Healthified version of Orange Chicken. Yes, I love the orange chicken at Panda Express or any other fast food Chinese joint, so I was wanting to try and make a healthy version for a long while now. I didn’t deep fry and only used chicken breast. I used one less tablespoon of sugar than the recipe called for and it still came out sweet. Might try to go even lighter on the sugar next time. The girls loved this dish and I was pretty much a fan too! This will definitely be made again.

Oven Fried Chicken. We’ve made this many times before and it even looks really fried, but it isn’t all and I think taste even more delicious than fried chicken and the best part it’s guilt free. The girls get the drumsticks and Ben and I eat the breasts. Our breading (the girls had their breading with a lot less cayenne) has like triple the cayenne than the recipe called for and oh yes, that totally makes it. We love anything spicy!

Week 7/30 – 8/3
Monday: Chile Stuffed Burger
Tuesday: Cold Soba Salad with Dried Shiitake Dressing
Wednesday: Turkey Tacos
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Pizza

I didn’t get to cook two of the things that was on my plan this week, so they will get pushed to next week and we have enough leftovers to last us until Thursday, so we are good to go for this week. I forgot to plan for some vegetables, but good thing Ben was able to whip up something fast. Gotta remember to add that food group to my planning. What’s a quick vegetable dish you make?

Korean BBQ Tacos with all the fixin’s are from this recipe. I also made chicken breast using the same marinade and this dish is so good and so easy! After Japanese food, Korean food is my next favorite. Oh man. Good thing I have a best friend who is Korean and introduces me to all these yummy Korean dishes. Well, in this case, a fusion dish.

The Lemon Thyme Chicken Breast was good and I made a separate marinade for the girls so it wouldn’t be so spicy, but if I were to do this one again, I would let it sit in the marinade overnight. The brown rice pilaf was something I was kind of just winging and it came out alright. Not the best, but it did the job. I threw in spinach for good measure.

I am glad to be back in the kitchen. I missed the challenge of cooking for my family. So after a couple months off due to house renovating and vacation, it’s time to get meal planning again.

Week of 7/23 – 7/27
Monday: A healthified version of Panda Express Orange Chicken
Tuesday: Chile Stuffed Burger
Wednesday: Cold Soba Salad with Dried Shiitake Dressing
Thursday: Left overs
Friday: Sushi Night!

What have you been cooking up lately?

If you are a s’mores fanatic like me, this is right up your alley. After I made the sandwich, I stuck all of them back in the freezer, which is good if you aren’t serving them right away, or just eat them right then and there. Either way, you’re in for a treat! It is so chocolatey and dangerously good.

I must also mention that my before bed snack of late has been that chocolate ice cream, which I first learned about from this sponsored post and I think it’s funny my own ads works on me, sprinkled with the marshmallow bits. Oh. My. Gosh. Wow! It’s kind of like Rite Aid Chocolate Malted Crunch ice cream, but without the hydrogenation. Anyone know that brand and flavor? It’s one of my faves.

Do you have a special snack before bedtime? Maybe now it will be a s’mores ice cream sandwich!

The tomatoes are growing like crazy and doing better at this time than any of our previous years. Ben attributes it to the special concoction he put in when they were planted. We finally picked our first harvest and this is the first time ever we had any to pick in June. And boy are they good! Out of this first harvest, the snow white variety was my fave. It was so sweet. Sweeter than any tomato I have ever had. Get ready for all the tomato show and telling that will be happening this summer. I have a feeling there will be a lot.What’s your favorite type of tomato?