French Dip "Cupcakes"

I don't know about you but I'm addicted to Pinterest; I spend endless hours pouring over pictures of food, fashion and funny quotes. While wasting time  perusing Pinterest I came upon this fun and quirky idea, mealtime cupcakes!! They looked so cute and sounded so yummy that I had to give them a try. They came together super quick and the smell in my kitchen while they were baking was divine!  If you are interested in finding me on Pinterest here's my link . 

Ingredients
12 oz deli roast beef, thinly sliced and chopped into pieces 
4 Laughing Cow Light Swiss wedges, chopped
1/3 c Au Jus gravy (I used Heinz which comes in a jar by the other gravy)
16 wonton wrappers (typically found in the produce section)
4 oz (1 cup) reduced fat 2% shredded mozzarella cheese


Directions
    Pre-heat the oven to 375. Lightly mist 9 cups in a muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside.
    In a microwavable bowl, combine the roast beef, cheese wedges and Au Jus sauce. Microwave for 2 minutes on high. Stir to combine until cheese wedges are melted and roast beef mixture is fully coated with cheese and Au Jus sauce.
    Push a wonton wrapper into the bottom of each of the eight sprayed cups in the muffin tin. Spoon about half of the roast beef mixture evenly amongst the wonton wrappers. Sprinkle about half the mozzarella cheese evenly over the top of each cup. Press another wonton wrapper on top and repeat the layering steps with the remaining ingredients.
   Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown. Let cool 5 minutes before removing from muffin tin. 

Ingredients

Meat, cheese and au jus ready to go into microwave

Heat for 2 minutes, stir

Place won ton wrappers into greased cupcake liner, fill with meat

After both layers are done, ready for the oven

Bake for 18-20 minutes

Enjoy! 

Source; Emily Bites

Crockpot Spanish Chicken

I've been trying to use my crock pot more and still make healthy tasty food; this recipe allows you to do both. I was able to throw this together in just minutes and was able to have a tasty meal! I added a cup of instant brown rice to my crock pot 4 hours into the cooking cycle and it came out great! 





  
 Ingredients 
  2 lbs skinless boneless chicken thighs, fat trimmed


     1 small onion, diced
       1 garlic clove, crushed
        1 bell pepper, chopped or sliced
        4 plum tomatoes
        2 TBSP  pitted spanish olives
         8 oz can tomato sauce
         1/4 tsp oregano
         1/4 tsp cumin
         salt to taste
          1-2 bay leaf
         1/4 cup chopped cilantro (plus 2 tbsp more for serving)
Directions
Place chicken, onion, garlic, pepper and tomatoes in the crock pot. Season with salt, cumin and oregano. Mix well so everything is seasoned.
Add tomato sauce, olives along with 1 tbsp of the brine, 1/2 cup water, bay leaf and cilantro. Mix well and set crock pot to HIGH 4 hours or LOW for 6 hours. When done, taste for salt and seasoning and adjust spices as needed. Add 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro and serve over rice. Serves 4



Ingredients 

Mix ingredients thoroughly and set crock pot for 6 hours.



Enjoy!














Source: Skinny Taste

Scallops and Shrimp with Rice (low fat)

 I remember when I first got married and my husband mentioned that he'd prefer to not eating anything with tater tots, ground beef and cream of mushroom soup in it. We'd both grown up in Utah, a place well know for their casseroles. Well it's been over 22 years and I've tried to steer clear of most casseroles but sometimes you find one that is just too good to pass up, this is one of those dishes. A few years ago I discovered it in Paula Deen's The Lady and Sons Cookbook and have changed it up over time to make it something that we all just love. I've made it using lower fat ingredients but of course you can always fatten it up :)

Ingredients
Two 6 ounce boxes Uncle Ben's long
grain and wild rice
1 lb Shrimp, deveined, cleaned and peeled
1 lb Scallops, if large cut into fourths
1 Onion, diced and sautéed in  2 TBSP butter
Two 10 1/4 ounce cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
(low fat version)
16 oz low fat Cheddar Cheese
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 lb sliced Mushrooms
Salt and Pepper to taste

Remove seasoning mix from rice; do not use. Cook rice as directed on box. Preheat oven to 375. Saute mushrooms, onion and butter until soft. Mix in remaining ingredients including cooked rice and pour into a 9x13 baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes. Serves 8

Ingredients

Saute onions and mushrooms

Mix in soup and other ingredients 

Cooked wild rice ready for the shrimp, scallops and soup mixture

Look at those yummy scallops

Ready for the oven

Enjoy!

Source: The Lady & Sons

Chicken Enchilada Pizzas (low fat)

I don't think you should have to spend a lot of time prepping and cooking dinner in order to have a fantastic meal. Easy and quick dinners are where it's at, and this recipe sure fits the bill. I marinated my chicken breasts using Grill Mates Baja Citrus marinade and the flavors were awesome. We served this with a salad and the family loved it.

