Daniel and I took a trip to Home Depot this afternoon. We picked out a nice backsplash for the kitchen, a great stovetop, a medium-stained hardwood floor, and a beautiful trough sink. The only problem is that we have no home of our own to renovate. Since our dream house is somewhere in the distant future, we settled for a gallon of Raid and some roach bait for our rental property.

extermination paraphernalia

That’s about all we have to show for the day other than an impromptu baked chicken dish which turned out to be, according to Daniel, the best dinner I’ve ever made. Who knew?

before

after

I admit, it was pretty tasty and way easier than you might think: six marinade ingredients, six prep steps, and six cooking steps.

Prep Work: 15 minutes

1. prepare marinade:
   • 1/3 cup dijon mustard
   • 1/4 cup olive oil (I used a little less than 1/4 cup)
   • 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
   • 2 cloves crushed garlic
   • 1 Tbsp dried sage
   • 2 bay leaves
2. rinse boneless skinless chicken breasts in cool water and pat dry with paper towels (my package had medium sized breasts)
3. season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper, poke a few holes in each breast to let the marinade absorb and nestle in marinade, refrigerate for 1-3 hours
4. wash broccoli, cut into florets, and place in covered microwaveable dish with 3/4 inch water
5. wash and slice bell peppers (I used yellow and orange)
6. skin and slice 2 small or medium onions

When you are ready to cook: 50 min

1. while oven is heating to 350 degrees, saute onions in a large pan over medium heat with one teaspoon of oil and one clove of garlic for 20 minutes until they are browned and caramelized
2. in a separate pan, saute peppers – I just use Pam cooking spray and let them sear/sweat/saute for about 20 minutes. You could theoretically do everything in one pan, but I used two in order to speed the cooking
3. when the onions are almost done,  push them to one side of the pan and sear each piece of chicken individually for 1-2 minutes per side
   

   getting ready for the oven

4. place seared chicken on a baking sheet, pour remaining marinade over chicken and bake for 28 minutes at 350 degrees
5. when the onions and peppers are cooked down and tender, combine them into one pay and keep the burner on low to keep them warm while the chicken is baking
6. when the chicken has 4 minutes remaining, microwave broccoli on high for 3-4 minutes until tender

caramelized veggies – so delicious!

It does take a little patience to babysit the onions and peppers but other than that, it couldn’t be easier. Best part of all – it is an extremely healthy meal. The only fat to be found is in the heart-healthy olive oil used for the marinade and only the smallest drizzle for onions. Beyond the oil, it’s simply a kaleidoscope of vegetables and protein. No starches needed!

sixcess on a plate

For dessert we enjoyed a throwback PEZ featuring Looney Tunes star, Daffy Duck. The rule was, you can’t touch the candy with your hands. Needless to say, we both ended up locking lips with Daffy multiple times.

they tasted way better when I was 5

big kid

That’s All Folks!