Freezer meal: Sausage and cheese egg muffins

Recipe number two made for my friends! They've already tried these and love them. I've made a few egg muffins before (here and here). Being able to make something for breakfast that is easy to freeze and reheat. They also taste delicious, even though I know some people think that reheated eggs aren't great.

Sausage and cheese egg muffins-adapted from Fabulessly Frugal
Total time: 15 minutes
Makes 12 muffins

• 10 eggs
• 1/3 cup low fat milk
• 4 ounces precooked breakfast sausage, diced
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and milk together, then gradually add in sausage and cheese. Pour into well greased muffin tins to about 3/4 full. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until tops are set. Let cool slightly and remove gently with a spoon.

If you wish to freeze: Place the muffins in a gallon freezer bag. To reheat, cook in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes.

Roasted asparagus

I've finally figured out how to make the perfect asparagus. This is super simple, and you just need to season it however you wish.

If you don't know how to trim asparagus, it's really easy. Just take the end between your thumb and forefinger and bend until it snaps! It's perfect for those days you just want to snap something! It always breaks the wooden end off at the right spot-no more second guessing!

Roasted asparagus

Total time: 20 minutes

Serves 4

• 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place asparagus spears in a 9x13 inch baking dish, doing you best to only have one layer. Drizzle with the olive oil, and toss the spears so they are well coated. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, add more to taste if you wish.

Roast in oven for about 7 minutes, then toss the spears with tongs. Cook for the remaining 7-8 minutes or until tender.

Root veggies

I don't think I've ever had beets in my life. While I was making this I even asked my mom and her answer was "Nope." I'm glad I tried them! This isn't something I'd want all the time, but it was good to change things up.

I also need to say, I love the bowl I put these in with some asparagus. It's perfect when you have a few different side dishes!

Prep

My favorite bowl!

All of dinner!

Root veggies-adapted from Meals Made Easy by Real Simple

Total time: 15 minutes

Serves 4

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• Bunch carrots, cut lengthwise into thin strips
• Bunch beets, cut into thin slices
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon dried tarragon

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add the carrots and beets and cook until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and tarragon. 

Black eyed pea salsa

We were having my sister-in-law Angie over for dinner last night. My go to appetizer/snack is guacamole. I went to the store yesterday, but all the avocados weren't ripe enough or were way past ripe. I then decided to try this salsa instead. Scott was very upset when I told him I was substituting a bean dip for our favorite guacamole.

In the end, we really liked this salsa. It was fresh and a nice change. The apple cider vinegar really added an extra kick to the salsa flavor. This sits well overnight too!

Black eyed pea salsa-adapted from The New Cookbook by Better Homes and Gardens
Total time: 5 minutes
Makes 2 cups

• 1 15-ounce can black eyed peas, rinsed and drained
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 small red pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Tortilla chips for serving

In a serving bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Serve with chips.

Lemon chicken

I received this cookbook as part of a gift bag for going to the Taste of Home Cooking School. It's a kind of weird book, and I don't know that I agree with the premise of it, but that doesn't mean I won't try the food!

Lemon chicken is a chicken recipe that my dad used to make a lot when I was a child. We used to have chicken 3-4 times a week. To the point that I used to hate eating chicken. Lemon chicken, parmesan chicken, teryiaki chicken, and then chicken casserole with the leftovers. Now that I cook my own food, I don't know what I did without chicken so much in my life. It's delicious and so versatile!

This recipe was great because it was baked. Because I baked it in chicken broth, it stayed incredibly moist. The lemon juice and kalamata olives gave it just that extra kick.

Lemon chicken-adapted from Heartbreak Recovery Kitchen by Jeanne Ambrose & Lindsey Ambrose
Total time: 45 minutes
Serves 6

• Vegetable oil
• 3 1/2 pounds chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup kalamata olives
• 3 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Drizzle a little bit of oil in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan. Place chicken in the pan and top with remaining ingredients. 

Roast for 35-45 minutes or until chicken is 180 degrees with an instant read thermometer.

Crustless quiche

When Scott woke up to this dish last weekend, he literally asked me, "Why is there a salad in my eggs?" I don't know why people tend to have such an aversion to spinach! It's great for you and delicious. I really do love it in egg bakes.

