Chicken Salad

This year I have been making more of an effort to give my kids lunch options besides just sandwiches. So far I'm managing a couple times a week but it isn't even November yet. We'll have to see how good I'm doing next May! This chicken salad has been a crowd pleaser for sure and it's really easy to make.

Quick Chicken Salad

• 2 ( 12.5 oz) cans of chicken (or 3 cups diced cooked chicken)
• 3/4 cup light mayonnaise
• 1 cup red grapes, halved
• 1 green onion, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1/2 cup diced apple
• salt and pepper to taste
• pecans or cashews, optional

1. In a bowl, combine the chicken, mayo, grapes, green onion, celery, apple, salt, and pepper.  Combine until well blended.
2. Serve on rolls, bread, or croissants sprinkle with some cashews or pecans.  This can also be served on a lettuce leaf.

Orange Chicken

I'll admit I was pretty skeptical about 3 ingredient orange chicken but it actually tasted really good. I did double this recipe for my family of 6 and it made a pretty big batch. It was so good the kids were asking if they could take leftovers in the lunchboxes the next day! 

ORANGE CHICKEN

• 1 Cup BBQ Sauce (Sweet Baby Ray’s)
• 1 Cup Sweet Orange Marmalade (Smucker’s)
• 2 TBSP Soy Sauce

Crispy Chicken Ingredients:

• 3-4 Chicken Breasts (We used 3)
• 1 Cup Flour/1 Cup Cornstarch (You can use both or either/or)
• 2 Eggs
• Oil (We used vegetable oil)

Cooking Directions:

1. In a sauce pan, add the BBQ sauce, marmalade, and soy sauce. Turn the heat on low and let it simmer for 20 minutes, stirring a few times.
2. Meanwhile, cut up your chicken breasts into cubes. In one bowl beat 2 eggs, while the other bowl should mix the dry ingredients.
3. Dip pieces of chicken in the egg and then cover in flour/cornstarch. Set on an extra plate.
4. Add a thin layer of oil to a frying pan and turn your stove on medium/high heat. Once it sizzles, add the chicken to the pan. Let it cook for 3-5 minutes each side until it’s brown and cooked on the inside.
5. Set the oily pieces on a paper towel and let drain.
6. Add the chicken to the sauce and toss!
7. Eat it on top of white rice and enjoy. I think veggies would be good with it such as green peppers or broccoli.

Arabic Chicken Shawarma

I've made this fabulous Arabic chicken a few times now and it is delicious and really not very difficult either. It does require a little advance planning so it can have the 8 hours to marinate but it's worth it. I serve it with yellow rice and a vegetable.

Ingredients

For the Marinade:

2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4 large breasts)

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp. cumin

2 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. allspice

1 tsp. turmeric

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Pinch of cayenne

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

Nonstick cooking spray

To Finish:

6 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. allspice

1/4 tsp. turmeric

Instructions

Pour the 1/4 cup of olive oil into a large plastic zipper bag. Add in the marinade spices, then seal the bag and shake to combine. I know it seems like a lot of spices, but it's not over the top. 

Cut the chicken breasts into sixths, then place the pieces into large plastic zipper bag. Seal the bag and use your hands to work the marinade into the chicken. Place the bag of chicken into the fridge to marinate 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, then prepare a baking sheet by lining it with foil and spraying it with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange the chicken pieces evenly on the baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 8 minutes, flip the chicken pieces over, then bake for another 8 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the oven and let sit until cool enough to touch. Slice the chicken into thin pieces using a sharp knife.

Heat 2 Tbsp. of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

While it is heating, mix the remaining spices together in a small bowl and set it near the stove.

Once the oil is hot, add one third of the cooked chicken into the pan along with one third of the spices next to the stove. Cook, stirring, until the spices are spread throughout the meat and the chicken is heated through (just a minute or two).

Repeat this process with the remaining oil, chicken, and spices so that it is cooked in three batches (or, if you have a really big pan you could do it all at once). 

Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients
6 large bell peppers
1 cup dry quinoa
15 oz. can black beans
1 can corn 
2 green onions
2/3 cup salsa
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. chili powder
Optional additions: chipotle, tomatoes, cilantro, green chilies, garlic powder, hemp hearts
Toppings of choice: guacamole (yum!), salsa, hot sauce, etc.

