Curry Chicken à la King and Biscuits

It's so hard coming up with new ideas for dinner. Tonight though, I decided to take a classic and put a spicy spin on it.  I have to admit...I wasn't too sure how it was going to turn out though.  Surprisingly...it was really good!!! You could easily leave the curry and cilantro out and just use this recipe as a traditional Chicken à la King recipe....but this version adds a little spice to your life!!!  So give it a whirl.

While I can take credit for the idea of this spicy spin on comfort food....I cannot take credit for the star of the show.  Drumroll please.........The Easy 7up Biscuits  My oh my!!! Thank the good Lord above and thank you Pinterest for sending these babies into my life.  I did lighten them up a bit from their original (which you can find here) by using Heart Smart Bisquick, Light Sour Cream and Sprite Zero (my version 4 WWP+) and still OMGoodness......so so so soooooo delicious!!!  Drizzle some warm honey over the warm biscuit and you may just hear angels sing.  Seriously...you MUST make these.  Like now!!!  Really....get up....go into your kitchen and make these.  You're welcome in advance...no need to track me down to thank me, hug me, kiss me...depending on how much you end up liking them!

So here was my comforting curry meal tonight.

Serves: 4 - 1 cup servings
Each Serving is 6 WWP+

INGREDIENTS

8 oz. raw chicken breast, cut into cubes
2 Tbl. butter
1 Tbl olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1 large carrot, diced
4 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 servings of dry SOS Mix
2 1/2 cups of water
1 tsp. paprika
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 Tbl. curry powder
handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

In a large skillet over med-high heat melt butter and olive oil.  Add chicken, onion, carrot, celery and mushrooms and season with a little salt and pepper.  Cook until chicken is cooked through and veggies are tender.  Combine the dry SOS Mix, with the water and other dry seasonings then pour onto the chicken and veggies mixture.  While continuing to stir, bring the mixture up to a boil and cook for approximately 5 minutes or until sauce has thickened.  Stir in the chopped cilantro and serve over warm biscuits or cooked rice.

Breakfast Favorites

What is your favorite breakfast?  Are you a salty or a sweet???  Don't get me wrong....I love pancakes, waffles, cinnamon rolls or just plain ol' toast and jelly BUT my go to breakfasts are savory and stick to your ribs. 

Even on weekday mornings before work...I'll make omelets, breakfast sandwiches, or sometimes just eggs and toast.  If I eat cereal or oatmeal I'm hungry again by 10am, but a hearty breakfast can keep me satisfied until noon. 

Here is my latest fav....BREAKFAST BURRITOS!!!


They are super easy and portable.  Just warm your tortilla in the microwave for about 15 seconds so it rolls nicely.  Fill it with your favorites.  As seen above I like peppers, onions, egg whites, and a little cheese. 

Try these other favorite combos:  ~ egg whites, mushrooms & swiss cheese ~ egg whites, spinach & feta cheese ~ bacon, egg & cheddar cheese ~ turkey sausage, egg & pepperjack cheese

But what about the weekends when you have a little more time?

On the weekends.....it's game on!!!!  Still simple, but just with a little more lovin.

Here I diced potatoes, onions, peppers and cooked until just tender. Then I made little wells in the cooked potatoes and cracked an egg in each pocket.  As long as your skillet is oven safe pop it into the oven set to about 375 degree oven until the eggs are set to your liking. 

Bacon:  Team Skillet? or Team Oven?

Here I cooked it in the oven.  I think both have their pros and cons, but the clean up of oven verses skillet is hard to beat, isn't it?




Now...if this doesn't stick to your ribs...I'm not sure what will?

Have a happy breakfast....sometimes even for dinner!!!

Buffalo Chicken Garbage Bread

I just recently heard of "garbage bread". I suppose it's really just a way of wrapping your leftovers in some bread dough, baking it, and calling it dinner....sounds like a plan to me!!!

So that brings me to the need for quick weeknight meals. SUPER FAST meals are a MUST now that soccer season is upon us.

