Why does the weekend go by so fast? So sad that tomorrow is Monday already!

Yesterday, my husband decided to make us some lunches for the week (with my help) and came up with this recipe. Pretty simple. I marinated 3 chicken breasts with a bottle of lime marinade for about an hour. Then the hubby grilled them, cut them up and added them to a container with Mexican rice, black beans, and jarred roasted red peppers. Looking forward to lunch tomorrow!

Evening! I made this meal last night for dinner and everyone cleaned their plates! I had just enough to take for lunch today. It was even better leftover.

Chicken and Veggie Tomato Sauce with Yellow Rice

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 container of sliced mushrooms
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons Worcestershire
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup of red wine
1 container of yellow rice

Directions
Brown your chicken on both sides. I start with skin side down to get some browning going and get that flavor added to the pan. Cook on the first side about 10 minutes, then flip and cook for 5 minutes. Then take the chicken out of the pan.

Saute your veggies in 1 tablespoon of melted butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil for about 8 minutes. I like to add the combo, because butter has a tendency to burn at a high temp, so the olive oil helps temper that a bit. Plus, I like the combo of both flavors together.

Add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste. Stir around for a few minutes and add in the Worcestershire sauce and red wine.

Add a large can of diced tomatoes and a tablespoon of sugar. This helps cut the acidity in the tomatoes. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Add the chicken back in. Cook for another 30-45 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Cook your rice during this time.  I added my rice on the bottom of a bowl, then layered my veggie sauce and chicken on top. That crispy chicken skin is everything!

Evening! I made these yummy pot pies out of our leftover Friendsgiving turkey. I used this recipe. It turned out perfect. (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/anne-burrell/big-brined-herby-turkey.html)

My secret for perfect pot pies is to use real cream and mushrooms instead of cream of mushroom soup. I also use puff pastry, instead of pie crust. It is just so light and crispy, even better than pie dough.

Hopefully you will have a lot of leftover turkey, so you can make this recipe. If so, let me know how it turns out! I am also attempting some crock pot turkey soup, so I will let you know how that goes! Have a great holiday and time off with your family!

Ingredients

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small container of sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups cubed cooked turkey
1 package mix of frozen peas, corn, and carrots
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream, divided
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 package (15 ounces) refrigerated puff pastry
1 large egg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°. In a Dutch oven, saute potatoes, mushrooms, and onion in butter and oil until tender. Stir in flour until blended; gradually add broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in turkey, frozen veggie mixture, 1/2 cup cream, garlic salt and pepper.

2. Spoon mixture in to 8 mini-ramekins. Roll and cut out pastry to fit top of each pie; place over filling. In a small bowl, whisk egg and remaining cream; brush over pastry.

3. Bake 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.