Trying to Be Healthy/Oriental Chicken & Cabbage Salad

I don't think I'm an unhealthy person. In fact, I'm not. I've always been fairly healthy. But I married a man who is always wanting to "try to be healthier" so I guess that's been on my mind lately. We even bought some pedometers a little while ago to see how much walking we did in  a day. Did you know that to be considered "active" you should be taking 10,000 steps a day? I only met this goal once in the few weeks we were tracking ourselves, and I was tired at the end of that day! Guess I'd better "step it up" huh? :)

Yes, it's clipped to my pajamas. At the end of  this day I only had 7587 steps...and that was pretty good for me!

Going healthy seems to be an emerging theme in the food world. On the Food Network now they always have the one person on the Next Food Network Star or similar competitions who is the "healthy food promoter" contestant. I don't think any of these people have won yet, but someday soon they probably will. Which is good! It certainly wouldn't hurt America to eat healthier and feel healthier.

Summer seems to be the easiest time for healthy living for me. Fresh produce helps out a lot. Good weather and excuses to exercise (going on hikes, picnics, parks, walks, bike rides, swimming, etc) present themselves more often than in the winter. Last night my husband persuaded me to go on a walk. He brought along his frisbee (one of his favorite things) and we passed it back and forth a bit. And it was just a little thing, and we only walked a mile, and we only walked, which isn't very fancy or hard core, but it made me feel the tiniest bit healthier. 

I looked back over my recipes about a month ago to judge how healthy my recipes have been. I'm going to try to do better to put up delicious AND healthy recipes in the future. 

I guess I'll start out kind of cliche and go with a salad. This salad has sugar in it, but other than that it's pretty healthy. Good enough for MY blog at least! I recently made this salad for the closing social my group of school counseling program friends had. It's easy and impressive. When my mom first started making it, everyone would ask her for the recipe and it became a tradition for her to bring it to all the family and church gatherings. I think it's time to bring it back!

I didn't remember to take a picture of my salad, but this is basically how it looks. Good, huh?

Oriental Chicken & Cabbage Salad

2 cups diced or shredded chicken 

4 cups shredded cabbage

1 package Raman Noodles (or 2 if you're feeling crunchy :) )

4 green onions

Optional: 1/2 cup slivered almonds or water chestnuts

Chop everything up and add to a bowl. If you're taking this dish to an event, don't add the dressing until just before you get there. You don't want the Ramon Noodles to get soggy or the cabbage to get wilted from the dressing.

Dressing:

2 T. sesame seeds

1/4 cup vinegar

1/4 cup salad oil

2 T. sugar

1/2 t. salt

Season packet from noodles

Whisk or shake or stir it all together and pour on the salad just before serving. The dressing is my favorite part!

See, it's easy!

Husband's Reaction: He doesn't remember, but I made a simpler version of this salad for him while we were dating. He didn't like it then. I think it was just cabbage, dressing, and noodles, so that's understandable. But when I made it a few weeks ago he told me it was really good. He especially liked the chicken, which is no surprise. . . my husband thinks adding chicken to most dishes is the best thing to do!

Brushetta Appetizer

I've been sick all week with strep throat, and I'm bored out of my mind. So, I started looking through the many, many pictures of food I have not yet put up on this blog, and these are the ones that happened to catch my eye. 

I actually made these on Sunday for my husband, but these pictures are probably from the summertime, when we had fresh tomatoes in our garden. 

I don't even know where this recipe comes from. (I mean, orignially, Italy probably? but I don't know exactly how it got to me). My mom made them for us a few times when I lived at home, and I think she told me how. No matter how these tasty little bites came to be in my recipe repertoire, my husband and I LOVE them, and I wanted to share.

First thing you need to do is get some kind of little bread slices to put your toppings on. We have always been able to find day old bread that is already sliced up at our neighborhood Smiths store. You could also buy a baguette or other similar-shaped bread, or make your own if you're feeling tricky! The most important things are to use appetizer-sized pieces and bread that isn't too soft; you want it a little crunchy.

Next, dice up some tomatoes, shred some mozzarella cheese, and find your Italian Seasoning or dried Basil in the spice cupboard (either or both will do).

Brush your bread with a little olive oil and lay them on a metal baking sheet, layer the tomato dices and then cheese on top, and sprinkle with Italian Seasoning or Basil. Broil in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until the cheese starts to brown.

Voila! Now you're ready to impress all your friends with your Italian appetizers.

