Evil Chicken Dinner

This was super yummy but not very healthy :)

*1 lb Bacon cut into bit size pieces
*1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts.
*3 T. chili powder
*1 Cup Brown Sugar
*Up to 1/2 Cup water
*cooked white rice

In a large pan cook bacon over med high heat until nearly done. (Do not drain). Stir in chicken and chili powder and cook till chicken and bacon are all the way cooked. Add brown sugar and cook till sugar dissolves and sauce begins to thicken, about 4-5 minutes. Add water if needed to thin the sauce. Serve over hot rice!

**So the recipe says not to drain the grease but I thought it was a little greasy so next time I'm going to drain about 1/2 the grease to see how it turns out.

Catalina Taco Salad

Easy and fun for the family! Trapper and I REALLY liked it. It takes only 20 minutes and it serves up to 6. Not ideal for just two people 'cause it's not that great as leftovers.

1 lb. Ground Beef
1/2 c. Catalina dressing, divided
2 Tbsp. Chili powder
8 cups of torn iceberg lettuce
1 c. broke tortilla chips (we used nacho cheese doritos and it added more flavor)
3/4 c. shredded cheese
1/2 c. chopped red onions (I hate onions, so we omitted that part)
1 tomato, chopped (I recommend using fresh.....ours were a little older and slimier...)
1 avocado, chopped

Brown meat in skillet; drain. Stir in 1/4 c. dressing and chili powder; cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes or until heated through.

Cover platter with lettuce; top with chips, meat mixture, cheese, onions, tomatoes and avocados.

Drizzle with remaining dressing.

Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce

I've been CrAvInG a yummy gyro. I'm totally missing the Grecian Key in Pocatello. So I gave this recipe a try and it turned out pretty good! The softwrap bread was delicious!!!! So soft and perfect. The chicken was really good too. The sauce wasn't what I was hoping- but who can compare to the Grecian Key? It all turned out really good, though. I'm totally adding it to my fave recipes!

Marinade for chicken

4 cloves garlic

Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 Tb)

2 tsp red wine vinegar (I used what I had and it was still great!)

2 TB extra virgin olive oil

2 heaping TB plain yogurt (I used leftover Greek yogurt from the tzatziki sauce)

1 TB dried oregano

salt and pepper

1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts cubed

Marinade chicken for about an hour in refrigerator

Tzatziki sauce

1 6 oz container Greek yogurt (I used Yoplait)

1/4 shredded cucumber

2 TB red onion, finely chopped

1 tsp dried dill

2 tsp lemon juice

Mix ingredients and let refrigerate for a few hours so the flavors can meld

Soft wrap bread

this is a long recipe so I'll just post the link. Enjoy! http://http//www.melskitchencafe.com/2009/08/soft-wrap-bread.html

Cheesy Broccoli and Rice Casserole

I got this recipe from My Kitchen Cafe http://www.melskitchencafe.com/ (I LOVE that website, by the way.) It was absolutely delicious, and tasted healthy and hearty. Greg and Hunter both loved it. I was so pleasantly surprised to see Hunter glady eating broccoli!

2 slices white bread

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

4 TB melted butter

1 garlic clove, minced

Use blender or food processor to make bread crumbs. Set aside.

2 lbs broccoli (about 3-4 medium heads) florets cut in 1 inch pieces, stalks diced

1 onion, chopped

2 TB butter

1 1/4 c rice

4 cups chicken broth

1 1/4 cup half and half

1 tsp salt

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (I didn't have this so I just used regular pepper)

Cook broccoli florets in a bowl, covered, in microwave for 2-3 min, or until bright green and tender (no need to add water). Set aside.

Melt butter in large pot. Cook stems and onion until soft- about 8-10 minutes. Add rice. Cook til translucent, about 1 min, stirring constantly. Add broth, half and half, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for 20-25 min, until rice is tender. Add remaining ingredients.

Pour into a buttered 9x13 in pan. Sprinkl with bread crumbs. Cook in middle rack of preheate 400 oven. Cook for 15 min, until sauce is bubbly and top is golden brown. YUM!

Chex Muddy Buddies

If you have never made this snack, now is the time! This is my new favorite "sweet tooth" snack. Enjoy!

9	cups Corn Chex®, Rice Chex®, Wheat Chex® or Chocolate Chex® cereal (or combination)
1	cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2	cup peanut butter
1/4	cup butter or margarine
1	teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2	cups powdered sugar 1. Into large bowl, measure cereal; set aside. 2. In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag. 3. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Super Easy chicken, pea, bacon pasta

This is one of my favorite pastas that is so easy to make and easy for the kids to eat.

Ingredients:

*Frozen peas small package (16 oz.)

*3-4 chicken breasts

*turkey bacon (1 package) or you can use your fav. bacon

*whole wheat medium size shells or you can use reg. white shells

*shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:

Chop up the bacon into bite size pieces -cook on griddle.

Cook chicken breasts in separate pan -only add salt so you don't over power the pasta.

Cook peas in separate pan (at the same time as you are cooking everything else)

Cook pasta according to directions on box

-Everything should be cooking at the same time so when it is all done (about 15 mins.) you can add it all together

When everything is done cooking, add it into the pot of drained pasta and stir. Serve immediately -sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the top of the served pasta.

SO YUMMY!!!!!

Weight Watchers Recipe

Baked Macaroni and cheese with Brocolli

POINTS^® value | 5

Servings | 8
Preparation Time | 15 min
Cooking Time | 45 min
Level of Difficulty | Moderate

• 2 spray(s) cooking spray
• 12 oz uncooked pasta, gemelli or other twisted pasta (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 1/8 tsp table salt, for pasta cooking water
• 10 oz broccoli, small florets (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 1 tsp butter
• 1/3 cup(s) fresh bread crumbs
• 3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 1/2 cup(s) fat-free skim milk
• 1/3 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup(s) onion(s), diced
• 1 cup(s) low-fat shredded cheddar cheese, sharp-variety
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 tsp table salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375ºF. Coat a shallow 2-quart baking dishwith cooking spray.
  
  
• Cook pasta in a large pot of lightly salted boiling wateraccording to package directions, adding broccoli to water 3 minutes before pasta will be done; drain pasta and broccoli and return to pot.
  
  
• Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; add bread crumbs and cook, stirring often, until light golden, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer crumbs to a small bowl; stir in 1 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese and set aside.
  
  
• In same saucepan (wipe clean if necessary), whisk together milk and flour until blended; add onion. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking frequently. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes.
  
  
• Remove from heat and whisk in cheddar cheese, mustard, salt, pepper and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Pour over cooked, drained pasta and broccoli; toss to mix and coat.
  
  
• Transfer to a baking dish and sprinkle top evenly with bread crumbs. Bake until bubbly at edges, about 20 to 25 minutes. Divide into 8 pieces and serve. Yields 1 piece per serving.

This tastes really yummy served with some french bread and a yummy salad.