Chicken Florentine Soup & Rosemary's Baby

On Sunday, I made a Chicken and Potato Florentine Soup for dinner. I tried to follow the crock pot instructions but the soup was not cooking fast enough for me. I cooked this in the slow cooker for 2 hr and then dumped it in a pot on the stove for about 30 min. It was prettyyyyyy good! I liked it but I don't think Erik loved it. Served it with biscuits and had enough for leftover lunch. 

Chicken and Potato Florentine Soup

INGREDIENTS

• 2 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
• 2 14.5 oz cans Chicken Broth
• 3 tsp. Italian Seasoning
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. salt
• 4 carrots peeled and diced
• 2 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes with juice
• 2 cups water
• 1 15 oz. can white beans drained
• 6 red potatoes diced
• 3 cups spinach fresh, chopped
• 1 8 oz. bar cream cheese
• 2 cups Mozzarella Cheese shredded

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place chicken breasts and chicken broth in a pot and cook until chicken is cooked through (we simmered ours for a couple of hours). When done, take out your chicken and let cool. Pour your broth into a colander to strain. Set aside left over clear broth.
2. When cool, shred chicken breast and add to your crock pot along with leftover broth, Italian seasoning, paprika, salt, pepper, diced tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, beans and water. Cook in the crock pot on low for 4 1/2 - 5 hours. 
3. Stir in cream cheese until well combined. Cook soup for another half hour and add your spinach.
4. Cook for 20-30 more minutes and right before serving add your 2 cups of Mozzarella cheese. Stir in cheese until it is well combined. Enjoy!

I also watched a terrible movie - Rosemary's Baby. This movie is SO old and is a classic but let me tell you what it really is. It is long, slow, and robs  you of any gratification at the end of the movie after you wait and wait for the big reveal. 

I actually just looked up the length of this movie and it is 136 minutes but it felt like it was 3 hours long. The movie is about a young, married couple who move into a NYC apartment and are befriended by this wacky old couple upstairs. The young, married couple want to have a baby but rather than do it the old fashioned way, the husband and the wacky old folks drug her and basically inseminate her with a devil baby. She thinks she is dreaming but she isn't. 

Throughout the course of the movie, everyone makes the Mother feel like she is crazy for thinking that she has a devil baby. When the baby is born, it's true - she had a devil baby. Here's the kicker - THEY DON'T EVEN SHOW YOU A PICTURE OF THE BABY!! Ahhhhh. 

I was waiting and waiting to see this thing and you get nothing! Movies have come quite a long way from 1968. Think about all the gory, disgusting movies that are out there and this film wouldn't even show us anything! Ahhh. 

Gymnastics and Tortilla Soup

On Saturday, I went to the Cal Rec Center for my first day helping at the gymnastics gym. I didn't actually help coach anything though. I really just watched what was going on and took attendance at each class. There was about 6 classes going on at once every hour. The names of the classes are so cute - Bear Cub1 , Bear Cub 2, Hot Tots...While I was at the gym, Erik went down to the beach to surf. 

I got this FREE shirt which is cool. I helped out from 9-1 and then walked home through campus. It's about a mile walk and it was a warm, sunny day so it was a nice stroll. 

Evie and I did some of this when I got home. 

We also watched this on Netflix. We've seen the first three and the fourth was pretty much the same format. These movies are so suspenseful and the end leaves it open for another movie. 

For dinner, I made chicken tortilla soup

Photo

Such an easy recipe and so good!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

By Kellyn Carpenter

• Cuisine: Mexican
• Course: Soup
• Skill Level: Easy

A super delicious and hearty Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb chicken breast cooked and shredded
• 1 15 oz can corn
• 1 1/2 15 oz diced tomatoes drained
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 cup onion chopped
• 3/4 cup green pepper, chopped
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/4 tsp. chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 tsp. pepper
•  monterey jack cheese, shredded
•  corn tortillas for chip topping we cut and fried corn tortillas
•  avocados cubed

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cook and shred (or cube) chicken. 
2. Add all the ingredients, except the cheese, corn tortilla strips and avocados to your crock pot. Cook on low for 8 hours (or high for 3-4 hours). 
3. Add cheese just before serving.
4. To make this soup extra delicious, add some crunchy tortilla strips. Slice up corn tortillas with a pizza cutter. Flash Fry in hot oil and sprinkle on top of your soup. Add cubed avocados too!

