Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

I have to tell you this: I hate pot pie.

As a kid at school when it was served, it seemed disgusting to me. As I have noted in previous posts, I hate peas. I absolutely abhor them to the point where even smelling them will make me throw up if I can not get away from the stench. That's the truth, and so the fact that peas were a common sight in any pot pie I ever saw immediately gave it a negative point in my book.

It wasn't just that, tho. You know those little single serving ones you get at the grocery? Yeah. They seemed even more yucky to me, even as I grew older. It wasn't just the peas. It just.....looked.....disgusting. Maybe it was the fact that those pot pies have dark meat in them, I don't know.

Anyway, pot pies were just one of those things on my 'never eat' list.

In January, my father became ill and subsequently had to go into the hospital. Along with this came food from various angels who considered dinner for my mother and I when we could not think beyond the immediate second with which we were dealing. One of those angels - my mother's sister (and NOT the one actually called "Angel", altho she brought us food as well) - brought us a homemade pot pie one evening along with some fixings.

My thought on pot pie changed in that circumstance. First, it was homemade. Second, when famished and you have a fully cooked meal in front of you, something becomes much more appealing when before it had little appeal at all. Thus, I ate my aunt's pot pie and.....really loved it! It didn't taste or look like the frozen monstrosities I had seen, and learned to loathe, from my past.

I had gone back to my home and gotten somewhat settled after my father's return to HIS home and started to think about that pot pie. I'll bet I can make one. And I can tweak it to include the veggies I like. My aunt's had peas in it, but I had simply eaten around them. But I could leave peas out altogether!!

I searched for recipes and considered several. Below is the one I settled on. I tweaked it some on the second time I made it, and even on the first time I left out the peas and corn. You, however, do not need to do so. It turned out really good, too! I made my own crust, and I will include the recipe for that as well, but two 9 inch refrigerated pie crusts will do just as nicely if you are not inclined to crust making (like me).

The good news is this is an easily freezable dish!


Buttermilk Pie Crust

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup vegetable shortening
• 3 tablespoons cold butter
• 1/3 cup buttermilk, or as needed
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1. Whisk the flour and salt together in a bowl. With a pastry cutter, cut the shortening and butter into the flour until the chunks are the size of small peas. Stir in buttermilk and vegetable oil with a fork until the dough is moistened and beginning to gather together. Form the dough into a compact shape.
2. Divide the dough in half, and shape each half into a ball. Roll out each pie crust between 2 sheets of parchment paper.

Chicken Pot Pie
(makes one pie)

Ingredients

• 1 cup diced peeled potatoes
• 3/4 cup sliced carrots
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1-1/2 cups chicken broth, sodium free
  
• 1/2 cup evaporated fat free milk
  
• 2 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup frozen corn
• 2 refrigerated pie crusts, 9 inch
  

1. Place potatoes and carrots in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and set aside. In a large skillet, saute onion in butter until tender. Stir in the flour, salt, thyme and pepper until blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the chicken, peas, corn, potatoes and carrots; remove from the heat.
2. Line two 9-in. pie plates with bottom pastry; trim even with edge of plate. Fill pastry shells with chicken mixture. Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pies. Cut slits or decorative cutouts in pastry. Place over filling; trim, seal and flute edges.
3. Bake one potpie at 425 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting. Cover and freeze remaining potpie for up to 3 months.

Dijon Crusted Chicken, Southwest Corn and Tomatoes, and Green Beans in Creamy Dill Sauce

It's been awhile since I updated, I know! In the meantime, there have been several recipes I have tried with good results for everyone! This one in particular was a hit with the kids. I was also quite surprised at how well it turned out. If you are trying to eat light, yet get a hankering for Fried Chicken, this chicken recipe will hit the spot without the guilt.

So, okay, yes yes it involved frying a bit. That's not always a bad thing. Deep frying is bad, yes. But some oils have good fat in them. I have a hard time believing it, you know. That certain kinds of fat actually help your body stay thin. But it is true. Our body needs fat to be healthy and then trick is picking the right kinds ---- and not eating fat overall in excess.

The original recipe calls for olive oil but it has a high temperature tolerance. So I use canola. It's almost as good as olive oil health wise, and some say it's better.

