Salads For Days

In an effort to eat more healthy foods and lose some weight, I have committed to #DailyVeggies, making sure I have at least one serving of vegetables every day. Since I detest most cooked vegetables, this means that a meal-sized salad is my best veggie option. Therefore, #SaladaDay has become my usual lunch. Of course, salads don't have to be boring or bland - not at all! There are many variations and possibilities when it comes to salads. I thought I would share some of my favorites with you, and please feel free to share your ideas with me! I'm always looking for more ideas!

Basic chicken salad: romaine lettuce mix, grilled chicken, corn, bacon bits, cheese, and a light drizzle of thousand island .

Taco salad: mixed lettuce, taco seasoned beef, queso blanco sauce, salsa, sour cream, and cheese. No dressing needed!

Deconstructed sandwich salads: basically the ingredients of a sandwich, placed on top of a salad. This one was lettuce and radicchio mix, chopped steak strips, half an avocado, lowfat provolone cheese, and Green Goddess dressing.

Extra protein salads: for those days when you need more protein, adding navy beans, hummus, and boiled eggs to the salad gives it both flavor and protein kick.

Tuna salad: these days you can get flavored tuna packets in a variety of flavors. I don't usually like tuna, but the ranch flavor is really good! Here's lettuce mix, ranch-flavored tuna, navy beans, peas, cheese, and Green Goddess dressing.

Think outside the box: salad doesn't always have to start with a leafy green base. Try other combinations like beans, tomatoes, avocado, eggs, different cheeses, or other vegetables that strike your fancy. I'd like to hear what ideas you come up with!

Crockpot Noodle Casserole

This recipe is basically an adaptation of my Tuna Noodle Casserole recipe that I made in the crockpot and substituted chicken and turkey instead of tuna. It was an easy two-hour meal in my pressure cooker crockpot, and turned out tasty and filling. I didn't have fresh chicken handy, so I used a can of chicken and a can of turkey for the meat. I also used a can of roasted garlic cream of mushroom soup instead of plain, which gave it a wonderful savory flavor!

Ingredients:
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk or 1 can of evaporated milk mixed with water
1 cup water
1 cup shredded cheddar or fiesta blend cheese, divided
3/4 cup peas, frozen or canned
Garlic powder, seasonings as desired
1 1/2 cup cooked chicken, turkey, or tuna
3 cups dry medium egg noodles

Mix the soup, milk, and water together in the crockpot. Add 1/2 cup of the cheese with the peas, seasoning, and meat, and mix thoroughly. Add the noodles and stir to cover the noodles with the liquid mixture. Cook on low setting for 4 hours or high setting for 2 hours. Check that the noodles are tender and most of the moisture is absorbed, if not cook longer. Top with the other 1/2 cup cheese and cook for another half hour. Serve and enjoy!

Salsa Chicken Bake

This meal was born of Pinterest ideas (who am I kidding?! Most of my recipes are tweaked Pinterest finds!), and hubby heartily approved and went back for seconds. It's easiest made in the oven, but could probably be modified for the grill or even a skillet. I made taco rice in the skillet while the chicken and bean mixture baked, then topped my serving with sour cream. It was very tasty and filling!

Ingredients:
Chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup corn, frozen or canned
3/4 cup salsa
1/2 cup queso blanco sauce
1/2 cup shredded cheddar or fiesta blend cheese

Preheat the oven to 400. Spread the beans and corn evenly in the bottom of a large oven or casserole dish. Trim the chicken strips and arrange them on top of the bean mixture. Spread the salsa and queso evenly on the chicken strips and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 400 for 30-40 minutes, checking occasionally. When chicken is cooked through, remove from the oven and serve with rice or tortillas. Enjoy!

Tortellini Alfredo with Spinach

This was a relatively simple meal to make. It would have been easier with two pans, but my electric skillet worked just fine. I used a package of premade tortellini and a package of grilled chicken for this tasty, easy dinner. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
Butter or olive oil
1 1/2 cups fresh baby spinach
1 package premade tortellini
1 cup cooked chicken
1 jar garlic alfredo sauce

Lightly sautee the garlic in heated butter or oil. Add the spinach and sautee until wilted. Set aside.

Boil the tortellini according to the directions on the package till tender, drain. Add the chicken, sauce, and garlic spinach mixture. Simmer all ingredients together until heated through, stirring frequently. Serve and enjoy!

