Another Favorite Recipe!

Spicy Honey Chicken

From Our Best Bites!

There's a yummy rub for the chicken that has garlic, chili powder, onion powder, coriander, kosher salt, cumin and chipotle chili powder.

The chipotle chili powder was a new addition to my kitchen and I love it! BUT...take note...it STINKS up your house! I grilled my chicken on my stove with THIS grill pan (which I a.b.s.o.l.u.t.e.l.y a.d.o.r.e!) Can you hear MaryKate in my voice? Name the movie!? Its one of my best kitchen investments.

The recipe suggested chicken thighs and I decided to do chicken breasts and cut them in half to have a quick grill and easy chicken strips.

The glaze is easy and yummy! Just honey and cider vinegar. Lexi was in charge of 'painting the chicken' and it was so easy.

I doubled the recipe and used the chicken for so many yummy things! Click The recipe name at the top to check out step by step on how to make it!

With the chicken I came up with these recipes...

Spicy Chicken Salad

Ignore my blurry picture :)

Shredded Romaine & Red Cabbage

Chopped Cilantro

Rice (I used left over Mexican Rice)

Corn (My Mexican Rice had corn in the recipe)

Chicken! (MY picture has 3 oz. of chicken)

If I had jocama I would have added that too for some yummy crunch!

Maybe add...diced tomatoes, tortilla strips, or even mangos like Our Best Bites suggests...

Dressings

Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette, Creamy Lime Cilantro, Honey-Citrus Vinaigrette, or Ranch...like in my picture :) I have tried the dressings above from Our Best Bites and LOVE them! I usually make a new dressing recipe every week to try and mix it up a bit.

Honey-Citrus Vinaigrette is what Our Best Bites suggests for this chicken and their Spicy Honey Chicken Salad Recipe. I made their salad two nights ago and loved it! But I don't always have fresh avocados and mangos...so my salad recipe above is easy to make with ingredients I always have.

Chicken Roll Ups

6 inch flour tortillas

Grilled Chicken Strips

Cheese (I used mozzarella, use any cheese your kids like...)

Put the chicken and cheese in the tortilla and roll it up.

Grill it or pop it in the microwave for a minute.

Pinch he sides together while hot so help the yummy food stay IN the tortilla while your children man-handle their food.

I was inspired by the Chicken Roll-ups that we like at Taco Bueno (this fast food restaurant is as lame as the name...) The roll-ups are $.99 and the kiddos love them. So...I decided to make my own version...minus the roaches and employee hands touching the food. They also make ground beef & cheese roll-ups...might try those...not sure.

Chicken Tacos

Corn Tortillas, warmed or lightly fried

Grilled Chicken

Canned Black Beans, warmed in the microwave

Cheddar Cheese

Shredded Lettuce

Toss all the ingredients together in the Corn tortilla and enjoy!

Tacos are new for my kids...(I know...that's SO un-Mexican-American. haha) So when we served this Jacob said, "So, um mom. This is like a tortilla sandwich right? Like with chicken and cheese?" "Yes son, people also like to call it a Taco. Your choice" Dinners are always so fun at the Avery House.

Brazilian Lemonade

Yum!

Tonight we had ...

Turkey Tacos, just g.turkey, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, & corn tortillas

Mexican Rice with Cotija Cheese, from Caramel Potatoes!

Grilled Corn on the Cob, from Our Best Bites!

and the star of the show...

Brazilian Lemonade, from Our Best Bites! YUM!

I know I've said this 100 times...but I LOVE Our Best Bites!!!

Pick up their cookbook at Costco! Its only $17 and I looooove that cookbook! They also have TONS of recipes on their website www.ourbestbites.com.

My obsession with that website is just crazy!

Making Pizza!

Look at the JOY on this face! We love to make pizza together! One of our FAVORITE things to do in the kitchen. What kid doesn't love rolling out dough!!?

Look at my awesome pizza!

Lexi was concentrating so much! It took her 20 minutes to roll out (play) with her pizza dough. Love it. :)

Our favorite pizza sauce is from the new cookbook Our Best Bites. And can also be found on their Awesome website! Click HERE for the recipe.

ps...I am absolutely In.Love.With.Our.Best.Bites!!!!

