Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:
2 cups chicken, cooked and diced
2 cups Ritz crackers, crushed
1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
1 (10.75 oz) can cream of chicken soup (I used 98% fat-free)
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)
1 teaspoon minced garlic (optional)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together chicken, soup and sour cream in a large bowl. Add in Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and lemon juice, if desired. In another bowl, mix together crushed crackers, poppy seeds, and melted butter and stir until butter is completely incorporated.
Spray a 9x13" baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Spread chicken mixture on the bottom and top with cracker mixture.
Cover pan with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 15 more minutes.

Meatballs Stroganoff

Meatballs Stroganoff


I'm giving you fair warning, this is NOT a 'measure everything out' recipe.  Instead, its one of those things you throw together after work on a busy day because it works and its delicious and your kids love it, and its super fast.

Ingredients:

 Frozen Italian style meatballs (1/2 oz each)
generally, enough to cover the bottom of the pan.  Depends on who is home.
Extra virgin olive oil
1+ Tbsp - just enough to brown up the meatballs. 
2 cups beef broth

Seasoning
kosher salt and black pepper to taste
dried herbs (probably at least 1 - 1 1/2 tsp each) - parsley, oregano, basil
it will look like a lot of seasoning, but in the end, it will be great!
2/3 - 1 cup sour cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Wide egg noodles

Crock Pot Orange Chicken

Crockpot Orange Chicken

4 – 5 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

1 small jar Orange Marmalade
1 cup of Sweet Baby Ray’s Original BBQ Sauce  or Honey BBQ sauce
2 tbsp. Soy Sauce

I threw it all in together, with frozen chicken tenders.  Pulled them out when they had thawed and cubed them.  Then I whisked in a little corn starch in the end to thicken it up.  Served it with homemade ham fried rice.  So Yummy.

Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie

Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie (recipe adapted from Mimi's Fit Foods)

Filling:
2 small red potatoes, cubed
2 cups frozen mixed veggies (my favorite mix is corn and carrots)
1 cup chopped onions (1 medium onion)
1/2 teaspoon chicken seasoning
(such as McCormick’s Grill Mates, Johnny’s Garlic, or Santa Maria)
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 (10-oz) can Cream of Chicken Soup (98% fat free)
12 ounces raw chicken breast (about 2 large breasts)

Crumble Biscuit Topping:
2 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup milk (I use 1%)
1/3 cup canola oil

In a large bowl, thoroughly combine all ingredients for filling except chicken.  Place raw chicken breasts in bottom of slow cooker.  Add the filling mixture on top.  Cook on low for 4-6 hours, until chicken is cooked.  Remove chicken breasts and shred the cooked chicken.  Add chicken back into the filling mixture and keep on low while you finish the crumble topping.

Towards the end of cooking time, preheat oven to 450 degrees and make biscuit topping.   Combine sugar, salt, baking powder, and wheat flour in a small mixing bowl.  Stir with a fork to combine.  Add milk and oil and gently stir with a fork until combined.  Drop pieces of dough (crumble the dough into irregularly shaped pieces that are roughly the same size) on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes (crumbles will barely be getting brown).  Remove from oven.  Gently pour the crumbles into the slow cooker on top of the mixture.  Place the lid back on and cook on low for another 10 minutes. 

Serves 5.

Mexican Chicken Quinoa

Another favorite from Mimi's Fit Foods

Mexican Chicken Quinoa

1 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped
1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed well and drained
1 ¼ cups low sodium vegetable broth
1 can (1 ½ cups) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes, with juices
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 lb. cooked and shredded chicken
1/3 cup shopped fresh cilantro
1 quarter of a lime, juiced

Optional toppings:
reduced fat shredded cheese, light sour cream, salsa, and/or avocado

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add garlic and jalapenos to the pan and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Stir in the quinoa, veggie broth, beans, diced tomatoes, corn, salt, and chicken to the pan.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium0low and cover.  Simmer for about 25 minutes, or until the liquid is fully absorbed.  Remove from the heat.  Stir in the cilantro and lime juice.  Serve as desired with cheese, salsa, avocado, and/or sour cream.

Serves 6.

Fit & Creamy Baked Spaghetti

Another FAVORITE from Mimi's Fit Foods.

Fit and Creamy Baked Spaghetti
6 ounces multi-grain angel hair pasta, dry

2 cups spaghetti sauce
 (I used Prego Heart Smart)
1 pound lean ground turkey
1 teaspoon garlic salt
salt and pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
4 ounces light cream cheese
(1/3 less fat), room temperature
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Cook pasta according to directions on package, only to al dente.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add ground turkey, garlic salt, salt and pepper.  Brown the ground turkey until cooked through.  Stir in your spaghetti sauce.

Drain and place cooked pasta back into your pan. Add in the cream cheese and Italian seasoning. Stir until cream cheese is melted (this iseasier if your cream cheese is at room temperature, but it will still work if it isn’t).

Lightly grease a 2-quart casserole dish (a 9×13 baking dish would work too). Spread a small amount of meat sauce in the bottom of the dish.

Put spaghetti on top of sauce and top with remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.

Bake for 30 minutes on 350 or until bubbly.

Serve and enjoy!

Serves 8.

Grilled Lime Coconut Curry Chicken

This recipe is from Mimi's fit foods.  Love most of her recipes, but wanted to put my favorites on here.

Grilled Lime Coconut Curry Chicken
3 tablespoons canola oil
zest and juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 cup canned light coconut milk
pinch cayenne pepper
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (see note above)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
fresh limes, cut into wedges

In a large liquid measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk together the oil, lime zest, lime juice, cumin, coriander, soy sauce, salt, sugar, curry powder, coconut milk, and cayenne pepper. Place the chicken in a large ziploc bag and pour the marinade over the chicken. Seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours.
Preheat a charcoal or gas grill to medium-high heat. Grill the chicken for 6-7 minutes per side (actual time will depend on the thickness of the chicken). While the chicken is cooking, pour the marinade into a small or medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil and boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Place the grilled chicken on a serving platter or plate. Drizzle with sauce (reserve the remaining sauce to serve separately) and sprinkle fresh cilantro over the top. Serve with lime wedges and additional sauce.
Serves 8.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream Cheese Frosting

8oz Cream Cheese (I use the kind in the tub, not the brick.  It's less lumpy.)
1 Cube Butter room temperature
4 - 6 Cups C&H powdered sugar (I just dump it in until it has the right consistency... )
2 tsp vanilla

Cream together the butter and cream cheese.  It needs to be pretty soft, but not too soft.
Add in powdered sugar and vanilla.  I dump in 3 cups and mix it and then keep adding more and more until it looks right.
(If you end up using too much sugar, it sounds really grainy and might be too thick... you can always add a tiny bit of milk to it to thin it out.