Cajun Chicken & Rice Soup

This recipe is for a teacher lunch and was yummy! It was supposed to be in honor of "Fat Tuesday", but then we got a snow day, so I had to postpone it. It still was yummy though! I tripled the recipe, so it's rather large, but if you would like to make the original recipe, you can find it here. It's also gluten free! My advice: make a ton and freeze the leftovers. :-)

Cajun Chicken & Rice Soup

Ingredients:

* 2.5 lb. chicken breast (salt, pepper, couple celery ribs & an onion)

* 3 medium onions, chopped

* 6 celery ribs, chopped

* Oil

* 1/4 cup minced fresh garlic cloves

* 2 (14.5oz.) cans diced tomatoes & green chilies, including juices

* 2 cups orange juice

* 1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro

* 2 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning

* 2 tsp oregano (I used Italian seasoning)

* 1 1/2 tsp. dried thyme

* 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

* 1 tsp cayenne pepper

* 3 (15oz) cans of pinto beans (I used my black bean & corn mixture)

Directions:

1. Place chicken in large stockpot and cover with water. Add everything listed next to chicken in the ingredients, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover/simmer for 1-2 hours or until the chicken is tender. 

2. Remove chicken from the broth and set aside to cool.

3. Carefully strain broth from vegetables and seasonings, while saving the broth for the soup. (Skim the fat).

4. When chicken has cooled a bit, shred. (I use a stand up mixer)

5. In the large stockpot, saute onion and celery in butter until the onion is crisp-tender.

6. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer.

7. Stir in the tomatoes, OJ, cilantro, seasonings and broth. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cover/simmer 20 minutes or until veggies are tender.

8. Stir in the rice, beans and chicken; heat through.

 Yield: 24 servings (9 quarts).

Breakdown: (per 1 1/2 cup)

393 calories

12 g fat (4 g saturated fat)

120 mg cholesterol

776 mg sodium

27 g carbohydrate

4 g fiber

42 g protein

Corn Chowder

I made this for Soup Tuesday at school a few weeks back and it was rather tasty! I also really liked that it was nice and low in calories! Such a great, hearty soup for a cold winter day! The original recipe can be found here.

Corn Chowder

Ingredients:

* 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

* 1 sweet onion, chopped

* 5 slices turkey bacon

* 1 Tbsp. flour

* 1/4 tsp Cayenne

* 2 large baking potatoes (~1.5lb., peeled and cubed)

* 2 cups frozen corn kernels, defrosted

* 32oz. chicken broth

* 1 cup skim milk

* 4oz. reduced fat cream cheese

* 1/4 tsp. salt

* 1/4 tsp. pepper

* Chopped chives (optional topping)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in large stock pot over medium heat. Add the onion and using kitchen shears, cut turkey bacon into pot. Cook 5-6 minutes or until the onions soften (not brown).

2. Add the flour and cayenne. Cook 2-3 more minutes, stirring continuously until the flour coats the onion and starts to stick to the pot (without browning). You may need to decrease the heat.

3. Add the potatoes, half of the corn and the chicken broth. Bring to a boil.

4. Cover and simmer 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

5. Add the cream cheese and skim milk.

6. Using an immersion blender (or normal blender/food processor), blend until desired consistency.

7. Stir in remaining corn and season with salt and pepper until you like it.

8. Top with chives and serve!

Nutritional breakdown (per 2 cups): 9WWPP

343 calories

8 g fat (3 g saturated)

55 g carbohydrates

17 mg cholesterol

2g fiber

398 mg sodium

15 g protein

The website suggests you pair it with biscuits or tuna/chicken salad. I paired it with homemade sourdough bread!

It also suggests to wine pair it with Chardonnay or Pinot Blanc

Crockpot Crustless Quiche (Gluten Free)

I love quiche. Until a couple of months ago, I had never made it myself and once I did, I fell in love!!! I haven't made it in a while, but decided to try it out on my teachers at school and they loved it! Trying to figure out how to keep everything hot in my office, I decided to find out if anyone had ever made quiche in the crockpot. When I found this recipe (I altered it a tad), I knew it was a go, especially since I have a gluten free friend at school, who, by the way, LOVED THIS! This one's for you Cara! Enjoy!

Crockpot Crustless Quiche

Ingredients:

* Olive oil spray/Pam

* 10 eggs, beaten

* 1 cup light cream or half & half

* 8oz. shredded cheddar cheese (I used 2%)

* 1/2 tsp black pepper

* 10 pieces cooked turkey bacon, chopped

* 1 cup chopped broccoli (optional)

Directions:

1. Spray a crockpot generously with olive oil or Pam.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the 10 eggs, 1c. cream, 8oz. Chz, 1c. broccoli and pepper. Then add to crockpot.

