Quick, Easy, Healthy Meals from Scratch - Menu 1

As promised, Menu #1.

I put together this meal Sunday evening (which is what inspired me to try this series.) I didn't get my usual Sunday cooking done because of an emergency here at the house last Friday that spilled over into Saturday. Then I came home from church with a migraine. It's amazing how little ones are always so much more hungry when Mom isn't feeling well and has lost her appetite... The guys put together sandwiches for lunch, but after napping for 4 hours, I felt well enough to whip up a quick meal. This is what we had:

• Pre-thawed boneless chicken breast cooked over low heat in extra virgin olive oil seasoned with basil and garlic salt
• Steamed broccoli
• Baked potatoes done in the microwave
• Garden Salad (1 head of romaine lettuce, 1 tomato, 1 cucumber and 2 shreaded carrots)

Remember, it's the order that you cook everything that makes it a quick meal... For this meal, that's cleaning and chopping the broccoli to get it steaming. Next is scrubbing the potatoes and popping them in the microwave. Then it's putting the chicken in the skillet with seasonings and finally making the salad while everything is nicely simmering away.

Many hands make light work. Getting the children or hubby into the kitchen to help with prep work significantly contributes to getting a meal ready faster. With help from my oldest two sons, I had this meal on the table in less than 30 minutes. My oldest (almost 12) washed and cut up the broccoli while number two (9) scrubbed the potatoes and I put on the chicken. The salad was leftover from the day before so we just had to set the table and wait. I want to note that we had enough wait time to make a fresh salad had it been necessary.

The boys think this chicken "recipe" is really good. It's very simple. I use thawed boneless chicken breasts (boned pieces would work as well, as would frozen if you cook them over a very low heat setting or pop them into the microwave on defrost.) I put about 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in the bottom of my large skillet, put in 5 half breast pieces (which gives us generous leftovers), then cover them with basil and garlic salt. If I'm feeling spicy that day, I use a lot, other days not so much. Then I cook them until they are just done and no longer pink, flipping them every couple minutes and adding a cover after the first 2 or 3 minutes. Be careful not to overcook them.

Enjoy!

P.S. If you missed the introduction and tips post, you can find it HERE.