4 Mission brand whole wheat 96% fat free tortillas
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups chopped cooked chicken- I de-boned 2 chicken breasts and marinated/cooked them.
1/2 cup green salsa verde
1 small can olives, sliced
1/4 cup low fat sour cream
1/2 cup reduced fat 4 Cheese Mexican cheese
1 large tomato, chopped (optional)
Chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oven to 400. Place tortillas on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 5 minutes or until crisp. While tortillas are baking, heat oil in 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook onion in oil, stirring frequently, until tender; remove from heat. Stir in chicken, salsa and olives. Spread sour cream on tortillas. Top with chicken mixture, chopped tomatoes, cheese and cilantro. Bake 5-6 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with an additional teaspoon of salsa verde.
Serves 4

I marinated my chicken and then cooked it in my favorite pan

Ingredients

I've learned to dice onions in my cooking class

Bake tortillas for 5 minutes

After cooking onions take off heat and add chicken, salsa, and olives

Yumm

Chop tomatoes and cilantro

Spread small amount of sour cream on top of tortilla

Top with chicken mixture

Add tomatoes, cilantro and cheese. Return to oven for 5-6 minutes

I cut mine into 4 pieces using a pizza cutter. 

Enjoy!

Source: The Sister's Cafe

Chicken Enchiladas (low fat version)

This recipe is adapted from my dear friend Lori Reagan's recipe. Lori makes the best enchiladas in the world and it's one of the things I look forward to when we go home to visit. I've tried to take a lot of the fat out of this recipe, it will be easy to see where you can add regular fat products in place of the lower fat ones. I also added a can of white beans to this recipe, this adds more fiber and helps fill you up. You can use fat free cheese and fat free sour cream, but I personally don't like the way it cooks, so I choose to use low fat. ( If calories and fat didn't count I'd use regular everything and 'normal' tortillas) :)
Makes 8 enchiladas.

Ingredients
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped (I'm using smoked chicken tonight)
2 cans fat free cream of chicken soup
3 cups low fat sour cream
3 cups reduced fat mexican mix cheese
1 4.5 ounce can diced green chilies
8 6 inch whole wheat tortillas
1 can white kidney/cannelloni beans
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 container of salsa

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine chicken, soup, sour cream, 2 cups of cheese and can of green chilies, mix. Place 1/2 cup of filling into center of each tortilla and roll to close. Place filled tortillas in 9x13 baking dish, smother the top of enchiladas with remaining filling. Add remaining cup of shredded cheese to top and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Ingredients

Mix

Add in Cilantro

Add 1/2 cup of filling to each tortilla

Roll them up

Pour remaining filling on top of enchiladas, and top with remaining

cup of shredded cheese

Right out of the oven

Top with salsa and you are ready to go!

Enjoy

Calories 542, Fat 23g, Fiber 7.33g, Carbs 45

Lower Fat Chicken Divan

           I found this recipe last week and made it over the weekend, what a huge hit. Everyone liked it, even college son #2. I used my panini maker to quickly cook my chicken and was thrilled with the way it turned out. This casserole comes out of the oven creamy and delicious.

           Ingredients

1-1/2 lbs broccoli (3 large heads) chopped

24 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts (or 18 oz cooked)

salt and fresh ground pepper

1 tbsp butter

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tbsp shallots, minced (onions would work too)

4 tbsp flour

1 cup fat free chicken broth

1 cup fat free milk

2 oz dry sherry (white wine would work)

6 oz shredded reduced-fat swiss

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup seasoned whole wheat breadcrumbs ( I made my own)

cooking spray

Cooking my chicken on an indoor grill

Broccoli ready to be blanched

Toast bread first

Put toast in food processor to make bread crumbs

Blanching Broccoli

Sautéing butter, garlic and shallots

Blanched broccoli goes into casserole dish first

Add cheese sauce

Chicken

Remaining sauce and I put some broccoli on top;

 top with breadcrumbs

Out of the oven and ready to eat.

Enjoy!

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the broccoli and blanch 3 minutes. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Using a grill pan or Forman grill, saute chicken on medium-low heat on both sides until browned, and just about cooked through, about 5 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and transfer chicken to a cutting board. When cooled, slice chicken into bite sized pieces.

Heat a medium skillet on medium heat. Add the butter and oil until melted and then add garlic and shallots. Sprinkle the flour and whisk until smooth. Stir in broth, milk and sherry and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in half of the swiss cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Arrange the broccoli in a casserole dish and pour half of the sauce over the broccoli. Arrange the chicken on top and cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle the remaining swiss cheese, grated parmesan and top with breadcrumbs. Spray a little oil on top.

Servings: 6 • Serving Size: 1/6th • Old Points: 7 pts • Points+: 8 pts

Calories: 335.7 • Fat: 12.3 g • Protein: 34.5 g • Carb: 19.8 g • Fiber: 4.1 g  

Source: Gina's Skinny Taste