Green Chile Chicken Soup

When you're sick, soup is the staple of your diet.  I've been sick for almost a week now and man do I get tired of Chicken Noodle quick!  So instead of busting out my Chicken and Dumplings (too much work when I'm sick) I went into the kitchen with no thoughts or recipes in my head.  And here's what I ended up with!  It's got just a tiny kick (unless you know you're in possession of super spicy green chiles) and it's really low in calories but super filling.  It's also really easy to keep.  You can freeze it or seal it in jars using a pressure canner.

Green Chile Chicken Soup

*makes 12 2 cup servings

Allergen Tips:
Look for gluten free brands of enchilada sauce like La Victoria or Frontera.
Check the bullion for gluten to keep it a g-free recipe!

12 Cups of Water
7 cubes of Chicken Bullion
3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
4 Stalks of Celery (chopped)
2 Red Bell Peppers (chopped)
1 C. Chopped Onion
4 Fresh Roasted Green Chiles (chopped) **or 2-3 4oz cans of green chiles**
2 cans Black Beans (drained)
2 cans Corn (drained)
1 14-16oz Can Green Enchilada Sauce (size varies depending on brand)
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Pepper
1 tsp. Cumin
1-2 Tbsp Corn Starch for thickening

1. Put the water and bullion cubes in a stock pot on medium heat until it starts boiling and the cubes are dissolved.
2. Throw in the chicken breasts, beans and veggies and the sauce.  Cover back up and cook for about 45-75 depending on if the chicken is fresh or frozen.
3. Once the chicken is done, pull it out and shred.  Add back to the soup along with the seasonings and simmer for another 30 mins to let the chicken soak up some flavor.
4. Serve!

*Tips on adding to this if you'd like a little more*
You can make some rice to pour this over or you can make some noodles to throw in but if you plan on keeping this in the fridge or freezer, I don't suggest adding these until you're about to eat it.

Onion and Herb Squash

I LOVE squash and Zach hates it...  That means I almost never get to eat it unless I make it specifically for me.  (and I'm just not one to prepare two different meals for people)  That means, on the nights he's not home, I get to break out all the things I love!  This dish took quite a bit of time to put together and then bake, but it was SO worth it!

Onion and Herb Squash

*Makes 4 servings

3 Yellow Squash
2 Large Zucchini
2 Tbsp. Parmesan
Salt, Pepper, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Mrs. Dash Onion and Herb seasoning
1.5 Tbsp. Olive Oil (give or take)

1. Slice the squash with a mandolin or with a knife.  It's better if they're thinner but whatever you do works!
2. Drizzle the olive oil on them and mix well.
3. Cover a cookie sheet with tin foil and spray with non-stick spray.
4. Set oven to 375 degrees.
5. Start layering the squash.  If you're OCD like I am, alternate zucchini, yellow squash, repeat.

6. Once it's all laid out, season well with all the above.
7. Put it in the oven for 45 mins.  Add the parmesan when there's 12 mins left.
8. Pull out and enjoy!

Spinach and Ricotta Lasagna Rolls

In my journey to get healthy and eat healthy, I decided to revamp some of my recipes and this will be the first!  I love lasagna but for two people, a whole lasagna is just too much!  So I decided to go with little serving sized rolls that are easy to portion out instead of guessing how much you cut off!  These are still not "super healthy" but calorie wise they're ideal for those Italian food hankerings!

Spinach and Ricotta Lasagna Rolls

*Makes 3 servings

Allergen Tips:
Rice flour noodles are a great g-free option for any pasta dish!

6 Lasagna Noodles
3/4 C. Ricotta (I use low fat)
1/4 C. Mozzarella
1/8 C. Parmesan
1/2 lb. Ground Turkey
1/2 jar Favorite Marinara (I use Classico Italian Sausage)
1/4 C. Red Bell Peppers (chopped)
1/4 C. Onion (chopped)
2 tsp. Olive Oil
1/3 C. Raw Spinach
Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Italian Seasonings

1. Get the pot of water for the noodles going.  Make sure you add salt to help boil the water quicker (you'd be surprised how many people don't know this!)
2. Start cooking the bell peppers and onions in the oil.
3. Once the water is boiling, add the spinach to the water.  Boil it for 4-5 mins and then pull it out of the water and let it hang out in a strainer.  **DO NOT DUMP THE WATER OUT**  Separate it to the best of your abilities to help the water drain.  Add in the lasagna noodles to the same water.
4. Throw the turkey in the pan with the peppers and onions.  Season the meat and brown.  Once the meat is done, you can set aside until everything else is ready.\
5. Mix the ricotta with the parmesan and most of the mozzarella.  Save just a touch for the tops of the rolls.
6. Once the noodles are done, drain and lay out on the counter or on a cutting board.  Dab them with a paper towel so they aren't slimy where you'll be spreading out the cheese.
7. At this point, you need to squeeze out the spinach.  Use a bunch of paper towels or a potato ricer.  Chop it up and mix it in with the ricotta cheese mixture and start spreading on the noodles.  Start small and go from there.  You want to make sure there's an even amount of cheese on each!
8. Turn the oven on to 325 degrees.  Once the cheese is on the noodles, sprinkle the turkey on top.

9. Start rolling the noodles and place in a non-stick sprayed 6x9 baking dish.  (you can spread just a touch of marinara on the bottom to help prevent sticking as well)
10. Add the marinara to the remaining ground turkey and pour on top of the rolls.  Top them with the last of the mozzarella and bake for 25 mins!

