BBQ Chicken and Black Bean Burrito

Here is another yummy recipe from the Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30 Days Plan. My kids even ate this one!

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces (Jillian prefers organic)
1/2 cup onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup low-sodium bbq sauce
15 ounces low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (organic if you can)
Whole grain tortillas
1/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt

 Heat oil in a large skillet over medium  heat. Add chicken, onion and garlic. Cook and stir until chicken is fully cooked, no pink left.

 Stir in bbq sauce and black beans. Sprinkle with cheese and cook 5 minutes more or until thoroughly heated.

Spoon mixture into tortilla, top with 1 tablespoon Greek yogurt and roll up.

Easy peasy and delicious!

Crock Pot Chicken and Vegetables

This recipe made my house smell so yummy! It's a perfect recipe for Sunday. Put it all together, head to church and come home to lunch or dinner ready to go.

 

• 2 cups fresh baby carrots (I sliced them in half)
• 4 medium white or red potatoes, cut into quarters
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 1/2 bell pepper any color, chopped
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp paprika

 

Place carrots, potatoes, onion, chicken and pepper in crock in order. (Ooops! I put the peppers in before the chicken. Oh, well. Does it really matter?)

 

Mix soup, water, oregano, and paprika and pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

 

Oyoko Don

Wow! A recipe. For some reason whenever I think of this dish I hear "parent and child" in the back of my head. This is a Japanese dish and want to say a friend of mine told me that is what oyoko don means, but it could just be random voices in my head, so don't quote me. Does anyone speak Japanese? Anyway, it is an easy recipe involving chicken, egg and rice.

I have to be up front and let you know that my family doesn't like this one, but they can't tell me why. ??? I like it and actually think it tastes better as left overs. I tried cooking the eggs separately this time hoping that would make it look more appetizing to my family, but usually you just cook it in the hot soupy sauce.

* 4 chicken breast, cooked and cubed
* 3 cups chicken broth
* 1/2 cup soy sauce
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 2 sliced green onion
* sliced mushrooms
* 4 stirred eggs
(In an effort to appease my family I left out the green onion and mushrooms. I should have put them in since I'm eating all the left overs by myself.)

1. Add chicken broth, soy sauce and sugar to a skillet and heat till bubbly. Add chicken, onions, and mushrooms and heat until bubbly again. Stir in eggs. The eggs will cook in the hot soupy mixture. Serve over rice.

My variation:

Cook the eggs.

Add the chicken.

Add the broth, soy sauce, and sugar.

Serve over rice.

Linguini with Vegetables and Sauce

Wow! I am really behind with posting recipes. Perhaps it is because we have been eating very simple meals that I figure you all make anyway. This recipe is so easy I don't know if you should call it a recipe. It is more like dumping things in a pan and then heating it. Or, something like that.

Linguini with Vegetables and Alfredo Sauce

• 28 oz. jar of Alfredo sauce (I only used a 15 oz jar and it was enough flavor with less fat and calories)

• 1 lb. box linguini
• 1 1/2 cups chopped chicken from freezer, (optional, this can easily be made vegetarian)
• 1 bag (14 oz.) bag frozen broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots
• 1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained (also optional, I was the only one who ate the tomatoes on top)
• Parmesan Cheese (to taste)

Prepare linguine according to directions, cooking frozen vegetables with linguini. Drain all and return to pan. Add sauce and chicken and heat. Heat tomatoes in microwave or on stovetop. Serve pasta mixture topped with tomatoes and Parmesan cheese.

It doesn't get any easier than that! This also warmed up well.

Mexican Corn Chowder

This recipe came from Menus4Moms, but the pictures are from my kitchen. My comments are in italics. Just so you know, you do not have to pay for a subscription in order to view the archives. Simply click on Basic Dinner Menu on the left side bar and scroll down. I have not had any problems opening, viewing and printing the recipes or grocery lists from the 2009 list. It was very easy to make and I thought it was delicious with the cornbread. It was a little thin for my hubby.

