The Lazy Mammas Dinner - in less than 25 minutes!

Having midweek dinners apart from Kevin makes meal planning a little more difficult. I tend to save the "better" meals for when daddy is home. Since we are not a family that eats fast food (our children have never had McDonalds) and eating out at a restaurant frequently midweek is impractical and not to mention, expensive, I've come up with one fall back meal that I try to always have available for those nights where I just don't feel like cooking.

Here in Maine, we are very lucky to have a Trader Joe's very close to our house, about 10 minutes. I don't know about you, but I love me some Trader Joe's! One of our family favorites is their Mandarin Orange chicken. It is SO yummy. And the best part?! The kids are obsessed! So, I decided to make one of their favorite things into a dinner, and do you know what is even better? You can have this dinner ready in under 25 minutes while you are pretty much sitting pretty, swigging sipping a glass of wine, or breaking up some fights. 

How the heck you are saying, right? It's pretty difficult, so pay attention.....

What do you need?

1. One package of Trader Joe's Mandarin Orange Chicken.

2. One package of Trader Joe's Organic Jasmine Rice

3. One package of vegetables - we like cauliflower and broccoli mix

How do you do it? 

1. Dump the chicken on a cookie sheet. Follow the directions. Takes about 18 minutes to cook at 400.

2. When the chicken is close to being done, microwave the package of rice for 3 minutes. Yes, 3 minutes.

3. When the rice is done, steam the veggies in the microwave for 3-4 minutes. 

4. Mix the orange sauce in the chicken.

DONE. It is SO GOOD!!! AND SO EASY! I love that the only thing I have to do is literally dump chicken on a pan, and prepare the plates for my kids. That is it my friends!