Lasagna Cups

I love Italian food and who doesn't love lasagna!  To be honest I can't remember the last time I had a real chunk out of a lasagna.  I occasionally make my Lasagna Rolls but today I wanted to make cups that we could pick up with our hands because finger food is fuuuuuun!!!  They turned out amazing and the nutrition facts are pretty sweet as well!

Lasagna Cups

*makes 12 cups, serves 4

24 Wonton Wrappers
1/2lb Ground Turkey
1/4 C. Onion (chopped)
1 C. Favorite Marinara (I use Classico Italian Sausage)
1/3 C. Ricotta (low fat)
1/8 C. Parmesan
1/4 C. Mozzerella
Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Italian Seasonings (to taste)

1. Brown meat and onions.  Season to taste with all of the above seasonings.
2. Add the marinara and simmer for a minute or two.
3. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  spray muffin pan(s) with non-stick spray.  Line each with a wonton wrapper.
4. Mix the ricotta with most of the parm and mozzerella (saving just a touch of both for the top of the cups).
5. Spoon the meat mixture (I use a large spoon, about a heaping tablespoon?) into the wrapper.  Top this with about a teaspoon of cheese mixture.

6. Add a wonton wrapper on top of the cheese.  Pushing down to compact the ingredients.  Add another teaspoon of cheese to the bottom, then top it with another heaping tbsp of meat.
7. Top each cup with just a touch of the leftover mozzerella and parmesan.  Bake for 20 mins.

BBQ Chicken Bites with Slaw

If any of you know me, I loooooooooove chicken!  I also love wonton wrappers!  Put them together and the possibilities are literally endless!  Today I wanted some BBQ flavor in my dinner.  So I put together a healthy version of a classic BBQ chicken with coleslaw!

BBQ Chicken Bites with Slaw

*makes 12 bites

12 wonton wrappers
1 large boneless skinless chicken breast (boiled and shredded)
1/2 serving of my BBQ marinade
1/2 Red Bell Pepper
 
Shred the following:
1/3 Head of Cabbage
1 Carrot
1 Jalapeno (make sure to remove seeds)

3 Tbsp Fat Free Italian Dressing
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Boil your chicken for 35-45 mins.  Pull out and shred.  Set oven to 325 degrees and spray muffin pan(s) with non-stick spray.
2. Mix in the marinade, bell peppers, and salt and pepper.
3. Put wrappers in each muffin hole, pushing it down to cover the bottom.
4. Fill the wrappers with the chicken mixture and put in the oven for 20-30 mins.  Keep in mind, this recipe is a bit more wet than normal so baking a little bit longer will keep the wrapper more crisp.

5. While the bites cook, shred the veggies, add the dressing and seasonings.  Mix and refridgerate until the bites come out of the oven.
6. Put it all together and enjoy a classic bbq meal with a twist!

 

These NF are with Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce, not Bill Johnsons

Prepping for Bread

If any of you are like me, I like things to be quick and easy most days when it comes to the kitchen!  This is a post to help out those who like to make their own bread!  This is something that can be done in less than 10 mins and will keep you stocked for ease. :)

Prepping dry ingredients for Bread:

1. Choose your favorite recipe for bread.  These pictures are of my Onion Bread recipe.
2. Pull out all the dry ingredients minus the yeast.
3. You can pour ingredients directly into the bags if you'd like or do it like me.  I put them all in bowls and mix with a whisk before I put it in bags.

4. Label each bag with the name of the bread, how big of a loaf it makes and then the order in which things go into your bread machine (or in a bowl if you're doing it old school!).  *note: to make it more clear, you might want to put an extra line where you dump in the bag ingredients before the yeast*

5. Store on your shelf for a rainy day or whenever you'd like a quick loaf of bread! :)

Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana!

Who doesn't love a little soup and salad for lunch every once in a while?!  Well, my absolute favorite at Olive Garden is the Zuppa.  I get it every time!  MMMMMMMM dipping hot fresh breadsticks in that soup is heavenly.  Well, I decided to try the recipe my mom put together and see if it's anything like the real soup.  Boy was I amazed!  It tastes JUST like it!  I made it a little healthier using turkey instead of spicy Italian sausage.  But I honestly couldn't really tell the difference.  :D

Zuppa Toscana

*Makes 6-7 2 cup servings

Allergen Tips:
Make sure you check the bullion and bacon for gluten ingredients to keep this a g-free recipe!

1-1.25 lbs of Ground Turkey (or Spicy Italian Sausage)
(season with Italian seasonings, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and garlic if you're doing the turkey)
1/2 lb. Smoked Bacon (chopped)
10 C. Water
4 Chicken Bullion Cubes
1 Med Onion (chopped)
2 Large (or 3 med) Russet Potatoes (sliced)
2 Cloves of Garlic (minced)
2 C. Kale (chopped)
1 C. Heavy Cream
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Add water and bullion cubes to a pot and cover.  Put on med-low to dissolve.
2. In a pan, brown the turkey, adding the seasonings as it cooks.  Drain and put aside in a bowl.

3. Cook the bacon in the pan, drain, and add to the turkey.

4. Add the sliced potatoes, garlic, and onion to the pot.  Bring to a low boil and simmer on med with the lid off until the potatoes are tender.

5. Add the meats, bring to a low boil and simmer for another 10 mins.
6. Add the kale and cream, season the soup with salt and pepper.  Doesn't need to boil, just warmed through, and it's ready to serve!

And here's a jar of the soup with my label to sell :)

(this soup must be kept fresh, it's not canned)