Tag Archives | recipes

Graveyard Chicken with Penne Pasta

By Toni on September 1, 2013 in Complete Family Dinner, Entrees Recipe, Gluten Free, Holiday Recipes, Recipes

Easy Dinner Idea

Graveyard Chicken with Penne Pasta

Ingredients

Boneless skinless chicken breasts- 2 lbs (4-5 trimmed breasts)
Diced tomatoes- 1 15oz. can
Condensed chicken stock (like Knorr Homestyle Stock)- 1 tub (or 3 chicken bullion cubes, or 2 cans of Chicken Broth)
Sliced black olives- 1 small can
Baby spinach lettuce- 1 12oz. precut ready-to-eat bag
Gluten-free penne pasta (or regular penne if not gluten-free)- 1 lb

STAPLES:

Poultry Seasoning- 2 tablespoons (or salt & pepper)
Butter - 3 tablespoons
Olive oil - about 3 tablespoons

Instructions

Place chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat tenderizer until thin.
Heat butter and olive oil together in large heated or non-stick skillet over medium high heat.
Season chicken breasts with a poultry seasoning or salt & pepper, and sauté until brown on both sides, approximately 5 minutes each side.
Remove chicken to paper towel-lined plate.
Add tomatoes, chicken broth, olives and baby spinach to pan and simmer until spinach is reduced, approximately 4 minutes.
Add chicken back to sauce and spoon sauce over chicken to let simmer.

Pasta:

Boil pasta in salted water until tender.
Before draining pasta, dip a glass measuring cup or coffee cup into pot and scoop out 1 cup of pasta water.
Drain pasta and transfer to serving bowl.
Add about half of pasta water to pasta reserving half in case pasta becomes dry.
Place chicken on top of pasta.
Pour sauce over the chicken and pasta.

https://tonispilsbury.com/graveyard-chicken-with-penne-pasta/

Weekly Meal Planning for Busy Families

Weekly Meal Plan

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Bangers and Mash with New Castle Gravy

By Toni on July 30, 2013 in Entrees Recipe, Holiday Recipes, Recipes

Bangers and Mash with New Castle Gravy

Ingredients

pork or beef sausage links- 5-6
prepared mashed potatoes- 4 cups Homemade Mashed Potatoes
New Castle Beer- 1 bottle
beef broth- 1 cup

STAPLES

vegetable oil- 3 tablespoons
butter- 3 tablespoons

Instructions

saute sausage in heated oil until brown on both sides (don't worry about cooking through)
heat oven to 350 degrees F
transfer mashed potatoes to casserole dish
lay browned sausages into mashed potatoes
bake sausages and potatoes until hot and bubbly, approximately 25 minutes
in the same pan used to brown sausage, melt butter
add beer and broth to boil over medium-high until reduced by about half, approximately 24 minutes
serve sausage and potatoes drizzled with gravy

https://tonispilsbury.com/bangers-and-mash-with-new-castle-gravy/

New Castle Beer

brown sausage

transfer mashed potatoes to baking dish

arrange sausages onto potatoes

bake for 25 minutes

melt butter

add beer and broth

boil until reduced by half

drizzle gravy over sausage and potatoes

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Homemade Skinny Margaritas

By Toni on May 10, 2013 in Beverages, Recipes

The “Skinnymom” Margarita

Do you want a Skinnygirl Margarita or a Skinny Mom Margarita? I’m a mom and I like my margaritas like my food- simple and all-natural.

The average margarita can pack up to 550 calories per drink. No wonder margaritas from Skinnygirl Cocktails are so popular- with only 220 calories in an 8oz. margarita.

I personally love Skinnygirl, especially the White Peach Margarita. But, nothing beats homemade for me; and $24.99 a bottle makes me love homemade even more. I like to know exactly what’s in my drink- fresh lemon, lime and a bit of agave nectar mixed with a fine tequila is the best-tasting and most refreshing margarita. Here’s my homemade low-calorie margarita, or “Skinnymom” I like to call it at only 132 calories for an 8oz. margarita (insert big smile here).

Skinnymom Margarita

Ingredients

5 cups ice
Juice squeezed from 2 lemons
Juice squeezed from 2 limes
3 tablespoons of Agave Nectar
1/2 cup tequila (4 oz.)
1/2 cup water (4 oz.)

Instructions

Place ice in blender
Add all remaining ingredients
Blend until smooth

https://tonispilsbury.com/homemade-skinny-margaritas/

(No) Sugar Baby

Drinks made with prepared margarita mix contain a ton of sugar, and I can feel the effects on my endocrine system when I drink them- which is why I don’t anymore. Agave nectar, especially pure raw organic agave nectar is a type of sugar that is much easier broken down by the body. I use agave nectar in my homemade lemonade, coffee and sometimes tea.

White Tequila

Tequila calories are typically high; so using the appropriate amount in any drink is advised. There’s no real difference in the amount of calories between white tequila and yellow tequila- both pack about 69 calories per ounce, but I prefer the blanco (white).

Patron Silver Tequila- 69 calories per ounce

Salt or No Salt?

The answer for me used to be “no salt”. Who needs the extra sodium, I thought. That’s before I realized the benefits of iodine for our thyroid. Rather than using the trendy sea salt, I opt for the good old-fashioned iodized salt as a great supplement for my endocrine system.