Pretzel Chicken

On Monday night, I made a delicious chicken recipe - Honey Mustard Pretzel Chicken. So easy, so good. 

I was inspired by this recipe but I ended up changing it up. Here is everything I did:

1. Dump some pretzels in your food processor to crunch them up

2. Set up 3 bowls - Flour, Store bought honey mustard, and the pretzel pieces

3. Dip the chicken in the flour, then in the honey mustard, then in the pretzels

4. Bake on 350 until the chicken reaches 165 degrees in temp

Enjoy!

I served this with baked asparagus and Rosemary Quinoa. So good!

Quinoa Stuffed Roasted Squash

Last week, I made a delicious dinner using acorn squash. As per usual, I will give you the recipe but tell you how I modified it. It came out well but next time, I might try to add a little zest. Something to add some spice to it but otherwise it was delish!

Quinoa Stuffed Roasted Squash

Ingredients

2 

medium acorn squash (about 1 1/2 lb each)

1/2 

cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed, well drained

1 

cup vegetable broth

1 

tablespoon olive oil

1/3 

cup sliced green onions (didn't use)

1/4 

teaspoon finely chopped garlic

1/4 

teaspoon dried rubbed sage 

(didn't use)

1/4 

cup sweetened dried cranberries 

(didn't use)

1/4 

cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted

(didn't use)

1/2 

cup Progresso® cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (from 19-oz can),

1/2 

teaspoon grated orange peel

(didn't use)

2 

tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh parsley

(didn't use)

I added: chopped carrots and half of a white onion. Plus, we had grilled chicken on the side. 

Directions

• Step1Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 15x10x1-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Cut each squash lengthwise in half; remove seeds and fibers. Cut 1/8-inch slice from bottom of each half so squash will sit flat in step 4. Place squash, cut sides down, in pan; bake 30 minutes.
• Step2Meanwhile, in 1-quart saucepan, heat quinoa and broth to boiling; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 15 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed.
• Step3In 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onions, garlic and sage in oil about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are crisp-tender; remove from heat. Add cranberries; stir until coated. Stir in cooked quinoa and all remaining ingredients except parsley until blended.
• Step4Remove squash from oven; turn squash, cut sides up. Divide quinoa mixture evenly among squash halves, pressing down on filling to form slight mound over cavity. Cover loosely with foil. Bake 30 minutes longer or until squash is tender and filling is thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with parsley.

An Adorable Frenchie and Zucchini Lasagna

Last night, we totally cheated on Evie and hung out with a super adorable 1 yr old Frenchie. We visited Amy in SF and her roomate has the cutest dog!!

He was so full of energy and so adorable. 

Cuddling with Erik

So cute!! I want one! Just kidding. We couldn't get another dog nor do we want to PAY for another dog. 

He just lets everyone cuddle with him and pick him up. He was running around like crazy playing. 

For dinner ,we brought Zucchini Lasagna with us. It was SO good. Here's the recipe!

Ingredients:  

• 1 lb 93% lean beef
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 onion
• salt and pepper
• 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 3 medium zucchini, sliced 1/8" thick
• 15 oz part-skim ricotta
• 16 oz part-skin mozzarella cheese, shredded (Sargento)
• 1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano
• 1 large egg

Directions:

In a medium sauce pan, brown meat and season with salt. When cooked drain in colander to remove any fat. Add olive oil to the pan and saute garlic and onions about 2 minutes. Return the meat to the pan, add tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper.Simmer on low for at least 30-40minutes, covered. Do not add extra water, the sauce should be thick.

