Bruschetta Chicken over Roasted Veggies

What a delicious and healthy meal! This definitely curbed my appetite for Italian food! I wasn't even missing pasta when I ate this! With buying the bruschetta instead of making it myself, I was able to save a lot of time on my busy week night!

Ingredients:

1 lb of chicken tenders or thin sliced chicken breast
1 bunch of asparagus
1 purple onion
1 ball of mozzarella cheese
1 container of bruschetta (I used the Trader Joe's brand and it was delicious!)
1 tablespoon of EVOO
Fresh basil leaves for garnish
Salt and pepper for garnish

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 400. Chop the asparagus in half and chop up your purple onion. Place the asparagus and onion, along with the EVOO drizzled on top in a casserole dish and place in the oven.The vegetables will need about 35-40 minutes to cook. Next, grill up your chicken. While your chicken is grilling, warm up your bruschetta and thinly slice your mozzarella. Once the chicken is finished cooking, top with thin slices of mozzarella and top with the bruschetta. Plate up with the vegetables underneath and garnish with fresh basil leaves, salt and pepper. Dig in and enjoy!

Thai Coconut Curry Chicken with Jasmine Rice

This is one of my easiest, most delicious recipes! I just gave the recipe to my friend and she loved it! The good part is, it is just as delicious re-heated so it makes for a good lunch for work. The pictures don't do this meal justice. Just trust me it's amazing!

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons of yellow curry sauce

1 can of coconut milk

1 tomato

4 garlic cloves

4 tablespoons of butter

1-2 lbs of chicken thighs

Green onion for garish

Your choice or rice to serve it over ( I used Minute Jasmine Rice)

Red pepper flakes for garnish if you want a kick

Directions:

You will need 2 separate frying pans, 1 medium and 1 large. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the medium frying pan and 2 tablespoons of butter to the large frying pan. Put both on medium heat. While the butter is melting, chop up your garlic cloves into small pieces along with the onion. Add the garlic and onion to the medium frying pan and stir well. Next, take the curry sauce and coconut milk and add them to the large frying pan. Stir well. Bring this to a boil. While this is warming up, cube up the chicken thighs into 1 inch by 1 inch sized pieces. Also be sure to trim off any unwanted fat. Chop up your tomato. At this point, the onion and garlic should be well cooked. Add this mixture to the large frying pan with the curry mixture. Next, add the cubed up tomato and chicken. Keep this covered at a low boil for about 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve over your favorite rice (I used minute rice because I work full time!) Garnish with chopped green onion and red pepper flakes in the picture below. Enjoy!

Cheesy Ritz Chicken

My parents came over last night for the first dinner I made them at my new place. I wanted to make something tasty, but easy since I didn't want to spend the entire night in the kitchen. This recipe is perfect for a busy weeknight and makes for a very easy clean up. The total prep time for this meal is about 5 minutes - my kind of cooking!

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs of thin sliced chicken ( you should get about 6 pieces or so)

8 oz sour cream ( you can substitute light or low fat sour cream)

2 sleeves of reduced fat ritz crackers

1 bag of shredded cheese ) I used a mixed cheddar variety

Non-stick spray

Parsley for garnish

Greek seasoning (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray. Lay out the chicken breasts evenly on the casserole dish. Sprinkle them with greek seasoning, or any other desired seasoning. Spread a thin layer of sour cream on each slice of chicken.

Top each slice of chicken with an even amount of the shredded cheese and pat the cheese down lightly on each chicken breast.

