bowl, combine Alfredo, undrained tomatoes and Mama Mia Marinara Sauce Mix.  Add to pasta; toss to coat.  If desired, in small bowl combine remaining 3 ingredients; sprinkle over pasta.

4.  Cover with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil.  Seal well, label and freeze.

5.  To bake from frozen, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Remove foil and plastic wrap; loosely replace foil.  Bake 45 minutes.  Remove foil and continue baking 20-25 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F on an instant read food thermometer.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with green salad.

No Freeze Option:  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Prepare through step 3.  Bake 25-30 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Active Time:  30 minutes
Total Time:  1 3/4 hours
Makes 6 servings

Nutrition per Serving (excludes optional toppings):

Calories:  420
Total Fat: 9g
   Sat Fat: 3g
Cholest:  75mg
Sodium: 1,130mg
Carbs: 57g
Fiber: 3g
Sugar: 9g
Protein: 28g

Enjoy!  Products can be purchased from my website.

Protein Power 10-Meal Kit: Creamy Garlic Chicken

 Wow - didn't realize it's been awhile since I last posted on my Tastefully Simple Blog.

I decided this morning that I wanted to try some different recipes - getting tired of fixing the same ole chicken and ground turkey meals.  So, I picked out a few meals from our Protein Power 10-Meal Kit.  As I make them, I'll post them here.

Tonight's dinner was Creamy Garlic Chicken.  Guess what!  No substitutions were made.  Very delicious.  Although, I did not pound the chicken breast pieces.  Probably should have - they wouldn't have taken as long to bake in the oven.

Now, here's the ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 6 pieces, pounded thin

3/4 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt (I used sour cream)

3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 Tablespoons Garlic Garlic Seasoning

3/4 teaspoon Seasoned Salt

This takes only 15 minutes to assemble and about 25 minutes to cook.

1. 
   Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Place chicken in a greased 13x9-inch baking dish.
2. In small bowl, combine remaining ingredients.  Spread evenly over chicken.
3. Bake until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read food thermometer, about 20 minutes.  (Note:  since I didn't pound the pieces, it took longer to bake - about 5-8 minutes).  Turn broiler on HIGH (I only have one temp for my oven).  Broil, until bubbly and golden brown on top, about 2-3 minutes.

The recipe booklet says to serve it with a low-carb green salad.  We had broccoli with butter and seasoned using Seasoned Pepper.

You can make ahead and freeze by placing the chicken in a quart freezer bag.  Place the Parmesan cheese, Garlic Garlic Seasoning, and Seasoned Salt in a quart bag.  Place both bags in a gallon freezer bag.  Seal well, label, and freeze.  Thaw completely.  Continue with step 1.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories:  242

Total Fat:  11g

Sat Fat:  5.5g

Cholest:  93mg

Sodium:  525mg

Carbs:  6g

Fiber: 0g

Sugar:  0g

Protein:  31g

Number of Servings:  6

I was going to let you know what it comes out to point wise on WW but I'm not finding how to login on the desktop.  So, I'll let you know later.

Update:  The WW app doesn't have the Tastefully Simple products but similar products were noted in the recipe and the points came out to 5 per serving.

14-Day Reset - DAy 8

Success!  Week 1 resulted in a weight loss of 3.3 pounds.  Just what I wanted.  Some of the benefits I've seen with this program - no sleepiness in the afternoons (especially an hour after lunch).  Reason - no (or very little) carbs.  Now on to Week 2.

I kind of mixed up the menu again but did stay on track.

Breakfast was a repeat from last week with the Overnight Chia Breakfast Pudding with fresh fruit.

No morning snack - I was so busy training new staff that time got away from me!  So, ate some of the snack items with my lunch.

Lunch was the Salsa Beef Salad with the Citrus Herb Vinaigrette Dressing.  I used kale & spinach instead of romaine.  I used celery, black olive slices, and a slice of green pepper.  Had a few carrot sticks to go with it

Afternoon Snack consisted of almonds and a few more carrot sticks.


