A Real Deal Kind of Meal

Let's face it. If you're in your twenties, you're on the go and on the cheap.

If you're in your twenties and you're planning a wedding, you're on the go, on the cheap, and have VERY little time to plan meals.

During the week, I typically get home around 8pm. I've had to work late a good bit as of lately, then hit the gym right after. Supper usually consists of what is in my fridge at the time and what can be defrosted the fastest :) I'll be honest, for someone who LOVES to cook, it's taken some adjusting to be able to throw together a fast (and healthy) supper so I can eat before 10:30 at night. However, it's really been great for my creativity - sometimes everything tastes great, other times I'll find out a recipe needs a tad more tweaking, haha.

Friday night was no such night, however. Knowing we were going out of town on Saturday for my friend's wedding, I'd looked forward to being able to cook a REAL meal all week. Because I worked late on Thursday night, I was able to leave work a tad early on Friday and prep everything before going to the gym. #SilverLining  :o)

This recipe is, yes, another recipe found via Pinterest. I don't have a lot of time to play around on Pinterest, but when I have a few minutes I go straight for the food. I call this the "Real Deal Kind of Meal," because it's the first "real" meal I've been able to cook in a long time. "Real" as in, the kind of stuff you get from your momma's kitchen - rather than quick one-dish suppers that are barely done by 8:45 at night! Ha!

Pardon me while I flash the photos of this meal - I'm still so excited about how well it turned out!

This dish was, surprisingly, very easy and very quick to make. The longest part is waiting for the chicken to bake, which is in total around 25 minutes. However, it gives you time to prep everything else and have it ready to eat as soon as your chicken comes out of the oven.



Baked chicken smothered with spinach and mushrooms - with sides of mashed potatoes and fresh green beans. Hungry yet? I know I'd like more :) It was light on the calories too. Waistline friendly, ladies (and gents, too)! 

Oh yeah, we made dessert too -- but that's another recipe for another time ;)

This will for sure go on the books to make again. Like I said, this was a Pinterest recipe, so please note the real chef and see her adorable website.

I can't wait to post a recap of this weekend in another post! Until then - go make yourself something delicious in the kitchen!



Smothered Chicken with Spinach and Mushrooms

via Pinterest

For creamed spinach:

1/2 of a large bag of spinach leaves (I used frozen spinach, worked great!)

2 ounces of cream cheese

Shredded parmesan cheese, to taste

2 tbsp of olive oil
Garlic powder, to taste

Salt and pepper, to taste

For sauteed mushrooms*:

8 ounce package of sliced mushrooms

1/2 stick butter

2 tbsp olive oil

garlic powder, to taste

salt and pepper, to taste

italian seasoning

a dash of Tony's

*I cut this recipe slightly since there were just two of us

For chicken:

2 chicken breasts

shredded mozzerella cheese

garlic powder, to taste

seasoned salt (Mrs. Dash, Tony's, etc. I used both!)

Italian seasoning

a dash of oregano

pepper, to taste

Directions:

Heat oven to 350. Sprinkle the garlic powder, seasonings, and pepper on both sides of each chicken breast. Bake for 16 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the creamed spinach. Heat olive oil in a skillet, then add spinach and garlic. When completely cooked, add the cream cheese and parmesan cheese and stir until it's melted and combined. Remove from heat.

Start on your mushrooms: Melt butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add in the mushrooms and cook until they are completely browned. Once cooked, season with all of the goods :) I added just a splash of water to sort of deglaze it at this point, but this is totally optional. Cook until the water is absorbed and remove from heat.

Back to your chicken! Take your chickens out and flip them over. Place the spinach and mushrooms on top of each chicken, then add the cheese. Cook for another 12-15 minutes or until you see that the cheese is very melted and gooey :) Test your chicken to ensure that it is cooked through and remove from the oven.

Serve with veggies of your choice and impress your friends with your fabulous cooking skills! =)



P.S. Fun fact: Spinach is great for your skin, being fantastic for preventing acne, wrinkles and keratinization. It also helps with brain function and protects us against aging. Guess Popeye was onto something, huh?