15-Minute Chicken Shawarma Bowls

I'm trying to eat better. And to do that I need to plan and prep. If I have things ready to go, then I'm less likely to make bad choices.

I also need to measure. The "eye-balling" technique doesn't work for me. What I think 1/2 c of pasta is and what it really is - is a bit off, let's just say.

This recipe is a great one. Super easy to prepare and put in a container for lunch the next day.

It calls for Farro. Which I've never had before or made. Turns out it's a lot like barley and it's pretty darn good.

Also didn't want to spend the $$ on a jar of tahini so made a substitute based on something I found on the Internet (creamy peanut butter and sesame oil). It's a nice substitute if you're not wanting to buy tahini and let 99% of go to waste.

15-Minute Chicken Shawarma bowls
Recipe from Cooking Light Diet

Photo from Cooking Light Diets

6 ounces skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon olive oil
3/8 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon cumin, divided
Dash of paprika
1/4 cup plain 2% Greek reduced-fat Greek yogurt
1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon tahini (sesame seed paste)
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 (8.5-ounce package) package precooked farro
1 cup chopped English cucumber
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 (15-ounce) can unsalted chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place chicken and oil in a large bowl; toss to coat. Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon cumin, and paprika in a bowl. Add spice mixture to chicken mixture; toss to coat.

Combine remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/8 teaspoon cumin, yogurt, lemon juice, tahini, and garlic in a small bowl. Set aside.

Heat farro according to package directions . Place 1/2 cup farro in each of 2 bowls. Top each farro serving with about 3/4 cup chicken mixture, 1/2 cup cup cucumber, 1/2 cup tomatoes, about 1/3 cup chickpeas, and 2 1/2 tablespoons Greek yogurt mixture. Top with parsley and black pepper. Reserve remaining farro for another use.

Creamy Chicken Pasta

A lifetime friend came by for dinner tonight. He's a foody and so I wanted to make something delicious, but not "difficult". I didn't want to be in the kitchen the whole time and not have time to chat with him.

So I made this meal - Creamy Chicken Pasta. To say it was delicious doesn't really do it justice. It was FANTASTIC...and not low in calorie.

I made a side spinach and strawberry salad that's my go to salad these days. It was a nice evening hanging with a friend I've had for 30 years. A lot's changed and yet at the same time, nothing has.

I only changed one thing - shocking, I know. I used just regular mushrooms. I didn't get fancy with a variety of mushrooms.

Creamy Chicken Pasta

Photo from MyRecipes.com

Recipe from: MyRecipes.com
Serves 6 (it says it serves 6, but really it serves 4.)

9 ounces uncooked orecchiette pasta
Cooking spray
12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1 cup unsalted chicken stock, divided
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
8 ounces chopped wild mushroom blend
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.

Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add chicken to pan; sauté 4 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Combine 1/4 cup stock and flour. Add flour mixture, 3/4 cup stock, and half-and-half to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, mascarpone, and 2 tablespoons parsley.

Heat a skillet over medium heat; coat with cooking spray. Add onion and garlic; cook 5 minutes. Add thyme and mushrooms; cook 8 minutes. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, vinegar, and mustard; cook 30 seconds. Add pasta and chicken mixture; toss. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons parsley.

Summer Chicken Parmesan

So you all know I love to cook. And you all know I need to lose weight. The two often fight each other. I love my comfort foods and I love to eat. The key, for me, has always been balance. And I've never been good at that.

I've been down this road before and when I get to when I'm willing to try again, I ride that motivation wave for as long as I can. I started getting Cooking Light magazine a hundred years ago and have collected several recipes. Today, however, I discovered a Cooking Light Diet Plan. It offers up those recipes I love and lets me modify as I need.

Tonight I made the first dinner that shuffled through. I only made a couple minor modifications to this.

The first being I couldn't find Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs, so I used what I had.
The second is, I'm not a fan of warmed tomatoes (that aren't already pulverized and in sauce). So I sauted the zucchini then let it cool to room temp. Then put the tomatoes, zuchini and basil together for a side salad. Oh and I added some cucumber to that mix, cuz I had it.



