.rosemary chicken & potato salad.

I've been doing a lot of clean eating lately, and something wintry sounded good to me. I was missing the good old days of cold summer salads, so why not have a a cold winter salad? Okay, it sounds a little odd, but it was quite delicious. I adapted a recipe from the magazine, Clean Eating.

 INGREDIENTS:
2 small red potatoes
2 small gold potatoes
1/2 lb of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 c red onion (diced small)
1/2 of your favorite apple (non-green) diced about 3/4c
1/2 c cooked white beans
1 T fresh rosemary
Salt & Pepper to taste

VINAIGRETTE:
1/4 c FRESH lemon juice (about 1 -1 1/2 lemons)
1 T extra virgin olive oil
2 t stevia powder

DIRECTIONS:
*Place whole potatoes into a medium saucepan completely covered with water and boil until tender, about 20 minutes.
*Place chicken breasts into a different saucepan, cover with water and poach for about 20 minutes on med/high heat or until cooked through. I don't mind poached chicken, you can cook them how you wish.
*While chicken & potatoes are cooking - in a medium bowl add onion, apple, beans, rosemary, pepper, and salt.
*In a small bowl whisk together lemon juice, oil, and stevia.
*After Potatoes and Chicken have cooled cut them up into 1" dices and add them to the veggie mixture. Pour vinaigrette over the top and gently toss to coat.

YIELDS: (2) 2 1/2 c servings. 437 calories per serving.

.quinoa burgers.

I realized today that I have so many things on Pinterest that I really want to do! So tonight I decided I would start. I have Quinoa and the other required ingredients for the Quinoa Burgers that I posted the other day. Turns out after browsing her blog I really, really like it! My pictures of the burgers aren’t near as pretty as hers, as I don’t have my lights set up in my kitchen yet and it’s near dark outside, but they were delicious and I made some changes because turns out I didn’t have all the ingredients I thought I did. So be sure to check out her recipe if you want the original but I had to change a few things so this is what I did:

Ingredients

2 cups cooked quinoa
3/4 c shredded cheese (I used colby jack)
1/2 c cottage cheese (didn’t have any so I used 1/2 of mozeralla)
1 c shredded zucchini (squeezed dry)
3 eggs
3 T all purpose flour (used Panko)
2 green onions, including whites (didn’t have any so used 1/8 c finely chopped red onion)
1/2 t sugar
1/4 t pepper
1/4 t ground cumin
1/8 t salt
1/8 t garlic powder (I liked garlic so I used 1/4 t)

Mix all ingredients together

Heat up skillet (if you need to add a little oil to pan - I didn’t need to in my Caphalons). Using a measuring cup scoop up 1/4 c of mixture into skillet and slowly smash into 1/2” patty, cook for 3 minutes on each side on med/low.


And enjoy! I had two with some butternut squash and zucchini. It was an amazing dinner.

As a tip, I at first had oil in the pan and I forgot the flour/panko so this is how the first one turned out until I got rid of the oil and added the panko… yup, sometimes things don’t work out right

Mexican Layered Chicken

Ingredients

1 spray(s) olive oil cooking spray
2 pounds(s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast
30 oz. canned black beans, rinsed & drained
3 cups sour cream
2 cups shredded cheese (Mexi blend or other), divided
8 oz. chopped green chilies
(2) 4 oz cans
2 t. ground Cumin
1/2 t. black pepper
12 medium corn tortillas cut into 2 inch strips
1 cup salsa

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a lasagna pan with cooking spray.
  
  
• Place chicken in medium saucepan and fill with enough cold water just to cover chicken. Set pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes; drain. When chicken is cool enough to handle, cut into 1-inch pieces. (I used 3 cans of chicken and skipped this step)
  
  
• Transfer chicken to a large bowl and add beans, sour cream, 1 cup of shredded cheese, chilies, cumin, and pepper; mix well and set aside.
  
  
• Arrange half of tortillas in bottom of prepared lasagna pan, overlapping pieces to cover surface. Top tortillas with half of chicken mixture, layer with remaining tortillas and then top with remaining chicken mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cup of cheese.
  