Our favorite dough recipe changes....but currently we're using a recipe I found a few years ago on freezerdinner.com. Click HERE for the recipe.

We make pizzas that fit into Gallon Ziploc bags...they freeze so easily and are perfect for dinner on the cheap! Delish! Add a little wheat flour to the dough...and your rotating your food storage! ha!

A True 30-minute Meal

So yesterday was cray and I didn't start dinner until 5:45, heath was due to be home at 6 and needed to be fed by 6:15. 30 minutes to make and eat dinner. 2 grumpy hungry kiddos and a messy kitchen. Nope...dishes weren't done. Shame on me. So, since I won't cook in a messy kitchen, didn't have the time to clean it...I used the microwave...Crazy. The meal was yummy. I microwaved frozen lasagna, steam microwaved frozen broccoli, and decided I needed a little more...so I used the one burner on the stove that I could get to...to saute mushrooms. (background...dinner the previous night was a full blown fiesta: Mexican rice, beans, , shredded chicken tacos, veggies...the works. So I literally used my entire kitchen to make the mess...exhausted from the cooking and eating...left the mess. Yup...I julie avery left a huge mess in my kitchen. Surprised?...don't be...heath isn't. I like to do my dishes in the morning. So the lasagna meal...delisous...I even tried to hide that it was a micro meal by dumping it into a casserole dish. haha. I love 30-minute meals.

Dinner

I'm attempting a weird dinner tonight. Here's the inspiration:

I found ham steak on manager special for CHEAP, I have green apples from bountiful baskets that I need to use (so far they've only been used to dip in chocolate...I need another use for them...:), I have carrots, salad, and lots of rice from a great sale at honeyville grain.

So this is on the Menu:

Ham Steak with honey-apple glaze

White Rice

Carrots (maybe brown sugar carrots, but that might be too much..you think?)

Salad

So I couldn't believe it...when I typed in Green Apples and Ham Steak Recipes in my google search...low and behold...I found a recipe inspiration. (I say recipe inspiration because the recipe I found was a little too weird for me so I changed it...lets hope its still edible. :D

Wish me luck.

J

What's for Dinner

Wish Me Luck, Cheer Me On, Give Me Recipes!
The Challenge - 200 meals in 365 days!
What's the count? 51 (keep track with me on my sidebar!)

Week 14 - What's on the menu?

M: Dinner Out @ Outback with work. Yum

T: Neapolitan Baked Ziti

W: Chicken Salad

Th: Zucchini Casserole

F: Breaded Chicken Tenders

Sat: Heath in charge :)

Sun: Heath in charge :)

What's on Sale at Fry's this Week? Click HERE.

What's for Dinner?

Wish Me Luck, Cheer Me On, Give Me Recipes!
The Challenge - 200 meals in 365 days!
What's the count? 34 (keep track with me on my sidebar!)

Week 12 - What's on the menu?

M: Avery Mexican Rice, Chicken Tacos, Salad w/ tomatillo dressing, salsa & chips.

FHE Treat Idea: Peanut Butter Fudge Bars

T: King Ranch Chicken Casserole (you have to scroll down a little after you click the link), salad, corn bread.

W: Herb Roasted Chicken with Summer Tomatoes Slow Cooker Recipe mmmmmm. i'm so excited to try this recipe!

Th: Frozen pizza, veggies, and salad. (still counts!)

F: BBQ Salmon, Dinner salad, veggies of some kind.

Sat: Heath in charge :)

Sun: Heath in charge :)

What's on Sale at Fry's this Week? Click HERE.

What's for Dinner?

Wish Me Luck, Cheer Me On, Give Me Recipes!
The Challenge - 200 meals in 365 days!
What's the count? 30 (keep track with me on my sidebar!)

Week 10 - What's on the menu?

M: BBQ Chicken Salad, Jello (yup...I'm braking my rule about only having Jello on the 4th of July...I'm making layered Jello again tomorrow. The kids LOVED it on the 4th of july. Why not :D

T: Taco Soup! Thanks to PolkaDotApron. :D

W: Summer Salad: Romain lettuce, chopped carrots, celery, cucumber, broccoli, craisins, coconut, hmmm. maybe that's it. Dressing: light italian.

