Cordon Bleu pockets

I was meal prepping this week. I don't always meal prep, but my weeks definitely go better when I do. One of the things I prepped was some sandwich pockets. These can be used as quick easy lunches, grab and go dinners on the run or a great after school snack. 

I love making sandwich pockets! So versatile and easy to make.

Ingredients:

1 lb deli ham

.5 lb Swiss cheese

4 cups Shredded or cubed chicken

3 grands flaky biscuit cans

2 eggs (used for egg wash)

Seasoning of choice (used for tops)

Follow pictures for easy assembly

Cut cheese and ham into 4ths

 Break biscuits apart in half

 Spread half of dough flat.

 Place a slice of cheese on bottom of stretched dough.

 Place a few ham slices on top of cheese.

 Place another cheese slices on top of ham.

 Place a spoonful of chicken on top of the cheese.

Top with another slice of cheese.

 Place top half of dough on meat and cheese layers and pinch sides to close it up.

 Repeat process until all the dough is used. (makes about 24) brush tops of dough with egg wash and sprinkle with seasoning of choice. I used Ms. dash.

 Bake 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 min.

 You can cool and freeze or place in container in the fridge.

Enjoy!

Easy peasy creamy salsa chicken

Nothing could be easier than this. Not many ingredients, open cans and most if not all are pantry staples.

I love this on busy nights or when I feel overwhelmed, or even just not inspired to make anything.

A quick go to that can even be put in the crockpot early afternoon and be ready for dinner.

Ingredients:

3-4 chicken breasts (mine are almost always frozen)
1 medium size container of salsa of choice
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained
1 block cream cheese

Cheese for topping when done

Directions:

Use a crockpot liner (such a life saver)

Add chicken, beans, salsa, corn, and block of cream cheese*, Let cook 6-8 hours on low. Shred chicken, stir all together. Serve over rice topped with cheese. Enjoy.

*Note: cream cheese should be on top, it softens as the rest cooks. Stirs on smoothly when ready to mix after chicken has cooked.

Cordon Bleu - Rosemary Garlic Maple Bacon wrapped chicken tenders

I watched this food network show, where the person mentioned that they always brine their poultry chicken breasts and such. So, today I decided I would try it, I was thinking of making an easy version of chicken cordon bleu. I decided that I would brine my chicken tenders before I put together the dish. Mind you this is not your typical cordon bleu. It's my mashed up version using what I have at home. ;) I only have chicken tenders right now, so no splitting the chicken stuffing it with swiss cheese and ham. Here is what I did for the chicken.

Ingredients:

8-10 boneless skinless chicken tenders

1/2 cup salt

1/2 cup sugar

4 TBSP rosemary garlic seasoning

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

4 cups of warm water

In a bowl, mix the salt, sugar and water together so the salt and sugar dissolve in the water. I just used my hand to stir it. Then I added the apple cider vinegar and rosemary seasoning to the water. Once that was in the water I placed my chicken tenders in the brine, covered it with saran wrap and placed in the fridge for 1 and 1/2 hours. Next I removed the chicken tenders one at a time patting dry with a paper towel, wrapped the chicken tender with a strip or two of bacon and placed on a parchment lined jelly roll pan. I then sprinkled some smokehouse maple seasoning on top of the bacon wrapped chicken tenders. I placed in a preheated 350F oven for 45 minutes to cook the chicken and the bacon together.

Once those come out of the oven I will pour some cream of mushroom soup over top, then place some swiss cheese on top of the cream of mushroom soup bacon wrapped chicken, Next I will sprinkle with some italian bread crumbs and bake in the oven until cheese is melted.

This will be served with scalloped potatoes and green beans.

Thai Chicken Pineapple Curry

I love me some Thai! I crave it but usually when I don't have the money to go out to eat. I made up this great recipe to help curb some of those cravings. Luckily for me there is an international grocery store about 30-45 min away. I make a monthly trip there and get what I want. This place has everything! It's called Food Maxx... I digress... oh anywho's.... This recipe is tangy and spicy, sweet and full of flavor. If you try it, please leave a message on any changes you made and/or how you liked it. I love hearing from my readers :)

Ingredients:
2-4 Tbsp Yellow curry paste (I like yellow, but many like red) The more you add the spicier it gets...
2-3 chicken boneless, skinless breasts (chopped about an inch in size or what ever your personal preference)
1 can coconut milk
1 can chunked pineapple in natural juice
1 red bell pepper (chopped)
1 yellow bell pepper (chopped)
1 onion (chopped)
2 Tbsp white sugar
5 leaves of Thai Basil (optional) diced
Jasmine or Basimati rice

Directions:

Make rice per package directions either on the stove or in a rice cooker.

