Garlic & Brown Sugar Chicken

Ingredients:

1 to 1.5 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast
4 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Tbl Dried minced onion (or fresh if you prefer)
4 Tbl Brown Sugar
1 Tbl Olive Oil
About 1 Tbl. Soy Sauce (I just estimated)
A few dashes Worcestershire sauce
Salt, pepper, onion powder to taste

 Cooking Info:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees (yes, 500!)

Line a casserole dish with tinfoil to aid in clean up.  Arrange chicken breasts in pan, than add salt, pepper, and onion powder on top of them.

Add oil, soy sauce, worcestershire, garlic, and onion into a pan.  Saute until garlic is tender.

Remove from heat and stir in the brown sugar until dissolved.

Pour over prepared chicken.

Cook at 500 degrees until done.  This will take 15 to 30 minutes depending on the thickness of the breasts (mine were thick and took 30 minutes).  Let stand 5 minutes for the chicken to reabsorb some of the liquid.

 Serve With: Rice, mashed potatoes, or Parmesan Orzo and a vegetable.

Beef Barley Soup

This soup/stew is hit or miss at our house...I love it, Owen usually eats it pretty well, and the other two won't touch it with a 10-foot pole.  But it's easy and quick.  So I make it 1-2 times each fall/winter.

Ingredients:
2-3 pounds stew beef
32 oz beef broth OR 1 packet Lipton Beefy Onion soup mix dissolved in 4 c. water
4 medium-large carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks
3/4 c. medium pearl barley
1/4 onion, chopped (I skip this if I use the Lipton soup)
1 c. water (in addition to liquid above)
thyme
rosemary
fresh parsley (I just use a bit of dried)
salt & pepper to taste

Process:
Brown stew beef and onions (if using them).  Dissolve soup mix in 4 cups water (if using).  Add all ingredients to crock pot.  Cook on low for 9-10 hours or high for 4-5 hours.

You can also cook it on the stove - brown the beef in a stock pot, drain, add in spices, barley, liquids and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer slowly 1 hour.  Add in carrots and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30-40 minutes.  Add in parsley just before serving.

Easy Broiled Chicken Drumsticks

I found this on myrecipes.com and the kids will love this (I can post a review after today!)

Ingredients: 

6-8 chicken drumsticks
1/4-1/2 cup of BBQ sauce
Salt and pepper

1. Cooking Info:

1. Position oven rack about 8 inches from heat source. Preheat broiler; line a broiling pan with foil. Pat drumsticks dry and trim off fat. Arrange in a single layer on prepared pan.
2. Pour about half the BBQ sauce into a small bowl.  Season drumsticks with salt and pepper. Brush each lightly with sauce.
3. Broil, turning often and brushing with reserved sauce, until chicken is browned and crisp and has no traces of pink juices when pierced, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve drumsticks with extra sauce.
4. Original recipe called for a melted butter/lemon sauce that looked yummy, but my kids prefer BBQ chicken.
5. 
   

6. 1. Serve With:

   Rice, veggies, salad...we love the parmesan orzo that Holly posted.

Veggie Rice

We've had this as a side dish quite a bit lately, and it's super easy to halve/double as needed. I prefer this to a flavored, packaged rice.

For the four of us, I make 2 cups of Minute rice according to pkg directions. I throw a couple of teaspoons of chicken bouillon in for flavor.

Chop veggies to bite sized - I use whatever is in season or throw in what I have left from the week - great way to use the rest of the tomatoes, leftover broccoli, etc. My favorite is a small zucchini, a small summer squash, and a red pepper. But you can use anything.

Sauté veggies in a little olive oil. Add salt, pepper, minced garlic, or whatever spices go with your main dish When the rice is ready, dump it into the frying pan and mix with the veggies.

This makes enough for six side dish sized servings.

Chicken Explosion!

Parmesan Basil Orzo

We love this recipe!  It's now a staple in our rotation.  Easy to make while something is baking in the oven.  I'm posting the original recipe, but I halved the butter and cheese to make it healthier and it's delicious.  I've never made the version with the full amounts!

