Olive Garden Protein Pasta

 Serves 6-8

From Zac Coens YouTube channel:

1.5- 2 pounds chicken breasts, diced

16 oz light Olive Garden dressing

1 TBSP garlic powder

1 TBSP onion powder

1 tsp paprika 

1 tsp oregano

Salt and pepper

8 oz Cream Cheese (Greek cream cheese if you can find it) 

14.5 oz Protein Penne

5 oz baby spinach

Place chicken in crock pot. Combine spices with dressing and pour over chicken. Dice cream cheese into 8 blocks and place blocks on top of chicken and dressing. Place lid on crock pot and cook on low 4 hours. When it’s almost time to eat, boil pasta. While pasta is cooking remove lid from chicken, stir cream cheese into mixture, then pour in the spinach and let wilt and cook while pasta is cooking. Once pasta is cooked, drain and stir into crockpot. Mix thoroughly then serve. 

Rotisserie Chicken, a dozen ways

So, today I have a leftover Rotisserie chicken. Yes, a whole one. Sam's sells them for $5, so I always buy 2. I usually use the 2nd one for chicken salad for sandwiches, but wasn't in a chicken salad mood (AND had nothing planned for dinner tonight so I needed it anyway). I posed the question on facebook: What should I do for dinner with leftover rotisserie chicken. Holy cow. Got quite a response. I will link to a recipe if I have one!

• Chicken Spaghetti
• Tortilla Soup
• Quesadillas
• Chicken Sour Cream Enchiladas (okay, who am I? Betty Crocker? What the heck?)
• Chicken Pot Pie
• Chicken salad
• Fettucini Alfredo
• Chicks-in-a-blanket (I made that name up -- chicken w/ grated cheese wrapped in crescent rolls cooked according to directions)
• Etouffe' (again... Betty Crocker? What?)
• Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup
• Chicken Tacos
• Chicken and Dumplings
• Fajitas
• Paninis

So, what are you waiting for? Get cooking!

Tortilla Soup II

SuperMom already posted one Tortilla Soup recipe. Mine is a hair different (minus the hair, though I was served Tortilla Soup with hair in it at a very fancy local restaurant when my husband came here to interview for his job, though that is an entirely different story).

Start your can opener:

2 cans cooked chicken or 4 cooked chicken breasts
2 cans chicken broth
1 can Ro-Tel
1 can Whole Kernel corn, drained
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can Ranch Style Beans
1 can Enchilada sauce
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Combine and heat (hello, Crock Pot). Serve with grated cheese, tortilla chips, avocado slices, and sour cream. And... if you are really feeling fancy, jalapeno cornbread muffins.

Updated so that I will remember this next time: Sarah, a double recipe of this does NOT fit in your 6 qt. crock pot. Here is what you do: pour everything except the chicken into the lg. crock pot. Cook the chicken (frozen as it can be) in smaller crock pot. Pause to give thanks for crock-pot liners. Once chicken is cooked and after soup has cooked a while, ladle some of the soup into smaller crock pot while you dice chicken. Divide chicken between two crock-pots.

Easy Special Sandwiches

I saw that my friend Judy had shared this recipe with someone on Facebook.

Totally ripped it off and slapped it up here on the blog!

Remind me that it's here (why, oh why, did the font just get smaller and I can't do a darn thing about it? Blogger makes me cuckoo!) Won't this be great with soups in winter and fall?

24 rolls (I like the Hawaiian brand)

deli meat of choice – I use three different kinds
cheese of choice

Marinade
½ stick melted butter
1/4t Worcestershire
1/4t poppy seeds
3/4t dry mustard
1 1/2t dry minced onion

Cut rolls in half, making a top and a bottom, like a sandwich
Place bottoms in 9x13 pan
Layer with your selection of meats and cheeses
Place the tops on each one
Prepare Marinade
Pour marinade over sandwiches
Refrigerate 2 hrs or overnight
Bake @ 350 for 15 minutes
Slice rolls apart & Enjoy!

Purple Chicken

I think this has some other name -- citrus chicken, maybe -- but at my house we call it purple chicken because the chicken comes out ACU purple! We feel very wildcat-ish when we eat it... :-)
Everyone in my family LOVES this chicken -- it just has a very good flavor. AND... it's VERY healthy! Those two things rarely combine at my house!

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup red wine (you can use red wine vinegar, but I don't recommend it)
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup lemon juice (I use concentrate)
grated orange peel
grated lemon peel
2 TBSP. cilantro (I use fresh -- my favorite ingredient ever!)
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano leaves
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients. Marinate at least two hours (I usually try to marinate overnight -- also enhances the purple-ness... :-). Bake at 375* for 30-45 minutes, brushing with marinade every 10-15 minutes. (I add cilantro leaves on top when I put it in the oven).

Spaghetti in Muffin Cups

If I re-printed the recipe here, you would think it was mine. And it SO isn't.

So go here, and see a fabulous (and EASY) way to make plain ol' spaghetti seem like a big deal!