As for the green beans: I am not a fan of dill. But, my husband liked it a lot and I didn't think it was half bad, despite my aversion to dill.

Dinner Tonight is:

Dijon Crusted Chicken
Southwest Corn and Tomatoes
Green Beans in Creamy Dill Sauce

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Dijon Crusted Chicken
serves 4
(1 chicken breast half = 169 calories, 5 grams fat, 380 mg sodium)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan Cheese
• 2 tspns Italian Seasoning
• 1/2 tspn dried thyme
• 1/4 tspn pepper
• 4 boneless chicken breast halves (4 oz each) (I use tenders)
• 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tspns olive oil (or canola)
• 1 tspn margarine

Place first 5 ingredients in shallow bowl and mix together. Brush chicken with mustard; roll in crumb mixture.

In large skillet, cook chicken in oil and margarine over medium heat 5-6 minutes each side.


Southwest Corn and Tomatoes
(6 servings)

This dish is gluten free!!

(2/3 cup = 130 calories, 5 grams fat, 205 mg sodium)




Ingredients

• 1 pkg (16 oz) frozen sweet corn, thawed
• 5 plum tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup minced cilantro
• 1/2 tspn kosher salt

In large bowl, combine the corn, tomatoes, onion, jalapenos, and garlic. Drizzle with oil; toss to coat. Transfer to a baking pan coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring twice. Spoon into a bowl. Stir in cilantro and salt. Serve warm.


Green Beans in Creamy Dill Sauce
(5 servings)
2/3 cup with 5 teaspoons sauce = 59 calories, 2 grams fat, 283 mg sodium


Ingredients

• 1 pkg (15 oz) frozen cut green beans
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion
• 1 1/2 teaspoons butter
• 1 1/2 teaspooons flour
• 1/3 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon dill weed
• dash pepper
• 1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream

Cook beans according to package directions.

Meanwhile in skillet, saute onion in butter until tender. Stir in flour until blended; gradually add broth.

Stir in vinegar, salt, dill, and pepper. Bring to boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes until thickened. Reduce heat. Stir in sour cream; heat thoroughly but do not boil. Drain beans and serve with sauce.

Gluten Free: Spinach Salad, Potato Soup, Healthy Chicken Salad, Honey Lime Fruit Toss

It's been cold here. Very cold, like in the single digits. I've often commented on how we eat a lot of soups in the winter time. It seems to just go to the core and help give us some warmth.

This meal is pretty healthy. The potato soup is very good. Most of the healthy things we eat are flavorful, and also much, much better than eating out. I always use fresh ingredients, occasionally frozen, so as to keep the sodium level controllable. Have you ever looked at the sodium content in canned goods??? Yikes! Hubby needs to watch his sodium, so I do not use salt in my cooking. I also use mostly no or low sodium ingredients. If this is not an issue for you, adjust as necessary!

The chicken salad is healthy because it does not use mayo for a base, which is good. It can be eaten on bread or alone. And spinach salad......I can't say enough about spinach and salads. Spinach makes wonderful salad, and the health benefits of spinach are out of this world!!

By the way, this meal is gluten free!

Dinner Tonight is:

Spinach Salad
Potato Soup
Healthy Chicken Salad
Honey Lime Fruit Toss
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Spinach Salad

• 8 ounces fresh baby spinach
• 1/4 cup feta or goat cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
  
• 1 tablespoon toasted sliced almonds (optional)

• Dressing:
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest (optional)

1. Wash and clean spinach. Tear into bite size pieces and place in a serving bowl. Add half of the feta or goat cheese and onion; toss to combine.
2. Combine dressing ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Pour over salad and toss to coat. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Top with dried tomatoes and almonds. Serve immediately.

Potato Soup

• 1 3/4 cups diced peeled potatoes
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
  
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can reduced-sodium chicken broth (Swanson's Natural Goodness is gluten free)
  
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated fat-free milk, divided (use Carnation)
  
• 1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon real bacon bits (like Hormel)

1. In a large saucepan, combine the potatoes, onion, celery, broth and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-18 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Combine cornstarch and 1/4 cup milk until smooth; stir into potato mixture. Add the remaining milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir in cheese until melted. Serves 5

One serving equals 178 calories, 2 g fat (0 saturated fat), 9 mg cholesterol, 274 mg sodium, 26 g carbohydrate, 0 fiber, 14 g protein


Healthy Chicken Salad

• 4 chicken breasts, baked or boiled, and shredded
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1/4 cup celery, diced
• 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Mix all ingredients together. Serve on wheat bread, or alone.