The original recipe for this quiche was incredibly simple. I added what I had on hand-msuhrooms, onion, ham, and some tomatoes with chiles. You can really do whatever you want with quiches. This needs to cook for an hour, so make it for a brunch or if you get up much earlier than your breakfast companions!

I know people are always wary about eating eggs as leftovers. I'm pretty sure I had this for breakfast the next three days and it was delcious. I kept getting asked at work what it was because it smelled so good so early in the morning!

Crustless quiche-adapted from General Store of Minnetonka Cookbook

Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Serves 8

• 3 eggs, beaten
• 8 ounce mushrooms
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1/2 cup cooked ham, diced
• 1/2 can tomatoes with chiles, drained
• 10 ounce frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 16 ounces small curd, fat free cottage cheese
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, mix ingredients together until well blended. Grease an 8-inch pie plate then pour the egg mixture in. Bake for 1 hour or until eggs are set.

Sugar snap peas with mushrooms and tomatoes

Sugar snap peas are one of those vegetables you don't think about very often. For me, it's in stir fries. It's one of those items that gives the extra crunch that is just awesome. I really enjoyed making this side dish. A little bit of cheese and the tomatoes really made it pop!

One thing that I really love about this recipe-no need for added salt or pepper! I'm really not much of a salt fan, so I usually don't put it on unless it's really necessary in a dish. Pepper, I do love, but there was enough different flavor concepts going on for this side that it wasn't needed!

Sugar snap peas with mushrooms and tomatoes-adapted from Fast & Healthy Cookbook by Pillsbury
Total time: 20 minutes
Serves 5

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 4 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 cups frozen sugar snap peas
• 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms and garlic and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Remove from saucepan; place in a serving dish or on a plate and cover with tin foil to keep warm.

In the same saucepan, heat 1/3 cup water to boiling. Add sugar snap peas and return the pan to boiling. Cover and simmer 3-5 minutes or until peas are crisp-tender. Drain then return peas to saucepan.

Return the mushrooms withs garlic to the saucepan along with tomatoes and basil. Cook until warm. Spoon into a serving dish and sprinkle with cheese.

Fish with tangy tomatoes

Using tomatoes with chiles in this recipe was such a wonderful surprise. We tend to use swai filets because they're inexpensive, but you could use any white fish for this recipe. There was a ton of flavor in this entire recipe.

Fish with tangy tomatoes-adapted from Health Cooking Recipe Cards by Taste of Home
Total Time: 15 minutes
Serves 3

• 3/4 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 swai fillets
• 1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes with chiles
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion
• 1/2 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1/8 teaspoon celery seed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the lemon pepper and salt and sprinkle over both sides of the fish fillets. Place in an 11 x 7 inch baking dish that has been coated with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, parsley and celery seed and spoon over the fish. Cover with tin foil and bake for 25-30 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Cottage pie

I don't know that I've ever truly had a shepard's pie. I worked for an Irish pub in college and we served it, but I never tried it. The meals always looked really good though. When I came across this recipe, I was excited to give it a try.

It wasn't anything spectacular, but was a very cozy food. I'd definitely call it a comfort food. I prepped it the night before, put it in the refrigerator then warmed it up instead of having to do everything the night of.

The original recipe calls for putting all the ingredients into four individual serving dishes. I definitely could've done this, however, since it's just me and Scott, I opted to make one big pan. Plus, I got to use one of my new Rachael Ray casserole dishes-isn't it awesome?!

Cottage pie-adapted from Dinner Tonight: Done! by Real Simple
Total time: 45 minutes
Serves 4

• 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes (about 3), peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup carrots, diced

If you are assembling and cooking right away, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Otherwise, you can assemble these up to two days in advance, just add 10-15 minutes to the cook time.

Place the potatoes in a large pot filled with enough cold water to cover them. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender. Drain and return to the pot. Add the milk, butter and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and black pepper to taste. Mash to desired consistency.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the beef and cook until no longer pink, 5-6 minutes. Stir in ketchup, Worchestershire sauce, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Fold in carrots.

