Broccoli Chicken Salad

This recipe is from 2 sources. 

One this amazing looking broccoli salad I found on Pinterest made by Eatyourselfskinny.com  http://www.eat-yourself-skinny.com/2011/03/sweet-broccoli-salad.html

The other inspiration was my sister's chicken salad recipe my Mom, Aunt and I kept on making Sis make for us. We even made her make it in our hotel room in Hawaii a couple of years back. :-)

Okay in my recipe - mix together in no certain order:

cold cubed cooked chicken breast

broccoli floret (just the tree top part)

red grapes

chopped walnuts

red onions

craisins

your choice mayonaisse or greek yogurt or coleslaw sauce

1 tbs splenda sugar replacement 

a teensy bit of cumin

You may notice I did not include any amounts. That is because I was so darn hungry I just winged it by sight. I tried to have more broccoli than anything else and I used only a little bit of mayo. I suggest adding it a tbs at a time until you like the looks of it. I like mine pretty dray as you can see. 

Deviled Chicken Salad

Behold!  The mealpod in it's natural habitat!   Most of my lunches are eaten at my desk, in front of my computer, during the hour that our filter is turned off.   Today lunchtime caught me perusing one of my favorite Paleo recipe websites, Chowstalker!

This is one of my all time favorite Paleo recipes.  Combining egg salad and chicken salad makes it packed with protein and fairly low calorie.  If I wasn’t so lazy I would totally make my own mayonnaise. It’s supposed to be easy, but it is totally one of those things that scares me.  I usually eat it right from the container, at my desk, at lunchtime, but I have been known to occasionally eat it with gluten-free crackers or in a carved out tomato or green pepper.  That probably would make a gorgeous photo.  I should do that some day. 

Deviled Chicken Salad

Prep Time: 10 min               

Cook Time: 0 minutes            

Yield: 6

INGREDIENTS:

12 oz chicken breast, cooked and cubed

3 hardboiled egg, chopped

1 cup celery, finely chopped

6 tablespoons mayonnaise

3 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 bunch green onion, diced fine

salt & fresh ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:

·         Cube chicken and put in mixing bowl

·         Mix in chopped egg, celery and green onions

·         Fold in mayonnaise and mustard, mix gently until well distributed

·         Add salt and pepper to taste.

Portion 1 cup per mealpod and store in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

 6 PODs: 216 calories, 8g fat, 201g sodium, 3.5G carb, 0g fiber, 10g protein

nutrition information estimated at Livestrong.com:

http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/mealpod-deviled-chicken-salad/

Chicken Drumstick Vesuvio

Like a lot of households, things have been kind of lean around here.  Gas and grocery costs seem to keep going up, but nothing new is coming in.  One thing I love about chicken drumsticks is they are CHEAP, but they are also easy to make and easy to eat.  If you grow your own herbs like my sister Nicole, it's even cheaper. This recipe freezes well and reheats even better, the freezing / reheating process seems to make the herbs really sink in.

 Chicken Drumstick Vesuvio

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 60 minutes            

Yield: 8

INGREDIENTS:

8 chicken drumsticks

4 average sized potatoes, cut into wedges

1 cup fresh green beans

1 tbsp fresh oregano

½ tsp sage

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

¼ cup coconut oil, melted

2 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup chicken broth

2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced

DIRECTIONS:

·         Preheat oven to 375

·         Cut potatoes into wedges

·         Place drumsticks, potato wedges and green beans into a 9 x 13 dish

·         Sprinkle with oregano, sage, salt & pepper

·         Drizzle with melted oil

·         Bake 30 minutes, stirring once, be sure to flip each drumstick

·         Sprinkle with garlic and chicken broth and continue baking another 30 minutes

Once cool, garnish with parsley and store as mealpods

Nutrition: 8 PODS 235 calories, 13g fat, 231g sodium, 16G carb, 2g fiber, 15g protein

nutrition information estimated at Livestrong.com:

http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/mealpod-chicken-vesuvio-drumsticks/#ixzz1smNC5JAt

Chicken Taco Meatza

I think it's become obvious that my sister, Nicole is the chatty and artsy one in the family.  I like to cook, but this whole blogging thing and taking the pictures does not come as naturally to me.  I feel like there should be a "story" with each recipe, but honestly there isn't.   I tend to find recipes by googling ingredients that I think sound good together and then taking bits and pieces of each recipe I find and creating my own mealpod recipe.  


