Easy Throw Together Dinner

Tonight I came home from work starving and dug through the kitchen cabinets looking for something quick and easy to make for dinner. I came up with this recipe and it turned out so well! It will definitely be a go-to recipe from now on, as I usually have most of the ingredients on hand at any given time. Hope you enjoy and let me know in the comments if you try the recipe out!

Pesto Chicken Orzo w/French Beans & Campari Tomatoes

Pesto Chicken Orzo w/French Beans & Campari Tomatoes
6 frozen chicken breast tenderloins
Cavender's Greek Seasoning (or sub your own favorite spices)
half of a 1 lb. box of Orzo
1 small pkg prepared reduced fat Pesto sauce (I used Buitoni)
1 small pkg French style green beans
1 tsp minced garlic
drizzle of olive oil
cracked pepper
salt
parmesan cheese
campari tomatoes

Thaw chicken in micro for 3 min. Place on greased cookie sheet and sprinkle with Cavender's seasoning. Cook at 350 for 25 min.
Meanwhile, boil water and cook orzo for 11 min. Drizzle olive oil in a skillet with garlic and heat. Add green beans and a TBSP of water, cover and steam at medium heat for 3 min.
Drain orzo and add chicken to the pot, pour pesto sauce over top, and mix well. Allow to heat through.
Cut campari tomatoes into fourths on the plate. Add chicken orzo and green beans to plate and sprinkle all items with parmesan, salt, and cracked pepper. Enjoy!

Mojo was nearby to lick the plate!

Simple Things

One of my very dear sisters sent me a Starbucks gift card tucked inside a Secret Garden note card just because!
"Just Because" mail is the very best kind of mail, in my opinion. How great is it to sort through the usual assortment of bills, credit card applications, and unnecessary catalogs to find a personal card? It's practically unheard of in this day and age, and I love it!
I've been holding on to the gift card for a few weeks now just waiting for that day when Starbucks was the only answer to getting through the day. And that day turned out to be today! Nothing terrible happened, I just had a restless night last night, overslept this morning, had to gulp down a few sips of lukewarm drip coffee and speed to work with no breakfast in my belly. An hour or so later, I had a little break at work and decided to put my gift card to good use. One Spinach, Feta, and Eggwhite Wrap, and a Tall Skinny Mocha with sugar-free Hazelnut syrup later, I was a new woman!

 I may have frightened my remaining clients with a healthy dose of chocolate/caffeine induced enthusiasm, but that little gift card turned the day around and it reminded me how it's the simple things in life that bring the most joy!

A "fancy" coffee and a breakfast treat in an otherwise chaotic day gave me a moment of closeness with my sister who lives very far away, helped me to slow down and enjoy the sunny morning, and gave me a chance to give my beautiful husky Mojo a little head scratch! It's a good life!