One-Pot Spicy Pineapple Chicken Tacos

Work has been bringing me all over the country lately, which is great, but it also means being away from home for stretches of days at a time. Eugene is generally pretty good about sorting out meals while I'm gone, but I do like to try and make it a little bit easier by leaving a few simple things behind that he can easily heat up or at least use as the base for several meals.

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Easy Marinated Roast Chicken Breasts

Every time I make this easy marinated roast chicken breast recipe I think that it's the sort of thing I should do at least once a week (and then I forget to do so until the next time...lather, rinse, repeat).

It really is the easiest thing, and so very flavorful. A perfect weeknight recipe!

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Warm Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad with Chicken and Crispy Bacon "Croutons"

I was at lunch with an old friend when I spotted the dish that inspired this salad recipe. It was on the appetizer menu and listed as a Warm Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad. My friend was talking and I was pretending to listen, but in my brain I was just like YES YES YES!

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Puerto Rican Style Roast Chicken

I grew up with a Puerto Rican mom who firmly believed that all meat should be marinated before cooking. At least for a few hours, preferably overnight, and sometimes even longer. It produced dishes that were always richly flavorful with juicy, well-seasoned meat. This went for everything from simple chicken breasts to more elaborate large cuts like pork shoulder. Even delicate cuts of fish or shrimp spent a few minutes soaking in something delicious.

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Sweet & Spicy Coca-Cola Chicken Wings

There are few dishes more crowd-pleasing than a giant platter of piping hot crispy chicken wings. Whether sticky and sweet or spicy and saucy, they're just one of those things that make a whole lot of people, a whole lot of happy.

And if you come across a recipe that's sweet AND spicy, like these easy Coca-Cola Chicken Wings? TOTAL WIN!

Homemade chicken wings are one of my favorite party foods to serve at any time of year. They're perfect for game-day parties, obviously, but I also love them for birthday parties and casual weekend get-togethers. The apartment building we live in even served them up at last year's annual Christmas tree decorating party, and people were so excited!

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WATCH: Alejandra on The TODAY Show!

I had the most amazing time hosting a cooking segment on the TODAY Show this morning!

It was an absolute dream come true to cook live on the air on a show that I've watched since before I can even remember, and everyone from the brilliant food stylists and crew to the producers and anchors were all such genuinely awesome people.

The theme of my segment was restaurant re-do's, and I was there on behalf of Pinterest to share a recipe adapted from one of the most popular "copy-kat" style recipes trending on the site: The DIY Chick-Fil-A Chicken Sandwich by blogger Cincy Shopper.

I grew up eating these at the food court at our local mall, Paramus Park. I was chatting with Willie Geist just before the segment, and it turns out that he grew up just a couple towns away from me, and also spent his high school years eating at the exact same food court.

We were super excited to discover it, he actually mentioned it on air, but my ear piece popped out in the beginning of the segment, so I couldn't hear him or any of the other anchors downstairs. Whoops!

(Also, I'm not sure if he knows this, but I think that means we're basically best friends now.)

I shared a few fun secrets to recreating this recipe at home (two words for you guys: Pickle. Juice!), and the results are honestly pretty close!

Watch the video above, then hop over to the TODAY site for the full recipe, and let me know what you think!

I'm also taking over the TODAY Pinterest board today, so you should definitely follow along to see some of my other favorite recipes from my site and from other fabulous food bloggers.

[By the way, totally unrelated to chicken sandwiches, but you guys need to know that I got my hair and make-up done in the greenroom sitting next to the amazing Elie Kemper who is the sweetest coolest girl ever, and we were all talking about bears and hiking (so random).

And then Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart came in and got interviewed about 5 feet away from where I was cooking. Jesse Eisenberg is also kind of adorable and hilarious, and was amazed by how everything worked.

It was seriously the best day ever!]

Thank you all so much for reading, sharing, and watching! These amazing opportunities would never come my way if it wasn't for your incredible support and community, so please know that I am truly thankful.

I hope this inspires you to make something delicious tonight!

xoxo

Alejandra

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Easy Lemon Garlic Chicken Breasts

One of my friends was recently asking me for some easy weeknight dinner ideas.

