Chicken Avocado Soup

It's been awhile. I know, I know. Life has gotten the best of me. Occasionally I find a good fifteen minutes to make the effort right away, especially when I have request...like for this yummy recipe. I found this yummy recipe on one of my favorite sites Skinnytaste.com, but have adjusted it here & there to make it much easier. Here's the basic recipe w/ my input in blue:

Chicken and Avocado Soup
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes 
Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 1 bowl • Old Points: 5 pts • Points+: 7 pts
Calories: 285.8 • Fat: 16.8 g • Carb: 14.4 g • Fiber: 7.5 g • Protein: 22.1 g 

• 5 cups chicken broth (I use about 3 cans of low/no sodium & fat free broth)
• 2 cups shredded chicken breast (about two or three whole breast)
• 1 tomato, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-1/2 cups scallions, chopped fine (if no scallions, I've used half an onion chopped)
• 2 ripe avocados, diced
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped fine
• 4 lime wedges
• 2 tsp olive oil
• salt + fresh pepper to taste
• pinch cumin
• pinch chipotle chile powder  or red pepper flakes (optional)

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add 1 cup of scallions (or onions) and garlic. Sauté about 2 minutes then add tomatoes and sauté another minute, until soft. Add chicken stock, cumin and chile powder and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered on low for about 15-20 minutes.

In four bowls, fill each with 1/2 cup chicken, 1/2 avocado, remainder of the scallions( onions), and cilantro. Ladle 1 cup chicken broth over the chicken and serve with a lime wedge.

My Notes: 
First off, I never have chicken shredded in time. So the very first thing I do is grab two or three chicken breast (thawed), put them in a pot with the required chicken broth, and add one more can of water. I bring it to a boil and once at a boil, I cover the pan & lower the temp to a simmer. Let the chicken cook for 15-20 minutes. Make sure that once it boils to lower the temp right away! If you don't, the liquid will evaporate.

While the chicken is cooking, I saute my onions & garlic for 2 minutes. Then I add chopped fresh tomatos to saute another 2 minutes. Then I remove it off the burner so they don't over cook. I chop up my cilanto & avocado to set aside.

Once your chicken is cooked, remove the chicken breast and shred it with a fork. Once shredded, place the chicken back in the pot. Add your cumin, salt & pepper, and chile powder/red pepper flakes. Mix to dissolve. Then add your cilantro and avocado. Cover and simmer on real low for 20 minutes. While simmering, I make some jasmine rice and cut up limes for garnish.

When soup is done simmering, just ladle in a bowl. Garnish with a lil' cilantro. I usually put my rice & lime on a small side plate. Viola! You got an easy, simple healthy soup. My family LOVES it!

Let me know when you make it & how you like it! I think I make more of the effort to post recipes when I know people actually use them & like them! Enjoy!

Cilantro Lime Tilapia Tacos

Ingredients:

• 1 lb tilapia fillets, rinsed and pat dried
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2 jalapeño peppers, chopped (seeds removed for less heat)
• 2 cups diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• 8 5-inch white corn tortillas
• 1 medium avocado, sliced
• lime wedges and cilantro for garnish

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a skillet. Sauté onion until translucent, then add garlic. Mix well. Place tilapia on the skillet and cook until the flesh starts to flake. Add jalapeño peppers, tomatoes, cilantro and lime juice. Sauté over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, breaking up the fish with the spoon to get everything mixed well; season to taste with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, heat tortillas on a skillet a few minutes on each side to warm (no oil needed). Serve a little over 1/4 cup of fish on each warmed tortillas with a slice or 2 of avocado and enjoy!

Notes:
I followed the recipe from skinnytaste.com to a tea (click link to view amazing photos). I didn't have any fresh tomatoes on hand, so I used a can of Italian Diced Tomatoes.  It was just as good, but I think next time I'll do fresh. Our family (except my lil' boy) LOVES fish tacos. My little girl ate 4 of these!!! They were great, fast, & easy...not to mention healthy! Give them a try & let me know what you think!

