Chicken Pillows

I recently wanted to find a somewhat "girlie" lunch to make for a couple friends who came over for a play date.  And I wanted to use what was in my house, so as not to have to make a special trip to the store!  Well, I hit upon a recipe shared by my dear friend Stacy many moons ago:  Chicken Pillows. 

True, when I made these for the fabulous ladies who came to luncheon with me (sounds so proper, doesn't it ;)), I didn't have all the ingredients called for.  But I made substitutions, and it worked out marvelously well.  Even the two toddlers who ate with us gobbled them down! 

But then, a couple nights ago, I made them the almost real way. (Almost, because I still used breadcrumbs in place of crushed up stiffing mix).  Once again, my toddler devoured her portion.  And it made plenty for me and hubby to enjoy as well :) (and after leftovers!). 

This recipe is originally from beckyhiggins.com.  I will share it below as written, with my changes in the parentheses.

CHICKEN PILLOWS
2-3 cooked chicken breasts, diced or shredded (or two cans of chicken if you're pinched for time)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
6 to 8 regular crescent rolls
stuffing mix, slightly ground up (I use plain breadcrumbs)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk

Combine chicken, cream cheese and seasonings.  Add a spoonful of mixture to center of crescent roll.  Wrap up dough and pinch the edges.  Dip in melted butter and then roll in stuffing mix (breadcrumbs).  Bake at 325 for 25 to 30 minutes.  Serve with mushroom sauce (combine soup and milk in saucepan and simmer over low heat until smooth and creamy).

I'm not sure why I haven't made this recipe more often.  I included it in our family cookbook we made for our 2008 Family Reunion, because when I'd had them at Stacy's, they were so delicious!  And then I never got around to making them.  Well, no longer to be true!  These are pretty quick and easy, especially if you already have some chicken to use.  The first time I made these, for the lunch, I subbed shredded cheddar for the cream cheese and puff pastry for the crescent rolls (it's what I had on hand) and used canned chicken and my friends said it was enjoyable.  So I think you can take some liberties with this and still come up with a great meal!

Chicken Divan

This is one of our "tried and true" recipes...  It was one my mother-in-law included in the cookbook she made me when my husband and I got married.  It's very yummy.  My toddler loves it.  But if you don't like curry, you may not like it :). 

This is the recipe as we make it every time now.  It's slightly different than the original recipe, but we've found we end up with way too much "sauce" if we don't half the recipe (and use only one can of either cream of mushroom or cream of chicken).

2 cups cooked rice
2 (10 ounce) boxes frozen broccoli (2 cups fresh), slightly undercooked
2 cups cooked chicken
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 to 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In a prepared 9x13 dish, place the cooked rice.  Top the rice with the broccoli.  Then sprinkle chicken pieces on top of broccoli. 

Mix cream of mushroom soup, lemon juice, mayonnaise, sour cream, and curry powder in a small bowl until well blended.  Spread over the other ingredients in the pan.  Sprinkle with shredded cheese. 

Bake 25 minutes, or until it starts bubbling.

There's a reason this is frequently on our menu :)...  Especially when it's not summer! 

Artichoke Mushroom Lasagna

I found this recipe several years ago in a Taste of Home magazine.  I tore it out, knowing it was Monday Meals worthy and that it was right up my alley.  This past week, since the weather cooled off, I fired up my oven and made it for Monday Meals! 

We liked it.  A lot.  Even though my husband says it's "fake" lasagna, since it's not a red sauce.  Whatever.  Red sauce is over-rated.  :).  So if you like mushrooms, cheese, and artichokes, this is totally for you.  If you're weird and don't like any of those things...  Steer clear :).

1 pound sliced baby portobello mushrooms
2 tablespoons butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cans (14 ounce each) water-packed artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and chopped
1 cup white wine (I would have used chicken broth, but I omitted because I pre-cooked my lasagna noodles -- see below)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Sauce:
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups 2% milk
2 1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
1 cup white wine (I subbed chicken broth)

Assembly:
9 no-cook lasagna noodles (I used regular and pre-cooked them)
4 cups mozzarella cheese, divided

Saute mushrooms in butter until tender.  Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.  Add the artichokes, wine (broth), salt and pepper; cook over medium heat until liquid is evaporated.

