Busy Mom's Orange Chicken

The main ingredient of this Orange Chicken is, well, the chicken.  I understand that it probably is healthier for me to cut up my own chicken breasts, dip them in eggs and bread them with almond meal or something like that.  However, 355 days out of the year, I just don't have time for that.  So, the main ingredient for this meal is pictured below.  

That's right!  Trader Joe's saves the day, once again!  This tenderloins are actually very tasty and are around $7 a bag.  Well worth it to me!  By the way---an extra bonus is that these chicken breast are very low in sodium for a frozen item!  Although, the chicken is the main ingredient, it is all about the sauce, which is the homemade portion of this recipe, fresh squeezed OJ and all!

Busy Mom's Orange Chicken

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

1 bag of Trader Joe's Breaded Tenderloin Chicken Breasts

Homemade Orange Chicken Sauce (recipe below)

Directions:

1) Heat oven to 400*F.

2) Spread chicken across a 9 x 13 casserole dish.

3) Put Chicken in oven for 10 minutes. (While chicken is cooking, prepare sauce!)

4)  Turn chicken over and cook for another 8 minutes.  

5)  Pour half of sauce over chicken.  Turn chicken over to make sure it is coated in the sauce.  

6)  Bake chicken for 7 minutes.  Pour most of the remaining sauce over chicken.  Garnish with green onions.  Enjoy!

Homemade Orange Chicken Sauce
1 1/2 cups water
2 Tablespoons Orange Juice (fresh squeezed)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 Tablespoon orange zest  (Tip:  zest orange before juicing it.  A LOT easier!)
1 1/2 Tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 c honey
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (fresh)
1/4 teaspoon ginger
2 Tablespoon white or rice vinegar
3 Tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup water

1)  In a saucepan, combine all ingredients except for the cornstarch and the 1/4 cup water.
2)  Turn on heat and bring to a boil.
3)  While the sauce in heating up, combine 3 T cornstarch with 1/4 cup water.
4)  Slowly mix cornstarch into sauce until it thickens.
5)  Pour over Chicken.  (Follow instructions above.)

If you are wondering what we eat this delicious Orange Chicken with, we always pair it with this rice medley from Trader Joe's.  It takes 3 minutes in a microwave for steamed rice.  Nothing beats that!  I make sautéed veggies to have with it most of the time, but tonight, I quartered Brussels Sprouts, put them in a 13 x 9 pan, sprinkled olive oil, sea salt, pepper, and fresh garlic and onions on it and put it in the oven with the chicken.  It took about 5 minutes more to bake than the chicken, but WOW!  It was worth it! 

If you use the whole bag of chicken, this meal feeds a good amount of people.  It tastes great the next day, so leftovers are always nice!  My husband is getting it in his lunch tomorrow!

Crustless Quiche

I LOVE this recipe for quiche! I promise you won't miss the crust!  Click here to visit my fitness blog, Witness My Fitness, for the recipe.  YUM!!!

Crock Pot Yogurt

I just made some yogurt in my Crock Pot. I know that sounds strange but it worked really well!

Click here to find out how to make your own! (I let it culture for 13 1/2 hours...the recipe said for 8-12)

This is way cheaper than buying organic yogurt from the store and I love the simplicity of not hassling with a yogurt maker or anything like that. The texture was very smooth, almost like Greek yogurt. If you try it, let me know how yours turns out!

Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon (WW Version)

Upon receiving a Weight Watchers magazine in the mail this week, I was thrilled to find a Weight Watchers version of Boeuf Bourguignon. It is Julia Child's recipe, with a healthier twist. The original is 17 points, and the WW version is 8. For those of you who aren't familiar with WW speak, 17 points is quite a bit! I have wanted to make this since Troy and I saw the movie Julie & Julia because it looked mouth-watering in the movie!

So, this week, I attempted to make it and succeeded! It wasn't a difficult recipe and I got the roast I used in it for $1.99 a lb! Score! For a little more Europen flair, I served the meal with Orangina, a French baguette, and a spinach salad.

Here is the recipe....enjoy!

Boeuf Bourguignon
(Taken from WW Magazine January/February 2010)

2 lbs bottom round roast, trimmed of fat and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1/4 c all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 (14 1/2 oz) can low-sodium beef broth
1 c red wine
1 (16-oz) package frozen pearl onions (I used 3 fresh brown onions and it was delish!)
1 (10-oz) package of cremini mushrooms (I couldn't find these, I used brown bella instead)
2 Tbsp tomato paste 4 garlic cloves, chopped 1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme 1 bay leaf 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black pepper 1 lb carrots, thickly sliced 2 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
*I also added 1 bag of Trader Joe's Fingerling Potatoes

Directions
1. Toss beef and flour in medium bowl until evenly coated. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat (I don't have one...a large pot with a lid works just fine!). Add beef, in batches if necessary, and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, about 6 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl with slotted spoon.
2. Add broth, wine, onions, mushrooms, tomato paste, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, salt, pepper; bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot. Sir in beef and reduce heat. Cover and simmer 1 hour. Stir in carrots (and potatoes, if you are adding them). Cover and simmer until beef and vegetables are fork-tender, about 30 minutes. Serve, sprinkled with parsley.