Ingredients:

• 3 Tablespoons Butter (I used only 1.5 Tbs)
• 1-½ cup Orzo
• 3 cups Chicken Or Vegetable Stock
• 6 Tablespoons Fresh Chopped Basil (I used 2 Tbs. dried)
• 1 cup Parmesan Cheese (I used 1/2 a cup)
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• ¼ teaspoons Pepper

 Cooking Info:

Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the orzo and saute for a few minutes (if using the dried basil, add it now and saute it with the orzo), until the orzo starts to get golden brown. 

Add the broth and cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until all the broth has been absorbed. 

Remove from the heat, add the basil and Parmesan and salt and pepper to taste.

 Serve With:  Greek Yogurt Chicken

Nutrition Info:

This is calculated using 1.5 Tbs butter and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.  This makes about 3.5 cups of orzo so it's calculated as 7 one half cup servings!

Calories:  238
Fat:  6.2 g
Cholesterol:  14.4 mg
Sodium:  512.5 mg
Total Carbs: 36.8 g
Fiber:  1.7 g
Sugars: 2.1 g
Protein:  10.6 g

Greek Yogurt Chicken

It doesn't get easier than this.  Seriously.  3 minutes to prep, 45 minutes to cook.  Zero work.  I initially made this with only 1 lb. of chicken.  I used half the mix, put the rest in the fridge, and made it again a few days later with the other half!

Ingredients:

1/2 c parmesan cheese
1 c Greek yogurt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp seasoning salt (any kind you like)
1/2 tsp pepper
2 lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken breasts

 Cooking Info: spread mix over chicken breasts, bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes


I forgot to take pictures, and mine wasn't nicely browned like this, but it was really good and SUPER juicy chicken.  I've tried this recipe with mayo instead of greek yogurt and I like the yogurt better.  Maybe next time I'll try a few minutes under the broiler to get it darker.

 Serve With: a veggie, and parmesan orzo.  Yum!

Mexican stuffed shells

Heather gave this recipe to me and I tried it last night.  It was UH-mazing!!!!

Ingredients:

1 box jumbo shells

1 lb hamburger

1 jar picante sauce

¾ c taco sauce

½ pk taco seasoning

Shredded Mexican 4 cheese – I go extra cheesy so I get the 1 lb bag and use ¾ of it at least.

French fried onions

Cooking Info:

Preheat oven to 350.

Cook shells

Put half the jar of picante sauce and ¼ cup of taco sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish.     

Brown hamburger. Add the remaining picante sauce, ½ cup taco sauce, taco seasoning and probably 4-6 oz of cheese into the meat.  Mix well.

Stuff the shells with the meat mixture and lay in casserole dish.

Cover stuffed shells with cheese.

Top with French fried onions (I use the whole container J)

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.  

Serve With: Sour cream on top, spanish rice and salad on the side.

BBQ Drumsticks

I have to give a shout-out to our friend, Mike, for these delicious BBQ Drumsticks - I've made them several times and they're always a hit!

Ingredients: 

Chicken drumsticks - enough for your family
BBQ sauce - cheap is better, 1-3 bottles
Garlic Powder

Cooking Info:

Heat oven to 275

Fill deep baking dish with drumsticks - use a pan only big enough for your drumsticks and really pack them in.  Sprinkle liberally with garlic powder.  Cover with sauce - enough so the drumsticks are at least covered halfway.  Cover with foil and bake 2 1/2 hours.  Remove foil and bake another hour.

These will be saucy and messy and fall off the bone.  Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the pan.

Serve With:

Corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, salad...anything!

Stove Top Macaroni & Cheese

I do love macaroni and cheese!  I haven't found an oven recipe that I just love, so I tried this stove top recipe.  I really like it!  It's in our regular rotation now.

