Green Chili Pork {a recipe}

I am hoping to be more consistent with menu planning.  Or at least blogging about it so I can look back when I need ideas for future dinners.  I had big plans of menu planning for the next TWO weeks!  I'm hoping to get all my recipes and ingredients listed so you might be able to "steal" some ideas. :)  I'm always looking for new, easy, and delicious recipes. 

Here's one I made Monday night and it was all of the above...

Green Chili Pork from Oh lardy...it was delicious!  I was thinking as I put in together that morning, all of 30 seconds, how in the world does this not burn and how can it possibly have flavor with only green chiles and onion??  I'll admit I was skeptical more because there was no liquid.  Well some how the pork roast made it's own glorious liquid, which made the pork very moist.

Source: ohlardy.com via Nancy on Pinterest

We made tacos with it, but there is still a ton more for other options.  Love a recipe where we can have dinner and then have other options for lunch the next day.  I was very impressed with this recipe!  Definitely a keeper!!

Let me know if you try it and what you think.

And Happy Valentine's Day!  Which I'm totally not a Valentine's day kind of gal...just not my thing, but hey each to his or her own.

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

Thanks to Pinterest, I've found some really great recipes. Tonight we had The Crockstar's: Absolute BEST Crockpot Beef Stroganoff & it was a hit!

Source: thecrockstar.blogspot.com via Nancy on Pinterest

This is huge because my picky husband ;) is not a fan of beef stroganoff & even made a not-so-nice face when I said I was making it. But turns out he loved it & even went back for seconds. I think this would be great to freeze & probably even better for leftovers...we'll see tomorrow or Monday when I have it for lunch.

And because I was in the mood for Photoshopin' I made a recipe card.


For PDF file to print click below...

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

My Famous Chicken Spaghetti

If there is one thing I am often asked to cook, it is my chicken spaghetti. And not the kind that has ketchup or any kind of red sauce. I have learned that chicken spaghetti means different things to different people.

In my opinion, there is only one way to make chicken spaghetti. It requires lots of cheese, noodles, more cheese, and nothing short of creamy goodness.

Just be warned - it is no where near healthy but pretty heavenly! I tend to make a TON of it...yes, not 1 but 2 whole 9x13 pans of it. It freezes really well. But one 9x13 pan does not stay around here for more than a day or two.

Make this for your family this week, I promise they will love it!

(click on the image to make it bigger in a different window)

Also feel free to half the recipe if needed.

We love anything that is cheesy, creamy & well fattening. Ha!

Enjoy!

Chicken Salad

Earlier in the week (last week) I baked a whole cut-up chicken for dinner and we had lots of left-overs. Left-overs are great but can get boring after a few days!

I'm not typically a chicken salad kind of girl (okay I do love HEB's chicken salad but it is a bit pricey) but the other day I had decided I would try making my own with the left-over baked chicken. Well, it turned out better than I expected! Actually I really liked it & was rather proud of myself. Ha! So I'd thought I'd share my own made up recipe with you - which really is I am sure like most traditional chicken salad recipes but since I don't have any other recipes here how I made MY chicken salad.

Nancy's Chicken Salad

2 whole baked chicken breast, chopped
2 green onions, sliced
1-2 ribs of celery, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard or whole grain mustard (I used whole grain b/c it is what I had)
A few shakes of dried dill or fresh dill
Mayonnaise to your liking (I used about 3/4 cup)
Black pepper

Mix all ingredients together & serve!


Very simple & delicious!

I did not salt mine because I had already seasoned the chicken when I baked it. But I did top mine with "Dinkle" our favorite seasoning that our sweet friends give us from their BBQ restaurant. I ate mine with Ritz crackers & a few celery sticks. AB ate 2 sandwiches & we still had some left-over. It was a nice, refreshing summer lunch.

You can always buy already cooked chicken or if you would like to bake your own, here is how I baked my chicken:

Wash all the pieces, pat dry. Lay pieces in a deep casserole dish and season with Nature's Seasonings. (it is a yellow & blue bottle & can be find in the spice aisle) Add roughly chopped celery and onions. Drizzle with olive oil and bake at 350 until chicken is done (about 45 minutes depending on how many pieces you have).

