Lighter Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

Lighter Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

Yields: 5-6 servings

Ingredients:

8oz Rotini

1lb Chicken breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces

2 Tablespoons butter

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1-1/2 cups milk

6oz plain Greek yogurt

4oz shredded cheddar cheese

3 Laughing Cow Blue Cheese Wedges, crumbled into pieces

1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons buffalo wing sauce, divided

1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook rotini in a big pot of salted, boiling water until just under al dente. Pasta should still have a bit of a bite to it as it will finish cooking in the oven. Drain then set aside.

Meanwhile spray a large skillet over medium-high heat with nonstick spray then add chicken, season with salt and pepper, and then saute until no longer pink. Remove to a plate then set aside.

Turn heat down to medium then melt butter in the skillet, add garlic, and saute for 30 seconds. Sprinkle in flour then whisk until smooth and cook for 1 minute. Slowly pour in milk while whisking then cook until thickened, 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat then add in Greek yogurt, cheddar cheese, and Laughing cow cheese. Stir until smooth then stir in 1/4 cup buffalo wing sauce.

Add cooked pasta and chicken to the skillet then stir to combine. Transfer mixture to an 8x8 baking dish then top with panko bread crumbs and drizzle over remaining 2 Tablespoons buffalo wing sauce. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and bread crumbs are light golden brown. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

What's for Dinner

Monday- Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Tuesday- Lighter Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese
Wednesday- Nachos
Thursday- Pizza
Friday- WMHS football game
Saturday- Football Saturday
Sunday- Brats 

King Ranch Chicken and Rice Casserole

King Ranch Chicken and Rice Casserole

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

12 oz cooked, chopped chicken

1 can (10 3/4 ounce) Cream of Chicken Soup

1 can (10 ounce) Rotel Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies

8 oz Velveeta cheese, cubed

1/2 cup chicken broth or water

2 cups instant white rice

2 cups water

1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Instructions: 

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add instant rice, cover and turn off heat. Allow to stand for 5 minutes, until all water is absorbed.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt Velveeta cheese on high 60 seconds in the microwave. Stir in soup, chicken broth and Rotel tomatoes. Microwave on high and additional 1-2 minutes, until smooth. Stir in chopped chicken and rice. Pour rice mixture into prepared pan. Top with 1/2 cup cheddar cheese.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

* I used one cup of regular rice and cooked it according to the package instructions instead of minute rice. 

What's for Dinner

Monday- King Ranch Chicken and Rice Casserole
Tuesday- French Dip Sandwiches
Wednesday- Pizza
Thursday- Pizza
Friday- WMHS football game
Saturday- Six Flags
Sunday- 

Chicken Enchilada Dip

Chicken Enchilada Dip

Ingredients:

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

8 oz package cream cheese, softened

1 cup of mayonnaise

1 cup of shredded Cheddar cheese

4 oz can diced green chile peppers

1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced (Optional)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place chicken breast halves on a medium baking sheet.

Bake in the preheated oven 20 minutes, or until no longer pink. Remove from heat, cool and shred.

Place shredded chicken in a medium bowl, and mix in cream cheese, mayonnaise, Cheddar cheese, green chile peppers (and jalapeno pepper, if you choose). Transfer the chicken mixture to a medium baking dish.

Bake uncovered in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.

Bacon Cheeseburger Crescents

Bacon Cheeseburger Crescents

These are great for tailgating!

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef

8 slices pre-cooked bacon, chopped

8 oz Velveeta cheese (I used 2%)

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp dried minced onion flakes

2 cans refrigerated crescent rolls (I used low-fat)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375.

Brown meat in skillet, drain and return to pan.  Stir in Worcestershire, onion flakes and bacon.  Slowly melt cheese in skillet.

Separate crescent rolls into triangles.   Place 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture on the wide end of each crescent.  Roll up and place on lightly greased baking pan.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown.

Mexican Pull-Apart Pizza

Mexican Pull-Apart Pizza

Yields: 16 servings

This was a big hit in our family and perfect for any football viewing party!

Ingredients:

1 cup tomato sauce

1/2 cup salsa

1 packet taco seasoning, divided

1/2 lb lean ground beef

6 Tbsp water

2 cans french bread dough

2 cups mexican cheese

olives

tomatoes

green onions

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400. Lightly grease a round pizza pan or pizza stone.

