#381: Taco Spiced Grilled Chicken

Disclaimer: Brian took this picture.  I know I'm not good at taking "food" photos, but I think I do a little better than this one!  (PS that was just some of the chicken...this picture makes it look like I gave each one of us a really puny chicken breast).

Mmmm...Betty Crocker, this is quite a yummy recipe.  Allison and Brian really enjoyed this one.  Chloe and I were not big fans, but it wasn't because of the recipe, it's because of our love-hate relationship with chicken (not a love day for us).  I would definitely make this again...but next time I need to go grocery shopping first (I'm trying to avoid it as long as I can to use up stuff in our pantry and freezer).  Our choices of side-dishes included mashed potatoes or popcorn.  Brian chose popcorn.  :)  Odd combination!!

2 tbsp taco seasoning mix
1 tsp dried oregano
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 c BBQ sauce
2 tbsp chili sauce (I omitted)1/2 tsp ground cumin
                                          
In shallow bowl, mix taco seasoning mix and oregano. Brush chicken with oil; sprinkle with taco seasoning mixture. (I only put it on one side...we thought that was enough but if you like heat to your meal, add it to both sides).  Place chicken on grill over medium heat. Cover grill; cook 10 to 15 minutes, turning once, until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (170°F).

Meanwhile, in small microwavable bowl, mix barbecue sauce, chili sauce and cumin.  Brush sauce over chicken when it is almost finished cooking .

#380: Healthy Chicken Fajitas

Here's another yummy, easy recipe from SkinnyTaste.  We love chicken fajitas, and this recipe is certainly no exception and will be on our semi-regular dinner rotation (okay let's be honest, it'll be at least six weeks before it gets back on the menu).  :)

16 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into small, bite-size pieces)
1 bell pepper, cut into strips
1 poblano chile, cut into strips (I omitted)
1 onion, cut into strips
3 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
ancho chile powder or chipotle chili powder, to taste (I used regular chili powder) salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp olive oil
4 low fat, low carb tortillas

Marinate the chicken with lime juice, and season with chile powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder and cumin.  

Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat and add 2 tbsp olive oil.  Saute chicken, peppers and onion until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are crisp tender.  (I did this in two separate pans). 

Warm a tortilla, add chicken and peppers, and any desired toppings.  (I used shredded cheese, tomatoes, and sour cream).

Serve immediately with tortilla and toppings.

#379: Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Oh my gosh, make this recipe.  You should hopefully have everything on hand to make these so just run to your kitchen right now and make these pancakes.  They are delicious.  DELICIOUS!!  I'm sure the original recipe is fantastic, but I figured I'm make it a step easier by using ready to use pancake mix (the kind where you just add water) instead of making the pancakes from scratch.  This was a wonderful breakfast for Brian and I to enjoy together. 

***The original recipe says that you can't eat more than one.  Apparently if you use store-bought pancake mix, you can eat way more than one!  I used 1 1/2 cups of pancake mix for the two of us and we got 5 large pancakes from it.  Double that!***
Pancakes:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Cinnamon Filling:
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

Cream Cheese Glaze:
4 Tablespoons butter
2 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Prepare pancake batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk in milk, oil and egg, just until batter is moistened (a few small lumps are fine).
In a medium bowl, mix butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Scoop the filling into a small zip baggie and set aside. You don't want this to remain super-liquidy. It's best if it becomes a consistency similar to toothpaste.

In a medium, microwave-safe bowl- heat butter and cream cheese until melted. Whisk together until smooth; whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla extract; set aside.

Heat large skillet over medium-low heat. Spray

When ready to serve, spoon warmed glaze onto the top of each pancake.

#378: Sausage and Vegetable Calzones

I've had this recipe bookmarked for a while now, but kept putting off making it because I didn't think Brian would eat it.  Guess what, I was right!  Knowing this though, I made mine as the recipe describes below...Brian and the girls however, had their ground sausage with pizza sauce instead.  :) 

I loved this!  Loved it!!  Next time I'm going to make this with turkey breakfast sausage because I actually like it better than Italian sausage.  We'll see if it's just as good. 

