Honey Mustard Chicken Salad w/ carrot chips

First Mix Dressing:

2 Tbs Miracle Whip 
1/2 Tbs Mustard
1 tsp honey
1 tsp red wine vinegar (other vinegar can work too)
salt & pepper


Then shred 1 can of premium chicken breast in a bowl. Add dressing and stir until well combined.


Eat with raw, fresh carrot sticks. Cucumbers may be good too! I like using pickles as my chips :)

Crockpot Chicken Breasts in Italian Cream Sauce

Recipe By : Pugsbest
Serving Size : 4

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4 chicken breast halves without skin
1 package Good Seasons Italian salad dressing mix
3/4 cup chicken broth
8 ounces Neufchatel cheese (by the cream cheese)

Put chicken breasts in crock pot and sprinkle Italian salad dressing mix on top, add broth. Let cook on low aprox 3-4 hours if thawed and 6-8 hours if frozen. Remove chicken breasts and set aside. Add cheese, cut into chunks, and heat until cheese has melted. Stir with wire whisk to incorporate cream cheese better if your in a hurry. Return chicken breasts to crock pot until heated through. Can be served over steamed broccoli or any vegetable medley. 

Buffalo Chicken Salad

Ingredients and Instructions... So Easy...          
2 cups of chopped romaine lettuce

                 1 cup of cooked and sliced chicken breast

                1 cup sliced cucumber or bell pepper

1/5 of an avocado sliced

                Light sprinkle of blue cheese crumbles or grated                         cheese of choice

                Onions and tomatoes if desired.

                Dressing: 1 Tablespoon of ranch dressing mixed with 
                1-2 Tablespoons of Frank’s buffalo sauce.

                -Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, toss with dressing.

                *Flavor chicken by cooking with spices, garlic and onions 

Chicken Cabbage Delight

Ever in the mood for something hardy, but not heavy?
Ooooo and crunchy too? Here it is folks.  

Chicken Cabbage Delight.

It is very easy, just make sure you have a very large bowl to mix in!

Serves: 

6 as a side dish

2-3 as a main dish

1 Large 1 lb Package of "coleslaw mix" ( this is by the packaged salads at the grocery store)
1 small red bell pepper diced
Slivered Almonds- amount to your liking
1 can premium Chicken breast meat or 1-2 cups cooked, shredded chicken

Mix the above ingredients in a large bowl

Mix the following in a small dish:
1/3 cup salad oil (any oil with a mild flavor works)
2 Tbs. sugar or Splenda or 1-2 tsp Stevia (chose your preference)
2Tbs. red wine vinegar
1 seasoning packet from a Ramen Noodles bag

Pour the dressing over the salad mixture and serve

BBQ Nachos Makeover

About a month ago, my brother Kirk was in town and we went to Famous Daves BBQ joint for lunch one day. We were starving so, Michael ordered the BBQ Pork Nachos.  Sounds interesting... tastes fantastic.  My brother liked them so much he asked for an order of them for himself.

There were so many great textures. Gooeyness, crunchiness, and tenderness.  It was salty, sweet, and tangy.  EXCELLENT.  The downfall....
Fried tortillas, lots of fat, calories, salt, and sugar.  You wouldn't think there would be sugar, but most thick BBQ sauces are full of brown sugar and molasses. This was a challenge worth taking and actually ended up being very very easy!!!  My BBQ Nachos Makeover Recipe is below! Enjoy...

Makes 4 Servings
You will need:
12 corn tortillas
Olive oil or olive oil spray
1 tsp or so of sea salt
1 14oz can beans
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken or pork
1/2-3/4 cup BBQ sauce
1/2 cup grated cheese
shredded lettuce for topping
diced tomatoes for topping
Diced jalapenos or green chiles for topping

1) Cut tortillas into 4 triangles or squares, whatever you prefer. Make sure you buy the tortillas that only have 3 or 4 ingredients (Ex: Corn, Lime, Salt)

2) Spread these cut strips on to a LARGE cookie sheet, spray with Olive Oil spray and sprinkle with sea salt.

3) Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 5 minutes. (you don't want them to turn any shade of brown, that means they are burnt and gross so watch them closely)

4) Let them cool and crisp up while you combine the following in medium sized sauce pan
1 14oz can of beans, rinsed and drained (I like black beans, you can use pinto as well)
2 cups of shredded chicken or pork (great way to use left over cooked meat the next day)
1/2-3/4 cup of BBQ sauce (use your favorite, but watch out for brands that contain a lot of sugar and additives)

5) Toss meat, beans and sauce together in the pan over medium/high heat until warmed.

6) Spoon mixture over baked tortilla chips in blobs until you reach your desired amount (you may not use all of the mixture, and that is okay, you will have more leftovers!!!)

7) Sprinkle grated cheese over the bean mixture and place under the broiler until cheese is melted (probably less than you're used to, that's good. Cheese should be in moderation!)

8) Remove from oven and top with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and diced jalapenos or green chiles.

9) Get messy and chow down!!!

Each serving will have approximately 275 calories.
For a delicious, homemade BBQ sauce that I love check out this video for Chef Rachel's Better BBQ Sauce!. I haven't used it for this recipe, but I think I will give it a try because it is so healthy and so tasty! I am making these tomorrow so I will post the Makeover photo!

Pesto Cheesy Chicken

This is a creation of mine. Being a super food nerd and being married to the pickiest eater on the planet, i must come up with ways to fix food that both of us can enjoy. This was a cheap, yummy, easy, and different success. To serve 4 people, you will need:

A pre-heated 350 degree oven
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 Tbs of pesto (I love the Fresh and Easy brand that comes in a little jar)
1 cup of your favorite spaghetti or marinara sauce
1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese (you may need a little more for topping)
2 Tbs of oil
Salt, pepper, and garlic powder

Step One: Using some heavy object, pound out the chicken breasts until they are approximately 1/4 inch thick. It is smart to put the chicken in a zip lock back or cover it with plastic wrap while doing this.

Step Two: Spread the pesto across the flattened chicken breast (Just like butter on toast)

Step Three: Layer mozzarella on top of the pesto

Step Four: Fold the chicken and fasten it with tooth picks to keep the cheese and pesto from oozing out

Step Five: Season chicken with salt pepper, and a little garlic powder on both sides

Step Six: Heat up the oil in a pretty hot and big pan and brown both sides of the chicken. You do not want to cook the chicken, just give a nice color to the outside.

Step Seven: Pour half of the marinara sauce in the bottom of the baking dish, Place chicken in the baking dish and Pour other half of the sauce on top and sprinkle a little more cheese on top.

Last: Bake this beauty for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is firm, but not hard and you can poke a knife through the thickest part.

There you go! Obviously you should serve this with some steamed vegetables or a ceasar salad goes real good too!

ORANGE CHICKEN

This is very easy to make, versatile, healthy and tasty

1 jar Orange Marmalade
1 bottle Russian Dressing
1 packet of Onion Soup Mix
juice of 1 lemon
8-10 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1-Combine marmalade, dressing,lemon juice and soup mix in a pan over medium heat, until sauce consistency
2- Line a 9x13 baking pan with tin foil and place chicken in pan evenly spaced
3- Pour orange sauce over the chicken and bake for 1 hour at 375 degrees
4-Serve over rice and/or vegetables

-or-

1- cut up chicken breasts or tenders into bite size pieces (1 to 2 inches)
2-season with salt and pepper
3-Heat 1 TBS oil in bottom or skillet pan
4-cook chicken until done (2-3 minutes per side)
5-Spoon chicken over cooked rice and veggies, Then pour orange sauce over chicken, rice , and veggies

I do method 2, my mom does method 1. I also use Low sugar Marmalade by Smukers.
Veggies that go well with this are broccoli, carrots, cabbage bell peppers, snap peas, onion, cauliflower, and water chesnuts.
This is super healthy, Enjoy...