So... this is Chicken Taco Meatza.   What is Meatza?  It's one of my favorite Paleo recipes, basically you replace the normal crust with MEAT.  \o/  Yay!  My favorite Meatza of all time was my Margherita Meatza which was absolutely amazing.   The Greek Meatza was yummy but not as much of a home run as the first attempt.   The Chicken Taco Meatza, I think, is #2, even closer to #1 when garnished with sour cream and guacamole.

Chicken Taco Meatza

Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Yield: 12


INGREDIENTS:


CRUST:
1 lb Ground Beef
1 can diced green chilis
TOPPINGS:
4 oz shredded cheese of choice
1 cups shredded chicken
½ cup salsa, drained
1 small can black olives, rinsed and drained
¼ cup onion, diced


DIRECTIONS:


Preheat oven to 450°


Measure and mix your crust seasonings together in a small bowl.


Flatten beef into a circle on a pizza pan roll pan and place into oven for 10 minutes.


Spread the crust evenly with shredded cheese.


Arrange shredded chicken on the top, then sprinkle with remaining ingredients


Bake in preheated oven until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown, about 10 minutes.


Allow to cool. Slice, then freeze.

NUTRITION: 6 PODS - 361 CALORIES, 21G FAT, 982G SODIUM, 4G CARB, .5G FIBER, 40G PROTEIN

My kitty liked the Meatza too!

Crockpot Greek Chicken

The inspiration recipe for this mealpod had carrots instead of parsnips.  Also, my recipe does not include the black olives I threw in at the end.  What I discovered while cooking this was that it was extremely ~WHITE~ which didn't look very appetizing, even though it tasted delicious.  So I threw in the black olives and sprinkled a little paprika on top.  Viola!  Color!  LOL.  

CROCKPOT GREEN CHICKEN

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 5 hours
Yield: 8


INGREDIENTS:
1 pound parsnips, cut into 1” pieces
1 pound mini potatoes, washed and sliced in half
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 ½ cups of chicken broth
¾ tsp salt
1 15oz can of artichoke hearts
1 large egg
2 large egg yoks
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup fresh dill

DIRECTIONS:
Spread parsnips, garlic and potatoes on the bottom of slow cooker. Arrange chicken
on top and pour broth over all. Cover and cook for about 3 hours on high.


Add artichokes to slow cooker, cook for five minutes.


Transfer chicken and veggies to serving bowl using a slotted spoon. Add ½ cup
cookie liquid to the egg mix and whisk until smooth. Add back to the slow
cooker, cover and cook an additional 15 to 20 minutes to thicken.


Add dill and pepper, then pour the sauce over chicken and veggie mixture.


Allow to cool, then portion 1 cup per mealpod for freezing


NUTRITION: 8 PODS 308 CALORIES, 14G FAT, 920G SODIUM, 23G CARB, 5G FIBER, 22G PROTEIN

NUTRITION INFORMATION ESTIMATED AT LIVESTRONG.COM:

http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/mealpod-crockpot-greek-chicken

Chicken Paprikash (Paprikás Csirke) with the Domestic Man!

Chicken Paprikash (Paprikás Csirke) 

I'm excited to post a collaboration with the blogger the Domestic Man! This is the sort of thing I was hoping we could do when starting the Mealpod website/blog, because honestly, my sister and I can only come up with so many ideas for Mealpods. When Russ Crandall from the Domestic Man blog offered  his recipe for Chicken Paprikash, I was really excited. Especially because the recipe was completely new to me. He describes it as:

Chicken Paprikash is a famous Hungarian dish, known for its mellow flavor, mild sweetness, and tender chicken. Some might consider it a stew, and I’m not arguing that fact – honestly, it really doesn’t matter. This stuff just tastes good. This dish is commonly served with egg noodles or spätzle-like dumplings. I thought that my roasted parsnips would be a good substitution, and it worked; their crispy outside and slight-spongy inside were perfectly paired with the chicken’s creamy sauce. 

Russ described how to make the recipe in such great detail in his blog post that I borrowed most of his wording for the instructions and inserted what I did differently. He also took photographs of the steps which were so helpful, so make sure to go check them out.

