Week One: January 19th - January 25th

Monday, January 19th

Easy-Peezy Chicken Enchiladas
By: Yours Truly

8 white corn tortillas
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can 98% fat free Cream of Chicken soup
1 small can diced green chilies
1/2 cup low-fat sour cream
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 10 3/4 can of Red Enchilada Sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Cut up chicken in pieces (so it will cook faster) and put in a small pot and cover with water. Bring water to a boil and then lower heat and simmer until chicken is no longer pink in the middle. Remove from water and cut into small pieces.

3. In a medium bowl mix together cooked chicken, soup, green chilies, sour cream, 1/2 cup of the cheese and all the seasonings.

4. Heat tortillas in the microwave for approx. 30 seconds.

5. Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

6. Starting with the first tortilla, put chicken filling in the middle and roll up and place in the pan. Continue until all tortillas are filled. If there is filling left over, just spread over the top of the rolled enchiladas.

7. Pour the entire can of enchilada sauce over the rolled enchiladas, making sure that every bit is covered in the sauce.

8. Top with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.

9. Bake in oven for 20 minutes


Tuesday, January 20th

Thai-Style Sweet & Sour Chicken
From: Prevention Slow Cooker Recipe Book

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 large onion, cut into 1" wedges
1 large green bell pepper, cut into strips (optional!)
1/3 cup Thai sweet chili sauce (found in international section of grocery store)
2 Tbsp spicy brown mustard
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup pure maple syrup

1. Coat 4-quart or larger slow cooker with cooking spray. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and place in cooker. Add onion and bell pepper

2. Combine remaining ingredients in small bowl. Pour over chicken in cooker

3. Cover and cook on high for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Serve over hot cooked Jasmine rice.


Wednesday, January 21st

Chicken and Biscuits
By: Yours Truly

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic - minced
1 medium onion - diced
1 medium potato, diced
8 oz fresh mushrooms, quartered (optional!)
1 cup fresh baby carrots, diced
2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 tbsp cornstarch, blended with 1/2 cup cold water
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup low-fat sour cream
1 cup frozen peas
1 pkg Pillsbury reduced fat Grands homestyle buttermilk biscuit

1. Preheat oven to 375F

2. Cut up chicken in pieces (so it will cook faster) and put in a small pot and cover with water. Bring water to a boil and then lower heat and simmer until chicken is no longer pink in the middle. Drain water and cut into small pieces.

3. In large stock pot on medium-high add olive oil and onions. Saute until soft. Add garlic and cook for one minute stirring constantly so that it doesn't burn. Add potatoes, carrots and rosemary and saute for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add in mushrooms and cook for 1 minute. Add chicken broth and salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat until potatoes and carrots are soft (about 5 minutes).

4. Mix cornstarch with cold water. A little at a time, add to the pot until you get a thick consistency. Slowly stir in milk. Now you should have a nice creamy consistency. If it is still too runny, add more constarch/water mix. If it is too thick, add more milk. Add peas and cooked chicken and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the sour cream.

5. Transfer chicken mixture to a 2-quart casserole dish. Arrange buttermilk biscuits on top.

6. Bake for approx. 22-25 minutes until biscuits are golden brown.


Thursday, January 22nd

Rachel Ray's Sloppy Joes*
By: Rachel Ray (duh)

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/super-sloppy-joes-recipe/index.html

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/4 pounds ground beef
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon steak seasoning blend, such as McCormick brand Montreal Seasoning
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped (Optional!)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cups tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 crusty rolls or buns

1. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and meat to the pan. Spread the meat around the pan and begin to break it up. Combine brown sugar and steak seasoning. Add sugar and spice mixture to the skillet and combine. When the meat has browned, add onion and red peppers to the skillet. Reduce heat to medium and cook onions, peppers, red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce with meat for 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and paste to pan. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to simmer and cook Sloppy Joe mixture 5 minutes longer.

2. Using a large spoon or ice cream scoop, pile sloppy meat onto toasted, buttered bun bottoms and cover with bun tops.

*Note: I loathed and despised sloppy joes - until I had this recipe. These are seriously the best!


Friday, January 23rd

Free for all night!

Find your own dang recipe - we're eating out tonight. We eat out once a week... but if you decide you don't want to do that, then either use a recipe from a previous week (since this is the first week that won't be possible), or google a recipe with ingredients you have in your refrigerator, or do leftover night! Get creative!


Saturday, January 24th

Chicken Marsala
By: Yours Truly

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 Tbsp olive oil
8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup Marsala wine

1. Pound out chicken breasts to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut each breast into 3 equal pieces

2. In a ziplock bag, add the flour, salt and pepper. Add chicken to the bag and ziplock the bag and shake until each piece of chicken is coated with flour mixture.

3. In a large saucepan heat olive oil. Add chicken, careful not to overcrowd pan (so you may have to do this part in batches adding more olive oil as needed) and brown on both sides. Remove from pan and put on plate, cover with tinfoil to keep warm.

4. Add chicken broth to the pan and using a spatula, scrape up the brown bits that were left from the chicken. Add Marsala and cook down until about 1/2 of the chicken broth and wine are left. Add mushrooms and simmer for 1 minute.

5. Add chicken to the pan and cook until chicken is completely cooked through and the sauce has thickened. Serve with homemade mash potatoes and a vegetable.


Sunday, January 25th

Yummy Pot Roast
By: ????

2-3 pound boneless chuck roast
1/2 cup flour
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 cups ginger ale
1 packet brown gravy mix
1 packet lipton onion soup

1. Turn on crock pot and set temperature to low.

2. Put flour in ziplock bag. Add roast and shake until coated. Do not discard flour.

3. Heat oil in a large saute pan and brown the beef on all sides. Place browned chuck roast in warmed crock pot.

4. In medium bowl, mix ginger ale, brown gravy mix, onion soup and the left over flour from step 2. Pour over roast.

5. Cook on low for 8 to 9 hours.

OPTIONAL: After about 4 hours of cooking, add a small bag of baby carrots and 8 baby potatoes cut in half (skin on).