Tuscan Chicken Pasta (Instant Pot meal)

I do love a one pot meal!! Instant pots have changed the game and I'm here for it! :) Here's what I made last night- and everyone loved it!

Ingredients:

2 pounds chicken breasts, cut into cubes

2 T. olive oil

Salt, pepper, garlic powder, to taste

3 cups chicken broth

1 clove minced garlic

3 T. premade pesto sauce

1/4 cup jarred sundried tomatoes

1.5 cups pasta of your choice (I used macaroni, but penne would have been better)

3/4 cup milk (I used almond milk)

1/4 cup heavy cream

Two handfuls of chopped kale or spinach

6 ounces of cream cheese, cut into cubes

Instructions: 

Turn on Instant Pot to the "Saute" setting, Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season chicken pieces with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add pieces to pot in two batches and allow them to saute for 2-3 minutes, turning as needed. Remove onto a plate- they don't have to be fully cooked. 

Then add, garlic, chicken broth, pesto, sundried tomatoes, pasta, milk and cream to pot and stir. Add chicken back into the pot, cover with lid and set it to Manual for 5 minutes. When it beeps, do a quick release. Open the lid and add kale and cream cheese. Turn it to the Soup mode to allow it to bubble and the cream cheese to melt. Let it simmer for 3-5 minutes. Unplug the pot and serve into bowls. 

Shrimp and veggie sheet pan dinner

I made this tonight and it was really good!  Here's what I did: 

Preheat the oven to 400. Spray your sheet pan to prevent anything from sticking.

For the shrimp, combine: 

1 pound raw, deveined tail-on shrimp 

2 T. olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper

2 T. butter

1/8 cup feta cheese

For the tomatoes, combine: 

Cherry tomatoes

1/8 cup feta cheese

1 T. olive oil

salt and pepper

(I put the tomatoes and cheese inside the foil because my son doesn't like cheese) 

For the zucchini, just add olive oil and salt and pepper and toss

Once assembled, bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes. I served this with a side of rice. 

Kitchen Sink Salsa

 Confession: I "stole" this recipe from a good friend who is following Bright Line Eating (Google it-it's a great program!) I haven't made this yet! BUT I'm posting it so that I don't forget to make it! 

Mississippi Chicken

Super simple and delicious dinner- Mississippi chicken! What I have on this plate was some roasted spaghetti squash and okra topped with the chicken. 

You can use chicken tenders, breasts or thighs. The pepperoncini peppers don't add very much spice, so don't be scared to use them along with some of their juice. 

This dish always turns out tender and juicy! Definitely a keeper and it's now in my dinner rotation. 

Mississippi Chicken Recipe- EASY + DELICIOUS Dinner Idea! (thepinningmama.com)

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

This is an oldie but a goodie! Perfect any time of year, but especially summer. Southern recipes crack me up because anytime something involves jello and a fruit, the word salad is automatically put in the title! HAHA!  Trust me when I say this is a delicious dessert and NOT a salad (although I do love salads too!)  

I made this for my son's birthday party and everyone loved it! Next time, I may make two pans of it because I think some people would have loved a second helping. It has the perfect combination of sweet and salty. 

Here's the recipe-

My one suggestion is to use closer to 3 cups of crushed pretzels so that your crust is a little thicker. Other than that, this was a hit!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad - The Cookin Chicks

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I've been trying to eat low carb and so I made these last night along with a side of steamed broccoli and they were so good! And super filling! If you're trying to consume less sodium, check out coconut aminos- great flavor and less salt! 

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground chicken

Salt and pepper to taste

4 T. coconut aminos - link here - BetterBody Foods Organic Coconut Aminos Soy Sauce Replacement, 16.9 fl oz - Walmart.com

5 green onions, chopped

1 cup matchstick carrots

1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts (add in at the last minute before serving)

Combine all the above ingredients in a skillet over medium heat. Serve inside butter lettuce leaves. Enjoy! 

Butter lettuce leaves, washed 

Bright Line Eating- Pumpkin Oat Muffins

I'm baaaaaack, y'all!!! :)  I've been absent from this blog for quite a while but I do still cook daily for my family! (That's what you do when you live out in the sticks!) I have been TRYING to eat healthier and have discovered Bright Line Eating. The recipe below follows their guidelines.

The four "Bright Lines" or boundaries from the book are:

NO flour
NO sugar (except for fruit)
Measured portions (They give specifics on how much from each food group at each meal)
Three meals per day, no snacks

The recipe below can also be customized. I have subbed unsweetened applesauce for the canned pumpkin and it was great! You can also add any kind of berry and I've also added thawed frozen cherries. My favorite fruit to add to these is blueberries though.

Here is a link to the Bright Line Eating book on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Bright-Line-Eating-Science-Living/dp/1401952534/ref=sr_1_1?gclid=Cj0KCQjwov3nBRDFARIsANgsdoHyP4cD7HDWqo5JnmHAahXZPRKCGW-90CUXo3yQUZmmLiybdd5trJYaAlgQEALw_wcB&hvadid=323110333114&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9027242&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=b&hvrand=2843871414676614487&hvtargid=aud-648254335185%3Akwd-422804855162&hydadcr=16184_10353646&keywords=bright+line+eating+books&qid=1560285040&s=gateway&sr=8-1


Here is the muffin recipe:

https://katiesbrightkitchen.com/2018/12/06/pumpkin-oat-muffins-v/

Egg Roll in a Bowl

This is seriously so easy! And both my kids inhaled it! I made it with ground turkey and added some "sausage seasoning" to it so it would taste like sausage. I also used more soy sauce than they called for since my meat wasn't as salty as sausage. Also added a tablespoon of honey for a hint of sweetness. So yummy!!

Served with jasmine rice.

http://www.bunsinmyoven.com/2015/08/24/sausage-egg-roll-in-a-bowl/

Cold-Fighting Couscous Chicken Soup

Soups are one of my go-to dinners! Love just throwing everything in a pot and letting it do it's thing. This was so good that I made it twice. The kids loved it too! I had never thought to put couscous in a soup before. The pearl couscous is larger than the typical kind. Perfect for soups. You could substitute rice too!

http://soupaddict.com/2015/01/couscous-chicken-soup/

My changes: 
Didn't have leeks or lemongrass so I didn't add them. But I'm sure they would be great in this!

Spinach Zucchini Lasagna

Made this the other night along with a regular lasagna for company. Those of us who are trying to lose weight opted for this one. Really yummy! You can easily assemble it ahead of time, pop it in the fridge and then just bake it right before dinnertime. Great healthy option! :)

http://pin.it/eh8bByZ