So when I saw this box of Quaker Quick Barley at the grocery store I thought I’d give it a try. I picked it up with some fresh cilantro, something I also rarely buy. I know fresh herbs are the way to go but I rarely buy them. I’ve have grown my own but not yet this season. I’m trying though!

Anyway, I decided on a side dish and I made something like my Super Quick Fried Rice. Surprisingly BOTH husband and child liked, no, LOVED the result. The husband said he liked it better then rice and the little guy didn’t even know what it was. I believe his exact quote was, "YAY! I love that rice." I just let him go with his bad self and he ate dinner with no complaints. :)

I have to admit the cilantro made all the difference. The flavor was amazing in this!

Here’s what I did.

• 1 cup (144) uncooked quick barley (I used this from Quaker )
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 sweet onion chopped
• 2 carrots diced small
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• About an inch of ginger root
• 2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped

Cook the barley according to the package with 2 cups of water.

In a large skillet heat the sesame oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and garlic. Cook until the onion starts to soften and get slightly transparent.

Add in the cooked barley. Add the soy sauce and grate the ginger root on top (I keep mine in the freezer and grate it frozen. It’s a sinch. Click here to see a video where I talk about it)

Add in the cilantro. Stir to merge all the flavors and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

I served mine as a side dish but you could easily turn this into a meal by adding a protein and/or more veggies. Here’s the nutritional info splitting it into 4 side dish servings.

The recipe is for 1 serving but you can easily double, triple or whatever for your situation. As you can see I made it only for me. Between the kid hating fish (I think it’s a texture thing) and the husband not into the greens, I didn’t even bother presenting this as a family dinner. Although I hope to maybe one day get them there. In the meantime I’ll hide the kale in family favorites like stuffed peppers. ;)

Here’s what I did.

• 1 tsp (5g) sesame oil
• 1 thick slice of a sweet onion chopped
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 cup kale cleaned and ripped into chunks
• about 1/2 inch chunk of fresh ginger root (can replace with about 1/4 tsp ground ginger)
• 1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• about 1 tbsp wasabi powder
• 1 4 oz salmon fillet

Heat the sesame oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Sauté the onion and garlic until just turning brown. Add the kale right on top and grate the ginger root on top of the kale. Add the 1/4 of water and tsp of soy sauce. Mix everything together and cover. Keep an eye on it as soon as the water looks like it all evaporated (about 1-2 minutes) remove the kale from the skillet. If you like your kale more cooked more simple add additional water and cover until desired doneness is reached. Then remove.

Spray the same skillet with a bit of non-stick spray and return to the medium-high. Sprinkle both sides of the salmon fillet with the wasabi powder and place in the hot skillet. This is what my wasabi powder looked like. . .

Cook about 2-3 minutes a side depending on the thickness of your fillet. A good indicator of when to flip in the whiteness you’ll see on the edge. Shown in the picture.

Once the salmon is done, place on top of the kale and viola! Wasabi Salmon with Asian Kale for One! :)

So after returning from the gym this morning I looked in the fridge, saw the bulgur. Looked in the freezer, saw the bag of frozen veggies and tadaaaa Asian Inspired Tabouli Salad was born!

It is tasty! A wonderful chilled salad and very filling. You can totally put this out for a party, use it as a side dish or separate the recipe into two servings for lunch!

• 1/2 cup dry bulgur (80g)
• 1 cup of water
• 1 16oz (1lb) bag of frozen Asian vegetables (or stir-fry mix)
• 1/2 tbsp honey (10g)
• 1 tbsp olive oil (14g)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp dried cilantro
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• Kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper

In a small saucepan bring the bulgur and water to a boil. Cover and let sit for 15 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed. (note: I did this ahead so mine was chilled when preparing although I don’t think it will make much of a difference) (double note: DO NOT lift the lid. That’s always my downfall.)

Place the bag of frozen veggies in a microwave safe dish and cook until defrosted but not hot. I did 2 minutes stirred and then 2 more minutes.

In a large bowl add the honey, olive oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, cilantro, ginger, 2 pinched of salt, and some cracked black pepper.

Whisk.

Add the veggies and bulgur.

Stir to coat everything in the dressing.