This recipe uses leftover chicken or if you don't have any leftovers, simply put raw chicken into the crockpot with 1/2 cup sauce in the morning. When you get home just use the amount needed for this recipe and make chicken salad with the rest. Perfect...two meals in one either way!!!


So here is a super easy dinner made in under 30 minutes!!!


INGREDIENTS

8 oz. cooked chicken breast

1/4 cup Syberg's Famous Wing Sauce (or your favorite wing sauce)

4 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese

1/4 cup light ranch

1 - Pillsbury Thin Pizza Crust (found near the refrigerated biscuits)

1/4 cup 2% shredded cheddar




In a food processor combine chicken, cream cheese and Syberg's Wing Sauce. Spread mixture onto the pizza crust. Drizzle with ranch dressing and roll up.




Place roll on a cookie sheet sprayed with olive oil and then spray the top of the roll with a little more olive oil and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until browned.








Let it cool a little and let the filling cool just a bit, then cut, and enjoy with a side salad!!!

You know what these really remind me of? Hot Pockets!!! So get creative...toss whatever "garbage" you've got hanging out in your fridge...just give it a quick sniff first though ;)

Enjoy!

Serves 6 (7WWP+ per serving)

PB2, Chocolate & Banana Shake

So!!!! Why am I just now finding out about this genius product??? I mean REALLY...powdered peanut butter!!!! With 85% less fat and calories!!!

The good news is...we've been united and will remain friends for life...I'm sure of it!!!




I was really craving a Cold Stone Creamery PB&C Shake last weekend. Just the "Like It" size packs a severe punch to the ole' calorie bank.




See...


Sooo....while I may have not been on my best behavior, I was not about to travel down that road...thankyouverymuch!!!!

BUT, I still needed to crush the craving so I set out towards my kitchen instead.

Here is what I found...a frozen banana, a sugar free chocolate snack pack pudding, a packet of diet Swiss Miss hot cocoa, 1% milk, and my new best friend PB2.




The banana still had the skin on (something weird my husband did, I'm sure of it) so I placed it into a glass of hot water for about one minute until the skin slid right off. Then blended with 1 cup of milk, the pudding, the cocoa and 2T of PB2.

Craving CRUSHED!!!

Taco Shells

Weighing in at only 80 calories, 1 gram of fat, 10 grams of sodium, and 2 grams of fiber....meet my new friends Mr. EXTRA THIN TORTILLAS!!!


Now...I'm a crunch factor kinda gal. So I set out to find a HEALTHY way to turn these into taco shells!!! I found THIS BLOG which is the main inspiration to making mine, but I am WAY to impatient to wait 1 hour to bake some shells so I went full force 350 degrees, baby!!! I still made the little tents out of an aluminum foil lasagna pan I had on hand.


Then warmed up my tortillas in the microwave to help them lay properly over the aluminum forms.


The oven was preheated and ready to go.....about 10 minutes later...they were ready! Be sure to let them cool and fully harden before handling. How freakin' GENIUS!!!


HERE IS A QUICK TIP FOR REMOVING THEM FROM THE OVEN AFTER THEY ARE DONE: I couldn't take a picture since this is a double handed duty, but I will try my best to describe. Using a flat wooden spoon or any sturdy utensil lift up the aluminum tent and taco shell from under the oven grate. Using your other hand slide a knife or thin utensil under the bend of tent above the grate, gently raise and place onto a surface to cool...as shown below. If you try to "pinch" them out chances are you will break some. I used this "lift and pull" method and didn't break one!!!


Enjoy with your favorite taco recipe!

Crab Rangoon Bites

I was craving crab rangoon today...I had these ingredients in my fridge/pantry so this was my solution...and my lunch ;)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Makes 16 appetizers
(55 calories each)




INGREDIENTS

16 wonton wrappers
4 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese
8 oz. pkg of flake style imitation crab meat
1 tsp. low sodium soy sauce
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1 TBL of sugar




DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1) Place wonton wrappers into a non stick mini muffin tin.

2) Mix remaining ingredients together in a small bowl.

3) Scoop one heaping tablespoon into each wrapper and fold the edges up around the edges of the filling.

4) Bake for approximately 12-13 minutes watching so the edges don't get too brown.








