Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

This is by far the BEST alfredo recipe I have come across yet!  My kids are ADDICTED to it!  I found the recipe in my cookbook from Our Best Bites.  HERE is a link to the recipe and picture by picture of how to make it.  I just cook up some pasta and chicken...and put the sauce over it.  Simple and kids love it.

Ingredients:
2 C low-fat milk
1/3 C (3 oz) low fat cream cheese
2-3 T flour
1 t salt
1 T butter
3 garlic cloves
1 C grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Place milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt in a blender and blend until smooth.  In a non-stick sauce pan, melt butter on med-high heat and add garlic. Let the garlic saute for about 30 seconds, you don’t want to burn it.

Then add milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3 or 4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more. It should be much thicker now.

When it’s nice and thickened remove the pan from the heat. Add the cheese, stir it up and then cover immediately. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before using. It will continue to thicken upon standing. Season with additional salt if needed.  Also, if you have leftovers in the fridge, the sauce will thicken almost into a solid. Just re-heat and add a little milk and it will be back to normal again.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

This is my go-to recipe for Chicken Cordon Bleu.  I can't find a link to it on Our Best Bites website...but it is from them!  I got this recipe in my cookbook.  It is delicious!

Ingredients:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/3 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup shredded mozzarella, provolone or swiss cheese
6-12 slices thinly sliced ham
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray,

2.  Place a breast on a cutting board and place your non-dominant hand on top of it.  Using a sharp knife, cut each breast completely in half horizontally.  Place each piece between two pieces of plastic wrap and using a meat mallet, pound until the piece is about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.  Repeat with remaining breast halves; you should have 6 pieces of chicken.

3.  Combine seasonings and sprinkle evenly over one side of each chicken piece.  Divide shredded cheese among all pieces, layering on top of the spices.  On top o the cheese, layer 1-2 pieces of ham.  Roll each chicken piece up and secure with toothpicks.

4.  Place flour in a shallow bowl, eggs in another bowl, and both panko bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in a third, stirring to combine.

5.  Working with one pieced of chicken at a time, dredge in flour, rolling the chicken around to cover the whole pieced, then in eggs, and finally in bread crumb mixture.  Use your fingers to press bread crumb mixture in on all side of chicken.

6.  Place chicken on prepared baking sheet.  Drizzle melted butter evenly over chicken.  Bake for about 25-35 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 164 degrees.  If desired, place pan under the broiler to lightly brown the tops of the chicken.

7.  Cook for 10 minutes before serving.  Remove toothpicks.

**I like to combine one can of condensed cream of chicken soup with 1/2 can of milk.  Stir until combined and heat through.  Use this as a sauce on top of the Chicken Cordon Bleu**

Spinach Mandarin Poppy Seed Salad

I really like this salad!  It is yummy!  It comes from Our Best Bites cookbook.  They have lots of yummy recipes!

Ingredients:

8 oz. (1/2 bag) of baby spinach

1/2-1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped

1/2 thinly sliced medium red onion

1 large avocado, cubed

8 oz. mozzarella or Swiss cheese, shredded

1 12-oz. package bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 large can Mandarin oranges, drained

Poppy Seed Dressing, to taste

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients except dressing in a large bowl. When ready to serve, toss with desired amount of salad dressing and serve immediately. If you anticipate leftovers, just let your eaters dress their own salads because the dressing will make the greens wilt.

(See the link for the recipe for the the Poppy Seed dressing)

Crepes

My kids LOVE breakfast!  Especially when I tell them we are having crepes!  Today was that day. Boy do they devour their food!  We fill our crepes with sliced strawberries, whip cream and a little syrup.  Yum!  I found this recipe in my Our Best Bites cookbook.  You can also find the recipe HERE.

2 eggs
2 Tbs canola oil
3 Tbs sugar (omit if making savory crepes)
1 C flour
1 1/3 C milk

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on low speed until combined, or whisk by hand until there are no lumps.

Heat a non-stick skillet to medium-high heat.  Hold pan with one hand while you pour the batter with the other hand.  Twirl the pan in a circular motion pouring just enough batter to coat the bottom of the pan.   Place on cooking surface and cook until edges are set and you can easily run a rubber spatula around the edge of the pan, 30 seconds.   Flip crepe and cook an additional 15-20 seconds.  Remove crepe from pan and either keep warm in the oven or cool to room temperature.

Fill with your choice of savory (meat, cheese, vegetable) or sweet (pudding, mousse, pastry cream, fruit) filling.  Top sweet crepes with  with Strawberry Sauce, Buttermilk Caramel Syrup,Hot Fudge, or just a dusting of powdered sugar and sweetened whipped cream.

Unfilled crepes can be stacked between sheets of waxed paper and refrigerated or frozen.  To thaw, leave at room temperature.   

Makes 12-14 8″ crepes

Creamy Chicken Lasagna

Ok...the picture doesn't do this recipe justice.  It is seriously DELICIOUS!!!  My kids are picky eaters.  It is hard to find something that everyone likes....and this is one of them.  They all give it a thumbs up!!  No one is left at the dinner table trying to choke down their food.  I like it so much I made a few of them and threw them in my freezer!  HERE is the recipe

Ingredients

• 3 chicken breast halves, cooked
• 6 uncooked lasagna noodles
• 1 cube chicken bullion
• ¼ cup hot water
• 1 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 (26 oz) jar spaghetti sauce (I love Prego's different flavors- anything with garlic tastes great in this recipe)
• Fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Bring large pot of slightly salted water to boil. Cook noodles 8-10 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.
2. Shred/cube cooked chicken.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Dissolve bullion cube in hot water. In large bowl, mix chicken with bullion, cream cheese, and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese (sometimes I also add a dash of garlic salt and Italian seasoning just to give it at little more flavor).
4. Spread ⅓ of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 9x13" dish. Cover with half of chicken mixture (drop by using 2 spoons) and top with 3 noodles. Repeat. Top with remaining sauce and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and then top with some fresh Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake for 35-40 minutes in preheated oven.

Slow Cooker 8-Can Taco Soup

I like this version of taco soup.  I think the enchilada sauce and cream of chicken soup make it yummy!  You can find the link to the recipe HERE

Ingredients

• 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 (15 oz) can sweet corn, drained
• 1 (12.5 oz) can chicken breast, drained
• 1 (10.75 oz) can cream of chicken soup
• 1 (10 oz) can green enchilada sauce
• 1 (14 oz) can chicken broth
• 1 (1 oz) packet taco seasoning

Instructions

1. Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Dump all the ingredients into slow cooker and stir together.
3. Cook on low heat for 2-3 hours.
4. Serve with shredded cheese and tortilla chips.

Notes

To make this a quick and easy freezer meal, pour all ingredients into a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag. Lay bag flat in the freezer. When ready to use, remove bag from the freezer and place in the fridge and let it thaw for 24 hours. Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Dump all the ingredients from the bag into slow cooker and stir together. Cook on low heat for 2-3 hours. Serve with shredded cheese and tortilla chips. Makes 6 servings.

Crunchy Black Bean Taco

Another yummy one from Six Sister's Stuff! 

Ingredients:
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed
1/2 cup red onion, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
2 Tablespoons cilantro, chopped
4 ounces pepper jack cheese, grated
Nonstick cooking spray
8 corn tortillas
1 avocado, sliced
Salsa
Sour cream 

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine beans, red onion, cumin, paprika and cilantro.  Grate cheese and place in a small bowl.  Heat a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and spray with nonstick cooking spray.  Place one tortilla at a time on the hot skillet and add about 1/4 cup of bean filling to one half of the tortilla.  Top with a sprinkle of grated cheese.  Use a spatula to carefully fold the tortilla over so it forms a shell.  Press down lightly on the tortilla with the spatula so it holds its shape.  Cook each taco for about 3 minutes per side or until golden brown and crispy.  Serve with avocado, salsa, sour cream or any toppings you prefer.

Creamy Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes

These are divine!  Need I say more! This recipe comes from SixSistersStuff.  You can find the recipe HERE

Ingredients:
5 pounds red potatoes, cut into chunks
1 tablespoon minced garlic, or to taste
3 cubes chicken bouillon
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream (lite or fat-free is fine)
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened (lite or fat-free is fine)
1/4 cup butter
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large pot of lightly salted boiling water, cook the potatoes, garlic, and bouillon until potatoes are tender but firm (about 15 minutes). Drain, reserving water. In a bowl, mash potatoes with sour cream and cream cheese, adding reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency. 
Transfer the potato mixture to a slow cooker, cover, and cook on Low for 2 to 3 hours. Just before serving, stir in butter and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Mini Garlic Monkey Bread

These are super easy and quick for dinner!  I got this from my cookbook - SixSistersStuff.  You can find the recipe HERE.

Ingredients:

2 (7.5 oz) cans buttermilk biscuits
6 tablespoons butter, melted
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling on top

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°. Lightly grease a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray.

Cut each biscuit into quarters and place into a bowl.

Combine butter, garlic, parsley and 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese. Pour over biscuit pieces.

Gently toss together and make sure everything is evenly coated with the butter mixture.

Place 6-7 biscuit pieces in each muffin cup. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese.

Bake 12-14 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.

Honey Roasted Carrots

This is YUMMY and super easy!  I got this recipe from SixSisterStuff cookbook.  You can find the recipe HERE

Ingredients:

1 lb baby carrots

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons honey

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray. In a bowl, mix together carrots and olive oil until carrots are all covered. Spread the carrots in a single layer on the baking sheet. Drizzle the honey over the carrots and sprinkle salt and pepper on top.  

Bake uncovered, turning once, under just tender (about 25-30 minutes). 

Serves 4-6. 

Baked Teriyaki Chicken

We had this for dinner tonight.  My kids loved it!  One of my kids absolutely loves teriyaki chicken, so I have tried many recipes.  This sauce is yummy!  I didn't add all the rice vinegar though...I don't ever like too much vinegar in my food.  I only used 1/2 the amount.  I tried doubling the sauce thinking there wouldn't be enough sauce....well I had too much sauce!  Ha!  But we didn't eat it over rice either.  We just ate it plain since I had other sides and didn't want rice.

Also, my chicken was done in 30 minutes....not 1 hour!  So watch that too!  You don't want to overcook your chicken.  But I did slice my chicken breasts in 1/2 lengthwise so they wouldn't be too thick.

As you can tell, I'm using lots of Six Sisters Stuff recipes.  This is another winner.  HERE is the link to the recipe on their website.  They have lots of yummy recipes!

Ingredients

• 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 cup low sodium soy sauce
• ½ cup water
• 4 Tablespoons rice vinegar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 4 Tablespoons cornstarch
• Sesame seeds, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and place chicken breasts in the pan.
3. In a saucepan over medium heat, whisk together garlic, soy sauce, water, vinegar, brown sugar and cornstarch for a few minutes until the sauce starts to thicken.
4. Brush chicken with the sauce. Turn pieces over, and brush again.
5. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, turn chicken over and bake for another 20-30 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink. (Be careful here!  My chicken was done in only 30 minutes)
6. Serve over rice and garnish with sesame seeds.

Oven Roasted Green Beans

I tried this recipe from Six Sister's Stuff tonight.  It was yummy!  I used Kosher salt instead of regular salt...but that made it too salty.  Next time, I will just follow the recipe!  You can find the recipe HERE on the website.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place washed and trimmed green beans in a large Ziploc bag.
3. Drizzle olive oil in the bag, seal and shake until all of the beans are lightly coated in oil.
4. Spread beans in a single layer on a large baking sheet.
5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
6. Cook for 20-25 minutes, or until beans start getting brown spots on the outside.

Beef Fajitas

This is my favorite fajita recipe!!  It is so YUMMY!!  This recipe is from the Pioneer Woman.  You can find the link HERE. She has several pictures showing the process of making them. Don't be turned off my the long list of ingredients.  It is WORTH IT!!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 whole Beef Flank Steak
• 1/2 cup Olive Oil
• 3 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/3 cup Lime Juice, Fresh Squeezed
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 Tablespoon Cumin
• 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Sugar
• 2 whole Medium Onions, Halved And Sliced
• 1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Sliced
• 1 whole Orange Bell Pepper, Sliced
• 1 whole Green Bell Pepper, Sliced
• 1 whole Yellow Bell Pepper, Sliced
• Oil, For Frying
• Flour Tortillas, Warmed
• Cheese (grated Cheddar/jack Or Crumbled Queso Fresco)
• Salsa
• Sour Cream
• Cilantro Leaves

DIRECTIONS:

In a dish, mix together olive oil, Worcestershire, lime juice, garlic, cumin, chili powder, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and sugar until combined. Pour half of the marinade into a separate dish. In one dish, place the flank steak, turning it over to coat. In the second dish, place all the veggies, turning to coat. Cover the dishes with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours. 

Prepare tortillas, salsa, sour cream, and cilantro. 

Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat and drizzle in some oil. Add the veggies and cook them for a few minutes, until they're cooked but still slightly firm and have nice black/brown pieces. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Heat the same same skillet (or a grill pan if you have it) over high heat and drizzle some oil. Cook the meat for about 2 minutes per side until medium rare. Remove and allow to rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes. 

Slice the meat right before serving and serve with all the fixins. Delicious!

Sliced-Baked Potatoes

This is another fun version of twice-baked potatoes.  They are DELISH!  You can't go wrong with the Pioneer Woman recipes!  Here is the link to the recipe on her website

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 whole Russet Potatoes, Scrubbed Clean
• 1/4 cup Milk
• 1 stick Butter, Softened
• 3/4 cups Sour Cream
• 6 slices Thin Bacon, Fried Crisp And Chopped
• 1/2 cup Grated Cheddar-jack Cheese
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• Seasoned Salt, To Taste
• 2 whole Green Onions, Sliced

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and the skins are slightly crisp.

On a cutting board, cut off the very end pieces of each potato, then slice the potato into 3 to 4 equal slices. Lay the slices flat and use a round cutter or a spoon to remove most of the insides. Leave a very thin rim of potato around the edge for structure. As you go, dump the insides into a mixing bowl with the butter and sour cream. 

Add milk and mix the potato mixture together until smooth. Add bacon, salt, pepper, seasoned salt, and cheese, and mix together. Taste and make sure the mixture is seasoned adequately. 

Use a scoop or spoon to fill the potato slices with the potato mixture. Slightly mound the mixture in the slices, as it will settle after baking. Top with additional cheese if desired, and bake at 375 for 8 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Turn on the broiler and broil for 3 to 4 minutes, watching very carefully so you won't burn them. 

Remove from oven and let sit on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before removing with a spatula and serving. (Note: Filling will be soft, so the longer they sit after baking, the easier they'll be to remove.)

Can make these well in advance and keep in the fridge or freezer, unbaked!