White Chicken Lasagna

So after that amazing Simple Fettuccine Alfredo I was craving another white pasta dish. I'm sensing a dangerous trend here, so this will be my last white pasta dish for awhile. Jeans season is upon us and I'd like to continue to fit in mine.

Anyhoo, I stumbled across a great-looking White Chicken Lasagna recipe by One Ordinary Day on pinterest (shocker, right?). I made some modifications to make a little healthier (whole wheat whole grain noodles, nonfat cheeses, low sodium broth, etc.). I also omitted a layer because I was concerned I'd need to be rolled out of bed if I had even one slice of a four plus layer white lasagna.

Let me tell you, this did not need those extra layers of noodles and cheese. It was absolutely delicious without it, and it didn't feel as heavy as I expected. In fact, I added so much spinach and chicken, and so little actual cheese, it was pretty balanced! (Or as balanced as a white pasta dish can be!) This is a great meal and so yummy, especially as the weather starts getting colder. 

Ingredients:
*9 whole wheat whole grain lasagna noodles, cooked according to package directions
*1/2 c. butter
*1 onion, minced
*2 cloves garlic, minced
*1/2 c. flour
*1/2 tsp. salt
*ground black pepper, to taste
*2 c. low sodium chicken broth
*2 c. nonfat milk 
*3 c. skim mozzarella cheese, divided 
*1/2 c. shredded or grated Parmesan cheese, divided
*1 tsp. basil
*1 tsp. oregano
*1 c. part-skim ricotta cheese
*1 1/2 c. cooked and shredded chicken (I cooked 2 breasts - 1-1.5 would be enough - in the slow cooker on low for 4 hours, covered halfway in low-sodium chicken broth)
*1 1/2-2 c. spinach (I used frozen, thawed in microwave with excess liquid drained)

Directions:
*Melt butter in a large saucepot.  Add onions and garlic and cook over medium heat until translucent.  Add flour, salt, and pepper.  Cook flour mixture 1-2 minutes.

*Add chicken broth and milk.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir 1 minute.  Turn off heat and add 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese.  Stir in dried spices.

*Lightly spray a lasagna pan or 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Ladle some cheese sauce onto the bottom to thinly cover.

*Add a layer of lasagna noodles.  Layer with more cheese sauce, the chicken, and the ricotta cheese.

*Add another layer of pasta.  Top with cheese sauce and spinach.

*Add another layer of pasta.  Top with cheese sauce. Add remaining 1 c. mozzarella cheese and 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese.

*Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

*Remove foil and continue to cook until bubbly.  If cheese doesn’t brown on top, turn on the broiler for the last couple minutes. (I cooked mine another 10 minutes after removing the foil. Then I turned the broiler up to 405 degrees for about 3-4 minutes until the cheese was completely melted and golden.)

*Allow lasagna to sit about 15 minutes before serving for easier slicing.

Onions, garlic, and butter

Cheese sauce

Layer one

Chicken layer

Chicken and ricotta

Cheese sauce and spinach

Final layer

All brown and bubbly

Creamy goodness

Steamed up my phone a bit! (All my pictures are taken on my phone)

Simple Fettuccine Alfredo

Oh. Oh my. Oh wow. Those were my first words upon eating the.most.amazing.pasta.ever. I mean, seriously. I've never been a huge fan of fettuccine alfredo, but this was phenomenal. And about the easiest pasta dish I've made. The whole thing took less than 15 minutes. Aaaand we ate the entire pound of pasta within two days. Slightly embarrassed. But it was that good. 

You must make this. I can't tell you how great it was. And it was insanely easy. There is NO way to mess this up. Thank me (and the Pioneer Woman) later. :)

While I saw this recipe on my friend Jourdan's blog, it is actually courtesy of The Pioneer Woman.

Note: If you enjoy this recipe, I think you'll go crazy over this Simple Chicken Alfredo Pizza!

Simple Fettuccine Alfredo
Recipe by The Pioneer Woman
Serves 4, depending on portions
Pin It  
Ingredients:
*1 pound fettuccine noodles

*1 stick butter

*1 cup heavy cream

*Salt and Pepper, to taste

*2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese (one wedge was enough for 2 cups)

Directions:
*Cook pasta according to package directions.

*In a saucepan or skillet, warm butter and cream. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

*Grate Parmesan cheese and place half of it into a large serving bowl. Pour warm butter/cream mixture over the top.

*Drain pasta and immediately pour it into the bowl.

*Toss a couple of times, then sprinkle in the other half of the Parmesan.

*Toss to combine, thinning with pasta water if necessary.