ENJOY!!!

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Back on the wagon!!!

In the groove and feeling good ;)

I just wanted to quickly share something for the tea lovers out there. This is by no way, shape, or form a replacement for chocolate....but it helped me get through the past few nights by not snacking in the evenings.

It's CHOCOLATE tea!!!

The brand is The Republic of Tea and while I bought it online I have also seen it sold at Whole Foods.

The taste is smooth and not bitter like some teas. Hot I like to add some splenda or sugar along with a tiny splash of non-fat creamer and that really helps curb a sweet craving.

Believe it or not, I also enjoy it cold. ;)

So...I would recommend The Republic of Tea to any tea lovers and/or dieters. If you order online they often send you samples of different flavors or new flavors. Which is really nice!!!




On a side note...I'm also living vicariously through baked good candle smells since I'm trying to stay away from actually baking them.

Check out at this absolutely adorable Paula Deen candle I came across at Wal-Mart:




This candle was fast burning so it didn't really last very long. The smell was fantastic, but it was pretty much centralized around the candle itself. While it didn't really fill the air with the smell of Apple Crumb Cake, it was super cute while trying!!! It would make a really great gift for the foodie in your life ;)

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Red Pepper BioFresh Test

Nothing real scientific here...just using the bags and reporting the results.

This red pepper is from a produce delivery dated September 12th. Today is October 1st and this pepper is still crisp and no sign of wrinkling ;)



I actually had two peppers and the first one met it's destiny in some western hash browns with this morning's breakfast.




This remaining pepper will accompany some of her friends and family to a party inside Mr. Iceberg's house later this week. Others in attendance will be her younger brother Mr. Green Pepper, Mr. Water Chestnut, Mrs. Scallion and Mr. Carrot...the beautiful Miss Fresh Ginger who is bringing her new Baby Portabella for everyone to meet. The life of the party Mr. Ground Chicken will probably be the first one to jump in the pool. They will all lounge around in a hot tub filled with soy sauce, honey and red pepper flakes and then finally all meet up for dinner inside with Miss Riesling.

What a great party!!!

Until then....




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Day 7 ~ The Bionic Banana!!!

So here it is Day 7! My unbagged banana was mysteriously gone, but that is fine because it was in it's last life as you saw in my last post.

The BioFresh banana on Day 7.




The outside is now yellow, no brown spots at all.




Completely ripe and ready to enjoy on the inside. One spot even a bit overripe, but that is PERFECT in my opinion AND the best news...it tastes like a banana!!!

Results: I would totally recommend these bags to everyone!!!

Here is where you can get them:

Keep Fresh, LLC
(760) 645-3687
www.keepfreshbags.com


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Day 5 ~ BioFresh

Significant differences from yesterday. No need for closeups on the left, but there are STILL no brown spots on the banana in the BioFresh bag.

I'm really praying that no one in my family eats my testing materials...these are the last two bananas in my house ;)

Happy Friday!!!


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BioFresh Banana Challenge ~ Day 4

Well, there is a difference!!!





Let's take a closer look at Banana #1 that is NOT in the BioFresh Bag:




This banana does have some brown spots. It is starting to ripen.

Now let's look at Banana #2 that is inside of the BioFresh Bag:




It may be hard to tell, but so far there is no brown spotting. It has turned yellow so it too is ripening, but at a slower pace.

I think the real challenge here is actually going to be the taste. It is clear that the bags work. However, I've been told it may alter the taste??? We shall see! I will let it go a bit longer just to see the dramatic difference, but then I will try a blind taste test with both bananas! Stay tuned...

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Day 1 ~ BioFresh Bags

The banana challenge! Day 1

On the left...the banana NOT stored in a BioFresh Bag.

On the right...the banana stored in a BioFresh Bag.

Let's watch and see the difference!




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Carrot Pumpkin Muffins

Remember back in the day when the 2 pt. Weight Watchers Pumpkin Muffin recipe was the best thing on earth?

If I remember correctly it called for a spice cake mix, 1 cup of water and a 15 oz. can of 100% pure pumpkin. Well, that is kind of what I did here.

