Graduation is only 4 days away! Because our time together is running short, my pledge class decided to have one last "PC Dinner." Normally we would just pick a restaurant and meet there, but this time we decided to do a pot luck. I volunteered to bring the main dish.
It took me a while to think of something to bring, but then I remembered this AMAZING chicken recipe that my mom gave me a while back. However, I only had 45 minutes between the time I got off work and the time dinner started. Knowing this, I probably should have volunteered for like dessert or something and picked up cupcakes, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to cook something for my friends. I came up with this alternative version of that original lemon rosemary chicken recipe. This one uses a slow cooker instead of cooking the chicken in a skillet. Same flavors, different cooking technique. It was an experiment, but I figured it would still taste pretty similar. Also, sorry for not taking a picture! I just kind of forgot about it with all of the excitement of being with my friends.
HealthEasy Slow Cooker Lemon Rosemary Chicken
Ingredients:
2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs, it doesn't really matter)
5 lemons, juiced (about 1/2 cup of juice if you want to use the bottled kind)
6 garlic cloves, chopped (or a couple spoonfuls of the pre-minced garlic in a jar. You can find it in the spice aisle. That stuff is the easiest ever.)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp dried rosemary
S&P (maybe like 1 tsp each? I don't know I just kind of threw it in)
Combine all ingredients in a container or ziploc bag and let marinate for 2-3 hours. Using tongs, put the chicken into a crock pot and pour the marinade over it. Cook for 4-6 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low, occasionally basting the chicken with the marinade if you can. Remove the chicken carefully...it can have a tendency to fall apart.
Easy Rating: 8
If you use bottled juice and pre-minced garlic, I would put this at a 9. Otherwise you have juice the lemons and chop the garlic, but that's about all the work you have to do. Crock pot meals are the best.
Taste Rating: 7
The flavors were really good, and everybody seemed to like it. I thought it was a little dry, but that's because I'm comparing it to that other recipe, which I usually would make with thighs. I think that would have made all the difference, so maybe try using dark meat if you ever decide to make this!
Overall Rating: 7
I wish I didn't have another recipe to compare it to. I think I would like it better that way, but this was still pretty good. I hope my PC enjoyed it!
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF MY FRIENDS WHO ARE GRADUATING ON SATURDAY! Good luck to everybody next year whether you're working, looking for a job, going to law school, medical school, graduate school, or wherever you may be! I'm sad that this time together is coming to an end, but more than anything I'm just excited to see what the future holds! WAY TO GO, CLASS OF 2011!!
Showing posts with label Lemon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lemon. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Asparagus Whole Wheat Pasta With Lemon Dressing
I was reading Self magazine the other day, and I decided I'm going to do the Self Challenge. They offer diet and workout plans that will supposedly help you lose 10 lbs. in 2 weeks. I'm not looking to lose weight that quickly, so I'm following my own diet plan. Basically I'm going to try to add in more veggies and minimize things like cheese. But if I get hungry, I refuse to deny myself a snack because I'm am only supposed to eat exactly X calories per day. I'm an avid believer in not counting calories, because a lot of calorie intake comes from things that are good for you like healthy fats and sugars from fruit. So I always say nutrients over calories! I am however sticking with the workout plan, which you can find at www.self.com under "Drop 10" if you're interested.
The point of my story is, I found this recipe in the magazine. It was in a separate section from the "Self Challenge," but it caught my attention. Awesome thing #1: My absolute favorite vegetable has always been and will forever be asparagus. Awesome thing #2: I actually already had everything I needed to make this. Except for sun dried tomatoes, but that just took me a 5 minute grocery store trip on my way home from the Y.
My changes: I didn't really measure anything out for this, so here's an idea for what I did...I used zest and juice from 2 small lemons. I can't afford fresh basil, so I used a palm full of dried basil in the sauce instead. I also topped it with 4 oz. of salmon which I seasoned with S&P and baked at 375 for 15 minutes on a baking dish with cooking spray.
Ingredients:
1 lb. fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into bite size pieces
4 oz. whole-wheat penne
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup crumbled feta (can also use goat cheese for a creamier taste)
Boil asparagus until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove asparagus from water with a slotted spoon. Add pasta to boiling water, and cook as directed on package. Drain pasta and add to a bowl with all remaining ingredients except cheese. Stir to combine. Portion into 2 bowls and top with feta. Salt to taste.
Contains 387 calories per serving, 13 g fat (3 saturated), 58 g carbs, 12 g fiber, 17 g protein
(plus whatever was in the salmon)
Taste rating: 8
Another winner! I feel weird that I never give things low ratings, but if I like something, I want to do it justice. I'm sure it would be even better with fresh basil, but until I'm making a salary, I'm stuck with the dried stuff.
Easy rating: 8
This was as easy as making any pasta. While the penne cooked, I went ahead and made the sauce in a bowl and then just mixed everything together and plated it up!
Overall rating: 8
The point of my story is, I found this recipe in the magazine. It was in a separate section from the "Self Challenge," but it caught my attention. Awesome thing #1: My absolute favorite vegetable has always been and will forever be asparagus. Awesome thing #2: I actually already had everything I needed to make this. Except for sun dried tomatoes, but that just took me a 5 minute grocery store trip on my way home from the Y.
My changes: I didn't really measure anything out for this, so here's an idea for what I did...I used zest and juice from 2 small lemons. I can't afford fresh basil, so I used a palm full of dried basil in the sauce instead. I also topped it with 4 oz. of salmon which I seasoned with S&P and baked at 375 for 15 minutes on a baking dish with cooking spray.
Ingredients:
1 lb. fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into bite size pieces
4 oz. whole-wheat penne
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup crumbled feta (can also use goat cheese for a creamier taste)
Boil asparagus until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove asparagus from water with a slotted spoon. Add pasta to boiling water, and cook as directed on package. Drain pasta and add to a bowl with all remaining ingredients except cheese. Stir to combine. Portion into 2 bowls and top with feta. Salt to taste.
Contains 387 calories per serving, 13 g fat (3 saturated), 58 g carbs, 12 g fiber, 17 g protein
(plus whatever was in the salmon)
Taste rating: 8
Another winner! I feel weird that I never give things low ratings, but if I like something, I want to do it justice. I'm sure it would be even better with fresh basil, but until I'm making a salary, I'm stuck with the dried stuff.
Easy rating: 8
This was as easy as making any pasta. While the penne cooked, I went ahead and made the sauce in a bowl and then just mixed everything together and plated it up!
Overall rating: 8
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