Mexican Corn Chowder

2 cups cooked chicken
1/2 cup cooked onions (I sauteed them with the garlic before doing step one below)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can chicken broth
1/2 - 1 tsp cumin, ground
2 cups half & half
3 cups monterey jack cheese, shredded (my kids ate all the jack cheese, so I used Swiss and cheddar)
2 cans creamed style corn
1 can green chilies, chopped; undrained
4 oz. jar pimiento, diced--(I left these out, but added drained diced tomatoes for the red. Diced red bell pepper would be great too.)
fresh cilantro or parsley, optional
tortilla chips, optional

1. Combine chicken, onions, garlic, chicken broth, and cumin; bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes. 

2. Add half & half, cheese, corn, chilies, and hot pepper sauce (this wasn't listed in the ingredients, and I left it out). Cook and stir over low heat until the cheese is melted. Stir in pimiento. Serve immediately. 

3. Garnish with cilantro, parsley, and tortilla chips, if desired. (We just ate cornbread with it.)

Turkey Tetrazinni

Here is my favorite turkey left over recipe. A friend of my mother gave it to me years ago. Unfortunately, it is not one of my husband's favorite meals so I only make it once a year--after Thanksgiving.

Turkey Tetrazinni (You can use chicken as well)

* 1 (16 ounce) package spaghetti
* 4 cups chicken broth
* 4 cups cooked turkey, cut
* 1 stick butter, divided
* 1 small onion
* 1/2 pound sliced mushrooms
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
* 1/2 teaspoon paprika
* 1 cup half and half
* 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Cook spaghetti and spread in 13 x 9 baking dish.

2. Cook 2 tablespoon butter, the onion, mushrooms and lemon juice for 5 minutes then set aside.

3. Cook 4 tablespoons butter, flour, nutmeg and paprika in a pan until it is smooth. Add chicken broth and cook until smooth and thick. (I add it slowly mixing the whole time so that I don't get lumps)

4. Add 1 cup half and half, turkey, mushroom mixture and parmesan cheese. Poor over the noodles, sprinkle cheese on top, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for another 10 minutes.

Turkey Pot Pie

Last year I asked you to send me your favorite left over turkey recipes. Well, this is the only one I received! Feel free to email them to me this year and I'll post them on here as well. Enjoy, and thank you Kristen!

"Charity, my favorite leftover turkey recipe (other than turkey sandwiches, yum) is turkey pot pie! It's super easy, and I also make it other times of the year using chicken. My husband loves it!

Turkey (or Chicken) Pot Pie

1 c. cooked, chopped turkey or chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can mixed veggies (I use veg-all)
1 recipe for double crust pie

Mix and pour into unbaked pie crust. Cover with uncooked pastry top. Seal and bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes until crust is brown.

Pastry for double crust pie:
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
2/3 c. shortening
5-7 TB cold water

Mix flour and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles small peas. Add water, 1 TB at a time, stirring with a fork until mixture holds together. Divide in half and roll out on a floured board (or counter) until it will fit in the pie pan. Do the same thing with the top crust. The more the dough is handled, the tougher it gets."

Chicken Mozzarella

This recipe is very easy, has just a few ingredients and can be prepared and cooked within 30 minutes! Gotta love it and it still tastes good and looks really nice for company. I chop my vegetables for the rice pilaf first so the rice can cook at the same time as the chicken. My students made this last week and they were licking their plates! I guess they liked it.

Chicken Mozzarella

*Chicken breast (enough for your family)
*1 clove garlic (or more if your husband doesn't balk at the smell. I love you hun!)
*Olive oil
*1 can diced tomatoes with garlic and basil
*four slices Mozzarella cheese

1. Warm olive oil in a skillet with high sides over medium high heat. Add garlic and chicken. I cut my chicken into bite size pieces, but you can place the whole breast in the pan if you prefer.2. After the chicken is browned just a little (about 3 or 4 minutes) pour the can of tomatoes over the top. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.3. When chicken is cooked through top with the cheese slices and cover again for about a minute. Serve over rice pilaf.

Rice Pilaf

*2 cups water
*1 cup rice
*1 teaspoon salt
*1 tablespoon olive oil
*1 medium green bell pepper, diced
*1 yellow squash, diced

1. Put first four ingredients in your pot and bring to a boil (just like the instructions on the bag of rice). When you turn it down to simmer, add the vegetables and cover. It takes about 20 minutes for the rice to absorb the water and for the vegetables to get tender.
2. Mix and serve! Easy!

