The Anti-Chicken Fingers Movement - Chicken Fajitas

After unpacking for weeks and weeks, I've finally found my cookbooks!  Most importantly, my 452-page Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook.  So many great recipes, that are actually YUMMY - and it doesn't matter if you're on Weight Watchers or not!  (Which by the way, I lost 20 lbs on after I had Luke.) Expect many more recipes from this book coming your way!

Weight Watchers Chicken Fajitas


-2 tbsp. Lime Juice
-1 tbsp. Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
-1 tsp. Chili Powder
-Pinch Crushed Red Pepper
-10 ounces skinless boneless Chicken Breasts, cut into thin strips
-4 teaspoons vegetable oil (if desired)
-1Green Bell Pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
-1Red Bell Pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
-1 Onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
-4 (6 in.) fat free flour tortillas (or low carb)
-1/2 c. Salsa, for garnish
-1/4 c. fat free Sour Cream, for garnish
-Chopped fresh Cilantro, for garnish

Directions
1. Prepare the marinade, in a zip-closed plastic bag, combine the lime juice, soy sauce, chili powder, and red pepper; add the chicken. Seal the bag, squeezing out the air; turn to coat chicken. Refrigerate, turning bag occasionally, at least 2 hours or overnight. Drain and discard marinade.
2. In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat 2 tsp. of the oil (if you want). Saute the bell peppers and onion until softened, 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
3. In the skillet, heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil (if you want you can grill the chicken instead, it tastes just as good if not better). Saute chicken until cooked through, 3-5 minutes.

Number of Servings: 4

Buon Appetito!

Leah

The Anti-Chicken Fingers Movement - McCormick® Slow Cooker BBQ Pork Sandwiches

Buy a packet of McCormick® Slow Cookers BBQ Pulled Pork Seasoning, throw it in your crock pot with a pork tenderloin and 3 other ingredients - Voila! You have a zesty pulled pork sandwich the whole family will enjoy!  A shout out to my high school BFF, Sue, who told me all about it and has been talking about this recipe forever.  I finally gave it a try last night.  Easy, to say the least.  Yummy, totally!  The hubs AND kids enjoyed it immensely!  Thank you Sue...and McCormick®!

McCormick® Slow Cooker BBQ Pork Sandwiches
Makes 10 servings.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH
3 pounds boneless pork shoulder roast, trimmed (I used a pork tenderloin)
1 package McCormick® Slow Cookers BBQ Pulled Pork Seasoning
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1. Place pork in slow cooker.

2. Mix Seasoning Mix, ketchup, brown sugar and vinegar until blended. Pour over pork. Cover.

3. Cook 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH. Remove pork from slow cooker.

4. Shred pork, using 2 forks. Return pork to slow cooker. Mix and heat with sauce before serving. Serve on sandwich rolls, if desired.

Buon Appetito!

Leah

The Anti-Chicken Fingers Movement - Shrimp Salad

I just recently started eating shrimp on a regular basis and I'm starting to love it! I took this recipe and made a few healthy changes to it and it turned out glorious.  Even the hubs enjoyed it!  I was going to serve it on rolls, but decided on brown rice, green beans, and biscuits.

Shrimp Salad (Yields 12 servings)
original recipe here


3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 lime cut into quarters
4 pounds large shrimp in the shell (16 to 20 shrimp per pound)
2 cups dijoinnaise
2 tablespoons white wine
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons minced fresh dill
1 cup minced red onion (1 onion)

Directions

Bring 5 quarts of water, 3 tablespoons salt, and the lime to a boil in a large saucepan. Add half the shrimp and reduce the heat to medium. Cook uncovered for only 3 minutes or until the shrimp are barely cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl of cold water. Bring the water back to a boil and repeat with the remaining shrimp. Let cool; then peel, and devein the shrimp.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the dijonnaise, wine, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and dill. Combine with the peeled shrimp. Add the red onion and check the seasonings. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

Buon Appetito!

