Chicken Pot Pie

Confession of these Picture Free Posts....I take pictures of my delicious treats but the lighting in my kitchen is very "soft"....we have these beautiful stained glass lights but they offer too much of a golden glow to give me good pictures! I am working on this issue with a friend of mine who is a "professional" and hopefully she will be able to get me straight before next week!

Chicken Pot Pie....mmmm good!

1-2 chicken breasts (or leftover chicken roaster...this is what I use most)
Chicken stock
1 medium onion - chopped
3-4 carrots - peeled and sliced into "coins"
Frozen Vegetables: Corn, Peas
Frozen pie crust (2) or....you can make your own if you like
1 can of cream of chicken (celery or mushroom) soup...or you can make a white sauce, this is what I do.
Salt/Pepper
Assorted spices of your choice...Parsley, Oregano, Herbs de Provence
Dash of cooking sherry..optional

We cut down on the carbs of this comfy classic by not putting a crust on the bottom and using more chicken stock than cream or milk. **If your looking to be "economical" as well, you can purchase 2 chickens at your local Sams club and roast them at the same time, cut them up and store the meat in the fridge or freezer.**

Chop your chicken into bite size pieces and set aside. Chop your onions, and slice your carrots. Saute them in a large pot with a little bit of butter. Brown the onions and soften the carrots, add the peas and corn cook briefly just to warm them through.

Use a large casserole dish, spray with a non-stick spray and pour the vegetables right into the pan. Add the chicken on top. We use LOTS of vegetables and chicken...no skimping here!

Using the same pot that your sauteed the vegetables in, melt 4 tablespoons of butter, then add 1/2 cup of flour. Cook the flour until it is golden brown and smells nutty....add 1 cup of chicken stock, whisking together until smooth. I add salt, pepper, parsley and granulated garlic at this point. You can use whatever spices you like...Herbs de Provence are wonderful in this sauce! Then add  1/2 cup of milk and cook until thickened. Stirring constantly. At the very end, add a dash of sherry. This really makes a nice addition!

Now pour the sauce directly over the vegetables and chicken. Place two pie crusts over the top. Depending on your casserole dish you might need to trim the crust to fit better.

Bake in the oven until golden brown at 350 degrees.

We serve this with a nice big salad and everyone is Happy! Hope you enjoy!

Hearty chili

It is FREEZING and Windy here right now. This is one of my favorite cold weather recipes. Hayden loves this chili because it is something that he can eat a ton of...it is packed with proteins and very low in the carb department.

1 pound of Turkey (ground)
1 large onion chopped
1 pepper of your color choice
3-4 cloves of garlic
Chili powder (2Tbsp or your preference)
ground Cumin (1 Tbsp)
dried oregano (Mexican preferred) 1tsp
Salt/Pepper
1 Chipolte pepper (remember I said I keep a container in my fridge with these in it..I use them often)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 large can of crushed tomatoes (or stewed tomatoes thrown into the food processor)
1 small can/container of chicken stock
Frozen corn or a can - your choice
2-3 cans of beans - rinsed and drained - we use black, light kidney and dark kidney

Chop your pepper, and onion coarsely. Saute them in a little bit of oil or butter until lightly golden brown, add Turkey, chili powder and cumin, Salt/Pepper. Cook through.

Add diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, chicken broth and 1 Chipolte. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add corn and beans, return to a simmer and cook for another 30 minutes. Stir occasionally...

Serve with shredded cheese or a nice crumbled Queso Fresco.

My husband likes his over rice...half of us eat it plain (Hayden, myself and Lily) the other half like the rice.

Chicken Tortilla soup

This is one of the easiest soups I have ever made...and we make a LOT of soup here in the winter. Hayden loves this soup and it is so low in Carbohydrates that we usually pair it up with a Quesadilla or Taquitos from my favorite...Trader Joe's ...

I start with a purchased Rotisserie chicken....and premade low sodium chicken stock. This is not one of my "from scratch" recipes, this is one of my Quickie recipes, but it is SO yummy!

You will need:
1 Rotisserie Chicken - Cut the meat up into small pieces
8 cups of  Chicken stock (or 2 of the big containers)
1 large onion
Garlic 6-8 cloves depending on how much you like
1-2 chipoltes (mince them if you get them from the can)
1 lg can crushed tomatoes
1 can of diced tomatoes (you can use the ones that have diced chiles in it for a little extra kick)
frozen corn (1/2 bag) or can of corn
1 tsp of dried oregano (Mexican if you have it)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Juice of 1 lime
Tortilla chips or corn tortillas which you can fry or bake
Avacado (how many you need depends on how many people in your family like them :) )
Monterey Jack cheese or Queso Fresco for topping

Chop and then saute the onion and garlic until golden brown, add the diced tomatoes and Oregano, let them heat together for a few minutes. Add the chicken stock and crushed tomatoes and chipoltes. Salt and pepper lightly. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 -30 minutes, let it get nice and reduced....then add the chicken and corn to heat through. About..10 minutes. Add the juice of the lime and removed the Chipoltes.

Spoon into bowls and top with cheese and tortilla strips!

SOOO Yummy!...And the soup usually has a nice Red color to it, so perfect for Christmas...haha...

Oatmeal Cookie Breakfast Bar - Holiday version

Similar to an Oatmeal Cookie...but I cut all the sugar in half and use a combination of whole wheat flour and white flour. I find that when I use all wheat they are a bit too dense...if you want to increase the sugar just double what I have listed here. For the Holidays I change up the "additions" a bit...I add more dried fruits ~ which basically means I just grab whatever is looking good to me at Trader Joe's that day!

2 sticks of Butter

3/4 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark)

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup white flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

*2tsp Benefiber* totally optional, but it works for us!

1 tsp cinnamon (I exclude this because I am allergic...)

3 cups oats (either quick cooking or old fashioned)

THEN, add...

1 cup walnuts

1 cup cranberries

1 cup dried apples (chopped)

OR:

1 cup almonds

1 cup golden raisins

1 cup dried cherries

OR:

ANY combination of dried fruits and nuts....it is that easy!

I use a regular size ice cream scoop and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. I use silpat sheets to prevent sticking and then store in an airtight container with wax paper between the layers. They normally don't last long enough to go stale!

Enjoy!

Holiday cooking ~ Hayden Style

I am going to dedicate this month ~ and this blog to Christmas/Holiday cooking with recipes that are a bit lighter in the sugar department.

I will also offer a few FOOD gifts to go along with my Handmade Holiday pledge!

Fun and maybe not so Fattening!!

Lets start tomorrow with My Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies Holiday version...

I will give you 3 Recipes a week...2 Holiday recipes and 1 Gift idea! Please feel free to share with me!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours...we have more blessings than the day can hold, and we hope that you do too!

Giving Thanks ~ Part 3

Today I want to show my gratitude to

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia ~ aka CHOP

Their reputation is amazing..you don't see commercials like you do for other Children's hospitals, but the work that they do for Children is AWESOME!

We have driven the 2.5 hour drive there countless times. I think I am now on autopilot when we go...but every time we are there, they make my child feel like he is #1 to them.

We live in the DC area, there are several hospitals well within a 45 minute drive. We bypass them and continue to Philadelphia.

Hayden has been going to the hospital for over 9 years now and when we head to CHOP he doesn't sweat it. He enjoys it there - as much as you can enjoy a hospital - and feels comfortable there. This is huge for a mom.

Today, I offer a BIG ~ HUGE ~ Heartfelt THANK YOU to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia!!