Chili Mac with corn and green chilis

• Chili Mac with Corn and Green Chilis
• from:  Mel's Kitchen Cafe
• 
  
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 pound ground beef or lean ground turkey
• 1 onion, minced
• 3/4 tablespoon chili powder (add more if you want more heat)
• 1/2 tablespoon ground coriander (substitute ground cumin for a smokier flavor)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
• 2 cups water
• 8 ounces (2 cups) elbow macaroni
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 4.5-oz can chopped green chiles
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 cups shredded cheese (I used a combination of cheddar and monterey jack but you can use pepper jack or a mexican shredded cheese blend)

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef, onion, chili powder, coriander, cumin and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook the ground beef until it is no longer pink. Drain off any excess fat or grease (the amount will depend on how lean your beef is). Stir in garlic and brown sugar and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato sauce, water, and macaroni. Cover and cook, stirring often and keeping the heat at a steady simmer, until the macaroni is tender, about 12-15 minutes.
2. Stir in 1 cup of the cheese, frozen corn, green chiles and cilantro and sprinkle remaining 1 cup of cheese over the top. Cover and let sit off the heat until the cheese melts, about 2 minutes.

Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken

Slow Cooker Lemon Pepper Chicken

{makes 8 servings}

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

Directions

Prepare your chicken by rinsing it and trimming the fat. I cut each breast into 2 pieces to make them more like large tenders.

In a shallow dish, combine the flour and 1 teaspoon of lemon pepper seasoning. Coat each piece of chicken in flour.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Once melted, brown each side of the chicken. You want them to be golden brown, but not cooked through because you’ll be cooking them in the slow cooker.

Spray the slow cooker (crockpot) with cooking spray and place the browned chicken into the bottom. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of lemon pepper seasoning on top of the chicken.

Mix together the lemon juice and chicken broth. Pour over the chicken and seasoning.

Cook on low for 3-4 hours. Enjoy!

Nutrition Information

{serving size = 1 chicken tender – recipe makes 8 servings}

125 calories, 4.1g fat, 4.1g carbs, 0.5g fiber, 19.5g protein

*Actual nutrition info may vary based on exact ingredients used. Recipe in MyFitnessPal as FG8 Slow Cooker Lemon Pepper Chicken.

Easy Teriyaki Chicken and Vegetables

Easy Teriyaki Chicken and Vegetables

from:  happyfoodhealthylife.com

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 lbs chicken breast, chopped
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 garlic cloves
• 12oz broccoli
• 4 large carrots, sliced
• 16 asparagus spears, chopped
Teriyaki Sauce
• 2 tablespoons ginger, chopped
• 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1/3 cup cold water
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/3 cup honey

Instructions

1. Mix all of the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and cook over medium to low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened (about 5 minutes).
2. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan, over medium to high heat. Add the chicken and peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through (about 6-8 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
3. While the chicken is cooking, cook your other vegetables until crisp tender. They can be put in a microwave safe dish and microwaved for 6-7 minutes, roasted in the oven, or cooked in a steamer.
4. Stir together the teriyaki sauce, chicken and vegetables until everything is coated. Serve over whole grain brown rice or rice noodles.

Spaghetti Sauce with Ground Beef

This was so good and easy to put together.  I did not let it simmer for the full hour (I believe I only did it for 40 minutes) and it was still delicious.  And the kids loved it too.  Serve over cooked whole wheat pasta.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/158140/spaghetti-sauce-with-ground-beef/print/?recipeType=Recipe&servings=8

Recipe By:Hank's Mom

"This recipe has been handed down from my mother. It is a family favorite and will not be replaced! (Definite husband pleaser!)"

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small green bell pepper, diced
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (16 ounce) can tomato sauce

• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. Combine ground beef, onion, garlic, and green pepper in a large saucepan. Cook and stir until meat is brown and vegetables are tender. Drain grease.
2. Stir diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste into the pan. Season with oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Simmer spaghetti sauce for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2016 Allrecipes.com 
Printed From Allrecipes.com 8/29/2016

Easy Sweet and Sour Catalina Chicken

Love this one and it's so easy and quick.