I described a few of the things I usually make--like these Easy Lemon Garlic Chicken Breasts, but when she asked me for a link to the exact recipe, I realized I didn't have it.

These are the kinds of dishes that I usually just throw together and then eat without taking the time to photograph or write down. But I know that a lot of you might find them useful, so I'm trying to be better about that.

This recipe is one we eat a lot at home, and it was designed to meet some super basic dinnertime requirements, meaning that it's quick, low-carb, and doesn't leave us with a sink full of dishes.

The trick to this chicken is the easy marinade--all the ingredients go right in the blender jar and are pureed until smooth. Then I pour them into a big tupperware container to which I add thin chicken breasts. If you do this the same day you come home from the grocery store, you can then just pull out the chicken and pop it onto a hot skillet or grill pan.

Throw together a salad while the chicken grills, and dinner is ready in less than 15 minutes, with basically NO mess!

Want more easy dinner recipes? Click here for my 24 Easiest Ever Dinner Recipes.

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Love Always Order Dessert? Let's connect! Follow me on Twitter or Pinterest, become a fan on Facebook, or sign up to receive my once-a-week e-mail updates. And if you ever need any entertaining or cooking advice, please don't hesitate to e-mail me. Thanks for reading!  

Easy Lemon Garlic Grilled Chicken Breasts
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds thin-cut chicken breasts or cutlets
3 large garlic cloves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
Zest and juice of 1 whole large lemon
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions
Place chicken breasts in a large zipped gallon-size bag or a tupperware container with a lid.

Combine garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, lemon juice and zest, and olive oil in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour marinade over the chicken and toss to coat. Seal and marinate in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 48 hours.

(Tip: You can also freeze the raw chicken in the marinade and pull out for cooking at a later date.)

When ready to cook, heat a heavy skillet or grill pan (I love this one from Calphalon!) over medium-high heat. Drizzle with 1-2 teaspoons of oil or cooking spray, and cook chicken, about 3-4 minutes per side, until fully cooked. Remove to a serving platter and let rest 2 minutes before serving.

Serve alongside salad greens or your favorite vegetable side dish.

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Baked Thai Coconut Curry Chicken Breasts

Whenever I head out of town, I try to make sure to leave a few goodies in the fridge for Eugene to eat while I'm away. I make a few mains and sides, then let him put them together however he'd like.

This weekend, I'm heading up to Vermont for a few days to work as a guest chef at Good Commons, so I want to make sure that Eugene is as well-fed as the retreat participants.

First up on this list are these Baked Thai Coconut Curry Chicken Breasts, which are beautifully fragrant, with just a touch of heat.

This is an easy dinner recipe that's perfect for busy weeknights. I especially love this recipe because it requires practically zero prep on my part.

All the ingredients are pureed in the blender and then poured over the chicken--then the oven does the work.

So easy, and the final dish is rich and flavorful. Serve this one over fluffy jasmine rice or quinoa to soak up that lovely sauce. Leftovers would also be wonderful in a sandwich or wrap.

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Love Always Order Dessert? Let's connect! Follow me on Twitter or Pinterest, become a fan on Facebook, or sign up to receive my once-a-week e-mail updates. And if you ever need any entertaining or cooking advice, please don't hesitate to e-mail me. Thanks for reading!       

Baked Thai Coconut Curry Chicken Breasts
Serves 4-6

Ingredients
2lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (not cutlets)
Kosher salt
Black pepper
1 (14oz) can full-fat coconut milk
3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 small bunch cilantro, root ends trimmed (leave the stems--they add amazing flavor!)


Directions
Preheat oven 350 degrees. Arrange chicken breasts in a single layer in a roasting pan. Sprinkle generously with kosher salt and black pepper.

In a blender, combine coconut milk, curry paste, ginger, garlic cloves, and cilantro. Puree until smooth, then pour mixture over chicken. Bake chicken for 30 minutes, then turn on broiler and broil for an additional 5-7 minutes or until crispy and slightly charred on top (keep on eye on the chicken as broilers vary).

Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes before serving. Serve over rice or vegetables, with leftover pan sauce drizzled on top.

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Crispy Roasted Lemon Chicken Thighs

This past weekend, I went up to the Stony Point Center in Rockland County, NY, to serve as private chef for a weekend retreat my mom was hosting for her Christian women's ministry group.

There were 11 of us staying in a lovely 19th century house located just a couple blocks off the main campus property.

Outfitted with antique furniture and rugs, it was a cozy place to spend a few days working. While the women sat through their workshops and group sessions, I busied myself in the kitchen preparing three meals a day (and snacks!) for the ladies to enjoy. 

I love cooking for retreat groups because it gives me the chance to experiment with recipes that I wouldn't typically make at home since there aren't enough people here to eat it all. I also love the challenge of getting creative, using up ingredients and repurposing leftovers so that there is very little waste.

I made a few dishes that I'll be sharing here, the first being these Crispy Roasted Lemon Chicken Thighs that I served for lunch the final day of the retreat.

This is one of those dishes that is beautiful and impressive once served, but incredibly low-fuss to prepare. I served it with rosemary & garlic-scented potatoes au gratin, couscous, and a big arugula salad.

Love this recipe? Here are a couple other easy chicken recipes to try:

• Easy Lemon Garlic Chicken Breast Cutlets
• Puerto Rican Style Roast Chicken

Crispy Roasted Lemon Chicken Thighs
 Serves 4, multiply as necessary

Ingredients
8 bone-in chicken thighs
1/2 cup olive, grapeseed, or other vegetable oil
Juice and zest of 2 large lemons + 1 additional lemon thinly sliced, for garnish
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons dijon mustard
kosher salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper (optional)

For garnish:
1 bunch rosemary, cut into 4-inch pieces (optional)

Directions
Pat chicken thighs very dry, then place in bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, lemon juice and zest, minced garlic, and mustard. Pour over chicken and season generously with kosher salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper (if using). Cover and marinate in fridge at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange chicken, skin side up in a roasting pan. Tuck in slices of lemon and rosemary sprigs (if using). Roast uncovered 40 minutes, or until skin is golden and crispy and chicken is cooked through.

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Baked Blueberry Chipotle Chicken Wings

We had a wing party for dinner the other night.

I had to develop some recipes for a brand I'm working with, and one of them involved chicken wings. When developing recipes for clients, I always have to make sure that I buy enough ingredients to make the recipe multiple times, which left me with a LOT of extra chicken wings to use up.

I made a few classic spicy Buffalo wings, but also wanted to do something a little sweet and sticky that would be perfect for serving during football season.

Hence, Blueberry Chipotle Chicken Wings!

A little bit sweet. A little bit spicy. These crispy baked wings are delicious, totally addictive, and really (really!) easy to make.

I always bake my wings. Honestly, it's just easier.

You toss the wings with some oil, season them generously and pop them in the oven for an hour.

Poof! Super crispy wings without the mess and fuss and massive quantities of oil used for the deep-fried kind.

Anytime I can let the oven do the work for me, I'm a happy girl.

The sauce is equally simple. Just combine the ingredients in the pot and let simmer for a few minutes, whisking it here and there.

The two key ingredients here are blueberry jam (I used this amazing Blueberry Sage Jam from my favorite Potlicker Kitchen. You can also use it to make Blueberry Jam Mojitos!) and Chipotle-flavored Tabasco (another favorite that is a staple in my pantry).

You can easily substitute another kind of jam--strawberry would be incredible here, as would seedless raspberry (the seedless part is a MUST--but I urge you to seek out the Chipotle Tabasco--the flavors are unbeatable. (Regular Tabasco + a chopped up canned chipotle would be my second choice.)

Dunk those crispy wings inside the sticky sauce and pop them back in the oven for a few more minutes--really just long enough to let the glaze set a bit.

Then you can dig in!

And don't throw out any extra sauce: It would seriously be good on regular cooked chicken breasts or even baked salmon. Oooh...and ribs!

Whether you're entertaining guests or just having a mid-week wing party at home, these will definitely be a hit.  

