Pineapple-Glazed Chicken w/ Jalapeño Salsa

This was SO good! The salsa alone was delicious, and pretty. I plan to do this (the salsa) again next time we have halibut. I found this recipe on epicurious. I applied some people's suggestions to my own dinner: I doubled the glaze and tripled the salsa. Also, marinated my chicken in 1 cup OJ concentrate, 1 cup soy sauce, and a few cloves of sliced garlic for about an hour.
*see nutritional facts at the bottom*

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup pineapple juice
• 2 tablespoons (packed) brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• 3/4 cup 1/4-inch cubes fresh pineapple (I used canned. You need the juice anyway! And saves from cutting.)
• 3 tablespoons finely diced red bell pepper
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
• 1 1/2 tablespoons canned sliced jalapeño chiles, drained, coarsely chopped (I prefer fresh. Cheaper too)
• 4 boneless chicken breast halves with skin (1 3/4 pounds total)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. 
• Bring pineapple juice, brown sugar, and mustard to boil in small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil until glaze has thickened slightly, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. 
• Line baking sheet with foil. Place chicken on sheet and brush with glaze. Bake 15 minutes. Brush again with glaze, then broil until cooked through and golden, watching closely to avoid burning, about 5 minutes longer. Let rest 5 minutes. 
• While chicken is cooking, mix pineapple, red pepper, cilantro, onion, and chiles in medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
• Spoon salsa over chicken and serve.

(this is pre-cooked)

 

Nutritional facts:
Per serving: 344.1 kcal calories, 31.1 % calories from fat, 11.9 g fat, 3.2 g saturated fat, 120.0 mg cholesterol, 14.0 g carbohydrates, 1.0 g dietary fiber, 11.7 g total sugars, 13.0 g net carbohydrates, 43.7 g protein

Barbecue Pulled Chicken

I found this recipe on eatingwell.com
I love using the crock pot, because then I don't feel like I did a whole lot to get dinner ready, and can ACTUALLY enjoy my food when I eat it. Yummy delicious food.

Ingredients:

• 1 8-ounce can reduced-sodium tomato sauce
• 1 4-ounce can chopped green chiles, drained
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon sweet or smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard*
• 1 teaspoon ground chipotle chile
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Directions:

• Stir tomato sauce, chiles, vinegar, honey, paprika, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, ground chipotle and salt in a 6-quart slow cooker until smooth. Add chicken, onion and garlic; stir to combine.

 

* I didn't have dry mustard on hand, so I put a couple squirts of dijon. Still delicious!*

This is a double batch FYI. Had chicken that needed to be used, so I doubled and froze half for another dinner. I just wanted to clarify so you're not confused seeing all that mustard. :)

• Put the lid on and cook on low until the chicken can be pulled apart, about 5 hours.
• Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred with a fork. Return the chicken to the sauce, stir well and serve.
• This was great on buns, and I'm sure it would be great over rice, on salads, or regular bread as well.

• Nutrition: (just meat mix. Choose your bread/bun wisely) 

Per serving: 184 calories; 8 g fat ( 2 g sat , 3 g mono ); 68 mg cholesterol; 8 g carbohydrates; 3 g added sugars; 20 g protein; 1 g fiber; 257 mg sodium; 303 mg potassium.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Another great one from a Kitchen Kneads cooking class. This is less than 400 calories! (that's INCLUDING a 1/2 cup of brown rice)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice (Use canned pineapple, and then add the pineapple at the end if desired)
• 1 jalapeno, chopped (optional)
• 1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
• 2 cups evenly sliced vegetables (I used green and red bell peppers and carrots)
• 1-2 Tbsp sesame seeds
• canola oil
• 1/4 pound snow peas
• salt and pepper
• 4 grilled boneless chicken breasts

Directions:

• Heat stove to high. Place the vinegars, soy sauce, pineapple juice, sugar, jalapeno, and ginger in a medium sauce pan and cook over high heat until reduced by half, stirring occasionally. If sauce becomes to thick, just add a little water.

 

• Strain the sauce through a strainer into a bowl. Briefly saute the vegetable in canola oil and then stir in about half of the sauce along with the peas, sesame seeds, and pepper.

• Brush the chicken on both sides with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until golden brown on both sides and just cooked through, while brushing with the sauce. Remove chicken and immediately serve with vegetable mixture, brown rice and any remaining sauce.
• YUM!

(I didn't use snow peas, and I like extra sauce so I made a bit more)

 

• For a QUICK option: use pre-cooked chicken cut into thin slices and toss at the very end with vegetable/sauce mix just until heated through. Serve over rice with extra sauce. Wah-la!

