Santa Fe Chicken & Brown Rice (Slow Cooker)

Hey mamas! Got a busy day ahead of you and no time for dinner? This recipe is an easy one. All you have to do is take five minutes to prep your slow cooker and this meal puts itself together when it's time to hit the table.

Since I plan on using the leftovers for chicken quesadillas the next night, I use four boneless skinless chicken breasts. I layer them in the slow cooker with one cup of water, salt, pepper, 1 TBSP of cumin powder, 1 TBSP of garlic powder, and 1 TBSP of chili powder. If you're going to be away all day, then set your slow cooker to low for 8hrs. Set it to high for 4hrs.

After cook time: Shred the chicken with two forks, stir in one bag of corn, one can of black beans, and 1 cup of store bought salsa. Serve over brown rice (I use instant to save time).

Turkey Chili (Easy 20 Minute Recipe)

I like to prep as much as I can in advance so this quick chili is perfect for tiring week nights when you just need to get dinner on the table fast. I start by precooking my ground turkey (93/7) on the weekends...preferably on a lazy Sunday afternoon. I buy 5 lbs. of Butterball ground turkey from Sam's and cook it all at once. I can get 6-7 freezer bags of 2 cup portions of the cooked ground turkey.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups ground turkey

1 red or yellow onion diced

1 can of dark red kidney beans

1 can of black beans

1 can of fire roasted tomatoes

1 can of crushed tomatoes (larger than 16 oz.)

2 TBSP cumin powder

1 TBSP chili powder

1 TBSP garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

1 TBSP olive oil or cooking spray

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot, heat olive oil or use cooking spray to sauté onions until translucent. Add precooked ground turkey (thawed if frozen). Add cumin, chili, and garlic powder. Add salt and pepper and mix seasonings well with the turkey and onions. Add red and black beans and stir mixture slowly.  Add diced and crushed tomatoes.  If mixture looks thick, then add up to half the can of crushed tomatoes with water. Cover with lid and let simmer for 15 minutes. Serve over rice, with tortilla chips, or crackers.

Serves 6-8

Grilled Chicken Pasta Primavera

My family loved this quick dish. It's ready in as little time it takes to boil your pasta. This is one of those dishes that you throw in anything you have from the pantry or fridge. I added whole black olives, chopped tomatoes, chopped spring onions, and sliced cucumbers. I added one of those Italian seasoning salad dressing packs to the the liquid I steamed my leftover chicken in the microwave. There's a tip for ya. If you have leftover grilled chicken breast and you plan on using it for a quick dish, then add about a quarter of a cup of water and let it steam in the microwave on high for a few minutes. Your chicken will be moist. So I added the salad dressing mix packet to that leftover water and then mixed it all together with the pasta. I topped this dish with some fresh Parmesan and Romano cheeses. Some torn basil leaves would go well with this dish also. 

Deb's Easy Guacamole (Kid-Friendly No Jalapeños)

I like to have cucumber slices with my guacamole. It's refreshing and not as guilty as eating half a bag of tortilla chips in one sitting.

I smash one medium avocado. Squeeze and add in the juice of half of a lemon. Add a dash of salt, pepper, and cumin powder. I finely dice tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro and stir until everything is well mixed.  That's how easy it is to make fresh guacamole that is a great side dish to all of your Mexican dishes.

Italian Chickpea Patties (Falafel Fake Out)

I happened upon this one by accident, but most of my recipes are trial and error anyway. I had one lonely can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans) and I was trying to figure out a way to use it besides...hummus. So here you go! It's a chickpea patty! It's versatile and so good.  It looks and tastes like it should be bad for you, but it's on the healthy side. If you're watching your Weight Watcher Smart Points it is 1-2 points per patty depending on how big you make them. 

INGREDIENTS

1 - 15.5 oz can of chickpeas

1 TBSP grated parmesan cheese

1 TBSP Italian seasoning

1 TBSP minced garlic

1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs (poured in a bowl for the breading)

Salt N Pepper
(1-4 TBSP of water for consistency)

DIRECTIONS:

Drain and rinse chickpeas. In a medium size bowl smash chickpeas to smooth consistency (takes elbow grease with a fork). Add parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic, and salt/pepper. If the mixture isn't thick add a teaspoon or two of the bread crumbs. At this point it's your judgment if you need water to help the patties come together. Start with one tablespoon and keep mixing until you think they'll form ok.
Form patties with a two inch diameter and pat bread crumbs on both sides. In a medium nonstick skillet spray olive oil cooking spray and cook patties on medium heat. Makes 8-10 patties.

For an Italian dinner, add marinara and mozzarella to have a vegetarian version of Chicken Parmesan.

This is also great TexMex style with cumin and chili powder for a side dish for tacos. You can add black beans (keep them whole) with the chickpea mixture.

Slow Cooker Chicken Broccoli & Rice

 INGREDIENTS:

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

2 Cups Vegetable Stock

1 16oz Package Frozen Broccoli

2 Cups Brown or White Rice

Salt & Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

For frozen or thawed chicken: Add to slow cooker with vegetable stock. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 7-8 hours.

Cook rice to directions or use instant. Shred chicken and add frozen broccoli to mixture and cover for ten minutes. Add rice and mix thoroughly. Serves 4-6.

Chicken Piccata & Salad

 Chicken Piccata (The kid friendly version)

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

2 boneless skinless chicken breast

1 cup Italian breadcrumbs

2 cups vegetable broth

1 Tbsp chopped capers

1/2 fresh lemon juice (zest optional)

1/2 Tbsp minced garlic

Salt and Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Chicken Prep: Make sure chicken is thawed. Tenderize to 1/2 thickness. Salt and pepper both sides and dip into breadcrumbs. You can can follow a traditional egg and flour dip also, but I'm cutting those steps out. In a nonstick skillet coat the bottom of saucepan with cooking spray. Cook chicken thoroughly and set aside to rest. Chop capers and add to pan along with garlic. Add vegetable broth and let simmer for 10 minutes until sauce thickens.  Add the squeezed lemon juice (and optional lemon zest). Dice chicken and add to sauce. Can be served alone or over rice or mashed potatoes with a side salad.