Ingredients Needed

• 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2 – 2.5 pounds)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (or avocado oil)
• 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar or lemon juice or lime juice
• 4 garlic cloves, minced 
• 1 teaspoon fine salt (I use Redmond Real Salt)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Tools Needed: 1 container or gallon-size bag to marinate the chicken thighs, a gas grill or charcoal grill (or indoor grill), and a pair of tongs (or a spatula for flipping the chicken on the grill).

3 Variations

• Use Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts: I use this same marinade for grilling boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Make the marinade, add around 2 lbs of chicken breasts and marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day in advance. Grill the breasts for 8-10 minutes on each side.
• Use Your Favorite Italian Dressing or Vinaigrette Dressing: If you have an oil-based salad dressing in the fridge, use it! I love to use homemade vinaigrette dressing as an alternative to the olive oil and lemon juice marinade. You’ll need about 1/3-1/2 cup of dressing to marinate about 2 -2.5 pounds of chicken thighs.
• Use an Indoor Grill Pan: If you live up north and want to make this recipe year-round, use an indoor grill pan instead of an outdoor grill. The key is to get the grill pan HOT before grilling the thighs. Cook on both sides over medium-high heat, ideally with a lid on the grill pan.

Step 1: Make The Chicken Marinade

In a large bowl or gallon-size bag (I like to use a deep container, as pictured) add all the marinade ingredients: extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar or lemon juice, garlic cloves, salt, and black pepper. Whisk the ingredients with a fork or seal the bag and swish the ingredients in the bag.

Customize the Marinade: Customize the flavor of the marinade by adding 1-2 teaspoons of dried spices: oregano, rosemary, Italian seasoning, herbs de provence (a French spice blend that includes lavender), or smoked paprika. If you don’t have fresh garlic on hand, use 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or more to taste).

Step 2: Marinate The Chicken

Place the boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the marinade. Toss the marinade and chicken together.

• If you’re using a bowl, the easy way to do this is with your hands (then wash your hands with soap and water afterwards). Use your hands to toss the chicken in the marinade.
• If you’re using a bag, the best way to do this is to seal the bag, then rub the outside of the bag with your hands to move the chicken around in the marinade.

Let the chicken rest in the marinade (in the fridge) for at least 30 minutes, or up to 1 day before grilling. The marinade tenderizes the chicken and makes it so flavorful!

Trim the Fat: Before adding the thighs to the marinade, trim any excess fat from the meat. Use a knife or kitchen scissors to cut the extra fat off the thighs. You don’t need to trim all the fat; just the largest pieces.

Step 3: Heat The Grill to 400F

Remove the thighs from the marinade, holding each thigh over the container or Ziploc bag for just a few seconds to let any excess marinade drip off the chicken. This will minimize any large flames from flying up as you add the marinated chicken to the grill.

Place the chicken thighs on the preheated grill so each piece lays flat on the grill.

It doesn’t matter which side you start with since there isn’t any skin on the thighs. If you’re using thighs with skin, place the skin side down first.

I use my hands to do this, but the safest way to add the chicken is with tongs.

Step 4: Cook The Chicken For 12-14 Minutes

Cook the chicken thighs on one side for about 6-8 minutes, with the grill lid closed, then flip and cook for another 6-8 minutes (again with the grill lid closed).

The best way to tell if the chicken thighs are fully cooked is to place a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the meat. The thermometer will read 165F when the chicken is ready. Or, just cut the largest piece of chicken in half to ensure the meat is no longer pink (the less technical way to do this).

Do you need to oil the grill grates before grilling chicken? You don’t need to oil the grill grates before cooking the chicken. The marinade (made with oil) keeps the meat from sticking to the grates as it cooks.

Step 5: Rest For 5 Minutes

Allow the cooked thighs to rest for about 5 minutes before cutting and serving. This locks in the juices and keeps the chicken deliciously moist!

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Grilled Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs (and Easy Marinade)

The best and easiest grilled boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Made with the simplest pantry ingredients, the meat is juicy and incredibly flavorful! Perfect for a quick dinner, lunch, or make-ahead meal prep.

Course dinner, lunch

Cuisine American

Keyword Grilled Boneless Chicken Thighs, grilled marinated chicken thighs

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Marinate Chicken 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 42 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people (2 pieces per serving)

Calories 395kcal

Author Kristin Marr

Equipment

• deep container or gallon-size Ziploc bag for marinating the chicken
• grill
• tongs or spatula for flipping the chicken

Ingredients

• 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs (between 2-2.5 lbs total)

Chicken Marinade:

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
• 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar or lemon juice or lime juice
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 1 teaspoon salt (fine salt)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

• In a large bowl or gallon-size bag (I like to use a deep container, as pictured) add all the marinade ingredients: extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar or lemon juice, garlic cloves, salt, and black pepper. Whisk the ingredients with a fork or close the bag and swish the ingredients in the bag.
• Place the boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the marinade. Toss the marinade and chicken together.
• Let the chicken rest in the marinade (in the fridge) for at least 30 minutes, or up to 1 day before grilling.
• Heat the grill to 400F. Remove the thighs from the marinade, holding each thigh over the container or Ziploc bag for just a few seconds to let any excess marinade drip off the chicken, and place the thighs on the preheated grill.
• Quickly and safely place the chicken on the grill grates, so each piece lays flat on the grill. If you're using boneless thighs with skin, place the skin side down first. (I prefer to start with this side even when using skinless).
• Cook the chicken thighs on one side for about 6-8 minutes, with the grill lid closed. Then flip (it should lift easily from the grill grates) and cook for another 6-8 minutes (again with the grill lid closed). I find that 12 minutes of total cook time is usually perfect!
• Remove the chicken from the grill and allow the cooked thighs to rest for about 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Notes

Trim the Fat: Before adding the boneless, skinless thighs to the marinade, trim any excess fat (large pieces) from the meat. Use a knife or kitchen scissors.

How to Tell if The Chicken is Done: The best way to tell if the thighs are fully cooked is to place a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the meat. It will read 165F when the chicken is ready. Or cut the largest piece of chicken in half to ensure the meat is no longer pink (the less technical way to do this).

Customize the Marinade: Customize the flavor of the marinade by adding 1-2 teaspoons of dried spices: oregano, rosemary, Italian seasoning, herbs de provence (a French spice blend that includes lavender), or smoked paprika. If you don’t have fresh garlic on hand, use 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or more to taste).

See article above for different variations: using chicken breasts, using an indoor grill, or using your favorite vinaigrette dressing for the marinade. 

Nutrition

Calories: 395kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 215mg | Sodium: 784mg | Potassium: 575mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 56IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 2mg

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The post Grilled Boneless Chicken Thighs (With Easy Marinade) appeared first on Live Simply.

How to Make

Step 1: Marinate & Grill Chicken

Marinate the chicken breasts in an olive oil, fresh lemon juice, cloves garlic, and red wine vinegar dressing. Essentially, you’re making a variation of a Greek dressing for the chicken marinade.

Marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day in advance. Keep the chicken in the fridge while it’s marinating in the dressing, either in a Ziploc bag or shallow bowl.

After marinating, heat a grill to about 450F. Add the chicken to the hot grill and cook on both sides for about 18-20 minutes, flipping halfway through. Alternatively, cook the chicken over medium-high heat in a large skillet on the stove-top.

Chicken Tip: Instead of chicken breasts, use 1.5-2lbs of boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Cook the chicken thighs on the grill and marinate in the same way. If you’re short on time, shred chicken from a rotisserie chicken.

This is a great option for grilling chicken in general and my go-to chicken marinade recipe. It’s also the marinade to make my Marinated Chicken Gyros.

Step 2: Make a Greek Salad

While the chicken cools, make a Greek salad by combining the chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, salt, garlic cloves, and olive oil.

For the chickpeas, use either canned or home-cooked. Make dried chickpeas in the Instant Pot, using some for this recipe and the rest for homemade hummus. If you’re using canned beans, drain the juice from the can and rinse the chickpeas under fresh water.

Step 3: Assemble Bowls

To assemble the bowls for dinner, or for a meal prep lunch, you’ll need 3-4 bowls or 3-4 meal prep containers.

Slice the chicken, placing the chicken pieces in each bowl (1 breast per bowl is my preference). Divide the tomato salad evenly among the bowls and top with crumbled feta cheese (1 ounce per bowl) and olives (5-6 olives per bowl).

How to Store

Store the Mediterranean bowls in the fridge, in airtight meal prep containers, for up to 4 days. Here’s what this may look like: If you make 3-4 bowls for meal prep, enjoy one each day for lunch or a busy weeknight dinner.

If you’re making this for dinner and have leftovers, store all the ingredients in airtight containers for up to 4 days. The tomato and cucumber salad on its own makes a delicious side dish (like this easy marinated chickpea salad). And the chicken is great on its own for a main meal.

Other Meal Prep Recipes

Easy meals, that can be prepped in advance, make healthy eating easy! Greek chicken bowls are one of a few meal prep recipes on constant rotation in our home.

• Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats: Like a peanut butter cup, but healthy! Prep a few jars for a protein-packed breakfast or snack.
• Pesto Pasta Bowls: Cooked chicken, pesto, and fresh veggies come together with pasta for an easy make-ahead meal.
• Healthy Yogurt Bowls: Add yogurt to meal prep containers and fruit, then add granola before serving. And there are over 17 different ways to make yogurt bowls!
• Make-Ahead Chicken, Quinoa, Veggie Bowls: Cooked chicken, fresh veggies, quinoa, and a homemade vinaigrette make this meal prep lunch AMAZING.
• Harvest Fall Salad in a Jar: Roast fall veggies and combine with arugula, homemade dressing, and goat cheese for a vegetarian meal prep salad.

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Greek Chicken Bowls (Meal Prep Option)

Healthy chicken bowls filled with cucumber, tomatoes, kalamata olives, and feta cheese! Easy Greek chicken bowls are a great recipe for a meal prep lunch and an easy dinner recipe for busy weeknights.

Course dinner

Cuisine Mediterranean

Keyword Chicken Bowl Recipe, Greek Chicken Bowls, Greek Chicken Meal Prep, Mediterranean Chicken Bowls

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Marinate Chicken 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4 bowls

Calories 386kcal

Author Kristin Marr

Cost $20

Equipment

• 1 grill or large skillet for cooking the chicken
• 1 medium bowl for making the tomato salad
• 3-4 meal prep containers if making this recipe for meal prep

Ingredients

Marinated Chicken:

• 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5-2 lbs), roughly 1 chicken breast per bowl
• 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 lemon juiced (about 2 tablespoons juice)
• 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Greek Salad:

• 1 1/2 cups halved or quartered cherry tomatoes depending on size
• 1 15-ounce canned chickpeas drained and rinsed (1.5 cups)
• 3/4 cup chopped cucumber (about 1 medium cucumber), no need to peel or remove seeds
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2-3 garlic cloves minced (2-3 depending on garlic flavor preference)
• 1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt to taste

Toppings:

• 4 ounces feta cheese (about 1 ounce per bowl)
• 20 pitted kalamata olives or your favorite olives (5-6 olives per bowl)

Instructions

Marinate Chicken:

• Marinate the chicken in the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, oregano, minced garlic, salt, pepper. Combine the marinade in a Ziplock bag or shallow bowl, then add the raw chicken breasts. Toss the chicken in the marinade to evenly coat.
  
• Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes or up to1 day in advance. Keep the chicken in the fridge while it's marinating.
• After marinating, heat a grill to about 450F. Add the chicken to the hot grill and cook on both sides for about 18-20 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Make the Salad:

• While the chicken cools, make a Greek salad. In a medium bowl, add chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, olive oil, salt, garlic cloves. Toss to combine.
  
• Assemble Bowls:
• To assemble a bowl for dinner, or for meal prep, you'll need 3-4 bowls or 3-4 meal prep containers.
• Slice the chicken, placing the chicken pieces in each bowl (1 breast per bowl is my preference). Divide the tomato salad evenly among the bowls or meal prep containers, then top with crumbled feta (1 ounce per bowl) and olives (5-6 olives per bowl).
  
• For meal prep, place the lid on each meal prep container and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Enjoy cold or at room temperature.
• For a fresh meal, immeadiately enjoy the bowls. For variations, add cooked rice, quinoa, or romaine lettuce for a salad or rice bowl. Or, spoon tzatziki sauce over top (a cucumber-yogurt dip/dressing). Lots of options to change things up or enjoy as-is.

Notes

Serving Size: I recommend making 3-4 bowls, but this is up to you and your hunger and amount of salad desired. Between 3-4 bowls is ideal with the ingredient amounts provided.

Nutrition

Calories: 386kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 1470mg | Potassium: 563mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 541IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 198mg | Iron: 2mg

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The post Mediterranean Greek Chicken Bowls (Meal Prep) appeared first on Live Simply.

Later this week, we’re going to shift our focus from the grill, summer pies, and tomato salads and soups to lunch prep, quick breakfast ideas, meal planning tips, and sourdough. Before we do that, I thought it would be fun to recap what we made over the summer. Of course, just because our conversation here on Live Simply is transitioning away from summer recipes, doesn’t mean that our meals need to make the same transition just yet. My family will still be enjoying kebabs, popsicles (after school and on the weekend), and grilled flatbreads for a few more weeks (or even months, because Florida doesn’t cool down until November or December).

June

In June, we made pesto flatbreads on the grill (my favorite summer meal), a kale and romaine caesar salad with homemade croutons (this was the start of my summer obsession with croutons), einkorn cupcakes, sheet pan burritos, and a mixed berry pie. We also talked about our favorite food documentaries to watch over the summer.

