One pan chicken & quinoa

 

What I had:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 chicken drumsticks
• 3 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped 
• 3 medium yellow onions, 2 chopped, 1 halved and thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup green olives chopped
• 1/4 cup olive juice
• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup chicken broth
• Salt and pepper to taste

What I did

• Blend the chopped onions, tomatoes, and olives in a food processor
• Heat olive oil on medium heat
• Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook in the oil over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes. Turn them regularly so they get evenly browned.
• Take chicken out and place on a plate lined with paper towels
• Put the sliced onion in the same pan and cook till soft
• Add the blended vegetable and cook for 5 minutes
• Add quinoa, olive juice, chicken broth, a cup of water and mix well 
• Place chicken back in, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, checking regularly for doneness
• I ended up pulling the chicken meat off the bones so we could eat it with a spoon 

Chicken rice casserole

Day 2 of our eating home cooked meals for 40 days and I have to tell you both meals have been under $15, with leftovers for both Jeff and my lunches. I can see we will be saving money! And, I am 2 for 2, as far as the family is concerned. They loved this casserole and it was so easy!

What I had:

• 3 chicken breasts (pick size for your family, it doesn't matter for this recipe)
• 1 cup uncooked, rinsed rice (I used basmati because that's what I had, you can use brown, long white)
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 lb mushrooms chopped (not too fine, you don't want them to disappear in the creamy sauce)
• 1 small can of cream of mushroom soup
• 1 small container of heavy whipping cream
• Salt, pepper, garlic, parsley,m whatever spices you like to taste

What I did:

• Spread the uncooked rice in the bottom of a 9X13 glass baking pan
• Spread the cooked quinoa over it
• Placed the chicken breasts over the quinoa
• Sprinkled the breasts with salt & pepper
• Mix the soup & cream in a mixing bowl, added the spices till I liked the taste. I had to add a little more water to make it runnier
• Pour this mixture over the rice, quinoa & chicken
• Bake for 60 minutes @ 350 degrees (I had really thick breasts so needed 5 more minutes
• Serve with any roasted/sautéed/boiled/raw vegetables your 6 year old will eat (or swallow whole as my kid to his asparagus pieces)

Chicken balls

Do you know how many chickens you have to chase to get enough to serve 20 people ... ;-)

I joke, I joke, these are appetizers using chicken sausage, cheese, Pillsbury baking mix and some extras I threw in this time. They were delicious and gone quickly so I decided to save the recipe.

What I had:

• 2.5 lbs chicken sausage - it came in long links at Costco, no flavor, remember to remove the casing
• 1 1/2 cup Bisquick Gluten Free Baking & Pancake mix
• 3 cup your favorite shredded cheese (I used a mix of Mexican & mozzarella)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup milk
• 1 large red onion, chopped finely
• a 7 oz can of Chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce, chopped finely
• garlic powder, salt, paprika, all to taste

 What I did:

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
• Throw all ingredients into a large mixing bowl
• Put on gloves
• Mix it well
• Make balls around an inch round
• Bake them for 25 minutes
• Serve them with a sweet mustard dipping sauce
• Hide some to eat later because they'll be gone faster than you can say supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

Pizza/fajita filled crescent braids

What I had:

• Pillsbury crescent roll tube
• Pillsbury crescent sheet tube
• Pizza topping mix, made by mixing all the following together
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp dried basil
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp dried thyme
• 2 tbsp powdered garlic
• 1/2 cup diced pepperoni
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 cup shredded Italian cheese mix
• Chicken fajita mix - premade leftovers, mixed with 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese

What I did:

• Pre-heated oven to 350.
• Rolled out the crescent roll dough and pinched all seams shut; of course the other tube, I just rolled it out.
• Spread pizza topping mix one one and the fajita mix on the other, down lengthwise in the middle. Left an inch on each side.
•  Cut strips on both sides of the filling.
• Folded the strips over the filling, overlapping them a little.
• Baked for 25 minutes.
• Cut and served with steamed vegetables.



Pizza braid

Fajita filled

Watched my kid dance after taking a bite:

       

Yes, his clothes come off when he's happy with my food.