Yes, I know, clogging arteries already...

freshly grated parmesan cheese

Butter, cream, parmesan cheese

Mixing it up

Adding the second half of cheese

All mixed up!

Adding a little extra salt and pepper

Yummm. Oh. Yummmm.

Creamy Dill Sauce

This sauce is fantastic. I made it to go with the Easy Salmon Cakes, but it was so good I decided to make it a post by itself, because I'll definitely make this again to go with several types of dishes.

Ingredients:
*1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
*1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
*2 scallions, thinly sliced
*1 tablespoon lemon juice
*1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill, or parsley
*Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preparation:
*Combine mayonnaise, yogurt, scallions, lemon juice, dill (or parsley) and pepper in a small bowl and mix well.

*Spoon over Easy Salmon Cakes, another dish, or even serve with veggies! 

Mixing ingredients up

Last ones are in!

Perfect amount of lemon flavor

Simply delicious over salmon cakes!

 

Easy Salmon Cakes

As the title suggests, this recipe is easy. And delicious. And light on calories. How much more can you really ask for in a meal? Well, I'm sure a lot, but trust me on this one.

I found this recipe on Eating Well. Hmm...starting to realize it's been awhile since I've used my cookbooks. Eh, I'll save that for next week. No point in changing my entire meal plan for the week this late in the game. Plus, after I sent the hubby to the store for me, and it took him 2 hours and several manager checks to find everything, I think I've used all my grace for the week.

So, about these salmon cakes...YUM! I changed the recipe, shocker, because I misread it for one, made too much salmon and ran out of bread crumbs. To be honest I was grateful I ran out of bread crumbs because I think the salmon would have been too dry with so much. I even think it doesn't need as long in the oven if you already cooked the salmon, for fear of it getting dry.

Regardless of whether or not you choose to use my recipe or the original, I'm sure you'll find these delicious! Oh, but you must make them with the Creamy Dill Sauce!

Ingredients:
*3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
*1 small onion, finely chopped
*1 yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
*1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
*1 stalk celery, finely diced
*3 cups cooked salmon (what I used) or 15 ounces canned salmon, drained
*3 large eggs, lightly beaten
*3 tbsps Dijon mustard
*1 cup fresh whole-wheat breadcrumbs, (I used Panko)
*1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
*Creamy Dill Sauce
*1 lemon, cut into wedges

Preparation:
 *Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

*Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell peppers and celery. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

*Place salmon in a medium bowl. Flake apart with a fork; remove any bones and skin. Add egg and mustard and mix well. Add the onion mixture, breadcrumbs and pepper, mixing well. Shape the mixture into 8 patties, about 2 1/2 inches wide.

*Heat remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in the pan over medium heat. Add 4 patties and cook until the undersides are golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a wide spatula, turn them over onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining patties.

*Bake the salmon cakes until golden on top and heated through, 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare Creamy Dill Sauce. Serve salmon cakes with sauce and lemon wedges.

Salmon plus dijon and egg

Out of the oven!

Perfect size salmon cakes

You must make the creamy dill sauce to go with these!! It is a perfect balance of taste!

 

Super Hearty Chili

First, YUM. Second, YUMMM. Third...do I really need to say it again?

As is every recipe from How Sweet It Is, this is absolutely delicious. I don't know how she does it! I have been looking for a really good chili recipe to try out, and this is it. You must try it.

I made some modifications to this based on our (read John's) taste preferences. John hates beans. Just hates them. So I can never make anything with beans. So I only used one can of them so it would be easy to eat around them (or hopefully start to like them!) I also took out the jalapenos because of my heartburn. I know, I sound like a middle-aged man. But trust me it's no fun to take medicine daily for it. Alas, no jalapenos.

I also halved the original recipe, but you could easily double my version (or use her whole one!) and freeze your leftovers. Or try some of the other great recipes with chili she has. Whatever you do, make this. And then thank me (or Jessica, the creator of it!). You're welcome in advance.

PS: If you're making this you might as well go all out and make it with these amazinggg Cheddar & Brown Sugar Cornbread Muffins. 

Ingredients:
*1.5-2 tablespoons of olive oil
*1 pound of beef chuck roast, cut into cubes
*1/2 pound of boneless pork short ribs, cut into cubes
*3/4 pound of lean ground beef
*1/2 onion, chopped
*1/2 green pepper, chopped
*2 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
*1 28-ounce can of tomato puree 
*1 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
*1 6-ounce can of tomato paste (use half)
*1 15-oz can light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
*6 ounces of beer (Upland Wheat!)
*2 3/4 tablespoons of chili powder
*1 1/2 tablespoons of cumin
*1/4 tablespoons cayenne pepper
*1/4 tablespoon black pepper
*salt for layering flavor and seasoning
+ your favorite chili toppings

Preparation:
*Season beef roast and pork ribs with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to the bottom of a large stockpot. Add beef roast and pork ribs and sear on high heat on all sides for 1-2 minutes, until color develops.