For the sauce, in a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter.  Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add milk.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened.  Stir in Parmesan cheese and wine (broth).

Spread 1 cup sauce into a greased 13x9-inch baking dish.  Layer with three noodles, 1 2/3 cups sauce, 1 cup mozzarella and 1 1/3 cups artichoke mixture.  Repeat layers twice.  Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.  Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.  Bake, uncovered, 15 to 20 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.  Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.

Recipe from Taste of Home April/May 2011.

Tomato Biscuit & Cheese

As I mentioned here, I got this recipe from my mother-in-law.  It is a great way to enjoy fresh garden tomatoes when the tomato harvest is on!  And ours definitely is!!!  In fact, last night's dinner featured tomatoes and zucchini from our garden.  I made these plus the zucchini garden cakes.  It was delicious! 

This recipe is relatively simple -- and it's one of those I like to call "accordion" recipes.  You can make more or less depending on how many people you are feeding.  There is something about the blend of flavors that really makes this a refreshing and delicious meal, in my opinion.  I'd never had it before I tried it last summer when all our tomatoes were ripening.  But now that our tomatoes are ripening again, I made sure to put it on our list (particularly since the temperatures have been in the 70s the last several days -- you know my rule about heating up the house with the oven in summer!).  So I'm hoping the temperatures drop while we still have fresh tomatoes.  Because I want to make this again :).  (Especially since my sweetie came home from work last night and gobbled up 6 of them ;) -- leaving none for leftovers!  I can't say I blame him, though...  He works 10 hours and doesn't eat lunch.  Poor guy.)

You could probably enjoy this as a side dish as well, but we usually use it as a main dish -- meatless style!  I always use cottage cheese, which has a decent amount of protein, so I feel like we get what we need.

I made the biscuits from scratch, though you can use English Muffins or other pre-prepared biscuits.  The biscuit recipe I used can be found here on my THRIVEing Nilla blog, since I used THRIVE butter powder to make the biscuits.

And here is the recipe for Tomato Biscuit & Cheese:


8 English Muffins or biscuits or home-made recipe of biscuits already baked
8 slices of tomato (thickness of your choice, but probably not super-thick as you want them to get hot and cooked somewhat in the cooking stage)
salt, pepper, oregano, and basil to taste
1/2 cup cottage cheese (or sour cream or plain yogurt -- I always use cottage cheese)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 to 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Place biscuits (or English Muffins) on a baking sheet.  Place a slice of tomato on each biscuit.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, oregano, and basil.

Mix cottage cheese and mayonnaise.  Distribute evenly over tomato slices.  Sprinkle all with cheese.  (If you push the biscuits together, you can keep the cheese sprinkling more contained :)).

Bake at 450 degrees until the tomato is hot and cheese is melted (I did about 5 to 7 minutes).  *You can also microwave these individually until the tomato is hot and cheese is melted.

Chicken, Broccoli, and Cheese Skillet Meal

This is just one of those tried and true recipes for my family.  I found it through Pinterest.  Here is the original recipe.

I've made this recipe 4 or 5 times now in the last year.  And I just really like it.  What's not to love about the combination of cheese, chicken, pasta, and broccoli?  For me, nothing :).

I also love that it's stove-top (therefore perfect for summer, in my opinion).  And it's a one-dish meal, so fewer dishes to wash!  And it's not terribly time-consuming to make.  The most tedious part is probably dealing with the raw chicken.  Which I didn't have to do this time, since I used my THRIVE Seasoned Chicken Strips :).

