21 Day Fix Approved Chicken in Vodka Sauce

If Grey Goose can be a part of my dinner....and it's 21 Day Fix Approved...BRING IT ON!!!

LOL!!

I love pasta...but when you look at many of the pasta sauce nutrition labels...they can be scary. Luckily while making this sauce I was able to control what goes in the sauce!! And it was delicious! 

This is one that will definitely be made again!!!

Ingredients

• 4 slices turkey bacon (nitrate-free)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 medium red onion, chopped
• sprinkle of red pepper flakes, or more to taste
• 28 oz crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup plus 1 T of vodka
• 4 T 2% plain Greek yogurt
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese and more for topping
• 1 T chopped fresh basil
• 2 tsp dried oregano flakes
• 2 boneless chicken breasts, grilled
• Pasta or Zoodles
  

1. Chop turkey bacon into bits and sautee until brown. Remove from pan.
2. Add olive oil to pan and diced onions. Cook for a few minutes until they begin to soften, then add garlic and crushed red pepper. Cook for another minute.
3. Add can of crushed tomatoes to the pan, as well salt, pepper and the herbs. Stir in bacon and vodka. Simmer for ten minutes on medium low heat.
4. Add in Greek yogurt and Parmesan cheese. Stir to combine and cook for a few more minutes. The sauce should turn a more pinkish color.
5. Plate your noodles or zoodles, add chicken, then top with sauce. Add a bit more Parmesan on top!
    
   I love this pasta..and it can be found at Aldi. I think it's a little over $2.00 a bag..but so worth it!!! Easy to cook...big on taste!!! You all have to go and look for it!!!
   
   
   
   Hope you enjoy this pasta as much as my family and I did!!!
   
    

Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Bites

 Are you looking for an easy dish to bring to a pot luck? Looking for an easy dish to have on hand when friends come over? Look no further. I made this for dinner and it was super easy to prep...tasted good..and left us all full!!!

Ingredients:
1 package Lean Ground Chicken
1/4 cup Gluten Free Breadcrumbs
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp onion powder
8oz Franks Red Hot Sauce

Directions:
1. PreHeat oven to 400 degrees
2. Stir together Lean Ground Chicken, Breadcrumbs, garlic powder, pepper and onion powder.
3. Roll into small 1 inch balls
4. Cook at 400 for 5 minutes or until brown.
5. Throw into crock pot with 8oz of Franks Red Hot Sauce on Low for 2 hours.
6. ENJOY!

I served ours with a side salad as well some risotto. Made for a great Monday meal!

Chicken Faijitas Bowl

I had seen one of those foodie videos for this...and had to try it for our lunches. I made three for myself and three for Tom to take to work for lunches. Easy to prep and will keep us on track with a healthy meal. I was needing something new for lunches...so this was perfect.

You will need:
Chicken (as much as you want to portion out meals)
3 peppers (I used one orange and two red)
1 red onion
Brown rice (again as much as you think you want to portion out meals. I personally didnt want to add a lot to the bowls so I made 1 cup of the brown rice).
1 can of sweet corn
1 can of black beans
1 jar of salsa
1 pkg. of taco seasoning (or make your own)
cheese

What I did:
Preheat oven to 400. Line the cookie sheet with foil. Cut up the three peppers...and red onion. Place on sheet. Place chicken on the cookie sheet. Sprinkle with the taco seasoning and top with salsa (I used almost the whole jar but saved some for the bowls). Cook at 400 for about 25 minutes.
Cook the brown rice according to package.
Get out your containers. Place rice on the bottom. I put one spoonful of the beans, corn, and salsa in the containers. I added some of the chicken and veggies to each. Topped with some cheese.
Bam!!! Lunches for three days!

Mexican Stir Fry

Ingredients

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 skinless chicken breasts, fat trimmed off and diced into 2" chunks
• 2 bell peppers
• 1½ cups broccoli florets
• 1 tsp cumin
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• optional: ½ tsp chili powder
•  
• Instructions:
• Heat a large pan on medium high heat.
• Add oil and heat until shimmery, about 20 seconds.
• Add diced chicken, stir occasionally until lightly browned on all sides- about 5 minutes.
• Add peppers and broccoli and continue to cook until veggies are slightly browned and softened- about 10 minutes.
• Add spices and a little water to help coat the stir fry with the spices (about 2 tbsp- adjust as needed).
• Cook until water is completely absorbed.
• Remove and enjoy!

Tip: I cheated when it came to  cooking my chicken. I put mine in the slow cooker and then shredded it! Busy mom didnt have time to cook on stove top...LOL!

•  

Lemon chicken pita with spicy garlic sauce

I had pinned a recipe on Pinterest...but didn't have the time to grill it. So I kind of took the basis of the recipe but put my own spin on it!!! It was delicious and a very light tasting dinner!!

Ingredients:
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• Olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
• Zest of 1 lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Pinch or two black pepper
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon coriander
• ¼ teaspoon paprika
• 4 middle eastern-style flatbreads (you can use pita bread, as well)
•  greens
• Sliced tomatoes
• Spicy Garlic Sauce (recipe below)

Place the  chicken into a slow cooker, and drizzle in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil; add in the garlic, plus the remainder of the ingredients up to and including the paprika, and using your hands, toss all of the seasonings/spices very well to coat the chicken. I cook mine on low for about 6 hours.
Cook time will depend on your slow cooker.

