lemon-pepper chicken with a twist & fried brussel sprouts!!

   I love love love anything lemon-pepper its full of refreshing citrus flavor with a bit of a kick and I love it.  What I don't like are spices from a jar IF I can help it.  This recipes is made from fresh lemons and fresh grounded pepper!! 
     Like I have mentioned in earlier blogs I choose to eat and cook on the healthier side and It has taken much effort on my part to learn to cook healthy but keep it full of flavor....Now i know the word "Fried" is in my title but fear not I only use EVOO in my pan and that way I can enjoy something "fried" without feeling guilty....I keep the rice plain because it ends up soaking up all the great flavors from the chicken..

Lemon-pepper Chicken!!

Heres what you need.....

4-5 chicken Breast thawed

1-2 lemons depending on size

1 bag of thawed frozen brussels(I'm sure you could use fresh I just haven't yet)

1/2cp of freshly shredded Parmesan

1 1/2tbs of fresh ground pepper

EVOO

     Preheat Oven to 450*

       

    Juice 1 or both lemons and zest 1/2 of the remaining lemon and set aside.  In a medium bowl pour 1/2cp of EVOO, add the pepper and lemon juice/zest.  Whisk all ingredients together.

   Add chicken to the bowl and evenly coat with lemon-pepper mixture and place into a large casserole dish and cover with rest of the marinade.  Bake Chicken 25-30mins or until juices are clear.  remove and cover!!

     I use Boxed Instant white or Brown rice for its convenience...so just follow directions of what ever rice brand you use!!
 
     In a large frying pan heat 1cp of EVOO until it simmers when you place a wooden spoon into pan.  Add Brussels sprouts to pan (I use a very large pan, if you don't have that I would stagger brussels so they all cook evenly) cooked about 2mins, move them around and cook another 3-4mins until there golden!!

Remove from oil and place on a plate covered with a paper towel, once there all removed place them in a bowl and toss with the fresh Parmesan. 

   Place a scoop of rice on plate then place a piece of chicken on top of rice,  add the brussel sprouts and wah-lah!!!

Mozzarella, tomato-basil & Artichoke naan pizzas!!

I don't know about you but when I'm in the kitchen I like to play an at home version of "chopped" it helps me get creative and use what I've got. This next recipe was created doing just that!!!! Its super simple and absolutely full of flavor!! Heres what you'll need...

1 bag of naan(4 count)

1 jar of marinated artichokes (drained & rinsed)

3 plum tomatoes(sliced)

Fresh mozzarella

4tbs of EVOO

Fresh basil

Preheat oven to 425* place naan on cookie sheet and use a tablespoon of EVOO on each piece spreading it evenly over the bread. Place tomatoes, artichokes, mozzarella and basil on each piece of naan!! everyone's different on how much they want on their pizza so you can pile it on how ever you like!!

Place cookie sheets in oven and bake 10min, remove cookie sheets and place pizzas directly on oven rack and bake another 5-10mins to make sure bread gets a nice crust!!!

Remove and let cool about 5mins, slice and enjoy!!!

My spin on a classic 5min meal!!

Finally a post about food!!! Yay!!! Now I usually tend to eat really healthy, this change in eating habits only came after I started to learn how to cook amazing dishes full of flavor that were really good for me, I love to cook and I love good tasting food so the idea of a plain chicken breast and rice was very unappealing.

Creamy Ramen with Veggies!!

I started to mess around with spices and veggies high in flavor and was pleasantly surprised by what you can do with some fresh garlic, an onion and a pepper!!! That being said this post is Not at all about healthy eating lol but about taking something so basic like ramen and recreating it into a delish meal with some healthy components!!!

Right now we are in the process of moving so we have been keeping our grocery list light to avoid overstocking and the having a bunch of waste when we move. It's been pretty fun though trying to make simple meals out of what we do purchase and this recipe is one of those simple fun little meals!!!

1pk of chicken or beef ramen

1tbs of frozen corn
1tbs of frozen peas

11/2tbs cream cheese

Boil water with veggies added to it then add ramen and follow packet instruction.

Drain all but 1/4cp of the boiling water and set veggies/noodles aside. Add remaining water, flavor packet and cream cheese to the pot and boil low whisk until cream cheese is no longer lumpy then add noodle/veggie mix and Wah-lah a creamy chicken and veggie pasta dish that took less than 5mins to make and OMG is it good!!!!

A story about "being that kind of sick"

            So my morning started out today around 4:30 and if that wasn't bad enough my poor baby boy isn't feeling well.  I hate when my kids get sick, I only really started becoming a nurturing person after I had my oldest but I wasn't very good but I have gotten much better.  Back then I watched them like a momma bear(still do), gave them their meds and cleaned any mess, but I always had a hard time with the empathy, eventually I would just get annoyed with all the cleaning, whining and constant neediness and would have to tag my hubs in and just walk away for a bit that sounds pretty reasonable IF you have been dealing all day that was me after an hour lol. 
            Six years later Ive mastered the voice of comfort, the snuggles and the ability to nurse my kids back to health without relying on to many meds( I used to use meds for everything eventually learning if you give your kid tylonal for a stomach bug, their prolly going to puke it back up all over you)  BUT I still CANNOT handle the "Being sick" aspect and today my baby boy thanked me for my 4yrs of "service with a smile" in a way that was better than any "Thank You" card....
              My son and this is a bit weird but my son has been practicing throwing up in the toilet for months now, after he witnessed our pep talk to our oldest Ry about trying to run to bathroom when we're sick; since then he has been randomly running to the bathroom "practicing making it to the toilet" all his hard work paid off today, he isn't feeling well and hauled his little butt to the toilet and did his business.  Now I know people hate dealing with vomit but some have a stronger stomach for it, but me I'm that cliche person that gets sick too while cleaning it up so this was AWWWESOME, I didn't have to clean up vomit. 

              So mommas if your son or daughter is constantly running to the bathroom proclaiming he/or she has to "puke" his words, not mine I prefer "being sick" then let them do their thing if their only just sitting at toilet staring inside making mock gagging noise its actually pretty funny and keeps them focused for about 3mins and I don't know about you but with 3 young kids Ive learned to get a lot done in those brief windows of time, but I do understand some kids find the bathroom to be a great place to "play" so if that's the case sure take them out of there but if their "practicing" let them be you may avoid a disgusting mess in the future and have 3mins of free time!!
              Now I'm not saying he/or she will always make it but hey even 1 out of 3 is better than 3x the mess, and if you have more than one child you know its usually the domino effect with stomach bugs and at least you may have 1 or 2 of your kids making it to the bathroom.  A girl can hope right!!!
 
Happy Sunday Everyone!!!

"Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick,and the Lord will make you well........." James 5:15