{Make this} Broccoli Chicken Bake.

Dinner the other night started out so innocently. "Let's just have chicken and broccoli", I said. "Let's eat healthy", I said. And then I started thinking and planning. The end result? This ridiculous broccoli chicken bake that I created out of a macaroni and cheese recipe. Imagine macaroni and cheese... but with chicken and broccoli. It turned out to be more calories than we were aiming for, but it was so absolutely worth it. You need to try this...

Once I decided we were going past broccoli/chicken to greatness, I grabbed this box of pasta. See, I'm a big fan of shape pasta. I think it is a game-changer. This is a Target product here. It takes mac and cheese noodles from good to great.

Ingredients:

1 block sharp cheddar cheese, grated (or if you're lazy, one package but it isn't the same...)
1 head broccoli, cut into florets and halved
1 chicken breast
1/2 box pasta
2 medium eggs
1/4th cup milk (more or less as needed for consistency)
8 oz sour cream
panko bread crumbs (about 1/2 cup)
salt/pepper (we also used creole seasoning, you could add your own favorite)

 You'll do:
(preheat oven to 350)
1) Cook your chicken (we salted and peppered), cut into small cubes.

2) Steam your broccoli (do you have a steamer basket? You should...)

3) Boil your noodles (almost al dente but not quite)

4) Shred your cheese (or open the package... if you're going that route)

5) In a bowl, mix your cheese, sour cream, eggs, broccoli, chicken, and pasta. Stir and add milk for consistency

6) Stir in salt/pepper/seasoning and then transfer to your casserole dish. Add panko bread crumb layer on top.

(Don't mind the beer bottles in the background - homebrew has taken over our kitchen and those are waiting to be cleaned and used for the stash)

7) Bake 25 - 30 minutes (until brown on top)

Enjoy! It may not be pretty but it sure was delicious.

In feel good food,

{Make this}: Legit Fried Rice.

Back in April, 2011, I blogged about a great recipe for fried rice. This recipe is one my dad uses and is from a cookbook he gave me a copy of. The other day, Jake made fried rice with chicken & broccoli... seeing as it was absolutely delicious, it is imperative that the recipe be reposted:

Here's the cookbook the recipe is from:

And here's the recipe again:

Fried Rice You need... 2 cups white rice (pre-cooked and cooled in refrigerator) 2 eggs, beaten 2 ounces prosciutto or thin sliced ham (you could omit) 1/4 cup frozen peas peanut oil 1 tsp salt
1) dice ham/prosciutto 2) blanch peas for 2 min (5 if fresh), drain 3) heat wok/skillet until hot, add oil (2 tbsp) and wait until almost smoking 4) add cooked chilled rice and stir fry for 1 minute 5) add peas, ham/prosciutto, and salt, continue to stir fry for 5 min over high heat (must constantly stir) 6) add beaten egg, stir fry for 2 min or until eggs have set

In family favorites,

{Make this}: Crock Pot Roast.

Back in 2009, when this blog was but a wee one, Jake and I started making this crock pot roast. It is so ridiculously easy and delicious that I can't help but blog about it since we recently made it. In case you don't want to troll through the 2009 archives of my blog (believe me, you don't - it's a bit embarrassing), here's the link.

What's funny is the difference in pictures. Since then, we've renovated our kitchen. So here's the exact same spot, then and now:

No more paneled backsplash, no more gold fleck white counters, no more wood trim window.

And even better, since 2009, Kroger has invented something genius - a ready made pot roast pack in the produce section (with the pre sliced apples and salad and such).

You'll want to make this - here's the recipe, copied from my 2009 self - our changes to the All Recipes recipe are in italics. We added rosemary this time and it was a game changer.

Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Cook time: 9 hours
Feeds: Four

Ingredients:

2 lbs (boneless) chuck roast
salt/pepper to taste
1/2 packet dry onion soup mix
1/2 cup water (one can beef broth, can sized amount of wine)1-1/2 carrots, chopped (about 20 baby carrots)
1/2 onion, chopped
1-1/2 potatoes, peeled and cubed (5 small red potatoes, quartered)
1/2 stalk celery (we omitted)
2 cloves garlic, chopped in large pieces

1) Take chuck roast and salt/pepper to taste (we also used minced garlic and Montreal Steak Seasoning here). Brown both sides in a large skillet over high heat (it sears it, locking in flavor)

2) Place in the slow cooker and add soup mix, water (or beef broth/wine mixture), carrots, onion, potatoes, and celery (and garlic, if desired)

3) Cover and cook on the low setting for 8-10 hours


In recipes that stand the test of time,

{Make this}: Jalapeño Poppers.

Back in 2011 I fell in love with an appetizer. According to Pinterest, Jalapeño bites were all the rage that year. I made them and was hooked. I blogged about it here.

Since then, I would like to think I've perfected the art of a jalapeño popper. I used to use this cooking creme for the cream cheese. Since then, they stopped making it (sad times) but now I use regular cream cheese and it is probably for the best. So here's my updated version of that recipe, since I made them over Christmas break:

Jalapeño Bacon Poppers:

You'll need:
   fresh jalapeños (however many you plan to make)
   cream cheese block (we made 20 poppers with one block)
   worcestershire sauce
   your choice of seasoning (you could use garlic salt, Old Bay seasoning, creole seasoning, etc)
   a package of bacon

Preheat the oven to 375

You'll do:
1) chop your jalapeños in half, deseeding and taking out the membrane

2) meanwhile, soften your cream cheese in the microwave, then mix in bowl with the worcestershire sauce (to taste) and seasoning.

3) spoon the cream cheese mixture into the jalapeños, filling the jalapeño

4) wrap your bacon around the jalapeño - I cut my bacon in half and did 1/2 a piece per jalapeño but if you were feeling generous you could use the whole one

5) Bake in the oven on 375 for approximately 40 minutes - watch the bacon to see if it is cooked all the way

Note: we use our broiler pan so the bacon grease can drip down onto the foil covered bottom pan of the set, that way the bacon doesn't burn in its own grease. I highly recommend.

And... the end result. Not too many in the picture because we nommed them all super quick:

In excessive calories,

{Make This}: 10 Go To Easy Weeknight Meals.

Most days during the week we play the "what's for dinner" game. It is so easy to not plan ahead and then at the last minute just go grab something to eat out. We've really been working to avoid that "easy way out" that ends up hurting your wallet and waistline in the long run. If you're in the same situation, here are a few of our favorite "go-to easy meals" for weeknights. They aren't fancy, they aren't gourmet, but they don't take much time and they are pretty delicious!

1) Some variety of a couscous bowl. We make this with chicken and then whatever toppings we want or have on hand that night:

Mexico City Couscous

Pesto Couscous Chicken

2) We love making "fake out" stir fry:

Fake Out Easy Stir Fry

3) Another easy meal involves taking flour tortillas and creating a "pizza" in a use-what-you-have mentality.

Flour Tortilla Pizzas

4) Tacos are great because they don't take long and don't require too many ingredients:

Easy Weeknight Tacos

5) We make these burrito bowls all the time with all sorts of different variations depending on what we have or need to use up. Take cilantro-lime rice and go from there... black beans, chicken, etc.

Fake Out Chipotle Burrito Bowl

6) Spaghetti is always a good go-to when you're craving something that reminds you of home. Here's my favorite 3 ingredient recipe:

Poor Man's 3 Ingredient Spaghetti Sauce

7) Soup is always a good option for colder weekday nights. I've got a couple recipes that don't take too long and hit the spot:

Taco Soup

3 Ingredient WW Potato Soup

8) Dress up some mac and cheese. Now I know M&C is not healthy. And so this can't be an every week thing. But sometimes fancy mac is just downright easy and delicious. We've made cheeseburger mac with boxed Velveeta mac and cheese, ground beef, and rotel tomatoes.