In a small saucepan, combine tomato sauce, salsa and half of taco seasoning. Simmer for 5 minutes and remove from heat.

In a small skillet, brown ground beef. Drain fat; add remaining half of taco seasoning and water. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Place one loaf of refrigerated dough on cutting board. Cut dough in half lengthwise. Slice each dough half crosswise into 16 slices for a total of 32 bread dough slices. Repeat with remaining dough. You will have a total of 64 bread dough slices when you are done.

Arrange dough slices on pizza pan or pizza stone. Top with taco sauce, cheese, taco meat and veggies.

Bake 14–16 minutes or until crust is golden brown. 

What's for Dinner

Monday- Chicken Spaghetti
Tuesday- Leftovers
Wednesday- Baked Buffalo Chicken Wraps
Thursday- Pizza 
Friday- WMHS football game
Saturday- Football Saturday
Sunday- Leftovers

Asian Chicken Wraps

Asian Chicken Wraps

Yields: 4 wraps

This was a great busy weeknight meal.  Everyone was surprised at how good these wraps were.  

Ingredients:

For the Sauce

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon Sriracha or similar spicy chili sauce

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

For the Chicken Wraps

14 ounces Just BARE Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Fillets (about 2 medium breasts)

1 tablespoon olive oil, divided

2 cups broccoli slaw or cabbage slaw

1 cup shelled edamame, thawed if frozen

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1/2 cup finely chopped green onions

1/4 cup dry roasted salted peanuts, chopped

Chopped fresh cilantro

4 whole wheat tortillas

Instructions:

In a small bowl, stir together all of the sauce ingredients: peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, Sriracha, ginger, and lime. Set aside.

Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Heat half of the oil in a large, non-stick skillet over medium high. Once the oil is shimmering, add the chicken (be careful as the oil may splatter), and sauté the chicken until fully cooked, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a bowl and blot away any excess oil. To the bowl, add 1/4 cup of the peanut sauce, then toss to coat the chicken. Reserve the rest of the sauce for serving.

To the same skillet in which you cooked the chicken, add the remaining oil and let warm for 30 seconds. Add the broccoli slaw, edamame, carrots, and half of the green onions and sauté until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

To assemble wraps, spread a spoonful of the reserved sauce on each tortilla. Top with the chicken, vegetables, chopped peanuts, remaining green onions, and fresh cilantro. Wrap and enjoy warm or at room temperature.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Fries

Chicken Bacon Ranch Fries

Yield: Serves 4

Oven baked ranch fries smothered in bacon, two cheeses, and creamy ranch chicken. Brian claimed this to be his new favorite meal!

Ingredients:

4 slices bacon

2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch matchsticks

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/4 teaspoons garlic powder

1 1/4 teaspoons onion powder

1/2 teaspoon dried dill

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 cup shredded cooked chicken (about 4 ounces)

1/2 cup Skinny Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip (recipe below)

1/4 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese

Fresh chopped chives

Instructions:

Place rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with foil and set a baking rack on top. Lay the strips of bacon flat on top of the rack, then bake until crisp, about 12-15 minutes, depending upon the thickness of your bacon. Set between two paper towels atop a dinner plate and pat dry. When cool enough to handle, chop and set aside. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees F.

Meanwhile, peel and cut the potatoes. Place in a large bowl, then toss with the olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, dill, salt, and cayenne. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray, then spread the fries onto the sheet in a single layer. Bake 15 minutes, flip with a spatula, then bake an additional 10-15 minutes, until lightly crisp.

While the fries are baking, heat the ranch dip in a small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl, just until warm. Toss with chicken to coat.

Remove fries from oven and top with the chicken, cheddar, mozzarella, and bacon. Return to the oven until the cheese melts, 3-5 minutes. Top with chives. Serve immediately.

Skinny Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip

Ingredients:

1 cup plain, non-fat Greek yogurt

3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon dried dill

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Fresh, chopped chives garnish

Directions:

In a medium bowl, stir together all of the ingredients: Greek yogurt, garlic, onion, dill, salt, Worcestershire, and cayenne. Garnish with fresh chives and serve.