Oven Fried Chicken

Update 1/2/14

This chicken has become popular in my household once again. This time it is young James that loves it. He is CRAZY about this chicken. He calls it "Crispy Chicken".

I have made a few changes to this recipe. I use panko crumbs instead of whole wheat sometimes, and other times I use a mixture of both. So I guess it is not completely South Beach with that change but it is still healthy and delicious. Oh, and sometimes I use dried parsley instead of the fresh. Slight change that makes it even easier to premix.

I still try and have this mixture prepped in the freezer for easy weekday meals. If I have chicken defrosted, I cut it up, dip it in olive oil, roll in the crumbs and then bake for 20 minutes! Easy enough.

So like I said, James loves this. He loves it so much that he wants "all kids to have this chicken". We had a whole conversation about it before I asked him to repeat everything for a video. So now we're hoping to go viral :)

The recipe link is below, as usual. It still works. I tested it. But like I said, we use panko crumbs mostly for the extra crunch.

Here is James' video. Please share so it goes viral! Haha!

 

 

 

 

2/2010---Oven-fried chicken for dinner. We've enjoyed this chicken for a few years now, since discovering them in our South Beach Diet cookbook. It is an easy meal to prepare if you have the ingredients prepped- I usually have whole wheat breadcrumbs and ground almonds in the freezer, just for this! Also, I've made the breading ahead of time and had that in the freezer too. It is then so easy to dip each piece of chicken in olive oil and some frozen breading, and bake.

It's just so good! The thyme, garlic, and almonds I think really make this great.

Click here for the stolen recipe. I originally found this recipe in my SBD cookbook but it is also online.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Copycat Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits, and Chili

I saw the recipe for these biscuits on Pinterest, but they are taste tested by my favorite blogger (Brown Eyed Baker) so I knew they would be good!

The verdict? Duh! My husband and even my small child loved them! They are quick and easy, and will definitely be made again and again. I just hope they don't replace my beloved cornbread when it's chili making time..

This is my instagram picture, titled: Life is good. Chili in my Chococat bowl, Sweet Child of Vine Fulton beer, and a copycat Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit.

 

Drop biscuits. Good and easy!

 

Click here for the stolen recipe for Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits.

And because I've never really posted my chili recipe, here it goes from memory... It is a South Beach recipe from long ago. I want to say that I got it from a message board, which is why I haven't been able to find it online anywhere now. It might not be the most authentic, true chili but it is darn good and healthy.

Chili

Ingredients:

• 1-2 tsp olive oil
• 2 bell peppers, any color, chopped (I usually do a green and a yellow/red)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 clove garlic, minced
• 1 lb ground beef (these days we substitute lean ground turkey)
• 15 oz tomato sauce
• 1 can tomatoes with green chiles
• 1 can black beans (I use Bush's reduced sodium), drained and rinsed
• 1 can light or dark kidney beans (I use Bush's reduced sodium), drained and rinsed
• 1 T chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin

1. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the bell peppers, onion, and garlic and cook until softened. Add the ground meat and cook until there is no pink left.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Add dollops of sour cream, shredded cheddar, and any other toppings that you enjoy!

 

Posted with Blogsy

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

I must have a million pins on Pinterest, most of them cupcakes and delicious desserts though. I was really stumped the other day when I was planning my week's menu and what I can make that actually excited me.

I never really venture on to my "Salads" Pinterest board but summer is all about healthy vegetables and eating right, right? So I saw this salad recipe and it didn't look too bad!

My husband's verdict? "I'd make this again. I mean, I'd have YOU make this again."

 

I love all of these ingredients. I used canned corn (called for by the recipe) but only because sweet corn isn't too in season yet AND because I have a brand of corn that I really truly like. Delmonte's Summer Crisp. It is not like the others!

 

I didn't even mind this green leafy stuff. It gets covered in the creamy chipotle dressing and you can barely taste the healthy parts. :)

 

The best way I've found to make the precooked chicken is to wrap the breasts in a foil packet, baking at 375 degrees for about 35 minutes. I lightly salt and pepper it and it always comes out smelling divine. I made the chicken this morning and it made for easy assembly later.

