Creamy Grilled Chicken Piccata

I'm back!  Wow, a lot has changed since my last post.  The biggest thing is that Hunter Edwin Tutterrow was born on June 12th!  He has been such a blessing to our lives these past four months.

My blog has always had a personal touch to it, but it is going to increase.  I want to document, for my own sake, this ever changing little boy!  So if you are here just for the recipes, feel free to scroll on down.

Hunter weighed 7lbs 11 oz and was 21 inches long.  At four months, he is 17  lbs. 3 oz. and 26 1/2 inches long!  He is absolutely precious in our eyes.  We love every minute with him!  I get to spend a lot of time with this growing boy as I have decided to stay home as my full time job.  I will still be doing PRN (as needed) work in my field of Physical Therapy occasionally.

Here is a look at my growing angel!

Creamy Grilled Chicken Piccata
Source:  Modified from the Plain Chicken blog http://www.plainchicken.com/2010/08/creamy-grilled-chicken-piccata.html

Ingredients:

Chicken

• Juice of 1 lemon
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. basil
• 2 chicken breasts

Pasta

• 2 cups of penne pasta (I used GF macaroni  noodles)
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 cup of half and half or heavy cream
• 2 tsp. dried basil
• 2 Tbsp. capers (I omitted because my picky husband doesn't like them:))
• 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Combine the first 6 ingredients.  Place in a ziplock bag with the chicken and marinate all day or overnight.  When you are ready to prepare dinner, grill chicken until cooked.

While the chicken is grilling prepare the pasta.  Cook the pasta according to the package directions.  Melt butter over medium heat in the same pan you cooked the pasta.  Whisk in garlic and lemon juice.  Pour in half and half or cream and cook until hot.  Add some salt and pepper to taste. Next, add the cheese, basil, and capers.  Heat until cheese is melted.  

Toss in pasta and top with grilled chicken and Parmesan.  Enjoy! 

Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent

The label and container above were from  my previous detergent.  I just saved the container to use for the homemade mixture.

***UPDATE:  We are about to use our last cap full of this homemade mixture this week.  This one batch has lasted us almost exactly one year to the day!  Well worth the 30 minutes and <$10 start of fee***

Don't you worry, we are not going all granola on you.  Just thought you might be interested in my newest endeavor that could save you a penny or two.

This is not hard so don't be scared!

I had an awesome patient who's wife brought me a bag with all the ingredients to make a batch of liquid laundry detergent.  I decided I would give it a try after I ran out of my current kind.

I was also amazed when I got home and saw how cheap it is to do it yourself!  Once you buy a box of Borax and Arm and Hammer Washing Soda you only have to buy one bar of soap each time you make a bucket. So your total start up costs are under $10 and under $2 for each additional bucket made.  We aren't talking about just making one container, but a 5 gallon bucket of concentrated laundry detergent.  When you mix it with one part water to use in your laundry you ultimately have 10 gallons of laundry detergent.

We filled up an old laundry detergent container and barely made a dent in the bucket.  This is going to last us well over a year!

Here is how it is done:

Ingredients:

• 1 bar of Zote soap or Fels-Naptha which I found at my local Publix on the shelf right above the washing soda.

• 1 cup of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda (not baking soda, but washing soda)

• 1/2 cup of Borax

• 5 gallon bucket

Directions:

Use a grater to grate the soap in a large heat safe bowl.  While grating soap, bring a pot of water to a boil.  Once soap is grated pour boiling water over soap and cover.  Let sit for a few minutes.  Remove cover and stir.  Add more water until soap is melted.  

All grated and ready for boiling water

The soap sitting in boiling water with a plate as a cover to keep all the heat in.  Wooden spoon ready to stir (most of my soap melted with two batches of hot water).

While soap is melting, pour borax and washing soda into the 5 gallon bucket.  Add 2 gallons (approximately) of hot tap water to bucket, stir until dissolved.  

Use a thin strainer to pour the melted soap through into the 5 gallon bucket.  If a lot of soap is still unmelted (or caught in the strainer) then repeat the first step and then add it to the bucket.  Stir well.

Fill the remaining part of the bucket with cold water (we took this project outside and used the hose).  Stir well.  

