Artichoke Chicken

Stole this recipe from one of my best friends, you can find the original recipe on their site, www.fit2fat2fit.com and a lot of other delicious, healthy recipes you will love!

This recipe was so easy, and I took 3 minutes and threw the ingredients in the crockpot on Sunday before my 3 hour block of church, and it was so nice to come home to a hot and ready meal for my family!  You will love this zesty and hearty meal!

1 bag frozen chicken tenderloins

1 jar costco's artichoke hearts (juice included)

1 jar costco's 4 bean salad (drained)

Throw every thing in the crock pot and cook for a few hours on high.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Got this recipe from my Dad.  One of his favorite meals, and though it took me quite a while to try this because of the color of the meat... I am glad I finally did!  The flavor and tenderness is so delicious!  It is now a favorite of mine!

Corned Beef

3 LB corned beef brisket with spice packet

2 carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces

2 med onions, chopped

1 small head green cabbage, cored, roughly chopped

2 cups apple juice

1 cup water

Directions

Put the carrots and onions on the bottom of the slow cooker, and put the corned beef on top.  Arrange the chopped cabbage around the beef. Add the apple juice and 1 cup of water along with the contents of the spiced packet.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours until the beef is tender.  

Enjoy!

Lemon Garlic Artichoke and Shrimp

Usually I stick to the veggies I am very familiar with, however, when I was last at the grocery store these artichokes were just calling my name.  I had no clue to to cook, let alone eat the whole artichoke, but I picked two up and when I got home googled how to cook them.  Lots and lots of recipes are out there but this one sounded the tastiest to me.  I had some shrimp in the freezer and made up a yummy marinade I will also share.  The meal was unique, but was filling and delicious!

Ingredients:

Minced garlic (I always use the pre-minced McKormic brand found by the spices.  Saves so much time and makes me use garlic a lot more in my cooking.)

Lemon Juice (again, I buy the lemon juice bottle from the produce section)

Thawed shrimp (take tails off)

Two whole artichoke's

Salt and Pepper

Olive Oil

(I also made up sauted mushrooms and onions for a side that complimented the meal wonderfully!)

One sweet onion

5 white mushrooms, diced

Artichoke:

1- Cut stem of artichoke so it is flat so that you can stand it up while cooking. Then cut the top point off, about 1-2 inches down.

2- Open up leaves and drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil, lemon juice and shove garlic down in to the pockets.

3- Wrap artichokes individually in foil and place on baking sheet.

4- Bake in oven for 1.5 hours at 425 degrees.

5- Unwrap the foil and enjoy! (the tips of the leaves are the edible parts and are delicious plain, or dipped in melted butter.  The heart of the artichoke is the best part, and that is in the center!  Have fun eating this!)

Shrimp:

1- Mix 3 cloves minced garlic, 1/4 cup lemon juice, and 3TB olive oil and place in a baggy.

2-Thaw shrimp and marinate in a baggy for 30 or more minutes.

4- Place shrimp on baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 7-10 minutes.

Onions and Mushrooms:
This is one of my favorite side dishes or snacks out there!
So easy too.
1- Dice up mushrooms and onions.
2- Place in frying pan and add a small amount of olive oil and salt and pepper.
3- Cook on medium heat, stirring often, until onions are tender.

Bon Appetite!

Spicy Chicken Avocado Chicken Enchilada's

I have always LOVED chicken enchilada's but never found a recipe that I have found and made that has been a keeper at our house.  A big thanks to Ruthie, a blogger I follow, for sharing a unique blend of shredded chicken, cilantro, avocado  cheese and a spicy topping.  A lighter, fresh take on the expected chicken enchilada.

I didn't have all of the listed ingredients, so I improvised a bit, but loved the result, so I'm pretty sure I will stick to the way I made it, was a bit easy too, with less steps.  Check out her original recipe on her site, www.ruthiehart.com, I will list my altered one.




Ingredients
For the sauce
I jar Pace's Garlic & Lime Salsa Verde
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup fat free sour cream

For the enchiladas
2 Cans Kirkland shredded chicken
1 cup colby jack cheese
1 cup spicy jack cheese
3 avocados, peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces
10 whole wheat tortillas (I always use whole wheat for my mexican dishes.  They are healthier, and more substantial to hold all the yummy stuff.)