I didn't even use all of the dressing and it was plenty. It was smoky and spicy, just a nice kick. The recipe is originally from Cooking Light and it says that it tastes just as great the next day. I have some fresh, dry lettuce leftover in case it's a wilted mess but I don't think we'll mind!

I didn't have taco bowls so I just spread a few tortilla chips on the bottom of each plate.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Lighter Thai Inspired Wraps & Crunchy Asian Cabbage Salad (repeat)

I really love this picture. You can't get any more colorful than that!

 

This is a great combo! Some of the same ingredients are in each food, but it made it easier for chopping.

The peanut sauce in the wrap sandwich is awesome! I actually made a 1 1/2 recipe so we could enjoy it a bit more. (Good decision, Lisa. *pat on the back*) The sauce ingredients are all staples in our household, so even better. -lime juice, peanut butter, sesame oil, soy sauce, ground ginger-

I think we got all of our vitamins through vegetables in just this one meal! No complaints from the husband. He really did dig this meal.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Lighter Thai Inspired Wraps.

I've made the Crunchy salad before. This is the post where I wrote about it.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Sweet and Sour Stir-Fried Chicken with Pineapple and Red Onions

How thrilling that this is a "Light" recipe! Especially when our other stand-by sweet and sour recipe is VERY heavy :)

We've made this twice. It passed my Dear Husband's taste test. The second time I made it I even decreased the sugar slightly and it was still good with him.

The sauce is easy to whip up, it includes pineapple (lovely), and it's "light". Yay!

Click here for the stolen recipe for Sweet and Sour Stir-Fried Chicken with Pineapple and Red Onions.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Chocolate Angel Food Cake

I used to make a chocolate angel food cake, way back before I really knew how to cook or bake. (Yes, those were the days! Anything over a few ingredients seemed intimidating back then!)

I haven't made an angel food cake for a long, long time. I remembered it was a Cooking Light recipe and thought it might fit in okay with my diet.

Yay, it does!

This cake was light and fluffy, and just chocolate-y enough to satisfy my little one. He ate his "plain" and very, very quickly!

The recipe made enough for this bundt pan (a springform one, which I was grateful for because it didn't stick much) and it also made four mini bundts. Those will be perfect for freezing and taking out for James' treats.

In case you wondered, each piece (approximately 12 total) is 120 calories. Pretty good for cake!

Click here for the stolen recipe for Chocolate Angel Food Cake.

 

Buffalo Turkey Burgers with Blue Cheese Broccoli Slaw

These were great! I was hoping the Buffalo flavor would appeal to my husband. It did. The burgers were actually quite spicy but in a good way. Carrots are grated and added to the burger mix, which would be good if you were trying to sneak veggies into your family's diet!

I did find reduced fat cheddar slices and whole wheat buns to make this a bit better for my diet. Diet, diet, diet. Yeah, I guess I should start calling it something else since this is just the way it should be.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Diet or not, my husband liked it! He said it's the best diet he's been on :)

Click here for the stolen recipe for Buffalo Turkey Burgers with Blue Cheese Broccoli Slaw.

 

Pumpkin Oatmeal

 

This is just a different version from the other crockpot steel cut oatmeal that I've been making. I think the only difference is that I used less apples, added two cups of canned pumpkin, and upped the amount of cinnamon. Delicious. I always top my bowl of oatmeal with 2 T of sliced almonds and 2 T of craisins.

Double recipe of this:

Click here for the stolen recipe for Overnight, Crockpot Steel Cut Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal.


 

Crockpot Apple Cinnamon Steel-cut Oatmeal

I'm not a big cooked oatmeal fan (I didn't think) but my doctor suggested adding oatmeal to my breakfast line-up because it's packed with protein and will keep me full. I've heard that steel-cut oatmeal is the healthiest but it takes a lot longer to cook. Voila. Crockpot!