When you are ready to use mix 1 part of this solution with 1 part water in a smaller container.  (I saved my last store bought container to use in the laundry room.  We store the 5 gallon bucket in the garage.)

When doing laundry use 5/8 cup with each normal load.  For me this came out to a full cap that is on the container.

This has a very neutral smell.  If you like more fragrance then you can add an essential oil to the mix.  We put 30 drops of lavender oil in the 5 gallon bucket.  Use any flavor that you would like!

See you are all done in under 30 minutes.  

Roasted chicken breast and veggies

Here are some LONG overdue pictures from the holidays:

My sweet husband took me to the mountains for a weekend away!

View of our cabin.

We got some apple cider at The Apple Barn after dinner...yum!

Neighborhood we stayed in.

Co-workers

Hubby and me before my 10 year HS reunion!

This is my SIL helping to decorate our Christmas tree

This is less of a recipe and more of an inspiration for all you guys who throw out all those unused veggies at the end of the week.  I threw this together when I looked in our fridge and had a ton of left overs.  Be creative and use whatever you have!

Roasted Chicken Breast and Veggies

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts
• 4 carrots
• 1 zucchini
• 2.5 lbs. red potatoes
• 1/2 red onion
• Olive oil
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• salt
• pepper
• all purpose seasoning
• garlic powder

Bake at 375-400.  Cut all your veggies and coat in olive oil.  Spread out on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, all purpose seasoning, and garlic powder to your liking.  Top with chicken breasts that are also covered in olive and oil and the same seasonings.  Finally sprinkle fresh garlic on top of it all.  Bake until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Quinoa Burger

Here are a few more pics from Mexico!  Wish I was there now!

Lakeside High School Girls

(Ali, Maureen, Ashley, Me, and Molly)

My best friend and I are pregnant at the same time!  She literally found out the Sunday before we left for the trip!

My five month pic. I thought I was so big then:)  HA!

LOVE these girls!!!!

These "burgers" were awesome!  Yet another great addition to meatless Monday.  My picky husband loved them, even though he had doubts while I was cooking.  This was my first time cooking with quinoa and I am sold!  Here is a little clip about the nutritional value that I found on Wikipedia.

Quinoa was of great nutritional importance in pre-Columbian Andean civilizations, secondary only to the potato, and was followed in importance bymaize. In contemporary times, this crop has become highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (18%). Nutritional evaluations of quinoa indicate that it is a source of complete protein.^[14][15] It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high inmagnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest. Because of all these characteristics, quinoa is being considered a possible crop in NASA's Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration human occupied spaceflights.^[16]

So there you go!  You can find it at your local grocery store! Enjoy!

Quinoa Burger
Source: Modified from http://eatingwelllivingthin.wordpress.com

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups of water
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup of shredded white cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup of low fat cottage cheese
• 1 cup shredded zucchini, squeezed dry
• 3 eggs
• 3 Tbsp. corn starch (original called for flour)
• 2 green onions chopped including the white parts
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
• olive oil for frying
• Top with:  Tzatziki sauce, avocado, tomato, and shredded white cheddar cheese

Tzatziki sauce:

• 3/4 cup thick plain Greek-style yogurt such as Fage’ 
• 3 tablespoons sour cream
• 1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and grated – squeezed of excess water
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried or 2 tablespoon fresh dill weed
• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

.

In a small mixing bowl blend together the yogurt, sour cream, grated cucumber, garlic powder, sugar, dill weed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill. This is best if made a couple hours in advance.

Bring the 2 cups of water and 1/2 tsp. salt to a boil in a medium sauce pan over high heat.  Add quinoa, cover, and reduce heat to low.  Cook for 18-20 mins or until water is absorbed.

In a large bowl combine the cooked quinoa, cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, zucchini, eggs, corn starch, green onions, sugar, pepper, cumin, salt, and garlic powder.

Heat a frying pan and a couple teaspoons olive oil over medium-low heat.  Mixture will be slightly sticky, so using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, drop mixture into pan and lightly flatten to 1/2 inch thick.  Fry until golden-brown, about 4 minutes on each side.   Makes approx. 10 burgers.

Spaghetti Squash

At the end of February I had the pleasure of going on vacation to Mexico with some of my best friends from high school.  We went to celebrate the wedding of Ali and Jamil!  I was honored to be a bridesmaid for one of my oldest childhood friends.  It was a beautiful wedding!  Oh, and the relaxing was nice as well!