I took his suggestion of using boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of regular chicken thighs and drumsticks. I also made a julienne of parsnips and carrots instead of chunks so it would behave like a pasta would and soak up the sauce when packaged up like a Mealpod, but otherwise I follwed his instructions exactly.


Russ also suggests to get Pride of Szeged Sweet Hungarian Paprika and I highly recommend following his advice. The color of it is much richer than the cheap store brands that were in my cupboard and the taste is so mellow and sweet - it completely makes the dish. I can't wait to try it with other recipes. I found it right at my local Market Basket grocery store. The tin was turned backwards though on the shelf so it took me a while to find it! The backside is all red and the front side is not, lol.




 Chicken Paprikash

• 1.5 lbs boneless chicken thighs which was 8 thighs trimmed. 
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp Pride of Szeged Sweet Hungarian Paprika
• 1 tsp dried marjoram
• 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup sour cream 
• 5 parsnips
• 2 carrots

1. Slice the onion and pepper into large pieces. Set aside.
2. Gently rinse the chicken pieces with cold water, pat dry, and sprinkle with salt and pepper
3. Warm the butter in a large pan on medium/high heat for about five minutes. Add the chicken parts and brown for about six minutes per side. 
4. Once they are well-browned, set the pieces aside. 
5. Reduce the heat to medium, and add the onion slices. Sauté for five minutes, stirring often, until the onions are softened. Add the pepper slices and sauté for another three minutes. 
6. Add the marjoram, chicken broth, white wine, and half of the paprika, and stir everything together. Add the chicken pieces, moving the onions/pepper to make room for the chicken. Bring to a simmer, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for one hour (45 minutes if you’re using boneless, skinless chicken thighs).
7. While the chicken is simmering, julienne your carrots and parsnips. Using a julienne peeler, peel then julienne your parsnips and carrots.  You can also use a cheese shredder to get the same effect or buy pre-shredded carrots. Sautee or steam them just until al dente or slightly softened. 
8. Remove the chicken from the pan and cover with tin foil. Raise the pan’s heat to medium and bring to a simmer, then remove from heat. Stir in the remaining paprika and the sour cream until everything is well-mixed; be sure to temper the sour cream by adding some of the sauce to it before adding it all to the pan. Tempering will make sure the sour cream doesn’t curdle. 
9. Place a pile of parsnips and carrots  in a 12" x 12" piece of foil, top with one piece of chicken. Pour some sauce over both making sure to keep track of how much you have left for the other pieces. We ate some right away and then packaged up the rest.

Here they are in their Mealpods ready to be frozen. I ran out of the julienne, maybe because I was snacking on it as I went... but maybe because I could have made more. For a couple of them I paired them with gluten-free spiral noodles I happened to have in the pantry. I can't thank Russ enough for the recipe and great instructions. We'll have it up on the Mealpod site soon. The chicken did turn out delicious and so tender. 

If you are new to the Mealpod site and want to find out how we individually package the meals there are instructions at Mealpod.us or use the tabs on this blog at the top of the page. 

Grain-free Chicken Parmesan

 One of hubby's biggest comfort foods is chicken Parmesan and that was his request this week. I made it for him the traditional way but made a grain-free version for my own Mealpods. It was just a matter of having two different crusts on the chicken and coming up with a pasta substitute to have it with. 

For the grain-free crust I used a simple walnut and Parmesan crumb mix and then crisped it in olive oil.

Hubby said he didn't know if the extra calories of the walnuts were worth it, but if you pair it with julienned veggies instead of pasta the calories naturally even themselves out to the calories of traditional bread crumbs and pasta noodles. 

Walnut Parmesan Breading for Chicken (or fish)

• 1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup walnuts 
• 1-2 eggs
• Italian seasoning
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 3 large chicken breast
• mozzarella cheese sliced to top
• pizza sauce 
• tomato paste

1. Measure out 1 cup of walnuts and then chop in a food processor until small, but not pasty. Pour into a large bowl. 
2. Empty the food processor and grind your Parmesan cheese. You will need about 1/2  cup (or less if you like) after it is ground. Add the Parmesan to the ground walnuts. 
3. Season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. 
4. If using large chicken breasts, pound them to make them thinner and cut in halves or thirds. 
5. Dip them in whipped egg first then dip them in walnut mixture to coat. 
6. Preheat 2 tbs olive oil in a nonstick skillet on med-med high heat and brown on both sides. 
7. Mix a cup of pizza sauce of your choice (look for organic, with good oils like olive oil and minimal sugar) with one can of tomato paste. Add extra seasoning if you like. 
8. Place the cooked chicken on a cookie sheet, top wit a spoonful of sauce, and a thin slice of cheese. 
9. Broil until the cheese bubbles. 

