This meal was a BIG HIT at our house! Savory and delicious on a cold, cold night. There is nothing better than getting a meal all ready to go. I generally make my dinners in the late afternoon and put them back on the stove to reheat right as we are ready for dinner.

I’ve found that this makes my evenings so much more stress free. If I can knock out dinner at 3:00 or 4:00 p.m. we can take off and play before returning home to eat.

In the winter this becomes more important as we participate in Youth Ski League, and the light continues to lessen every day.

Regardless of how or when you like to prep for dinner, I absolutely LOVE the way that The Six O’Clock Scramble gives you a specific list of tasks you can do ahead of time to prep your meal!

That way weather I have to turn dinner out at 8:00 a.m. (which has totally happened) or whether I step into the kitchen at 6:30 p.m. and want to have dinner on the table by 7 I am set to go.

The Scramble has literally taken the headache out of dinner time. From grocery shopping, to preping, to the actual making of the meal. If you have enjoyed some of the recipes I’ve posted here, I encourage you to head over to their site and sign up for a trial of their service. I cannot sing the praises of this meal planning service, or the good it has done our family, enough!!!

Hope your Thursday is superb!

XX, Megan

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. canola or vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. minced garlic, (10 – 12 cloves)
1 large red onion, quartered top-to-bottom and cut into strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips, about 1-inch long
1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
5 – 7 Tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce (use wheat/gluten-free if needed), to taste
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 – 2 cups fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped

Directions

In a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the garlic, onions and peppers, and sauté them for 2 minutes. Add the chicken and stir-fry it until it starts to brown on all sides, but is not cooked through; 3 – 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce and sugar, and add that to the pan. Continue to cook the chicken, uncovered, tossing it occasionally, until the chicken is just cooked through, 2 – 3 more minutes.

At this point you can cool and refrigerate the chicken for up to 3 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months. Add the basil just before serving it.

Add the basil, toss it well, and serve it, or cover it until you are ready to serve.

*The Scramble is a meal planning service to which you can subscribe here. For a fantastic price you will receive 8 weekly meals which means 8 recipes (main course plus a side dish), complete grocery list, the ability to tweak the number of people you are making for, and full nutrition facts.

PLUS tips as to how best to PREP your meal beforehand, add a punch of FLAVOR, and how to SLOW COOK almost every recipe if you’re especially slammed that night. This wonderful service really does live up to it’s name. You can come home at 6 p.m. and be sitting down to a DELICIOUS, HEALTHY, HOME COOKED meal by 6:30 p.m. most nights.

Yesterday it snowed. Not just a skiff, or a dusting of snow. A full-on, all-day, big morning flakes kind of snow. It was wonderful.

This is the kind of meal I reach for on cold evenings– Love Shack Shakshuka from The Scramble. It is all things comfort– hot, hearty, flavorful, and substantive– without exorbitant calories! I have to admit that it wasn’t a kids’ favorite. But you can’t win them all, and they ate plenty of bites of Shakshuka along with their flatbread.

This was actually the second time we’ve enjoyed this dish. There are a couple things I will remember to do next time I make it. First, I will put in the full amount of cayenne pepper called for. I skimped a little on the cayenne, and subsequently wished the dish had just a little more heat.

Second, I will not forget to garnish it with cilantro!!! The first time I made this dinner I added ample (read: A LOT) of cilantro to my Shakshuka*. I also added the feta cheese the recipe calls for. With or without cheese, I will NOT forget the cilantro again. The worst part was that you can see from the pics I had the cilantro prepped and ready to go.

After coming home from the gym, adding the eggs, and putting this puppy in the oven to bake I completely spaced the garnish. It happens. So here’s to hot skillet meals for the rest of winter!

Cheers!

XX, Megan

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 medium zucchini, halved and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. paprika
1/8 – 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper, to taste
28 oz. canned whole plum tomatoes, with their juices, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup)
6-8 eggs
1/4 cup fresh cilantro or basil, chopped, as a garnish

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat the oil in a large heavy cast iron skillet, over medium heat. Add the onions and zucchini. Sauté for 8 – 10 minutes until they are tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, then add the cumin, paprika and cayenne, and cook for 1 more minute. Stir in the tomatoes and their juices along with the salt and pepper. Chop the tomatoes with your spoon or with a knife, and simmer until the tomatoes have thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the feta.

Gently crack the eggs into the skillet spreading them evenly over the tomatoes. Season the dish with a pinch of coarse salt. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until eggs are just set, 8 – 9 minutes (they will continue to cook for a couple of minutes after you remove them from the oven). Sprinkle it with the fresh herbs and serve immediately or refrigerate it for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 3 months.

Note: If you choose to refrigerate this dish, make the Shakshuka through the tomatoes and feta. Then refrigerate without the eggs. Don’t add the eggs until the evening you decide to serve the Shakshuka. Then reheat the tomato base, add the eggs, and bake the dish for the required 8-9 minutes at 375 degrees.

*The Scramble is a meal planning service to which you can subscribe here. For a fantastic price you will receive 8 weekly meals which means 8 recipes (main course plus a side dish), complete grocery list, the ability to tweak the number of people you are making for, and full nutrition facts.

PLUS tips as to how best to PREP your meal beforehand, add a punch of FLAVOR, and how to SLOW COOK almost every recipe if you’re especially slammed that night. This wonderful service really does live up to it’s name. You can come home at 6 p.m. and be sitting down to a DELICIOUS, HEALTHY, HOME COOKED meal by 6:30 p.m. most nights.