Rosemary Dijon Baked Chicken Breast

This is one of those recipes you will want to make when you don't really feel like putting a lot of effort into your meal, yet you want to eat a good and healthy meal. I found this one at Allrecipes180.com. I did re-name this recipe because their naming convention just wasn't doing it for me (sorry).

This one is really simple to make and it has such an amazing taste. I'm a HUGE fan of recipes with Dijon Mustard! This one always turns out really moist and my kids asked for seconds. This one pairs really well with mashed potatoes and green beans as your sides.

This one is Gluten Free. Try this one on a night where you want to make dinner but you just don't feel like being in the kitchen for more than 10 minutes prepping. You'll love it and will appreciate the simplicity of this meal!

Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• Salt & pepper
• Fresh Rosemary

Directions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• In a small bowl, mix together mustard, syrup, and vinegar.
• Place chicken breasts into 9×13 greased baking dish. It's REALLY important that your pan is well greased so it doesn't stain! 
• Season the chicken with salt & pepper. 
• Pour mustard mixture over chicken. Make sure each breast is coated.

• Bake for about 30-40 minutes.
• Season with chopped rosemary.

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Baked Cinnamon Jicama (Apples)

Just in time for Fall! 

Something about the smell of cinnamon and baked apples cooking in the oven during the Fall season brings back such wonderful memories from my favorite season!

Have you ever tried jicama? They are a white fibrous root vegetable native to Mexico, but you can find them in all of the grocery stores here. In my opinion, it is a cross between a carrot and an apple. Delicious eaten raw or cooked! Great thrown into salads! They can be wonderful substitutes for apples because they are subtly sweet, crisp and crunchy. The only difference you may notice is that they don't get really soft like apples when baking, but  they taste pretty darn good.

I peeled and cubed the jicama in very small pieces (like how you would cube potatoes for hash browns), but you can also slice them really thin like apple slices. You want to make the pieces small or thin so they cook easier and faster. 

Add some cinnamon, apple pie spice and stevia along with the melted butter. If you do not have apple pie spice, it is okay. You can always double up on the cinnamon or add more cinnamon with a touch of nutmeg and allspice.

Get it all the pieces of jicama evenly coated with the spices and butter.

Spread the pieces over a foil lined baking pan.

Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Then uncover and bake for 15 more minutes.

I made three 1 cup servings, but you could always have only 1/2 a cup as 1 Green and have other veggies as your other Greens so that this could be a little dessert with dinner. I hope you enjoy it as much as me! Delicious!

Baked Cinnamon Jicama (Apples)

Ingredients:

3 cups jicama peeled and cubed or sliced thin (6 Greens)

3 tbsp light Land O' Lakes Butter with Canola Oil, melted (3 Healthy Fats)

1/4 tsp apple pie spice (1/2 Condiment)

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (1/2 Condiment)

3 packets stevia in the raw (3 Condiments)

Optional Toppings:

2 tbsp Walden Farms caramel syrup (1 Condiment)

2 tbsp Fat Free Reddi Whip (1 Condiment)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet or baking pan with non-stick foil.

Mix jicama with melted butter in a medium sized bowl. Add cinnamon, apple pie spice, and stevia stirring until combined. Pour onto a foil lined pan. Cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes.

The jicama will not get completely soft when baking. Expect to have a slight crisp center when eating and a slightly sweetened taste. Enjoy!

3 (1 cup) servings

Per Serving:
2 Greens, 2 Condiments and 1 Healthy Fat

(still need 1 more Green)

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Mexican Ground Beef Casserole

I am so excited to share this recipe with you guys! Both the hubs and I approve and that says a lot considering hubby loves his whole wheat pasta! In the past, I would have normally made this dish with pasta, but spaghetti squash works really well for this dish. If you haven't tried spaghetti squash yet, then you don't know what you are missing! It has a nice slight crunch and packed with nutrients, but it does resemble spaghetti noodles, hence the name, "spaghetti" squash. I don't think you will miss pasta, once you try this dish. If you need a tutorial on how to prepare spaghetti squash using a microwave, you can go HERE.

I also substituted Greek yogurt for sour cream which is often found with Mexican dishes. Greek yogurt is so versatile because it can be a healthier substitute for sour cream, mayonnaise and even butter! It helps make dishes thick and creamy without adding all the calories. You gotta love that!

