Southwest Mesquite Grille Chicken Salad

This is a sponsored post.  I received free product and compensation in exchange for recipe development using Perdue Perfect Portions® Mesquite Grille Chicken Breasts.  The recipes, recipe photos, and all opinions are 100% mine.

Summer is the perfect time for salads!!  I often make salads with lots of veggies and a protein in the summetime for a quick and easy dinner option when the temperatures are soring.  This Southwest Mesquite Chicken Salad is super easy to put together with the help of Perdue® Perfect Portions® Mesquite Grille Chicken Breasts.  The fresh skinless, boneless chicken breasts are individually portioned and packaged with a delicious mesquite grille flavor marinade and there is absolutely no need for any other seasoning!  Cook up one chicken breast and store the rest in the easy-close resealable zipper bag for another time or make the entire bag, you decide!   Since they are perfectly portioned, they are ready when you are!

Chicken Breasts in Pancetta Cream with Peas

I found this delicious recipe in a recent issue of Cooking Light.  It's quick and easy and it's really delicious.  Chicken Breasts in Pancetta Cream with Peas is a keeper.  Crispy pancetta, creamy sauce and green peas all come together turning plain old chicken breasts into something special.

Turkey Tuesdays: Mediterranean Turkey Pasta Salad

I can't believe that today is the last Tuesday in September!! Is it just me, or did that go by in the blink of an eye?

I'm wondering if any of you have been joining me in celebrating "turkey" this month?  If you haven't it's not too late to get on the bandwagon, because this recipe is absolutely delicious.  If you have never had greens and pasta together, you are missing out!

Quick and Easy Shrimp and Pasta Primavera

Can you believe you can have this tasty, healthy and under 400 calorie dish on the table start to finish in about 10 minutes??  Let's face it.  There are times when we need to get dinner on the table FAST.  Or maybe you just don't feel like cooking (been there!) or it's so hot out you don't want to spend a lot of time over the stove or turn the oven on...THIS is the recipe you need for those times. 

And it's all possible thanks to these products:

Birdseye® just came out with these new Recipe Ready® products (currently available at Walmart) that make putting together a dish like this a snap.  The flavors of this pasta dish are perfect for a warm summer evening and the quick prep and cook time is perfect when you don't want to spend a lot of time in a hot kitchen.

You will find recipes included on every package of the Recipe Ready® products as well.   I chose to combine two of the vegetable combos to make the delicious dish pictured above.  This was my first time trying Bertolli® jarred Alfredo sauce and I really liked it.  I would definitely buy it again.

Sure, you could buy fresh veg, chop them up and make your own Alfredo sauce but can you do all of that and have dinner on the table in 10 minutes?  I know I couldn't. 

Quick and Easy Shrimp Pasta Primavera

adapted from Allrecipes

Printable Recipe

Servings - 6   Serving Size - 1/6th of recipe   Points Plus per Serving - 9 Points+

Calories - 375.9,   Total Fat - 7.5g,   Carb. - 45g,   Protein - 28.3g,   Fiber - 5.3g

1 lb. raw, tail on shrimp, (thawed if using frozen)

1-12 oz. package Birdseye® Recipe Ready Primavera Blend (frozen)

1/4 cup Birdseye® Recipe Ready Chopped Onions and Garlic Blend (frozen)

12 oz. dry Barilla Plus Farfalle pasta (or pasta of your choice)

1-15 oz. jar of Bartolli® Light Alfredo Sauce

1/4 cup white wine

Parmesan cheese and fresh ground black pepper for garnish (optional and not included in nutrition information)

1. Cook the pasta al dente according to package directions.  While pasta is cooking prepare the rest of the steps. 

2. In large nonstick skillet that has been sprayed with cooking spray and heated to med/high add shrimp and allow to begin cooking.  When it just starts to turn pink, add in frozen veggies (Primavera and Onion/garlic mixture)  Stir and cook until shrimp is opaque and vegetables are heated through.  

3.  Add the jar of Alfredo sauce to the skillet on top of the shrimp and vegetables.  Pour the wine into the empty jar of sauce and put the lid on.  Shake it up to get the rest of the sauce clinging to the sides of the jar.  Pour into the skillet and mix with the rest of the sauce.  Heat until the sauce is warm.  Add in the cooked pasta and serve.  You can add additional Parmesan cheese and fresh ground black pepper if you wish. (Not included in nutrition information listed above)

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This cooked up so fast I didn't even have time to throw together a salad!  lol  The boys all enjoyed this meal.  The pasta needs to be enjoyed immediately, or it has a tendency to soak up all the sauce and become dry. 

