Leftovers

Do you end up throwing out leftovers.....or do you savor every last morsal? Guess it depends on what it is, right.
I like to buy roasts. For one thing, I can throw them in the crockpot and not really have to "cook" dinner. The other reason, they go soooo far.
Take for instance, a beef roast.
Night one, we have roast (made in the crockpot) with salad and baked potatoes.
Night two, shred the beef....add BBQ sauce and you have shredded BBQ sandwhiches.
Night three, Add the shredded beef to plain cheese pizza, add some jack cheese, cilantro, and you have bbq pizza. So easy right?

How about pork roast?
Night one, sliced served with asparagus and fluffy potatoes.
Night two, chop it up and stir fry with some peppers, onions, mushrooms, broccoli (whatever veggies you have on hand) and rice
Night three, add any leftover pork and rice with peppers, onions, tomatoes, sausage, shrimp, with creole seasoning....and now you have jambalaya!

Chicken? The possibilities are endless!
What do you like to do with leftover chicken?

Almond Chicken

Almond Chicken

This is an easy 30 min meal that comes together using one skillet!

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/4 c Zesty Italian Dressing (I like this homemade Italian dressing)
1 c chicken broth

2 c green beans, cleaned, trimmed, halved
1 c minute rice, uncooked
1/4 c sliced almonds

Toss chicken with dressing. Add chicken and dressing in a large skillet on med-high heat. Cook 4 min per side until browned. Add broth and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 10 min. Add beans and cook for another 5 min or until chicken is done.
Remove the chicken. Add rice and almonds. Remove from the heat and cover. Let stand 5 min. Serve the chicken over the rice and beans.

Chilli Chicken Verde

Chilli Chicken Verde

I made this last year for a Chilli contest at my husbands work....it didn't win....but the ladies have been asking for recipe almost daily since....so I guess it wasn't too bad. ha ha ha.
This soup is delicious and one of my fall favorites. It is my MIL's recipe and makes a ton. It freezes really well too. Enjoy!

2 lbs cooked chicken breast or one whole chicken cooked (don't not add skin or bones)
-shred or cube and set aside

2 green peppers, chopped
2 bunches green onion, sliced
1/4 cup finely chopped garlic (or to taste)
4 tsp cumin
4 tsp oregano

-Saute all until soft

1 (11oz) can tomitillos or 1/4 lb fresh tomitillos chopped small
(If using fresh, saute with peppers,onion, and garlic)

2 cans white beans
3 cans large white beans
1 large can white hominy (opt)
1 (27oz) large can green chilis
-Add to soup. DO NOT DRAIN ANY CANS.

4 chicken bouillon cubes

-Add chicken. Add water to make the consistancy you like. I usually add 3-4 cups. Bring to a simmer for about 10 min and then turn off.

-Add
1 bunch of cilantro at the very end. (opt)

Enchiladas Blanco

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken thights (cooked in the same way as the above recipe)
1 can green chilis
3 scallions, sliced
1 package cream cheese (I use fat free)
2 Tbl sour cream (I use light)
1 package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 package tortillas
1 1/2 cup monteray jack cheese (or pepperjack)
2 cups heavy cream
3 garlic cloves crushed

Combine cooked chicken, drained green chilies, softened cream cheese, sour cream, and spinach together.
Heat the heavy cream and crushed garlic gently until it reaches a simmer. Remove the garlic. Add 1/2-1 cup of cream to the bottom of a 9 x 9 pan. Take the cream off the heat. Add shredded cheese to hot cream and stir to melt.
Microwave tortillas until soft and pliable (30 sec intervals). Fill tortillas with chicken mix and place in the pan seam side down. Cover with white sauce. Cook at 350 for 20 min until hot throughout and bubbly.
Garnish with cilantro and chopped black olives.

*I've wanted to add roasted garlic to this dish but haven't yet. Let me know if anyone tries this and how it turns out.

Parmesan Garlic Chicken

6 chicken breasts
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 envelope dry garlic and herb salad dressing mix (or italian)
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 cup olive oil.

Mix cheese, garlic, and dressing pack. Dip chicken in olive oil and coat with cheese mix. Place on baking dish and cook at 400 degrees for 45-60 minutes.

