Crockpot Mexican Chicken

Okay, I know I say this every time I post something, but I believe I might have found a new favorite recipe. I feel pretty confident this time because I've made this about 6 times since I first found it a couple of months ago. I've also gotten a couple people hooked on it, so I take that as a good sign. This chicken is pretty darn good by itself, but it's also fabulous as a taco base or even over pasta (as beautifully showcased here). I also like to add a little cheese and jalapeños to the top of mine.

Note: Since I've tried this a few times, I've found that chicken tenderloins work out better if you're putting this over pasta. It eliminates the need to shred the chicken and it will cook faster.

Ingredients:

1 package boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins or breasts. (this can be anywhere from 1-1.5 pounds)
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 cup of salsa (any kind is fine, but the chunky kind is less runny)
1 cup of plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream, if you prefer)
1 package of taco seasoning

Directions:

1. Add everything but the chicken. Stir until blended.
2. Add chicken, making sure it's covered in the sauce.
3. Cook on low for about 4-6 hours, or until chicken is white all the way through. Note: Cook time can vary depending on how you cut your chicken. It can take longer if you're using whole chicken breasts.

Recipe slightly varied from Chef Mommy.

Crockpot Lemon Italian Chicken

This is one of my most coveted Pinterest finds for two reasons: 1. It's wicked good and 2. It's astonishingly easy. I can be a pretty lazy person, so I love a recipe that requires little effort. Not only that, but the main dish only requires 4 (yes, 4) ingredients. So here's the thing, this recipe varies around the web since the original post isn't available. The amounts are somewhat dubious, but here's what I did tonight. I liked this over pasta, but I'm thinking it'd be really good with rice too.

Note: I doubled the recipe that I originally found.

Ingredients:

About 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. (I used 2 super big breasts that I halved.)
1 stick margarine/butter (I used about 1 1/4 stick of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter)
2 packets of ranch dressing mix
Lemon juice to taste (I used about 3 tbs)

Directions:

1. Let the butter melt in the crock pot. I do this on the High setting.
2. Add lemon juice and ranch packets. Stir until well blended.
3. Add chicken and make sure it's coated with the liquid.
4. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. I check on it every couple of hours and ladle the liquid over the chicken.

Oven Baked Fajitas

Here's a pretty ballin' recipe I found on Pinterest. I made it for the first time a few months ago and to be honest, I kind of forgot about it (which is surprising because it's super delicious. I thought of it again the other day and decided to make it again tonight. This recipe is pretty large. I'd say it would make enough for 4 adults. My favorite thing about this is that it's ridiculously easy to make. The first time I made it I used precut onions and peppers. You could even get the fajita chicken pieces that are already cut into neat little pieces. Try it, you'll like it.

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies (Rotel)
1 medium onion, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into strips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken strips in a greased 13×9 baking dish.
In a small bowl combine the oil, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, dried oregano, and salt.
Drizzle the spice mixture over the chicken and stir to coat.
Next add the tomatoes, peppers, and onions to the dish and stir to combine.
Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.

Original recipe credit: Real Mom Kitchen

Baked Jalapeño Poppers - 2pp

By now you should realize that I love Skinny Taste. Here's another one of my favorite recipes by Gina. I used some corn flake crumbs instead of panko since I had some left over from a chicken recipe. Here's the original recipe. Stay tuned below for mine.

Makes 12 servings of 2 poppers each. Each serving has 2 Points Plus and about 62 calories.

Ingredients:
12 jalapeño peppers, sliced in half lengthwise
4.5 oz light cream cheese
5 medium scallions, green part only, sliced
2 oz shredded low fat sharp cheddar
1/2 cup egg beaters
1/2 cup corn flake crumbs
1/8 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp chili powder
spray oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.
Cut peppers in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.
Combine cream cheese, cheddar and scallions in a medium bowl.
Mix corn flake crumbs, paprika, chili powder, and garlic powder in another bowl.
Fill peppers with cream cheese mix.
Dip in egg beaters.
Put the pepper in the corn flake mix and coat.
Place the peppers on an oil-sprayed baking sheet. Lightly spray the tops of the peppers with the spray.
Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until golden and cheese oozes out.
Remove from oven and serve immediately. Serve hot.

Zesty Avocado Cilantro Dressing - 2pp

Ok, seriously, Skinny Taste is one of my all-time favorite recipe sites. I've tried many of Gina's recipes and most of them are amazing. For real-- 2 points+ for 3.5 tablespoons! I made this a while ago and it is seriously one of the best dressings I’ve ever had. No joke; I see myself using this as salad dressing, on sandwiches and as a dip. 3.5 tablespoons is a pretty big serving, but this dressing is kind of thick, so it works well with larger salads.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 small jalapeno, seeds removed, leave them in if you want it spicy
1/4 cup of fresh cilantro
1 medium haas avocado
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp chopped scallion
juice of 1 lime
1/8 tsp cumin (note: I'm not a fan of cumin, so I left it out)
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
For a thinner dressing add more buttermilk, for a thicker dip use less.

Want to check out Gina's original posting of this recipe? I don't blame you, man. Click here for the goodness!

Triple Chocolate Muffins - 3 Points Plus

I just want to preface by saying that this is one of my all-time favorite Weight Watchers appropriate recipes. I tried my hand at these muffins that have been floating around Tumblr. Holy crap, guys. They… are… AMAZING! I brought them to work to let my friend try and he was totally blown away when I told him what was inside. These are great incentive to get your dairy in for the day too — super good with a glass of milk. The French Press’ recipe below:

Ingredients:

1 box Betty Crocker Supermoist Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix
1 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
1/2 box (22 grams) Jello Fat Free Sugar Free Instant Chocolate Fudge Pudding (dry)
1 1/4 cup water
1/2 cup (80 grams) Nestle Toll House Mini Morsels.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix everything together except mini morsels.
Line muffin tray with foiled cupcake wrappers (if using regular wrappers use a little non-stick cooking spray) and fill each 3/4 full.
Bake about 22-23 minutes, take out of oven and lightly mush down top of muffin so it’s flattened a little, sprinkle mini morsels on top.
Return to oven for another 3-4 minutes. Test with toothpick, it should be a little moist and not completely clean.
Take out of oven and let rest for 10 minutes.

18 muffins @ 3 pp each.