Honey Lime Fruit Toss

• 2 1/2 cups freshly cut pineapple
• 1 1/2 cups orange segments, cut in half
  
• 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
• 2 medium firm bananas, sliced
• 2 kiwifruit, peeled, halved, and sliced
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon grated lime peel

1. In a bowl, combine the pineapple, mandarin oranges, strawberries, bananas and kiwi. In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, honey, lime peel. Pour over fruit; gently toss to coat.

One serving (3/4 cup) equals 133 calories, 1 g fat (trace saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 7 mg sodium, 33 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 1 g protein.

Gluten Free: Salad, Honey Baked Chicken, Squash Medley, Roasted Brussel Sprouts,

Meal time again!

I am always looking for a new way to make chicken. The thing is, while limiting our red meat and pork and focusing on leaner meats, chicken tends to be the main part of our meal. Occasionally I will cook something like fish, but not often. I do not like seafood and hate the way it smells the house up!

Besides, most of the chicken type of meals, my kids will eat! (Oh, by the way, I tested that Spinach Casserole recipe out on my kids, and my autistic son, who hates nearly all things good for him, ate it and actually liked it!!! Talk about shocked!! He was reticent, of course, but I insisted that he must take a small bite. He took a nibble, his eyebrows went up, and he gobbled up what was left on his fork. As he ate, he told his sister, "It only looks disgusting but it tastes good." If you have picky eaters, give that recipe a go!)

Anyway, back to this meal. I am often in a rush if I haven't pre-planned how to cook my chicken. So, I found this recipe that required ingredients that I had in the house. It was really good! An interesting taste, but a very good one! I will make it again.

So, enjoy the dinner if you try it! It really is good!

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Salad

• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1 5oz package of mixed salad greens
• 6 cups of torn romaine
• 1 11-oz can of mandarin oranges
• 2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced

Dressing

• 3 Tablespoons canola oil
• 2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
• 4 teaspoons sugar
• 1 Tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• 1/8 tspn salt

1. In small, heavy skillet, cook and stir sugar over medium heat until melted. Stir in almonds, cook for 1 minute until lightly browned. Spread onto foil coated with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In large salad bowl, combine mixed greens, romaine, oranges, celery, and onions.
3. Tn small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients together. Drizzle over salad. Add almonds and toss to coat. Serve immediately

Nutritional information: Serving size is 1 1/4 cups. Contains 125 calories, 8 g fat, 85 mg of sodium


Honey Baked Chicken

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/8 cup prepared mustard (French's Mustard is gluten-free)
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon curry powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place chicken pieces in a shallow baking pan, skin side up. Combine the melted butter or margarine, honey, mustard, salt and curry powder and pour the mixture over the chicken. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/4 hours (75 minutes), basting every 15 minutes with pan drippings, until the chicken is nicely browned and tender and the juices run clear.

Makes 6 servings

Nutritional Information: 325 calories, 13 grams of fat



Squash Medley

• 6 cups summer squash, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 6 cups zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1 tspn. garlic powder, divided
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2/3 cup pure cornmeal (NOT a cornmeal blend)
  
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 2 T. freshly chopped parsley
• 1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes

1. Place the summer squash slices in a steamer basket and steam for 3-4 minutes or until tender.
   
2. Transfer the slices to a plate and set aside. Place the zucchini slices in the steamer basket and steam for 2-3 minutes or until tender.
3. Lightly oil a large casserole dish. Alternately layer the summer squash and zucchini in the casserole dish. Sprinkle with 1/2 t. garlic powder and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
4. In a small bowl, place the remaining garlic powder and remaining ingredients, and stir well to combine. Sprinkle the mixture over the vegetables and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned on top.

Serves 6

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

• 1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and yellow leaves removed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
2. Place trimmed Brussels sprouts, olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper in a large resealable plastic bag. Seal tightly, and shake to coat. Pour onto a baking sheet, and place on center oven rack.
3. Roast in the preheated oven for 30 to 45 minutes, shaking pan every 5 to 7 minutes for even browning. Reduce heat when necessary to prevent burning. Brussels sprouts should be darkest brown, almost black, when done. Adjust seasoning with kosher salt, if necessary. Serve immediately.

