Chicken Tortilla Soup

One of my favorite things in the world is Mexican Food! So much so that I married a hispanic man to feed my need for Mexican Food because he's so handsome & sweet :) So when I came across a recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup, I had to do a recipe makeover!!  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have!

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion

1/2c green beans

2 large carrots
2 stalks celery
1 medium jalapeno
4 cloves garlic

1 lb. chicken breast
6c low sodium chicken broth
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes w/chiles
1 tsp oregano
½ tbsp cumin
1 medium lime
½ bunch cilantro, chopped

Dice the onion, green beans, carrots, celery, and jalapeno (scrape the seeds out of the jalapeno before dicing). Mince the garlic. Cook the onion, green beans, carrots, celery, jalapeno, and garlic in olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until tender.

Add the chicken breast, chicken broth, canned tomatoes with chiles, oregano, and cumin to the pot. Bring the whole pot up to a boil over high heat then reduce the heat to low, place a lid on top, and let simmer for one hour.

After simmering for an hour with a lid on, carefully remove the chicken breast from the pot and use two forks to shred the meat. Return the meat to the pot. Squeeze the juice of one lime into the soup. Get as much juice as possible from the lime by using a spoon to scrape the inside of the lime.
Rinse the cilantro and then roughly chop the leaves. Add to the pot, give it a quick stir, and serve.

Chicken Sausage Tacos

1 link Lean Low Sodium, Organic & Gluten Free Chicken Sausage
1c mixed field greens
2 tbsp goat cheese
1 tbsp Raspberry Merlot Dressing
3 gluten free corn tortillas

Slice the sausage and heat in a pan.  Remove sausage and heat your corn tortillas.  Plate your tortillas, add field greens to each, divide sausage among the 3 tortillas, add goat cheese and raspberry merlot dressing. Enjoy! :)

Lemon & Dill Chicken

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, (1-1 1/4 pounds)
• Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, or canola oil, divided
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons flour
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, divided
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

1. Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sear until well browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate and tent with foil.
2. Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to the pan. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Whisk broth, flour, 1 tablespoon dill and lemon juice in a measuring cup and add to pan. Cook, whisking, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.
3. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan; reduce heat to low and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a warmed platter. Season sauce with salt and pepper and spoon over the chicken. Garnish with the remaining 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill.

Cheddar Jalapeno Chicken Burgers with Guacamole

1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
1/2c finely chopped yellow onion
1/4c finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tsp chopped jalapeño
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/3c finely shredded cheddar cheese
kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Prepare an indoor or outdoor grill over medium heat.  Transfer the ground chicken to a medium bowl. Add in the onion, cilantro, garlic, jalapeño, cumin, paprika, cheddar cheese, salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Using your hands, incorporate everything together. Make sure everything is evenly incorporated without over mixing the ground chicken. Form the mixture into four 1/2"-thick patties. Grill burgers over medium heat until cooked through, 5-7 minutes per side.

Serve each patty in a burger bun topped with guacamole and sour cream and salsa if desired.

Chicken Kabobs with Feta-Cucumber Salsa

Cucumbers and tangy feta cheese make a refreshing accompaniment to garlicky grilled chicken. Chunks of firm fish such as swordfish or salmon can be substituted for the chicken if you like.

2 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch chunks
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt, divided
1 lemon, juice and zest, divided
1 large cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped
1/4 pound (about 1 cup) crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup finely diced red onion
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

In a large bowl, combine chicken, garlic, pepper, 2 tablespoons oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and all but 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and toss to coat. Marinate at least 20 minutes or up to 8 hours.

Meanwhile, place cucumbers in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped but not pureed. Transfer to a bowl and stir in feta, onion, parsley, lemon zest, remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice, remaining 1 tablespoon oil and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover and refrigerate up to 8 hours; bring to room temperature before serving.