Husband's Reaction: He tasted something like this at a wedding reception we went to once, and I thought, "Hey, I can make that!" So I did. And now he will love me forever! He seriously could probably eat these every day, but I like to keep them special and only make them once in a while.

Crock Pot Salsa Chicken from Erica

Salsa Chicken from Erica's blog, Messerly Moments.

This girl's blog is so much fun to keep up on. She posts way more than recipes, inspires me to try to keep up on my blog better, and seems to always be having a party of one kind or another. Her blog inspired me to try this Salsa Chicken recipe a while ago, and I finally got around to it yesterday. So easy and yummy. Try it.

3 frozen chicken breasts
1 can drained diced tomatoes, corn, and black beans
1/2 diced onion
any seasonings you like (I used salt, pepper, taco seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes, red pepper flakes, and chili powder)

Cook in crock pot on low for 8 hours, sprinkle cheese over top and serve with sour cream and tortilla chips!

Of course, I didn't follow the recipe exactly (do I ever?) and added some green onion and lots of spices. I served mine with rice and no sour cream (cuz we were out). I also used thawed chicken thighs and cooked mine on high for 3 hours and then low for one hour. It worked!

The next day I made a salad out of the leftover salsa mixture (the chicken was sadly all gone), rice, lettuce, and tortilla chip crumbs. It was a nice little lunch and a good way to use up the leftovers!

Husband's Reaction: He started dancing in his chair! How embarrassing, sweetie. :)

Crock Pot Chicken Tostadas

This recipe kind of comes from a crockpot cookbook I have...but I changed it so much you wouldn't recognize it. So! I'm just putting my own version in here.

This chicken can be used in regular tacos too. Or over rice. Or any other way you use shredded chicken. It's good because it tastes a little citrus-y and taco-y. MMMmmm.

My husband's friend showed up for dinner, so he got to be in the picture too.

1/2 medium onion (chopped)
1 small can diced green chilies
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 packet Taco Seasoning
1/8 cup lemon (or lime) juice + 1/2 cup water (just eyeball it and mix them in your 1/4 cup measuring cup)
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Dash Paprika
Dash Chili Powder

1-Combine chopped onion, green chilies, and garlic in bottom of crock pot.
2-Lay chicken breasts on top.
3-Pour water/lemon juice mixture over chicken.
4-Sprinkle Taco Seasoning, Paprika, and Chili powder over chicken.

Set crock pot on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 2-2 1/2 hours.

When done, remove chicken from liquid. Use 2 forks to shred chicken. Use a slotted spoon or strainer to get the onion and chilies out of the liquid. Add to the chicken. Add about 1/4-1/2 cup of the liquid to the chicken to give it some flavor and keep it moist.

Your meat is ready!

Now, gather the rest of the ingredients you want to use on your tostadas. We had tostadas, refried beans, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, and avocado slices. Pile on your favorite ingredients (including the wonderful chicken you just made, of course) and eat!

There's the chicken poking out at the bottom! See it???? Yes.

Husband's Reaction: "This is a dream meal."
Husband's Friend's Reaction: "You can write on your blog that I just said 'so good!' every two minutes."

Fiesta Salsa Shredded Chicken Tacos

Fiesta Salsa Shredded Chicken Tacos
This little gem of a recipe came from here.

This is so so so easy!

The linked recipe includes a slow-cooker version, which is the one I am going to share. But if you want to cook your chicken a different way, nobody is stopping you!!!

3 Ingredients:


Cooked Shredded Chicken
Salsa
Taco Seasoning


Put raw, skinless, boneless chicken into your slow cooker, cook on low for 4-6 hours until fork tender, shred the chicken with 2 forks, sprinkle with taco seasoning (I just sprinkled until the top was covered, do as much or little as you desire), pour salsa on and mix in to moisten, and it's ready to eat. Be careful not to overcook the chicken, or will turn into mush.


Then add them to tortillas or taco shells and pile on the cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole, whatever you love on tacos!


Here are my pictures that I almost forgot to take (my husband is the lovely hand model):

And here is one from "The Yummy Life"---the blog that originally posted this delicious recipe:

. . . If only my pictures would turn out looking that dreamy.

Husband's Reaction: "This gets an A+ on the healthy scale!" With New Year's resolutions and everything my husband is really into being healthy right now. Well, he always kind of is, but it's more potent at the moment. Don't worry, he also liked how they tasted. . . he had three before we ran out of taco meat.

Italian Chicken and Potatoes from Nikki S.