Most Popular Recipe: Grilled Pesto Salad Flatbreads

July

July was a hot month. To make up for the heat, we made popsicles twice in just a couple of weeks: Homemade Fudge Popsicles (an alternative to Fudgesicles) and Peanut Butter Fudge Popsicles. We also found comfort from the heat in a cold chicken salad made with curry, mango, and turmeric. The heat didn’t stop us from turning on our ovens so we could make a burst tomato pasta, fresh tomato and red pepper soup, and veggie nuggets. And remember the time we mashed up extra avocado to make a face mask? That was fun and a bit horrifying for the family… “Mommy turned into a monster!”

Most Popular Recipe: Homemade Fudge Popsicles

August

In August, we made cherry toast, mango granola bars, chicken and veggie kebabs with homemade chimichurri sauce, a tomato panzanella salad, and a chilled chocolate pudding pie. Of course, August isn’t over just yet, but as of this week we’re going to start focusing on back to school prep, simple fall meal ideas, and more. It’s time to make the transition from the best summer has to offer to the best fall has to offer–it’s crazy how fast time flies, right?!

Most Popular Recipe: Honey-Cherries and Nut Butter Toast

Today’s recipe, while it’s technically considered a summer meal because of the grill, can be made year-round using an indoor grill pan (I use this one). The burgers take just a few minutes to mix together, along with the special aioli sauce, which means these burgers also make a great back-to-school, weeknight meal.

The burgers tend to dry out when they’re reheated, so I recommend enjoying them fresh from the grill versus trying to prep a few extras for the week ahead. Don’t worry, we’re going to talk about plenty of things you can prep later in the week. First, let’s grill some chicken and herb burgers.

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Chicken and Herb Burgers with Garlic Aioli

Grilled chicken burgers with fresh herbs and an easy-to-make garlic aioli sauce. 

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Chicken Herb Burgers

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 345kcal

Author Kristin Marr

Ingredients

Chicken and Herb Burgers:

• 1 lb ground chicken or 1 lb chicken breasts ground in a food processor
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup diced shallots
• 1 TB chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1 garlic clove
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Garlic Aioli:

• 2 TB mayonnaise *
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 2 TB extra virgin olive oil
• salt to taste
• black pepper to taste

Special Equipment:

• avocado oil spray or another oil that can withstand high temperatures--to oil the grill grates
• medium bowl
• grill indoor or outdoor
• small bowl

Instructions

Chicken and Herb Burgers:

• In a medium-size bowl, stir together the chicken, bread crumbs, egg, shallots, basil, parsley, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper until thoroughly combined. Using your hands is the easiest way to combine the ingredients. 
  
• Form the mixture into 4 patties (the mixture will be soft), making a slight depression in the center of each patty (this keeps the burgers flat as they cook). Place the patties in the fridge while the grill heats. 
• Lightly spray or brush the grill grates with oil to prevent sticking--I use the oil listed under Special Equipment. Heat the grill to 450F. 
• Remove the burgers from the fridge and grill them for 10-13 minutes, turning once, until completely cooked through--browned and no longer pink. Don't over cook--this will cause the burgers to dry out. 

Garlic Aioli:

• Stir together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl, then whisk in the olive oil.

Assemble the Burgers:

• Serve the burgers with the aioli sauce and any other toppings you'd like: a bun, lettuce, red onions, tomato slices, avocado slices, etc. 

Notes

*Use the cleanest mayonnaise available to you. Options: homemade mayo (egg), homemade avocado mayo (no egg)--I'm not sure about the final taste with this dressing, Sir Kensington (store-bought), Primal Kitchen (store-bought), Chosen Foods (store-bought). 

If you love sauce on your burger, feel free to double the garlic aioli sauce. The current recipe only makes a small amount of sauce. 

Nutrition

Calories: 345kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 141mg | Sodium: 665mg | Potassium: 654mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 410IU | Vitamin C: 6.3mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 2mg

The post Chicken and Herb Burgers with Garlic Aioli appeared first on Live Simply.

Before we do that, there are a few recipes left in my recipe folder that need to be shared. A few “summer inspired” recipes we need to enjoy before we embrace the idea of cooler weather (a welcomed feeling after the 100 degree temperatures we’ve been experiencing), jeans (truth be told, I’m a year-round jean gal), and heartier meals.

Over the next two weeks, I’m going to try my best to share the last of these summer meals, before we embrace back-to-school meal ideas, baked breads (sourdough is coming), and all the other foods we welcome during the cooler months.

Today’s recipe, in particular, has that classic summer feel and taste. How can a meal get more “summery” than an herb-based chimichurri sauce, yellow squash, zucchini, and skewered meat?

The answer: It can’t!

The entire recipe, from making the chimichurri sauce to cutting up the the meat and veggies, only requires about 30 minutes (plus, two hours for marinating), making this recipe a meal that bridges the gap between the lazy days of summer and the structured days of late summer/early fall (hello, school! I see you trying to creep in.).

A side of rice or quinoa seems, to me, like the perfect side for these kebabs. (Also, important question… Is it kebabs or kabobs? After Googling both words, I’m still incredibly confused as to which one is the most appropriate, so I’m going with kebabs today. It appears that kabobs is more of an American term, and the rest of the world uses the word, kebabs.) I’ve also been having a moment with massaged kale salad, which pairs perfectly with the kebabs and rice/quinoa.

If you’ve never made a massaged kale salad before, I highly recommend trying it out with these kebabs. Simply de-stem rinsed kale (go for lacinato kale), roughly chop the leaves, and place the leaves in a bowl. Add lemon juice (depending on how much kale you’re using, I usually go with 1/2 a lemon, juiced, or a bit less), a bit of olive oil, and salt. You can also add a minced garlic clove. Massage the dressing into the kale (the kale will break down, leaving behind a delicious salad) and serve. I made a similar salad, and wrote down the recipe, in this pizza post (without the basil and cheese).

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Summer Squash Chicken Kebabs with Chimichurri Sauce

Summer squash and chicken kebabs flavored with a homemade, easy-to-make chimichurri sauce. 

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Chicken Kebabs

Prep Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 50 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 2046kcal

Author Kristin Marr

Ingredients

Chimichurri Sauce:

• 1 bunch fresh cilantro (about 1 cup)
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley
• 1 medium shallot roughly chopped (about 1/2 cup once sliced)
• 2 medium garlic cloves
• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 TB lime juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Kebabs:

• 1 lb chicken breasts
• 1 medium zucchini cut into 1” thick half moons
• 1 medium yellow squash cut into 1” thick half moons
• 1 medium red onion cut into 1” thick half moons

Special Equipment:

• food processor
• medium bowl or plastic bag
• skewers *
• grill

Instructions

For the Chimichurri Sauce:

• Pulse the cilantro, parsley, shallot, and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped.
• Remove the herb mixture from the food processor. Whisk in the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lime juice, salt, red pepper flakes, and pepper.
• Set a 1/3 of the sauce aside for a marinade, refrigerate the rest of the sauce for later.

