Chicken Pot Pie Noodle Soup

This soup is great for a cold day. It’s super easy to make and is ready in about 30 minutes. This recipe is also very versatile — you can use any vegetables that you happen to have on hand.

Want to make the dish vegetarian? Easy, just omit the chicken.

Gluten free? Use gluten free pasta or omit the pasta. Just make sure the cream of chicken soup, milk, and chicken broth are produced in a gluten free facility.

Ingredients

• 1 10.5oz can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 can of milk (using the empty cream of chicken soup can)
• 2 15.5oz cans of chicken broth
• 3 cups dry garden veggie pasta
• 1 lbs. chicken
• 1 cup of corn kernals, canned or frozen
• 1 cup of peas, frozen
• 1 cup of carrot slices, fresh or frozen
• 1/2 tsp+ ground thyme
• 1 tsp+ McCormick Perfect Pinch Salt Free Garlic and Herb seasoning (or any mixture of garlic and herbs)

Note: Canned corn and frozen peas and carrots were what I had on hand. If I had had mushrooms and celery, I would have added those as well. You can use whatever vegetables you like.

1. In a medium sauce pan, combine the cream of chicken soup, milk, and chicken broth. Whisk until smooth. Stir in the pasta, 1/2 tsp thyme, and 1 tsp garlic and herb seasoning. Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer until pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, trim the chicken breasts of any excess fat. If the breasts are thick, slice them in half to reduce the cooking time. Lightly season both sides of the chicken with ground thyme and garlic and herb seasoning. Cook the chicken in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until cooked throughout, about 7 minutes, flipping halfway. Remove the chicken to a cutting board and cut into 1/4 inch chunks.

3. Combine the peas, carrots, and corn in microwave safe bowl and microwave until warm.

4. Add the chicken and vegetable mixture to the sauce pan with the pasta. Stir until the chicken and vegetables are mixed throughout. Serve hot.

Recipe created by Me! : D

 

Light Chicken and Veggie Casserole (Medifast & GF)

This recipe contains 4 servings of 1 lean, 2 greens, 1/4 healthy fat, and 3 condiments.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. chicken, raw, cut into small cubes
• 1/2 c light sour cream
• 1 c mozzarella or Italian blend cheeses, divided
• 1 tsp garlic powder, divided
• 1/2 tsp ground thyme
• 14oz frozen broccoli, cut into small pieces
• 1/4 c water
• 16oz baby spinach leaves, stems removed
• 1 tsp butter or margarine
• 1/4 c onion, diced small
• 3 cloves of garlic, diced small

1. Preheat oven to 400. PAM a 9×9 baking dish.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the raw chicken cubes, light sour cream, ½ tsp garlic powder, and ½ tsp ground thyme. Stir until the sour cream and seasonings are evenly distributed.

3. In a large skillet, melt the butter or margarine. Add the onions and garlic. Cook over medium heat until fragrant and soft, about 7-10 minutes. Stir in the broccoli and water. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.

4. In a medium skillet, cook the spinach until soft, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. In a large bowl, combine the broccoli mixture, spinach, and chicken mixture. Stir until combined. Add ½ the cheese and stir.

6. Pour the mixture into the casserole dish and top with the remaining cheese. Bake covered for 20 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Recipe created by Me! : D

 

Spinach and Mushroom Smothered Chicken (Medifast & GF)

This entire recipe counts as 5 lean, 3 green, and 2 healthy fats. Feel free to double or triple the amount of spinach if you’re a spinach fan like I am. Personally, I didn’t think one 6 oz bag of spinach was enough, since it shrinks so much. This meal should be split into 4 servings of 1 chicken breast each. For a rounded Lean and Green meal, add 2 more greens.

If you’re going gluten free, make sure the cheese you use is labeled as certified gluten free.

Ingredients

• 6 oz bag raw spinach leaves
• 2 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (I use 2 frozen garlic squares because you don’t have to bother mincing the garlic yourself)
• 8 oz baby bella mushrooms
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground thyme
• 4 chicken breasts
• 4 slices mozzarella cheese, reduced fat

1. Preheat oven to 400. Sprinkle 1 tsp garlic powder, salt, and ground thyme on one side of the chicken breast. PAM a 9 x 13 glass casserole dish. Place breasts seasoned side up in the casserole dish. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes.

2. If using frozen garlic, melt the garlic squares over medium-high heat in a large skillet. If using fresh garlic, mince the garlic cloves, lightly PAM the large skillet, and cook garlic over medium-high heat for 1 minute.