3. Sprinkle the cooked turkey bacon over the top of the mixture.

4. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours.

5. Check frequently so you don't overcook and dry out the quiche.

6. Enjoy!

Lentil Chili

I only recently stumbled upon lentils. For the longest time I thought they were these weird green things (I think I thought they were leeks), but then I discovered they are a powerhouse legume and nice and low in fat! I made an entire bag of them (yes, they are also cheap!) and played around with them. I made some stuff tex-mex peppers, but I was dying to try them in a chili. I searched pinterest and found this recipe. You can see the original recipe here. I decided to almost double the recipe so that I could have some extra to freeze. I really enjoyed this one and can't wait to pull it out again soon!

Lentil Chili

Ingredients:

* 2 tsp. olive oil

* 1 large onion, chopped

* 1-2 peppers, diced (I had a bag I froze myself)

* 4 tsp. minced garlic (I used jarred)

* 4 Tbsp. chili powder

* 2 Tbsp. ground cumin

* 2 tsp. dried oregano

* 1/4 tsp. red pepper

* 1 (16oz) bag green lentils

* 28oz. of vegetable broth

* 3-6 cups water

* Small can of tomato paste

Directions:

1. Saute onions, peppers and garlic in a stock pot.

2. Add everything else except tomato paste. Cover and simmer until lentils are soft (about an hour). Make sure to keep an eye on it because you may need to add more water.

3. Add tomato paste, stir, and let simmer another 15 minutes.

4. Enjoy and freeze! I like to top mine with low fat sour cream and 2% shredded cheese. YUM!

Tomato Basil Soup

This was the first recipe I used my immersion blender with. I am obsessed with tomato soup, so I just had to try it out on my own! I love how easy and low cal this recipe is. It's also very tasty, though I will say, you shouldn't expect this soup to be creamy as it only has greek yogurt to do that job. I modified the original recipe from here.

Tomato Basil Soup

Ingredients:

* 1 tsp. olive oil

* 1 sweet onion, chopped

* 2 cloves of garlic, chopped (I used the jarred kind)

* 2 (28oz.) cans diced tomatoes (I used 4 (14oz) cans, some were garlic fire roasted, oregano/garlic/onion, etc.)

* 2 cups vegetable broth

* 1/2 cup basil, chopped

* 2 tsp. oregano

* 1 tsp. sugar

* salt and pepper to taste

* 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

Directions:

1. Warm oil in bottom of large pan. 

2. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 4 min.

3. Add garlic and cook another 2 min.

4. Add in all ingredients except the greek yogurt. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes.

5. Add in the greek yogurt and use an immersion blender (or regular blender) to puree the soup to a consistency of your choosing.

6. Enjoy or freeze for later! I like to double the batch and freeze 3/4 of it for Winter!

Marinated Tomatoes & Mozzarella Salad

My tomatoes are coming in LIKE CRAZY...Basil is way overgrown...so what better thing to do than to buy some mozzarella and make caprese salad.....but not just any caprese salad, because I have had too much of that this summer and am bored. I found a recipe that had other flavors and let me tell you, this is definitely a keeper! The original recipe can be found here. I lightened it up and added a few things to make it just right for my taste buds! I decided to turn my leftovers into a sandwich on my favorite italian bread, and that just took it to a whole other level! YUMMY!

Marinated Tomatoes & Mozzarella Salad

Ingredients:

* ~1.5lb. tomatoes (I used a Bradley, sliced and a whole lotta cherry tomatoes quartered)

*  Mozzarella cheese balls (I got 1 container and cut the balls into smaller pieces)

* 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil

* about 10 large basil leaves

* 2 Tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar

* 2 Tbsp. Balsalmic Vinegar

* 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

* 1/2 tsp. pepper

* 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Directions:

1. Combine vinegars, sugar, oil and all seasonings in a small bowl. Whisk.

2. Roll basil leaves and carefully cut into marinade. Mix well.

3. Add sliced tomatoes and cheese to a container that you can flip (like ziploc or glad).

4. Pour over marinade and carefully flip a few times. 

5. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

6. Flip a couple times just before serving.

7. ENJOY!

Freakin' Awesome Jalapeno Poppers

This recipe is SUPER simple, yet yields AMAZING results! It does, however, take some patience, but with only 3 ingredients, how can you go wrong?

 I always ask Brian to rate my food on a 5-point scale. The majority of my recipes get a 3-4 point rating (He's a tough critic!). These god a 4.5-5 point rating!! Needless to say, these are worth the time they take!

P.S. Recipe cred goes to my dear friend, Carrie! She made these for one of our "Bachelor Mondays" and we practically inhaled them then too!

