Chicken Sausage Stuffed Zucchini

This came out yummy. I've made this in the past with butter, Jimmy dean Sausages, bread and it was higher in fat and calories. You'd think it's zucchini come on I'm eating lighter right LOL.. Well now you can. This was 287 cal and 8 g of fat. I had mine with rice and broccoli and it was about 505 cal and 8 g of fat.

This serves 2 people you could serve 4 with it if you wanted a smaller meal.

Ingredients
2 medium Zucchini
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup Betty Crocker Homestyle stuffing mix (turkey flavor)
1/2 cup water
2 Al fresco Chicken sausage Roasted Garlic (You can use another sausage as long as it is under 140 cal &   8g fat)


Directions
Preheat oven to 375

Cut zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out the center leaving a well for the stuffing. Put the scooped zucchini into a frying pan on high with the onions and sausage that has been quartered and sliced into 1/4 slices. Cook until sausage is done or if using fully cooked sausage just until the onions are translucent. Turn off the heat and add the stuffing mix and water, stir until moistened and let sit till water is absorbed. Place zucchini in a pan cut side up and divide the stuffing mix with the 4 halves. Cook for about 25-30 min. or cooked to your liking. Some people in my family like it a little on the crunchy side and others like it mushy. So it all depends on your taste. Serve this with some rice and broccoli for a complete meal under 505 cal and 8 g fat.

Chicken Pasta Primavera for 1 or 2 light lunches

I made this dish tonight and it is very filling  lower in fat was a bit high in calories but this can be either cut down my reducing the pasta to half. This is for one person or 2 for a light lunch.

Ingredients:
1 cup red and yellow peppers
1/2 cup frozen broccoli
1/4 chopped onion
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup sliced thin 1/8 carrots
4 tbs fat free cream cheese
2 tbs shredded ramonao cheese (or parm cheese fat free works cuts the fat down 3 g so 4 total)
1/2 to 3/4 cup water
1 4 oz chicken breast
1/8 tsp garlic powder
3 oz penne pasta  or 1 1/2 servings
salt and pepper to taste
Cooking spray

Directions:
1. In a frying pan spray with cooking spray, sautee mushrooms for about 3 min or until just cooked. Remove from pan. Add sliced carrots and add some water cook for about 5 min or until slightly crunchy. Strain water and remove carrots from pan.
2. Spray chicken with cooking spray and cook through in the frying pan. Take out from pan and slice into 1/2 inch slices.Set aside..
3. In a saucepan cook pasta for 5 min less than cooking time. Drain and add pasta, chicken, mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, onion, pepper, cream cheese and 1/2 cup water cook for about 5 min just until pasta is cooked and broccoli should still be slightly crunchy. If it seems like the sauce is too thick add a little more water stirring occasionally while cooking.  Add garlic salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the 2 tbs of ramano and serve.

Like I said this makes a lot it can be used for 2 people or for 2 meals. Very yummy and filling. Would be great with a side salad too.

694 Calories
7 g Fat 
You can cut the cal down by ommiting the chicken and cutting back the pasta to 1 serving. Still yummy and filling.
439 calories
4.5 g fat

Herbed Chicken and mushroom dinner

This dinner was very yummy. The original recipe called for sherry but I used water or chicken broth.

Single serve Herbed Chicken and Mushroom Dinner

1 4 oz chicken breast
dash of salt
dash of pepper
Cooking spray
1/4 cup sliced onions
2 oz of sliced mushrooms
1 -2 tbs fat free low sodium chicken broth or water
1/8tsp oregano dried
1 cup frozen broccoli
1/3 cup instant mashed potatoes
1/3 cup water
1 Tbs skim milk
salt and pepper if needed
pepper

  1.  pound chicken to 1/3-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt and  pepper; coat with cooking spray. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; cook 5 to 6 minutes on each side or until browned.
    2. While chicken cooks, cut onions into slices. Remove chicken from pan. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add mushrooms and onions to pan. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in water or chicken broth with oregano. Return chicken to pan; cover and cook 3 to 4 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and chicken is done. Transfer chicken to a platter. Pour mushroom mixture over chicken; sprinkle with freshly ground pepper, if desired. Serve immediately.

Cook broccoli in microwave bowl with a little water to steam for 4 min.

Cook instant mashed potatoes (i do this in the microwave too) boil 1/3 cup water for 2 -2 1/2 min. Remove from microwave add skim milk and potatoes, fluff with a fork and let sit a min.

310 calories and 6 g fat (this made a good size dinner filled my plate)

Freezer Stew!

Ever have left over stew and wanted to freeze it but knowing the potatoes would come out gritty. Potatoes I've found are not good cooked or raw frozen. Maybe par cooked but that'll be another day of research and testing :) So I've come across crock pot freezer meals on Pinterest and had to try them. I think if you have your own recipes and know what freezes raw (vegetables) then your good to go.  So anywho's here's my version of Crock pot stew freezer meals! Made to feed 4 if you break it down you can even do individuals if you have a smaller crock pot with a high low setting. Just use quart size bags instead.