3. Remove the stems from the spinach and add leaves to the skillet one hand-full at a time. The spinach reduces significantly when it wilts. Cook until all leaves are wilted, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cream cheese to the wilted spinach and stir until melted. Remove from heat.

7. Gently wash the mushrooms and remove the stems. Slice the caps into 1/4 inch wide slices. Add the mushrooms to a large skillet and season with 1 tsp garlic powder, salt, and ground thyme. Cook over medium heat until browned, about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and combine with the creamed spinach.

5. Remove the chicken from the oven and flip the chicken over. Divide mushroom and spinach mixture over each chicken breast. Cover the chicken with one slice of mozzarella. Cook another 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and chicken is cooked throughout.

Enjoy!

Based off of the recipe found on Bacon, Butter, Cheese & Garlic

 

Fajita Chicken Stuffed Roasted Bell Peppers (Medifast)

Ingredients

• 1 lbs chicken breasts
• 1 packet McCormick Chicken Taco seasoning
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 each yellow, red, orange, and green bell pepper
• 1 cup Mexican cheese, shredded
• 1/4 c cilantro, chopped

Makes 4 servings.

Medifast Ingredients

• 3 chicken breasts
• 1/2 pack Medifast Fajita Seasoning
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 each red, yellow, and green bell pepper
• 1/4 cup Mexican cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Makes 2 Lean and Green meals.

1. Preheat oven to 400. Cut the tops off of the bell peppers then cut in half, forming two bowls. Remove the seeds. Place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and lightly salt each half. Cook for 10 – 15 minutes or until soft and staring to brown.

2. Preheat George Foreman Grill. Cook the chicken breast until cooked, about 2 minutes per side. OR cook the chicken in a large skillet over medium-high heat until cooked, about 5 minutes per side. Cut each breast into 1/4 inch wide strips, then into 1/4 inch wide chunks.

3. If you used a George Foreman grill, add the chicken to a large skillet. Add the Chicken Taco or Medifast seasoning and the water. Bring to a boil and simmer until the water has evaporated, about 10 minutes if using McCormick, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cilantro.

4. Spoon 1/4 cup of chicken into each bell pepper half. If you have leftover chicken, divide evenly. Top with Mexican shredded cheese and bake for 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

Based off of the recipe found on Coach Breanne

 

Chopped Thai Chicken Salad

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 bag of shredded cabbage
• 1 large carrot
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
• 5 green onions

Thai Peanut Salad Dressing

• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1/2 tsp fish sauce
• 1/4 cup peanut butter or 4 tbsp PB2
• 1/4 cup water or 1/2 cup water if using PB2

1. Cook the chicken: Grill the chicken over medium-high heat until cooked throughout, about 7 minutes per side. Or, boil the chicken in a pot of water for 15-20 minutes. Once the chicken is cooked, remove to a cutting board and cut into small pieces.

2. Wash, peel, and grate the carrot. Slice the green onions into thin, 1/4 inch pieces. Remove the stems from the cilantro and roughly chop the leaves.

3. In a medium bowl, combine the cabbage, carrot, cilantro, and green onions. Top with the chicken.

4. If using PB2, combine 4 tbsp PB2 and 1/2 cup water. Stir until smooth. In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and whisk until smooth.

You can either drizzle the dressing over a salad or toss the salad in the dressing then serve.

Enjoy!

Based off of the recipe found on Pinch of Yum

 

Puff Pastry White Pizza

Makes 4-6 servings. This recipe would work great as an appetizer at a party. You could cut the sheets into smaller pieces prior to adding the toppings to make bite size pizzas or cut into smaller pieces after baking.

I paired this recipe with Simple Seasoned Brussels Sprouts.

Ingredients

• 1 puff pastry sheet (I use Pepperidge Farm)
• 2 oz cream cheese (I use reduced fat)
• 1/2 cup milk (I use fat free)
• 1 cup baby spinach, packed
• 1 head of garlic
• 8 oz package of John Soules Grilled Chicken Breast Strips or 1 chicken breast
• 4 oz baby bella mushrooms
• Oregano
• Sweet Basil

1. Unwrap the puff pastry sheet and set on an elevated surface to thaw. I place the folded sheet on top of the stove. I have an older gas powered stove, so the elevated grills work well for thawing. You can also place the sheet on top of a bowl. Whatever you use, just make sure air can circulate above and below to speed up the thawing process.