1/2 lb. bulk Italian sausage

1/2 lb. sliced fresh mushrooms (I omitted)
1 large red pepper, cut into strips, halved
1 tub (10 oz.) Philly Savory Garlic Cooking Creme
1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 can (10 oz.) refrigerated pizza crust

Heat oven to 400°F.  Brown sausage with mushrooms and peppers in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat.  Drain; return to skillet.  Stir in cooking creme and mozzarella.  Remove from heat.

Unroll pizza dough on clean work surface.  Pat out to 15x11-inch rectangle; cut lengthwise in half, then cut each piece crosswise into thirds.  Top dough rectangles with sausage mixture; fold in half. Seal edges with fork.  Place on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake 15 min. or until golden brown.

#377: Meat Balls and Mashed Potatoes

I absolutely love when I make a meal and THINK my husband is going to hate it, BUT when we try it, he loves it!  YES!!  Granted he did not eat this with the gravy--he so doesn't realize what he's missing!  This was extremely easy to make.  I made the meatballs ahead of time and froze them.  I just had to thaw and reheat the day I served it.  Sorry to disappoint, but these were instant mashed potatoes (did not have time to make real ones), but the gravy was delicious! 
Meatballs:
1 pounds ground beef
1 1/3 cups bread crumbs (I used ground oatmeal...shhh, don't tell Brian)
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 c onion, chopped
1 cloves garlic
1/2 Tablespoons dried parsley
1/4 Tablespoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Don’t mix too much, just enough to distribute ingredients throughout mixture.  Form into meatballs or divide into four parts and form four meatloaves. These are not very salty meatballs, since you will serve them with sauce or gravy.
Bake in 350° oven for 15 minutes or until cooked through for meatballs. Cool, label, and freeze.

Gravy:
1/8 cup butter or margarine
1/8 cup chopped onion
1/8 cup flour
1 cups beef or chicken broth
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
In medium saucepan, melt butter. Saute onion until clear. Whisk in flour and cook until bubbly. Whisk in broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened. Stir in seasonings. Serve immediately or cool, package in plastic container with a lid, label, and freeze. Warm on the stove top and whisk to blend.

#376: Coconut-Fudge Bars

LOVED, loved, loved these bars!  MMMM....these were super yummy but also super rich!  Cut these into little squares and you can serve a lot of people!  I made a half batch as shown above (with walnuts and toasted coconuts) and half a batch plain.  Personally, the walnuts and coconuts on top were WAY better!!  Try these!

1 cup butter, divided

14 Honey Grahams, finely crushed (about 2-1/2 cups)

1 cup sugar

1 can (5 oz.) evaporated milk

6 cups Miniature Marshmallows (10-1/2-oz. pkg.)

1-1/2 pkg. (8 squares each) Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 cup chopped Walnuts

1 cup Flake Coconut, toasted

Bring remaining butter, sugar, milk and marshmallows to boil in large saucepan on medium heat, stirring constantly.  Cook and stir 5 min.  Add chocolate; cook until melted, stirring frequently. Pour over crust.  Top with nuts and coconut.  Refrigerate 2 hours or until firm.   Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

#375: Pumpkin Pie Dip

I am SO sad that I forgot to take a picture of this.  I loved this pumpkin dip (served better with graham cracker sticks rather than apples as suggested!) and will definitely make this again later in the fall.  It was super, super easy to make and I loved that I could make it the night before and just toss in the cool whip before we were heading out the door to go to our family gathering.  I served the leftover dip at book club...I'm still sorry that we had to use Scooby Doo Graham Stick!

15 oz can pumpkin 3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp pumpkin pie spice
6 oz fat free Greek yogurt
8 oz cool whip free
cut up apples to dip

Mix pumpkin with brown sugar, vanilla and spices, blend well.  Mix in yogurt.  Fold in cool whip and chill in refrigerator until ready to eat.  Makes about 6 cups.

#374: Baked Onion Rings

I stumbled upon this recipe kind of by accident, but realized that I pretty much had all of the ingredients on hand to make it right away for dinner.  (Bonus!)  Although I liked this recipe, I can't say that I loved it or will be craving it.  My picture (and onions for that matter) do not look like the picture from the original blog.  Not sure if I did something wrong, or if it was my choice of onions, but the breading did not stick to my onions as well as I had hoped. 

1 medium onion, sliced into 1/4 inch rings
2 1/4 cups low fat buttermilk
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup crushed corn flake crumbs
salt to taste (I omitted)
olive oil baking spray (I omitted)

Place slices of onion in a shallow bowl with, pour buttermilk over the onion, and let soak for 1-2 hours (refrigerated).  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Coat cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper. 

Combine panko, bread crumbs and corn flakes in a large dish, season with salt.  Dip each soaked onion ring into the crumb mixture; coat well.  Place rings onto two cookie sheets.  Lightly spray with oil.  Bake about 12 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve immediately.

#373: Mini Meat Loaves

I haven't posted a recipe from my Betty Crocker 300 Calorie cookbook in a while, but here's another recipe from it.  This was very, very easy to make and I had a bunch of extra foil mini loaf pans leftover from last Christmas (which I had hoped to use as gift containers but they were too small).  So I balled this meatloaf mixture into 5 small loaves (I doubled this recipe) and froze them until we were ready to use them.  I pulled them out of the freezer this morning and put them in the oven mostly frozen.  This baked up pretty quickly since they were so small. 

We all enjoyed this meal, but Brian probably liked it best.  I think I must have added some dried Italian seasoning to the mixture, and I could really taste it, so next time I probably should add a little less seasoning to this!  :)

1 tbsp skim milk
1 egg white
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 lb lean ground beef
2 tbsp bread crumbs (any flavor)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp BBQ sauce (I probably used closer to 1/2 cup!)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, beat milk, egg white and Worcestershire sauce with a fork.  Mix in beef, bread crumbs, salt and pepper.  Shape into 2 loaves.  Place in ungreased 8 inch square pan.  Brush with BBQ sauce. 

Bake 18-22 minutes until meat thermometer inserted in center of loaf reads 160 degrees.  Let stand 5 min before serving.

#372: Non-Anchovy Caesar Salad

Caesar salads are so yummy but can be full of so much fat/calories because of the dressing.  Yes, this dressing does have oil in it, but there's a lot of other flavors so a little goes a long way.  Plus this was super, super easy to prepare, and I even took it with us to a tailgate (so it travels well...just mix it all together just before serving).  I loved this salad!  It needed some salt but other than that, it was good!

Romaine lettuce, washed and torn
Grape tomatoes, halved
Parmesan or Romano cheese, shredded
Caesar style croutons
Turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled

Dressing:
3/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Mix dressing really well and drizzle over salad just before serving.

#371: Asian Chicken Marinade

Here's another super easy chicken marinade you can prepare ahead of time and freeze until ready to use.  This chicken was very moist, and cooked up really easily and well on the grill. 

6 Tablespoons rice vinegar
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (I used very little)
1/4 cup oil
1 Tablespoon sesame oil (I omitted)

Mix all of the ingredients and pour over uncooked chicken breasts or tenders.  Marinate for at least 30 minutes if serving immediately.  If freezing, place chicken and marinade in a Ziploc bag, and remove as much air as possible.  Freeze until ready to use.  When ready, defrost in fridge overnight then grill until done. 

#370: Low-Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Thanks to my friend Jaime, I've been looking for an excuse to make these cookies for about a week now.  (Jaime, stop sending me yummy looking recipes!).  :) I was definitely interested when I saw that these cookies only require 2 tbsp of butter!  Although I typically like "thicker" cookies, these had an awesome texture (slightly chewy, slightly crispy).  I am DEFINITELY making these again!  YUM!!

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 egg white
2 tbsp apple sauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (I omitted)
1/2 cup all purpose flour (I used 1 c)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°.  Lightly spray cookie sheets with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt and stir to blend. In another bowl, whisk the sugars, butter, egg white, applesauce and vanilla together until light and fluffy.

Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in two additions until the batter is very well blended. If the batter looks more “crumbly” than smooth, add just a drop of water at a time (ONLY if needed) until it smooths out.  Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop by level spoonfuls about 1 inch apart onto baking sheets.  Bake 8 - 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, and let them stand 5 minutes before removing the cookies from the pans to cool on wire racks.  Makes 2 dozen cookies.

#369: Blueberry Cake

Sorry for the dark photo!

I found a recipe for Blueberry Cupcakes, and since we just got fresh blueberries from the store this weekend, I figured it would be the perfect recipe to make for the girls to take to school with them.  I am way too lazy to deal with cupcake liners though, so I decided to make this into an 8x8 pan instead.  Cupcakes would have definitely been cuter, but this worked for me!  Allison and I really enjoyed this...Chloe mainly enjoyed the fresh whipped cream.  :) 
Cupcakes
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

3/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup fresh blueberries

Topping
1 1/3 cups heavy cream

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

2/3 cup fresh blueberries

1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar (optional)

1.  Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Line one 12-cup cupcake pan with foil or paper cupcake liners.

2.  In medium-size bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. In large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Add sugar and beat until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time. On low speed, add half the flour mixture. Beat in the milk and vanilla, followed by remaining flour mixture. Fold in fresh blueberries.
3. Spoon batter into pan, a scant 1/3 cup in each indent. Bake at 375 degrees F for 23 to 25 minutes, turning pan once. Cool in pan on wire rack, then remove cakes from pan to cool completely.
4. In large bowl, combine cream and granulated sugar. Beat until medium-stiff peaks are formed. Spoon onto cooled cupcakes, about 1/4 cup on each. Scatter 6 or 7 blueberries over each cupcake, and dust with a little confectioners sugar, if desired. Serve immediately or keep cool until serving.

#368: Pepperoni Pizza Casserole

This makes 2 casseroles, so I halved this recipe. (The recipe below is for the FULL recipe).  I made the meat filling on my freezer cooking day, and then just pulled it out last night and let it defrost in the fridge.  I reheated it in the microwave to get some of the chill out, added it to the cooked noodles and then baked it as directed.  We all really enjoyed this dinner...especially Chloe!  :)  We are definitely making this again!

1 package (16 ounces) egg noodles (I used penne)
2 pounds ground turkey
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 jar (26 ounces) meatless spaghetti sauce (I used 14 oz jar of pepperoni flavored pizza sauce + about 8 oz leftover spaghetti sauce)
1 can (10 ounces) diced tomatoes and green chilies (I omitted)
1 can (8 ounces) mushroom stems and pieces, drained (I omitted)
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese (I omitted)
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Parmesan cheese
3 ounces sliced turkey pepperoni  (I omitted)

In a Dutch oven, cook noodles according to package directions; drain.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook turkey and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the spaghetti sauce and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Stir in noodles. Transfer to two greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dishes. Sprinkle each with mushrooms, cheeses and pepperoni.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until heated through and cheeses have melted. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Yield: 2 casseroles (6 servings each).

#367: Sassy Tailgate Sandwiches

For years my mom has made little sandwiches that we call "hammies and turkeys."  They are VERY similar to these little ham sandwiches, and although I did enjoy these, I have to admit, I love our hammies/turkeys better.  I'm not saying these aren't good though!  These are yummy, easy, and one of the few ways I'll eat heated lunch meat.  Originally, I didn't want to spend money on the Gruyere, but it was sweet and mild, and I loved it!  I would definitely use this again in this meal, and in the future!  PS...spray your foil with non-stick spray.  I sprayed the bottoms but as you can see from the picture, the tops stuck to the foil!

12 count Hawaiian bread rolls
1 lb shaved black forest ham
12 thin slices Gruyere cheese
8 oz Philly Chive and onion cheese spread (I used plain cream cheese)
1/2 c butter, melted
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp dried minced onion
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese

Cut all rolls in half. Place roll bottoms in 9x13-inch pan.  Place equal amounts of ham on each roll bottom. Top with Gruyere.
On each of the roll tops, spread a generous amount of the cream cheese spread. Return the tops to the bottoms making sandwiches.

