Poppy Seed Chicken

Now that school's back in full swing and the ensuing craziness of schedules has begun, I love having meals on the menu that are simple.  But sometimes simple tastes simple.  But this easy dish is not one of those.  The sour cream, plain yogurt, and cream of chicken create a delicious base for the chicken but the extra wow is the crushed Ritz and poppyseeds.  I think I may even double the Ritz the next time I make it as it adds a nice saltiness to it.  

You cook this in a 9x13 pan and then serve over rice.  I'll write the recipe as written and then give my tips of how I make it a little healhier.  

Poppy Seed Chicken from Michelle S.

4 chicken breasts

1 small container of plain yogurt (about 8 oz)

1/2 bag Ritz crackers (approx 15 crackers)

1 can Cream of Chicken soup

1/2 cube of butter

pepper

salt

poppy seeds

Boil chicken with 3-4 chicken bouillon cubes.  Cube chicken and put in a 9x13 casserole dish.  Mix soup, yogurt, and sour cream together and season well with salt and pepper.  Add a little milk to make it thinner if desired (I always do).  Pour over chicken.  Crush Ritz crackers and mix with 1/2 cube butter (1/4 C). Put on top of soup mixture.  Sprinkle generously with poppy seeds.  Heat 30-40 minutes.   Serve over rice.  

Tips:  Save the chicken stock after cooking the chicken and then use that in place of water when cooking the rice. I use plain greek yogurt.  I also reduce the butter to 1/4 a cube of butter.  I think I may try using the whole package of Ritz crackers next time as we loved the flavor when  you got a bite of it.  

Barbecue Turkey Burgers

Looking for something new to throw on the barbecue? Here's a nice, lighter twist on a hamburger.  The ground turkey is combined with some flavorful spices like garlic powder, chili powder, and salt. It all pairs really well with the BBQ sauce spread on the bun that the recipe calls for.  My kiddos all gobbled this up--even my baby (well....not so baby at 18 months).  Sometimes I have a hard time eating a "healthy" version of something when you're comparing it to the original.  But that's what makes this recipe so great with the use of bbq sauce over ketchup as the condiment.  It was a unique, flavorful, yummy version of a hamburger.  

Barbecue Turkey Burgers from "The Best of Cooking Light: Everyday Favorites" 

1/4 C chopped onion

1/4 C barbecue sauce, divided

2 T dry breadcrumbs

2 tsp prepared mustard

3/4 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 lb ground turkey

Cooking spray

1. Combine onion, 2 T bbq sauce, breadcrumbs, and next 5 ingredients in a medium bowl.  Divide turkey mixture into 4 equal portions (I did 6).  Shape into hamburger patties.

2. Heat a grill pan (or barbecue) over medium-high heat.  Coat pan with cooking spray.  Place patties in pan; cook 7 minutes on each side or until done.

3. Place 1 lettuce leave, 1 tomato slice, and 1 patty on bottom half of hamburger bun.  Spread each patty with 1 1/2 teaspoon barbecue sauce.  Cover with top halves of bun. 

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

These are seriously so FANTASTIC!  My friend brought these over to share during a lunch date.  I could not get over the flavor!  So I had to immediately make them for my family.  The chicken is tender and moist as it's been sitting in the crockpot slow-cooking all day long.  And the salsa combined with the brown sugar is just the perfect amount of sweet to offset the tang of the salsa.  I took these to my parents to share on Monday and they agreed that they were amazingly delicious.  This will definitely be a staple on our menu!   I think they taste best paired with the uncooked tortillas (like you get at Costco) that you cook at home.  And the black beans are an amazingly compliment to the flavor of the meat.  Oh, and did I mention how easy it is??? You know that gets extra marks at our house!

Don't mind that crazy black bean that escaped just as I was taking the photo

Crockpot Chicken Tacos from Fantastic Family Favorites 


3 lbs. frozen chicken breasts
1 24oz jar salsa
2 cups brown sugar

1. Place the frozen chicken breasts into the slow cooker. Pour half the jar of salsa over the chicken. Sprinkle 1 cup brown sugar on top. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours.
2. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and discard the liquid. Shred chicken and place back in slow cooker.
3. Cover chicken with remaining salsa and brown sugar. Cook on low 1 hour, then stir the chicken to coat the meat. Cook on low for 1 more hour.