I didn't take the tails off the shrimp before I cooked them.  I think they do tend to give more flavor to the dish if they are left on...much to the dismay of my youngest son, who doesn't like the work of taking the tails off!  lol  Of course, this is the kid who loves crab legs, but won't eat them because of the work!  haha 

Last but not least...a few pics from my vacation...enjoy! 

Easy Potato Gnocchi

Chicken Florentine with Pasta and Fresh Tomatoes

Tender pieces of chicken in a light garlic-lemon-Parmesan sauce served over thin whole wheat pasta and topped with fresh tomato slices.

Have I got your taste buds waking up?  Your mouth watering?  Piqued your interest?

The base of this  recipe comes from America's Test Kitchen - Light & Healthy 2010.  So far every recipe I have made from this book has been excellent, and this one does not disappoint!   It is a delicious combination of flavors.  My own spin on the dish is the addition of tomato slices and whole wheat pasta.  It made for a very filling one dish meal for around 350 calories or 9 points+!  Serve some crusty bread on the side for a complete meal.  ( the nutrition information given is for pasta dish only)

I substituted thawed frozen spinach for the fresh spinach called for in the original recipe.  By using frozen it saved me time wilting down the spinach and allowed me to really get the water out of the spinach before adding it to the sauce, but you could use fresh spinach if you wish.  Make sure to use low sodium, fat free chicken broth in this recipe, as the regular salted broth will make the sauce too salty.

Chicken Florentine with Pasta and Fresh Tomatoes

adapted from America's Test Kitchen - Light & Healthy 2010

Printable Version

Servings - 6    Serving size - 1/6th of recipe   Points Plus per serving - 9 points+

Calories - 349.9,   Total Fat - 6.4g,   Carb. - 46.5g,   Protein - 33g,   Fiber - 7.4g

12 oz. whole wheat thin spaghetti, cooked according to package directions to al dente

1 (10 oz.) package of frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and well drained

1 TBS. canola oil, divided

24 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts ( 6 - 4 oz. breasts )

salt and pepper

1 shallot, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 TBS. all purpose flour ( I used a quick dissolve flour, such as Wondra) 

3 cups low sodium, fat free chicken broth

1/4 cup fat free half and half

1 tsp. grated lemon zest plus 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 small to medium fresh tomatoes, sliced

1.  In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tsp. of oil until hot.  Pat chicken breasts dry with paper towels, and season with salt and pepper.  Add chicken to pan and brown on each side ( about 5 minutes ).  Chicken doesn't need to be done all the way through.  Remove chicken to a platter or dish with sides to a warm oven ( 200 -250 degrees F) while you make the sauce.  (This will usually finish cooking the chicken all the way through, without it drying out)

2.  Add the remaining 2 tsp. of oil to the hot pan.  Saute the garlic and the shallot until soft, about 1 minute. Add in flour and stir to combine.  Whisk in broth.  Let mixture come to a boil, and then simmer until thickened and somewhat reduced.  Add in thawed spinach and heat through.

3.  Remove the chicken from the oven, and check for doneness.  ( chicken should be 160 degrees on instant read thermometer and no longer be pink in the middle)  Slice each chicken breast into 6 - 7 thin slices per breast on a diagonal.  Set aside.  

4. Once sauce is done, turn off heat and add in half and half, lemon zest, and lemon juice.  Test for need for salt and pepper and season if you want to.  ( I only added pepper at this point ) Add the chicken back into the sauce and top with 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese.  Cover to let the heat from the sauce melt the cheese. 

5.  To assemble plates, put about 4 oz. cooked pasta ( equivalent to 2 oz. uncooked) onto the plates, top with 1/6th of the chicken mixture and top with a couple of fresh tomato slices.  You can also start with a handful of fresh spinach under the hot pasta ( it will wilt somewhat with the pasta and the sauce ) if you like to veg up the dish even more.  Top with a bit more Parmesan cheese and some fresh ground black pepper. 

