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What’s for Dinner?: Chicken and Ravioli Carbonara
Chicken and Ravioli Carbonara Calories 265
Serves: 4
What You Need
- 2 tablespoons Italian dressing
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch strips
- 3/4 cup chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)
- 1 package (9 oz) refrigerated cheese-filled ravioli
- 1/2 cup half-and-half
- 4 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled
- Shredded Parmesan cheese, if desired
- Chopped fresh parsley, if desired
Make It
- In 10-inch skillet, heat dressing over high heat. Cook chicken in dressing 2 to 4 minutes, turning occasionally, until brown.
- Add broth and ravioli to skillet. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to medium. Cook uncovered about 4 minutes or until ravioli are tender and almost all broth has evaporated.
- Stir in half-and-half; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 3 to 5 minutes or until sauce is hot and desired consistency (cook longer for a thicker sauce). Sprinkle with bacon, cheese and parsley.
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What’s for SNACK? Baked Apple Cinnamon Chips
Baked Apple Cinnamon Chips
Serves: us :)
What You Need
- 2 apples
- Cinnamon
Make It
- I start by using my pampered chef ultimate mandoline. It lets me slice the apples in seconds!
- Remove apple core
- Thinly slice the entire apple.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place apple slices on it.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon.
- Bake at 275 degrees for two hours. At the end of hour one flip them over so they bake evenly.
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What’s for Dinner?: Healthified Mediterranean-Style Chicken and Pasta
Healthified Mediterranean-Style Chicken and Pasta Calories 270
Serves: 6
What You Need
- 2 cups uncooked multigrain penne pasta (6 oz)
- 2 teaspoons olive or canola oil
- 1 small onion, chopped (1/3 cup)
- 2 medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 cups 3/4-inch pieces cooked chicken breast
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 can (8 oz) can tomato sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
- 1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, quartered lengthwise (we omitted this)
- 3/4 cup crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese (3 oz)
Make It
- In 4-quart Dutch oven (or stockpot) , cook and drain pasta as directed on package, omitting salt. Return to Dutch oven; cover to keep warm.
- Meanwhile, in 12-inch nonstick skillet ( I use a deep skillet), heat oil over medium heat. Add onion; cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender. Add zucchini and garlic; cook 2 minutes. Stir in chicken, tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano and basil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is tender and mixture is hot. Stir in olives (if used).
- Pour chicken mixture over pasta. Top with feta cheese; toss to coat.
Tips:
- To save time, buy minced garlic in a can, instead of chopping garlic
- Instead of Kalamata olives, you can use black to save money (Adam doesn’t like olives so we didn’t use them)
- Prepare the veggies and cook the chicken ahead of time; cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to make the recipe.
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What’s for Dinner?: Slow Cooker Chile-Chicken Tacos
Slow Cooker Chile-Chicken Tacos
Serves:12
What You Need
- 1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 envelope (1 oz) taco seasoning mix
- 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
- 1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles
- 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
- 1 can (10 oz) enchilada sauce
- 1 package taco shells, warmed if desired
- 3 cups shredded lettuce
Make It
- Spray 3- to 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Place chicken thighs in cooker. Sprinkle with taco seasoning mix and brown sugar; toss to coat. Mix in green chiles, corn and 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce. Refrigerate remaining enchilada sauce.
- Cover and cook on Low heat setting 6 to 7 hours.
- Place chicken on cutting board; use 2 forks to pull chicken into shreds. Return chicken to cooker. Stir in green onions. Cover and cook on Low heat setting 15 minutes.
- Heat remaining enchilada sauce. Serve chicken mixture in taco shells with lettuce, tomatoes and warm enchilada sauce.
Tips:
- I took out the green onions and tomatoes because i don’t like them :)
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What’s for Dinner?: Light baked broccoli mac n cheese
Light baked broccoli mac n cheese— 315cal per cup
Serves:8
What You Need
- 12 oz high fiber elbows like Ronzoni Smart Taste
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp light butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 cup minced onion
- 2 cups skim milk
- 1 cup fat free chicken broth
- 8 oz (2 cups) sharp cheddar
- salt and fresh pepper to taste
- 12 oz fresh broccoli florets (I used pre-cut bag)
- 1/8 cup grated parmesan
- 1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
- cooking spray
Make It
Cook pasta and broccoli together in a large pot of salted water, according to package directions for al dente (or slightly under cook 2 minutes). Spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 375°.