Cheese Stuffed Shells

Here is one of the new recipes, we tried at our house last week. It was easy & delicious! It might even be kid-friendly but I am not 100% on that since we don't have any little ones to test that theory. And it made plenty for left-overs, always a plus!

Cheese Stuffed Shells

• 12 ounces, weight Box Jumbo Shells Pasta
• 8 ounces, weight Cream Cheese
• 2 whole Eggs
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• ¼ teaspoons Pepper
• 1 cup Cottage Cheese (or Ricotta)
• 1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• ¼ cups Parmesan
• 10 ounces, weight Package Frozen Chopped Spinach, Drained (thawed)
  
• 1 jar Spaghetti Sauce (14 Ounce)

Preparation Instructions

Cook and drain pasta. Rinse with cold water.

Mix cream cheese and eggs; then add salt, pepper, ricotta cheese, mozzarella and Parmesan. Fold in spinach. **I added Italian seasonings in at this point too!

Put a thin layer of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of a 9×13 pan. Fill shells with 2 Tablespoons (or just fill with your hands like I did) of the cheese mixture. Place the filled shells in pan. Pour the rest of the spaghetti sauce over the shells. Sprinkle with additional mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

I found THIS recipe on Tasty Kitchen. If you have never been to Tasty Kitchen - please bookmark it & check it out often. A great variety of recipes and you can also find Pioneer Women's recipes - which are normally to die for! I made a 9x13 pan and still had extra shells left over. I used all of the filling but not all of the shells. I also used ricotta cheese (a 15 oz container) in mine, instead of the cottage cheese. It's a texture thing for me. I even used fat-free cream cheese & ricotta cheese and the taste was still great! We really enjoyed this meal & I plan to throw this recipe into my "go-to recipe file." Hope it's one you will also try and like!

Poppy Seed Chicken

This is a great recipe and a favorite at our house. You could easily half the recipe because it does make a 9x13 pan full OR do like I do, make it then freeze what we don't eat for another meal later. This is a very popular dish in the south and I took 2 different recipes I had and combined them. I sure there are a ton of different ways to make Poppy Seed Chicken but this is how we like it at our house. As with most casseroles, it tastes so much better the next day. So I like to make it the day before and then just reheat it - so good & easy for during the week!

Poppy Seed Chicken

1 whole chicken, boiled, de-boned & chopped (you may also use chicken pieces or a package of boneless chicken breast)
2 cans of cream of chicken
1/2 cup chopped celery
16 oz sour cream
1-2 tablespoon of poppy-seeds (I don't measure just throw a palm full or so in)
3 tubes of Ritz crackers
1 stick of butter, melted
Black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook chicken & cut or tear into pieces. Mix cooked chicken, cream of chicken, sour cream, celery, and poppy seeds & black pepper. Pour into 9x13 casserole dish. Put Ritz crackers in a large zip-lock bag and crush. Add melted butter to crackers. Pour of the chicken mixture. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.


I like to eat mine over rice and AB likes his over mashed potatoes. But you don't have to eat it over anything, it's that good! I also like to serve a salad with it. I love this recipe & love that it freezes so well. Some recipes omit the celery and add almonds. Some recipes also call for cream of mushroom & cream of chicken. I just use whatever I have on hand but I normally keep both in the pantry most of the time. Don't feel like cooking chicken, I bet this recipe would be just as good with a store-bought rotisserie chicken.

Make this for your next potluck, church luncheon, or make it to take to a friend who might enjoy some good ol' comfort food. But most definitely make it for you & your own family!

Ultimate Chicken Fingers

At our house, I am trying a new thing where I use just what I have in the fridge, pantry, etc for meals. I am only allowing myself to buy the everyday stuff we use (milk, eggs, cheese, bread, fruit, vegetables). I am horrible at making a list, going to the grocery store, buying what's on my list, plus whatever else I think I might need or want to eat at some point and then over-spending. Then never actually eating the food I bought. I know, terrible habit. But it's a new year & time for new things.