Rotel Mac

9) I love Real Simple's recipes for weeknight meals. Here's one that we should probably make again. I loved it when we made it:

Roasted Sausage and Broccoli Rigatoni

10) Another easy go-to Chinese-esqe meal here - fake out fried rice and hibachi chicken. It's calorie laden at the restaurant but you can control the portion size and butter use at home:

Fake Out Hibachi and Fried Rice

And there you have it! Hopefully there were some ideas you can add to your recipe arsenal for when the easiest thing seems to be picking up take out. Do you have any favorite weeknight meals? Link them in the comments!

In finding recipes that don't take forever and cost a fortune...

{Make this}: Mexico City Couscous.

Every time I got to Nashville to visit Elise (like this past weekend, when I drove in Thursday night), we go to Elise's favorite restaurant and my favorite Nashville restaurant, Silly Goose. Silly Goose is a total hipster place, with bandanas for napkins, mason jars for cups, and edison light bulbs. And I love it. They even have their menus on little clip boards and have ipads for receipts instead of printing them out. SO hipster.

My favorite thing to get there recently has been the Mexico City couscous. It is spicy deliciousness and so I decided to try to replicate it. We did a pretty freakin' fantastic job at recreating this dish so I had to share.

Mexico City Couscous

You'll need:

couscous (we used a roasted chicken flavor but plain works)
1 boneless skinless chicken breast
1 mango
1 package goat cheese
fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno
Siracha sauce


You'll do:

1) Cook your chicken - cut into chunks, saute in a pan of olive oil. We added in some Tajin seasonsing because we love it.

2) Cook your couscous according to package directions.

3) Cut your mango into small pieces (google how to do it), chop cilantro, chop jalapeno

3) Combine chicken, mango, cilantro, jalapeno, and chunks of goat cheese. Drizzle siracha sauce on top. Serve!

This meal has some heat but hits the spot. Definitely try it out if you like spicy food!

In couscous and goat cheese,

{Make This}: Buffalo Chicken Pizza.

It all started when I texted Jake about missing Harley's birthday...

Jake suggested buffalo chicken pizza and so like that, plans were made. I stopped by Fresh Market and got our favorite frozen pizza dough (it comes in a ball, not the canned stuff).

We enjoy making our own pizza and the buffalo chicken was particularly delicious. To make this,

You'll need...
- pizza dough (we used wheat frozen dough from Fresh Market)
- 1 boneless skinless chicken breast, boiled and shredded
- buffalo sauce (we used Target Brand "buffalo pizza sauce", which was basically plain buffalo sauce)
- mozzarella cheese
- blue cheese crumbles
- ranch dressing
*you could add celery pieces

You'll do...

1) Preheat the oven according to your pizza dough directions. Make your pizza dough.

2) Chop your shredded chicken to small bits

3) Spread your buffalo sauce on your pizza crust, then top with chicken, your cheeses, and thinly drizzle the ranch dressing

4) Cook your pizza according to directions and serve.

Enjoy!

{Make this}: Fake Out Low Key Stir Fry.

If you're anything like me, the idea of stir-fry immediately brings thoughts of chopping. and chopping. and chopping. But this stir-fry we've mastered making over the past year is easy and low key. It seriously doesn't take much time, ingredients, or effort. And the result is delicious.

You'll need:

1 cup uncooked white rice
boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
broccoli florets
carrots
fresh jalapeno
fresh cilantro
szechwan spice
olive oil

After much searching, this is the szechwan spice we use. It is from Kroger:

You'll do:

1) cook your rice according to preferred method
2) chop cilantro, carrots, jalapenos, and broccoli
3) combine vegetables, cubed chicken, olive oil, and spice in a bowl to coat
4) cook chicken and vegetables in a wok (or similar pot)
5) serve over rice

Easy, delicious, and mostly healthy!