Sarah's Kick-Butt Homemade Pizza

This really isn't MY recipe -- I got it from this blog -- but I shared the info with all of my friends and referred to it as "Sarah's Kick-Butt Homemade Pizza". It works!

1 pkg. Quick Rise dry yeast (Red Star)
1 c. lukewarm water
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tbsp. honey
2 1/2 c. flour
(I add about 1/2 TBSP. salt, also).
Mix yeast in water , then add other ingredients. Mix well by hand. Cover with dishtowel and let sit in bowl for 5-10 minutes.

Flatten on greased pan. Add your own toppings. Bake at 450 degrees for about 12 minutes.

Cowboy Pot Roast

1 1/2 t. salt, divided
1 1/2 t. pepper, divided
1 (14.5 oz) can petite-cut diced tomatoes, drained
1 can Rotel
1 onion, cut into wedges
1 T. chili powder
1 (2 1/2 to 3 lb) eye of round roast, trimmed (I use what was on sale!)
2 T. veggie oil
2 cans of Pinto beans, drained
1 can of Black beans, drained

Combine 1 t. salt, 1 t. pepper, and next 4 ingredients in bowl.Sprinkle reast evenly w/remaining salt and pepper. Brown roast on all sides in hot oil.
Transfer roast to a crock pot. Pour tomatoe mixture over roast. Cover and cook on HIGH 5 to 6 hours.
Remove roast from the slow cooker and cut into large chunks; keep warm
Skim the fat from the crock pot. Mash 1 1/2 cans pinto beans and add to the crock pot. Stir in black beans and remaining pintos. Add the roast pieces back to the crock pot; cover and cook on HIGH 20 to 25 more minutes. Top w/jalapenos, if desired.

Now add some cornbread - if ya know what's good for ya!

Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken

I got this from the Flylady website. So easy and DELICIOUS!

Put 1 or 2 whole chickens in the crockpot and sprinkle them with Lemon Pepper seasoning. Cook them on high 6-7 hours, or low 8-10 hours.

Hawaiian Roll Sandwiches

This recipe is from Rene Owens and she served these in our potluck last night. They are so yummy, my kids will go crazy over these. O.k. they are not real low fat, but they are worth the splurge.

Hawaiian Roll Sandwiches

2 Pkg. Hawaiian Rolls
1 1/2 lbs. Thin Sliced Ham or Roast Beef
10 Slices Swiss Cheese or American Cheese

Slice rolls in one piece all the way across to make a top and bottom layer. Place meat and cheese on bottom layer.

Sauce:
1 stick butter
3/4 tsp. Worcestershire
1 1/2 Tblsp. Brown or Regular Dry Mustard
1 1/2 Tblsp. Poppy Seed
1 Tblsp. Onion Flakes

Melt, mix, and pour 3/4 of sauce over meat and cheese on sandwiches. Replace the top of the sandwiches. Pour the rest of the sauce over the top of the sandwiches. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Cut into squares and serve warm.

Easy "Beck" Chicken

2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup, Healthy Request works great
1/2 soup can full of water
4-6 chicken breasts
1 or 2 cans of canned biscuits, baked

Place chicken breasts in crock pot, pour mixture of soup and 1/2 can of water over the top. Cover and cook. I use frozen chicken breasts, cook on low, and it takes about 8 hours. (Cook the chicken until it can be shredded with a fork) Take a fork and shred up the chicken in the crock pot and serve with the sauce over biscuits. Salt to taste.
This was so easy. My whole family liked it, I served it with veggies. You could mix stuff in, like veggies, and make it an all in one meal. Thanks to Jana Beck for this recipe, it's a household favorite.

Simple Chicken Cordon Bleu

This is my current favorite. Sounds fancy, but very simple. My little picky eaters like it, too. I haven't had great luck getting the sauce to thicken up, but it tastes really good, so nobody seems to mind if it's a bit runny.

Simple Chicken Cordon Bleu

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
4 slices Swiss or Provolone cheese
4 thin slices smoked ham
1/4 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
4 tbs. butter
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup whipping cream
oregano, garlic, salt and pepper to taste

Pound chicken breast to 1/4-inch thickness. Sprinkle each piece on both sides with salt and pepper. Place 1 cheese slice and 1 ham slice on each breast. Roll up each breast using toothpicks to secure if necessary. Dredge each in flour, shake off excess, then in egg and finally in bread crumbs. Place seam side down in baking dish that has been sprayed with Pam. Place 1 tablespoon butter on each piece of chicken. Bake at 350 degrees fro 35 minutes or until juices run clear (It's been my experience that it can take up to an hour to cook if you don't get the chicken thin enough). Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine broth and whipping cream; season to taste with salt, pepper, garlic and oregano. Simmer on low, stirring until thickened. Pour over chicken.

Chicken and Rice

by Tammy

1 box of Uncle Ben's Fast Cook Long Grain Rice
2 cups cooked diced chicken
1 can of golden mushroom soup
1/2 soup can of water.

Mix up uncooked rice, soup, water then mix in the chicken. Put in a 9x9 pan and cook for about 45 minutes at 350.

