New sauce for Brown Rice and squash.

We have been eating kind of different this month...no sugar snacks for 30 days.  Its driving us CRAZY.  The first 2 weeks were fine, but tonight I am hitting my breaking point.  Finding dinners that are satisfying is hard.  We are trying to be extremely full so as not to want more, like ice cream.

I made the customary brown rice for starters.  I also made acorn squash.  I also made Marinara Sauce.  I put a scoop of sqush in the middle of the plate and made a little well in the center.  In this well I put about 1/2 cup of brown rice.  Then on top of this I place a piece of our Parmesan Chicken and then drizzle (about 1/4 cup) on top of everything.  It looked really pretty, and the flavors went really well together.  Ryan shed is customary tears, even though I put all his items in seperate piles.  He ate the chicken, and to my surprise at all the rice WITH the sauce on it and asked for seconds.

Unfortunately my photo was deleted, so you'll just have to trust me on this one that it looks good.  Don't put it on an orange plate.  Your kids might reject it.  Place it on a white plate, maybe add some pretty asparagus across the top.  We will make it again I am sure, and when we do, I'll take another photo.  I promise, its good!

INGREDIENTS:


Rice:
Brown rice is always our favorite.  It has a nice nutty flavor and chewy texture.  You can also prepare this the day before, and left overs are always easy to use.  BUT, if you are just starting it for this dinner, start it first.  It takes about 40 min.

Squash:
Any winter squash would be good I think, but our favorite is the Acorn.  It takes about 30-40 min. to cook.  Cut the open and spoon out the seeds with an ice cream scoop.  Salt and Pepper to taste and cover with foil. Place in a 400 degree oven.

Chicken:

Chicken breast cut up into 2"X 1" strips or so.  Spray these with an low calorie olive oil spray (lightly.)  Have about 1/2 cup parmesan cheese in a bowl and press it into each piece of chicken on both sides.  Place in a hot pan and cook on medium for about 15 min, until each side is golden brown and the inside is done.  It should be crisp and look extremely tastey!  Pour your marinara sauce over the chicken and simmer for about 15 min.  

If you are really aggressive, you can make your own marinara sauce.  I haven't tried it yet, but I'm sure it's not too hard.  However, buying it is quite easy too.  I bought mine.  I opened it up and dumped it into the frying pan.  Ahhhh, very simple.

And thats it.  It all cooks while you clean up your kitchen and maybe make a fruit smoothie to go with dinner. No need for bread or side dishes.  I have the belief that a pile of food in front of you is something to be grateful for.  If you want a variety of dishes, go out to eat.  But, thats just me.  I'll get a picture at some point, I promise.  Go make it and be creative.  Make it your own.  Its filling, delicious, and very healthy!