Yummy Beef Stew
Double this recipe if you are making 2 gallon bags

• 1 1lb beef stew meat
• 1 large onion chopped in large chunks
• 3 Garlic Cloves chopped or minced about 2tbs
• 1 each Red and yellow pepper sliced in strips
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes or diced canned (half of a 15 oz can)
• 1 Tbs brown sugar
• 1 cup beef broth (i used 2 bullion cubes with 1 cup water)
• 1 cup of celery
• 8 oz of carrots (baby are easy if you don't want to chop)
• 1/2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp fresh chopped basil
• 2 tsp fresh chopped thyme
• 1 tsp fresh chopped oregano

Write your labels first (below), then fill your bag with the ingredients listed above.

Label Instructions:

• 1/2 lb or 5 to 6 small red potatoes
• 8 oz frozen string beans Optional
• 1 Tbs Flour
• 1 cup water 

Dump contents in crock pot, add potatoes flour and water. 30 -45 min before meal is done add string beans (optional) Serve with biscuits or cornbread.

(will try to add pics soon)

Crock Pot Freezer Meals Who Knew!!

Crock pot meals, who would have thought freeze them so they are easier to prepare. I  have done this for casseroles or easy meals. Never thought do this for the crock pot till one day I was browsing Pinterest and came across a pin for freezer meals. First off I love the convenience and the fact I can make them healthy for myself and family. I have purchased those bagged frozen meals that you prepare in the crock pot, and found they tasted like, well lets just say I wasn't a fan. So coming across a pin linked to Momma and Baby Love they gave me a few ideas. I tried the Healthy BBQ chicken recipe, Found it to be a little bland and found the Sweet Potatoes to be a little gritty from freezing. So next time potatoes will be added or roasted day of,  But here's my spin on this one....

Healthy Mama BBQ Chicken
1 large green pepper, cut into strips .
1 large red pepper, cut into strips
1 large yellow or orange pepper
2 zucchini, chopped into 1inch slices then quartered
1 large onion chopped
2 tablespoon quick cooking tapioca (if not using tapioca flour will do, but add when cooking not freezing).
4 lrg chicken breast ( I cut each in 2 so I had 8 peices)
Mix in a bowl before placing in back 
1 15-ounce can of tomato sauce.
1/2 cup Ketchup
1/2 cup prepared bbq sauce
1 tbs applecider vinegar
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoon  yellow mustard.
2 clove garlic, finely minced, about 2 tablespoons.
1 teaspoon salt
 (potatoes can be added day of cooking for a less gritty texture. add about 1/2 lb per bag of quartered sweet or red potatoes )

Label your 2 gallon freezer bags with the instructions. Remember if not adding tapioca to add the flour step here.

Empty contents into crock pot adding (here is where you'd write flour or potatoes) cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8. (this depends on  your crock pot times may need to be adjusted)


Divide everything into two, one gallon freezer bags  and put in the freezer.

Here's one more from   The Test Kitchen of Melissa Fallis  that I will be testing tonight. I did change it up just a little.
Teriyaki Chicken (1 Bag)

• Cut medium Onion into Large Chunks
• (1) 20oz can pineapple  (undrained)
• (2) Garlic Cloves chopped
• (2) Chicken Breasts ( I slpit these in 2 so I had 4)
• 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
• 1 16 oz frozen broccoli ( don't add to freezer bag this will be added during the cooking process)

Label your bag as so: Add 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce to mixture. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours. 30 Minutes before meal is done add 1 16 oz bag of frozen broccoli. Serve over Rice.


I have done 2 stews, remember add everything but flour, cornstarch or potatoes (none, atleast for me, freeze well) and have the starters for a chili Added all the ingredients (used stew meat had left overs from the 2 bags of stew cut into smaller peices) left out the beans will add those 30-45 min before chili is done. I will try to post a recipe for both later. But search the web there are so many different ideas out there to try...
Kaela

Yummy Summer Dishes!!

Ok I sooo needed to take pics of these two recipes. They are a great lite summer dinner. I am trying to make the Grill my friend this season only if the rain will let up :) ahhh the life of a New Englander :)
These recipes are from Rachel Ray and the first was a salad we had Sunday, very filling I did add less salt and used a tsp more of honey and just realized that I forgot the parsley OOOPPS :). It was good non the less...
Grilled Chicken with Parsely and Cherry Salad

Today we had Grilled Shrimp Scampi. OH BOY was it yummy.. I am not a fan of shrimp nor do I care too much for zucchini or summer squash but this was cooked just right. I ended up making this for 6 instead of 4 mainly because I am trying to watch my fat intake. This was about 24 g of fat per serving for 4 people. YIKES. I am sure you could cut down the Olive oil. The zucchini and yellow squash call for 1 tbs of the olive oil mix. You could brush with lemon juice and sprinkle lightly with the dry ingredients then lightly spray with a cooking spray before you place on the grill. (never spray while foods are on the grill) So with that said you could cut back to 1/4 to 1/8 cup EVOO..  But either way this was good and I will def make this again. But next time the lower fat way for me :). (Trying to diet here BOOOO LOL) 

