Two-fer Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sandwhiches for Dinner, and a Buffalo Ranch Salad for Lunch.

I've talked about making buffalo chicken egg rolls, and buffalo chicken in wraps. But not buffalo ranch chicken on buns, followed by buffalo chicken salad. It's delicious, and easy! I usually make this for just Travis and I. Then I'll make the boys something different. I can't wait until the boys go in to the boy-guy-man phase of liking spicy things. When I make this for just Travis and I we usually have it for dinner and lunch the next day.

This is a slow cooker meal, so drag out your crock pot.
Ingredients for Chicken:
4 boneless skinless chicken breast
1 cup Frank's Buffalo Sauce
1 dry package hidden valley ranch mix
1/2 cup of water

Mix everything together, and cook on lo for 6-8 hours. Shred chicken with fork and serve on toasted buns with a little ranch dressing on top.

Salad ingredients:
1 cup romaine chopped
1 celery stick shredded
1 carrot stick shredded 
1 summer squash shredded
1 small tomato diced
2 tbsp shredded cheese
1/2 cup shredded buffalo chicken mixture
Light Ranch dressing 

Day 6

 

Breakfast: Voskos Wild Strawberry Greek Yogurt with 5 medium sized strawberries sliced and mixed in. 

Lunch: Chicken Salad (Containing- Romaine, Parmesan cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, zesty Italian dressing, and a baked chicken breast. )

Dinner: Summer Fajitas (recipe follows below) 

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Tonight I was making tacos, and as I'm browning the meat...I'm feeling really grossed out by it. Sometimes I'm very anti-red meat. Plus I wanted to have some leftover meat so that Travis could have Tacos for lunch tomorrow at work. So, I thought to myself no problem I'll just make myself some chicken fajitas with my leftover chicken...except I didn't have any peppers. Then, I was like...who needs chicken? Or peppers? With all the squash and zucchini I have from the Summer crop this makes an easy simple meal. I'm always trying to come up with new ways to use my squash and zucchini. I love it sauteed as a side, but sometimes that gets boring and old. If you're like me, and you have so many tomatoes, squash, and zucchini either from relatives or your garden..(mine are from my relatives). This is an awesome recipe to use some of your Summer veggies. 

I ended up not adding my chicken to this because I checked out  my tortillas, then my veggies and realized nothing else was going to fit in them! But this would be delicious with chicken, or shrimp!

Summer Fajitas 

Serves Two. 

Ingredients:
1 cup diced squash
1 cup diced zucchini
1 yellow onion sliced
1 small tomato sliced
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chili poweder
1/2 tsp cumin 
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp light sour cream
2 flour tortillas (100 cals each or less)

 

Directions: Heat olive oil over medium heat, prepare your veggies while your pan heats up. Swirl the oil around in the pan, then add your veggies to the hot oil. Mix your veggies around with a spatula to coat with oil, then stir in seasoning. Cook, stirring often, until veggies have softened.  Add 1 tbsp of sour cream to each tortilla and top each tortilla with an even amount of veggies. Enjoy.

I like to look through magazine for recipes, workouts, house plans, garden plans, things to do with the kids, or for the kids. Here is an awesome work out I got from Redbook Magazine for your booty. I have a paper copy in a folder BUT I looked on the internet and found it for any readers I may have. Also for my own keeping. :)

Redbook's 15 Minute Best Booty Workout!!!

For Instructions Click Here! 

Day 5

Breakfast: Peanut Butter Belgian Waffle topped with frozen bananas blended in the food processor.

Lunch: Caesar Salad with chopped tomatoes, black olives, Parmesan cheese, and mixed deluxe nuts. 

Dinner: Sautéed Cabbage with Zucchini Cakes.


Just bleeeeeeh on today. We lost a goose , Winifred. So I'm a little sad about it. I would've cried though had it been my Alfred, he's my favorite out of our geese.

Also I keep trying to upload my recipe for homemade tomato sauce, and it isn't working. Promise to get that up soon though!

Breaded Pork Chops. Dinner to Lunch

Breaded pork chops with stuffing, corn, and green beans.

