Archives for April 2020

It’s again a very busy week in our house. One of these days I keep thinking I’ll figure out how to slow things down, but it sure hasn’t happened yet! I knew that Sunday meal prep would be huge this week in simplifying my weeknight routines. I prepped these delicious Honey Mustard Chicken and Veggie Kabobs ahead, so it only took a few minutes on the grill. While the kabobs were grilling, it gave me just enough time to throw together a quick fruit salad, and dinner was ready! My kids gave the definite stamp of approval on this chicken. They said, “This is really good, Momma! It tasted sweet!” Why do I always feel so victorious when they love a new meal right off the bat?! Ha.

Here’s the trick to kicking things up a notch with these Honey Mustard Chicken and Veggie Kabobs. When you make the marinade, it will end up serving multiple purposes. It will get split three ways (not equal), to serve as the marinade, the basting sauce while grilling, and as a dip!

The chicken in this recipe is so versatile. It’s great in a wrap, on a salad, or even on it’s own as grilled chicken tenders! It is one of those recipes that has become a staple in my freezer because I can do so many different things with it and my kids love it.

Honey Mustard Chicken and Veggie Kabobs

• Author: Sarah

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Ingredients

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For the Kabobs

1 1/2 lbs chicken, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes

1 large red onion, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks

2 small zucchinis, cut into 1/4 inch slices

1 8-oz package baby Bella mushrooms, whole

3 Tbsp olive oil

For the Marinade

1/4 cup honey

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp yellow mustard

2 Tbsp orange juice

1 Tbsp coconut aminos (or soy sauce)

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp parsley

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp pepper

For Honey Mustard Dip:

3 Tbsp reserved honey mustard marinade

2 Tbsp mayonnaise

1/3 cup sour cream

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Instructions

Combine all marinade ingredients.  Remove 1/3 cup of the marinade to a small bowl and set aside.  Add the chicken to the remaining marinade, along with 3 Tbsp of olive oil.  Stir well to combine and coat the chicken.  Cover and refrigerate, allowing the chicken to marinate for at least 4-6 hours, or overnight.

From the reserved marinade, remove 3 Tbsp and place in a small bowl.  Add the mayo and sour cream and stir to combine.    This makes the honey mustard dipping sauce.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

When ready to cook, preheat the grill to medium high heat.  Thread the zucchini, mushrooms, red onion, and marinated chicken onto grill-safe skewers.  Place onto the grill and immediately baste the top with reserved marinade.  Grill for 4-5 minutes, then flip and baste again.  Grill for another 4-5 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.  

Serve with the honey mustard dipping sauce.

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Raise your hand if you also have kids that are super picky about eating meat! 🙋🏻‍♀️. My boys have strong opinions when it comes to eating meat. They love ground beef but honestly aren’t huge fans of the rest. The first time I made Huli Huli Chicken Wraps, they both said, “This chicken is yummy, Mommy.” That’s when I knew the recipe needed no adjustments and was instantly added to our regular rotation!

I like to let them be creative with their food and how they choose to eat it. I set everything out on the table and they take what they want. If they want a wrap, cool. Chicken on the side with pineapple in the tortilla, cool. The less direction I give once the food is on the table, the better they eat. I tend to make a lot of meals that I serve “deconstructed” on a cutting board like this one (ingredients out on the table), and they put it together in whatever way they want.

Huli Huli Chicken Wraps are the perfect weeknight meal. I marinate the chicken ahead, so the only thing to do the night of serving is grill the chicken and set out the other ingredients. Easy peasy!

Huli Huli Chicken could be served in a variety of ways. It could even be grilled ahead of time and served cold or reheated. Here are a few ideas:

• Hawaiian Quesadillas
• Huli Huli rice or quinoa bowl
• Marinate a whole chicken breast and serve grilled, with a store-bought pineapple salsa on top
• Huli Huli Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Swiss cheese and a grilled pineapple ring
• Hawaiian stuffed chicken (marinate a chicken breast, then slice a pocket and stuff with grated Swiss cheese and diced pineapple)
• On a salad, with strawberries, pineapple, goat cheese, candied pecans, and a poppyseed vinaigrette

Huli Huli Chicken Wraps

• Author: Sarah

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Ingredients

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For the chicken

2 lb chicken tenders

1 cup pineapple juice

1/2 cup coconut aminos

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup ketchup

1/4 cup chicken broth

2 tsp fresh grated ginger

2 tsp minced garlic

For the wraps

Flour tortillas

Green onion, sliced

Mixed greens

Diced fresh pineapple

Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded

Sour Cream

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Instructions

In a bowl, add the marinade ingredients and whisk to combine.  Place the chicken tenders in a Ziploc bag or container and pour the marinade over the chicken.  Stir or toss with your hands to combine.  Marinate overnight (or freeze for later).