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This dish made a nice and easy weeknight meal for us.  The original recipe called for the chicken to be put into a casserole dish and then put under the broiler to melt the cheese, but I just didn't see a need for this step.  If you like your cheese browned, then you could do that.  You could even leave it right in the skillet if you have an oven safe one.  But I was fine with just having the cheese melted.  

I also got a new camera this weekend.  The pictures from this dish were taken with it.  Not sure if I love it yet or not....still working on figuring it out.  Natural light has been such a challenge lately, as we have just been drowning in gray skies and rain.  A photographer I am NOT...lol.  Any tips and pointers from those with more experience are appreciated! :)

Three Cheese Zucchini Manicotti

Another great meatless meal!  Cheesy and delicious with a trick to making the stuffing the manicotti tubes easier.  Actually, no manicotti shells are used in this recipe!

What?  How can that be?

Instead of the potentially messy task boiling and stuffing manicotti  pasta tubes...sheets of no-boil lasagna are softened in hot tap water, stuffed and then rolled into tubes.  It is a wonderful time saver and works beautifully.  I added shredded zucchini to the stuffing because I like to stretch things with vegetables.  YOu cannot taste the zucchini in the filling.  You could also use spinach in place of the zucchini...that works too or no veggie filler at all, it's your choice! For the sauce, I used a quart of Basic Tomato Sauce Two Ways that I had in the freezer, but any jarred marinara sauce that is 1 point+ per 1/2 cup value would work without changing the point+ values of the entire dish.  Served with a side salad, this makes a great meatless meal perfect for lent.

2 rolls per serving

"stuffing" ready to mix

About a 1/4 cup of cheese mixture on one end of the pasta sheet

Carefully roll up and place seam side down in baking dish

Three Cheese Zucchini Manicotti 

Servings - 6   Serving size - 2 rolls per serving   Points Plus per svg - 9 points+

Calories - 332.4   Total Fat - 9.4g,   Carb. - 42.6g,   Protein - 20.9g,   Fiber - 3.9g

12 sheets of no-boil lasagna noodles ( I used Barilla ) 

32 oz. Basic Tomato Sauce Two Ways OR any jarred 1point+ per 1/2 cup svg meatless Marinara sauce

15 oz. LOW FAT ricotta cheese

1/2 cup shredded zucchini

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

1/4 cup egg beaters

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

4 oz. reduced fat mozzarella ( I used Kraft 2%)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.   Place no-boil noodles in a glass 9 x 13 baking dish.  Put enough hot tap water on them to cover.  Let sit for at least 10 minutes to soften.  Once soft, remove to paper towels in flat layer to drain of excess water. Discard water used to soften noodles, wipe dry the baking dish, spray with cooking spray, and add one cup of sauce to dish and swirl to coat bottom.  Set aside.

2.  In med bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, zucchini, garlic, salt, pepper, egg beaters and Parmesan cheese.

3. Working with one noodle at a time, lay it flat on a work surface and add about 1/4 cup of ricotta cheese mixture to the end facing you.  Carefully roll up into a tube and place in prepared baking dish, seam side down.  Repeat with the rest of the noodles and filling.  

4.  Spread the remaining sauce on top of the noodles and cover tightly with foil.  Bake in oven until warm and sauce is bubbly, about 35 - 40 minutes.  Remove foil and sprinkle mozzarella cheese evenly over the top.  Return to oven to let the cheese melt, about another 10 minutes.  Allow to sit for 5 - 10 minutes before serving. 

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Tomorrow I will be making the traditional corned beef and cabbage meal to celebrate St. Patty's Day.  The weather is supposed to be spectacular, in the 60's with sunshine...and around here you can get snow until April ( and then some) so it will be a very nice spring preview!  I am really looking forward to it.  I make my corned beef in the crockpot and serve it with cabbage ( of course!), baby new potatoes, and carrots lots of and lots of horseradish to serve on the side!!!  YUM!  Its a once a year meal for us.  My mom is bringing Irish Soda bread from a local bakery that makes the BEST and we will be celebrating my husbands birthday as well ( its actually this Friday) so I am pretty sure there will be cake involved at some point.    I am going to have to make sure to plan my day accordingly so I can enjoy the evening meal AND a piece of cake...but I guess, really, that is the beauty of WW, because it allows you to do that without feeling guilty.  And I like that!

Don't forget to send me your entries for BSI-Buttermilk!  Click HERE to see info!