Grilled Chicken Caprese

We had Deb and Al over for dinner on Saturday night.  I didn’t know what to make, but as it got closer, inspiration just took off (well, thanks, of course, to Pinterest).  First, I started by searching for a recipe that was healthy, with fresh ingredients.  With our recent trip to Europe, and especially to Italy, and it being summer, this seemed the right way to go.  Immediately, recipes popped up saying caprese and I was salivating.  With our renewed love of tomatoes, basil, garlic and mozzarella, I came across this and new it was the perfect recipe!  It looks so “gourmet”, yet it is soooooooo simple!  I made a homemade pesto, used fresh mozzarella, the rain clouds cleared so I could grill out, and we had a perfect meal.  Catherine helped me with the meal prep, and we served with corn on the cob, rice pilaf, tomato garlic crustinis and sangria.  This is definitely a summer meal I want to make over and over! 

• 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 ½ cups zesty Italian salad dressing
• ¼  cup balsamic vinegar + a few tablespoons to drizzle later
• 6 Tbsp. pesto
• 2-3 ripe tomatoes, sliced
• 12 slices fresh mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Put chicken breasts into a large ziploc bag, pour in the Italian dressing and balsamic vinegar, and seal the bag, give everything a squish together and marinate in the fridge for a few hours.
2. Heat up grill to medium-high; grill the marinated chicken for about 6 minutes on each side (depending on the thickness of your chicken).
3. When the chicken is cooked almost all the way through, add a tablespoon of pesto onto each breast, followed by 1-2 slices of tomatoes, and 2 slices of mozzarella.
4. Reduce heat on the grill to low, close the lid and let them cook for another 4-5 minutes or until the cheese has melted a bit.
5. Drizzle the top of cheesy chicken with balsamic and remove from the grill.

The chicken, hot off the grill, before adding the drizzle of balsamic

Adapted from First Home Love Life Blog

Skinny Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Rice Casserole

Dinner time -- dinner time, wanting something different, but with bitter cold temperatures and another inch of snow from a late winter storm, I wanted some comfort food.  But “comfort food” doesn’t always equate to good for you, and with us trying hard to be on the healthier bandwagon, I felt like I needed inspiration.  I went through Pinterest… first, looking under “chicken” recipes, followed by “chicken casserole” recipes.  Everything kept coming up with “cream of something” to be used, and that just seems too anti-healthy.  It sometimes makes the same noise as the cranberry jelly come out of the can, and it makes me think of it squishing through my arteries.  Next search was for “healthy chicken casserole” and I came across this one.  It filled the bill – warm, comforting, and shockingly healthier than I thought it would be.  I didn’t believe it was until I entered all of the ingredients into MyFitnessPal.  And what is the best part – it was DELICIOUS!  It even got the Jimmy seal of approval.  Can’t wait for Catherine to come home tomorrow night and try it!

• 1½ cups jasmine rice
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup water
  
• 4 cups broccoli florets (about 1 head)
  (I used one package of frozen broccoli florets)
• 4 green onions, chopped
  
• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• Salt, pepper, garlic powder
  
• 5 tsp. flour
• 2 cups milk, divided
  (I used fat free Hood Smart Milk)
• 1/3 cup light sour cream
  (I didn't have any light, so I used regular, which is factored in the nutritional data below)
• 8oz. shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. pepper
• 1¼ tsp. garlic powder

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring chicken broth and water to a boil in a large pot then add rice; Cover then turn heat down to medium-low.
2. When rice has 5 minutes left to cook add broccoli and green onions on top to steam.
3. Meanwhile, heat extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Add chicken, season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and then sauté until no longer pink.
5. Remove to a plate and set aside then very carefully wipe out skillet with a dry paper towel.
6. Turn heat down to medium then whisk together flour and ½ cup milk in a small bowl.
7. Pour mixture into skillet then add remaining 1½ cups milk.
8. Cook mixture, stirring constantly, until thickened, 7-10 minutes.
9. Remove skillet from heat then add ¾ of the shredded cheese, sour cream, salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and stir until smooth.
10. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
11. Combine cooked rice and broccoli mixture with cheese sauce then scoop mixture into a nonstick sprayed 9×13” baking dish and top with remaining cheese.
12. Bake until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes, then let casserole rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Yields about 8 servings

Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats blog

Nutritional Information:

 

White Chicken/Turkey Chili

This winter just will not end… after a week of Jimmy and Catherine both being sick, I have been on pins and needles as I do whatever I can to ward it off.  Between Vitamin C and Zinc, after another cold day, I figured we needed a good hearty soup.  I looked on Pinterest for an idea of what I could do with the leftover rotisserie turkey that we had had the night before and I found this recipe.  Jimmy, not being a super spicy fan, actually said that this was an awesome dinner – it gave some spice but more in a throat warming kind of way, then in a mouth-on-fire way.  Turns out, nutritionally, other than the sodium, it’s really good for you too!  Can’t wait to have more for lunch with the leftovers!

• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cups cooked chicken or turkey, shredded
• 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can corn, drained
• 2 oz. canned jalapenos, diced (with juice)
• ½ tsp. cumin
• 1 box (32 oz.) chicken broth
• 4 oz. chicken or turkey stock
• 2 Tbsp. lime juice (about half of 1 lime)
• ½ cup cilantro, chopped
• Kosher salt (to taste)
• Pepper (to taste)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large pot, sauté the onion and cook until it starts to become translucent.
2. Once the onion is done, add chicken/turkey, beans, corn, canned jalapenos (with juice from can), and cumin to the large pot.
3. Stir to combine all of the ingredients and then add the chicken broth and stock.
4. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes to allow the broth to reduce.
5. Add salt and pepper (to taste) and juice from a half of lime.
6. Add ½ cup of chopped cilantro if you desire.
7. Leave simmering on stove until ready to serve.
8. Serve with sour cream, chopped cilantro, shredded pepper jack cheese, avocado or tortilla chips. 

Makes (7) 1-Cup Servings

Nutritional Information: