Category Archives: Chicken

Crock Pot Taco Chicken

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As you can see my recipes have gotten fewer and shorter 🙂  My time to blog has definitely taken a back seat with the birth of Charlee. However, it does not mean that my passion for healthy meals has gone to the wayside.  I now look for super convenient, healthy fixins…the crock pot has become my best friend.  Therefore, when my pal and mom of twins shared this “way-to-easy-to-be-true” recipe, I knew I had to try.  It has now become a weekly staple and I love to pass along to other busy moms and dads. 
Crock Pot Taco Chicken
Ingredients:
2-3 frozen chicken breast
about half a package of taco seasoning
about 1/3-1/2 C salsa
Instructions:
Place chicken in crock pot.  Cover with seasoning and salsa.  Set crock pot on low and cook for about 6 hours.  The chicken will just fall about when done. 

I use this chicken all week to make tacos, taco salad, on top quinoa, enchiladas…the possibililies are endless 🙂
I hope you enjoy as much as we do! 
Cheers to healthy and convenient meals! 

Until next time…
Look good, feel good, do good
Sara B.

Baby S2 Update – Week 36 & Nesting

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This is it…the final countdown…4 weeks to go for me and go time for my sister!
We both feel great and are getting anxious to meet the little ones squirming around inside us.

39 weeks & 35 weeks

And with the countdown….let the nesting begin!  On Sunday Kelli and I prepared 9 separate meals.  5 crockpot and 4 pans.  All will be frozen, so while we are busy with babies we have healthy and convenient meals.  The total cost comes to about $2.25 per serving and took 3.5 hours to prepare (not counting grocery shopping time).  Trust me….all is worth it! 

Start with cutting and prepping all veggies and set aside. Then move on to meat so there is no cross contamination. 

we’re done and dinner is ready for days to come!
Recipes for all the meals:
Meal 1-5
Frozen Crock Pot Meals – we made three of these recipes and combined into 5 meals
Meal 6
Turkey Lasagna
Meal 7
Chicken Enchiladas
Meal 8
Chicken Pot Pie
Meal 9
Veggie Mac & Cheese


week 25

week 30 & 34

Other Baby S2 blog posts:
Announcement
Week 21, Hawaii
Week 30, Shower, Puerto Rico

Until next time…
look good, feel good, do good
Sara B.

Stuffed Portobello Caps

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Stuffed Portobello Caps w/ Chicken & Parmesan
recipe adapted from Clean Eating Magazine
Ingredients:
olive oil spray
8 chicken breasts
1/2 C chopped red onion
4 egg whites or 2 whole eggs
1/4 C bread crumbs
3 T Parmesan cheese
2 T chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp dried tarragon (I did not have on hand so used paprika, cumin…whatever I got my hand on 🙂
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
sea salt
8 Portobello mushroom caps
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375F.  Mist a large baking sheet with olive oil and arrange chicken breast on sheet.  Bake until chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes.  Set aside to cool.  Keep oven at 375F.  With a fork, shred meat into 2 inch pieces.  In a large bowl. combine chicken, onion, eggs, bread crumbs, cheese, and spices.  Mix well.  Arrange mushroom caps, stemmed, on baking sheet.  Spoon chicken mixture into caps, dividing evenly.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until chicken mixture is golden brown and mushrooms soften. 

Saturday we cheered on my Dad and J’s sister at the Dam to Dam 5k. 

My Dad reached his goal of sub 30 with a time of 29:04.  So proud!

Another congrats to may parents for celebrating their 40th Wedding Anniversary Sunday!  Thank you for showing us all what lasting love looks like! 

Until next time…
look good, feel good, do good
Sara B.

Creamy Rosemary Wild Rice Soup

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Normally when we see creamy and soup we think…rich tasting and high in calories. 
Don’t be fooled by this soup, although it has the creamy taste it kicks the high calories to the curb. 

Ingredients:
1 T olive oil
8 oz chicken breast, cubed
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic (I omitted)
2 stalks organic celery, diced
1 large carrots, diced
1 large parsnip, diced
3 Ts minced fresh rosemary
1 qt (4Cs) low sodium chicken broth (I use Watkins)
1/2 C wild rice
2 Ts whole wheat flour
1 C skim milk or evaporated skim milk
2-4 oz low fat cream cheese or plain Green yogurt for creaminess
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
In large saucepan over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil.  Add cubed chicken breast and sear until browned, 405 minutes.  The meat does not need to be cooked through.  Add the onion, garlic, carrot, and parsnip, then cook until browned, about 3-4 minutes.  Add the rosemary, broth, and wild rice.  Bring to a simmer and cover.  Cook for 45 minutes, or until the rice is tender.  Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes, or until thickened.  Add the milk, cream choice and heat.  Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Until next time…
Look good, feel good, do good
Sara B.

Chicken Pot Pie

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Are you craving comfort?  Maybe not since we’ve had these incredible winter temps.  I mean, J and I grilled twice last week…crazy!  Well I am sure winter is not letting us out of her grip yet, so for that cold night coming up here is my favorite “healthified” version of chicken pot pie!


Chicken Pot Pie
recipe from Ellie Krieger (dietitian) on Food Network
watch a video of the chicken pot pie preparation here
Ingredients
For the filling:
Cooking spray
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (I used broccoli this last time)
2 cloves garlic, minced (I leave out for J)
1 1/2 cups lowfat milk
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth (I liked Watkins)
1 cup peas, thawed if frozen
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
For the biscuit crust:
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup lowfat buttermilk
Instructions:
To make the filling: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a large shallow casserole dish, or 6 individual casserole dishes with cooking spray.
Season the chicken with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil over a medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer the chicken with its juices to a bowl. .
Add 2 more teaspoons of oil to the same pan and heat it over a medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery and cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the green beans, garlic and remaining salt and pepper and cook for 2 minute more. Add the milk. Stir the flour into the broth until it is completely dissolved and add to the pan. Cook, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 2 minutes more. Return the chicken with its juices back to the pan. Add the peas and thyme and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Spoon the mixture into the baking dish or individual dishes.
To make the crust: Put the whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse about 12 times, or until pebble sized pieces are formed.
Add the buttermilk then oil to the food processor and pulse until just moistened. Do not over mix. Drop the batter in 6 mounds on top of the chicken mixture (1 mound on each individual dish, if using) spreading the batter out slightly. Bake until filling is bubbling and the biscuit topping is golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Nutritional analysis per serving
Calories 400
Total Fat 17 g
(Sat Fat 5.7 g, Mono Fat 7.7 g, Poly Fat 2.7 g)
Protein 31 g
Carb 31 g
Fiber 5 g
Cholesterol 82 mg
Sodium 600 mg

Until next time…
look good, feel good, do good
Sara B.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

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from the kitchen of fellow crossfitter, Katie and Clean Eating Magazine
A healthified version of the classic Sweet & Sour Chicken. So much flavor..a must for dinner this week!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp raw honey
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated (store unused ginger in the freezer)
  • 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 1/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4 breasts), chopped into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks (about 1 cup)
  • 1 medium green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks (about 1 cup)
  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
  • 1/2 fresh pineapple, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1 3/4 cups)
  • 12 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice, optional (could use quinoa too)

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger and pepper flakes. Place chicken in a large shallow dish. Pour soy sauce mixture over chicken, tossing gently. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.
  2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and marinade and sauté for 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Add bell peppers and onion and cook for 5 minutes or until vegetables are slightly tender. Add pineapple and cook for 2 more minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve immediately over rice for a complete meal, if desired.Unti next time…
    look good, feel good, do good
    Sara B.