Chill in the fridge until ready to eat.

As you can see the little guy was unwilling to try. :( He said it looked "yucky." *sigh* he’s turning into your typical 4 year old picky eater.

I’m giving the nutritional information for 2 servings but split it up anyway that makes sense for you. The picture above is 1/2 the recipe.

This was a super late, super quick meal I brought together after a super long day. I realize the idea is not that different then yesterdays One Pot Chicken with Mango and Couscous but I thought I’d share anyway and show you how versatile this type of dish is.

The formula is simple… especially for 1 serving… 3-4 ounces of your favorite protein. Brown it. Add some flavorful liquid (juice or broth about 1/4 cup) and any spices you like. Bring to a boil. Add the couscous (1/4 cup). Cover, remove from heat. wait 5 minutes and eat! Of course if you have fresh veggies add them too! I’m just all out. :(

Seriously… how simple is that? Here’s the flavor combo I put together tonight.

• 4 oz raw boneless chicken breast
• 1 medium orange juiced (or about 1/4 cup orange juice)
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 cup Whole Wheat Couscous (55g)

Brown the chicken in a small pot with a bit of non-stick cooking spray. Juice the orange and add it to the pot along with the soy sauce and ginger. Bring to a boil, add the couscous, cover and remove from the heat.

Wait 5 minutes then enjoy!

BORING

I said, "Trust me, let me make something new." :) And I whipped us an Asian inspired glaze/marinade using what I had on hand. I marinated the chicken overnight and grilled it today.

Verdict?

My mom was the first to try it and said, "It’s Delicious!" That became the phrase of the day. People would say "Have you tried ‘The Delicious Chicken’?" "Have a piece of ‘Delicious Chicken’, it’s delicious!" :) Nothing could have made me happier.

The husband? Well he conceded. Apparently my new marinade was better then boring old BBQ sauce. :~D

• 1/2 cup sugar free Apricot preserves (68g)
• 2 tbsp rice wine or apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp honey (21g)
• 1 tsp olive oil (4g)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp dried chives

Whisk are all the ingredients together. I doubled for 5lbs of chicken (10 pieces.)

Put a little on the side to glaze with while cooking and pour the remaining in a large plastic bag. Add the chicken. Seal, removing as much air as possible.

Marinade for a few hours or overnight. Grill the chicken until done (vague I know but this post is about the marinate, not how to grill chicken- cooking times will vary greatly depending on what cuts of chicken you decide to use)

No nutritional information. Again it will vary depending on how you use the marinade.

Anyway, this is good. I’ve made it twice this week as a quick meal for myself. It’s super tasty and a cinch to prepare. You can’t go wrong.

• 1/4 cup dry bulgur (40g)
• 1 tsp olive oil (5g)
• 1 thick slice of sweet onion chopped
• 1 carrot diced
• 1/2 of a small-medium zucchini chopped
• 1 inch fresh ginger
• 1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

Prepare the bulgur according to the package. It’s a 1:2 bulgur to water ratio. So for our 1 serving of bulgur, 1/4 of a cup, you need 1/2 cup of water. Bring the water to a boil, add the bulgur, cover and remove from heat. Should take about 15 minutes. The longer you soak the softer it will get.

Once the bulgur is to your liking, heat the tsp of olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Add the onion, carrot and zucchini. Grate in the ginger. (My ginger secret… I buy a root, cut it into 1 inch chunks and then freeze. Makes it super easy to grate. )

If there is any water left in the bulgur drain it. Add it to the skillet. Stir in the tbsp of soy sauce and cook for a few minutes allowing the flavors to merge.

Enjoy!

To my surprise… He liked it!

Although after the picture taking session a mom/som battle of epic proportions began. After about 4-5 bites he declared "I’m Full."

"OK" I said, as I don’t like to force him to eat past fullness. However, I save the plate and if he returns (in a reasonable amount of time) and asks for a snack I make him finish his meal first. Well, that’s exactly what happened yesterday. About 10 minutes after leaving the table he asked for candy. I told him he needed to finish he lunch first. (side note: I only gave him half a portion although kept the full portion in his pictures.)