Th: Teriyaki Chicken & Brown Rice Casserole, veggies.

F: Eat Out?

Sat: Heath in charge :)

Sun: Heath in charge :)

What's on Sale at Fry's this Week? Click HERE.

What's for Dinner?

Wish Me Luck, Cheer Me On, Give Me Recipes!
The Challenge - 200 meals in 365 days!
What's the count? 26 (keep track with me on my sidebar!)

Week 9 - What's on the menu?

M: Zucchini Casserole

FHE Treat Idea: No Bake Cookies - kids can help!

T: Turkey Tacos (ground turkey instead of beef), black beans, Avery Mexican Rice

W: Chicken Something...any ideas?

Th: Salmon (not sure how I'll cook it yet), brown rice, salad, veggies?

F: Mexican Haystacks (didn't get to it last week!) with Tomatillo Dressing.

Sat: Family in Town? TBA

Sun: Heath, TBA

What's on Sale at Fry's this Week? Click HERE.

What's for Dinner?

Wish Me Luck, Cheer Me On, Give Me Recipes!
The Challenge - 200 meals in 365 days!
What's the count? 23 (keep track with me on my sidebar!)

Week 8 - What's on the menu?

M: Going Mexican (again) with Avery Family Mexican Rice & Heath's Chicken Fajitas (made by me of course!)

FHE Treat: Ice Cream in a Bag - SUPER Easy! Each kid can me shaking their own bag of ice cream during the lesson...keeping them entertained! I'll try anything!!!

T: Balsamic Chicken Strips, very fun site! You can adjust the portion size and it will automatically adjust the recipe for you, from 1 serving up to 20...Wow!

W: Broccoli Stuffed Tomatoes, brown rice.

Th: Dinner Salad. Maybe with grilled chicken?

F: ? Not sure yet...

Sat: Frozen Pizza

Sun: Heath, TBA

What's on Sale at Fry's this Week? Click HERE.

What's for Dinner?

Wish Me Luck, Cheer Me On, Give Me Recipes!
The Challenge - 200 meals in 365 days!
What's the count? 21 (keep track with me on my sidebar!)

Week 7 - What's on the menu?

why so late? - I was out of town :) and not cooking!

W: Teriyaki Chicken and Rice, salad, veggies

Th: Sloppy Joes with manwich sauce & ground turkey

F: Neopolatin Baked Ziti from Rachel Ray!

Sat - 4th of July BBQ! Ribeye Steaks (if I can get my husband to eat the beef..he's on a no beef diet) grilled corn on the cob, fruit something, salad.

Sun: Mexican Haystacks

What's on Sale at Fry's this Week? Click HERE.

What's for Dinner?

Wish Me Luck, Cheer Me On, Give Me Recipes!
The Challenge - 200 meals in 365 days!
What's the count? 17 (keep track with me on my sidebar!)

Week 6 - What's on the menu?

M: Ravioli & Spinach Bake, garlic bread

FHE Game & Treat Idea: Fruit Loop Bingo. Play bingo with fruit loops then make Fruit Loop Treats (like rice crispy treats). Use your favorite recipe or click HERE and just substitute Fruit Loops :) Make your very own custom Bingo cards HERE.

T: Avery Mexican Dinner (recipes coming---just need to post them on my MommiesRecipeBlog :)

W: Brown Sugar Crocpot Chicken, brown rice, veggies

Th: Chili Dogs & Mac & Cheese

Note: chicken hotdogs & meatless chili from a can (yup i said it, hotdogs, canned chili, and mac & cheese.) Sometimes I have to go for easy - bad for you - meals as to satisfy my urge to eat something us as unhealthy as Carl's or McDonalds. Its an American thing.

Fr: Spaghetti Squash, Dinner Size Chicken Salad

Sat: Heath, TBA
Sun: Heath, TBA

Treat Idea: Fruit Salsa & Sugar Cinnamon Chips

Maybe you've noticed: We don't really like onions or bell peppers and we don't cook with red meat very much.

Dinner Time! Any Recipes To Share?

