20 Minute Dinner Recipe!

There is no getting around the fact that we are busy. If there's ONE thing that will sabotage our healthy eating it's our busy-ness. After a long day at work, rush-hour traffic, the gym or one of our kids' 17 after-school activities we're racing to, we might be tempted to join the masses and grab a Happy Meal, eat a bowl of cereal for dinner or skip dinner all together. Which, by the way, who are you people who don't eat dinner?! I can't wait to EAT! Then again, this is coming from me: First name Always. Last name Hungry. ;)

It's all about being prepared. You don't need to channel your inner 50s housewife to be able to put a tasty, satisfying meal on the table. And you certainly don't need to slave away in the kitchen all day. (Who's got time for that?) You just need to gather a few fresh ingredients and fire up the grill or turn on your oven. Oftentimes, 20 minute mid-week meals are made possible by spending a little time in the kitchen over the weekend meal prepping.  It's a GREAT habit to get into that will serve your body, busy schedule and life very well. It not only helps with planning out your meals for the upcoming week, but also with the below: 

• avoiding time consuming tasks like chopping vegetables 
• keeping foods fresh and accessible instead of withering away in your produce drawer 
• portion control 

I also love the idea of saving your plan (or have me write you a custom meal plan!) so you have something to reference for future weeks. Yay for being organized.  It pays off! 

YOU, my FIT FRIENDS, know that dinners comprised of lean protein, healthy fats and gobs of vegetables are where it's at! But sometimes a leafy green salad topped with a grilled chicken breast is flat-out BO-RING. So let's change it up. Same healthy standards, different presentation with these Garlic Rosemary Chicken Kabobs. Imagine how happy you and your family will be when you're all scarfing down your veggies fresh off the skewers and popping them into your mouths like candy (ok, that's a bit of a stretch, but this marinade is SO GOOD!) And, what a perfect opportunity this summer to use the harvest from your garden or pop over to the Saturday morning Farmer's Market!

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GARLIC, ROSEMARY LEMON CHICKEN KABOBS 

Ingredients: 

MARINADE: 
*1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
*3 medium cloves garlic, finely minced (I buy the jars of minced garlic for convenience)
*1 T finely minced fresh rosemary
*finely grated lemon zest from 1 medium lemon 
*kosher salt
*freshly ground black pepper 

KABOBS: 
*2 lbs organic boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 3/4" pieces
*veggies of your choice, cut into 1" pieces! (I used red onion, yellow squash, cherry tomatoes and orange bell pepper)
*kosher salt
*freshly ground black pepper 
*olive oil for basting (2-3 T) 

INSTRUCTIONS: 
This is one of those "I don't really need a recipe" recipes. Feel free to improvise and make it your own!
1. Combine marinade ingredients and pour into a zippered bag. 
2. Add cubed chicken and "massage" the chicken through the bag to make sure the marinade is evenly dispersed. Refrigerate for one hour if time permits. If not, even 10 minutes will do.
3. Remove chicken from the marinade and thread onto wooden or metal skewers along with your veggies. 
4. Preheat grill to 350 degrees or set burners to medium-high heat if using a stovetop grill pan. Be sure to oil the grill grates well. 
5. Grill kabobs for 10-15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Rotate skewers halfway through cooking. If the chicken seems to be sticking to the grill grates, it means it is not ready to be turned, yet. The internal temperature of the chicken should be 160 degrees.
7. Garnish with more minced rosemary and/or a squeeze of fresh lemon.