Chicken and Noodle Lunch with Peanut Sauce

This is a super easy make-ahead lunch that beats any Lean Cuisine meal:

you will need:

1 bag frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts

spice seasoning of choice mine is http://shop.tonychachere.com/seasonings-c-8030.html

1 package Soba noodles
Soba are a non-wheat noodle made from buckwheat, they have a nutty flavor, taste awesome and can be found in the Asian section of the grocery store or ordered online at :

http://www.asianfoodgrocer.com/category/japanese-soba-somen?&utm_source=msn&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=soba%20noodles&utm_campaign=Soba

1 bottle peanut sauce
http://www.amazon.com/House-Tsang-Bangkok-11-5-Ounce-Bottles/dp/B000LLMAVU

Sugar snap peas or mushrooms or zucchini


Pre-bake chicken breasts, I bake mine according to package directions, after sprinkling with Chachere's Creole Seasoning.

I under-bake just a little so that the chicken doesn't dry out and get rubbery when re-heated
during the week.

Place a large pot of water over high heat, bring to a boil and add 1 whole package Soba noodles
Cook 5 minutes, til tender but be careful, they get mushy, drain and rinse in cool water, return to pot and add 1 tbsp olive oil to coat.

In plasticware weigh out your noodles for each lunch (I eat 2oz per serving), add chopped, pre-cooked chicken in the amount you need (mine is 4oz), and top with 1 tbsp peanut sauce. I find this in the Asian section of the grocery, too.


I also add sauteed mushrooms or zucchini (I saute it with garlic and a little soy sauce and red pepper flakes), or a side of crunchy veggies like sugar snap peas.

Easy peasy and tasty! now you have lunch for the week!

Potato and Egg Breakfast 3 ways

My current breakfast includes the following ingredients:

red potatoes

whole eggs

egg whites

onion or mushrooms

salsa

I have come up with a few different variations to keep it interesting.

First you need to prep the potatoes, onions and mushrooms.

I get a 10lb bag from Costco and roast them all in batches on a shallow baking pan in the oven (350 degress for about 20-30 minutes, should be tender but not mushy), then once they have cooled I put them in large ziploc bags in the fridge so they are ready to be weighed and used in the morning :)

Wash and slice all the mushrooms and put them in plasticware in the fridge (again, its convenient to have all your ingredients ready when needed).

Peel and chop one or two onions and put in plasticware in the fridge.

Now you have all the ingredients on hand to assemble breakfast quickly.

If I know I have morning appointments in the week ahead, I pre-make the all-in-one pan breakfast (as many as I will need) and put it in plasticware ,so all I have to do is reheat it in the morning. if I have the luxury of making breakfast and eating it at home, I make whichever recipe sounds appealing that morning.

Recipe #1 - All In One Pan (easiest and most portable)

Place a large nonstick pan over med heat.

Weigh out the amount of mushrooms ( I use 2oz) or onions (I use 1oz) you will use. then put them in the pan , shaking pan occasionally to keep from sticking/burning.

While the onions cook, measure (I eat 7oz) and slice the potatoes into 1/4" rounds and add to pan. You can add a little creole seasoning or magic salt here if desired (yes, I like salt). Cook and shake occasionally, letting potatoes warm through and get a little browned.

While potatoes cook, mix eggs, egg whites and salsa in a bowl. Pour mixture over potatoes/onions and scramble, until done. if you are prepping ahead, leave them a little undercooked/wet so they dont get rubbery when reheated.

YUM

Recipe #2 Potatoes O'Brien (sort of) and scrambled eggs

Heat 2 medium non stick pans over med heat.

In one pan, place your chopped onion, stirring or shaking occasionally, to start browning.

Measure out and cut potatoes into cubes (sort of, cut in half, then halves into quarters), place in pan with onion. shake and stir occasionally. add magic salt or seasoning of choice.

Mix eggs and egg whites, then pour into second pan, scramble.

Right before eggs are done, add salsa (I use 2 tbsp) to the potatoes and shake or stir to coat and cook a minute.

plate it up and enjoy :)

Recipe #3 Home fries, scrambled eggs with salsa and onion, and eggs sunny side up or over easy (3 pans, my favorite.)

place a small nonstick pan over medium heat, and 2 medium nonstick pans, one over med heat and one over med/high..

In the medium pan over medium heat, place either your mushrooms or onions (I alternate). shake or stir occasionally while prepping egg whites.

Mix egg whites and 2 tbsp salsa in a bowl, then pour over the onion or mushrooms, stirring occasionally to scramble.

Measure and cut potatoes into wedges or slices, place in empty medium pan and add seasoning of choice, creole is yummy. shake occasionally to crisp/brown.

Crack the two whole eggs (or however many you eat) into the small pan. I like them just over easy, yokes very runny, so I can use the potatoes to wipe up the yoke (this is when I miss toast, lol)

Most mornings I make the home fries with salsa for Adam to take with a breakfast style turkey burger I make (I do large batches of these, too), sometime I am running late and I just quarter the potatoes, add seasoning and microwave them with the turkey burger. haven't had any complaints yet.

Simple Pear Sauce

When life gives you a bunch of pears getting overripe before you can eat them...make pear sauce! :)

Simply core and chop up all the pears (if you want smoother sauce, peel, too), place in a saucepan and add about 2/3 water (they dont need to be covered, it will just keep them from sticking/burning).

Add cinnamon (I added about 1 1/2 tsp for my 7-8 pears), and vanilla (about 2 tsp for my 7-8 pears).