Italian Chicken and Potatoes


I can't believe I haven't posted this recipe yet! It's one of the easiest to make, and one of my favorites to eat. I've made it probably 3 times since I started this blog, but I just never got around to taking a picture of the finished product so I could post it. Well, today's the day!


I got this recipe from a Young Women's activity where we swapped favorite recipes and put them into books. This one came from Nikki S. (she's married now, so I guess she's Nikki C. now). I don't know if she even remembers bringing this recipe, but I've used it so many times. So, thank you, Nikki, for sharing!

4-6 red potatoes

4 chicken tenders or as much chicken as desired, cut into strips

1/3 cup parmesan cheese-grated

1 Tb Italian seasoning

1 bottle Italian dressing

In a casserole dish place cut potatoes and chicken.  Sprinkle Italian seasoning and dressing over mixture.   Spread cheese across the top.  Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes.  (Brown potatoes can be used, but will need to be cooked longer).

I usually use half a bottle of Italian dressing and add a little water to keep the dish moist. I also don't usually cover it while it cooks, but this can make it more brown on top than you might like. It's better with red potatoes, but the brown ones work too. I usually just cut them into smaller pieces. 


This recipe is simple and can be altered to feed fewer or more people. You could even use different seasonings, make your own dressing to pour on top, etc. I've said it before, but I LOVE recipes that are easy to mix up and make your own. This one is definitely that way!


*Can also be made in the crock pot. Just dump it all in and cook as long as your crock pot needs to get the chicken all the way cooked.


Husband's Reaction: HE LICKED HIS PLATE CLEAN!!! . . AND THEN HE LICKED MINE TOO! haha silly husband.

I'm Back!

So, I kind of just left you all hanging without any explanation.

Explanation now: This past week I've been out of the country on a cruise to Mexico!

While on this cruisey little adventure of mine, I got to sample some pretty interesting dishes.

Don't worry, I took pictures! :)

My favorite thing was this creme brulee I had one night at dinner for dessert. I've been craving it ever since!

I got to go to a cooking demo done by the head chef on the cruise ship. That's him on the right. He has a white handkerchief tied around his neck, which shows he is the highest chef. Blue handkerchiefs are the lowest, and red are in the middle. When asked what his favorite color was, the head chef said white...then he pointed to his necktie. Pretty clever, chef. :)

The head chef made this roasted chicken with potatoes and mac and cheese during the demo. The macaroni and cheese was sooooooooooo good. The best I have ever had! Bonus: I got to taste two dishes that had truffle oil in it. I have never tasted truffle oil. It's very decadent.

I honestly don't think I had ever tried lobster before the cruise. I've had crab several times, but lobster was a new one. They kind of turned the lobster tail inside out so that the meat was easily accessible. Not the prettiest looking lobster, but it was fun to try. And those mashed potatoes hiding on the side were so creamy and yummy. Ohhhhh yes.

 I had this dish for dessert one night. It had apples and puff pastry in it. The caramel sauce had a slightly burnt taste. Those at our table who tasted the sauce gave it mixed reviews. Most hated it, but I thought it was ok.

I don't even remember what this was, but it was good. I love the presentation.

I tried a lot of dishes on the cruise that I would rarely get a chance to eat someplace else. Lobster, frog legs, alligator fritters, smoked salmon, sushi, and, yes, snails. AKA escargot. I had tasted escargot before, actually, but I wanted to try it again. Hey, why not? Things like these cost tons of money at a restaurant. We had already paid for our tickets. We didn't pay anything extra for these delicacies. I took advantage. And they were pretty good. Danny made faces while I ate them, but his favorite food is still pizza so I didn't pay too much attention. :)

Taquitos!

Chicken Taquitos

(10-12 taquitos, 3-4 servings)

Photo and recipe from: http://barefootandbaking.blogspot.com/2011/05/chicken-taquitos.html

3 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup salsa (I used homemade, but use whatever you love)

1 T fresh squeezed lime juice

1 t chili powder

1/2 t cumin

1/2 t onion powder

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 T chopped cilantro

1-2 green onions, chopped

2 cups shredded chicken (about 1 1/2 chicken breasts)

1 cup shredded Mexican cheese (I used cheddar)

10-12 6-inch (fajita size) flour tortillas

cooking spray

kosher salt

1/2 can corn, drained (optional)**
1/2 can black beans, rinsed and drained (optional)**

Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or spray with cooking spray

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, spices, cilantro, green onions, chicken and shredded cheese. Mix until well combined.

