Exposure and the Chicken

 Have you ever called your dinner a "package?"

I giggled when I read the title of the recipe, because, well...

I'm a dirty sailor.

"Aromatic Chicken Packages"

(hahahaha)
- as adapted from The Glycemic Index Cookbook-

Ingredients:

- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

- 1 tsp. EVOO

- 1 zucchini, trimmed

- 1 carrot

- 1 celery stalk, trimmed

- 1 small red bell pepper, seeded

2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half

- 10 cardomom pods, broken (I didn't use these)

- 4 tbsp white wine

- 1 tbsp chopped cilantro (I used oregano)

- scant 1 cup brown basmati rice

- few saffron strands (omg. $7.99 for HALF an ounce)

- pepper

- (I added garlic)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Cut 4 squares of parchment paper (this wasn't in the "ingredient" list, so I didn't buy any- you'll see I used foil and it worked great), 8 inches in size. Lightly rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Heat a nonstick skillet, add the oil, then brown the chicken on all sides (how many sides does a chicken breast have?). Set aside.

2. Cut all the vegetables into thin strips. In the center of each square of baking parchment (or foil), place one quarter of the vegetable strips with a chicken breast on top. Pour over 1 tbsp of the wine and season with a little pepper (and garlic). Add chopped cilantro (ahem, oregano). Fold over to encase the vegetables and chicken. Place the parcels in a large baking pan and cook in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked. I found that 20 minutes was perfect with the foil. The chicken was juicy, tender, and cooked all the way through. Remove the packages from the oven and place each one on a seving plate, letting each person appreciate the aroma as they open their own package. Seriously? They're not asking for me to laugh, here? Insert, "That's what she said."

3. Meanwhile, rinse the rice, then place in a pan with the remaining cardamom pods (er... water?) and the saffron strands (I also added saffron to the packages). Cover with water and boil. Cover, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until tender. Drain and place in a warmed serving bowl, then serve with the chicken.

Dinner: 335 calories

This plate is a 7x7 inch square.

So, my mornings have just gotten a lot more hectic. I used to only have to get myself motivated and ready to go to work. But now I have to get Little S. ready to go, too. Actually, that's a lie. I had to get her up and ready to go to daycare. But now, for some reason (ahem, she's exhausted from playing so hard all.day.long), she's a pain to wake up. So I'm quite frankly VERY lucky to be able to snap a photo of myself. This morning, I set my camera on the Brita that was still sitting on our dining table from last night. The first snap used flash for some reason and the second didn't. So the first photo is blown out and the second is fuzzed and dark. I should at least make an effort to go back outside. The grill is feeling left behind as the tripod stand-in. I didn't even grab my shoes before taking these photos, but that doesn't really matter, since I don't wear shoes at work much, anyway.

top: Filene's Basement

shorts: Old Navy

hah... that's it.

boring.

I've been thinking about setting out my outfits during the weekend and having husband take outfit photos for me ahead of time and posting them the days I actually wear them. 

Would anyone be offended? Would you have even known if I didn't tell you just now?

Oops.

Off to make chickpea burgers for dinner! I hope everyone is having a wonderful week and is looking forward to linking up with this Friday's Project Self!

Stay tuned to see We Love Colors Wednesday return, tomorrow!!!