This casserole does freeze well so that is a plus in my book. You got to love those make ahead freezer meals, especially for those busy week nights! It will definitely be a meal found in my freezer.

Yummy comfort food and the perfect dish if you are craving Mexican!

Substituting Greek yogurt for sour cream helps lighten this dish without skimping on flavor! The sauce is a blend of Greek yogurt, enchilada sauce, with a little bit of chili powder to give it extra kick.

Adding the chopped green pepper while the ground beef is cooking softens them up some and gives the beef more flavor.

Rotel tomatoes also help add more zest to the meat with it's perfect blend of tomatoes, green chili peppers and spices. Love this stuff in my Mexican dishes.

Look at that color! Christmas anyone? :)

Drain all the fat and liquids from the eat using a strainer. Return the meat back to the skillet and add the yummy sauce you prepared earlier. Stir until all the lumps from the cream cheese disappear and the sauce becomes smooth.

Next add the spaghetti squash and give it a good stir. Pour the mixture into a casserole dish.

Top with cheese and bake until the cheese is melted. Delicious!

Mexican Ground Beef Casserole

Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups spaghetti squash, cooked (9 Greens)

1 can Rotel tomatoes (2 1/2 Greens)

1/4 cup green pepper, chopped (1/2 Green)

1.25 pounds 93% lean ground beef (3 Leans)

2/3 cup shredded 2% reduced fat Mexican style cheese (2/3 Lean)

1/2 cup 2% plain Fage Greek yogurt (1/3 Lean)

1/2 cup red enchilada sauce (8 Condiments)

3 tbsp reduced fat cream cheese (3 Condiments)

1/2 tsp chili powder (1 Condiment)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In a medium sized bowl, combine enchilada sauce, Greek yogurt, cream cheese, and chili powder. Stir until combined. It is okay if the mixture is a little lumpy from the cream cheese. The cream cheese will eventually melt when combined with the warm ground beef and spaghetti squash. Set aside.

Over medium high heat, add ground beef, chopped green peppers, and can of Rotel tomatoes to a large skillet. Cook until ground beef is no longer pink and green pepper is tender. Drain meat of all fat and liquid.

Add spaghetti squash and enchilada sauce mixture to the ground beef. Stir until everything is combined.

Pour the mixture into a casserole dish. I used a deep 9 inch square casserole dish. Top with Mexican style cheese. Bake for about 25 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Makes 4 Servings

Each serving provides

1 Lean, 3 Greens, and 3 Condiments

Click Here to Print

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Garlic Ginger Shrimp Stir Fry

I tried a YUMMY new shrimp recipe tonight! My husband is out of town for work travel (he hates seafood) so I get to try new seafood recipes every once in awhile! This one came from the Steamy Kitchen and reminded me of a PF Chang's recipe I love so much! This one was really easy to make...almost too easy to make.

This one is Gluten free (make sure your soy sauce is Gluten free and read your label on the oyster sauce). I paired this with brown rice, threw in some sugar snap peas and broccoli and it turned out great!

Enjoy!


Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoons soy sauce
• Handful fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails left intact optional)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
• 5 stalks green onion, chopped (white and light green parts)
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, finely minced or grated

Directions:

• In a small bowl, combine oyster sauce, soy sauce and cilantro and set aside.
• Pat the shrimp very dry with paper towels. In a medium bowl, add shrimp and cornstarch and toss to coat.
• In a wok or large saute pan over high heat, add half the olive oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. When the wok is very hot, add the shrimp in a single layer and cook partially until one side is seared brown, about 1 minute. Flip and sear the other side of each shrimp, about one more minute. They don't need to be cooked all the way through yet. Remove them to a plate or bowl and set aside.
• Turn the heat down to medium and let wok cool off a bit to prevent the aromatics from burning. Add the remaining olive oil and add green onion, garlic and ginger and stir fry for a minute until fragrant.
• Pour in the sauce mixture and add the shrimp back into the pan. Stir fry for another minute until shrimp is cooked through. 
• Add your sugar snap peas and broccoli and stir fry for about 3 to 5 minuted.
• Serve immediately.

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