Monday Meal Plan

Here's what's cookin at our house this week:

Parmesan Chicken

Feta Burgers



Breakfast

Enchiladas Blanco

Cola Pork Chops

Stir Fry Shrimp

Leftovers/Eat out

SONday Dinner ~ Honey Pecan Chicken

(Mt. Soledad San Diego,CA)

Colossians 1:16-17

">WATCH THIS

Honey Pecan Chicken
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
Sauce
2 Tbl butter
1 Tbl shallots, minced
1 c OJ
1/4 c whiskey
1 c whipping cream
2 T honey
1 T cider vinegar
1/4 t salt
1/8 t pepper
Marinade
1/2 c olive oil
2 t fresh thyme, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
Dredge
1/2 c pecans, chopped
1/4 c flour
Olive oil
Mix the marinade ingredients and let chicken marinade up to 24 hours in a freezer bag. (could freeze at this point until ready to use)
Sauce
Melt butter in med saucepan over low heat. Saute shallots. Add OJ and whiskey and turn heat u to med. Let liquid reduce by half. Add cream and cook until slightly thickened. Add honey, vinegar, salt and pepper. Cool. (can freeze until ready to use)
Place pecans and flour together in a big shallow dish. Dredge chicken so that they are coated. Pan fry chicken in olive oil until no longer pink inside. Re heat thawed sauce on low heat until warmed. Serve chicken individually and serve sauce over chicken.

Raspberry Jalapeno Chicken

Raspberry Jalapeno Chicken



1/2 cup Raspberry Jalapeno Jelly (It's all about the Bees)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 T rice wine vinegar
1/2 t chili powder
1/2 t garlic powder
2 T juice (apple, pineapple, raspberry, oj)
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts



Combine all and pour over chicken in a freezer bag. Freeze until your ready to use. Thaw for 24 hours before you cook in the refrigerator.

Pour all into a large baking dish. Cover and cook at 350 degrees for 30-40 min. Remove from oven and transfer to platter. Spoon juices over chicken. Garnish with fresh raspberries.

Enchiladas

I have enchiladas on our meal plan this week but we all know there are soooo many variations of enchiladas. Here are some I think are noteworthy. At the bottom is a link to a homemade enchilada sauce. Yummy. :)

Beef Enchiladas
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (do this with gloves!!!)
1 can refried beans (16oz)
1 can tomato sauce (8oz)
1 tsp cumin
8 flour tortillas
1 can enchilada sauce (20oz)
1 cup shredded cheddar

Brown ground beef, onion, jalapenos. Drain. Stir in beans, tomato sauce, and cumin. Simmer 15 min.
Soften tortillas in microwave at 30 sec intervals.
Pour 1/2 cup enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 9 baking dish. Fill each tortilla with beef mix and roll putting the seam down in the dish. Cover with the rest of the enchilada sauce Sprinkle with cheese and bake at 350 for 30-35 min until hot and bubbly.

*this dish freezes well! To freeze: before baking put the shredded cheese in a seperate zip-loc. Wrap enchiladas and freeze together. Thaw overnight in a fridge. Sprinkle with cheese and bake at 350 for 30-35 min until hot and bubbly.

Enchiladas Verde
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 can chicken broth
2 cans green chili sauce (1 8oz and 1 15oz)
1 can diced green chilies
1 can salsa verde
2 cups monteray jack, shredded
1 cup onion, chopped
1 package tortillas

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken in a skillet, then cover with broth and water to cover. Boil until chicken is cooked through and can be shredded.
Mix the onion and cheese together. Pour the 8oz chili sauce in a 9 x 9 pan.
Fill tortillas with chicken, cheese (save half the cheese mix), diced green chilis, and green chili sauce. Roll and place seam side down.
Pour remaining greem chilli sauce over and salsa verde. Top with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 min until hot and bubbly.

*could substitue pepper jack for an extra kick.

