White Chicken Chili

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
• ½ cup low sodium chicken broth
• 12 oz reduced fat cream cheese (a block and a half)
• 1 can of kidney beans, rinsed
• 1 can of black beans, rinsed
• 1 can of white northern beans, rinsed
• 1 undrained can of mild rotel
• 1 undrained can of sweet corn kernels (I used frozen)
• 1 minced clove of garlic
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons cumin
• 1 tablespoon hot Mexican chili powder

Boil raw chicken breasts in water until cooked, about 30-40 minutes. Shred.

In a dutch oven, mix all ingredients, including chicken, together over medium heat. Cook until everything is hot and well mixed, about 10-15 minutes.

Recipe http://www.jennablogs.com

Fried Rice

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked white rice (day old or leftover rice works best!)
• 3 Tablespoons sesame oil (or vegetable oil)
• 1 cup frozen peas and carrots (thawed)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 3-4 Tablespoons soy sauce

      On medium high heat, heat the oil in a large skillet or wok.  Add the peas/carrots mix, onion and garlic. Stir fry until tender. Lower the heat to medium low and push the mixture off to one side, then pour your eggs on the other side of skillet and stir fry until scrambled. Now add the rice and soy sauce and blend all together well. Stir fry until thoroughly heated!

 

Recipe: http://life-in-the-lofthouse.com

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

Ingredients:

The chicken coating:

• 3-4 boneless chicken breasts
• salt + pepper
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup canola oil

The sweet and sour sauce:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 4 tbs ketchup
• 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1 tbs soy sauce
• 1 tsp garlic salt

       Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees. Rinse your chicken breasts in water and then cut into cubes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dip chicken into the cornstarch to coat then dip into the eggs.  Heat your 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet and cook your chicken until browned but not cooked through. Place the chicken in a 9×13 greased baking dish. Mix all of your sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a bowl with a whisk and then pour evenly over the chicken. Bake for one hour and during the baking process you will need to turn the chicken every 15 minutes.

Serve with white rice or fried rice.

Recipe: http://life-in-the-lofthouse.com

Fall Pumpkin Dip

Ingredients:

• 15 oz. can of pumpkin
• 5 oz box of instant vanilla pudding mix (powder only)
• 16 oz. container of cool whip
• 1/2 tbs. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tbs. cinnamon
• small pumpkin (optional)

Mix pumpkin, dry pudding mix, cool whip, and pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl by hand.
Transfer to serving bowl, and chill for several hours.  Sprinkle cinnamon on top just before serving.

If you decide to serve it in a small pumpkin, cut top of pumpkin and scoop out the inside to make a bowl.

Serve with apple slices, vanilla wafers, ginger snaps, or graham crackers.

Recipe: http://www.northcarolinacharm.com

Instant Oatmeal packs

**The kids like the 1/4 cup amount, but you can increase to 1/2 cup and 2 tbs. of brown sugar if you want a larger serving.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 or 1/2 cup quick oats
• 1 or 2 tbs. brown sugar
• snack-sized ziploc baggies

For the water or milk part you add 3/4 c - 1 c of water or milk (for the 1/2 c oatmeal size), however you prefer.
You can also add in raisins, dried fruits, cinnamon, chocolate chips, whatever else you like in your oatmeal. 

Recipe: http://amylovesherlife.blogspot.com/2012/01/who-likes-saving-money.html via Pinterest

Easy Sesame Chicken

**I modified this recipe to double the chicken and sauce.  We didn't have enough for leftovers, and that is a problem in this house! :)  I kept the same amount of rice- there was plenty of that leftover.

Ingredients

Chicken

• 2 large eggs 
• 4 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2 pinches each salt & pepper
• 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I used chicken breasts)
• 4 Tbsp vegetable oil (for frying)

Sauce

• 4 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 3 Tbsp brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 inches fresh ginger, grated
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 Tbsp sesame seeds
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch

For Serving

• 4 cups cooked jasmine rice (I used plain white rice..either way is tasty!)
• 2 whole green onions

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, 2 Tbsp cornstarch, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Trim any excess fat from the chicken thighs, then cut them into small 1 inch pieces. Toss the chicken in the egg and cornstarch mixture.
2. Heat a large skillet with 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot (it should look wavy on the surface), add the chicken and all of the egg mixture. Cook the chicken, stirring only occasionally, until it is golden brown and cooked through (about 7-10 minutes). Drain off the excess oil, if desired.
3. While the chicken is cooking, prepare the sauce. In a small bowl stir together the soy sauce, water, sesame oil, brown sugar, rice vinegar, fresh ginger, minced garlic, cornstarch, and sesame seeds. (You can grate the ginger with a small-holed cheese grater).
4. Once the chicken is cooked through and golden brown, pour the sauce over top. Toss the chicken to coat in the sauce. The sauce will begin to thicken as soon as it hits the hot skillet. Once the chicken is coated and the sauce thickened, turn off the heat.
5. Serve the chicken over a bed of rice and sprinkle the sliced green onions over top.

Recipe: http://www.budgetbytes.com/2013/08/easy-sesame-chicken/

Chili Tortellini

**The only modification I have to this recipe is that it was more soupy than we like for a chili.  Flavor was very good regardless.  Will use less chicken broth next time to make it thicker.


Ingredients

• 1 pound dry tortellini
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons fresh minced garlic
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 32 ounces reduced sodium chicken broth (use less if you would like thicker consistency)
• Two 15-ounce cans beans, I used black and red beans, whatever you prefer
• 15 ounce can Rotel diced tomatoes MILD version
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro

Directions

1. Cook tortellini according to package directions. Heat olive oil into a large dutch oven over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic for about 5 minutes then brown beef until browned. Drain if necessary. Add broth, tomatoes, beans, cumin, garlic salt, chili powder and cilantro. Add cooked tortellini and heat for 10 minutes or until hot. Reduce heat to a low simmer until ready to serve.

Makes 8-10 Servings

Recipe: http://picky-palate.com/2013/04/10/chili-tortellini/