1. In large bowl mix together chicken, cheese, avocados and add a little salt and pepper, mix and then layer in center of whole wheat tortilla, roll up and place in sprayed dish.  Line up as many as you can fit in baking dish.
2. Mix sauce ingredients together and pour over tortillas.
3. Top with a little more cheese to your cheesy likeness. :)9. Top with remaining sauce and cheese
10. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

This was so easy with just a few ingredients!

8 oz. Linguine

(I prefer Ronzoni Garden Delight, it makes the dish more colorful and healthy.)

2 tbsp. butter

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1 cup fresh broccoli flowerettes

1 lb cubed chicken

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp pepper

Cook linguine according to pkg. directions. 

Add broccoli for hte last 4 minutes of cooking time. 

Drain. 

Heat butter in skillet. 

Add Chicken and cook until browned, stirring often. 

Add soup, milk, cheese, pepper and linguine mixture with broccoli. and heat through. 

Serve with additional cheese.

Thanks to my sister, Jenny for this delicious, easy recipe!

Pork Roast Crock Pot

Oiy, pregnancy cravings... I made this because I was craving some sort of pork.  I tell you what... It was SO tender and SO juicy, I could have eaten the entire roast by myself!  This is something I plan on making again and again.

1 lb. small red potatoes

16 oz. package of baby carrots

1 onion chopped

2 cloves garlic

3 lb. bonless pork loin roast, trim fat

1/4 cup dijon or yellow mustard, depending on preference

1 tsp tyme

1 tsp italian seasoning

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 1/2 cups beef broth

Layer baby reds on bottom edge of crock pot.

Layer baby carrots on top on potatoes.

Layer chopped onions in center of potatoes and carrots at the bottom of the dish.

Mix in the garlic with the onions.

Mix mustard and spices and coat the roast with the mixture.

Put the roast in center of the dish and pour over the beef broth.

Cook for approx. 6 hours flipping the roast once.

Check about 4 hours... the meat is done when it shreds easily.

ENJOY!!!

Baked Potato Soup

Well, Autumn is back, and that means so am I!  :)  I have the hardest time wanting to be in the kitchen during the summer months and once it gets a tid bit chilly I find myself LOVING the kitchen!  I made this YUMMY soup for my cute family on Sunday, and the husband LOVED it.  My 1 year old gobbled it up too.  Hope you enjoy it!

2/3 cup butter

7 cups milk

4 green onions diced

1 1/2 cup shredded cheese ( I use sharp, and I add to taste)

3/4 tsp salt (Sea Salt is what I used and it tasted great)

2/3 cup flour

4 large potato peeled and cubed (boil first to make soft)

1 package Real Bacon toppers (found in the salad isle)

1 cup sour cream

1/2 tsp Pepper

In large skillet melt butter.  Stir in flour, heat and stir til smooth.  Gradually ad in milk, stirring constantly until thickened.  Add soft potato cubes and onions.  Bring to a boil, stir constantly.  Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients.  Stir until cheese is melted.  ENJOY!

Tilapia in Tomato Soup

I was looking through my mom's recipes recently and I came across this dish. Apparently it was one of my Grandma's favorite recipes when my mom was growing up. They had it all the time. Though my mom never made this for us!? It was really SO yummy! The saucy soup was what MADE this dinner. I think I'll try this again with smoked sausages too. :) Try this! It totally sounds weird, right? Tomato and Fish? Hmmm... but it is oh so delish!!!

4 Tilapia Fish Fillets

1/2 Diced Med. Onion

1/2 Diced Red Pepper

1/2 Diced Green Pepper

3 Tbs. Butter or Margarine

1 Can Tomato Soup

1/4 Cup Water

2 Tbs. Lemon Juice

1/8 tsp Thyme

1 tsp. Onion Salt

Dash Pepper

In Sauce pan cook onion, peppers with butter until nice and tender. Add 1 can tomato soup with 1/4 cup water, lemon juice, thyme, pepper and onion salt. Cook on low heat for 10 or so minutes. Pour over Fish arranged in shallow baking dish. ( I just layer in a 9x9 dish)

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

I served with grilled cheese on wheat bread. Great for dipping!!!

