Spicy Chipotle Chicken and Rice

Definite hit in our household - eaten by everyone! The original recipe says 4 servings, but I think it's closer to 6, especially with a side of steamed veggies:

Spicy Chipotle Chicken and Rice (adapted from Everyday Food)
Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1.5 pounds total)(I've also used about 1.5 lbs chicken tenderloins - see below.)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 sliced onion
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, minced (use 2 if you have less of a heat tolerance)
• 2 large tomatoes, diced large
• 1 cup long-grain white rice, like basmati
• Lime wedges, for serving (optional)
• Chopped cilantro leaves, for serving (optional)

Directions

1. In a large Dutch oven, wok, or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Working in batches, brown chicken on both sides, about 6 minutes total; transfer to a plate.
2. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pot.
3. Add garlic, cumin, and chiles; cook until garlic is soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and 1 teaspoon salt and cook until tomatoes begin to break down and release their juices, 3 minutes. Stir in 1 cup water and return chicken and any accumulated juices to pot. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook 25 minutes.
4. Remove several pieces of chicken and stir in rice, making sure it is completely submerged in liquid. Replace chicken, cover, and cook until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed, about 25 minutes more. After 25 mins, check on rice - if some bits seem uncooked, stir well, cover, and leave for another 10 mins. Serve with lime wedges and cilantro if desired.

*Variation: I used chicken tenderloins, which I cut up into bite size pieces after cooking them (so after step 1.) This makes Step 4 a little harder, since it's harder to push the chicken to one side to add the rice, so when I do this, I add in about 1/4 cup more water to ensure the rice cooks through. 

Doc McStuffins Day! Preschool Learning Activities

I had such grand plans for the summer - weekly themes, around which I would plan learning activities, trips, crafts, etc. So with almost a month into the summer, I've done 3. Not 3 weeks, 3 days. But good days! The rest of the summer is flying by in a haze of splash pads, beach trips, dance camps, and mama's chores/work.

The first of the three days was centered around Doc McStuffins - I love that new cartoons that come out are so aware of breaking gender stereotypes, and of teaching. For those who don't know Doc McStuffins centers around a little girl who looks out for the healthcare needs of her stuffed animals (and also happens to have a mother who is also a doctor.) My 4-year-old, despite the ongoing princess obsession, has very frequently expressed interest in the medical world, and loves Doc McStuffins. A week-long theme seemed a bit long, so this was a day-long theme. The night before I began, I ran across a Doc McStuffins printable preschool pack! I love the parents who create these and share them with the world! This is from Super Mommy To The Rescue, who was my hero that day:

http://supermommytotherescue.com/free-doc-mcstuffins-preschool-pack

After starting off the day with a few of those activities, we proceeded to set up a triage area in the playroom - several stuffed animals lined up on a diaper changing pad, and all the Fisher-Price medical kits came out, as well as some real gauze (which Lani LOVED) and tape. We talked about some first aid procedures, and then walked through some animal ailments. Even my 22-month-old got into this, giving Boots (from Dora) a full exam! This definitely was the most popular activity of the day.

Afterwards, we watched and danced to The Skeleton Song on YouTube (also a huge hit) and made Skeleton Bones for a snack - just pretzel sticks with mini marshmallows on both ends, dipped in candy coating (although white chocolate probably would have been more delicious.) Honestly though, I think Lani enjoyed making them infinitely more than eating them.

We ended the day with a few more activities from the preschool pack, and then Lani proudly showed off her new doctoring techniques when daddy got home!

Cheesy Mexican Rice with a Kick!

*Finally* found a great mexican rice recipe, although I wish I could work around the Rotel canned tomatoes! I'll be experimenting with fresh tomatoes/peppers and update if I find success - but this was so popular in the house that I'm reluctant to mess with it!

Cheesy Mexican Rice from www.letsdishrecipes.com (who adapted it from Paula Deen)

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter 
1 1/2 cups long-grain rice 
1/2 cup chopped onion 
1 jalepeno, seeded and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced 
2 cups chicken broth
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes with green chiles 
1/2 teaspoon chili powder 
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (can also use Monterey Jack)

Directions
In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the rice, onion, jalepeno, and garlic. Cook until the rice is browned and vegetables are tender. Stir in the broth, tomatoes, chili powder, cumin and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the rice is tender, about 15 to 17 minutes. Stir in the cilantro and cheese and transfer to a serving bowl. 