Chicken Tamale Casserole

 

This recipe was adapted from here, since I rarely follow anything to a t. Plus it was missing onions. Mexican and Indian food to me needs onions.

What I had:

For the bottom layer:

• Jiffy cornbread mix
• 1 egg
• 1 can creamed corn
• 1 cup taco blend shredded cheese
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp cumin powder
• 1/3 cup 2% milk

For the top layer:

• 2 cans Costco brand cooked shredded chicken, drained
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 cup shredded queso blanco
• 1 can enchilada sauce
• cumin powder, garlic, salt and paprika to taste

What I did:

• Started oven to preheat at 400 degrees
• Mixed all the ingredients for the bottom layer and poured into a greased 9X11 pan
• Baked for 28 minutes till the cornbread was pretty set. Doesn't have to be completely baked since it'll bake more with the second layer
• Poked holes in it with a fork
• Poured half the enchilada sauce over the cornbread
• Mixed chicken and onion with all dry spices and spread evenly over cornbread
• Poured remaining enchilada sauce over it
• Sprinkled the queso blanco over eveything
• Baked in oven for 15 minutes till cheese was bubbling

Verdict: Absolutely delicious. It didn't even need any salsa or hot sauce over it.

Slow cooker cashew chicken

Adapted from here.

What I had:

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 3/4 cup gluten free soy sauce
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
• 3 tbsp light brown sugar
• 16 oz frozen broccoli florets
• 16 oz sliced mushrooms
• 2 red bell peppers, sliced thin
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1/2 cup cashews 

What I did:

• Put chicken breasts on the bottom of a 7 quart slow cooker
• Layered the vegetables on top - broccoli, mushrooms, peppers, ginger, and garlic
• Poured the soy sauce, ketchup, and vinegar over the vegetables
• Sprinkled the brown sugar over everything
• Cooked on low for 5 hrs
• Shredded the chicken breasts, added the cashews, and mixed everything together
• Served over thin spaghetti noodles with some hot sauce, added some crushed cashews on top for garnish

Verdict:

Delicious! Could be spicier but since I was feeding the toddler, I just added the hot sauce to my plate. It's got the perfect level of sweet ad spicy, with a lot of vegetable servings.

Indian chili chicken

What I had:

• 1.5 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Marinade:

• 4 green chillies
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 4 tsp gluten free soy sauce
• 2 tsp white vinegar
• 2 tsp lemon juice

For the chicken:

• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp corn flour

Sauce:

• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium whie onions, sliced thick
• 2 orange bell peppers, sliced thinly
• 6 green and red chillis, cut into small rounds
• 3/4 warm water 
• 1 tbsp corn starch
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup Maggi hot 'n sweet sauce

What I did:

• Ground the garlic and chilies for the marinade.
• Added that to the chicken pieces, along with the soy sauce, vinegar and lemon juice in a small container.
• Left it in the fridge overnight.
• Next evening, added 1 beaten egg to the chicken pieces, coating them completely. Repeated with the corn flour.
• Cooked the chicken pieces in olive oil in a 12 inch deep skillet till lightly browned and cooked through. Pulled them out and put aside.
• Removed all except 2 tbsp oil from the skillet. Added garlic to the pan till fragrant.
• Added onions till soft, then added both peppers.
• Mixed the 3/4 cup warm water with the 2 tbsp corn starch; added to the skillet till it comes to boiling.
• Added the chicken pieces to the pan and heated it well.
• Served it with yogurt to cut the heat and roti.

Slow Cooker Chicken Barley Stew

What I had:

• 1.5 lbs boneless skinless breasts, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 large white onion, thinly sliced
• 1 bag crinkle cut frozen carrots
• 3 stalks celery, cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 cups chicken broth (I used 3 bullion cubes in 2 cups boiling water)
• 3 cups water
• 3.4 cup Goya Barley
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes
• 3 cups water

What I did:

• Layered onions on the bottom of slow cooker, added the carrots and celery on top
• Added the chicken pieces on top of the vegetables
• Poured in the broth and water
• Added some coarse ground black pepper
• Cooked on low for 8 hours

We haven't eaten it yet, but it smells great. From the small taste I did, I'll probably add a little salt and paprika to my bowl. Serve it with some fresh baked rolls on a rainy evening.

