It’s so easy to get into a rut at lunchtime! The choices get old – a sandwich, a cup of soup. or a hot dog. One day when I was searching for lunch ideas, I found this recipe for Asian Chicken Wraps on the Weight Watchers site and I realized that I pretty much always have these ingredients on hand. I buy a rotisserie chicken from Sam’s Club every couple of weeks and cut the meat off the bones and freeze it. Then when I want to make anything with chicken breasts or thighs, it’s so convenient.
The ingredients for these wraps are few – thigh meat chicken, celery, carrots and Hoisin sauce. Eating them on lettuce makes them lighter, and the crunchy lettuce is perfect! Talk about a quick, healthy lunch menu!
I’m reposting this recipe again because my husband and I recently discovered a Honey-Lime Salad Dressing at Cheddar’s that is delicious and we now always order for our salad. I was so happy to remember that this Honey-Lime Dressing was here on my blog. It’s a perfect combination with this grilled chicken! I hope you’ll fire up the grill and try it!
I found this Grilled Chicken and Corn Salad in Rachel Ray’s Magazine and it called my name! It appealed to me for many reasons, but I’m bringing it to you for one reason – IT IS SOOOO GOOD! The kicker for me is the super simple Honey/Lime dressing that goes over the salad. I think I am done buying pre-made salad dressings! Homemade vinaigrettes are just so much better!
I grilled several pieces of chicken at once when I made this (more than I needed), so I could put the meat in other recipes through the week. It makes sense that if you’re going to heat up the grill to cook chicken, do extra and have it on hand for the week! I’ll share my other recipes at the end of this post. But first, here’s the delicious Grilled Chicken and Corn Salad…
Grilled Chicken and Corn Salad with Lime Dressing
1 cup heavy cream or Mexican crema
2 tablespoons chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, pureed or finely chopped This salad is wonderful witihout the Crema!
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken (breast or thigh)
2 large ears corn
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Juice of 2 limes (about 4 tbsp.)
2 teaspoons acacia honey or light agave
6 cups chopped romaine hearts
4 ounces Manchego cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler – I used a Mexican cheese blend
1 ripe Hass avocado, sliced and dressed with lemon or lime juice to slow browning
Directions
Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill over medium-high to high.
In a small saucepan, heat the cream and chipotle over low, stirring occasionally. Simmer until it thickens a bit, about 5 minutes. Keep warm.
Drizzle the chicken and corn with a little oil. Season with salt, pepper, thyme, oregano and cumin. Grill the chicken and corn until the chicken is cooked through and the corn is charred in spots, turning occasionally, 12 to 15 minutes. (If using a grill pan, cook the corn first.) Invert a small bowl in a large bowl. Place one corncob upright on top of the small bowl. Cut the kernels off the cob (they’ll fall into the big bowl). Repeat with the other corncob. Slice the chicken. Douse the chicken and corn with the juice of 1 lime.
Dressing: In a large bowl, whisk the juice of the remaining lime, the honey and 1/4 cup olive oil; season. Toss with the greens. Divide among plates; top with the cheese, chicken, corn, chipotle crema and avocado.
I also used the grilled chicken for this soup (with a few changes). I also cut the corn off the cob before adding it to the soup!
My husband used the grilled chicken and made us Quesadillas for lunch one day (isn’t he sweet?!). He added the chicken, tomatoes, and cheese and it made a great lunch dish!
So, do yourself a favor and make this Lime Dressing, if you don’t try anything else. Do yourself a second favor and fire up the grill and get some really flavorful meat in your fridge for the rest of the week!
What have you cooked up in your kitchen this week?
Chicken Pot Pie is one of those classic comfort foods in my book. I have made them for years with my homemade pie crusts and we love that version, but I’ve come across a recipe that is so savory and yet also reduced in fat, and so much faster! The answer to both less fat and less time comes in the form of a reduced-fat crescent roll! These make preparation so easy!
The filling for this pie can be changed to suit your family’s taste buds. The recipe calls for fresh mushrooms, which we loved in there, but if that’s not your jam, you can leave them out and use whatever veggies you love! Here’s the tasty recipe:
Ingredients
1 tsp Butter 1 small chopped onion 1 cup Sliced Mushrooms 1/4 tsp Paprika 1/4 tsp dried thyme 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 2 cups Frozen Mixed Vegetables 1 Cup chicken broth 3 Cups Cooked, chopped chicken breast (a rotisserie chicken is great for this!) 2 Tbl. flour 1/2 Cup Fat-free Evaporated milk 4 Reduced-fat Crescent rolls – I used all 8 that came in the can.
My big dish was rather shallow, so I put some of the filling in single serving bowls for another day.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Coat a 10-inch round shallow baking dish with cooking spray.
Coat a large pot with cooking spray. Add butter and melt over medium heat. Add onion and mushrooms and cook, until tender, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Stir in paprika, thyme, salt and pepper. Add vegetables, broth and chicken. Cover and simmer 15 minutes.