For the Kebabs:

• Cut the chicken breasts into 1” cubes and place the cubes in a medium-size bowl or plastic bag. Add a ⅓ of the chimichurri sauce and mix until the chicken is completely covered. Cover the bowl (or close the bag) and place in the refrigerator to marinate for 2-4 hours.
  
• If you're using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 20-30 minutes before using.
• Heat the grill on medium-high heat. 
• When the chicken is finished marinating, remove it from the bag or bowl and discard the excess marinade. Alternate the chicken, zucchini, squash, and onion on the skewers, then spoon 1 tablespoon of chimichurri sauce over each kebab.
• Grill until the chicken is cooked through and veggies are soft, about 12 to 15 minutes, turning once during this time. 
• Serve warm with the remainder of the chimichurri sauce (also delicious spooned over rice or quinoa).

Nutrition

Calories: 2046kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 102g | Fat: 175g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Cholesterol: 290mg | Sodium: 1748mg | Potassium: 2855mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 3440IU | Vitamin C: 107.1mg | Calcium: 111mg | Iron: 5.5mg

The post Summer Squash Chicken Kebabs with Chimichurri Sauce appeared first on Live Simply.

Part of this goal involves traveling as a family.

In December of 2016, we traveled for a week-and-a-half around Florida before jumping on a Caribbean-bound cruise boat. The kids were such amazing travelers, we decided to try air travel over their summer break.

Last week, we boarded a plane for a two-week adventure in Michigan and Chicago.

We started our trip by flying into Grand Rapids. During our stay, we visited family and enjoyed the food scene in the city. The food in Grand Rapids was incredible. INCREDIBLE! I was so impressed with the strong focus on local food at almost every restaurant we visited. We also visited a local market, Fulton Street Market, where we bought some local asparagus and apples (a treat for Floridians).

We also stopped in at Madcap, a local Grand Rapids coffee shop. We’ve been enjoying a monthly coffee subscription with Madcap, so this was a must-stop on our list. We finally visited the coffee mother ship, lol.

After Grand Rapids, we headed up to Traverse City and Mackinac Island where we made the climb up to Sleeping Bear Dunes and Pyramid Point. From there, we made our way to East Lansing, where we’re currently staying with my Aunt and Uncle for a few days before taking a train to Chicago (tomorrow).

This adventure has allowed me to enjoy a small break from my kitchen and recipe development. I absolutely love cooking, but it’s nice to get out of my kitchen every so often and experience “other people’s” food.<–Experiences that can be both inspiring and eye-opening.

We’ll return home next Wednesday, after two full weeks of living out of suitcases. I know we’re going to return home with so many memories, from climbing Sleeping Bear Dunes to enjoying the best guacamole ever (Donkey in Grand Rapids). By the way, Piper discovered that he actually likes guacamole on this trip. Kids are always full of surprises!

I’m excited to get back into my kitchen and start enjoying summery meals, particularly meals from the grill. We just planted a small butterfly garden in our backyard, which makes grilling, and eating outside, even more appealing.

One of the meals I fell in love with before we left home, and one I plan to continue making all summer long, is a pesto salad flatbread. The flatbread is made with pizza dough (remember the einkorn pizza dough from last week?) and then tossed on the grill for a few minutes. The result is a quick, homemade flatbread. The perfect base for homemade pesto, arugula greens, tomatoes, radishes, feta cheese, and grilled chicken. The flatbreads can be served as a build-your-own meal, and the topping offerings can vary depending on what’s available (try other veggies or salad greens).

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Grilled Pesto Salad Flatbreads

An easy and light summer meal featuring grilled pizza dough, homemade pesto, and fresh toppings. 

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Pesto Flatbread

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 579kcal

Author Kristin Marr

Ingredients

Grilled Chicken (optional):

• 3/4 lb chicken breast about 1 large or 2 small breasts
• 2 TB extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 medium lemon juiced
• 1/2 TB red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 medium garlic clove minced
• 1/4 tsp salt
• pinch pepper

Grilled Flatbreads:

• 1 lb pizza dough a pound is a rough estimate for a homemade/store-bought pizza dough
• 1/2 TB extra virgin olive oil

Arugula Salad:

• 3 cups arugula
• 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• splash lemon juice just squeeze a bit of juice from the lemon used in the marinade
• splash red wine vinegar

Other Toppings:

• 1/2 cup pesto
• 3/4 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 cup sliced radishes
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

• Note: You'll need to make the pesto (mentioned under "Other Toppings") before grilling the chicken and flatbreads. My homemade pesto only takes a few minutes to make. You can also use store-bought pesto. 

Prepare and Grill the Chicken and Flatbreads:

• For the chicken, rinse and pat the chicken breast(s) dry.  

  In a shallow and wide container, or a Ziploc, whisk (or shake) the marinade ingredients together: olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, minced garlic, salt and pepper.

  Place the chicken in the marinade, and toss the chicken around so it's covered. Marinate the chicken in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, up to 12 hours. The chicken will appear to be "broken down" if you choose to marinate for 12 hours due to the acid, but the taste and texture don't reflect this once cooked.
• Preheat an outdoor grill to roughly 450F (preheated for about 10-15 minutes on a high flame).
  
• Remove the chicken from the marinade (toss the extra marinade in the trash), and cook the chicken directly over the heat (on the grill) until it's brown on the side that's facing the heat. Once brown, flip the chicken and continue to cook on the other side until brown. The time it takes for your breast(s) to cook will vary depending on the size of the breast(s). I usually cook the chicken for about 10 minutes on each side. The chicken is done when a meat thermometer registers at 160F.
• While the chicken cooks, prepare and grill the flatbreads. Dust a large sheet of parchment paper with einkorn flour. Divide the dough into 4-6 small balls, and then roll each dough ball out to create a small flatbread. Brush a small amount of olive oil over the top of each flatbread.
• Work quickly to place the dough on the grill. Cook the flatbreads for about 3 minutes, with the grill covered, until the bottom of the dough easily lifts away from the grill and grill marks are apparent. Use a heavy spatula to get under the flatbreads and flip them. Cook the flatbreads, with the grill covered, for another 2-3 minutes. Each grill differs slightly, just like ovens, so keep a close eye on the flatbreads so they don't burn. 
• When the chicken is done cooking, let it rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Make the Arugula Salad:

• In a medium-size bowl, toss together the arugula, olive oil, lemon juice, and red wine vinegar. 

Assemble the Flatbreads:

• Spoon 1-2 tablespoons of pesto on each flatbread, followed by a small handful of the arugula salad, chicken, and toppings (cherry tomatoes, radishes, feta). 

