What's for Dinner: Citrus Herb Chicken, Sweet Potato Fries and Kale & Broccoli Quinoa

Just wanted to share another great quinoa recipe with you as well as some of our staple seasoning recipes we use often. It's all delicious! (found here)

Kale & Broccoli Quinoa

1/2 cup dry quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 cup chicken stock (for cooking quinoa)
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4-1/2 cup yellow onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated into pan
1/3 cup chicken stock
1 medium or large head of broccoli, cut into florets
1 bunch kale, leaves removed from stems, and broken into bite size pieces
salt and pepper to taste
parmesan cheese, for garnish
lemon juice, if desired

Cook the quinoa in a medium pot to package directions, until tender and liquid is absorbed. In a saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat and add the chopped onion. Cook for a couple minutes until translucent (don't let burn), and add the garlic grating it straight into the pan. Stir for a minute, not allowing to burn, and add in the broth. Rinse off the broccoli and kale and add them both to the pan with onions, garlic and broth. Reduce heat slightly and cover. Let cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the broccoli is tender and kale has shrunk. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add quinoa and veggie mix to a serving bowl and mix together. Garnish with parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

We make roasted chicken and homemade sweet potato fries often in our house. These are the seasonings I make in advance and keep on hand.  Drizzle chicken or sweet potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with respective seasonings. Bake at 450 degrees. (23-25min chicken breast) (18-22min thin cut sweet potato fries) Sprinkle a little paprika on sweet potatoes in addition to the house seasoning.

Citrus Herb Seasoning (great on chicken or fish)

 

3/4 cup coarse salt
2 tablespoons lemon zest
4 teaspoons dried rosemary
3 teaspoons dried thyme
3 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

 

Mix all together and store in airtight container.

House Seasoning (for sweet potato fries)

1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix all together and store in airtight container.

ENJOY!!

Crafting by Christmas Light

Today is a pretty dark and dreary day so I thought it might be fun to do a little craft time with Ella. I decided on a simple reindeer puppet craft that is is easy enough for a preschooler to make and I thought it would be fun to do our crafting by Christmas Lights. So I pulled up a couple of kids chairs in front of our tree to use as a table and got our supplies together.

You will need:

cardstock (we used a glittery one)
pipe cleaners
wooden dowel
googly eyes
bells
red or black sequin or pom-pom
twine or ribbon
glue (tacky or hot glue...hot glue for adults only)
any embellishments you want

Simply trace your child's hand onto the cardstock and cut out. The fingers will become the reindeer legs and the thumb will be the head! Cut sections of pipe cleaner to make antlers...we twisted two smaller pieces onto two larger pieces. Glue antlers onto the back of the thumb and let dry. Then simply glue on eyes, nose and other embellishments. You can tie a bell around the neck using twine or thin ribbon. Finally, glue your wooden dowel onto the back of your reindeer to create a puppet. Make a reindeer for each family member using their hands and then have your kids put on a puppet show! Happy crafting!

Chicken Spaghetti- a casserole

Need something new for dinner? Try this creamy and delicious Chicken Spaghetti! I made this yummy and easy dish for dinner last night and it was a huge hit with the kids and the DH! I loved it too! What's great, is that unlike a lot of meals, it's just as good when reheated for lunch the next day...assuming there is any leftover! Wanna make it? Go here and Pioneer Woman will guide you step by step with photos! You can't go wrong with this one...unless of course you're on the Atkins diet! In that case....run....run far far away and don't look back!