Wish Me Luck, Cheer Me on, Give me Recipes!
The Challenge - Make 200 meals before May 19th 2010.
What's the Count? 15 meals! Wohooo!

Week 5
M: Chicken Parmigiana, Spaghetti noodles, veggies, & salad.
This recipe is from Once A Month Mom and can be adapted for OAMC cooking. I'm excited to try it!
FHE Treat: Cherry Cola Brownies

T: Ham & Potato Pockets, Eggs, Fresh Fruit
Sad face. I didn't love this recipe---not that someone else wouldn't...but I'm having a really hard time finding my cooking style and finding foods that I love. My heath and I have a certain 'flavor' of cooking that we love---not to say that it all tastes the same...but I guess I'm more picky than I thought and thats REALLY frustrating. Ugh. I'm having the cooking blues tonight. AHHHHH! I just want to be a cook...why is this so freakin hard. (yes---this is the side of julie that not many people get to see...sad, depressed about cooking, and wanting to give up on my goal----but this time I'm not going to!) 6/16

W: Tuna Celery Casserole, served over macaroni, garlic bread


Th: Chicken Stir Fry - don't have a recipe yet...just a box of frozen stir fry veggies and chicken. Looking for a good sauce recipe. HELP!?


Fr: Tacos with ground turkey, salad, veggies

Family Movie Night Treat: Banana Marshmallow Dip (with -hidden- squash!), apples

Sat: Preparedness Cook Out! (note: this family cooking does count towards my cooking...yay!)

So here's a preface----we're crazy.

The last date night we had we started discussing preparedness and food storage. As the homemaker I've made and effort to learn about cooking from my food storage from other blogs, taking a few classes, and talking to friends & family. Note: I'm yet to use wheat in a single recipe I've made. I need to change that!

Heath and I decided to make it a family effort and start having a Cook Out once a month (more frequently when its not 100 degrees outside!). The purpose of the Cook Out is to simulate an emergency situation. Our family, and possibly guests, will make a meal on our patio with camping type material, have fun outside games, and a little lesson on preparedness (something like teaching our little kids how to Stop, Drop, & Roll.). We're really excited and think it will be a blast for the kids! We won't make everyone pee in a bucket during these simulations---but we will try to make it as true to an emergency situation as possible---while still being reasonable and fun.

I'll post more details (as if you haven't had enough) after we try it for the first time and get the kinks out of it.

Sun: Heath, TBA

I've started keeping track on my sidebar...take a look at the count over there! :)

Dinner Time! Recipes Anyone?

Wish Me Luck, Cheer Me on, & Give Me Recipes!
The Challenge -Make 200 recipes before May 19th 2010

What's the Count?
12 meals so far! I've totally doubled the amount of meals I've made since I was married, no joke. I'm so proud of myself. Making food for my husband (and kiddos) makes me feel so happy and so 'housewife'. I love it.

M: Chuck Steak with Garlic & Apple Juice Marinade (modified..see recipe link HERE) Serving with box of scalloped potatoes, zucchini, and salad.

*I have to brag about this meal...the meat I got for $.31 from a SUPER sale at Super Target using coupons, the Potatoes - FREE from coupons matched with a good sale, Zucchini - From the Garden :) , and the salad - FREE dressing from coupon matched with a good sale, lettuce & carrots $1 worth with this meal... So this meal is, what? $2?? And, it will (fingers crossed) be good enough for my heath to bring for lunch tomorrow...?!) Wohoooo! $2 for 2 meals!

T: Didn't cook----sad face. maybe cause i don't have a plan so i'm not motivated.

W: Mexican Chicken Soup

Yes, I did cook the soup tonight---but at the last minute my family decided to eat pizza instead. So I'm going to count this meal as COMPLETE! I'll just eat it tomorrow for lunch or something. the pizza was yummy. $11.95 for our family to eat at Barros. Yummy. Love that place.

Th: Crockpot Cream Cheese Chicken ----see comment on this post...it has the yummy recipe. Thanks Melissa!

Yes, I cooked it and it was yummy! I was soooo sad tho because me heath did the dishes while I was headed out to the grocery store and when I woke up in the morning---HE LEFT IT IN THE CROCPOT! Ugh. All my yummy leftovers----GONE! sad face.

