Budget & the Beach: Spicy Grilled Pesto Chicken

As you all know, I lived in LA (Hermosa Beach) for a good amount of time.  I was lucky to meet some awesome people - mainly thru volleyball.  My friend, Tonya, was always  a great volleyball organizer and always up for a run on the beach!  She is a video editor and writer living in Los Angeles. She chronicles her journey of becoming financially independent, and navigating the rocky waters of freelancing in her personal finance blog Budget & the Beach. You can follow her on twitter at @beachbudget.  Thanks Tonya for sharing a quick, BBQ recipe with the Beauties! 

Spicy Grilled Pesto Chicken (and my George Foreman Grill)

With summertime (OK fine I live in LA where it's just about always summertime), I have a tendency to want to cook less and less. Or I want something that is just easy to whip up.

Not being a gourmet chef by any means, I often whip out the single woman's alternative to the big BBQ: the George Foremen Grill. Yes, I do actually have a grill in my apartment's shared backyard, but I often find myself being kind of lazy on a weekday night when I know I'm just cooking for myself.

One of my favorite grilled chicken recipes is from a coupon book that Ralph's grocery store once sent me for Spicy Grilled Pesto Chicken. Now you just say "pesto" and my ears perk up, because it's quite possibly one of my favorite things on earth!

The marinade:

1/4 cup fresh parsley (I often use thyme and/or rosemary instead)

1 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce (I still can't say it right!)

1 Tbsp. pesto sauce (you can make it or buy a store brand)

Put all the ingredients in a large re-sealable bag and marinate for 15-30 minutes.

What I love about grilling up a few of these chicken breasts on the George Forman grill, is that I can use this chicken for a couple of days and create many different types of meals!

One of my favorite light summer meals is a salad with grilled chicken and roasted asparagus (and a glass of wine of course).

Roasted Asparagus:

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves

1 Tbsp. thyme

Freshly ground black pepper.

Mix all the ingredients and toss asparagus. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Delicious!

I can also used the grilled chicken and toss it in with some pasta and leftover pesto, make a pesto and grilled chicken wrap, or just toss the grilled chicken in with a salad for a light summertime dinner. Easy peasy!

And the best thing about the George Forman grill is it's such an easy cleanup! Five minutes to clean and then I'm off to slipping into my yoga pants and watching The Vampire Diaries. Ah the single life...