Prepare grill for medium-high-heat cooking. Thread chicken on metal (or well-soaked wood or bamboo) skewers and grill, turning frequently, until browned and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove chicken from skewers, place on a platter and spoon feta-cucumber relish over top.

Nutritional Info:
PER SERVING:330 calories (120 from fat), 14g total fat, 4g saturated fat, 115mg cholesterol, 620mg sodium, 5g carbohydrate (1g dietary fiber, 2g sugar), 43g protein

Boneless Skinless Natural Chicken Breasts - $1.79/pound!!!

Zaycon Foods will begin taking orders for their Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts for $1.79 per pound - 

TODAY until Feb 25th!

PICKUP DATE/TIME DEPENDS ON LOCATION

This chicken is the most flavorful & tender chicken breasts I have ever eaten.  I have friends and family that are ordering just because they ate dinner at our house & loved the quality of the meat and how tender & juicy it was!

   -100% Natural

   -No hormones, additives or artificial ingredients.

   -Comes in 40 pound cases

   -Direct from farm to processor - Never been frozen

   -Butchered within 48 hours of delivery

   -Pickup Only - They load it for you!

Each case contains 4 large plastic bags of butterflied chicken breasts. These have never been frozen and will need to be repackaged.  After picking up our order, we remove any excess fat, split the breasts and repackage in quart-sized ziploc bags.  They freeze great and I have not had any problems with frost burn.

If you are interested in purchasing, you can create an account at the Zaycon Foods website: 

http://www.zayconfoods.com/

Pickup locations are all over the United States!  If you have any questions or need help with your order, please do not hesitate to leave a comment on this page or contact me! I would love to help get you started!! Enjoy!!

Chicken & Poblano White Bean Chili

In a modern twist on a game-day classic, cauliflower turns into the surprisingly creamy base for this white bean and chicken chili with mild poblano peppers. Serve sprinkled with sliced green onions and shredded mild cheddar or monterey jack.

1 (16 ounces) bag dried Cannellini Beans, picked through
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 1/2 quart low-sodium chicken broth
2 poblano peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped
1 (16 ounces) bag Sweet White Corn
1 head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into small florets
1/2 cup fat free greek yogurt
2 teaspoons fine sea salt

Arrange beans in a large bowl, cover by 2 inches with water and set aside to let soak for 8 hours, or overnight; drain well. 

Preheat oven to 300°F. Heat oil in a large, ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes; transfer to a plate and set aside. Add onions to pot and cook until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in cumin and chili powder and cook 2 minutes more.

To the pot, add beans, chicken and its accumulated juices, broth, peppers, corn and cauliflower and bring to a boil. Cover pot snugly with foil and then a tight-fitting lid and cook in the oven, stirring halfway through, until beans and cauliflower are both fall-apart tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Stir in sour cream and salt, ladle into bowls and serve.

Nutritional Info:
PER SERVING:430 calories (80 from fat), 9g total fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 60mg cholesterol, 810mg sodium, 55g carbohydrate (12g dietary fiber, 10g sugar), 31g protein

Kid's Favorite: Baked Chicken Nuggets

Kid's Favorite: Baked Chicken Nuggets

2 large skinless boneless chicken breasts
2 tsp olive oil
6 tblsp whole grain seasoned breadcrumbs
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

1 tsp parsley

salt and pepper to taste
olive oil spray

Preheat oven to 425F Degrees. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray.

In a plastic baggie, add the olive oil. Set aside.  Cut the chicken breasts into bite sized pieces, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place in the baggie with olive oil. Roll and shake to coat all chicken pieces with olive oil evenly.  Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, parmesan and parsley. Mix well. Place a couple pieces of  chicken in the breadcrumbs at a time.  Coast with mixture and place on the prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, then turn and continue baking 4-5 minutes or until cooked through.