Cover and place over medium heat, bring to a boil then reduce and simmer 1-2 hours.

Puree in blender or food processor, yummy.


Should be sweet enough as is, but you could add splenda if desired.

Enjoy as you would apple sauce!

Chicken, Squash and Sweet Potato Tagine

This is a really yummy, healthy Moroccan recipe. I haven't done the nutritional data on it yet. Its a great fall dish.

2 tbsp olive oil
3lbs chicken in pieces
2 lg onions, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 lb butternut squash or pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cubed
small handful parsley & small handful mint (fresh chopped)
1 1/4c stock
salt & pepper

Heat oil in a dutch oven, brown chicken; remove & keep warm. Add onion to dutch oven, cook until soft, add garlic and cinnamon and stir 2 minutes til fragrant.
Add sweet potato, squash, chicken, parsley, mint and stock, cover tightly and simmer gently until tender (45 minutes).

Season to taste with salt & pepper.

Garnish with sliced almonds.

Cajun Roasted Sweet Potatoes or Yams

weird formatting is because I entered the recipe on a calculator site to get nutritional data...sorry.

30oz Sweet Potato

2tsp Paprika

0.5tsp, leaves Thyme, Dried

0.5tsp Garlic Powder

0.5tsp Onion Powder

0.25tsp Pepper, Red Or Cayenne

0.5tsp Rosemary, Dried

1tsp Olive Oil

1tsp Soy Sauce

Directions

1 Preheat oven to 375.

2.cut sweet potatoes into 1" cubes. place in large bowl and toss to coat with olive oil and soy sauce.

3mix all spices together , then add to sweet potato cubes and toss well to coat.

4place in single layer and bake 40-45 minutes, until tender.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 serving (171.6 g)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 206 Calories from Fat 10

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 1.1g 2%

Saturated Fat 0.2g 1%

Sodium 60mg 3%

Total Carbohydrates 46.5g 15%

Dietary Fiber 5.5g 22%

Sugars 0.3g

Protein 2.0g

Vitamin A 10% • Vitamin C 2% Calcium 1% • Iron 2%

* Based on a 2000 calorie die

Turkey Enchilada Casserole

MMM MMM high carb day! This is another recipe from the Weight watchers take Out Tonight Cookbook.

I added a can of black beans, drained to add more fiber and a little more protein (and complex carbs that have a positive effect on insulin :) )

The nutrition data is for the original recipe without the black beans.


The instructions say to assemble the casserole and let it stand 30 minutes before cooking, I didnt have time, but I let it cook a little longer (maybe 10 minutes) It turned out great.

2 tsp olive oil
1 lb ground turkey (extra lean)
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried cumin
2 (10 oz) cans enchilada sauce
1 (4.5oz can chopped green chilies
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1/4 c copped cilantro
8 (6inch) corn tortillas, halved
1 cup shredded, reduced fat cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375 (or don't if you are gong to let the casserole sit for half and hour, preheat it during that time...) Spray a 7"X11" baking dish with nonstick spray; set aside.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Swirl in 1 tsp of the oil, then add the turkey, half the onion , half the garlic and 1/4 tsp salt. cook, breaking up the turkey until browned, about 8 minutes. ( I added the can of black beans at the end and stirred in for a minute).

Meanwhile, heat a medium nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Swirl in the remaining oil, then add the remaining onions, garlic1/4 tsp salt, the oregano, and cumin. Cook, stirring occasionally, until well softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in the enchilada sauce, chiles and vinegar; bring to a boil. reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the flavors are blended, about 10 minutes. remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro.

Arrange one-third of the tortilla halves in an overlapping layer on the bottom of the dish. Spoon 1/3rd of the turkey mixture over the top, then 1/3rd of the sauce, then 1/3 of the cheese. repeat the layering twice. cover the pan loosely with foil and bake 20 minutes, uncover and bake 5 minutes longer, or until cheese is bubbly. let stand 10 minutes before serving.

8 Servings
per serving:
218 calories
6g fat, 2g sat
49mg chol
588mg sod
20g carbs
2g fiber
21g protein
168mg calcium

Kung Pao Shrimp

Made this for dinner tonight - yummy! This is from the Weight Watchers Cookbook "Take-Out Tonight"

It was just the right amount of heat, but if you don't like things spicy you can reduce the amount of chili-garlic sauce.

3/4c low sodium/fat free chicken broth
1/4c rice wine or sake
2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp honey
1 tbsp chili -garlic sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp Asian sesame oil (dark)
2 tsp canola oil (I used coconut oil)
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 scallions, chopped
2 tbsp minced peeled fresh garlic
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups broccoli florets (I used the broccolette, baby broccoli)
1 (8oz) can bamboo shoots, drained

1) Combine the broth, sake, soy sauce, honey, chili-garlic sauce, cornstarch and sesame oil in a bowl; set aside.

2)Heat a nonstick wok or a large, deep skillet over med-high heat until a drop of water sizzles. Swirl in the oil, then add the shrimp. stir-fry until just opaque in the center, about 3 minutes, transfer to a bowl. Add the scallions, ginger and garlic to the pan; stir fri until fragrant, about 30 seconds. add the broccoli florets and bamboo shoots; stir fry until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add the broth mixture and the shrimp. cook, stirring constantlyuntil the mixture boils and thickens, about 1 minute.

4 servings (1 1/4 c per serving)
calories 188
fat 5g, 1g saturated
135 mg cholesterol
661mg sodium
19g carbs
3g fiber
19g protein
78 mg calcium