Serves 6

Calories per serving: 104 calories, 7.3 grams fat

Chicken and Dumplins' in Crock Pot

This has quickly become a favorite staple in our house, especially for the kiddos. My daughter, who is 6, has taken a liking to helping prepare food for meals and this dish allows her to help in a big way when using refrigerated biscuits for the dumplins'.

The refrigerated biscuits make for more fat in the recipe than I would like, so I use them when in a hurry. This recipe will incorporate making your own dumplins' to make for a more healthy meal overall, but know that even doing it the easy way with biscuit dough is still much more healthy than going out to eat, which is the overall goal for us at least. To be and eat more healthy at home.

You can cook a variety of side items with this. Honey Glazed Pea pods and carrots are good, as well as a side of steamed broccoli sprinkled with a bit of Parmesan. While honey is technically "sugar", it has a lot of healthful properties that gives it a healthful place in moderation while adding tremendously to taste. I mean, after all, who wants to eat "healthy" food that's bland?

First here is the recipe to make your own dumplings. If you do not desire to do this, skip right down to the full recipe that includes the biscuit dough!

Dinner Tonight is:
Chicken and Dumplings in a Crock Pot
Honey Glazed carrots and pea pods
steamed broccoli


Ingredients for Homemade Dumplings:
(makes 8 servings)

1 1/2	cups all-purpose flour
1	tablespoon parsley flakes, if desired
2	teaspoons baking powder
1/2	teaspoon salt (optional for those on low sodium diets, or use less)
3	tablespoons shortening
3/4	cup 2% milk

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	Mix flour, parsley, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender or crisscrossing 2 knives, until mixture looks like fine crumbs. Stir in milk.
	Drop dough by 10 spoonfuls onto hot meat or vegetables in boiling stew (do not drop directly into liquid). Cook uncovered 10 minutes. Cover and cook 10 minutes longer.

Ingredients and directions for slow cooker Chicken and Dumplings

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 2 tablespoons butter (I use Smart Balance, a 50/50 butter blend with Omega-3 fats)
  
• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup (low sodium)
  
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 (10 ounce) packages refrigerated biscuit dough, torn into pieces (if not making your own dumplings)
  

Place the chicken, butter, soup, and onion in a slow cooker, and fill with enough water to cover.

1. Cover, and cook for 5 to 6 hours on High. About 30 minutes before serving, place the torn biscuit (or homemade) dough in the slow cooker. Cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center.

Honey Glazed Pea Pods and Carrots Ingredients and Directions:
(makes 6 servings)

• 2 cups sliced fresh carrots
• 1/2 lbs of snow peas (or sugar snap, which I prefer)
• 1 tablespoon of butter (I use smart balance, a 50/50 butter blend)
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons of honey

1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add carrots and cook until tender crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Add pea pods and cook until tender crisp; drain and set aside.

2. Melt butter in the same pan and stir in cornstarch. Return carrots and peas to pan and stir in honey. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.

Steamed Broccoli:

1 lbs of fresh broccoli
Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Place broccoli in a colander and bring water to boil in a large pan. Place colander on top of pan and cover with a large lid. Allow steam from boiling water to steam the broccoli until tender. Serve with Parmesan.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Honestly, nothing says "fall/winter" like a nice pot of hot soup. It doesn't matter what kind of soup. Perhaps bean soup, chili, or chicken noodle soup. There's nothing more comforting than a bowl of hot soup on a chilly day.

I've already made a few soup dishes this season but have just not had time to post the dinners on the blog. I will in time, not to worry. I will be making some of the recipes again, I am certain. This is my prime soup-making season.

Tonight we are having chicken noodle soup from the crock pot. Chunks of carrots and celery, seasoned with garlic and onion and large egg noodles.....mmmmm.....even the kids eat this!!

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Ingredients

• 3-4 chicken breasts, cut up in small pieces
• 1 lb bag of baby carrots, diced
• 6-7 stalks of celery, cut up
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 32 oz of low sodium chicken broth
• 8 oz bag of whole wheat egg noodles
• water as needed

Place all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on high for 4-5 hours. Add the egg noodles during the last hour of cooking. Add spices as needed. (I sprinkle in a bit of thyme, garlic powder and parsley).