Nutrition

Calories: 579kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 1576mg | Potassium: 476mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1220IU | Vitamin C: 11.8mg | Calcium: 185mg | Iron: 4.3mg

The post Grilled Pesto Salad Flatbreads appeared first on Live Simply.

Growing up, this tradition involved take-out pizza from the closet pizza delivery spot. Sometimes the wait for our Friday night pizza could be hours long, but it was always worth it. I’m not sure if the pizza was really that special or if the tradition of getting pizza every Friday night made the wait worth every minute.

After turning to real food, I realized most take-out pies aren’t made with the best ingredients. Ignorance truly is bliss (well, until your stomach and head start telling you otherwise–which is usually the case with overly-processed food).

Just because we had resolved to avoid processed food, didn’t mean we couldn’t keep my family’s Friday night tradition alive. I knew the solution: making pizza at home, in my own kitchen, where I could use the very best ingredients. There was only one slight problem. At the time, I didn’t exactly know how to cook anything that didn’t come from a box or package.

My first homemade pizza tasted and felt more like cardboard than actual food. My next few attempts were just as bad. Finally, one night, after being served one too many brick-like pizzas, Dustin pleaded, “Why don’t we take a break from pizza for a while.” For someone as stubborn as myself, that just wasn’t going to happen.

After a bit of research about how to make edible homemade pizza, I attempted to make pizza again. That night, I made a completely edible pizza. In fact, it was more than just edible, it was incredible! The crust was crispy and soft. The cheese was melted with a few brown patches, and the sauce was seasoned just right. My family’s tradition could live on, homemade style.

Pizza night is now a family affair. The kids scoop and dump the flour into the designated bowl and then roll out the dough, stealing little pieces of dough after each roll, and Dustin shreds the cheese. At this point, I’ve been appointed to head pizza supervisor, which means I heat the oven, warm the baking stone, and make sure the kids don’t completely devour the raw dough.

On Friday night, I’ll occasionally share a pizza-making picture or video via Instagram Story. Each time I share a homemade pizza creation, I receive questions about the einkorn pizza dough recipe used to make the crust. Most of the time, I refer reader friends to a pizza dough recipe originally published on the blog in 2013. In that post, I shared my recipe for whole wheat pizza dough, which I just updated last year with a note at the bottom to include instructions on making einkorn pizza dough. It’s a bit hard to read through that post and then read through the einkorn notes at the very bottom, so I thought it would be helpful to write a brand new post about making einkorn pizza dough.

Einkorn is known as the oldest variety of wheat, making it an “ancient” grain. The ancient grain is believed to have originated in the Tigris-Euphrates region and is possibly the main grain referenced in the earliest accounts of the Bible. To put it simply, einkorn is the wheat men were eating in the earliest days before modern-day wheat varieties. While modern wheat has undergone hybridization, einkorn still holds true to its original properties.

The sweet, ancient grain has a lighter texture and taste than modern-day wheat, and contains a more favorable gluten ratio. People with minor gluten sensitives may be able to consume einkorn without the issues associated with whole wheat due the lack of D-genome; however, einkorn is not gluten-free.

All-purpose einkorn flour looks and tastes similar to white flour, so it’s the perfect flour (in my opinion) to use when making pizza dough. Einkorn is sold in some health food stores and online. Einkorn does act a bit different than whole wheat when it’s used in baked recipes, so it does take some time to get used to this flour.

One of the biggest differences between whole wheat and einkorn is the amount of kneading time needed to create yeast doughs, like pizza dough. While whole wheat requires endless kneading (at least it feels that way), einkorn is more of a hands-off dough. This makes einkorn flour one of the easiest flours to use for yeasted breads, including pizza dough.

Einkorn pizza dough can be made in advance and kept in the fridge (about a day or two) or freezer (a couple of months) until needed. The dough may be used to make traditional, baked pizza or turned into grilled flatbreads (my favorite during the summer months). The final baked crust has a light and favorable taste and a crispy crust.

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Einkorn Pizza Dough

An easy-to-make homemade pizza dough made with all-purpose einkorn flour. 

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Einkorn Pizza Dough

Prep Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 1 dough

Calories 273kcal

Author Kristin Marr

Ingredients

• 1 cup water room temperature (216g // 240ml)
• 2 tsp active dry yeast (7.5g)
• 1 tsp salt (7.5g)
• 2 TB extra virgin olive oil (21g)+ more for drizzling
• 3 cups all-purpose einkorn flour (360g)

Instructions

To Make the Dough:

• In a large mixing bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the water. After about 5 minutes, whisk the mixture. Add the salt and oil, and whisk again to combine the ingredients. 
• Using a wooden spoon, stir the flour into the wet ingredients, until it becomes hard to use the spoon (at this point, you'll have a bit of a floury dough with flour still in the bowl). Gently knead the rest of the flour into the dough. There's no need to continue kneading the dough once it has formed a ball. 
• If you'd like to use a stand-mixer, such as a KitchenAid Stand-Mixer, use the dough hook on your mixer. Knead the ingredients with the dough hook until the dough has formed a ball. If you continue to knead once the dough has formed a ball, the result will be a very sticky, unpleasant dough. 
• Drizzle the dough with a bit of olive oil, spreading the oil over the dough with your hands. Cover the bowl with a towel. Rest the dough, at room temperature, for about an hour. The dough won't significantly double in size. 

To Make Oven-Baked Pizza:

• After an hour, preheat the oven to 475F. Place a large baking stone, or two medium-size baking stones, in the oven to preheat. 
• Dust a large sheet of parchment paper with einkorn flour. Transfer the dough to the parchment paper. If you're making one large pizza, you'll want to use all the dough. If you're making two medium pizzas, divide the dough into two balls, placing one half on the parchment and the other to the side (you'll also need another piece of parchment for the second half).
• Roll out the dough on the parchment paper, using a rolling pin or pressing the dough out from the center with your hands. Einkorn pizza dough can tear easily, so don't roll it too thin. 
• Brush a small amount of olive oil over the top of the dough. Add the desired toppings over the dough (sauce, cheese, veggies, meats, etc.).
• Carefully pick up the parchment paper, and place the parchment and pizza on the hot baking stone (in the oven). It's helpful if you have an extra person available to help you pick up the parchment. Bake the pizza for 12-15 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Allow the pizza to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing. 

To Make Individual Grilled Einkorn Flatbreads:

• Follow instructions 1-4, above. Then proceed on with the following instructions...
• To make individual grilled flatbreads, preheat an outdoor grill to roughly 450F (preheated for about 10-15 minutes on a high flame). 
• Dust a large sheet of parchment paper with einkorn flour. Divide the dough into 4-6 small balls, and then roll each dough ball out to create a small flatbread. Einkorn pizza dough can tear easily, so don't roll the flatbreads too thin. Brush a small amount of olive oil over the top of each flatbread.
• Once the grill is hot, work quickly to place the dough on the grill. Cook the flatbreads for about 3 minutes, with the grill covered, until the bottom of the dough easily lifts away from the grill and grill marks are apparent. Use a heavy spatula to get under the flatbreads and flip them. Cook the flatbreads, with the grill covered, for another 2-3 minutes. Each grill differs slightly, just like ovens, so keep a close eye on the flatbreads so they don't burn. 
• Remove the flatbreads from the grill. Top the flatbreads with desired toppings (warm marinara sauce, hummus, tzatziki, pesto, crumbled or shredded cheese, salad greens, veggies, and/or cold cut meats).

