Whimsical September

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Ready in 30 Minutes: Our Go-To Healthy Dinner

When I have to sacrifice taste in order to eat healthy, I’m not a happy camper. I love to enjoy my meals, but I also love how great I feel mentally and physically when I’ve eaten the right foods for my body. #thestruggleisreal

When I can find a dinner combo that put checkmarks in the “healthy” and “delicious” boxes, I ring the bell and call it a winner! Here’s one of those winning dinner plates that’s been in our dinner rotation once or twice a week for a while. I’d hardly call this a recipe but rather what combo of things I whip together to create a balanced meal.
From the time I start prepping to the time hot food is on the table, we’re talking 30 quick minutes. Here we go.
I was never a big rice eater until I accidentally boiled the rice in too much water and overcooked it a few minutes. Then it tasted more “mushy” and creamy. We love love love Minute Brown Rice that comes in a box. As soon as I fill the pot with water (that I don’t measure), I pour in a bunch of rice (that I don’t measure) before it’s even boiling and just let it cook for 25-30 minutes. Call me crazy (or lazy), but this is my magic set of steps for perfect rice. No butter needed!
Once I get my rice going, I preheat the oven to 400 degrees and cut up my broccoli. Next I toss my broccoli with olive oil and minced garlic. For every two cups of raw broccoli, I use one tablespoon of olive oil and one teaspoon of garlic (we used the store bought kind in a jar). Next I’ll lay it on my baking stone and cook for 25 minutes. This broccoli is SO GOOD! The first time my sister made it, I almost ate every tree off the pan before she served it. I’m not veggie lover, but I always get a second helping of this stuff. DE-LISH. Side note – If it looks a little charred, it’s because it’s supposed to!
The chicken is easy. If I have one pound of boneless chicken, I’ll toss it around in a bowl with half of a packet of McCormick’s Low-Sodium Taco Seasoning. If I have 2+ pounds of chicken, I’ll go ahead and use the whole packet. Once each piece is coated, we grill it outside (in the summer) or more recently on my FAVE kitchen gadget, our for about five or six minutes.
Once the chicken is done, I drain the rice, pull the broccoli out of the oven, and serve a dinner that was way too easy to make.
To recap:
 
1. Boil Minute whole grain brown rice on high heat for 25-30 minutes. Drain and serve topped with your favorite seasonings (we love Tony C’s).
 
2. Preheat oven to 400. Toss four cups raw broccoli with two tbsp olive oil and two tsp minced garlic. Bake for 25 minutes.
 
3. Toss 2 lbs boneless chicken with one packet of McCormicks taco seasoning and grill until done.
With this meal you’ve checkmarked your lean protein, vegetables, and complex carbs.
Winner winner chicken dinner! 😉

Thanks for the link up, Two Purple Couches blog!

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