In a separate bowl, mix together the butter, Worcestershire sauce, onion and Parmesan cheese. Pour over your sandwiches and let sit for at least 20 minutes. (You can make these ahead of time and allow to sit in fridge overnight.)
Place sandwiches, covered in foil, in a preheated 350°F oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until warmed through.

#366: Pear and Bacon Grilled Cheese

Since this recipe called for jelly, bacon and fruit, I decided this would be a great breakfast meal!  :)  I found this recipe in my recent issue of Real Simple (along with a California Grilled Cheese recipe that I also plan to make eventually).  This was really good!  What a great updated version of grilled cheese!

2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 slices cheddar cheese (I used Gruyere since I had some on hand)
2 slices white bread
2 tbsp currant or fig jam (I used fresh cherry/raspberry jelly)
2 sliced cooked bacon (I used turkey bacon)
1/4 small pear, thinly sliced

Melt butter in a skillet over medium-low heat.  Form a sandwich using cheddar cheese, jam, bacon and pear.  Cook covered, 2-3 minutes per side, until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted.

#365: Spaghetti Pie

 Mmmm...this was a yummy dinner.  It was easy to make, I prepared it ahead of time and froze it until we were ready to use it, and it reheated in no time.  We served this with the pizza dough garlic bread we had a few night ago and it was a yummy, filling dinner.  We are definitely making this again.  AND my family had no idea I put sour cream in it!

1 pound lean ground beef (I used ground turkey)

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green pepper (I omitted)

1 cup canned diced tomatoes, undrained (I used about 1/2 c)

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste (I used tomato sauce)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon pepper

6 ounces spaghetti, cooked and drained

1 tablespoon butter, melted

2 egg whites, lightly beaten

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup (8 ounces) fat-free cottage cheese (I used about 1/8 c sour cream and then topped it with 3 mozzarella slices)

1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (I used grated Parmesan)

In a nonstick skillet, cook the beef, onion and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink.  Drain.  Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, salt, garlic powder, sugar and pepper.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the spaghetti, butter, egg whites and Parmesan cheese.  Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch pie plate coated with cooking spray.  Top with cottage cheese and beef mixture.  Sprinkle mozzarella on top.  Cover pie pan with foil; label and freeze.

To Serve: Thaw. Bake, covered, for 25 minutes at 350 F. Remove foil and bake for 5 minutes more until cheese is lightly browned.

#364: Tex-Mex Beef Enchiladas

To say that Allison enjoyed this is a huge understatement.  Usually when we have enchiladas I give the girls taco meat wrapped in a shell w/out the enchilada sauce.  This time though, I figured I'd just give them some of ours.  Chloe wasn't a huge fan (she's not a huge fan of tacos though) but Allison RAVED about these throughout dinner.  (By the way, Brian and I really enjoyed this too!)

1 can mild enchilada sauce
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 pound lean ground beef
salt and pepper 
6 flour tortillas   
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese   
Optional toppings: sour cream, tomatoes, cilantro, etc.

In a 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat ½ tablespoon oil over medium-high.  Add onion, garlic, and beef; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until cooked through, about 8 minutes.

Warm tortillas in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds to soften.  Fill each with a heaping ¼ cup beef mixture and 2 tablespoons cheese; tightly roll up.  Arrange enchiladas, seam side down, in baking dish.

To freeze: Cover dish with plastic wrap and foil. Label, date, and freeze enchiladas. Use within 2 months; bake without thawing.

To bake from frozen:  Preheat oven to 400°.  Remove foil and plastic wrap from baking dish. Pour enchilada sauce over top, and sprinkle with cheese (we didn't do this because we were completely out of shredded cheese); cover with foil.  Bake 30 minutes.  Uncover; bake until lightly browned and bubbly, about 10 minutes.

If baking right away:
Preheat oven to 350°.  Pour enchilada sauce over top, and sprinkle with cheese.  Cover with foil and bake 20-30 minutes or until heated through.  Uncover; bake until lightly browned and bubbly.