Balsamic Chicken

This past week, I tried out 3 new recipes that were ALL winners!! Chicken can certainly be boring, but this recipe added amazing flavor. My concern with cooking chicken is it being dry. That certainly did not happen with this recipe. It was very flavorful and juicy. Per usual, Bristyn devoured it. :)

INGREDIENTS: *I kept the ingredients the same for my recipe even though original used 4 chicken breasts*

*Chicken breasts ( I used 2 for my husband & I and our toddlers)

*1/2 tsp of sea salt

*1/2 tsp of black pepper

*3 tsp of minced garlic

*1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar

*3/4 low sodium chicken broth

*1/4 tsp dry thyme

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Spray a nonstick pan with cooking spray.

2. Season chicken with salt & pepper.

3.  Add the chicken and saute on medium high until one side is brown. 

4. Add the garlic and flip chicken.

5. After cooking on the other side for about 3 minutes, add the balsamic vinegar, broth, and thyme.

6. Cover and continue cook on medium low for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

7. Remove chicken and serve with you favorite side.

**You could continue to cook the sauce uncovered, once chicken is removed, for about 6 minutes and pour over chicken. 

*We enjoyed ours with mashed potatoes and our nightly dinner salad.

*Fixers: My portion was 1 RED!! :)

I paired it with 1 yellow of mashed potatoes and my 3 portions of veggies!

Happy Eating!!

XoXo

Kynslee

Bruschetta Chicken

I don't know about you, but plain old chicken just doesn't do it for me! I need to jazz it up to really enjoy it! This recipe is a delicious mix of spices and oils that hit the spot! Our youngest begged for seconds, and when I was going to give a small piece I had left, because I was full, to the dog, my husband quickly stopped me and snagged it!!!

INGREDIENTS:

Salsa Topping:
Roma tomatoes-de-seed and cut (I used 3, but 2 would be plenty for 2 chicken breasts)
*1 tbsp. of olive oil
*1/2 tbsp. of balsamic vinegar
*1 tbsp. of basil - I used basil flakes 
*Sea salt-sprinkled it in there
*black pepper-sprinkled it in there
*1.5 cloves of minced garlic

Chicken Breasts:

*Chicken breasts (This was made with 2, so adjust ingredients as needed).

*1/2 tbsp oregano
*1/2 tbsp basil
*1/4 tsp.  thyme
*1/2 tsp chopped parsley
*1 1/2  tbsp lemon juice
*1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
*1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
*1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
*1/8 tsp of sea salt




**Shredded mozzarella to put on top of chicken breast when cooking.

***You can play around with the amount of spices and oil. 

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2.Mix all the salsa ingredients in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until you are ready to use it.
3.  Mix all the chicken ingredients in a ziplock back and mix it around to cover the chicken. 
4. Marinate for at least an hour before cooking.
4. Put in a dish. I sprayed it with cooking spray first.
5. Add chicken breasts and cook for 30-40 minutes covered.

I served ours with mashed potatoes and salad. YUM!! See ya boring chicken!!

FIXERS: 1 red for chicken, 1 blue for cheese, and little green for tomatoes!

Happy Eating!
XoXo
Kynslee

Pizza Popover

There are days where I just don't want to cook, and yesterday was one of them. My husband's brother passed away Sunday night, and all I really wanted to do is order a pizza. I knew that pizza wasn't going to cause our sadness to go away, so I reminded myself of that and the fact that I can't control everything in this life, but I can control this choice. Ben LOVED food, so I made it for him. <3

INGREDIENTS:

*1 lb of meat of choice- I used ground chicken; however, chicken sausage would be awesome too

*2 cups of pizza sauce

*a package of shredded mozzarella

*1 cup of milk

*2 eggs

*1 cup of whole wheat flour

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Brown/cook your meat in a skillet and drain excess fat.

3. Add the pizza sauce and bring to a boil.

4. Add the meat to a greased 13X9 baking pan.

5. Sprinkle the cheese over the meat.

6. In a bowl, mix the egg, milk, and flour. Make sure to mix it very well.

7. Pour the mixture over the meat and cheese and bake for 25-30 minutes.

*Serve with a side of vegetables or a salad

This hit the spot for that desire to eat pizza and paired with a salad, it was quite filling!

FIXERS: I counted it as 1 RED and 1 Yellow container and PART of a BLUE container. 

Happy Eating!

XoXO 

Kynslee

Crock Pot Chicken Parmesan Soup

Chicken Parmesan is a favorite dish of mine. Chicken, noodles, sauce, cheese-Mmm! This cold weather makes me crave soup as well. Being able to just put some ingredients in the crock pot and do what I need to do is pretty awesome.

INGREDIENTS:

*3 minced garlic cloves

* 1 green bell pepper, chopped

* 1 (14.5 oz) can of crushed tomatoes

*1/2 RAW chicken breasts ( I buy chicken breast tenders and break them up into packs of 3-4) I used one of the packs. 

* 3 cups of chicken broth ( I used low sodium.) **I added extra cup at the end.

* 1/2 cup chopped onion

*1/2 cup of shredded parmesan cheese **extra need to garnish

*1 Tbsp. of basil

* 2 tsp. of oregano 

* 1/8 tsp. of red pepper flakes

*4 oz. of UNCOOKED pasta ( I used whole grain penne)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In your crock pot, add and mix together all the ingredients EXCEPT the noodles and cook on low for 7 hours or high for 3 1/2. 

2. After 7 hours, remove the chicken and shred it.

3. Return chicken to crockpot and add the UNCOOKED pasta. Cook on high for 30 minutes. 

4. Add extra chicken broth if you feel the consistency is too thick once noodles have been added.

5. Serve garnished with parmesan cheese.

FIXERS: I filled a green container as my portion size and deducted ONE red and ONE yellow container per the guide on Pg. 72. 

This went really well with a salad. I was quite full after this meal. My daughters actually enjoyed some of the chicken that I shredded as part of their meal. Since they are not quite 2 and 4, soup would be a bit of a challenge; however, they enjoyed the whole grain noodles and chicken separately. :) 

Happy Eating!!

XoXo

Kynslee