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups large elbow Macaroni, uncooked (about 1/2 lb)
• 2 cups low fat Milk (about 16 oz) , or more if needed
• **if more milk is needed, additional 1/4 cup milk at a time for final cooking. **Macaroni pasta varies so much! have additional milk on hand, or be ready to increase the heat if your macaroni doesn't absorb fast enough.  I generally need to use 3 cups milk to 2 cups macaroni
• 1 tablespoon Butter, for flavor ( I tried this recipe once without the butter and I didn't notice any difference with the recipe. More heart healthy!)
• 1/2 teaspoon Mustard powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt, plus additional for final season later
• generous dash of Nutmeg
• 1 cup Grated Cheese, any one or combination of  ( jack, cheddar, swiss, mozzarella, gouda, parmesan*, asiago*, pecorino*) *Hard cheeses are best combined with a secondary,  softer, better melting cheese. Cheese varies in flavor and salt level too! My favorite so far has been a mix of mozzarella and sharp cheddar, but I use about 1.25 cups total
• black pepper to taste (optional)

 Cooking Info: 

1. Place raw elbow macaroni in colander and quickly rinse under water. Let drain.

2. In medium sauce pan (about 3.5 qt), add milk, raw elbow macaroni, salt, butter, mustard powder and nutmeg.

3. On medium heat, slowly bring milk/macaroni mixture to a simmer, stirring the macaroni frequently as it comes up to a simmer. This will separate macaroni and keep them from sticking together. DO NOT LEAVE THE STOVE! The milk mixture will come to a boil very quickly and leaving it unattended will leave a big mess on your stove stop.

4. Once mixture comes to a simmer, immediately turn down heat to LOW. Macaroni will slowly cook in the milk. Having your heat too high will evaporate the milk too quickly!

5. Continue to stir the mixture frequently so that macaroni will cook evenly and absorb milk evenly. If you don't stir your mixture frequently, you will get a big clump of macaroni in the end! Stir, stir stir!

6. Cook for about 15-20 minutes or until milk has been fully absorbed.

**If macaroni is not cooked fully, add a little more milk or water  to mixture ( in small amounts) until macaroni is fully cooked. This will take about another 5 minutes.

7. When milk has evaporated, stir in grated cheese of your choice. Stir the  cheese evenly into the macaroni.

8. Turn off heat. Place lid on top of pan and cover for about 5 minutes. This rest period will allow macaroni to plump up and absorb any excess milk.

9. Take a final taste and add additional salt to taste. Before serving, stir one final time to mix everything together.


 Serve With: Usually salad and grilled chicken!


Nutritional Info (Estimated with 2% sharp cheddar and 3 cups milk, based on 5 servings, no butter, 1.25 cups cheese)
Calories:  299
Carbs: 41
Protein: 14
Fat: 4

Banana Split Muffins

Anyone familiar with our PDAC days remembers that I love muffins.  Lemon Poppyseed are my favorite, but I've really never met a muffin that I didn't like.  I had two very ripe bananas staring at me today, and I went searching for recipes.  I love ChickInTheKitchen, so when I found her recipe for banana chocolate chip muffins, I had to try it.  But...it called for three or four bananas, and I only had two.  After a quick Facebook shout-out, I decided to add mashed strawberries and mini chocolate chips.

Ingredients:

2 very ripe bananas
1 cup chopped ripe strawberries (mine were pretty ripe)
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup melted butter, cooled
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 1/2 cups flour (I used All Purpose, will try with whole wheat)
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Cooking Info:

Preheat oven to 375.  Spray 12 regular sized muffin cups with cooking spray.
Mash bananas, strawberries, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.  Add in other ingredients, except chips.  Stir well.  Fold in chocolate chips.
Drop into 12 muffin cups (the PC scoop is AWESOME for this!)  Bake 20-24 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Serve With:

They're fine just plain!

Nutrition Info:

Serves:  12
Calories:  135
Carbs:  20
Fat:  5
Protein:  3

Spicy Garlic Chicken with Orzo

We eat a lot of chicken...chicken on the grill, Chicken Divan, etc.  I'm always looking for new and exciting ways...I found a winner with this dish on All Recipes that I adapted just a bit reading the comments and based on what I had on hand.  The nice thing is, it's really something that you could throw anything into!

