Tuesday 8 December 2015

Chicken Breast Recipe

Breaded Parmesan Chicken

Versatile Chicken breast recipe that can be served with a range of healthy sides. Here is it served with a twice baked cheesy potato and salad.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

Chicken Breasts
Breadcrumbs
Egg
Parmesan
Parsley
Baked Potatoes
Butter
Cheddar cheese
Onion
Salt and Pepper

Recipe

1.  Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
2.  Hammer the chicken to flatten slightly to ensure even cooking.
3.  Grate the cheese and finely chop only a small part of the onion.
4.  Crack an egg into a bowl and lightly whisk.  Put some breadcrumbs, grated Parmesan and parsley into another bowl and mix through.
5.  Dip the chicken in the egg and then in the breadcrumb mixture.  Sit to the side.
6.  Pierce the baked potatoes and place on a microwaveable plate and cook in the microwave for 10 minutes or until softened.
7.  Remove the potato from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes.
8.  Heat some oil in a pan and fry the chicken breasts for 10 minutes each side until golden brown.
9.  Meanwhile put the cheese and onion in a bowl with a large knob of butter and scoop the potato out of the skin and mix through in the bowl and the butter and cheese is melted through and season.
10.  Put the mixture back into the potato skins, Place them in foil parcels on a baking tray and place in the oven for 10 minutes to heat through.
11- Serve chicken and potato with salad.

Finished Result

This can also be served with baby potatoes and any vegetable or savoury rice. Whatever your family like. Another favourite of ours with this is potato wedges and corn on the cob.

Chicken Breast is a great staple to have in your fridge and so many different recipes can be created, click on the link below for some more ideas or if you have any better ones please share.  I am always looking for new ways to cook chicken.


The great thing about the recipes on this site is that a lot of them are one pan - also saves on the washing up :)


Healthy Idea for Dinner

Mexican Food Recipe

Chicken Enchiladas

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes


Ingredients

Chicken Breast
Onion
Mushrooms
Mixed Peppers
Cheese
Tortillas
Jar Old el Paso enchilada sauce
Jalepenos


Recipe

1.  Chop peppers, onion and mushrooms.  Cut chicken into strips and grate cheese.
2. Fry chicken in a little oil until cooked, add vegetables and fry until cooked to your liking.
3.  Add half the jar of sauce and half the grated cheese, stir through and heat through.
4.  Lay a tortilla in an oven proof dish, spoon some mixture along the centre of the tortilla.  If you like your mexican food spicy and a few jalepenos and wrap up with the fold at the bottom.  Repeat for all tortillas required.
5.  Pour the rest of the sauce over the top of the wrapped tortillas and spread over, add remaining grated cheese and put in the centre of the oven for 15 minute and the cheese is bubbling.
6.  Serve

Finished Result

This recipe is great as the sauce is mild and can
be enjoyed by the kids and can be spiced up for
those who like their food a bit hotter.

Mexican food is so tasty and is a good healthy
option, with lots of colourful vegetables and beans.

For more Mexican food dinner ideas check out the web links below or if you have a recipe that you make for your family that you can enjoy please share it with us.

Links to Mexican Food recipes

Mexican food is so tasty and doesn't always have to include all the calorific dips.  There are healthy alternatives to use.  It is also a great option when entertaining as there are lots of little tapas that can be created that will not only  be a hit with the adults but the kids too - A favourite of ours is nachos.

http://oldelpaso.co.uk/mexican-recipes

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/recipe-collections-favorites/easy-mexican-recipes/









Fast Mid Week Curry

Dinner recipe for a speedy tasty curry

This dinner is great if you are short on time but fancy something really tasty.

Preparation Time: 2 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes if using dried rice/10 minutes if using ready made rice.

Ingredients



Cooked Chicken
Onion
Mayflower curry sauce
Rice
Prawncrackers

Optional

Peas
Mushrooms


Recipe

1.  Cook rice if using dried rice, if using microwave rice leave this step until later.
2.  Chop onion and fry in a little oil and set aside.  If you like cook some mushrooms at this too.

3.  Follow instructions on pack for preparing curry sauce - a rough guide is to use approximately a third of the box with 420 mls of water - this is enough for my husband and I and our 2 kids.
4.  Add water to pot and mix in powder, whisking until smooth, once brought to the boil, simmer for a couple of minutes.
5.  Add the cooked onion (and mushrooms and peas) and the chicken pieces and stir through to heat up.
6.  Serve with rice and prawn crackers.

Finished Result

This dish can be served with oven chips too as an alternative.

This is the easiest curry to make and is mild enough
that it can be enjoyed by kids.

There a so many curry recipes out there to enjoy- Chinese, Indian, Thai - Spicy, Creamy, Aromatic  please see some  links below to see just a small number of them.                                                                                                                                                        

I hope they give you some inspiration. 

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/curry

http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipes/curry-recipes.aspx

If you have any quick dinner recipes like this to help us busy mums please let u know.

Wednesday 18 November 2015

Quick Healthy Pasta

Spaghetti with bacon and cherry tomatoes

If you love pasta but are fed up trying to find a shop bought jar of sauce that suits all then please give this recipe a go, it is a really quick, tasty meal for all the family


Preparation Time: 30 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Serves 2

Ingredients


Bacon
Onion
Garlic
Pack of Cherry Tomatoes
Dried Spaghetti
Olive Oil
Dried Chillies
Worcester Sauce











Recipe

  1. Boil the kettle and preheat oven to 180
  2. Cut up bacon and onion and crush 2 or 3 cloves of garlic
  3. Add bacon, onion, garlic and cherry tomatoes to oven tray, pour over a couple of tablespoons of oil, a few splashes of Worcester sauce and a pinch of dried chilli flakes.
  4. Put approx 200 g spaghetti in a pot of boiled salted water and cook until al-dente.
  5. Put in oven, after 10 minutes, removed from oven and give a stir, squash some of the cherry tomatoes and if you feel its a bit dry add a little beef stick and return to oven for a further 10 minutes.
  6. Drain pasta and stir into oven dish.
  7. Serve

Finished Result

This quick pasta is delicious and as its made with roasted fresh cherry tomatoes it doesn't give an after taste that I find you can get if you use tinned tomatoes.

