Chicken Salad

This is a great chicken salad that has some great ingredients to satisfy your taste buds. 

Ingredients:

2 cups of shredded chicken (I used rotisserie that was cold)

3/4 c mayo

1 c chopped celery

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Mix chicken, celery, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

2. Add mayo. Mix well.

3. Fold in eggs.

4. Serve on rolls, in a hollowed out tomato, on a bed of lettuce, or with crackers. 

Recipe found on Momswhothink.com

Taco Salad

This taco salad was found on the Life as a Lofthouse blog that I'm a follower of. I made this dish for dinner the other night. It is very similar to a salad my sister-in-law Shannon makes for parties. Her sald is one of my favorites, so when I came across this recipe, I knew we'd like it. It is a little bit different from hers but I was still a fan.

1 lb lean ground beef
1 (1.25 oz.) package of taco seasoning
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (8 oz.) can of tomato sauce
1/2 c water
1-2 heads of chopped iceberg lettuce
1 large bag nacho cheese Doritos

Toppings: shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa, olives (I didn't use), Catalina dressing
Directions:
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown and crumble. Drain grease.

Add taco seasoning, black beans, tomato sauce, and water to the ground beef. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer on low heat for 10-15 minutes or until mixture is thoroughly heated and thickened slightly. Remove from heat.

On 4 individual plates, add the chopped lettuce and 1/2-1 cup of the crushed Doritos chips. Divide meat mixture over each bed of lettuce and chips. Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of lifeasalofthouse blog. Check it out. Lots of great recipes!

Chicken Soup

It's that time of year for warm, yummy soups to eat on a chilly day!!! I love chicken noodle soup. A very special thanks to my friend Kim for sharing with me her dad's delicious chicken soup. The wonderful thing about this recipe is you throw it all in your crock pot and forget about it. It makes enough to feed an army. We ate it all week. You can freeze it too. Just don't add noodles then. Add them  when you're ready to eat it. Hope you enjoy! Thanks Kim for the recipe!!! We love it!!!!

Ingredients:
1 lb chicken breasts (put in whole, shred later)
3-5 celery stalks, chopped.sliced
4-5 carrots, peeled & sliced
1 large onion, chopped
2- 32oz cartons of chicken broth (8 cups)
1 chicken bullion cube
1/2 bag egg noodles (add towards end)
For serving: salt & pepper to taste; crackers

Directions:
Add all ingredients to crock pot, except egg noodles. Cook on low for 8 hours. Towards last half hour, remove chicken and shred. Return to crock pot. Add egg noodles for last 30 minutes if desired or make separate.

Kim's Advice: If you plan on freezing the soup...make noodles on the side because they'll be soggy if you freeze them.

Recipe courtesy of Kim Travis

Fried Rice

Ingredients

3 cups cooked white rice (day old or leftover rice works best!)

3 tbs sesame oil

1 cup frozen peas and carrots (thawed)

1 small onion, chopped

2 tsp minced garlic

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/4 cup soy sauce

Directions

      On medium high heat, heat the oil in a large skillet or wok.  Add the peas/carrots mix, onion and garlic. Stir fry until tender. Lower the heat to medium low and push the mixture off to one side, then pour your eggs on the other side of skillet and stir fry until scrambled. Now add the rice and soy sauce and blend all together well. Stir fry until thoroughly heated!  

Courtesy of Life as a Lofthouse blog.

Baked Sweet & Sour Chicken

This yummy Chinese dish I found on a new food blog I follow, Life as a Lofthouse. Check out the fried rice recipe too for a a great side to this dish. I will have to say it was a bit of a process to make everything. For me, this would be a great dinner for the weekend versus a week night!

Ingredients:
3-4 chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1/4 c canola oil
1 c corn starch
2 eggs, beaten

Sweet & Sour sauce:
3/4 c sugar
4 tbsp ketchup
1/2 c distilled white vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp garlic salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Wash and pay dry chicken. Cut into cubes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dip each piece of chicken in corn starch to coat and then dip in egg. When all pieces are covered, heat oil in skillet. Brown both sides of chicken pieces. Don't worry is meat isn't cooked through. Place in a greased 9x 12 baking dish. Mix all of your sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a bowl with a whisk. Pour over chicken evenly. Bake for 1 hour but turning chicken every 15 minutes.

Recipe courtesy of Life is a Lofthouse blog.

Chicken Salad

 

Here's a great summer dish for an easy lunch, light dinner, or even a snack!

Ingredients:
1 lb of Chicken breasts
Mayo
Cilantro
Salt
Pepper
Wheat Thins toasted chips Great Plains Multigrain

Directions:
1. Boil chicken in a pot of water. When cooked, shred with fork. Cool in fridge.