Grilled Chicken Sandwich

So, do you want to know what I've been eating for lunch this week? With my novel characters running rampant in my mind, I have not been able to concentrate on food. Novel writing may turn out to be a new form of dieting. Anyway, the only thing that sounded really good was a grilled chicken sandwich, but I did not want to drive to Chick-fil-A to get one. So, I turned on the grill and by golly I think my sandwich is better than Chick-fil-A!

I salted and peppered both sides of a chicken breast and put them on the grill to cook on medium heat, brushing them with a Hoisin Sauce (about 3 tablespoons) and Liquid Smoke (about 1/4 teaspoon) mixture. I did add about a tablespoon of water to thin it out as well. I put it on a hard roll with Swiss cheese, honey mustard, bell pepper slices and green lettuce. I ran out of tomato by the time I thought of taking a picture and blogging about this yummy sandwich so I added dill spears instead.

Turkey Wild Rice Soup--Charity Style!

Have you figured out what my style is yet? Turkey Wild Rice Soup--Charity Style means of course--no turkey or wild rice! Ha ha! I used chicken and plain old brown rice, but this soup was still a hit with my family. I made homemade wheat rolls to go with it and it seriously tasted like biscuits and gravy with chicken instead of sausage. It had a few steps, but they were easy steps. The soup was creamy and I will definitely add this to my "make again" list. I thought it was filling enough with the rolls and a salad, but I did worry that the missionaries left a little bit hungry.

I'm sorry I don't have any pictures of it. Since we had the missionaries over for dinner and in the rush to get everything ready I forgot to take a picture. There were no left overs so I will take a picture next time and add it to the post.

Ingredients:
3 (10 1/2 ounces) cans chicken broth
2 cups water
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions (I used about 1/4 cup chopped yellow onion)
1/2 cup uncooked wild rice (brown rice)
8 slices bacon (I completely omitted, I image we would have died from the perfection of the added bacon!)
1/2 cup margarine
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 cups half and half
1 1/2 cups cooked, diced turkey (or chicken)

1. In a large pot over medium heat, combine chicken broth, water, chopped onion and rice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for 35 to 40 minutes until rice is tender.

2. If using bacon, cook it until crisp while the rice is cooking. When the bacon is crisp, let it cool, crumble and set aside. This is when I cooked my chicken. I pan fried it in a little olive oil sprinkled with salt.

3. In a medium saucepan (I actually used the same skillet that I cooked my chicken in--it has high straight sides) over medium heat, place margarine. Add flour, salt, poultry seasoning and pepper and mix well. Cook, stirring frequently until bubbly and smooth. Stir in half and half and cook until thickened about 2 minutes. YES! You are making gravy to put in the soup! This is why it tastes so yummy.

4. Add the gravy, crumbled bacon, and diced turkey to rice mixture and cook until heated through.

Makes 9 servings

Chicken and Broccoli Rotini

Simplicity itself. Tonight I was really in the mood for a simple, basically healthy and light meal. This was on the list and it fit the bill perfectly. Of course my family complained that I mixed it all together instead of giving them chicken with broccoli and pasta on the side. But it looked nicer this way and it really was super easy to make. I think it only took about 20 minutes start to finish.

Chicken and Broccoli RotiniYou can't get any simpler, easy ingredients than this! Only 5 ingredients!

* 16 oz fresh chopped broccoli (I used a 10 oz bag of frozen florets)
* 1 (16 oz) package dry Rotini pasta
* 2 cloves garlic, minced (I used one large since my family balks at my garlic usage)
* 1 Tablespoon olive oil
* 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* salt and pepper to taste
* Cooked chicken (I used about 9 tenderloin pieces)

1. I pulled some frozen chicken out of the freezer and thawed it about half way in the microwave. I think added it to a skillet with some olive oil and dried onion flakes. I sprinkled salt on both sides as well. I let it cook through and brown while I started the next step.

2. In a large pot of boiling water, cook broccoli until tender. Drain broccoli, reserving the water. Set the broccoli aside and return the water to the pot and cook the pasta in it. The pasta will take about 10 minutes. While the pasta is cooking, I chopped my chicken into pieces.

