Dinner

Here is an easy recipe using pasta, a kid favorite food, and filling it with a nutritious filling

• Prep Time 5 minutes and  Cook Time 25 minutes. 6 servings
• INGREDIENTS:
• 12 oz jumbo pasta shells
• 1 lb. ground beef or chicken
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 2/3 c. of water
• 1 1/2 c. salsa
• 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
• DIRECTIONS:
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the pasta shells according to the directions on the box and drain. Add the ground beef or chicken to the pan and brown well. Drain the fat. Add the taco seasoning and water, stir and cook until water is gone. Stir in 1 c. salsa and 3/4 cup cheese. Scoop into the jumbo pasta shells and top with the remaining salsa and cheese. Bake in a covered pan for 15 minutes.

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• 

Two Ways to Make Teriyaki Chicken

For adults, you can add 1/4 c. each of mirin and sake. This will give the teriyaki sauce a “kick”.

 Step 1: Make Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

INGREDIENTS FOR TERIYAKI SAUCE:

• ¹⁄_{4 c. Soy sauce}
• 1 c, water
• ¹⁄₂ ts. ground ginger
• ¹⁄₄ ts, ground garlic
• 5 tb. brown sugar
• 2 tb. cornstartch
• ¹⁄₄ c. water

Step 2: Marinate the Chicken

1. Use 1 lb. of chicken thighs.  These parts are the most tender parts of the chicken.
2.  Cut your chicken into 1-inch pieces.  Marinate in the sauce for at least 1 hr. before cooking.

Step 3: Saute the Chicken in the sauce

Saute the chicken in the sauce for about 10 minutes.  Test the chicken with a fork to see if it is cooked.  You can put a thermometer in once piece of chicken to see if it registers 165. If you see that the chicken is still pink, give it more time in the pan heating it.  Check in another 4 minutes.

Step 4:  Make broccoli in the MW.

No water is needed after you have rinsed your broccoli.  Cut the broccoli into florets, place in a MW bowl, cover the bowl (this steams the broccoli) and MW for 3 min.

Step 5:  Make Brown Rice

Brown rice is more nutritious than white rice.  You can buy the quick cooking brown rice mixed with quinoa in a bag.  This rice and quinoa mixture is already cooked.  All you have to do is follow directions for heating it in the MW. It will only take 90 seconds!   Make the MW your friend.

Now you can eat and enjoy your beautiful balanced entree.  You can start the meal with a salad of greens and end the meal with fruit.

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Teriyaki Chicken Pineapple Bowls

Makes 2 servings
Estimated total time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 large pineapple
3 tbs. sesame seeds
2 cups cooked white rice, divided (for better nutritional value use brown rice)

MAKE THE TERIYAKI SAUCE LIKE THE ABOVE RECIPE

DIRECTIONS:

Cut pineapple in half, lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh of each half, leaving about a half-inch on the sides to make sure the pineapple boats are sturdy. Drain any juices.  Cut the pineapple into cubes and use as a dessert.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken thighs and cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Add the Teriyaki Sauce.  Add the sesame seeds and stir to combine, then remove the pan from the heat.

Scoop a cup of rice into each of the pineapple boats, then divide the teriyaki chicken among the boats and serve.

Which chicken recipe do you like best???

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INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup cooked and cooled quinoa (You can make this part days in advance or use leftover quinoa from dinner)
• 2 cups cooked and cooled cauliflower florets, pureed (You will need about half a head of cauliflower. I steamed mine for 15 minutes while my quinoa was cooking. You can make this part days in advance or use leftover cauliflower from dinner)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup white rice flour
• 2 TB coconut flour
• 2 TB pizza sauce
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• Extra pizza sauce for dipping
• Optional freshly grated parmesan cheese and/or basil for garnish
• Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix all of the ingredients in a small mixing bowl.
2. Gently roll about 1 inch balls and set them onto a Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet.
3. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. You can garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and basil if you wish and use pizza sauce for dipping!