Easy Chicken Fried Rice

After having Chinese takeout a few times, I fell in love with fried rice. I decided to try making it on the truck, and after researching a few recipes, I figured I could make it with ingredients I had on hand - leftover soy sauce packets from takeout, pre-cooked grilled chicken, and ready rice. We really enjoyed the result and plan to make it again!

Ingredients:
1 cup cooked chicken
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 package garden vegetable ready rice
2 eggs

Chop the cooked chicken into small pieces and place in a warm skillet with 2 tablespoons soy sauce. Coat the chicken in the soy sauce and heat it through. Add the rice, breaking down any chunks, and the third tablespoon of soy sauce. Sautee together. Push the rice and chicken mixture to the edges of the skillet, opening an area in the middle of the skillet. Add the eggs into the center of the skillet, scramble them with your spatula, and allow them to cook until firm, stirring the rice mixture to keep it from burning. Chop the eggs into small pieces and mix them in with the rice and chicken. Serve and enjoy!

Chicken Enchilada Orzo

Yummy!

I am part of a Facebook community called Big Truck Cooking, all about truckers cooking, that has a Chopped Challenge every month. For my entry this month, I'm submitting this easy, oh-so-delicious one-skillet recipe for Chicken Enchilada Orzo.

Since it can be difficult keeping enough fresh or perishable food in the truck to last us 3-5 weeks, I have been developing more recipes using mainly (or exclusively) non-perishable ingredients. The only perishable ingredient in this recipe is cheddar cheese, which can be substituted with shelf-stable cheese like Velveeta or omitted altogether.

Ingredients

Ingredients:
1 can red enchilada sauce
1 can mild Rotel
1 can chicken in water
1 1/2 cup dry orzo
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 small can whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 package taco seasoning
Cheddar cheese

Pour the enchilada sauce, Rotel, and chicken into a skillet without draining. Add the orzo and about a cup of water. Bring to a boil and let simmer until orzo is cooked. Add the drained black beans and corn, stir and continue to simmer. Add half a package of taco seasoning and mix in thoroughly. By now mixture should be thick. Reduce heat, pat mixture firmly down in the skillet, sprinkle cheese on top and let sit to melt cheese. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Serving hot from the skillet

Chicken Pot Pie Pasta

My poor hubby has caught another cold ad is currently feeling miserable. I'm trying to take care of him best I can and fight to keep from catching it. We'll see if I evade the cold, but in the meantime, as I had no soup on hand, I made chicken pot pie pasta for lunch. It was warm, soft, and soothing, just the thing for feeding a sick hubby!

I like that this recipe makes 4+ servings and is made completely from non-perishable items: canned meat and veggies and dry pasta and herbs. That means I can keep the ingredients on hand and make it whenever necessary. I made it in my crockpot, mostly because we're on the road and the crockpot, electric skillet, and microwave are really all I have to work with, but it can just as easily (perhaps more easily) be made in a pot on a stovetop. For serving a larger family, simply double the recipe.

A note on the seasonings: I used garlic powder, dried herbs, and a squirt of bottled lime juice for flavor. Other suggestions would be powdered or minced dried onions, dry ranch or Italian dressing mix, salt and pepper, or whatever seasonings you prefer. You can also add any fresh veggies you have on hand in place of the canned veggies, or use precooked chicken instead of canned. For the pasta, I used mini bowties as they cook relatively quickly, but any smallish pasta would work, such as penne or shells. Also, I used only half a small can of evaporated milk to make the sauce; if you prefer a creamier soup-like consistency, use a full can or more.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb small pasta, cooked and drained
1 can cream of potato condensed soup
1/2 can evaporated milk
1 small can mixed peas and carrots, drained
2 12oz cans white meat chicken, mostly drained
Seasonings to taste

After cooking and draining the pasta, place pasta back in the pot and turn to low. Add the condensed soup and evaporated milk, stir. Drain and add the can of peas and carrots; mostly drain and add the cans of chicken (a little of the water is okay). Add seasonings and stir well. Simmer 10 minutes and serve. Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken

As y'all know, I LOVE easy, simple recipes. This ond is about as easy and simple as it gets - just 2 ingredients! It's literally a half and half ratio of the two ingredients, so it can be quickly modified to any amount of chicken you wish to grill.

Grilled chicken, potato wedges, corn salad, and cheesy garlic biscuits!

