Crockpot Orange Chicken Stirfry

Ingredients:
2 bags of frozen stir fry veggies ( I like Meijer's. Broccoli, carrots, celery, water chestnuts, red peppers, onions, & mushrooms ) approximately 5 cups
1 bag frozen chicken breasts ( again Meijer has precut chunks to save you time ) approximately 36oz
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp orange zest
2 tbsp. diced green onions
1 tsp grated ginger

Directions:
In crockpot mix chicken with everything listed below it on low for 6 hours. Remove chicken from sauce. Pour sauce in wok, and add in frozen stir fry veggies. Toss until well cooked. Add chicken back in. Add cornstarch if necessary to thicken sauce ( I never do this because I think that the veggies soak in the sauce ). Serve over rice.


Serves 5

Calories 292

Carbs 24 Fat

5 Protein

39 Sodium

850 Fiber

2

Chipotle Beef Tacos

Ingredients:
2lbs ground beef ( I use the leanest available )
2 tbsp McCormick salt free fiesta citrus seasoning ( chili pepper, cumin, garlic, onion, brown sugar, and lemon peel )
8oz Herdez chunky salsa ( basically tomatoes, onions, garlic, and green peppers )
2 chipotle peppers finely chopped

Directions:
Brown the beef and season with the rest. Then I spooned into the tortillas and topped with avocado, tomato, cheese & sour cream.

Serves 6 ( makes 12 tacos... this is for FILLING only not additional toppings nor tortillas )

Calories 180 Carbs

3 Fat

12 Protein

15 Sodium

510 Fiber

1

Pizza Bread

Ingredients:
1 loaf of self rising pizza dough thawed
1 package sliced pepperoni ( I used turkey pepperoni )
2 cups shredded cheese ( I used reduced fat Italian 5 cheese )
2 tbsp. minced garlic
2 tbsp. Italian seasonings ( McCormick perfect pinch Tuscan is my current favorite )

Directions:
Roll dough out and cut slits up and down both sides about 1 inch apart. Layer your meet & cheese ingredients in the center. Next time I would like to use frozen spinach & ricotta in addition to this, but my kids didn't want that, so we stuck with some basics. Fold the slits inward criss crossing so there is no longer any gap. Top with minced garlic and Italian seasonings on top. Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes on 400 or until top is golden brown and cheese begins to bubble out a bit.

I paired this with a small balsamic salad to make it a meal. You could cut it into small slices for an appetizer. My kids also dipped theirs into some red sauce.

Feeds 6 ( as a meal, you could easily divide that into 12 as an appetizer )

Calories 337 Carbs

32 Fat

12 Protein

25 Sodium

1,403 Fiber

2

Sausage & Hashbrown Casserole

Ingredients:
Bag of frozen shredded hashbrowns
2 packages beef smoked sausage cut into 1 inch slices
1 green pepper diced
1/2 sweet onion diced
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tsp paprika
1/2 cup cooking oil

Directions:
Heat up cooking oil in frying pan and add potatoes. Make a smooth layer. Allow to cook for 5 minutes, then flip and cook for 5 minutes more. Stir in veggies, & spices occasionally stirring so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan for about 5 more minutes. Add in sausage and cook for 5 additional minutes.  Total cook time about 20 minutes.

Serves 6

Calories 378 Carbs

29 Fat

24 Protein

13 Sodium

772 Fiber

1

Buffalo Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:
1 bag frozen chicken breasts ( approximately 2 1/2lbs )
1 cup sriracha ( halved )
1 cup chicken broth
1 box mini penne pasta
4oz low fat cream cheese
1 packet powdered ranch dressing mix
1/2 cup milk ( 2% was used in this recipe )
1 small container bleu cheese crumbles

Directions:
Place chicken, chicken broth & 1/2 cup sriracha in crock pot on low for 6-8 hours. Once done remove chicken, shred with fork. Toss with remaining sriracha. Set aside.
Boil noodles according to box directions and drain. Toss in cream cheese, 1/2 bleu cheese crumbles, milk & powdered ranch. Stir till well blended. Combine with chicken. Top with remaining bleu cheese.

Serves 12

Calories 307 Carbs

31 Fat

9 Protein

25 Sodium

693 Fiber

2

Chicken Piccata & Cheesy Orzo

Ingredients:
Chicken Piccata~
1 bag frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts ( approximately 2 1/2lbs )
1 cup white cooking wine
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped shallots

Cheesy Orzo~
1/2 box orzo
1/2 bag frozen broccoli florets
2 cups shredded cheese
1/4 cup milk


Directions:
 Place chicken in skillet. Pour mixture of remaining ingredients over top and allow to saute. Flip occasionally to prevent scorching/burning.

Boil orzo as directed in box. Add in frozen broccoli after boil for a couple minutes with heat on low. Drain and rinse. Mix in 1/4 cup milk, & cheese. Stir.

Serves 6
Chicken Piccata~

Calories 248 Carbs

2 Fat

6 Protein

38 Sodium

490 Fiber

0

Orzo~

Calories 216 Carbs

29 Fat

7 Protein

9 Sodium

126 Fiber

2

Hamburger Casserole

Ingredients:
1-2 lbs ground beef ( I use the leanest possible but it's your choice. I think I used just shy of 1 1/2lbs this time )
3/4 cup minced onion ( I used the frozen kind )
3 tbsp. dill pickle relish
3 tbsp. yellow mustard
3 tbsp. ketchup
1 tbsp. minced garlic
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
salt & pepper to taste ( I used a mix that had cracked pepper, coarse salt & celery salt )
2 cans crescent rolls

Directions:
In a frying pan brown ground beef and add in remaining ingredients through  cheese.
In a greased 9x13 pan unroll one can of crescents. Don't pull apart nor form. Just lay in pan. Spoon meat mixture over the top. Unroll another can of crescents along top. Shake salt & pepper to lightly dust top. Bake in oven for 15 minutes on 375 until dough is golden brown and puffy.

Serves 12.

Calories 312

Carbs 17 Fat

19 Protein

18 Sodium

701

Fiber 1