2. Preheat the oven to 400. Remove the garlic cloves from the head. Cut off both ends of each clove and remove the skin. Place naked garlic cloves in the middle of a piece of foil. Wrap the garlic up. Bake for 20 minutes.

3. In a small sauce pan, cook the cream cheese over low-medium heat until melted but still chunky. Add 1 tbsp milk and whisk until the milk is dissolved. Repeat until all milk is incorporated. If you add the milk to quickly, the cream cheese will not dissolve and the result will be a chunky unappealing looking sauce. Cook until the sauce begins to thicken, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat. Chop the garlic into small pieces. Add to the sauce.

4. I try to keep at least one package of John Soules chicken on hand for those times that I don’t want to mess with thawing and cooking chicken. If you’re using John Soules, pour the chicken onto a plate and microwave for 2 minutes. Remove and cut into small, dime-sized pieces.

If you’re using a chicken breast, lightly salt the chicken and cook over medium-high heat until cooked throughout, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from heat and cut into small, dime-sized pieces.

5. Wash the mushrooms and remove the stems. Slice thinly then cut into dime-sized pieces. Remove the stems from the spinach. Stack a few spinach leaves then roll into small cylinder. Slice the spinach into 1/4 inch wide strips. Repeat with the remaining spinach.

6. The sheet should have been folded into thirds, so use those lines to break into three even rectangles. Spoon about 1/4 cup of sauce onto each strip and spread evenly. If you have extra sauce, distribute evenly. Sprinkle oregano and basil over the sauce. Add the strips of spinach, chicken, and mushrooms. Top with grated parmesan and another sprinkling of oregano and basil.

7. Bake for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Recipe created by Me! : D

 

Pretzel Chicken with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce (Gluten Free)

Chicken soaked in honey mustard, dredged in pretzel crumbs, and baked to perfection. What more could you want? The honey mustard dipping sauce is divine. You won’t want to use store bought honey mustard again.

Ingredients

• 1 pound of chicken
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 tbsp water
• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 16 ounces pretzel sticks (gluten free if needed)

1. Preheat oven to 400. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. If you have a food processor, pulse the pretzels until they’re broken into very small pieces, you don’t need it to be a fine powder. If you do not have a food processor, pour the pretzels into a large Ziploc bag and gently beat with a rolling pin, mallet, or the flat end of a meat tenderizer. Be careful not to poke holes in the bag, you don’t want pretzel dust everywhere. Pour the pretzels into a bowl.

3. In a small mixing bowl, or food processor, combine the oil, mustard, honey, water, and vinegar. Divide the mustard into two bowls. Put one bowl to the side for dipping after the chicken is finished cooking.

4. Dip the chicken strips into the honey mustard bowl, making sure every inch is covered in honey mustard. Remove the chicken from the honey mustard and place in the bowl of pretzels. Roll the chicken around until all edges are covered in pretzels.

I used my fingers, but feel free to use tongs for this step if you prefer. If you need more honey mustard, pour a little bit from the bowl you set aside earlier. Be sure to keep the clean honey mustard away from anything contaminated with raw chicken. When you’re finished dredging the chicken, toss the remaining honey mustard and pretzels since they’ve touched raw chicken.

5. Place the chicken on the cookie sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake for 15 minutes, flip the chicken, then cook for 5 – 10 more minutes. The chicken should be white throughout. If you’re not sure, cut open a piece of chicken and make sure it’s not pink in the middle.

Serve with remaining honey mustard.

Based off of the recipe found on Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice

 

Rustic Chicken and Herb White Pizza

Ingredients

• 1 pkg Betty Crocker Pizza Crust Mix (or your favorite pizza dough)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced, or 1 tsp garlic paste
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup milk (I use fat free)
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded 2% mozzarella
• 3 chicken breasts
• 3 cups spinach leaves, packed
• 8 oz baby bella mushrooms
• Salt
• Garlic powder
• Ground thyme
• Italian seasoning

*Note: If you’d like to add another layer of flavor: remove the ends and the shell from a few cloves of garlic and wrap in foil. Bake for 30 minutes at 425. Remove from the foil then mince. Sprinkle over the sauce.

1. Prepare dough as directed – do not cook – then press into a round pizza pan. Preheat oven to 450.

2. In a small sauce pan, melt the butter. If you’re using minced garlic, add the garlic now and cook for 30 seconds, then stir in the flour. If you’re using garlic paste, stir in the flour first, and then add the garlic paste. Stir with a whisk until combined.

