Rotisserie Chicken 5 Meal Fix!! Meal #1: Chicken and Bean Quesadilla

This week Gordon is away with his dad. I was thinking about what I was going to make for dinners this week and came up with an idea. I bought a rotisserie chicken and each night I have a plan for using that main ingredient to make my dinners. Tonight was chicken and bean quesadillas without the cheese. I will not only be posting recipes, but I will also calculate the WW point values for my WW friends. By the end of the work week, I will have 5 rotisserie chicken dinners that are quick, easy, and on the healthy side!

 To start your week, remove all the meat off the chicken. This way you can measure amounts each day and save yourself some time each night!

 Everyone likes quesadillas. I decided to make a healthier version. Now remember, quesadillas in general are filled with cheese and are not very good for you. Some of them can be upwards of 25-30 points. Mine version is 9 points, filled me up and had several power foods in it which I don't mind using a few extra points on :)

Ingredients

¼ cup rotisserie chicken, diced

¼ cup fat free refried beans

¼ of an avocado

¼ cup salsa

black pepper

whole wheat tortilla

Directions 

Spread the beans on the quesadilla and place diced chicken on half. Fold the tortilla and toast on both sides in a skillet or in a toaster oven. Mix the avocado, a pinch of black pepper and salsa together and top the quesadilla with it! Enjoy!

 

Sassy Wonton Tacos

This recipe was made by my friend Kim Cappello (Taken from the Hungry Girls website) on our craft night using ideas from Pinterest. Although are crafts were mediocre at best, these tacos were absolutely delicious!!

Ingredients
 

• 8 small square wonton wrappers (usually stocked with the tofu in the refrigerated section of the market)
• 1 cup dry coleslaw mix
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tbsp. Newman's Own Lighten Up! Low Fat Sesame Ginger Dressing (or another low-fat sesame ginger dressing)
• 4 oz. cooked and shredded (or finely chopped) skinless lean chicken breast
• 2 tbsp. BBQ sauce with about 45 calories per 2-tbsp. serving

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Spray the inside and outside walls of a deep square or rectangular baking pan with nonstick spray. Evenly drape the wonton wrappers over the pan's walls on a diagonal, making triangle-shaped "shells." (Use two pans, if needed, to keep wontons from overlapping.) Bake until just crispy enough to hold their shape, about 3 minutes.

Remove pan from the oven, but leave oven on. Carefully remove wontons and gently open to form "taco shells." Set aside.

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine coleslaw mix, cilantro, and dressing. Mix well. Cover and microwave for about 1 minute, until slightly softened. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine chicken with BBQ sauce; mix well and set aside.

Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Evenly distribute the BBQ chicken among the shells, followed by the slaw, about 1 tbsp. of each per shell. Lay the filled shells gently on their sides on the baking sheet.

Spray the shells lightly with nonstick spray. Bake until warm and crunchy, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly and then serve!


NOTES: Kim used eggroll wrappers instead of wonton wrappers so they were slightly bigger. She added a little spice by using chicken sausage instead of chicken breast for some added spice! She also filled them and then baked but I would suggest sticking to these directions if you want a crunchier shell!

Monica's Turkey Chili Verde with Hominy and Squash

This recipe comes to us from the Sunny state of California!! Monica is a friend from when I was younger that I was able to reconnect with through Facebook. She is a working mother with two beautiful children, Penny & Wes. Can't wait to try this as it looks delicious!!!

Ingredients

2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
1 lb cooked turkey sausage ( I use Jenny O's) cut into 1inch pieces
1 large onion, diced
11/2 tsp dried Mexican oregano
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 15-oz can hominy, undrained
1 cup green chili enchilada sauce
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, divided
2 cups 3/4-in cubes of peeled butternut squash

Directions

1. Heat oil in heavy, large pot over medium heat. Add sausage.
Sauté until heated through, about 4- minutes. Add onion, oregano and garlic. Stir 2 minutes.
2. Add hominy, enchilada sauce, 1/2 cup cilantro and squash. Simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Transfer to slow cooker. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
4. Transfer to a bowl. Sprinkle remaining cilantro on top and serve (optional).



Picture to come....


NOTES: Monica sometimes works long hours. So, she adapted this to the crockpot!! I look forward to more recipes from Monica!!

Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Whats better than a baked Sweet Potato? Give up?? Stuffing it with a yummy mix of fruits and nuts! Went great with a Roast Chicken on the grill!

Ingredients

Sweet Potatoes (1 half per person)
2 pears, peeled and diced
Craisins
Pecans (or nut of choice)
2 tablespoons butter (I used soy)
1 tablespoon brown Sugar
2 tablespoons vinegar (I used cider but balsamic will work too)

Directions

Poke wholes in the sweet potatoes and bake on a foil lined baking sheet at 350 for about an hour until fork tender. Put craisins in a cup of hot water for about five minutes and then drain well. Meanwhile, in a saute pan melt butter and add pears. Cook until browned. Add cranberries, brown sugar, and vinegar.Reduce heat to low and cook until sauce begins to reduce. Add nuts and continue to cook on low. When ready, the stuffing will have a syrup like sauce. Cut potatoes in half and top with pear mixture. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pasta recipe is a keeper!!!

It's Autumn and what better way to celebrate then with a pumpkin pasta dish that the whole family will love! It's a recipe of medium difficulty but definitely on the healthy side with some substitutes of your normal cream sauce! There are lots of ingredients that can be changed or added to suit your likes and dislikes. It can also be made vegetarian!


Ingredients


1 box wheat pasta
1 package chicken sausage
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup evaporated skim milk
15 oz. pumpkin puree
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bag of baby spinach
1/2 cup lowfat sour cream
Sprinkle of brown sugar


Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Slice sausage links in half, then into 1-inch

pieces. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook sausage until browned. Add

onion and cook for 3 minutes or until onion is tender. Add broth, milk, pumpkin,spices, and pepper. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to low, allowing liquid to thicken slightly. Add spinach and stir until wilted. Sprinkle with brown sugar and mix in sour cream just before removing from heat.Toss pasta with sauce and serve.

NOTES: I used unsweetened soy milk and tofutti cream cheese instead of evaporated milk and sour cream and it came out just as good as it did when I made it with the original ingredients.I also added diced apples at the onion stage the most recent time I made this and it was a GREAT addition! Also add some other ingredients such as white beans to make a heartier dish!!

Its Fruit Crisp season....

Apple picking season is among us. However, this fruit crisp recipe can be used with any variety of fruit you choose such as apples, plums, pumpkin puree, raspberries, blueberries, pears, or anything else. You can also choose to use frozen fruit if you are not lucky enough to be in New England where the picking is a plenty!

Ingredients

5 cups of fruit peeled and sliced, chopped, or thawed
2-4 tablepsoons of sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4  cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon spice (use you favorite: cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, etc)
1/4 cup butter

Directions


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Prepare your fruit and toss with sugar and tablespoon of flour. Use less sugar for fresh fruit.
3. Combine the remainder of the ingredients in a separate bowl until the butter is the size of peas.
4. Put fruit in a pie dish or any other oven safe dish you choose.
5. Top with crumble topping.
6. Bake for 30-40 minutes until topping is browned and fruit filling is bubbling.
7. Let sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

 

Notes on dish: I used soy butter with no problem. You can use artificial sweetener as well if you prefer to take out the sugar. I actually used brown sugar to toss the apples and in the topping. 

Chicken Fried Rice: Semi Homemade Style

This rice is so easy.  I just came up with it tonight thinking about ingredients I had and tada!!!

I made rice in a steamer but if you dont have one then make rice like you normally would. I used brown rice.

Then for my chicken, I used pieces from a rotisserie chicken I had in the fridge. I also used frozen organic veggies! Can't get much easier than that!

1 cup cooked rice
1 small onion diced
1 egg scrambled (optional)
1 cup frozen mixed veggies
1 tablespoon garlic
1 - 1 1/2 cups chicken, diced or shredded
salt and pepper
ginger (fresh or dried ground)
seasame seeds, toasted
lite soy sauce
teriyaki sauce

In a pan, heat enough oil  to coat the bottom of a pan (I used sesame but you can use vegetable oil). On one side cook the onion and garlic and on the other side, scramble the egg. Once cooked, mix them together. Add everything else but the rice. Cook for a few minutes. Add rice and toss together. I used about a tablespoon on the soy sauce and teriyaki at first and added to taste. Also, you can take out any of the ingredients or add things like snap peas or broccoli depending on your taste buds and what you have on hand!!!