Skinny General Tso’s Chicken

Skinny General Tso’s Chicken
Adapted from Coup De Pouce Magazine (as seen on Tracey’s Culinary Adventures, who saw it on La Table de Nana)
Makes 4 Servings

1/3 cup light brown sugar (5 tbsp + 1 tsp)
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/3 cup water
2 tsp olive oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp sesame oil
6-8 green onions chopped, plus more for serving
3 tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped or grated
1/4 tsp each hot pepper flakes and sesame seeds (optional)
1 cup basmati rice, dry

In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, hoisin sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce and water. Set aside. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Dredge the chicken in the cornstarch and shake off any excess. Cook the chicken in the olive oil until browned. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside. Using a paper towel, wipe skillet clean. Add sesame oil, green onions and ginger. Cook for 30 seconds. Add sauce mixture and bring to a boil. Simmer mixture for 2 minutes, or until sauce thickens a bit. Add chicken back into the skillet, toss to coat with sauce, and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through, about 4-5 minutes. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes if desired. Serve over rice and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds (if desired).

Nutritional Information: 441 calories, 65 carbs, 6 fat grams and 30 protein grams.

Review: Okay - yes, it's a bit high carb, but it made that thick, textured sauce you find in those little white square to-go boxes. Awesome. Plenty of sauce that went a long way - you could easily add your favorite Asain veggies - enough sauce to go around. I liked the extra breading, too - a little bit of cornstarch goes such a long way - good stuff! A new household favorite for sure - but next time i'll make sure to save some green onions for garnish - oopsie!

Buffalo Chicken Wontons

Buffalo Chicken Wontons
Makes 28 appetizers

12 oz. raw chicken
4 tbsp Frank’s Red Hot Wings Sauce
60 oz. Cabot 50% reduced fat jalapeno cheese (if you can't find this subbing for regular reduced fat cheese should be fine but this adds an extra kick!!)
4 tbsp Fat-Free Ranch Dressing (Hidden Valley)
2 tbsp reduced fat parmesan cheese
28 Wonton wrappers (Nasoya)

Boil water. Once rolling, add chicken and reduce heat to medium. Cook for 7-8 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink. In the meantime, add hot sauce, cheese, ranch and parmesan to a bowl. Stir together. Remove chicken from water; drain any excess water on chicken until mostly dry. Add chicken to bowl and, with two forks, shred chicken finely while blending into sauce. Stir well. Refrigerate for 2 hours until mixture is thick. When ready to prepare, heat oven to 375. Lay out sheets of wax paper, and spread wontons across the surface until all are out. Using your hands, add clumps (about 2 tbsp) of chicken mixture onto each until all have the same amount. Roll each up (to roll, turn into diamond shape with point facing you; fold point over to other point, tucking in mixture; tuck sides in and flip over). Use small bowl of water to seal each with your fingers/water. Lay all on baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Once all are on tray, spray tops with cooking spray. Cook for 18- 20 minutes until crispy.

Nutritional Information: Whole recipe – 1,332 calories, 153 carbs, 19 fat grams and 122 protein grams. 7 wontons each (for 4 people to split) – 334 calories, 38 carbs, 5 fat grams and 31 protein grams. Each single wonton – 47 calories, 5 carbs, <1 fat gram and 4 protein grams.

Review: LOVED. These were great, came together pretty quickly and went FAST. The boys loved them, and us girls had a couple, too, and they’re great. I told the boys they were low-fat/fat-free and they laughed. I don’t think they quite believed me. Oh well. These were great baked, still had a ton of flavor with the hot sauce/ranch and didn’t require dipping since the ranch was inside (still could have served with dip/fat-free dressing if you wanted to). I will absolutely be making these again – great bite-size poppers. Just note: they are SUPER hot out of the oven and need about 5 minutes to cool down. And yes, I will get a picture of the inside next time - sorry!

