Pot Pie Casserole

I made this last night, and even my 2 year old LOVED it. It will be a new staple in our house.

Easy Rating: Moderately Easy

Prep Time: 25 min

Cook Time: 15 min ish

Serves: 4-6

Categories: Lunch, Dinner, chicken, Vegetables

Ingredients:

Vegetables (canned, frozen, fresh, re-hydrated, etc.), as much as you want

Onion to taste (I use food storage re-hydrated, about 1/4 cup)

2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup

1 cup milk

2 tbsp garlic powder

Chicken, chunked and cooked (or canned if you are short on time)

1c. flour

1.4 C. parmesan

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

4 tbsp butter, melted

Directions:

If you are using fresh veggies, chop them and cook them with the onions until tender in a little oil in the frying pan. If using canned or frozen, just add in until warm. Pour in 1/2 c. milk, garlic, and some pepper to taste. Add chicken. Pour mixture into an oven-safe dish.

In a separate bowl combine flour, parmesan, baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt. Then add butter and 1/2 c. milk. Stir just until the dough comes together. Spread out dough and put on top of filling mixture.

Bake at 450 until top is golden brown and toothpick comes out clean (8-10 min).

*If you want it more fun, you can use individual 8-oz ramekins, left over pot pie dishes, etc.

Chicken Fajitas

Easy Rating: Easy
Prep Time: 15ish min
Cook Time: 15ish min
Serves: 4
Categories: Lunch, Dinner, Mexican


Ingredients:

4 Chicken Breasts
1 1/2 C onion sliced (you can use as much or as little as you want ;)
1 (or more) medium bell pepper of your favorite color
Fajita seasoning
Limes
Sour Cream
Avocado
Tomato (if desired)


Slice bell pepper and onion (while chicken defrosts if using frozen chicken). Slice chicken into strips (it helps if chicken is still partially frozen.) Start chicken cooking in oil on high and then turn it to medium when outer layer of chicken is cooked. Liberally sprinkle with favorite fajita seasoning all over. Add in onion after a minute or two. Add in bell pepper a few minutes after that. Add in a little more seasoning if needed. Cook until desired doneness is attained. (I think it tastes good when the onions are beginning to caramelize).

Roll up chicken mixture in tortilla with sour cream, avocado, fresh tomato chunks, and lime juice. Serve with rice if desired.

Tips:
1-If you are lazy like me you can just throw the thawed chicken breasts whole in in the pan and then cut it with a spatula when it is cooked through. You may need to sprinkle a little more fajita seasoning on the chicken after you cut it to get the flavor on all sides of the chicken.

2-I buy my bell peppers at the dollar store (or when on sale) in bulk and then slice it and freeze it. It makes it easier to pull out and throw in, but it helps if you defrost it a little first.

3-We are really sensitive to raw onions around here. They sting our eyes. So we slice our onion in chunks right off of the onion, one layer at a time. It's less painful this way.

Subway Sandwich

Easy Rating: *cake walk
Prep Time: 3 min
Cook Time: 1 min
Serves: 6
Categories: Dinner or Lunch

Recently we have been craving subway so I decided to go and get a few things from wal-mart and make our own and it was very tasty and healthy. Here is the version I did but of course you can add or change it to fit your personal taste.

1 pkg of hoggie rolls
Sliced turkey, ham and Roast beef
Chedder Cheese
Sliced tomatoes
Lettuce
Mayo
Cucumbers
Salt and Pepper to taste

Healthy Oatmeal

1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup milk

Combine and put in the microwave for 2.5 minutes. Stir. Add a tablespoon or two of honey.

I also add a few shakes of cinnamon.

Variations: Slice bananas, apples, or any fruit in it. (Frozen fruit works well also.)

Healthy Ramen

This is a staple in our house.

Easy Rating: *cake walk
Prep Time: 3 min
Cook Time: 3 min
Serves: 1
Categories: Dinner, Lunch, I don't have time to cook

Ingredients:

1 pkg ramen noodles
veggies of choice (corn, peas, carrots, edimame, etc. use canned, frozen, etc. Just drain the canned veggies)
water

Put ramen in pot (cooks on stovetop) or bowl (cooks in microwave). Add water. Cook until noodles are done. Add seasoning to taste. Add vegetables to taste.

nachos...with veggies...

