Chicken parmesan with pesto

IMG_6106This is a super easy-to-make chicken parmesan. Pesto is a delicious addition to this classic dish.

Ingredients

  • Coconut or olive oil
  • Crushed fresh garlic or garlic powder
  • Red pepper flakes
  • 4 chicken breasts
  • Marinara or tomato sauce, enough to cover chicken
  • Pesto
  • Mozzarella cheese
  • Parmesan cheese

Directions

  • Put olive oil or coconut oil in large baking dish (e.g. pyrex glass dish) and heat up in oven till it melts or warms slightly
  • Add red pepper flakes and freshly minced garlic or garlic powder, the heat will start to release the aromas of the spices
  • Place chicken breasts side by side in dish
  • Sprinkle on some mozzarella and parmesan
  • Cover with marinara sauce and a dollop of pesto
  • Sprinkle on rest of cheese
  • Cover dish with tinfoil and bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes, then remove tinfoil and bake for another 10 minutes at 375 or until meat thermometer registers 160 degrees.

Serve with ceasar salad and broccoli for an almost-paleo dinner (omit cheese to make it strict paleo).

Super mom tip: Double, triple or quadruple this recipe and freeze in smaller batches. Those nights when you don’t want to cook – whip out of the freezer, thaw on the defrost setting on the microwave, steam some veggies and voila, dinner is served!dit-elle-Esther

Pink, Blue and Turquoise oh my!

blog Pink Tee Gap Skinny-1

This is my basic ‘mom uniform’. Jeans & tee-shirt & flip-flops. Black/gray/navy hues are my general go-to colors, but I’ve been trying to add some “bright” to that. Can’t get much brighter than punch pink and turquoise beads!

blog Pink Tee Gap Skinny-2 blog Pink Tee Gap Skinny-3 blog Pink Tee Gap Skinny-4

A friend gave me the chew-beads when Anders was born. It’s one of those things I would never have bought for myself, but as it turned out WE love them, Anders loves them and Ava loves them!

In fact, I love them so much that I wore them out with girlfriends one evening. We were at a restaurant and the waitress (a clearly hip gal in her early 20s – and I feel totally old writing that! haha!) asked where I got the beads? I told her they were chewbeads and any maternity/baby clothes retailer carried them.. She looked at me in horror, like she wished she hadn’t asked. “They totally work even without a kid attached to them…” I tried. But the conversation was over, LOL. Seriously though – they are great, add a splash of color to any outfit! 🙂blog Pink Tee Gap Skinny-5On me…

Jeans- Basic GAP skinnies
Top- GAP, looks like this one on Amazon.com
Necklace- Chewbeads
dit-elle-Esther

Alternative to T-shirt and Jeans…

I’ll be honest.  My usual go to outfit is jeans and a t-shirt.  It’s easy.  It’s comfortable.  I don’t have to think 🙂  I love this outfit, because it’s as comfortable as a t-shirt, but it looks a little nicer!  I’m so not a floral person, but there’s something about this top that I loved when I saw it!

blogFloralTopMagentaConverse-1 blogFloralTopMagentaConverse-2

I’m also a sucker for fun details in my jeans.  Love the little zippers on these DL 1961 jeans.  All their jeans have 4 way stretch, which means they are insanely comfortable and don’t stretch out!! blogFloralTopMagentaConverse-4blogFloralTopMagentaConverse-3

Top-Tart Collections (Nordstrom Rack)
Jeans-DL1961 Kelly Zipper Slim Straight
Shoes-Converse (thrifted)

dit-elle-Lauren

Caprese salad

BlogCapreseSaladNothing says summer like a Caprese salad. Tomatoes, basil and fresh mozzarella cheese – so simple, yet so delicious!

Ingredients

  • Tomatoes
  • Fresh mozzarella cheese (look for it in a container with liquid, usually comes as a ball, in various sizes)
  • Basil
  • Olive oil
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

  • Wash & dry basil leaves
  • Slice tomatoes and mozzarella
  • Arrange everything on plate and drizzle with olive oil and vinegar
  • Top with salt & pepper

Super mom tip: make ahead of time by arranging cheese/tomato/basil on plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. Then drizzle dit-elle-Estherw/olive oil and balsamic and voila!

 

 

 

Basil Pesto

Basil pesto – excellent with fresh cut vegetables, cooked chicken, as a marinade, and so much more!GreenYumminess-2GreenYumminess-1

Ingredients

  • 2 cups basil leaves
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/3 cup pine nuts, walnuts, or pumpkin seeds
  • 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, sliced
  • salt to taste

Directions

  • put garlic and salt in food processor and pulse
  • add basil leaves and blend
  • add olive oil in stream while it’s blending
  • add nuts or seeds and blend well
  • add more olive oil if needed for consistency

Paleo tip: omit cheese, it’s still super yummy!

Super mom tip: make a big batch, fill small containers or an ice-cube tray, and freeze.dit-elle-Esther