3. Drain the pasta and set aside. In a skillet add 1 tablespoon olive oil and the minced garlic. Saute for about a minute. Add drained pasta, cooked broccoli, cut chicken and grated Parmesan cheese. Toss together and serve.

This dish is nice and light because there is no sauce, and it is healthy enough to eat a large portion of it. Here is an estimate of the nutrition based on my input on myfitnesspal .

Servings: about 10
331 calories, 43 g carbs, 6 g fat, 22 g protein

Tip: Leave out the chicken for vegetarian and/or to make it a side dish.

Spicy Southwest Chicken Kabobs

These were so good! I didn't make a lot because my family usually doesn't like kabobs of any kind. My hubby even complains, but everyone was looking for more chicken this time. It was very simple and yet very yummy. Everyone even liked the dipping sauce. Oh, and did I mention that my pickiest eater ate the chicken? Oh, yeah, this is a keeper.

Spicy Southwest Chicken Kabobs

* 1 tablespoon garlic pepper (I substituted 1 teaspoon garlic salt and 1 teaspoon pepper)
* 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
* 4 small ears fresh corn, husks removed (I used a bag of frozen, I just set them out to thaw an hour or two before I was ready to put them on the skewers.)
* 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
*2 medium yellow or red bell peppers cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces (I also added zucchini cut in 1 inch pieces)
* 3/4 cup ranch dressing
* 1 canned chipotle in adobo sauce, chopped (I substituted 1 tablespoon Thai chili sauce since I had it in the fridge and a pinch of red pepper flakes.)

1. Mix garlic pepper (or garlic salt and pepper) with the oil. Cut each ear of corn into 3 pieces. Thread chicken, corn and vegetables onto 10 to 12 inch metal skewers, leaving a little space between each piece. Brush kabobs with the oil mixture.
2. Cover and grill kabobs 4 to 5 inches from medium heat 15 to 20 minutes, turning 2 or 3 times until chicken is no longer pink in the center.
3. While the kabobs are on the grill, mix the dressing and chili. Serve with the kabobs. I also put rice on to cook right before I put the kabobs on the grill so it would all be finished about the same time.
Makes 6 servings
Nutrition info without rice: 390 calories, 23g fat, 80mg cholesterol, 20g carbs, 28g protein
From the Betty Crocker May 2002 Grill It booklet.

Chicken Saute Mediterranean

Are you ready for another recipe...finally! I am. For the first time in a long time, last night I felt like trying something totally new. I was looking at the menu on my fridge and not wanting anything on it. So, I pulled out my Light Cooking Book and looked for a recipe that sounded yummy and that I had the ingredients for. This is what I found. Let me tell you, it smelled heavenly while it was cooking. The Italian herbs and garlic made my mouth water! My kids wouldn't touch it (what else is new) and I didn't get a chance to get my hubby's input. He ate it all though.

It was easy to make and like I said smelled heavenly. The taste was good and bold as well. I liked it, but would not eat it every week. Maybe a special occasion, company night, or once every two months. That kind of thing. :) Does that even make any sense? Well, anyway, here it is!

Chicken Saute Mediterranean

* 1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
* 1 1/2 teaspoons dried Italian herb seasoning
* 2 teaspoons olive oil
* 1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes
* 1 can (8 ounces) whole tomatoes, un-drained (I used a 15 ounce can of diced tomatoes)
* 1 can (16 ounces) great Northern or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (I used left over dried brown beans that I had made for another recipe. I used about 1 1/2 cups)

1. Sprinkle breast halves with salt and pepper. Press herbs into chicken.
2. In a large non-stick skillet over med-high heat, heat oil. Add chicken and brown 2 minutes on each side.
3. Add garlic and sun-dried tomatoes (the one ingredient I didn't have) and cook and stir for 1 minute more.
4. Stir in canned tomatoes, including liquid, and the beans. (I think it would look more "Mediterranean" with the white beans.) Reduce heat to med-low, cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
5. Serve chicken breast with the tomatoes and beans spooned over the top. I also topped them with a little Parmesan cheese.

Serves: 5-6, 208 calories, 4 g fat, 66 mg cholesterol, 301 mg sodium
From Light Cooking pg 204. See sidebar for book link.

NOTE: After posting this I realized there is no link for the cookbook. I tried to search for a link and couldn't find anything to link to. Maybe the book is out of print? It isn't that old, 1994 by Publications International. There are some books for sale on Yahoo and E-bay, but they don't have photos so I don't know if they are the same book. I'd try your local library first.

Four Cheese Chicken Fettuccine

This is one of my favorites. It is not a healthy recipe, especially if you eat a lot of it, but I serve just a little of this with lots of healthy side choices. You can also make this a little healthier by making some substitutions which I will note as we go. I also forgot to take a picture so you get the pretty picture off the recipe card. It was from a Taste of Home casserole cookbook, but I just have the cut out card from it.

Four-cheese Chicken Fettuccine

* 8 ounces uncooked fettuccine (I know the box I buy is more than this and I just use it all which makes the dish go farther and spreads some of the creamy calories out farther ;)
* 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
* 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese (you can use 1/3 less fat or fat free cream cheese)
* 1 can sliced mushrooms (fresh are yummy too)
* 1 cup heavy whipping cream (I have not tried these other options, but here is a break down of the creams normally found at the grocery store--Heavy whipping cream is 36% or more milk fat, Light whipping cream is 30-36% fat and Half and Half is only 10.5-18% milk fat. I will try the Half and Half next time and update on how it turns out.)
* 1/2 cup butter
*1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (I used 1 clove of fresh garlic, minced)
* 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (the real stuff not the kind you sprinkle on top of your pizza)
* 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
* 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
* 2-1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken
Topping: Crushed buttery crackers (optional)

1. Cook fettuccine according to package directions. (I always put a tablespoon veg oil in my water to help keep the noodles from sticking together. I do this for all my long pastas.)

2. Meanwhile, in a large sauce pan or stock pot, melt the butter and cook the garlic for a minute if using fresh. Then combine the soup, cream cheese, mushrooms, and whipping cream. Stir in cheeses; cook and stir until melted. Add chicken. Drain the fettuccine and add to the sauce.

3. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Transfer the pasta and cheese mixture to a shallow, greased 11x13 baking dish. Sprinkle the crushed crackers on top if using (You can also make your own my mixing 2 tablespoons melted butter with 1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs). Cover and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.

Servings 6-8 (but I fed two families (12 people) with it and had left overs, no teenagers though), and you really don't want to know the other information do you? Just remember I told you it wasn't healthy, but definitely qualifies as a splurge meal. 641 calories! 47 g fat, 167 mg cholesterol, 895 mg sodium. I just hope that since I fed twice as many people that we only got half these numbers! Whew!

Caesar Chicken and Rice

This is another easy and quick recipe that has a lot of bold flavor. I got it out of the Wal-mart cookbook and it was called "Laura's Chicken and Rice," but I don't know this particular Laura so I took the liberty to rename the chicken in a way that makes more sense. :) However, thank you mystery Laura for a surprisingly yummy meal.

Caesar Chicken and Rice

* 6 Skinless, boneless chicken breast (or enough for your family, I only made 3)
* 1/4 tsp. salt
* 1/4 tsp. pepper
* 3/4 cup Caesar salad dressing
* 2 tablespoon minced onion
* Parmesan cheese
* Cooked Rice

1. Put the rice on to cook. (This is also when I put my fresh green beans on to steam) In a separate pan, add about 2 tablespoons olive oil and heat. Sprinkle the chicken with the salt and pepper and then add to the oil. Cook over medium-high heat for 10 to 20 minutes or until no longer pink, turning once.

Here is everything cooking at once. :)

2. While the chicken is cooking, mix the salad dressing and onions in a small bowl. When the chicken is done, remove it from the pan and add the salad dressing mixture. (The recipe didn't say to drain the oil. I think in the future I will drain most of the oil.) Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 2-3 minutes.

3. Layer the rice, chicken breast and then top with the salad dressing mixture. Mmm, yummy! Just be aware that a little of the dressing goes a long way. It is very bold.

Serves: 6

Swiss Chicken Bake

This is super easy and most of my kids will eat it. It only takes about 10 minutes prep time and about 30-40 minutes cook time.

Swiss Chicken Bake

* Enough chicken breast or tenderloin to feed your family
* 1 can cream of chicken soup
* sliced Swiss cheese
* 1 box of stuffing mix--prepared

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees and start the stuffing mix following the instructions on the box. While my water is boiling for the stuffing, I place my chicken pieces in the bottom of a casserole dish that has been sprayed and layer the Swiss cheese on top. 2. Then while the stuffing is "sitting", I spread the cream of chicken soup over the chicken.