Easy Fruit Cobbler

 

 allrecipe.com photo

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3 cups total of sliced canned peaches (drained) or any frozen fruit.
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions 

          Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position, and heat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Put butter in an 8-inch square or 9-inch round pan; set in oven to melt. When butter has melted, remove pan from oven.
2. Whisk flour, 1/2 cup of sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in small bowl. Add milk; whisk to form a smooth batter. Pour batter into pan, then scatter fruit over batter. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tbsp of brown sugar.
3. Bake until batter browns and fruit bubbles about 60 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream or a small scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Notes  

This was soooo good! I was in charge of bring a couple of cobblers to a church activity the other night. I found this recipe on Allrecipe.com, but tweaked it a bit. I added the cinnamon, vanilla & brown sugar. I cut the white sugar down a bit also. I ended up using canned peaches (drained) and frozen blueberries. The more fruit you add the better the dessert. This cobbler is NOT a crumbled one like my apple crisp, it's more of a doughy cobbler. It reminded me of a wonderful breakfast dish from a B&B. If you'd like to make this bigger in a 9x13 pan, just simply double the recipe! Next time I'm gonna try raspberries. It was a hit amongst my friends & definitely a keeper recipe for our family! Enjoy!

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces uncooked linguine
• 1 pound chicken breast strips
• 1-2 tsp Cajun seasoning (or to taste)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 medium yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup fat free low sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup skim milk
• 1 tbsp flour
• 3 tbsp light cream cheese
• fresh cracked pepper
• 2 scallions, chopped
• salt to taste
• garlic powder to taste
• cooking spray

Directions:

Prep all your vegetables. In a small blender make a slurry by combining milk, flour and cream cheese. Set aside. Season chicken generously with Cajun seasoning, garlic powder and salt. Prepare pasta in salted water according to package directions.Heat a large heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; spray with cooking spray and add half of the chicken. Sauté 5 to 6 minutes or until done, set aside on a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken. Set aside. Add olive oil to the skillet and reduce to medium; add bell peppers, onions, and garlic to skillet, sauté 3-4 minutes.
Add mushrooms and tomatoes and sauté 3-4 more minutes or until vegetables are tender. Season with 1/4 tsp salt, garlic powder and fresh cracked pepper to taste.Reduce heat to medium-low; add chicken broth and pour in slurry stirring about 2 minutes.Return chicken to skillet; adjust salt and Cajun seasoning to taste, cook another minute or two until hot, then add linguine; toss well to coat. Top with chopped scallions and enjoy!

Servings: 5 • Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 8 pts
Calories: 323.8 • Fat: 6.2 g • Protein: 25.9 g • Carb: 44.1 g • Fiber: 6.3 g • Sugar: 3.2 g
Sodium: 126.5 mg (without salt) 
  
Notes: This was another wonderful dish I snatched from skinnytaste.com! Check out the beautiful pictures of the dish. Keep in mind, Gina aims for low-cal healthy meals. If you don't have any of the skim, light, or low-fat ingredients, you can always substitute with the norm. I personally did not have any red onion on hand, so I just sliced a yellow onion. This dish was delicious, easy & now officially part of my cookbook. Thanks Skinnytaste.com!

Skinny Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy

This dish is definitely great for the man-eater. If you'd like to cook a wonderful, inexpensive Valentine meal for your man...you should try this! If there are only two of you eating in your household, I'd recommend cutting the recipe in half cause this one makes 8 patties! Another huge winner amongst my kiddos! Courtesy of Gina's Skinny Recipes, click here for photos.