I have issues with texture so when I saw this gloppy finished product I was a bit scared. I added a bit of brown sugar, dried cranberries, and sliced almonds. SO much better! It wasn't as gloppy as I thought but rather chewy and hearty.

It was very easy to throw together and I imagine that you can change up the basic recipe as you like. I think adding dried fruit would be great. If I added dried fruit I wouldn't add more liquid, because I think I like my oatmeal on the drier side. If I made it exactly like this again I would decrease the water by 1/2 cup.

I saw on other websites that people didn't like making the oatmeal directly in the crockpot because of the browned bits on the sides (they were preparing the oatmeal in a bowl within the crockpot, like a steam bath). I actually thought those bits added a lot to the flavor and texture. It firmed it up.

The verdict: Did it keep me fuller and not make me break out into the shakes by 10am? I think I need to eat it a few times more and then decide.

It makes 5 1-cup servings and the recipe says it freezes well. I did freeze a few portions but they didn't last long in the freezer. We ate them up pretty quickly! We'll definitely be making this again.

I did need to buy two ingredients that I wouldn't normally have in the house. Each bag cost around $5. The steel cut oatmeal will make 3 crockpot recipes. And then for the ground flaxseed you only need 2 Tablespoons so this bag will last a long time. I should find some other recipes for the flaxseed. I think it's one of those ingredients that I've seen around but I hadn't made the leap to buy it until now. In muffins?

Click here for the stolen recipe for Crockpot Apple Cinnamon Steel-cut Oatmeal.

Danger Ahead!

My child is going to grow up thinking that his Mom can whip up cookies in just 15 minutes. I guess it's going to be true! This is a great recipe and I love that I can make just enough for the three of us to be satisfied, and not a whole tempting batch that sits on the counter or in the freezer for midnight (okay, 8:00, we're old here) munchies.

These One Bowl Chocolate Chip Cookies for Two (errrrr, Three) were simple and delicious! I never know what to use for shortening but in this recipe I did use some Smart Balance spread and it worked well. Yay!

The recipe made 4 medium-large cookies. Here is my one cookie-

James tackled one cookie, happily. And we left these two for Dad. Actually James didn't count fast enough to see that there were two left. I didn't think James needed two cookies so I told Jim to get his share out of the kitchen fast :)

I'm going to try and start posting printable recipes for y'all. This is a great recipe to start doing this with and you'll enjoy it if you make it!

Click here for the stolen recipe for One Bowl Chocolate Chip Cookies for Two.

OR

Click here for my Printable Recipe.

HaHa! I just labeled these healthy because I figure it's better than making a whole batch of 2-3 dozen!

And you should always just have chocolate chips laying around your house...

Strawberry Freezer Jam

I picked SEVEN pounds of strawberries yesterday. It actually didn't take too long. James was at daycare so I went by myself and picked fast.

I used a reduced sugar pectin and followed the directions in the box for Freezer Jam. I had first bought boxes of regular pectin but was horrified to read that for every four cups of smashed strawberries I'd need THREE cups of sugar. Too much. My Facebook friend Sylvia told me that she used the reduced sugar pectin successfully to make her freezer jam. I went back to the store and found it. Four cups of smashed strawberries and just one cup of sugar. It is definitely sweet enough! The strawberries were awesome to begin with so they barely needed sugar, really.

The recipe is very easy. From about 5 1/2 pounds of strawberries I ended up with twelve 1-cup containers of jam that will stay good in the freezer for up to a year. I think I might need more because I'll probably give some away :) We're definitely picking more strawberries next week since I didn't have enough this time for this ice cream.

The recipe was in the pectin box but I did find it online here.

Coconut Chicken Salad with Warm Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

Fancy lunch today! This was an easy recipe to whip up today for lunch.

The coconut chicken was great. The breading was easy enough to mix up, and dipping the chicken pieces in egg whites and then the breading, and then spraying lightly with cooking spray. Easy.

