Greek Yogurt Marinated Chicken, Harvest Grain Blend & Organic Herb Salad

On our way back from New Hampshire, we decided to stop at Trader Joe's to stock up on our favorite bars and other favorites. During this trip I had a few minutes to look around (I heard my son screaming at one point but will tell more of that later*) and found a bag of Harvest Grain Blend and Organic Herb Salad and thought those were worth a try.

Why did the grain blend appeal to me so strongly? It was visually interesting (which is important in getting your children to eat it), cooks quickly and is rather healthy. In addition, if you are trying to eat healthy and your family does not enjoy the texture of say whole wheat pasta or brown rice, this is a compromise. There are still some white flours as with the orzo however, there are also beans and quinoa which offer superior nutritional benefits. My kids called it 'funny noodles' and ate it.

This is a really quick meal to make and the best part is, you can either skip marinating or do step 1 in five minutes earlier in the day.

Ingredients for the Chicken:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied
1/2 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (If you do not have a lemon, simply use bottled and omit zest.)
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons cilantro

Directions:
1. Combine the yogurt, zest, juice, garlic and cilantro in a bowl and mix well. Spread onto both sides of the chicken breasts and place into the refrigerator to marinate (I did for 2.5 hours)

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken in the oven and bake for 30 minute or until thoroughly cooked (165 degrees internal temp. recommended). While the chicken is cooking, prepare the harvest blend, salad and set the table.

Harvest Blend: I followed package directions which have you boil chicken broth (use low-sodium folks), add a bit of butter (I used 1/2 tablespoon) and simmer for 10 minutes. Yum!!

Salad: I simply tossed some dried cranberries and sliced almonds on top and dinner was ready! I love this mixed salad in particular because it has cilantro and dill in it. Sold!

*Okay so you want to know what happened at Trader Joe's right? Well, I was enjoying my 'quiet time' while the kids were off with daddy getting a drink and suddenly I hear 'Wahhhhhhhhhhh'. I knew it was my boy immediately but as soon as I was at the end of the aisle, it stopped. I went back to my shopping and then heard 'NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!', Wahhhh...". I again proceeded to the end of the aisle and was met by my husband with a sheepish grin, my daughter with a smile and my wet faced son, both with balloons. 'Don't ask' was all my husband said and I did not. Later on he told me that my son had knocked down a cardboard display. At first he cried and then screamed when the clerk tried to give him a balloon. He changed his mind seconds later and walked away with a blue balloon. Drama and smiles.