As parents, we can all agree on one thing – there isn’t enough time in the day to get everything done. Whether it’s cleaning the house, doing laundry, getting groceries, doctor visits, spending quality time with the kids or sleeping, we can always use a few extra hours in the day for everything we want to accomplish, right? That’s how I feel about my family’s dinner. One minute we are playing in the park and the next minute, everyone is cranky, tired, it’s almost bed time but dinner hasn’t been made. So obviously, the first thing I do is panic! The second thing I do is ask my husband if we should just eat out (which is always a bad idea with 3 cranky and tired boys).
Once I settle down, I assess the situation (aka how much time do I really have and what food can I quickly whip up). Sometimes that means we eat breakfast for dinner (eggs, cereal, oatmeal and pancakes for the win!) and sometimes, it means we eat simple (chicken with rice, pasta or tuna melts). I think the key to remember is that there are always options and it doesn’t have to take long for your meals to be healthy and taste good too! And this is all coming from the person who tries to spend as little time as possible in the kitchen – so take my word for it!
I was recently challenged by Loblaws to create a healthy and delicious dinner in under 40 minutes as part of their Taste the New Next ‘Cooking on the Clock!’ food trend. We happened to be up at the cottage at the time which typically means that I do have more time since everything there is more relaxed. So while there is no schedule or routine per se, I still didn’t want to spend a lot of time inside cooking, so the challenge was the perfect distraction to get me back outside to enjoy some quality time with my family. I decided to make a meal that isn’t your typical “cottage” meal (there are only so many burgers and hot dogs that I can eat in a week). Since we already had a container full of Cherry Tomatoes and some pesto, I decided to make a pesto chicken pasta and a caprese salad. They were a big hit with both the kids and our guests. I can’t wait to make it again.
Pesto Chicken Pasta
Ingredients:
4 boneless chicken breasts, container of cherry tomatoes, 1/2 onion, pack of white mushrooms, 4 garlic cloves, pasta (we used Penne), pesto, basil, parsley, olive oil, salt & pepper.
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Cover a baking sheet with foil.
- Finely chop two cloves of garlic, and parsley and basil leaves. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and place cut side up on the baking sheet. Slice onions and mushrooms and spread over the pan along with basil and parsley. Drizzle olive oil, add garlic, and salt and pepper over the vegetables. Bake for approximately 15 minutes until roasted.
- While your tomatoes are roasting, bring a large pot of water and salt to a boil, and add pasta. Cook according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- While the tomatoes and pasta are cooking, prepare your chicken for grilling. Finely chop two garlic cloves and spread over chicken and sprinkle salt and pepper. Do this to both sides of the chicken. Grill on the barbeque for approximately 20 minutes (should reach internal temperature of 74 degrees). If cooking on stove top, drizzle olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Once chicken is cooked, slice it into bite size pieces.
- In a large bowl, add pasta, roasted tomatoes and chicken and mix with 4 tablespoons of pesto (feel free to add more based on taste preferences).
Caprese Salad
Ingredients:
Large box of cherry tomatoes, mozzarella cheese (can also substitute with bocconcini cheese), balsamic vinegar, olive oil, basil leaves, pesto and salt and pepper.
Directions:
- Slice half of the tomatoes in half. Arrange both full and cut tomatoes on a serving dish.
- Cut mozzarella cheese in medium-thickness slices. Spread out on the dish.
- Drizzle tomatoes and cheese with balsamic, olive-oil, pesto and salt and pepper.
Serve & enjoy!
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Loblaw as part of their Loblaw 2018 Canadian Food Trends campaign. In exchange for this post I have received perks in the form of product and compensation. All opinions on this blog are my own