Summer Chicken Parmesan
Recipe from Cooking Light

Photo from Cooking Light

Makes 2 Servings (serving size: 1 cutlet and about 3/4 cup vegetables)

• 2 tablespoons white whole-wheat flour
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup plain whole-wheat breadcrumbs
• 2 (4-ounce) chicken breast cutlets
• 1/4 teaspoon plus a dash of kosher salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
• Cooking spray
• 1 1/2 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1/3 cup)
• 3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped zucchini (about 1 medium)

1. Preheat broiler with oven rack in middle position. Place flour, egg, and breadcrumbs in separate shallow dishes. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour; dip in egg, and dredge in breadcrumbs.
2. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add cutlets; cook 1 minute on each side. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
3. Top cutlets with cheese; broil 1 1/2 minutes. Heat remaining oil in skillet. Add zucchini; sauté 1 minute. Add remaining dash of salt, tomatoes, and garlic; sauté 4 minutes. Serve with chicken, and top with basil.

398 calories

• CARBOHYDRATE 25.0g
• CHOLESTEROL 143.0mg
• FIBER 4.0g
• PROTEIN 37.0g
• SODIUM 521.0mg
• FAT 16.2g
• SATURATED_FAT 4.5g
• MONOUNSATURATED_FAT 7.4g
• POLYUNSATURATED_FAT 2.0g
• CALCIUM 191.0mg 
• IRON 1.0mg
• SUGARS 3.0g 

Quick Chicken Picatta with Parslied Orzo

For the first time in, I don't know how long, I actually followed the recipe. Turned out fantastic. I made the all the servings so I'd have 3 for the rest of the week. Everything measured out and in the fridge for the next three days. I put asparagus alongside this dish.

This is an easy Chicken Picatta and doesn't overpower the lemon flavor.


Quick Chicken Picatta with Parslied Orzo
Recipe from Cooking Light. com

Photo courtesy of Cooking Light

1 cup uncooked whole-wheat orzo
3 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 (4-oz.) chicken breast cutlets
1/4 cup finely chopped shallot
2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
8 thin lemon slices, seeds removed
1 tablespoon capers, drained
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Cook orzo according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain. Spread orzo on a baking sheet; cool 10 minutes. Place orzo in a bowl; add 1 tablespoon juice, 1 1/2 tablespoons oil, parsley, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, stirring to combine.

Place flour in a shallow dish. Sprinkle chicken with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Dredge chicken in flour, shaking off excess. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Place chicken on a platter (do not wipe out pan).

Add shallot and garlic to pan; cook2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons juice and lemon slices, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat to low; add capers and butter, stirring until butter melts. Spoon lemon mixture over chicken. Serve with orzo.

Beef Cabbage Soup

I had seen this recipe floating around the internet for some time. It looks good, but I always think things look good then I make them and they're meh.

This soup was actually good, feeling and oh so good. Did I mention it was good? It took about 30 minutes to prep and get in the pot, which isn't much time. You could cut down that time by buying pre-chopped veggies if you like.

I did not use the whole head of cabbage. That seemed like too much cabbage to me, so I used just over a half. The head of cabbage I got wasn't exactly a "small" head either.

Other modifications I made:

• I didn't buy enough beef broth so adjust to 6 cups with water. Threw in a dash of Worcestershire sauce to help balance the beef flavor that I had watered down. 
• I put in about a Tablespoon of tomato paste. No reason other than I think it needed a bit more depth.

Beef Cabbage Soup

Recipe from Cafedelites.com

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion chopped

1 pound 500 grams rib eye or scotch fillet steak, cut into 1-inch pieces (trimmed of visible fat)

1 stalk celery chopped

2 large carrots peeled and diced

1 small green cabbage chopped into bite-sized pieces

4 cloves garlic minced

6 cups beef stock or broth

3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley plus more to serve

2 teaspoons each dried thyme and dried rosemary (or dried basil and oregano)

2 teaspoons onion or garlic powder

Salt and freshly-cracked black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion chopped

1 pound 500 grams rib eye or scotch fillet steak, cut into 1-inch pieces (trimmed of visible fat)

1 stalk celery chopped

2 large carrots peeled and diced

1 small green cabbage chopped into bite-sized pieces

4 cloves garlic minced

6 cups beef stock or broth

3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley plus more to serve

2 teaspoons each dried thyme and dried rosemary (or dried basil and oregano)

2 teaspoons onion or garlic powder

Salt and freshly-cracked black pepper to taste

Jambalaya

Tonight was another Sunday dinner. This month my theme was you had to bring something that started with either the letter of your first name or your last. So, I made Jambalaya. And oh boy was it fantastic.

I doubled the recipe for 7 people. We had enough for dinner, seconds, and perfect amount for everyone to take home some.