So here's the recipe the way I made it tonight:

1 to 1 1/2 cups THRIVE Seasoned Chicken Strips*
2 cups broccoli florets
1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
1 can cream of chicken soup + 2 cans full of water
black pepper to taste
1 large garlic clove, pressed or minced
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Pour cream of chicken soup and water into a large skillet.  Warm over medium-high heat.  Throw in the chicken strips.  Add all other ingredients, except cheese.  Stir together.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer 20 minutes or until pasta is tender.  (Checking to make sure there is enough water at about 15 minutes.)  Stir in cheese until melted and combine.  Allow to heat 2 more minutes.  Serve.

*1 chicken breast can be substituted.  Just cut it into bit size pieces and cook it in the pan in olive oil before adding the soup and water.  The THRIVE just saves me time :).

It's yummy.  My toddler loves it.

Spinach Artichoke Pasta

(I need to get new bowls -- so my food "pops" more...)

I'm telling ya... I have a serious Pinterest addiction...  And mostly in the food area. 

Every pay period, when I make my menu list for the following two weeks, I generally like to choose a recipe or two from my "to try" pins...  I'm supposed to be working my way through a binder of collected print recipes too...  But that binder got put out of sight...  And now it's mostly out of mind.

So this was a recipe I found a while back and decided to try, since I had a large majority of the ingredients :) (that's always a good reason!).  I happen to love spinach artichoke dip, so I thought this might be a fun and delicious recipe to try. In fact, this recipe appealed to my tastes so much (visually and taste-ily) that I actually pinned it twice.  This is a Pioneer Woman recipe.  I've seen her stuff a lot, so I'm assuming she may just be a house-hold name ;).

I followed the recipe, with the exception of the crushed red pepper flakes.  I try not to give my munchkin too much heat in her young age.  I did still include the cayenne, though.  I halved the recipe, so here is what I did:

3 Tablespoons Butter
2 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced
1 bags Baby Spinach
1 cans Artichoke Hearts, Drained And Halved
1 1/2 Tablespoons Flour
1 1/2 cups Whole Milk
1/8 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
Salt And Pepper, to taste
1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 cup Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated
1/2 cup Low Sodium Chicken Broth (less Or More)
1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni, Cooked Until Al Dente
1/4 cup Seasoned Panko Breadcrumbs
Crushed Red Pepper, To Taste (optional -- I opted out)

Melt 1 tablespoons butter in a large pot or skillet. Add garlic and throw in the spinach. Stir it around until it's wilted, about 1 minute. Remove spinach from heat and set aside.

Add 1 tablespoons butter to the same pot and raise the heat to high. Throw in the halved artichokes and stir it around until they get a little color, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the artichokes from the pot and set them aside.
Reduce the heat to low. Add 1 tablespoons butter to the pot. When melted, sprinkle in flour and whisk until it's combined. Pour in milk and whisk to combine. Let it cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until starting to thicken. Add Parmesan, Monterey Jack, salt and pepper, and cayenne pepper. Stir to melt, and if it's overly thick, splash in chicken broth.

Add artichokes and pasta, tossing gently to combine. Gently fold in spinach, then pour the pasta into a serving bowl. Sprinkle the top with crushed red pepper flakes and plenty of Panko breadcrumbs for crunch.
Serve immediately!

Personal Notes:  I used unseasoned Panko, because that's what I had.  I also didn't feel the need to use chicken broth, so I didn't.  I am now realizing I wilted my spinach down too much and probably didn't cook my artichokes long enough...  Her finished product looks way better than mine.

Verdict:  It was good.  Not as stellar as I'd hoped, but still good.  The munchkin loved it -- except the artichokes.  I think some bacon could actually really add some extra depth to this dish (not that I usually have any bacon to include).  I might make it again one day, but it wasn't so awesome that I'd consider it a favorite.  Also, with the ingredients being what they are, it's not exactly the most budget-friendly meal, even though it's meatless. 

Copy-Cat Panera Mac and Cheese

Two things I want to say right away:

1.  I wish I had a different colored bowl to help the mac and cheese really pop.  Because I'm not a fancy food photographer (though I wouldn't mind being ;)...).
2.  I've never actually been to Panera and had their mac and cheese.  So I cannot say if this is a good copy-cat or not.  It's times like these when I need to have my dear friend Stacy living nearby so she can be my taste-tester.  Not only has she eaten the real thing, she also has exquisite taste in things like cheese.

