Chicken Tonight!!

My Kindergarten son is getting busy with after-school activities. He has swimming lessons and, today, is starting tee-ball. Friends of mine with older children are telling me that I am just beginning the rat-race of parenthood! This new-found busy-ness can challenge the menu. The loss of prep time and the urgency of hunger can squeeze out a chance to eat real, home-prepped food. So, I am looking for more fast, simple, delicious options.

Here is one I tried last night. It has a 30 minute prep time and would make Rachel Ray proud!!

Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes and Capers

4 – 4oz. Chicken thighs, skinned and boned
1 TBSP dried Basil (or 1 TBSP, fresh Basil)
2 – 14.5 oz. Cans of diced tomatoes with peppers, undrained
1 TBSP Capers
2 TBSP sliced, fresh Basil (optional)

Coat chicken with cooking spray; sprinkle with basil. Place a large non-stick pan over med-high heat; add chicken, and cook 2 to 3 minutes per side to brown. Add tomatoes to pan. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, turning chicken occasionally. Increase heat to high; bring to a boil. Cook uncovered, 2 minutes or until chicken is done and tomato sauce is slightly thick, stirring frequently. Add capers. Sprinkle with fresh basil, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings (1 thigh and ½ cup sauce).

Cal. 205, Fat 4.5 g, protein 24.4g, Carb. 15.5g, sodium 945mg.

I served the chicken on bed of whole grain spaghetti. It bumps up the calories a little, but makes it a more filling dish. I may try a mix of regular and spinach pasta—for color—next time.

Dessert!?!

Sometimes we neglect the sweet tooth. I am certain this hurts the soul. An indulgence is great for the well being of the Self. A good dessert is a pat on the back and a booster.

Of course desserts can weigh us with guilt and they take time to prepare. Not all desserts are diet killers. Here is a very easy one I found that is loaded with goodness.

Apricot and Orange Fool!!

1 cup dried apricots
1 TBSP honey
1 cup fresh orange juice
1 cup low-fat yogurt
2 tsp. flaked almonds (toasted)

Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Place serving, topped with almonds, in an individual chilled glass dish.

Yield: four servings
Cal. 171, Fat 1g, Protein 6g, Carb. 37g, Sugar 37g.

Fish, Glorious Fish!!

I bought some wild sockeye salmon. It is unique for me to get wild salmon. The farm-raised salmon is all that I can usually get here in the ultra-rural boondocks where I live! There is a remarkable difference in the fish. The farmed fish has added color that is not the same as the natural color. The wild fish is firmer and denser. From this experience, I would suggest the wild over the farmed. I have read that wild salmon has less fat than the farmed version. This makes sense as the wild fish would get more exercise as it swam in an unconfined habitat.

That said, the farmed breed might be different than sockeye. The breed of salmon must effect the quality too, I am sure.

I improvised on the sauce for the salmon. It was tangy and quite a nice touch. Here is what I did:

3 TBSP fat-free sour cream
1 TBSP Dijon mustard
2 TBSP chopped parsley

Combine in a bowl and refrigerate until serve-time.

I had a one pound salmon fillet, skin-on, that I divided into three pieces.

I put the fish in a med-high pan that was coated with cooking spray.
Cook fish for 4 minutes then pour ¼ to ½ cup of Dry Vermouth on the fish, cover.
The vermouth will poach the salmon and preserve the moisture.

Poach the fish for 4-5 minutes (until it flakes with a fork). This cooking time is highly variable, but, in my experience, it is fairly forgiving—just keep an eye on it.

I steamed broccoli as the vegetable and turned to NearEast, Couscous (I like couscous with salmon and NearEast’s selections are simple to prepare and flavorful.

Sunday Breakfast

My son and I fired up the waffle iron this morning. We used Bisquick (the reduced fat version, of course!) and it was easy and delightful.

My son, five, helped measure and stir and load the iron. He was really interested and proud of the final product. Being involved in the preparation of food seems to make the flavor that much better.

We copped out on the prep; it was not a scratch recipe and we used Redi-Whip to top the strawberries. Authenticity was not as important as a father and son beating batter and pouring it out.