Jalapeno Popper Chicken

I love jalapeno poppers, but not their nutritional information (or lack there of). Although it was a little bit of work to make these, I was NOT disappointed. The serving size is a little small, though, so I would suggest and nice-sized salad and some low fat cottage cheese as sides. That way you get in your veggies, protein, and dairy. This recipe was adapted from one of my favorite recipe sources, hungrygirl.com.

These directions are for one cutlet. I made four at a time. Plan accordingly.

Ingredients

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/8 tsp or more of garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
Dash or more of cayenne pepper
One 5 oz raw boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlet, pounded out to 1/2 in thickness
**If you do not have a meat tenderizer, it is okay. I wrapped the chicken in
plastic wrap, put a cake pan on top, and used a can of soup! Thanks Alton Brown and
Good Eats for that idea!**
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 wedge The Laughing Cow Light and Creamy Swiss Cheese (I love this stuff!! Totally worth
buying the whole container. It's good on crackers, sandwiches, burgers, or just on its
own)
1 1/2 tbsp chopped jarred jalapeno slices (about 6 disks)
1 tbsp of either fat-free liquid egg substitute or mixture of egg white and water


Directions
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees
-Add bread crumbs, powders, and cayenne to gallon zip-lock bag and shake to combine
-Place chicken cutlets on a clean and dry surface; season with salt and pepper
-Spread upward facing cutlets with evenly separated cheese. Then top evenly with jalapeno pieces
-Carefully roll chicken and secure with toothpicks
-Brush cutlets with egg mixture and then sprinkle with breaded coating with a spoon until chicken cutlets are evenly coated
-Spray baking pan with non-stick spray and place chicken in the pan (I used Pyrex). Cover with foil and back 20 minutes.
-Remove foil and return pan, uncovered, to the oven for 15 minutes.
-Let cool slightly, remove tooth picks, and serve.

Nutritional information
This recipe is for one cutlet. It is about 240 calories, 4 g fat, 7 g fiber, and 36.5 g protein.

Slow Cooker Pizza Soup

While I was pregnant, I was on the hunt for decent slow cooker recipes to make cooking easier once the baby came. That's when I stumbled upon the recipe blog http://crockpot365.blogspot.com, and I'm so glad I did. I wasn't sure what my husband would think of this recipe, and surprisingly, we both LOVED it. I misplaced the recipe shortly after, and when I found it again today, we both rejoiced! Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 jar (14 oz) pasta sauce (we used roasted red pepper and garlic by Classico)
3 empty jars of water
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 cup of sliced, fresh mushrooms
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
2 links of turkey sausage (we got the hot and spicy one)
1 cup pepperoni slices (the Hormel one s gluten free!)
1/2 tsp dried basil leaves
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 cup of dried whole wheat pasta (we got rotini)
red pepper flakes to taste
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella (2% milk)
Reynolds Crock Pot Liners (optional)


Directions
-Line minimum 5 oz crock pot
-Dump all veggies in the pot
-Slice sausages into coins and then into 1/4ths. Add to the pot.
-Cut up the pepperoni the same way, and add to the pot.
-Add the basil and oregano
-Pour in the pizza sauce and the jars of water (red pepper flakes too if you are using them)
-Stir together
-Cook on low 7-9 hours
-30 minutes before serving, add the dry pasta and turn to high. Check after 20 minutes, because the pasta may be done, though.
-Serve and garnish with sprinkles of cheese

Nutritional Information
This makes 6 adult servings, but less if you are REALLY hungry. Each serving has about 310 calories, 18 g fat, 2.8 g fiber, and 26 g protein

Slow-Cookin' Pulled Chicken

I have made this recipe many, many times. It's to the point where friends and family request it regularly. It's quick, easy, and can feed a family for days. I found the recipe thanks to Hungry Girl at www.hungrygirl.com. It's an awesome site if you have not checked it out before.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 cup canned tomato sauce
1/2 cup ketchup (I prefer reduced sodium OR hot and spicy)
2 tbsp plus 2 tsp brown sugar (not packed)
2 tbsp plus 2 tsp cider vinegar
2 tsp (or more) garlic powder
red pepper flakes to taste
(I also like to use the Crock Pot Liners by Reynolds)

Directions
--Place all ingredients except for the chicken in a crock pot (lined optional). Stir until mixed.
--Add chicken and coat well with sauce.
--Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low 7-8 hours.
--Pull apart the chicken breasts with a couple of forks.
--Serve loose or on buns. I prefer the whole wheat reduced fat ones by Sarah Lee)

Nutritional Information:

Makes about 6 1/4 cup servings. Each serving has about 75 calories, .5 g fat, .2 g fiber, and 11 g protein. Information includes meat only.

Parmesan Herb Potato

This makes a pretty tasty lunch that can be made quickly, it's filling, and it helps give a purpose to left over baked potatoes if you have any taking up space in the fridge. Feel free to experiment with other seasoning combinations.

Ingredients

1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 tbsp Parmesan grated cheese
dash or less dried basil
dash or less garlic powder
dash or so of dried dill weed
1 small-medium baked potato

Directions

--Mix all ingredients except for the potato.
--Make sure potato is fully cooked and top it with the cheese mixture.
--Enjoy!

Nutritional information
One serving has about 230 calories, 5 g fat, 2 g fiber, and 32 g protein