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Love Always Order Dessert? Let's connect! Follow me on Twitter or Pinterest, become a fan on Facebook, or sign up to receive my once-a-week e-mail updates. And if you ever need any entertaining or cooking advice, please don't hesitate to e-mail me. Thanks for reading!  

Blueberry Chipotle Chicken Wings
This makes about 5-6 appetizer-sized servings

Ingredients
For the wings
4 lbs chicken wings, tips removed and drummettes and flat pieces separated if they don't already come that way
3 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
Black pepper

For the sauce
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup blueberry jam (substitute strawberry or seedless raspberry, if desired)
1/3 cup Chipotle Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon smoked spanish paprika (optional, but enhances smoky flavor)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt


Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Top 2 baking sheets with a metal rack. (You can use the same kind you use to cool cakes.) Line a third baking sheet with foil.

Remove chicken wings from package and pat very dry with a paper towel. Toss in a bowl with olive oil and generously season with kosher salt and black pepper, then arrange on the prepared baking sheets, allowing at least 1 inch between each piece of chicken on all sides.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until crisp and golden brown. (You can turn the broiler on for the last 3-5 minutes to give them even more color, if desired.)

While the chicken cooks, make the sauce. Combine the butter, blueberry jam, and Chipotle Tabasco in a small saucepan over medium heat and whisk continuously until it starts to boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, and whisk in paprika and salt. Let simmer 5 minutes, whisking occasionally, until the sauce thickens. Taste and adjust seasoning, if desired.

Once the chicken is ready, remove from oven and use tongs to roll each piece in the sauce, then place on the prepared foil-lined baking sheet. Lower oven to 350, and bake 7 minutes to set glaze. Serve immediately with additional sauce on the side for dipping.

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Roasted Garlic Mushroom Sauce for Literally Everything (Except Dessert)

If you could poke your head in to the screen from wherever it is that you sit and come out here on the other end, you'd smell the aroma of mushrooms and garlic and toasting butter that is currently wafting around me.

You see, there is a pan of this in my oven right now. There is usually a pan of this in my oven a few times a month. This is one of those recipes that you learn in a few minutes, prep in even less, and then can repeat over and over again, always confident that the results will be perfect, delicious, just as you need them.

Dishes like this are important. They may not win stars or draw applause, but they're important because they're the ones that feed us. The ones that we dig into on late nights and cold evenings and then again the next day at work with one hand on the keyboard and eyes on the computer screen. They're the ones that cost very little, but nourish better than the things from the box or the rustling paper bag.

The idea here is simple--mushrooms are sliced and dropped into a baking pan with some hastily crushed garlic, a few pats of butter, a sprinkle of herbs, and a bit of white wine or chicken broth or the end of a beer.

The details are up to you.

You can use cheap white button mushrooms or you can use fancy gourmet kinds. You don't even really have to slice the mushrooms--sometimes I just halve them, or even toss them in whole if I'm really impatient.

You can use gorgeous sprigs of fresh rosemary or just sprinkle on something from the jar you keep in the back of the cabinet just in case.

The garlic is just smashed with the back of a knife--no need to mince or chop. Just shake off the paper and drop it right in. I add lemon juice and zest, but you can skip it (though it is really lovely). A few generous pinches of kosher salt and a big crack of pepper later, and this all goes into the oven where heat magically turns it into a delicious, fragrant sauce.

Let technology do the work while you sort the mail, make the bed, or simply collapse onto the couch to let the day drift off.

Once it's ready--in about 20 or so minutes, depending how many mushrooms you used--the rest is up to you:

You can toss this with cooked pasta and top with grated cheese.

You can toast up a baguette or split open a soft roll, and pile the sauce on thick for an incredibly satisfying sandwich.

You can quickly pan fry some thin chicken breasts, a piece of tilapia, or a even couple simple burger patties, and serve them with the sauce heaped on top.

You can split a baked potato (baked right alongside the sauce), fill it with the mushrooms and top with a bit of yogurt or sour cream.

You can toss with mixed greens or chopped kale for a delicious salad.