In a stock pot mix curry paste and diced chicken breasts. with a Tbsp of butter and olive oil. Keep stirring until blended and chicken is mostly cooked. Add the bell peppers, and onions, and cook together with the chicken. Until onions are mostly translucent. Then add the remaining ingredients except the rice. Let simmer and let flavors meld together for about 15-20 min on a low simmer.

To serve, pour a ladle or two over prepared rice. Enjoy...

Verdict... I love it! Reminds me of a great Thai restaurant in Draper, UT I used to eat at. You can use shrimp except add shrimp at the end and only cook until shrimp turns pink. Very, very tasty! :) Even my kids will eat it.

Bourbon Sesame Chicken Crock Pot

Picture taken from Pinterest

Tonights dinner I found on tablefortwoblog.com but it called for honey and red pepper flakes. I didn't have either.  I also didn't want to cut an onion. I also changed the oil to sesame oil instead of regular veg oil. This should give it a nice nutty flavor. I have adjusted the recipe with my changes. I also doubled the recipe to feed my crew of growing boys. So these measurements can be cut in half to feed less people, or have smaller portions. With less chicken, you will also need to cut the cooking time in half. This dish smells delicious. Tonight I will take a picture and add it, since it's cooking right now. I also changed the name of this dish since I don't have any honey in it.  I'll write the verdict at the end of the recipe after dinner tonight. I hope you like this. I am looking forward to dinner tonight :)

Bourbon Sesame Chicken

Serves: 5-8 depending on appetite

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

salt and pepper

1 1/2 cup corn syrup

1 cup white sugar

1 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

4 Tbsp sesame oil

2 Tbsp minced garlic

1/2 cup dry minced onion or 1 cup minced fresh onion

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper powder

Cornstarch

toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

Place chicken breasts in slow cooker, sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides. In a medium bowl, combine rest of the ingredients except the cornstarch and toasted sesame seeds. Stir to combine well. Pour over the chicken in the crockpot.

Cook on low for high for 4-6 hours.

When done remove chicken from slow cooker, slice/cut up. while chicken is out of slow cooker, add cornstarch mixed with cold water to crockpot to thicken sauce a bit. Add cut up chicken back into the slow cooker stir around to coat chicken with sauce. Serve hot/warm over rice, or eat in a lettuce/cabbage wrap. 

Sprinkle sesame seeds on top of dished up chicken.

Clean Eating Fajita Taco's with Caramelized Onions

Fajita Taco's with Caramelized Onions


4 - Chicken Breasts, sliced thin
3 (1 of each) Red, Yellow, green or orange Bell Peppers, Sliced thin
2 - Onions, sliced thin(reserve one for the caramelized onions)
1/2 packet fajita spices (low sodium)
1 cup salsa (homemade)
Romain Lettuce Leaves


Cook the chicken, bell peppers and 1 of the onions until the chicken is cooked through, onions translucent and peppers are soft. Add fajita spices and salsa, add 1/3 cup water and simmer down. In a separate pan, slowly cook on low/med heat, add onions in 1/2 a tsp of  heated coconut oil, and a sprinkle of kosher salt until they are tender and browned. 


Spoon the fajita mixture into romaine lettuce leaves, then add a light layer of the caramelized onions on top of the fajita mixture. 


ENJOY! These are so super tasty and full of flavor. The sweetness from the onions and the spice of the fajita meat are a perfect combination. I made these for a dinner with my husband and they were so supper tasty! WE ate them all up.

