Chicken Parmesan Bake

This Pinterest recipe turned out delicious. Packed with flavor and so moist! This and some steamed veggies will be a great dinner for us post-baby when I'm working on getting my body back! :)

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/2 fresh Parmesan cheese, plus more for the top

1 1/2 teaspoons seasoning salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a 9x13 glass pan. (I used 4 chicken breasts and used an 8x8 pan.) Lay the chicken in the pan. Mix the remaining ingredients (I used 3/4 cup yogurt with 4 chicken breasts.) Spread yogurt mixture over the chicken, covering all of it so it doesn't dry out. Sprinkle some extra Parmesan on top.

Bake 45 minutes, uncovered. Reheats well in the microwave. 

Tropical Coconut Smoothie

We are ready for lake season! Derrick found the recipe and made this smoothie last Saturday morning, and it made us feel like we should be laying on a beach! It would be great with some white rum in it! Also next time he is also going to add some frozen mango. This will definitely be made this summer at the lake!

1 1/2 cups coconut water

2 cups frozen pineapple chunks

2 medium bananas (frozen make the smoothie more icy)

2 cups orange juice

Blend and serve.

Vegetable Soup

Derrick found this recipe on Facebook. He knows I've been trying to eat lots of veggies for the baby.  I wasn't originally thrilled about making it because it didn't seem like a meal I would love, but I'm so glad I did because it was delicious and very healthy! Another great post-baby dinner for me! And Derrick loved it too. He helped me peel and chop the potatoes and carrots which was great because peeling and chopping are not my favorite.

2 cups peeled and chopped carrots (about 4 carrots)

1 1/4 cups chopped celery (about 3 stalks)

4 (14.5 oz.) cans chicken broth

2 (14.5 oz.) cans diced tomatoes, undrained

3 cups peeled and 1/2 inch thick diced potatoes (about 3 medium)

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Salt and fresh ground pepper

1 1/2 cups chopped frozen or fresh green beans (I used canned and it was ok)

1 1/4 cups frozen or fresh corn

1 cup frozen or fresh peas

Bring to a boil chicken broth, tomatoes, potatoes, parsley, bay leaves, thyme, and salt and pepper. After about 10 or more minutes add carrots (I don't like my carrots too cooked) and green beans if fresh or frozen (if canned add at the end). When potatoes are tender (about 20-30 minutes total), add corn and peas and cook 5 more minutes. Serve.

Faux Lasagne

Another recipe from my favorite food blogger, The Girl Who Ate Everything. What drew me to this recipe the most was that she said it is very freezer friendly. I'm trying to stock up on freezer meals for post-baby life! So I made this in two pans. One for now and one to freeze. I was wondering how the egg noodles would taste in this lasagne, but I thought they were delicious!

16-oz. package wide egg noodles

1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened

1 cup cottage cheese

1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons sliced green onions (I left this out)

1 pound ground beef or turkey

1 3/4 cup spaghetti sauce

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella

Parmesan cheese for topping

Boil noodles in salted water for only 5 minutes. Drain.

Spread half the noodles in a lightly greased 2 quart casserole. A 9x13 is 3 quarts, but I think I could make it fill a 9x13 next time since I used two 8x8s.

Combine cream cheese, cottage cheese, plain yogurt, and green onions in a medium bowl. Spoon mixture on top of noodles. Spread remaining noodles on top. 

Brown beef and drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and salt and pepper to taste. I always add some fresh or dried basil to spaghetti sauce. Spread over noodles.

At this point you can cover with aluminum and freeze to bake at a later time. Or bake immediately covered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover. Sprinkle with cheeses and bake 5-10 more minutes until cheese is melted.

Orange Chicken

Happy Valentine's Day! We celebrated the day before since we're going to dinner with friends tonight on the actual day. We decided to try a new recipe for our tradition of cooking at home together. I just love cooking with Derrick! Makes cooking so much more fun! We had a lot to celebrate since we had just come home from our sonogram appointment and got to see that Baby is healthy and doing great! Only 7 weeks to go!

Derrick picked this recipe for Skinny Orange chicken. It's from the blog "Gimme Some Oven." I guess it is "skinny" because the chicken is sautéed instead of fried. He went out and got all the ingredients! (So sweet of him because he knows I hate grocery shopping.) We also made a previous blog recipe, Crab Rangoon, to go with it. Delicious meal! Of course we ate with chopsticks!

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

Sesame seeds, additional orange zest, and sliced green onions for topping

For orange sauce:

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

Zest of one orange (save some for topping)

Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

Serve with brown or white rice.

To make the orange sauce, whisk all the sauce ingredients together until combined.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to skillet and sauté for 4-6 minutes until the chicken is nearly cooked through. 

Pour in the orange chicken sauce and stir to combine. Boil for 1-2 minutes until thickened. Serve right away over rice. Garnish with sesame seeds, green onions and/or orange zest.

Here I am "zesting" the orange.

White Chocolate Snickerdoodle Blondies

Our Valentne's tradition is to cook a special dinner at home. We usually have candles, wine, and some other special things. This year I was trying to find a new dessert - something Derrick would love. Snickerdoodles are his favorite cookies (along with Michelle's chocolate chip cookie recipe), so I decided to try this bar from Sally's Baking Addiction. I came to terms that baking is not as much fun lately. Too much uncomfortable acid reflux issues and just wanting to sit down rather than measure, stir, and clean up. This might have been my last time really baking anything that takes any effort until Baby comes. I have to say the house smelled deliciously cinnamony while they were baking - I should have baked them while Derrick was home to enjoy it. He said these were the best dessert I've made - what a compliment!

2 1/3 cups flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup (I used a little extra) white chocolate chips

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/3 cup granulated sugar 

Preheat oven to 350. Line pan with aluminum foil so that you can pull them out and cut them (I would say this is optional). You can use any size pan.  I used an 8x8 and they were very thick and took extra baking time. Sally says the best size is 11x7.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat butter with paddle attachment (I just used a hand mixer this time for convenience) on high speed at least one minute until creamy. Add sugars and beat 2 more minutes on high. Add eggs and vanilla and beat on high. Add dry ingredients on low speed until combined. Fold in white chocolate chips.

Spread half the batter in the pan. Combine cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle on this layer (save a little for the top). Then spread the rest of the batter on top. Sprinkle on the rest of the cinnamon sugar.

In the 8x8 pan it took 52 minutes in the convection oven. Sally says a 9x9 or 11x7 should take 30-35 minutes. 9x13 should take 22-26 minutes. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Cool completely and then cut.

Chili Cream Cheese Dip

I don't remember ever staying home for the Super Bowl (unless we were having the party) but I am learning how much things change when you're preggo. And it turns out - I loved watching the game at home! We paused to make food and rewound whenever we wanted. We didn't miss any of the game or any commercials! And it was a good game this year. Of course I was rooting for the Seahawks in honor of my superfan uncle, but it was still a great game.

We made a few simple snacks - nachos, guacamole, and this chili cream cheese dip from The Girl Who Ate Everything, one of my favorite food bloggers. I pretty much take everything she says as factual. If I had seen this on Pinterest or another blog I may not have made it because it seems too simple to be good. But since she said it was one of her favorite dips, I made it. It was incredibly easy and the perfect football food. I would like to try it in the crockpot so it stays warm while you're snacking throughout the game. 

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese

1 (15 oz.) can Hormel chili

1 package Fritos Scoops

Heat cream cheese and chili together on the stove or in microwave until blended. Serve with Fritos Scoops.