Leah

The Anti-Chicken Fingers Movement - Orange Chicken Stir Fry

Do you ever get into such a routine with your family meals? I remember one month when it seemed like we had pork chops every week.  Or grilled steaks every Sunday for three months.  Or couldn't get enough of my hubs burritos and chili rellenos for what seemed like an entire season.  As I look back at old recipes, I find myself craving stir fry again.  And I remember when that was seen on our dinner table almost twice a week for an entire year.  My wok was a dear friend of mine. What simplicity!  And always delicious.  Orange chicken is by far one of my favorites!  Serve on top of brown rice and enjoy! Original Recipe


Orange Chicken Stir Fry
1 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup bean sprouts (optional)
1 package frozen stir fry vegetables

Directions

In a small bowl combine the orange juice, orange zest, soy sauce, salt, garlic and brown sugar. Mix well.
Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. When oil begins to bubble, add chicken. Saute until cooked through (no longer pink inside), about 7 to 10 minutes.

Add frozen vegetables and cook for 3 minutes. Add orange sauce mixture to chicken and cook until sauce begins to bubble. Add flour, a little bit at a time, until sauce has thickened to your liking. Add bean sprouts and cook for 1 minute; serve hot over brown rice.

Buon appetito!

The Anti-Chicken Fingers Movement - Honey-Pecan Chicken Breasts

This recipe will bring fun back to chicken breasts.  The key is in the cayenne...use as much or as little to meet your preference!  We use about 1/4 teaspoon.  My husband would probably love around 3/4 teaspoon!  I leave it off of the kids' chicken breasts because Luke is super picky about "spice". Original Recipe

Honey-Pecan Chicken Breasts


2 (6 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans

Flatten chicken to 1/2-in. thickness. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and cayenne. In a large nonstick skillet, brown chicken in butter; add garlic. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side or until juices run clear. Drizzle honey over chicken; sprinkle with pecans. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes or until heated through.

Buon appetito!

The Anti-Chicken Fingers Movement - Slow Cooker Ham and Bean New Year's Meal

Sure, you missed out on this recipe this New Year's Day...but I think you can still reap the luck within the first ten days of January!  It's so tasty-the leftovers are even better!  The black-eyed peas will bring prosperity to your new year; pork for wealth; and cayenne and oregano because it tastes good.  Click here for other lucky foods for the New Year.  This is the first year I've played into this "lucky meal" on New Year's Day tradition, but watch me in 2012 and you'll see what a fab year I have!!  We even took it a step further and did up some collard greens (I have never ever had them in my life, much less cooked them, but because I live in the south, I chose this as my symbolic "cooked greens" fortune.  Serve on top of brown rice with corn bread.  Y'all got that?

Slow Cooker Ham and Bean New Year's Meal

1 (20 ounce) can black-eyed peas (soaked overnight)
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, undrained
1 (15 ounce) can light kidney beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can dark kidney beans, drained
1 (16 ounce) tomato puree
1 large onion, chopped
1 pound cooked ham, cubed
1 clove garlic, minced, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon sour cream

Directions

Stir the black-eyed peas, beans, onion, ham, and garlic together in a slow cooker. Stir cayenne and oregano into tomato puree.  Add puree mixture to slow cooker. Cook on High for 30 minutes, Low for 5-6 hours. Top with sour cream to serve.

Original Recipe

The Anti-Chicken Fingers Movement - Apple Cinnamon Pork Roast

Tis the season for apples and cinnamon.  Forget the scented candles, the aroma from this dish will dance around your home-almost from the moment you turn on your crockpot.  Here is a link to the original recipe from Stephanie O'Dea's blog.  I made just a few changes...

Apple Cinnamon Pork Roast

2-3 pound pork-loin roast
1 onion, sliced in wedges
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup apple cider or juice (I used juice)
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 granny smith apples, chopped (to add later)1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar (see notes below)*

Directions
Use a 5 quart crockpot. Sprinkle dry spices on all sides of the meat. Put onion wedges into the bottom of your crockpot, and put the meat on top. Add apple juice and lemon juice. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-6. The longer you cook it, the more shredded and juicy the meat will become. 20-30 minutes before serving, remove meat from crockpot and let sit on a cutting board. Put chopped apples (no need to peel) into your crockpot. *I would add apple cider vinegar now, too. Stir. Either slice or shred the pork, and add back to the crockpot.  Salt and pepper to taste.

A suggestion from a reader of the original recipe:  took some of the juice (from the crockpot) and combined it with butter, brown sugar, and chopped pecans. Boiled it down in a sauce pan and we added it to each serving.

Buon appetito!

Leah