Clean Eating Chicken Salsa Stirfry

Chicken salsa stirfry

Servings Size: 1

Chicken breast piece, Thawed and cubed, seasoned with Ms. Dash

1 cup green bell pepper slices

1 small yellow onion

1 carrot diced

2 celery stalks diced

2 Tbsp Salsa (low sugar)

In a small skillet, add bell peppers, onion, carrots, and celery. Lightly salt (less than a tsp. To pull out the moisture in the veggies. Cook until the onions are starting to turn translucent. Add the seasoned cut chicken. Cook on med/high heat. When it starts to stick, add water to deglaze the pan and help cook the chicken. The amount of water is a personal decision. I used about ¼ a cup at first, then it evaporated and I added another ¼ of a cup. By the time that one almost evaporated the chicken was fully cooked, the veggies were softer and I then added my salsa. Cooked a little more reducing the liquid (which also concentrates the flavor). Then served. This would be good in romaine lettuce leaves as tacos. But I just ate it as a stir-fry. No rice, no noodles. Just veggies and meat. It was spicy and delicious

Clean Eating Farmers Market Chicken Salad

Farmers Market Chicken Salad

Serving Size: 1

1 – 4 oz chicken breast, thawed, cubed

1 sliced carrots

2 sliced celery

1 bell pepper, sliced and cut in half (any color)

½ white onion, sliced and cut in half or diced (personal preference)

1 Roma tomato, diced

½ cup red cabbage, chopped

2 cups mixed greens with fresh spinach

1 small/mini English cucumber, cut in sliced

1 tsp Ms. Dash

1 tsp coconut oil

drizzle of balsamic vinegar

In a small saute’ pan add the coconut oil and heat. Add the carrots, celery, peppers, and onions. Saute’ until onions are turning translucent. Add the chicken and cook until the chicken is cooked through (no more pink).  Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile…

In a bowl or on a plate add the mixed greens, cucumber, cabbage, and tomato. Top with the cooled chicken mixture. Lightly drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Eat. J

*Note: if the taste of red cabbage is too over powering, you can cook it with the other veggies. This will still be very tasty while, removing some of the bite to the red cabbage.

Clean Eating Bruschetta Chicken

Bruschetta chicken

Serving Size: 5

15-25 cherry tomatoes sliced in half

½ a large white onion diced

1 yellow bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

2 big handfuls of fresh spinach (chopped)

1 -1 1/2 bunches of fresh basil (chopped)

5 – 4 oz chicken breasts

Ms Dash (to season)

Drizzle of Balsamic Vinegar

Preheat oven for 400 Degrees F.

In a baking dish line the bottom of the pan in non-stick foil. Place the chicken breasts seasoned with Ms. Dash on the foil in the pan, set aside.

In a medium bowl. Mix tomatoes, onion, bell peppers, spinach and basil together.

Pour over the prepared chicken (before cooking or after cooked chicken (would be good both ways) I cooked mine)). Bake for 45 min.

Remove from oven and serve with mixed green salad with bruschetta mix on top of chicken. Drizzle with Balsamic Vinegar.

Great Cold or reheated the next day over a bed of spinach or mixed green salad.

**You don't need to cook the bruschetta topping with the chicken, but it adds moisture to the chicken if it's a little dry.

Chicken Fried Chicken with chicken gravy and Country Green Beans with Bacon

I have been on vacation for quite a while. My kids started school yesterday and I wanted to treat them to a nice home cooked dinner. That being said. I have only been home a week, and I'm trying to clean up the house from traveling, and my wonderful husband didn't even do dishes while I was away for two weeks. So, I've been trying to dig out of the mess that was and is my house. I don't like having a messy kitchen, it just makes it so hard to get anything done. Especially in my small kitchen. My counter tops have been taken up with mail, dishes, trash, and just stuff... It's been fend for yourself for a few days, while I have been trying to motivate myself to get it cleaned up so I can cook again. I'm back to using plastic and paper for eating off of while I'm trying to dig my way back to normal. I think it also doesn't help that since I sold my kitchen table, I haven't replaced it yet. While I have more room, I have no space. Does that make sense? It does to me. Well. I finally broke down and made a home cooked meal. It was so tasty! I made chicken fried chicken (using chicken breast cutlets) and country green beans with bacon. mmmmm I made extra so I could have seconds and leftovers for lunch today. My husband had two pieces of the chicken. One son had two pieces too... I had one and a half. I made a total of 9 chicken fried chicken's and can I just say, some of the best yet! I think part of what helps them be so tasty is that I brined them for 1 hour before I breaded and fried/baked them. I have a recipe for brining here.

Ingredients for Chicken Fried Chicken

9 chicken breast cutlets

1 brine (can be found here)

2 1/2 cups self rising flour

1 cup corn meal

4 Tbsp seasoning of choice 

1 1/2 cup buttermilk

1 egg

10 shakes of tabasco sauce

3 tbsp salt (kosher)

3 tbsp black pepper

5 shakes of the cayenne pepper

oil for frying

Directions for Chicken Fried Chicken

Brine chicken cutlets in brine in refrigerator for 1 hour. Remove chicken from brine. Set aside. 