Notes

This recipe makes enough dough for 1 large pizza, 2 medium-small pizzas, or 4-6 individual grilled flatbreads. 

If you'd like to learn more about baking with einkorn flour, I high recommend reading this article from Jovial. 

 

 

Nutrition

Calories: 273kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 2342mg | Potassium: 76mg | Fiber: 2g

The post How to Make Homemade Einkorn Pizza Dough (Oven or Grill) appeared first on Live Simply.

During our chat, I mentioned that I keep a list of quick and easy meal ideas/recipes on my fridge. I can easily reference this list and add them to my meal plan each week. This list is a bit different than my Family Favorite Meals list, as these meals must meet a 45 minute or less criteria, or may be prepped in advance.

If you’d like to create a similar list to keep on your fridge, you can download my printable worksheet, here. Yes, you can also use a piece of notebook paper, but you know how much I love a pretty printable.

One of my family’s favorite meals from this list is a Quick and Easy Marinated Chicken Gyros recipe. The gyros take 15 minutes to prep for the marinade in the morning, and in the evening, when we’re ready for dinner, the gyros cook and come together in 30 minutes. That’s a huge dinner win, especially since this meal is packed full of veggies, protein, and a probiotic-rich sauce. These gyros are so balanced and filling that I usually serve them with a simple fruit salad, or just an individual fruit. A real food meal just doesn’t get any easier than that.

Along with being hearty and nutritious, the gyros may also be prepped ahead.  The onions and radishes may be chopped a few days in advance, the chicken may be marinated for up to 12 hours, and the greens may be washed on a lazy weekend afternoon. All of these little prep steps may seem minimal, but they add up, and make getting dinner on the table an easy and quick process.

Don’t despair if you can’t spend a few extra minutes on the weekend, or an evening, prepping this meal. Even without the prep time, these gyros come together quickly compared to more time-intensive dinner options.

Finally, let’s talk about the kid-friendliness of this meal.

I’ve learned that my kids particularly gravitate toward two types of meals:

1. Meals that they can get involved with prepping.

2. Meals that feature a build-your-own style of eating.

The kids love to help prep this meal, chopping the tomatoes and cutting the pitas in half with their kid-friendly knives. They also love to build their pitas once the ingredients are placed on the table. The kids are encouraged to try each ingredient in their pitas, which usually doesn’t happen, but we try! Their choices will vary each time gyros are served for dinner. Sometimes, Piper will go for the tomatoes, despite expressing his dislike for them, and then realize that they taste pretty good when sandwiched between the chicken, sauce, cheese, and pita. Sometimes, he won’t touch the tomatoes.

I think your entire family will fall in love with the convenience, ease, and flavor of this meal.

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Quick and Easy Marinated Chicken Gyros

These gyros are so balanced and filling that I usually serve them with a simple fruit salad, or just an individual fruit. A real food meal just doesn’t get any easier than that.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Chicken Gyros

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 4 -6 people

Calories 459kcal

Author Kristin Marr

Ingredients

Marinated Chicken:

• 4 boneless and skinless chicken breasts totaling 2 pounds
• 3 TB extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lemon juiced (3 TB of juice)
• 2 TB red wine vinegar
• 1 TB dried oregano
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Make the Pitas (pick and choose your toppings):

• 4-8 whole wheat pitas
• 2 cups arugula
• 1/2 cup sliced radishes
• 1/2 red onion thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup sliced grape tomatoes
• 1/3 cup sliced black olives
• homemade tzatziki sauce

Instructions

• Rinse and pat the chicken breasts dry. Set aside.
• In a shallow and wide container, or a gallon-size Ziploc bag, whisk (or shake) the marinade ingredients together: olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, minced garlic, salt and pepper.
• Place the chicken in the marinade, and toss the chicken around so it's covered. Marinate the breasts in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, up to 12 hours. The chicken will appear to be "broken down" if you choose to marinate for 12 hours due to the acid, but the taste and texture don't reflect this once cooked.
• Heat the grill, or you can cook the chicken in a skillet or grill pan. If you're using a grill, you'll want the temperature around 400F--anything hotter will quickly dry out the breasts. Grease the grill or pan with a small amount of extra olive oil.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade (toss the extra marinade in the trash), and cook the chicken directly over the heat until it's brown on the side that's facing the heat. Once brown, flip the chicken and continue to cook on the other side until brown. The time it takes for your breasts to cook will vary depending on the size of the breasts. I usually cook the chicken breasts for about 10 minutes on each side. The breasts are done when a meat thermometer, inserted into the breasts, registers at 160F.
• Let the breasts rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Slice the breasts. While the grill or pan are hot, warm the pitas one by one for just a minute on each side. This is optional, but so delicious!
• Assemble the gyros by topping a flat pita with chicken, your desired toppings, and homemade tzatziki sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 459kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 1066mg | Potassium: 684mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 570IU | Vitamin C: 11.2mg | Calcium: 159mg | Iron: 3.1mg

Ingredient Notes 

This is one of those rare meals when I’ll actually use boneless and skinless chicken breasts. Feel free to use breasts with the bones and skins–you’ll just need to extend the cooking time.

I purchase pita from the health food store or Whole Foods. My favorite brand is Middle East Bakery. If you’d like to make homemade pita, I recommend using the einkorn recipe in Jovial’s Cookbook.

The amount of toppings you’ll need will vary depending on what your family likes and how much your family eats. The amounts given for the toppings (example: 1/2 cup crumbled feta and 1/3 cup sliced black olives) are based on what works for my family of four.

The post Quick and Easy Marinated Chicken Gyros appeared first on Live Simply.

From an easy weeknight salad to burgers, that’s how we roll around here!

One of my goals for 2016 is to bring you even more real food recipes. I currently have a list of over 75 food recipes (that’s technically a cookbook, friend) just waiting to be photographed and shared with you. 75!! And here’s the best part: every single recipe is easy to make, 100% real, and totally delicious. Okay, enough talk about the future, let’s enjoy some burgers.

I’m a pretty simple gal, despite the 75 recipes mentioned above. I could live off just a few basic food groups for the rest of my life: beans, burgers, arugula, eggs, cheese, homemade bread, and cucumbers. Okay, so technically none of those are “food groups,” but since I write Live Simply and kind of create the rules around this little internet space, let’s go with the term “food groups.” Cheese and burgers definitely deserve their own food group, and then there’s homemade bread. “Food group” may be too little of a word for such a heavenly food. Wouldn’t you agree?

