Meal Train Rides Again

I have one foot out the door right now because we are heading out of town for the wedding of one of my oldest friends (not in age, in longevity, FYI). But, I also over-committed myself today to workout, hit the salon (obvs) and prepare a meal train dish - all before leaving! I also decided to throw in a little homemade dessert to add to the food-fun-in-a-rush.

Luckily for me, my 5:15 a.m. wake-up coupled with uber-efficiency (and ability to select easy recipes) has resulted in me being done with everything with about an hour to spare. And, not to mention the hubs volunteered to do all of the resulting dishes. ("Volunteer" is a little bit of a stretch, but oh well...) So now you get a fun blog to read too!

As I've written before, my 'hoodies jump on the meal train for babies and other food-needed activities. Today's meal is for some dear friends who had a bit of a health scare. Everyone is great, so I am beyond thrilled to share this meal with them. When I was selecting the meal, I was leaning towards some sort of pasta-based dish, until the hubs noted how risky it would be "to prepare pasta for an Italian." And peeps, this Italian can cook. So instead, I went heart healthy and low-risk.

Mushroom and Artichoke Chicken
Source: Healthy Heart Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp powdered rosemary (didn't use powdered)
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 chicken breasts, skinned and boned (used skinless and cut into medallions)
• 2 tsp canola oil
• 1 14-oz can water-packed artichoke hearts, quartered
• 1/3 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2/3 c. chicken broth (used no-salt added)
• 1/4 c. dry sherry
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 tbsp water

Directions:

• In a shallow dish, combine first four ingredients and dredge chicken. In a nonstick skillet, heat oil. Add chicken and brown, 3-5 mins on each side. Arrange chicken in a 2-quart baking dish. Tuck artichokes in between.
• Add mushrooms and onions to skillet, saute 2-3 mins. Add chicken broth and sherry, bring to a boil. Combine flour and water and add to broth mixture, stirring constantly for 2-3 mins. Pour sauce over chicken and artichokes. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 40 mins. Serve with rice or pasta or whatever.

Per serving: 231 cals; 6g fat (1g sat); 1g fiber; 10g carbs; 29g protein; 73mg chol; 355mg sodium

And...
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Source: AllRecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease and flour muffin pan or use paper liners.
• Mix sugar, oil, eggs. Add pumpkin and water. In separate bowl mix together the baking flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt.. Add wet mixture and stir in chocolate chips.
• Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

Servings: 12

Per serving: 197 cals; 7.7g fat; 35mg choles

Reviews:
Muffins were very easy to prepare - especially because I churned out three batches (oh - yeah - 3 batches - one for us, one for my sister-in-law who LOVES pumpkin everything, and one for our buds). I am the only one who has sampled it so far, and I liked it. I also have no review on the meal because I am delivering it on our way out of town. I know the recipient reads the blog, so maybe we'll see a comment/review?!?!?!?

Meal train and muffins!

Extreme muffin close up