I haven’t really shared this here with you, but over the last almost 8 weeks, my husband and I have been dieting. UGH! Who loves dieting? Even though dieting is the pits, I have had some great success! Which always help keep me motivated to keep going. Not only do I have the support of my husband, but I have friends who are trying to change the way the eat too. I’ve had some great support and the best part is all the recipes we exchange with each other. This last couple weeks my go to meal are these foil dinner packets.
My friend told me about the ease of the foil dinner packets and I have been hooked ever since! I love that dinner prep is super easy with these and there is hardly any clean up! And I like that they are lower in calories than other quick dinner options.
You can really add any vegetables that you like or that you might have in your fridge. We love asparagus, zucchini, squash, bell peppers, carrots and potatoes. I like to use sweet potatoes in mine and regular russet or red potatoes for the kids. Just add what you like to the packet, making sure they are sliced/chopped thin enough that they will cook through.
I then top the veggies with chicken breast tenders. I like the tenders because I think they cook up nice and I don’t have to pound them thinner or chop them up. I sprinkle with pepper, salt and garlic powder. I don’t really measure my spices, I just sprinkle on what I think looks good. I like a lot of spices on my food, so add as much or little as you like. Then add 1/2 TBL of butter to the packet. It helps things to not burn and adds yummy flavor.
Wrap up your foil dinner packet making sure all the ends are sealed to keep the heat and juices in while it’s cooking. You can cook these on either the outdoor grill or in your oven. I’ve done it both ways and they both turn out great. Cooking on the grill takes about 10 minutes and in the oven it takes an hour.
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken (I like tenders or thin cut)
- 1 zucchini
- 1 yellow squash
- 1 bunch asparagus
- 2 potatoes or sweet potatoes
- 1 carrot
- 2 bell peppers
- salt
- pepper
- garlic powder
- 2 TbL butter
- Lay your foil pieces down on the counter (4 pieces about 16 inches long)
- Wash and cut the ends off the asparagus spears.
- Lay down 5-6 spears on each piece of foil.
- Wash and slice squash and zucchini.
- Lay 3-5 slices of each over the asparagus.
- Add chopped bell peppers along the sides of the asparagus.
- Peel and chop/slice potato and add to packet.
- Chop carrot into thin slices and add to packet.
- **The thinner the veggies are cut the better they cut, especially if you are cooking on the grill.
- Sprinkle with seasoning.
- Lay chicken over vegetables.
- or 2 tenders per packet.
- Add 1/2 TBL butter to each foil dinner packet
- Sprinkle with seasoning.
- Wrap up chicken and veggies making packet.
- Cook on grill set to high (about 400 – 450 degrees) for 4 – 5 minutes on EACH side.
- ** or in the oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour
Once they are out of the oven or off the grill, let them set for about 3 minutes to let the meat rest and so you don’t burn your hands when you try to open up the foil dinner packets. You can eat right out of the foil or dump everything out onto a plate. These foil dinners have helped me get more vegetables into my meal because all the veggies taste really good cooked in the packets.
If you are looking for a healthier quick dinner option, you might want to give these a try. They have really become a staple in our weekly menu plan.
Happy Cooking!
Liz
Here are more quick dinner ideas that can be adapted into healthier options:
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