Black Bean Fiesta Burgers

Black Bean Fiesta Burgers
Makes 4 large burgers or 12 mini burgers for sliders

1 15-oz. can black beans, drained, rinsed and given time to dry
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 onion, cut into wedges
1 tbsp minced garlic, jarred
1 egg
Taco seasoning packet
¼ cup salsa
1 tsp hot sauce
1/2 cup bread crumbs
(Sliders: 6 tbsp fat-free sour cream, divided; 12 small potato rolls)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly oil a baking sheet. In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick. In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Strain mixture. Then stir into mashed beans. In a small bowl, stir together egg, taco seasoning, salsa and hot sauce. Stir egg mixture into mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide into 8 small patties. Place patties on baking sheet, and bake for 10 minutes on each side.

Nutritional Information: one large pattie - 205 calories, 38 carbs, 2 fat grams and 9 protein grams; one mini pattie – 66 calories, 12 carbs, <1 fat gram and 3 protein grams. For sliders, adding potato buns and sour cream, each: 161 calories, 30 carbs, 2 fat grams and 7 protein grams. I had two mini patties on two potato rolls which each had ½ tbsp fat-free sour cream. This comes out to: 322 calories, 60 carbs, 4 fat grams and 14 protein grams.

Review: Loved them! They tasted kind of like Amy’s breakfast burritos – so much so that Austin suggested we take the big pattie and use it to fill a medium-size tortilla for breakfast burritos! Great flavor, love the fiesta flavor, and truly think that you could take the breadcrumbs down if you want to reduce the calories a bit – up to you. I’m a huge fan and love that it was so filling, but yet had no meat. New favorite for us – so glad we tried it! We even reheated them for breakfast and I found two to be a great, filling breakfast - fabulous!

Creamy Slowcooker Pork Chops

Creamy Slowcooker Pork Chops
Makes 4 Servings
Recipe adapted from AllRecipes.com

1 pound pork chops, boneless medallions
Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
8 tbsp all-purpose flour, seasoned with pepper, garlic powder and paprkia
1 large onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 cubes chicken bouillon
2 cups boiling water
1 tbsp minced garlic, jarred
10 tbsp fat-free sour cream

Season pork chops with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste, and then dredge in 6 tbsp seasoned flour. In a skillet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray over medium heat, lightly brown chops. Meanwhile, boil water in microwave. Once boiled, dissolve bouillon cubes in water. Stir in garlic. Place chops in slow cooker, and top with onion slices. Pour sauce over chops and onions in crock pot. Cover and cook on high 3 to 4 hours. Once done, add sour cream and stir. If still too thick, use cornstarch/cold water to thicken. Serve over egg noodles.

Nutritional Information: 452 calories, 58 carbs, 7 fat grams and 36 protein grams.

Review: If you like super soft, fall-apart pork chops in a creamy sauce you're good with this recipe! It was super creamy and I loved the softened onions - they added a lot. The first time I made it (sans minced garlic) I felt it needed something - so I added the garlic and it made the difference. I like a lot of flavor, and this was a great dish. I will say I could see how this would be good on the stove, too, but without the crockpot the onions and pork chops wouldn't be as soft. I also think you could put the pork chops in to the crock pot raw to cut out that step. I'm going to try that next time! Either way - yummy slowcooker dish!

Honey Lime Enchiladas

Honey Lime Enchiladas
Makes 5 Servings
Recipe adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Café (found on Stephanie Cooks)

1 tsp olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
½ cup onions, diced
1 pound raw chicken tenders, not diced
6 tbsp honey
5 tbsp lime juice (juice from1 large lime)
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
10 small flour tortillas (La Banderita)
4 oz. Cabot 75% reduced fat cheddar cheese
16 ounces green enchilada sauce
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

Set a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil, garlic, and onions. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink. Remove chicken from skillet and shred it. Mix the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour. Pour 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan. Add 2 oz. cheese to chicken mixture. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with cream. Pour sauce on enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

Nutritional Information: 442 calories, 59 carbs, 7 fat grams and 35 protein grams.

Review: Loved. Austin loved more, he's a big lime guy, but I loved a lot, too. They have a distinct flavor with the honey mixed with lime, and I loved how cheesy and saucy they came out. I like the idea of a different enchilada, and to save time can easily see making this a casserole. I liked that it had flour instead of corn tortillas - mixed it up a bit! I also thought the serving was filling. Normally I do 4 or 6 servings, but 5 came out right to stay somewhat true to the original recipe, but not too over- or under-caloric for me! These will be made again, and I think they would freeze/reheat very well!