Pasta is always a fail safe in my house as the kids enjoy it and there is so many variations.

This recipe proves that making a fresh pasta sauce doesn't have to take a long time, cost a lot of money or have vast amounts of ingredients. 

Please have a look at the websites below for more quick easy pastas that you and your family will enjoy:


Friday 6 November 2015

Quick salmon for Busy Mums


Roasted Salmon with veggie rice

Preparation time – 15 mins
Cooking time – 30 mins
Serves - 2 adults and 2 children

Ingredients

3 Salmon fillets
1 Onion
2 cloves of Garlic
2 Peppers
1 Courgette
Rice
Soya Sauce
Sweet Chilli Sauce
Stock cube
Olive Oil














Recipe
  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees and prepare stock
  2. Chop onion, peppers and courgette and crush garlic
  3. Place a sheet of tinfoil in an oven tray (big enough to create a parcel around the salmon fillets) put the fillets on the tin foil and add 2-3 tablespoons of soya sauce and sweet chilli sauce to each fillet - add less or more if you prefer. Put in oven for 15-20 minutes.
  4. Cook rice - I use basmati rice and cook it in my microwave steamer but you could use boiled rice or a packet microwave rice - whatever you prefer.
  5. Add tablespoon of oil to pan and add onion and garlic and fry for a few minutes, add peppers and cook for a further few minutes then add courgette.  If the vegetables start to catch, add some stock and continue to do this until the vegetables are cooked to your liking.
  6. Add the cooked rice to the pan and add a few splashes of soya sauce  and a little sweet chill sauce to taste.
  7. Mix through and serve with the salmon on top, pour remaining sauce from tinfoil parcel over salmon.
Finished Result


As I like my food spicy I tend to serve the rice for my boys and before serving my husband and I's I add a sprinkle of chilli flakes to add more of a heat. 

Fish is so healthy and isn't always the first thing that springs to mind when thinking of a quick dinner (other than fish fingers) but if you prefer to cook fresh meals then check out the link below for some more quick fish recipes for busy mums on the go:

Mums Super quick stirfry

Stir Fry's are great for mums on the go.  Not only are they quick and versatile but they are also really healthy and give you the opportunity to get your 5 a day in one meal.

King Prawn and Noodle Stir Fry

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Serves: 2 Adults and 2 children

Ingredients


King Prawns
Noodles
Peppers
Onion
Mushrooms
Courgette
Carrot
Bean Sprouts
Garlic
Soya Sauce
Sweet Chilli Sauce
Chinese 5 spice
Stock


Recipe

  1. Boil kettle and prepare stock.
  2. Cut carrot, peppers and courgettes into matchsticks and chop the onion and mushrooms and crush the garlic
  3. Add noodles to boiling water.
  4. Heat tablespoon of olive oil in wok or large pan.  Add onion and garlic and fry for a couple of minutes, add peppers and fry for a couple of minutes.  If you feel the vegetables catching add tablespoon of stock, add carrots and fry for a couple of minutes, add courgette and mushrooms, fry for a couple of mins. Continue to add stock to keep pan from drying up and avoid using too much oil, Add beansprouts and prawns to heat through,
  5. Add noodles to wok and stir through.
  6. Add a few tablespoons of soya sauce and sweet chilli sauce, a teaspoon of chinese five spice and enough stock to prevent noodles from sticking.


Finished Result



I like to serve this stirfy with toasted pitta breads.  Halved they make a great pocket to fill with the tasty noodles.

I made this recipe with dried noodles but you could make it even easier by using a packet of fresh rice noodles.  (one less pot to wash).

Try clicking on the link below for more stir fry ideas:

stir-fries


Sunday 25 October 2015

Mums Tasty Chicken and Rice Soup

Welcome to the first of my blogs. I hope you like my quick, simple recipes that all your family will enjoy.  I aim to concentrate on recipes that you can make in advance or that don't take hours to prepare and make.

The first 2 recipes are quick, nutritious soups.

Mums Tasty Chicken and Rice Soup

Preparation Time - 25 mins
Cooking Time - A further 15 mins
Serves - 6 - 8 bowls

Ingredients


Chicken Breast
1400 ml Chicken Stock
Packet of Super Chicken Noodle Soup
1 cup of cooked white rice
1 Leek
2 Carrots
Handful of fresh Parsley
2 cloves of Garlic
Dash of oil



Recipe

  1. Prepare stock, chop up leek and garlic
  2. Heat a little oil in a large pot, add the leek and garlic and fry for a couple of minutes
  3. Add the stock, chicken and packet of super noodle chicken soup, bring to the boil
  4. Meanwhile, chop 1 carrot and grate the other and add to pot, bring to boil and then cover and simmer for 15 mins or until carrots are soft
  5. Add parsley and rice
  6. Remove chicken, shred and return to pot and season to taste

Finished result


This recipe can also be easily amended to make chicken and lentil soup simply by adding a cup of lentils when you add the stock and omitting the rice. (A favourite of my eldest son)

I enjoy this most served with hot part baked rolls straight from the oven.


If you have kids that are big soup fans like mine, check out the link below for quick, healthy soups that are great for the winter months.

best-soup-recipes-kids