Skinny Chicken Fettucini Alfredo

Ingredients:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled and cut into chunks (about 2 cups)

2 cups roasted broccoli florets

2 cups chopped yellow squash

8 ounces fettuccine

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup fat-free, low sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

1/4 cup skim milk

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 Tbsp oregano

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is golden, 1 to 2 minutes.

Whisk in the flour until smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth, Greek yogurt, milk, pepper, and oregano. Bring to a low boil, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring gently, until the mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Stir in 3/4 cup Parmesan.

Add cooked chicken, broccoli, and squash to sauce mixture, followed by the cooked pasta. Toss to combine and serve with more Parmesan, if desired.

As a chicken fettucini lover, I give this recipe two thumbs up! I don't think I'll ever make it with butter and cream again!

Original recipe and picture from Celebrations

Southwest Chopped Salad with Cilantro Dressing

Ingredients
Large head of romaine
2 chicken breasts
15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large orange bell pepper
1 pint cherry tomatoes
2 cups corn 
5 green onions
cumin, salt, and pepper to tast
Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing (Recipe below)

Directions
Season chicken breasts with cumin, salt, and pepper.
Grill chicken breasts and chop into bite-sized pieces.
Finely chop romaine, bell pepper, tomatoes, and green onions.
Place all ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine.
Toss with desired dressing.

Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing 
 Ingredients
1 cup loosely packed cilantro, stems removed and roughly chopped
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (about 1/2 lime)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. white vinegar
1/8 tsp. salt
*The original recipe calls for 1-2 garlic cloves, but I thought it was WAY too much garlic and it               completely overtook the dressing. Next time, I will omit it completely.

Directions
Puree all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Recipe and picture from The Garden Grazer

Crockpot Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos

Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
juice from 2 limes
1/2 cup of cilantro
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 t dried onions
1/2 cup of water
shredded cheese
sour cream
salsa
chopped tomatoes

Directions:
1. Put all ingredients into crock-pot. Cook on low all day, or set crock-pot to high and cook for four(ish) hours. 
2. Shred, stir well.
3. Spoon into soft taco tortillas.
4. Top with cheese, sour cream, salsa, and tomatoes.

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

This recipe will make 1 12" pizza crust. If you are feeding more than 2 people, I recommend doubling it.

1 small to medium sized head of cauliflower - should yield 2 to 3 cups once processed
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried basil (crush it even more between your fingers)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (crust it even more between you fingers)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
optional a few shakes of crushed red pepper
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
1 egg
optional 1 tablespoon almond meal

Desired amount of sauce, cheese for topping, and other toppings. 

Place a pizza stone in the oven, or baking sheet if you don't have a pizza stone. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a cutting board, place a large piece of parchment paper and spray it with nonstick cooking oil. 

Wash and throughly dry a small head of cauliflower. Don't get one the size of your head unless you are planning on making 2 pizzas. Cut off the florets, you don't need much stem. Just stick with the florets. Pulse in your food processor for about 30 seconds, until you get powdery snow like cauliflower. You should end up with 2 to 3 cups cauliflower "snow". Place the cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl and cover. Microwave for 4 minutes. Dump cooked cauliflower onto a clean tea towel and allow to cool for a bit before attempting the next step.

Once cauliflower is cool enough to handle, wrap it up in the dish towel and ring the heck out of it. You want to squeeze out as much water as possible. This will ensure you get a chewy pizza like crust instead of a crumbly mess. 

Dumped ringed out cauliflower into a bowl. Now add 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon dried basil (crush up the leaves even more between your fingers before adding), 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (crush up the leaves even more between your fingers before adding), 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (not garlic salt), and a dash of red pepper if you want.  Now add your egg and mix away. Hands tend to work best. 

Once mixed together, use your hands to form the dough into a crust on your oiled parchment paper. Pat it down thoroughly, you want it nice and tightly formed together. Don't make it too thick, you are making a thin crust pizza.

Using a cutting board slide the parchment paper onto your hot pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven. Bake anywhere from 11-20 minutes depending on your oven, until it starts to turn golden brown. Really make sure it is a nice golden color. Remove from oven.

Add however much sauce, cheese, and toppings you want. Slide parchment with topped pizza back in the hot oven and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and slightly golden.