In a large, heavy skillet, melt butters. Add onion and cook over low heat about 2 minutes, add flour and cook another minute, or until the flour is golden and well combined. Add milk and chicken broth and whisk, raising heat to medium-high until it comes to a boil; cook about 5 minutes or until the sauce becomes smooth and thick. Season with salt and pepper.
Once the sauce is thick, remove from heat, add cheese and mix well until cheese is melted. Adjust salt and pepper to taste, add cooked macaroni and broccoli and mix well. Pour into prepared baking dish. Top with grated cheese and breadcrumbs. Spray a little more cooking spray on top.
Tips:
- Good vegetarian recipe. I am making this for my husband and son to eat tonight while I work.
What’s for Dinner?: Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff— 400 cal (probably less because i used light stuff)
Serves:8
What You Need
- 2 pounds beef stew meat
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of golden mushroom soup
- 1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of onion soup
- 6 oz chopped fresh mushrooms
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese (we used nufchatel), cubed
- 1 container (8 ounces) lite sour cream
- 6 cups hot cooked noodles or rice
Make It
- In 3 1/2- to 4 1/2-quart slow cooker, mix beef, onion, soups, mushrooms and pepper.
- Cover and cook on low heat setting 8 to 10 hours or until beef is very tender.
- Stir cream cheese into beef mixture until melted. Stir sour cream into beef mixture. Serve over noodles.
Tips:
- We brought this to my grandmas house and had some leftovers for work the next day. Tasted good reheated too.
Homemade Hamburger Helper (Potato Stroganoff)
Potato Stroganoff—
Serves: 5-6
What You Need
- 1 pound ground beef (turkey in our case)
- 1 cup hot water
- 2 cups milk (if you have sour cream, replace 1/2 cup of the milk with sour cream)
- 1 1/2 cups very thinly sliced or diced potatoes
- prepare a sauce packet including 1 tablespoon corn starch, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon parsley, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms.
Make It
- Brown and drain one pound of ground beef/turkey.
- Add 3 cups of liquid (water and/or milk) along with your 1 1/2 of sliced potatoes
- Simmer covered. The simmer time will be approximately 12-20 minutes for most varieties.
- Turn off heat and uncover. Let stand to thicken at least 5 minutes before serving.
Tips:
- Notice this is just like hamburger helper, cept more healthy! I never know whats in the “sauce” packet for the hamburger helper. This smells much better…we’ll be eating it soon, hopefully it tastes better too!
Focus Friday
Today: steam clean carpets, pick up my car, dinner with my grandma and cousin, Lake game with Adam, my cousin, my dad, sister and Zak
Saturday: Dinner with our friends Jaimie and Lee
Sunday: Leaves and dinner at Jackie and Adams
Monday: workout, go to Zaks school and helpout at 1 and work
Tuesday: I believe parent teacher conference…not sure though and work
, zaks off school, try and catch up some laundry
Wednesday: work again, head in early to work on scrub class
Thursday: off, dinner at my brother in laws :)
Meals for our week
Garlic Chicken with Sweet Potatoes
Grocery spendings last week: $50
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What’s for Dinner?: Veggie Cheese Soup
Veggie Cheese Soup - Nutrition Facts: 3/4 cup equals 115 calories, 4 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 15 mg cholesterol, 682 mg sodium, 13 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 8 g protein.
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 celery rib, chopped
- 2 small red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 2-3/4 cups water
- 2 teaspoons reduced-sodium chicken bouillon granules
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) reduced-fat reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
- 3 cups frozen California-blend vegetables, thawed
- 1/2 cup chopped fully cooked lean ham
- 8 ounces reduced-fat process cheese (Velveeta), cubed
Directions
Focus Friday
Today: waking up, Halloween party with Zak at school, Bingo with Zak at his school, and going to a work halloween party with Adam. It’ll be our first night alone since our honeymoon, so that will be nice!
Saturday: working Caring for Kids class all day, that night probably just hanging out with Zak and Adam
Sunday: Adam works so Zak and I will probably go see a family member and/or clean!
Monday: maybe steam clean my carpets, working that night
Tuesday: work again so just wake up and work
Wednesday: work again
Thursday: off, so catch up around here, maybe drop my car off at hundayi for a check
Meals for our week
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Grocery spendings last week: $45
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