Without going into all the nitty gritty details, the next hour was SHEER torture for mom and child alike. I wasn’t giving in and either was he. He’d ask, I put the plate on the table. He’d cry. I told him he didn’t have to eat it IF he wasn’t hungry BUT he wasn’t getting any candy until he did. Tears, yells, and cries later a majority of his lunch was gone and he TOTALLY forgot about the candy. LMAO So whole grain pasta, zucchini, carrots and chicken eaten and NO candy. I chalk that up to a win for mom. ;~P

Anyway, I’m still marking it as toddler approved as he never stated he didn’t liked it and when I asked him if he did he said yes. Which makes the whole mom/son battle completely illogical. KIDS! *sigh*

• large boneless chicken breast (about 8oz) cut into chunks
• thick slice of sweet onion chopped
• handful of baby carrots (about 3oz) sliced
• half of medium zucchini chopped
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 3oz whole wheat angel hair pasta

Put a pot of water on high and bring to a boil for the pasta

Meanwhile, heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Brown the chicken with the onion and carrots. Add the zucchini. Lower the heat to medium.

Whisk the soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, oil and chicken broth together. Set aside.

Stir the chicken and veggies. By this time your water should be boiling. Add the pasta. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until desired doneness.

Drain the pasta and plop on top of the skillet. Pour the soy sauce mixture on top. Work the pasta around the veggies and chicken, it will want to clump together. Keep stirring until they are well mixed up. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes.

Serve!

Now let me tell you about the video so you know what to expect if you want to watch it. It’s long. The toddler shows up about 5 minutes in and he’s, ummmmm, all toddler. It’s about the only way I can describe it. This video is truly a look at how we make dinner most nights, disheveled and unorganized. But FUN! it worked out in the end. Everyone actually enjoyed this meal, husband included. I was quite surprised. If you remember the husband has that whole fruit/dinner thing. It is a sweet dinner. :)

So if you have an extra 20 minutes… enjoy laughing at me trying to be a patient mom. If not scroll down for the recipe.

• 4 oz whole wheat Orzo Pasta (I buy a case here and it’s lasts forever! Stores well too)
• 2 boneless chicken breasts (approx 1 pound) cut into chunks
• 1 can pineapple slices packed in their own juice (20 oz) cut into quarters with 1/2 cup of the liquid saved
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp whole wheat flour
• 1/2 sweet onion diced
• 2 large bell peppers (1 red & 1 green is fun!) cut into large chunks
• 1 small-medium zucchini sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 inch of ginger root
• non-stick cooking spray

Prepare the pasta according to the package

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray and brown the chicken.

While the chicken is browning open the pineapple can. Take 1/2 cup of the pineapple juice and whisk with soy sauce, vinegar and flour. Set aside.

Cut your veggies.

One the chicken is completely brown remove from the skillet and set aside. Return the skillet to the heat, spray with a bit more cooking spray. Add the onion, peppers and zucchini in that order allowing some time in between for the onion to get soft. Add the pineapple. Stir. Grate in the garlic and ginger.

Raise the temperature to high and add the pineapple juice mixture. Stir. It should start to thicken.

Add the cooked chicken. Cooked orzo and stir for a minute or two merging the flavors.

Remove from heat and serve!

Here’s the "official" recipe.

• 1 cup cooked bulgur – preferably prepared with veggies ad broth for maximum flavor
• 1/2 cup peas
• 2oz fresh pomegranate seeds
• 1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp dried parsley

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat, spray with non-stick cooking spray. Add the cooked bulgur and break apart, cooking for a minute.

Add the peas, stir in. Sprinkle with spices and add soy sauce. Stir, and cook for a few minutes combining the flavors. Add the pomegranate, mix in. Cook for another minute.

Remove from heat and EAT! :)

Remember on my about page how I mentioned sometimes I just cook for me. Well, this is one of those times. Without having to please the husband or the toddler I hit the ground running with leftovers I found in the fridge. Let me just say, right now, as I eat this. I’m SO happy I have a picky husband for the pure fact that I DON’T want to share!

OH MY! SO YUMMY!

I don’t have a "real" recipe as I literally just whipped it up. I snapped a few pictures in case it came out good enough to post, but I didn’t measure anything. So this is just an idea, you can take and run with.