  
• Bake until filling is bubbly and cheese is melted, about 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing into 12 pieces. Serve with salsa on the side.

Pork Chops & Stewed Tomatoes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 onion
• 4 thick cut boneless pork chops
• salt and pepper to taste
• 10 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 (14 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, with juice
  

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Cut the onion into thick slices and arrange them on the bottom of a casserole dish. Lay the pork chops over the onions. Season the chops with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Cover the chops with the mushrooms and pour the stewed tomatoes over all.
4. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour. Remove cover and bake for 30 more minutes.

Pork & Stuffing Bake

Pork & Stuffing Bake
Prep: 10 minutes
Bake: 30 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients:

4 cups Bread Stuffing
1 1/4 cups water
4 tbsp. butter
6 boneless pork chops, 3/4" thick
1 can cream of celery or cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:

Prepare stuffing using water and butter according to package directions.

Spoon stuffing across center of 13 x 9 x 2” shallow baking dish. Place chops on each side of stuffing.

Stir soup and milk in bowl. Pour over chops. Cover.

Bake at 400°F. for 30 min. or until done. Sprinkle with cheese.

Oven Fried Lemonade Chicken

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (6 ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 1/2 cups cornflakes cereal
• 1 teaspoon dried crushed thyme

DIRECTIONS

1. Pour the lemonade concentrate, salt, and pepper into a resealable plastic bag. Add the chicken breasts, coat with the marinade, squeeze out excess air, and seal the bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight.
2. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a baking sheet generously with cooking spray.
3. Place the cornflakes in another resealable plastic bag and crush them into fine crumbs. Add the thyme, and mix thoroughly. Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade, and shake off excess. Discard the remaining marinade. Place the chicken pieces into the bag containing the cornflake crumbs and shake to coat well.
4. Place the chicken breasts on the prepared baking sheet so they don't touch, and spray each one lightly with cooking spray. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 45 minutes, until chicken juices run clear, and the top is browned and crunchy. Serve hot or cold.

Turkey Chili

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
• 1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can beef broth
• 1 (7 ounce) can salsa
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes, or coarsely chopped tomatoes packed in puree
• 1 (7 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 3 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble turkey into the pot, stirring with a wooden spoon to break apart as much as possible. Season with taco seasoning mix, coriander, oregano, chili flakes, and tomato paste, and mix until meat is evenly coated with seasonings. Continue cooking, reducing heat if necessary, until turkey is well browned.
2. Pour in beef broth, and simmer to reduce liquid slightly, about 5 minutes. Add salsa, tomatoes, and green chilies, and continue cooking at a moderate simmer for ten minutes. Adjust the thickness at any time you feel necessary by adding water.
3. While chili is still cooking, heat one tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onion and green bell pepper, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent and bell pepper is lightly browned. Add onion and bell pepper to the chili, and continue cooking at a very low simmer.
4. In the same skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini, and cook stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the zucchini to the chili, reduce heat, and continue cooking 15 minutes more. Again, adjust the consistency with water as needed.
5. Ladle chili into serving bowls. Top with sour cream, green onion, and cheddar cheese, and serve.

Baked Ziti

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound dry ziti pasta
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
• 6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.
2. In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
4. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.

Simple Stroganoff

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (16 ounce) package egg noodles
• 1 pound lean ground beef (I use ground turkey instead)
  
• 1 (.75 ounce) packet dry brown gravy mix
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1 (6 ounce) can chopped mushrooms, with liquid
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add egg noodles and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. In a skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef until no pink shows; drain.
3. Mix brown gravy, cream cheese and mushrooms with hamburger until cream cheese has given the mixture a whitish look. Add milk, sour cream, and mushroom soup to cooked pasta. Blend hamburger mixture with pasta.