Easy Catalina Chicken
Adapted by Our Best Bites

1 cup Apricot or Apricot-Pineapple Jam (Peach is yummy too)
1 cup Catalina Salad Dressing (Russian works too)
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 envelope dry onion soup mix (like Lipton)
3-5 lbs chicken (breasts, bone-in/boneless, thighs, tenders, whatever)*
olive oil

*The amount of chicken you use is very flexible. If you use less, you’ll just have lots of sauce, and if you use more- you’ll have less sauce to spoon over rice, but there’s plenty to cook that much chicken.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a large oven proof skillet or dutch oven to medium-high heat on the stove top. If you don’t have an oven proof one, you can use any skillet and just transfer your chicken to a baking dish after searing.

While pan is heating, place jam, Catalina dressing, cider vinegar, and 1/2 of the onion soup packet (just eyeball it) in a bowl and stir to combine. Set sauce aside. Sprinkle remaining onion soup mix onto chicken pieces and pat on all sides with clean hands.

Drizzle olive oil into hot pan to coat bottom of pan. Place chicken pieces in and cook without moving for 2 minutes. Flip chicken to other side and cook for 2 more minutes. Pour sauce over chicken and spread out evenly over chicken pieces.

Place pan in oven, uncovered and cook until chicken registers 165 on a meat thermometer. Different parts of the chicken will vary in time so gauge according to what you are using. boneless skinless breasts usually take about 20-30 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool at least 10 minutes. Serve chicken and sauce over hot white rice. Serving size varies according to how much chicken you make, but serves a bunch!

Kat's Super Nachos

I cannot claim this nacho recipe. I got it from a girl named Nancy who was in my student ward at BYU. But I love this recipe because it is so easy and so good. And it is really easy to make for a crowd. In fact, we made this for our wedding open house down here in AZ and had a Nacho Bar. And I have made it often for family get togethers because it is so easy and so good. So here it is.

To "healthify" it a little bit, serve with whole grain chips such as the "Food Should Taste Good Multigrain Tortilla Chips" and top with lots of veggies.

Super Nachos

Ingredients: 1 lb. ground beef, 1 lg. onion ( I usually use half), 3/4 c. taco sauce, 1 can refried beans ( this could be the regular sized can or the large can depending on how much you want), 1 1/2 c. grated cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, avocados, green onions, lettuce, olives, and any of your favorite nacho toppings.

Cook the ground beef and onion together. Drain and add taco sauce. Simmer, then add beans, and cheese. Cook slowly until cheese melts. Serve with desired toppings.

To do in the crockpot, brown ground beef. Then combine it along with the onions, taco sauce, and refried beans. Cook on low till cooked through then add cheese.

Freezes well.

Southwestern Beef Wraps

From Our Best Bites.  So easy and so so good!

1 onion, chopped
2 1/2-ish lb. beef roast, trimmed of fat but left whole
1 heaping tsp. chili powder
1 heaping tsp. garlic powder
1 heaping tsp. cumin
1 heaping tsp. Kosher salt
2 bell peppers (you can use 2 green bell peppers or mix it up a little with red, yellow, or orange; just make sure one is green), chopped
1 14 1/2 oz. can Mexican-style diced tomatoes OR 1 can of Rotel tomatoes (regular or mild, depending on your preference)
Small flour tortillas (click here to make your own!)
Desired toppings: salsa or pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, etc.

Layer onion on the bottom of your crockpot. Combine spices and rub into the roast and set on top of onion. Put the peppers and tomatoes on top. Cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 8-9 hours OR (and this is Kate’s Magical Meat Method), start this in the morning, cook it on high until things start to boil and then cook on low until dinnertime and the meat shreds easily with two forks. Shred meat and serve with desired toppings.

FREEZER MEAL INSTRUCTIONS: Place tomatoes in the bottom of a freezer safe container. Place green peppers on top of tomatoes, then the seasoned roast, then the onions. When ready to cook, invert the container so the tomatoes are on top and cook 1-2 hours longer than the original recipe states.