Speedy Asian Chicken Soup Bowls

This was such an easy and quick dinner to pull together last night. I will make this again at some point. I did, however, make it on the stove because I had to boil my chicken breasts before I could start it since they were raw. So I just ended up dumping all the ingredients into one pot. Still, very, very simple.

My changes:

I used the light version of the dressing they called for

Cooked on the stove instead of microwave

If you try this and use the microwave, let me know how it turns out. I would imagine it would be the same. Just curious.

Here's the recipe

Maple-Glazed Pork Chops

This was so fast to make and so yummy! I love sweet sauces with pork chops- perfect combination. This recipe link also has sweet potato baked fries and a pear and walnut salad. These sounded great but the sweet potatoes didn't look very good today at the store and my pears are not ripe yet. So I will be trying those out on another day.

Here is my change to the pork chops:

Used light syrup instead of dark amber

Also, I love a new variety of bagged salad that I found recently in Target. If you haven't tried the "Butter Bliss" kind, it is so good! And without any butter haha- it's butter lettuce :) This was very yummy with just a simple dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and some crumbled feta and walnuts! Perfection!

Here's the pork chop recipe

Crockpot Pineapple Chicken

It can't get much simpler than this recipe! Only 4 ingredients dumped into a crockpot :) One of the many things I like about crockpot recipes is that usually you don't even have to thaw out your meat. I put in 3 frozen, boneless chicken breasts and it was done in 5 hours.

This chicken turned out very tender and juicy! I cooked mine for about 5 hours on low and it was perfect. I served it over brown rice with green beans.

My only small changes:

low-sodium soy sauce

crushed pineapple instead of chunks

Here's the recipe

Portobello Cacciatore

I saw this on Rachael Ray last week and decided to give it a try. I have been wanting to eat more meat-free meals lately and thought this sounded delicious! And we really enjoyed this. I did, as almost always, make a few changes. And I have a few suggestions for anyone who wants to make this. I will list those below.

My changes:

Omitted: onion, cubanelle peppers, dried mushrooms (used fresh portobello and white), red pepper flakes, used fire-roasted diced tomatoes instead of stewed, butter

I suggest:

Not adding the entire quart of chicken or vegetable stock to this, as it calls for. It made my sauce too runny for my taste. I think maybe half a quart would be a good amount. Just my .02!

This was a very filling and flavorful dish and I didn't miss the meat at all!

Here's the recipe

Lime Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

Made this last night and it was the perfect type of dinner for us since we were eating at different times due to church and a late work schedule.

I couldn't find a marinade that said "mesquite lime" so I got one that was called "chile lime" at Target. It was pretty good. I actually let the chicken marinade for about 4-5 hours in the fridge. It turned out very tender. I "grilled" it on our indoor cast iron grill that you set on top of a burner. Perfect option for these chilly days!

Also, Kraft makes a low-fat creamy Caesar that is very good and a lot less fat than your typical Caesar.

Here's the recipe

Low-Fat Alfredo with Chicken and Vegetables

I made this tonight and it is a good alternative to a high-fat typical chicken alfredo. Bechumel sauce is soooo easy to make and so much better for you than alfredo sauce. I was disappointed when I realized I had accidentally left out the sun-dried tomatoes that were in the pantry. Oh well... it was pretty tasty anyway. I would suggest adding a little bit more parmesan cheese for flavor than what they call for.

My changes:

Skim milk instead of 2%- that's all I buy.

Instead of sauteing the veggies separately, I just added them to the bechumel sauce to cook.

Used whole-wheat linguine instead of fettucini- not a huge difference.

At the bottom of this recipe, check out the difference in fat, sodium and calories from the Olive Garden version to this one!!

Here's the recipe

Old-Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings

This was soooo yummy! We just finished dinner and I definitely think this is a keeper recipe! Perfect for when you aren't feeling well or on a very cold night.

Yay- I found a Paula Deen recipe that isn't horrible for you! Hahaha- sorry, no offense to Paula Deen fans- I'm actually one too, but I can't make a lot of her recipes very often.

I also got to use my brand new dutch oven I received for Christmas for the first time! Definitely felt like a homemaker using it tonight. :)

Here are my changes to Paula's recipe:

Omitted the onion

Used dried herbs instead of fresh- still had a lot of good flavor

Didn't strain out the vegetables, I kept them in. I did take out most of the liquid before adding the cream of celery soup.

For the dumplings- I used 2 cups of Bisquick mixed with about 1 cup of milk and dropped the mixture by tablespoonfuls. I let this cook on low for about 10 mintues uncovered and then 10 minutes covered.

Simply delicious!

Here's the recipe