Baked Chicken Parmesan

Baked Chicken Parmesan

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3/4c whole grain seasoned bread crumbs
1/4c grated parmesan cheese
2 tblsp olive oil
3/4c part skim mozzarella cheese

1c Low Calorie, Low Sodium Spaghetti Sauce
olive oil spray

parsley as garnish

Preheat oven to 450F Degrees.  Lightly mist a baking sheet with olive oil spray.  

Take your 2 chicken breasts and begin by butterflying them, then completely cut each breast into two thin breasts. Now you have 4 separate, thin chicken breasts.

In a gallon size plastic baggie, add the olive oil and chicken breasts. Roll and shake to coat the chicken breasts evenly.  

In a mixing bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese, then place on a glass or paper plate.  Dip each chicken breasts into the breadcrumb mixture to evenly coat each side.  Place on prepared baking sheet and repeat with each chicken breast.  Spritz chicken breasts with olive oil spray and bake for 10 minutes, then turn and continue baking 5 minutes or until cooked through. 

Remove from the oven and spoon spaghetti sauce on each chicken breast, then top with mozzarella cheese.  Return to oven and continue baking 5 minutes until cheese is melted.  Remove, sprinkle with parsley and serve with a quinoa pasta and a side of veggies! 

What's in the Meat You Eat?

BBQ Chicken Wings

BBQ Chicken Wings

4 lbs chicken wings, wing tips removed
1/2c olive oil
4 tsp paprika
3 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 lime juiced
1c favorite bbq sauce

Preheat oven to 375°

Begin by breaking down your chicken wings. Cut off the wing tips and toss.  Then make a second cut at the joint, separating the small drum from the wing. You should get 32-40 pieces.

In a small bowl, combine olive oil, paprika, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, sea salt & lime juice. Rub the chicken pieces with the spice mixture and let marinate in the refrigerator for 20-25 minutes.

Place wings into a 9×12 baking pan and roast 45 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a hot grill for 2-3 minutes. Remove and toss with bbq sauce. Serve with Organic Blue Cheese Dressing or our Homemade Ranch Dressing!

Veggie & Chicken Kabobs

Veggie & Chicken* Kabobs

2-3 wood or bamboo skewers, presoaked in water
1 chicken breast, cut into 1 ½-inch cubes
1 green or red bell pepper, sliced into chunks
1 yellow squash, sliced into ¼ to ½-inch-thick rounds
1 zucchini, sliced into ¼ to ½-inch-thick rounds
10 cherry tomatoes
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Fill 2-3 skewers with alternating chicken and vegetables.  Drizzle skewers with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place on hot grill, cook until juices run clear in chicken, and vegetables are tender – approximately 20 minutes

*Chicken can be substituted with other proteins, including steak, salmon, shrimp, and tofu. Please note, this may vary the cooking time.

Pecan Crusted Chicken

Pecan Crusted Chicken

1 large egg white
1/2c minced pecans
2 tsp parsley
1 tsp herbamare
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
low-sugar honey mustard dressing

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.  Lightly mist a nonstick baking sheet with olive oil.

In a small bowl, beat the egg white with a fork.  In another small bowl, combine the pecans, parsley and salt. Dip each chicken breast in the egg whites then roll in the pecan mixture.  Place chicken breasts on baking sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes or until no longer pink.  Remove from oven and let stand 3-4 minutes.  Serve with low-sugar honey mustard dressing as a dipping sauce.  Enjoy :)

Skinny Joe's

Skinny Joe's

1lb extra lean ground chicken or turkey
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce
2/3c chopped onion
1/4c chopped red bell pepper
1/4c chopped carrots
1/4c chopped zucchini
1/4c low-sodium tomato sauce
3/4c chili sauce
1/4 tsp chili powder

In a skillet over medium-high heat, misted with olive oil, add the chicken/turkey and cook stirring to break  into small chunks.

Meanwhile in a small bowl, combine the vinegar, worcestershire sauce, honey and hot pepper sauce, stir until well combined.