Top with your favorite taco toppings--cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, black beans, etc.

Tips:  When my friend made hers she just used equal parts salsa and brown sugar on hers.  She didn't do the draining part and adding more salsa and brown sugar.  I, however, followed this recipe without draining it.  The meat seemed dry after I shred it so I added more brown sugar and salsa.  However, it was a little too juicy (dripping all over your hands) when eating the taco.  So.....the moral is---follow it exactly or just cook in 1 C salsa and 1 C brown sugar , shred, and return to former juices.  Are you thoroughly confused??? If so, leave me a comment :).

Overnight French Toast Bake

Are you looking for something yummy and easy to make for your family breakfast on the 4th this week?  This just might be what you're looking for.  I saw this recipe on Pinterest (again trying to conquer trying all those things on my "recipes to try" board) and knew I had to try it.  I loved how the description said "love french toast but hate standing and flipping bread and never getting to sit down with your family".....Umm...yes.  They read my mind, in fact.   So we tried this for Father's Day this year.  My husband gushed about how delicious it was.  He even compared it to Kneaders french toast (quite a compliment as those of you in the West might know).   And I loved that it only took a few minutes the night before and then I popped in the fridge overnight and simply put it in the oven to bake in the morning.  Now that's my kind of fancy breakfast.   

Next time around I think I'll definitely cut the crusts off the bread as they got a teeny bit hard after sitting for a few minutes after being served.  I also loved the texas toast with it but might venture out and get a loaf of cinnamon bread next time and cut it nice and thick.  But if you make it as written you won't be disappointed.

Overnight French Toast Bake from Rach's Blog

Ingredient Checklist

1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)

1 cup brown sugar

1 loaf Texas toast

4 eggs

1 1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Powdered sugar for sprinkling

Directions

1. Melt butter in microwave & add brown sugar....stir till mixed.

2. Pour butter/sugar mix into bottom of 9 x 13 pan....spread evenly to cover bottom of pan

3. Beat eggs, milk, & vanilla and add 1 T powdered sugar to egg mixture

4. Lay single layer of Texas Toast in pan

5. Spoon 1/2 of egg mixture on bread layer.  Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on bread before next layer

6. Add 2nd layer of Texas Toast

7. Spoon on remaining egg mixture.  Spread a thin layer of butter on bread.  Sprinkle with white sugar and cinnamon.  

8. Cover & chill in fridge overnight

9. Bake uncovered at 350 for 45 minutes

10. Sprinkle with powdered sugar

11. Serve with warm maple syrup (I don't do the syrup part)

Tips:  The brown sugar and butter carmelizes at the bottom of the pan so serve bottomside up.  I also overbaked it a bit (because it hadn't specified covered or not and I realized it needed to be uncovered halfway through) and that part became hard after sitting out--so just don't overbake.  

Baked Crunchy Ranch Chicken

I don't know about you--but the end of the school year always feels a little harried at our house.  So if you're looking for an amazingly simple recipe to throw together on one of those nights--look no further.  The breading of crushed corn flakes create a nice crunch while the parmesan and dry ranch dressing mixed with it create a punch of flavor.  The recipe calls for the chicken to be dipped in butter but I decided to go for a healthier variety and dipped it in egg whites this time.  I really noticed no difference--so try it either way.  I also like to use chicken tenders instead of chicken breasts as I think it makes the chicken more moist and tender.  Sometimes chicken breasts tend to dry out, in my opinion.  

Baked Crunchy Ranch Chicken adapted from Allrecipes

2 C crushed cornflakes

1 C grated Parmesan cheese

1 (1oz) pkg ranch salad dressing mix

8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (or 12 boneless/skinless tenders)

1/2 C butter, melted (or 3 egg whites)

In a shallow bowl, combined the cornflakes, Parmesan cheese and salad dressing mix.  Dip chicken in butter (or egg whites), then roll in cornflake mixture to coat.  Place in a greased 9x13 baking dish.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 45 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. 

Tips:  We couldn't decide if the whole ranch packet was a little too much flavor--so I may try using 1/2-3/4 of the pkg next time.

Serves size: 1 tender (or 2 oz)

Calories: 108     Carbs: 8     Fat: 2     Protein: 16

**These nutrition facts are based on eliminating the butter and using egg whites

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