Thanksgiving is coming up and I am trying to get all our shopping done on a budget. I have been scouring ads and comparing prices. Today we picked up the turkey because they were 50% off at one store ($.52 a pound). I used to get a much better deal but this seems like the best price we are going to get this year.

My daughter’s choir is having a Thanksgiving dinner at their rehearsal prior to Thanksgiving and she volunteered us for mashed potatoes so I bought an extra bag to make them. Going to go for their favorite smashed potatoes with garlic, parmesan and sour cream and keep them warm in the slow cooker.

We don’t do Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving. We use that day to play together, watch movies and eat simple appetizers that I have made ahead. That sounds like my perfect way to spend Thanksgiving every year. We will have a traditional meal later but for that day no one cooks or spends tons of time cleaning up. We just be together having fun and being thankful for each other.

This meal came about because I am still trying to use up some of my leftover pantry staples and items in the refrigerator before they have to be thrown away. I had sun-dried tomatoes and spinach to use so this became a test dish. Have to have a cleaned our refrigerator prior to Thanksgiving week for the turkey and sides.

Verdict:

This was a simple dish that tasted good.  We were going for easy comfort food over fancy. We checked the rice about 1/2 way through and added a bit more liquid to make sure the rice was cooked through.

We served this dish with mixed vegetables and a green salad.

For my mostly gluten-free son his favorite part was there was no gluten in the entire meal.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups long grain rice (I wanted leftover rice for lunches)
• 3 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts pounded 1/2″  (be careful not to tear)
• sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
• fresh spinach, stems removed
• Sharp cheddar cheese, cut into thin strips
• toothpicks
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Stir rice and stock together in the bottom of a 13 x 9 casserole dish.
3. Layer spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and cheese on the chicken breast with the side that holds the meat together face down.
4. Fold up the ends and side of the chicken like a little package and secure with as many toothpicks as needed to keep the ingredients from leaking out.
5. Lay the breasts on the rice.
6. Salt and pepper the rice and chicken.
7. Bake for 20 minutes stirring the rice at least once or twice during cooking. If rice needs additional liquid add in 1/4 to 1/2 cup of additional stock.Check chicken and rice to see if they are completely cooked through. Bake an additional 5-10 minutes if needed but be careful not to over cook the chicken breasts. They have been pounded down thinly and will cook faster than normal.
8. Remove dish from oven and allow to rest 5 minutes before serving. Carefully remove all toothpicks before serving.