Working Mom Recipes

Being a working mom means I have limited time in the evenings to prepare our meals since I want to maximize my time with Mason.  But, I still love to cook and still want to make 'good' meals.  With a little help from my friends and Pinterst, I've started building a pretty good working mom recipe list.  Here are a few recipes I've made in the past couple of weeks:

Easy Fish Tacos 
Courtesy of Ali Dopps

Frozen fish sticks -- enough for three per taco
Small flour tortillas
Bagged coleslaw
Thousand Island dressing
Cilantro
Black beans, rinsed and drained

Bake fish sticks according to package directions.  In a medium size bowl, mix enough coleslaw to top tacos with as much or as little Thousand Island dressing as you wish (it all depends on your personal preferences).  When fish sticks are finished baking, assemble tacos starting with the fish sticks, then the beans, then the slaw mix and finishing with chopped cilantro.  Obviously, you could use whatever toppings you wish.


Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken
Courtesy of Pinterest

12 boneless skinless chicken thighs (I used chicken breasts and it was a little dry so maybe a mixture of the two would be ideal)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup soy sauce
6 tablespoons cider vinegar
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 1/2 teaspoons cold water
Hot cooked long grain rice

Place chicken in a 4 qt. slow cooker.  In a large bowl, combine the sugar, soy sauce, cider vinegar, ginger, garlic and pepper.  Pour over chicken.  Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or until chicken is tender.  Remove chicken to a serving platter; keep warm.  Skim fat from cooking liquid.  Place liquid in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Combine cornstarch and water until smooth.  Gradually stir into liquid and stir until sauce is thickend.  Serve with chicken and rice.




Chicken Pot Pie Crumble
Courtesy of Pinterest
**This was a HUGE hit!!**

1 ½ pounds chicken (about three medium-size chicken breasts)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion , chopped fine (about 1 cup)
3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced (about 1 cup)
2-3 stalks celery, chopped (about ½ cup)
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
½ cup flour
1 cup milk
3/4 cup frozen peas

Crumble Topping:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:
To prepare the chicken, place the chicken and broth in a large Dutch oven or pot and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Cook the chicken until it is just done (don’t overcook or it will dry out) – about 10-12 minutes. Alternately, if you are planning in advance, you can place the chicken and broth in a slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 5 hours (I used this method). Transfer the cooked chicken to a medium bowl. Pour the broth through a fine-mesh strainer into a liquid measuring cup and reserve. Return the pot to the stovetop (no need to wash if you used it to cook the chicken).

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Sprinkle the chilled butter pieces over the top of the flour. Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the Parmesan cheese. Add the cream and stir until just combined. Crumble the mixture into irregularly shaped pieces onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake the crumble topping until fragrant and starting to brown, about 15 minutes, tossing halfway through. Set aside. **NOTE** I thought the crumbles got too done by the time they baked again with the chicken mixture so next time I'm going to try baking them about half the suggested time or not baking them at all before topping the chicken mixture.

For the filling, heat the olive oil in the now-empty pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 5 minutes. While the vegetables are cooking, shred the chicken into small bite-size pieces. Transfer the cooked vegetables to the bowl with the chicken; set aside.

Over medium heat melt the butter in the empty pot. Stir in the flour and cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Slowly whisk in the reserved chicken broth and milk. Bring to a simmer and stir occasionally until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes, taking care not to burn the bottom. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Remove from the heat and stir the chicken, vegetables and peas into the sauce.

Pour the mixture into a 9×13 pan. Scatter the crumble topping evenly over the filling. Place the 9X13-inch pan on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees until the topping is well browned, about 15-20 minutes. Let the casserole stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Pesto Pasta Salad

Courtesy of Pinterest

16 oz box (1 lb) of penne pasta1 cup of homemade pesto or store bought
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1 cup of frozen sweet peas
16 oz can artichoke hearts, quartered


*Optional: 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese


Prepare penne pasta according to package instructions to al dente.  Drain pasta well and toss  in a large bowl.  Add frozen peas to pasta and toss with pesto dressing until everything is well mixed and coated.


In a small bowl mix pesto sauce and mayonnaise together and set aside.


Gently fold in artichoke hearts and allow the salad to cool in the refrigerator for 20 minutes before serving.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese prior to serving. Enjoy!


*I served this with frozen tilapia that we purchased at Sam's and it was a delicious meal!