Chicken and Couscous

For a fast, low-calorie, low-fat meal, its time to consider Chicken and Couscous. This is satisfying and relatively inexpensive. Two important factors for my lifestyle!

In about 20 minutes, you can serve a family of 4 at less than 400 calories each. Of course, this means you can have ice cream bars later! Or perhaps another glass of wine.

Decisions, decisions.... In the meantime, let's review dinner!

Ingredients:

3/4 c. couscous (uncooked)
2 t. olive oil
1 pound chicken breast tenders (uncooked)
1/2 c. chopped yellow onion
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
1 T. chopped garlic
1 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. raisins
1 t. chopped thyme
1/2 t. ground cumin
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. red pepper
1/4 t. allspice
1/4 t. ground cloves

Directions:

Boil 1 c. water over high heat in a saucepan. Stir in couscous. Remove from heat, cover and wait 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Heat the olive oil, then stir fry the chicken, onion and garlic in a medium saucepan. Cook for about 3-4 minutes. Stir in broth and all remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Continue cooking, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

Serve chicken mixture over cooked couscous. Delicious! We enjoy Chicken and Couscous with rolls and fresh salad greens.

Fettuccine with Peas and Ham

On the go all the time with your family? Join the club! But please drive right past the fast food outlet.

There's something better: Fettuccine with Peas and Ham! This is a super fast recipe that takes less than 2o minutes to get on the table. And the taste puts Big Macs to shame.

Think Fettuccine is too heavy? This one is less than 400 calories per serving!

Ingredients:

1 package fresh fettuccine pasta (9-10 oz.)
1 T. butter (don't use margarine -butter is fresher and better tasting)
1 clove minced fresh garlic (you can use 1 t. bottled minced garlic in a pinch)
1 c. frozen green peas (substitute fresh peas in the summer)
3/4 c. sliced mushrooms
2/3 c. half and half
1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 t. salt
1 c. thinly sliced ham - cut into 1/4 inch strips

Directions:

Cook the pasta, per the package directions and drain. Set aside

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add peas, mushrooms, cream, cheese, salt and pepper. Stir and continue cooking for 3 minutes, stirring the entire time. Do not bring to a boil. Turn off heat.

Stir in pasta and ham. Serve!

This recipe makes enough for a family of 4 (over 1 cup per serving). We serve fresh greens with balsamic vinegar and olive oil on the side.

Chicken and Broccoli Bake

I will admit that this recipe is one of my favorites, but Leslie may not agree. Growing up, I recall this Chicken and Broccoli bake fondly. My sister was a lot pickier than me! Still, I can tell you that my kids, ages 5-11, love this!

Times are tight and we're all looking for a simple, inexpensive meal that will be filling. Here's one that you can plan for Sunday dinner, or anytime of the week. It's cheap and fast. Even though we are not....

Shopping list:

6 boneless chicken breasts (or 1.5 pounds of chicken pieces)
1 package of frozen broccoli (or 2 cups chopped fresh broccoli)
2 cans of cream of chicken soup
1 cup mayonnaise
1 T. curry powder
1 T. lemon juice
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 T. melted butter
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Let's Get Cooking!

First, brown the chicken in a fry pan or skillet
While the chicken is browning, mix up the cream of chicken soup, mayo, curry and lemon juice.
Place the broccoli in a 13x9 baking dish
Place the cooked chicken over the top
Spoon the soup mixture over the chicken and broccoli
Sprinkle bread crumbs on top, then pour the melted butter over top and finally, sprinkle shredded cheese at the end.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Serve with salad and bread or rolls, if desired.

The leftovers work well for up to a week! I especially love the rich broccoli sauce and cheese! YUM!

French Onion Soup in 15 Minutes

Winter time is the season for soup. Its a hearty meal that will fill you up but won't add to your waistline. One of my favorite soups to enjoy is French Onion. My mom has an excellent recipe to make from scratch, but we're going to tell you how to create a delicious homemade meal with a few shortcuts.

Pull these ingredients together:

• 4 cups Campbell's French Onion soup
• 1 medium onion
• Thick french bread, sliced
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Let's get cooking!

Pour the soup into 2 or 3 bowls that are oven and microwave safe. Microwave the soup base for 2 minutes or until desired temperature.

Slice the french bread and place into toaster oven, or broil on high for 2-3 minutes each side.

While the soup is warming and the french bread is toasting, slice an onion in half and then into strips about 1/4 inch thick. Saute on medium high heat until soft.

Divide the sauteed onion among the soup bowls, top with a toasted bread slice and then about 1/2-3/4 cup of grated cheese.

Broil for approximately 5 minutes until cheese is bubbly and starting to brown.

Be sure to carefully remove and handle the soup bowls. We've found that its best to place them onto plates at the table. Warn guests that the bowl will be hot. Do not serve to children under age 6!

A few other alternatives to the steps above. Instead of Campbell's, try another soup base. We enjoyed Pacific Natural Foods Organic french onion. Each serving is only 30 calories (before bread and cheese!).

Instead of french bread, use thick croutons. This will speed up your serving time by several minutes.

Finally, experiment with different cheeses. When we enjoyed French Onion Soup today, we added a three cheese blend - Parmesan, Romano and asiago. Its easy to adjust this meal to suit your individual tastes!

Do you have any other alternatives for this basic recipe? Please share in the comments below. Enjoy!