Meanwhile, slice zucchini into 1/8" thick slices, add lightly salt and set aside or 10 minutes. Zucchini has a lot of water when cooked, salting it takes out a lot of moisture. After 10 minutes, blot excess moisture with a paper towel.

On a gas grill or grill pan, grill zucchini on each side, until cooked, about 1-2 minutes per side. Place on paper towels to soak any excess moisture.

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a medium bowl mix ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese and egg. Stir well. 

In a 9x12 casserole spread some sauce on the bottom and layer the zucchini to cover. Then place some of the ricotta cheese mixture, then top with the mozzarella cheese and repeat the process until all your ingredients are used up. Top with sauce and mozzarella and cover with foil.

Bake 45 minutes covered at 375°, then uncovered 15 minutes. Let stand about 5 - 10 minutes before serving.

 

Turkey & Spinach Quinoa

I made this DELICIOUS dinner the other night -  Turkey & Spinach Quinoa Casserole. Uhhhh---make this! It was SO good and the quinoa makes it no carb essentially! Some edits - I did NOT have any tomatoes so I subsituted with a chopped red pepper and a zuccini. Also, didn't add the thyme or basil just some salt & pepper. So good. It made leftovers which is even better!!

Ingredients

• 2 cups dry quinoa
• 2 lbs extra lean ground turkey
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 medium garlic cloves, crushed
• 4-5 large handfuls spinach, chopped
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
• 3 cups light cheddar or mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/4 tsp thyme, dry
• 2 tsp basil, dry
• Salt & ground black pepper to taste
• Cooking spray
• Green onions and diced tomatoes for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Cook quinoa as per package instructions and undercook by 4 minutes. Add to a large mixing bowl.
2. Preheat oven to 375 F degrees and spray 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
3. Preheat skillet on medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Add turkey and sautee for 5 minutes breaking into pieces with the spatula. Drain the excess liquid and add to the bowl with quinoa.
4. Return skillet to the heat and spray with cooking spray again. Add garlic and onions, and fry until golden brown. Add spinach and sauté until it's wilted. Transfer to a bowl with quinoa and turkey.
5. Into the same bowl, add tomato sauce, bread crumbs, 2 cups of cheese, thyme, basil, salt and ground pepper to taste. Mix enough to combine.
6. Transfer the mixture in a baking dish, sprinkle with remaining 1 cup of cheese and bake for 25 minutes. Serve immediately, no need to let the casserole cool down.
7. Optional: sprinkle with diced tomatoes, green onions, a dollop of Greek yogurt or salsa.
Storing Instructions: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Freeze divided into individual portions, in an air tight container for up to 1 month.

Nutritional Info

Servings Per Recipe: 12

Amount Per Serving = 2 cups:
Calories: 294.4
Total Fat: 5.4 g
Cholesterol: 35.9 mg
Sodium: 607.9 mg
Total Carbs: 30.5 g
Dietary Fiber: 3.9 g
Protein: 30.4 g
WW Points+: 7

In other recipe news, I haven't been making too many recipes lately. We have been using our grill and making basic dinners like grilled chicken and veggies. We loving grilling out, especially with the warm weather!

So our TV is still messed up. This is how I watched Drop Dead Diva while playing with Evie on Monday night. Pretty funny. We are checking to see if our TV has a warranty on it since we only got it in 2009. 

Since I could barely see my show, I took a punch of pictures of Evie playing because I thought she looked super cute. She is also doing MUCH better in the bathroom department. She is back on regular food but I am talking to the Vet this week to determine what food we should switch her to, to avoid this from happening again. 

Tyler Florence Rigatoni

Made my favorite Tyler Florence recipe for dinner this week. If you want a quick, easy dinner that will leave you with leftovers for lunch - make this. It's easy and it's so good!. 

