The weekends go so fast, don’t they? But, no complaints because the weather was amazing and we did lots of fun stuff and got in lots of steps. After talking with my best friend last week, she was detailing her upcoming travel, weddings, and crazy work schedule – I was exhausted just listening, honestly. It makes me realize how simple our life is and how totally okay I am with that.
In marriage, we’ve just fallen into our little routine. It’s comfortable, it’s enjoyable, it works. I mean…we stayed up until after 11 on both Friday and Saturday – CRAZY! And it kind of is because usually, bedtime is no later than 10/10:30 in this house.
My weekend routine almost always involves meal planning. One would think I’d be planning throughout the week what we’ll eat for the following week, but I almost always sit down with a blank piece of paper with which to start my grocery list and have absolutely NO ideas as to what I should make.
I’ll be honest, meal planning is one of my least favorite activities and perhaps it’s because I feel as though I’ve made just about everything and I wouldn’t want to bore my dear readers with ANOTHER taco recipe. Except, can there really ever be too many TACO recipes? No such thing.
I generally sit down and peruse the stack of cooking magazines that accumulate and clutter my kitchen island. I also consult Pinterest and try to recall any stand-out recipes from Facebook or Instagram. If I’ve got some serious time on my hands (ha), I’ll pull out a cookbook and page through for something eye-catching that is still doable on a weeknight.
And that’s my hang up with meal planning…the whole weeknight thing. I’ve got about 30 minutes after work, tops, before the kids are chomping at the bit for dinner and so time is of the essence. Sometimes, takeout sounds ideal because it involves no effort on my end and, yum! But this recipe reminds me of take-out with a way less calories and just a hint of effort. It really is that easy to make. I doubled up on the veggies and upped the protein to make sure that slightly sinful sauce fed lots of mouths.
- 1½ lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
- ¼ cup corn starch
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 red bell peppers, cut into 1.5-inch pieces
- 2 green bell peppers, cut into 1.5-inch pieces
- 1 onion, cut into 1.5-inch pieces
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch + 2 Tbsp cold water
- Add chicken and corn starch to a ziplock bag and toss well to coat. Heat olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chicken and cook 4-5 minutes or until no longer pink. Add the peppers and onions and cook an additional 7-9 minutes or until peppers and onions tender and chicken is cooked through.
- Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, and ketchup. In a small bowl, whisk together the corn starch and water; whisk corn starch mixture into the ketchup mixture and transfer to a small sauce pan. Heat the sauce over medium heat until bubbly. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes, whisking often.
- Pour the sauce over chicken and vegetables, mix well and cook an additional 1-2 minutes. Serve over rice, if desired.
Weekly Menu: June 25th – 29th
- Sunday: homemade pizza
- Monday: Kung Pao Noodles with vegetable egg rolls
- Tuesday: Chicken-Stuffed Green Peppers
- Wednesday: Farro Burrito Bowls
- Thursday: Mexican Street Corn Chicken Tacos
Be well,
Looks amazing! Even better than a restaurant. I want to make this. Thank you.
Enjoy Tricia! I am sure you’ll love it!
Yum! This looks awesome! I don’t mind meal planning, but I absolutely loathe the grocery store and some days I hate food prep (I try to do it all on Sunday in a few hours) so I can just knock it out. Helps with the weeknight rush. Thanks for posting this 🙂
It does help to meal plan and food prep, FOR SURE! 🙂 The weekends should be longer, that’s all! 😉
Your recipes are always super helpful when I am meal planning. The Mr. doesn’t help much in that area (we would end up eating sloppy joe’s, chili, and pizza most nights if I left it up to him). Also, no such thing as too many taco recipes!! #tacoseveryday
Sour chicken caught my attention. looks delicious!