30 Minute Meal? No Problem!

Hey hey! How’s everybody doing? Having a good week? Is it sad that today was my “Monday” and yet I am seriously stoked about tomorrow being Friday?? Haha!

So this morning, 5am came preeeeeety fast…it wasn’t pretty! As I shuffled to the kitch in my favorite slippers, I brewed my life force coffee and tried to think of what to make for breakfast. You wouldn’t think that would be a difficult task, but at 5am, I was definitely drawing a blank. I sipped on my coffee while getting ready and then FINALLY, something came to me (must’ve been the caffeine-receiving neurons).

Something nutritious and filling?….check!

Something portable to take in the car?…..check!

Something I had to run back into the house and photograph since I almost forgot?….uh, check?

Not the best photo, but I was lucky to even get this…running laaaate!

Layered Up:

Greek yogurt
Cooked bulgur wheat
Greek yogurt
Pumpkin butter
Banana soft serve (1/2 nanner) 
Greek yogurt
Cooked bulgur wheat
Greek yogurt
Peanut butter & chias 

Perfectly delicious! Gotta love the protein punch of Greek yogurt! This kept me full for a solid four hours!

I went to the gym again today since they will be closed for the weekend due to the holiday (bummer!), but my energy was sa-heeeeeereeeeesly lacking. I needed something quick to get pep back in my step!

What’s better than a huge date stuffed with peanut butter?

A huge date stuffed with

PEANUT BUTTER CREAM CHEESE!

I know, you’re seriously jealous of my genius…and my cream cheese! Well, for those of you unlucky folks who can’t get your hands on this marvelous Trader Joe’s creation, check out Erika’s recipe! When I run out, I will so be making my own!

After my workout, I got to work on a bomb diggity dinner! Since yesterday, I haven’t been able to get Mama Pea’s Mmmm sauce out of my head…or those Hanson brothers…sheesh!

Don’t lie…you’re totally singing it now, aren’t you?? 😉

So much that it inspired my dinner (the sauce, not the long-haired boy band with a bit of a English problem)!

Check it ouuuuuuut! I made a savory sweet potato! Not gonna lie, I was a little nervous not going with the usual sweet toppings, so I decided to take baby steps and went with nooch and a sweet corn salsa and it turned out to be the PERFECT combo of sweet and spi-say!

But the star of the meal?

Hummus-Stuffed Crispy Chicken!

Rachel Ray’s Heather’s 30 Minute Meal:

Take a single chicken breast, slice it in half and spoon in your favorite sauce/hummus/or Mmmm. Then secure it with two toothpicks and roll it around in a mixture of whole wheat bread crumbs and whatever seasoning you prefer (I used TJ’s 21 Seasoning Salute). Next, place it in a skillet over medium heat for about 10 minutes per side and then transfer to the oven (375° for about 10 minutes) to finish. While the chicken is baking off, take my favorite “lazy girl” approach with the spud. Wrap it in plastic wrap and toss it in the microwave for about 5 minutes (varies depending on size, but I always do about 5-7 minutes). Then, pull the chicken out, switch the oven to broil and placed your nuked sweet p under the broiler so the skin could get nice and crisp!

And steaming the broccoli? Seriously a cinch! Small pot > 1 inch of water > broccoli > high heat > 3-4 minutes > DONE!  

I still don’t understand why people shell out the big bucks for food steamers! It’s so easy!

I rarely, if ever, spend more than 30 minutes making dinner, but it’s so sad that before I learned my way around the kitchen, I thought the only way you could have something quick and easy was if it came out of a box (read tv dinner)! Sooooo glad I wised up on that one! Besides, have you seen what all is in a typical ready-made meal?? It’s seriously scary!

Well, I’m out! One more early day and it’s time for the weekend! Night!

How long do you typically take to make dinner?

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29 Responses to 30 Minute Meal? No Problem!

  1. Your breakfast is seriously making me drool! So is that sweet potato. So delicious 🙂

    Sometimes I like spending a long time in the kitchen and making something fancy, but most of my meals are super fast. I never buy TV dinners anymore- the only thing that comes out of my freezer ready to eat are frozen leftovers 🙂

  2. lindsay says:

    oh ya, the potato is awesome! I cook a lot of beans and eggs for that reason. They can be stuffed into anything. haha. 30 minutes works!