A few weeks ago, Piper inquired at the dinner table, “What’s your favorite food?” The next five minutes were spent discussing each person’s favorite food. Piper decided on chicken. Londyn went with pizza. Dustin ranked steak as his favorite food. The conversation ended with me, Oh the possibilities. After a few seconds in deep food thought, I finally decided on a hamburger. To me, there’s nothing better than a well-crafted, juicy, loaded-with-all-the-healthy-toppings burger.

In honor of my favorite food (group), it’s high time that I actually share a burger recipe on Live Simply.

Now, I’m sure at some point someone will find this recipe on Pinterest or even Google and wonder what a burger recipe is doing on a real food, “healthy eating” blog? To be honest, before our real food days, I wouldn’t have associated healthy eating with a burger. Nope, I was 100% convinced (thanks to American diet books and “health food” commercials and special products) that healthy food could only be associated with green smoothies, kale, salad, quinoa (actually, quinoa wasn’t a big thing nine years ago), goji berries, and any other exotic fruit that originates in the jungles of South America. Oh how I was wrong!

Real food isn’t about being a rabbit and only eating kale and carrots (although vegetables should have a very prominent place in a real food lifestyle). Real food is about good food made with good ingredients. Seriously, it’s that simple.

This means when you’re enjoying a real food lifestyle, a burger is upgraded to real food status by swapping out the conventional, corn fed beef for pasture-raised beef (AKA: grass-fed beef). The mystery mayo (if you’re a mayo person) is replaced with homemade mayo or a cleaner store-bought brand (like Primal Kitchen or Sir Kensington’s). The burger is loaded with fresh ingredients, similar to building a salad: real cheese (fake, plastic-like cheese isn’t allowed on this burger), lettuce, spinach, arugula, mushrooms, onions, avocado (try an avocado on your next burger!!), tomato, sprouts, and/or anything else your real food lovin’ tummy desires. Finally, the bun. When it comes to a real food hamburger bun there are three options:

1) Do without the bun: There are many times when I simply eat my burger with a fork and knife.

2) Go with a cleaner bun: There are a few cleaner store-bought buns sold in health food stores these days. My favorite brand is Silver Hills Sprouted Bakery.

3) Make your own bun: Making your own hamburger bun sounds complicated, but if you make a big batch every so often and freeze the extra buns, you’ll have homemade buns available whenever a hamburger craving hits (which is quite often in our home). Looking for a good bun recipe? You’re in luck! Grab my einkorn hamburger bun recipe.

Okay, enough chatting. Let’s get cooking, and more importantly, eating!

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Chipotle Blue Cheese Burgers with Mushrooms and Onions

...finally decided on a hamburger. To me, there’s nothing better than a well-crafted, juicy, loaded-with-all-the-healthy-toppings burger.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Blue Cheese Burgers

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 - 1/4lb burgers

Calories 432kcal

Author Kristin Marr

Ingredients

Chipotle Blue Cheese Burgers:

• 1 lb ground beef grass-fed beef is preferable
• 1 tsp chipotle powder
• 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles packed, + extra for topping the burger, optional
• salt and pepper

Mushroom and Onion Topping:

• 2 TB extra virgin olive oil or butter, ghee, coconut oil, or avocado oil also work
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms I prefer cremini or mini portobellos but any variety will work.
• 1 cup sliced yellow onion
• 1 pinch salt and pepper

Instructions

• Heat the grill to high (about 450F). In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, chipotle powder, and blue cheese crumbles. Form the beef into 4 equal-size patties. Sprinkle the patties on each side with salt and pepper (just enough for a light seasoning and flavor). Place the burgers on the grill. Grill the burgers for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until cooked to your desired doneness. If you'd like toasted buns, place the buns on the grill, but away from the direct heat, during the last 4-5 minutes of cooking time.
• While the burgers cook, prepare the mushroom and onion topping. Warm the olive oil in a skillet, then add the sliced mushrooms and onion slices. Sauté the mushrooms and onions for 5-7 minutes, until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms are tender. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper over the mushrooms and onions.
• To build your burger: top your burger, on the toasted bun or on a plate for a fork and knife burger, with arugula (spinach or lettuce also work), extra blue cheese crumbles (optional), mushrooms and onions, and homemade mayo (or cleaner store-bought mayo--see options in the story above). I also love to add a few slices of avocado to this burger...yum!!

Nutrition

Calories: 432kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 335mg | Potassium: 497mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 330IU | Vitamin C: 3.5mg | Calcium: 119mg | Iron: 2.6mg

Prep in Advance: These burgers can be prepped 24 hours in advance. Simply combine the burger ingredients, and form the burger patties. Place the burger patties in a storage container (or a plate with a covering) and refrigerate. Allow the burgers to rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes for cooking.

Stove-Top Version: I prefer to cook burgers on our grill. We live in Florida, so grilling is an option year-round. If you’d prefer to cook these burgers on the stove-top, I recommend using this tutorial from The Kitchen.

The post Chipotle Blue Cheese Burgers with Mushrooms and Onions appeared first on Live Simply.

Have you noticed a trend around Live Simply?

I’m a lover of homemade cleaning products and chocolate is my best friend, but when it comes to salads, well, that food group is seriously lacking around here. In fact, I’ve posted more salad dressings than actual salads.

It’s not that I don’t care for salads; rather the real issue boils down to patience and time. After fixing a main course, our side dish (which is often a salad), is the last thing I want to think about. This means our typical salad is generally very simple: a leafy green and whatever raw vegetables I can easily grab from the fridge. A homemade dressing is the star of the show.

I’ve been stuck in the boring simple salad routine for years, but a couple of weeks ago my mediocre salad life was forever changed.

Tuesday nights have become our date night. Since our area is seriously lacking in Mom and Pop restaurants, Dustin and I usually frequent the same four places.

One of my favorite restaurants is a pizza place called, “Pizzeria Gregario.” This little restaurant serves the best sourdough pizza (the starter is supposedly 50 years-old!), and sources all the ingredients locally. This family-owned favorite goes far beyond just amazing pizza. Since Pizzeria Gregario is a farm-to-table style restaurant, the side menu is always changing which is pure heaven for a foodie. Florida isn’t exactly known as the Fertile Crescent of produce, so it’s always intriguing to read (and taste) the interesting combos the chef pulls together.

A couple of weeks ago we visited Gregario for the umpteenth time. A warm balsamic vegetable salad topped the ever-changing side menu. Hearty roasted spring vegetables were piled high on a bed of mixed greens, and then topped with a simple balsamic dressing. The description captivated my deprived salad taste buds. Upon the first bite I promptly declared, “No more boring salads, Dustin! This is a salad-changer!”

Gregario’s hearty spring salad has now been recreated multiple times in our home. And because friends don’t keep amazing food secrets from each other, I have to share the recipe with you. Hint: it’s coming, just keep scrolling!

