chicken – Urban Suburban Mommy

Apple Cheddar Chicken Muffins

Posted on November 21, 2017 by Urban Suburban Mommy Posted in Delicious Dishes .

You need to read 10 Questions With Voula Halliday to really understand how much this recipe will help with healthy school lunches, but these savoury and oh-so-yummy muffins will become a favourite. Soooo good!

What you need:

– 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
– 2 1⁄2 tsp baking powder
– 1 tsp dried thyme
– 1 tsp salt
– 1⁄2 tsp ground black pepper
– 1 1⁄2–2 cups finely chopped cooked  chicken
– 1 cup shredded  cheddar cheese
– 2 green onions,  thinly sliced
– 1 cup peeled and finely  diced green apple
– 1 cup finely chopped baby spinach
– 2 large eggs
– 1 cup milk or unsweetened non-dairy milk
– 1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil

What you do:

1 Heat oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray or coat a 12-cup muffin pan with oil.

2 In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, thyme, salt, and pepper. Using a wooden spoon, stir in chicken, 3/4 cup cheddar, green onions, apple, and spinach.

3 In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and oil. Add to flour mixture and stir until evenly combined.

4 Divide batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle each muffin with remaining cheese. Bake until golden and a cake tester inserted in the centre of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

MAKES 12 MUFFINS

You can swap out the chicken for ham or smoked salmon, or you can omit the chicken and make these vegetarian muffins instead.

Just one of the amazing recipes from Voula Halliday’s must-have cook-book EAT AT HOME contains over 150 recipes that show how easy it is to cook fresh, healthy, tasty meals every day of the week, including how to buy only what you will use, use everything you have on hand, swap ingredients without sweating it, and transform extras into Loveable Leftovers so you waste nothing.

About Voula:

Voula Halliday is a chef, writer, and artist with diverse and extensive experience in the food industry. A proud graduate of Le Cordon Bleu, she has presented her work on morning television and radio shows, and was one of the chef experts on CBC Television’s award-winning daytime show Steven and Chris. Most recently, she appeared on CTV’s Your Morning to whip up her yummy Apple Cheddar Chicken Muffins and Bacon and Cheddar Quinoa Fritters. You can view the segment here:

Voula’s first appearance on Steven and Chris came about after she was discovered by one of the producers who was volunteering at a Public School where Voula served as the executive chef and program coordinator. She brought Voula onto the show after being taken by her warm personality and the way in which she transformed the usually mundane and unhealthy school lunches into fresh, nutritious and delicious meals for the students and faculty. Voula’s work has appeared in print and digital formats in a variety of publications, including Chatelaine, National Post, Reader’s Digest, and Bon Appétit.

It’s a Wrap!

Posted on July 25, 2017 by Danielle Reid Posted in Delicious Dishes .

Summer mealtimes tend to be quick and simple. Take the wrap. It’s as good a go-to as the stir-fry. Want to know the secret (and so simple) ingredient to an amazing wrap? Let me share.

Your wraps will never be the same…

There are two types of wrap-eating people in this world, the tortilla people and the lettuce people.

Whether your a “tortilla wrap person” or a “lettuce wrap person” the basics are identical. What you choose to wrap in is your personal preference.

In our house we have begun to move away from the tortilla and wrap and focus more on the lettuce wrap. I was extremely hesitant at first. Our home’s dependency on bread and pasta is serious. With kids on the go and picky eaters, those seem to be the easiest items to grab.

However, the more research I do, I realize that this dependency has to change. I am a firm believer in moderation, so I don’t intend to eliminate these foods, just reduce their portions and frequency. I encourage you to do the same.

It requires a little more creative planning, but the benefits are worth it.

These wraps are a regular meal in our house, usually a Tuesday or Wednesday dinner. There are no complaints – so in essence I think they are my favourite meal!!! Soon to be yours, too.

The secret to a good wrap is: The sauce!

Adding a little TLC to our sauces (mayo, dressing, etc) has such a powerful effect on our wraps and sandwiches. There are a million variations, but here’s the one I use in this wrap. Share your favourites in the comments.

What you need:

– 1/2 Chicken breast (or 2 thighs) per person, grilled *
– 1 package of bacon, cooked and diced
– 1 cup shredded cheddar
– 1 tomato, diced
– Lettuce to Wrap (optional) Iceberg, Romaine or Boston Lettuce for wrapping.
– Tortilla’s to Wrap – 12 inch (Optional)

Optional:

– 1/2 Avocado, diced
– 2 Hard boiled eggs, diced

Sauce:

– 1 1/2 cup mayo
– 1 tbsp – Southwest Seasoning
– 1 tbsp – Bell Pepper Rub
– Salt & Pepper to taste

What you do:

Grill the chicken: I always prefer to grill my chicken on an indoor grill to minimize dryness. On an indoor grill it’s approximately 5 minutes per side on Med-High.

Cook the bacon: My absolute favourite – mess free – way to cook bacon in the oven. Just lay it out on a pan at 350° for 27 minutes. It’s perfect for wraps and sandwiches – and there is no grease splash to clean up. Once you try it this way, you’ll never go back to frying!

