Spicy Honey Glazed Chicken Breasts

21 Apr

This is a variation of a recipe I found on pinterest. I liked the concept, but I tweaked the ingredients a bit to fit my taste. In the end, this was really good, and even my kids loved it.

Ingredients:
– 4 boneless chicken breasts (1 lb total)
– 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
– 1 large ziplock freezer baggie

Rub:
– 1 teaspoon garlic powder
– 2 teaspoons chili powder
– 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
– 1/2 teaspoon coriander
– 1 teaspoon kosher salt
– 1 teaspoon cumin
– 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
– 1/4 tsp black pepper
– pinch of salt

Glaze:
– 1/3 cup Honey
– 2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

Instructions:
1. Combine the rub ingredients in bowl and mix well.

2. Place chicken breasts in ziplock bag, along with oil. Shake bag to coat chicken with oil.

3. Add “rub” mixture into bag and shake, smoosh, or press seasoning onto chicken breasts until well covered on all sides.

4. On medium heat, grill chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side, until cooked through.

5. Mix honey and vinegar in a separate bowl. Once chicken is mostly cooked, use a spoon or brush both sides of chicken with honey mixture. Turn and Grill last few minutes, reapplying honey mixture until only about 2 tablespoons of honey remain (save these last 2 tablespoons). Honey mixture will begin to caramelize on the surface of the chicken.

6. Remove chicken from grill, and top with remaining honey mixture before serving.

4 servings= 240 calories per serving
Approximately 6 weight watchers points plus per serving

Editors Note: I would not recommend trying to make this in the oven. If you don’t have a grill, maybe just pass on this one. The sugary glaze creates quite a bit of smoke and will likely set your alarm off!

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Seafood Chowder

13 Apr

I was recently inspired by an awesome clam chowder that I had, in Chicago of all places. I thought, I could do that pretty easily as an adaptation of my potato soup recipe! So, here it is. Seafood chowder. I added some fish and shrimp, but you could make this a clam chowder by tripling the clams instead. Feel free to add any other seafood you like as well. If you think this looks good, but you don’t like seafood. Leave it out. You’ve got a great potato soup on your hands 🙂

Ingredients
– 2 cans of chicken stock
– 1 bag of frozen O’Brien style potatoes (with onions and peppers)
– 2 stalks celery, finely diced
– 1/4 cup onion, finely diced
– 1 envelope of pioneer White Gravy Mix
– 1 cup water
– 1 tsp salt
– 4 ounces of small (salad) shrimp
– 7 oz of minced clams (small can)
– 1 mahi mahi filet, 4-5 ounces (or fish of your choice).

Directions:
1. Heat Chicken Stock in a large pan.

2. Add salt, celery and onion. Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer about 5 min.

3. Add potatoes to broth mixture, and cook until potatoes are thawed, about 15 min on low.

4. Cut fish filet into chunks, about 1/2 inch x 1/2 inch. Add fish, shrimp, and clams to pot. Cook on low heat about 3 minutes, until fish is cooked through.

5. In a separate container, mix water with gravy mix packet. Stir Gravy slurry into chicken stock and potatoes.

5. The texture of your chowder will vary greatly here depending on which brand of potatoes you used. If it is too thick, simply add 1/4 cup water at a time until it reaches the desired thickness.

Makes 8 1 cup servings= 187 Calories per cup
Appx 5 weight watchers points plus per serving

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Chicken Pot Pie

10 Apr

I love chicken pot pie. I’m a southern girl. What can I say? But that Crust!!! that cream!!! it’s oh-so-fattening, and I decided to post this recipe after picking up a frozen, single serving pot pie at the grocery store this weekend, that had a whopping NINE HUNDRED calories!!! what!? So, here it is…light flaky crust… even if there’s only half as much (crust that is. this recipe won’t leave you hungry). The filling is easy, quick, rich, and super low in calories. In fact, you could eat three servings for less calories than that single serve frozen version!

Ingredients:

– 12 oz of cooked chicken breast (diced or shredded)
– 1 large can of veg-all original mixed veggies (3 1/2 cups)
– 1/4 cup diced onion
– 1 tsp water
– 2 tbsp minced garlic
– 1 can of pillsbury reduced fat crescent rolls
– 1 can of low-fat cream of mushroom soup
– 1 can of low-fat cream of chicken soup
– Salt and Pepper to taste.

Directions:

1. Dice or shred your already cooked chicken, and place it in a large mixing bowl with 2 full cans of soup (undiluted), veggies, garlic, salt, and pepper.

2. Place onions in a microwave safe dish with 1 tsp of water and microwave for 60 seconds. It’s in your best interest not to skip this step… the onions are very strong if you stir them in raw. After cooking, mix in with chicken/veggie mixture.

