Friday, May 28, 2010

Chicken Italiano

This was my attempt to satisfy cravings for Italian food without going way over my daily point allotment on pasta. It was a recipe combined from a few ideas on the WeightWatchers message boards. The result was rather bland and kinda sad. I think it was the thick layer of spinach on the bottom that really scared Hubby away...this could definitely be improved, perhaps some diced tomatoes included in the spinach mixture...I'm not sure, but this still needs some work before it reaches it's full potential.

Chicken Italiano
Serves 2
Estimated Point Value - 7 pts

10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
4 oz fat-free cream cheese
Olive Oil Cooking spray
1/4 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
2 chicken breast halves
2 oz part-skim mozzarella cheese
Dash of dried oregano
4 slices tomato
1/2 oz grated Parmesan cheese
  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Mix spinach and cream cheese together and put into the bottom of a small baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.
  3. Dredge chicken in bread crumbs and cook for a few minutes each side in a large skillet also sprayed with cooking spray.
  4. Place chicken breast halves on top of the spinach mixture.
  5. Top with the mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with oregano.
  6. Put two slices of tomato on top of each chicken breast and top with Parmesan cheese.
  7. Bake for 30 minutes and serve.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Chicken Fajitas

I love fajitas...just ask anyone that knows me, it's no secret. Deciding to attempt fajitas at home seemed quite reasonable with the new quest to lose weight and save a little coin by not eating out a bazillion times a week. I was pleasantly surprised by my homemade version and will definitely keep this in the rotation, diet or no diet =)

Chicken Fajitas
(Serves 8)
Estimated Point Value: 3 pts (without tortilla)

1 tsp minced garlic (2 cloves)
1 tsp dried minced onion
3/4 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried cilantro
1/2 tsp black peppers
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c fresh citrus juice (I used a lemon, lime, orange combo)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 lbs chicken breast, cut into strips
1 large bell pepper, cut into strips
1 large onion, thinly sliced

  1. Mix together all the dried spices, citrus juices, and olive oil together. Reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade in a small bowl for later and pour the rest into a Ziplock bag.
  2. Add chicken strips into the Ziplock bag marinade and refrigerate (I kept mine in the fridge for a few hours).
  3. Add the chicken to a large skillet and cook until browned (discard marinade) and remove from the pan.
  4. Saute the pepper and onion with the reserved marinate for about 5 minutes.
  5. Add chicken back into the pan and cook until heated through.
  6. Serve with tortillas (I was able to find some large ones for 2 pts a piece), or on top of a large salad.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Lombardi Chicken

So, Hubby and I are on a quest to lose some baby-weight. Finding recipes that are filling, low-cal/low-fat/high-fiber, and are tasty is quite the challenge. We are having a little more success this go 'round (we are known for our pre-Thanksgiving diets) since I have been able to do some cooking rather than attempting to find food at restaurants that fits our criteria. Luckily some of the ones I found earlier this year have made the cut, and now the quest to add to that list continues.

While browsing the messages boards, I found a few recipes for this "Lombardi Chicken". I have no idea why it is called "Lombardi", but it sounded pretty tasty in it's concept so I made a few point-saving adjustments and came up with the following recipe which went over surprisingly well. A definitely keeper, diet or no diet!

Lombardi Chicken
(Serves 4)
Estimated Point Value - 5 pts

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
Olive Oil Cooking Spray
1 tablespoon light butter
1 cup sliced fresh Mushrooms
1/4 cup Marsala wine
1/3 cup Chicken broth
1 dash Salt
1 dash Ground Black Pepper
1/3 cup part skim milk mozzarella cheese -- shredded
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup green onion -- Thinly Sliced

  1. Preheat oven to 375.
  2. In a 12-inch skillet, using the olive oil cooking spray, cook chicken about 4 minutes or until browned, turning once. Transfer to a 2-quart rectangular baking dish.
  3. In the same skillet, melt the butter. Add mushrooms; cook and stir until tender. Stir in Marsala, broth, salt & pepper. Boil gently, uncovered, about 5 minutes or until mixture is reduced to about ½ cup (including mushrooms). Pour mixture over chicken.
  4. In a small bowl, combine mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, and green onion; sprinkle over the chicken. Bake about 20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Rancher Chicken

