Healthier Pad Thai

Pad Thai is a traditional Thai recipe, and while my Thai food experience is very limited, I really enjoyed this recipe.  Perhaps it's because I love tricking my stomach into eating healthy food disguised as deliciousness...

 

What you will need:

 

1 Spaghetti Squash

1 Bottle of Pad Thai Sauce

2 Cups Shredded Chicken

1 Bag Frozen Shrimp

5-6 Green Onions

2 Carrots

1/4 Cup Red Onions

1 Can Mushrooms

4 Cloves of Garlic

 

Instructions:

 

Preheat your oven to 375.  Cooking the spaghetti squash is the most time consuming part of this recipe.  Before I get into that - side note:  Spaghetti squash rocks!  I struggle adapting to healthier alternatives, but this miracle veggie looks like a squash - and after you cook it, it looks like spaghetti noodles!  Honestly, I don't think my daughter even knew it wasn't noodles....shhh!

 

Anyways....your going to need to wash the outside of the squash and then cut both ends off.  Cut the squash right down the middle and place it cut-side down on a baking sheet.  It will need to bake for about 50 minutes.

 

The next task is the chicken, and they type of chicken you choose will determine how early you should start.  I used half a rotisserie chicken that I had left over from another meal, cutting my prep-time drastically.  (Purchasing rotisserie chickens when on sale, shredding them while they are still warm, and then freezing them for later recipe's is a huge help - plus they are delicious).  You could also cook a couple chicken breasts in olive oil and then shred them with a fork.

 

Next chop all of the vegetables as shown in the pictures above, with the carrots being the only ones to be shredded.  Now you can buy carrots already shredded to save time, but I went all out on this one (joking!).  Sautee all of the vegetables together with a little olive oil until they are softened - but not mushy.  Add the chicken, and enough of the Pad Thai sauce to cover the mixture.  DO NOT add the shrimp yet.

 

Remove the spaghetti squash from the oven, and scoop it out of the peel with a spoon.  They will obviously be really hot, so I typically cradle one half in my oven mitt while doing this (and then I have to wash the oven mitt, because I'm just not that coordinated).  Put all of the squash into a large pan or bowl.  Pour enough Pad Thai sauce into the bowl to coat all of the "noodles."  They will separate are you stir.

 

Add your sautéed veggies and chicken to the squash.  Rinse your shrimp in a strainer to partially thaw it. Use this same pan to cook your shrimp (or I suppose you could do it in a separate pan, but I hate washing dishes...or eating over-cooked shrimp).  Shrimp cooks quickly!  I bought the frozen, precooked, deveined, and tail-off type - size small.  Really it's your pick, but you will definitely want the tails off.  I prefer the raw shrimp, but the store didn't have it this time.  About 30 seconds into cooking the shrimp you will see why we cook it separate.  Shrimp puts off a lot of water while it cooks, and it would have diluted your veggies if you tried to speed up the process.  Raw shrimp you will cook until they look pinkish-orange, and precooked shrimp just needs to be warmed through.  Drain the water from the pan of shrimp and add it to the squash.

 

Mix everything, adding sauce to taste.  This would be great served with egg rolls, but I resisted the extra calories.....this time!



Homemade Chicken Soup = Warm Happy Kids

Today it actually SNOWED in SC!! Can you believe it?

This is the kind of meal that's perfect for a day like today. Especially since most of us are not prepared with appropriate snow attire....and my fingers and nose were freeeeezing!!! This EASY, homemade (as it's gonna get) chicken soup is sure to thaw you all that way to your toes.

Quick Easy Chicken Soup

What you'll need:

Chicken Broth (2 boxes or large cans)

Rotisserie Chicken (1 - shredded or chopped)

Egg Noodles (8-12 oz.)