Test your patience and allow it to cool for a minute or two. Probably closer to two. Then using a pizza cutter and a spatula serve up your delicious grain-free cauliflower crust pizza!

*Our pizza slices were pretty floppy, and we had to eat them with a fork. I think if I would have left the crust in the oven longer before topping it, it may have held together better. 

This was surprisingly good! It's even hubby approved, and for something that is gluten free, that's a pretty big deal!

Recipe and picture from The Lucky Penny Blog

Fresh Veggie & Turkey Tostadas

Ingredients:
1.25 lb. fresh ground turkey
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 white onion, chopped
1/3 cup taco seasoning
2/3 cup water
2 cups fresh baby greens
1/2 cup non-fat, plain Greek yogurt
1 avocado, sliced
10-12 flat corn tortilla shells
1 small can sliced black olives
1 large tomato, chopped
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
1 cup green salsa (salsa verde)
14.5 oz. can black or pinto beans
1 cup shredded cheese of choice (I used feta and/or colby-jack)

Directions:
1.  Saute chopped bell pepper and onion in small saucepan, set aside.
2.  Brown ground turkey in medium saucepan, draining any fat.  Add sauteed bell pepper and onion, taco seasoning, and water.  Bring to quick boil, lower heat to simmer for 10 minutes.
3.  Heat corn tortillas on your grill, or on the stove in a small saucepan, just until very lightly browned.
4.  Lay corn tortilla on a dinner plate, layer with any/all of the ingredients from above and devour, several if you like! 

These tostadas are like mini taco salads on top of a tortilla, inspired by the Costa Vida-style salads.

BBQ Shredded Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients for BBQ shredded chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 teaspoon grill seasoning
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 Tablespoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon lemon juice
14. 5 oz. diced tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoon Worchestshire sauce

For everything else:
8 clean-scrubbed white sweet potatoes
Pam cooking spray
dash of salt per sweet potato
1 cup shredded colby/jack cheese
1 cup non-fat, plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
dash salt & black pepper
1/4 cup chopped, fresh cilantro
fresh off cobb or frozen sweet yellow corn

Directions:
1.  Mix together all ingredients for BBQ shredded chicken, except the raw chicken.  Pour BBQ sauce into crock pot, add chicken breasts and slow cook for 6-8 hours on low setting.
2.  Stir together the Greek yogurt, salt & pepper, chopped green onions and chopped cilantro.  Chill.
3.  With about 2 hours to go on the BBQ chicken, scrub and clean sweet potatoes. Coat lightly with cooking spray and dash of salt.  Wrap in foil and place in heated 375 degree oven to bake for 1.5 hours.
4.  When the chicken is finished, remove from crock pot and shred with a fork, and stir back into BBQ sauce.
5.  Once sweet potatoes are baked, slice open in the center, fluff with fork, and stuff with BBQ shredded chicken, Greek yogurt concoction, shredded cheese and sweet corn.

NOTE:  I also gave an option of making this a BBQ shredded chicken sandwich and sweet potato meal by providing whole wheat hoagie rolls, baby greens, and fresh pineapple.

Summer Chili with Turkey

Ingredients:
1.25 lbs. fresh ground turkey
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon grill seasoning blend
1 teaspoon ground cumin seed
1 Tablespoon Worchestire sauce
2 Tablespoons hot sauce
1 large yellow or white onion, chopped
2 bell peppers (I used yellow & orange), chopped
14.5 oz. tomato sauce
14.5 oz. beans (black, pinto, and/or small kidney - I used all three)
1/2 cup BBQ sauce (optional, I did NOT use)
1/2 cup fresh off cobb or frozen, thawed yellow sweet corn
1/4 cup diced jalapenos

Toppings:
1/2 cup non-fat, plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1 avocado, sliced

Directions:
1.  Brown ground turkey in skillet, add chopped peppers and onion.  Add chili powder, grill seasoning, and cumin and saute until onions are translucent.
2.  In a large saucepan or crock pot, add and stir together tomato sauce, beans, (optional) BBQ sauce, Worchestire sauce, hot sauce, corn, and jalapenos.
3.  Transfer ground turkey mixture into the crock pot.  Slow cook for 6-8 hours, or quick cook for 4 hours.
4.  Serve chili hot with any/all toppings and enjoy!
5.  Another option for a heartier, but still healthy meal is to steam quinoa and top with cooked summer chili.