First, let me explain... a little thing about Travis, that I've probably explained before. Travis is super picky, I'm pretty sure that might be where Liam gets it from. The WHOLE time we lived in Montana we NEVER ate pork chops because he said he didn't like them, because he didn't like the way his mom use to make them. WHAT??? Yeah. So, fast forward a few years Travis and I are both back in SC in the middle of remodeling our house so staying between parents. I'm at my dad's house making dinner for everyone and I make BBQ pork chops. Then, I remember Travis doesn't like pork chops. Then, I think to myself..oh well if he doesn't eat them he will starve. Travis eyeballs them and I can tell he's like ewww but he won't say anything in front of my parents. We sit down and eat, and what do you know? Travis loves them. We've moved up since then to breaded pork chops. I try not to fry much these does so when I bread them, I bake them.

Another husband funny, he doesn't eat veggies. The past week and a half I've been cooking for just us..so I make our food and then I make a veggie on the side for myself. The other night I made some mini meatball subs for us with french fries for Travis and carrot fries for myself. He eyeballed my carrots and asked if he could try one and guess what...he LIKES them. The same thing happened the other night when I sauteed some summer squash, he asked if he could try them, liked them, and wouldn't get off my plate. Haha. SOO, yes! Wife win!

Breaded Pork Chops
6 pork chops
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
2 eggs, beaten
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups Italian-style seasoned bread crumbs
4 Tablespoons olive oil

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse pork chops, pat dry, and season with garlic powder and seasoning salt to taste. Place the beaten eggs in a small bowl. Dredge the pork chops lightly in flour, dip in the egg, and coat liberally with bread crumbs. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the pork chops 5 minutes per side, or until the breading appears well browned. Transfer the chops to a 9x13 inch baking dish, and cover with foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour.

And in good two-fer fashion this is how I turned leftovers in to a delicious salad for lunch. :) 

I tried to change the title on this after I realized that it is *sorta* fried...I'm going to let it go since its with olive oil. LOL

For the salad I did:
1 Cup Spinach
1 Cup Romaine
1/4 Cup Corn
1 Red Onion Slice
2 Slices Chopped Tomatoes 
1/4 Cup Reduced Fat or 2% Shredded Cheese

Any Dressing of your choice works, a light ranch is nice here though.

Pizza Stuffed Squash Gourd

They look a little beat up from my fridge but you get the point. Set them out in this position.

Cut a Hole in the Bottom. Then Nuke in microwave for 5 minutes.

Cut up pepperonis with kitchen scissors

Add a spoon full of tomato sauce.

Then some pepperonis.

Then some cheese, but use a spoon to stuff everything inside further down.

Nuke in Microwave 1-2 more minutes.

Eat up!!

Serve with a cucumber salad, just a little bit of olive oil, a little bit of red wine vinegar, and pepper.

Easy Salmon Caesar Salad

I think my favorite thing about Caesar salad is that it doesn't take much work to whip together. It doesn't really require a lot of chopped vegetables, so it's quick and easy.

I've been on such a kick lately and the thing that has really been taking my salads over the edge is sprinkling them with creole or Cajun seasoning. This salad is Delish!


1 skinless salmon fillet
2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
2-4 tablespoons shredded Parmesan
2-4 tablespoons Ken's Lite Creamy Caesar dressing
1-2 teaspoon creole or Cajun seasoning

Chicken Fajita One Night for Dinner, Then Chicken Fajita Salad for Lunch- With a DIY Fajita Seasoning :)

Heres what you need for delicous Chicken Fajitas: 

• 1lb boneless skinless chicken, cut in to thin slices
• 1 large sweet bell pepper (yellow, red, or blue), sliced
• 1 large onion, sliced 
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil 
• 1 tablespoon or so of Fajita seasoning
• 1 package of Whole Wheat tortilla wraps 

(Additional: Lettuce, Tomatoes, Re-fried Beans, Guacamole, Sour Cream, Salsa)

Just heat oil over medium high heat and cook chicken until its almost done, then add sliced onions and peppers. By the time the peppers and onions are tender your chicken will be done. Toss in the seasoning, if you need a little water to get it to mix well use about 1 tablespoon. Serve on tortilla wraps with any toppings you choose.

D-I-Y Fajita Seasoning 

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 Tbsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. paprika
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 2-1/2 tsp. crushed chicken bouillon cube
• 1-1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp. cumin

Preparation:

Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Pour into small glass or plastic container, seal tightly and store in a cool, dry place. Makes the equivalent of 3 packets of commercial or purchased Fajita Seasoning Mix. (I like to save my used seasoning containers and then re-use them for my own homemade seasoning. )


Now on to my delicious lunch salad.