You can stir it into cooked quinoa, couscous, or rice for a wonderful side or vegetarian entree.

You can serve this on baked brie or next to a log of goat cheese.

You can even put those chicken breasts right in with the raw mushrooms and herbs and bake the whole thing together for a complete meal.

Honestly, sometimes I just pull the pan out of the oven and attack it with a fork.

It's dinner. And if it nourishes, it counts.

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Love Always Order Dessert? Let's connect! Follow me on Twitter or Pinterest, become a fan on Facebook, or sign up to receive my once-a-week e-mail updates. And if you ever need any entertaining or cooking advice, please don't hesitate to e-mail me. Thanks for reading! 
 

Roasted Garlic Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients
2 pounds mushrooms (any kind!)
4 large garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into 8 pieces
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, ripped into small pieces, or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
Zest and juice from 1 lemon
1/4 cup white wine, light beer, or chicken broth
Kosher salt, black pepper
Minced parsley for serving (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Slice mushrooms and place in baking dish. Scatter garlic, butter, rosemary sprigs, and lemon zest on top. Pour in lemon juice and wine. Season generously with kosher salt and black pepper.

Roast for about 20 minutes, or until mushrooms are dark and tender, and sauce has formed. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired. Sprinkle with parsley and use as desired. 

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Latin Spice Roast Chicken with Chimichurri Sauce

In the spring of my sophomore year at college, my group of friends decided to host an informal Passover Seder in our dorm. I'm not Jewish, but many of my friends are and so we decided it would be fun to celebrate together before heading off to our respective hometowns for Passover/Easter break. I'd already established myself as the chef in the group and so one-by-one, my friends brought by their mother's recipes for me to prepare. Instead of a recipe, my friend Jeff showed up at my door with an 8-pound chicken.

"I bought this...can you do something with it?" he asked as he handed over the cold, heavy bird inside of a plastic bag from the university grocer.

"Sure!" I said, not mentioning that I'd never actually cooked a whole chicken before.

I put the bird in the fridge and called my mom who detailed her method for cooking chicken; a method that included a wet rub of aromatics and spices, copious butter under the skin, an apricot glaze, and roasting the bird breast-side down.

I swapped olive oil for the butter to keep things semi-kosher, but followed the rest of her instructions with incredible results; my friends were literally gnawing on the bones to get the last bits of flavor. That became my standard chicken recipe, one that I've shared with friends who have now made it part of their own traditions. Every so often, I meet people who tell me "Oh, I make your chicken all the time!" It's even made it around the world thanks to my friend Alaina, who makes it for her friends in Melbourne, where she now lives.

For that recipe, you can check out this post, but TODAY I want to share with you my new favorite. Crispy Latin Spice Roast Chicken with Chimichurri Sauce.

This recipe is a little bit less involved than my other and produces a crispier-skinned chicken. The chicken is rubbed with a mix of smoked paprika, cumin, cayenne, butter, salt and pepper, then the inside is stuffed with oranges and cilantro.

The whole thing is trussed and then left uncovered in the fridge overnight to "dry." This is how you get that super crispy skin. The oranges keep the inside moist and the paprika adds incredible smokey flavor and color.

This low-key bird is truly a perfect weeknight chicken. Prep it the night before and pop it in the oven when you get home from work. Then you can relax with a glass of wine or watch the evening news while the oven does all the work.

I serve it topped with a spicy, zesty Argentine chimichurri sauce and some roasted vegetables (rutabaga in this case) that I cook right in the chicken fat (dice them up and add them to the roasting pan about halfway through cooking). I then save the carcass to make a spicy Latin-inspired chicken soup for my husband to take to work.

If you like dishes with a little bit of spicy kick, definitely give this one a try.

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Latin Spice Roast Chicken with Chimichurri

Ingredients
For the Chicken:
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 tablespoons smoked spanish paprika
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 large roasting chicken, about 5-7lbs

1 navel orange, cut into quarters
1 bunch fresh cilantro, trimmed, washed and dried.