Freakin' Awesome Jalapeno Poppers

Ingredients:

* Fresh Jalapenos (As many as you want)

* Cream cheese (I use low-fat, and the amount depends on how many jalapenos you use)

* Turkey Bacon

Directions:

1. Cut jalapenos and remove all seeds and ribs. *MAKE SURE to wear gloves! The juices will burn your hands!*

2. Fill each half with desired amount of cream cheese.

3. Using a full slice of bacon, carefully wrap each pepper.

4. Bake in a pre-heated oven for about 20-30 minutes. Keep in mind, the longer they cook, the more mild they get.

5. ENJOY!

Crazy Glazy Roast Pork Tenderloin

So I had a leftover pork loin AND some left over cranberry sauce, so I thought, why not give this Hungry Girl recipe a try? Well it was definitely worth it! SO good! I changed some of it around a bit, so the original recipe can be found here.

HG Crazy Glazy Roast Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

Marinade:

* 3-4 Tbsp. lite soy sauce

* 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

* 2 Tbsp. Honey Dijon 

* 4 tsp. brown sugar (not packed)

* 2 tsp. crushed garlic

* 1 tsp. ground ginger

Pork:

* One 2-lb. raw pork tenderloin, trimmed of excess fat

Glaze:

* 1/4 cup jellied cranberry sauce

* 1/4 cup rice vinegar

* 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

* Dash of Truvia

* Dash of salt

Directions:

1. Mix marinade in a ziploc bag. Add pork and massage. 

2. Marinate overnight. 

3. Preheat oven to 425.

4. Heat pan on the stove to Med/High heat. Sear pork on all sides. (roughly 5 minutes)

5. Place in dish and put in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, mix together glaze ingredients and set aside.

7. Get pork out, flip, and add glaze. Bake another 10 minutes.

8. Get out again, flip and glaze the other side. Bake another 10 minutes.

9. When interior reaches 145, pork is done!

10. Heat remaining glaze in the microwave and top the pork. ENJOY!

5WWPP per 4oz. with glaze. YUM!

HG Cabbage Pack

I had been wanting to try a new veggie, so I decided to give this recipe a try. I am not a HUGE fan of fresh cabbage, but I usually like it if it has enough other flavors. This one definitely passed the test! I would make this again in a heartbeat! The original recipe is from here.

HG Cabbage Pack

Ingredients:

* Half a head of cabbage

* 1 small onion, sliced

* 1/4 cup pre-cooked and crumbled bacon (I just cut up pre-cooked slices)

* 2 Tbsp. whipped light butter

* 1 tsp. minced garlic

* Salt, pepper, and red pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400.

2. Layer cookie sheet with foil.

 

3. Slice cabbage into 4 slices, then cut those length-wise so you have 8 small chunks.

4. Top with onion. Evenly distrubute butter into 4 plops. Sprinkle with salt, pepepr, and red pepper.

5. Top with bacon and garlic.

6. Place second piece of foil over cabbage and fold ends together.

7. Cook for 30-35 minutes.

8. Let cool slightly, then flip to make sure veggies are coated. Return right side up. Cut center to let steam out before opening.

9. ENJOY!

 2WWPP per 1/4 recipe

Mexican Stuffed Sweet Potato

This was a Pinterest find that I actually saw on the Biggest Loser. The original recipe can be found here. If you don't like sweet potatoes, DO NOT let this recipe scare you aware! You can hardly taste it at all after you mix everything in. I really loved this recipe and I don't like straight mushy sweet potatoes. Definitely a keeper!! *I only used 2 sweet potatoes and just did about 3/4 of the beans and corn.

Mexican Stuffed Sweet Potato

Ingredients:

* 3 medium sweet potatoes

* 1 can of corn, rinsed and dried

* ~1 Tbsp. Chili Powder

* 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

* 1 small sweet yellow onion, diced

* 1/4 cup salsa

* 1 oz. reduced fat cream cheese

* 1/4 cup fat free sour cream

* 1 (or more) tsp. salt

* 2 tsp. (or more) taco seasoning

* 1 (or more) tsp. ranch seasoning

* 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

* 6 Tbsp. 2% Mexican shredded cheese

Directions:

1. Bake potatoes in oven at 375 degrees 45-60 minutes, or until soft.

2. While potatoes cook, brown onions over the stove. After they are translucent, add in corn. Cook for 2 more minutes, then sprinkle with chili powder.

3. Once potatoes are done, let sit 5-10 minutes, then cut in half and scoop out flesh leaving the skin.

4. Mix flesh, 1 oz. RF cream cheese, 1/4c. ff cream cheese, 1/4c. salsa, salt, taco seasoning, and ranch seasoning. (I used a stand-up mixer)

5. Add in corn/onion mix, beans, and cilantro. 

6. Carefully place skins on a baking sheet and fill evenly with filling.

7. Carefully add 1 T. of shredded cheese to each potato.

5. Broil for 5-10 minutes.

6. ENJOY!!

5WWPP per serving!!

