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Who likes to stand over a hot stove for hours to fix a dinner that takes 20 minutes to eat? I don’t. I’m always looking for killer dinner ideas with little time to invest. I know that they say all good things come to those who wait, but I don’t think that they were talking about dinner. At least I hope not. Otherwise my family will starve!

Have you heard of Land O’Lakes Sauté Express® Sauté Starter? Well, let me just tell you that these will forever more be in my refrigerator! I found these at Walmart in the dairy aisle. They’re a combination of butter, olive oil, different herbs and spices all wrapped up in one little square package! Now you don’t have to worry with having all the different spices and herbs on hand. Just add one of these little cubes to your skillet along with your chicken, pork or fish and voila! Talk about saving time AND money!

There are a few different flavors. Moms must love these because there were only 2 varieties in stock at my local Walmart!! They’re inexpensive and you can make several meals out of one pack! It’s definitely a thrifty way to make a quick and flavorful meal or to turn your ordinary go to recipes into something a little different! Who loves the same ol’ same ol’ all the time anyway, right?!

I found some easy chicken recipes on the Land O’ Lakes website including a BLT Pasta Salad. I really wanted to put my own spin on it though. See, I’ve packed on a few pounds the last few months (thanks, coffee creamer) and I’d like to lose them before the holidays creep in with all the candy, baked goods, turkey and stuffing! Mercy! So, I’ve been recreating a few of my favorite recipes using healthier alternatives. We prefer real butter over margarine and we always use olive oil so these new Land O’Lakes Sauté Express® Sauté Starter squares are a no-brainer for us!

I turned the Land O’ Lakes BLT Pasta Salad into a skinny version! My family loves pasta salad, so I was hoping that they wouldn’t really notice the “skinny” and luckily they didn’t. It tasted fan-flipping-tastic! This new skinny BLT pasta salad is now one of my go-to quick dinner recipes! It makes a great pitch in dinner dish too!

Skinny BLT Pasta Salad Ingredients:

• 2 cups of uncooked mini rotini
• 2 Land O Lakes® Italian Herb Sauté Express® squares
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 10 slices turkey bacon (cook until nice and crispy, then chop into chunks)
• 2 cups grape tomatoes (cut in half)
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves, coarsely chopped

Instructions:

• Cook pasta according to the package directions, then drain.

 

• Melt 2 Italian Herb Sauté Express® squares in a skillet over medium-low heat until it bubbles, then add chicken.
• Sauté chicken for 13-18 minutes or until chicken is done, is golden brown on both sides and juices run clear when pierced with a fork. Remove from the skillet to a cutting board and cut into small bite-sized pieces.

 

• Add pasta, greek yogurt, turkey bacon and tomatoes to skillet; stir until heated through. Then toss in chicken and spinach to coat. Serve hot or chill and serve cold if you prefer.

*The original recipe (in case you’d rather have the full fat version) used 1/2 cup of ranch dressing and regular bacon. It also called for the Savory Butter and Olive Oil variety of Sauté Express® squares but I thought the Italian Herb was a nice twist.

Be sure to stop over and “Like” the Land O’ Lakes Facebook page or Follow them on Twitter @LandOLakesKtchn! They share great things there and you can stay updated on any news, promotions and recipes! You can also grab a $0.75 off Land O’Lakes Sauté Express® Sauté Starter coupon! You’d end up paying right at $2 after coupon!!