Drain off any liquid in your skillet and add the onion, bell pepper, carrots, zucchini, tomato sauce, chili sauce, chili powder and the vinegar mixture to the pan.  Stir and bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes until mixture thickens.

Spoon Skinny Joe's onto whole grain buns.  Enjoy!

Grajeda Chicken Salad

Grajeda Chicken Salad

3 grilled chicken breasts, cold & chopped
3 tblsp mayonnaise (I use Hellman's with Olive Oil)
4 tblsp diced onion
1/4 tsp celery seed or 1/4c celery (I omit, my daughter hates the crunch)
1/4 tsp garlic
1/4 tsp Chihuahua Smoke Salt
1/2 tsp parsley
1 tsp yellow mustard
2 tlbsp minced pickles
pepper to taste

Combine the chicken, onion and celery. Stir to combine.  In a small bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients and whip until well blended.  Poor dressing over chicken mixture.  Refrigerate at least an hour before serving to allow flavors to absorb into the chicken.  Serve on toast, rolls, in wraps, in red bell peppers, pitas or on top of mixed greens.

Natural Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts - $1.79/lb ORDER TODAY!

Zaycon Foods will begin taking orders for their Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts TODAY until May 13th!

PICKUP IS MAY 19th

This chicken is the most flavorful & tender chicken breasts I have ever eaten.  I have friends and family that are ordering just because they ate dinner at our house & loved the quality of the meat and how tender & juicy it was!

   -100% Natural

   -No hormones, additives or artificial ingredients.

   -Comes in 40 pound cases

   -Direct from farm to processor - Never been frozen

   -Butchered within 48 hours of delivery

   -Pickup Only - They load it for you!

Each case contains 4 large plastic bags of butterflied chicken breasts. These have never been frozen and will need to be repackaged.  After picking up our order, we remove any excess fat, split the breasts and repackage in quart-sized ziploc bags.  They freeze great and I have not had any problems with frost burn.

If you are interested in purchasing, you can create an account at the Zaycon Foods website: 

http://www.zayconfoods.com/

Pickup locations are all over the Texas, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Arizona, Georgia, Mississippi. North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee States right now.  They will do more events in the Northern & Western Regions in a couple months.  I'll keep you posted on those!!  If you have any questions or need help with your order, please do not hesitate to leave a comment on this page or contact me! I would love to help get you started!! Enjoy!!

Braised Chicken & White Wine Sauce

Braised Chicken & White Wine Sauce

4 chicken breasts
salt & pepper
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp herbs de provence
1 tblsp whole wheat flour
2 tblsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped - large pieces
4 cloves garlic, cut in half
8-10 shitake mushrooms, sliced (can omit)
1/2c white wine
3c chicken stock, low sodium
                                                                                       1 tblsp unbleached white flour

In a large bowl, combine the chicken breasts, salt, pepper, rosemary, herbs de provence and 2tsp of the whole wheat flour.  Mix thoroughly so each chicken breasts is seasoned.  In a large pot on medium-high heat, add olive oil.  When the olive oil is hot, lay chicken breasts into pan and sear on one side.  Sprinkle the remaining whole wheat flour unto tops of chicken breasts, flip and sear second side.

Once both sides of chicken have been seared, remove from pot.  Add onions, garlic and shitake mushrooms.  Sauté for 2-3 minutes.  Add chicken breasts back to pot, then the white wine, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze.  Add the chicken stock and turn heat to medium-low.  Cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes.

Remove chicken from pot and cover to keep warm.  Using a ladle, reserve some of the chicken stock from the pot into a small bowl.  Add to the reserved stock 1 tblsp of unbleached white flour and mix until all lumps dissolve.  Add reserved stock back to pot, rise your heat to medium and continually stir for 8-10 minutes until stock has thickened to a sauce.  Turn off heat and let cool for 3 minutes.

Slice chicken breasts, plate and serve with white wine sauce! Enjoy!!