Crock Pot Cordon Bleu

INGREDIENTS

• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup milk
• 4 ounces sliced ham
• 4 ounces sliced Swiss cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) package herbed dry bread stuffing mix
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix together the cream of chicken soup and milk in a small bowl. Pour enough of the soup into a slow cooker to cover the bottom. Layer chicken breasts over the sauce. Cover with slices of ham and then Swiss cheese. Pour the remaining soup over the layers, stirring a little to distribute between layers. Sprinkle the stuffing on top, and drizzle butter over stuffing. Cover, and cook on Low for 4 to 6 hours, or 2 to 3 hours on High.

Green Chili Chicken

Ingredients:

• 5 Chicken Breasts
• 1 16oz Jar Salsa Verde
• 16oz shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Directions:

• Spray a 9x13 baking dish place chicken down.
• Pour Salsa on top.
• Sprinkle Cheese on top.
• Cover tightly with foil.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
• Take off foil and bake for 10 more minutes.

I made this last night and it was fast and delish! Hubs loved it.

Quick Chicken Parmesan

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups pasta sauce
• 4 fully cooked breaded chicken cutlets
• 4 thin slices cooked ham
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 T grate Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Spread 1 cup pasta sauce in a 12x8x2 inch shallow baking dish.
2. Place the chicken cutlets over the sauce
3. Spoon 1/2 cup of pasta sauce down the center of each cutlet.
4. Top each with 1 slice ham and 1/4 cup mozzarella chesse
5. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
6. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes or until the cheese melts and the sauce is hot and bubbly.
   

Parmesan Seared Chicken

INGREDIENTS

• Raw Chicken Tenders
• 2 1/2 T Dijon mustard
• 3/4 cups powder Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Put dijon mustard in plastic bag with tenders.
2. Shake to cover tenders in mustard.
3. In another bag place Parmesan cheese.
4. Place chicken in cheese, shake to coat.
5. Pre heat skillet on med-high heat.
6. Add chicken, cook till cheese is browned.
7. Cook on both sides.
   

Skilley Cheesy Chicken & Rice

INGREDIENTS

• 1 T olive oil
• 1 1/2 lb chicken breasts (4-6)
• 1 can of Cream of Chicken
• 1 1/2 cup of water
• 1/4 t. paprika
• 1/4 t. black pepper
• 2 cups broccoli
• 1 1/2 cup uncooked instant rice
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the oil in a 10in skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add the chicken and cook for 10 minutes or until it is well browned on both sides.
3. Remove the chicken and set aside.
4. Stir in soup, water, paprika, and black pepper heat to a boil.
5. Stir in broccoli and rice and then return the chicken with additional paprika and black pepper.
6. Top with cheese.
7. Cover and cook for 5 - 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender.
   

Chicken Pot Pie

INGREDIENTS

• 3 bone-in chicken breast halves, skinless
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
• 3 potatoes
• 1 yellow onion
• 3 stalks celery
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
• 1 to taste salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 (9 inch) frozen prepared pie crust, thawed

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash chicken breasts in water and then place in a pot with water just to cover the chicken add some salt and pepper and garlic powder. Bring to a boil, turn off heat and cover. Let cool in the pot.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Wash and cut potatoes into bite size pieces and boil till almost fork tender. Drain and set aside.
4. Wash celery and cut to bite-size pieces. Cut onion to bite-size pieces.
5. In a large heavy skillet, over medium heat, saute celery and onion with 2 tablespoons oil, for 5 to 8 minutes. Add the frozen vegetables and cook another 5 minutes. Add flour and cook about 30 seconds.
6. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. After it has become thick, add potatoes.
7. Remove chicken from pot and cut into bite-size pieces and add to vegetable mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.
8. Pour mixture into a 9 inch deep dish pie plate and cover with pie shell. Make sure you crimp the edges of the pie shell to the plate so no juices spill in oven.
9. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes or until pie shell is cooked and golden brown.

MY SIMPLIFIED DIRECTIONS:

I used 2 cans of chicken, 1 can of diced potatoes, 1 can of vegal. I sauteed the onions like the recipe says then I added the can of vegal and then the flour and chicken broth at the times directed above. I used 2 Pillsbury pie crusts one for the bottom and one for the top. Took a lot less time and was still delicious!

