Crockpot BBQ chicken

Ok...so I'm not a big fan of BBQ, but I promise this chicken was delicious :)

What you need:
1 can cherry coke
1 bottle BBQ sauce (I love sweet bubba rays, and garland's)
1 lb chicken breast

What to do:
Mix all together in crockpot and cook
A. High for 2-3 hours
B. low for 5-6 hours

I cooked potatoes, corn, and green beans with ours tonight. I wanted to shred some and make sandwiches it was so good...but Nathan didn't leave any leftovers lol

Easy Peasy Shrimp Scampie

Which of course...I don't eat shrimp. So Nathan is beyond thrilled that I am cooking this for him. (Figured I could since I'm on a fruit only diet today)

Shrimp Scampie

What you need:

1 lb raw shrimp (I found a bag that was peeled, de-tailed and de-veined for $5 at Kroger)

1 regular bottle Italian dressing

2 lemons

2 Tablespoons honey

1/2 cup melted butter

your favorite pasta (I made enough for 2 people to eat)

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon parsley

splash of balsamic vinaigrette 

1 teaspoon sugar

salt and pepper

Two ways to cook it though....

What to do for baking/ stove top cooking:

1. Mix 3/4 italian dressing, honey, and shrimp in a bag and let marinade for at least 1 hour.

2. Slice lemons and layer them on baking pan (save 1/4 of one lemon and set to side)

3. Remove shrimp from marinade and layer them on top of lemons in pan

4. Pour melted butter on top of shrimp in pan

5. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on top and bake at 350* for about 10-15 minutes (or until shrimp is done)

6. While shrimp is in oven, boil and cook pasta.

7. While pasta is boiling, pour remaining italian dressing into separate pan on stove.

8. Add olive oil, parsley, vinaigrette, and sugar and bring to boil

9. Let boil for about 5 minutes

10. Drain pasta

11. Pour sauce into pasta and stir to coat the noodles and set to side

12. Remove shrimp from oven (when done cooking) and place on top of pasta

What to do for.....Crockpot!! (yes, you can believe it)

1. Mix italian dressing, parsley, 1/4 cup butter, vinaigrette, sugar, salt and pepper into crock pot

2. Add noodles

3. Add shrimp

4. Squeeze 1 1/2 lemons on top

5. Mix it all together

6. Slice the other 1/2 lemon and layer on top of all

7. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours (if cooking on high, stir every 30 to 45 minutes)

Enjoy :)

 

Homemade Cheese Manicotti

Better than any I have ever bought in restaurant or store

What you need:

1 small container ricotta cheese

4 oz cream cheese

1 small container pesto

1 cup italian blend shredded cheese

1 box manicotti noodles

1 jar alfredo sauce (or marinara sauce if you like it better)

What you do:

1. Boil you manicotti noodles until they are half way done or so (bendable without breaking but still firm)

2. In a bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, cream cheese, pesto, and most (hold out a small sprinkle handful) of shredded cheese

3. Pour some of the alfredo sauce in a cassarole dish (or in bottom of crockpot if going that route)

4. Drain noodles

5. Stuff noodles with cheese mixture and lay in alfredo sauce

6. Cover with remaining alfredo sauce and small sprinkle handful of shredded cheese from earlier

7. Bake in oven at 375* for 20-30 minutes (until top starts to brown)

     or cook in crock pot on low for 4-6 hours, or high for 1-2 hours until sides start to brown and sauce 

     is bubbly

Healthy options:

1. Forget the cream cheese, use skim milk ricotta cheese, and 1/2 cup shredded cheese (you wont taste a difference but it takes more to fill the noodles)

2. add veggies (I don't think I need to list them again lol)

3. marinara sauce instead of alfredo sauce (alfredo does taste better)

4. whole wheat noodles instead of regular ones

5. Forget the noodles all together and mix veggies and make a casserole (crockpot casserole) with the shredded cheeses, pesto and veggies (the pesto makes things taste unbelievably delicious)

It's Raining Meatballs!

Ok, it wasn't raining when I made them, but it did start later that night...and these are good for comfort food :)

What you need:

1. 1 lb ground meat

2. 1 egg

3. 1/4 cup milk

4. 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs

5. 1 teaspoon oregano

6. 1 teaspoon onion powder

7. 1 teaspoon garlic powder

8. salt and pepper to taste

What you do:

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl

2. Roll out 1 1/2 inch size balls and place on roaster pan (I like it better because the grease drains away)

3. Make a decision:

            A. bake in oven at 350* for 35-45 minutes (after finished, plate with marinara sauce)

            B. cook in crock pot with marinara sauce on low for 6 hours

Serve with pasta, broccoli and cheese, or eat on a sandwich. (These are great grilled too!)