I wanted a chicken marinade for the grill that would impart good flavor without being overwhelming. This marinade forms a pleasant layer on the outside of the chicken without being tough or leathery, and the chicken is still tender and juicy inside. Of course, you can also bake or pan fry the chicken using this recipe, but I think it's best grilled. Ready?

Ingredients:
4 medium chicken breasts
3/4 cup ranch dressing
3/4 cup zesty Italian dressing

Butterfly the breasts if desired, for faster cooking time. Mix the ranch and zesty Italian dressings together in a cup. Using a gallon sized zipper baggie, layer the marinade and chicken breasts. Zip the baggie shut and vigorously squeeze and smush the chicken breasts around until thoroughly coated. Place in the refrigerator and turn over every few hours; let sit for 8 hours or overnight. Grill till tender and enjoy!

Avocado Chicken Salad

I've been craving chicken salad lately, but the grocery store version is loaded with heavy mayonnaise. I usually make chicken salad or egg salad with a sour cream base, but my sour cream went bad and I had an avocado, so I decided to give it a try. It turned out so good that I may never buy the store bought version again!

In all fairness, I used chicken that I cooked with Italian dressing, so the chicken already had a nice zing of flavor. The other seasonings I used were garlic powder and the garlic and herb Mrs. Dash. I happened to have bottled lime juice on hand from the Cilantro Lime Chicken burrito bowls I made last week, and the flavors paired perfectly. If you want more of a guacamole flair, add a little salsa or diced tomato and some taco seasoning. If you prefer a more traditional chicken salad texture, using chopped celery and onion or even diced apples could give it a nice crunch.

Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado
1 cup diced chicken, approximately
A squirt lime juice
Seasonings to taste

Slice the avocado and scoop out of its skin. Chop finely and lightly mash. Add chicken to desired texture, and stir in juice and seasonings.

Let it rest an hour to allow flavors to marry - if you can wait that long before digging in! Serve with crackers or tortilla chips. Enjoy!

Chicken Enchiladas: Crockpot or Oven

I have been craving chicken enchiladas lately, but since my toaster oven is very unreliable, I had no way to bake them. Instead, I figured out how to make them in the crockpot!

I'm going to give you the base recipe and then directions to modify it for either crockpot or oven cooking. Keep in mind, the crockpot version gets kinda messy - I wouldn't serve it to company - but the flavors are oh so good!

The crockpot version is a little messy but so tasty!

Ingredients:
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup red or green salsa
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 jar queso blanco sauce, divided
1/2 package taco seasoning
1/2 package dry ranch mix
1 cup cheddar or monterrey jack cheese
1 pound cooked shredded chicken
Flour tortillas (3 for crockpot version, 8 for oven version)

Mix cream cheese, sour cream, salsa, soup, and 1/2 cup queso sauce together. Add seasonings and cheese and mix, then add chicken and mix thoroughly.

Crockpot:
Tear 3 tortillas into strips. Smooth a few spoonfuls of queso sauce on the bottom of the crockpot and lay one tortilla worth of strips on that. Pour half of the filling mixture on top, place more tortilla strips above it, and repeat with the other half. Pour the rest of the queso sauce on top and sprinkle evenly with cheese. Cook on low for about 2 hours and serve.

Oven:
Preheat oven to 375. Mist a casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray and smooth a few spoonfuls of queso sauce on the bottom. Evenly divide the filling mixture between 6-8 tortillas, then roll into firm cylinders. Lay each tortilla roll in the dish with the seams down. Pour the rest of the queso sauce on top and sprinkle evenly with cheese. Bake about 30 minutes and serve.

Enjoy!

Chicken Chili

After being out in snow and subzero temperatures this weekend, I came down with an unpleasant cold (is there any other kind?). Between the frigid weather and my sore throat, something warm and soft was definitely in order - and chicken chili hit the spot.

The nice thing about this recipe is its flexibility. Most of the ingredients are nonperishable, which means I can keep them on hand until I'm ready for them. It can also be made mild or spicy depending on your choice of ingredients. We use plain diced tomatoes, but using a can that contains chilies will add a zip to your chili.

 It can be made with raw or precooked chicken; simply adjust the cooking time appropriately. For raw chicken, plan to leave your crockpot on for 4-6 hours on high, or 7+ hours on low. For precooked chicken, however, an hour or two is plenty.