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
2 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
salt to taste
2 cups fresh spinach (you could use whatever veggies - tomatoes, peppers, broccoli)
chicken broth (I used a full box, could use less)

Cooking Info:

Bring a pot of the chicken broth to boil (you could use half water, half broth, or all water if you wish).  Add in whatever spices you prefer - Italian seasoning, oregano, salt/pepper, etc.  Add orzo and cook 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Drain
While orzo is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add garlic and pepper flakes and cook until garlic begins to brown.  Stir in chicken, season with salt if desired.  Cook until juices run clear.  Do not drain oil - you need the extra moisture.  Stir in the cooked orzo.  Add in spinach and cook until it just begins to wilt.  You can serve this topped with grated Parmesan cheese if you like.

Serve With:

Good with a salad and corn.

Nutrition Info:

Serves:  4
Calories:  351
Fat: 10.6
Carbs:  40.4
Protein: 22.3

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

I adapted two recipes from ChickInTheKitchen and Simply Recipes to get these.  We all LOVED them...so delicious.  I'd make them with walnuts and fewer chocolate chips, but no one in my family likes nuts.  You could easily cut the chocolate chips in half, and I intend to try the ChickInTheKitchen version with half whole wheat flour next time.

Ingredients: 

3 c. grated zucchini (about 1 large)
1 stick (8 Tbsp.) unsalted butter, melted
2/3 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. baking soda
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. mini chocolate chips (I only had regular semi-sweet)

Cooking Info: 

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients up to the chocolate chips, and mix thoroughly. Add chocolate chips and stir to combine.

Lightly grease your cupcake liners or pan with non-stick spray and fill to just below the top — you may need to pat the batter down as you fill the liners, as it is very thick.  (I try never to use liners, so I just grease the pan)

Bake for 30 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for at least 30 minutes before removing muffins from their liners or the pan.

Serve With:

These would be yummy with some cream cheese, flavored butter, etc.  We ate them plain or warmed for 20 seconds in the microwave with a tsp of butter.  I kept them in a Tupperware on the counter for 3-4 days and they were fine - but you could wrap individually and freeze these for quick breakfast on the go.

Nutrition Info:

Makes:  12 regular sized muffins
Calories:  367
Fat:  15
Carbs:  56
Protein:  6

Chicken Bruschetta Pasta

Ingredients:
Your favorite type of pasta
Chicken Breast Tenderloins
Basil
Tomatoes
Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
Crushed Garlic
Shaved Parmesan Cheese


Cooking Info:
1. Marinate chicken in balsamic vinaigrette dressing for at least an hour. Grill or bake chicken.
2. While chicken is cooking, make your pasta.
3. While chicken and pasta are cooking, cut tomatoes and basil.  Mix together with 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinaigrette dressing, 1/2 tablespoon of crushed garlic and some Parmesan cheese.
4. Mix pasta and bruschetta topping.  Add chicken.  Top with cheese.

Serve With: Texas Toast

Mediterranean Couscous

Ingredients:
1/2 cup couscous
1 large zucchini, diced
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup reduced fat feta cheese crumbles

1/4 cup dried cranberries

2 tbsp Raspberry Vinagrette

olive oilsalt + pepper 


Cooking Info: 

1. Cook the couscous according to package instructions. (Bring 1/2 cup water to a boil. Add 1/2 tsp salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Stir in the couscous and turn off the stove. Cover for 5 minutes.)
2. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the chopped zucchini and cook for 3-5 minutes, until they are golden brown and slightly soft. Season with salt and pepper.
3. In a serving dish or large bowl, toss together the cooked couscous, zucchini, walnuts, feta cheese, dried cranberries, and raspberry vinagrette. Serve.

Serve With: A great side dish for anything off the grill or out of the oven!

Sweet and Spicy Chops

Ingredients:
1 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 boneless pork loin chops, about 1-inch thick
1/2 teaspoon corriander power
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup mango, cubed 
1 tablespoon dried cranberries
1 lime


Cooking Info: 
1. Heat 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in a large non-stick pot or skillet over medium-high heat.  Season both sides of the pork chops with corriander, red pepper, and salt.  Cook the pork chops for 4 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Transfer the pork chops to a dish, and allow them to rest for at least 3 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, heat the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, mango and cranberries, and cook until soft and light brown, about 5 minutes.
3. Take about 1 teaspoon of lime zest from the lime, then cut the lime into wedges. Top the chops with the chutney, lime zest, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. 

