Coconut Chicken

I have seen multiple recipes for "Skinny Coconut Chicken," but decided to modify and make my own, based on ingredients I had. TOTAL (the cereal) went on sale a while back, and with some trusty coupons, I got a TON of boxes for FREE! So, I just dumped a bunch of cereal into my trusty food processor and made my own "total Crumbs" :-)

Coconut Chicken

• • 8 chicken tenders (about 1½ lbs)
• • ½ cup coconut flakes, unsweetened
• • ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs +  ½ cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
• OR 1 cup crumbs made from TOTAL cereal
• • 1/4 tsp salt
• • 1 tsp black pepper
• • 2 tsp garlic powder
• • 2 egg whites

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine coconut, crumbs, salt, pepper, and garlic.
2. Whisk egg whites in a separate bowl. 
3. Dip chicken tenders into the egg and then into the coconut mixture. Cover with the mixture on both sides.
4. Spray baking sheet with non-stick spray. (I like to put a piece of foil and cover it with non-stick spray for easier clean-up) Bake for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and coconut is golden brown. Turn the chicken once halfway through the cooking time.

Bruschetta Chicken

Bruschetta Chicken 

Recipe and Photo Source

what you need

4

small  boneless skinless chicken breast halves

1/4

cup  KRAFT Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette Dressing, divided

1

 tomato, finely chopped

1/2

cup  KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese (I use 1/4 cup Mozz and 1/4 cup Parmesan)

1/4

cup  chopped fresh basil

HEAT grill to medium heat (I chose to broil mine in the oven, which works great too).

make it

PLACE chicken in large resealable plastic bag. Add 2 Tbsp. dressing; seal bag. Turn bag over several times to evenly coat chicken with dressing. Refrigerate 10 min (or longer). Remove chicken from bag; discard bag and dressing.

COVER half the grill grate with sheet of heavy-duty foil.  Place chicken on uncovered side of grill grate; grill 6 min. Meanwhile, combine remaining dressing, tomatoes, cheese and basil. (Or cover a cookie sheet or other pan with aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. Place chicken on baking sheet. Broil for 5-7 minutes; turn and broil another 5-7 minutes. Top with tomato/Cheese mixture and broil 1 minute until melted.) 

TURN chicken over; place on foil. Top with tomato mixture. Grill 8 min. or until chicken is done (165ºF).

kraft kitchens tips

VARIATION

Marinate chicken in shallow glass dish instead of in the plastic bag.

SERVING SUGGESTION

Serve with hot buttered egg noodles, and grilled or steamed vegetables. (I served with steamed broccoli and rice)

SUBSTITUTE

If you don't have fresh basil, you can use 1 tsp. dried basil leaves instead.

Sweet and Sour Pork Chops

Sweet and Sour Pork Chops

4 boneless pork chops, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 tbs bottled chili sauce
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs honey

Turn oven on to broil. Mix chili sauce, soy sauce, and honey in a small bowl. Place a piece of foil on a pan, spray with a little cooking spray. Put diced pork chops onto pan and dump sauce over top. Broil for 7-10 minutes. Serve with rice and veggies.

Simple, cheap, and yummy.

Garlic Lime Chicken Fajitas

These are a favorite at our house:
You can buy the spices pre-packaged by McCormick in their Recipe Inspirations. I did that once, but now just follow the recipe at home. It's simple, healthy, and delicious

Garlic Lime Chicken Fajitas
1 tsp Minced Garlic
1 tsp Minced Onions, dried
3/4 tsp ground cumin (I just do a heaping 1/2 tsp)
3/4 tsp Oregano
1/2 tsp cilantro leaves (you can omit this if you don't have any)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp salt (I usually omit this)
1 1/2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1 medium bell pepper, cut into thin strips (I like to do 1/2 yellow and 1/2 red pepper)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
Tortillas

Directions:
Mix juices, oil, and all of the spiced in small bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup marinade (if you forget, it's OK!). Place chicken in large resealable plastic bag or glass dish. Add remaining marinade; turn to coat well. Refrigerate 30 minutes of longer for even more flavor (overnight is SUPERB).
Cook the chicken in large heated skillet on medium-high heat until lightly browned. Remove from skillet. Add peppers, onion, and reserved marinade (if you forgot to reserve some marinade, just put a few more dashes lime juice on the pepper/onion mixture while it cooks); cook and stir 5 minutes or until tender. Return chicken to skillet. Cook 2-3 mintues or until heated through.
Spoon chicken mixture onto tortillas. Serve with assorted toppings, if desired.

YUM! These are the hubby's favorite!

Parmesan Knots

I tore this recipe out of a "Taste Of Home" Magazine a few years ago. DELICIOUS! Easy, Quick, fum, yummy. You also find the recipe Here.

PARMESAN KNOTS

(Picture taken by Taste Of Home; see website)

Ingredients

• 1 tube (12 ounces) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
• 1/4 cup canola oil (I used 2 Tbs butter and 2 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

Directions

• Cut each biscuit into thirds. Roll each piece into a 3-in. rope and tie into a knot; tuck ends under. Place 2 in. apart on a greased baking sheet (They will be small!). Bake at 400° for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.
• In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; add the warm knots and gently toss to coat. Yield: 2-1/2 dozen.