Garlic, Feta, Tomato Pork Chops

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 4 pork loin chops, 1 inch thick
• salt to taste
• black pepper to taste
• garlic powder to taste
• 1/2 pint red grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 pint yellow grape tomatoes, halved
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 2 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion and cook until golden brown. Set aside.
2. Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in the skillet. Season pork chops with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and place in the skillet. Cook to desired doneness. Set aside and keep warm.
3. Heat remaining oil in the skillet. Return onions to skillet, and stir in tomatoes, garlic, and basil. Cook and stir about 3 minutes, until tomatoes are tender. Mix in balsamic vinegar, and season with salt and pepper. Top chops with the onion and tomato mixture, and sprinkle with feta cheese to serve.

White Enchiladas

Ingredients

16 oz. fat free sour cream 1 can fat free cream of chicken soup 1 tbls. fresh chopped cilantro (1/2 tbls. dried) 2 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken breast 1 can Mexican Rotel 1 cup chopped onions 16 corn tortillas 8 oz. shredded pepper jack and colby cheese blend 1 can diced green chiles

Directions

In a saucepan, mix together sour cream, soup and cilantro. Heat through and set aside.
Combine the chicken, Rotel, onions and green chiles in a pan sprayed with cooking spray. Heat until onions are transparent.
Warm the tortillas until flexible. Then, fill each tortilla with about 2 tbls. of the chicken mixture and about 1 tbls. of the cheese. Roll tortilla up and place seam side down in a 8x11 dish sprayed with cooking spray.
Pour over the sour cream sauce and top with the remaining cheese.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until heated through.
Makes 8 servings of 2 enchiladas each.

Number of Servings: 8

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 8
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 392.1

• Total Fat: 12.4 g
• Cholesterol: 77.6 mg
• Sodium: 753.0 mg
• Total Carbs: 40.1 g
• Dietary Fiber: 3.0 g
• Protein: 31.7 g

Potato Burrito

Ingredients

1 (16oz) package frozen hash brown potatoes 1c. Pace Mild Chunky Salsa 2c. Shredded cheddar cheese 1/4c. chopped scallions 6 8" flour tortillas

Directions

1. Cook hash browns as directed on package.
2. Add salsa, cheese, and green onion.
3. Fold mixture into warmed flour tortillas and serve.
Makes 6 HUGE burritos.

Number of Servings: 6

Skillet Lasagna

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground beef 1 small onion (chopped) 3 Cloves Garlic (minced) 1 can diced tomatoes (undrained) 1-1/4 cup water 8 oz tomato sauce 1 tbsp dried parsley flakes 1 tsp dried basil leaves 1 tsp dried oregano leaves 1 tsp salt 2-1/2 cup broken up whole wheat lasagna noodles 1 cup fat free cottage cheese 1/4 cup fat free grated Parmesan cheese Dash Basil and Pepper (optional) 1 egg Shredded fat free mozzarella cheese for garnish

Directions

In a large skillet, brown beef with onions and garlic. Drain.
Add tomatoes, water, tomato sauce, parsley, basil, oregano, and salt.
Stir in uncooked pasta.
Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until pasta is tender.
Combine cottage and Parmesan cheeses.
Mix in the egg.
Sprinkle in basil and pepper to taste.
Drop cheese mixture by rounded tablespoons onto pasta mixture.
Cover and cook for 5 minutes more.
Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella and serve.

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 6
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 336.5

• Total Fat: 10.6 g
• Cholesterol: 86.9 mg
• Sodium: 560.5 mg
• Total Carbs: 33.3 g
• Dietary Fiber: 4.9 g
• Protein: 27.2 g

Slow Cooker Taco Chicken

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 cup salsa 1/2 package reduced sodium taco seasoning 1 can reduced fat cream of mushroom soup (condensed) 1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream

Directions

Add chicken to slow cooker.
Mix soup and salsa together.
Sprinkle taco seasoning over chicken.
Pour salsa and soup over chicken.
Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.
Remove from heat and stir in sour cream.
Serve with rice.