Enchiladas Blanco
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken thights (cooked in the same way as the above recipe)
1 can green chilis
1 package cream cheese (I use fat free)
2 Tbl sour cream (I use light)
1 package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 package tortillas
1 1/2 cup monteray jack cheese (or pepperjack)
2 cups heavy cream
3 garlic cloves crushed

Combine cooked chicken, drained green chilies, softened cream cheese, sour cream, and spinach together.
Heat the heavy cream and crushed garlic gently until it reaches a simmer. Remove the garlic. Add 1/2-1 cup of cream to the bottom of a 9 x 9 pan. Take the cream off the heat. Add shredded cheese to hot cream and stir to melt.
Microwave tortillas until soft and pliable (30 sec intervals). Fill tortillas with chicken mix and place in the pan seam side down. Cover with white sauce. Cook at 350 for 20 min until hot throughout and bubbly.
Garnish with cilantro and chopped black olives.

*I've wanted to add roasted garlic to this dish but haven't yet. Let me know if anyone tries this and how it turns out.


Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Happy Monday

Aaaahhhh.....I'm home. I've spent the last week travel with a college choir to Kentucky. It was sooo much fun. The people in KY are amazing! Some of the nicest folk I've come across. I have tons of catching up to do around here but it was worth going! I'll update ya'll (as they say in KY) through out the week. Here is what I'm planning on serving my fam this week (links to the recipes are coming):

Asparagus Chicken Roll-ups

Basil and Tomato Pizza

Cola Pork Chops

Breakfast Casserole

Asian Chicken Wraps

Eat Out

Sausage Foil Packs

Hope you had a great 4th! Have a blessed week!

Meal Plan Monday

I'm trying 3 new recipes this week! But here's the good part, they are all under 30 minutes!

I hope to be unveiling some news pretty soon.....regarding cooking (no I'm not pregnant...lol).

Enjoy your week and I pray you find time to enjoy some great dinners and great family time as well.

If you make any of the recipes found on this website, please send me a pic. I'd love to share with everybody and know what you think!

Stir-fried Sesame Shrimp
(I'll add a pic later)

Boursin Chicken with Mushrooms
(making these tomorrow for company) :)

Sichuan Pork Noodles

(planning on making the kiddos something different, not sure if this will be spicy)

Feta Burgers

Smothered Breakfast Burritos

Leftovers

Eat Out

Click here to print this meal plan with recipes and a grocery list!

Tuesday's Tip ~ Dump Chicken

In the summer time goes by so quickly, doesn't it? I find myself running a lot more errands, spending more time with the kiddos, and just simply enjoying the longer daylight. With all that said, I spend a lot less time in the kitchen. If your summer sounds anything like mine, you might be interested in stocking up your freezer with Dump Chicken. Doesn't sound so appetizing, I know. But it's so simple and you'll love the time saver that it is. Basically, you "dump" chicken and a marinade/topping in a freezer bag and freeze. Pull it out 24 hours in advance and grill/bake/broil/stove top(whatever you prefer). During the thawing time it is absorbing the flavors you "dumped" in. It's a great chance to be creative too. Here are some found on various recipe websites. Leave a comment and tell us your favorite.

Sweet Salsa Dump Chicken

Honey-glazed Dump Chicken

Orange Chicken
4 boneless chicken breasts
2 TBS brown sugar
2 TBS soy sauce
3 TBS orange juice conentrate (thawed)
2 teaspoons garlic
1 teaspoon ginger
Coarse salt & Pepper to taste

Jammin Chicken
3/4 cup ketchup
3/4 cup blackberry ,strawberry, peach or apricot jam
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/8 teaspoon salt

Lemon-Garlic Chicken
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Terriyaki Chicken
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine (or sherry)
1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 tablespoons minced ginger
1 1/2 pounds chicken pieces

Meal Plan 9

My meal plan this week is going to be easy and frugal! I plan on only cooking 3-4 times this week. I am going to cook breakfast for my husbands work (only 8 people), so dinner plan is going to be simple.
We are having:

Cuban Black Beans and Rice

Muffin tin Mini Meatloaves

Black Bean Enchiladas (using leftover Cuban black beans)

Parmesan Garlic Chicken

Meatloaf Sliders with chipotle ketchup and crispy onions(using leftover mini meatloaves)

Chicken and Broccoli Quiche (using leftover parmesan chicken)

Meal Plan Monday ~ meal plan 6

Happy Memorial Day!

