Toasted Barley, Green Bean, and Mushroom Saute w/Chicken

Adapted from MyRecipes

Anyone who likes a lightly sweet asian sauce will love this recipe! I personally LOVE sweet sauces, but my husband on the other hand unfortunately doesn't have the same opinion. He doesn't necessarily hate them, they just don't make him go mmmm like they do me :)

The only negative thing about this recipe is there are a lot of steps...nothing difficult, but a little time-consuming. Oh and the picture makes the dish look bland, but I promise you it's not.

Ingredients for the Chicken:
3 medium chicken breasts
1 tbs brown sugar
2 tbs low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 garlic clove (or 1 tsp minced garlic)

1 tsp dark sesame oil

Salt, Pepper, & onion pepper

Ingredients for Saute 
1 cup uncooked quick cooking barley
2 tsp dark sesame oil (divided)
1 cup water
1 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1 tsp brown sugar
12 oz steam in bag - bag of green beens
10 oz fresh sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
3 tbs low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbs agave nectar (or honey)
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 garlic clove (or 1 tsp minced garlic)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To prepare chicken cut each breast in half vertically and lightly season each side with salt, pepper and onion powder. Heat the 1 tsp sesame oil in a skillet on medium-high heat. Brown both sides of the chicken, about 1-2 minutes on each side. While browning, mix the brown sugar and next 3 ingredients in a small bowl. Place chicken breasts in a small baking dish & pour the mixture on top. Bake the chicken for about 8-10 minutes or until barely done.

To cook the barley start by heating 1 tsp sesame oil in a skillet on medium-high heat. Toast the barley for about 3 minutes, stirring often. Once lightly toasted add the salt, water & chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 10 minutes. Let barley set for 2-5 minutes and then transfer to a large bowl or dish. 

While barley is cooking, steam green beans in microwave per directed on package. Drain green beans and cut in smaller pieces (to your preference). 

Add the remaining ingredients - mushrooms, sesame oil, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, agave nectar, and ground ginger in the skillet used for the barley. Heat to medium-high, add the green beans and saute the mushrooms & beans for 2-3 minutes. Pour in the cooked barley and mix well, letting in saute for another minute. Last but not least cut up the chicken in bite sized pieces and add to the skillet to re-heat, mixing everything together for about 1 minute. Then serve and enjoy! 

Salisbury Mushroom Steaks

Adapted from Bettycrocker.com

This was a cross between meatloaf and salisbury steak to me. Either way it's a great way to use ground beef. The recipe is pretty simple and they tasted great!

Ingredients 
2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
1 lb lean ground beef
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup skim milk
1 large egg
1/2 tsp thyme
1/3 cup ketchup
1 tbs canola or olive oil
1 package mushroom gravy mix (or other brown gravy)

Directions
Finely chop up 1 cup of the mushrooms. In a medium bowl, mix chopped mushrooms, beef, bread crumbs, egg, milk, thyme and half of the ketchup. Shape mixture into 5 large patties or 8-9 small patties (like I did).

In a non-stick skillet, heat oil on medium-high heat. Add patties cooking for about 6 minutes on each side (or until cooked through). When fully cooked brush the rest of the ketchup on the top of the patties.

Saute the remaining mushrooms in the same skillet as the patties or another skillet for about 3 minutes. While the patties are cooking make the gravy as directed on the package.

To serve place sauteed mushrooms on top of patties and then spoon gravy on top of both.

Buffalo Chicken Salad

If you need something quick to fix for lunch or dinner, this is a great recipe for that. Super simple and it tastes great (especially if your craving buffalo wings). I typically use pre-packaged buffalo chicken strips, but feel free to make your own!

Ingredients:
Buffalo chicken strips (frozen)
Salad mix (I prefer half baby spinach, half romaine)
Baby carrots
Celery
Ranch dressing
Blue cheese crumble
Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
*Use as little or as much as you like for all of these ingredients*

Directions:
Cook the chicken strips in the oven as directed on the package (should take about 20 mins).

While the chicken is cooking add the salad mix to a large bowl(s) and toss with ranch dressing. Then slice up some baby carrots & celery and add to each salad bowl. Sprinkle with blue cheese crumbles & shredded cheddar cheese.

When chicken strips are fully cooked, cut them up into bite size pieces and add to salad. Serve and enjoy!