Spicy Chipotle Meatballs with Rice

Spicy Chipotle Meatballs with Rice
Recipe adapted from Real Simple
Makes 4 Servings

2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 28-oz. can whole tomatoes
3 canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, diced
1 cup jasmine rice, cooked per package instructions
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 large egg, beaten
1 tsp ground cumin
kosher salt and black pepper

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and half the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add tomatoes (with their juices) and chipotles; using a potato masher, break up the tomatoes. Simmer, partially covered, until the sauce has thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. If the sauce becomes too thick, add up to ½ cup water. Meanwhile, cook the rice according to the package directions. While the rice is cooking, in a medium bowl, combine beef, cilantro, bread crumbs, egg, cumin, the remaining garlic, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Shape the mixture into 16 same-sized meatballs. Heat broiler. Place meatballs on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil, turning once with tongs, until almost cooked through, 7 minutes. Add meatballs to the sauce. Cook 2-3 more minutes in sauce. Serve over the rice and sprinkle with additional cilantro.

Nutritional Information: 426 calories, 53 carbs, 8 fat grams and 31 protein grams.

Review: We really liked these! Very filling, good nutritional values for the amount you get and a great, adobo-spiced flavor. I will say spicy was RIGHT, if you're not into spice, I'd simply take out one pepper and you'd be good to go! I thought the cilantro added a lot, and I liked that it was over rice, almost like a jambalaya (but without the cajun seasonings!). We'll make this again for sure, and because it was so saucy I think it would freeze very well - bonus.

Mexican Quinoa Skillet

Mexican Quinoa Skillet
Inspired by a $5 Dinners Recipe
Makes 4 Servings

2 tsp minced garlic, jarred
1 pound 96/4 ground beef
½ cup onion, diced
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large tomato, diced
2 small summer squash, diced
hot sauce, to taste
1 cup quinoa, dry
1 1/2 cup water
Optional: 2 green onions and fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

Add large pan to medium heat. Spray with nonstick cooking spray. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add beef and onion and stir until beef is mostly browned, about 5 minutes. Add taco seasonings and stir for 1 minute. Add black beans, tomato and squash. Drop in a bit of hot sauce. Stir, and then add quinoa and water. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to simmer, and cook for 20 minutes. Remove lid, stir, then add lid and cook for another 5 minutes until quinoa is done and most of the liquid is gone. Remove from heat, divide into four servings, and top with green onions and cilantro.

Nutritional Information: 450 calories, 59 carbs, 8 fat grams and 36 protein grams.

Review: Awesome, healthy, filling, rainbow recipe! I was really happy with this one, especially since it's a one-pot (or skillet!) recipe - I love when you don't have to cook the carb in a separate pot! I especially enjoyed all of the colors and flavors from the tomatoes, squash, black beans and green onions. And of course - finding another quinoa recipe we love  makes me very happy. This one is a winner and will be made again, and again.

Beef & Noodle Toss

Beef  & Noodle Toss
Makes 4 Servings
Recipe adapted from Better Homes & Gardens

8 oz. lasagna noodles
12 oz. boneless beef sirloin, cut into bite size pieces
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups grape tomatoes
8 oz. mushrooms
2 tsp minced garlic
1 14-oz. can beef broth

Break noodles in half. Cook according to package instructions. Drain (do not rinse). Meanwhile, season beef with ½ tsp each salt and pepper. Toss with flour. Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add meat, any remaining flour, add tomatoes to the skillet. Cook 3-4 minutes until beef is browned, stirring often. Add mushrooms and garlic. Cook 5 minutes more. Add broth; cook 3-4 minutes more or until beef is done and liquid is slightly thickened. Add cooked noodles to skillet; stir gently to coat. Heat through. Spoon into pasta bowls to serve.

Nutritional Information: 430 calories, 46 carbs, 12 fat grams and 37 protein grams.

Review: We liked this one a lot, but I will make a change next time. Basically, the sauce  is thin, so the big lasagna noodles made it a bit difficult to eat. SO, I will either leave the lasagna noodles but thicken up the sauce with cornstarch/water OR go to a smaller pasta shape. Other than this future change, I will leave it EXACTLY as is. The steak was great, the fresh tomatoes were yummy and the sauce blended well. Great, easy recipe with common ingredients so easy to throw together at the last minute!