Ranch and bacon, what is there not to love about about those two ingredients? After browsing Tasty Kitchen I decided to take a few of the recipes I saw that had similar ranch/bacon/chicken combinations and take the best of each and create my own concoction. Here's the result:

Rancher Chicken
Serves 2
Ingredients
  • 2 Chicken Breasts
  • 8 oz Button Mushrooms (sliced)
  • 3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
  • 2 Tablespoons Garlic
  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 1 oz. Packet Ranch Powder Mix
  • ½ cups Dijon Mustard
  • ½ cups Honey
  • ½ teaspoons Paprika
  • 3 Tablespoons Butter
  • Shredded Cheddar Cheese
  • 6 slices Bacon (3 for each chicken breast)

  1. Mix together marinade of: lemon juice, 1 Tbsp of minced garlic, 1 Tbsp of olive oil, ranch packet, dijon mustard, honey, and paprika. Marinate chicken breasts for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Sauté mushrooms with butter and the remaining garlic and olive oil.
  3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and while oven is preheating brown chicken in a skillet.
  4. Place browned chicken onto a cookie sheet and finish baking in the oven for 10-15 minutes. (I also cook my bacon at this time on a cooling rack placed on another cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes -- or you can cook the bacon first then brown up the chicken in a bit of the leftover bacon grease, to each her own!)
  5. Remove chicken and bacon from the oven. Top chicken breasts with a few slices of cooked bacon, sautéed mushrooms, and shredded cheddar cheese.
  6. Return the chicken breasts to the oven for about 5 minutes until the cheese is melted.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Creamy Taco Mac

Since we'll each pretty much any pasta and I have a love for Tex-Mex flavors, but have a hard time getting Hubby to eat actually Tex-Mex foods this recipe on Annie's Eats. seemed like it would be a winner. It was similar to a baked ziti I tried earlier in the year, but definitely boosted the cheese-factor. In the end it reminded up both of Hamburger Helper, but less nasty...if that makes any sense. Not sure if this will make the regular rotation or not, but it was definitely a tasty leftover for lunches the next few days.

Creamy Taco Mac
Adapted from annies-eats.com

Ingredients
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 8 oz. dry rotini pasta
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
  • 1 packet of taco seasoning
  • 3 oz. cream cheese
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • Salt and pepper
  • Shredded cheddar cheese
  1. Cook pasta using the package instructions (reserve about a cup of the cooking liquid before draining the pasta).
  2. Brown beef and onion in a large skillet.
  3. Add in garlic, taco seasoning, and diced tomatoes -- simmer until heated through.
  4. Transfer sauce into the large pot used to cook the pasta (unless you're using a LARGE skillet...which I do not own).
  5. Add in cream cheese, sour cream, and drained pasta. Mix together until cream cheese is melted (add in reserved cooking liquid a little at a time until you reach your desired consistency). Season with salt and pepper.
  6. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese on the table to sprinkle on top.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Flank Steak Disaster


I had saved this recipe for years, literally years, before giving it a try. I was so confident in its eventual success that it had already been put into my Recipe Keeper that I received at my bridal shower. Oh man, it was a complete disaster. From the soggy stuffing to the crunchy steak. I knew we were in for trouble when Hubby wandered into the kitchen while carrying the baby and when I was checking on the oven the following conversation ensued:

Hubby (to baby): Let's see what mama's cooking for dinner tonight.

Hubby peaks in the oven.

Hubby (to baby): Baked armadillo apparently.

Hubby (to me): What is that for reals?

Me: It's a flank steak pinwheel...

Hubby (to me): It looks like an armadillo...

Hubby (to baby): Aren't you glad you don't have teeth yet?

So there you have it, lessoned learned, no more recipes will make their way into the Recipe Keeper until they have been tested! Perhaps it was something I did, but I will most definitely not be trying this recipe again!