*I served these with Ravioli with marinara sauce, turkey meatballs, and green salad. 

Honey Orange Teriyaki Chicken

We love the Mr. Yoshida's marinade. It makes a great chicken/turkey marinade, wonderful stir-fry...yes. We like it. I have usually purchased it from Costco, so I'm not sure where else carries it for sure...but this is a very simple and easy dinner. My boys had seconds and thirds. A two-year old having thirds is definitely considered success at our house! I served with plain rice, and some steamed veggies. Enjoy!

Honey Orange Teriyaki Chicken

Ingredients:
1 Cup Mr. Yoshida's Original Gourmet Sauce
1 Cup Orange Juice-premium, Not from concentrate (or juice from about 3 oranges)
3 tbs orange zest (optional....but do add it!)
6 Tbs. Honey
1 1/2 lbs chicken-breast, sliced or chicken tenders
1 tbs olive oil
Optional: 1/4 cup slivered or sliced almonds, toasted

Directions:
1. In bowl, mix orange jujice, Yoshida sauce, honey, and 3 tbs zest (optional). Reserve 1 cup.
2. Marinate chicken for 10 minutes. Drain chicken; discard marinade.
3. Lightly brush grill pan with olive oil. Heat to medium.
4. Cook chicken, turning once halfway through cooking time (4-6 minutes) and bursh with 1 cup reserved sauce. Cook for 4-6, until thoroughly cooked. Use remaining sauce at table as a dipping sauce or salad dressing.
5. Optional: top with toasted almonds.


Yum. Seriously. You have to make this. :)

Mexican-style Tilapia

So, I would like to preface this by saying I am not a big fan of tilapia usually. But I made my mother-in-law's recipe while we were out of town and it was delicious and best of all it is super easy! A yummy way to eat fish that is cheap! Hope you like it.

Prep: 5 min. Cook: 30 min at 350.

Ingredients:

Tilapia loins
salsa, desired spiciness
Hint of Lime tortilla chips*
cheese

*If you don't have Hint of Lime chips you can sprinkle the tilapia with lime juice and use regular tortilla chips.

Preheat your oven at 350.
Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Lay your tilapia on the cooking sheet and cover with a thin layer of salsa (about a 1/4 inch thick on top).
Then crush your tortilla chips until they are in small pieces and put on top of the fish.
Sprinkle the cheese on top, enough to cover the chips and put in the oven. That's it!

Easy Parmesan Chicken

This is a super yummy and easy quick recipe. My family loves it!

Ingredients

Chicken Tenders or I'll just cut up chicken breasts into strips
1/2 c. butter melted
1/2 c. sour cream
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 roll of ritz crackers or club crackers
3/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/4 c. shredded parmesan cheese
garlic salt

•In a small bowl combine butter, sour cream and garlic together. Then in a seperate bowl crush the ritz crackers and mix with parmesan cheeses.

•Take chicken and dip into sour cream mixture then into cracker mixture. Place on baking sheet so they are not touching. Sprinkle remaining cracker mixture over chicken strips and sprinkle lightly with garlic salt and a little bit more of shredded parmesan cheese.

•Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Oven Chicken Fingers and honey-mustard dipping sauce

Need something fast and easy to make for dinner? These are popular and kid friendly!

Oven Chicken Fingers
1 cup Italian bread crumbs (I use whole wheat)
2 tbs Parmesan cheese, grated
1 clove garlic, minced (I used 1 tsp garlic powder)
1/4 cup vegetable oil, water, or 1-2 slightly beaten egg white
8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (or 1 pkg chicken tenders)

In plastic bag, mix breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and garlic. Set aside. Place your oil, water, or egg in shallow bowl. Cut your chicken into thin strips. Dip strips in oil; then coat with bread mixture. Place on greased baking sheet (or foil-lined baking sheet). Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. (I usually cook for 15 minutes, then turn them over and cook them an additional 10-15 minutes). If you want them extra crisp, stick them under the broiler for 2-3 minutes at the end.

Honey Mustard Sauce (for dipping):
2 tbs cornstarch
1 cup water, divided
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup prepared mustard

Dissolve cornstarch in 1 tbs water in a saucepan. Add honey, mustard, and remaining water. Bring to boil over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Serve with chicken for dipping.

Raspberry-Balsamic Glazed Chicken

Raspberry-Balsamic Glazed Chicken
1 tsp vegetable oil
Cooking spray
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt divided
4 chicken breast halves
1/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp pepper


Heat oil in a large nonstick skilled coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion; sautee 5 minutes. Combine thyme and 1/4 tsp salt; sprinkle over chicken. Add chicken to skillet; sautee 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from skillet; keep warm. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add 1/4 tsp salt, preserves, vinegar, and pepper, stirring constantly until the preserves melt. Spoon raspberry sauce over chicken. Makes 4 servings.

I served it with rice. It's simple and quick...and yummy too. Can't beat that!