Slow cooker coconut chicken

Recipe adapted from here

What I had:

• 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 large red onion
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 1 very large tomato
• 2 red bell peppers
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp paprika

What I did:

• Put the chicken in the crock pot
• Put everything else in a blender and mixed till pulverized
• Poured the sauce over the chicken
• Cooked on high for 5 hours
• Shredded the chicken in the sauce
• Served over rice, with a side of steamed veggies

This was toddler approved, he ate a big bowl of rice and the curry without a single complaint!

the red flecks are tomato skin, I didn't have any paste

chicken tots casserole

Recipe adapted from here.

What I had:

• 32 ounces tater tots
• 2 lbs chicken from a rotisserie chicken
• 1 cup shredded mexican style cheese
• 1 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
• 3/4 cup milk
• salt, pepper, garlic, paprika to taste

What I did:

• Sprayed a 2.5 qt casserole dish with Pam.
• Layered half of the tots on the bottom.
• Spread 1/3 of both cheeses over the tots.
• Layered the chicken over the cheese, sprinkled spices to taste.
• Spread another 1/3 of the cheeses over the chicken.
• Layered the last of the tots over chicken.
• Spread last of the cheeses over the tots.
• Poured the milk over everything.
• Baked for an hour in a 350 degree oven.

It was delicious! I served it with some green beans on the side and it was a perfect meal.

Chicken paprikash and home made spaetzle

So, according to the meal plan, tonight was chicken paprikash & home made spaetzle.  And, it was a success! Even Oli had some, after he had an entire pb&j sandwich. I followed the linked recipes with minor changes.

Chicken paprikash:

What I had:

• 1.5 lbs chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
• Olive oil
• 8 oz fat free sour cream mixed with 1 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 medium chopped onion
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp paprika
• 2 tbsp garlic
• 2 cups chicken broth (I used 2 chicken buillion cubs in 2 cups boling water)

What I did:

• Cooked the chicken in olive oil till done, put aside
• Browned the onions in the same pan
• Added the paprika and salt and mixed well
• Added the chicken stock and brought it to boiling
• Reduced the heat and added the sour cream and flour mixture, whisking so it mixes well
• Added the chicken to it
• Let it cook on low heat till sauce was a little thick

Spaetzle:

What I had:

• 1.5 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp garlic
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp milk
• 3 eggs

What I did:

• Mixed the first five ingredients well
• Mixed in the milk and eggs, alternatingly
• Brought a pan of water to boiling
• Used a slotted spoon to drop the batter into the water
• Removed it as soon as it rose to the top

Slow cooker Mediterranean chicken reinvented

I have started doing meal plans, look at me all domestic ;-) But, with Oli keeping us more and more busy, it was hard to leave every night's dinner up to that day. We ended up either eating fast food or going out and spending too much money at a restaurant. So, every week now, I plan the dinners for the next week. Sunday through Sunday.

Yesterday was slow cooker Mediterranean chicken since I had a lot of the ingredients and I remembered really liking it the first time I'd made it. I read my note about the chicken being a little dry, so I did half the onions underneath the chick this time, and half over. Same with olives and the pepperoncinis.  However, this time, I also added a 28 oz can of San Marzano tomatoes, sliced with basil leaves. I also substituted the sour cream with Philadelphia garlic cooking creme. So, the new recipe is:

What I had:

• 1 lb of chicken breasts
• 2 medium white onions, sliced
• about 20 Spanish manzanilla olives, sliced
• 9 pepperoncinis, rinsed and drained
• 1 container Philadelphia cooking creme, garlic
• 28 oz can San Marzano tomatoes, sliced with basil leaves
• garlic

What I did:

• Layer 1/2 of the sliced onions, olives and pepperoncinis at the bottom of the slow cooker
• Lay the frozen chicken breasts on top
• Layer rest of the onions, olives and pepperoncinis on top of the chicken
• Sprinkle garlic. Pour a little bit of lemon juice on top
• Pour the can of tomatoes, juice and all, over the chicken
• Cook on low for 8 hrs
• Take out the chicken and put aside. Pour cooking creme in and cook on high in slow cooker till it thickens. 
•  Shred the chicken and add it back in
• Serve over your favorite noodles

Notes after eating:

• Not dry at all
• The flavors were amazing, no paprika needed, the pepperoncinis added a nice slight kick
• Even Oli ate some and that's a complement to this chef ;-)

 Look at him enjoying some noodles with just cheese and butter before he demanded some of mine.

