Grilled Chicken over Garden Salad and "The Switch"

Believe it or not, even people that love to cook sometimes aren't in the mood to come home after a long day and make a large dinner. Such was the case for me the other day after running errands all morning and a long night at work. Instead of finding some tasteless microwave dinner or bringing home an unhealthy fast food heart attack in a bag item, I turned to one of my favorite quick and easy dinners. A fresh salad with grilled breasts of chicken is a quick, flavorful, and healthy dinner fix. If you know you're going to have a busy day before hand, it's a good idea to marinade the chicken a day or two in advanced. If not, the chicken will still take on the flavors in the marinade in about thirty-minutes or so. It's a great go-to dinner idea all year round and you can customize the salad and the seasoning on the chicken anyway you'd like!

Serves4
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into strips

3 tablespoons of red wine or balsamic vinegar

¼ cup of olive oil

1 teaspoon of dried dill

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

¼ teaspoon of black pepper
Pinch of Kosher salt
1 container of Organic Greens
1 bag of organic baby spinach
1 English cucumber (sliced)
1 small red onion (Sliced)
1 Carrot (Shredded)

Dill Vinaigrette

½ cup of olive oil

3 tablespoons of red wine or balsamic vinegar

1 clove of garlic finely diced

1 teaspoon of fresh or dried dill

½ tablespoon of Dijon mustard

Kosher salt and black pepper

Start by mixing together the vinegar, olive oil, dried herbs, and the salt and pepper together. Pour the marinade over the chicken strips and toss to coat all the strips. Set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or put the chicken in a large resealable bag and let them sit overnight. While the chicken is soaking up the flavors, wash and prep the vegetables. A good tip for shredding your carrots is once you've you peeled the outer layer off, continue using your vegetable peeler to get nice thin slices of carrot. The reason I recommend an English cucumber is that normally you find them in the grocery store wrapped in plastic wrap therefore eliminating the need for a coating of wax. No need to peel unless your prefer it that way, just rinse the cucumber and slice into thin slices. Mix the vegetables together with your greens and the salad is all set. Now for the vinaigrette, whisk together the oil, vinegar, garlic, and the seasonings. Slowly add the mustard until the dressing emulsifies. Now that all the prep work is done, it's time to cook the chicken.

Preheat a skillet, grill pan, or an actual grill to a medium heat. Drizzle a little olive oil onto your pan and place the chicken strips evenly apart and cook for about 7 minutes on each side. If your unsure if your chicken is cooked through either slice into one of the large pieces to make sure there isn't any pink or use a meat thermometer and it should be around 180 degrees. Slice the chicken strip and place over the salad and top everything off with the dressing and croutons. Dinner in a flash and it's tasty and healthy too! Bonus tip - Left over Italian bread starting to get a little stale? Toss with some olive oil and seasonings then toast under the broiler until golden brown for fresh croutons!

After a quick dinner it's time for an enjoyable heart warming comedy starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman - the 2010 film called "The Switch".

When Wally Mars (Bateman) meets with his best friend Kassie (Aniston) for lunch, Kassie shares some interesting news. Kassie has decided that she would like to have a child and though she currently doesn't have a husband or a boyfriend, she has chosen to pay for artificial insemination. Wally thinks the idea is crazy on all accounts and struggles with the hidden truth that his feelings for Kassie go beyond just being best friends. Kassie decides to have a party to celebrate the event and still unhappy with her decision and his inability to express how he really feels, Wally gets very drunk at the party and doesn't recall anything the morning after. Now 7 years later, Wally meets Kassie's son Sebastian and can't help but notice the similarities between the two. With help from his co-worker Leonard played by Jeff Goldblum, Wally starts to remember the night of Kassie's party and recalls what might have took place and the very real possibility that he may be the father of Kassie's son. Check out the trailer for a glimpse at this underrated film that I'm sure you'll all enjoy.