This is my absolute favorite chicken and rice recipe. I tweaked it from my 4 ingredient cook book. For my family I double the recipe and bake it in a 9x13 pan. Easy and very yummy.

Lemon Pepper Chicken

4-6 chicken breasts
1/2 c. melted margarine
1/2 cup soy sauce
Lemon Pepper
Bake 350 degrees, covered1 hour
This comes from my 4 ingredient cookbook and it is so yummy. The sauce that the chicken cooks in tastes like the dipping sauce for lettuce wraps. We served it with rice and put some extra sauce on the rice too!

from Tammy

MawMaw's Spaghetti

by Anne Jones
Great Recipe...we call it "MawMaw's Spagetti" b/c my MawMaw always made it and we have no idea where the recipe originally came from.

In skillet, saute hamburger meat just like you would for spagetti.In a saucepan add 1/2 block of Velveeta cheese(chop it up so it will melt faster), 1 can cream of mushroom soup, and one can of tomato soup. I like to also add extra mushrooms, but not everyone likes mushrooms!
Heat until all melted and blended together.
Boil pasta, and add sause and meat! Voila!

Awesome MawMaw's spagetti! We love it, especially with toast instead of garlic bread! yeah, we are cheap! :)Enjoy!

Chicken and Rice

My family LOVED MawMaw's spaghetti!
Now here is one of our favorites and it freezes beautifully.
Chicken and Rice
2 (6.2-ounce) packages fast-cooking long-grain and wild rice mix
2 (10 1/2-ounce) cans low-sodium chicken broth
1 (8-ounce) package fresh mushroom slices
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
2/3 cup (reduced fat or no fat)Italian dressing
1 (8-ounce) container lite sour cream
Cook rice in a large saucepan according to package directions, using 2 cans chicken broth instead of water. Add mushrooms before the last 5 minutes. Stir in chicken, dressing, and sour cream; spoon into a lightly greased 2-quart baking dish. Bake at 325° for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Let stand 10 minutes.
Robyn

Penne Pasta

I didn't realize that I have already posted this recipe here. But on this post I will alter it for freezing. It is SO easy to make, and SO easy to double that I freeze half of the sauce and then only have to boil some noodles later.

I used to make this ALL the time -- super easy to throw together, and, yes, my kids actually eat zuchini AND red bell peppers in this! (Thrifty hint -- buy red bell peppers when they are on sale. Not on sale they can run up to $2/each! Keep them in the freezer, then just slice them frozen with a good knife)

1 pound Italian sausage
2 garlic clove, minced
1 large zuchini, diced
1 largered bell pepper, diced
1 c. mushrooms, sliced
1 c. frozen peas
1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes, Italian style
1/2 lb. penne pasta, prepared as directed
4 oz. sour cream

Brown sausage in large 10"-12" skillet. Add garlic clove, saute' for 30-60 seconds (I think the original recipe called for onions, too -- but we're not big on onions here). Add all other veggies and continue to saute' until 'crisp-tender', about 5 minutes. Add can of diced tomatoes, cover and simmer for 20 minutes (while this is simmering, you can be boiling your penne pasta). At this point I divide the sauce in half. I let one half cool and later pour into a gallon-size Ziploc bag. The other half I continue as follows: Stir in cooked pasta (at this point I have to transfer it all to the pasta pot, running out of room in my skillet) then the sour cream until hot. When you thaw and heat the sauce next time, you will (again) need 1/2 lb. penne pasta (I let the sauce heat in a skillet while the pasta boils) and the 4 oz. sour cream. Easy dish from the freezer -- no chopping this time!

Poppy Seed Chicken

Denise Waldrop

I know you already make this but for the 1 person who doesn't...

2(or 3)chicken breasts, cooked and
cut into pieces
8 oz. light or fat-free sour cream
1 can fat-free cream of chicken soup
2(or 3) T. poppy seeds
1 sleeve buttery crackers, crushed(Ritz)
2 T. butter or margarine

combine sour cream, soup, and poppy seeds in a small baking dish. I use an 8 in square size.
Mix in Chicken and top w/crackers. Dot w/butter and bake at 350 for 30 min
Serve over rice. Even Abbie will eat it :)

7/08/2005 9:35 AM

Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie

Fast quick and easily made with reduced fat ingredients!

1 pound lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
1/2 cup Original Bisquick® mix
1 cup milk
2 eggs


1. Heat oven to 400°F. Grease 9-inch pie plate. Cook beef and onion until beef is brown; drain. Spread in pie plate; sprinkle with salt and cheese.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients until blended. Pour into pie plate.
3. Bake about 25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes.

Happy Eating
Robyn

6/29/2005 2:30 PM

Tater Tot Casserole

72 tater tots
1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 can lowfat cream of chicken soup
1 can lowfat cream of mushroom soup
3/4 cup Kraft 2% shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350

Brown ground beef and drain. Add in soup. Spray a 9 x 13 pan with Pam & arrange tater tots in a single layer on the bottom. Top with beef/soup mix, spread cheese on top. Bake for 30 minutes.
Makes 12 servings and is 4.5 Weight Watcher points a serving
Karene

6/2/2005 9:33 PM