Directions
Cook quinoa according to package directions with 2 cups water/broth. (I often use vegetable broth in place of water for more flavor.)
Meanwhile, halve bell peppers and remove stems, seeds and ribs.
Rinse and drain black beans, thaw corn, and slice green onions.
In a large mixing bowl, add cooked quinoa and all other ingredients except bell peppers. Stir to combine, and adjust taste if necessary (salt, more seasonings, nutritional yeast).
Preheat oven to 350.
In a lightly sprayed pan, place pepper halves, and generously stuff them with the quinoa filling. Lightly press down to compact and fill all the crevices.
Cover with tin foil and bake for 35-40 minutes. Remove foil, and bake 10 minutes more.
Serve with any desired toppings.

Salmon with Avocado Salsa

I have been trying to incorporate more fish into our diet and this Salmon recipe was awesome. My kids devoured it (one of them even had the one leftover piece for breakfast the next morning!) 

Ingredients

• 2 lbs salmon, cut into 4 pieces
• 1 tbs olive oil (I used light extra virgin olive oil)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
For the Avocado salsa:
• 2 avocado, diced
• 1/2 small red onion, sliced
• Juice from 2 limes
• 1-2 tbs finely chopped cilantro (depending on how big of a cilantro lover you are)
• 1 small tomato, diced
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Mix the salt, chili powder, cumin, paprika, onion and black pepper together, rub the salmon fillets with olive oil and this seasoning mix. (I was worried it would be too much seasoning but it isn't.) 
2. refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
3. Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes. Check a little before that. Salmon is done when it flakes with a fork. You can also grill the salmon for about 5 minutes per side. 
4. Combine the avocado, onion, cilantro, lime juice, and salt in a bowl and mix well, chill until ready to use.
5. Top with avocado salsa and enjoy!

Beef Empanadas

These were a yummy, easy dinner to make, though I will admit it took me a few tries to fold the edges of the pie crust together and make them look halfway decent! I doubled the recipe for my family of 6 and we ended up having some leftovers but not a lot. I froze the extras because we were headed out of town and I wanted to see if they would make a good freezer meal. They froze okay, but I probably won't do it again. I found them on http://numstheword.com/easy-beef-empanadas/ and I made the Esquitas corn salad that's also mentioned on that website. It was a huge hit with all of us!

Ingredients

• 1 package of pre-made pie crust (2 rolls)
• 1 Tablespoon of oil
• 1 pound of ground beef
• 1/4 cup diced onions
• 1/2 medium diced bell pepper, any color
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili pepper
• 1 cup Mexican blended cheese
• 1 egg

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375*
2. Combine bell pepper, onion, garlic and oil and saute 3 minutes over medium heat.
3. Add hamburger, cumin and chili pepper to the pan and cook until meat is cooked through.
4. Set pan aside and let cool.
5. While meat mixture is cooling, roll out pie crust.
6. Using a bowl or large circle cutter, cut out 6" round discs from pie crust. You should be able to get 3 from each crust making 6 total with a 7th created out of the leftover dough rolled out.
7. Place 2 - 3 Tablespoons of mixture in the center of each pie disc.
8. Top with cheese.
9. Fold over and seal edges with a fork.
10. Place Empanadas on a cookie sheet.
11. Whisk egg and brush on to tops of each Empanada.
12. Bake in oven for 15 - 20 minutes.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

This is a recipe I've had for at least 10 years and I used to make it a lot but had kind of forgotten about it. So I made it the other day and decided I'd better put it on my blog so I don't forget about it again. It is really good and I love the sauce! My kids said it is better than going to our local Chinese restaurant. I do double the sauce so there is extra to put on my rice. The recipe below already has the doubled amounts.

Ingredients:
2 - 3 lbs chicken breasts or thighs
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs
garlic salt

Sauce:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup pineapple juice
8 Tbsp. ketchup
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. salt

Directions:
Rub garlic salt on chicken and let sit awhile. (or sprinkle on garlic salt later when you have the chicken in the pan.)  Put cornstarch in a large ziploc bag, add chicken and shake to coat. Dip coated chicken in beaten egg. Put chicken in sprayed 9 x 13 pan. Make sauce by heating all the ingredients together and adding a bit of cornstarch to thicken it. It needs to boil for a few minutes before it thickens. Stir constantly. Pour a little more than half the sauce onto the chicken pieces and bake at 375 for 1 hour. Save extra sauce to pour over rice or to add to chicken when it's done. Optional: After the chicken is cooked you can top it with pineapple chunks, peanuts or onions.