Italian Egg Bake

Italian Egg Bake
Makes 6 Servings
Inspired by a Pillsbury recipe

1 pound reduced fat sausage
4 cups frozen hash-brown potatoes, thawed
4 oz. (1 cup) Cabot 75% reduced fat cheddar cheese
6 tbsp diced sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
6 large eggs
¾ cup fat-free milk
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
¼ cup Progressso Panko Italian bread crumbs
4 tsp (10 grams) shredded fresh Parmesan cheese
¼ fresh basil, diced
Red pepper flakes, garlic powder, Italian Seasoning to taste

Heat oven to 450. Spray rectangular baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In large nonstick skillet, cook sausage over medium-high heat until browned, stirring occasionally. In medium bowl, combine potatoes and 2.5 oz. cheese. In baking dish, layer potato mixture, sausage, tomatoes and half of the basil. In medium bowl, beat eggs. Add milk, salt and pepper; beat well. Add optional seasonings to taste (red pepper flakes, garlic powder, Italian seasoning). Pour evenly over potato mixture. Top with bread crumbs. Cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining 1.5 oz. Cabot cheese and Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered for an additional 3 minutes until cheese melts.

Nutritional Information: 353 calories, 24 carbs, 17 fat grams and 24 protein grams.

Review: Winner! Tasted great and was very filling - didn't take long either which is always nice. I'd pre-cooked the sausage, so it was already in a box cooked and ready, and the cheese was already grated too - this helped! I loved the addition of the fresh basil, it definitely made the recipe along with the sundried tomatoes. I also liked the add of the Italian bread crumbs - the crunchy topping was nice with the softer, fluffy egg/potato layer. I will absolutely make this again, and of course it's great that it makes 6 servings AND reheats well. And I've added it to my new favorite breakfast - move over brunch pizza squares- there's a new casserole in town! (forgive my cheesy lameness) :)

Lemon Basil Almond Pesto

Lemon Basil Almond Pesto
Adapted from Tastespace
Makes 4 Servings

1 tsp lemon zest, finely grated
Juice from ½ lemon
50 grams almond slivers
1 packed cup basil (about 40 leaves)
1 tbsp minced garlic, jarred
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp hot water

Add almonds to food processor. Puree. Add remaining ingredients except for water and pulse until well blended. If too thick, add hot water and pulse.

Additional Items to make Meal:

16 oz. chicken, diced and sprinkled with salt
8 oz. pasta, cooked per package instructions

Heat large pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray over medium heat. Add chicken. Cook for 5-6 minutes until chicken is just cooked, still a little pink. Add pesto. Stir until blended well. Add cooked, drained noodles. Stir until well coated. Add 1tsp of hot water at a time to loosen up the mixture if need be. Divide into four servings. Top with additional basil as garnish if desired.

Nutritional Information (with Chicken & Pasta): 418 calories, 46 carbs, 11 fat grams and 36 protein grams.

Nutritional Information (pesto only): 94 calories, 4 carbs, 9 fat grams and 3 protein grams.

Review: Awesome. I'm a huge fan of lemon and basil anyway, so knew this would be a favorite. I was intrigued at using the almonds instead of the pinenuts, but it gave it a sweeter, nuttier flavor. I liked it a lot! This was more of a lime green than a deep green, but of course I could have added more basil. That's kind of the beauty of making your own pesto - you can add more amounts of low-calorie or no-calorie ingredients like lemon juice and basil to make it your own. We tasted as we made it (with cooked noodles - just dipped them into the blender). So while the above mixed worked for us (i.e. half a lemon of juice was plenty!), mix it up - just know that if you add more almonds or olive oil the nutritional information WILL be impacted. I hope this helps, I hope you try it and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. I'll let you know how it freezes. :)

Baked Turkey Egg Rolls

Baked Turkey Egg Rolls
Makes 4 Servings (of 2 egg rolls each)
Recipe adapted from Annie’s Eats

2 celery stalks
½ head cabbage, shredded/diced
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
½ cup onion, diced
1 pound purdue 99% fat-free ground turkey breast
5 tbsp soy sauce
½ tsp red chili pepper flakes
1 tsp siracha
8 egg roll wraps