Place diced chicken, diced bacon, diced tomato, cheddar and any optional ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Mix the sauce ingredients together and add to the mixing bowl.

Mix all ingredients well.

Build your wrap using either a tortilla or lettuce wrap. Scoop on 2 to 3 heaping spoonfuls of mixture to each wrap and fold the wrap up.

Folding is a bit of an art in itself, you’ll easily and quickly get the hang of it – here’s a guide:

Option:

You can even grill the finished wrap to add extra effect.

Serve immediately with our favourite side dish – a nice salad, chips, french fries, etc.

Feeling satiated at meals, reducing the snacking between meals and improving cognitive function are just some of the benefits from changing the way we look and consume our food. Do some research and some experimentation to see what works for you.

What are your favourite sauce seasonings? Comment below!

That’s a wrap! Enjoy!

Have a great week

Danielle’s Pampered Kitchen..Healthy Meals in Minutes

Grilled chicken, apple and spinach salad

Posted on June 13, 2017 by Danielle Reid Posted in Delicious Dishes, Domestic Goodness .

Quick.

Simple.

Delicious.

Any meals that fall into those 3 categories has a permanent place on anyone’s meal plan. This salad has the added bonus of being healthy too!

Great tip: Make your food work for you. Ever notice that chicken added to a salad tends to be a little “too much?” Spread your chicken a little further when using it for sandwiches and salads by splitting the chicken breast into two. I love my handy-dandy tool because it has multiple purposes, as you can see from the video, but splitting chicken breasts is one of my favourites!

Click here for demonstration video or for More information on this product, click here

Get your grill out, cause here we go!

What you need:

2 medium apples (your preference – I like Granny Smith (tart), Gala work well, too)
1 pkg (5 cups) fresh baby spinach (washed and dried)
1 large carrot peeled
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 Cup Sugar Snap Peas – cut in half.
3 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless (can substitute pork)
Smokey applewood rub (optional)

Dressing:

2 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp oil (avocado or olive)
1 tbsp syrup
1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp salt

What you do:

Combine dressing ingredients, mix, and set aside.
Heat grill to medium high.
Slice chicken horizontally (split the chicken breast – bonus tip above).
Season chicken with applewood rub (approximately 1 tbsp).
Place chicken on hot grill for 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Set chicken aside.
Cut apples into wedges
Place on grill for 6 minutes, then turn and repeat. Or do both chicken and apple at the same time if you have a double burner grill pan.
Set aside.
Place spinach in a large bowl. Grate carrots into salad (using a Julienne peeler, cheese grater, or spiralizer).
Slice chicken into strips and add to bowl.
Add cranberries, peas, apples.
Drizzle salad with dressing, and serve!

Have a great week!

Danielle’s Pampered Kitchen..Healthy Meals in Minutes

Lettuce Wraps in a SNAP!

Posted on February 28, 2017 by Danielle Reid Posted in Delicious Dishes .

Are you looking for a new “GO-TO” healthy meal that can be prepared in under 15 min? This meal will be enjoyed by the whole family. Look no further, I’ve got your new recipe!

It’s so fast and so good, you’ll rely on it each and every time. Make sure to have some chicken prepared in advance (leftovers are awesome here). Get ready and hold on tight cause this moves as fast as you need it to.

What You Need:

Lettuce (either Leaf or Romaine) Washed and separated.
Chicken – approx 3 Breasts cooked and sliced into strips (pork or Steak are “GRATE” substitutes)
1 bag of Broccoli Slaw
2 -3 Garlic Cloves minced
1/2 Onion cut into strips
1 pepper (I like Red) cut into strips.
2 tbsp of Sesame Oil
1/3 cup of your favorite Peanut Satay Sauce
1/4 Peanuts Chopped (garnish)
Sweet Chili Sauce (garnish)

What You Do:

Prep all ingredients specified above and have them ready.
In your favorite 11-12″ non-stick skillet on med-high heat, heat Sesame Oil and Garlic for 2 min, Stirring frequently.
Add Onions and Broccoli Slaw, Stir for 3-5 min.
Add Red Pepper, Stir for approx 1-2 min.
Add the Peanut Satay Sauce, mix well with the vegetables.
Prepare an assembly Line (like the one shown above). Start with Lettuce (If using Romaine, use it like a Taco, it’d stiff spine will prevent rolling), place Chicken, then Vegetable Mixture, garnish with Peanuts and Sweet Chili Sauce. Enjoy! So Simple and So Good!

Note: Use can always use traditional tortilla wraps instead to add more substance to the meal.

Danielle Reid

Meal Planning, Meals in Minutes and Independant Consultant for the Pampered Chef

www.facebook.com/daniellespamperedkitchen

Danielle’s Pampered Kitchen..Healthy Meals in Minutes

WEBSITE: www.pamperedchef.biz/daniellereid

The kabob

Posted on November 29, 2016 by Urban Suburban Mommy Posted in Delicious Dishes .

Kind of exotic, so easy and the boys always fight over the leftovers in my house. Doesn’t that sound like the perfect thing to make?

