Recipes: Chicken Tomato Pasta
Chicken Tomato Pasta Dish
Another great meal made by my awesome husband. He came up with this pasta recipe one Sunday for lunch. The base is animal shaped pasta noodles (can you guess who picked out the noodles)?! Topped with chicken, tomatoes, bok choy, spinach, and mushrooms. It was a fresh and tasty combination perfect for dinner out on the deck with the family on a sunny Sunday afternoon.
Chicken Tomato Pasta Recipe:
- 1 lb Chicken Breasts (sliced, cooked, seasoned, and drained)
- 12 oz Pasta (we used Organic Vegetable Pasta in the shape of Animals)
- 1 large Tomato (or can of diced tomatoes)
- 1 cup Fresh Spinach
- 1 cup Fresh Bok Choy
- 1/2 cup Fresh Mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Minced Garlic
- Optional – 1/2 small Onion
- Optional – 1/4 cup shredded Cheese
1. Slice the chicken in about 1 inch strips. Heat 1/2 tablespoon of Olive Oil in a frying pans on medium heat and add the minced garlic (and onion if using it). Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add the chicken and stir gently as every couple minutes while working on the other steps.
2. Add water to a pot and turn it on medium-high until it is at a rolling boil and add the pasta. Cook the pasta per the directions on the package.
3. Slice up the vegetables into about 1/2 inch to 1 inch pieces (tomatoes, spinach, bok choy, mushrooms). Heat 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and tomatoes cooking them for about 2 minutes. Add the spinach and bok choy, cooking for an additional 3 minutes or until the leaves are starting to wilt.
4. Scoop some pasta onto your plate. Top with the tomato and vegetable mixture. Add the chicken and a little more of the tomato and vegetable mixture. Optional: Garnish with sauteed bok choy centers and a sprinkle of shredded cheese.
Chicken Tomato Pasta with a Bok Choy garnish!
Life on the Farm: Pigs, Cows, & Planting Tomatoes….Oh My!
The girls had to go check out the pigs. Thankfully they were really tame because they were pretty big!
Our girls love animals and always enjoy spending time with ANY animal they come in contact with…yup including the pigs, ha! During our recent trip to the Midwest to see family the girls spent some extra time on the farm. The guys happened to be working cattle so they got to watch some of that process as well as hand feed the pigs. The girls quickly discovered that there was only one barn cat (out of the 15) that would even let them get close enough to pet it!
My cousin Renelle was in town from Colorado so in between hand feeding the farm animals and exploring with the kids we planted tomatoes for Grandpa Verlyn and Grandma Doris to enjoy later this Summer. I am thankful that the girls got an opportunity to spend time on the farm as well as some time getting to know their grandparents and great grandparents a little better. We have a lot of great memories of our time in Kansas!
To Brina hand feeding the pigs and petting at the same time.
This pig’s got it made….lounging in the shade being hand fed grass from Karlie! What a life!
Hand feeding the pigs
Giving the cows a special snack!
They couldn’t feed the cattle fast enough as soon as they brought a handful the cows pulled it through and were munching away on it.
How to Keep Fresh Garden Vegetables Separate & Accessible in a Refrigerator Drawer
Refrigerator drawer full of fresh garden vegetables
We love it when our vegetable drawer is crammed full of fresh garden vegetables! The problem is at times it can be difficult finding the vegetable you want in the middle of all the other goodies in the drawer. Now that Spring is here and people are planting gardens, going to farmers markets, and stocking up on some of the great fresh produce in the stores I thought it would be a good time to share how I have found an easy and inexpensive way to keep the garden vegetables separate yet accessible while in the refrigerator drawer.
Solution – recycled bread bags! It seems silly but it really works well! You probably already have them around plus you can usually fit more bags into the drawer. We tried doing containers but every week we had a different amount of vegetables or they were overflowing among other things that just didn’t make them work well. As I was throwing out a bread bag the thought came across my mind that it would make a good “holder” for the garden vegetables.
The bags can be packed as little or as much as needed (and can be adjusted accordingly) plus they keep the vegetables separate so I can easily reach in and grab whatever veggies I needed at the time. It also made it super easy for the kids to pack their own lunches or to grab a quick snack from the vegetable drawer.
Here’s how we did it:
French bread loaf bag, washed & dried so it can be filled with cherry tomatoes from the garden
Once the tomatoes are all in the bag roll the remaining bag down until it is even with the stack of tomatoes
Bag of tomatoes ready to be put into the fridge drawer
Fresh veggies organized and accessible for the next meal
Recipe: Veggie Beef Soup
We made this soup recently when friends came over. I was trying to use up some fresh vegetables that we had in our refrigerator and came up with this recipe. It was super easy and tasted delicious. We have been trying out a variety of different soup recipes during the cooler winter months. All of us have enjoyed the leftovers too! The items that we put in the Veggie Beef Soup were ones we had on hand. Feel free to add more or substitute with the veggies that you have in your refrigerator. Today is a snowy day in SC so we are loving the warm meals. The kids have been in and out playing in the snow today.Veggie Beef Soup
- 1 pound Beef Stew Meat
- 1 cup potatoes (cut into 1/2 inch)
- 1 cup carrots (cut into 1/4 inch pieces)
- 1 can stewed Tomatoes
- 1 can Beef Broth
- 1 cup frozen Green Beans
- 1/2 cup Snap Peas
- 1/2 cup Onion (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon of McCormick Grill Mates 25% Less Sodium Montreal Steak
Put all ingredients in the crock pot turn it on low and cook for 6 to 8 hours. If you want a slightly thicker soup you can add a tablespoon of sifted flour.