Next, take the two sleeves of Ritz Crackers and mash them up until they are crumb sized. Use a heavy tool to do this (I used my garlic slicer.) Sprinkle the ritz on top of the chicken, covering completely. Place the dish in your preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. Some ovens cook faster than others, so be sure to cut into the chicken first to make sure it is cooked through. Garnish with fresh parsley. Serve with your favorite sides. I served this dish with a side of baked scallops and a garden salad. Delicious!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

I'm going to admit - I've never been a fan of Chicken Cordon Bleu. The chicken always ends up tasting dry and chewy - yuck! I do how ever, love stuffing! This twist on Chicken Cordon Bleu will keep you craving more!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 -2 lbs of chicken
1/4 lb of thick sliced deli ham
6 slices of swiss cheese from the deli
1 head of broccoli
1 can cheddar cheese condensed soup
2 cups of stovetop stuffing (you will also need 2 tablespoons of butter according to their recipe)
Non-stick spray

Directions:

Cook the chicken according to your desire. I use the George Foreman grill because it is quick and easy and leaves the chicken juicy! Boil the broccoli until cooked through. Pre-heat your oven to 350. Cube up the ham and cooked chicken into bite sized pieces. Begin cooking the stuffing according to the instructions on the side on the package. While the stuffing is cooking, mix together the cut up chicken, ham, broccoli and can of cheddar cheese condensed soup. Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray and fill with your mixture. Top your mixture with the swiss cheese. Layout your cooked stuffing evenly on top of the swiss cheese. Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until it gets bubbly. Take it out of the oven once it is bubbly and let sit for five minutes. Serve!

Honey BBQ Pulled Chicken

Nothing beats southern cooking in my mind! I love pulled chicken with coleslaw and mac and cheese! Yum-o! This recipe took little to no effort to make which was awesome!

Ingredients:

1 lb of chicken tenderloin
1/2 container of sweet baby Ray's honey barbecue sauce
1 cup of water
1 tablespoon of garlic
1 teaspoon of brown sugar

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in crock pot and stir. Place on high for 3 hours or until the chicken is cooked through. Shred with a fork and serve. I served mine in  a pita pocket with cheese and a side of Annie's organic mac and cheese and my coleslaw recipe found in my post "Honey BBQ Chicken, Coleslaw and Sweet Potato Fries"

Asian Chicken Wings

Who doesn't love chicken wings? Check out this twist on Chinese Chicken!

Ingredients:

-1 tablespoon of soy sauce (low sodium)
-1 tablespoon of brown sugar
-1/4 cup orange marmalade
-1/4 cup of Asian sesame salad dressing
-2 Lbs of chicken wings

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450. Mix together the soy sauce, brown sugar, orange marmalade and Asian sesame dressing. Once the oven is preheated, line a baking sheet with tin-foil. Place the chicken wings on the sheet so that they are not touching. Place in the oven for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, flip over the chicken wings and brush with the mixture. Continue cooking for another 15 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. Serve with your favorite dressing or eat plain!


Nutrition Information (for 1 chicken wing - this recipe should make about 13 chicken wings total)

Calories - 122
Fat - 7
Carbs - 6
Protein - 9
Sodium - 100
Fiber - 0

Low Calorie Mexican Quesadillas!

Mexican is by far, one of my favorite comfort foods. Cheese and salt – yes please! My friend and I have ladies night every Tuesday night. We  go for a walk, catch up, watch chick shows,  drink wine and cook dinner. We take turns cooking and tonight is my night. We are both on a path of living a healthier lifestyle so we always cook healthy meals. Last Tuesday, she cooked one of my favorites – Hungry Girl Mexican Chicken! This week we still have a craving for Mexican, so I figured who doesn’t love quesadillas? They’re filling and easy to make! The best part about quesadillas is that there are endless options, so feel free to be creative and have fun!

Ingredients:

•           4oz of chicken
•          1/3 cup of shredded taco blend cheese
•          2 white corn tortillas (I bought the smaller ones for lower calories)
•          ¼ cup of black beans
•           2 tablespoons of mild salsa
•           ¼ of a Vidalia onion
•          PAM or non-stick cooking spray

Directions:

Cook up the chicken according to instructions on package and cut it up into bite size pieces (I use a George Foreman Grill because it’s quick and easy.) Slice the onion to desired size and fry up in a medium frying pan with non-stick spray. Open the can of black beans and rinse them well. Now here comes the cool part. I have a Quesadilla maker which can be found at target for about $20. It makes it quick and easy with minimal clean up. If you do not have a quesadilla maker, use a large frying pan. Spray one of the tortillas with non-stick spray and place face down on your frying pan or quesadilla maker. Sprinkle your cheese, cut up chicken, beans, salsa and onion. Cover with the remaining tortilla and spray the top with non-stick spray. If you have the quesadilla maker, secure it shut at this point and let it cook until the edges are crispy and light brown. If you are using a frying pan, flip like a pancake once the bottom is light brown and the cheese is melty. Let the other side brown and get crispy and it’s finished. Cut it up like a pizza and serve! I like to garnish mine with light sour cream and guacamole – sometimes even salsa!