Transfer beef mixture to a baking dish (or individual baking dishes), and top with mashed potatoes. Baken until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

Asparagus with balsamaic tomatoes

Asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables. It's extremely easy to cook in just olive oil. pepper and salt. This recipe had a bit of an extra kick with the tomatoes, balsamic and feta. It wasn't anything mind blowing, but I did like the change up.

Asparagus with balsamic tomatoes-adapted from Dinner Tonight! by Cooking Light
Total time: 20 minutes
Serves 4

• 1 pound asparagus, trimmed
• 2 teaspoons oil
• 1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons crumbled feta
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Cook asparagus in boiling water for 2 minutes until crisp tender; drain.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes and garlic; cook 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar and cook for 3 minute minutes. Stir in salt. Place asparagus on a platter, top with tomato mixture, feta and pepper to taste.

Mongolian beef

I was so excited when I bought Bee Yinn Low's Easy Chinese Recipes. Chinese food is one of our favorite guilty pleasures, but if I can make a good stir fry, that's all I need. I also got a rocking wok for a wedding gift and it's the most amazing thing ever for stir fry. It's completely changed my life when it comes to stir fry. If you don't have one, go get one. If you don't have one-never fear-you can just use a skillet!

This Mongolian beef is one of our favorites so far! It has a lot of awesome flavor and is super easy to put together. The only thing I don't usually have on hand is the oyster sauce, but you should be able to find that in your local grocery store in the Asian food section (although, I did have to check a few times-it seemed to be hiding).

Scott is a huge fan of adding water chestnuts to stir fry. When I told him I was making Mongolian beef, he asked me to throw in some water chestnuts. I'd definitely recommend chopping them up a bit. But that's another great thing about stir fry-the majority of the flavor is in the sauce. Go ahead and add whatever veggies you like!

Mongolian beef-adapted from Easy Chinese Recipes by Bee Yinn Low
Total time: 25 minutes
Serves 4
Marinade

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon hoisin sauce
• 1 teaspoon rice wine
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 dashes white pepper

Stir fry

• 8 ounces flank steak. Cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 1/2 tablespoons oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-1 inch piece garlic, peeled and sliced thin
• 3 green onions, cut into 2 inch lengths
• 1 can water chestnuts, chopped
• Cooked rice, egg rolls or crab rangoon, for serving

Place all the ingredients for the marinade in a resealable bag. Place beef inside and toss to coat. Let marinate for at least 15 minutes. 

When done marinating, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok or skillet over high heat. Stir-fry the beef until the beef is browned on  the outside but still pink inside. Place on a dish and set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in the same wok or skillet over high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, green onions and water chestnuts and stir from until aromatic. Add back the beef and good until no longer pink, about 1-2 minutes. Serve beef mixture with rice, egg rolls and/or crab rangoon.

Shredded pork burritos with tomatillo sauce

Aren't slow cooker's the greatest thing ever? I just love that I can put everything together the night before, and have minimal work to do when I get home. This pork recipe is more sweet than spicy for tacos-probably good if you have picky eaters.

But--those of you that like spicy food, do not dispair. I made the tomatillo sauce a bit spicy and it was absolutely heavenly. I wish I had more recipes for tomatillos. I will be honest, I don't really know what they are or how I should use them, but I always like when I do use them.

TIP: Since this is a bone-in roast, when I remove the bones, I put them in a gallon freezer bag, and keep in the freezer. Once the bag is full of bones, I'll make a bone broth out of it!

I will say though, I got to use my new Ninja blender for this, but ended up cutting my finger on the blade (it's really sharp!) :(  I am fine, but it definitely hurts!

Scott always makes fun of me for the amount of stuff I put in my tacos/burritos. Do you think it's too much for one girl to eat??

My burrito

Tomatillo sauce

Shredded pork burritos with tomatillo sauce-adapted from Taste of Home's Easy Back to School Meals

Total time: 9 hours

Serves 16

For the pork:

• 1 bone-in pork shoulder roast (5 pounds)
• 2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, divided
• 3 teaspoons paprika, divided
• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 12 ounces cola
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced

For the sauce:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tomatillos, husks removed
• 2 tablespoons dried cilantro
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 envelope ranch dressing mix
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 16 flour tortillas
• Cheese, black olives, lettuce, sour cream-for serving

Place roast in a greased 5-quart slow cooker. Cover with 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 teaspoons paprika, pepper flakes, cumin, salt, cola, chicken broth, onion and garlic. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until meat is tender. 

