Chicken, Pasta and Veggies

Seems many of my blogging buddies are posting their recipes so I thought I'd join in!

This is a favorite of mine and I eat it often! Gotta give my sister Holly some props on this one since it was her creation. I'd like to think I've added a few things to it and made it a really great dish. Here we go:



You'll need diced up chicken breast, spaghetti, chopped bell peppers, sliced mushrooms, Italian seasoning, fresh basil, EVOO and balsamic vineager.

I usually buy my peppers in a tri-colored three pack but it just so happens this week red peppers were on sale so that's what I got!



First of all, get your spaghetti going. I usually use Ronzoni Smart Taste Thin Spaghetti or whole wheat pasta but you can use whatever pasta you like. Dice up your chicken breast and season it with Italian seasoning. Chop up your peppers and mushrooms. Heat some EVOO in two different skillets. Stir fry your chicken in one and your peppers and mushrooms in the other. Since it's summer and I have basil growing in my herb garden, I chop some of it up and throw it in with the veggies. I also splash a little balsamic vineager on the veggies near the end of cooking.




When your spaghetti is done, drain it and toss it into a bowl. I usually toss it with a bit a EVOO and some balsamic vineager as well.



Next, add your veggies.



Then your chicken.




Top it all off with balsamic vineager. I love balsamic vineager so I use lots of it but you should season it to your taste.

And there you have it folks! A tasty, healthy meal that is easy to make. I usually eat it just like this but if I have company I'll serve it with a salad and/or French bread w/balsamic vineager and EVOO for dipping. Delish!!

One more thing. I was reading a Rachel Ray magazine awhile back and she was sharing some of her kitchen must-haves. One was a garbage bowl, which is basically a bowl you toss all your trash into while cooking to save yourself trips back and forth to the trash can. My friend Chris came up with the idea of using a coffee can. He cut out the top so only the edge remained. He lined it with a bag leftover from bringing veggies home from the store. Snap the top on and you've got a garbage bowl you empty like a trash can! I don't drink coffee so I used a leftover margarita bucket!!! Imagine that! :-) Here's mine:



I know it doesn't seem like that big of a deal walking across the kitchen to throw stuff away but you'll be amazed how much time this little dude will save! It's also a great way of recycling those little plastic bags we use to bring veggies home from the store in. I keep a stash of bags under the liner at the bottom of my bucket so they are always there and ready to go.

Cheers!