Easy, Creamy Chicken and Pasta

This is a really easy one-dish meal that would work at home or for a potluck. It's pretty flexible, too. You could switch up seasonings, soups, and veggie combination to make something new each time! This recipe was adapted from one found in the Taste of Home 50th Anniversary Cookbook.

Ingredients
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast cubed
Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 can fat-free cream of ____ soup (I used mushroom. Next time I want to try celery)
2 1/4 cup water
1 tsp basil
1 16 oz frozen veggies (I used a stir fry with bell peppers, baby corn, green beans, etc)
2 cups uncooked spiral pasta (I used the tri-colored for presentation)
Grated Parmesan cheese to taste


Directions
1. In an extra-large skillet over med-high, cook the chicken in the oil until browned. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
2. When cooked through, remove chicken and set aside.
3. Add soup, water, basil, and veggies to the skillet.
4. Bring to a boil. Then add uncooked pasta.
5. Cook on med heat 10 minutes. Make sure to stir it often.
6. Return the chicken to the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes, or until chicken is heated.
7. Serve with sprinkles of cheese.

Nutritional Information
This recipe makes 4 servings. Each serving has about 460 calories, 7.2 g fat, 9 g fiber, and 39 g protein.

2-Step Chicken 'n' Biscuits

This recipe isn't quite as low in fat as many of the others on this site, but it is still and easy-to-make comfort meal that is lower in calories and fat than a non "skinnied" version. The recipe was taken from Campbell's 4 Ingredients or Less cookbook.

Ingredients
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast cubed
1 10.25 oz can of fat-free cream of chicken soup
1 16 oz bag of frozen veggies (I used a California Melody mix, but you could use just about anything)
8 reduced-fat biscuits

Directions
1. Pre-heat oven and cook the biscuits.
2. Cook the chicken in a medium, non-stick skillet over med-high heat until browned.
3. Add the soup and veggies. Cover and cook over low for 5 minutes.
4. Serve the chicken mixture over split biscuits.

Nutritional Information
This recipe makes four regular servings or eight small servings. The calculations made were for a four-serving meal. Each serving would have about 586 calories, 15 g fat, 9.7 g fiber, and 39 g protein.

Dijon Chicken and Green Bean Packets

This recipe is adapted from reynoldspkg.com. It's an easy and mess-free meal made for grilling.

INGREDIENTS

4 sheets of 12 inch square aluminum foil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (1 lb total) divided into 4 oz portions
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
3 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cup fresh or frozen green beans

DIRECTIONS

-Preheat grill to med-high
-Place one chicken breast on each piece of foil
-Combine mustard, honey, and pepper in a small bowl.
-Even spread the sauce onto each chicken breast
-Top each chicken breast with 1/2 cup of green beans
-Salt and pepper to taste
-Fold together two side of the foil and roll together
-Fold together the remaining sides and roll together
-Place each foil packet on the grill for 15 minutes

Nutritional Information
Each serving has about 211 calories, 1.4 g fat, 2 g fiber, and 27 g protein.

Healthy Chicken Bake

This is a healthy, easy, one-dish meal that the whole family should like. It is adapted from a similar recipe created by Kraftfoods.com. If you have other veggies in the fridge that need to be used up, the recipe is pretty flexible to changes.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 lbs of skinless, boneless chicken breast
3 medium potatoes cubed
3 medium carrots chopped roughly
1 medium sweet onion chopped
3-4 garlic cloves chopped
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
3/4 cup of Fat-Free Zesty Italian Dressing
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees
-Spray a 13x9 glass casserole dish with no-stick spray
-First, place chicken in the dish. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I also include garlic powder.
-Arrange potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, and bell pepper on top of and around the chicken.
-Drizzle the dish with dressing
-Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese
-Bake for 45 min to and hour, until the chicken is cooked through.

This recipe makes 4 to 6 servings depending on whether you want include a bread or salad. The following information was calculated based on four servings. Each serving has about 375 calories, 4.6 g fat, 5.3 g fiber, and 46.2 g protein.

Coffee and Spice Steak Rub

I made this a couple weeks ago for my dad, and the whole family loved it! My sister is a self-proclaimed steak-hater, and she admitted that this rub the steak "taste good!" I was surprised how much the coffee and cinnamon came through; it was a delightful surprise!

INGREDIENTS

2 tsp instant coffee grounds (I used the single serving packets)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp all spice
2 tsp olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Coat your selected meat with olive oil.
Rub each piece of meat with the rub. Make sure all sides get some!

I used the rub on 4 5oz servings. You may need to make more or less rub depending on your serving sizes. Each serving of rub adds about 27 calories, 2.3 g fat, .3 g fiber and .1 g protein to your meat of choice.

Honey Lime Pork Chops

This marinade is absolutely amazing! If you aren't a big fan of onions, don't worry. The mix blends so well with the other ingredients that not a single one stands out above the others. Think of this marinade like the harmony of a talented a cappella choir :)

Ingredients

1 envelope of Onion Soup Mix
1/2 cup soy sauce (I use reduced-sodium)
3 tbsp honey
3 tbsp lime juice (I usually go a little over this)
1 tsp (or more) ground ginger
4 boneless lean pork chops (about 4 oz each)

Directions

-Place all ingredients except for the pork chops in a gallon-sized zip lock bag and seal it closed. Use your hands to shake and massage the ingredients until they seem to become one liquid, although a little chunky.
-Add the chops to the marinade and place in the refrigerator for at least two ours. I suggest doing it in the evening and leaving them in the fridge overnight. Make sure you shake it up a little bit each time you open the fridge. The chops will turn a darker color due to the soup mix and soy sauce; it's okay!
-Preheat your grill to about 350 degrees. Make sure to spray it with grill spray or oil it down with olive oil ahead of time to help reduce the chance of sticking. These chops will be sticky!
-When the grill is ready, add the cops and cook. Cook them for about four minutes on each side, flipping only once.

Nutritional Information
Although not all the marinade is absorbed by the pork chops, the following information was calculated including all the ingredients. Each pork chops will have approximately 240 calories, 3.4 g fat, .5 g fiber, and 28 g protein.

Cajun Grilled Shrimp

This dish can be a little on the spicy side depending on your sensitivity, but don't let that scare you!
This recipe was adapted by a similar one found in Good Housekeeping's grilling cookbook

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs of shrimp (I use frozen, but you can use fresh too)
1 tbsp of Cajun seasoning (I use Tony Cacherere's)
1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp fresh lemon zest
1 tsp fresh lime zest
1 tsp of either fresh lemon or lime juice

Directions

-Preheat your grill to about 350 degrees
-Combine the seasonings, oil, zests, and juice in a bowl.
-Add shrimp to the bowl and toss until the shrimp is covered
-Lay out a piece of aluminum foil onto your grill; fold up the ends to create a small tray
-Pour the seasoned shrimp onto the foil
-Cook for 2-3 minutes, and then flip the shrimp over
-Cook for another 2-3 minutes
-Enjoy!

This goes really well with the lime cilantro rice! I can imagine it would be tasty in a salad too.

Nutritional Information
This recipe makes four servings. Each serving is about 199 calories, 5.4 g fat, .07 g fiber, and 35.6 g protein.