Ranch Chicken Enchiladas

Tonight for dinner we tried Ranch Chicken Enchiladas that I found on Pinterest.  I threw the frozen chicken 

in the crockpot this morning and it was ready to shred this afternoon.  The enchiladas were delicious!!!  I used a medium salsa so they were mildly spicy.  If you want them really mild I would use a mild salsa.  I served them with a rice pilaf.   This is a great new recipe to add to my enchilada recipes!!  Ben hasn't tried them yet as he was helping a friend this evening...I know he will love them though!  

Me: 8.5

Jake: 9

Ryan: 8.5

Josh: 8

INGREDIENTS

• 3-4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 1 package chicken taco seasoning
• 1 package ranch dry salad dressing
• ½ cup bottled ranch
• ½ cup salsa
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 can chicken broth
• 1 package white flour tortillas

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cook and shred the chicken. I cooked mine in the slow cooker with the ranch packet and taco seasoning packages in the chicken broth. The chicken just peeled apart. I cooked it on low for about 3-4 hours.
2. Mix the ½ cup of ranch and ½ salsa in a bowl. Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray and spread a very thin layer of the mixture on the bottom.
3. Start assembling the enchiladas by putting 2 Tbs of the ranch and salsa mixture on the bottom of tortilla. Then put the shredded chicken on top of that. Sprinkle with cheese and roll it up.
4. Line up the enchiladas in the 9×13 pan and sprinkle heavily with the cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and enchiladas are heated through.
5. Drizzle the top with ranch and enjoy!

Cupcake Brownies

On Sundays, I like to make dessert.  I found a great recipe that is awesome because one cupcake is only 77 calories!!!!  Seriously, how great is that?  The little dollup on top of canned whipping cream only adds about 15 calories.  Cupcake Brownies won't ruin the diet, but will fix a sweet tooth!

Ingredients:

Servings:
12

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, plus
1 tablespoon brown sugar, firmly packed
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons margarine, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt.

In a second bowl stir together remaining ingredients.

Pour water mixture over flour mixture and,.

Stir until batter is smooth.

Pour into a nonstick 12 hole muffin tin coated with cooking spray.

Filling until half full.

Bake until toothpick inserted in center of cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes.

Remove from oven.

Let stand 5 minutes then turn out onto rack to cool.

Read more: <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/cupcake-brownies-ww-97952?oc=linkback">http://www.food.com/recipe/cupcake-brownies-ww-97952?oc=linkback</a>

Weight Watcher's Chicken and Cheese Casserole

I am so excited about some of the really great recipes I have found from Weight Watchers.  As I have said before, if it tastes diet, I don't want it!  I came across this Casserole that you would never guess is a Weight Watcher's recipe.  Chicken and Cheese Casserole is warm, delicious comfort food.  We had this for dinner tonight, and it was another hit.  Yea for healthy, low calorie meals that fill you up!!



Servings:
8
Ingredients:

2 cups cooked macaroni
2 cups chicken breasts, chopped
2 cups cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
2 cups skim milk
8 ounces low-fat cheddar cheese
Directions:


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large casserole, combine all ingredients, mixing well.

Bake,covered, 35-45 minutes.

Remove cover; bake 10-15 minutes longer.

Serve immediately

Read more: <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/weight-watchers-chicken-and-cheese-casserole-158634?oc=linkback">http://www.food.com/recipe/weight-watchers-chicken-and-cheese-casserole-158634?oc=linkback</a>

Parmesan Vegetables

Are you wondering what to do with all those summer vegetables you have growing in your garden?  These Parmesan Vegetables are delicious!  All you do is slice zucchini, and yellow squash, place on a foil lined baking sheet that has been lightly sprayed with no-stick spray, lightly spray your vegetables with olive or canola oil, and sprinkle Parmesan on top.  Broil until cheese has melted.  If you want them crispy, keep under the broiler until lightly browned.

Chicken Spaghetti

We tried this recipe tonight for dinner.  It is called Chicken Spaghetti and it was fabulous.  Really, this doesn't taste low calorie at all, yet it is.   The entire 9 x 13 pan was 1570 calories...and between 4 of us we only ate half the pan.  Ryan's friend was over and wanted seconds!  This is another recipe that I will definitely make again...and not just when we are watching our calories.  Believe me, I hate recipes that taste low fat and low calorie...I would rather not eat.  This was so full of flavor!!!  It will be great for lunch tomorrow.

Chicken Spaghetti 

Ingredients

*8 ounces cooked chicken shredded

*3 cups cooked spaghetti- 4 1/2 oz dry
*4 ounces Velveeta Light
*1 can of rotel
*1 can 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom Soup
*1/2 cup chopped onions
*1/2 cup green bell pepper chopped

Directions

1. Cook chicken. You can either use rotisserie chicken or boil your own. Shred after cool. Cook spaghetti noodles according to box directions but add the chopped green pepper in the saucepan with the noodles while cooking.

2. In a large sauce pan over MEDIUM heat mix Velveeta, soup, and rotel. Make sure not to turn on too high because the velveeta will burn on the bottom of the sauce pan. Add the remaining ingredients after the cheese has melted in with the soup and rotel.

3. Pour the mixture into a 9x13 pan, cover with foil and cook until heated through (about 10-15 min at 450.)

Mexican Casserole

I know this is a pretty horrible picture...but it was taken with my phone, and it's not a "smart" phone, so no fancy pics.  We have started "healthy eating" AGAIN.  I personally would rather eat a little bit of something that tastes filling and rich, than a lot of something that has that "diet" taste.  I have been trying out some healthy, low calorie, and low fat meals that I think (by looking at the ingredients) will have the real food taste. This recipe for, Mexican Casserole was delicious!  Everyone in the family enjoyed it and it was very filling.  It also tasted great heated up the next few days for lunch.  This is definitely a keeper and I would actually make  this when we aren't trying to shed a few pounds.

Swig Sugar Cookies

I found this recipe for Swig Sugar Cookies on Pinterest.  These cookies looked amazing and the pinner said these were the best sugar cookies ever.  Swig's is a little place down in St. George, Utah.  Anyway, I am always looking for the very best recipes so I gave these a go.
Taste is a very subjective thing...Ryan took a bite and said these were the WORST sugar cookies he had ever tasted in his life.  I took a bite and I thought, "Hmmm...these are a little different."  The icing is a sour cream frosting so it has a kind of "twang" to it.  The first cookie I ate I loved the cookie part (absolutely delicious!), but I wasn't so sure on the frosting.  I tried another cookie later that evening when the cookie had been in the refrigerator (they say the cookie should be cold).  It totally grew on me.  This morning, yes, I ate one more, and I loved it!  So, if you don't love them at first, they do grow on you.  I think that if you have children they may enjoy the cookie better with a regular buttercream or even a cream cheese frosting.  Jake was only "so so" on the icing too...but we adults liked the not overly sweet, tangy flavor.
********UPDATE:  Ryan now LOVES these cookies.  He likes them when they are cold and he now likes the frosting.  This cookie truly does grow on you!!!!
Ben: 8
Becky: 8
Jake: "They're okay"
Ryan:  "Worst sugar cookie I've ever had in my life" ....after 2nd cookie, he says they aren't so bad :)

Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta

Okay, so I know this is a lame picture...oh well....but don't let the picture fool you.  This Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta is AMAZING!!!!  I took a recipe off of Pinterest and tweaked it to what I had in my pantry.  The result was a delicious pasta recipe....and my family would agree it is way better than anything you would get at Olive Garden.  

Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta

Alfredo Tomato Sauce:

1 stick of Butter

2 tsp. garlic

1 pt. Heavy Cream (or use half and half to save the calories)

1 C. Parmesan Cheese shredded

2 TBLS Cream Cheese

1/2 tsp salt and pepper

1 10 oz. can Diced tomatoes with green chiles

2 Tbls. Fresh chopped basil

Pasta:

16 oz. of bow tie or any kind of your favorite pasta (I used what I had on hand...I don't remember what it was called but it worked great)

 Melt the butter and add garlic...then add the heavy cream, parmesan cheese, cream cheese, salt and pepper.  Keep on a low heat and let cook for a few minutes.  Then add 1/2 can of a 10 oz. can of Diced tomatoes with green chiles (you can add more of the tomatoes, but the more you add the more spicy it will be).  

Ben: 10

Becky: 9.5

Jake: 9.5

Ryan: 9

Paula Dean's Crockpot Potato Soup

Paula Dean's Crockpot Potato Soup  This soup looked pretty good and I had the makings so I decided to give it a try.  It is really tasty and has so few ingredients! It's one of those great crockpot recipes where you just throw in the stuff and later on in the day you have a delicious and filling dinner.  I love the crockpot!!  If you have ever been to Cowboy Grub and had their Potato Cheese Soup, this is really close.  It's Jake's favorite soup and I was excited to find a recipe that is pretty darn close.  I added a little combo of Monterey Jack and Cheddar Cheese on the top.  This will be a great recipe come fall and winter.  Jake and I are the only ones home, so you'll only get our ratings for this recipe.

Jake: 9
Becky: 8.5

Bird's Nest Pie.....

This is the ultimate comfort food.  Warm, filling, and absolutely DELICIOUS!!!!  It is way better than plain old spaghetti or lasagna.  In fact, this is my family's favorite meal.  I highly recommend doubling the recipe and freezing the 2nd portion in a disposable pan.  This meal is a hit anywhere I take it....and it is the one recipe that scores straight 10's with the whole family!
Bird's Nest Pie
8 oz. spaghetti noodles
2 eggs beaten
1/3 C. Parmesan cheese
3 TBLS. melted butter
1 TBLS. parsley flakes
1 C. sour cream (I use the light sour cream and you can't tell)
4 oz.  softened cream cheese
1 lb. Italian sausage
1/2 C. chopped onion
6 oz. can Italian tomato paste
1 C. water
1 C. Mozzarella cheese

Cook spaghetti noodles in salted water.  Drain.  Mix warm spaghetti with eggs, Parmesan cheese, butter and parsley.  Press into greased pie plate or 9x13 pan.  Mix sour cream and cream cheese together.  Spread on top of spaghetti crust.  Sprinkle with Mozzarella.  Brown sausage with onion.  Add tomato paste and water.  Simmer 10 minutes.  Pour on top of cheese.  Bake uncovered 45 minutes at 350*.  Top with Mozzarella.

Ben:  10
Becky:  10
Josh:  10
Jake:  10
Ryan:  10