This is how I sneak veggies into my kids' meals. It's also how we get rid of leftover meat.

Easy Rating: *Cake walk
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 2 min
Serves: As many as you want
Categories: Dinner, Lunch, snack


Ingredients:

Chips
Beans of choice
corn (fresh, frozen, canned)
cheese
tomatoes (canned, fresh)
green peppers
meat (if desired. You can use leftover hamburger, canned chicken, or go vegitarian)
Sour Cream or ranch dressing

*you can add or omit ingredients as you like, or as you find in your pantry or fridge

Layer ingredients (except sour cream) until it reaches desired amount, microwave until cheese is melted. Add sour cream, eat.

BBQ Chicken

How to use cheap, nasty chicken peices? Crock Pot BBQ Chicken!! You don't have to clean or de-bone the chicken!!

Easy Rating: easier than pie
Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 4-5 hours
Serves: 4Categories: Dinner, Lunch



Ingredients:

Chicken
BBQ Sauce
Water

Put chicken in crock pot (or pot on stove on low. Cook time will be less, just test it to see if it's done). It's better if it's thawed, but not necessary. Add water until 3/4 of chicken is covered in liquid. Cook on low for 4-5 hours until chicken falls apart with fork. Pull chicken out and shred with fork (or, if you are just using wings, drain liquid and leave wings as they are). Dump liquid out of crock pot (I keep it. It's really yummy to cook rice in). Add BBQ sauce of choice (for homemade, see below). Add more water until all chicken is coated. Cook on high 'till heated through.

Serve on rice, noodles, sandwiches, baked potatoes, salad, etc.

My BBQ sauce recipe:

3/4 C. Honey
3/4 C. Katsup
2 oz oil
1tbsp vinegar
2tbsp brown sugar
1tbsp dijon mustard (I use whatever I've got)
1tbsp soy sauce
1 clove garlic
pinch of chili powder
pinch of cumin
pinch of onion powder
pinch of garlic powder
dash of pepper
(adjust seasonings to taste)

mix.

6 ingredient Alfredo Sauce

Warning: this is really yummy, but VERY unhealthy!! I like it 'cause it has mostly only ingredients that I have on hand. I got this from the Kraftfoods website. 

Easy Rating: ****moderately easy
Prep Time: 2 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Serves: 4ish
Categories: Dinner, Lunch, Pasta

Ingredients:

1/2 C. Butter
1 (8oz) package cream cheese
2tsp garlic powder
2 C. Milk
6 oz parmesan cheese (grated)
1/8 tsp. black pepper

Directions:

Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add cream cheese and garlic powder, stirring with a wire whisk until smooth. Add milk, a little at a time, whisking to smooth out lumps. Stir in parmesan and pepper. Remove from heat when it's at desired consistency. Sauce will thicken rapidly. Add milk to thin if it gets too thick. Toss with hot pasta.

Really Easy Homemade Pizza Dough

This is off of Martha Stewart, and it's the easiest I've ever seen. If you have never used yeast before, this is the recipe to start with!

Easy Rating: ****moderately easy
Prep Time: 60 min (including letting it rise)
Cook Time: 30-45 min (depending on how many toppings you put on)
Serves: 2-4
Categories: Dinner, Lunch, snack

Ingredients:

1 C. warm water (105-115 degrees)
1package yeast (1/4 oz)
1tsp honey
3 C. flour
1tsp salt
1tbsp olive oil

Mix 1/4 C. Water, honey, and yeast. Set aside

In a mixer mix flour, salt, olive oil (you can do it by hand, you just have to know how to knead it). Add yeast mixture and 3/4 C. Water. Mix until dough pulls away from sides of bowl (about 5 minutes). Knead until smooth (using the heel of your hand, just fold the edges into the middle, pushing the middle towards the outsides over and over again). Let rise (covered with a cloth) for 30 min. Shape (or you can put in small pizza sizes for kids), and let rise another 15 min. I usually bake the crust on its own and then add toppings to make sure it's not doughy, and then just put it back in for a few minutes 'till the cheese is melted. Bake crust at 350, or pizza at 450 until bottom of crust is slightly browning (about 15 min for crust, 45 if you put toppings on first).