Nutrition Information – (This recipe makes 1 serving – does not include garnish of sour cream and guacamole)

Calories: 470

Carbs: 37

Fat: 14

Protein: 38

Sodium: 495

Fiber: 7

Super Easy Parmesan Crusted Chicken – 184 calories Per Serving!

My Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Steamed Brocolli & Brown Rice - 334 Calories & 9 grams of fat!

T.G.I. Friday's Parmesan Crusted Chicken, Tomato Salad & Tortellini - 790 Calories & 54 grams of fat!

I tried to make a copy-cat of the T.G.I.F’s Parmesan Crusted Chicken. I absolutely love theirs but looked up the calories and fat and almost fainted! I’d say it came pretty close to tasting like it, only I didn’t feel like I was in a food coma after eating it! I served mine with broccoli and brown rice and it was super filling and delicious!

Ingredients:

16oz of chicken breast (I like the ones that are cut thin – that way they don’t get chewy and dry when baking them)

-4 Tablespoons of light mayonnaise

-3 tablespoons of fresh grated Parmesan cheese

-2 tablespoons of Italian style or seasoned bread crumbs

- A sprinkle of Greek seasoning (or any other kind of mixed-spice to sprinkle on top)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. In a mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, cheese and bread crumbs and mix well. Lay out the chicken on a non-stick sprayed casserole dish. Cover the chicken in the mixture. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. Garnish with a sprinkle of Greek seasoning on top and serve with your favorite sides. Now how easy is that?!

Nutrition Information – (For (1) 4oz. serving, this recipe makes 4 servings.)

Calories : 184

Carbs: 2

Fat: 7

Protein: 29

Sodium: 350

Fiber: 0

Taco Chicken Salad - 227 Calories!

I am finally back! Since graduating I haven't been able to find the time to update my blog, but I have been doing a lot of cooking so there are lots of recipes to be added! I made this meal as a post workout meal and it was delicious!

Ingredients:

- 3/4 cup of chopped fresh tomatoes
- 1/4 cup of canned corn (rinsed)
- 1/4 cup of black beans (rinsed)
- 1/2 cup of shredded lettuce
- 3 slices of avocado
- 2 teaspoons of low sodium taco seasoning
- 2 tablespoons of light mayonnaise
- (2) 4oz chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup of fat free shredded cheese for topping

Directions:

Cook up the chicken and chop up into bite sized pieces. In a small mixing bowl, mix the mayonnaise and taco seasoning until smooth. In a larger mixing bowl, add the chicken, tomatoes, corn, beans and mayonnaise mixture and mix well. ***If you are making this and will be eating it right away, add the lettuce and avocado and sprinkle the cheese on top. ***If you are making this for the future, hold off on adding the lettuce avocado and cheese and don't add until you are ready to eat it.

Nutrition Facts - (This makes 2 servings. Nutrition information is for 1/2 of the recipe - 1 serving)

Calories - 227
Carbs - 11
Fat - 9
Protein - 27
Sodium - 579
Fiber - 4

Hungry Girl Mexican Chicken

I made this with a friend of mine based off of a Hungry Girl recipe. It was absolutely amazing and filled my craving for cheesy mexican food. Not only was it simple, but really cheap to make and didn't take much time out of my busy night - leaving plenty of time for girls night!

