Holiday weekend

Holiday weekends are tough to plan meals around! My husband and I both come from large families, and we spend most every holiday with all of them! We had wonderful meals both Saturday and Sunday, so it was nice to not have to plan and cook too much! I did bring food to our gatherings - macaroni and cheese to my side of the family and sweet corn from my Dad's fields (that had been frozen) to Matt's side.

I did want to post my meal that I made last Friday. I didn't get a chance to post it.

I made chicken and rice packets in the oven. This is something that I tried a while back with salmon, and it was so good and easy that I use it with chicken too! Here is the recipe that I used as my guideline.

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

uncooked rice

marinade (I use the Lowry's Marinades - Sesame Ginger is our favorite)

frozen mixed veggies - (I like the stir-fry kind)

pineapple tidbits

water (or the juice from the pineapple)

My chicken was pretty large and thick, so I pounded them and then sliced the breasts into 'tender' sized pieces. Combine the rice (amount varies depending on how many packets you are making - for 4 packets I used about a cup of rice. Add enough marinade to make it soupy and then add the pineapple and the frozen veggies. If it appears you need more liquid, use some of the fruit juice or water. (remember, your veggies are frozen, so they will provide some extra moisture)

On a large piece of foil, spoon some of the rice mixture in the center of the foil. (don't forget, the rice will expand and absorb the liquid as it cooks - so use less than you think!) Lay the chicken on top of the rice mixture (however much chicken you want for one serving) Fold up the foil into a packet, leaving a bit of room for the steam to circulate. Make the rest of your packets. Lay all the packets on a jelly roll pan (a cookie sheet with raised edges). Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30-45 minutes - or until the chicken is done and the rice is cooked.

This is also great leftover (since I had it for lunch today!).

I hope to get back on my cooking game tomorrow. See you then.