Slow cooker spinach chicken

What I used:

• 1 stick butter sliced
• 1 pack Costco chicken filets (about 1.5 lbs)
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 medium onion, chopped small
• 1 pack frozen spinach
• garam masala
• ground coriander
• ground cumin
• ground red chili pepper
• 1 cup yogurt (I used Greek)

What I did:

• Layer butter slices on the bottom of slow cooker
• Break up frozen spinach and sprinkle on butter
• Place frozen chicken on top
• Sprinkle garlic, onion and mushrooms over and around the chicken
• Sprinkle garam masala (I started with 2 tablespoons but I doubled it by the end)
• Sprinkle 1 tablespoon each of the coriander, cumin, and pepper
• Cook on high for 4 hrs
• Pull chicken out and break into smaller pieces
• Add yogurt to the sauce in crock pot and mix well, taste and adjust spices if needed
• Add chicken back in and serve over rice or with naan

Slow cooker chicken and veggies

What I had:

• 1 lb chicken breast fillets
• 5 large garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/2 cup chicken broth made from 1 bouillon cube
• 1/2 cup dry cooking white wine
• 1 can Mexican style corn
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup frozen zuchhini
• 2 tbs corn starch
• salt, pepper to taste

What I did:

• Place chicken on bottom of crock pot and season with salt and pepper on both sides
• Place the garlic cloves around them
• Pour the wine and broth over the chicken and cook on low for 7 hours
• After it has cooked, discard all but 2 of the garlic cloves. Take out chicken and put it aside
• I took the leftover sauce and added the corn starch (I had to add another 1/2 cup water) and pour it back into crock pot
• Mix it all up till the little chicken bits and leftover garlic is all mixed together with the sauce
• Put the chicken and sauce in a skillet, add in the frozen vegetables and the canned corn
• Cook it till the sauce is thickened
• Serve over pasta

Notes after eating: next time I'll just throw all the vegetables in the crock pot at the beginning. I'll make more sauce if needed at the end.

Sudden chicken pocket

I call this sudden because it was a last second decision. I had picked these marinated cutlets from Wegman's last weekend and I threw them in a pan to cook while doing our after work routine at home. They were also really thick so I cut them in half along their length. I figured we could make sandwiches. Well, that plan went out the window because I only had 3 slices of bread in the fridge. But, I did have many cans of Pillsbury crescent rolls. So, I shredded some cheese, made pockets out of 4 crescent rolls each and baked them at 375 for 13 minutes. They were perfect!

What I did was use 2 crescent triangles, pinch the middles together to make a rectangle, so you have 4 rectangles. On 2 rectangles, I layered some chopped up chicken breast and shredded cheese. Put the other triangles on top, pinch the 4 edges together. Bake. Eat with barbecue sauce.

Notes after eating it: it could have used more filling but even Jeff didn't take seconds, so maybe it was ok.

Slow cooker chicken chili

What I had:

• 2 pounds ground chicken, coarsely ground preferred
• 3 tablespoons chili powder, plus 2 teaspoons
• 1 (15-ounce) can cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15-ounce) can small white beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 (28-ounce) cans diced fire roasted tomatoes
• 1 medium sweet potato (about 10 ounces), peeled and shredded
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes in 16 ounces of water
• 1/4 cup instant tapioca (recommended: Minute tapioca)
• 2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce with seeds, chopped
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch ground cloves

What I did:

• Put chicken in crockpot and sprinkle the 3 tbsp chili powder on it. Add everything else, mix well.
• Cook on low for 7 hours.
•  Top with shredded cheese, raw onions and peppers.
• Enjoy on a cold evening!

It was delicious but I have a few notes after tasting: add a beer next time. Also up the number of adobos by a couple, and remove the salt completely.