Cilantro Lime Rice

Easy Rating: ***easy
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 30-45 min
Serves: 4ish
Categories: Dinner, Side

Ingredients:

1C. rice
1tsp butter
2cloves garlic
1can chicken broth
1 1/4 C. water
2tbsp lime juice (I use fresh)
2tsp sugar
3tbsp cilantro (I use a lot more, but I really like cilantro)

Directions:

Put first 5 ingredients in rice cooker (or cook it in a pot...I'm not really sure how to cook rice without a rice cooker, so you may have to look that one up). Cook. In a bowl, mix lime juice and sugar. Pour onto cooked rice, and gently fold in (just don't mush the rice). Add fresh cilantro and fold in.

Easy, Fresh Pasta

I got this off of the Food Network while I was on bedrest....

Easy Rating: ***easy
Cook Time: 20 min+
Serves: it depends how much pasta you eat
Categories: Dinner, Lunch

Ingredients:

1 lb pasta
3tbsp oil
3C. cherry tomatoes
1tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 C. basil (fresh)
8 oz mozzarella

In a large saucepan combine oil and garlic. Cook until garlic smells good. Add tomatoes, salt, and pepper. When tomatoes are soft, smash 'em. Add pasta, basil and cheese. Add pasta water until pasta is moist. When cheese is all melted, dig in.

Homemade Salsa

I got this recipe from Jocelyn Barnes. It's my favorite!

Easy rating: *cake walk
Prep Time: 10 min (unless you want to chop it by hand)
Cook time: none
Serves: a whole ton, but you can freeze in smaller portions

Ingredients:

1 Bell Pepper
2 cans diced tomatoes (or fresh if you'd like)
1 Handful Cilantro (add or subtract to taste)
6-8 Green Onions
2 1/2-3 Jalepenos (add or subtract to taste)
1 tsp garlic powder (I usually add a little more)
1tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin

Take out all of the insides of the bell pepper, and tear the cilantro off of the stalk. If you want it less hot, take out the seeds and insides of the jalepenos (you may want gloves to touch them. I always burn my hands otherwise). Throw everything but the cans of tomatoes in a good chopper, blender, whatever (depending on how chunky you want it). Add it to the tomatoes. Serve with chips, or as enchilada sauce, or on nachos or anything it sounds good for! It even works well to put on white rice to spice things up.

Thai Coconut Chicken

This recipe may not be totally "traditional" because I adapted it to our tastes. But, I made easier and it is still delish.

Easy Rating: **easier than pie
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 10 min give or take
Serves: 4
Categories: Dinner, Lunch

Ingredients:

4 Scallions
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 lb Chicken Breast
1 can (14 oz) Coconut Milk
1 Tbsp Green Curry Paste (It's in the International section at your grocery store in a little bottle)
2 Cups Shredded Carrot
1 lime (or less)

Directions:

Chop scallions, bell pepper, chicken, and if needed chop carrots. Saute scallions, chicken, carrots, and bell peppers in oil. (I usually saute the chicken whole and the cut it with a spatula in the pan when it is done cooking). Meanwhile whisk green curry and coconut milk together until blended. Add in the the coconut milk and green curry mixture. Simmer a few min. Serve over (or with) rice, rice noodles, or ramen noodles. Serve with lime wedges.

For a picture click HERE.

TIP 1: A little lime goes a long way in this recipe. Use sparingly.

TIP 2: This sauce is a little runny, but if you serve it mixed with noodles, then runny may be what you want. If you want the sauce to be thicker, add in 1-3 tsp of cornstarch.

IDEA: I think this meal would taste good with snap peas, or green bell peppers as well as red ones, but I've never tried it myself.