This salad is a simple combo of perfectly roasted, hearty spring vegetables. I’ve listed my favorite veggie combo in the recipe, but you’re welcome to add your own favorites. This salad is really versatile which means it can be adapted with the changing seasons. For the meat lovers (Hi, Dustin!) grilled ribeye steak (the perfect cut for quick grilling) is added to make this salad a complete meal. Roasted vegetables, steak, and a simple dressing. Salad just doesn’t get any better than that, my friend.

Now, before we move on to the full recipe, let me warn you: Don’t panic over the amount of veggies that need to be chopped! The chopping is the hardest part in this recipe. If you’re limited on prep time during the week, I recommend chopping all the vegetables (except the potatoes) during your prep time. Simply store the vegetables in a container lined with a damp paper-towel for 3-4 days. Easy peasy!

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Warm Balsamic Roasted Vegetable and Steak Medley Salad

This salad is a simple combo of perfectly roasted, hearty spring vegetables.  Roasted vegetables, steak, and a simple dressing. Salad just doesn’t get any better than that, my friend.

Course Main Course, Salad

Cuisine American

Keyword Roasted Vegetable and Steak Medley Salad

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 3 -4 servings for a main dish

Calories 906kcal

Author Kristin Marr

Ingredients

Salad

• 1 butternut squash small, peeled and chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 3 buttercream potatoes chopped (You may substitute fingerling or small red potatoes)-no need to peel
• 2 beets peeled and chopped (I like Chioggia beets)
• 10 brussels sprouts quartered (toss or compost any loose exterior leaves)
• 2 TB extra virgin olive oil
• 1 TB balsamic vinegar
• 1-2 lbs ribeye steak I use 1 lb for two people
• salt and pepper
• 1 head of romaine or green leaf lettuce. Another option is 6-7 cups of arugula or spinach.
• 1/3 cup feta cheese or more!

Dressing

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 TB balsamic vinegar
• 1 TB lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove minced
• salt to taste

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 450F.
• Place the chopped butternut squash, potatoes, beets, and Brussels sprouts on a baking sheet. Note: Make sure all the chopped vegetables are relatively the same size. Evenly spread the vegetables across the baking sheet. You may also need to oil your baking sheet before adding the vegetables.
• Sprinkle the vegetables with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper (to taste). Toss the vegetables in the oil mixture. Roast the vegetables for 30-35 minutes until the potatoes and butternut are soft when pierced with a fork.
• While the vegetables cook, sprinkle the steak with salt and pepper. Allow the salted steak to rest while the grill is heated. Cook the steak on the grill for 4-6 minutes on each side (depending on size).
• While the steak cooks, whisk together the salad dressing and wash/dry the greens.

Notes

Find all my favorite kitchen tool essentials, here.

Nutrition

Calories: 906kcal | Carbohydrates: 71g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 53g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 107mg | Sodium: 360mg | Potassium: 2639mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 28530IU | Vitamin C: 136.2mg | Calcium: 317mg | Iron: 13mg

Kid Note: Piper (my five year-old) isn’t a big salad fan, so I serve a piece of steak and vegetables on the side with a small amount of lettuce.

More Real Food You May Like:

 3 Five-Minute Homemade Fresh Herb Salad Dressings

10 Salad Dressings to Stop Buying and Start Making

Homemade Crusty Bread

The post Warm Balsamic Roasted Vegetable and Steak Medley Salad appeared first on Live Simply.

Everyone has a family member that cooks food like they should be hosting a cooking show or running a restaurant, right? Mine is my aunt Nancy.

When my husband, Cameron, and I were engaged, we went to Aunt Nancy’s for a family get-together. And, to no one’s surprise, there were mounds of fantastic food. And also to no one’s surprise, Cameron ate more than a small family by himself.

When we showed up, one whiff of the sweet and tangy chicken shish kabobs on the grill let us know we were in for a treat. The chicken was extremely juicy, flavorful, and cooked to perfection. I’m a big fan of grilling because I love that little smoky flavor it gives food. Plus, charred edges make me unreasonably happy.

Last year for Cameron’s birthday, I threw him a surprise birthday party and gave him a grill. The fact that it was a surprise is a miracle because for some reason he always figures out what I’m getting him.

Now that we’re beautifully in the middle of summer again, I remembered that amazing kabob meal and decided it was time to fire up our newish grill again. I called up my aunt to get her amazing recipe (which she folded up and snail mailed to me… awesome, right?) and now you get to reap the delicious rewards also.

One amazing thing about eating real food (and the way I convinced my husband to join me) is the fact that you can take any recipe and change out ingredients for their wholesome substitutes. For example, this recipe called for 7-up but I switched it out for orange juice. Food can still be amazing even without junk ingredients!

This Sweet Chicken Kabobs recipe definitely has some assembly required, but it’s easy to turn it into a fun event by letting everyone create their own combinations.

One disclaimer: resist the urge to make skewers entirely of pineapple. Wait, why am I saying this? It’s already a major summer goal of mine to remake this recipe with about 20 skewers of only pineapple. I’m convinced there’s nothing more to life.

Whether you decide to become a pineappleivore or not, here’s the recipe. Enjoy!

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Sweet Chicken Kabobs with Citrus-Soy Marinade

Sweet and tangy chicken shish kabobs with orange juice-soy marinade.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Citrus-Soy Marinade

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 6 People

Calories 407kcal

Author Kristin Marr

Ingredients

• 12 skewers 12 inches long
• 2 cups rice cooked
• 2.5 lbs chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 cups orange juice
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 cup organic soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 purple onion chopped
• 1 red bell pepper chopped
• 1 orange bell pepper chopped
• 1 small pineapple chopped
• 1 small yellow squash sliced
• 1 small zucchini sliced
• optional veggies cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, eggplant, potatoes

Instructions

• Mix orange juice and spices together for marinade.
• Chop chicken and vegetables into big bite-sized chunks.
• Separate chicken and vegetables into containers and pour in marinade. Make sure you leave out the pineapple.
• Let vegetables and chicken marinate for 18-24 hours, flipping containers or stirring food every few hours. If using wood skewers make sure to soak those in water a couple of hours before grilling to prevent burning.
• Right before skewering, chop the pineapple and drop into the marinade with the veggies. Assemble kebabs with desired combination of chicken, pineapple, and/or vegetables.
• Grill shish kabobs on low-medium heat. Cook for 10 minutes, then flip over and cook for 10 more
• minutes or until chicken is completely cooked. Baste during grilling with leftover marinade.
• Serve immediately with rice.

Nutrition

Calories: 407kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 120mg | Sodium: 2385mg | Potassium: 1166mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1545IU | Vitamin C: 101.8mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 2.2mg

More Summer Recipes You May Like:  

 Tuscan Kale Caesar Pasta Salad

Crock-Pot Chicken Fajitas

Mango Salsa

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