Quick Chicken Pie

I'm Rose!  Nicole added me a few days ago.  I haven't had time to look around yet, but I'm sure that I will have a great time here.  My son has a tomato and strawberry allergy so nearly all my recipes are tomato/strawberry free.  I love to cook, but with the time crunch of motherhood, it's sometimes hard for me to come up with quick, easy, and yummy recipes.  Here is a favorite in our family!


Quick Chicken Pie (We call it Pot Pie around here)


Ingredients:
1 2/3 cups frozen mixed veggies, thawed (I usually put a whole 10 oz bag)
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 cup cubed cooked chicken (I usually just boil 2 chicken breasts and chop them up)
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 cup Bisquik (old fashioned kind, not quick)

Directions:
In a bowl, combine veggies, soup, and chicken.  Transfer to an ungreased 9 in. pie plate.  In another bowl, combine egg, milk, and bisquik just until moistened.  Pour over chicken mixture.  Bake at 400 for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.  Yields 6 servings

Chicken Corn Chowder

Chicken Corn Chowder (with my notes ;-) )

5 slices bacon (I have used regular and turkey bacon)
12 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup bell pepper (I omit since no one likes peppers except me :( )
1 garlic clove minced
4 cups chicken broth (I use slightly less since this recipe comes out runny)
1 1/2 cups frozen whole kernel corn
1 can (14.75 oz) of cream-style corn (I have made this recipe with and without this)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup milk (I use 1%)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh cracked pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (recipe calls to mix it into soup during last step, I use a lot less by putting some on top only as garnish)
Dried thyme to your likeness (usually 1/2 - 1 tsp.)

* A great addition are potatoes (I usually cube a few and par boil them before adding them to soup). Red potatoes with the skin on are our favorite.

1. Cook bacon in large pot over medium heat until browned and crispy; drain on paper towels and crumble when cool enough to handle. Reserve 2 tablespoons bacon drippings. (If you use turkey bacon, you may need to add olive oil before step 2.)
2. Saute chicken pieces, onion, bell pepper and garlic in hot bacon drippings; cook 3 to 5 minutes until chicken is no longer pink and onion begins to soften. Add chicken broth, frozen corn and cream-style corn. Combine corn starch with milk and stir into soup. (This is where I add thyme and potatoes.)
3. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly; reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or so. Add salt, pepper and cheese, stir until cheese is melted. (I omit cheese here and add on top with bacon in next step)
4. Ladle soup into bowls; sprinkle bacon pieces and cheese over individual servings

Super Easy Salsa Crock Pot Chicken

Toss fresh or frozen Chicken Breasts into your crock pot. The number of breasts depends on the size of your family. Cover with your favorite FRESH salsa. For those of you in AZ I would get a pint or two from Cantina Loredo. Pour salsa over the CK just until it's all covered. You don't want too much. Cook for several hours. When the CK will start to shred then you know you are just about ready. Start Shredding the CK in the pot while it's cooking. The salsa will mix into the CK creating super YUMMY shredded CK that you can use on Salads, Burritos, Tacos, Nachos, etc. This picture is when I started Shredding. I like mine really shredded.

Rosemary Chicken Salad - Cooking Light

3 C chopped roasted (I baked in the oven) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/3 C chopped green onions
1/4 C chopped toasted almonds chopped (put on stove in frying pan and heat until fragrant), then chop
1/4 C plain fat free yogurt
1/4 C light mayo
1 t chopped fresh rosemary
1 t dijon mustard
1/8 t salt
1/8 t fresh ground black pepper
Whole grain bread (I used a nice crusty bakery break, ciabbata)

Combine all ingredients (except bread of course), stir until combined. I put a romaine leaf on each sandwich.

My Favorite chicken salad

8 chicken breasts halves
24 oz. mayo
24 oz. sour cream
2 cups red grapes
1 lb. bacon fried and broken
1 1/4 cups chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups raisans


serves 12 people comfortably. I usually serve with croissants and only make a half recipe.

chicken and rice

8 chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups rice
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 stick butter
1/2 can water

melt butter and soup and water. put rice in 9x13 casserole and pour half of soup mixture over rice. mix a little. put chicken on top and pour remainder of soup over and bake.

275 degrees for 3 hours. If you bake this temp for this long put a cookie sheet under casserole to not burn rice. you can raise the temp to 350 and bake for about an hour to an hour half still use cookie sheet.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

This recipe is awesome: it's a low fat version, is easy to make, and is great to impress guests!

