Honey & Orange Chicken
Serves 4
Inspired by: iowagirleats.ziplist (loosely)
Combine in a seal-able bowl or baggie:
1/4 cup tequila
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon minced garlic
zest and juice of one orange
a handful of cilantro leaves
salt and pepper
2 halved chicken breasts
Seal, and refrigerate for about 1 hour +.
Grill on each side for 5 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink.
French Toast (with hidden veggies!)
Serves 4
Inspired by: Jessica Seinfeld’s Deceptively Delicious
In a shallow dish combine:
4 eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable puree (banana, pineapple, sweet potato, carrot, or pumpkin)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Whisk to combine.
Coat a non-stick skillet with cooking spray and set in on medium high heat. Then add 2 tsp (fat free) margarine to pan. When the margarine sizzles:
Then soak slices of whole-wheat bread in the mixture for 30 seconds per side. (no more than 1 minutes or they will get too soggy) Add the soaked bread to the pan. Cook until golden brown on the outside-about 2 minutes per side. Repeat with more slices.
Serve warm with syrup and fresh fruit!
***A note on purees:
I used sweet potato puree for this recipe. You can not taste it at all! To puree sweet potatoes simply roast several potatoes (skin on) at 400* for 45-50 minutes. Then discard the skin. Put veggies in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.
I make a large batch and keep any extra in the freezer.
Lemon Dill Chicken Pasta
Inspired by: thepioneerwoman.com
Serves 2
In a zip-lock bag combine:
1-2 chicken breasts sliced into tenders
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
the juice of 1 large lemon
salt and pepper
a few sprigs of fresh dill
Marinate chicken in the fridge for 1-24 hours.
Preheat oven to 350*
Pour contents of marinating bag into a baking dish. Take out the dill sprigs. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
Meanwhile, cook 2 servings of pasta (your choice!) according to package directions. I used Fettuccine, since I had it on hand.
Drain pasta.
In a small sauce pot, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add in the juice of 2 lemons. Whisk together. Add 1 cup of heavy cream (you can use 1/2 heavy cream, and 1/2 half and half for fewer calories) Whisk until hot. Add 1 & 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese and melt. Salt and pepper.
Mix together the pasta, sauce and chicken in a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and dill. Serve immediately!
Baked Sweet Potato Flautas
Inspired by: Peasandcrayons.com
Serves 2+
Preheat your oven to 425*
Peel 1 medium sweet potato. Poke a few holes in the potato and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile combine the following in a mixing bowl:
1/2 diced red onion
1 cup of black beans
1 cup corn
1 cup diced tomato
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup enchilada sauce
Dice your sweet potato and add to the mix.
Stir well.
Heat about 10 corn tortillas in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
Add your filling to each shell, down the middle. Top with shredded mexi-blend cheese. Roll each flauta and place on a greased wire baking rack. (I seriously took the one out of our toaster oven and used that! Be sure that you have a baking sheet under the rack—toppings can fall out during baking) You may need to secure with a toothpick.
Bake for 15 minutes. When finished, broil for less than a minute to make the top extra crispy.
Serve with salsa, guacamole, or sour cream!
We even had a little filling left over that we just ate with chips-delish!
This recipe is gluten free and vegetarian!
Honey Lime Tilapia
Inspired by: One Lovely Life
Serves 2
In a large sealable bag combine:
2 tilapia fillets
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
the juice and zest of one lime
Mix well, and let marinate for atleast 1 hour (up to 24 hours) in the fridge.
When ready to cook, preheat your broiler.
Place the fillets on a broiler pan, and bast with marinade. Cook for about 10 minutes, and the fish is brown and flaky.
Sprinkle with lime juice and serve over rice.
Greek Chicken Skewers
Serves 2
Inspired by: A Hint of Honey
Slice 2 chicken breasts into 1 inch pieces. In a bowl mix 4 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1 tsp dried oregano and salt & pepper. Place chicken breast in bowl, stir, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Slice the following into 1 inch chunks:
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 green bell pepper
1/2 yellow bell pepper
and 1/2 red onion
Thread chicken and vegetables onto skewers. (If you are using wooden skewers and a grill, be sure to soak skewers in water first to prevent burning!) Discard marinade. Squeeze lemon juice over the skewers.
Grill or broil for about 5 minutes on each side. Serve hot!
371 Calories per serving
Horseradish Scalloped Potatoes
Serves 12
Inspired by: foodandwine.com
Preheat oven to 400*
Slice 2 lbs of Idaho potatoes thinly. (This is a great opportunity to use your food processor!) Layer into a glass baking dish.
Slice 1.5 Granny Smith apples thinly, and layer in with the potatoes.
In a bowl, mix the following:
3.5 cups heavy cream
4 tablespoons prepared horseradish
2 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Pour mixture on top of the potatoes.
Bake on the upper rack of your oven for 30 minutes and bubbly. Sprinkle 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese on top, and bake for an additional 15 minutes when the potatoes are nicely browned and tender.
Let cool before serving!
Zesty Scallion Mashed Potatoes
Serves 4
Inspired by: Rachel Ray
Peel and dice 2lbs Idaho potatoes, and add to a large pot. Cover with water, and bring to a boil. Cook until tender, and drain.
Soften 3 oz cream cheese in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Add to the potatoes. Then add:
2 diced scallions
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 teaspoons lemon zest
salt and pepper to taste
Mash the potatoes to combine, or better yet use a hand mixer for extra creamy mashed potatoes!
Salsa Smothered Chicken
Inspired by: This one was just inspired by what I had on hand. Easy and yummy!
Serves 4
Preheat your oven to 400*
In a baking dish, season two halved chicken breast with oregano, cummin, chili powder, and garlic powder on both sides.
Pour one 12 oz jar of a salsa of your choice over the chicken. Mild, medium or hot depending on what you like!
Add a handful of fresh cilantro leaves. I also added a diced jalapeno for spice.
Bake for 20 minutes until cooked through. Top with more cilantro and some lime juice.
Serve over brown or white rice, or shred for tacos!
Without rice or tortillas your chicken is just 152 calories a serving! Gluten free as well!
3 Ingredient Crock Pot Pork Chops
Inspired by: Crockpot Ranch Pork Chops This is such an easy go-to recipe! I love the idea, and I’m sure it would taste just as good with chicken.
Serves 2-4
In a crockpot add 3-5 pork chops. Sprinkle with the contents of one ranch seasoning packet. And then add 1-2 cans cream of chicken.
Because my crockpot cooks so fast, I also add one can of water.
Stir and cover. Cook for 3-4 hours on low.
I served with yummy Garlic Mashed Potatoes and a salad. The cream of chicken makes an awesome gravy that goes great with mashed potatoes!
