For all of you out there that want something SUPER easy with LOADS of flavor, pull out the marinades!  Marinating your meats is a great way to pump up the flavor without adding a lot of calories.  Plus, the marinades usually cover a lot of meat!  I like to mix up the entire amount of marinade with all of the meat it can handle and then I always have leftovers I can use for a quick meal (pretty sure this chicken would make killer fajitas/tacos).

McCormick brand makes a great line of marinades they call Grill Mates.  This is how I made this chicken.  I purchased the Mexican Fiesta marinade, mixed it up, poured it over my chicken, let it soak in the flavor for a while, and then cooked it on my indoor grill (aka George Foreman grill).  The flavor was full of Mexican spice and the chicken was incredibly tender.

Now you have no good excuse for needing a quick fix for dinner!  Add this to your line-up on a busy day and you’ll be so happy.

Mexican Fiesta Chicken

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 package Mexican Fietsa marinade
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

If desired, cut chicken breasts in half or in smaller pieces (this is a great idea if you have smaller kids to feed or if you just like to coat more of your chicken with the marinade).  Mix marinade mix, oil, water and vinegar in small bowl. Place chicken in large resealable plastic bag or glass dish. Add marinade; turn to coat well.

Refrigerate at least 15 minutes or longer for extra flavor. (I like to marinate mine for at least a few hours and often times overnight.  However, if you’re in a time crunch, you’ll still be surprised by the amount of flavor you’ll get from just 15 minutes.). Remove chicken from marinade. Discard any remaining marinade.

Grill, broil or bake until desired doneness.  If using a thermometer, chicken will be done when it reaches 165 degrees. I prefer grilling this on my outdoor grill, or on my indoor grill (aka George Foreman Grill).

Serves 8.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = Approx. 4 oz.)
Calories:  145.6
Protein:  23g
Carbs:  0.2g
Fat:  6.3g (0.8g = Sat.)
Fiber:  0.0g
Sugars: 0.0g

This recipe just screams AUTUMN, doesn’t it?  If you’re sitting there thinking that putting pumpkin in a pasta or savory dish is strange, well all I have to say is, “Don’t knock it, ’till you try it.”  When I first made this recipe it was mostly out of curiosity.  I was very intrigued to find out how the final dish really tasted.  But, once it was made and tasted, it instantly became a fall favorite!  We never go without making this dish at least once during the fall months. The way all the flavors come together is nearly indescribable.  The pumpkin flavor is there, but not overpowering.  The sauce is nice, smooth, and almost velvety.  It coats the pasta beautifully.

In looking at the nutritional information, I must point out that this is definitely a recipe for those that are maintaining their weight.  If you’re trying to lose weight and MUST try the recipe, you’re going to need to cut your pasta serving in half.

As far as the ingredients go, most are very basic ingredients that you can find anywhere.  I thought you might be curious to know what chicken sausage I used when I made this . . . You can get away with using about any turkey or chicken sausage.  However, I used Aidell’s Italian Style Chicken Sausage links.  I’ve found these at Costco and I’ve seen them occasionally at my local grocery stores (Macey’s is one of them).

Now, if you can afford the calories and you’re looking for a delicious and savory way to use pumpkin this fall, you must add this recipe to your list ASAP.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin & Sausage Pasta
Adapted from Rachel Ray – 30 Minute Meals

1 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
12 oz. turkey or chicken sausage, sliced
4 cloves garlic, cracked and chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1 cup white cooking wine
1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup nonfat half-and-half
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, ground or freshly grated
Coarse salt and black pepper
8 oz. penne pasta (about 1 ½ cups dry), cooked to al dente
Parmesan cheese, for grating (about 4 tablespoons)

Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil and then the garlic and onion. Saute 3 to 5 minutes until the onions are tender.  Add sausage to the pan and cook until heated through.

Add bay leaf, sage, and wine to the pan. Reduce wine by half, about 2 minutes. Add stock and pumpkin and stir to combine, stirring sauce until it comes to a bubble. Reduce heat, and stir in half-and-half. Season the sauce with the cinnamon and nutmeg, and salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer mixture 5 to 10 minutes to thicken sauce.

Return drained pasta to the pot you cooked it in. Remove the bay leaf from sauce and pour the sausage pumpkin sauce over pasta. Combine sauce and pasta and toss over low heat for 1 minute. Garnish the pasta with shaved cheese.

Serves 4.

Nutritional Information
(Per Serving = 1 cup cooked noodles plus 1 cup sauce)
Calories:  412
Protein:  22.9g
Carbs:  42.1g
Fat:  16g (5.1g = Sat.)
Fiber:  5.2g
Sugars:  5.4g

Wow!  Two pizza posts in one week?  Hmmmmm, I wonder what’s been on my brain lately?

This pizza is so yummy!  It combines the taste of pesto sauce, chicken, veggies, and feta cheese.  When I first discovered this pizza combination I thought I had struck gold because it was so tasty!  For one who loves ALL these ingredients individually, I was loving them all together.  Now this pizza makes a fairly common occurance in my home.  Again, I wrote the recipe for just 1 pizza thinking that it would  be easiest for you to see what goes on each one.  (When I make multiple pizzas, I just put all my ingredients in a row and throw them on the pizza like an assembly line.)