I did two types of sausage, Andouille and Linguisa. I like the flavor profile of them both. They, with the cajun spice, have just the right heat to it.

Super easy recipe, that you could make for a week night dinner.

Jambalaya
Recipe from Gimmesomeoven.com

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Photo from GimmeSomeOven.com

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 pound andouille sausage, thinly sliced into rounds
3 small bell peppers, cored and diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 white onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
3-4 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain white rice
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning or Creole seasoning
1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf
1 pound raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Kosher salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
optional garnishes: chopped fresh parsley, thinly-sliced green onions, hot sauce

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a stock pot (or a very large, deep sauté pan) over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sausage and sauté for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and the sausage is lightly browned. Transfer to a clean plate and set aside.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the stock pot. Add bell peppers, celery, jalapeño, onion and garlic. Sauté for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened.

Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, rice, Cajun seasoning, thyme, cayenne, bay leaf, cooked chicken and sausage, and stir to combine. Continue cooking until the mixture reaches a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for about 25-30 minutes, or until the rice is nearly cooked through, stirring every 5 minutes or so along the way so that the rice does not burn.

Add the shrimp and okra, and stir to combine. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are cooked through and pink. Remove and discard the bay leaf.

Taste season the jambalaya with salt, pepper, and additional Cajun seasoning if needed. Remove from heat.

**I took out the okra and bell pepper from this recipe.  You'll see in the recipe above where the okra comes into play. The bell pepper is sauted with the onion, celery and jalapeno.

Tex-Mex Pulled Chicken Tacos

The sister-in-law and Blueberry were over to scrap today. The Pioneer Woman made these tacos in her show on Saturday and I knew I had to give them a try. Sure enough, delicious.

Tex-Mex Pulled Chicken
Recipe from Pioneer Woman

Photo from Food Network

2 medium tomatoes, quartered
2 jalapeno peppers, halved and seeded
1 medium white onion, cut into 8 wedges
1 red bell pepper, halved and seeded
1 yellow bell pepper, halved and seeded
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound thin chicken cutlets
12 flour tortillas
2 limes, 1 juiced, 1 cut into 8 wedges, for serving
8 ounces salsa
8 ounces sour cream
8 ounces crumbled cotija cheese
Fresh cilantro leaves, for serving

Position an oven rack 5 to 6 inches below the broiler element and preheat the broiler on high.

Add the tomatoes, jalapenos, onion and bell peppers to a baking sheet, drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle with the oregano, chili powder, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and toss everything together to get it all coated with the oil and spices. Push it to one side of the baking sheet. Lay the chicken flat on the other side and season it with salt and pepper.

Broil for 5 minutes. Flip the chicken and vegetables and return to the broiler until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are softened and charred, about 5 more minutes.

Wrap the tortillas in kitchen paper and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds Remove, unwrap and put on a platter.

Shred the chicken. Spoon the roasted vegetables into a blender with any juices from the baking sheet and blend until smooth. Toss 1 cup of the sauce with the chicken. Squeeze the juice of 1 lime over it. Put the remaining sauce in a bowl to serve on the side.

Serve with the warm tortillas, salsa, sour cream, crumbled cotija cheese, lime wedges and cilantro.

Strawberry and Steak Salad

I've done a horrible job preparing for weekly lunches. Not only does it get costly, but I don't eat great. I decided this week I'd plan and prepare for the week.

Enter Strawberry and Steak Salad. When they say we eat with our eyes, they aren't kidding. I fell immediately for this salad photo. It has all the things I love, tossed into one salad.

Strawberry and Steak Salad
Recipe from Cuisine at Home, April 2019

For the vinaigrette:

1/4 c white balsamic
3 T strawberry jam
2 T olive oil
1 T minced shallot
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper

For the salad:
2 T olive oil
2 NY strip steaks (8oz each) seasoned with salt and pepper
1 sweet onion (3 c)
1 bag spring mix
8 oz fresh strawberries, halved or quartered
1/3 c crumbled blue cheese
1/3 c chopped roasted and salted pistachios

For the vinaigrette, whisk vinegar, jam, oil, shallots, and Dijon. Season with salt and pepper.

For the salad, heat oil in a cast iron skillet over high until shimmering. Add steaks and cook until desired doneness. Set aside.

Add onion to skillet, cook over medium heat until softened, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Slice steaks against the grain into strips.

Toss spring mix, strawberries, blue cheese, pistachios with vinaigrette, top with steak and onion.