Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Catching up some more! Days 21-23


I'm sitting here waiting on my fantastic boyfriend to finish eating dinner so we can Skype, so I figured this would be a good time to catch up a little more with my 30 Day Blog Journal :)

Day 21 - a recipe

I am still a work in progress when it comes to my cooking skills. There are some things that I can cook really well, so I typically stick with those faithful few and cook them over and over. I wish I was better about it, but I rarely get creative in the kitchen.  This is something I happened to throw together one night on my own, with no recipe to go off of, and I LOVE it! It is fast, simple and overall pretty healthy :)

What you'll need:

*Spinach leaves - enough for what you would typically eat in a salad for a meal, not just a side dish (you could also use iceberg or romaine lettuce, I just prefer spinach lettuce because it has a higher nutritional value)
*2 boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins (I typically buy the frozen ones that come in a big ziplock back because they are convenient for me and last forever)
*Balsamic vinegar
*1 apple (Gala or Fuji are my favorites, and I think their flavor goes best with this recipe)
*Walnuts - chopped or halves
*Raspberry vinaigrette dressing (Strawberry vinaigrette would also work...and I buy fat free)

First, thaw out your chicken tenderloins (if necessary). You could also just use one chicken breast. I use the chicken tenderloins because they thaw out faster, cook faster, and they work perfectly for me because I am typically making dinner just for one these days! I do this by putting hot tap water in a bowl big enough for the pieces to fit in. It usually only takes 5-10 minutes for them to defrost all the way. Once they are thawed, pour out the water and add balsamic vinegar. It doesn't take much...I usually just use enough to where the chicken is coated thoroughly on both sides and there is a little bit in the bottom of the bowl.
Marinate for about 5 minutes.  I know that most recipes will tell you that you need to marinate something for anywhere from 6-24 hours...but I promise, I have a Master's degree in chemical engineering, and with the size of those chickens, the majority of the mass transfer is going to take place in the first 5 minutes. (Just a tip: when things do say to marinate for 6 hours, 30 minutes to an hour is actually plenty for the FLAVOR, especially for chicken. But when you are marinating steaks, leaving it in overnight might not be a bad idea for the tenderness factor. If you are marinating for more than 5-10 minutes, be sure to put your meat in a sealed container (like tupperware or ziplock bags) and place it in the fridge).

Anyways...I digress. I cook my chicken on my George Foreman grill, so while it is marinating I plug in the Foreman and let it heat up. The balsamic vinegar gives the chicken a lot of flavor, but I sometimes sprinkle it with a little bit of seasoning before it goes on the grill.  I really like Weber Grill Creations - Zesty Lemon Seasoning for seafood & chicken.  Once the grill is ready, I grill the chicken on both sides...it takes no time at all for the tenders to cook all the way through! I am cautious about chicken though, so I always cut through it with a knife to make sure it's done. While it is cooking, rinse the lettuce and drain. Cut up the apple into little cube-like pieces...I usually just use half of one apple and it is plenty. Once the chicken is done, cut it into small, bite-size pieces.

Spread the lettuce over a plate, spread the chicken, apple pieces and walnuts over the bed of lettuce, and add vinaigrette dressing to your liking.

The finished product!
It is a very quick and easy meal, and it tastes really good too! Perfect for those evenings where you don't really feel like cooking, or when you just don't have a lot of time to cook a big meal :)

Day 22 - a website

Haha...so I just love this website. If you want some mindless entertainment just by looking through random videos and photos, this is a good place to find it :)


Here is a random photo to give you an idea...they are so stupid and silly that it makes me laugh :)

Wildlife Photography Fail

Day 23 -a youtube video

So one of my grad school friends sent me this about a month or so ago...and I laughed so hard. It probably won't be nearly as funny to most people reading this, but sometimes us grad student lab rats feel exactly like this! :)





Well that's it for now...until next time...hope you have a great day!

Love,
Your friendly neighborhood rocket scientist ;)

3 comments:

  1. that recipe looks really good, and p.s. the science lesson in the middle made me smile, but very informative...so thank you...I will have to try this.

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  2. I love fail blog. You should also read Failbook and "Damn you autocorrect." Good stuff.
    P.S. Do you want this picture on your blog header?

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  3. Haha yes I have read those too! And yes, the one of us saying goodbye, it is my favorite picture at the moment :)

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