dinner Archives - Jen is on a Journey

Who hasn’t experienced a last-minute dilemma at dinnertime? You know, those nights when you’ve got to make something out of nothing…in no time. That happens to us at least a few times a week. With baseball, soccer, and dance 5 nights a week, I loathe pulling up to a drive-through and screaming my unhealthy order into the speaker.

If I haven’t been to the store, we scour the cabinets and freezer and often carrot slices and peanut butter on saltines or tortillas with butter are inevitably our choices. Not only would it leave the kids unhappy, un-full, and starving by breakfast, moms and dads have to hear the drama! Perhaps that’s not you, but many families are stricken by last-minute dinner drama and are in serious need of a “Dinner, rescued.”

That’s why the kind folks at Barber Foods, www.barberfoods.com, offer their new Seasoned Selects Stuffed Chicken Breast entrées. They are a hearty and healthy (lower in calories, fat, and carbs than their breaded breasts) yet quick meal choice that can be cooking while homework is finished, showers are taken, and when you’re collecting yourselves after a long day.

They’re made with juicy, white meat chicken stuffed with savory combinations of meat, cheese and vegetables and seasoned with a blend of herbs and spices. Seasoned Selects are a great dinner option for those nights when you need drama-free dinner prep. Just throw these entrees in the oven and get going on a quick salad or side dish, find some great recipes here, http://bit.ly/aLqEKY.

My take: I popped in one of the Seasoned Selects Cordon Bleu stuffed chicken breast today for lunch to try them out! One of my favorite newer recipes when I do cook is to wrap bacon over chicken and bake, so this meal sounded so delicious with that added cheese benefit. The chicken went into a 350 degree oven for 33 minutes (34 if you are making both-2 in a package) and make sure it’s been nice an preheated as the chicken comes raw and not pre-cooked. The smell in the kitchen was glorious. When it was done, the meat was cooked perfectly and when I cut into it, the swiss cheese oozed out. Upon first bite, it was juicy and the salty ham mixed with the spices on the outside made for a fabulous flavor combination. The chicken was tender enough to cut with the side of my fork! One chicken breast is perfect for one person and I will serve this to my family with a side of steamed Green Beans that will take literally 5 minutes and call it a delicous and healthy meal!

We were sent product for honest review!

Last week we took the kids and headed to Mimi’s Cafe for dinner. It’s a fairly local restaurant for us, though we hadn’t visited before as a family. We’d always heard great things, and it was out turn to experience it.

Since we first opened in 1978, Mimi’s Cafe has been a favorite destination for restaurant goers who want to relax and connect over freshly prepared meals. Our colorful French-cottage themed buildings and lush gardens let our guests know right away that Mimi’s is a special place to visit.

Upon entering you notice the elegant decor of France and even Mardi Gras, it welcomes you and gives you an overall impression that it’s a fun place to eat. Our waitress Lizzy was fabulous, sat us down and took our drink order. Soon after that a manager came by and asked us how we were and to let him know if any problems were to arise. The customer service mid-week was excellent and the restaurant was quite busy. I had heard that Mimi’s had great muffins and baked goods, so I was pleased when the basket of bread arrived with french rolls and both banana bread and carrot raisin nut bread! My son loved the flavored breads, and while I took a roll to eat, I saved a piece of the banana bread for dessert!

The dinner menu is a book! The restaurant includes a bar area and all the great adult drinks are featured in the menu as well. You are sure to find something you love with meat, fish, pasta, sandwiches, soups, salads, and even small portion options! There is also a Price Fixed 3-course dinner meal and Fresh and Fit meal choices (650 calories or less) to select from. It’s quite overwhelming and we did need to have an extra few minutes to decide even when the waitress returned with our drinks! I was distracted also by all the caloric information on each meal, both helping me and discouraging choices. You can find complete nutritional information on their online menu as well for each meal! I’m noticing that’s a new trend at every restaurant now!

I’ve said it a million times, my girls are picky eaters. I was pleasantly surprised when on the main menu as well as the kid’s menu that breakfast is served all day, giving my daughters the choice of pancakes for dinner (something we do a lot at home!). My son ordered sliders, something new and trendy and perfect off the kid’s menu for him. I chose the “Just Enough” meal of Artichoke Asiago Chicken Spaghettini which came with soup and a Petite Treat, my husband chose the Oven Fresh Pot Roast, one of his favorites.

My salad was delicious, with dressings on the side, mixed greens were fresh, cucumbers and added a great crunchy bite. Then my meal arrived and I loved the way it looked. It was steaming and the portion looked just right. I cut into the tender chicken with just my fork and took a bite, the breading was crispy and the chicken was moist! There was a good amount of veggies in the tomatoes and asparagus, though the sauce on the spaghettini was a bit bland. There was the right amount of tangy cream sauce on the chicken, it wasn’t drowining, and paired with the spaghettini, it was a delicious italian dish. Even with it being a smaller portion, I could only finish 1/2 of it, with the second half making a great lunch the next day.

My husband’s pot roast was moist and also tender enough to cut with the side of his fork. His veggies were al dente and fresh and the mashed potatoes rounded out a great meal for him. My son’s cheeseburger sliders were just the right amount for him, he opted for fries to accompany the meal while he had the choice of kettle chips, veggies, apple sauce, mashed potatoes, apples, or mixed fruit. My youngest opted for the mixed fruit and was disappointed by the pineapple and melon. We’ll ask next time what the fruit of the day is next time.

Dessert isn’t something we always order at a restaurant, we’re usually too full, but the kids’ meals come with a choice of vanilla ice cream or “worms in dirt” and my kids opted for the latter! The chocolate pudding, and cookie mixture looked so much like real soil and the kids loved it, mainly the gummy worms, they giggled and let them hang out of their mouths happily. The portion was just like a 1/4 cup’s worth, so it was just enough to allow them to be full. My meal came with a Petite Treat, and I chose my favorite dessert chocolate mousse, primarily because the menu read 131 calories and I couldn’t beat that! The presentation was gorgeous with the strawberry sauce covering it, and it was mouth-watering. The taste did not disappoint, I savored every bite.

Everything about Mimi’s was fabulous, enough so that we returned over the weekend for lunch and their roasted tomato and basil bisque was an amazing thicker soup that I devoured! We will return again and again!

To find a Mimi’s near you, follow this link, http://www.mimiscafe.com/Locations.aspx.

Our meals were compensated in exchange for this honest review.