Heat oil in skillet, while dredging chicken cutlets:

Flour Dredge: combine corn meal, self rising flour, seasoning of choice, salt, cayenne, and black pepper. 

Buttermilk dredge: combing buttermilk, egg and tabasco sauce, mix well.

After chicken has been removed from brine, dredge in flour, then buttermilk, then flour again. Set aside. 

repeat until all the chicken cutlets have been dredged. 

check oil to see if it's hot enough by sprinkling a little water in the pan to see if it dances. if it dances then it's hot enough.

*My pan holds three chicken cutlets at a time. 

Preheat oven to 400F. 

While the chicken cutlets are frying about 3 minutes on each side. Until browned. Place foil on a cookie sheet and set aside. After removing browned chicken cutlets from oil. Place on prepared cookie sheet. Once all chicken cutlets are browned from frying. Place cookie sheet with cutlets in the oven to finish cooking for 23 minutes (depending on oven). My cutlets were moist and crispy. 

In a different skillet combine 4 tbsp butter (melt) and 4 Tbsp flour, whisk and then add milk consistently mixing with a whisk until boiling and desired thickness. Add salt, pepper and seasoning to taste. Set aside until chicken cutlets are cooked through. 

Remove cutlets from oven. Serve Warm/Hot. Top with gravy. Enjoy! :)

Country Green Beans with Bacon

Ingredients:

3 cans cut green beans (do not drain)

5-6 pieces cut cooked bacon

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

4 tbsp butter

Combine all ingredients and simmer 10 minutes. (the longer the simmer, the better the flavor)

This is so tasty, I love the slight tang and flavor of bacon that are present in this dish. 

Hawaiian Hay Stacks

Tonights dinner comes from my food storage. As I'm getting ready to head on another road trip, I don't want to waste money shopping. I'd rather use it on my trip. Tonight is a use what's in the house kind of dinner. The great thing about Hawaiian Hay Stacks is that you can top it with whatever your family likes. For instance, my kids don't like tomatoes, or much in the way of toppings. It can have peas, fresh celery, tropical fruit, tomatoes, or whatever they want. I've even seen people add olives. not my cup of tea, but as long as you like it, it can go on top. In my opinion, it only requires a few "main" ingredients and then the topping is what ever you want. Here are my main ingredients and my toppings.

Main Ingredients: (Chicken sauce)

2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 handful of freeze dried celery
1/4 tsp cumin
a dash of salt
1 can chicken broth
1 can chunk chicken (drained)

Main Ingredient: (Cooked rice)
3-5 cups of cooked rice

After that it's add what toppings you like and enjoy!

Toppings of choice at my house:

mandarine oranges
sweetened coconut flakes
corn
cheese
crushed pineapple
chow mein noodles (kind of a main ingredient - but a topping)

Do you see a theme with it... it's all either yellow or orange. but it's tasty :) My kids love the chicken sauce I made, and can not wait to dish up their own dinner with their toppings. It's summery, beachy and tasty! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. :)

Orange Chicken Slow Cooker

Orange Chicken Slow Cooker with Homemade Fried Rice

I don't know if you remember but I love to use my slow cooker. Especially when it's hot outside, or I've got a busy day, or even when it's cold outside. So pretty much anytime. Today is no exception. I have finals this week and so I'm trying to make my life pretty simple. That includes making things in the slow cooker for dinner. I have a hankerin'  (yes - I am Texan) for some orange chicken. Since we are saving every last penny for our trip to the beach next week, I can't very well go out and get some chinese take-out. So, my lucky stand by... check my favorite slow cooker websites such as crockpot365 to see if they've made any chinese food in their crock pots that will help me with my craving... She didn't let me down... She had made orange chicken in the slow cooker... Her's is gluten-free... mine can be made gluten-free. I followed her recipe pretty much to the "T" but I was making for three growing boys who are constantly hungry, so I doubled her recipe, then accidentally added some extra stuff... partly by accident. I was reading the wrong line, but I like it so it works. :) Here's my mishap delicious orange chicken. :)

Ingredients:
3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into pieces/chunks (bite size)
1 cup Bisquick mix (can use gluten-free Bisquick mix)
2 Tbsp olive oil (for browning chicken)
1 tsp kosher salt (course ground)
16 oz orange juice concentrate, thawed (I prefer no pulp, but I didn't have any)
6 Tbsp brown sugar
3 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp chili sauce

Directions:
Use 4 qt slow cooker for best results -

Dredge chicken pieces in baking mix - shake off excess. Throw away remaining flour. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on stove & brown chicken on all sides (you may need to do this in batches to evenly brown).  No need to fully cook, just enough to sear the flour and make it stick to the chicken for a nice coating.