If you’re looking for something a little bit different, but full of flavor . . . this is it!

Chicken, Artichoke, & Pesto Pizza

1 whole wheat pita round (about 120 calories)
1 tablespoon pesto sauce
3 oz. cooked chicken breast, shredded
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tomato
2 tablespoons chopped bell pepper
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
2-4 tablespoons chopped artichoke hearts
1 tablespoon reduced fat feta cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Spread pesto on pita bread.  Top with chicken, tomatoes, bell peppers, red onions, artichoke hearts, and feta cheese.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until cheese looks slightly melted and golden brown in spots.

Serves 1.

Nutritional Information
Calories:  361
Protein:  28g
Carbs:  23g
Fat:  15.3g
Fiber:  5.8g

Who said Chicken Parmesan had too many calories!?  Well, make it my way & you’ll hardly know the difference AND you’ll walk away with a balanced meal!  This was seriously awesome!  I hate to keep putting the exclamation marks, but I can’t help it because it really was that good.  There is a little more prep time involved in this recipe, but I totally think it was worth every minute.  I thought the chicken was flavorful, the breading was crisp, and the sauce & cheese on top went great with it.  You can use my recipe for the tomato sauce, or a healthy marinara sauce will work too (like Heart Smart Prego).

For those of you taking nutritional notes, you’ll notice that the nutritional information has nearly the amount of carbs you’ll want for dinner.  That’s because the breading on the chicken is primarily all carbs.  So, if you choose to go with a breaded option for your meats, usually you are choosing the breading as your carb for the meal.

That being said . . . this one is totally worth it!  And, don’t think that because it’s just me and my man that live in my house that I didn’t make all 6 servings, because I did!  We enjoyed every last bit of leftovers.  I think I better put this back into my dinner rotation this very week!  Anyone want to join me in that effort?

Baked Chicken Parmesan
Adapted slightly from “The America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook”

1 ½ cups panko (Japanese-style breadcrumbs)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 oz.)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3 large egg whites
1 tablespoon water
*6 (4-oz) boneless, skinless chicken cutlets (about 1/4 inch thick)
salt and pepper
2 cups tomato sauce, warmed
3/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella (about 3 oz.)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil.

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 475 degrees.  Combine the panko and oil in a 12-inch skillet and toast over medium heat, stirring often, until golden, 10 to 12 minutes.

Transfer the crumbs to a shallow dish, let cool, then stir in the Parmesan.  Combine the flour and garlic powder in a second shallow dish.  In a third shallow dish, whisk the egg whites and water together.

Spray a wire rack with vegetable oil spray and place over a rimmed baking sheet.  Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  Working with one piece of chicken at a time, dredge in the flour (lightly coat the chicken with flour, then shake to remove any excess), then dip into the egg whites, and finally, coat with the toasted crumbs, pressing firmly on the bread crumbs to make sure they adhere to the chicken.  Lay the breaded chicken on the prepared wire rack.

Bake until the chicken registers 150 to 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer (this takes about 10 minutes).  Top each cutlet with 2 tablespoons of the tomato sauce and 2 tablespoons of the mozzarella.  Continue to bake until the cheese has melted and the chicken registers 160 to 165 degrees, 3 to 5 minutes.  Sprinkle with the basil and serve, passing the remaining sauce separately.

Serves 6.

*You can buy packaged chicken cutlets at the grocery store.  However, you can save a little money and ensure evenly sized cutlets by turning chicken breasts into cutlets yourself.  Lay the chicken breast smooth-side up on a cutting board.  With one hand on the top of the chicken, carefully slice the chicken in half horizontally to yield two pieces.  The two pieces should be between 3/8 and 1/2 inch thick. 

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = 1 Cutlet)
Calories:  330
Protein:  38g
Carbs:  20g
Fat:  10g (3g = Sat.)
Fiber:  2g

Well, I couldn’t just share Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken without a follow-up recipe!  After I told you of all the ways I love to use that Salsa Chicken, I figured I would share one of my favorites.  Once you have that Salsa Chicken made, this salad is a snap to throw together.  All you have to do is chop some lettuce, onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes.  If you’re like me, you’ll already have the Fit Ranch Dip made and sitting in the fridge (as it is a staple around my place), but if you don’t – then it will take you only a couple of minutes to whip that up too.  You don’t really want to leave that out.  It is super delicious on this taco salad.  Enjoy, my friends!  I certainly do!

Taco Salad with Salsa Chicken
Mimi Original

12 baked tortilla chips (such as Tostitos Scoops)
4 oz. of Salsa Chicken
lettuce  (I like to use Romaine)
red onion, sliced
tomatoes, chopped
bell peppers, chopped
2 tablespoons salsa
2 tablespoons Fit Ranch Dip

Place tortilla chips on an individual plate.  Top with Salsa Chicken, lettuce, red onion, tomatoes, bell peppers, salsa and Fit Ranch Dip.

Serves 1.

Nutritional Information
Calories:  293.1
Protein:  33.4g
Carbs: 31.3g
Fat:  4.6g (1g = Sat.)
Fiber:  4.7g