Chicken Alfredo Rollups

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 2 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 (8-ounce) tube crescent rolls (I actually needed 3 tubes)
• 1/2 cup Italian style bread crumbs

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.
• Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat.
• Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper, to taste. Add to skillet and cook, flipping once, until cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side. Let cool before shredding. (I actually used shredded chicken that I had leftover from another meal.)
• In a large bowl, combine chicken, cream cheese, Parmesan, chives, garlic powder, salt and pepper, to taste.
• Remove rolls from the can, separating them into eight triangles. Top each triangle with a heaping tablespoon of the chicken mixture.
• Starting with the wide end, roll up each triangle, tucking the ends underneath, and dredge in bread crumbs, pressing to coat. Place seam-side down onto the prepared baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 10-12 minutes.

These were super easy to throw together and don't take long to cook. My kids took leftovers for lunch at school the next day and they were just like Hot Pockets - only they tasted good and weren't full of preservatives! 

Creamy Chicken Flautas

• This was a quick and easy meal to throw together on a busy weeknight. I served it with homemade guacamole and a green salad. 

Ingredients:

• The meat from a rotisserie chicken (mine was a small chicken and I used it all - about 3 cups?)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 cup salsa, store bought
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1½ cup Tex Mex or Mexican cheese blend, I used Kraft
• 10-12 flour tortillas
• ¼ cup butter, melted
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1. Preheat oven to 400 F degrees.
2. In a medium size skillet heat the olive oil. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Add corn to skillet and cook for another 2 minutes. Add shredded chicken, salsa and sour cream, stir and cook for about 3 more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheese.
3. Warm the tortillas in the microwave for about 30 seconds so that they're easier to roll. The chicken mixture should be enough to fill 10-12 tortillas.
4. Butter a 9x13 inch baking with some of the melted butter. Lay a tortilla flat and top with a couple tablespoons of the chicken mixture. Tightly roll up the tortilla and place it in the baking dish. Brush with melted butter. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
5. Bake for about 15 minutes or until tortillas turn golden brown.

NOTES

For make ahead meals, you could prepare these as noted in the instructions up to and including step 4, cover the baking dish and freeze until ready for baking. Thaw out before baking.

Crockpot Turkey Breast

Ingredients:

1 (6-9 lb) boneless turkey breast
1 (1 oz) packet dry onion soup mix
¾ cup water
1 onion, diced
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil

Directions:
Spray slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray and place turkey and diced onions inside. In a small bowl, mix together the water and onion soup mix and spread evenly over turkey.
In another small bowl, mix together remaining ingredients and sprinkle over the turkey breast.
Cook on low for 8-9 hours (or until turkey is very tender and the seasonings have flavored the meat). Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and make sure it reads at least 165 degrees F (75 degrees C) to ensure that your turkey is fully-cooked.
To eat, remove turkey from slow cooker and slice.

I found this recipe on Six Sister's Stuff and altered it a tiny bit, but it is mostly just the same. The turkey turned out so tender and with tons of flavor! I paired it with mashed potatoes and gravy, cornbread, and vegetables.

Vegetable Cheese Chowder

• I made this soup a couple of nights ago and it was really delicious!  Think Broccoli Cheese Soup meets Potato Soup and falls in love and has a baby they name Corn Chowder and they all live together as one big happy family! 
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• Ingredients:
• 5 1/2 Tbsp butter, divided
• 2 cups chopped carrots (about 4)
• 1 cup chopped celery (3 stalks)
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 small)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 1/2 cups peeled and cubed russet potatoes, cut 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch thick (2 large)
• 3 cups chopped broccoli florets (from about 2 heads)
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 can corn
• 6 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 3 cups milk (preferably 1% or 2%)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (8 oz)
• 1/3 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese (1 oz)

In a large pot over medium heat, melt 1 1/2 Tbsp of the butter. Add carrots, celery and onion and saute 3 - 4 minutes. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds longer. Stir in chicken broth, potatoes and thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium, cover with lid and cook 15 minutes. Stir in broccoli and corn and cook 5 minutes longer or until veggies are tender.