Carrots (fresh raw - 4 whole or 1/2 a bag)

Celery (fresh raw - 4 stalks)

Onion (1/2 a big one)

Poultry Seasoning - 2 tbsp (do not substitute)

Salt & Pepper

Butter -or- Olive Oil

Begin to boil (most of) the chicken broth in a large pot. Keep some out so that you can add at the end if needed. You're going to use this to boil the noodles instead of water (but you will NOT strain the noodles). I bought carrots that were already chopped and then just chopped them a little finer. You can also use whole carrots but you will need to peel and then chop them. The carrot pieces should be small or thin so that they don't take a long time to cook. You will then need to wash the celery and chop it into small slices. Then repeat with the onion. Chop as much veggies as you want. If you're not a veggie person then leave them out or keep it light....but the celery and onions most of all add great flavor to the broth.

Heat a large skillet with a little butter or olive oil and then add your veggie mix. Sprinkle with salt & pepper and continue to mix and saute. You'll want to keep this over medium heat for about 10 minutes but stir it every minute or so to keep it from scorching on the bottom. Trust me, this happens quickly :)

I usually buy rotisserie chickens when they go on sale and then I pick off all the meat, chop it, and freeze it in a freezer safe baggie. Then the morning of making this soup I'd move the bag to the refrigerator to thaw. If you didn't do this then you'll want to get your chicken picked off the bone and chop it up (just bite size....not too small).

While you're chopping chicken and waiting for the veggies to get tender enough add the egg noodles to the boiling chicken broth. Set the timer for the time listen on the bag. It's usually about 8-10 minutes. When the timer goes off add the chicken and veggies to the noodles and broth. Then add poultry seasoning and season to taste with salt and pepper. Now add the extra chicken broth if needed, and stir. You can see that I like my chicken soup thick but you can thin it as much as you want with more broth, or water if you run out. Put a lid on the pot and let it cook together for about 5 minutes.

I feel warm already!!

Oh So Yummy Tortellini

This meal was one of the more expensive meals that I've made, but still within reasonable budget. Just looking at the pictures is making my stomach growl...so worth it!

Oh So Yummy Tortellini

What you'll need:

1 Rotisserie chicken

Tortellini - pre-made, in deli section or frozen

Sour cream (8 oz)

Butter (1 stick)

Olive oil (1/8 cup)

Cherry tomatoes

Garlic, fresh

Onions

Rosemary (fresh is so much better)

Shredded motzerella - 1 cup

Parmesean cheese - 1/4 cup

I got this idea from my friend Lisa and made a few changes. (Speaking of Lisa, I'll have to show you how to make her pasta salad one day!) Garlic bread would have been a nice side....but I've been slacking on buying bread lately. I should use cutting carbs as an excuse but it's more like forgetfulness.

I usually buy 2 or 3 rotisserie chickens when they go on sale (about $3.99 is good) and I shred all the chicken off of it into bite size pieces. I bag each chicken in a freezer bag individually and flatten out, then freeze. Flattening out the chicken allows it to thaw faster and fit better in the freezer.

In a large pot you'll need to boil some water to cook the tortellini.

Chop onions, rosemary, and garlic into fairly small pieces and begin to saute with a little of the butter and olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt + pepper. The water should be boiling enough to start the pasta cooking (rad package for time and set a timer). Chop the cherry tomatoes in half and then cut each half in half again. Add the shredded chicken to the skillet. Don't add the tomatoes to the onion/chicken mixture until it's almost done cooking. Tomatoes will get soft really quickly and start to mush.

When the tortellini is done cooking strain it and put it back in the pot. Pour everything from the skillet into the pot with the pasta. Add the sour cream, both types of cheese, and the remaining butter and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

This was excellent!! I don't even want to know how many calories are in it but YUM!

Bleu Cheese Chicken

This idea originated honestly because I was tired and out of ideas.....and I had a package of chicken thighs that were getting dangerously close to their expiration dates. It actually turned out pretty good. I wouldn't say it was a favorite but it was easy and I'll definitely be making it again.

You could actually use other salad dressings, most people make chicken with Italian dressing, but I wanted something new.

