Broccoli + {Go-To Meal: Lemon Ginger Sesame Chicken}

As you probably know, I've made it a priority to get healthy this year: going from the Obese BMI range down to the Healthy BMI range, which I celebrated with a photoshoot!  This all stemmed from my strong desire to teach Babycakes what it looks like to life a happy healthy life.  How could I teach her, if I wasn't living it out myself?  It has been a wild ride, with challenges along the way, but I am loving every minute!!  One of the most exciting things we've gotten into this summer is gardening.  I grew tomatoes in my yard a few summers ago, but I had never attempted an actual garden.  It has been so fun to dig, and plant, and water, and watch everything grow...as a family. We started with strawberries, broccoli, a few varieties of tomatoes, red leaf lettuce, and a couple different kinds of herbs.  Straight from the garden to our table or into our juice!

If you missed my Go-To Taco Salad meal, you'll have to go back and take a look at the most beautiful, crisp, perfect lettuce you've ever seen in your life. 

But the broccoli is even more striking!

Babycakes loved pouring water on it, and making sure it wasn't "thirsty."  Every night she'd ask, "Broccoli Ready?" wondering when we'd be able to bring it inside to eat.  Well, that day came earlier this week.  The broccoli florets were getting HUGE, and one even started to flower (which is a sign that the soil is too hot and they should be harvested).  So Dear Hubby and I went out in the dark, with headlamps, and harvested our treasured broccoli.

The Poster Child for Homegrown Veggies:

My favorite picture of this treasured broccoli harvest, is of Babycakes bringing it close to her sweet face and sniffing it.  She was so excited to see her hard work paying off - in the form of dinner! There's something so satisfying about actually being a part of the planting, growing, nurturing, harvesting process (even for a 21 month old!)  Friends who saw this pic, said she looked like the poster child for homegrown veggie eating in America.  So I did just that - I turned it into a poster!!

I know I'm biased, but I think that's the cutest little girl ever. :)  And I love that she loves broccoli.  No prompting, no forcing, no negotiating, no bribing... just eating and asking for more broccoli.   And she likes pushups!

So without further ado, introducing the next meal in the series:

Go-To Lemon Ginger Sesame Chicken

First I cut up the chicken breasts - I used organic cage-free chicken.... I've been trying to buy less quanity of meats, but better quality. I sauteed it in a pan with a little water and 1/2 a cup of edamame.

Then, while that was cooking, I cut up our treasured broccoli and steamed it. I use the same little $19.99 Black and Decker steamer that I got at our wedding 8 years ago - and it STILL make perfect broccoli EVERY time!

After the chicken was thoroughly cooked (white not pink in the middle), I added in 4Tbsp of sauce (I use a premade one, but it'd probably be fairly easy to replicate). It's called Organic Lemon Ginger Sesame Dressing, and it's delicious and relatively low in calories and sugar.

After I mixed the dressing throughout, I added about 1Tbsp of flour to thicken up the sauce into more of a "gravy."  It was the perfect consistency!

I let it thicken for a couple minutes, then served with the broccoli and a side of brown rice and/or quinoa.  And voila - super easy, packed with protein and veggies, Lemon Ginger Sesame Chicken!

Ingredients:

  • 3 - 4 chicken breasts
  • 1/2 cup edamame, shelled
  • 4 Tbsp Lemon Ginger Sesame Marinade, or alternate
  • 1 Tbsp flour
  • 2 large broccoli florets
  • Brown Rice or Quinoa as a side (I used Seeds of Change Brown Rice/Quinoa mix)

Directions:

  1. Steam broccoli (mine takes about 16 minutes in the steamer)
  2. Cook rice according to instructions
  3. Saute chicken in 1 inch pieces with shelled edamame (My edamame was frozen, so I softened it in the microwave for 2 minutes in some water before I added it into the saute pan)
  4. Once chicken is cooked through, add 4 Tbsp of sauce/marinade and stir
  5. Once thoroughly stirred, add 1 Tbsp of flour to thicken the sauce
  6. Serve altogether - chicken, broccoli, and rice - and enjoy!

Congratulations!

And last, but not least... the WINNER of the PRObar Giveaway is.... Valerie!

Please send me an email with your info so that I can get them to you!

Questions:

  • Have you ever had a garden? What are your favorite things to grow?
  • What are some healthy lifestyle habits that you are teaching to your kids?