In broccoli and rice,

{Make this}: Chicken Nachos

Jake and I love getting nachos to share when we go out to eat. A few years ago we started making our own chicken nachos. Since then we have perfected the art of the nacho. It is one of our favorite weekend meals - not too healthy but a better option than going out to eat.

To make the nachos you can follow this general guideline. You can add/subtract things to your liking.

You'll need:

- 1 boneless/skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded
- tortilla chips
- shredded lettuce
- ROTEL tomatoes (drained)
- black beans (rinsed and drained)
- white cheese dip
- shredded cheese
- fresh cilantro, chopped
- fresh lime juice

You'll do:
1) Preheat oven to 425.

2) Spread chips on a cookie sheet in an even layer.

3) Top with chicken, beans, tomatoes, lettuce, and cheese (in that order)

4) Bake for about 10 minutes (or until cheese is melted)

5) Add cilantro and lime

6) Serve!

I made two Vine videos to demonstrate... this is my first time using Vine so it is a test.

Enjoy! Makes enough for 2-4 people.

In chips and cheese dip,

{Make this}: Flour Tortilla Pizzas.

When I was at the beach over spring break, our host made these pizzas and I knew as soon as I ate one that I'd have to try the recipe out for myself. So the other night when we were making a last-minute meal, I suggested the flour tortilla pizzas.

Inspired by my friend's dad at the beach, here's our version....

You'll need:

2 large flour tortillas
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast - cooked & shredded
1 can diced tomatoes, drained (we used the garlic and herb kind)
shredded mozzarella cheese
minced fresh garlic
handful of spinach
Cavender's greek seasoning
olive oil

You'll do:
1) Pre-heat your oven to 350 and cook your chicken

2) On a greased cookie sheet, build your pizzas. Take your tortillas and brush them with olive oil. Put tomatoes on as a thin layer (make sure the juice has been drained). Add chicken, spinach, garlic, and cheese. Shake greek seasoning on top.

3) Cook for 10-15 minutes (until tortillas are crispy and cheese is melted)

Serve! We used a pizza cutter to make 4 slices on each pizza and it fed the two of us quite well. You could take this idea and run with it - maybe a party where each person has their own toppings?

In pizza,

{Make this}: Easy Chicken Tacos.

The other night Jake made chicken tacos that were just so good that I had to share. And not only were they good, but they were easy. If you're a fan of easy, a fan of chicken, and a fan of tacos, this is your meal.

You'll need:
2 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
package soft corn tortillas
tajin seasoning (mexican-lime seasoning in the hispanic aisle)
cayenne seasoning
chile powder
shredded Mexican-cheese blend
fresh cilantro, chopped
fresh lime
olive oil

You'll do:
1) Boil your chicken and shred.
2) In a bowl, toss chicken in olive oil and season the chicken with cayenne, tajin, and chile powder
3) On a skillet (or griddle if you have it), heat the tortillas for about one minute each side.
4) Take chicken and spread it on the open faced tortilla and top with the cheese.
5) Broil tacos on baking sheet until cheese melts.
6) Put cilantro on top, squeeze fresh lime.

And serve! To eat the tacos, fold them and hold like a taco (that sounded a bit redundant - sorry). This makes about 6 tacos.

In tacos and tortillas,

{Make this}: Pioneer Woman Chicken Soup.

Last week when it was so so cold (we got ice), I was craving soup. Pioneer Woman had just posted about her Italian Chicken Soup and so I knew that was going to be a great recipe to try out.

Our version of Pioneer Woman's Italian Chicken Soup

We didn't have ditilini so I just substituted it with my favorite pasta, wagon wheel pasta. Any shape pasta would do.

I highly recommend this recipe! A very tasty chicken noodle soup - it has some flavor and heat. It made enough for leftovers for days - I'd say probably about 8 servings. Try it out for yourself.

In pasta and (and in) soup,