Healthy Baked Chicken Nuggets

Another delicious and easy recipe from Gina's Skinny Recipes. Even your kids will love it! The only thing I did differently was I used my Special K cereal instead of Panko... I didn't want to have to go to the store for ONE thing. I improvised, and it was still great.

Ingredients:

• 16 oz (2 large) skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into even bite sized pieces
• salt and pepper
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 6 Tbsp whole wheat Italian Seasoned bread crumbs
• 2 Tbsp panko
• 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425 deg. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray.
• Put the olive oil in one bowl and the breadcrumbs, panko, and parmesan cheese in another.
• Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste, then put in olive oil and mix well so it evenly coats all the chicken.
• Then put chicken into the breadcrumb mixture to coat, then on baking sheet.
• Lightly spray the top with olive oil spray and bake 8-10 min. Turn over then cook another 4-5 or until cooked through.
• Yum!

Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 1/4th of nuggets
Calories: 164.9 • Fat: 4.6 g • Protein: 22.1 g • Carb: 7.7 g • Fiber: 0.9 g • Sugar: 0.1 g

Maple Mustard Pork Tenderloin

Another delicious and healthy meal from a Kitchen Kneads class.

 

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp Dijon mustard, divided
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed
• 2 tsps canola oil
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 3 Tbsp maple syrup (real maple syrup)
• 1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh sage, or 1/2 tsp dried sage

Directions:

• Preheat oven 425 degrees.
• Combine 1-2 Tbsp mustard and pepper in a small bowl; rub all over pork. 

• Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and brown on all sides, 3-5 min. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast until meat thermometer registers 145 deg (about 20 minutes). (should still be a lil pink in middle)
• Transfer to cutting board and let rest at least 5 minutes.
• Place the skillet over med-high heat, add vinegar, and boil, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon, about 30 seconds. Whisk in maple syrup and the remaining 2 Tbsp mustard; bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. (I doubled the sauce since I had 2)
• Slice the pork. Add any accumulated juices to the sauce along with the sage. Serve the pork topped with the sauce.

 Nutrition facts: 225 calories, 7 g fat (2 g sat), 9 g carb, 28 g protein, 0 g fiber

Santa Fe Chicken

Mmmmmm.... and only 190 calories for 1 cup! Love it! Seriously IN LOVE with this new website. (new to me) skinnytaste.com  Check it out. Also counts for weight watchers points, if anyone out there is interested in that.

Over rice.

Ingredients

• 24 oz (1 1/2) lbs chicken breast
• 14.4 oz can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
• 15 oz can black beans
• 8 oz frozen corn
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 14.4 oz can fat free chicken broth
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
  
• salt to taste

Combine chicken broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt in the crock pot. Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Adjust salt and seasoning. Serve over ric.

Mmmm... love it colorful!

Makes a great salad too!

This is for JUST the meat mix:

Servings: 8 servings • Size: 1 cup •
Calories: 190 • Fat: 1.5 g • Fiber: 5.6 g • Carbs: 23.1 g • Protein: 21 g

Sweet Barbacoa Pork

This one is for all you Costa Vida/Cafe Rio lovers! But unlike their 1300 calorie sweet pork salads... this one is only 202 calories per serving! (for just the meat part.) Gotta love that! This is from skinnytaste.com

 We made it into burritos and/or salads. Delicious!

Ingredients

Marinade:

• 2.5 lbs pork loin roast, all fat trimmed
• salt and pepper
• garlic powder
• 6 oz Coke zero
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (unpacked)
• 1/4 cup water

Step 2

• 8 oz Coke zero
• 6 oz can sliced green chilies
• 8 oz tomato sauce
• 1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp cumin
• 1/8 tsp chipotle chili powder (to taste)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup brown sugar (unpacked)

Season pork with salt, pepper and garlic powder and place in the crock pot. Add 6 oz of coke and 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Marinate refrigerated for a few hours or overnight turning meat at least once while marinating.

Remove crock from refrigerator, add water, and cook on high for about 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily). Remove pork from crock pot and discard any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork with two forks.

Step two: In the crock pot, combine 8 oz coke, green chilies, tomato sauce, chipotle chile, garlic powder, cumin, chipotle chili powder and remaining brown sugar.

Put shredded pork back in the crock pot and combine with sauce. Adjust salt and pepper to taste, cover and cook on high 1-1/2 hours more.