Christmas in a Flash

Christmas seemed to come and go this season. Here is a bit of an overview!

Preparation

This was the first year that Jackson was able to take part in the preparation of Christmas. He helped decorate "his" tree with little Peanuts Nativity ornaments. Troy shared all this Peanuts Christmas decorations with Jackson and there were even some he could play with!

Jackson was also able to help with some holiday baking. We pulled a chair up to the counter and he helped me make chocolate brownies and frosting. He was really good at holding the measuring cup while I measured ingredients and helping me stir everything. His specialty, though, was the taste-testing the frosting! I did a lot of "baking" this season. For some reason, I really, really enjoyed it. I found a few recipes that turned out really well. One of my favorites was the Oreo Truffles. They were really rich, but absolutely perfect with a glass of milk! I also made some Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies that were delicious. I suspect these delicious desserts may be the cause of my lack of weight loss this holiday season!

Parties!

We had a few parties to attend this season. We hosted our 4th Annual Tacky Ski Sweater Caroling Party. That was a success, although, Troy and I were very tired after it and decided to do this tradition every-other year, perhaps. I know all you party-goers would be disappointed to hear that! For this party, everyone (or almost everyone) came to our place sporting their tackiest of tacky sweaters. We had a contest for the tackiest sweaters. Tim and Michelle were our finalist, and Michelle was voted the winner. We also went to a near-by nursing home and sang Christmas Carols. This was my favorite part of the night. I enjoy the smiles and reactions we get from the people in the nursing home.

We also attended our 12th Annual Citrus Group Party. I look forward to this party every year. This is a yearly get-together of the "Citrus Group" (a group of Troy's friends from college) and their wives. This party is always fun because all his friends have really become my friends too. Kimm always does a great job of hosting! We ate dinner, talked, laughed, cried (well only some of the kids, who will remain nameless). The kids decorated gingerbread men (Thanks, Tess!). We also had a gift exchange and the kids had a used book exchange. All together, as it is every year, it was great fun!

The Mission Inn

Every year, we try to make it to the Mission Inn to look at the beautiful light display there. This year, we actually made it to the lighting of the Mission Inn! We went with Joey and Kirsty and met both of our families down there. Jackson really enjoyed the fireworks. We also had the opportunity to go down to the Mission two more times with friends. Every year it seems there are more lights up! Apparently,

there was over three and a half million lights on the Mission Inn for the 2009 Festival of Lights. Amazing! The only critique I have for the Festival of Lights is that they keep their stores in the downtown mall open later! We were trying to find a place to eat around 7pm on a weeknight and every restaurant was closed! It seems to me that they are missing out on a lot of business!

Presents

It has become somewhat of a tradition to give our families framed photos of us for Christmas. This time around, I wanted the photos to be special and creative, so I asked my brother-in-law, David to take them. They turned out well! I'm posting some of my favorites. To wrap the framed photos, I purchased a roll of plain brown paper for 25 cents, and a set of finger paints from Target. I rolled the paper out on the floor, put the paint on paper plates, put Jackson in some old clothes, and let him have a go at decorating the paper himself. I loved to see his creative side come out! He got paint all over himself, me, the kitchen floor, and, of course, the wrapping paper. It was well worth it because each recipient of a photo frame also got a little masterpiece from Jackson! I may make this a tradition as well!

Family

The holiday season is always a fun time to get together with extended family. Troy's aunt and uncle from Missouri came down for a visit the week of Christmas. We had a blast going to their favorite sandwich shop, D'elias Grinders, which, I'm going to say has wonderful sandwiches, my favorite being the Chicken BLT. Its always a treat to go there!
We also went to Logan's Candy Shop where we saw candy canes being made. This was very interesting to watch and we got fresh, warm samples at the end of the tour. I will never eat a cold candy cane again! (I hope Angie doesn't mind, I borrowed the photo from her blog!)

Dress

Madelyn's first Christmas dress...sweet!