That said...  I have been doing a lot of searching Pinterest for stove-top recipes for summer-time.  And, because I'm a huge macaroni and cheese enthusiast, I am always drawn to pins for macaroni and cheese -- of pretty much any sort.  But when I saw this was a copycat of Panera's...  Well, I've heard the scuttlebutt from Stacy about that stuff.  So I knew I needed to try it.  And we did.

I definitely like that the recipe doesn't call for hard-to-find ingredients.  True, they aren't all ingredients I have on hand all the time, so I did have to do some shopping (mostly for the cheese), but they weren't difficult to find.

Also, the recipe was easy.  And I followed it almost exactly, except for the type of pasta I used (I used shell pasta) and I used salted butter, so omitted the salt.

Here's the recipe:

16 oz pipette pasta or other small pasta shape
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk, heavy cream, or half-and-half
4 oz white American cheese, chopped or torn into pieces
8 oz extra sharp white Vermont cheddar, shredded
2 tsp - 1 tbsp Dijon mustard (adjust according to your tastes)
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp hot sauce (like Frank's)

In a large stockpot, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well.

While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a 4-quart sauce pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and has started to bubble, whisk in the flour; cook for 1 1/2 minutes whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in the milk until no lumps remain. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook milk mixture, whisking frequently, until it thickens and bubbles, about 8 minutes.

Remove sauce pan from the heat and by the handful, stir in the cheeses allowing all of the cheese to melt into the sauce before adding more. Stir in the mustard, salt, and hot sauce. Return the sauce pan to the heat and stir in the pasta. Be sure to stir up the sauce from the bottom of the sauce pan and thoroughly coat all of the pasta with sauce. Cook for 1-2 minutes over medium-low heat until heated through. Serve hot in bowls with spoons.

(Again, recipe is from http://www.smells-like-home.com)

My thoughts:  This is definitely rich and creamy.  And very, very filling.  The recipe claims to serve 4.  Often, in our house, that just isn't the case.  I love macaroni and cheese.  And my husband can eat a lot (though I have no idea where he puts it).  But this is definitely a macaroni and cheese that literally serves 4, in my opinion.  I was beyond full after 1 bowl (the one pictured).  My husband had seconds, but not a huge helping.  And I put plenty away for leftovers.  My toddler loved this too, but didn't eat a lot of it -- again, I think because it's so filling.  She ate everything I gave her happily and excitedly, but didn't want more food when she was done. 

I honestly don't know if I'll make this recipe again.  It was good.  But it may have been a little too rich for me (I'm glad I used whole milk and not heavy cream!).  I will be trying to try the Panera, though...  Just so I know how close this recipe is :). 

Burrito Bowls

I've mentioned before that I do not feel the need to use the oven when it is hot outside.  And I also wanted to find some meatless meals in an effort to cut back on our grocery costs (beef becoming more expensive and all...). 

So this was a recipe I found on Pinterest.  The original recipe can be found here.  I mostly followed the recipe, but added a few things and deleted a few.  Prior to our additions, this is a vegan meal, I think.  We added plain yogurt (or sour cream if you prefer) and cheese, though.  Also, I didn't feel like buying a chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, so I didn't make the creamy topping.  Which was probably a mistake...

1 cup raw white rice
2 (or more) cups water
1/2 cup salsa
2 cups black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups corn (I used a mix of thawed frozen corn and THRIVE corn which I rehydrated)
2 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup tomatoes, chopped
green onions, optional
cheddar cheese, optional
sour cream or plain yogurt, optional
cilantro, optional

Cook the rice (using the water ;)) as you normally would.  When rice is done cooking, mix in the salsa. 

Layer rice, then beans, lettuce, tomato and any other options you choose to add.

