Barley with sauteed vegetables

I'm usually guilty of somewhat lame side dishes- microwave-steamed broccoli, side salads, do chips and salsa count? Since I'm cooking for two, preparing a main dish and sides is just too much. Plus, sides aren't usually as good for leftovers. But this one is an exception! It actually makes a great vegetarian lunch the next day. When I make it, I serve it hot, but when I take it for lunch, I just eat it cold. I made this with my stuffed, bacon-wrapped chicken last week.


Barley with sauteed vegetables


1/2 cup pearl barley
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, grated or chopped
1 shallot, sliced
1 small eggplant, chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 tbsp crumbled feta
Juice of half of a lemon
2 tbsp fresh basil and/or parsley, chopped


1. Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil.
2. Add salt, then barley. Cook 15-20 min. or until tender/most of the liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork.
3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a saute pan. Add garlic.
4. Once the garlic starts to speak, add shallot, eggplant and mushrooms.
5. Cook 5-7 min. or until veggies are tender.
6. In a small bowl, mix barley and veggies.
7. Add feta, lemon and fresh herbs. Toss lightly.

This recipe is so flexible. Instead of barley, you could use couscous, rice or any type of grain. For the vegetables,   scallions, cherry tomatoes (not cooked though!), kalamata olives (not really a veggie...) would all work well. Just pick a theme- Greek, Mediterranean, etc., and choose your ingredients accordingly. You can also play with the quantities depending on your taste. 


Next time I make this, I'm going to use couscous, dried cranberries, chopped dried apricots, scallions and feta. The possibilities are endless! My sister, Kristen, is really good at making these types of salads- Tis, share your secrets!

Stuffed, bacon-wrapped chicken

In the fall, there is nothing that I enjoy more than coming home on a Friday night and making a really special dinner to kick off the weekend. It's usually one of those nights when I don't want to spend a ton of time preparing a meal, but I want something pretty and different! My creative juices are usually flowing, so this one is created solely by ME! It's so simple, and absolutely DELICIOUS!

Stuffed, bacon-wrapped chicken

1/4 bottle Garlic Expressions Marinade (Best chicken marinade EVER! If you can't find it, any type of garlicky chicken marinade will work.)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup fresh spinach leaves, trimmed and torn
1 - 1 1/2 tbsp pesto
2 tbsp parmesan cheese
2 slices bacon (Definitely recommend using regular or center-cut, not turkey, for this one!)

1. Marinate the chicken in the Garlic Expressions marinade overnight
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
3. Mix together spinach, pesto and cheese
4. Cut a slit lengthwise in the chicken breasts and stuff each evenly with the mixture
5. Wrap each piece of chicken width-wise with a slice of bacon
6. Place each piece of chicken in an individual baking dish, if possible, or one small baking dish coated with PAM
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through

The juices from the bacon really add to the chicken, which is why I recommend the individual baking dishes that you can serve directly from the oven. Adding bacon makes this very man-friendly, Mark gave it a 9/10! Check back for a great accompaniment to this dish- barley with sauteed veggies!

Tip- Marinating chicken with this great stuff can be the basis for a million different options. So anytime you're unsure of what to do for dinner, throw some chicken in the fridge to marinate at least the morning of (if not the night before), and you'll be sure to think of something to do with it by the time you get home!

Sweet potato fries

Starting off my first blog with something simple, sweet potato fries. This is one of my favorite recipes that I've been making for a couple of years. These fries are healthy since they aren't fried, and so easy to make! You can play with the seasoning, but I really prefer this simple preparation.


Sweet Potato Fries


1 medium - large sweet potato, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
PAM cooking spray
Lawry's Seasoned Salt


Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with PAM. Spread the sweet potatoes on the pan, and sprinkle with Lawry's Seasoned Salt. Toss the potatoes on the pan to coat with PAM and Lawry's. 


Bake for 22-25 minutes, tossing one to two times during the bake time. Serve with ketchup.