“We host trick-or-treating at our house every Halloween,” shared Lindy White, owner and CEO of Tanology Spray Tan and Beauty Bar in Auburn. “Our friends come over, we have Halloween-themed food and we walk the neighborhood together. It’s always a fun time!”
Lindy and her husband Anthony have two sons, Cale (11) and Cooper (10). Cale loves to draw and play both the electric guitar and trumpet. Cooper enjoys football, drums and video games. The family prioritizes time together above all else.
“Our family loves to have game night at dinner,” Lindy said. “Life can be so busy, so it’s my favorite time of day when we get to eat a meal together and play a game. We also love movie nights in our downstairs theater room.” The cooler season brings several fun family favorites to the White house, such as tailgating, watching SEC football, sitting around the fire pit enjoying s’mores, and maybe even traveling to the ski slopes or a sunny beach somewhere.
“Slowing down and spending quality time with my family truly brings me so much joy,” Lindy shared. “As a young mom, I felt like I was running non-stop with no end in sight. At times, I still feel that way, but as my boys have gotten older, I’ve learned to say no to things that don’t bring me joy or add value to my family. That has been so freeing.”
Lindy is not the main chef in the house. Her husband Anthony usually takes the reigns at dinner time because he enjoys cooking. He even makes his own sauces for his entrees.
“We love fall, especially Thanksgiving. That’s the one meal I truly enjoy cooking,” said Lindy. “Also, the cooler weather means I make my Nanny’s vegetable beef soup, which is a family favorite.”
When Lindy does cook dinner, she describes herself as a ‘chicken and veggies’ kind of girl. This month she wanted to share one of her family’s favorite staple dinners with everyone – a One Pan Greek Chicken Orzo. “I love it because it’s easy, healthy and my kids eat it,” she said, bypassing on the obvious fact that one pan means easy clean up. “I came up with this recipe after having something similar at a friend’s house. Over the years, I have added different ingredients based on what we like and what’s available.”
One Pan Greek Chicken Orzo
Ingredients:
- 16 oz. package of orzo
- 4 chicken breasts or thighs, cut into chunks
- 1 zucchini chopped
- Broccoli (as much or as little as you prefer)
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped fine
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cups of chicken stock
- 1 cup dry white wine (I prefer Sauvignon Blanc)
- 1 lemon, cut in half
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
- Feta; crumbled
- 1 tablespoon Cavender’s Greek Seasoning
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions:
- Dish up your orzo and top with crumbled feta and a dash of the Cavender’s Greek Seasoning.
- Cut the chicken into bite size pieces and place in a bowl.
- Add Cavender’s seasoning, salt, pepper, and fresh squeezed lemon juice from half of the lemon. Toss to coat.
- Heat olive oil in your pan and add onion and garlic. Sauté over medium heat until transparent.
- Once your garlic and onion are cooked, add in your chicken. Cook thoroughly, turning often.
- Once your chicken is cooked, add in your zucchini and broccoli. Stir and cover for about 7 minutes.
- Once all of the veggies are cooked, put the chicken and veggie mixture in a small bowl and set them to the side.
- To the same pan, add a cup of white wine and let it bubble. Use your spatula to scrape the onion and garlic bits from the pan.
- Next, add in your orzo and stir for 2-3 minutes.
- Add in chicken stock, 1 cup at a time. (I like to bring my stock to a boil while I’m cooking the chicken so the orzo cooks faster.)
- Add the stock a little at a time and stir in the orzo.
- Once I get the fourth cup in, I turn the heat down to simmer, cover the pan for 8-10 minutes.
- Add your chicken and veggies into the orzo and stir it all together.
- Squeeze the other half of the lemon juice over your orzo. Cover for 5 minutes.
