Chicken Pot Pie

*Ingredients*

- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

- 1 (14.5 ounce) can of chicken broth

- 1 (10 3/4 ounce) can of cream of mushroom soup

- 3 small or 1 large potato (cut into 1 inch cubes)

- 1 yellow onion (diced)

- 3 branches of celery

- 2 tbl E.V.O.O.

- 2 tbl flour

- 2 cups of mixed vegetables

- Salt and pepper

- Seasoned salt

- 1/4 tsp garlic powder

- 1-2 (9 in) frozen prepared pie crust (thawed)





*Directions*

- Wash chicken in water, put it in a pot and cover it with water.

- Add salt, pepper and garlic powder, and bring to a boil.

- Once to a boil, turn off the heat and cover. Let the chicken cool in the pot.

(the chicken cuts better when cooled)


- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- Wash and cut the potatoes into bite size pieces and boil until almost tender. Drain and set aside.

- Wash and cut celery into bite size pieces.

- Dice onion.



- In a large skillet, over medium heat, saute the celery and onion in 2 tbl of EVOO for 5-8 minutes.

- Add frozen veggies and cook another 5 minutes.

- Add 2 tbl of flour, cook for 30 seconds.

- Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. After it has become thick, add the potatoes.

- Remove chicken from the pot, make sure it is cool, then cut into bite size pieces and add it to the vegetable mixture.

- Add salt, pepper, and seasoned salt to taste

- Pour mixture into a 9 inch deep dish pie plate (having a pie shell on bottom is optional.. more crust the better I think ;)) and cover with a pie shell. You will probably have a small amount that will not fit in.

- Make sure you crimp the edges of the shell to the pie plate or the bottom pie shell so no juices spill into the oven.

- Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes of until pie shell is cooked and golden brown.

This makes for a perfect dish for a cool Fall or Winter evening.

Cilantro Chicken

Ingredients:

- 1 Cup Olive Oil

- 1/2 Cup fresh lime juice

- 1 Clove Garlic, minced

- 1/2 Cup Onion, chopped

- 1/4 Cup fresh Cilantro, chopped

- 1/2 tsp Salt

- 1/4 tsp Pepper

- 2 whole boneless chicken breasts (4 halves)

Directions:

- Mix first 7 ingredients to make the marinade

- Pound the chicken breast until thin

- Marinate 1/2 to 1 hour

- Barbeque or broil

- Cooks in about 3 to 5 minutes

If double or triple recipe use leftovers in enchiladas.

Chicken & Broccoli Lasagna

Makes 8 Servings

(double batch, so you can freeze half to eat another time)

For the sauce:

- 4 tbs. butter

- 4 tbs. flour

- 2 cups milk

- 1 cup chicken broth

- 3 eggs

- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

- 1/2 tsp. salt

- Pinch of nutmeg

- Pinch of ground red pepper

- Lasagna noodles

- 2 tbs. butter

- 1 cup chopped onion

- 1 tsp. minced garlic

- 1 1/2 cup diced chicken

- 1 bag frozen broccoli cuts

- 1/4 cup parsley

- 1 lb mozzarella, sliced thin

- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Sauce:

- Melt butter, stir in flour.

- Add milk, whisk until smooth.

- Stir in broth.

- Cook, stirring constantly, until thick.

- Beat eggs in separate bowl, add small amount of sauce; then combine egg mix with all sauce.

- Stir in cheese and seasonings.

- Cook noodles.

- Sauté chicken in butter with onion and garlic.

- Stir in broccoli, cook 5 min.until tender.

- Add seasonings.

- Layer in 9 x 13 pan: sauce, mozzarella, noodles, chicken. Repeat. Finish with cheese.

*To serve: Bake 350F for 50 min, until bubbly.*

Easy to make and isn’t as expensive as regular homemade lasagna.

You can freeze leftovers for a delicious meal days later.

Chicken Pasta Primavera

*Ingredients*
- 1 Red Bell Pepper (cut all into 1 inch pieces)
- 1 Yellow Bell Pepper (cut all into 1 inch pieces)
- 1 Green Bell Pepper (cut all into 1 inch pieces)
- 4 tbl extra virgin olive oil (E.V.O.O.)
- 2 cloves of glarlic (minced (finely chopped))
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can peeled & diced tomatoes (no need to drain)
- 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes w/ green chile peppers (rotel) (no need to drain)
- 1 (15 ounce) can tomatoe sauce
- 1 pound angel hair pasta
- 2 tbl butter
- 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (cut into bite size pieces)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic herb
- 1/2 tsp Toney's creole seasoning (if you want it a little spicey)
- 1/2 rubbed sage
- 1/4 cup parmesean grated cheese


*Directions*
Sauce:
- In a large skillet, over med heat, cook the peppers in 2 tbl of E.V.O.O. w/ the minced garlic until just tender.
- Stir in diced tomatoes & diced tomatoes w/chilies (rotel), add spices, & reduce heat to med-low to simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove to a serving bowl.