Chicken Fajita Salad

Chili Tortilla Straws: Cut using kitchen scissors half of a whole wheat tortilla in to slices. Spray with cooking spray sprinkle with a little salt and chili powder and toast until crispy. Watch it though, to make sure it doesn't burn.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of chicken fajita mix 
• 2 cups of lettuce (romaine) 
• 1/4 cup black beans, rinsed 
• 1/4 cup whole kernel corn
• 2% or Reduced Fat Fiesta Blend Cheese 
• 1/4 cup chopped tomatoes 
• Tortilla straws 
• 1-2 tbsp light sour cream
• Low Cal Restaurant Style Salsa (I probably did and 1/4 cup but use as much as you want because it is so low in calories)

Directions:

Just add this all together starting with the lettuce, tomatoes, beans, corn, cheese, chicken fajita, and top with salsa and sour cream.  Easy as that. :)

Closer View

Chicken Nugget Salad

Kids like chicken nuggets right? No matter how you, the parent, prepares or makes them…they just love them. It doesn’t matter whether you buy them frozen, organic, or make them homemade its practically a lunch time staple. Or at least it is in my house it is.  It doesn’t feel like an adult meal to me though. That isn’t to say they aren’t delicious and that I don’t still eat them. But if I eat chicken nuggets then I’m going to want fries with them. However, I discovered something amazing in high school. Now this was years ago, so the menu has changed but I use to buy myself 99 cent chicken nuggets from Wendy’s after school and a side salad for $1.08 (something like that)..My total ended up being something like $2.18. (Light Dressing). I would go home and indulge with satisfaction because I made a healthy choice and it was such a good deal. (I have a thing for Wendy’s Salad Dressing). Since then, I have always liked putting chicken nuggets on my salad. Sometimes I make them homemade but mostly I buy them frozen. I just check out the ingredients and try to buy smart. So now that I’m an adult, I feel like I can make ONE thing for everyone to enjoy at lunch time..even myself! Now I make a much bigger, yummier salad than my after school Wendy's days.

All you need is:
2-3 cups romaine
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped cucumbers
1 tbsp Real bacon bits
1 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 slice from a large red onion
1/4 cup 2 % or Reduced fat shredded cheese
4-5 chicken nuggets, sliced

Spicy Chicken and Mushrooms For Dinner and Lunch

This is a REALLY easy, simple recipe. It is a little too spicy for kids, so if you want to make it for them, I would hold off on the red pepper flakes, or maybe just add a dash. What I loved most about this recipe is that not only is it really quick but it made for an excellent salad the next day.  For dinner we put it over brown rice and served it with a side of green beans and carrots. I love being able to use leftovers for lunch the next day, so I really felt like I was winning here.  I’ll put what I did different than the original recipe in parenthesis because frankly I almost always switch something up. This is a 30 minute meal!

Spicy Chicken and Mushrooms

Ingredients:

1lb boneless skinless chicken breast cut in to ½ inch pieces

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tablespoon minced ginger (ground is okay too)

2 cups sliced mushrooms (or 1 8oz container)

4 scallions sliced (green onions)

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 ½ tablespoons low-sodium soy 

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

½ cup chopped cilantro (I don’t care too much for cilantro, and I didn’t have anything fresh on hand so I used some dried basil probably about 1-2 tsp)

Directions:  Heat oil in a medium sized skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and ginger in pan and cook for one minute. Stir in mushrooms, scallions, red pepper flakes, ¼ tsp of salt and 1 tsp of pepper, cook for 3 minutes stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium and add chicken to the pan, sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, for about 4 minutes or until your chicken is cooked through. Stir in soy sauce, vinegar, and cilantro, and cook for about 2 minutes.

Serving: 176 calories per serving. 5 g of fat, 28 g protein, 4 g carb, 1 g fiver, 516 sodium, 66 mg chol

Spicy Chicken and Mushroom Salad:

Leftover Spicy Chicken and Mushrooms from dinner the night before.

1 cup spinach

1 cup romaine lettuce

½ of a medium-large tomato chopped

1 green onion, sliced on top 

1-2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese 

Your Choice of Salad Dressing (Light Zesty Italian or Balsamic was my choice)

Crappy iPhone picture from Dinner. lol