When ready to serve, heat a grill to medium high heat.  Remove the chicken tenders from the marinade and grill for about 4-5 minutes on each side, until cooked through.  Remove from the grill and chop into bite-size pieces.

To assemble the wraps, layer the lettuce, pineapple, chicken, cheese, green onion, and sour cream on a flour tortilla.  Roll into a wrap and enjoy!

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I love sheet pan dinners and I especially love Sheet Pan Roast Chicken and Veggies. I prep the veggies and chicken ahead for this recipe, which means that on a weeknight, I toss the veggies on the pan, place the chicken on top, and it goes right into the oven. It’s easy, we can work on homework or play while it’s baking, and it’s a nutritious meal that we all enjoy.

I make Sheet Pan Roast Chicken and Veggies work for me. While the recipe below is the basic recipe, I use this recipe as an opportunity to use up veggies and herbs. In the Fall, since I grow sage in my garden, I’ll add a little chopped sage to the butter mixture. Other veggies that work well in this dish are fresh green beans, diced Yukon or purple potatoes, butternut squash, fresh beets, and cauliflower. Fresh thyme, rosemary, or sage all work well, too! Feel free to play with this recipe to make it work for you!

To prep the recipe ahead of time, peel and chop the veggies. Place them in a container or bag and refrigerate until needed. Prepare the herb butter mixture and work it under the skin of the chicken thighs. Refrigerate the chicken thighs until ready to cook. When ready to bake, proceed with the recipe instructions below! With a little prep done ahead of time, this recipe actually makes a crazy easy weeknight meal. My favorite way to serve it is with Pear and Cranberry Chopped Salad. Roasted chicken and veggies on a weeknight – who knew?!

Sheet Pan Roast Chicken and Veggies

• Author: Sarah

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Ingredients

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3 Tbsp butter, softened

2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped

2 tsp lemon zest

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 onion, cut into wedges

1 parsnip, sliced into coins

3 carrots, sliced into coins

1 sweet potato, peeled and diced

1 rutabaga, peeled and diced

6 chicken thighs, bone in and skin on

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper, to taste

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°.

In a small bowl, combine the softened butter, rosemary, lemon zest, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Loosen the skin on the chicken thighs in one place, careful not to remove the skin, and use your fingers to work the butter mixture under the skin.  

Prepare the veggies and place on a sheet pan.  Drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to combine.  Spread evenly on the sheet pan.  Place the chicken thighs on top.  Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, until the veggies are tender and the chicken is cooked through.

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We’ve finally had some really nice days here, as warm as 80 degrees. The second it gets remotely nice outside, my boys start begging to eat dinner at the picnic table outside and make S’mores for dessert. It’s not at all hard to convince me, as I love being out in our backyard as much as they do! Our yard overlooks a pond and it’s my favorite place to be. I love the peace that comes with watching the water move. Grilled Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa is the perfect quick and easy outdoor dinner.

Our picnic table is the perfect spot to camp out – it’s big enough to fit my whole (big!) family, because my husband and I built it ourselves, to the size I wanted! It only took us about a day to build and we’ve gotten so much use out of it. Check out the plans here! (Or just browse her site to get lost in awesome DIY projects). I stained my outdoor table and matching benches with a gray stain.

When it hit 80 degrees a couple days ago, I knew I needed to dig the Mahi Mahi out of the freezer. Seafood is such as easy thing to keep on hand in the freezer because its so quick to cook! Grilled Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa is so easy, but packed with fresh flavors of Spring and Summer.

To make Grilled Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa, heat the grill over medium heat. Brush both sides of the Mahi Mahi with olive oil, then sprinkle a little salt and pepper over the top. Grill for about 5 minutes on each side. (I used a grill pan, which I also grilled the asparagus on, just to make sure nothing fell through the grates). Here’s a link to my favorite grill pans.

The mango salsa can be prepared ahead, or while the Mahi Mahi is grilling. Simply combine diced mango, diced red pepper, finely chopped fresh jalapeño, and a squeeze of lime juice. That’s it! Super fresh and flavorful.

I like to throw asparagus on the grill to serve with this (check out my Lemon and Feta Asparagus, which is what I served here, just grilled instead of Roasted). Microwave a sweet potato, and you’ve got dinner on the table in 15 minutes! Can’t beat that!

Grilled Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa

• Author: Sarah
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 2 servings 1x

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Ingredients

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2 Mahi Mahi Filets, thawed if previously frozen

1 tsp olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

1 mango, diced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 fresh jalapeño, finely chopped

1 Tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice

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Instructions

Preheat a grill to medium heat.  Brush both sides of the fish with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Grill over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes on each side, or until cooked through, depending on the thickness of the fish.  

While the fish is cooking, combine mango, red bell pepper, and jalapeño in a small bowl.  Add lime juice and toss to combine.

When the fish is cooked, serve with the mango salsa.

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