Chicken Squares

I made this recipe on a recommendation from Stacy. Go here for her rundown of it. I ended up making four and a half squares. I gave the little one to Scamp.

Recipe:
3 oz. cream cheese -- softened
2 tablespoons butter or marg. -- softened
1 cup diced cooked boneless chicken (or 2 -5 oz cans)
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon minced onion (dry is fine)
1 8 oz can crescent roll dough
3/4 cup crushed croutons
Directions
Preheat oven to 350º. Blend cream cheese & butter until smooth. Add chicken, milk, salt, pepper & onion.

Separate crescent rolls & press 2 together at the perforation to seal. Spoon 1/2 cup mixture onto each rectangle. Pull 4 corners of dough together, twist slightly & seal edges. Brush tops with melted butter & sprinkle with crushed croutons (if I'm out of croutons, I mix some fresh bread crumbs with garlic bread seasoning).

Bake on ungreased cookie sheet 20-25 minutes.

I used fat free cream cheese, canned chicken, dried onion, and reduced fat crescent rolls. I only added about half the onion it called for. I really liked the recipe. Beef did, too, but said next time not to use so much onion. I didn't get any complaints from Scamp. I cut hers up into little pieces so that she could pick it up.

Easy Chicken and Potatoes

I made this last night. This is what it looked like before I cooked it. I love eating colorful foods!!

Original Recipe:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
4 medium potatoes -- peeled and cut into wedges or thick slices (4 to 6)

Place chicken in bottom of Crock Pot. Sprinkle with half of the Italian dressing, spices, and the grated cheese. Put the potatoes on top or around the chicken. Sprinkle with the rest of the dressing, spices, and cheese.

Cook on low for about 6-8 hours, or until the chicken is done and potatoes are tender.

*****I used a package of the Tyson boneless, skinless chicken tenders, 5-6 red potatoes, sliced, 1/2 bag of pre-prepared shredded carrots, about a cup of chopped celery, and shredded Mozzarella cheese instead of grated Parmesan. I ended up adding a little more Italian dressing and cheese since I had more items than the recipe called for. I also added dried red pepper as Stacy suggested. It ended up tasting somewhat like my mom's pot roast, which I love. Overall, I liked it and will make it again!

I stole this recipe from Stacy. She also has some great notes on how she bettered the recipe, so stop by her place, too.

Heart Healthy Zucchini Bread

3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cup grated zucchini
3/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
3 egg whites
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1.Mix the first 8 ingredients in a bowl. Stir in the zucchini, applesauce, oil, egg whites and vanilla. Spoon into two 5x9-inch loaf pans sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 - 45 minutes. For smaller loafs, bake for 30 minutes.

Yield: 30 (1-slice) servings.

Nutrients per Serving (1 slice):
Calories: 110
Fiber: trace
Protein: 1.8 g
% Calories from fat: 16%
Fat: 2.0 g
Carbohydrates: 21.3 gm
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 87 mg

Taco Soup

I tried this new recipe my sister, Julie, made for us. It was great and SOOO easy. Here's the recipe:

1 lb. beef (I used ground turkey)
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet Ranch dressing seasoning
2 cups water
1/2 onion, chopped
1 can rotel (or diced tomatoes for less spicy)
1 can corn, undrained
1 can black beans, undrained
1 can pinto beans, undrained
1 can kidney beans, undrained

Brown the beef. Mix taco and Ranch seasonings with water. Add all other ingredients and cook on medium for 30 minutes.