For the sauce:
1 cup fresh parsley with only the bottom two inches of stems removed (about 1/2 average sized bunch)
1 cup fresh cilantro (leaves and stems)
5 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 rounded tablespoon smoked Spanish paprika
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons apple cider (or other mild) vinegar
Juice of 1 whole lime
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for topping off

Directions
Whisk together the butter, paprika, cumin, oregano, cayenne, salt, and pepper.  Rinse the chicken under cold water and then pat very dry. Massage the entire chicken with the spice rub, making sure to coat inside the chicken. Use your fingers to separate the skin from the breast and pour some of the butter mixture inside, using your fingers to push into all the crevices. Stuff in the inside with the orange, cilantro, and onion. Truss the legs closed and place breast side up on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Place in fridge and leave uncovered to chill overnight.

When ready to roast. Remove chicken from fridge and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken in oven and roast for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until skin is crisp and a knife inserted in the thickest part of the thigh produces only clear juices.

While chicken roasts, prepare the sauce by combining all the ingredients in a food processor and processing until smooth.

Serve chicken with chimichurri sauce.

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Freezer Meals: Cooked Shredded Chicken (+10 Super Easy Dinner Ideas!)

Cooked shredded chicken is one of the most versatile things you can have on hand for quick and healthy weeknight dinners. It only takes about 15 minutes of hands-on time to prepare and package, and it's an easy way to set yourself up for quick meals throughout the week.

I prepared several pounds of this delicious shredded chicken to freeze for a friend who was expecting, but it's just as handy for anyone who is low on time.

The shredded chicken thaws or can be reheated quickly, and can be used in a number of easy dishes. 

Here are some basic ideas to get you started:

1. Quick Chicken Quesadillas: tuck thawed shredded chicken and grated cheddar or jack cheese between two tortillas. Crisp on a hot skillet or pop in the microwave for a minute until cheese has melted. Slice into triangles and serve with salsa, sour cream, or guacamole.

2. Quick Chicken Salad: Add one tablespoon of mayo and one tablespoon of plain yogurt per cup of thawed cooked shredded chicken. Season with salt, pepper, and a dash of oregano. Eat over mixed greens or in a sandwich.

3. Chicken Caesar Wrap: Toss thawed chicken salad with caesar dressing (use your favorite bottled kind or make my super quick homemade caesar dressing recipe). Layer into a wrap with chopped romaine lettuce and a sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan cheese. Roll it up and enjoy!

4. Chicken Soup: Add shredded chicken to your favorite homemade or boxed chicken broth. Add diced frozen or fresh carrots, peas, or other veggies, if desired. Let simmer until hot and veggies are cooked through. Season to taste and serve! BONUS: Add egg noodles for a super quick chicken noodle soup!

5. Chicken Pasta Sauce: Combine your favorite homemade or jarred marinara sauce with a couple cups of cooked shredded chicken and simmer on the stove until heated through. Toss with your favorite cooked pasta and serve with freshly grated parmesan on top.

6. BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches: Toss heated shredded chicken with your favorite BBQ sauce. Serve on soft burger buns with pickles and coleslaw on the side.

7. Chicken Fried Rice: Follow these directions, substituting the leftover turkey with the cooked chicken for a quick and easy fried rice.

8. Quick Chicken Tacos: Heat thawed chicken on a skillet with a few pats of butter, and season with chili powder and a dash of cayenne pepper, tossing to coat. Place hot chicken into taco shells or soft corn tortillas, and top with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, cheddar cheese, and sour cream. 

9. Grilled Cheese with Herb Chicken: Heat a skillet or panini press. Spread your favorite bread with butter and add a few slices of swiss cheese, a few fresh basil leaves, and a handful of shredded chicken. Top with bread and grill sandwich as you would any grilled cheese until heated through and cheese is completely melted. Serve immediately.

10. Quick Chicken Pizza: Start with a premade pizza crust or flatbread. Spread with your favorite tomato sauce, then sprinkle with thawed shredded chicken. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake in preheated 350 degree oven until cheese has melted and is bubbling, and crust is heated through.

Do you keep frozen shredded chicken around for quick meals? Let me know some of your favorite recipe ideas in the comments below!