Last night, I was going to make dinner with what we already had. I knew I had a whole chicken (I really want to make my mom's chicken chow mein but don't have all the ingredients) and a package of chicken tenders. I decided I would make baked chicken tenders (the whole chicken wasn't thawed out all the way, so we'll be having that tonight). I would normally batter them with flour, dipped in an egg mixture but I remembered seeing a recipe on the back of the Bisquick box for chicken tenders when I was making waffles Sunday night with homemade syrup (talk about amazingly good!! maybe I'll post that recipe one day). I had everything I needed other than the one egg, of course. So I substituted milk in its place. And oh my goodness, these were probably the best chicken tenders I have ever made! Including my good ol' chicken fried ones we love. And the best part about it - so easy, hardly any clean-up, and ready in less than 30 minutes. Even kids will love 'em! Reno sure did ;) This recipe is or should be on the back of your Bisquick box, but if not here it is.

Ultimate Chicken Fingers

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 lb), cut into strips OR 1 package of chicken breast tenders, which is what I used
2/3 cup Bisquick mix (all purpose baking mix)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (like you put on pizza)
1/2 tsp salt or garlic salt (I used garlic salt)
1/2 tsp paprika
1 egg slightly beaten OR use milk like I did (about 1-2 cups, enough to cover chicken in bowl)
3 Tbsp butter, melted

Heat oven to 450*F. Line cookie sheet with foil; spray with cooking spray. In 1-gallon resealable zip-lock bag, mix Bisquick, cheese, garlic salt & paprika.

Dip chicken in egg or if not using egg, put tenders in a bowl of milk for a few minutes. Put half of your dipped chicken or tenders in zip-lock bag. Seal the bag; shake to coat. Repeat with remaining chicken.

Put chicken on baking sheet. Drizzle butter over chicken.

Bake 12-15 minutes, turning halfway through bake time. Be sure to bake until no longer pink in center.

Recipe courtesy of Betty Crocker

Eat up!

Southwestern Chicken Roll-Ups

I made this for dinner tonight...super easy, fast, & delicious! It is also figure-friendly, always a plus! This recipe is actually from Cooking Light but I did change it up a bit. It took me roughly 8-10 minutes to prepare then it was ready for the oven. If you have never used milanesa, it is great! So much less fuss than actually boneless, skinless chicken breast and cheaper! That is all I buy now instead of regular chicken breast that you have to pound down or butterfly. After working at Sanderson Farms for two years, the less I have to touch chicken - the happier I am! I always keep regular breadcrumbs on hand. Tonight, I added black pepper and Mrs. Dash Southwest Chiptole seasoning to the breadcrumbs for extra seasoning. Also, I did not measure out the cream cheese, salsa, etc...I just added each on top (eye-balling what I thought looked good) and rolled them up.


Ingredients:
1 pkg thinly sliced boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (known as milanesa) - 4 or 5 pieces normally come in a package
OR boneless, skinless chicken breast (pounded down to 1/4 inch thick)
6 tablespoons (3oz or more) 1/3 less-fat cream cheese
6 tablespoons salsa of your choice
6 tablespoons seasoned breadcrumbs (regular or Italian)
Pickled Jalapenos - optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

If not using the thin sliced chicken breast, then place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin.

Top each breast half with 1 to 2 tablespoon cream cheese, 1 to 2 tablespoon salsa, and a few jalapenos. Roll up jelly-roll fashion, beginning at narrow end.

Dredge chicken rolls in breadcrumbs. Place rolls, seam sides down, on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; lightly coat rolls with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is done. I made 4 chicken roll-ups with this tonight.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 257 (20% from fat)

Fat: 5.8g

Protein: 41.7g

Carbohydrate: 6.9g

Fiber: 0.3g

Cholesterol: 109mg

Iron: 1.6mg

Sodium: 385mg

Calcium: 40mg

Creamy Cajun Seafood Pasta

Talk about comfort food....

