Baked Parmesan Chicken

This is from Food Wishes

350 degrees 35-40 min.



Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil 
2 cloves garlic, crushed 
hot red pepper flakes, to taste 
4boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cups marinara sauce 
1/4 cup chopped basil 
4oz mozzarella, shredded 
2oz Parmesan, grated 
1 (5-oz) package garlic croutons

Pour olive oil in 9x11 pan. Add crushed garlic and sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes. Top with chicken breasts, then marinara, basil, half of cheeses, then croutons (not crushed) and the rest of the cheeses. Top with fresh ground salt.  Bake for 35-40 minutes.

Pomegranate Salsa

This is from Good Life Eats

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups pomegranate arils
1 1/2 cup diced cucumber
1 - 3 jalapeños, seeds removed and minced
1/4 - 1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro
1/3 cup diced red onion
squeeze of half a lime

Directions:

Combine all of the prepared ingredients in a bowl, starting with using only 1 jalapeño. Stir to combine. Test for heat preference and add additional jalapeño if desired.

Orange Chicken Stir Fry

Yield: 5-7 Servings about 150-200 calories. I served this on Miracle rice which is no calorie. If you serve it on rice then add this onto your calorie count.

Ingredients

Sauce:
2/3 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon orange zest
3 large cloves garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
optional sweetener like sugar, honey, agave, etc.

Stir-fry:
3 medium sized chicken breasts cut into cubes
salt and pepper
4 tablespoons corn starch
6 cups chopped vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, celery, mushroom, snap peas,bell peppers etc.
olive oil
1/2 cup medium yellow onion, chopped

Directions

1. Blend all the ingredients for the sauce in a blender or food processor for 10 seconds.

2. mix chicken and corn starch in a ziploc. cook chicken and onion in a pan with a small bit of oil and some chicken broth.

3. Stir Fry veggies in separate pan in some chicken broth until just tender. Combine chicken and veggies when cooked and slowly add orange sauce until until slightly thick.

Balsamic Chicken with Roasted Asparagus and Tomatoes

This is from Maggies Bites
Serves 4- 360 calories each

Ingredients

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (6 oz each)
1 bunch asparagus
1 pint grape tomatoes
4 oz mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup plus 2 Tb balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup plus 1 t olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper 

Directions

1. Combine 1/2 balsamic, 1/4 olive oil, garlic powder and pepper into a ziploc bag. Add in raw chicken breasts and marinate from 30 minutes to overnight. After marinating, grill chicken.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut off the end of asparagus (bend asparagus until it breaks, this is where you should be cutting off the ends). Line a cookie sheet with tinfoil. Line asparagus on the cookie sheet and drizzle with 1 Tbs olive oil. Sprinkle with salt. Place on top rack of oven for 8-10 minutes until tender (until you can easily pierce with a fork).

3. In a frying pan, place sliced grape tomatoes in 1 teaspoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar. Cook for a few minutes until tomatoes start to get soft (where you can squish them with a fork).

4. Place chicken and asparagus on a serving dish, top with tomatoes and mozzarella. Drizzle with extra balsamic mixture from tomatoes. 

Healthier Hawaiian Haystacks

• 3 medium sized chicken breasts cooked and shredded
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 3/4 c. chopped onion
• 2 tsp crushed garlic
• 1/3 c flour
• 2 1/2 c. milk
• 1 1/4 c chicken broth

Fix some rice according to manufacturers directions.

Cook onion in olive oil until tender. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in flour then slowly add milk and broth with a whisk. Season with salt and pepper and cook until thick whisking constantly. Add chicken. Serve on rice with desired toppings. I used: A sprinkle of reduced fat cheese, olives, pineapple, green onions, tomatoes, green bell pepper, celery, a sprinkle of chow mein noodles, and a bit of unsweetened coconut.

Serves 7-8 around 300 calories per serving

Winter Minestrone

Serves 6 to 8

Good olive oil

1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions

2 cups (1/2-inch) diced carrots (3 carrots)

2 cups (1/2-inch) diced celery (3 stalks)

2 1/2 cups (1/2-inch) diced peeled butternut squash

1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (4 cloves)

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves(or 1 tsp dried thyme)

26 ounces canned chopped tomatoes

6 to 8 cups chicken stock

1 bay leaf Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups cooked small pasta

8 to 10 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves

1/2 cup good dry white wine

2 tablespoons store-bought pesto

To cook the pasta, put 1 cup of pasta into a large pot of boiling salted water. Cook according to the directions on the package, drain, and set aside.

You can make this soup ahead and reheat it before serving. It will need to be reseasoned.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add the onions, carrots, celery, squash, garlic, and thyme and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.

Add the tomatoes, 6 cups of the chicken stock, the bay leaf, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

Discard the bay leaf. Add the beans and cooked pasta and heat through. the soup should be quite thick but if it’s too thick, add more chicken stock. Just before serving, reheat the soup, add the spinach,and toss with 2 big spoons (like tossing a salad). Cook just until the leaves are wilted. Stir in the white wine and pesto. Depending on the saltiness of the chicken stock, add another teaspoon or two of salt to taste. 

Roasted Carrots

Take a large bag of carrots and coat them with less than a Tbs olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook is 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. And another Tbs of olive oil and drizzle with balsamic vinegar and honey (about 2 Tbs) and cook for 5 more minutes. Enjoy! Serves 8 at 99 calories per serving.

Broccoli Quiche with Brown Rice Crust

• 3 cups cooked brown rice
• 1/3 c. reduced fat cheddar cheese
• 6 eggs
• 6 Tbs. egg whites
• 1 1/4 c. milk
• 3 cups cooked chopped broccoli
• 1 c. grated reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese
• 6 green onions, chopped (or red onions is what I had and I sauteed them in chicken broth to soften)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Mix 2 eggs with rice and press into11x13 pan prepared with cooking spray. Bake at 450 degrees for 5-7 minutes.

Mix the remaining ingredients and pour over rice crust. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Around 200 calories per serving. 10 servings.