Briefly heat the tortillas until they are soft enough to roll easily. Place a tortilla on a work surface and fill with 2-3 Tablespoons of chicken mixture down the middle. Roll the tortilla tightly around the filling and place the taquito seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat until all the tortillas are filled. Space them evenly on the baking sheet. Lightly spray the tops with cooking spray and then sprinkle with kosher salt. (This actually gives a great pop to these, so do not skip this step!)

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Serve with salsa, sour cream and guacamole, if desired

*To freeze for later use, transfer the baking sheet to the freezer and chill the assembled taquitos for 30-60 minutes. Then transfer them to a freezer safe container or storage bag for storing. To bake them from frozen, simply add a few minutes to the original baking time, until the filling is warmed through

**We made these again and added one can of black beans and a can of corn (both drained), omitted the cheese, left the chicken the same and doubled the cream cheese and spices and it made twice as many taquitos!  We didn't miss the cheese at all and LOVED the corn and beans in them!

I saw this on Pinterest.com and had to make them today! They were very easy. I used ground turkey instead of chicken and lemon juice instead of lime juice (it's what I had on hand), and added onions and green bell peppers to mine. I also cut bigger tortillas in half to keep my taquitos small. This was nice, because it looked like we had twice as much! 

Husband's Reaction: "Mmmm...these are good. Better than the kind you get at the store."

Mine got a little darker than the ones in the picture. I might bake them for less time next time. Also, I didn't add any corn or black beans, but I think that would taste good in these. And I would like to try them with chicken too. I think it would make it taste even better!

Thai Noodles with Chicken and Broccoli

Thai Noodles with Chicken and Broccoli

*I found this recipe on a family food blog made by an old roommate's family. I hope they don't mind if I put it up on here too.

Sauce:
3 Tbls soy sauce
1 Tbls sesame seed oil ( I didn't have any on hand, so I used regular oil. I know, not cool, but it worked).
3 Tbls peanutbutter
1 Tbls sugar
1 1/2 tsp chili paste ( Note from roommate's mother: I am not sure what this is so I put 3/4tsp chili powder. So, that's what I did too).
2 Tbls vinegar
1/2 cup chicken stock
Wisk above ingredients together and set aside.

Noodles:
8 oz spaghetti noodles 
4 cups broccoli florets
2 carrots sliced diagonally
Boil the noodles in large pot of water for 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and carrots cook an additional 3 mintues. Drain.

Chicken:
1 Tbls sesame seed oil
1 Tbls minced ginger root (I used ginger powder)
3 cloves garlic minced
1/2 lb chicken breast sliced in thin strips
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander (use as garnish)
Stir fry chicken garlic ginger until chicken is no longer pink. Add the above sauce to the chicken and simmer covered for 5-10 minutes. Toss with the noodles and vegetables. Garnish with the coriander (I didn't have any coriander, so I left that out).

My old roommate's mother put this note at the end of the recipe: This is a recipe from Carolyn Mackay who we meet here in Moscow. I was surprised how easy and fast this was and I thought it would be something children may like.


This was so much better than I thought it would be! I could smell all the spices, and I was worried it would be too strong. But I tasted it and was pleasantly surprised! It was really great! Often when I cook, I have no appetite by the time the meal is done. My food always tastes okay to me, but it's hard after cooking it to love it. . . this dish I loved!


Husband's Reaction: 

Platanos Fritos (Fried Plantains)

Guatemalan Platanos

*FIRST OF ALL!!! I must make a disclaimer: I did not make this dish, my husband did. :) He learned to do this on his mission in Guatemala, so of course we made them for Guatemala Day! Only problem: We tried to make them in the mountains over an open fire. It was a lot harder than we anticipated, but still tasted great!

Hint: when cooking over a fire, wear goggles so the smoke does not get in your eyes...it kills!
Note to self: Next time, use charcoal.

1. Buy plantains from the store (can usually find in a grocery store...we went to a latin foods market for fun). The plantains are ready when the skins are BLACK and look gross. Seriously, it's weird but true. Think of it as finding the ones that look like bananas ready for banana bread. Those ones are perfectly ripe!

Black Plantain skin...this is what it should look like!!!