Catalina Chicken & Rice

Brandon Loved this dish. I only liked it ok. But is was very very easy, and has veggies, meat, and rice all in one. Try it at least once to see if you like it too. :-)

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
3/4 cup Catalina Dressing
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 package frozen mixed veggies, thawed or 3 cups cute up fresh veggies (which I always prefer) brocolli and peppers are really good with the sauce.

Cook and stir raw chicken in dressing, soy sauce and garlic powder for 5 minutes. Ad veggies and cover. Simmer 7 mins or until veggies are crisp and tender and chicken is cooked through. Stirring frequently. Serve over rice.

Beef & Brocolli

This dish was pretty good. It was really easy, but next time I'm going to pound the meat out to soften it and make it more tender, which I didn't do this time. Also, I'm going to marinade the meat in the sauce mixture over night because the meat had no taste when you bit into it. Though the sauce was very yummy... I'll for sure make this again, only after doing these few key points. Hope you like it!

1 tb olive or vegetable oil

1 pound sirloin steak, cut into 1 inch strips

1 package (10 oz) frozen brocolli florets, thawed. (I steamed fresh brocolli though)

1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix

1 1/4 cups water

1 tb firmly packed brown sugar

1 tb soy sauce

1. In 12 inch skillet, heat oil over med-high heat and brown steak only, stirring occasionally, in two batches. remove steak from skillet and set aside.

2. Stir in broccoli and soup mix blended with water, brown sugar and soy sauce. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes.

3. Return steak to skillet and cook 1 minute or until steak is done to your liking. Serve over hot rice.

Grandma's Sweet n Sour Meatballs

Boy oh boy does this bring back memories of family dinner growing up. Such a distinct taste. Such a yummy taste. :) Another favorite.

1 lb ground beef
1/2 tsp ginger spice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp onion salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 egg
Cornstarch or flour

Mix spices and mix into meat. Form into meatballs. Roll into beaten egg then into flour or cornstarch. Brown in frying pan.

Remove meatballs from pan and add in:

1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
juice from 1 lb can of pineapple chunks
2 tbsp corn starch mixed with a little cold water.

Mix that and let simmer for 5 minutes. Add pineapple chunks and 1 medium chopped green pepper. Add Meatballs and let simmer for 20-30 minutes or until no longer pink in center. Serve over rice.

Grandma's Parmesan Pork Tenderloin

This was an absolute favorite at Grandma's house growing up!

1 Long Pork Tenderloin

1/2 tsp Season Salt

1/8 tsp Pepper

1 Egg

1/2 Cup parm. cheese + Mozz Cheese.

1/2 Cup Bread Crumbs

1 Cup Spagetti Sauce

* Mix egg, pepper and Salt together. Dip Meat in egg mixture and dip in bread crumbs. Brown meat on all sides. Put in 9x13 casserole dish. Pour sauce over meat and sprinkle Parmesan cheese over it. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 1/2 an hour. Uncover and sprinkle Mozzarella cheese on it and bake for an additional ten minutes.

Serve over pasta with extra spagetti sauce.
Great with Salad and breadsticks!
Bon Appetite!

Mexican Lasagna

This is probably one of my top 5 favorite dinners.

So yummy...

So easy...

It will become a family favorite!

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1 tiny can tomato paste

1 can green enchilada sauce

1 packet enchilada seasoning

1 can mexi corn

1 can black olives

1 can black beans

1/2 cup grated cheese (I like to use mozz. or colby jack)

4 flour torillas

brown ground beef, drain fat, place in large bowl

drain black beans can place in the large bowl

dice 1/2 can of olives and place in large bowl

drain corn and place in the bowl

pour 3/4 can of green sauce and add to mixture

Get a sauce pan and put tomato paste with one can water

and enchilada packet and simmer.

Pour remaining green sauce on bottom of 13x9 dish

fold large tortillas in half and place covering the bottom of the dish

spread mixture from bowl out on top of tortillas

Place the remaining torillas the same way on top of the mixture

Place the enchilada sauce from pan ontop and spread out.

Place cheese and remaining olives on top

Bake at 375 for 20 mins or until cheese in melted and bubbly.

I like to put a little sour cream on my helping. :)

A mexican salad is a nice addition to this meal.

Feeds approx: 8 hearty servings

ENJOY!!!