**If you only have a 10 oz. can of tomatoes, add about 1/4 cup water as well, so the rice doesn't dry out

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

Father's Day - so of course, I have a brunch demand. Not from my laid-back husband, but from my 4-year-old, who was demanding muffins from the moment she woke me up at the crack of dawn. So I jumped onto Allrecipes and made these, which were a big hit! 

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

• Ingredients:
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used Smart Balance)
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (I used two medium sized bananas)
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, combine the egg, oil, yogurt and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in bananas and chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups, or silicone cups, two-thirds full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Baked Brown Rice

Baked Brown Rice
From Mel's Kitchen Cafe

1 1/2 c. brown rice
2 1/2 c. low-sodium chicken broth

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the ingredients in a 3-quart baking pan or casserole dish and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before removing the foil and fluffing with a fork. Enjoy!

Spicy Shrimp Quesadillas

These are just GOOD. Definitely have a kick to them, which obviously you can adjust by reducing the red pepper flakes/cayenne:

Spicy Shrimp Quesadillas
Adapted from www.macheesmo.com

Ingredients

• 1 pound cleaned shrimp
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 Teaspoons hot paprika
• 2 Teaspoons cumin
• 1 Teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 Teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 Tablespoons lime or lemon juice (sometimes I use a combination, which I prefer - otherwise, I usually do straight lemon)
• 16 ounces cheese (I used a mix of cheddar and mozzarella, but mozzarella alone also works well)
• 1/4 red onion, sliced (sometimes I sub in some grilled (white) onions - have also added chopped green onions)
• 8 large tortillas

Directions

1. Add defrosted shrimp to a bowl with all your spices along with lime/lemon juice, and olive oil.
2. Let this sit for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 400 degrees, and slice the red onion.
3. Once your shrimp have been marinating for a few minutes, add them to a pan over medium-high heat.
4. Once they are cooked through give them a chop on a cutting board. I sometimes skip this step if it's just my husband and me eating - we don't mind the larger shrimp in our food. 
5. Once your shrimp are cooked and chopped, lay out some tortillas on a baking sheet, add some cheese, add your shrimp and onions, and then top with a bit more cheese.
6. Add the top tortilla and cook these for about 8-10 minutes at 400 degrees. Then take out your baking sheet and carefully flip each quesadilla with a spatula.
7. Return them to the oven for another 5-6 minutes and then they should be ready to serve!

**I also sometimes skip the 6th step, by just folding one tortilla over onto itself, and having the fillings inside. Then, there's no need to flip halfway through, but it does sometimes make the end product look a bit messier - so for company, I prefer the original method. 

French Vanilla Crepes - with hidden Flaxseed, Wheat Germ, and 3 Different Flours!

Even the pickiest of picky eaters can't resist a good crepe - filled with nutellas, strawberries, cream, or whatever strikes their picky fancy. I started with a basic recipe from www.allrecipes.com, and then modified it over time to try to get some better ingredients into my preschooler's skinny, picky body. This is the one breakfast item she will reliably eat!

French Vanilla Crepes

Makes @10 crepes

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup almond flour
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp wheat germ
1 1/2 tsp ground flaxseed meal
3 eggs
2 cups whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp melted butter
**for the whole wheat and almond flours, as well as the ground flaxseed meal, I use Bob's Red Mill organic products, which I can find in the Greenwise sections of my local Publix


1. Combine flours, sugar, salt, cinnamon, wheat germ, and flaxseed meal. Set aside.
2.  In a large bowl, beat together eggs and milk with a mixer. Add vanilla. Beat in flour mixture until smooth. Add melted butter, and stir.
3. Heat a lightly oiled pan over low-medium heat. Add approximately 2 Tbsp of batter and rotate pan to spread it thinly. Brown on both sides, and add your choice of delicious fillings! Stir the batter between crepes, to keep the ingredients from sinking to the bottom. This also keeps the last few crepes from getting too heavy (the butter congeals a bit and rises in the batter.)

This works well with nutella, raw chopped fruits, sauteed apples, jams, and very well with some Reddi-Whip!