Add 1 tbsp of milk and whisk until combined. Repeat with another tbsp and whisk. Slowly pour in the rest of the milk, constantly stirring with the whisk. Raise heat to medium-high and cook until thick, about 10 minutes, stirring every minute or so. Remove from heat and stir in the parmesan cheese.

3. Trim the chicken. Lightly season both sides with salt, garlic powder, and ground thyme then rub in the seasonings. Preheat a George Foreman or grab a large medium skillet. Cook the chicken for 3 minutes in the George Foreman or 5-7 minutes per side over medium-high heat. Remove to a cutting board when cooked throughout. While warm, cut the chicken into 1/4 inch slices, then into 1/4 inch chunks.

4. Gently wash the mushrooms, remove the stems and set aside. Slice the mushrooms into 1/4 inch slices then into pieces about the 1/4 inch wide slivers. Slice the stems into 1/4 inch wide circles, then cut in half.

Place the mushrooms in a medium skillet – if you cooked the chicken in a skillet, use the same skillet – season with salt, garlic powder, and ground thyme, and cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes or until brown and juices have been released. Pour off the juice and save for later.

5. Remove the stems from the spinach. Stack a few laves, roll them up, then slice into thin ribbons – this technique is called chiffonade.

6. Since your sauce has been sitting while you cooked the chicken and mushrooms, it’s probably thickened up a lot. If it has, stir in the mushroom juice 1 tbsp at a time until you’ve reached your desired consistency. The mushrooms juice adds depth to the sauce and gives it a rustic taste.

7. Starting in the middle of the dough, spread the white sauce over the pizza dough leaving a 1/2 inch boarder around the edge. Sprinkle the sauce with Italian seasoning*. Top with the chopped chicken, mushrooms, spinach, and mozzarella cheese.

8. Bake 10 – 15 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese has melted.

Enjoy!

Based off of the recipe found on Foodie Misadventures

 

Unbelievably Delicious Grilled Chicken Tenders (Gluten Free)

These are hands down the best chicken tenders I have ever had the pleasure of tasting. They’re so good that my family requests them weekly! On the George Foreman, 4 tenders take 3 minutes to cook, about 15 minutes for the entire batch. Can’t beat that! If you don’t have a George Foreman, you can use a skillet, but it will take longer to cook.

This recipe is for one pound of chicken breasts. If you increase the amount of chicken, be sure to increase the amount of marinade as well. I usually double this recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 pound chicken breasts
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp course ground mustard
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp lime juice

1. Slice the breasts into 1 inch wide strips. Put the tenders into a large Ziploc bag.

2. In a small bowl, combine the oil, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, course brown mustard, garlic powder, and lime juice. Stir until combined. Pour the marinade into the Ziploc bag. Gently shake to distribute the marinade. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. Preheat the George Foreman for 5 minutes with the lid closed. Add the chicken tenders, about 4 at a time, and close the lid. My George Foreman cooks faster on top than the bottom, so I flip mine after 2 minutes then cook for another minute. Remove to a plate and cook the remaining tenders..

Based off of the recipe found on Foreman Grill Recipes

 

Super Bowl Snack Favorites

Appetizers

Bacon Wrapped Herb and Cheese Stuffed Shrimp (Gluten Free)
Cauliflower Tots (Medifast and Gluten Free)
Shrimp and Avocado Bites with Wasabi Mayo
Steak and Shrimp Kabobs
Turkey Sausage Meatballs (Medifast)
Chili Cheese Pinwheel Snacks

Dips

Better-Than-Restaurant Queso
Garlic Hummus
Black Bean and Corn Scoops
Guacamole Goal Post Dip
Herbed Tuna Dip
Rosemary and Thyme Cheese Ball

Sandwiches, Burgers, Wraps, and Pizzas

Pesto Chicken Salad Sandwiches (Medifast)
Better-Than-Taco-Bell Spicy Chicken Crunch Wrap Supreme
Pepper Jack, Smoked Gouda, and Bacon Stuffed Burgers
Jalapeno and Cheddar Chicken Burgers
Cobb Salad Sandwich with Avocado-Pesto Spread
Pesto Pizza with Chicken and Mushrooms
Chicken, Mushroom, and Pesto Pizza (Medifast)
Mexican Layered Sandwich

Sides

7 Layer Salad (Medifast)
Oven-Baked Seasoned Sweet Potato Fries

Steak and Shrimp Kabobs

Chicken Mushroom Pesto “Pizza”

Seasoned Sweet Potato Fries

Guacamole Goal Post Dip