Chop celery into small chunks in food processor. Combine in a microwave safe bowl with cabbage and microwave, covered for 5 minutes. Add onion to food processor and chop until slushy. Add garlic and ginger until all are blended. Heat large pan over medium heat with oil. Spoon mixture into skillet and sauté in oil for 2-3 minutes. Add ground turkey and 3 tbsp soy sauce; cook until no longer pink, breaking up turkey further as you cook it. Drain any excess liquid and return to skillet. Add cooked cabbage and celery, remaining soy sauce and red chili pepper flakes. Stir until combined, remove from heat and allow to cool for 4-5 minutes. Heat oven to 400 degrees, spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray and get out a small cup of water. Lay 8 egg roll wrappers on a big sheet of wax paper. Spoon mixture onto each, ensuring they have the same amount of filling. Roll each and seal with water. Bake for 10 minutes, turn and bake for 5 minutes or until browned.

Nutritional Information: 354 calories, 42 carbs, 5 fat grams and 34 protein grams.

Review: The outside was really crispy and they had a nice spicy taste. I thought the turkey added an interesting twist - I liked how much it broke up - the pieces were tiny and so every bite tasted meaty rather than cabbagey if you know what I mean! The ginger/garlic/onion mixture was a great add too, and made the turkey taste extra juicy. I also liked that the meal was two packed egg rolls, very filling and a good, light eat. I worried it wouldn't reheat well, but we tested it with a George Foreman and it crisped right up! So good to reheat at home, but not at work (unless you can bring a panini maker to work!).

Margarita Pasta

Margarita Pasta
Makes 4 Servings
Recipe adapted from Real Simple

10 oz. spaghetti
3 large beefsteak tomatoes, each cut into 4 thick pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
4 oz. reduced-fat mozzarella, grated
6 tsp full-fat grated parmesan
2 tsp minced garlic
½ tsp crushed red pepper
¾ cup fresh basil leaves, plus more for serving
Salt and Pepper

Heat broiler. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and return to pot. Meanwhile, arrange tomatoes into a single layer on a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Season with ¼ tsp each salt and pepper. Dividing evenly, sprinkle the slices with mozzarella and parmesan. Broil until cheese is bubbly and golden, 3 to 5 minutes. In a small saucepan, warm oil with garlic and red pepper over medium heat until fragrant, 2 minutes. Add the garlic oil, basil, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper to the pasta and toss to combine. Serve topped with tomatoes and additional basil.

Nutritional Information: 449 calories, 56 carbs, 15 fat grams and 23 protein grams.

Review: What's not to like? I'm a  huge margarita pizza fan so I figured i'd be a fan of this! The pasta really gets a lot of flavor from the garlic mix, and the tomatoes came out super juicy and cheesy. Just make sure to use large ones so you have enough surface for the cheese to go on! We thought this one reheated well, too. The tomatoes weren't as crispy, but still good, and since the pasta had so much juice with the tomatoes and "sauce' it didn't dry out, always a must for reheating! This was also a 20 minutes or less recipe for sure - and another yummy meatless dish. To reduce the calories/fat, I'd suggest using 2.5 or 3 oz. of mozzarella instead, I don't think it would be missed! I would definitely leave the olive oil at this level though.

Egg and Bean Breakfast Tostados

Egg and Bean Breakfast Tostados
Recipe adapted from a nacho recipe at My Bizzy Kitchen
Makes 2 Servings

4 small corn tortillas
2 eggs and ¼ cup egg beaters (1 egg and 2 tbsp egg beaters for each)
1 tbsp fat-free milk, divided
½ oz. Cabot 75% reduced fat cheddar, grated
1 can black beans, drained
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp hot sauce
Cilantro, diced (for garnish) or dry
2-4 tbsp salsa, divided

Preheat oven to 350. Lay corn tortillas on cookie sheet and spray them with Pam. Sprinkle with sea salt and bake for 9 minutes. Cook bean/garlic/hot sauce mixture in pot for about 10 minutes. Mash beans with potato masher. Set aside. Whisk half of egg mixture with milk and a bit of salt; microwave in bowl (about the size of tortillas). Repeat with second serving of eggs. When tortillas are done, divide bean mixture. Spread half of bean mixture carefully onto one tortilla, then top with second tortilla, then round, now-cooked egg. Add cheese. Repeat for second serving. Broil until cheese melts, about 4 minutes (watch it or it will burn!). Then top each with cilantro and salsa if desired, or serve on the side.

