Don’t Panic – Quick, Easy, and Delicious Meals for your Family

     Don't Panic--Quick, Easy, and Delicious Meals for Your Family by Susie Martinez, Vanda Howell and Bonnie Garcia. "Today’s families are BUSY! But they don’t have to survive on fast food… This book has 150 great recipes for tasty and nutritious meals that are designed to please your family, without requiring as much hands-on preparation as traditional meals."

     I made the Italian Chicken from page 138, partly because of the note beside the recipe "Your kids will love this chicken dish." and partly because it only required six ingredients and we had the main two. 

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 cup Italian dressing

1 3/4 c. Ritz crackers, crushed

1/2 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

Place chicken breasts in gallon size plastic storage bag. Pour Italian dressing over chicken, and marinate in refrigerator for 3-4 hours. Combine cracker crumbs and cheese. After chicken has marinated, coat each breast with cracker crumb mixture. Place chicken in baking dish, and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes, until chicken is tender and no longer pink. 

While chicken is baking, melt butter in small saucepan and add lemon juice. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Drizzle lemon butter over chicken and serve immediately. 

    Friends who know me well will know I tweaked the recipe a bit as I always do. So for the Jennifer version, no Italian dressing in the house meant substituting a quick blend of Pensey's French Vinagrette, lemon pepper seasoning, and Mrs. Dash with oil and vinegar, and adding in leftover broccoli and rice when it was almost done, and just sprinkling the crushed mini-Ritz and parmesean at the end then browning that a few more minutes. My family all agreed it was delicious, and we will repeat it.

Prep time and nutrition information is also included with each recipe.

From the publisher:
Great meals for your busy family!
We're all busy, but that doesn't mean we have to eat like we are. You don't have to settle for feeding your family commercially packaged meals full of sodium and preservatives or fat-laced fast food. Quick
and healthy meals from your very own kitchen are easy.
From quick meals made on the grill or in the sauté pan to crockpot dishes that require little prep and cook while you're out for the day, the recipes in this cookbook are tasty and nutritious--and require less hands-on preparation than traditional meals. Easy appetizers and desserts; one-dish casseroles and pastas; simple soups, salads, and side dishes; and even fast breakfasts round out the selections. Meals that are freezer-friendly are marked for those who want to make ahead.
Give your family the best--the easy way!

Available April 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.


Disclaimer: A copy of this book was provided for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own.