Welcome to Solo Meals! Let's get right to it. Always deal with vegetables first so as not to cross contaminate knives, cutting board etc. The chicken is boneless, skinless breasts which come 3 in a pack. Cook 2 and put one in a zip-lock freezer bag for another meal. Trim off all fat and anything else that you wouldn't want to eat. Wash off the Salmonella and all cooking utensils including your hands!
The potatoes and carrots are washed and cooked in a large pot with water and some salt. Start these right after putting the chicken in the oven because they will take about the same amount of time. Test with a fork for tenderness. These are small new potatoes and baby carrots. I eat them skins and all. Season with olive oil or butter and salt and pepper. Italian seasoning is very good on them, as well.
Everything is prepared before anything is started.
Meal Timing: The chicken goes into the preheated oven first, then start the potatoes. Wait on the broccoli until the potatoes are boiling. The broccoli is boiled or steamed in a pot. It is done when tender to the fork. The whole meal is going to take less than one hour, including prep time. Adjust the burner levels to prevent boil-overs. It is NOT a labor-intensive operation.
The chicken is cooked in a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. In this instance, I seasoned it with Teriyaki sauce. This same method can be used with barbecue sauce or sesame ginger or any other marinade you can purchase. Cook covered in a 350-375 oven for about 40 minutes. Times will vary depending on how much chicken is in the dish. Many times, I am caught short and start with frozen chicken. In fact, it is sometimes more tender that way. Just give it a little more time and heat at 375.
Voila! A delicious quick and easy meal that will satisfy any hunger. All of the basic ingredients can be interchanged with other vegetables or other flavorings.
You will notice that there is enough left over for tomorrow's dinner or breakfast! Eat this in the morning and you will be good to go all day!!!!
Dinner is not complete until the coffee is brewed, and the dark chocolates with almonds are served. This serves a number of purposes; rather than go back for seconds, I look forward to the sweetness and it provides a finish to the meal. The antioxidant benefit is only found in dark chocolate. Regular milk chocolate is nothing more than candy.
Contrary to popular belief, most of the foods that are advertised as "what's for breakfast" are worthless. Pancakes, cereal, muffins, waffles, oatmeal, or any other sugar and fat soaked (doughnuts) concoctions are useless as fuel to begin the day. What you need to start your engine is protein coupled with some complex carbs. Here is a breakfast that is easy and uses up leftovers and will allow you to work all day without even thinking about food.
Have you ever headed out the door after a bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice only to find that about 10:30 AM you suddenly feel weak and maybe a little nauseous. It is what we call a "sugar drop". The simple sugars you consumed are gone and you are "out of gas". Try scrambled eggs with chicken (one of the single breasts from the freezer), leftover vegetable (broccoli in this case), cheese, and whatever is around. Olives, mushrooms, onion, green pepper...you get the idea. The main point is to add more protein to the eggs and get in some vegetables.
It all goes into one skillet and only takes a few minutes. I had to cook the chicken in this case but normally I have something already prepared. Of course, you could always make this for dinner if the mood hits you. I deliberately didn't take a picture of the finished dish because it's not that pretty to look at but who cares, you're eating alone anyway!