  3. uh that sweet potato looks AWEEESOMEEE

    also, i freaking love that song. mmmmbop! hahaha oh the 90s… I’m such a boyband fanatic 😉

    <3
    n

  4. 25 min I think? sometimes an hour if i’m going nuts!

    ummm hanson is stuck in my head. i hate you =)

  5. Thanks for the link love, Heather! I hope you try the cream cheese soon!
    Your dinner looks fabulous! I’m impressed that it took so little time. I always use the lazy girl method for “baking” potatoes. What can I say? I AM a lazy girl. 😉

  6. Meri says:

    Love your breakfast yogurt parfait- its so pretty!
    If Trader joe’s was still open, there is no doubt where I would be right now. PB cream cheese. yammmmm….

  7. I usually make dinner in a flash, too! I think often it just seems time consuming because it’s homemade…but I’m usually right around the 20-25 minute marker, too; unless it involves baking a sweet potato. In which case, I simply cannot use the micro for it… But even then it’s not like I’m slaving away in the kitchen for an hour…I can do whatever I want while it bakes! Your mmm-stuffed chicken looks awesome!! I used to love making pesto-stuffed chicken for my mom…I bet mmm-stuffed is even better :] [p.s. I Loooove savory sweet potatoes!]
    Happy Friday!!

  8. you always win for the BEST breakfast!! i seriously take like 10 minutes to fix my meals.. IM SO LAZY! hah!

  9. Lee says:

    That breakfast looks amazing. I always have the same thing – an egg sandwich. It just always sounds the most appealing to me.

  10. Layered eats are always the best! That looks so good! I think 30 minutes is my limit…unless I’m cooking with Tony and then I don’t care how long it takes. Your dinner looks perfectly delicious!

  11. That parfait looks amazing. I don’t think I would have been able to think of that in the morning, let alone 5 am! Go you! I usually take about 45 mins to make dinner…otherwise I get annoyed bc I wind up eating so late.

  12. Anastasia says:

    I love your breakfast! It looks delicious! That potato is really making me hungry also.. I love baked potatoes but never was adventurous enough to top them with anything other than sour cream. I’ll have to work on that :]

    • Oh yeah girl, think of it as a blank canvas, and definitely with regular potatoes…they go great with anything! Try hummus, salsa, or bbq sauce is really good too, especially with some cheese!

  13. I’ve never made a savory sweet potato before. I always play it safe and go the sweet route. Gonna have to give it a try one day!

    I usually spend 1-1.5 hours in the kitchen at night. Between cooking, cleaning and packing my breakfast and lunch for the next day it takes me a while!

    • Wow! When I first read this, I was like “Whoa, that long??” but it makes sense if you’re also using the time to clean and prep. I should get better about that. I usually let the dishes pile up for a few days and I’m ALWAYS rushing around in the morning packing my lunch! Ugh!

  14. Jenny says:

    What a pretty looking breakfast! Love how it kept you full for 4 hours, only oats do that for me. I am amazed by your savory sweet tatter. I would take it down 😀

    • Yeah, I’ve been trying to experiment with different breakfasts to see what keeps my satisfied the longest. I think for me, a good balance of protein and carbs with a little fat to keeps me the fullest.

  15. Your breakfast looks beyond amazing! I love it in that little jar, it looks so delicious.

    I’ve never had a ‘sweet’ sweet potato, I’ll be looking through your blog for inspiration!

    • Thank you Ali! Never had a sweet one? I can’t help but always immediately think sweet when I think sweet potato…cinnamon, nut butter, granola, coconut, yogurt…I could be here for days! 😉

  16. For my sweet potato, I put on a dollop of plain greek yogurt, and then sprinkle on some red chili powder and paprika. I usually go through 2 large containers of greek yogurt per week!

  17. Wow that breakfast looks so pretty! Not to mention DELICIOUS! I never spend enough time on presentation when I’m making my meals. I think you’ve inspired me lol!

  18. I am always too lazy to assemble parfaits, but yours is so cute!! Have you seen the Hanson boys lately? All grown up and married and they all have kids!! So weird to think about! 🙂

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