3. Pour mixture into a 9×13 pan which has been sprayed with nonstick spray.

4. Unroll Crescent rolls across the top of the pan. Press seams together with your fingers to “mend” perforations.

5. Bake pot pie at 350 for 25 minutes, or until crescent crust is golden brown and cooked through.

6. Allow pot pie to sit for 5-10 min before serving. Seriously. This thing is molten-lava-hot in the middle. Let it sit.

Note: you could add a 2nd tube of crescent rolls to use as a bottom crust if you wanted, and it would still only be 412 calories (11 pp) per serving, but i don’t even think it needs it.

Makes 6 Servings= 292 Calories per serving
approximately 8 weight watchers points plus

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Kid approved Tuna Casserole

9 Apr

Tuna casserole. Just the mention of this dish sometimes conjures images of elementary school lunch ladies, or that one dish you always had to pretend to like at Grandmas house, right? It’s one of those meals that can vary so dramatically from one cook to another. Does it have a cheesy sauce or a savory sauce? Peas? Eggs? Crackers, breadcrumbs or crushed chips? Taking the first bite was a risk some of us were not-too-thrilled to take. It has a stigma. I get it.

Early on, this was one of my kids favorite meals, and it still is today. We had to tell them it was chicken the first time, but that’s irrelevant. It’s clearly not a gourmet “company’s coming” kind of meal. It’s simple, easy, quick, and kid cliched. I mean, the primary ingredient is a box of powdered Mac and cheese… But, even my pickiest kid loves it, and my husband does too.

Also, this is the very first “real” recipe I ever learned to make. My granny taught me when I was about 10. So, this recipe is sort of “where it all started.” You could sneak in peas, broccoli, or spinach if you need to sneak in veggies . Enjoy!

Ingredients:

– 1 box of original Kraft Mac & cheese
– 1/4 cup 1% milk
– 1 can of light or whit tuna, in water
– 1 can of reduced fat cream of mushroom soup
– 10 crushed saltine crackers

Directions:

1. Boil macaroni noodles, until they are donee. Drain well and mix with cheese packet and milk.

2. Drain can of Tuna, and mix tuna and soup well with macaroni.

3. Pour into a medium size baking dish (9×9 will work) sprayed with non-stick spray.

4. Top with crushed saltines, and bake at 400 for 20 min.

4 servings= 265 calories per serving
Approximately 7 weight watchers points plus

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Spaghetti and Meatballs

8 Apr

This is one of my kids favorite meals. Especially my oldest son. He is a picky eater, but he loves meatballs. I love to make meatballs from scratch, but sometimes I don’t have time. So, I either make large batches and freeze them for later, or sometimes i’ll use the kirkland frozen meatballs from Costco. This recipe is for homemade meatballs, but if you go the costco route, you get 5 meatballs per serving, and add 40 calories.

Ingredients:
– 1 lb 97% Lean ground turkey or 96% lean beef
– 1 egg
– 1/2 cup italian bread crumbs
– 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese (for meatballs)
– 1/2 tsp salt
– 1/2 tsp pepper
– 2 tablespoons minced garlic
– 2 tsp dried oregano
– 1/4 cup minced onion

– 1 batch of homemade marinara (or a jar of prego smartlight)
– 1 12 oz box of ronzoni smart taste spaghetti
– 4 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese (for topping)

Directions:

1. In large bowl combine beef, egg, bread crumbs, onion, salt and pepper, oregano, 3 tbsp parmesan, and garlic. Wash your hands well, and use them to smoosh (technical culinary term) all ingredients together until well mixed.

2. Form into meatballs about 1″ in diameter ( use a cookie scoop) and place on a broiler pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until meatballs are no longer pink in center.

3. Boil spaghetti noodles until they reach the desired texture, and drain. Plate 4 equal portions.

5. Divide meatballs evenly into 4 servings, and place on top of spaghetti. Top with sauce and 1 tablespoon of cheese.

4 Servings*= 575 Calories per serving
Approximately 15 weight watchers points plus

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Southwest chicken salad

6 Apr

Ingredients:

– 2 1/2 cups romaine lettuce
– 4 oz grilled chicken
Р1 tbsp diced fresh jalape̱o
– 1/8 of an avocado, diced
– 3 tbsp chopped red onion
– 1/4 cup black beans
– 1 ear of corn
– 2 tbsp shredded 2% cheddar
– 5 cherry tomatoes, halved
– 3 tbs tortilla strips

For dressing:

– 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
– 1 tbsp olive oil
– black pepper

Directions:

1. Season chicken breast as desired and grill it until done.

2. Shuck and clean corn on the cob. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and microwave 2 min. then wrap in foil and grill over high heat about 10 min, turning regularly. Once it’s got a nice charred/roasted look to it, remove and let cool.

