White Bean Soup

White Bean Soup
*Just toss a 1 lb bag of dry white beans in the crock pot and cover with enough water to rise 2 inches above the beans. 
*Add in 2 C cooked shredded chicken, 2 tsp cumin, 2 tsp salt, 2 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp Cajun spice. Cook on medium for 6-8 hours. 
*1 hour before eating add in 1 can of Rotel and 4 C chicken broth.
*It is delicious... especially if you add a sprinkle of cheese to it:)

Chopped Chicken Salad

This is an awesome recipe that is THM (Trim Healthy Mama or, in Drew's case, Man;) approved... this is a diet that Drew and I have been doing off and on for the last little while but we are now ready to get back on it:) And this is delicious!!! A perfect meal for co-op days:)

Chopped Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
• 2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed (I use a rotisserie chicken)
• 3/4 cup raw cashews, roughly chopped
• 1/4 Granny Smith apple, diced
• 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded or diced in small cubes
• 4 ribs celery, diced
• 1/2 medium red onion, diced
• 5 drops Tabasco sauce, or more to taste
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Dill weed and basil, fresh or dried to taste
• 1/4-1/3cup mayonnaise (or to taste)

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, save mayo for last - use just enough to moisten. Can eat immediately or chill first, stays good in fridge about 2 days. Tastes great as is with a fork, no need for bread, wrap or crackers.

Stuffed Mexican Chicken Shells

These were super yummy and were introduced to me by my sister-in-law, Tamara Greenwood, from the six sisters blog. She made them for us after Thomas was born while we, crazy as we are, decided to move to our new house when he was a month old. Pretty awesome sister-in-law!! Anyway, they were super yummy. We liked them with a scoop of guacamole on top. Freezable!

 

4 cups chicken breast, cooked and diced
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
6 green onions, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
3 (8 oz.) blocks cream cheese, softened (not melted)
2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes with chiles, undrained (Rotel or store brand)
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 tsp cumin
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups salsa
40 large pasta shells

Cook pasta shells in well salted, boiling water until al dente (still have a little bite to them- if you cook them too long, they will be difficult to stuff). Drain the pasta and set aside while you make the filling.
For the filling, add diced chicken, drained black beans, green onions, diced peppers, and cumin into a  large mixing bowl. Mix well.
In a separate bowl, mix the cream cheese, chicken broth and undrained tomatoes with chiles. When thoroughly combined, pour it over the chicken mixture and mix well (if you have trouble incorporating the cream cheese and tomatoes, you can heat it slightly in the microwave).
You will need either 2 13x9" baking pans OR one large baking sheet. Spread 3/4 cup salsa in the bottom of each 13x9" baking pan.
Using a spoon, fill each of your cooked pasta shells with chicken mixture, setting them into the salsa-covered pan. Continue until all shells are filled and arranged in the pans.
When the pans are full, drizzle the shells with the remaining 1/2 cup of salsa (1/4 cup per pan) and then sprinkle with the shredded cheddar cheese.
Cover the baking pan tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

*I did have about 1 1/2 cups of the chicken mixture leftover- we just wrapped it up in flour tortillas for lunch the next day and it was delicious!
(I put one pan in the oven to bake for dinner and then wrapped the other uncooked pan with foil and threw it in the freezer for another night. When you are ready to eat it, pull it out of the freezer 24 hours in advance and let it thaw in the fridge. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes)

Fried Chicken

A yummy recipe for The Best Ever Chicken Nuggets...
vegetable oil

4 cups all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons garlic salt
3 tablespoons ground black pepper
4 eggs, beaten
8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into small chunks

1.Heat 1 inch oil to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) in a large skillet or saucepan.
2.Stir together the flour, garlic salt, and pepper in a bowl. Dip the chicken pieces individually into the beaten eggs before pressing into the flour mixture to coat; shake off the excess flour. Place the coated chicken pieces onto a plate until all the chicken has been coated.
3.Cook the chicken in batches in the hot oil until golden brown and no longer pink in the center. Enjoy!!!

Caribbean Jerk Chicken Freezer Recipe

This is by far the most yummy chicken marinade that I've ever had. We do two different things with this. We'll cook up a lot of chicken cubed and then use it up in stir fries or rice or pasta dishes or we'll just put the raw chicken into a marinade and then grill it. The grill version seems to be the preferred. :)

2 1/2 lbs chicken pieces
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp ground red pepper flakes
1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix

Combine ingredients except chicken in a small bowl. Add chicken to a freezer bag, then add Caribbean Jerk mixture. Carefully move the chicken around so it is thoroughly coated, then freeze.

On cooking day, thaw in refrigerator and remove chicken pieces, disposing of the leftover marinade. Barbeque on a grill or bake in a 375 oven for approx 60 minutes (may vary depending on which chicken pieces are used.

Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

This is my variation on a chicken pot pie. It is basically a chicken pot pie filling with a biscuit topper. Yummers. This is a really good biscuit recipe just to use for biscuits, too.

I use the boneless, skinless chicken breast tender pieces that come frozen in a bag. Abt 10 of those that probably works out to about 3-4 cups of cooked chopped chicken. I cook this in olive oil and season it with ground pepper and kosher salt. Cook until browned.

1, 16 oz bag of frozen peas and carrots, thawed.
1, 10.75 oz can of cream of onion
1, 10.75 oz can of cream of chicken

Mix that all together and that makes up the filling.

Biscuit topper:

In a large bowl whisk together 2 1/2 cups of flour, 2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Cut in one, cold, cubed stick of butter. Then, using your hands, add 3/4 cup of milk and one large egg lightly beaten. Work together with your hands until its a nice dough. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and sprinkle flour lightly over the top and using your rolling pin, roll dough out into a rectangular shape to fit your pan.

Brush the top with an egg wash. (1 egg and 1 tablespoon milk beaten together)

I use a 10x5 casserole dish and this fits perfectly. You could add a bit more filling stuff and it could be made bigger. The biscuit recipe would fit well to up to 13x9. Bake at 400 degrees for about 35-45 minutes. Super good.

Stove Top Easy Chicken Bake

Easy... Easy... Easy... that is about all I can say about this dish:) Other than it was delicious:)

Stove Top Easy Chicken Bake
1 pkg. Stuffing Mix for Chicken (generic is fine)
1-1/2 lbs. boneless, chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 can (10 3/4oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
1/3 c sour cream
1 bag (16oz) frozen mixed veggies, thawed, drained

~Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare stuffing as directed on pkg; set aside.
~Mix chicken, soup, sour cream and vegetables in a 13x9 baking dish; top with stuffing.
~Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Makes 6 servings (this fed all eight of us and we had some leftovers:)

*You can freeze this... just thaw before you bake it:)

Farmhouse Chicken

This is a yummy dish... it is basically chicken in a white, cream sauce with stuffing on top:)

Farmhouse Chicken

4T butter
4T flour
2 cups milk
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 sm onion, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
12 oz. pkg of stuffing mix

~Saute onion, and prepare stuffing mix according to pkg. directions and set aside.
~In a medium sauce pan, melt butter and then add flour. Stir until bubbly, then cook one minute. Slowly add in milk, stirring continually to avoid lumps.
~Add chicken, onion, salt and pepper. Cook and stir for 5-10 minutes, until chicken is done.
~Pour mixture into an 8x8 casserole dish. Top with stuffing. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

*You can freeze this for a later date... just thaw first:)

Chicken Tater Bake

This recipe is another kid pleasing meal... what kid doesn't like tater tots?!? And what mom does not like only having to dirt the kitchen once for two meals- one of them goes in the freezer to be used during one of those chaotic times in every mom's life.

Chicken Tater Bake
Prep: 20 min. Bake: 40 min.

2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, cubed
3 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 package (16 ounces) frozen peas and carrots, thawed
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 package (32 ounces) frozen Tater Tots

~In a large saucepan, combine the soup, milk and butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until heated through. Remove from the heat; stir in the chicken, peas and carrots, and 1 cup cheese. ~Transfer to two greased 8-in. square baking dishes. Top with Tater Tots; sprinkle with remaining cheese.
~Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Cover and bake the remaining casserole at 350° for 35 minutes. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until heated through. To use frozen casserole: Remove from the freezer 30 minutes before baking (do not thaw). Cover and bake at 350° for 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 hours or until heated through. Yield: 2 casseroles (6 servings each).

Chicken Potpies

Here is a wonderfully, delicious recipe from Taste of Home's Simple and Delicious magazine. This is one of those meals that your children will love- especially when you tell them they get to eat pie for supper:)

Chicken Potpie
4 cups cubed cooked chicken
4 cups frozen Southern-style hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 pkg (16 oz) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed & drained (if needed)
1 can (10-3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 can (10-3/4 oz) condensed cream of onion soup, undiluted
1 cup milk
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
2 Tbls flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 pkg (15 oz) refrigerated pie crust

~In a large bowl, combine the first 11 ingredients. Divide between two 9-in. deep-dish pie plates. Place crust over filling; trim, seal and flute the edges. Cut slits in the top of each pie.

~Cover and freeze one potpie for up to 3 months. Cover and bake the remaining pie at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown on a baking sheet.

*To use the frozen potpie: DO NOT PRE-THAW. Cover edges loosely with foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees; remove foil and bake an additional 50-55 minutes or until golden brown.