*These are pretty healthy on their own, just watch what you serve them with and how much salt you add to them. Instead of beef you can use turkey too!*

Crockpot Chicken

Set it and forget it dinner...always turns out great :)

What you need:

3 cups rice 

1 can cream of mushroom

1 can cream of chicken

1 lb cubed chicken breast

1 cup water

Mix all in crockpot and set on low for 8 hours 

Alternate options:

Instead of white or brown rice, use the flavored rice sides (usually like $1 at Kroger). I love the chicken and broccoli and the mushroom rice together

Add veggies into it like carrots, broccoli, peas, green beans, mushrooms, and asparagus (wait and add the asparagus when it has about 2 more hours to cook so you don't over cook it)

If you use the flavored rice packets, you can just add water (add what package calls for) and the chicken and that cuts out some of the sodium

Crockpot Cube Steak and Gravy

And it's as delicious as it sounds :)

What you need:

1. Cube steaks

2. 1 packet Lipton Onion Soup mix

3. 2 cans cream of mushroom soup

4. 1 cup water

Mix all together and cook in crock pot for:

High: 3 hours

Low: 6 hours

Or oven at 350* for 20 minutes :)

Serve with rice, veggies, potatoes or remove steaks from gravy and make a sandwich (just add mushrooms!)

Healthy options:

1. Don't use the cream of mushroom soup, use either the heart healthy kind or the golden mushroom (less sodium)

2. Add veggies in it while it cooks like peppers, onions, broccoli, carrots and snap peas

Southern Fried Chicken

This is definitely not on the diet...

But what you need:

1 lb chicken

1 cup oil (I used wesson vegetable oil)

1 Tablespoon bacon grease (because Nanny said so)

1 cup flour

2 eggs

salt and pepper to taste

1. heat grease and oil in skillet on medium heat

2. crack eggs into bowl and mix until smooth 

3. wash chicken with water

4. put flour in separate bowl, add chicken

5. after chicken is covered in flour, dip into egg wash

6. re-cover with flour

7. when oil is hot (drop a little bit of flour into oil and if it bubbles away it is ready), drop chicken into it 

8. wait until the edges are brown and top is more white than pink, then flip

9. wait until edges start turning a reddish-brown and remove from oil

10. salt and pepper to taste

Enjoy :)

Because I know we did :)

Chicken Eggrolls

Up first: Bring on the buffalo

What you need:

1 lb chicken boiled and shredded (or 20 oz can shredded chicken)

1 regular bottle Frank's redhot sauce

1 package eggroll wraps (found in produce section beside the tofu)

1 package broccoli slaw (optional, but it gives it a nice crunch and you can't taste it)

1 8 oz sour cream tub

1 packet hidden valley ranch powder

2 Tablespoons olive oil

What to do:

1. mix chicken with bottle of hot sauce

2. mix sour cream and ranch packet in separate bowl

3. lay flat one eggroll wrap

4. spread the ranch mixture on to middle of wrap (how much depends on your taste)

5. spread some of the broccoli slaw in the middle (I use about 1 Tablespoon per roll)

6. add some chicken mixture (I use 1 1/2 to 2 Tablespoons, but again, it depends on your taste)

7. roll according to package (it says to bring on corner to the middle but mostly over the stuffing, bring in the corners on the side to make it look like an envelope, and then finish rolling up. To seal, dip your finger in water and rub the edges of exposed corner like you are wetting the fold of the envelope.)

8. paint with olive oil and bake at 375 degrees until golden brown

9. serve with remaining ranch dip (if you mix 1/4 cup milk to already mixed dip it will thin it out and be more salad dressing like)

Bring on the BBQ

What you need:

1 lb chicken boiled and shredded (or 20 oz can shredded chicken)

1 small bottle of your favorite bbq sauce

1 cup shredded cheese (I used mild cheddar)

1 package eggroll wraps

Made same as above, mix chicken and sauce, layer on eggroll wrap, add cheese, roll up, paint with olive oil and bake until golden brown

Sorry no pics...we ate before I could take one at the super bowl party :) enjoy