BBQ Leftovers to Makeover? Easy

Many times, we tend to grill enough chicken to feed an army! So what do we do with the leftovers when we realize that?

BBQ chicken leftovers are not the best on the second day. The chicken tends to become more dry as it loses some of its juice and marinade. Well, no problem, I got a solution: Creative BBQ pizza!

It is quick, easy, and very DELICIOUS!

Here are the steps and ingredients:

1. Shred the leftover bbq chicken.

2. Decide what vegetables you’d like to have with it. I used: Spinach, Organic Cherry Tomatoes, Grilled onions, and on some, I used olive spread.

You will also need some BBQ sauce, your favorite cheese, and a few Pita/tortilla bread.

First, spread the BBQ sauce along with the olive spread on top of the Pita or Tortilla bread.

Second, add the spinach on top.

Then, add the BBQ chicken pieces and the grilled onions.

Then, add the cherry tomatoes on top and cover with a layer of cheese. In this case, I chose Chipotle Gouda Cheese.

Place it on a tray lined with aluminum foil, put it in the oven for 4 minutes on Broil (The time can change depending on your preference. I like to take it out when all the cheese melts and can hear and see the sauce sizzling) .

Now, ENJOY the delicious, quick, and easy BBQ chicken makeover!

Leftovers Revived

Saturday, April 7th, was my Mother In Law’s birthday, we all went out to Tara Thai, a Thai Restaurant in Vienna, VA. It was our first time there and definitely not our last. The food and service were outstanding. It was actually my first time trying the Thai Iced Tea as it was recommended by the owner. I quite enjoyed it. It had a different flavor, it was actually loaded with flavor. It wasn’t your typical iced tea. If you like trying different things, I suggest you add this to your list.

All the appetizers and the main dishes were very flavorful and delicious. We loved the Thai Basil aroma that was floating around the whole time. My favorite appetizer was the Chicken Satay that was served on a wooden stick with peanut sauce. It was very tender and flavorful. We had six main dishes, the Chicken Kapow was my favorite, a little spicy but delicious! After stuffing our faces with all that food, we decided to leave a window open for some Fried Banana & Coconut Ice cream and the infamous delicious Sticky Rice Mango. They both hit the spot and didn’t disappoint. 

We had great time at the restaurant, enjoyed all the Thai dishes, and left home with some leftovers 🙂

Typically, we just reheat the left overs and indulge in them the next day; however, yesterday I decided to try a different approach. Here is what I cam up with: An Asian inspired Lemony Soup.

1. I grabbed the two boxes of leftovers: Spicy chicken eggplant, and ginger sesame beef.

2. I added some coconut oil in a mid size pot, and left it to warm up.

3. I added the leftovers to the pot to warm them up for a couple minutes.

4. I added two handfulls of frozen veggies: corn, carrots, peas.

5. I added some fresh baby corn that I had. [you can basically add whatever vegetable you like]

6. I stared the mix until all the vegetable warmed up.

7. I added some freshly crushed black peppers and salt.

8. I added the whole carton of chicken broth [32oz.]

9. I added the juice of one freshly squeezed lemon.

10. stair it a few times and then let it boil.

11. I reduced the heat and add it some scallions at then end before serving.

 

The soup turned out delicious, especially with all the different flavor infusion and vegetables. I think I just discovered my new go to thing to do with leftovers!

 

I hope i inspired you to revive your leftovers.

Arki

 

 

TJ’s Haul & Favorites

So if you don’t know yet, I am a fan of Trader Joe’s! I love to do most of my grocery shopping at that store because the quality is great, they have a variety of food and organic options, and the prices are great compared to other organic stores (i.e. Whole Foods).

I will share with you my favorites as well as the new finds. Every time I go there, I buy a few items that have made it to my staples list, and %70 of the purchase would be new items to try. Shopping at TJs is like a treasure hunt. Some things you might find again, and other things, unfortunately, disappear!

I love using Coconut Oil in cooking. It adds a slight sweet flavor and is great for stir fries. Plus, coconut oil has so many uses to it other than cooking. It can be used for the hair and skin. It is a great product! I will do a separate post on it.

Their Sesame Oil is amazing. I love the flavor it adds to the food you’re cooking. All you need is a tiny drop to achieve a great flavor.

The  Chile Lime chicken patties are so flavorful and delicious. You can either pan fry them or grill them. They are such a great source of protein with low carbs and low fat. It is a great choice, if you are watching what you are eating. Grill a patty, brush some mustard on a whole wheat/multi grain Arnold Sandwich Thins, add some lettuce and maybe a couple slices of avocados, and enjoy the healthy deliciousness! The Chicken Quesadillas is another delicious choice. It only takes a few minutes to be ready. It is great for those of us who are busy and rarely have time to prepare dinner from scratch.

TJ’s frozen section is a treasure to me. I lease to work at 6a.m. and usually do not get home till 6p.m. If I were to go to the gym that day, I wont be home till 8p.m. So, when can I ever cook or prepare dinner from scratch? NEVER. That’s when TJ’s come in place and help me out. TJs has a great selection of healthy options that fit easily in my busy and rushed life style. That’s why I am obsessed with it.

Here are more of our favorites. The vegetable Bird’s Nests are basically vegetable tempura. They are not the healthiest choice, but having one at lunch certainly doesn’t hurt as they are super delicious. The Lemon Grass Chicken are great as a snack with a home made mustard and Sriracha sauce. The Channa Masala chickpeas are so flavorful and make a great side dish with grilled chicken and rice. One other favorite is the Potatoe Pancakes. They make a great side on your breakfast plate, served with a fat free spoon of sour cream. Deliciousness.

More of our favorites are these:

The Sea Salt & Lemon Ppper grinders. TJ’s has a wide range of these grinders and each is less than $2. The Low Calorie Lemonade was one of my first items I ever bought at TJ’s and it’s been a favorite ever since. We love it as it is a bit sour and very refreshing! The Saffron is a great spice to have and add to your chicken marinade. And finally that Rustic Pan Bello bread is magnificent. Super tender, yet with a crunchy crust. It is one of our new favorites.

Both the Mixed Berry and Mango Passion Granola Cereals are the hubby’s favorites. They are so crunchy and the fruits actually taste like fruit. Great source of fiber!

I fixed dinner last night using the Marinated Chicken Breast and the Kimchi rice. Oh don’t they sound so wonderful together or what? We loved them! The Rice is on the spicy side, but so flavorful. Oh boy, and the chicken came out so juicy and tender. Here you go, more things are getting added to our favorites. Keep in mind that they were both very low in fat! TJ’s is such a treasure box.

The next three pictures are new items that we haven’t tried yet. However, I am pretty sure they will end up to be part of our favorites.

I hope you enjoyed this post, and I hope I inspired you to go do your own treasure hunt at Trader Joe’s!

Arki