I can’t believe that tomorrow Mark and I will celebrate 7 years of marriage. Time really does fly by faster and faster the older you get…
With our anniversary, I know that right around the corner is my blog’s anniversary, as well. We will also be celebrating 7 years of home cooking, nutrition, and making my (growing) family happy when it comes to good eats. I’ve got a cookie recipe that I’m holding off on sharing just for that celebration – stay tuned!
Seven years ago, I had a good idea of what my soon-to-be husband liked to eat. We were, after all, living together for a very short period of time before our wedding day…and had dated for over 5 years before we said “I do”. But that aside, my cooking skills were little to none. A homemade dinner was a jar of Prego and some cooked whole wheat pasta with a veggie side.
I’ve made some strides since then. Enough to have written two cookbooks (1 & 2), anyway. BANANAS.
Point being, if I can do it, anyone can do it.
Lord love that groom of mine, but his dinner requests are typically for things like delicious Chicken Tikka Masala – which we both love, but know is quite time-consuming. I find myself reminding him that most nights, I’m hanging on by a thread just getting a meal on the table with a toddler in tow, much less an intricate meal. And despite my original plan when starting motherhood that I would just wait until the little one(s) were asleep to make dinner, I’ve learned that my few precious, quiet, uninterrupted, long-awaited moments in the evening should NOT be spent cooking dinner for hubby and I.
So when I can cook for all with little effort in a matter of minutes (30 or less, anyway), it’s the equivalent of hitting the jackpot in my eyes. If we can all sit down and eat together and I’m not near tears or have broken out into a sweat after trying to do 4.23 million things at once, it’s a meal worth making again and certainly a meal worth touting on the blog. So, here’s one of those recent gems – Ranch-Cheddar Chicken!
- ¼ cup low-fat mayonnaise
- ¼ cup 2% shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ (1 oz) package Ranch Seasoning and Salad Dressing Mix
- 4 (4 oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- ½ cup Panko
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly mist a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, cheese, and half of the Ranch Seasoning packet.
- Place chicken in a single layer onto the prepared baking dish and top with mayonnaise mixture. Sprinkle with Panko.
- Place into oven and cook until completely cooked through and golden brown on top, about 20-25 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
- Sunday: leftover burgers, pasta salad, and corn
- Monday: Artichoke and Spinach-Roasted Salmon with salad and baked potatoes (anniversary dinner!)
- Tuesday: leftovers – Mark working late
- Wednesday: BLT Pasta Salad
- Thursday: naan pizzas with salad
Be well,
Loved the recipe
This looks delicious!! Definitely saving and adding to our meal plan soon!!