148.2...Chicken Pasta Caprese

I made a couple of new recipes last week, one being Chicken Pasta Caprese which was super easy to make a big hit!! 

Chicken Pasta Caprese (Serves 5)

Recipe from The Skinnytaste Cookbook

Ingredients:

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 tsp. dried basil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Cooking spray or oil mister

9 ounces pasta

4 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

2 1/2 cups halved grape tomatoes

1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

4 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, cut into cubes

Directions:

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Season the chicken with the dried basil, 1/4 tsp. of salt, and black pepper to taste. Spray the skillet with oil and add the chicken. Cook until the chicken  is cooked through, about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

2. Cook the pasta to al dente in a pot of salted boiling water according to package directions. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

3. Meanwhile, increase the heat under the skillet to high, add the olive oil and garlic and cook, stirring until golden, being careful not to burn it, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, 1/8 tsp. salt, and black pepper to taste and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring until the tomatoes become tender, 5 to 6 minutes.

4. Add the pasta to the tomatoes. If the pasta seems too dry, add some of the reserved pasta water. Add the chicken and toss well. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in fresh basil and cheese, and serve hot. 

Printable Recipe

Last Monday night was busy so I planned ahead and used the slow cooker for dinner. Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef:

Stil a favorite!

Tuesday’s breakfast:

I took the kids to school, then went to the gym. After gym snack:

I got my nails done and met a friend for lunch at Wokou Ramen which I had never tried. We split a few things:

Carnitas Bao Bao (steamed bao bun, pork carnitas, sunomono, rock sugar, peanuts, jalapeños, cilantro, BBQ sauce):

These were just ok. Pretty greasy and not as much flavor as I expected it to have.

Drunken Noodles (udon noodle, beef, chicken, bacon, mixed vegetables, special soy sauce):

These were pretty good although I thought the bacon was strange on it. 

Wokou Fried Rice (beef, chicken, bacon, mixed vegetables, lime, furikake, fried egg):

This was my favorite dish. Really good fried rice!

Tuesday was a super rainy day. Later in the afternoon, this was my view from my house:

I went to my son’s basketball game then came home to make the Chicken Pasta Caprese and a salad for dinner. 

Wednesday’s breakfast:

I took the kids to school, went to a meeting, then the gym. I had a bar for a snack before going to an appointment.

Lunch was Urban Plates:

I went to a meeting at the school, the brought the kids home. Dinner that night was Easy Mexican Casserole (recipe to come) and a salad:

Thursday’s breakfast:

I went to a meeting at the school, then spin class at the gym. 

Snack:

I went to Fashion Valley mall and met Alicia for lunch at Blue Smoke Sushi. I had dropped my phone off at Apple for repair so I could take photos.

Dinner that night was Easy Mexican Casserole leftovers.

I

Friday’s breakfast:

After I took the kids to school, I went to Orange Theory. Post-workout snack:

I came home to get stuff done around the house. I had leftover Chicken Pasta Caprese for lunch:

I picked up the kids from school. For dinner we went to Ototo Sushi.

Tuna, salmon and yellowtail sashimi:

Balboa Roll:

Saturday’s breakfast:

We got in the car and headed to Los Angeles to celebrate my nephew’s 3rd birthday. For lunch we had El Pollo Loco. I made a taco and had a couple of pieces of chicken and salad.

We hung out for a few hours then the kids and headed to Palm Desert where my husband was. A long three hour drive. I was definitely tired of driving my the time we arrived. 

We went to dinner at Mimmo’s which we had never tried. My husband and I shared Bruschetta and the Caprese salad:

Both were really good!

We also shared the Chicken Parmesan:

Really good! Their spumoni was delicious too!

We will definitely go back to Mimmo’s!

Yesterday morning I had a bar and went for a 2 1/2 mile run with my son. Then we went to breakfast at our club. 

Two eggs over easy, bacon, hash browns and toast. My favorite. 

My husband, son and some friends went golfing so I took my daughter out shopping. We stopped at Island’s for lunch. I had a turkey burger and shared fries with my daughter. 

For dinner we tried a new restaurant to us, Guillermo’s. We already love Armando’s and Fresh Agave so we thought we’d add another Mexican restaurant to the mix. Too bad this one didn’t live up to the others. The salsa was bland and so was the guacamole. I ordered the Chile Relleno with Shrimp:

It was just ok. Boo. Their margaritas were too sweet too. Oh well. You win some and then you loose some!

Technorati Tags: Blue Smoke Sushi Lounge, Chicken Pasta Caprese, Easy Mexican Casserole, El Pollo Loco, Everyday, Island's, Mimmo's, Ototo Sushi, Palm Desert, Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef, Urban Plates, Wokou Ramen, Guillermo's