Plop chicken pieces into slow cooker.

In a small mixing bowl, combine orange juice concentrate, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, salt,  chili sauce and ketchup. mix well, taste, if you need it a little sweeter add an extra Tbsp of brown sugar. For added heat add some extra chili sauce to taste.

Pour sauce over chicken and generously toss coat chicken with the orange mixture. Cook on high 3-4 hours 6-8 hours on low.

Serve with homemade fried rice, white rice, or brown rice.

Verdict:
I had Bryen (my eldest) try the sauce and he says it's better than take-out! Not a bad compliment if I do say so my self. It tastes pretty good. Waiting will be the hard part. But I'm excited about the prospects of chinese at home.

Chicken and Wild Rice with Mushrooms

Tonights dinner is a take on a different crock-pot meal I made a few weeks ago. This one I am adding a can of mushrooms and cream of onion soup instead of the other, to see if it will be even tastier. This was delicious last time I made it. I'm hoping for another good meal. As it's almost 3pm and I'm finally putting it in the crock-pot. It's been a slow summer day, and with it being summer, I don't want to heat the house with the oven and stove. The slow cooker is my friend in the summer more I think than any other time of year. Do you ever feel that way? What is your favorite time of year to use the slow cooker?

Ingredients:
1 can cream of onion soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can sweet corn (drained)
1 6.5 oz can of mushrooms (drained)
1 14oz can of chicken broth
6 oz while rice mix (I used the organic Harvest Medley from Costco)
1 italian dressing dry mix
1 -12 oz bag of frozen crinkle cut carrots
8 chicken tenders (boneless, skinless)

Directions:
Add everything to the slow cooker - cook on high 3-4 hours or low 6-8 hours until rice is tender and chicken is cooked.

It's just dump and stir, set and forget it.

Easy dinner and delicious.

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice (slow cooker)

Picture from Campbells' Kitchen: Slow Cooked

This morning, I am still sick. I am exhausted and I know that by dinner time I'll be ready for bed. I didn't want to have to worry about dinner tonight. I still have to plan FHE tonight. :) I'm so grateful for websites to help me think when my brain is fried. Also, I'm grateful for cookbooks for inspiration.

I have recently purchased a slow cooker cookbook. All the recipes inside are slow cooker recipes. I think that's a total score :) It is called the 3 in 1 Rival Crock pot cookbook. Under the American Classics section, I found this recipe Campbell's Creamy chicken and Wild Rice recipe. I read the few ingredients and it was the winner of todays dinner. :) I don't have campbell's brand cream of chicken soup so I didn't want to use the name. Plus, I added a can of corn and 1 Tbsp of dried minced onion that was not listed in the ingredients.  It seemed easy enough and perfect for a cold, rainy... sick day.

Ingredients:
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups water
1 pkg (4.5-6oz) seasoned long-grain and wild rice mix (I used rice a Roni)
4 Lg carrots, thickly sliced
8 boneless chicken breast halves (I used 8 chicken tenderloins)
1 can corn, drained
1 Tbsp dried minced onion

Directions:
Add all ingredients to the crock pot. Stirring and coating the chicken. Set on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours or until done.

Serve with a side salad and bread.

Verdict: This was pretty good. I liked it but it needed a little spice or flavor. It's kind of bland. I didn't add any salt or pepper, and not even Mrs. Dash. But those would be a nice addition to this recipe. I will probably try this with a can of french onion soup next time. Instead of water. To see if it adds some more flavor without other stuff. The minced onions were nice and they added slight flavor to the wild rice. We have enough for everyone in our family, plus enough for one person's lunch leftover. (can you guess my lunch today?) I hope you try it and like it. I know we did. It was a nice change from our usual slow cooker meals. :) Enjoy! :)

Chicken Corn Chowder Cheesy Pot Pie

Tonights recipe is not exactly home made in the scratch form, but home made none the less. I was hitting a brain wall... I couldn't decide what to make for dinner. Then I read a recipe for chicken corn pot pie. I was going to use canned chicken, and a can of corn and a can of cream of chicken soup that it called for. But then I realized that I had a couple of cans of chicken corn chowder from Campbell's chunky. I thought, at least there are more veggies in that then in the recipe. So here is what I did. and it smells and looks wonderful.