3. Open a can of black beans and rinse thoroughly. Measure out 1/4 cup.

4. Cut corn off cob and mix 1/4 cup with beans.

5. Slice jalapeño, onion, tomato, and avocado.

6. Mix ingredients for dressing thoroughly together, and toss dressing with lettuce.

7. Arrange lettuce on a large plate. Top with onion, jalapeño, corn and black beans, cheese, and avocado.

8. Arrange chicken and tortilla strips on top of salad.

Makes 1 salad with dressing= 585 calories
Appx 14 weight watchers points plus

1 salad, no dressing= 490 calories
Appx 12 weight watchers points plus

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Sweet and Sour Meatloaf

31 Mar

This recipe is from my cousin, Christy. It has made meatloaf lovers out of many folks who didn’t think they could like meatloaf. I didn’t originally consider it a. “Skinny” recipe, but if i make it into a long, thinner loaf, it easily makes 10 slices of very nutritionally reasonable meatloaf.

If you’re looking for a different sort of meatloaf altogether, check out my meatloaf muffins!

Ingredients:

– 2 lbs 92% lean beef
– 25 saltine crackers, crushed
– 2 eggs
– salt and pepper to taste
– 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce, divided
– 3 tbsp mustard
– 1/2 cup sugar
– 1/2 cup ketchup
– 1/3 cup water
– 3 tbsp vinegar

1. Mix beef, crackers, eggs, salt, pepper, and half of tomato sauce thoroughly.

2. Form beef mixture into a long, narrow loaf stretching the length of a 9×13 pan.

3. In a small saucepan, mix remaining sauce with mustard, sugar, ketchup, water, and vinegar. Cook on low until sauce begins to thicken.

4. Pour a little over half of sauce over loaf. Reserve remaining sauce in pan.

5. Cover loaf with foil and bake at 350 for 1 hour and 15-30 min or until center is done. Scoop sauce from sides, and pour back over top of loaf about every 20 min.

6. Just before serving, cook reserved sauce down until thickened. Serve over slices of meatloaf.

Makes 10 slices = 200 calories

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Salisbury steak

27 Mar

Ingredients:

– 1 lb lean ground beef or ground turkey
– 1 egg
– 1/4 cup bread crumbs
– ground black pepper
– salt
– 1/2 tsp onion powder
– 1/2 tsp garlic powder
– 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
– 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
– 1 thinly sliced onion
– 1 cup sliced mushrooms
– 2 tbsp flour
– 1 can condensed french onion soup
– 1 tablespoon cooking sherry
– 1/4 cup water + 2 tbsp water, separated
– 1/2 tsp seasoned salt

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, pepper, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce. Form into 5 balls, and flatten into patties.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry the patties in the oil until patties are nicely browned,and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Remove the beef patties to a plate, and cover with foil.

3. Add onions, and 2 tbsp water to pan, Cook onions until they begin to soften.

4. Sprinkle flour over the onions, and stir with a fork, scraping bits of beef off of the bottom of the pan as you stir. Gradually mix in the onion soup and sherry.

5. Add mushrooms and 1/4 cup of water. Stir in seasoned salt.

6. Simmer and stir over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes or until mushrooms reach desired doneness. If gravy becomes too thick, add 1 tablespoon water at a time until the gravy is desired consistency.

7. Serve patties covered with gravy. Also great over mashed potatoes.

Makes 5 servings= 265 calories per serving

Approximately 7 weight watchers points plus

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Tomato Basil Tortellini Soup

22 Mar

You could easily do this in the crockpot too. 5 hrs on low.

Ingredients:

– 2 cans of chicken broth
– 2 cans italian style diced tomatoes
– 3 cups fresh spinach
– 1/4 tsp or 1-2 packets of Splenda
– salt and pepper to taste
– 1 tsp dried basil
– 1 bag of frozen cheese tortellini
– 1 block of fat free cream cheese

Directions:

1. Cut cream cheese into blocks.

2. In a large pot, Mix broth, tomatoes, cream cheese, basil, salt and pepper, and Splenda and heat, stirring until cream cheese melts.

4. Add spinach and tortellini and heat on warm, stirring regularly.

5. Heat for 10-15 min.

Makes 6 (1 1/2 cup) servings= 280 calories per serving

Apps 7 weight watchers points plus

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Oven Roasted Potatoes

22 Mar

This recipe requires about 45 minutes, which is a luxury I don’t often have with our busy schedule. If you have all the time in the world…continue on. I prefer the results of the “slow cook” method. However, If you’re interested in speeding this up, you can use a ziplock steamer bag, and cook your potatoes 1/2 of the time listed on the bag. Then toss in olive oil and bake for only about 15-20 min.

Ingredients:

– 3 medium size (4 inches) Red potatoes
– 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
– 1 tsp salt
– 1/4 tsp pepper
– 1/4 tsp garlic powder
– 1/4 tsp paprika (optional)

Instructions:

1. Cut potatoes into cubes, no more than 1 inch wide.

2. Place potatoes, and olive oil in a large ziplock bag. Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and shake until all potatoes are lightly oiled.

3. Spray a flat baking sheet liberally with nonstick spray, and spread potatoes in a single layer on pan.

4. Cover pan with aluminum foil, making sure all corners are tucked under to create a seal.

5. Bake at 425 for 25 minutes. Uncover, turn potatoes, and bake another 10-15 minutes.

Makes 3 (1 cup) servings= 205 Calories per serving

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