I do think that the best part of the recipe was the vinaigrette. And wow, just a few ingredients to make that goodness. The recipe only made enough for two servings. After we ate our salads I promptly made a quadruple batch for the rest of the week.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Coconut Chicken Salad with Warm Honey Mustard Vinaigrette.

Creamy Baked Chicken Taquitos

Probably not the most authentic Mexican recipe but pretty darn good. I like the idea of baking these taquitos instead of deep frying so they are healthier. We are already imagining the other fillings we can make for other taquitos.



The filling is made from salsa verde, cream cheese, spices, shredded chicken, two kinds of cheese, etc. See the recipe below :) Maybe I could use Mexican crema instead of cream cheese next time?

I baked these for the smaller amount of time, I think if I had left them in for a few more minutes they would have been crispier. We dipped them in salsa and sour cream. This is definitely a recipe we'll make again.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Creamy Baked Chicken Taquitos.

White Chicken Chili

Reposted because I included the recipe below!



OH WOW. I just love this soup. I think it could be one of my favorite meals ever. OR I'm just really hungry lately :)

This soup is low-fat, flavorful, and just awesome. It does take a bit of time to make- it involves many steps, taking about 2 hours total. Well worth it.

I did substitute white hominy for the cannellini beans. It reminds me of posole. And this isn't really a white chili but a green one. Those chiles just make this soup.


Make this on a relaxing Sunday and enjoy!

I just can't find this recipe online to save my life. That is just WRONG. No one has blogged about this great soup? Inconceivable!

There are 8 servings in this soup. Each serving is only 3 weight watcher points! I had two servings :)

The recipe since I was asked very nicely to share it :)



White Chicken Chili

3 lbs. bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
Salt and ground pepper
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
3 medium poblano chiles, stemmed, seeded, and chopped medium
3 medium Anaheim chiles, stemmed, seeded, and chopped medium
1 medium jalapeno chile, plus 1 small jalapeno chile, seeds and ribs removed and set aside, flesh minced
2 medium onions, minced
6 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 Tablespoons)
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons dried oregano
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2- 15 oz. cans cannellini beans (or hominy), drained and rinsed
¼ cup juice from 2 to 3 limes
¼ cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
4 scallions, sliced thin

1. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Sear the chicken, skin side down, until browned, about 4 minutes. Flip the chicken and sear on the second side until browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and remove and discard the skin.

2. Add all of the chiles except the small jalapeno, onions, garlic, cumin, oregano, and 1 teaspoon salt in a large Dutch oven. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the vegetables are softened, 12-15 minutes. Transfer half of the mixture to a clean plate; set aside.

3. Stir in the broth, chicken, and beans. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is fully cooked, about 20 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a large plate. Continue to simmer the chili, uncovered, until it has thickened, 35-40 minutes.

4. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces, discarding the bones. Stir the shredded chicken, reserved chile mixture, lime juice, cilantro, scallions, and small jalapeno into the chili. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If the chile is too thick, stir in additional water to thin it out.

The chili can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Per 1 ½ cup serving: Calories 320, Fat 4.5g, Carb 28g, Protein 39g, Fiber 9g

This recipe was adapted from The Best Light Recipe, from the Editors of Cook's Illustrated.

Turkey (or chicken) Tetrazzini

I thought that this would be a James-friendly meal one day. He loves spaghetti, he likes chicken (sometimes) and he loves cheese but he wouldn't touch this. This is a pretty cheesy sauce and even though I'm not a big fan of cream of mushroom soup, it all goes well together.

Does it even look appetizing?




Why don't I like cream of mushroom sauce? The only reason is that I don't like the ingredient list. It's a processed food, so there are too many unrecognizable ingredients. Yes, I am a food snob sometimes.

This is a easy recipe if you have all of the ingredients and precooked chicken/turkey. Sometimes I've gone to the grocery store deli and asked them to cut me a 3/4 pound slab of turkey. Like one big piece that I've diced up for this recipe. THIS time I used a packaged box of deli chicken chunks. Again, a processed food but slightly healthier because it was a "natural" product and it at least has pronounceable ingredients!