Grilled Shrimp Scampi

Very Yummy Chinese dinner

So here's the link I got the recipe from, below is my alteration to it....
http://chinesefood.about.com/od/poultryreceo/r/generaltso.htm

Ingredients:

* 1 pound chicken breast
* 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
* 1 egg, lightly beaten
* freshly ground black or white pepper, to taste
* Cornstarch, as needed ( I used about 2 tbs.)

I think you may have to double or triple this sauce for the amount of chicken they call for. I made one recipe and it wasn't enough for my liking.
Sauce:
* 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
* 2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry ( I just used some wine I had, chianti)
* 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
* 3 tablespoons chicken broth or water
* 1/2 tablespoon minced ginger
* 2 teaspoons minced garlic
* 1 teaspoon cornstarch for thickening sauce, optional

Other:
* 1/4 cup diced onions or 1 tsp onion flakes
* 1/2 - 1 tsp red crushed pepper flakes ( depending on how spicey you like it)
* 3 – 4 cups oil for deep-frying and stir-frying, as needed

Preparation:
1. Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes. Combine the chicken cubes with the egg, soy sauce, and pepper. Add enough cornstarch to nicely coat the chicken, using cooking chopsticks or your fingers to mix it in.( I drained the excess egg mixture before I added the cornstarch)
2. Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Set aside.
3. Heat the oil in a wok or fryer to between 350 and 360 degrees Fahrenheit (175 - 180 degrees Celsius). Drop the chicken cubes into the hot oil, a few pieces at a time, and deep-fry until crispy (3 to 4 minutes). Remove the chicken cubes and drain on paper towels. ( I did this in 2 pans, one to fry the went straight to the next step cause the chicken lost it's crunch)
4. Drain and clean out the wok or in a separate pan . Heat 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions and the dried chili peppers. Stir-fry until aromatic (about 30 seconds).
5. Add the deep-fried chicken cubes back into the wok. Stir-fry until the chicken cubes are browned (about 1 minute).
6. Push the chicken up to the sides of the wok. Give the sauce a quick restir and add into the middle of the wok. If you added cornstarch to the sauce, stir it continually for 1 - 2 minutes to thicken.
7. Mix the sauce with the chicken. Cook and stir for another 2 minutes, stirring, until the chicken is nicely coated with the sauce. Serve immediately.

I served mine with white rice and broccoli, it was pretty good...

Hearty Soup!!!

Here's A Yummy Soup for the Fall Weather



Venus De Milo Soup

1 lb Hamburger (cooked and crumbled)
2 quarts of water
1 large can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
6 stalks celery diced (can omit)
1 pkg Onion soup mix
3 beef bullion cubes (i've used veg or chicken)

Boil above for half hour or until celery is tender. If omitting Celery just bring to a boil.

Add 1pkg 16oz frozen mixed veggies
1 small can mushrooms (sliced)

Cook until tender.

1 cup uncooked Orzo (boiled then drained)
Add to soup and Enjoy.



That's it, it's very yummy just had a bowl tonight.

I found this recipe on the web, it taste just like the one from Friday's

Dragon Fire Chicken

Ingredients

Marinade 1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup honey
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded & chopped (if you like it hot leave seeds)
2 teaspoons mince garlic
1 tablespoon onion, diced
3/4 teaspoon salt
4-8 boneless chicken breast fillets, trimmed
Pineapple Pico de Gallo2 medium tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup canned pineapple, chopped
1/2 cup diced red onion
2 tablespoons minced cilantro
4 teaspoons minced jalapeno (this is about 2 sm peppers, leave in seeds if want it hot)
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
Kung Pow Sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
4 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon chili sauce
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
1 teaspoon finely minced ginger

1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges

Directions1. Make marinade by combining all ingredients in a blender on high for 1 minute. Pound chicken breast to about 1/2" with a mallet and combine with marinade in a zip-top bag for 2 to 3 hours. (I did this the night before)
2. Make pineapple pico de gallo by combining all ingredients. Store in a covered container in the fridge until later.
3. Make Kung Pow sauce by combining all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the mixture starts to bubble reduce heat to simmer for 15 minutes. Cover sauce until needed.
4. When chicken is done marinating, preheat grill to medium heat. Wipe marinade from chicken and grill 5 to 6 minutes per side or until done. Serve chicken drizzled with Kung Pow sauce and pico de gallo on the side. Drain mandarin oranges and sprinkle of top.
* note * Grilling this outside would work great. I used a frying pan but after the 2nd round of chicken in the pan, it started to burn.