Creamy Rotel Soup

This was a pinterest recipe! I got it from here. I changed it up just a bit, but it was reallllllly good!! Probably one of the better crockpot chicken recipes I have ever made! It has a good, spicy flavor. Yumm-O! I even have leftovers for lunch tomorrow (barely)!

Creamy Rotel Soup

Ingredients:

* 1/2 lb. chicken breast, frozen

* 8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese

* 1 can of rotel

* 1 packet of ranch seasoning

* 1 can of corn, juices included

* 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

* 1 Tbsp. cumin

* 1 tsp. onion powder

* 1 tsp. chili powder

* Chicken Broth (optional, save for the end)

Directions:

1. Place frozen chicken in the crock pot. Top with remaining ingredients.

2. Cook on low 8-10 hours.

3. Shred chicken and mix in. Add stock and mix until desired consistency is achieved.

4. Serve and enjoy!!

Green Bean Casserole (Crock Pot)

So I've never made green bean casserole, but have been dying to try it! Today I am going to a Thanksgiving lunch with some friends and thought I would give it a try. I was going to go the traditional route, but then I thought, CROCK POT! Everything tastes better in the crock pot! Of course it pains me to use full fat ingrediens, so I lightened it up a bit. The original recipe can be found here.

Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients:

* 1 can Campbell's condensed heart healthy cream of mushroom soup (Did you know the heart healthy version is lower than the fat free??)

* 1 can Campbell's condensed heart healthy cream of celery soup

* 2 (12oz) bags frozen cut green beans

* 1/3 cup 1% milk

* 1/4 tsp. salt

* 1/4 tsp. pepper

* 1 (2.8oz) can French Fried Onions

Directions:

Prep: Spray crock pot with nonstick spray.

1. Mix frozen green beans with both cans of soup and 1/3c. milk in the crock pot.

2. Sprinkle 1/4t. salt and 1/4t. pepper over the top. Add half of the can of french fried onions.

3. Cook on low 5-6 hours.

Breakdown: (1/10th of the recipe=4WWPP)

145cal

6.5g fat

17.9 carbs

1.5g fiber

4.2g sugar

1.5g protein

HG BBQ Chicken Cornbread Casserole

It's been a long day since I made a real Hungry Girl meal! (The original recipe can be found here). I decided to stop with my crash dieting and go back to the WW lifestyle, which meant I got to cook in the kitchen again! It's hard now that my commute is an hour, but today was a PD day so I got done at 3:30 andddd I was only 10 minutes from my house! I had enough time to make this and serve it with sweet potato fries and salad, and finish the meal with healthy apple crisp. This was a yummy and VERY filling recipe! (I only had half of a portion and I was definitely satisfied!)

HG BBQ Chicken Cornbread Casserole

Ingredients:

* 1 lb. raw chicken breast

* 1 cup diced onion

* 1 cup green bell pepper

* 1 cup frozen golden sweet corn

* 1 cup BBQ sauce (with 45 cals or less per 2T.), I used Jack Daniels Original No. 7

* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

* 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal

* 2 T. Truvia (I ended up using sugar and it was fine)

* 1/2 Tbsp. baking powder

* 1/8 tsp. salt

* 3/4 cup cream-styled corn

* 1/3 cup liquid egg substitute

* 1/3 cup fat free plain greek yogurt

Directions:

Prep: Preheat oven to 375 and spray an 8x8 (or I used a 9x9) baking pan

1. Bring a pot of water to boil and add chicken to cook for 10-12 minutes.

2. Remove from water and shred chicken (in this case I used my stand alone blender, but you can use forks too).

3. Spray a large skillet and bring to medium/high heat. Add 1c. onions, 1c. peppers and 1c. frozen corn and cook until soft (~8-10 minutes).

4. Add cooked veggies to chicken, then add 1c. BBQ sauce.

5. Mix well, then add to the baking dish.

6. In another bowl mix 1/2c. flour, 1/3c. cornmeal, 2T. Truvia/sugar, 1/2T. baking powder, and 1/8t. salt.

7. Add in 3/4c. cream-styled corn, 1/3c. egg sub., and 1/3c. yogurt. Spread mix over the chicken.

8. Place in pre-heated oven and cook 30-45 minutes.

9. Enjoy!! 

Breakdown (1/6): 7WWPP

279 cal

2g fat

810g sodium

41.5g carbs

2.5g fiber

16g sugar

23.5g protein