Slow cooker mediterranean chicken

What I had:

• 1 lb 2 oz of chicken tenders
• 2 medium white onions, sliced
• a small jar of kalamata olives, sliced
• 9 pepperoncinis, rinsed and drained
• 8 oz fat free sour cream
• salt, pepper, paprika
• lemon juice

What I did:

• Layer sliced onions, kalamata olives and pepperoncinis at the bottom of my slow cooker
• Rinse and pat dry the chicken tenders and lay them on top
• Sprinkle salt, pepper and paprika. Pour a little bit of lemon juice on top
• Cook on low for 6-8 hrs
• Take out the chicken and put aside. Pour sour cream in and cook on high in slow cooker till it thickens. Serve over chicken over rice or noodles.

We used fettucini and it was delicious:

Note: After eating this last night and now, we found the chicken to be slightly dry. I think it's because it cooked on top of all the veggies and it was exposed to air. Next time, I would do half the vegetable mixture below and half on top of the chicken to keep it moist.

Chicken meatballs - a hit with the toddler

What I had:

• 2 lbs ground chicken
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup Philly Italian Cheese & Herb Cooking Creme
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp panko bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

What I did:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees
• Combine all ingredients and form into golf sized balls; I got about 45 meatballs
• Place on cookie sheet and cook for 18 minutes
• Enjoy!

We've had them as is, with different dipping sauces. Oliver ate them for dinner 2 nights in a row and loves them. What higher endorsement could I get? I forgot to take pictures :( but I promise they looked and tasted great!

Salsa chicken & Spanish Rice - in the Crockpot

So, I make a lot of chicken in the crock pot lately. Ont he weekend, it's so easy to get a couple different big meals done for the week while still being able to spend time with my family. Easiest is to throw some frozen chicken into the crock pot and some sort of sauce (either bbq or a salsa) and let it cook till it's really tender. Well, last weekend, I thought of all the water in the salsa and wondered if it would cook rice. So, I threw in a box of Rice-A-Roni Spanish rice and it's seasonings. Without the butter. Let it cook for a couple hours on low, and it cooked the rice perfectly. Let me try and put what I did down since Oliver loved it and ate it by the fistfuls and I'd like to replicate the recipe again.

What I used:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 cups of your favorite salsa
Box of Rice-A-Roni Spanish Rice

Throw the frozen chicken thighs with the salsa into the crock pot and set it on low for 4-6 hrs, checking back once every hour. Once the chicken thighs look cooked but aren't falling apart, throw the rice and seasoning packet in. If the liquid looks low, add a 1/2 cup water but usually the salsa has enough liquid.

I set it for low initially for 2 hrs, and it needed another hour. The rice was cooked perfectly, I was able to tear the chicken into tiny pieces.

Oliver ate it by the fistfuls, using both hands. So did Jeff ... well, he used a fork. But, it was a success.

White chicken chili for the winter

When the sun is shining bright, but there's a chill in the air, chili is the food I crave. Jeff found a recipe at our new grocery store, Green Valley Marketplace. I made some changes but it turned out really good. Good enough that there aren't any leftovers.

What you need:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped (I used a red one and it added a nice color)
1 jalapeño, chopped (I skipped this so Oli could eat it)
1 can creamed corn
1 can green chillies
1 can beans, any white ones (I used great white north, you can use navy)
2 cups milk (recipe called for whole, I only had 2%, it turned out fine)
2 cans cooked, shredded chicken
Your favorite shredded cheese in your favorite quantity
Salt & pepper to taste
I also added garlic

What you do:

Put the olive oil in your favorite deep cooking pan/skillet/wok, heat it. Add onions, bell pepper and jalapeño to the oil. Stir for a few minutes till the onions look opaque.

Add corn, beans and canned chillies to the mix and stir well. Add milk and let it come to a boil.

Add chicken and lower to a simmer. Add salt, pepper and garlic to your taste. Let it simmer for 10 minutes or so to let the favors mix.

Ladle into your favorite chili bowl, sprinkle some shredded cheese and enjoy!

I also added some chopped up serranos into my bowl and it was delicious! The non-spicy version also got two thumbs up from Oli and Jeff.

It makes 6 cups. Serving wise, I'd say that's 4 servings because I had a cup and a half and it was enough for dinner.

Since I'm n Weight Watchers right now, I also calculated the points plus and it's 5 per cup.