Cooked Shredded Chicken Recipe (for freezing)

Ingredients
5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs (or both)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice and zest of 3 large lemons
1 tablespoon paprika (optional)
2 tablespoons oregano
4 teaspoons kosher salt
3 teaspoons black pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove chicken from package and place in a large roasting pan in a single layer. In a separate container, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice and zest, paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper. Pour over chicken and use a fork to turn chicken  a few times so it's completely coated in marinade. Bake uncovered on middle rack 30 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through.

Remove from oven and let cool 20 minutes. Use 2 forks or a knife and fork to shred OR place in the base of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Turn the paddle on medium speed for a few minutes until the chicken is shredded.

Divide into 10-15 small sandwich-size freezer bags, remove the air, seal, and roll up tightly. Place these smaller portions into larger gallon freezer bags, and label accordingly. Freeze. Will keep well up to 1 year.

To use, simply remove the amount of smaller portions you need and transfer to refrigerator for thawing, heat in microwave, or add to your dish.

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What to Cook When You're Expecting (Pregnancy Freezer Meal Ideas)

Let me just say right off the bat that no, I am not expecting. I'm in no rush for that, thank you very much.

But...one of my very best friends was!

She had a beautiful baby girl just a few days ago, and just before the birth I hopped on the train down to the DC area to spend a few days with her, and to stock her fridge and freezer with lots of delicious meals for her to eat during her first few weeks as a mama.

I took a few pictures while cooking, and I want to share them with you here. I'll also include a full list of all the dishes I made (and will link to the recipes as I post them) in case you're in a similar situation cooking for yourself or for another new mom in your life. Note that this kind of in-advance batch cooking is actually not just for new moms.

I've been doing a lot of traveling this month, so it's great to be able to leave meals like this for my husband to eat while I'm away. It's also great for busy folks, whether single or with large families, who just want to save themselves time during the crazy workweek without having to rely on processed or take-out food.

(I also personally think it's a great idea for the summer months, when it can sometimes just be too hot to turn on the stove or oven.)

Mise en Place
I ordered the groceries via Peapod before I arrived in DC, and they got there along with me. The next morning, I drew my friend a bubble bath, handed her a copy of Dirty Dancing, and basically forced her to go "relax, already!" while I started on my prep.

Whenever you're cooking a lot of food at once, it's always easiest if you get all your chopping out of the way first. Dice up all the onions, celery, carrots, zucchini. Mince the garlic and herbs. Separate everything into containers and line it up somewhere you can easily access.  

"Mise en Place" means "everything in its place,"; and is the way that cooks in professional kitchens work. It makes it possible to make sure you have everything you need and makes the cooking go much quicker since you're not stopping and starting with each recipe.

One of the first dishes I made was a batch of Homemade Frozen Beef and Cheese Burritos.

I sauteed ground beef with an assortment of veggies including mushrooms, carrots, celery, zucchini, peppers, and lots of fresh herbs. I let it cool, and then assembled about a dozen burritos with whole Greek yogurt, shredded cheese, and fresh cilantro.

I wrapped them up in plastic wrap and foil, labeled them, and froze them individually so that all she has to do is remove the foil and pop the burrito in the microwave or toaster oven to heat up for a quick one-handed lunch or dinner.

I was sure to include reheating instructions to make them as easy as possible for her.

I used the same meat mixture that I made for the burritos to make a large platter of Beef Shepherd's Pie, topped off with homemade mashed potatoes. We ate this for dinner one night along with a salad, and then I portioned out and froze the leftovers.

Quinoa is believed to be especially good for helping lactating moms boost milk production, so I made a large batch of one of her favorite Fruit & Nut Quinoa Salads, loaded up with dried cranberries, sliced almonds, fresh herbs, grated parmesan cheese, and plenty of lemon zest.

(I posted a similar quinoa recipe here.)

Bright, colorful, and packed with protein and vitamins, it's a great summer dish as it can be enjoyed both hot and cold. I divided individual portions into zipped baggies and froze them for her to grab as needed.