¼ cup fat free, less sodium chicken broth
5 teaspoons butter, melted
1 large garlic clove, minced
½ cup dry Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon grated fresh parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1 teaspoon paprika
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 thin slices prosciutto (italian ham from the deli section; about 1/4 lb)
¼ cup (1 oz) shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350;
Place broth in a small microwaveable bowl; microwave high 15 second or until warm. Stir in butter and garlic. Combine breadcrumbs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and paprika in a medium shallow bowl; set aside.
Pound each chicken breast to ¼ inch thickness. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt, pepper, and oregano. Top each breast half with one slice proscuitto and 1 tablespoon mozzarella. Roll up each breast, jelly roll fashion (you can put a toothpick in to hold if you want). Dip each roll in chicken broth mixture, dredge in breadcrumb mixture.
Place rolls seam side down in an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour remaining broth mixture over chicken.
Bake at 350 for 28 minutes or until juices run clear and tops are golden.

4 servings: Calories 297 (30% from fat), Fat 9.9 g (sat 4.4g, mono 3.6g, poly 1g), Protein 45.5g, Carb3.8 g, Fiber 0.5g, Cholesterol 125 mg, Iron 1.9mg, Sodium 619mg, Calc 94 mg

Marinated Chicken Pita Sandwich

"This is a very tasty and extremely simple sandwich if you like lemon chicken, I found it somewhere on the Internet a while back. You do need to marinate the chicken at least 3 hours. If I'm giving it to the kids I only marinate theirs for about 1 hour and leave the rest to cook later for adults.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 cloves garlic minced
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts sliced into strips
4 pocket bread round, cut in half
2 small onion, sliced
Red Peppers
Romaine lettuce (optional)

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, oregano, minced garlic , and pepper in a large resealable bag. Add chicken, mix well, and allow to marinate in the refrigerator 3 hours or overnight. Pour the chicken and marinade into a frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink. Stuff each half of the pocket bread with chicken, onion, red peppers and lettuce serve while still hot

SUPER Easy Crockpot Chicken

Hello all! I am Bec and Pam's cousin, Amber. I wanted to add a REALLY easy crockpot chicken recipe that I just learned.

2-4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 packet italian salad dressing mix
1 can chicken broth

Put it all in the crockpot in the morning, and cook on low all day.
THAT'S IT! No pre cooking the chicken or anything. Just throw it in and let it cook.
It is really good over pasta or rice. You don't need to salt or pepper anything, it comes out VERY flavorful...Enjoy!

Balsamic Chicken with Baby Spinach & Couscous

This is a new recipe I recently tried and it was awesome. It looks really pretty on the plate, and is super easy. Enjoy!

• 3 T olive oil
• 4 Boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t pepper
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 8 oz. baby spinach leaves (8 cups lightly packed)
• 2 T balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 C low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 C canned no-salt added chopped tomatoes with their juices
• 2 C hot cooked whole-wheat couscous

1. Heat 1 T olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Season the chicken on both sides with S&P. Add the chicken to the pan and cook until browned and just cooked through, about 4 min. per side. Remove chicken to a plate.
2. Add the remaining 2 T of oil to the pan and add the garlic, cook 1 minute. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then transfer the spinach to a bowl and set aside.
3. Add the vinegar, broth, and tomatoes to the same pan and stir, scraping any browned bits off the bottom. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce is slightly thickened, 3-5 minutes.
4. Divide the couscous between 4 plates. Top with some of the spinach, then a piece of chicken and the balsamic tomato sauce and serve.

Serves 4. Per Serving: 342 Calories, 12G Fat, 32G Protein, 27G Carbs

Crispy Baked Chicken Fingers

This was a request from Becca. It's a really simple recipe and kids will love it. I served it over a salad with a nice creamy dressing. You can use whatever you like, I included a recipe for a light ranch dressing below.

• 1-1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut lengthwise into 1/2" slices
• 1/2 C lowfat buttermilk
• Cooking Spray
• 4 C whole-grain corn cereal (Corn Chex or Corn Flakes)
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• Pinch of Pepper

Preheat Oven to 400 Degrees

Combine the chicken and buttermilk in a shallow dish, turning the chicken to coat both sides. Cover and chill for 15 minutes. Coat baking sheet(s) with cooking spray.

Put the cereal in a sealable plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Transfer the crumbs to a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper. Dip each piece of chicken in the cereal to fully coat both sides and arrange on prepared baking sheets. Bake until cooked through, about 8 minutes. Leave the chicken on the baking sheets to cool slightly, it will become crispier.