Shred the meat (sometimes I can do it right in the crock, sometimes I need to put it on a cutting board-do whatever is comfortable for you). Discard the bones. Return meat to slow cooker if removed. Stir in remaining brown sugar and paprika. Cover and continue to cook on low until heated through and sauce is done.

For the sauce, in a blender, combine the mayonnaise, milk, tomatillos, cilantro, jalapeno, ranch mix, lime juice, garlic and cayenne. Cover and process until blended. Pour into a small bowl and chill until serving.

Using a slotted spoon, fill each tortilla with your desired amount of pork, and top with you favorite toppings and the tomatillo sauce.

Italian pork chops

Oh man. You guys will love this recipe. It includes a tad bit more than a 'set it and forget it' to thicken the sauce, but it's still incredibly easy. I think my favorite part is that it makes a TON of sauce. I have a bunch left over that I plan on using this week for a recipe. We're working on moving into a new place, and once that is done, I want to learn to can, and I think this would be a great recipe!

Anyway, This is one of the easiest meals I've made! The flavors were fantastic even though there wasn't too much to it. The pork ended up super tender, you didn't even need a fork! I served over pasta for the extra sauce.

Italian pork chops-adapted from Taste of Home's Easy Back to School Meals
Total time: 6 hours
Serves 4

• 4 boneless pork chops
• 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup cold water
• Cooked pasta of your choice, for serving

In a 4-5 quart greased slow cooker, place the pork chops, mushrooms, onions and garlic. Top with tomato sauce, lemon juice, salt, oregano, basil and parsley. Cover and cook for 6-8 hours on low, or until pork is tender and cooked through.

Remove pork to an oven-safe dish, and place in an oven preheating to 250 degrees. This will keep them warm. Transfer the sauce to a medium sauce pan. 

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water and mix until smooth. Add to saucepan and bring mixture to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve over pork chops and pasta.

Garlic and butter green beans

This is such a simple recipe, but it's so good. It's probably all the butter. I seriously cannot say no :)

Garlic and butter green beans-adapted from thechefs(ex)wife on Tasty Kitchen
Total time: 20 minutes
Serves 4

• 1/2 cup butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound frozen green beans, thawed
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add remaining ingredients and saute until heated through, 5 to 15 minutes depending on if beans are still frozen. 

Carrot and cumin dip

Last Christmas, my cousin bought us cookbooks, and I've finally gotten around to making a recipe out of one! The Cooking with Beer cookbook sounds awesome, but I have to say the first recipe was one I wouldn't make again. There wasn't anything wrong with it, but it just wasn't anything special. This dip was relatively easy to make and gave me a great excuse to use my new, super awesome food processor! Definitely serve with hard bread.

Carrot and cumin dip-adapted from Cooking with Beer by Paul Mercurio
Total Time: 30 minutes
Makes 2 cups

• 2 pounds carrots, peeled
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried cilantro
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
• Crunchy bread, chips or crackers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the carrots in half lengthwise and then crosswise. Place into a 9x13 inch baking dish and toss with 4 tablespoons oil, honey, cumin seeds and garlic. Bake for 20 minutes or until carrots are softened.

Add the carrot mixture and remaining ingredients to a large food processor. Pulse until blended-it will be a bit chunky. Serve with  crunchy bread, chips or crackers.

Huevos rancheros

I've never made or had huevos rancheros before. Now that I've had them, unless someone tells me they are the best thing ever, I don't know that I would ever order them. There wasn't anything wrong with this recipe, there just wasn't anything that was stand out about it. I'd make it again, but it's nothing I think I'll crave. I also feel like you could just warmed up jarred salsa with some additional spices if you want to save even more time (not that this takes long anyway). Additional plus side-this dish can be gluten free if you use corn tortillas!