 

Just for the MEAT mix:

Servings: about 10 • Serving Size: 3 oz •
Calories: 202.5 • Fat: 6.3 g • Protein: 26.2 g • Carb: 11.5 g • Fiber: 0.6 g

Asian Lettuce Wraps

I love lettuce wraps. I have several recipes and when I found this one I had to give it a try! 

Asian Lettuce Wraps
Recipe by Our Best Bites
2 tsp canola oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 lb ground chicken* I used turkey and I doubled the amount.
3 ounces mushrooms, finely chopped (about 8 small mushrooms)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 C bagged coleslaw mix or thinly shredded cabbage
1 8oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained, rinsed, and finely minced
1/2 C thinly sliced green onions
4 Tbs soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 lemon, zested and juiced (about 3-4 Tbs juice)
1/2-1 tsp sriracha or other hot sauce (1 tsp of Sriracha is fairly spicy in my opinion, so if you want less or no kick, just give it a little, or you can leave it out completely) I left this out - only cause I have no idea what it is!
1/3 C roughly chopped cilantro left out this!
1-2 heads iceberg lettuce
*To prepare your own ground chicken, cut boneless skinless chicken breasts into large chunks and pulse in a food processor until ground.
Dipping/Drizzling Sauce
4 Tbs soy sauce
4 Tbs rice vinegar
3 Tbs water
2 tsp honey
1-2 tsp finely minced fresh ginger
Heat a very large skillet to medium-high heat on the stove top.  When hot, add vegetable  oil and then garlic and ginger.  Saute for about 30 seconds, until fragrant, and then add ground chicken, chopped mushrooms, and kosher salt.  Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until chicken is cooked through.  (*At this point, sometimes I have some extra liquid in the pan from the chicken.  If it’s quite a bit, I tilt the pan and spoon it out so the chicken can cook and not boil.) Add cabbage/coleslaw, water chestnuts, and green onions.  Cook for about 2 minutes, until cabbage starts to wilt.  Add soy sauce, sesame oil, the zest from the lemon and the lemon juice, and hot sauce to taste.  Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.
To prepare dipping sauce, combine all ingredients and whisk to combine.
To serve, carefully remove the individual leaves from the head of lettuce.  (The closer you get to the center, the easier it becomes!)  Place chicken mixture in the leaves and serve with sauce.
Yield: about 5 C chicken mixture.  Makes 14-16 lettuce wraps.

*Next time I would double the cabbage too.  I used a whole bag of the coleslaw, so it was more then called for but I would use more!  It made a lot, we had leftovers which was great!!

Greek-Spiced Baked Shrimp

I LOVE shrimp! I really don't know if you can go wrong with it... unless you burn it or something... :)

I found this recipe on Epicurious and it is definitely one that I would make again. Mmmmm....

From the Website... I wish I had that cool bowl.

 Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in juice, drained, reserving juice, and chopped
• Pinch of sugar
• 1 1/4 pound large peeled and deveined shrimp
• 1/4 pound feta, crumbled (2/3 cup)
• 2 tablespoons chopped dill

 Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.

• Cook onion and garlic in oil with 1/4 teaspoon salt in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in spices and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add chopped tomatoes with juice and sugar and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

• Season shrimp with 1/8 teaspoon salt, then stir into tomato sauce. Transfer to a 2-quart shallow baking dish and top with feta. Bake until just cooked through, 18 to 20 minutes. Serve sprinkled with dill.

• Would be great served over rice or pasta. Enjoy!

My plates just aren't as cool.

Quinoa Veggie Burritos

I love these burritos! They are easy and it makes a ton. I usually freeze half of the filling and we can have it another night! it looks like a lot of work, but it isn't too bad!! my kids love them too! Plus they are good for you!!

1 (15 oz) can black beans

1 (15 oz) can white hominy beans

1 (15 oz) can black eyed peas

1 cup corn

1 cup red quinoa cooked (pronounced keenwa)

1 jalapeno pepper - i don't put this in

4 green onions

1/2 cup yellow onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 green pepper

2 tomatoes

1/4 cup cilantro - i don't put this in either

1 (11.5 oz) can V8

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp oregano

1 small lime juice

1 tbsp extra virgin oil
1 or 2 avocados

2 1/2 cups pepper jack cheese grated - i always use colby jack

whole wheat tortilla

drain cans of beans in colander, add corn and let drain while preparing rest of ingredients.

finely chop peppers, green onion, yellow onion, tomatoes, clintro and avocado. reserve half of an avocado for dip. mince garlic

In a large bowl combine quinoa, beans and corn. Add fresh ingredients and stir. pour V8 over the top. add spices and lime juice. mix together. gently fold in avocado and cheese.

place 2/3 cup of filling onto tortilla. fold burrito style. spray cookie sheet with non stick spray place burritos on sheet and spry them with non stick cooking spray.

bake 400 for 10 min. turn burritos over spray again and cook 10 more min. for the last 10 min I top with a little extra cheese!

serve with avocado ranch.