Serves 4, Per Serving: 262 Calories, 2 G. Fat, 35 G Protein, 23 G Carb

De-Light-Ful Ranch Dressing

• 1/2 C plain nonfat yogurt or 1/3 C plain Greek Style nonfat yogurt
• 1/3 C lowfat buttermilk
• 3 T mayo
• 1-1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 t dijon mustard
• 1/2 t onion powder
• 1/4 t finely chopped fresh chives
• Salt to taste

If using regular yogurt, place in a strainer lined with a paper towel and set the strainer over a bowl. Let the yogurt drain and thicken for 20 minutes. In a medium bowl, wisk together the strained or Greek yogurt with the remaining ingredients. Will last for 3 days in the fridge.

Creamy Chicken Chipotle Stroganoff-only ONE skillet to clean

I found this on kraftfoods.com today. My husband was working late and Diane was trying to figure out what she could make with Chicken breasts. So I went on Kraftfoods.com and put in my three ingredients and searched. This is what I found that we LOVED!!! I am posting it as it was on the website, then I'll say what we did to it.

Prep Time:10 min
Total Time:30 min
Makes:6 servings, 1-1/4 cups each

1 Tbsp. oil
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 medium onion, cut into thin wedges
1-1/2 cups water
1 can (8 oz.) mushroom pieces and stems, undrained
2 chicken bouillon cubes
8 oz. medium egg noodles (4 cups), uncooked
1 Tbsp. finely chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 container (8 oz.) Sour Cream

HEAT oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken and onions; cook and stir 5 to 7 min. or until chicken is cooked through.

ADD water, mushrooms with their liquid, the bouillon cubes and noodles; mix well. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover. Simmer 10 to 12 min. or until noodles are tender and only a small amount of liquid remains. Stir in peppers. Cook an additional 2 min., stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

STIR in sour cream.

So we used fresh mushrooms, a whole pint that were sauteed in garlic EVOO.
This was a really great meal. It wasn't too spicy, just had a tiny bit of kick to it. So yummy and really easy as well.

http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/RecipeDetail?recipe_id=64314

Going Greek-chicken pitas

So, as I have stated before, I am always all about fast, easy, and healthy. I just can't seem to find the time to cook with an 18 month old and a 4 year old (I know some of you have more kids than that, and I constantly wonder how you do it). :) This is a "to taste" recipe...in other words, season how you like it!

Pita Bread (I buy whole wheat, but you can buy whatever kind)
chicken breasts-seasoned and grilled
tomatoes
cucumbers
red onion
chopped lettuce

Cut up the tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onion for the pita. After the chicken is grilled, cut into slices. I warm the pitas, then add the chicken, tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce. I top it off with tzaziki(I know I probably spelled that wrong) sauce and hummus.

Tzaziki Sauce: (my own made-up recipe...once again everything "to taste")
garlic cloves-finely chopped
garlic powder
chopped cucumber (about 1/4 cup)
dried dill (can use fresh too)
salt
pepper
plain yogurt (can use low-fat/no fat)
lemon juice

Mix all the above ingredients to taste...we like ours super garlicky, so I use several cloves and teaspoons of garlic.

Hummus:
1 can chick peas slightly drained
lemon juice
garlic cloves
salt
pepper
garlic powder (optional)
Olive oil

Place all ingredients in a blender, magic bullet, or processor, and blend until smooth. Add olive oil either to blend if you choose, or a TBLS or so on top as you serve it.

This is my made up version of going Greek! If you are truly Greek and know better options, please post...we just love going out for Greek food and truly can't afford to do it all the time, so this is our fresh option for second place.

Italian Chicken and Vegetable Soup

Love the soup challenge!!

I love soup, I love to make it and eat it.
This is one that I make often because it is 45 minutes to a great healthy meal!


2 tablespoon olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup sliced carrots (about 3 small)
2 medium zucchini - sliced
2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes - any kind, I like to use the roasted garlic
2 (14.5-ounce) cans chicken broth- or stock if you have it
Grated Parmesan

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add onion and carrot, and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in zucchini, diced tomatoes, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Top each serving with grated Parmesan cheese

Because I have such pasta kids, I usually make them some sort of noodle-I just use what I have, but I suppose you could get fancy.

Serves 6-8

Best - Ever Fried Chicken

1-1/2 to 2 cups all-purpose flour
2teaspoons dried thyme
2teaspoons paprika
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1 egg lightly beaten
1/3 cup milk
2tablespoons lemon juice
1 broiler/fryer chicken( 3 to 4 pounds), cut up (I use boneless /skinless chicken breasts)
oil for deep fat frying (I use pure vegetable oil)

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the first four ingredients.
In a shallow bowl, combine the egg, milk and lemon juice. Place chicken pieces, one at a time, in the flour mixture; seal and shake to coat. Dip in the egg mixture and coat again with flour mixture.
In an electric skillet or deep fat fryer, (I use a regular frying pan) heat oil to 375 (or medium high if using a frying pan) Fry chicken, a few pieces at a time, for 6-10 minutes on each side or until chicken juices run clear. Drain on paper towels.