Also, if you're one of those people who is picky about leftovers, let me assure you that this chili is absolutely just as good the next day, or even better! The longer it sits, the more the flavors mingle and marry, resulting in leftovers that surpass the original concoction.

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts, raw or cooked
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can each: black beans, northern beans, and corn
1 8oz package of cream cheese
Dry taco seasoning
Dry ranch dressing mix
Optional: shredded cheddar cheese

Place the chicken in the crockpot and dump the can of tomatoes on top. Drain the excess fluid out of the beans and corn, then add to the crockpot. If using precooked chicken, add the cream cheese; if using raw chicken, wait till later. Add about half a package each of the taco seasoning and ranch mix. Stir everything together. For raw chicken, cook as directed above, and add cream cheese to the last hour of cooking. For precooked chicken, let all ingredients simmer about an hour. When ready to serve, stir thoroughly and garnish with shredded cheddar cheese on top. Enjoy!

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Crockpot Casserole

With colder weather setting in lately, we have been in the mood for comfort food. And I'm not sure what says "comfort food" better than chicken and rice, in a warm casserole-type dish. It's too thick to be called soup but too soft to be much else. If you find a better name for it, let me know!

On a side note, I used minute rice because it's easy to keep on the truck. You can use any brand of minute rice, or simply use cooked regular rice. Either way I'm sure it will be delicious! 

Ingredients:

3 large chicken breasts 

Can cream of chicken soup 

Can cream of cheddar soup

Dry ranch dressing mix 

Box of minute rice 

1 cup sour cream

Parmesan cheese to taste

Dab a little soup on the bottom of the crockpot. Lay chicken breasts on top and spoon the rest of both cans of soup on top, sprinkling in the dry ranch mix. Let cook in crockpot 3 hours on high, or whatever your crockpot needs to thoroughly cook chicken, while stirring occasionally. About half an hour before serving, use a fork or spatula to shred the chicken. Add the rice and sour cream and mix everything together. Let cook for another half hour to warm the rice. Serve and top with parmesan cheese. Enjoy! 

Salsa Taco Chicken

Another easy recipe for the road - or anyone with a crockpot who likes easy, no fuss meals! This recipe is very similar to the Shredded BBQ Chicken. It can be easily modified by using mild or spicy salsa and taco mix, and adding whatever toppings you like to the finished product. I highly recommend wrapping it in tortillas and adding cheddar cheese, sour cream, and taco veggies!

Ingredients:
1 jar salsa, any flavor
1 packet taco seasoning
2-4 chicken breasts

Pour about a quarter of the salsa jar into the crockpot and sprinkle a quarter of the taco seasoning. Lay the chicken breasts on top. Cover with salsa and taco seasoning, adding salsa and seasoning between layers if layering is necessary. For 2 chicken breasts, half of the jar of salsa and half of the taco seasoning is sufficient; for 4 breasts, use all of it.

On a crockpot, use the low setting for 2 hours or the high setting for 45 minutes. On our Farberware 7-in-1, the chicken setting pressure cooks the chicken in 25 minutes. Once thoroughly cooked, use a fork or spatula to shred or chunk the chicken. Stir it in the salsa seasoning mix and let simmer another few minutes to absorb more of the sauce. Taco night, here we come!

Shredded BBQ Chicken

I'm all about simple recipes, and this one may be the easiest I've posted yet. Though it is easy, it is delicious! Whether at home in a crockpot or on the road in our Farberware 7-in-1, the smell of cooking will have you drooling by the time it's ready.

You ready for this?

Ingredients:
1 small bottle Sweet Baby Ray's bbq sauce
3 chicken breasts or 6-8 chicken tenders, raw boneless
Any other seasonings desired

Squirt sauce around the bottom of the pot until it is nearly covered. Lay raw chicken on top. If you need to layer chicken, squirt sauce between layers. Squirt more sauce on top to nearly cover the chicken. I usually use about 3/4 of the bottle altogether.

That's really it, folks. Use the low setting on the crockpot for a couple hours, the high setting or the chicken setting on the 7-in-1 for 30 minutes. Once the chicken is thoroughly cooked, shred the chicken (still inside the pot), stir in the sauce, and let simmer another 15 minutes. It will absorb a lot of sauce!

Serve over rice or with pasta. It's a little sloppy for sandwiches but a piece of bread to sop up the sauce always helps!