Click here for the stolen recipe for Turkey Tetrazzini. Originally I found this recipe in a Cooking Light magazine.

Chili

I can never find the recipe for this online, even though that's where we got it originally, but this is our staple chili. We have never looked for another recipe- why mess with a good thing?

On Friday I came home and this was simmering on the stovetop. I love when my husband makes dinner :)



Do you want the recipe? Leave a comment and I'll know to just type it out later.

Fish Sticks

I forgot to take a picture until there were just two left. James wasn't thrilled with anything today, so I don't know why I dared to dream that he would try something new tonight. Oh well. We thought these were good, and easy! I will make these again, maybe with a bit more seasoning in the crumb mix and a bit more cooking spray across the tops to make them toasty looking.

But good!

Click here for the stolen recipe for Healthy Homemade Fish Sticks.

Crab Cakes

Jim said these crab cakes are better than any he's had in a restaurant. Ooooh high praise!



I made these crab cakes last night, the mixture anyway. I made the cakes and put them on a baking tray and refrigerated them overnight. This was great. I pulled them out of the refrigerator, dredged them in a bit of flour, and then sauteed them for 3-4 minutes per side.

For dinner, a crab cake with a lemon herb sauce, leftover Tuscan vegetable soup, and a side salad. Plenty of food! (9 points total)

My sister has been telling me to buy the lump crabmeat at Sam's Club. Whenever I've made crab cakes in the past I've used canned crabmeat. Good, but not great. These were great! It was $16 for almost a pound of meat but well worth it. This recipe made four healthy sized crab cakes. We've decided that we need to make these again :)

Click here for the stolen recipe for Crab Cakes. I found the recipe in my The Best Light Recipe cookbook but found the basic recipe online. Try 'em, you'll like 'em.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

I don't think I'm a big fan of squash which is unfortunate because my farm boxes are arriving PACKED with it. I made this soup tonight for later in the week. (My recipe says it keeps for four days, covered in the fridge.)

I snuck a little taste of it and I think this will definitely be a small serving on the side of a meal. It isn't the star, in my eyes. It's really, really velvety smooth and I think it's probably a great soup. I just don't think I'm BFF's with squash. We're just civil to each other :)

I really wanted to love it too because it took up a whole hour of my life! Roasting in the oven, then cooking on the stovetop with garlic, broth, white wine, and then pureeing it in the blender, and finally adding a touch of half and half. I didn't even bother with the dishes. I was just too tired :) (Sorry Jimmy!)

Click here for the stolen recipe for Roasted Butternut Squash Soup.

Ooops! I can't find the recipe online. I lack the energy to type it out. Here are the ingredients though: 1 large butternut squash, 1 onion, 2 tsp vegetable oil, 3 garlic cloves, 1/4 cup dry wine, 1 bay leaf, 1 1/2 cups chicken broth (low sodium), 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth, 1/2 cup half and half, salt and pepper.

This soup has 4 servings. Each serving is 3 Weight Watcher points.

Another Chicken Pot Pie

I don't know how my other Chicken Pot Pie rates in the weight watcher world but I would guess with the processed pie crust (probably made with lard) that it isn't very healthy. Lovely tasting, but not good for my diet right now.

I found this recipe in my The Best Light Recipes by Cook's Illustrated. I am really appreciating that it breaks down the calories, fat, carbs, protein, and fiber at the end of each recipe. I was quickly able to figure out which recipes I could make for my diet. A serving of this Pot Pie is about 8 points. It's all I ate and I actually had 1 1/2 servings :) All within my diet!

The filling was on the thin side, like runny. I actually like the other recipe much better but I'll have to check the points on it before I make it again. I really liked the biscuit top to this pot pie. Yum. It was quite easy to make, just mixing wet and dry ingredients separately and then all together. The biscuits were dropped on top of the filling.

So we really enjoyed this dinner!

Click here for the stolen recipe for Chicken Pot Pie. I found the recipe in my cookbook. I love that book :)

This pie has 8 servings. Each serving is 8 Weight Watcher points.