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 tsp oil
• 3/4 cup onions, minced
• 1 lbs 93% lean ground beef
• 1 lb 93% lean ground turkey
• 1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg white
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper, to taste
• 8 oz sliced mushrooms
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, to taste
• 1/2 tsp mustard powder
• 1/4 cup water
• chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Saute onions in oil over medium heat until golden brown, and 5 minutes. In a large bowl, combine half of the sauteed onions, ground beef, ground turkey,bread crumbs, egg, egg white, 1/4 c beef broth, salt & pepper.  Shape into 8 oval patties. On medium-high heat in a skillet, brown both sides of the patties for a few minutes on each side then set aside. Add mushrooms to the skillet, season with salt & pepper & saute for 3-4 minutes. Return patties to skillet with mushrooms. In a small bowl, blend flour & remaining broth until smooth. Mix in remaining onions, tomato paste, vinegar, Worcestershire, mustard powder & water. Pour mixture over meat & mushrooms in skillet. Cover & cook on low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally (I like to make sure the patties aren't pink inside). Serve with some homemade mashed potatoes. Mmm Mmm Good!

Spinach Lasagna Rolls

Recently I came across a wonderful cooking blog who specializes in low-calorie meals, Gina's Skinny Recipes. It aims towards those households that may be venturing into the Weight Watcher program. I was a bit hesitant at first cause the ingredients were pretty darn healthy and lots of substituting, but there were some dishes that I just couldn't let pass me by. I'll make sure to tribute the recipes back to Gina's Skinny Recipes cause they were so darn good. Make sure you click on the titles below to get a direct link to her blog so you can see what the dishes look like. Unfortunately my camera can't take amazing, mouthwatering shots like that! Even my kiddos loved these few dishes!

Spinach Lasagna Rolls
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 9 • Serving Size: 1 roll • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 6 ww pts
Calories: 224.9 • Fat: 5.1 g • Fiber: 3.4 g • Protein: 13.0 g • Carbs: 31.5

Ingredients:

• 9 lasagna noodles, cooked
• 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely drained
• 15 oz fat free ricotta cheese (I like Polly-o)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• salt and fresh pepper
• 32 oz tomato sauce
• 9 tbsp (about 3 oz) part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Ladle about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish.

Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry. Take 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side
 down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.

Ladle sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with 1 tbsp mozzarella cheese. Put foil over baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts. Makes 9 rolls.

To serve, ladle a little sauce on the plate and top with lasagna roll.

Notes:
I ended up making this for some friends we had over for dinner one night. It was delicious, and all 4 kids ate it really well. It's a great dish to get your veggies in. Even my hubby who is a big time meat-eater enjoyed this veggie dish. Now, Gina has her own homemade tomato sauce. I modified it a bit, so the sauce could equal the recipe above. Here's what I put together & it turned out delicious.

Homemade Tomato Sauce

• 32 oz of plain canned tomato sauce
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 large onion finely chopped
• 1 cup carrots, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup fat free chicken stock
• fresh basil

Directions:
Saute garlic in oil, add onions and carrots and saute on medium-low for about 2-3 minutes, until soft. Add tomatoes and chicken broth and simmer 15 minutes on low. Then add basil. Taste for acidity, if sauce is a bit tangy (acidic) then add 1 tbsp of sugar. Add this sauce to the spinach recipe above.

Taco Seasoning.

The other day I ran out of my convenient taco packets. You know the ones you buy at any grocery store for like .78 cents? I figured there has to be a homemade recipe for it right? So I googled it. Sure enough, I came across a great one! Most of us have these ingredients in our cabinets already, so I hope this helps you out if you run out one day like I did. I used mine in my turkey chili recipe,and it was delicious! If you like more hotness, just add more red pepper flakes.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp. chili poweder
1/4 tea garlic powder
1/4 tea. onion powder
1/4 tea. red pepper flakes
1/4 tea. oregeno
1/2 tea. paprika
1 1/2 tea. cumin
1 tea. salt
1 tea. black pepper

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a zip lock bag. Seal & shack till well blended. Use a tablespoon at a time for desired taste towards any recipe calling for taco seasoning!