Huevos rancheros-adapted from Comfort Food by Cooking Light
Total time: 15 minutes
Serves 4

• 4 (6-inch) flour tortillas
• 1 red onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can chopped green chiles
• 2 teaspoons chile powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon tabasco sauce
• 1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup shredded Mexican cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat tortillas with cooking spray and place on a baking sheet. Bake tortillas for about 12 minutes or until crispy.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium high heat and spray with cooking spray and saute onion and garlic for about 3 minutes. Add green chiles, chile powder, cumin, oregano, tabasco sauce, and diced tomatoes. Cook, for 3 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat and simmer until eggs are cooked.

In a large skillet, heat cooking spray over medium heat. Cook eggs to your preferred method (I used over easy), about 3 minutes or until cooked through.

Top each individual tortilla with about 1/4 cup tomato mixture. Place egg on top and sprinkle with cheese. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Ham and Mushroom Frittata

I'm back going through my cookbooks for a change! I haven't yet used my cask iron skillet for a frittata so I was excited when I came across this recipe. I mostly use that skillet for bacon. Lots and lots of bacon. Did you know we really like bacon in this house?

Anyway, I sliced up some ham and mushrooms and did this. I might use cooking spray instead of butter next time, it all stuck to the bottom of the pan a bit much (it's currently soaking in my sink). Either way, a really delicious egg dish that doesn't take much to make. You could also do it like almost any other omlette or egg bake and add your favorite ingredients. Case in point-the original recipe calls for broccoli. I accidentally bought mushrooms and deiced to use those instead. 

One of the best things about learning to cook, you don't need to follow the recipe to a 't'. You can feel free to add ingredients and mix things up a bit to 1. What you have in the house, and 2. What you like to eat.

Ham and Mushroom Frittata-adapted from Taste of Home Cooking School

Total Time: 15 minutes

Serves 4

• 6 eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup cooked ham, diced
• 1 1/4 cup swiss cheese, shredded and divided
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tablespoon butter

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, pepper, ham and 1 cup cheese. Set aside. In a 10 inch oven proof cast iron skillet, saute mushrooms in butter over medium heat for about 4 minutes. Pour in egg mixture, cover and cook for 4-6 minutes or until eggs are almost set.

Turn on broiler. Add remaining cheese to top of eggs and place in broiler for 4-6 minutes or until eggs are set and cheese is melted. Let stand for a few minutes.

Cauliflower Rice

I made this to go with the Greek Chicken Stew. It was great with the stock. I don't know that I would make it with anything that didn't have a sauce to it. It wasn't bad, just not a ton of flavor.

Cauliflower Rice-adapted from Skinny Ms.
Total Time: 10 Minutes
Serves 4

• 1 head cauliflower florets
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Boil cauliflower for 8 minutes or until fork tender. Drain. Return to pan, add oil, salt and pepper and mash like you would potatoes until a consistency you prefer.

Greek Chicken Stew

As you may have noticed, we've been on a bit of a Greek kick lately. This made really moist chicken that was super tasty! If you don't have a Dutch oven, you can use a sauce pan and then transfer it to a deep casserole dish to put in the oven.

Greek Chicken Stew-adapted from Skinny Ms.
Total Time: 40 minutes
Serves 4

• 3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon Greek seasoning (I use Penzey's)
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup chopped red onion
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup kalamata olives, sliced
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
• Feta cheese and cauliflower rice, for serving

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with Greek seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook chicken for 3 minutes on one side, flip, add onion, garlic, lemon juice, and orgeano and cook for 5 more minutes.

Add chicken stock, olives, capers and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Cover and transfer to the oven and cook for 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove from oven, serve with cauliflower rice or potatoes, and top with crumbled feta cheese.

Rotel Chicken Casserole

I can't remember the last time I bought Velveeta. To me, it's like American cheese, I'd just rather not have it. Now I have quite the brick of it to use, but at least this casserole was pretty darn good to make up for it! I found a kind that had jalapenos mixed in and bought that for the extra kick, but you can use plain as well.

Add about 20 minutes to the cooking time if you also need to cook the rice.

Rotel Chicken Casserole-adapted from Cook'n is Fun
Total time: 30 Minutes
Serves 6

• 3 chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons Velveeta with jalapenos
• 2/3 cup plain yogurt
• 10 ounce can Rotel
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 2/3 cup cooked rice
• 15 ounces kidney beans
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 11x7 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Mix together all ingredients except for shredded cheese. Top with the cheese and bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and chicken is cooked through.