1 cup ranch dressing

1/2 avocado.

puree avocado - stir in ranch until smooth

Halibut with Zucchini Salsa Verde

My husband is a fisherman... So we love to eat fish. I'm always looking for good/delicious fish recipes so that it doesn't get boring to eat. I found this one on Epicurious, and we loved it! We even used the salsa verde for fish tacos the next night. It was delicious!

My blender broke while trying to make this, so a lil shout out to Kassey for being such an awesome neighbor and loaning me her's. Otherwise, this meal would not have happened... at least not that night. :)

I also calculated this recipe using caloriecount.com and it's only ~250 calories per serving! Love that!!!

Ingredients:

• 10 ounces zucchini (about 2 medium), trimmed, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro plus leaves for garnish
• 1/3 cup chopped white onion
• 5 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 1/2 tablespoons chopped seeded jalapeño chiles
• 1 1/4 teaspoons finely grated lime peel
• 2 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided    ***comments on the site said this was too much salt... I used about half this and that seemed just right to me...***
• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground coriander
• 6 6-ounce skinless halibut fillets or cod fillets.

Directions:

• Combine first 6 ingredients in a blender. Add 1 1/4 tsp salt. (about half this, if you decided to use less like I did) Puree until salsa is smooth. Transfer to a small bowl. Cover and chill. (can be made 2 hours ahead)
• Preheat broiler. Line broiler pan with foil. Coat foil with nonstick spray. Combine pepper, coriander, and remaining salt in a small bowl; stir to blend. Pat fish dry. Sprinkle fish on all sides with seasoning mixture.
• Arrange fish on prepared pan. Broil until just opaque in center, 3 to 4 minutes per side, depending on thickness.
• Transfer fish to plates. Spoon some salsa over top. Garnish with cilantro leaves. Serve with remaining salsa.

Cranberry Feta Couscous Salad

Is it rice? Is it a pasta? Maybe a lil of both??

If you are anything like me.... you've never tried Couscous, and you aren't quite sure what it is exactly.... Am I right? Don't be scared.

My mom and I went to a "Well Balanced Cooking" class hosted by our lovely Kitchen Kneads. We got a handful of recipes that are delicious AND healthy. Gotta love that even more!

So, if you are up for something different, give this a shot. One of our healthy recipes:

 

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces whole wheat couscous (you'll find this most likely in your RICE isle at the store... but Walmart didn't carry any coucous. Just a heads up.)
• water (to make your couscous as directed on package)
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries (Craisins) 
• 1 Tbsp curry powder or 2 tsp cumin (a lil sweeter flavor)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 orange, juiced
• 1-2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3-4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced on an angle
• 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 cup walnuts (optional)
• Pepper
• Feta, add to taste

Directions:

• In a medium sauce pan, combine water, curry, sugar, salt, and orange juice to a boil over medium-high heat.
• Remove pan from heat and stir in the couscous. Cover the pan until the couscous is tender and all of the liquid has been absorbed. (about 5-6 minutes)
• Put the couscous in a large bowl and add cranberries, parsley, scallions, feta, nuts, and lemon juice.
• Drizzle with olive oil and season with pepper and feta to taste. 
• Toss until well combined.

ps. I think this is actually better served cold. But that may just be me. See what you think.

Open-faced Apricot Turkey Sandwiches

I went to a cooking class at Kitchen Kneads for "Well Balanced Cooking" and got a bunch of wonderful, delicious, healthy recipes. Can't wait to share them.

First off, this turkey sandwich. You may think it doesn't sound very good at first, (hey, I didn't) but it is AWESOME! Like a 'healthier' grilled cheese. Mmmmmmm! The apricot on top, is magical. Not even joking. Easy and quick to make.

• 4 slices of bread (preferably whole-grain)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Provolone or low-fat mozzarella in 1-2 oz slices
• sliced turkey
• baby spinach
• apricot preserves

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400.
• Arrange slices of bread on a cookie sheet and brush each with olive oil. (I cut mine in half to begin with... but you don't have to.)
• Top with spinach, 2 slices of turkey, and cheese.

• Toast in oven for approx 5-7 min, or until bread is slightly crisp and cheese is melted and bubbly.
• Remove from oven. Top each sandwich with about 2 tsp apricot preserves, spreading over hot cheese. 
• Serve warm.
• Eat up!