Christmas Day

Sorry folks...Christmas Day deserves a blog post of it's own, so I will post that ASAP! :)

Homemade Spiced Applesauce

A trip to Oak Glen this weekend resulted in a 5 dollar bag of grainy, somewhat mushy Arkansas Black apples. Although I was disappointed, and after I chucked two whole apples in the trash can, I was determined to do something with the rest. What can you do with a bunch of bad apples? I decided to make some applesauce. Here is the recipe I came up with, and, if I may say so myself, this is an extremely tasty and easy recipe!

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. Pure Maple Syrup (NOT THE FAKE STUFF!!!)
1 tsp. Pure Vanilla
1/8 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
5-10 Apples (5 big or 10 small), peeled, cored, and diced
1/4 cup 100% Apple Juice
Cooking Spray

Directions:
Heat a large skillet on medium heat and coat with cooking spray. Add apples. Add apple juice. Add all spices. Add Maple Syrup and vanilla. Heat until apples are very, very soft, stirring often. Turn off heat. Mash slightly with a potato masher. Don't over mash...make sure there are still some chunks in the apple sauce. Enjoy warm or chill for a cold treat! Serves 6.

Oh, and one more tip: If you want to make some YUMMY apple cinnamon oatmeal, just add 1/2 cup applesauce to 1/2 cup plain instant oatmeal and 1 cup water. Add 1 more tablespoon of Maple Syrup and 1/2 a teaspoon more of Ground Cinnamon. Stir. Heat in the microwave for 4 minutes. Stir again. Serve with cold milk. Makes about 4 servings.

An Old Favorite

For those of you who have requested it, I am re-posting this delicious recipe. It is healthy and perfect for the fall! Enjoy!

White Bean Chicken Chili

In an effort to make Troy low cholesterol, low fat meals, I found this recipe on AllRecipes.com and I tweaked it a bit for more taste. I thought some of you would be interested in this recipe, seeing as it is healthy! (Note: Even the garnish can be healthier, with low fat cheese and Reduced Fat Daisy Sour Cream) I made it for my husband and a few friends and we all loved it. Click on the recipe card to make it bigger. You can even print the card out to add to your own recipe collection. Enjoy!

The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe...EVER!

For years I have been on the search for just the right chocolate chip cookie recipe. Not too doughy, but now too hard...just the right amount of chewy goodness. It seems I have found it. I got the recipe off of allrecipes.com and tweaked it a bit (I always do!). I used whole wheat flour, so it is a bit healthier, and it is surprisingly delicious! My dad ate the cookies and enjoyed them...and I'm not sure if he noticed the difference in taste...which means there isn't much of a difference! I also used more vanilla. So, in the end the recipe turned out a bit different. Feel free to try to recipe yourself!
Ingredients:
1 c butter flavored shortening
2 eggs
3/4 c white sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 c brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 c whole wheat flour
2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter flavored shortening, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy (beat them on med-low). Add the eggs on at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla.
3. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually stir into creamed mixture.
4. Fold in the chocolate chips.
5. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.
6. Bake for 8-10 minutes in the preheated oven, until light brown. Due to the fact that the dough is darker because of the wheat, it may be hard to tell what "light brown" is. Cookies will still be a bit doughy and light brown around the edges. DO NOT OVERCOOK! Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

White Bean Chicken Chili

In an effort to make Troy low cholesterol, low fat meals, I found this recipe on AllRecipes.com and I tweaked it a bit for more taste. I thought some of you would be interested in this recipe, seeing as it is healthy! (Note: Even the garnish can be healthier, with low fat cheese and Reduced Fat Daisy Sour Cream) I made it for my husband and a few friends and we all loved it. Click on the recipe card to make it bigger. You can even print the card out to add to your own recipe collection. Enjoy!

Troy's Birthday

Troy's birthday was yesterday. I made him his traditional birthday breakfast which consists of fresh peaches and cream, topped with wheat germ, and on the side, homemade blueberry muffins. Mmmm! It really isn't a healthy breakfast at all, so we only eat it one day a year. There is nothing better than a fresh, juicy, sweet peach in the summer. Well, I'm sure there are things that are equal to it. The blueberry muffins are wonderful as well. I found the recipe on AllRecipes.com and everyone who has tasted of the muffin's sweet goodness couldn't just have one bite. I promised the recipe to many!
To finish Troy's birthday off, we had some friends and family over for Taco Salad and birthday cake. The cake I made was called Hawaiian Wedding Cake and it is basically a pineapple cake with a topped with a light vanilla frosting. I also topped it with mandarin oranges. The cake wasn't as "pineappley" as I thought it would be. Other than that, it was good. It was a nice light cake for a change.
Overall, Troy's birthday a great day! I really love my husband and I love to see him happy!