F: Heath, my girls night!

S: TBA, but NO cooking for me :)

S: Heath, TBA

I'm in trouble---I don't know what I'm cooking this week. When I don't have a plan I don't do it!!!! I think I made a list somewhere of what I'm cooking this week and I lost it. Uhhhh----improvise? I can't do it. So---this post is dedicated to..."I haven't forgotten but I'm struggling this week". When setting a goal I'm bound to run into some trouble...

Fingers crossed that I'll post my meal plan AND actually eat dinner tonight. Oh, heath made YUMMY jambalaya last night.

3 Meals Complete This WEEK 6/13

Wish Me Luck, Cheer Me On, & Give Me Recipes!

The Challenge - 200 Meals!
Week 3


What's the count?

7 meals complete so far...with 5 planned for this week!

What's for dinner?

M: Zucchini Casserole, but added noddles - lots of squash and zucchini from the garden!

T: Gounod Turkey & Noodle Bake - just elbow mac, bertolli spaghetti sauce jar (tomato & basil), can of corn, can of diced tomatos, cheese, and pop it in the oven. Boring, but so yummy and kid friendly. I sub Turkey, cause we're trying to eat less red meat---I sure with my heath decided that BEFORE i stockpiled with 15 lbs of ground beef!! ugh.

W: Crockpot Cream Cheese Chicken LOVED IT!

Th: Left overs

F: Teriyaki Chicken w/ brown rice - just going to use a Lawry's Marinade and serve it with rice and veggies. Boring, but yummy!

S: Chicken Tacos - left over teriyaki chicken, mango slices, cilantro, & white rice on a lightly fried corn tortilla. (just sounds good at the moment--we'll see how it turns out :)

Sun: Heath - TBA

The Results (recorded nightly---maybe :)

Day 8: Complete. I made the zucchini casserole again, but this time without chicken and I added noodles. It was really yummy. I forgot to add ANY spices---so it was a little bland. And if you know my husband and I ----we really need lots of flavor when we eat. Oops. Had the leftovers for lunch Tuesday. Yum. Heath brought them for lunch today too. What? He actually ate some of my leftovers. Miracle!!!

Day 9: Complete. NOW THIS IS DEDICATION! Heath and I were meeting up at his work last night for a date (to the lds temple) and it would have been easy just to grab Carl's Jr or something but instead...I MADE DINNER! I packed it to go---and we ate it in his office at work. It was totally fun! I made chicken, rice, and carrots. Not the best meal ever, but totally edible.

Day 10: Done!! Wednesday...Today I made a noodle casserole thing. It was yummy. Kids didn't even touch it tho. I think both of them had tummy aches or something cause its totally a kid friendly dish. Whateva!

Day 11: Success!!! I made the Cream Cheese Crockpot Chicken from my favorite site! Yum. I loved it. I think next time I might try to omit the onion powder cause my heath wasn't crazy about that part (we're picky about onion flavoring) and maybe add fresh celery and maybe shallots. Yum.

Day 12: Complete. We had chicken Tacos...yum. Loved it. I honestly don't remember if I cooked on Friday night----so---it doesn't count I guess. I think heath cooked cause I wasn't feelin it. So the count it only at 12 this week---I'll take it!

Wish Me Luck, Cheer Me On, & Give Me Recipes!

The Challenge - 200 meals!
Week 2


What's the Count?

Only 3 meals complete last week, with 4 planned this week - can she do it? Yes she can!


This Week for Dinner...

M: BBQ with my Fam...I don't have to cook!

T: Mexican Wraps: black beans, salsa, Avery Mexican Rice, cheese, chicken- from left over Honey Lime Chicken & Pineapple, all grilled in a flour tortilla.

W: Broiled Talapia Parmesan

Th: Salsa Chicken & Black Bean Soup

F: Corn Chowder - OAMC

S: Left Overs ---- gotta eat it all up sometime!--(If we don't have any cause of lunches....I'll have to think of a backup plan later in the week---I'll keep u posted)

Sun: Heath

OAMC:

Graham Crackers - link to Everyday Food Storage site---LOVE this site :) Video tutorial for the recipe too!