2. Add mayo, chopped cilantro, and a good amount of salt and pepper.

3. Mix well. Chill for several hours or over night.

4. Serve with Wheat Thins Toasted Chips.

Recipe courtesy of Gina Stetka

Baked French Toast

This is a wonderful figure friendly dish that was a major hit for Easter brunch and Friday morning treats. I am also planning on making it for Mother's Day. You prepare this dish the night before. Pop it in the oven the next day. You WON'T regret it! It went well with fresh strawberries and blackberries! 

 

Ingredients

1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)

1 cup brown sugar

1 loaf Texas toast
4 eggs

1 1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Powdered sugar for sprinkling

Directions

1. Melt butter in microwave & add brown sugar....stir till mixed.
2. Pour butter/sugar mix into bottom of 9 x 13 pan....spread around
3. Beat eggs, milk, & vanilla
4. Lay single layer of Texas Toast in pan
5. Spoon 1/2 of egg mixture on bread layer
6. Add 2nd layer of Texas Toast
7. Spoon on remaining egg mixture
8. Cover & chill in fridge overnight
9. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes
10. Sprinkle with powdered sugar
11. Serve with warm maple syrup

Recipe courtesy of Rach's Blog via Pinterest

Quinoa with Carrots, Celery, and Pecans

Have you tried quinoa (pronounced 'keen-wa')? It is very similar to rice and it is packed with protein and super healthy for you! Don't be afraid to try it. You might like it! You can make it for a side dish or just add a ton of veggies and call it a meal. This dish is served warm and I adapted it from a recipe that had mushrooms in it. I'll attach both recipes. Hope you enjoy. I'm on a hunt for more quinoa recipes because it is so easy to make and very filling and healthy!

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa, pre-rinsed or rinsed
1 2/3 cup chicken broth
3 tbsp EVOO, divided
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 small carrots sliced
2 celery stalks chopped (or 4 oz shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced)
3/4 tsp dried thyme
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper
1/3 c chopped pecans, toasted if desired
1/4 c chopped parsley

Directions:
1. Combine quinoa and chicken broth in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn heat down to low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is cooked, about 15 minutes.

2.  Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to soften, 2-3 minutes. Add the carrots and thyme and cook until the carrots are just tender, 5-7 minutes. Add remaining tablespoon olive oil, along with celery (or mushrooms) and garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, until vegetable are cooked through, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
 

3. Add cooked quinoa to vegetables and stir in pecans and chopped parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve hot or warm.

 

Recipe found seriouseats.com

Fruit and Yogurt Parfaits

Have you ever had a fruit and yogurt parfait from McDonalds? I had the pleasure of having one a few weeks ago for breakfast and have been hooked every since. I then tried to recreate this dish to have at home. It wasn't hard at all!

Ingredients
low fat vanilla yogurt (I like Dannon Light and Fit)
1/4 c of granola
cut up fresh strawberries, blueberries and blackberries

Directions
Mix together and enjoy!

Fresh Salsa

I came across the FANTASTIC fresh salsa recipe on a blog I follow, Unexpected Delights.

Ingredients

1 28oz can whole tomatoes

2 cans diced tomatoes with green chilies (I like Rotel)

¼ cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped cilantro (add more if you like cilantro! I did!!)

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp sugar

¼ tsp cumin

1 jalapeño sliced (I did 2 for a spicy kick!)

Half a lime (squeeze the juice)

Directions

Combine all the ingredients in to a food processor (do not drain the
tomatoes) blend and serve!

Recipe courtesy of Kerry Amato via Unexpected Delights

Spicy Chicken Rigatoni

Another Pinterest inspired dish that will leave your taste buds so happy! This spicy rigatoni was not your usual rigatoni recipe with its peas and crushed red pepper.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/2 Tbs crushed red pepper
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 Tbs chopped garlic
• 6 oz chicken, sliced
• 3/4 cup. Marinara sauce
• 1/2 cup Alfredo sauce
• 2 tsp butter
• 1/4 cup peas
• 1 lb Rigatoni pasta, cooked according to package directions
• additional 1/2 t crushed red pepper (for garnish)

Directions:

1. In a sauté pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add crushed red pepper, salt, black pepper and garlic and sauté just long enough for garlic to caramelize and red pepper to release flavor into the oil. Add sliced chicken and sauté briefly to coat in spices and garlic.

2. Add Marinara Sauce first and then Alfredo Sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook until sauce thickens slightly and chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165°. Turn off flame, add butter and peas and incorporate into sauce.