Serve with crackers and sandwiches.

Easy, no fuss dinner!

Parmesan Chicken and Rice Casserole

Ooooh, this was a fantastic meal!

This past weekend, D and I had some house guests. I wanted to make a nice dinner for them, and set out browsing some of my Cooking Light magazines for a dish that was suitable for their dietary needs due to dieting, cultural and religious reasons.

I found this recipe in the March 2008 issue and decided to give it a go. The recipe called for chicken thighs, but I used skinless, boneless chicken breasts. The magazine offered up nutritional information for the entree itself, but I am not sure how using chicken breasts vs chicken thighs might have altered that content.

In any case, here is the nutritional information for the casserole entree itself:

498 calories
19 grams of fat
38 grams of protein
43 grams of carbs
3 mg of iron
765 mg of sodium (mine had less because I omitted the salt)

With this entree, we had broiled tomatoes and Green Beans with warm bacon dressing.

The recipe called for regular pork bacon, but I used turkey bacon to accommodate our guests restrictions. It was pretty good and I didn't miss the additional fat the pork bacon would have added to the meal.

The dinner was wonderful.

Dinner Tonight was:
Parmesan Chicken and Rice Casserole
Green Beans with warm Bacon dressing
Broiled Tomatoes
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Ingredients for Parmesan Chicken and Rice Casserole

• 1 cup of chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 (3.5 ounces) boil-in-a-bag brown rice (I actually cooked brown rice instead of using this)
• 2 lbs chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of thyme
• 2 cups of fat free, lower sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons of whipping cream
• 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Coat with cooking spray. Add onion to pan; saute 2 minutes. Add garlic; saute 30 seconds. Add cooked rice to pan; saute 30 seconds. Spoon rice mixture from skillet into a large casserole dish coated with cooking spray in an even layer.
3. Arrange chicken breasts in a single layer over rice mixture. Combine broth and cream in bowl; whisk. Pour over chicken and rice mixture. Sprinkle thyme over chicken evenly.
4. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake an additional 5 minutes or until chicken is done.

Makes 4 servings

Green Beans in Warm Bacon Dressing Ingredients

• 1 lb fresh, trimmed green beans
• 4 strips of bacon
• 1/4 cup shallots
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1. Cook green beans in boiling water for 3 minutes.
2. Drain.
3. Cook 4 strips of bacon in skillet over medium heat until crisp.
4. Remove bacon from pan and crumble
5. Add shallots to pan drippings; cook for 3 minutes
6. Add 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar; cook 1 minute (I didn't do this)
7. Add green beans. Toss to coat
8. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon.

Broiled Tomatoes

• 4 tomatoes
• basil
• parmesan cheese

1. Halve the tomatoes
2. sprinkle with basil and Parmesan
3. Broil for 2-3 minutes

Chicken, Potato and Lemon Green Beans

Another meal as a family! I absolutely love sitting down to the dinner table as a family with the kids, and I love even more that we are eating more and more healthy foods and teaching the kids that not only is eating as a family important, but eating healthy is too.

We've also started a new "family" activity, and that is taking a walk (1 mile) directly after dinner down our country road. The kids love this, and during times when they may not be here it becomes a nice, quiet and undistracted time for D and I to catch up with one another. The walk is beautiful, and being taken at dusk only enhances the beauty.

However, this is about healthy meals and what we had for dinner tonight was healthy. I am on a new low glycemic index diet, I believe I have mentioned in previous posts. So our dinners here lately will reflect that.

Tonight we had:

Salad with Vegetables and oil/vinegar dressing
Grilled Chicken with herbs
Baked Potato
Lemon Green Beans
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Grilled/Broiled Chicken Ingredients
(servings: 1)

• 1/3 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3 oz boneless chicken breast

Pre-heat broiler or grill. Rinse and pat chicken dry. Whisk olive oil and spices together in a pie plate; add chicken and coat. If possible, cover and marinate in fridge for 30 minutes. Grill or broil chicken for 5-7 minutes, then turn and cook an additional 5-6 minutes or until inside is no longer pink. Serve.
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Baked Potato

• 1 small potato

Scrub potato and prick with fork. Bake in 375 degrees for 50 minutes.