Ingredients
2 cans chicken corn chowder (Campbell's chunky soup)
1 pkg corn muffin mix
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 cup shredded cheese

Direction:
Preheat oven to 400F. In a pie dish or medium casserole dish, pour the corn chowder in the pan. Then mix the corn muffin mix together with the milk and egg (follow package directions). Then before you spread on the corn muffin mix, sprinkle some of the shredded cheese on top of the corn chowder. Then spoon on top of the cheese the corn muffin mix. Then spread with back of spoon.

Bake 30 minutes until corn muffin mix on top turns light brown. Once it's removed from the oven sprinkle more cheese on top and let it melt.

Serve warm.
Feeds 6-8.

White Chicken Chili - Slow Cooker

Tonights dinner was a "what do I have on hand" dinner. Yeah, I know I do a lot of those types of meals, but sometimes that's all we can do. I had my good friend AMY over tonight with her three girls. And I was busy today, so it was hmmm what do I do for dinner tonight... around 9am when I'm functioning enough to think about dinner. I'm in three classes at school and I'm so overwhelmed. I may be dropping one of my classes so I can function better. I really didn't realize that I would be so overwhelmed and unorganized... That I think is the hardest thing me not being able to get organized to function. This is the worst start to a grouping of classes I have ever had. :( So not happy with myself right now.

Here's for a good gather your wits healthy nutrient rich dinner. :)

1 lb chicken - tenders or breasts cut into bite sized pieces (canned chicken or freeze dried -foodstorage would work good too)
1 onion chopped
3-1/2 bell peppers orange, yellow and red
1 cup herb and garlic with lemon juice marinade
Cook in a pan on the stove or just add to the slow cooker. (depending on if you don't mind raw chicken cooking slowly) This will take about 10 min or so depending on heat.

Add to the slow cooker then add
1 can chicken broth
1 can chili beans
1 can drained and rinsed white northern beans
2 cans sweet corn
1 can rotel tomatoes with green chili's
salt and pepper to taste - I did about 3 pinches of salt and 10 turns of the pepper grinder
Cook 5-6 hrs on low or 3-4 on high then set to warm/simmer  til ready to serve.
30 min before serving. Add 2 cans cream of chicken soup and combine

Serve with sour cream, shredded cheese and tortilla strips/chips as toppings.

We didn't add any toppings except tortilla strips.

This makes enough to fill a 4 qt slow cooker, or 2/3 of a 6 qt slow cooker. Plenty for a crowd or even to freeze half for a later meal.

Verdict!
SO DELICIOUS! I know I say that a lot. My friend that was over didn't want any toppings, she said it was delicious all by it's self. Also, her girls ate 2 whole bowls. :) that's always a good sign. My boys ate BIG bowls and we still had enough to share or freeze for another family. So can easily feel 8-10 people. :) Those are always good meals. (in my opinion) :)

Who needs to go to a restaurant when you can make delicious white chicken chili at home and have it cook all day while you do other things. I think that's the best and most satisfying thing.

Sweet, Tangy Chicken

This was what I made in the slow cooker last night. I will be eating it for lunch today. My intention was to serve this for dinner, but we ended up going out to dinner. Why you might ask since I had food in the slow cooker. Well... Yesterday was spent at the car dealership. I was in a car accident two weeks ago. My vehicle was totaled, and I needed another car. I didn't want to have a payment, but nothing worked out to get a vehicle without a payment. We were helped by my husband's WONDERFUL parents. They helped us get into a safe family car. We are so blessed. We can afford the payment, and we will be working hard to pay it off quickly. We want to repay their kindness by getting this off as quickly as possible. Well, long story short. We also got a check from the insurance company for what my vehicle was worth that we put part of it on as a down payment on the vehicle. We decided to go out to dinner since it was easier. My brain couldn't function after all the stress. So, tonight will be leftover, but the kids don't know it's leftovers. :) They never saw it. I'm going to try to make my potato rolls to go with it like sandwiches. They will enjoy it. I'm going to shred my sweet tangy chicken to go on the rolls. mmm my mouth is watering already. That's usually a good sign. One of the things I like about this recipe is that it has a fruit component to it. My kids don't even know.

