Today was full of delicious eats, especially the dinner you see in that title above…BUT, since I’m a little behind on posting today, let’s get all caught up, shall we? :)
Breakfast
Simple, yet always satisfying: A combo cereal bowl with Quaker Oatmeal Squares, Kashi Go Lean, & Kashi Go Lean Crunch. All topped off with 1/2 a sliced banana and some sweet vanilla almond milk.
I also enjoyed a travel mug of hot coffee on my way into school today to do some work in my classroom. Hot coffee?? Courtney, it’s 90+ degrees today! I know, I know, but hubby offered to make it sooo…I digress. ;)
Lunch
After working for a few hours at school, I came back to whip up a quick lunch. Considering the sweltering heat I had been dealing with all morning, a cool, creamy smoothie sounded like absolute heaven.
This was probably the simplest and yummiest smoothie I’ve made to date:
- 1 container Strawberry Chobani flavored yogurt
- 1/2 large frozen banana, sliced
- 5 large frozen strawberries
- Splash vanilla almond milk
It was almost too thick to drink through the straw! Unfortunately, it didn’t have too much staying power – I was hoping the extra protein from the yogurt would help, but I think maybe next time I’ll add in a scoop of strawberry protein powder.
I also bagged up some carrots & celery + hommus and a little HLS swag to go:
By the way, these Mary’s Gone Crackers were absolutely AMAZING! I already recommended them to my friend Eileen who is trying to go gluten-free, but I would recommend them to anyone. They totally rocked my socks! :-D
The reason I brought the rest of my lunch “to-go” was because I had a very special lunch date with 4 very special ladies! :mrgreen: But since Jay and I had just done a large grocery shop, and we just came back from a week full of eating out, I opted to go but bring my own goods. I didn’t deprive myself, saved some money, and had a blast reminiscing and sharing stories from last week’s shenanigans. ;)
Dinner
Ohhh my friends, I have a new recipe comin’ your way tonight…and it’s a GOOD one!!!!
Chicken & Sweet Potato Bake
Chicken & Sweet Potato Bake
Original recipe can be found here
Ingredients:
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2 chicken breasts
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1 large sweet potato
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1 15oz can pineapple chunks in 100% juice
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2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
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1 tsp ground ginger
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1 tsp garlic powder
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1 tsp cinnamon
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Salt/Pepper to taste
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1 cup brown rice
Directions:
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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Dice chicken into 1/2 – 1 inch cubes.
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Peel sweet potatoes and cut into 1 inch cubes.
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Drain pineapple juice, reserving about 1/2 cup to use when cooking rice.
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In large bowl, toss diced chicken, sweet potato pieces, and pineapple chunks. Add oil, ginger, garlic powder, cinnamon, and S&P. Toss well and transfer to a 9×13 baking dish coated in non-stick cooking spray.
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Bake for 20 minutes uncovered. Remove from oven, cover with foil, and bake for another 30-40 minutes. (This prevents the sweet potatoes from drying out and keeps them soft and moist.)
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In saucepan, cook brown rice as directed on packaging, substituting 1/2 cup of the water with the reserved pineapple juice.
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Serve Chicken & Sweet Potato Bake on top of brown rice. ENJOY! :)
This dinner was SO GOOD! The texture of the sweet potatoes was absolutely perfect; soft, moist, and full of flavor. The chicken, in my opinion, got a little dry, so I might try cooking it a little less next time. But the flavor was great: sweet & savory, and both hubby and I really enjoyed it – plus, we even have at least another 1-1/2 servings leftover!
I dare you to give it a try. ;)
Tonight is going to be spent relaxing on the couch, so I can gear up for another full day tomorrow. As you may have already noticed, my blog posts may be a little sporadic for the next couple weeks. With school starting next week, the Labor Day holiday this weekend, and prepping all this week, my schedule is a little hectic, to say the least. But I promise, I will still be around, so keep visiting, because I love visitors. :)
Question for the Night:
What was your favorite part about going back to school every year?
For me, it was school supply shopping. I LOVED getting all of my new Lisa Frank folders/pencils/lunch bag/book bag/erasers/aka, anything I could find.
Getting new school outfits wasn’t too bad either. ;)
Abby (Nibble, Nourish, Run) says
Gah I was obsessed with Lisa Frank! My favorite part of going back to school was getting the supplies list and hitting up Office Max with my mom…seriously the things that made me happy!? And that dinner looks awesome…love the pineapple!
Lizzy @ LBBakes says
Haha, Lisa Frank! Loved those folders! And my Five Star binder. I was so classy. ;) I actually LOVE going into staples because I love the smell of school/office supplies. Hope you’re managing the week before preparations – I hear its tough!
Dorry says
Loved the supplies as well! Fun pencils, erasers, pens and hi-liters. :)
Amy @ Second City Randomness says
I had both of those lisa frank designs… too funny!
erica says
omg! i loved lisa frank when i was growing up! the lisa frank folders and trapper keepers! ah, school supplies!
Shanna, like Banana says
Yep that looks scrumptious…very creative!
Becky says
Slightly random, but where do you do the bulk of your grocery shopping? I’m from Guilderland and am a big fan of Price Chopper :)
Courtney says
It totally depends on the week for me. Usually it’s Price Chopper, but this week was Hannaford. I seem to have better luck with produce there.
Hope says
I totally remember Lisa Frank! Anything Lisa Frank was a definite must have for me. :)
Jen @ Jen is Green says
I am pretty sure I had that lisa frank unicorn folder, along with erasers, pencils, and stickers. oh, those were the days! you can’t forget the whales swimming in space either! remember those folders?!
Gabby says
I was the biggest Lisa Frank fan!!! Even to this day when I see it I smile. I loved all the colors and patterns we had to choose from. When we cleaned out my dad’s house before we sold it I found soooo much Lisa Frank stuff in my childhood desk. Thanks for the little sunshine in my day Court!
Courtney says
Awww, I’m so glad I could! :-D