Serve.


Lemon Green Beans

• 1 cup frozen green beans
• 1/3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/3 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Microwave or steam green beans according to package directions.

Drain thoroughly.

Toss with lemon juice and oil; sprinkle with oregano.

Serve.

Chicken, Sweet Potato and Spinach Salad

You got it! Another family dinner around the table for four of us here at my house. And Mom is following a Low Glycemic Index Diet, which means that for the most part, that affects everyone at dinner!

We were already trying to eat healthier, so that's not a big issue. It's just that with this diet, I have only select options for dinner, so trying to find one that we ALL will eat is a challenge.

Nonetheless, we're doing it. It is also introducing the kiddos to some foods that I don't normally cook, like tonight with the sweet potatoes. The kids didn't eat them although they were included on their plate. Both did try it. So, that's all I ask is that they attempt it. I don't push my kids to eat something if they don't want it. I won't, except in certain circumstances (usually planned), fix them something else, though. So - they eat what they have or don't. I do try to make sure, as I have said before, that I include something on the menu that they will eat and tonight I did a bit extra for them so they'd eat the chicken. While D and I had the recipe as I will share it, I brushed BBQ sauce on the kids' pieces to make it more appealing to them. Small compromise to get them to eat it.

Dinner Tonight was low fat and low sodium. The serving size that I will be listing in the recipe is for one, so if you are cooking for multiple people, multiply it by whatever you need to.

Baked Chicken Baked Sweet Potato Spinach-Strawberry Salad
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Chicken Ingredients

• 3 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse and pat dry the chicken; rub with garlic and black pepper and any other spices of your choice. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Baked Sweet Potato Ingredients

• 1 medium sweet potato
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Scrub potato and pierce with a fork. Put in oven before the Chicken and bake for 45-60 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes. Split, sprinkle with cinnamon and serve.

Spinach Strawberry Salad Ingredients

• 2 cups of fresh spinach
• 1/2 cup fresh sliced strawberries
• 3 tsp. balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts

Rinse and dry spinach. Toss spinach with strawberries and balsamic vinegar in a bowl. Top with walnuts and serve.



See. A Super Easy and Healthy dinner.

Chicken with Ginger and Snow Peas

This is a low-salt recipe that is amazingly delicious. It calls for soy sauce, which is pretty high in sodium. Alas, this recipe came from my low salt cook book and boasts only 185 mg of sodium per 1 cup serving! Not bad for such a tasty meal. It is full of protein (28 grams per serving) and low fat as well as low in calories. (166 calories per serving and only 3 grams of fat.) I also absolutely abhor peas in any other form. But snow peas are subtle in their flavor, therefore not overpowering the dish and complementing the other gentle flavors.

It makes for a wonderfully nutritious, yet satisfying meal - especially when combined with brown rice, which is what I use with this dish. It also goes very well with steamed broccoli.

So, Dinner Tonight was:

Salad greens with a sprinkle of cheddar, cherry tomatoes, chopped cucumber and fat free dressing

Chicken with Ginger and Snow Peas

Brown Rice

Steamed Broccoli

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Chicken with Ginger and Snow Peas

• 6 ounces of fresh snow peas
• 1/2 cup of low sodium or no sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon of pepper
• 2 teaspoons of sesame oil
• 1 1/4 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders
• 2 medium cloves of garlic. minced
• 1/2 teaspoon of minced ginger root

1. Trim ends off of snow peas
2. In small bowl, whisk together the broth, cornstarch, soy sauce, and pepper.
3. Heat a large, heavy skillet over high heat, add oil, and swirl to coat bottom. Cook the chicken for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Add the snow peas, garlic, and ginger root. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
5. Add the chicken broth mixture and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the sauce thickens and the chicken is no longer pink in the center, stirring constantly. If mixture begins to burn, remove skillet from heat momentarily and add a teaspoon or two of chicken broth - or water.

Nutritional Information per 1 cup serving:

166 calories
5 grams if carbohydrates
26 grams of protein
66 mg of cholesterol
3 grams of fat
1 gram of fiber
185 mg of sodium
380 mg of potassium
31 mg of calcium

Brown Rice

Cook according to package directions. Remember, brown rice is much more nutritious for you than enriched white rice. Read package for serving size and nutritional information.