Dinner - Pesto Chicken & Veggie Skillet.  Oh my, loved this!  I kind of screwed up the pesto sauce but it was still delicious.  I did several substitutions in regards to the vegetables - green beans instead of asparagus, mushrooms instead of sweet peppers.  I also used our Avocado Oil instead of olive oil.  I also left out the Aged Balsamic Vinegar of Modena.

14-Day Reset - DAy 7

Happy Easter!  Hope you all had a good day.  I did several preps today for the upcoming week . . . well actually, only one item got cooked.  Didn't get the breakfast for tomorrow done.  But that's okay.  I did get the meals planned for this week.  And tomorrow will be the results of Week 1!

Brunch - yes, I said brunch.  Had a late morning.  So, I had the Blueberry Citrus Breakfast Meatballs with spinach & kale and the Citrus Herb Vinaigrette.

Snack - Cinnamon Berry Smoothie Snack.  This was a lot better this time.

Dinner - well, really not supposed to have carbs, but I had a small amount of mashed potatoes rather than having the mashed cauliflower.  I did have green beans to go with the meal.  Wondering what I had . . . well it was Creamy Balsamic Meatballs.  They were delicious.

The prep this week was for Magic Chicken to be used in several recipes.

14-Day Reset - Day 4

Oh boy . . . today went sideways.  First, I forgot to put the beef roast in the crock pot to make Magic Beef for the dinner tonight.  Then, I had planned on eating lunch at home when I got done with work . . . well I didn't leave the office until 5pm.  So, lunch was bought at the deli and so was my afternoon snack.  

The neat thing about the Reset Program is . . . you can adapt! 

Breakfast - Blueberry Citrus Breakfast Meatballs with 2 cups power greens (I used kale and spinach) and 1 tablespoon of the the Citrus Herb Vinaigrette Dressing.  I screwed up on the dried blueberries - they were supposed to be no sugar added.


Morning Snack - Cinnamon Nut Energy Bars 

Lunch - Spinach salad with chicken, bacon, cheese, and sunflower seeds.

Afternoon Snack - packaged salted Cashews


Dinner  - leftover Roasted Chicken & Veggies that was meant to be used with a soup for today's lunch.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

14-Day Reset Day 3

Good evening.  This has become my accountability partner.  I let you know how I'm doing in meeting my goals on healthier eating. 

So, today's menu was modified as well.  I'm enjoying the new menu items.  Some of these require advance preparation (and I didn't always do that).  Check the recipe link. 

Breakfast - Make Ahead Microwave Omelets.  This was delicious.  And I didn't make it ahead (but did freeze two of the servings for next week).  The recipe called for 93% lean but I used 99% and I used egg substitute.  No change or eliminations made on the other ingredients.  I recommend using at least 1 1/2 cup microwave-safe container.  It was difficult to stir in a 1 cup bowl - it spilled over onto the plate.  I also recommend spraying your skillet (especially if you use 99% lean meat).

Morning break - deviated from the menu and had a repeat snack - Cinnamon Nut Energy Bars.  The container I'm using must not be very airtight - the bars are getting moist and falling apart.

Lunch - Big Sexy Salad.  It's not like it sounds but it is my favorite.  Almost what I have on workdays anyway.  I used a 50/50 salad mix (it has spinach, kale and a few other lettuce greens) and added broccoli, cucumber, celery, mushrooms, and red pepper.  My protein was tuna fish (a low sodium).  My dressing was Citrus Herb Vinaigrette.  This is quite filling.

Afternoon snack - I had the morning snack - Turkey Avocado Bites.  Funny thing is - I had just the turkey!  This girl does not like avocados or grape tomatoes.  I did sprinkle some seasoning on the turkey.

Dinner - Balsamic Glazed Salmon.  This was supposed to have been yesterday's dinner.  We love salmon (and not that farm-raised, color added stuff!).  I used a broiler pan and broiled it in the oven.  I added fresh green beans covered with Bacon Bacon and Onion Onion Seasoning.  I used our Avocado Oil instead of olive oil.