Ingredients:

- 4 pieces of chicken (1 per serving, alter this based on how many servings you are making)
- 1 can of fat free re-fried beans
- 4 wedges of laughing cow cheese (I used the queso kind)
- 1/4-1/2 package of taco seasoning
- about 5 natural corn chips
- Fat free shredded cheese for sprinkling on top

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix beans and laughing cow cheese, melt if you need to. In a plastic ziplock bag, place tortilla chips and taco seasoning. Hit the bag with your hand in order to crush the chips into little pieces and mix around with the taco seasoning. Pound out the chicken breasts until they are thin. Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken. Stuff the chicken with the rice and cheese mixture and fold in half. Spray a cookie sheet with pam and place the stuffed chicken on the sheet. Once the oven is ready, place the cookie sheet with the chicken in it. Let the chicken cook for about 15 minutes. When the chicken is almost done, sprinkle the top with the crushed chips and taco seasoning. Sprinkle the fat free cheese on top. Place back in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. I served mine with Spanish near east rice pilaf. For less sodium and calories, try steamed veggies.

Nutrition Information Per Serving (1 stuffed chicken)

Calories - 329
Carbs - 21
Fat - 7
Protein - 45
Sodium - 896
Fiber - 6

For more Healthy Mexican Meals , check out the Mexican link on the left hand panel.

Crock Pot Salsa Chicken

This is a great recipe for a Mexican night in. When you eat it, you might wish you’re on a beach with an ice cold beer, and ya know what? Go ahead and drink the beer, because this dish is super filling but also low calorie, so you can splurge a little after a long day with an ice cold beer!

Ingredients:

-  1 lb of chicken breasts

- 1 cup of salsa

- ½ package of reduced sodium taco seasoning

- 1 can of reduced fat cream of mushroom soup

- ½ cup fat free sour cream

-1 cup of black beans rinsed

- 1 cup of canned of corn rinsed

- ½ onion chopped

- ½ green pepper chopped

Directions:

Add the raw chicken to the slow cooker and place it on low. Sprinkle the chicken with the taco seasoning. Pour in salsa, soup, sour cream, onions, peppers, and rinsed beans and corn. Mix all of the ingredients together and cover. Cook in the crockpot on low for about 6 hours or until the chicken is cooked. You can serve this over Spanish rice or eat it as a burrito in a whole wheat wrap topped with low fat cheese. I just eat it plain, since it’s so darn good!

Nutrition facts for 1 serving (1 cup) - This recipe makes around 5-6 cups

Calories - 210

Carbs - 30

Fat - 4

Protein - 22

Sodium - 976

Fiber - 4

Add one ice cold Bud Select 55 Beer to top it off with – only 55 calories and 2 carbs! That’s only 265 calories total for the beer and 1 serving! Heck, throw in a second beer for a total of 320 calories!

Honey BBQ Chicken, Coleslaw, and Sweet Potato Fries.

It is a beautiful day today! The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and the grass is green. Hello Spring! I was thinking, what better way to rush along the season than to fire up the grill! Normally, right now I would be craving Applebee's honey barbecue boneless wings, french fries, and a side of coleslaw. I did my homework and this meal has 1813 calories and 90 grams of fat! (And you wonder why they make this meal half off after 9 PM!) This doesn't even include the blue cheese dressing that I use to dunk my chicken in. Since this meal isn't even an option for me, I decided to make it healthy with substitutions. I usually prep everything before dinner, so that when it comes time to cook it, it will only take around 20 minutes.

Coleslaw

Ingredients:

- 1 bag of coleslaw mix (located next to the bagged lettuce in your grocery store)
- 1 tbsp of real mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp of light mayonnaise
- a pinch of salt and pepper
- 1/2 tbsp of sweetener (I used truvia)

Directions:

Combine all of the ingredients and mix well. That's it! I usually let this sit in the refrigerator for around 2 hours to let the flavors blend.

