This weekend I was looking for some kind of a change. My normal routine would be to go to the gym, come home, lay around, and make my own dinner (or lack there of), or I end up driving home to eat whatever my mother makes from her home recipes. Well, I was sick of looking on the back of a box in order to prepare dinner. I find myself relying on Betty Crocker’s Homebakes and Hamburger Helper. Although I love these dishes, I feel that having my own recipes to go from would make me feel more grown up. In all actuality, Hamburger Helper and Homebakes may be good, but cooking for yourself and being able to taste the outcome far exceeds the benefits of easy, from the box dinners. I started my recipe changing process this weekend and I had some great results. I wanted to let you all know some of the excellent recipes that I found so that you too could begin to start your own recipe collection. And guys, don’t be shy, this recipe idea is sure to impress anyone you are dating. The first recipe I found, surprisingly, includes ramen noodles in the recipe! It is called teriyaki chicken noodle salad and it tasted sensational. Give it a try when you want a light snack. This recipe makes four servings and only takes 30 minutes. One serving contains about 3 grams of saturated fat. Ingredients To make the dressing, put the flavor packet from ramen noodles, the vinegar, orange juice, salad oil, and hot pepper sauce in a container that can be covered so you can shake it up. After you mix them together, shake them well and set it aside. In a large salad bowl combine the salad greens, vegetables, and orange slices. Break the ramen noodles into pieces and add to salad. Cover the salad and refrigerate. Rinse the chicken. Pat the chicken dry and cut it into bite size pieces. Pour cooking oil into a large pan. Pre-heat it over medium high heat. Add the chicken and fry until the chicken is no longer pink. While the chicken is cooking, pour the dressing over the salad mixture and toss it gently. Let it stand for about 5 minutes to soften the noodles, tossing it occasionally. The next meal I made that I was proud of was a chicken and salsa soup. It was so easy and delicious I think I’ll make it every day. I made this soup for my lunch on Sunday and it was just what I needed, something tasty and easy. I recommend this recipe, people will think you’re a genius at coming up with the idea. This recipe makes four servings and takes 13 minutes to cook. Here it is: Ingredients In a 3-quart saucepan, combine water, chicken broth, chicken, and chili powder. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 8 minutes. Add the corn and simmer, uncovered, for 5 more minutes. Stir in the salsa and heat it thoroughly. Serve the soup, topped with the tortilla chips and the cheese. Add chicken and the juices from the pan into the salad and toss gently. Sprinkle it with pepper and serve it immediately. Give these recipes a try and soak in all the compliments you’ll get when you tell everyone you made them from scratch. After my weekend of cooking for myself I cheated and made a desert with Jell-O No Bake Cheesecake. Oops. But I had fun and I enjoyed my own success. I hope you have as much fun as I did. Don’t be shy and don’t use the excuse that you are too busy; the recipes only take a few minutes. Enjoy.
Healthy Living
1 – 3 ounce package of chicken- or oriental- flavored ramen noodles
1/4 cup of rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons of orange juice
2 tablespoons of salad oil
few dashes of hot pepper sauce
2 cups of fresh vegetables (i.e. pea pods, cucumber, onions, zucchini, and squash)
6 cups of mixed salad greens
2 oranges, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced (I skipped this part and it was fine)
3/4 pound of skinless, boneless chicken breast
2 tablespoons of cooking oil
a little bit of black pepper (I used regular table pepper)
1 3/4 cups of water
1 14 ounce can of chicken broth
1 pound of skinless, boneless chicken, cut into bite size pieces
1 to 2 teaspoons of chili powder ( I used 2)
1 11-ounce can of whole kernel corn with sweet peppers, drained
1 cup of chunky salsa
3 cups of broken corn tortilla chips
2 ounces of Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers, shredded