Verdict:  Discard.  I wasn't impressed.  Even with our addition of cheese and plain yogurt, this just needed something more.  It was too bland to me.  Maybe I would have enjoyed it more with the adobo sauce.  What I'm learning is that I am not cut out to be vegan.  The food always turns out bland, in my opinion.  Or maybe I just need to experiment more with seasonings.  But... it was a meatless meal, so it did help save on cost...

Crunch Wrap Supremes -- At Home!

Back when I had just started my addiction to Pinterest, I found a pin for home-made Crunch Wrap Supremes.

Call me gross, but I'm a total Taco Bell fan.  (Unless the recent report I read is true...  Then I'll have to stop being a fan.)

Of course, now I don't have to worry about what meat I'm eating, if I make it at home, right?

Anyway, we really like these.  I've made them with shredded cheddar cheese as well as with the canned nacho cheese.  I think I prefer the cheddar.

The one thing that prevents me from making these often is that they are all "hands-on."  It's not a fix-it-and-forget-it type of thing.  But they are easy.  And they do go relatively fast, considering you can only do so many at a time (if I had a griddle, it'd go quicker).

So here's where I found the recipe originally.

And here's the recipe:

1/2 to 1 pound ground beef*
taco seasoning
chopped tomatoes
shredded lettuce
shredded Cheddar or nacho cheese
sour cream*
large burrito-sized flour tortillas (the bigger you can get them the better)
crunchy round corn tortillas

*If I use 1/2 pound of beef, I add a small can (14 ounce) of refried beans to the meat.  I have also used plain yogurt to replace the sour cream, but I prefer the sour cream.

Brown meat.  Drain.  Add taco seasoning to taste.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat.

On a flat surface, lay out a flour tortilla.  Place a portion of the meat and shredded cheese in the center of the tortilla.  Lay a crunchy corn tortilla on top.  Then put a layer of sour cream, lettuce, and tomato.  Fold edges of flour tortilla up and over, working to encase the filling.  I find I usually have to tear pieces from an extra tortilla and place over the lettuce and tomato in order to make the flour tortilla cover the filling completely. 

Spray cooking spray in pan.  Place in pan and cover.  Cook about 1 to 2 minutes.  Then flip and cook another 1 to 2 minutes.  Repeat with remaining ingredients.

I find that I usually get about 6 crunch-wraps out of this.  And they are filling (I usually only eat one).

Southwestern Quinoa Salad with Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette

So I am of the opinion that, when it's hot outside, and there's no air conditioning inside (unfortunately), the oven should never be used. Which means I think my baking days are probably done until September.  Which is sort of a bummer.  But I'm really not willing to heat up my house for a batch of cookies.  And even less so for lasagna. 

So I've been making my bi-weekly menus with no-bake meals.

And, in other news, we heard and read that something went awry with the beef this year, so there will be less of it.  And, due to the great law of supply and demand, that means it'll be more expensive.  Ground beef happens to be one of our staples.  But since I haven't been seeing it for less than $3.99 per pound (I get the extra lean kind), and since I am still (much to my husband's chagrin) unwilling to discuss eating rabbit...  Well, I have started looking up meatless meals.  And it's not that we eat a ton of meat anyway.  He and I usually eat a third of a chicken breast these days.  But even so...  The ground beef was a staple.  But I don't want to chop off a couple fingers or a leg to pay for it. 

So that's how I wound up with this recipe.  I found it on Pinterest, but this is the site it is on originally. 