2. Peel the skin off the plantain. This is sometimes harder than it looks, especially if the fruit is not ripe enough. With green plantains it can be almost impossible! Luckily, my husband is an expert. :)

3. Cut plantain at a slant to make fry-able pieces.

4. Put in a skillet with hot oil and fry both sides until golden yellow-brown.

5. Sprinkle sugar over the top and dip in sour cream. Enjoy!

MY REACTION: My husband first made these for me when we started dating. He wanted to impress me with his mission cooking skills...you know how that goes. I was hesitant at first, because  one of the only foods I hate are bananas. Luckily, fried plantains don't taste too much like bananas, and they have a much better texture (I think that's what I hate about bananas the most). Since then I have only been able to have this dish three other times. Two of those times were in the past few days. Cooking the plantains over the fire was such hard work that we saved the rest to cook at home the next day. I couldn't wait to eat it all! If I could have this once a month for dessert, I would be in heaven.

Pasta Carbonara

Pasta With Carbonara Sauce

My dad served a mission in Italy, and he brought this recipe back with him. Nobody ever complained at our house when we had this for dinner.

4 eggs

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1/4 cup whipping cream (I used half and half again)

1/2 lb. Bacon, cut up (I used two strips...it was all we had left. Use as  much/little as you want.)

1 lb. Fettuccine or spaghetti

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Pepper

Parsley (to garnish--optional)

1-Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Let eggs, butter or margarine, and cream (half and half) stand at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours.

2-In a skillet, cook bacon till brown. Remove bacon and drain on paper toweling. 

3-Heat an oven-proof serving dish in a 300 degree oven.

4-Meanwhile, beat together eggs and cream (half and half) just till combined. Add pasta to a large amount of boiling, salted water. Cook 10-12 minutes or till tender but firm; drain well. 

5-Turn hot pasta into the heated serving dish; toss pasta with butter. Pour egg mixture over and toss till pasta is well coated and the egg is cooked. *If you are worried about the egg being cooked well enough, you can put the pan back in the oven to heat it up some more or do this step on the stove in a hot skillet. The pan should be hot enough to cook the egg if you everything around in it.*

6-Add bacon, cheese, and parsley; toss to mix. Season to taste with pepper. Serve immediately.

Tossing in the hot pan to cook the egg and cream mixture.

Husband's Reaction: "New favorite!" 

Me: "Really???"

Husband: "At least for today, yeah."

But really, it really was so so good.

Sweet and Sour Chicken from Mom

Sweet and Sour Chicken

4-8 chicken breasts (cut into ¼’s or small pieces)

Roll in corn starch and fry in pan with oil until brown.

Sauce:

1 ½ cups sugar

2 Tb soy sauce

½ cup catsup

¼ tsp garlic powder

2/3 cup vinegar

¼ tsp salt 

Pour sauce over chicken in a glass pan.  Bring to a simmer in a 350 degree oven and cook till chicken is completely done and sauce thickens slightly (about 15 minutes).

A family favorite. The sauce is the best part.  I love it with wantons too.

Beef & Bean Enchiladas

Tonight I made enchiladas for the first time. I looked up a recipe online and had to subsitute a few ingredients along the way. Luckily, it turned out amazing! I think this is the best meal I have made for my new husband since we have been married.

Beef & Bean Enchilads: (adapted from a recipe on allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound lean ground beef
• 1 can kidney beans
• Enchilada Sauce (see recipe below)
• 8-10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon onion salt
• 1/4 teaspoon season all

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium skillet over medium high heat, cook the ground beef until beef is evenly browned. Add enough kidney beans to make a mixture of half meat and half beans. Season with onion salt and season all, if preferred.
2. Prepare the enchilada sauce according recipe below. Pour about 1/2 cup of the sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish, so the bottom is covered in a thin layer of sauce.
3. On each flour tortilla, place an equal portion of the ground beef and bean mixture and about 1 ounce of Cheddar cheese, reserving at least 1/2 cup of cheese. Then tightly roll the tortillas and place seam side down in the baking dish. You will need at least 8 tortillas to fit this pan, but 10 can be squeezed in.
4. Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
5. Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and cheese is thoroughly melted.

Serve enchiladas with lettuce and sour cream, and you have a meal that is easy and tasty too.

Enchilada Sauce: (adapted from a recipe on allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons self-rising flour
• 1/4 cup chili powder OR taco seasoning packet (I didn't have chili powder, so I used taco seasoning and it turned out really well!)
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion salt
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• salt to taste

Directions

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in flour and taco seasoning/chili powder, reduce heat to medium, and cook until lightly brown, stirring constantly to prevent burning flour.
2. Gradually stir in tomato sauce, water, garlic powder, and onion salt into the flour and taco seasoning/chili powder until smooth, and continue cooking over medium heat approximately 10 minutes, or until thickened slightly. Season to taste with salt.