What you'll need:

Chicken (thigh, legs, breast...your choice)

Bleu cheese dressing

Horseradish, creamy - optional

Salt + pepper

Packaged rice - or plain white

Vegetable - I used broccoli

Shredded cheese

Bread would go well with this also

Preheat the oven to 375.

Start by washing the chicken and putting it in a baking pan. Make sure the pieces aren't too close together or it will take the chicken longer to cook. Top the chicken with salt, pepper, bleu cheese dressing, and creamy horseradish. I use the back of a spoon to smooth this out over the chicken. Once the oven is preheated get it in there for about 40 minutes. Halfway through you'll want to flip over each piece. If you don't have a meat thermometer they're pretty in expensive and very handy. Just don't poke your meat too often because it will drain the juice out of it. Chicken should cook to 170, and after sitting for 5 minutes out of the oven it will continue to cook to 175. If you let it get warmer to 170-175 it will start to dry out.

Once the chicken is in the oven you'll want to start cooking the rice as directed on the box. Rice usually takes 30 minutes or so to cook so it's better for a meal like this than something you need ready right away.

I didn't start the broccoli until about 10 minutes before the chicken and rice were done. Bring about 1 inch of water to a boil and then add the broccoli to it. You can use fresh or frozen. I prefer fresh, but the frozen (florets) are really good too and I don't have to worry about it going bad before I use it. And who likes to clean spoiled veggies out of their fridge drawer? Not me! Once the broccoli is tender enough to easily stick a fork through it I strain it out with a slotted spoon and put it in a casserole dish. I sprinkle it with salt & pepper (and sometimes cumin, or Italian seasoning), stir, and then top with shredded cheese. Bake in the oven for about 5 minutes.

This meal gave me time to clean up while it cooked, made the house smell yummy, and everyone was full. Job complete!

Quesadillas & More..

What you'll need:

Tortillas - medium/small (2 per # of quesadillas)

Shredded Cheese (8 oz. will make about 5)

Meat (optional) *typically chicken

Mexican Rice (packaged)

Refried Beans

Sour Cream

Preheat the oven to 400.

Pour about 2 tablespoons of vegetable or olive oil into a frying pan on med-high. When it starts to heat up add your meat. I went with chicken but it's also great with just cheese, sliced steak, etc. You can even add some peppers, onions, tomatoes, or other veggies but I didn't have any on hand and I was kind of in a hurry. You can chop the meat into cubes before you begin cooking it if you like. I prefer to cook it most of the way through and then chop it and cook it a little longer (only because raw meat is harder to chop). Season the meat as you like. I used my four favorites: salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder + a little chili powder. On occasion I buy taco seasoning and it makes it even better.

Once the chicken is going prepare the packaged rice as directed. The rice is usually done in about 8-10 minutes and then I put a cover on it if I'm still cooking. The beans are even easier. I buy refried beans (in a can) and spread them about 2 inches thick in a small casserole dish. Then I top with a little shredded cheese and bake for about 10 minutes. The edges will start to bubble and pull away from the side of the dish and you'll know it's done.

Once the rice and beans are cooking I chop my chicken and cook it a little longer to make sure it's completely done. When it is, I set it to the side. Heat a large fry pan (at least as big around as your tortillas) over medium to medium-high. Make sure you have your cheese and chicken close by because this has to be a semi-fast process so the tortillas don't burn.

When the fry pan is hot spray it with pam and lay your first tortilla in it. Sprinkle cheese evenly over the tortilla and then add the meat and any veggies. Sprinkle a little more cheese so the second tortilla will stick together with the first. Press the quesadilla together with the back of your spatula. By lifting the edge just a little and checking to see if it is browning you'll know when it's time to flip. Right before you flip it spray pam on the tortilla (not to much now)...then flip! This is the reason I choose small or medium tortillas. They're much easier to flip. Brown the other side and then move it to a plate or cutting board.

I cut them like slices of pizza, add the rice and beans to the plate, and top with a little sour cream. This meal is a kid favorite!