All she needs to do is let it thaw a bit before eating on its own as a salad, or along with meat or chicken as an easy side.

I wanted to make sure she had plenty of quick and easy protein options, so I made her a batch of Homemade Herbed Chicken Patties.

These are super simple--I just ground up chicken breasts in the food processor along with some olive oil, garlic, fresh herbs, salt, and pepper (you can also buy pre-ground chicken). I then shaped them into patties and baked them until cooked through.

I wrapped them individually in plastic wrap, and then put them all into a freezer bag so she can grab them as she needs them.

These homemade patties are free of the funky fillers you find in store-bought versions, and can be eaten on their own or tucked into a roll with a little mayo for a quick chicken sandwich.

You can also leave them raw and freeze them that way, but cooking them in advance makes it even easier for her when the free minutes are scarce.

I contributed this chicken patty recipe to iVillage.com so click over to get it. (Note that this version has a bit of cayenne in it, which you may want to skip if cooking for a new mom--ask her what she prefers.)

Cooked Shredded Chicken is an incredible time-saver that I really recommend for everyone. I simply took whole chicken breasts and tossed them with some olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, oregano, salt, pepper, and paprika. I baked them in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, and then let them cool slightly.

I used a fork to shred all the chicken, mixing it back in with the juices that came out during cooking to keep it moist.

I then divided the chicken into 6oz portions in zipped baggies, and put these into freezer bags. She'll be able to use the cooked chicken to make quick quesadillas or wraps, chicken salad, to serve with rice or over mixed greens, to add to pasta sauce, or even to add to boxed chicken broth for a quick chicken soup!

(Click here for a detailed recipe and more meal ideas using shredded chicken!)

Healthy snacks are key when time and energy is low, so I made her a batch of Homemade Chewy Granola Bars loaded up with nuts, oats, dried fruit, seeds, and peanut butter for extra protein. (I also added a few semi-sweet chocolate chips for extra deliciousness!).

I took advantage of some ripe bananas I found and baked several mini loaves of my favorite Classic Banana Bread Recipe,  swapping in whole wheat flour for half the white, and topping it with oats.

This will be great for breakfast either on its own or slightly heated and spread with a little butter or cream cheese. They also make for a great late-night snack with a mug of tea.

This Creamy Dairy-Free Vegetable Soup was an improvisation and I ended up being so happy with it that I made myself a batch of it as soon as I got back to New York. I simply simmered chopped onions, red peppers, carrots, tomatoes, garlic, celery, and squash in chicken stock until tender, then pureed it in batches until smooth and creamy.

The pureed carrots make it thick and silky without adding cream. A bit of seasoning was all it needed. I served it with a handful of freshly grated parmesan and some fresh cilantro on top.

Here's my soup recipe which I wrote for iVillage.com, but know that it's very flexible so use whatever ingredients you prefer to personalize it for the new mom.

I think once of Sara's favorite dishes that I made that weekend was the giant pot of Stovetop Mac and Cheese that I prepared my first night there. "This is SO much better than anything from a box!" she exclaimed as she served herself a second bowl.

I added diced ham for protein and spinach for iron to my basic recipe, and made it with whole wheat noodles for extra nourishment.

Nothing like a comforting bowl of homemade macaroni and cheese when you're feeling exhausted.

I couldn't leave without making her dessert, so I baked some of my Cinnamon Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.  It's a super easy one-bowl recipe that takes minutes to assemble (thank goodness, as I had to make a few extra since the first tray totally disappeared in about a day!).  These also freeze very well and are loaded up with oats and peanut butter so they're great for snacking on.

I didn't get a photo of them, but I also made her Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Creamed Spinach, and Beef and Mushroom Meatloaf. I sliced the meatloaf into thick portions that I wrapped individually and froze in a large freezer bag.

I also taught Sara how to make a very easy homemade salad dressing she can use over mixed greens throughout the summer, and I gave her an in-person tutorial for how to prepare my Mustard & Panko Crusted Salmon Fillets. 

Have you stocked your (or a friend's) fridge pre-baby or other major event? Share some of your favorite freezer recipes in the comments. I'd love to get more ideas!

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