In a small cup, combine flour and 1/4 cup of evaporated milk; stir into chicken mixture. Cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/4 cup of evaporated milk and cook until mixture is slightly thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes more.
Spoon chicken mixture into prepared baking dish. Unroll crescent rolls and arrange dough around inside edge of baking dish to form a border (there will be a hole in the middle). Bake until rolls are golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 15 minutes. Cut into 6 pieces and serve.
Every bite was so savory!
My husband and I were both happy there were leftovers for another day. I popped the dish back into the oven so the crescent rolls would get crispy again. It was just as good the second time around!
Eating healthy is deliciously disguised in this comfort food makeover! I hope you’ll try this soon!
This summer my husband and I made a decision to lose a few pounds. Why? Tight jeans and increased numbers on the scale! We were serious and steadfast. However, that does not mean that we ate tuna fish and boiled eggs! We have eaten so many new recipes filled with delicious foods simply lightened up. We’ve eaten a lot of chicken, and today’s recipe might be my favorite! This recipe came from Skinny Taste, a great place for lightened up recipes and scrumptious food!
We loved this recipe because of the crispy chicken, but also the deconstructed guacamole on top. That simply means that instead of taking all the guacamole ingredients and blending them together, you toss them in a bowl and serve them over the chicken.
Deconstructed Guacamole
I made a couple changes to the original recipe – I coated the chicken with taco seasoning (I make my own), and I used Panko crumbs to give the chicken that lovely fried-taste!
One thing I love about healthy eating is how colorful the plate is! So many fruits on the plate make it pretty and healthy!
Here’s the recipe…
INGREDIENTS
For The Chicken:
2 8 ounce boneless chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites, beaten
Taco seasoning, homemade or packaged
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 -1/2 tbsp olive oil
For the Deconstructed Guacamole:
4 ounces avocado, from 1 small Hass
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup slivered red onion
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cumin
juice of 1/2 lime
INSTRUCTIONS
Season cutlets with salt. Place bread crumbs in a shallow bowl. In another bowl beat egg whites. Dip chicken cutlets in egg whites, then breadcrumb mixture, shaking off excess.
Heat a large nonstick frying pan on medium heat. Add the olive oil. When hot add the cutlets and cook about 6 minutes on each side, until golden brown and cooked through.
In a large bowl combine the avocado, red onion, tomato, salt, pepper, cumin, and lime juice. Gently toss and serve over the chicken with additional lime wedges, if desired.
That chicken, that topping – yum!!
Does that look like diet food? I don’t think so! But it was. More later this week about how we lost the pounds slowly and wisely.
No one in my family is Gluten-Free, but I have friends who are, so I’ve been pinning GF recipes on Pinterest. Some recipes are just plain strange, but when I found this White Chicken Chili, I knew it would be good! It was so delicious and had NO SPECIAL INGREDIENTS in it. You simply substitute coconut milk for the regular milk and corn starch for flour. This is so good with the thighs, too, but of course, you could use white meat. I will make this again, not just for my GF friends, but for anyone who wants a delicious bowl of hearty, tasty soup!
Here’s the simple recipe:
Slow Cooker Gluten-Free White Chicken Chili
2.5lbsBoneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs
3cansGreat Northern beans
28 oz CansDiced Green Chilies
1Very largeYellow Oniondiced
1TblGarlicminced
2tspCumin
1tspChili Powder
1/4tspWhite Pepper
1TblCoarse Real Salt
2CupsChicken Broth
1CupCoconut Milk (unsweetened)
1/4CupArrowroot Starch or cornstarch (I used cornstarch)
Place the chicken thighs, beans, chilies, onion, garlic, cumin, chili powder, pepper, salt, chicken broth, and coconut milk in a crock pot. Cook on high for 5-6 hours, or until chicken is very tender.
Remove the chicken and place in a bowl. Lightly shred with a fork.
Place the arrowroot starch in a small bowl and slowly whisk in the 1/2 C. water to make a smooth, lump-free mixture. Stir the mixture into the chili in the crock pot.
Add the chicken back into the chili and stir to distribute. Let cook for another 30 minutes. Soup should thicken up.
Add the cilantro to the soup just before serving and check the seasonings, adding more salt or pepper if desired. If you want the soup to be a little thinner, add more chicken broth or coconut milk until desired consistency is achieved.
Top with a squeeze of lime juice.
Now how about a tasty little sweet ending for this meal or a nice snack that’s also Gluten-Free? This tastes like real food ! We loved these, and they whip up in minutes!
Cashew-Coconut Bites
Ingredients
1 Cup Cashew – salted
1 Cup dates
1 Cup unsweetened Coconut
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbl Almond Butter
Instructions
Process dates in a food processor fit with “S” blade until crumbly.
Add coconut, cashews, vanilla and salt and process until well blended and fine.
Add almond butter and process until mixture starts balling up or sticking together.
RefreshHer 