Thompson Family Visit: Recipes Galore

Cooking for 4 can be challenging when you're used to cooking for zero. The truth is that Ryan rarely eats dinner at home and mine generally consist of a bowl of cereal, a PB&J sammy, or veggies & dip. Since becoming pregnant, dinner is the least appealing meal to me as the baby nor this momma are hungry at night time. That no dinner business doesn't quite fly with the in-laws and they prefer to dine in as opposed to mine who prefer to dine out (we really should own stock in about 15 different restaurants for the amount that we frequent them). I do enjoy cooking so it was fun to seek new meals, plan a schedule, shop for groceries, put my skills to work, and see my efforts pay off.

Here are some of the easy dinners that I whipped up which received excellent scores:

Chicken Bow Tie Pasta (6 servings):

     Ingredients

• 3 large chicken breasts
• 2 cup corn flakes 
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 6 tbls olive oil
• 12 oz package of bowtie noodles
• sauce of your choosing       

     

     Directions

1. Crush up corn flakes
2. Mix salt & flour then place in loaf pan
3. Place milk and corn flakes in separate loaf pans (*so you should have 3 separate loaf pans)
4. Place chicken breasts in Ziploc bag and beat with meat mallet
5. Cut each breast in half after removing from bag
6. Coat both sides of chicken in flour then place in freezer for 5 minutes
7. Begin cooking pasta
8. Remove chicken from freezer and dip in milk, then corn flakes (*coat both sides)
9. Coat skillet with olive oil then cook chicken breasts for 5 minutes on each side on medium heat
10. Cover and cook 7 more minutes but be sure they do not burn
11. Slice chicken into strips and serve over pasta with sauce

**I didn't have corn flakes so I used crushed up crackers which worked nicely. I added asparagus to compliment for a veggie. 

Seasoned Pork Chops (6 servings):

     Ingredients

• ranch dressing
• 3 cups Italian bread crumbs  
• 1 small packet dry Italian dressing mix    
• 2 tbls grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tbls powdered garlic
• 6 large loin pork chops

     

     Directions

1. Mix bread crumbs, Italian dressing mix, parmesan cheese, and garlic powder together
2. Pour layer of ranch dressing onto plate
3. Coat pork chops with dressing then dip into mixture (*coat both sides)
4. Place onto tin foil lined baking dish and bake for 45 minutes
5. Serve immediately

**I didn't have the Italian dressing mix so I omitted it.

Roasted Veggies & Potatoes (makes as many as you prefer):

     Ingredients

• veggies of your choice (i.e. peppers, onions, zucchini, squash)
• red potatoes      
• parmesan cheese

     

     Directions

1. Cut up veggies and potatoes
2. Place on baking sheet
3. Bake for 35 minutes on 350 degrees
4. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top and bake for 10 minutes
5. Serve immediately

**I served these with the seasoned pork chops and a spinach & raspberry salad

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia (makes as many as you prefer):

     Ingredients

• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tbls parsley     
• 3/4 cup parmesan cheese
• tilapia fillets

     

     Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Combine parmesan cheese, paprika, and parsley in shallow dish 
3. Drizzle olive oil onto tilapia fillets
4. Dredge fillets in cheese mixture
5. Place on foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes

**I served these with a side of broccoli and mac n' cheese (because I L.O.V.E. mac n cheese as it compliments fish in my humble opinion ;) )

Mexican Crock Pot Delight (makes 6 to 8 servings):

     Ingredients

• 2 to 3 lbs frozen chicken tenders
• 8 oz pkg cream cheese (light or 1/3 is fine; but do not use fat free)
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can corn
• 1 can rotel

     

     Directions

1. Put frozen chicken into crock pot
2. Place cream cheese on top of chicken
3. Drain and rinse black beans, then place on top of cream cheese
4. Drain corn, then place on top of black beans
5. Place rotel on top of corn
6. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours
7. Let set for about 30 minutes before serving

**I served on top of brown rice. A bonus is that Ryan was able to take the leftovers to work for lunch and put inside a tortilla for a little burrito action. 

***I completely made up this name ;)

BONUS RECIPE:

Berry Baked Oatmeal (makes 6 servings):

     Ingredients

• 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup milk (skim is fine)
• 1 large egg
• 2 tbls unsalted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 to 3 ripe bananas
• 1 cup blueberries or raspberries

     

     Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Lightly grease 2 qt baking dish
3. Mix oats, half walnuts, baking powder, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl
4. Combine syrup, milk, egg, butter (melted), and vanilla in a liquid measuring cup and mix well
5. Spread the bananas (peeled & sliced) in a single layer over the bottom of the baking dish
6. Top with half of the berries
7. Sprinkle dry mixture over fruit in an even layer
8. Pour liquid mixture evenly over dry mixture
9. Sprinkle remaining walnuts and berries over top
10. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes
11. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving

**A delicious breakfast that can be made on Sunday and eaten all week :)