HEB had big gulf, white shrimp on sale so I decided to pick some up one day last week and well...creamy pasta is my weakness! Not knowing really how I'd cook the shrimp at the time of purchase (we normally have grilled shrimp kabobs on a regular basis) I thought...I really want something different & delicious. Not that grilled shrimp isn't delicious (unless you're Amanda or Momma B :P) I just wanted something "different!" One our favorite Italian restaurants is Caffe Capri located in downtown Bryan. They have the MOST delicious Cajun fettuccine (we always add crab). It was always a great date place for Allen and I. Well, I decided I'm going to attempt to make Cajun fettuccine with my plump shrimp purchase just like Caffe Capri :) so I searched the internet for recipes (I sure miss all my cookbooks that are packed in storage) and came across two that I liked & decided I'd combine the recipes to hopefully get the result I wanted (not very often to I actually follow a recipe, I think I get that from my Nana - she never used recipes)...made my grocery list, went to the store, came home & started cooking! Oh my gosh...it turned out amazing! It was so close to Caffe Capri's, if not even better! I told Allen, I even impressed myself with this one!

Now...don't be turned away IF you are not into seafood or shrimp! This recipe could easily be made with chicken and after all who doesn't like chicken fettuccine?! And if *spicy* or *cajun* isn't your thing either...you could always omit the hot spices, that's the great thing about recipes! You can tweak, omit, add, create your own to your liking. Either way give this recipe a try, I promise you won't regret it! Just your waistline might...but it's okay to splurge and this is definitely better for you than going out to eat for fettuccine. Also, I thought this recipe was incredibly easy to make considering it was my very first time to attempt alfredo type sauce from scratch.

Creamy Cajun Seafood Pasta

1/4 cup butter (I used 2 tablespoons)
1 lb shrimp, peeled & deveined
1 to 2 packages of ready to eat imitation crab (or the real stuff if you want, Allen really likes crab so I did 2 pkgs)
1 cup milk (I used whole for extra creaminess & yes, fat!)
1 cup heavy whipping cream (16 oz carton)
1 glove garlic, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Cajun seasoning to taste (depending on how spicy you want it, I just add & taste until I get it to where I like it)
1 package of fettuccine, angel hair, bow-tie whatever pasta you like/want
Pecorino Romano & grated Parmesan cheese (palm full of each)
Chopped parsley

Directions:
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al-dente, drain. (I let water boil while I'm cooking seafood & sauce...don't like my pasta to get cold)

Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute shrimp for 1 minute or until almost white, stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Remove shrimp with slotted spoon; set aside. Stir in flour and Cajun seasoning. Cook about 5 minutes or until flour as been cooked down. Whisk in milk and heavy cream, then cook until thickened. Stir in Pecorino Romano & Parmesan cheese. Add crab and shrimp to sauce. Remove from heat. Pour sauce over cooked pasta and gently mix sauce into pasta. Garnish with chopped parsley, more cheese, & fresh cracked black pepper.

Dinner is ready...sit & enjoy!

Helpful Tips:
If you would rather have chicken, saute chicken breast to your liking and add to sauce the same as you would seafood. I would not season the chicken because the sauce has so much seasoning in it. You could also add scallops to this pasta. If so, saute the scallops with the shrimp then proceed.

Also, if you do not have Cajun seasoning on hand - you do NOT need to go out & buy some. Here are the spices I used in the recipe to create the Cajun seasoning: Cayenne pepper, onion powder, paprika, black pepper, ground white pepper, sea salt, red crushed pepper, garlic powder, celery salt. Sorry, I just keep adding spices until I like the taste...I seldom every measure so can't give you exact measurements. I do know that the cayenne pepper, onion powder, paprika, sea salt, and ground white pepper is what I used the most of. OR if you have Cajun seasoning or Tony Chachere's use that! Tony Chachere's is a stample in our pantry but making my own Cajun seasoning was fun.

If you have ever made cream country breakfast gravy, this cream sauce is the same concept. Just keep whisking milk/heavy cream until thick & to prevent burning. Also, if you would rather not use heavy whipping cream, you can use 2 cups of cow's milk instead.


Hope you enjoy! Would love to know if you try this recipe! It is even great the next day for leftovers. Allen said this recipe is definitely a keeper & wants me to make it again & again. BON APPETIT!

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

This is a popular dinner dish at our house! I thought I already posted it but I couldn't find it anyway, so here it is...ENJOY!

Yield

4 servings (serving size: 2 1/2 cups)

Ingredients

• DRESSING:
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2/3 cup light sour cream
• 1 tablespoon minced chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 4 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 
  SALAD:
• 4 cups shredded romaine lettuce
• 2 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 breasts)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup diced peeled avocado
• 1/3 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (8 3/4-ounce) can no-salt-added whole-kernel corn, rinsed and drained

Preparation

To prepare dressing, combine first 7 ingredients, stirring well.