Steamed Broccoli

You can use fresh broccoli and steam it of you have a steamer. Or, buying fresh, pre-cut broccoli in a bag and microwaving it according to package directions to steam it will work just fine. Read package for serving size and nutritional information.

Chicken and Spinach Sauté Over Pasta

So, tonight I made the chicken and spinach Sauté over Pasta. Since we were having pasta, I went ahead and heated up some Ragu marinara for the kids to heap onto their pasta rather than eat the chicken and spinach, which was NOT going to happen. And hey - I don't kid myself. I fight the battle if it's worth fighting and I know I can somewhat have a win. But an all and out fight with kids trying to force feed them when a simple heating of one easy thing brings in peace? Nah. There's more important things to have a battle of wills over. For the most part, I don't cook them a whole extra dinner. I just make sure that there is something that we are having that they will more than likely eat. Even if that means adding another side dish, or topping.

D and I however -- we eat this chicken and spinach mixture quite often. It's pretty good, low fat and very low sodium. As a matter of fact, how much sodium you have depends pretty much on your choice of chicken broth -- even tho I have found with this recipe, the chicken broth is not really needed. The natural chicken juices give it as much flavor.

So - dinner tonight was:

Fresh Garden Salad (watch the commercial dressing - it's kinda high in sodium)
Chicken and Spinach Sauté Over Pasta
(Spaghetti Sauce for kids to spoon over Pasta)
Fresh Cantaloupe
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Chicken and Spinach Sauté Over Pasta Ingredients

• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup fresh mushrooms
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup low sodium or no sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons of Parmesan
• whole wheat thin spaghetti

1. Cut chicken into cubes and mince garlic.
2. Heat oil in skillet and sauté chicken and mushrooms until chicken is cooked
3. Add garlic and spinach; cook until spinach is wilted
4. Add broth. Cook 1-2 minutes.
5. Serve over 1 1/2 ounces of whole wheat thin spaghetti

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That's it! Let me know what you think if you try this. Like I said, we cook it quite often as it is low fat and low sodium and fairly tasty.

Chicken and Veggie Night

I have to admit that last night I winged it a bit. There was no real recipe I followed, other than a quick one I found at a recipe site when I decided at the last moment to include chicken with our dinner which was intended to be just all vegetables.

We have a local farmer's market that we have started frequenting. With all the news about salmonella being found in fresh produce over the recent months, I figured this was a better avenue to take in obtaining as much of the fresh produce we use as we could. After all, many of these people are our neighbors in this small town of ours, so it had the added benefit of supporting our local farmers.

So, our dinner last night consisted of:

• Brown Rice
• Chicken in Worcestershire (it's not as bad a it sounds and, with a bit of splenda brown sugar, tasted very much like teryaki sauce without all the sodium!)
• Zucchini and summer squash Bake
• Green Bean and Potato Salad

We've really been trying not to eat so many enriched carbs. So, I try to use brown rice as much as possible to get the nutrients that are usually lost in the enrichment process of white rice. All of the vegetables I used are fresh, and I steamed them all for maximum nutrient conservation. All in all, it was quite a low fat dinner and low sodium as well.

I was cooking for only the two of us last night. What we fixed and ate was more than one serving of veggies --- but that's not a bad thing! I used only one chicken breast between us and we each had half.

Brown Rice

• 1 cup of rice
• 2 cups of water

Brown rice is made a bit differently and must cook longer than white rice.

1. Combine the rice and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Lower heat, cover and simmer 45 minutes.

Worcestershire Chicken
(I swear this is good!)

This doesn't seem like it would be "low sodium" but keep in mind that, while it has 65 mg of sodium (roughly 3% of RDA based on a 2,000 calorie diet) per teaspoon and this recipe calls for 1/2 cup, it is used mostly to marinade the chicken during cooking and most of the liquid will be left behind in the pan. You may get an actual teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce on the actual chicken on your plate, so the sodium level should be acceptable.)

• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into strips (cooks easier this way)
• 1/2 cup of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon Spenda Brown Sugar (optional)

1. Spray skillet with nonstick spray
2. Brown Chicken pieces
3. Add the Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar
4. Lower heat and cover, letting simmer for 20-30 minutes (or more)

Zucchini and Squash Bake
1 zucchini, cut (the one we had was quite large and may have equaled two regular ones from the store)

• 1 summer squash
• 1/2 sliced sweet onion
• 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and sliced
• 1/4 cup of water
• sprinkle of mozzarella (Parmesan works great too)

1. Spray casserole dish with nonstick spray
2. lay zucchini, squash, onion, pepper and water in dish
3. sprinkle with mozzerella
4. Cover with aluminum foil and cook at 350 for 30 minutes

Green Beans and Potatoes

• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (omega fats -- the GOOD fat)
• 1 lb of fresh green beans
• 1/4 cup of water
• 4 red new potatoes, quartered
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 minced garlic clove
• pepper to taste

1. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic to pan; saute 30 seconds.
2. Add potato, celery and beans. Saute 1 minute. Add 1/4 cup of water; cover and cook for 5 minutes until green beans are crisp-tender.
3. Add tomatoes. Cover, reduce heat and cook 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in pepper.

Without salt, it's not super flavorful, but is good. The hardest part in cutting out sodium is learning to enjoy the natural taste of the vegetables you cook. I happen to loooooove fresh green beans and cook them a lot.


Until another day....signing off.

Chicken in Sweet Cream, Potatoes, Broccoli

Tonight I made something that wasn't exactly low in fat, although I did take measures to cut fat where I could. In some instances, like with the heavy whipping cream, the fat content was inevitable. I usually make it a point to watch the fat too, but we hadn't had this dish in sooooo long and I was wanting to try a new mashed potato recipe with chicken as the main dish, and as I thought it over I realized that my autistic son was not going to have anything on his plate that he liked, being the picky eater he is. I really try to have at least one thing on the plate that my son will eat. I knew he wouldn't eat the mashed potatoes (squishy texture), or the broccoli and cauliflower mix. So - I chose the sweet cream chicken because I know he likes that a lot, and also because we hadn't had it in awhile (due to the fat content). It also goes really well with mashed potatoes.

The dinner was low sodium, though. So something accomplished there for my fiance with hypertension.

Dinner Tonight Was ----

Fresh Salad
Sweet Cream Chicken
Broccoli and Cauliflower in a cheese sauce (yum!)
Mashed Potatoes
Pineapple Bake (for dessert)

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Salad - easy....

Bowl of bagged salad w/veggies
some chopped cucumber
wedged tomato
sprinkle of cheddar cheese
Fat Free ranch Dressing
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Sweet Cream Chicken Ingredients
(serves 6-8)

4 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
pepper
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter (I use Smart Squeeze. Only 5 cals, no hydrogenated oils, 0 fat, 0 sodium)
1/2 cup of low sodium or no sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup apple juice
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Trim fat from chicken, the cut into strips while raw. Sprinkle with pepper. Place butter in large skillet and add chicken strips. Cook until no longer pink, about 10-15 minutes. (Sometimes I cover the skillet and stir periodically.) Add broth and apple juice and simmer for 15 minutes.

Mix cornstarch and whipping cream in a bowl with a whisk. Add to skillet and stir until thickened and bubbly.
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Mashed Potatoes Ingredients

6-8 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
3 oz low fat or fat free cream cheese, softened
6 oz low fat or fat free sour cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (or butter substitute)
1/2 package of dry ranch dressing mix

Boil potatoes until tender. Drain. Add back to pot and add remaining ingredients. Mix with mixer until creamy.

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Broccoli and Cauliflower in Easy Cheese Sauce

I bought a bag of pre-cut fresh broccoli and cauliflower, pierced it and microwaved it on high for about 4 1/2 minutes to steam it.

In a small bowl, combine these three ingredients:

1/2 cup of unsalted butter, melted (or butter substitute)
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Place broccoli and cauliflower in large serving bowl, pour cheese sauce over top and toss.
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Pineapple Bake Ingredients

2 beaten eggs, or egg substitute
1/4 cup of unsalted butter (or butter substitute)
1/4 cup of flour
1/2 cup of splenda
1- 20 oz can of crushed pineapple, with juice
2 teaspoons lemon juice
sprinkle of cinnamon

Combine all ingredients, then pour in rectangular casserole dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake at 350 degrees for an hour.

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Our dinner -- tonight.