* = good source of fiber
 
Quinoa Salad

1 cup dry quinoa *
2 cups vegetable broth or filtered water

¼ cup cilantro, stems removed
1 cup black beans *

1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed *
1 tomato, diced *

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
½ lime

½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. chili powder

¼ tsp. cumin
¼ tsp. Celtic sea salt

8 cups mixed greens

Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette

2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar

¼ cup cilantro leaves, no stems
½ tbsp. raw (local, if possible) honey (if vegan, substitute with maple syrup or palm sugar)

1/8 tsp. Celtic sea salt
1 clove fresh chopped garlic

1 ¼ tsp. Dijon mustard
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

 

1. In a saucepan, combine quinoa and vegetable broth/water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until quinoa softens and liquid evaporates – about 15-20 minutes.
2. While quinoa is cooking, prepare vinaigrette by placing lime juice, white wine vinegar, cilantro, honey, salt, garlic, and Dijon mustard into a blender and processing until smooth. While blender is running, add olive oil in a slow steady stream until blended and thickened, about 15 seconds.
3. Once quinoa has softened and liquid has evaporated, remove from heat, cool, and place in a large bowl.
4. Add remaining ingredients, except for mixed greens, and mix gently to combine.
5. Divide mixed greens evenly among four plates, top with quinoa mixture, drizzle with vinaigrette, and serve.

 

Personal Notes:  I didn't use as much chili powder, since I planned to give some to my toddler.  I left out the jalapeno for the same reason.  I forgot to cook the quinoa in broth.  And I don't understand what is meant by 1/2 a lime in the ingredients for the salad... I squeezed half a lime and used the juice in the salad. Plus I used the lime juice called for in the dressing.  I didn't have white wine vinegar, so used red.  I used maple syrup instead of honey, again because of my 1 year old.  I also ended up adding probably a whole tablespoon of maple syrup by the time it was all said and done.  Rather than drizzle the dressing, I just mixed it into the salad.  After eating this as a main dish, I think -- for me -- it would need to be a side dish if I ever made it again (which I won't -- see below).

 

Verdict:  Discard.  I did not enjoy this at all.  And maybe it was all the changes I made (though I didn't feel they were that drastic).  Or maybe I didn't have enough dressing (I doubled the salad, but not the dressing).  I taste-tested the dressing before adding it to the salad (and before adding more maple syrup) and it was way too vinegar/lime juice-y.  So I added more sweetener.  But I still was unimpressed.  I mean, it wasn't barf-inducing, but I am sad I have so much of it to have to eat.  And I won't be making it again.  I don't know what it was about it, but this definitely was not enjoyable to me.  We'll see what the husband says when he eats it tonight after work.

French's Slow Cooker Chicken

1/2 cup French's mustard
1/2 cup honey
2 pounds boneless chicken

Mix mustard and honey.  Pour over chicken in the crock pot.  Cover and cook on low 6 to 7 hours.

Personal Notes:  So this is super super easy.  And only 3 ingredients!  And not weirdo ingredients either.  Of course, I forgot to do the mixing step.  And the sauce was kind of thin, so I added about a tablespoon of cornstarch while letting it cool for a bit and whisked it in so it would mostly dissolve. 

Verdict: Discard.  We didn't really enjoy the flavor.  It's strong.  I give it an A for ease.  But definitely not something I'll make again.  I appreciated that it was so easy and that I had all the ingredients, and that I could do something fast and easy on a hot day in the crock pot :).  But it just wasn't delicious to us. 

I forgot to take a picture before storing the leftovers, so I'm sure the picture make it seem even less appetizing ;).

Black Bean and Spinach Burrito "Wraps"

6 cups fresh spinach, loosely packed
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice or Mexican rice
1/2 cups chopped romaine hearts lettuce
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup salsa or pico de gallo
6 tablespoons Greek yogurt
Kosher or sea salt to taste
6 wraps or tortillas, warmed

Place spinach in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped, or use a knife to finely chop the spinach.  In a large skillet over medium heat, add black beans and spinach.  Heat until spinach is wilted, approximately 3 minutes.

Layer spinach mixture, then rice, lettuce, cheese, salsa, yogurt onto tortilla.

Serves 4-6.

Original recipe from skinnyms.com

Personal Notes:  I forgot the lettuce.  Didn't even notice it was missing.  I used sour cream instead of Greek yogurt, because that's what I had.  I bought tortillas that come uncooked and I had to cook them before use.  They were awesome (brand: tortilla land).