I hope you all have a great day relaxing and remembering. My wonderful husband spent 8 years in the Navy, is now in the reserves, but plans to return back active in a couple years. My father and both my grandfathers were vets as well. So this day holds meaning to me. I want my children to grow up knowing the true meaning behind Memorial Day, a day to remember those who died in serving our country. I also love that this day marks the beginning of summer. It is in our nature to remember death but celebrate new life. God simply reminds us of this with nature! I have yet to meet someone who doesn't love the first flower of spring after a cold winter. :)

MEAL PLAN 6

BBQ chicken (can freeze then thaw and reheat on a griddle pan or grill)

Lemon chicken with artichokes. (we love love love this dish.....we were excited to have this and I forgot to take a pic....so these are the leftovers for Rob's lunch..ha ha) This dish only takes 30 min!!!!

For more meal planning ideas: Meal Planning Monday

Meal Plan Monday

Yes, I know, it's not Monday. Yesterday turned out to be a little busier than I expected. Next week, I'll make sure to have this done actually on Monday. lol. :)

This week I created a meal plan with my friend, Robin, in mind. She and her husband work funky hours and just want to spend time together and with thier son when not working. But like all of us, we want our families to eat good food not to mention save money on eating out. So, I tried to put myself in her shoes......so I'm thinking easy meals, cooking once and using leftovers in another meal, freezing....stuff like that. Here is what I came up with:

Meal Plan 5

This week, I started something new as well. On this meal plan check out sheet two......yep....you got it.....the grocery list!
My son picking on the quiche on the counter. :)

Chicken and Brocolli quiche. 3 suggestions. Omit the lemon juice, add some hot sauce, and add some cheddar.

This is unbaked in this picture. Just think Arby's hot ham and cheese only this has a yummy buttery sauce!

We should rename this parmesan garlic chicken to "YOU HAVE TO TRY THIS CHICKEN"! It was soooo good! We used the leftovers in the quiche and that was after my husband took some to work, AND I was able to freeze some for the next quiche or quesadilla. :)

Green Shrimp Scampi (we use whole wheat pasta...so ours looks brown) :)

This week freezing instructions:

*Can wrap pork tenderloin in marinade and freeze until ready. thaw completely in fridge before baking. Could also freeze after cooking. Slice and add juice from pan in a freezer bag.

*Can wrap parmesan garlic chicken after cheese coating individually. Just take out as many as you need. Thaw completely in fridge before cooking.

*Can freeze ham and cheese sands after assembled wrapped in foil. No need to thaw before cooking. (this is one of our favorites!!!)

*Yes, you can even freeze quiche! After cooking, cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and then foil. Freeze. Thaw completely in fridge. Reheat in 325 oven for 20-30 min. Cover loosely with foil if starts to brown.

Dessert this week:

This week I'm making Frozen Lemon Pie (I have an obsession with lemon in the summertime)
3/4 c sugar
1 whole egg
2 egg yolks
1/2 t salt
1/4 c fresh lemon juice
1/2 t lemon zest
1 1/3 c whipping cream
2 egg whites
graham pie crust

In a double broiler, mix sugar, whole egg, yolks, salt, lemon juice, and zest. Over med heat until thick. Remove and cool. Seperatly, beat egg whites until stiff peaks. In a seperate bowl, beat whipping cream until soft peaks form. Fold egg whites into lemon mix. Fold whipping cream into lemon mix. Spread into graham crust. Freeze. Thaw slightly before slicing. YUM! (pictures to come)

More Meal Plans

Meal Plan 4

Here's meal plan number 4! Enjoy! This week I focused on freezing alot of items or making ahead. It's nice to have short cuts on those days I just don't feel like cooking much.

Blessings,
Shelby

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=rg6BTzPV1QzV1pqaf65aJ7g&hl=ens.google.com/ccc?key=rg6BTzPV1QzV1pqaf65aJ7g&hl=ens.google.com/ccc?

Smothered Breakfast Burrittos

Meatball Sands

Buffalo Chicken Salad

Curried Chicken

Tonight we had curried chicken with brown rice and peas. The kids asked for seconds which always makes me feel good. You can find the recipe on Meal Plan 3. I made a few changes. I doubled the sauce. So I used 2 cups coconut milk, 3 T curry, 2 t chicken granules. This was not spicy at all....just had great flavor! The chicken was super tender and fell off the bone. I cooked it on low in the slow cooker for 6-61/2 hours. Hope you try it....let me know what you think.