Amish Breakfast Casserole

I got this one from the Tasteofhome website. My husband hates breakfast foods and he ate this all week for breakfast

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Amish-Breakfast-Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 pound sliced bacon, diced
• 1 medium sweet onion, chopped ( I only put a 1/4 of an onion and it was good)
• 6 eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
• 1-1/2 cups (12 ounces) 4% cottage cheese
• 1-1/4 cups shredded Swiss cheese

Directions

• In a large skillet, cook bacon and onion until bacon is crisp; drain. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; stir in bacon mixture. Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish.
• Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Yield: 12 servings.

Yummy Chicken Sandwhich

I can't remember where I got this from but I think it is a mixture of a few recipes I saw
The first time I made this I literally ate it everyday for 2 weeks NOT KIDDING, now we just eat it about once a week for lunch

1 can chicken (I get the stuff from Costco)
2-4 T Mayo
1-2 T Dijon Mustard
1/2 Granny Smith apple
1 Small Stalk Celery
1/2 C Craisens
1 T sugar (if you want it a little more sweet)
a couple shakes of pepper
Croissants or just really yummy white bread

In a large bowl shred the chicken
Add mayo and mustard and mix
Cut up apple and celery into small bite size pieces and add
Add craisens and mix

Is really good right away but EVEN BETTER after it has sat for a few hours

PS you could even have it with some shredded cheese or some avocado

Cheesy Stuffed Chicken Breast

Another recipe from "The Biggest Loser: 6 weeks to a healthier you.

Cheesy Stuffed Chicken Breasts
1/4 cup shredded low-fat Monterey Jack Cheese
1/2 cup fire roasted tomatoes (I didn't have any, so I used stewed tomatoes with a few drops of liquid smoke)
1/2 tsp red chile flakes (optional; I used 1/4 tsp)
2 tbs chopped cilantro + extra for garnish
1/2 tsp salt
4 (4-oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 tbs whole wheat flour (If you need to make it gluten-Free, use 3 tbs basic gluten-free mix/blend)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp olive oil

In a small bowl, comhine the cheese, tomatoes, chile flakes (if desired), 2 Tbs cilantro, and 1/4 tsp salt.

Place 1 chicken breast on a cutting board and hold it flat with your hand. Using a slender, sharp knife, carefully cut a horizontal pocket in the side of the breast, making the pocket as large as you can without ctting through the other side. Repeat for the remaining chicken breasts. Spoon 1/4 of the cheese-tomato mixture into each pocket and close the pocket with a toothpick.

In a shallow dish, combine flour, pepper, and remaining 1/4 tsp salt. Dredge the stuffed chicken into the glour mixture, coating all sides.

In large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until tender, about 4 minutes per side. Remove the toothpicks and garnish with clinatro. Serve Immediately.


What are YOUR favorite healthy recipes?

Honey-Mustartd Pork Chops

These are delicious!!! And super fast! Can't beat that!

Honey-Mustard Glazed Pork Chops
4 Boneless loin chops
Honey Mustard Glaze:
1/4 cup honey
2 Tbs Dijon Mustard
1 Tbs. Orange Juice
1 Tsp. chopped fresh or 1/4 tsp dried tarragon leaves
1 Tsp Balsamic or Cider Vinegar (I used cider vinegar)
1/2 Tsp Worcestershire Sauce
Dash Onion Powder or onion salt

Mix all ingredients to make the Glaze. Place 1/2 of the glaze in a dish to marinade your pork chops for about 30 minutes (Reserve 1/2 to serve with your chops to put over rice, potatoes, or just extra for the chops). Heat grill (we used our george formen). Grill the pork chops, brushing occassionally with the glaze left-over from marinading. Turn pork chops at least once. Cook to desired donneness. (1 serving: 270 calories).

I served this with Rice Pilaf and green beans. Yum! The book also suggests grilling fresh veggies covered in the glaze, such as red or yellow onions, or peppers.

Adopted from Betty Crocker's Cookbook.

Turkey Lettuce Wraps

I love the chicken wraps from PF Changs. Now, these aren't really like those...but they are absolutely delicious. And they are super easy! Can't beat that!!

Turkey Lettuce Wraps
1 tbs peanut oil
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 cup shredded carrots (I usually just slice baby carrots into rounds)
1/4 cup water chestnuts (I like to chop them just a little bit, and I usually use more like 1/2 cup)
1/3 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup Asian Peanut Sauce
1 tbs soy sauce

Serving Sauce (we like to put a little in our wrap rather than dip them. It also makes a TON, so I usually make only about a half or quarter of the sauce)
1 cup apricot preserves
1/4 cup Thai sweet chili sauce

1. Saute ground turkey in the oil until cooked. Add carrots, water chestnuts, and green onions. Cook for 1-2 minutes until vegetables start to soften. Add Asian sauce and 1 tbs soy sauce. Heat for another few minutes until warm.

2. Mix serving sauce ingredients. Serve with wraps.

Roll turkey in lettuce leaves and serve with dipping sauce. May add rice of desired. YUM!!!