Julienned Butternut Squash and Zucchini 

• 5 zucchini
• 1/2 butternut squash peeled
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• Italian seasoning

Julienne Peeler from Amazon

If you do not own a little Julienne peeler (ABOVE) you have to get one (click on it to see it on Amazon.com).  It is as easy to use as peeling a carrot and you get great long thin strips of veggies. You can only use it on firm veggies or fruits but there are plenty to choose from. I used it on my butternut squash first. You have to have it peeled already because you don't want to eat the peel. My grocery store sells them cut in half and peeled or I am not sure I would have chosen it even though it works perfectly and the sweet taste is so good with tomato sauce. Just place the julienne peeler at the top neck of the squash and using downward pressure (quite a bit of pressure) pull the peeler towards the other end of the squash and oila squash noodles! Do the same with the zucchini, but the center part with the seeds won't work well, so stop when you get to the seeds. You also can and should keep the peel on when julienneing the zucchini because it is yummy! The extra squash I could not get to julienne I just cubed up and through in the oven with a drizzle of olive oil for a snack. 

The rest I put in my nonstick skillet with a little olive oil, garlic, and Italian spices and cooked until al dente. I had to do the butternut squash first because it takes longer to cook. Keep on turning it over so all the "noodles" get their fair share of heat. It may take a while. You know it is finished by tasting them to see if they are getting sweet. Remove the squash and do the same for the zucchini. The zucchini cooks really really quick - just a couple of minutes. 

You want to make sure you cook them al dente or pretty firm if you are going to freeze it in a Mealpod so when you reheat they don't get mushy. To make this into a Mealpod, just place a little nest of squash on your tin foil (or glass container) and top with a piece of chicken, fold and place in a plastic bag. To get full packing instructions and other freezing tips see our website. http://www.mealpod.us/freezing-tips

Chicken Pot Pie

This is another ALMOST gluten free recipe. Instead of wheat flour I again used whole grain spelt flour. It seems to not effect me in the same ways as gluten: no bloating, water weight gain, or bingeing tendencies so far. I don't think I want to have TOO much spelt, but one recipe a week I think is fine.

This recipe is for two 9 inch pies - one with 2 crusts and a lighter one with one crust on top and none on the bottom.

Spelt Pie Crust Recipe

The recipe I used for the spelt crust was from user spud nut on food.com http://www.food.com/recipe/spelt-pie-crust-146604  It makes two crusts so I went ahead and doubled it to make 4 and then froze one so I could have the one bottomless and the other not. 

• 2 cups whole spelt flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/3 (10 tbs) cup cold organic butter 
• 1/3 cup organic shortening (yes there is such a thing and it is trans fat free)
• 5-7 tbs ice cold water 

I did this in the food processor but you could do it by hand like the recipe link describes. Here's what I did:

1. Add flour and salt to the food processor. 

2. Add butter and shortening and pulse until it until the butter and shortening are pea sized. 

3. Add 1 tbs of cold water at a time into the processor pulsing in between until it can be formed into a ball. 5 tbs did it for me. 

4. Remove and shape into a large disk. If you did the one recipe cut into 2 pieces, reshape into disks and wrap them in saran wrap. If you doubled it for top and bottom crust make 4 disks. 

5. Place them in the fridge until your filling is made. 

6. When ready - remove disks and place one on a piece of parchment paper. Place another piece on top and roll until it is bigger than your pie dish. 

7. Peel off parchment and flip over into pie dish or over filling and cut off excess.

Chicken Pot Pie Filling Recipe

Enough for 2 9-inch pot pies

Ingredients

• 4 cups roasted shredded chicken thighs
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 chopped onions
• 2 potatoes chopped and peeled
• 2 carrots chopped and peeled
• 1 celery stalk chopped small
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 1 cup finely chopped kale
• 2 tsp sage
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp Low Sodium Chicken Bouillon Granules
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup corn starch
• 2 cups milk (I used 1%)

Instructions

1. In a saucepan pour half the chicken broth, add onion and bring to a boil.
2. Add the other half of the broth along with potatoes, carrots, peas, kale, bouillon granules, and spices.
3. Cook until potatoes are tender.
4. Mix milk with corn starch in a medium bowl and stir until combined well, set aside. 
5. Rinse and dry your frozen peas and add to the pot.
6. Add the cornstarch mixture into the pot and cook on med high for about 5 minutes and has thickened.
7. Remove from heat and divide into your two pies.
8. If doing it bottomless make sure you generously grease your pie pan. Fill with pie filling and then top with a crust as described above. 
9. Brush with an egg yolk mixed with a little milk if desired. 
10. Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes or until browned. 