Hello Bloggers!! Firstly, I am new to this blogging thing... so bear with me while I work out any kinks! Secondly, I am a personal trainer so MOST of the recipes I will share will be on the healthier side. I say most, because Sunday is the one day out of the week that I cook what ever my boyfriend, Trent, or I want. Believe me... I LOVE Sunday's for this one reason!! =) And lastly, I've skimmed through some of the recipes posted and can't wait to try some... they all look fantastic!!

Lower Calorie Stuffed Shells

18 jumbo pasta shells
1 package light cream cheese
3/4 to 1 cup skim milk
1/2 or so of cup roasted sweet red peppers diced (I use the kind in the jar)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups diced or shredded cooked chicken breast
2 cups chopped broccoli (can use frozen but I prefer fresh)
2 green onions, thinly sliced
Pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350
Cook Shells and set aside.
Over medium heat melt cream cheese and a little less than half the milk, once smooth add peppers and Parmesan cheese. In a bowl mix about 3/4 of the sauce with the chicken, broccoli, onions, and pepper. Stuff shells with mixture, about 2 or 3 spoon fulls each. Place in baking dish(spray the dish!!) and bake covered for 30 minutes. When finished, I reheat the remaining sauce (usually add a little more milk) and spoon over shells before serving. BEST PART!! 3 prepared shells is under 350 calories!! =)

This is how I first tried out the recipe. Since then, I have added garlic, sherry, and have even melted in some of the laughing cow cheese when low on cream cheese. While in California, I used the base of this recipe but used salmon and dill instead of chicken and broccoli. (Sooo good!) Well I hope those of you that try this enjoy it! Yeah! I did my first blog ever...

bruschetta n cheese stuffed chicken breasts

Bruschetta n cheese stuffed chicken breasts
Prep Time:15 min
Total Time:1 hr
Makes:8 servings, one stuffed chicken breast each

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
1-1/4 cups KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
8 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (2 lb.)
1/3 cup KRAFT Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesan Dressing

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Combine tomatoes, 1/2 cup of the cheese, the basil and dry stuffing mix; stir just until moistened.

PLACE 2 chicken breast halves in large freezer-weight resealable plastic bag. Pound chicken with meat mallet or side of heavy can until chicken is 1/4 inch thick. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding two at a time to bag. Place chicken, top-sides down, on cutting board; spread evenly with stuffing mixture. Starting at one of the narrow ends, tightly roll up chicken. Place, seam-sides down, in 13x9-inch baking dish. Drizzle evenly with dressing.

BAKE 40 min. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake an additional 5 min. or until chicken is cooked through (165°F) and cheese is melted.

I got this recipe from Kraft Food and Family magazine. http://www.kraftfoods.com/
This recipe is my husband, Jim's favorite and my boys like it because they like plain chicken. I just put the stuffing on the side for them. I make this at quiet time and refrigerate it till i want to cook it.

I am adding this for Emily b/c it really helped me to understand how to make this dish. Click here to see how to make it

chicken and broccoli braid

Chicken and Broccoli Braid

2 cups cooked chicken cubed
1 cup broccoli chopped
½ cup red bell pepper chopped
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
½ cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons dill weed
¼ teaspoon salt (optional)
2 packages 8 oz. refrigerated crescent rolls
1 egg whit slightly beaten
2 Tblspn slivered almonds (optional)

Preheat oven 375. Mix first 8 ingredients together. Roll out both packages of rolls flat on Jelly roll pan. On longest side of pan, cut dough into strips 1 ½ apart, 3 inches deep. Spread filling down middle of rolls. To braid, lift strips of dough across mixture to meet in the center, twisting each strip one turn. Continue alternating strips to form a braid. Brush egg whites over dough. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake 25-28 minutes or until deep golden brown.
10 servings

Okay, so I know it sounds difficult. I thought so too when I first read the directions, but it is quite simple after the first time. I did not make this recipe for awhile, but now it is on the monthly calendar of meals. My kids love the rolls and sometimes they even eat broccoli. some variations i do due to my pantry are: I rarely if ever use the salt, or red peppers. You don't need to do the egg whites if I need to save time I skip that step. It just keeps the top from browning to quickly. sometimes I use almonds, just depends if I have them or not.