3. Finally, layer the stuffing on top and bake in the oven for about 30-40 minutes. The stuffing will get nice and crispy on top and the chicken will be nice and moist. I always use frozen chicken, so if you use fresh chicken it may not take as long to cook. Just check to make sure the chicken is cooked and no longer pink.

Slow Cooker Spiced Chicken

Ha ha, I found this on my friend Flori's blog today and thought I would just pass it along. Here is what she wrote about it.

"A delicous new dinner idea.
Last night we made this delicious Moroccan Chicken Stew for dinner. It all went right in the crockpot and turned out great. I added some extra chicken since we had guests and there was plenty for everyone. If you're looking for something easy and different, try it and let me know what you think! We served it with pitas & hummus and a green salad. It would also be great with fruit."

Thanks for a great Sunday meal idea!

Chicken Pot Pie

We had company last night so I was scrounging through my cupboards to put together a decent meal that I would not be ashamed of. Granted it was the missionaries coming and they would have been happy with chili dogs, but I just couldn't do that! So, we had homemade chicken pot pie. It was really easy to make and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

Chicken Pot Pie

* 16 oz package frozen vegetables (I had a carrot, corn, green pea and green bean mix but you can use whatever you like)
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 1 small onion, finely minced
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 1/2 cup celery, thinly sliced
* 1/2 cup flour
* 3 cups chicken or turkey broth (beef if you want a beef pie)
* 1 cup skim milk
* 1 teaspoon thyme
* 5 to 6 cups cooked and cubed chicken or turkey (you could also do a nice stew beef)
* 1 can jumbo biscuits

1. Cook chicken and set aside to cool for cutting while you make the gravy. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Melt butter in a medium size frying pan (one with high sides is preferable since you will be adding a lot of liquid. I think you could also do this in a sauce pan easier, I kept sloshing out onto the cook top.) Add onion, garlic and celery and saute for about 2 minutes or until the garlic is soft. Add flour and then gradually stir in chicken broth and milk. Add thyme and cook until thick, stirring constantly.

3. Spray a casserole dish with spray. I dumped the frozen vegetables in and then poured the gravy on top. I then cut my chicken and added it before gently stirring to mix it all up. You may want to add some salt and pepper, I did.

4. Finally, place the biscuits on top and bake for 20 minutes until biscuits are brown. (I did this and it came out beautifully, however, when we went to eat it the biscuits were really doughy on the bottom. I would suggest that you either precook the biscuits and add to the top before serving, or cook for 10 minutes and then flip the biscuits over so they will be cooked all the way through. This time I flipped them and put them back in the oven as a whole dish, but next time I'm going to cook them separately.)

A nice yummy salad to go with it.

Servings: 12-14, 252 calories, 8 g fat, 280 mg sodium. (does not include salad with dried cranberries and croutons) My variation on the Set for Life recipe on page 169.

Sweet and Sour Chicken and Chocolate Delight

I guess we should just know that Thursdays are not going to happen for a while. That is my craziest day of the week. Anyway, I have two yummy recipes to share with you today, but first--a Fit Friday report.

I managed to go for my long run today. It isn't very long yet, only five miles, but I struggled. To be honest, I've been struggling all month with getting out to go run. I want to, but I don't want to if you know what I mean. It is so easy to find an excuse to not go. I have regularly talked myself out of one scheduled run each week. I know that if I would just get my mental game on everything will get easier. My only consolation right now is that when I am out there running and thinking "man I don't want to be doing this!" I tell myself to shut up and keep going. So far I have finished my goals when I actually leave the house. It is a start anyway. I did manage to log in 7 running miles and 4 walking miles this week.