Verdict:  Keep.  Easy to throw together and very filling (I only ate one).  Also pretty healthy and a great way to get spinach.

To warm tortillas, preheat oven to 300 degrees. Stack tortillas, wrap in foil, place on a cookie sheet and warm 15 minutes while preparing ingredients.

Place spinach in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped, or use a knife to dice leaves. In a large skillet turn to medium-heat, add black beans and spinach. Heat until spinach is wilted, approximately 3 minutes.

Evenly distribute spinach and bean mixture in the middle of the wraps (leaving about 2" on one end for folding), add 1/4 cup rice to each wrap, add lettuce, cheese, salsa and Greek yogurt evenly over wraps. Fold wraps over and under on the ends.

Read more at http://skinnyms.com/spinach-bean-burrito-wrap/#WtrZJCXbMoMwKPLQ.99

To warm tortillas, preheat oven to 300 degrees. Stack tortillas, wrap in foil, place on a cookie sheet and warm 15 minutes while preparing ingredients.

Place spinach in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped, or use a knife to dice leaves. In a large skillet turn to medium-heat, add black beans and spinach. Heat until spinach is wilted, approximately 3 minutes.

Evenly distribute spinach and bean mixture in the middle of the wraps (leaving about 2" on one end for folding), add 1/4 cup rice to each wrap, add lettuce, cheese, salsa and Greek yogurt evenly over wraps. Fold wraps over and under on the ends.

Read more at http://skinnyms.com/spinach-bean-burrito-wrap/#WtrZJCXbMoMwKPLQ.99

To warm tortillas, preheat oven to 300 degrees. Stack tortillas, wrap in foil, place on a cookie sheet and warm 15 minutes while preparing ingredients.

Place spinach in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped, or use a knife to dice leaves. In a large skillet turn to medium-heat, add black beans and spinach. Heat until spinach is wilted, approximately 3 minutes.

Evenly distribute spinach and bean mixture in the middle of the wraps (leaving about 2" on one end for folding), add 1/4 cup rice to each wrap, add lettuce, cheese, salsa and Greek yogurt evenly over wraps. Fold wraps over and under on the ends.

Read more at http://skinnyms.com/spinach-bean-burrito-wrap/#WtrZJCXbMoMwKPLQ.99

Foil-Pack Taco Chicken Dinner

4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves

4 teaspoons taco seasoning mix

2 cups thinly sliced peeled potatoes

1 cup shredded cheese

1/2 cup salsa

1/4 cup sour cream (optional)

 

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Sprinkle chicken evenly with seasoning mix.  Place 1/2 cup of the potatoes on center of each of 4 large sheets of aluminum foil; top each with 1 chicken breast, 1/4 cup of cheese and 2 tablespoons salsa.

2.  Bring up foil sides.  Double fold top and both ends to seal each packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside.  Place in single layer in 15x10x1-inch baking pan.

3.  Bake 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender.  Remove packets from oven.  Let stand 5 minutes.  Place 1 packet on each of 4 plates.  Cut slits in foil with sharp knife to release steam before opening.  Top each serving with 1 tablespoon of sour cream.

 

Recipe from kraftfoods.com

Personal Notes:  Because this is a Kraft recipe, the ingredients called for are all specific to their brand.  I just used what I had.  We eat meat, but not a lot of it, so I cut one large chicken breast in thirds and only made 3 foil packs.  I forgot to add the sour cream.  And I don't feel 25 minutes was sufficient time (for either the chicken or the potatoes).  I ended up finding that out after I opened mine to eat it.  I decided to put it back in (open) before eating any of it.  I put them in for another 15 minutes, making a total of 40.  And I had small pieces of chicken, so using a whole piece would, I think, definitely require more cook time.

Verdict:  Keep.  I liked the flavor, and it was easy.  I don't think it's something I'll make often, but I think it will be a fun every-once-in-a-while dinner.  And it may seem fun and exciting to kids as they get a little older.  So I'm always looking for fun and different things to do with my kids.