Monterey Chicken

This is a dish I used to always get at restaurants.  Eventually it dawned on me that it would be easy to make at home!  I hadn't made it in a couple of years now, but it was just as delicious tonight as ever!

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken breasts - I usually get the thin sliced, but the regular were on sale so I used them and just cut them in half so I ended up with 4 pieces instead of 2
1/2 c. barbecue sauce, divided
1 green onion, green parts sliced, white part discarded
1 c. reduced fat cheese, divided (A cheddar or mexican cheese would be preferable.  I used a monterey-cheddar blend.)
4 slices bacon (I used the pre-cooked that you just zap in the microwave)

On grill, cook chicken on one side for about 3 to 4 minutes.  Flip, then pour 2 T. of barbecue sauce over cooked side of each breast.  Lay your cooked bacon over the sauce, sprinkle with the green onions and 1/4 c. each of the cheese.  Cook about another 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to rest at least 5 minutes, preferably 10.

1 piece of chicken is 8 WW Points+.

Tonight it was raining, so instead of an outdoor grill, I used our George Foreman grill to cook this.  I served itwith frozen peas and a knorr pasta mix.

Slow Cooker Chicken

Tonight is a busy night for my family so I wanted something easy that requires as little prep as possible.  Before work this morning I quartered an onion and put it in a slow cooker with a whole oven-roaster chicken.  I let it cook all day on low.  When we were ready to eat, I made some instant potatoes.  And that was it.  I was a bad girl and didn't make a veggie tonight.

I pulled the rest of the chicken and it will be put to good use in a recipe on Friday night.

Cheeseburger Casserole

I made this for dinner on Friday night.  My husband LOVES hamburgers!  This was a way of having the flavors of a hamburger, but on a lighter scale.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1/2 c. ketchup
1 c. cheddar cheese

2. frozen french fries

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 450.  In a large skillet, brown the ground beef with the chopped onion.  Drain the liquid.  Add the ketchup.  Pour mixture into the bottom of a 1 1/2 qt. casserole dish (ungreased).  Sprinkle cheese over the top.  Arrange french fries on top of casserole so that they create a single layer.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until french fries on top are done.

Makes 6 servings.
If made with 93% lean ground beef and reduced fat cheddar, each serving is 4 WW points+.

Chicken Sausage with Spinach Fettuccine

Well...the title for this post was supposed to be "Chicken Sausage with Spaghetti Squash" but the spaghetti squash took 2 hours to cook instead of the 1 hour it was supposed to take, and the hubby and I were hungry so I just made some spinach fettuccine we had on hand instead.  It was still good, but I wish I had gotten to try the spaghetti squash!

Anyway, I sliced some Roasted Pepper Asiago chicken sausage into rings and sauteed it in a pan with 1 T + 1 t. of garlic-flavored olive oil.  For myself I just put the sausage rings on top of my pasta, but for my husband I also added 1/2 c. of pasta sauce.

This is what my plate looked like:

And this is what my husband's plate looked like:

 And just 'cause he's cute, here is a picture of my boy enjoying some chicken sausage:

Chicken skewers, couscous, and corn on the cob.

This was last night's dinner.  On Friday night, I cut up 3 boneless, skinless chicken breast into about 1 inch pieces.  I divided them up so that half went into one freezer bag with teriyaki marinade (store bought), and the other half in a freezer bag with barbecue-buffalo marinade (also store bought).  My intent was to marinade them and have them for dinner on Saturday night, but we had a happy change of plans so I made them for dinner on Sunday.  I put the pieces on bamboo skewers and had the hubby cook them on the grill.  Yum.  Meanwhile, I made couscous and boiled corn on the cob.

With the leftover corn I made Corn Salsa with Lime.  Here is the recipe:

1/2 small red onion, chopped (if it is a large one, I would only use a quarter)
1 jalapeno, chopped with seeds discarded (if you like really spicy food, you can leave the seeds)
zest of one lime
juice of 2 fresh limes
chili powder to taste
salt to taste
the kernels from 3 cobs

Combine in a bowl, refrigerate, and allow to sit overnight for the flavors to mingle.  Enjoy with tortilla chips.  1/2 c. = 1 WW points+

Roasted Veggie pizza and dessert!

Tonight's dinner was roasted veggie pizza with goat cheese.  It was inspired by a pizza I had at a restaurant 2 weeks ago.  It was so delicious!  Here is the recipe:

1 can classic pizza dough
1 can artichokes (in water!)
1 sweet onion, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced into rounds
1 yellow pepper, sliced into rounds
1 eggplant, sliced
1 oz. goat cheese
8 oz. mozzarella
1/4 c. grated parmesan
2 T. garlic-flavored olive oil
Pam spray
salt

First off, I roasted the veggies yesterday so I knew they would be ready.  Preheat your oven to 400.  Lay out all of your veggies on a foil-lined cookie sheet.  Spray with pam and season with salt.  Flip over and repeat.  Bake in oven for 45 minutes or until soft with brown edges.  If you are making the day ahead, allow to cool uncovered to room temperature before covering and placing in the fridge.  This will keep too much water from condensing out of the warm veggies.  Also, I didn't use foil in the fridge, I was afraid it would leave a metallic taste on the veggies.

The night you want to make your pizza:
Preheat your oven to 400.  Spray a cookie sheet with Pam.  Roll out your pizza dough to desired thickness (I made my pizza 9 x 13).  Bake dough for 8 minutes.  Brush dough with garlic-flavored olive oil.  Sprinkle mozzarella over dough.  Place roasted veggies over cheese and top with parmesan and goat cheese.  Bake for 10 minutes more and enjoy!

Makes 8 slices, 5 WW points + per slice.

This is my baby boy enjoying some roasted veggie pizza (minus the goat cheese):

 For dessert we had Fresh Strawberry Pie made with Splenda sugar mix instead of sugar (8 slices, 3 WW points+ per slice) and topped with cool whip.

Southwest Taco Pie

I made this for dinner last night. It was great! Even the hubby loved it and he's not a corn fan! Southwest Taco Pie

So...just found out the link doesn't work if you are not subscribed so...here is the recipe (shh, don't tell on me!)

Ingredients

• 1 store bought pie crust (2 come in a box, but you only need one)
• 1 pound uncooked ground turkey breast
• 1 tablespoon canola oil (I actually used grapeseed)
• 1 1 1/4 ounce package taco seasoning mix
• 1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup drained canned whole kernel corn
• 1 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
• 2 roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
• 1/2 cup light sour cream (optional)
• 2 green onions, sliced (optional)

Make It 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface roll out dough to a 12-inch circle. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the dough, fluting edge as desired. Prick the bottom of the pastry with the tines of a fork. Bake for 15 minutes or until crust is lightly browned and is set and dry.
2. In a large skillet cook turkey in hot oil over medium heat until browned. Stir in taco seasoning and 1/2 cup water. Cook and stir for 3 to 5 minutes or until water has evaporated. Stir in beans and corn. Spoon turkey mixture into baked pie shell. Top with cheese.
3. Bake 12 to 15 minutes more or until cheese is melted and filling is heated through. Remove and cool 10 minutes on a wire rack.
4. Top slices of pie with tomato, lettuce and sour cream and green onion, if desired.