(*Don't feel like you need to remove the fat if the meat is pretty lean; the fat will give it extra flavor. Searing may take a few bathes. Drain meat on paper towel between batches.)

*After searing the beef and pork, turn the heat on your large stock pot down to medium and add one tablespoon of olive oil. Add onions and peppers with a sprinkle of salt, and cook for 5 minutes until soft.

*Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes while stirring every so often.

*Turn the heat up to medium-high and season the ground beef with salt and pepper. Add it to the pot and crumble it with a wooden spoon, then cook it for 6-8 minutes, tossing occasionally until it browns through and the liquid cooks off.

*Turn the heat back down to medium-low and add the pork and beef roast back in, the beans, the tomato sauce (crushed tomatoes), paste, and puree, and stir to combine. Add in the beer and the seasonings (chili powder, cumin, cayenne, and 1/2 tablespoon black pepper), stirring once more.

*Cover and let simmer for 1-2 hours.

*Once that time has passed, taste the chili and determine if you would like more seasonings.

*Turn the heat down to low and cook chili for an additional 2-4 hours, or longer.

My onion and peppers

Fresh meat! I did cut off the fat from the pork because it was too thick to cut through.

Softening the veggies

All the ingredients are in - just adding the spices!

Yum.

  

Cheddar & Brown Sugar Cornbread Muffins

Oh. Oh wow. Oh, that's good. Something amazing is happening. It is the making of these muffins. These. Are. Good. I mean, real good.  

Whenever I find a recipe I want to try, but know it will be time-consuming, I save it for Sunday.
John has been great all weekend. Spending all day Saturday cleaning with me before heading out for our friend Corey's birthday. I figured I better send him off to the Colts game with love, since he may not get any at the game...(Hopefully my Bears fare better!)

Anyhoo, to accompany the amazing Super Hearty Chili recipe I spent my Sunday salivating over, How Sweet It Is came up with these muffins. Wow. They are perfect with the chili and great to have leftover for breakfast the next day. They're also great to dip into the chili. Or use in a casserole that you will also find on How Sweet It Is. Have I given you enough to do?

These would be great with or without chili, but somehow I feel it came together for a perfect meal. :)

I should note that my recipe differs because the hubby came home with Jiffy cornbread mix instead of cornmeal. I did my best to guess and alter to make these as yummy as they should be. Thus, below is my version of this recipe. :)

Ingredients: (14 muffins)
*2 8.5 oz boxes of jiffy corn muffin mix
*3 tablespoons brown sugar
*1/4 cup creamed corn
*1/2 cup butter, melted
*1/2 cup milk
*1/3 cup heavy cream or half and half
*2 eggs
*1/3 cup freshly & finely grated cheddar cheese

Preparation:
*Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

*Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder together and mix with a spoon.

*Add the egg, corn, heavy cream, melted butter and milk, stirring until smooth.

*Fold in cheddar cheese.

*Spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray (or use liners) and using a 1/4 cup measure, spoon batter into each muffin tin.

*Bake for 15-18 muffins, or until tops are golden and muffins are cooked through. Serve hot with cinnamon or honey butter.

Egg and Veggie Quiche Cups

I saw this recipe that someone pinned on the amazing Pinterest, and I was inspired to create my own version, knowing it would be great for an easy breakfast. Now, I've never baked eggs before - is that weird? I've always used my ever-trusty skillet to whip up sunny-side up eggs or scrambled eggs. And that's about where my egg cooking ends. Until now.

These egg cups were flavorful and fluffy and perfect for a light breakfast. You can freeze them, too, so next time I might make a double batch to freeze for quick weekday breakfasts. One of the best parts about this dish is that you can modify it however you'd like! You can add more veggies, different veggies, less veggies, add meat - whatever your heart desires!

Ingredients:
*6 eggs, whisked
*1/4 onion, chopped finely
*1/3 green bell pepper, chopped
*1/3 red bell pepper, chopped
*3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
*1/4 cup spinach, cooked
*salt and pepper

Preparation:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

*Place foil baking cups in a muffin pan (9 total). Spray with Pam or nonstick cooking spray.

*Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Using a ladle, spoon mixture into each cup.

*Bake in oven for 20 minutes, or until knife comes out clean.

All my ingredients

Whipped up

Into the oven

All done!

What a perfect breakfast!