Ingredients:

1 can cranberry sauce (whole berry or non)
1/2 bottle of creamy French dressing or Catalina dressing
1 package dry italian dressing mix
3 lbs chicken tenders (boneless, skinless)

Directions:
In slow cooker place cranberry sauce, french dressing and italian dressing mix in and stir to incorporate all ingredients, then add the chicken tenders moving them around so the mixture is around each tender. Cook on low for 4-6 hrs until the chicken tenders are cooked through, then remove the tenders, shredding with two forks. Then replace back in the slow cooker on warm. til ready to serve.

Serve on rolls, toast, mashed potatoes, pasta or even on a bed of salad greens.

These are tasty, tangy and sweet. The sweetness comes from a combination of the cranberry sauce and the french dressing. The tang comes from the french dressing, the seasoning and the cranberry sauce. A great combination and an easy healthier meal. :) Enjoy :)

Pesto Breaded Chicken Cutlets

I had a bag of thawed chicken cutlets that needed to be used up today. I wanted to make something different, yet delicious at the same time. I know it's kind of hard to do, but I think I made a winner. I was thinking of making a chicken parmesan dish, but didn't want to use anything tomato based, but I wanted to add some delicious flavor. I had made my 4 Cheese Fancy Baked Mac N Cheese, and thought that using pesto would be a nice way of adding flavor and not overpower or out shine the mac n cheese. (the mac n cheese was the most work I've done for a baked mac n cheese ever). I was trying to make something easy and still tasty without drying out the chicken. Which for me is a big thing, I don't like dry chicken and it was a concern for me as these were cutlets and not full chicken breasts.

Ingredients:
6 chicken cutlets
2 Tbsp pesto
2 egg whites
1/2 cup buttermilk
1-2 cups italian seasoned bread crumbs
oil for pan frying
cheese for topping

Directions:

Between a big piece of plastic wrap, pound the chicken cutlets to approximately the same thickness through out the cutlet, set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the pesto, egg whites, and buttermilk, beat well.

Heat oil for pan frying while doing the rest. add approx 1 inch of oil in the bottom of a thick bottomed pan. Heat on med. til water droplet dances in the oil. then it is hot enough to cook the chicken in.

Pour the italian breadcrumbs on a plate, then just dredge the pounded chicken into the egg combination, then the breadcrumbs (creating a light coating, but making sure it's completely covered with breadcrumbs), repeat with each cutlet until they are all dredged in egg and breadcrumb mixture.

Preheat oven to 350...

Add as many chicken cutlets into the hot pan leaving room between each one. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until browned. Then remove and place on paper towels to soak up some of the oil. Add cheese to the top of each piece of chicken to melt as it slightly cools.

Once all the chicken has been browned, place on a foil lined cookie sheet, and bake in the oven 10-15 minutes longer to make sure the chicken is cooked through and cheese is starting to brown on top of the chicken.

This creates a nice crisp crust and juicy chicken.

This was a delicious, juicy chicken. My middle son said it just needed salt. But since I'm trying to reduce our sodium intake, I didn't add salt. You could add salt and pepper if desired either to the breadcrumbs or the egg mixture. I thought it had enough flavor without the added sodium. I put out ranch dressing, bbq sauce and ketchup on the table if the chicken was too dry to eat without sauce. But no one used it. It was perfect!

This was a hit and I will be making again. :)

