The first day of spring was officially March 20^th. I don’t know about where you live, but in Iowa the weather has been rainy and chilly and is just starting to warm up. With a chance for frost a few weeks ago, we only now just planted a few plants in our garden! The kids had a fun time picking out what vegetables they wanted to plant and have been tending to it for the past few weeks.

I have been trying to eat vegetables when they are in season for a few reasons: When you purchase vegetables locally and in season, they are usually less expensive and they will have better taste! When fresh produce is shipped in from other countries, they can lose their flavor during transportation so when you purchase in season and locally you are eating the freshest flavor. Here’s a neat website, Local Harvest, where you can find out produce is in season in your local area. By pairing fresh produce with Litehouse’s Instantly Fresh Herbs, you will have delicious, fresh flavors in your meals.

Sweet & Spicy Baked Chicken and Potatoes Ready to Bake

 

This Sweet and Spicy Baked Chicken and Potatoes is a one-pan meal and you can tailor the spiciness to your family’s taste. I like to balance out spicy flavors with fresh ingredients, so I serve a spring salad including two of my favorite spring vegetables: Arugula: (a.k.a. rocket) is a cool-weather crop. Long days and warm weather make it bolt, or flower, and bring an unpleasantly bitter flavor to the leaves. Wild arugula is foraged in spring and again the fall. Cultivated arugula is grown year-round, thanks to coastal, temperate growing areas and winter greenhouses. Radishes are at their sweet, crunchy best in the spring. This recipe is easily customizable with any fresh spring veggies you have on hand! Do you buy local vegetables or have a garden? If not, you can even start small with a garden grown in containers!

Sweet & Spicy Baked Chicken and Potatoes Ready to Serve