To make the spicy garlic sauce:
  ½ cup sour cream or full-fat, plain Greek yogurt
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 2-3 teaspoons sriracha (I used a lot more since I like mine spicy, so use your own judgement!)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Pinch black pepper
• Pinch cayenne pepper (again, you can use more, if you like it spicier)
• ½ teaspoon lemon juice 
Place into a mixing bowl and blend.

After the chicken was done, I put the sauce on one side of the pita bread, added lettuce, tomato, and I decided the last minute some onion. Add chicken!!
Enjoy! 

Cilantro chicken

I am always looking for healthy ways to jazz up chicken!! This one is def. a keeper for sure!!

I always cook my chicken in my slow cooker...just super easy for me and I love how the chicken comes out. I do not add anything..just throw in some breasts.

After it was done I shredded the chicken...cooked some brown rice (one yellow container for both my husband and myself).

For the green sauce I add the following to my blender:
The whole bunch of cilantro
Fresh lemon juice (I used two lemons)
Minced garlic (I love garlic so it's a spoonful of it)
olive oil (I didnt measure out...just poured for a quick second).
Cumin and red pepper flakes (again didnt measure...just add as much as you please.)

I pulsed it for a bit...made sure it was all well blended and chopped. Taste and see if you need to add more any of the ingredients.

Delicious and all fixed approved!

21 Day Fix approved Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potato

Let me tell you...I was pleasantly surprised by how delicious this was. I was again looking for new recipes and thought..oh what the heck. I will admit, I got nervous cooking this. More steps than I am used to..LOL! Never cooked spinach before...just totally out of my comfort zone. But we survived..and it was so good!

Ingredients

• 3 medium sweet potatoes
• 3/4 pound (about 2 small) cooked shredded boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1/4 cups olive oil
• 2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
• 1 tablespoon Flavor God's Chiplote seasoning
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• couple shakes of  hymalayain salt and pink pepper
• 2 (half a 10oz bag) cups spinach
• 5 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Wash your sweet potatoes and prick all over with a fork. Place in the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes or until fork tender.
3. When the sweet potatoes are done, cut them in half and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.
4. In a medium size bowl, combine the olive oil, lime juice, garlic, chipotle seasoning, oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Set aside.
5. Heat a small skillet over medium heat and wilt the spinach (this can also be done in the microwave). Toss the spinach and shredded chicken together, set aside and keep warm.
6. Turn the oven up to 400 degrees. Scrape the sweet potato out of the peel, leaving a medium size layer of flesh inside with the peel so that it can stand up on its own (reserve the remaining flesh for another use later) and place in a baking dish. Brush the skins with a little of the chipotle sauce and bake for 5-10 minutes, until nice and crisp.
7. While the skins bake, mix the spinach, chicken and chipotle sauce together. Remove skins from the oven and stuff with the chicken mixture. Top with shredded cheese.
8. Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the skins are hot and crisp

21 Day Fix Approved Enchilada Soup

I've been making a new soup each week. This one was right up my alley as I love anything with a Mexican twist. This can be served over a quinoa or brown rice if you would like...I'm sure that would make it just as tasty!


What You Need –
4 Large Chicken Breast
1 Green Bell Pepper diced
1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
1 Tablespoon Onion Powder
2 Tablespoons Mrs Dash Fiesta Lime Salt Free seasoning
1/2 Cup Salsa (no sugar added)
3 cups Organic low sodium Chicken broth
14 oz Diced Tomatoes
8 oz tomato sauce (no sugar added )
1 cup of spinach
1 tablespoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoons cumin
2 tablespoons chopped oregano leaves
1 teaspoon chopped rosemary leaves
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
shredded cheese sprinkled on top
plain greek yogurt, or avacado you could add to top of soup
Instructions –
Add all ingredients to Crock Pot
cook on low for 4-6 hours

Meal Planning~ week of January 17th

Hey all!! Hope that you are having a nice long weekend. The boys have had a four day weekend with tons of activities planned so I am now just finally getting around to sharing what's on the menu at our house this week. I am trying to stick to the hammer and chisel meal plan as best as I can. This girl is really sticking to her goals! :)

This week we are having:
Sunday~ Grilled chicken, sweet potato, roasted broccoli and red onion
Monday~ 21 day fix chili (fixate cookbook)
Tuesday~ Taco Tuesday
Wednesday~ Steak fajitas (from the fixate cookbook)
Thursday~ Having a moms night out at a local pub this week so might have a cheat night :)
Friday~ Chicken noodle soup (also from the fixate cookbook)

Tonight's dinner was delicious and added some hot sauce for extra spice.
Any questions? Dont hesitate on asking.
Enjoy your week!

Chicken Piccata

Who loves chicken? This girl right here! LOL! I could eat chicken almost any night of the week. This was a delicious meal. I added brown rice and roasted vegetables to the mix to make it a complete dinner.
Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Chicken Breasts
1 Tbsp. whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
½ cup low-sodium, organic vegetable broth
6 Tbsp. capers
1 (14-oz.) can quartered artichoke hearts, packed in water, drained

Preparation:
1. Place chicken in a resealable plastic bag. Add flour and seal. Shake to coat chicken.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Add chicken, cook for 3 minutes on each side, or until browned.
4. Add garlic; cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until tender.
5. Add lemon juice, broth, capers, artichoke hearts,  cook, turning chicken halfway through, for 12 to 15 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle.