Cajun Chicken Pasta

     Mike and I have been struggling with trying to find more ideas for healthy meals that aren't so boring. We have had the quiche a few different ways lately and we have also made the pot pies a few times as well. It also seems like most of the ideas that I find from Pinterest don't always seem all that "healthy". So I went on a search...

     I came across a website that I have now fallen in love with. Skinnytaste.com is AMAZING!! They have so many wonderful ideas that are definitely family-friendly and easy to make. On each recipe it provides you with nutritional facts. It also gives Weight Watchers point information in case you are keeping track of that. Now, I don't have to worry so much about trying to figure out all that information myself. It's right there for me.

     Tonight I decided I was going to try one of the dishes that has been catching my eye. It's called Cajun Chicken Pasta on the Lighter Side. Now, normally I'm very cautious of pasta recipes, however, this one really did seem like it would be healthy. I was able to find some whole wheat linguini noodles so it might even be a little healthier than what they say. It also looked quite easy, and with the week this has been that was exactly what I was looking for. (Too bad I have to hit the gym tonight because a bottle of wine would be AMAZING with this dish....and this day.)

Cajun Chicken Pasta
INGREDIENTS:
     8 ounces whole wheat uncooked linguini
     1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, diced
     1-2 tsp Cajun seasoning. (I just used a little bit of homemade stuff I had)
     garlic powder to taste
     1 tbsp. olive oil
     2 medium bell peppers, your choice in colors, sliced thin
     1/2 red onion
     1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
     1 cup fat free low sodium chicken broth
     1/3 cup skim milk
     1 tbsp flour
     3 tbsp light cream cheese
     fresh cracked pepper
     salt to taste
     2 scallions, chopped

DIRECTIONS:
     In a small blender, make a mixture of the cream cheese, milk and flour. Blend until smooth. Set aside.

     Season chicken generously with cajun seasoning, garlic powder, and salt. Cook pasta in salted water according to directions on the package.

     Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, spray with cooking spray. Sauté chicken until done and set aside. Add olive oil to the skillet and reduce heat to medium. Add in bell peppers, onions, and garlic. Sauté for 3-4 minutes or until tender. Season with salt, garlic powder, and fresh cracked pepper to taste.

     Reduce heat to low-medium and add chicken broth. Pour in the cream cheese mixture and stir for about 2 minutes. Return chicken to skillet and season accordingly. Cook until hot, then add linguini and toss well to coat. Top with chopped scallions.

     Enjoy!!

Crockpot Stuffed Peppers

I know this is really late but I promised I would do it so here it goes...

These stuffed peppers were REALLY good. I even took another one for lunch the next day and it was still just as good as the first day. These were a little more time consuming that I would like seeing as how I always do crockpot stuff before work, but it still wasn't that bad. Probably could have at least cooked the rice before hand which would have saved some time.

I used a mixture of a few different recipes in order to do these so I'm going to try my best to remember exactly how I did it. But, I definitely recommend these if you like stuffed peppers.

Crockpot Stuffed Peppers

INGREDIENTS:
     4 peppers
     1 lb. of ground beef
     1 cup cooked rice
     1 small onion diced
     1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
     3 tsp. ketchup (many recipes called for diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes which we don't like, so we added a little more ketchup.)
     1 cup shredded cheese of your choice
     1 tbsp. minced garlic
     1 jar spaghetti sauce
     1/2 cup water (or enough to coat the bottom of the crockpot)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine the ground beef, rice, onion, worcestershire, ketchup, cheese, and garlic in a small mixing bowl. Use your hands to incorporate everything together. (We kept out the spaghetti cause because we didn't want the stuffing to get too mushy.)

2. "Stuff" the peppers with the mixture and place in the crockpot.  I left the tops on but it's up to you what you want to do.

3.  Pour the water into the bottom of the crockpot to surround the peppers.

4. Set on low for 6-8 hours. About an hour before eating top the peppers with spaghetti sauce. (We heated up the rest and used it at our leisure while eating.)

Enjoy!!!!

   
   

Easy Garlic Chicken

When this says "easy" it means EASY!! Today was a rough day. Mike and I had a long night last night. We decided to do a date-ish kind of night because the friends who were supposed to come over couldn't. So, we lit the fire pit and got ourselves some cocktails and hung out. The only problem is that when the fire went out, the cocktails did not. So, inside we came to drink and watch the O's. Bad O's night, which led to a few more drinks and then some laughter with the help of Rob Dyrdek and "Ridiculousness". By then we were quite tipsy tired so we decided to head to bed. RAVENS TOMORROW!!

11:00 am came quite quickly. We had invited some friends over for the game so we knew we couldn't watch it in bed and therefore, we had to drag ourselves up. After the banana pancakes it wasn't so bad and we sat down to watch the pre-game. Apparently, our friends had also had a little too much fun at the wedding the night before so they decided to stay home. Mike's parents also claimed they were not going to come by so we lounged on the couch to watch the game. 

It was a terrible start but the Ravens started to pick it up. Then, I guess someone spiked the Gatorade because they turned into a bunch of Slop Mops. Ravens lost to the Eagles 24-23. I don't know why but I always get so depressed when the Ravens lose. I know it sounds silly, it's just a game, there's always next week...blah blah blah...but I feel very dejected. Therefore, I needed some EASY in my life for dinner. 

That brings me back to this meal. I have a friend who has started a 365 Days of Pinterest blog. I remembered that she tried out this meal and had mentioned how easy it actually was. The recipe can be found here but, like always, I'll put it below, too. I have to make a confession that I hate how recipes always write the "Prep time" on them. It makes me feel very inferior because their prep time never matches my prep time. I don't know whether it's that I move in slow motion, or that I'm definitely somewhat of a perfectionist, so I take a little more time to make sure that I'm doing it right. Whatever it is, I'm slow. This prep time claimed that it took 10 minutes to get everything ready. I'm not sure if it even took me 10 minutes. I had to trim and tenderize the chicken, but I didn't count that in the prep time since it wasn't part of the recipe. Prep is literally sauteing some garlic and stirring in some brown sugar. 

I have to say it wasn't my absolute favorite chicken ever. But, it was good. Considering how easy it was I'm sure it will be something I would make again. 

**Mike and I both agreed that maybe a little orange zest would make the glaze a little more interesting. Not sure how to incorporate this but I would probably mix it in after stirring in the brown sugar. Let me know if anyone tries it this way!!**

Easy Garlic Chicken

INGREDIENTS:

     4 boneless chicken breasts

     4 garlic cloves, minced (I used about 4 teaspoons of already prepared minced garlic)

     3 teaspoons olive oil

     4 tablespoons brown sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees (Yes, 500. I was a little iffy about that too, but...it worked.) and spray or lightly grease a casserole dish.

2. In a saute' pan, saute' oil with the minced garlic until it's tender.

3. Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar.

4. Put chicken breasts in the greased casserole dish and cover with the garlic and brown sugar mixture.

5. Bake uncovered for about 15-30 minutes. 

Enjoy!!!