Chicken Enchirito lasagna

I usually plan out my menu at the beginning of the week, typically sunday, but sometimes monday. Unfortunately for me I didn't plan my weekly menu. One thing I regret on days like today. I get a brain (excuse my language) fart. I usually have a very difficult time thinking what to make for dinner, when I've been so busy all day with my school stuff, the kids school stuff, housework, and running errands and the list goes on and on... I'm hopeful some of you can relate :) Well, Today I stood in my kitchen and had this blank stare on my face when the kids asked me what was for dinner. I couldn't think of anything, then I open the fridge and start saying things that are easy like spaghetti, meatloaf, spaghetti with meatballs, and one of my son says GRILLED CHEESE... I think to myself... that would use all the bread I've allotted for the boys lunches till payday. So NO... He then says "but we haven't had that in a LLLOOONNNGG time..." (picture puppy dog eyes and a big fat lower lip) of course I still said NO but I knew that he still wouldn't be too happy, so I turned and walked to the pantry. Trying to avoid the conversation as to why not. So I start thinking of what I have in the fridge and what I have in the pantry, and then what I have in Food Storage. What can I make...? I think and think and think. Then I decide on Enchirito's Well, I didn't want to use country sausage or turkey sausage, and then I remembered I had bbq pork, (which might be good) or chicken from the baked chicken from Thursday last week. or was it friday... anyways, it's still good. So I decide on chicken. So we are going to have chicken enchirito's... Then I remember my sister makes this layered enchilada stuff instead of rolling the tortillas. So I had an "AH HA!" moment... I will make a layered enchiritio with refried beans, a chicken mixture with cheese and enchilada sauce. Now doesn't that sound yummy.... All the while I'm trying to see what I can add to the dish to increase the vegetable intake without having to make a side dish. (too many dishes already dirty) I need a one dish meal. So I scrounge up some onions, a can of rotel tomatoes with green chili's, and mushrooms. I thought about some fresh spinach or celery, but then thought, it's a mexican type dish, these don't really go. So I ditched those two items. YEAH me... I think these would be good.  Well, I at least hope they will be good, if not it's still dinner.

So bare with me as I threw stuff in a bowl, and I didn't measure. these are estimates, you can use less if it looks like too much of one thing, and more of something if it looks too little.  Sorry, That is how I cook sometimes, by sight, taste and smell.

Ingredients:
aprox. 3-4 cups cubed already cooked chicken
1 can rotel tomatoes with green chili's
1 can enchilada sauce
1 can refried beans with chili's and lime
1/4 of a red onion, diced (or minced) personal preference
4 button mushrooms no stems chopped
4 bella portabello mushrooms, no stems chopped
1/4 tsp ground cumin
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 -3 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground pepper
14 flour tortilla's 6 inch (small) tortillas

Directions:
In a medium bowl, mix together the cubed chicken, tomatoes, red onion, chopped mushrooms, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper, and 1 cup of the enchilada sauce. mix well, incorporating all ingredients.

Next, in a 13 X9X2 inch pan, spray with non stick cooking spray, and pour 1/2 of the remaining enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan.

Then, spread some of the refried beans on tortilla's and layer on the bottom of the pan, enough to cover the bottom. * NOTE: you may need to rip some of the tortilla's in half to cover the bottom, I had two full tortillas on the bottom and 4 halves. Place the refried bean side down in the enchilada sauce.

Then spoon half of the chicken mixture on top of the tortillas, and sprinkle with cheese.

Repeat one more layer, Refried bean on tortilla, refried bean side down on the cheese, then spread the chicken mixture on top of the tortilla, then cover with cheese.

Now, layering 6 flour tortillas on top of the cheese (no refried beans should be left in the can). Then top with the enchilada sauce and sprinkle with cheese.

Cover with foil, sprayed with non stick cooking spray. Bake in a 350F oven until heated through aprox 45 minutes, then remove the foil, and bake another 5-10 minutes to brown the cheese.

Let set about 5-10 minutes before serving.

Chicken Salad Sandwich with fresh spinach

Today was my first day subbing at my children's school. I didn't want  the ham and cheese I was sending my children with for lunch today, so I made myself some chicken salad with fresh spinach. I had leftover chicken from my chicken cooked last night. I thought it would make a great chicken salad sandwich.

Makes 2-3 sandwiches

Ingredients:
1/2 a slice of red onion - diced
2 dollops of salad dressing/mayo
1/2 - 3/4 cup cooked chicken, chunky diced
1-2 Tbsp Ms. Dash
8-10 leaves of fresh spinach
4-8 slices roma tomatoes
2 -4 slices of bread (any type)

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine the diced onion, mayo, chicken, and ms, dash. Lightly toss, incorporating all ingredients while leaving chicken chunks. On 2 slices of bread spread some of the chicken salad mixture. Next layer the Roma tomatoes, and spinach. (use the spinach in place of lettuce). Place another slice of bread on the top of the tomatoes and spinach and cut in half, and enjoy! this is a tasty and healthy alternative.

You can use low fat mayo and even cut it in half. The spinach adds a nice flavor and gives you more essential vitamins than lettuce.  This was a satisfying lunch sandwich that really was tasty :) I really enjoyed the flavor.  I forgot to take a picture of it as I was running late. And lunch was rushed... If you try it, submit a picture of your sandwich. :)