Probably one of my favorite times of year is the fall because it means the children go back to school. And after a long hot summer, back to school is a welcome relief for most parents. No more cries of “I’m bored” after their activities end. And no more restless nights because the children want to talk on the phone or stay up on the computer and keep the adults up.

Best of all in my house is the fact that I get my kitchen back.

My children, like so many teens, seem to think that money and food grow on trees. No matter how much food shopping I do, there never seems to be enough food because – no matter what I say – they eat up everything in sight. So now that they’re back in school,  there will be no all-day snacking like they did this summer. Since I’m now working full time, that means cooking and planning meals ahead of time so I don’t have to start from scratch after a long day’s work.

These days, I prefer making simple one-pot dinners that I only need to pop into the oven when I get in.

Recently, I fell in love with the concept of stuffed chicken breasts. They aren’t new, but they’re new to me and they are the best. Best yet, you can slice them up and take them for lunch the next day. They’re also a great way to sneak in vegetables for those picky eaters.

Chicken breast stuffed with spinach and asparagus  (Feeds

Pre-heat oven to 450.

Ingredients

4 whole chicken breast halved and pounded completely flat

32 tiny baby asparagus, ends cut off and blanched for one minute

1 cup of baby spinach, rinsed and drained

½ cup goat cheese, softened

½ cup finely diced black pitted olives

1 cup roasted yellow and peppers, thinly sliced and then halved

1 cup bread crumbs

¼ cup light virgin olive oil

Pam cooking spray

Directions

Spray a baking sheet with Pam.

Rinse and pat chicken breast dry and lay flat on pan.

Spread thin coating of goat cheese on each breast.

Line each breast with 4 asparagus and a handful of spinach.

Roll breast tightly and coat with bread crumbs, with the seam face down on the pan

Drizzle each breast with olive oil and brown at 450 degrees for 10 minutes until browned,  then reduce heat to 325 and bake until meat is white (about 10 minutes).

Let the meat rest before slicing each breast in half.

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce (chipolte’, sweet and sour, teriyaki, salsa).

Related posts:

1. Chicken fingers: A birthday treat
2. Southern-style Mexican fajitas