First, the ingredients were a mix of leftovers, pantry items and the pomegranate the toddler and I cleaned this morning. Bear with me as I try to describe.

I had:

• leftover bulgur – The other night I made some bulgur as a side dish by sautéing some onion, peppers and carrots. Then I added the bulgur and chicken broth, brought to a boil, then simmered until done. I LOVED it, the husband and toddler, not completely sold yet, but I’ll keep trying. :~)
• leftover peas – Last night I made Baked Ham with Sweet Potatoes and Carrots with a side of peas (just like the picture!) I always make extra peas, as the toddler and I love them. So I had about a cup in the fridge.
• fresh pomegranate: The toddler and I cleaned a pomegranate this morning and I had about 1/2 leftover. The rest we knocked off in the car on the way to school. By the way, they make great snacks in the kids lunch boxes.
• pantry items: ground ginger, onion powder, garlic powder, dried parsley, low sodium soy sauce, non-stick cooking spray.

Here’s what I did…

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat, spray with non-stick cooking spray. Add the cooked bulgur and break apart, cooking for a minute.

Add the peas, stir in. Sprinkle with spices and add soy sauce. Stir, and cook for a few minutes combining the flavors. Add the pomegranate, mix in. Cook for another minute.

Remove from heat and EAT! I’ll admit it, I downed the whole batch. Seriously, it was THAT good!

Update: I posted the official recipe with a video, click here to check it out!

I had NO idea what to call this particular concoction except ‘quick’. I literally pulled the some frozen chicken out of the freezer, popped it in the microwave to defrost while I cut and cleaned the veggies. Then I whipped up the marinade, which I really can’t call a marinade as I only coated the chicken and veggies with it about 5 minutes before cooking! But it worked! Both the husband and the toddler enjoyed them. The only thing that didn’t go over too well was the tomatoes, so ate all of those! :~P

• 8oz boneless skinless chicken breast cut into small chunks
• 2 small-medium green peppers cut into chunks
• 1 cup pineapple cut into chunks
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• black pepper

Put the chicken, peppers, pineapple and tomatoes in large bowl, preferably with a lid for shaking!

Add the vinegar, soy sauce, and spices to the bowl and mix (or shake).

Skewer in a fun pattern like the toddler here (of course after playing drums) and grill over medium high heat for about 8 minutes turning to prevent burning. Makes 9 kabobs.

I bought some fresh ginger this weekend, it was my first time. Normally I make stir-fry meals with ground ginger and that works out great but I wanted to try something new. I’m glad I did! The fresh ginger has such an awesome smell and it’s much easier to work with then I thought. Just a simply peel the skin off slice and dice like you would garlic.

The dish ended up with a very mild flavor and a light sauce. The husband gave an unsolicited “It’s good” and the toddler gobbled up hordes of chicken and broccoli. He even at the mushrooms after telling me he “doesn’t like ’shrooms”.

• ½ pound (8oz) boneless chicken breast cut into small pieces
• 1 inch of a ginger root diced small
• 3 cloves of garlic diced small
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp honey
• About 3 cups of fresh broccoli florets (267g)
• About 2 cups snow peas (125g)
• About 2 cups mushrooms slices (140g)
• ½ cup of water (separated)
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• non-stick cooking spray

Put the chicken, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar and honey in a bowl and let marinate while preparing the veggies.

Heat a large skillet over high heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Add the chicken and marinade. Cook for a few minutes until chicken is brown.

Add 2 oz of the water (1/8 cup) to the skillet, and top with veggies. Lower to medium high, cover, allowing the veggies to steam. Stir occasionally but recover, cooking for a about 5 minutes.

Mix the cornstarch and remaining 2oz water.

Once the broccoli is just tender, uncover. Power the cornstarch water mixture on top. Stir and the sauce will immediately begin thickening. Continue to stir for 1 minute. Turn off heat and serve over your favorite brown rice.

Here is a shot of the ginger root and the toddler. He turned his head at the last second and I didn’t have the patience to take another. :~)

I’m going to count this as 2 LARGE servings. We split it between the three of us. Nutritional Information does not include the rice.