Ok, most of my family really likes this meal and you can use left over chicken to make it. This was the first time I made this dessert, but it is a pretty standard dessert at church pot lucks.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

* 1 green pepper, diced
* 3 green onions, thinly sliced (I just chopped up a normal yellow onion this time)
* 1 (8-oz) can unsweetened pineapple tidbits, drained--save juice
* 1 cup chicken broth
* 1-2 tablespoons soy sauce
* 3 tablespoons vinegar
* 3-4 tablespoons brown sugar
* pinch salt
* 2 tablespoons cornstarch
* 1/4 cup cold water
* 2 cups cooked and cubed chicken
* 3 cups cooked brown rice

Saute green pepper, onion, and pineapple tidbits in nonstick frying pan for 3-5 minutes. Add broth, pineapple juice, soy sauce, vinegar, and brown sugar. Stir cornstarch into cold water and add it to the pan. Cook and stir gently until thickened. Add chicken, and heat through. Serve over rice.

Yield: 6 servings, 296 calories, 4 g fat, 660mg sodium, Set for Life page 166.

Chocolate Delight

* 1/2 cup butter
*1 cup self-rising flour
* 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
* 1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
* 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
* 1 container (16 oz) whipped dessert topping
* 1 pkg (4-serving size) Vanilla flavor instant pudding
* 1 pkg (4-serving size) Chocolate flavor instant pudding
* 3 cups milk
* chopped pecans (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a med bowl cut butter into flour until crumbly. Stir in 1/2 cup pecan if you want and then pat the mixture into the bottom of a 13x11 pan. Cook for 15 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Cool completely.

2. In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar with an electric mixer on low speed until combined. Beat on med speed until fluffy. With a spoon, fold (means gently) in half of the whipped dessert topping. Spread over the cooled crust.

3. In a med bowl, whisk together both pudding mixes with the milk for about 2 minutes until thickened. Spread over the cream cheese layer. Cover and chill for 1 hour.

4. Spread the remaining dessert topping over the pudding mixture and sprinkle with chopped pecans if desired. Cover and chill for 2 more hours. Store in refrigerator. (I didn't have time so I beat the pudding a little longer and did step 4 with step 3 and then chilled for just 2 hours and it was ready.)

Serves 16 (Make it healthier by using sugar free and fat free ingredients)

Lime Chicken and Fried Tomatoes

About a month ago, my good friend Flori sent me an email with a new recipe on it. I finally got around to making it and then promptly lost the picture that I took. I found the picture so here it is. It was really good and super easy. We all like easy! Here it is along with her email. My comments are in blue.

"I've had this sitting on my counter forever to send to you. I got it online and we have made it several times with great results.

Lime Chicken

* 1 tsp. salt
* 1 tsp. chili powder
* 1/2 tsp. garlic (I use the kind from a jar, but you could use fresh or even garlic powder)
* 2 Tbsp. oil
* 1/4 c. lime juice (about 2 limes)(of course I didn't have lime juice, surprise! so I used lemon juice and it was still yummy!)
* 1.5-2 lbs. chicken

1.Marinate together for a few hours and then cook chicken how you choose--I have done the Foreman grill or pan fry. (You don't get it any easier than this! I put them on our outdoor grill and the whole family loved them!)

It is really flavorful, but not too spicy for the kids. We've made chicken tacos and a really tasty chicken taco salad. The dressing below is different, but SO good on taco salad! Hope your family will enjoy. I like checking your food blog now and then, even though I never comment!

From my mom:
* 1 cup ranch dressing
* 1/2-2/3 cup (or 6 oz container) lime yogurt
* 2 tsp. lime juice
* 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro (I've done it without, but it's better with)

1. Just mix it all up!"

I also went to lunch with by best girlfriends a week or two to a new to me restaurant that served Southern cooking. We had fried tomatoes for an appetizer and they were so good! They were probably my favorite thing from the whole lunch. Now, I've tried to make fried tomatoes before. I think everyone who has ever watched and loved Fried Green Tomatoes probably has, and mine were a huge disaster. Soggy, mushy, no flavor. Well, these GOOD fried tomatoes inspired me to give it another try.

I mixed some Italian seasoning with bread crumbs, tossed in some Parmesan cheese and my cracked pepper grill seasoning.

I dipped the tomatoes (fairly thick slices) in an egg that I mixed up, dipped in the bread crumbs, dipped in the egg again and in the crumbs again. So I double dipped!

The trick was actually having my pan hot enough before starting so that the tomatoes didn't have to stay in too long. I put about 1/4 inch of oil in a med sized pan and these turned out great. My hubby even liked them!