Chicken & Sweet Potato Bake

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs were on sale last week, so I bought them and threw them in the freezer.  Then I started looking for a recipe base of what I wanted to do with them.  I love to think of flavors that sound good to me then just Googling "chicken, sweet potato, casserole".   Almost every casserole recipe I come across has a sauce with flour to thicken it or the icky cream of whatever soups.  I really don't find all that stuff necessary if you use fattier meats and good fats like coconut oil and butter. 

This really doesn't look very pretty, but its extremely tasty.

Chicken & Sweet Potato Bake

Prep Time: 10 min                

Cook Time: 45 minutes             

Yield: 6 

INGREDIENTS:

1 large apple, diced

2 sweet potatoes, diced

1 small onion, sliced into half moons

½ tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ginger

6 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 1lb)

 DIRECTIONS:

·         Preheat oven to 400˚

·         Peel and dice apple and sweet potatoes, slice onion into half moons, mix in a bowl with spices.

·         Spread in the bottom of an 8 x 8 dish, top with chicken thighs and place ½ tbsp on butter on each thigh.

·         Bake 45 minutes or until vegetables are soft and chicken is done.

Allow to cool, wrap tightly in foil, then freeze.

Nutrition:

6 PODS (serving) 194 calories, 7g fat, 111g sodium, 16G carb, 3g fiber, 18g protein

nutrition information estimated at Livestrong.com:

http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/mealpod-chicken-sweet-potato-bake/

Gluten-Free Mexican Casserole

I love Mexican food, but it’s not easy to do Paleo.  I have to allow myself some corn torillas and corn chips once in awhile.  It’s not something I do often, but when the taste for it hits me I don’t make excuses.

You could be fancy-pants and make your own tortillas like my sister, which are delicious, but messy and kind of time consuming.  Personally, I buy the authentic corn tortillas at my local Hispanic grocery store.  They are made fresh in Chicago and don’t contain any preservatives.

When I reheat this one, I do top it with some sour cream and salsa.  It actually turned out better than I thought it would.  I love it when that happens!



Gluten-Free Mexican Casserole

Prep Time: 20 min               

Cook Time: 30 minutes            

Yield: 9

INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ cups chicken broth

1 cup coconut milk

½ cup plain yogurt

14 oz diced tomatoes

4 oz green chilis

¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp oregano

½ tsp cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

1 ½ tsp coconut oil

1 cup onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups chicken, cooked

10 corn tortillas, cut in quarters

8 oz shredded cheddar

DIRECTIONS:

·         Preheat oven to 375˚

·         Combine broth, coconut milk, yogurt, tomatoes, chiles, parsley, chili powder, oregano and cumin. Season with salt and pepper.

·         Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender-crisp, about 3 minutes.

·         Line the bottom of a 9 x 13 with half the tortillas. Top with half the chicken and half the onion mixture. Spoon half of the sauce evenly over the top. Repeat layers with remaining tortillas, chicken, onion mixture and sauce. Sprinkle with Cheddar. Bake until bubbly, 25 to 30 minutes.

Allow to cool, cut into 9 slices, then freeze.

Nutrition: 9 PODS - 255 calories, 10  g fat, 410g sodium, 23G carb, 3g fiber, 17g protein

nutrition information estimated at Livestrong.com:

http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/mealpod-gluten-free-mexican-casserole

Make Ahead Chicken, Mushroom & Wild Rice Casserole

Last week's make ahead casserole was delicious, so I really want to try to make one every week.  My daughter has a lot of activities after school, so we often don't walk in the door until 6pm and getting dinner on the table by 7pm is usually the plan.

I put this together while making my other mealpods for the week.  While the Apple Cinnamon Pork Muffins were being mixed up, I threw the chicken in the oven for the casserole.  The onions I chopped were or both recipes.  I portioned out all of the ingredients for this recipe while waiting for the other to finish cooking.