Taco Seasoning

Taco Seasoning

1 tbsp chili powder
1/4tsp garlic powder
1/4tsp onion powder
1/4tsp cayenne
1/4tsp oregano
1/2tsp paprika
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients & mix thoroughly.  Enjoy!

Poppin' Poblano Peppers

I love Mexican Food! There, I said it!!  But the majority of the time there are not many recipes found in mainstream Mexican Restaurants that are healthy for our bodies.  I created one of my new favorite recipes so that I can still have a little taste of Mexico.

This is not a spicy recipe.  Poblano peppers are a chili pepper originating from Mexico and although some varieties of the Poblano can be a bit spicy, the peppers in this recipe are the green variety.  Remember when you are purchasing your peppers at the grocery store, buying poblano peppers with hints of red on the skin will intensify heat.  So, stick with the green ones if you're a wimp like me!  Poblanos are full of Vitamin C, FIber & Potassium.  To up the vegetable count and nutrients, I have also snuck in a couple veggies that really pack in some healthy nutrients. Don't worry, you can't taste it!

Poppin' Poblano Peppers

5 poblano peppers, seeded, veined
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 roma tomato, chopped
salt
pepper
2 chicken breasts, cubed
lime juice from 1 lime
1/4c chopped cilantro
1/4c chopped fresh parsley
1/2c kale, chopped
1/2c refried beans
3/4c low fat cheddar cheese, shredded


(beware, canned refried beans have a TON of sodium in them.  So, along with this dish, I make my own pot of pinto beans, then mash 1/2c and add to this recipe.)

Preheat your oven to 350F degrees.

Prepare a glas baking dish by spritzing with olive oil.  Take your seeded and veined poblanos and going lengthwise cut in half.  Place your pablano peppers skin side down in the baking dish and set aside.

In a skillet on medium heat, spritz with olive oil, add your onion, garlic, tomato, salt and pepper.  Saute until tender.  Pour into glass bowl and set aside.

Spritz your skillet with olive oil again, add cilantro, parsley, kale, salt, pepper & lime juice from 1 lime.  Quickly add your cubed chicken. (I like to cube mine very fine so that my chicken mixture is not overflowing my poblanos.) Saute chicken until almost cooked through 3-4 minutes.  Add the onion mixture and continue to saute until chicken is cooked through.  Add mashed or refried beans and mix thouroughly.  Poor into glass bowl & add 1/2c cheddar cheese stirring until melted.  Spoon chicken mixture into poblano peppers and top with rest of cheddar cheese.

Bake peppers for 30-35 minutes or until peppers are soft and tender and cheese is golden brown.

Natural Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts $1.69/lb

Zaycon Foods will begin taking orders for their Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts tomorrow!  Jan 4th - 11th

This chicken is the most flavorful & tender chicken breasts I have ever eaten.  I have friends and family that are ordering just because they ate dinner at our house & loved the quality of the meat and how tender & juicy it was!

   -100% Natural
   -No hormones, additives or artificial ingredients.
   -Comes in 40 pound cases
   -Direct from farm to processor - Never been frozen

   -Butchered within 48 hours of delivery
   -Pickup Only - They load it for you!

Each case contains 4 large plastic bags of butterflied chicken breasts. These have never been frozen and will need to be repackaged.  After picking up our order, we remove any excess fat, split the breasts and repackage in quart-sized ziploc bags.  They freeze great and I have not had any problems with frost burn.

If you are interested in purchasing, you can create an account at the Zaycon Foods website: 

https://www.zayconfoods.com/refer/zf36725

Pickup locations are all over the Texas, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Arizona, Georgia, Mississippi. North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee States right now.  They will do more events in the Northern & Western Regions in a couple months.  I'll keep you posted on those!!  If you have any questions or need help with your order, please do not hesitate to leave a comment on this page or contact me! I would love to help get you started!! Enjoy!!