SS20 14-Day Reset - Day 1

We were going on a cruise later this month and I was going to do the 14-Day Reset before going to see if I could drop a few pounds (goal is 5 lbs over the two weeks).  

Well, COVID-19 put a kabash on those plans.   Cruise got cancelled.  Now working from home.   Oh dear, not good.  Stress eating time.  

So, decided to go ahead and do the 14-Day reset now.  Here's how Day 1 went . . . 


Breakfast - Overnight Chia Breakfast Pudding

This was delicious!  I wasn't sure if I would like it or that it would keep me satisfied for several hours.  Well, it did . . . 3 hours and it was creamy and smooth.

I didn't add salt and I didn't have the walnuts toasted.  Oh, I didn't bother chopping the berries either (blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries).  I used real vanilla (actually came from Mexico).

Morning Snack - Cinnamon Almond Butter Apples

A yummy, sweet snack.  The apple I used was called Cripps Pink.  It was crispy and sweet.  I used Adams Unsalted Crunchy Peanut butter instead of the almond butter as it was what I had on hand.  Worked great.  I did dip the apples in lemon juice to prevent browning.

Didn't quite make it lunch time so had about an ounce of unsalted whole almonds. (not on the menu).


Lunch - Mediterranean Tuna Salad

I did a lot of substitutions.  It was still a delicious salad.  I left out the red onion and tomatoes, although I did sprinkle some Onion Onion Seasoning to get the onion flavor.  I used regular black olives instead of the Kalamata olives; Avocado Oil instead of olive oil; and red leaf lettuce instead of the avocados.

Oh, I had some more almonds to round out the meal.

Afternoon Snack - Cucumber Hummus Bites

Well . . . I really didn't do the complete recipe.  I just had cucumber slices without the toppings and seasonings.  I'm not fond of cauliflower or roasted red pepper and couldn't quite decide how to do substitutions.


Dinner - Roasted Chicken & Veggies

One of our favorite meals.  I'm always fixing something like this.  I did do several substitutions. (Love that flexibility!)  I used regular carrots rather than baby carrots; mushrooms instead of Brussels sprouts; broccoli instead of cauliflower; Avocado Oil instead of olive oil; and breasts instead of thighs (we don't care for dark meat).  I used about a cup more on the carrots to make up for the sprouts and not having onion.  

Throughout the day I was drinking flavored water.

Coconut Crusted Chicken Fingers

A perfect appetizer or have a vegetable or salad with it to make it a meal.  Very good.



Ingredients:

1 1/2 - 1 3/4 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast tenderloins
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tbsp Seasoned Salt, divided
1 1/2 c plain panko bread crumbs
1 c shredded coconut flakes
1 tbsp Onion Onion Seasoning
olive oil spray
1/3 c mayonnaise
1/3 c Mango Lime Sauce


Instructions:

1.  Combine chicken, eggs and 2 teaspoons Seasoned Salt in a gallon freezer bag; seal well and toss to coat.  Combine bread crumbs, coconut and Onion Onion Seasoning in a gallon bag; seal well and toss to combine.

2.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Spray foil with olive oil.  Remove 2-3 pieces of chicken from bag.  Add to bread crumbs and shake to coat.  Place on baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining chicken.

3.  Spray tops of chicken with olive oil.  Bake 12-15 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read food thermometer.

4.  Meanwhile, in small bowl, combine mayonnaise, Mango Lime Sauce and remaining 1 teaspoon Seasoned Salt.  Serve with chicken fingers for dipping.

Makes 6 servings.  Serve with steamed green beans sprinkled with Seasoned Salt.

Make Ahead & Freeze:  Prepare step 1.  Combine step 4 ingredients, except mayonnaise, in a quart freezer bag.  Place all bags in a gallon freezer gab.  Seal well, label and freeze.  Thaw completely.  Continue with step 2.