Pasta:
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, add pasta, & cook for 8-10 minutes or until tender. Drain.

Chicken:
- While pasta is cooking, heat 2 tbl of EVOO & the butter over med. heat in a large skillet.
- Cook the bite size pieces of chicken in the butter mixture until juices run clear, about 5-10 minutes.
- Place cooked chicken over tomatoe sauce mixture

- Put the chicken over the pasta, with sauce and parmesean on top.

- Serve with some broiled garlic toast and a side salad and Eat It Up!

Keeping Veggies Fresh

Use this quick reference to make sure your veggies enjoy their maximum lifespan. Store all food items in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag and keep them in the crisper if possible:


Broccoli: up to 4 days

Carrots: 2 to 4 weeks

Celery: up to 1 week

Cucumbers: up to 5 days

Ginger: up to 3 weeks

Leafy Greens: 7 to 10 days

Mushrooms: up to 5 days (in their wrapped box or in a paper bag)

Scallions: up to 1 week (wrapped loosely)

Tomatoes: If fully ripe (dark red or orange and slightly soft), store in a cool spot (55 degrees F) for up to five days. If not ripe yet, store in a brown bag at room temperature for one to two days, until ripe.
Once sliced, put a folded paper towel over the cut end, then wrap in plastic or resealable bag and store in refrigerator.

Onions, Potatoes, and Squash: Store in a cool, dry place. Once an onion has been sliced, put a folded paper towel over the cut end, then wrap in plastic or resealable bag and store in refrigerator.

Making Plans Week by Week

We are all busy. Whether it's working, caring for our children, going to school, running errands, exercising, volunteering, or a combination of all of these, we are all busy. That's what has made cooking such a challenge. The busyness of life leaves us tired and unprepared to cook a meal. Which then leads to frozen meals, ordering a pizza, or a quick trip to a fast food or dine in restaurant. And as we all know, these meals aren't the healthiest. They have huge portion sizes, an overwhelming amount of sodium, sugar, fat and calories, with a definite shortage in vitamins, vegetables, and fiber.

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What you can do to start making a change...

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Plan Ahead-

Plan a week's worth of dinner. Fewer than 30 percent of Americans know what they're having for dinner come 4 pm. Yet, it can only take a short amount of time to plan out your meals.

*

Here's what to do:

Designate a day (like every Saturday morning) that you sit down and think about your upcoming week, your plans that you have, what you already have in your freezer or fridge, and what your family likes to eat.

*

Then plan out the week's worth of menus, make sure you leave one night for pizza night. (Because of my family's schedule we have every Tuesday night that we eat pizza and salad and pop in a movie.)

*

At the same time, write out your grocery list. The typical American shopper goes to the grocery store at least twice a week. So by making a grocery list you can save yourself last minute trips to the store, chances to impulse shop, and opportunities to get seduced by those junk food isles.

*
Now post the list of menus on the kitchen refrigerator or bulletin board so it's the first thing you see when you get home. No more thinking ahead. Just follow your own instructions. It's that easy!
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Here is a typical weekly menu for my house. The lunches are so big because my husband is a big man that needs alot of food and nourishment. I usually don't plan out my breakfast and snacks on my menu, but I thought I would include it as an example of 5 meals a day.

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Monday-
Breakfast:
Cereal w/ low-fat milk

Snack:
Banana

Lunch:
- Turkey Sandwich
- Chips
- Trail Mix
- Apple

Snack:
Cottage cheese w/ peaches

Dinner:
- Meatloaf
- Homemade Mac & Cheese
- String Green Beans



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Tuesday-
Breakfast:
Mini whole wheat bagel w/ peanut butter & honey

Snack:
Applesauce

Lunch:
Meatloaf Leftovers

Snack:
Fiber One bar

Dinner:
-Pizza
-Salad



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Wednesday-
Breakfast:
Oatmeal and piece of whole wheat toast

Snack:
String Cheese

Lunch:
- Tuna Sandwich
- Pretzels
- String Cheese
- Grapes

Snack:
Banana

Dinner:
- Swiss Steak w/ veggies
- Mashed Potatoes
- Crescent Rolls



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Thursday-
Breakfast:
Mini whole wheat bagel w/ peanut butter & honey

Snack:
Yogurt

Lunch:
- Turkey Sandwich
- Chips
- Carrots w/ low-fat ranch
- Banana

Snack:
Grapes

Dinner:
- Chicken & Rice Casserole
- Broccoli


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Friday-
Breakfast:
Cereal w/ low-fat milk

Snack:
Apple slices w/ peanut butter

Lunch:
Casserole Leftovers

Snack:
Trail Mix

Dinner:
Swiss Steak Leftovers

In 'Fill Your Belly' I will be posting meal planning tips, recipes, grocery lists and anything else that will make your day to day meals easier and not as repetitive.