Nutritional Information: 383 calories, 57 carbs, 9 fat grams and 26 protein grams.

Review: This meatless breakfast is insanely filling – must be all of those beans! I loved the garlic and hot sauce in the beans – great kick, but not too spicy. The tostado was crunchy, but the beans helped soften it. To make the tostado less crunch, I’d suggest lightly spreading salsa on one side of each tortilla. I would consider this one a weekend recipe – I worry it would lose its crunch on the reheat. This is a great recipe, ready under 20 minutes, and a great, filling start to the day! We will make this again. And it's easy to double if needed!

A look at the inside! I cut mine in half and dipped each bite in salsa!

Creamy Chicken Noodle Skillet

Creamy Chicken Noodle Skillet
Makes 4 Servings; Total Time: 20 Minutes
Adapted from Slim Shoppin' and My Bizzy Kitchen

2 tbsp light butter
2 tbsp flour
2 cups skim milk
8 oz. egg noodles
2 tsp Dijon mustard
¼ cup parmesan cheese (4 tbsp)
16 oz. raw chicken, diced and sprinkled with salt and pepper

Cook noodles according to package directions and drain. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking liquid. While noodles cook, in a large skillet, cook chicken over medium heat. Brown on all sides but don’t cook all the way through. Remove chicken from skillet and set it aside. In the same large skillet add butter. Once melted, add flour and, using a whisk, break it up. Add skim milk, salt, Dijon mustard and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Whisk until sauce starts to thicken. Add partially cooked chicken into the sauce and continue to cook until no longer pink in the middle. Add noodles and stir to coat all the noodles. If it’s too thick, add reserved pasta liquid to thin it out.

Nutritional Information: 455 calories, 52 carbs, 8 fat grams and 40 protein grams.

Review: Crazy creamy - almost like an alfredo sauce but better. I love the difference that little bit of dijon mustard makes. I used very little pasta water (maybe 1 tbsp) - everything cooked up well and blended together great. Definitely used the whisk - I tried at first to use just a fork but it didn't work nearly as well. I used the wide egg noodles and really liked the texture over regular pasta. Great comfort food, great classic chicken dish - and super easy to put together. Austin said it was almost like an 'alfredo gravy' - yum.

Creamy Taco Mac

One serving

Creamy Taco Mac
Adapted from Annie’s Eats
Makes 4 Servings

1 pound 96/4 ground beef
8 oz. dry pasta
½ cup onion, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic, jarred
1 (14 oz.) can plain or mexican/zesty diced tomatoes, drained
1 pack taco seasoning
3 oz. fat-free cream cheese, softened
½ cup fat-free sour cream
Salt and pepper
1 oz. Cabot 75% reduced fat cheddar cheese
Fresh cilantro (optional)

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving ½ cup of pasta water. Set aside. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook onions over medium-high heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add beef and cook until beef is no longer pink. Once meat is cooked, mix in garlic and cook for 30 seconds.Mix in tomatoes and taco seasoning and simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir in cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream and reserved pasta water, and continue stirring until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over medium-low heat 4 minutes to reduce the sauce. Turn off heat. Top with shredded cheddar cheese and cilantro. Cover and let it sit off the heat until the cheese melts, about 2 minutes.

Nutritional Information: 457 calories, 58 carbs, 7 fat grams and 34 protein grams.

Review: Creamy is right - the sour cream/cream cheese mixture made the red sauce a lighter color -  it was so creamy! I loved it with the pasta shells - it was really like Mexican Mac and Cheese! Big fan. I will say I only had Italian diced tomatoes on hand (boo) so I drained them, but next time would like to use zesty jalapeno diced tomatoes - or just plain. This is a great recipe and makes HUGE servings - I couldn't even eat the whole thing! We'll definitely put this one in the rotation!

Whole pan!