Summer Schedule, Summer Recipes

This summer I have been working as a teacher for the Institute of Reading Development. I teach 9 classes a week, with students who range from kindergarteners to adults who are wanting to tune up their reading skills. It's probably one of the coolest things I've ever done and it is absolutely exhausting! As I wander through this job, learning how to tweak my teaching and learning how to practice my patience, I'm also having to learn how to adjust my eating schedule. Several times a week I walk through my front door no earlier than 10:00 p.m. and it has been pretty tricky trying to figure out what to eat and how much to eat at this weird hour.

What I've come up with so far are recipes that I can make in bulk and just eat as I need. So whether it's a plateful or just a few forkfuls, the leftovers in my fridge are ready to be consumed. I'm also trying to balance these new recipes against a tight budget, so I'm also having to access my creative side and use what's already in the house to come up with delicious, nutritious meals.

Tonight I made pasta that was full of veggies, light on chicken, and doused in flavor. It had chicken, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, spinach, and garlic, all in a buttery white wine sauce. Here is my recipe below, enough to make at least two meals worth of leftovers.

First, boil enough pasta (I used spaghetti) for two or three servings. As the pasta cooks, set a chicken breast in a skillet with a little olive oil. Saute the chicken with a little white wine (I used Chardonnay).

While the chicken and pasta cook, chop up about a cup of onions, two cloves of garlic, and a large handful of mushrooms. Toss those into another skillet along with about 1/2 cup chicken broth. While the vegetables start to simmer, cut up some cherry tomatoes into small pieces and set aside. If you are using frozen spinach, add it to the pan. If you're using fresh chopped spinach set it to the side.

Be sure to flip the chicken so both sides get nice a golden brown. Check your veggies: add about 1/4 cup white wine and two pats of butter to the pan. When the pasta is done, drain it and set aside. When the chicken is done, cut it into small chunks.

When your veggies are about done, toss in the spinach and tomatoes for just about 1 minute so they don't get too mushy.

When everything is cooked, toss the pasta and chicken into the skillet and toss to coat. Serve hot on a plate and put the leftovers away to enjoy later! I know I will!