Corn Chowder -aka, My Favor tie Corn Chowder! I'll be doubling the recipe and freezing in ziploc twist top plastic containers as individual serving sizes for my lunches.

Meal 4 - accomplished! Mexican Grilled Wraps with Mexican Rice. Yum.

Meal 5 - done. I wouldn't say "accomplished" cause I decided I REALLY don't like Talapia. Sad face. I LOVE Sushi and will eat almost anything from the ocean...but it can't taste like salt water or "fishy". I like fish with real flavor. Like salmon, eel, crab, or shrimp. I seriously almost tossed my cookies during dinner today. Yuck. Oh well. No more Talapia - DONE!

Meal 6 - complete! I decided to stick to what my family really likes...Mexican Food. Last night (thursday) I made Tacos with Turkey meat and Mac & Cheese as a side, with salad of course. We've never had mac and cheese with dinner and heath and I loved it! Not, love it and want to have it once a week...but loved it like maybe once a month. Friday I think I'll stick to the Corn Chowder and make the black bean soup Saturday.

Meal 7 Complete! - Corn Chowder OAMC. I cooked 2 batches of my favorite soup to put some in the freezer for lunches this month. My mom is so amazing and came over to help me cook it. Thanks :) She's better at it! Now I have dinner totally done even before naptime! Wohooo! I love that. Its so hard to cook at 4 or 5 cause the kiddos are so crazy at that time of the day. Have I said it enough times....I LOVE LOVE LOVE living near my mother. I'm so grateful for her love and support in everything I do. She's always thinking of ways to make my life as a mommy and wife easier...and she's always thinking about her kids and how she can continue to teach them and set a good example. Thank you mom---you really are a rare commodity. Am I spoiled? Nope. Just really really loved by my friend and mom Julie. (yup...I'm julie jr)

That's it for this week----its saturday night and I popped in frozen pizza and had cucumbers on the side. I don't think this meal will count. But we didn't eat out AT ALL this week. yay! Heath is cooking tomorrow---so I'll try the black bean soup and the graham crackers next week. Tah tah for now. -j

Wish Me Luck, Cheer Me On, & Give Me Recipes!

The Challenge:

Cook 200 meals in 365 days! (starting May 19th 2009)
I'm not a new wife or a new mom--but I'm a new cook!

Here's the plan - personally (husband doesn't count :) cook 4 meals a week...precooking is allowed...crockpots allowed...breakfast for dinner allowed...OAMC allowed...semi-homemade allowed!!

My Sources---the internet, my mother, and YOU! (we don't like bell peppers ;)

Wish Me Luck, Cheer Me On, & Give Me Recipes!

This Week for Dinner...

T: Zucchini Casserole , added chicken and yellow squash to the recipe
W: CrockPot Classic Chicken Noodle Soup
Th: Heath's Night (Taylor Swift Concert!)
F: Honey Lime Chicken with Pineapple, & white rice
S: Chinese Chicken Salad
Sun: Heath's Day
OAMC: Bread Crumbs, Waffles

What's OAMC? Once a month cooking---one day during the kids naptime---I'll make enough waffles for my kiddos to eat for the next month--so 10 minutes before we need to go out the door, when my 3 year old begs for waffles---I have some to pop in the microwave or toaster! And the bread crumbs are for the recipes I have coming up.

4 meals this week. I can do it! Seriously, that would be a record for me. No joke.
Maybe I'll even upload pictures... :)
Note: This is my first attempt at using Google Docs. Hope it works.

PJ

Meal 1- accomplished! I thought it might be good to start off with a picture! :D Zucchini Casserole - my mother's recipe. We have SO MANY zucchini and yellow squash in the garden so I'll probably be cooking veggie dishes a lot.

Meal 2 - accomplished! I won't be taking pictures every single time I make a meal---but I DID cook tonight :) Note: I didn't really like the flavor of the Classic Chicken Soup that I made. Here's picture of the meal. (proof:) My kiddos ATE the food! Even with the spinach, yams, & broccoli! It doesn't look appetizing---I might try a different recipe for chicken soup in the crockpot--maybe a more Asian soup.

Meal 3 accomplished! Late posting the picture :) Honey Lime Chicken, yummy!