Food Friday - Chicken Burgers

We eat a lot of chicken in our home, so when it was time to make dinner I didn't want one of our usual chicken dinners.  I opened the freezer and saw 4 leftover whole wheat burger buns.  With the chicken I had pulled out sitting to the side I thought Chicken Burgers.

And boy were they good. 

Chicken burger topped with baby kale.

Chicken Burgers - Baked Fries - Edamame:

First, I took the free range, all natural chicken strips and marinated them in a little extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled a little organic guacamole mix (from a packet) on them and let it sit.  I popped a few organic fries in the oven to bake and when they were halfway done I put on a pot of water to boil for the edamame.  On my flat pan I seared the chicken approximately 6 minutes on first side and 4 minutes on the second side.  When I flipped them over to the second side I added the edamame to the boiling water pot and everything was ready at the same time.  I prepared the buns to every one's specific liking, added the chicken and fed my family.  The burgers had a bit of a kick from the marinade and they tasted GREAT!  I could have had two of them.

 

 

Food Friday - Orange Chicken

Recipe of the Week - Orange Chicken

Please excuse my lack of pictures and exact measurements, but I sort of create my meals as I go, and they typically turn out wonderful.  This was one such instance and we ate it ALL before I remembered to take a picture.

This is my homemade, healthy version of orange chicken.

Orange Chicken

Ingredients:
Coconut oil for cooking and coating the pan (you can substitute butter, olive oil, avocado oil)
1 tsp Organic Soy Sauce (or more if you like, but watch your sodium)
2 cloves garlic - minced
1-2 tablespoons julianne orange peel (or zest if you prefer)
1 package Organic/All Natural chicken tenders
1/4 onion diced
1 large carrot - I used a potato peeler to get the long thing strips I wanted
Various Veggies - I had beet tops and baby kale on hand so that is what I used.  (Other ideas would be bell pepper, peas, potato, tomato, mushrooms, zucchini, squash...)
1 cup uncooked brown or white rice (could use Bulgar or quinoa)


How To Prepare:

1. Put start cooking rice per package instructions (usually 1 cup dry rice per 2 cups water, bring to boil, cover with lid and simmer 20 minutes for white rice or 40 minutes for brown rice.  Turn off heat and allow to rest 5 minutes.)

2. Heat skillet over medium heat add coconut oil, soy sauce, minced garlic and thinly sliced/zested orange peel. 

3. While step #2 is caramelizing dice onion and add to pan.

4. While step #3 is caramelizing cube chicken and add to pan, allow chicken to brown (approx. 10 minutes).

5. Add carrots and 'other' veggies to saute a few minutes. Remember to add greens last just to wilt a minute.

6. Serve over rice and enjoy!

We all ate this up really fast.  You may consider serving along side some Asian soup or a side salad.

Food Friday - Blue Banana Smoothie

I am going to attempt to start a new blog tradition...Food Friday's Recipe of the Week.  So every Friday, if I am able to keep up, I will post a new easy and healthy recipe that either my family enjoys, or that was submitted by you, my readers.  Feel free to leave recipes in the comments section, or try this one out and let us know what you think! 

My friend Katy sent this wonderful smoothie recipe for us to try.  I truly enjoy smoothies, and so do my kids.  They are a great way to increase your fiber and fruit intake, to stay hydrated, and to hide some of those 'greens' that family may otherwise avoid!  I also like to take my smoothies and pour them into Popsicle moulds as a special treat for later. 

Katy's Blue Banana Smoothie

1/2 banana
Cup of frozen blueberries
Enough unsweetened vanilla almond milk to cover banana and blueberries in the blender (I would probably use coconut milk)

Then I add in what's on hand or what I think I need - a handful of fresh baby spinach (you can't taste it) or a few big spoonfuls of oatmeal, or about 1/3 block of lite tofu. 

No ice needed. It's also dairy free and low sugar (not low carb, especially if you add oatmeal)

So go blend yourself a tall smoothie, make enough to share with the entire family, and enjoy!