3. Drop cooked pasta in boiling water for 3 seconds. Let drain for 15 seconds. Toss with the sauce. Place pasta and sauce in pasta bowl, reserving the majority of the chicken to be placed on top of the pasta. Using a rubber spatula, scrape any remaining sauce from the pan to the pasta. Garnish with crushed red pepper and serve.

Tastebook's Notes:Instead of buying alfredo and marinara sauce separately, Bertolli makes a Parm Rosa sauce you can use instead. Use 1 1/2 cups of it when the recipe tells you to add the marinara and alfredo sauces.

Source: Buca Di Beppo

Recipe from http://www.tastebook.com/recipes/2423433-Spicy-Chicken-Rigatoni

Quinoa Salad with cherries, snap peas, and walnuts

Have you tried quinoa? It is very healthy for you and high in protein! Thanks to my friend Mary for sharing this recipe. I first had it at her lake house this summer and finally made it this week. It is a good, healthy side to any dinner dish. I served with kielbasa but would also serve with chicken.

Ingredients:
1 c quinoa
2 c of water or vegetable broth (I used water)
3/4 c snap peas, diced
4 scallions, diced, green part only
1/4 c walnuts, chopped

1/4 dried cherries

Vinaigrette:
4 TBSP canola oil
3 TBSP rice vinegar
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 TBSP reduced sodium soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:
Prepare quinoa by rinsing in cold water. Add quinoa to water (or broth) in sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Let cool in refrigerator.
For vinaigrette: combine ingredients in a jar and shake. Chill in refrigerator.

When quinoa and vinaigrette have chilled, combine all ingredients and chill for several hours before serving.

Recipe courtesy of Mary Rodgers

"Poorman's" Italian Wedding Soup

Thanks to my friend, Erin, for this tasty dish! She always has the best and healthiest lunches at work. I've been wanting to try this soup for awhile now and finally got the ingredients from Trader Joe's. That is where she got the recipe for the soup too.

Ingredients:
1 bag of frozen turkey meatballs (Trader Joe's)
1 box Israeli couscous from TJ's in the rice aisle
Chicken broth
1 bag of frozen or fresh spinach
chopped carrots
chopped celery
1 teaspoon minced garlic (optional)
olive oil

Directions:
1. Brown couscous according to box instructions in olive oil. Set aside.
2. Saute carrots, onion, and celery (as much or as little as you like) in a sauce pan with garlic and some olive oil. Set aside.
3. In a large pot, add chicken broth, meatballs, couscous, spinach and sauteed veggies. Cook until warm.

FYI: over time, couscous soaks up liquid. Just add more water if you need to the 2nd day if having left overs!

Recipe courtesy of Erin Olsen

Crockpot Ravioli

Another great dish found on Pinterest. Thanks to Becoming Betty blog for posting! This made a lot, so there was plenty of leftovers.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
salt/pepper
10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed (I used fresh spinach)
16 oz. bowtie pasta, cooked
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
1 1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded

Directions:
*Brown ground beef with onion and garlic. Put in crock-pot and add sauce, tomatoes and seasonings. Cook for 6-7 hours on low. Add the last 4 ingredients during the last 30 minutes of cooking and turn crock-pot to high. I added the fresh spinach, pasta, parmesan and 1 cup of the mozzarella and I mixed it all up really well. Then I added the last 1/2 cup of mozzarella to melt on the top.


Recipe courtesy of http://becomingbetty.blogspot.com/2011/03/crock-pot-ravioli-casserole.html

Chicken & Keibasa Couscous

Another great recipe thanks to Pinterest. Found this website with a bunch of 30 minute meals. You should check out this blog. I plan on making more dishes in the future thanks to momswhothink.com!

Ingredients:

1/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
6 ounces fully cooked kielbasa, halved lengthwise and sliced into ½-inch pieces
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
1 1/3 cups chicken broth
1 cup couscous
1 medium green pepper, cut into strips
1 cup chicken broth
1 Tablespoon cornstarch

Directions:

1. Rinse chicken, pat dry. Cut into bite-size strips and set aside.

2. In a 10-inch skillet cook and stir kielbasa, celery, carrots over medium-high heat about 5 minutes or until kielbasa is browned.

3. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 3 to 5 minutes more or until carrots are nearly tender. Drain off fat.

4. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan bring the 1 1/3 cups broth to boiling. Stir in couscous; cover remove from heat. Let stand while preparing meat and vegetable mixture.

5. Add chicken and green pepper to skillet, cook and stir over medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

6. Combine the 1 cup broth and cornstarch, stir into skillet.

7. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, then cook and stir for 2 minutes more.

8. Fluff couscous with a fork. Serve chicken mixture over couscous. Makes 4 servings.

Recipe from momswhothink.com