Pesto Chicken Three Ways!

Four days before the end of the year, we bought a house:

As a result, all of my New Year's resolutions revolved around cultivating my domestic skills:

1. Keep our house clean enough to welcome visitors at any time. 
2. Cook dinner at least once a week. 
3. Start a vegetable garden.

I have not posted on this blog since the Great Avocado Disaster of 2011, instead retreating back into the world of mac-and-cheese, frozen dinners, and fast food.

So here I go again.

One thing should be noted: we haven't bought an oven yet. So my appliance options are limited to the microwave, George Foreman grill, dehydrator, and crock pot. Strangely enough, this is actually helping me to narrow down my recipe choices!

Last week, I made grilled pesto chicken. On Monday night, I grilled the whole package; we ate two servings with couscous and a green salad, and I shredded the rest for later in the week. I used the leftovers to make paninis and grilled potatoes (our favorite meal of the week: Tuesday night!) and salad (Friday night!). Super easy, and super versatile!

(I know most of you can figure out these recipes without having them written out....but I'm including all the steps in an effort to help out any other newbies who might stumble upon this post!)

Grilled Pesto Chicken - Monday Night 

Time: 10 minutes prep time, 2 hours marinating time, 15 minutes cooking time

You will need:

• Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Pesto sauce

Rub pesto sauce on the chicken breasts. Marinate in the fridge for 2 hours. Afterward, put the chicken on the George Foreman grill, and cook for about 7 minutes. Cut into the chicken to make sure it is done.

Cous Cous in the Microwave - Monday Night! 

Time: 7 minutes

You will need:

• Instant couscous (you can buy a pre-seasoned mix in the store, or season it yourself. Our favorite flavor is Near East's Toasted Pine Nut).
• Water (1 cup of water for every cup of couscous)

Microwave the water for two and a half minutes. Pour the instant couscous in, and stir. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff and serve!

Pesto Paninis - Tuesday Night! 

Time: 5 minutes prep time, 5 minutes cooking time

You will need:

• Two slices of bread per panini (You might think you need to buy fancy expensive bread for this, but you would be wrong. We used cheap, sliced bread, and they turned out pretty fabulous!)
• 1-2 slices of cheese per panini
• Shredded grilled chicken
• Pesto sauce

Spread pesto on the bread, and assemble the sandwiches. Cook on the George Foreman grill for about 4 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Grilled Potatoes - Tuesday Night! 

recipe courtesy of Linda

Time: 5-10 minutes prep time, 10 minutes cooking time

You will need:

• approx. 2 red potatoes per person
• Salt & pepper, and/or your favorite kind of seasoning (i.e. Tony's)
• 1 tbsp. melted butter or olive oil

Cut potatoes into wedges (about 8 wedges per potato), and put them in a microwave-safe bowl. Toss them with the butter, and season them with salt & pepper. Microwave on high for 3-4 minutes. Then put them on the George Foreman grill for about 5 minutes, or until they "look done." (I did not get this exactly right...they were a little undercooked. But I like potatoes in all forms, so it didn't bother me!)