Make Ahead Chicken, Mushroom & Wild Rice Casserole

Prep Time: 30 min               

Cook Time: 30 minutes            

Yield: 8

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup wild rice

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked

2 tbsp coconut oil

¼ cup onion, chopped

1 lb mushrooms, sliced

1 cup chicken broth

¼ cup almond flour

½ cup parmesan cheese, grated

½ cup sour cream

¼ cup parsley, chopped

2 cups frozen French cut green beans

½ cup sliced almonds

DIRECTIONS:

·         Cook wild rice to package directions, set aside

·         Heat oil in dutch oven add onions until just starting to brown, add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally until the liquid has been released and evaporated.  Add chicken broth and increase heat to boiling, cooking until most of liquid has been evaporated.

·         Sprinkle the green beans with almond flour, add coconut milk, bring to a simmer and cook for 1 minute, stirring.  Stir in Parmesan, sour cream and parsley.  Remove from heat.

·         In a 9 x 13 pan, spread the rice in an even layer in the dish, top with the chicken broken into bite sized pieces, then the green beans.  Pour the sauce over the top and spread evenly.  Sprinkle with almonds. 

Cover and keep refrigerated for up to 2 days.  When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350˚ and cook for 30 minutes.

Nutrition: 8 PODS - 277 calories, 16  g fat, 200g sodium, 13G carb, 2g fiber, 20g protein

nutrition information estimated at Livestrong.com:

http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/mealpod-chicken-mushroom-wild-rice-casserole/

I have one of the corningware dishes with a fitted plastic lid that I love. It comes with a carrier so you can easily bring it to events. 

Easy Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fr

I let hubby pick what to make this week for one of my Mealpod recipes and he picked a tofu and vegetable teriyaki stir-fry. I am not a big fan of tofu, so I made an easy teriyaki marinade/sauce and made 1/2 with tofu and half with chicken. The protein really doesn't take center stage anyway - its those gorgeous veggies!


-Nicole

This will not make it to the freezer and will instead be devoured cold or heated up all week. I am going to try and freeze one serving to see how it reheats as well but I'm not hopeful. The beauty of a stir-fry is still crisp veggies.

 Chicken & Vegetable  Stir-fry (and tofu too)

to make this you will need:

• 3 large chicken breasts 
• 1 package extra firm tofu (or double your chicken)
• a big bowl full of fresh stir-fry veggies, cut, rinsed and dries and ready to go (about 6 cups) Your choice here - I used red peppers, shredded carrots, broccoli florets and snow peas
• triple batch of teriyaki sauce recipe
• 2 tbs oil of your choice

The night before or 3 hours before cooking:

Make your marinade/sauce (recipe from Robin Robertson's Quick-Fix Vegetarian)

This has been tripled so you don't have to do the math. Just combine all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside. 

• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 freshly squeezed orange juice
• 3/4 cup Tamari
• 6 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 tbs light brown sugar
• salt & black pepper
  
  Cut your chicken into smaller pieces and using a meat tenderizer, tenderize a little bit on each side. Place in a ziploc bag with enough marinade to cover chicken but not too much over (you want enough sauce left to have with the finished meal). Place in the fridge overnight.
  

  

  Yum

  Before mealtime:

1. Start by prepping your veggies. Cut your broccoli into smaller florets, cut your red peppers into thin strips, etc. Make sure to wash and dry (I use a salad spinner) too. Set aside
2. For tofu place 1 tbs oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat and brown on both sides. Remove from heat and set aside. 
3. For chicken place 1-2 tbs oil in nonstick skillet over medium - medium high heat. Drain the chicken and stir fry until slightly browned. Set aside.
4. If your pan is too dirty get a new pan or wash the one you have.  In the same skillet add a little oil if needed and stir-fry the veggies just until starting to get soft. You want a good crunch in them if you are going to heat up later in the week. Plus they are so good that way. Turn down the heat to low. 
5. While the skillet is still hot add your chicken or tofu (divide if you made both) and pour with remaining or some of the sauce/marinade and just warm everything up. Serve right away and store the rest in the fridge for the week. Its great cold too. 

I am not sure how many serving this made - maybe 8 - we have been snacking on it all day. 

This pic was screaming for our website url!