I love making kabobs. I usually use pork, but sometimes chicken and sometimes beef. Lamb would be good too.

Kabobs are great because of the versatility. You can make them in the oven or on the grill. You can prep them a day ahead, or do them up right when you’re going to cook them. You can use whatever type of meat you have on hand, and use up whatever veggies you’ve got in the fridge that are coming to their end.

What you need:

– 1 nice sized pork tenderloin OR 3 chicken breasts OR a small sirloin tip roast, cut into irregular hunks, about an 1 to 1.5 inches
– 1/3 cup olive oil
– 2 garlic cloves, diced or crushed
– 1 red onion (white, yellow or Spanish will also do) chunked
– 2-3 peppers, chunked (red or green – or a mix)
– splash of lemon juice
– salt & pepper to taste
– 1 1/2 tbsp oregano (fresh or dried)

Optional veggies: zucchini, mushrooms, eggplant, yam

What you do:

Use 6 to 8 metal skewers or bamboo skewers. If you’re using bamboo, make sure to soak them for 30 minutes so they don’t char.

Cube the meat andcut the veggies so that they’re bite sized but not too narrow – all the chunks of meat and veggies have to be able to be skewered.

Put all ingredients into a bowl. Toss well. You can refrigerate and let the meat marinate or you can skewer them up and get grilling. I like to alternate meat and different veggies on a skewer.

Get the grill heated to medium or heat oven to 350° and place skewers on a roasting rack. In either grill or oven, cook on each of the four sides for 4 to 6 minutes – it will cook faster on the grill, slower in the oven. You want to make sure meat is cooked through and veggies are softened and start to caramelize but don’t burn.

Serve with roasted potatoes or this rice. Tzatziki is also a great side to serve with these, it’s the perfect dip!

The leftovers – make sure you have leftovers! Put it all together in a container and the flavours just meld so beautifully. It’s a whole other amazing dish the next day.

Chicken Zucchini Poppers

Posted on April 5, 2016 by urbansuburbanmommy Posted in Delicious Dishes .

We love when Nicole cooks. It always looks as good as it tastes with this fabulous photographer, and we think the things she tries out are just amazing. She’s creative in the kitchen and we’d love to take a page out of this mama’s book! If you liked her Beet Chip Massacre and her Baked Butternut Zig Zag Blackbean Taquitos, you’re going to loooooove the Chicken Zucchini Poppers! But let her tell you herself:

If you’re like me, you TRY to get your kids to eat as many fruits and vegetables as possible. Now I admit, my kids are actually pretty good about this however I do know some who are not. I am ALL about packing in anything extra that I can though, because well it certainly can not hurt right? When a recipe also works out so that making extra and freezing it for nights that are hectic (hello, baseball season is upon us – between practices, games and my daughter’s ballet classes I am all for quick and easy dinners).

I have even crazy things like lightly sautéing freshly chopped spinach and tossing that in too. Like I said, I am all for tossing veggies in where ever I can! This is totally a Pinterest find (Adapted from http://www.onelovelylife.com/chicken-zucchini-poppers-gf-df/) that I actually made, and daresay improved upon if for no other reason then I sort of combined it with another recipe I have for sausage balls.

To make ahead for those crazy nights I double the recipe.

What you need:

-1lb Chicken breast
-2 medium zucchinis (grated, peel on)
-2-3 green onions sliced or 1 small onion finely diced
-1-3 tbls Taco seasoning (this is to taste, or you can use just about any seasoning that is a favorite in your family)
-1 clove minced garlic or 1tbs garlic powder
-4oz ricotta cheese (or you can use cream cheese)

Optional: Toss in a tablespoon or so of Milled flaxseed not only does it work well to help “bind” but it’s full of healthy nutrients kids and adults need!

What you do:

Preheat your oven to 400°. Mix the ingredients all together, scoop into meatballs and place onto greased pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Depending on the seasonings you use – kiddos of all ages can dip these into ketchup, salsa, sour cream (my daughter’s choice, regardless of seasoning), guacamole or even barbecue sauce. Really you can take this in any direction you want!

To freeze and reheat: cool and place in a Ziploc bag and toss in the freezer. Depending on your microwave, I typically heat 4 at a time for roughly 1:30.

Slow go chicken and mushrooms

Posted on March 8, 2016 by urbansuburbanmommy Posted in Delicious Dishes .

One night I came home extra late from work and Urban Suburban Daddy had made me the most delicious dinner. He was aiming for something similar to Chicken Marsala – but he didn’t realize we had any wine so he improvised. He’s a really good cook – I’m a lucky girl. It’s quick, not too complex and the flavors merge together so beautifully. Enjoy!

What you do:

-4 chicken breasts
-2 cups sliced mushrooms
-salt and pepper
-1/2 cup butter
-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
-2 cloves chopped garlic
-oregano

What you do:

Brown the chicken in vegetable oil over medium heat, turning once, about 15 minutes. Turn heat down to medium-low and add in the rest of the ingredients except for oregano. Cover and let simmer 18-20 minutes, turning occasionally.

Plate and garnish with a sprinkle of oregano. Serve with side of rice – try our Foolproof rice.