Friday, April 23, 2010

My "go to" easy meals...

...always seem to start with poached chicken breast these days.  Simply because it's easy, I don't have to turn on my oven or really even pay that much attention as I am cooking them (which is good because my eyes are on my ever-discovering, ever-wandering around every drawer and cabinet, toddler!)
So I have promised many of you that I'd post how I poach chicken, and perhaps a few ideas of what to do afterward...so here goes.

I take two boneless skinless FOA chicken breasts, rinse, place them in a large saute pan and cover with water.  I will also add some leftover white wine (if it happens to be open in the fridge and needs finishing), lemon juice, garlic (unless I am really crunched for time, then it's organic garlic powder), herbs de Provence, perhaps a bay leaf or two, sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.  Bring to a boil, cover and turn off the heat.  Set a timer for about 10 minutes (this is trial and error based on number of breasts, thickness, etc...)  I then remove the chicken and set on a plate to rest about 5-10 minutes.  Once cooled, I cut it up into pieces for my little one to toss with some salad or cooked veggies with sea salt and EVOO.  For me and my husband, I typically make chicken salad to put over greens.  As of recent I am not using mayo (because of an egg white intolerance) and I have come up with some delicious alternatives.  Today I was about to rush out the door, telling myself I would just pick up lunch at the Wine Kitchen but then that little voice said to me "walk your talk!"  I knew I had one last chicken breast in the fridge and plenty of things to complete a quick meal.  So I took five, yes only five, minutes and made myself a delicious lunch.  I chopped the chicken into bite-sized cubes, coarsely chopped some pecans and dried cherries, sprinkled some sunflower seeds, cut up apple, all tossed with a good balsamic vinegar, sea salt, fresh pepper and good EVOO.  In another bowl I threw some pre-washed organic spring mix.  When it was time for lunch I tossed the chicken mixture with the greens, added a little more sea salt and EVOO and WOW!  It was delicious, I just finished and had to write this post.  So quick, so last minute, so random and sooooooo yummy!
Don't make the excuse of no time to cook or prepare your own foods...you just have to make a plan, shop for the right ingredients to have on hand and start!