• Meanwhile, melt remaining 4 Tbsp butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook, whisking constantly 1 minute. While whisking vigorously, slowly pour in milk (whisk well until no lumps remain). Cook stirring constantly until mixture begins to gently boil and thicken, stir in heavy cream. Remove from heat and once all veggies are tender pour into the soup and stir. Remove from heat and stir in cheddar and parmesan cheese until melted. Serve hot.

Pizza Roll-ups

So you probably don't need an actual recipe for this dish but I thought I'd put it on here so I don't forget to do it again someday.  My 10 year old son, Zac, was watching me scroll through Pinterest one day and begged me to make these pizza roll ups with him for our Mom and Me time (I spend about a half hour of individual time with each of my 4 kids on Sunday afternoons and the kids are always making big plans for "our time" together!) We bought the jumbo crescent rolls, pepperoni and mozzarella cheese sticks. The jumbo rolls will form a triangle when pulled apart and you just put half a cheese stick at the widest side of the triangle, pepperoni slices on the rest of the triangle and roll it up and seal the ends. We sprinkled a little garlic salt on top too. Bake for the amount of time suggested on the roll container and you have either appetizers or even a main dish.  Because we used the jumbo sized crescent rolls two Pizza Roll Ups plus a side salad was enough to fill everyone up.  I even sent leftovers in their lunch boxes the next day and that was a hit too!

Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole

• This is an easy casserole that I threw together last week.  Everyone really liked it, especially with some homemade salsa and chips. 

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• Ingredients:
• 3 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
• 2 cups dry Basmati rice
• 2 cans (10 oz each) Enchilada sauce (I used Old El Paso)
• 1 can (16 oz) refried beans
• 1 cup white cheddar, shredded
• 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 1 can (11 oz) corn kernel
• cilantro for garnish
• salt and ground black pepper to taste

 Directions: 

1. Cook the rice. I cooked it with 4 cups of water and ¼ cup of butter in my rice cooker.
2. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
3. Mix the 2 cheeses together.
4. In a large bowl mix the shredded chicken with the enchilada sauce, refried beans and half of the cheese. Add rice, season with salt and pepper if needed, and mix well. Pour rice mixture into a large casserole dish. Top with corn then with remainder of cheese.
5. Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes or until cheese melts and is bubbly.
6. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve warm.

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

We really don't eat a lot of fish around here but I'm trying to branch out. This recipe has probably converted me to the benefits of eating Tilapia. I was very happy with how it turned out and it's really quick to prepare and cook. 

 

Ingredients

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons paprika

1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

4 tilapia fillets (about 1 pound total)

1 lemon, cut into wedges

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees . In a shallow dish, combine the cheese with the paprika and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the fish with olive oil and dredge in the cheese mixture. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake until the fish is opaque in the thickest part, 10 to 12 minutes (my fish was mostly frozen and it still cooked in about 15 minutes.) Serve the fish with the lemon wedges. I served mine with a green salad and Buttermilk Herb & Cheese Bread. 

Homemade Corndogs

  When you have little kids not every night can be super healthy or even at all healthy, right?! We made these homemade corn dogs and they were so fun and tasted really good! Much better than store bought ones. I did have a bit of trouble making mine look good. Most of them had tumor-like growths on them but they still tasted great. The trick is in getting the batter thick enough to stay on the corn dog but not too thick. I had to play around a little with the recipe below to get it just right, and honestly I can't remember what I did because we made these about a month ago (and I'm just trying to catch up!)

 

Ingredients

1. 1 cup yellow cornmeal
2. 1 cup all-purpose flour
3. 1/4 cup sugar
4. 1 Tablespoon baking powder
5. 1/4 teaspoon salt
6. 1 egg, beaten
7. 1 1/2 cups buttermilk (regular milk works too)
8. 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
9. 1 Tablespoon honey
10. 1 (10 count) package Hot Dogs
11. 10 wooden skewers or chopsticks 
12. Vegetable Oil for frying. I used my Fry Daddy but you could do it on the stove in a deep pan. 

Mix the batter and pour into a tall drinking glass, put the hot dogs on the skewers and dunk in the mixture (since I used my Fry Daddy the skewers were too long so I just dunked the corn dogs, fried them, then put them on a skewer to serve.) Fry in the hot oil for a minute or two until they are golden brown. Enjoy with ketchup and mustard!