Nutrition Facts for 1 serving (1/2 cup) - This will make around 8 servings
Calories- 31
Carbs- 0
Fat - 2
Protein - 0
Sodium - 25
Fiber - 0
Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients: 

- (2) 3-4 inch sweet potatoes
-EVOO (Extra virgin olive oil)
- a pinch of salt and pepper
- garlic powder
-Pam

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Wash and peel the sweet potatoes. Slice the potatoes to be in the shape of french fries. Be sure to evenly cut them in width. Once they are all sliced, place them in a mixing bowl. Drizzle them with EVOO (very little because the more you put, the more fat you add) , salt and pepper, and garlic powder. I usually use a lot of garlic powder to give it loads of flavor. Mix well. (This is the step that I usually stop at for prepping) From here, take 2 cookie sheets and spray them with PAM. Evenly lay out the potatoes, being sure that they do not overlap. Spray the tops with PAM. Place them in the oven for around 20 minutes. Be sure to flip them to evenly brown each side. Sometimes I place the oven on the broiler option for the last two minutes to make them extra crispy. Serve! (I like to dip them in ketchup like real french fries!)

Nutrition Facts For about 1/3  of a batch
Calories - 103
Carbs - 24
Fat- 2
Protein - 2
Sodium -  280
Fiber - 4



Honey BBQ Chicken


Ingredients: 

- 1 lb of chicken breasts
- 1 container of Sweet Baby Ray's honey BBQ sauce

Directions:

Throughly rinse the chicken. Place in a bowl. Pour the Honey BBQ sauce over the chicken and mix. Let the chicken marinade for at least 3 hours. (I let mine sit for about 24 hours, because the longer you let it marinade, the better it tastes!) Place the grill on high and let it warm up for about 5 minutes. Lower the grill to medium heat and place the chicken on the grill. Cook each side for about 3 minutes, or until there is no more pink in the middle.

Nutrition Facts for 4 oz chicken with marinade
Calories- 170
Carbs- 17
Fat - 1
Protein - 22
Sodium - 410
Fiber - 0

Total Nutrition for 1 meal (1/2 cup coleslaw, 1/3 batch of Sweet Potato Fries, and 4 oz of chicken)
Calories - 304
Carbs -  41
Fat - 5
Protein - 24
Sodium 715
Fiber - 4

And that's how you save 1509 calories and 87 grams of fat :0) Feel free to have seconds!

Poppy Seed Chicken Bake

This recipe i have from my grandmother who passed 2 years ago. I miss her more and more as time goes on. I especially wish she was still here to teach me how to cook, since she was the queen of comfort food. I haven't had this meal in about 2 years, and I came across it and had to make it as my next meal. I was able to modify all of the ingredients to fit my low cal / low fat diet. Feel free to add brown rice and veggies to it to add some fiber.

Ingredients:

- 1 lb of chicken breast

- 1 can of low fat cream of mushroom soup

- 1 cup of fat free / low fat sour cream

- 15 reduced fat ritz crackers

- 1 tbsp of poppy seeds

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the chicken as desired (I cooked the chicken in the George Foreman grill.) Once it is cooked, lay flat so it will cool down. Take the 15 ritz crackers and place them in a mini ziplock bag. Pound them with something heavy to crush them up into little bits. Place the ritz bits in a large mixing bowl and add the cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, and poppy seeds and mix well. Take the chicken and cut it up into cubes and put them into the large mixing bowl and continue to mix. Take a baking casserole dish (I used a 13x9 dish) and spray it with pam. Fill the casserole dish with the mixture and make sure it is evenly distributed. Place in the oven and cook for around 20 minutes, or until it is bubbly.

Nutrition information for 1/5 of the meal. (It makes around 5 servings)

Calories- 274

Carbs - 16

Fat - 36
Protein - 36

Sodium- 966

Fiber - 0

Chicken Cordon Bleu, Stuffed Mushrooms, and Asparagus (All under 315 calories!)

Are you sick of eating the same plain stuff for dinner? Plain chicken, a vegetable, and a starch? Well, I decided to put a little twist on the every day balanced meal. Chicken Cordon Bleu, Stuffed Mushrooms, and Asparagus... how yummy does that sound? I'm going to break it down by item, incase you want to make them at different times.

