Lunch Box Special

I'm probably going to get made fun of for posting this, but I don't care! I had never thought of putting something other than meat or vegetables on a sandwich. This is super easy, and a nice (less sugary) substitute for jelly on a peanut butter sandwich. I'll definitely be making it again, especially when I forget to buy lunch meat!  From Taste of Home.

Lunch Box Special

• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup finely chopped apples
• 1/2 cup finely chopped dates, optional
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional
• 8 slices bread

In a bowl, combine the peanut butter and orange juice until blended. Add the apples and dates and walnuts if desired. Spread on four slices of bread; top with remaining bread.

Nutritional Info (from SparkRecipes):

Serves 4
Total Time: Less than 10 minutes

401 calories

18 g fat (4 g saturated fat)

1 mg cholesterol

419 mg sodium

51 g carbohydrates

5 g fiber

13 g protein

Sloppy Chicken Joes

I absolutely LOVE sloppy joes! I was excited to try this new recipe for them, and they turned out great! Next time, I might shred the chicken instead of dicing it, but either way they were awesome! I may have added a tad bit too much red pepper flakes, but that can be fixed next time!  From $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook!

Sloppy Chicken Joes

• 1 1/2 pound packaged boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 4-6 hamburger buns

Dice the chicken breasts into 1/2 inch pieces.

In a large skillet whisk together the tomato sauce, vinegar, mustard, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Add the diced chicken breast, cover, and cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until the chicken pieces are cooked through.

Total Time: 15-20 Minutes

Nutritional Info:

4 servings

Lemon-Dill Butter Chicken and Zucchini

I made this dinner tonight for me and a friend. It was delicious! I don't think I have ever made or eaten zucchini, but I decided to take the risk! So worth it! This is super easy, and quick to do! Highly recommended! This is from Better Homes & Gardens 365 Last-Minute Meals. I've decided to start adding nutritional information to my posts as best I can. This post it was included in the cookbook, in other posts I will be using the recipe calculator from SparkRecipes, which I found from my high school classmate's blog.

Lemon-Dill Butter Chicken and Zucchini

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped cucumber or zucchini

Preheat broiler. Place chicken on the unheated rack of a broiler pan. Broil 4 to 5 inches from heat for 12 to 15 minutes or until no longer pink, turning once halfway through broiling.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet melt butter over medium heat. Stir in lemon peel, lemon juice, dill, salt and pepper. Stir in cucumber. Cook and stir over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes or just until cucumber begins to soften. Spoon sauce over chicken.

Total Time: 25 minutes

Nutritional Info:

4 servings

244 calories

11 g total fat (6 grams saturated fat)

107 mg cholesterol

477 mg sodium

2 g carbohydrates

0 g fiber

33 g protein