The texture of those muffins were more of a bread pudding rather than a muffin. So, my plan with these was to create a more muffin like texture and here is the ingredients that I used:

Spice Cake Mix
15 oz. Pumpkin
2 cups carrot, grated
4 egg whites

I stirred all the ingredients together until just combined. Then baked for 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

The verdict:

Same ol' WW muffin :-/

The texture is still more like a bread pudding and that isn't necessarily a bad thing...just not what I was hoping for. They still tasted great and are just a tad more firm than the original. My son can easily take them in his lunch.

Calories per muffin: 130




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Infused Sea Salts

Today I was at Whole Foods (love that place!) and I came across a whole section of infused sea salts. Many different and interesting flavors such as cabernet, ginger, garlic, coconut-lime, and curry. At one point I even had the curry in my cart with the thought of using it on salmon. I decided to put it back though because $16.99/lb for salt is a little much.

When I got home I thought to myself... I can totally make that and off to the kitchen I went.

In about 1 minute I had infused sea salt for MUCH less. Here is how I did it.

First, make a paste with 2 tsp of curry powder (or your favorite ground dry spice) and 1 T of water.




Next mix together really well with 1/2 cup of salt.



Finally, spread out in a thin even layer to dry. I'm still waiting for mine to dry, but I imagine once the water has evaporated thoroughly you will need to store in a container with a tight fitting lid in a cool dry place.

I'm really looking forward to trying this with other flavors. It would also be great as a gift in a pretty glass jar decorated with a nice ribbon!!!

Enjoy!




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Yucky Gnocchi

I got this at World Market about a month ago. I thought it would go well tonight with our meal of Italian Beef...kind of in place of mashed potatoes.

I. Thought. Wrong.

Total yuck!!! Pass this up if you come across it and go for a baked potato instead.

I had high hopes, but was very disappointed ;(



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STRAWBERRIES!!!

Well, this weekend can go down in the record books as the most strawberries used in my house...that is for sure ;)

Our coop got a GREAT deal on Strawberries...only $6.50 per flat.





They were absolutely gorgeous!!!

I also ended up with a bushel of green peppers so there was a lot happening in my kitchen over the weekend. Here are a few pictures of just a small portion of what all took place ;)




First up a double batch of reduced sugar Strawberry Freezer Jam. Getting ready to take out my aggression on some berries!!! Notice my PW Perfect Iced Coffee was ready and by my side!!!





My Pampered Chef Mix-n-Chop was the perfect tool to crush the berries.








Beautiful distractions made the process just a little bit longer. How could I not take a picture of that PERFECT strawberry!





Cut, chop, dump, cut, chop, dump....until I had 8 cups of crushed berries ;)





FINALLY 8 cups!!!




Here is Ethan helping me fill the jars. He was a bit too messy for my liking...



So easy and including distractions it only took about an hour ;)




Next, let's can some STRAWBERRY CHIPOTLE SAUCE!!! My new favorite!!! That same sweet and smokey flavor as the Raspberry Chipotle I've made in the past, but no annoying seeds!




BEAUTIFUL!!!





This may sound weird, but here is another sweet/savory jelly in the works. I was making pepper juice for GREEN PEPPER JELLY! It was pureed green bell peppers, chopped green chiles and garlic being strained through cheesecloth to make "juice".




The juice is then cooked with vinegar and sugar to make this absolutely amazing looking jelly. I did use a little food coloring for a brighter green color. This would be good over cream cheese with crackers. I think it would also make a great glaze over roasted chicken or pork.


How about we finish this blog with something even more sweet???

We had the best Sunday morning breakfast we've had in a long time. I used the New Hope Mills whole wheat pancake mix that I got from the coop. It is by far the best whole wheat pancake mix I've had. The texture was light and fluffy. The flavor was wonderful alongside those fresh berries and the whipped cream!








Is this breakfast or dessert? Who cares, let's eat!!!

Thank you COMMUNITY HELPINGS PRODUCE COOP for keeping me busy this weekend. Next weekend is Carrot Cake Jam weekend...stay tuned!!!


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