Serve With:


Mediterranean Couscous 

Spicy Sausage Pasta

I stole this recipe from another blog and tried it tonight.  It was really good!  I didn't have the Ro-Tel tomatoes, so I used regular diced tomatoes and added a few diced up jalapeno slices.  I used half and half instead of heavy cream, and the spiral pasta instead of penne.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb smoked sausage
1.5 cups diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (10 oz) can Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chilies, Mild
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 oz penne pasta
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper, each
1 cup Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions

Cooking Info:
1. Add olive oil to an oven-safe skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Add sausage and onions and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Add broth, tomatoes, cream, pasta, salt and pepper and stir. Bring to a boil, cover skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Remove skillet from heat and stir in 1/2 cup cheese. Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with scallions. Broil until cheese is melted, spotty brown, and bubbly

Serve With: Salad or cooked veggies

oil, onions, garlic and sausage

Added tomatoes, broth and cream

after pasta is cooked, stirred in cheese then added cheese on top.

Beer Can Chicken

Ingredients: 
 Rub: 
    2 tblsp garlic powder
    1 tblsp cumin
    1 tblsp corriander
    1 tblsp paprika
    1 tblsp salt
    1 tblsp pepper
    1 tsp cayenne pepper
    1/2 cup olive oil
    Juice and zest from 1/2 a lemon
 1 12 oz can of beer
 1 Chicken (3 1/2 to 4 pounds)


Cooking Info: 

Heat a gas or charcoal grill with a lid big enough to accommodate the bird. Put a drip pan below the grates. (The chicken can also be cooked in a 350 degrees F oven. Just stand the beer can in a shallow roasting pan and cook about 1 hour or until juices run clear.)

Mix the ingredients for the Spice Rub until they are well blended. Rub it all over the chicken, inside and out.

Open the beer and drink a little less than half.  I suppose you could poor it out, but that would be wasting beer... 

Sit the chicken on the beer can so the legs are at the bottom and the wings are at the top. Stand the beer can on the grates over the drip pan. Put the cover on and cook over indirect heat until the juices run clear, about 1 hour. (We have an older grill and have to go about an hour and a half.)

Serve With: We usually serve with corn on the cob, biscuits or cornbread, and tomato slices or fruit salad.

Beer can chicken cookers can be purchased for $10 or less at Target or Walmart in the camping section.  I've also seen them at amazon.com, Cabela's, and REI.

Italian Pasta Salad

Super easy pasta salad - and very flexible on the ingredients.  I've done all kinds of variations.

Ingredients: 

1 box tri-color rotini
Sliced veggies
Cubed cheese
1 large bottle Italian dressing (I usually use low- or no-fat)

Cooking Info: 

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and rinse in cold water.  Chop veggies into bite-sized pieces.  I use a variety - we like it with sliced baby cucumbers, grape tomatoes, chopped bell pepper, sliced black olives.  Cube cheese (I usually use mozzarella).  Pour half the cooled pasta into a large bowl, layer half your veggies (NOT the cheese), rest of pasta, rest of veggies.  Pour 3/4 of the dressing over the salad and mix lightly.  Refrigerate until chilled - I don't put the lid on right away if the pasta is still hot - and I stir it every couple of hours.

Add cheese when salad has chilled.  Add more dressing if needed right before serving.

Serve With:

This is awesome as a dish itself (sometimes I chop up ham or use mini pepperonis) or with any barbeque fare.

Mexican Chicken Ring

Excellent quick meal!  Kids love it.  Except Ethan LOL.  OK, I'm not sure he even tried it when I made it :-)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb chicken, cut into 1/2" chunks (I don't always use this much chicken, more like 1/2 a pound)
• 1 Packet El Paso Taco Seasoning 
• 1/3 cup water 
• 1 cup corn with peppers (you can buy this canned, corn with red and green peppers) 
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (1.5 cups is better but calories are calculated using 1 cup)
• 2 tubes Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (I use low fat)

Cooking Info:
Cook chicken in a little bit of oil. Once cooked, add 1/3 cup water and the taco seasoning. Cook until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add the corn and the cheese and stir until cheese is melted. 

On a cookie sheet, arrange crescent roll triangles around an approximately 6" circle. The flat side opposite the point should be in the middle. You will have to overlap them. Basically, it should end up looking like a sun. 

Spoon chicken mixture onto the crescent roll ring. Then, take the points of the crescent rolls and wrap them over the chicken mixture and pressing down the ends. Once you're done, you should have a ring. The filling WILL show through the crescent rolls, possible quite a bit. 

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until the crescent rolls are golden brown. 

Serve With: Again, with casserole type things we usually just do a salad!

Nutritional Info Per Serving:
8 Servings
Calories:  315
Total Fat: 12.3 g
Saturated Fat: 5 g
Cholesterol: 37.4 mg
Sodium: 972.2 mg
Potassium: 179.1 mg
Total Carbs: 34.2 g
Fiber: .5 g
Sugars: 9.5 g
Protein: 17.6 g

Chicken Mixture:

Completed Crescent Roll Ring:

With Chicken Mixture:

Ready for the oven:

Sorry, I forgot to get a picture of it cooked!

White Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

10 soft taco shells (I can sometimes get 11 or 12 enchiladas out of this)

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (I buy a $5 rotisserie chicken from Kroger)

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

3 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup sour cream (I tried fat free and it was OK, light is better)

1 (4 oz) can diced green chillies

Cooking Info:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 pan

2. Mix chicken and 1 cup cheese.  Roll up in tortillas and place in pan.

3. In a sauce pan, melt butter, stir in flour and cook 1 minute.  Add broth and whisk until smooth.  Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly.  

4. Stir in sour cream and chilies.  Do not bring to boil, you don't want curdled sour cream.

5. Pour over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.

6. Bake 22 min and then under high broil for 3 min to brown the cheese.

Serve With: We usually just do a salad!

Nutrition Info Per Serving:

11 servings (using 11 taco shells)

Calories: 273

Total Fat: 10.4 g

Saturated Fat: 4.9 g

Cholesterol: 52.5 mg

Sodium: 643.7 mg

Potassium: 93 mg

Total Carbs: 25.1 g

Fiber: 3.4 g

Sugars: 1.5 g

Protein: 18.8 g

Mix of Chicken and Cheese:

Some assembly required:

Ingredients for sauce:

Butter & Flour:

Bubbling with broth:

After mixing in chilis and sour cream:

Ready for the oven:

Time for dinner!







Tomato Cucumber Onion Salad

Ingredients:

1 med. cucumber, peeled and sliced thin
2 tomatoes, peeled and sliced thick (I don't peel them, and I cut thin wedges instead of slices)
1 lg. mild sweet onion, sliced very thin
1 tbsp. snipped fresh dill or 1 tsp. dill weed
2 tbsp. oil
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar or lemon juice
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper
Parsley

Cooking Info:

Alternate cucumber, tomato and onion slices decoratively in shallow
glass serving dish. Combine remaining ingredients, except parsley.
Pour over salad. Chill 2 hours before serving to allow flavors to blend.
Garnish with parsley. 6 servings.

Chicken Legs with Rice

My mom used to make this all the time when I was growing up.  It's quick and easy to throw together - and usually stuff that I have in my pantry/freezer.  I've done it with chicken breasts and it turns out fine.  You could probably throw some chopped broccoli or peas right into it to make it 1-dish, but my kids don't like "sauce" on their broccoli so I haven't.

Ingredients: 

Chicken legs (or other parts)

cream of mushroom soup                    Cup water

cream of celery soup                           Cup rice

Package onion soup mix

Paprika

Cooking Info: 

Mix soup together in casserole dish. Add rice and stir well. Lay raw chicken legs on top. Sprinkle with ½ package onion soup mix. Bake covered 2-2 ½ hours at 350°

Serve With:

Steamed broccoli (love that SteamFresh!), Tomato Cucumber Onion Salad

<I'll add a photo if I ever make this again - my kids aren't huge fans>

Chicken Divan

This one takes a little long for a standard weeknight.  I've cooked the chicken the night before and then put it together and baked it on a weeknight.