To prepare salad, combine lettuce and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.

Tip: Add a spoonful of adobo sauce for a spicier salad. Kidney or pinto beans also taste great in this dish.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

249 (30% from fat)

Fat:

8.2g (sat 2.8g,mono 2.9g,poly 0.7g)

Protein:

23.3g

Carbohydrate:

25.1g

Fiber:

7g

Cholesterol:

50mg

Iron:

2.2mg

Sodium:

650mg

Calcium:

106mg

What's for dinner?

Lime-Cilantro Pork Tacos

Ingredients

1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into thin strips
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced onion
1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped plum tomato
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
8 (6-inch) flour tortillas

Preparation

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork with salt and black pepper. Add oil to pan. Add pork, and sauté 4 minutes or until browned. Remove pork from pan; place in a bowl. Add onion and jalapeño to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add broth; reduce heat, and simmer 1 minute, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in tomato; simmer 2 minutes.

Return pork and accumulated juices to pan. Stir in cilantro and lime juice; cook 1 minute or until pork is done.

Heat tortillas according to package directions. Spoon 1/2 cup pork mixture into each tortilla; roll up.

Use the same pan to brown the pork and make the rave-worthy sauce. Browning the pork improves its color, and the browned bits enrich the sauce's flavor. Add more jalapoño pepper if you enjoy spicy food.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 tacos)

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 416(28% from fat); FAT 13.1g (sat 3.6g,mono 6.8g,poly 1.6g); IRON 3.8mg; CHOLESTEROL 75mg; CALCIUM 101mg; CARBOHYDRATE 43.1g; SODIUM 569mg; PROTEIN 30.2g; FIBER 3.6g


I recently made these delicious tacos for dinner and not only were they super easy but very flavorful. I served sour cream, fresh shredded cheese, and salsa as additional toppers and fat-free refried beans as a side. Black bean salsa/salad would also be great as a side dish. For the tortillas, I use whole wheat flour tortillas that are made in the store (H-E-B). They are fresh, very low on preservatives, and figure friendly as well as tasty! Can be served with corn tortillas as well. Have fun with it and tailor the recipe to you and your families liking. Serve with it whatever suits your fancy! Note to remember: pork cooks very quickly so be sure not to over cook it or else it will become tough and rubbery.

This recipe can easily be made within 30 minutes- great for a fast weeknight dinner! Hope you enjoy this tasty and super easy recipe! This will definitely be a recipe I'll be cooking for many years to come...

Cooking Light

Being the foodie I am, I'm always looking for new recipes to try and every once in awhile I come across one that is definitely a keeper! And the wonderful thing about this one is it's super easy & fast as well as very figure friendly! Always a plus in my book!! Just thought I would share it and hopefully it's one you will also enjoy!

Black Bean Burritos with Avocado

Ingredients

1/2 cup diced peeled avocado
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained
4 (10-inch) flour tortillas
6 tablespoons fat-free sour cream
6 tablespoons bottled salsa

Preparation

Combine avocado and lime juice, tossing to coat.

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Stir in water, cumin, and beans. Reduce heat to medium; simmer 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon 1/4 cup bean mixture into each tortilla. Top with 1 1/2 tablespoons sour cream, 1 1/2 tablespoons salsa, and 2 tablespoons avocado; roll up.

Yield

4 servings (serving size: 1 burrito)

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 424(23% from fat); FAT 10.7g (sat 2.1g,mono 5.3g,poly 2.2g); IRON 5.6mg; CHOLESTEROL 2mg; CALCIUM 178mg; CARBOHYDRATE 65g; SODIUM 931mg; PROTEIN 15.7g; FIBER 11g

Even if you don't like black beans TRY it anyway! With the cumin & olive oil the beans become more like refried beans...before this recipe I was not a big fan of black beans but now I think they are delicious! Also black beans are much better for you than refried. If you just can't do black beans then use pintos or any other kind of whole bean. ENJOY!!!

Tonight I'm trying out another new recipe...Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad- if it turns out to be a winner, I'll be sure and post the recipe so check back often.

Much Love!