Ashley, Molly, and I on the train at the airport

We finally made it!

Can't beat that view!

Jamil and Ali

Ashley, Molly, Ali, Maureen, and I (High school friends)

Beautiful bride!

This is a great low carb and healthy dinner!  It can be your new meatless Monday dish.  Did I mention it is super easy too!  This is more of a meal suggestion then a true recipe post.  I was intimidated by spaghetti squash for a while, wondering if it could possibly taste good and how do you really cook it.  Play with this and make it your own in regards to sauces, toppings, etc just like you would with normal noodles.  And yes, it does taste great!  Even my picky husband likes it!

Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients:

• 1 spaghetti squash
• Jar of spaghetti sauce
• Parmesan cheese
• Ground beef (optional)
• Veggies (optional)

Preheat oven to 375.  Cut spaghetti squash in half (I have my amazingly strong husband do this task because uncooked squash is tough).  Scrape out the seeds and pulp.  Place each half on a baking sheet with the rind side up.  Bake for 30-40 minutes.

While squash is baking, heat sauce in pan on stove.  Cook ground beef or saute any veggies you might be adding to your sauce.  Allow to simmer while squash is cooking.

After squash is finished, hold one half, with an oven mit on, vertically and use a fork to scrape the inside with long strokes going from top to bottom.  Short strokes will leave you with little strands.  Continue this until you have removed all squash.  You will see the strands look just like spaghetti.  Repeat with other half.

Serve with sauce and other toppings!  Enjoy!

Ratatouille

Who participates in meatless Monday's???  While I have attempted a few times, we have not been successful.  Even if you are a meat lover, I think you will find this recipe fulfilling.  I know my picky husband did!

I served this with brown basmati rice.

Ratatouille
Source:   Southern Living Magazine- January 2012
Ingredients:

• 1 green bell pepper (I omitted because I don't like peppers)
• 1 red bell pepper  (I omitted because I don't like peppers) 
• 1/2 pound zucchini
• 1/2 pound yellow squash
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 3 Tbps. olive oil
• 2-14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
• 1 small eggplant (about 1 lb.), peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil or 2 tsp. of dried basil (what I used)
• Cooked Brown Rice

Directions:

1. 1. Cut first 5 ingredients into 1-inch pieces.
2. 2. Sauté onion and garlic in hot oil in a large skillet over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes or just until onion is tender. Stir in tomatoes and next 2 ingredients, and sauté 8 to 10 minutes or just until eggplant begins to soften. Stir in bell peppers, zucchini, and squash; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender and liquid is slightly reduced. Stir in basil. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, and sauté 3 minutes.

Serve over or with brown rice.

Berry Cobbler

Here is a little peek at my baby bump at 4 months (16 weeks)!

This recipe is about as healthy as you can get when it comes to making cobbler.  I originally received this one from Katherine and it was for peach cobbler, but my picky husband wouldn't dare touch that!  I thought that maybe he would eat cobbler with berries, but he still turned it down.  Who would have known he was raised in the south?!?!

I made this with fresh ground wheat and honey granules from Bread Beckers.  Honey is a much healthier sweetener then white sugar.  You still have some nutrients in honey where as white sugar has been bleached and processed to death.  You can substitute honey granules for any recipe calling for white sugar.  

Honey granules

Whole wheat before it is ground into flour

I hope you enjoy!

Berry Cobbler

Ingredients:

• 5 cups of mixed berries (fresh or frozen-I used frozen)
• 1 cup honey sucanat (granules)
• 1 cup of wheat flour (I used fresh ground flour; make your own at your local Whole Foods)
• 1 egg, beaten (or alternative if you are dairy free)
• 3/4 stick butter, melted (or alternative if you are dairy free)
• Vanilla ice cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place berries in a square dish (~2qt.).

Combine sucanat and flour in a separate bowl.  Beat egg and add to dry ingredients.  Using a fork (or your hand) combine until mixture is crumbly.  

Spread mixture on top of berries with your hands.  Drizzle melted butter all over and bake for 40 mins or until golden.

Serve with ice cream...a MUST!

Pre-baking