Baked Rigatoni with Eggplant and Sausage

Ingredients

Kosher Salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
6 links fennel pork sausage (about 3/4 pound) - Used Chicken/Apple Sausage
1 large eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 large can (28 ounces) peeled whole tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
Leaves from 1 small bunch basil
1 pound rigatoni
1 pound fresh mozzarella
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat for the pasta. Get yourself a 9 by 13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish.

Heat a 2 count of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausages and toss in the hot oil for 3 to 4 minutes, you want them nicely browned on the outside but still rare on the inside. Put the sausages in the baking dish.

Turn the heat down to medium. Add a generous 1/3 cup of oil to the skillet and get it hot. Add as many eggplant pieces as you can comfortably fit in a single layer and sprinkle well with salt. Cook, turning, for 7 to 8 minutes, until the eggplant is nice and browned, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Use a spatula to put the eggplant into the baking dish with the sausage. Cook the rest of the eggplant pieces, adding more oil to the pan, as needed, and putting the finished eggplant into the baking dish.

Add another 2 count of oil to the skillet, then your onion and garlic, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until translucent. Dump the whole can of tomatoes and their juices into a bowl and crush the tomatoes with your hands to break them up; add that to the pan with the basil and cook it down until pulpy and relatively thick. This will take about 15 minutes.

By this time your pasta water will be boiling. Add the rigatoni, give it a stir, and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, it should be slightly firm as it will cook further in the oven. Ladle out 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water and reserve; the drain the rigatoni.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Chop the sausages into nice big, bite-size chunky pieces and return the pieces to the baking dish. Add the tomato sauce, rigatoni, and the reserved pasta water. Break up half the mozzarella over the mixture, season with salt and pepper, and gently mix with your hands or a spatula. Dust with the Parmigiano and drizzle with more olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes. Spread the remaining mozzarella in an even layer over the top and continue to bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

We had a delicious dinner last night when, as I was making it, I realized that I think I've made this in the past. It was Cajun Chicken Pasta. It was so good and of course, I made extra so we had lunch today. I absolutely love bringing leftovers to lunch because it's something good to eat that's not salad or sandwich.

This dish was so good. There is something about adding cream cheese to dishes that make it taste amazing.

SKINNYTASTE.COM PHOTO

Cajun Chicken Pasta on the Lighter Side
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 5 • Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 8 pts
Calories: 323.8 • Fat: 6.2 g • Protein: 25.9 g • Carb: 44.1 g • Fiber: 6.3 g • Sugar:3.2 g
Sodium: 126.5 mg (without salt)  


Ingredients:

• 8 ounces uncooked linguine (I used Fettucini)
• 1 pound chicken breast strips
• 1-2 tsp Cajun seasoning (or to taste)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced (I used a bag of pre-cut, frozen peppers)
• 1 medium yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 red onion, sliced (used white onion)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup fat free low sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup skim milk (used almond milk)
• 1 tbsp flour
• 3 tbsp light cream cheese
• fresh cracked pepper
• 2 scallions, chopped
• salt to taste

Directions:

Prep all your vegetables. In a small blender make a slurry by combining milk, flour and cream cheese. Set aside. Season chicken generously with Cajun seasoning, garlic powder and salt.

Prepare pasta in salted water according to package directions.

Heat a large heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; spray with cooking spray and add half of the chicken. Sauté 5 to 6 minutes or until done, set aside on a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken. Set aside.

Add olive oil to the skillet and reduce to medium; add bell peppers, onions, and garlic to skillet, sauté 3-4 minutes. 

Add mushrooms and tomatoes and sauté 3-4 more minutes or until vegetables are tender. Season with 1/4 tsp salt, garlic powder and fresh cracked pepper to taste.

Reduce heat to medium-low; add chicken broth and pour in slurry stirring about 2 minutes.

Return chicken to skillet; adjust salt and Cajun seasoning to taste, cook another minute or two until hot, then addlinguine; toss well to coat. Top with chopped scallions and enjoy!