Ingredients: 

1 pkg of bone-in chicken breasts (mine had 2 large breasts)
1 pkg or 1 head broccoli florets
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can milk (fill the empty soup can with milk)
2 T Miracle Whip
lemon juice
sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
rice (your preference - Minute rice, long grain, etc.  But be sure to account for the cook time)

Cooking Info: 

Boil chicken in large stock pot - reduce to simmering and cook for ~1 hour.  Remove to plate to cool.  (You can strain and save the stock if you are so inclined)  If using frozen broccoli, dump into a colander to thaw a bit; if using fresh, wash and cut into florets.  Set aside.

In saucepan combine cans of soup, milk (I used heavy cream this last time b/c I had it leftover from the bowtie pasta and it was DELICIOUS), lemon juice, and Miracle Whip.  Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until bubbly and thickens.

Preheat oven to 375.  De-bone chicken into bite-sized pieces and put into large casserole dish.  Layer broccoli on top.  Pour soup mixture over chicken & broccoli.  Bake (uncovered) for 45 minutes.

Make rice using your preferred method - Minute Rice I usually put on to cook when there's ~5 minutes of bake time left.

Remove chicken/broccoli from oven, sprinkle with cheese, and bake another 3-5 minutes to melt the cheese.

Serve over the rice.  I always make a lot of rice (this serves a whole family with leftovers) and then make up lunch-sized containers for us to take the next day.

Serves:  8

Serve With:

This is really good with fresh pineapple or strawberries, we always have crusty rolls or bread, and a salad.

Nutrition Info:

(With brown rice, 2% milk, and Miracle Whip Light)
Calories per Serving:  332
Carbs per Serving:  47
Fat per Serving:  11
Protein per Serving:  12

Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients:

4-5 Soft Taco size or Fajita size tortillas (depending on the size of your casserole dish

1 can black beans

1 can diced tomatoes (if you like spice get the kind with green chili peppers in it)

1lb ground beef or turkey

1pkg taco seasoning

½ c. taco sauce

2 tbsp water

1 can enchilada sauce

1 pkg Mexican cheese shredded (the 2% Sargento is very good)

sour cream (optional)

Cooking Info:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare Taco meat by browning the ground beef, adding the water, taco seasoning packet and taco sauce.  Put enough enchilada sauce to cover the bottom of the casserole to prevent sticking.  Start to layer your ingredients with a tortilla first, then meat, tomatoes, black beans, little cheese, and repeat until all ingredients are used up (keep 1/3 of the cheese for the top), ending with a tortilla.  Then poor the rest of the enchilada sauce over it and the rest of the cheese. Then bake for aprox. 15-20 min.  Cut it like lasagna, and enjoy.  I like to top mine with sour cream.

 Serve With: Spanish rice (I like Zatarains) and a salad.

Ravioli Bake

This is one of our family favorites.  Thanks to my buddies at MF, we have it at least twice a month!  It's easy to throw together earlier in the day and pop in the oven to bake while you make the salad, do homework, etc.

Ingredients: 

1 jar (16 oz) of spaghetti sauce
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained (I use about 1 1/2 c of the Pomi crushed tomatoes)
1 can (10 oz) reduced sodium beef broth (Campbell's is the perfect size, or I use the little boxes of Kitchen Basics beef stock)
2 pkg (9 oz each) fresh cheese-filled ravioli (I use the big bag of frozen beef ravioli)
1/4 cup zesty Italian salad dressing
2 cups shredded mozzarella

Cooking Info: 

Preheat oven to 375.  Combine sauce, tomatoes, broth, and dressing in a 9x13 pan.  Add ravioli and mix lightly to coat.  Cover with foil and bake 50 minutes, until ravioli are tender.  Remove from oven, sprinkle with cheese.  (I put it back in the oven to melt the cheese)

Serve With:

Green salad, crusty bread, steamed broccoli, fruit salad

Nutrition Info:

Serves - 6
Calories - 435
Carbs - 51
Fat - 20
Protein - 21