Meal Bite: Mom’s Catalina Chicken and Rice

Hi Busies!

This post goes out to my mom, who is most of the inspiration for Busy Girl (and my life in general!) Working full time as a nurse, she also managed to be a full time mom – always around to chauffeur my sister and I to our after-school activities, serving on various school and figure skating boards, and  somehow managing to have a home cooked meal on the table every night.  I’m still not sure how she did it!

As a kid, you never fully understand the responsibilities and frustrations that come with #adulting.  I remember the look on my mom’s face one night when we got home after figure skating practice and realized she had put the food out but forgot to turn on the crock pot that morning.  At the time, my sister and I took for granted the time and effort she had spent planning, shopping, and making the meal – we were just excited that we got to order takeout that night!  

 

Recently, I set out a meal to thaw on the counter and forgot to put it in the fridge before going to bed.  The next morning, my stomach dropped as I walked into the kitchen and saw it sitting innocently on the counter.  As I threw the 4 servings of that meal away, cursing the time & money I had put into it, I remembered the times we ended up ordering takeout growing up, and suddenly I didn’t feel so bad.  After all, those takeout nights were a fun change to our regular routine, and they gave me some great family memories of passing Chinese takeout containers around the table, sharing (and fighting!) over our favorites.  And the eager look on Drew’s face when I told him it was a Chipotle night pretty much did the rest!

Sometimes, you just have those days where you want ?,?, or ?.  Or, you have a meal prep fail and you’re left with no other choice.  Something else my mom taught me is to how to roll with the punches and learn from your mistakes.  You can bet I’ve never left another meal out on the counter overnight!

 

Always practicing that calligraphy lettering!

My mom was always thinking of creative new meals, and she also has some valuable time saving tips that I still use today!  Salad dressings make a great base for a sauce, and the slow baking method means this Catalina Chicken comes out tender and juicy.  Just stir the sauce ingredients together, pour over the chicken, and bake!

This was my first time using cauliflower rice.  I got a prepared version from the grocery store and sautéed it (see recipe notes section for more details).  I made regular rice as a backup because I was worried Drew wouldn’t like it, but we were both pleasantly surprised!  The almonds in the rice and the green beans both bring a nice crunch to this plate.

For meal prepping, I made the chicken as part of meal prep and then made the sides on the day of.  There’s no reason you can’t prep the sides too, though!  I actually made a double portion of green beans and popped the leftovers in the freezer (you’re welcome, Future Sam!).

 

Any meal prep fails to share?  Mom-hero moments?  Let me know in the comments section below!  And if you make this meal, tag me on Instagram @busygirl_bites so I can see how it turned out!