Chicken Cordon Bleu


Ingredients:

-4 pieces of 4 oz. chicken breasts pounded out (about 1/4 inch in thickness)
- 4 wedges of the laughing cow cheese (you can use any flavor you want to, I used the garlic and herb one for this)
-8 slices of low sodium ham deli meat
- low fat or fat free cream of mushroom soup (If desired)
(This recipe makes enough for a family of 4. If you are cooking for 2 people, divide the recipe in two.)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lay out the pounded chicken on a flat surface and spread 1 wedge of laughing cow cheese evenly over it. Then take 2 slices of deli ham and lay on top of the laughing cow cheese. Begin to roll the chicken breast tightly. If the chicken does not stay, place toothpicks in it to keep it up. Repeat these steps for the rest of the 3 pieces of chicken. Top the chicken with a spoonful of the cream of mushroom soup. Place the chicken on a baking tray sprayed with pam. Place in oven for roughly 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

Stuffed Mushrooms


Ingredients:

- 1 3oz container of full mushrooms not sliced
- 1/2 of an onion diced
- 1 garlic clove diced small
- 2 tbsp of light butter (I use smart balance light)
- 1/4 cup of original bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup of fat free mozzarella cheese (I used the Kraft fat free cheese)
- A small drop of EVOO to stir fry onion and garlic
-Salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small frying pan, combine the onion, garlic, and olive oil. Fry until the onions are transparent and place in a mixing bowl. Take the butter and melt in the microwave. Pour the melted butter into the mixing bowl with onions and garlic. Also add the bread crumbs and mozzarella cheese, along with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Mix well. Take the mushrooms and pull out the stems. Spoon mixture into the mushrooms (enough so that it sits about 1/4 inch above the base of the mushroom.) Place the filled mushrooms on a sprayed baking sheet and place in the oven for roughly 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the mushrooms look crispy.

Asparagus


Ingredients:

-1 Stalk of asparagus
- A few drops of EVOO


Directions:

Cut asparagus about 1/2 way to cut off the stems. Place the asparagus and the EVOO in a frying pan and place on medium-high. Cook until the asparagus is crispy on the edges.

Nutrition Facts for 1 serving (1 piece of chicken, 3 stuffed mushrooms, and 12 spears of asparagus)

Calories - 315
Carbs- 15
Fat - 10
Protein - 40
Sodium - 600
Fiber - 6

Baked Potato and Chicken Soup for a rainy cold day!

On this cold rainy night, I've been craving a nice big bowl of some creamy soup, but there's a catch : I'm on a diet. Or shall we say a "lifestyle change?" To be quite honest, I was craving a bowl of Panera Breads baked potato soup, but at 350 calories and 21 grams of fat for just one bowl (not including the bread), I would have to be crazy! Not to mention, it's not even that filling, which means I would end up splurging for a big brownie or baked good of some sort. So I decided to be good and headed to the grocery store to buy low calorie ingredients (we're not going to mention that I'm a 22 year old single female and spent my Saturday night cooking and watching lifetime movie network.) Now you might be thinking "How can you make a soup creamy and still taste good?" Just take my word for it and you will not be disappointed. Did I also mention that this recipe is a crockpot recipe which means practically no work? So here goes...

Ingredients:


- 8-16 oz of chicken uncooked and diced (you can use either chicken breast meat or thigh. Thigh will give it more flavor)
-4 Potatoes (I used Idaho)
-1 medium sized onion diced
- 2-3 carrots sliced thin
- 2 stalks of celery diced small
- 3 chicken bullion cubes
- 1 can of 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
- 4 cups of water
- 1 8oz block of fat free cream cheese
- 1/4 cup of low fat or fat free sour cream
- 1 tsp of garlic powder
- 1 tsp of salt
-1/2 tsp of pepper
- A sprinkle of fat free shredded cheese if desired for topping (I used Kraft fat free cheddar)
Directions: 


Take all of the ingredients and place them in the crockpot and put it on high for about 5 hours, stirring in-between. Once you portion out, you can top with fat free shredded cheese. That's about it! Easy right? This recipe makes about 10 servings per batch at 1 cup per serving.

Nutrition Facts: (Per 1 serving or 1 cup)

Calories - 139
Carbs - 17
Fat - 5
Protein - 7
Sodium - 600
Fiber - 1