Crispy Honey Dijon Chicken & Zucchini Rice

I enjoy cooking. I really do. Maybe not as much as I used to, but I do like it. Promise. My husband might beg to differ, only because lately I've been slacking in the kitchen. I guess lately cooking has felt more like a chore than anything else. And who likes chores? Perhaps it's the fact that we have a new baby, I'm back to work full-time and Bryan has a new job working wacky hours. I just have no desire to cook, let alone think about what to make when I get home. Well, I lose because we have to eat to survive, and we can't afford to eat out for every meal, so I have no other choice than to cook. I think the main issue is coming up with ideas of things to cook, thinking about it and preparing ahead of time (i.e. taking chicken or ground beef out of the freezer, picking up ingredients at the store). So, where else do I turn for help than to the internet!

Welcome to the 21st century - the wonderful world of internet and blogging! Thanks to the creation of blogs, I am regaining a love for cooking. First things first, I've been trying to meal plan a week out. I check to see what we have on hand that needs to be used and start there. I search for recipes that call for specific ingredients and build my grocery list of the remaining ingredients. This time, I started with chicken, dijon mustard and zucchini (thanks neighbor!) and here is what I found - Honey Dijon Chicken and Zucchini Rice.

Crispy Honey Dijon Chicken
2 chicken breasts, cleaned and cut into strips
1/4 cup dijon honey mustard
3 tbsp honey mustard
1 can Frenches Fried Onions (in the canned veggie aisle)

1. Preheat over to 400 degrees
2. Mix the mustards in a bowl. Crush fried onions in a baggie then pour into a seperate bowl.
3. Coat chicken in mustard, then roll in the onions.  Place on a wire rack over top a baking sheet - this helps prevent the onions getting mushy on the bottom.
*Tip - line baking sheet with tin foil -- this will help making clean up duty easier*
4. Bake for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked.

Zucchini Rice
2 cups cooked white rice
1 tbsp butter
1 medium zucchini (I used summer squash)
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Cook rice according to directions.
2. Shred zucchini.
3. Mix cooked rice, butter and zucchini. Mix thoroughly and serve.

Sooooo yummy and super easy! And my favorite part about cooking dinner -- it's a rule in our house, that one person cooks, and the other person is on clean up duty! :)