What's for Dinner?

One thing that I've been trying to do, while LC's deployed is learn how to cook quick, simple healthy meals for dinner. My goal is to make something new once a week. During the week, I don't get out of work until 4:30. That seems early, but then we have the commute home, gym time and shower. By the time I'm done with all of this it's almost 7 pm. Weeknights leave me very little time to come home and whip up a wonderful dinner, so we often find ourselves on Grubhub.com looking for places to order in. This is one thing that is going to change once he gets home.



Last night, I made baked chicken pesto with a side of green beans and sliced almonds. YUM!!! This was probably the easiest and healthiest (not to mention, mouthwatering) meal I have ever made. It took probably a total of of 5 minutes to prep and 25 minutes to bake. I hopped in the shower while it baked.



Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Get a baking dish and spray it with cooking oil. Take a tub of pesto sauce and layer the bottom of the dish. Then sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Lay across the pesto covered dish. Use the remaining pesto sauce to cover the top of the chicken breasts. Cover with aluminum foil and then bake for 20 minutes or until chicken is done. After it's been in there, take it out, uncover it and sprinkle fat-free mozzarella cheese on the top. Put back in the oven and bake until cheese melts. Take out and enjoy!!!



Baked Chicken Pesto

Description Store-bought pesto and mozzarella cheese are all it takes to turn tender chicken breasts into an incredibly easy-to-make dish that will likely become a new family favorite. Prep time: 5 minutes Start to finish: 30minutes



Ingredients 4 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1/2 cup pesto (from a jar) 2 (1/2 cup) ounces shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese Salt and freshly ground black pepper



Instructions Heat oven to 375°F. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Spread 1/4 cup of the pesto in a 9" by 13" baking dish. Lay chicken breasts over pesto in an even layer and spread with remaining pesto. Cover baking dish with foil and bake chicken until cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Uncover and top with cheese. Bake until cheese is melted, 5 more minutes. Serve hot. Recipe from The South Beach Diet Quick & Easy Cookbook



Nutritional Information: 390 calories 20 total fat (5 g sat) 2 g carbohydrate 46 g protein 0 g fiber 450 mg sodium

It doesn't look like much, but it tasted wonderful. And I definitely made enough for leftovers.