Chipotle Chicken Skewers with Cilantro Lime Dipping Sauce (and our diet success..so far!)

As some of you know, my husband and I have been on a diet (I really hate that word, but for lack of a better one...) since February.  It has had it's ups and downs (the downs mostly came during the stressful month of May...and I have learned that I am a stress eater!), but it has been fantastic for us.  I've just briefly mentioned it a few times here on the blog, but went into more detail over at Or So She Says for one of my blog posts there, so if you'd like to know more about it head over there.  Or check it out at dukandiet.com.

We had family pictures taken last week...finally!  It had only been about 3 years since our last ones.  Sheesh!    Anyway, I absolutely LOVE them.  They turned out great!  And they really made me realize how much Tony & I have lost.  I wanted to see the difference side by side so made a "before" and "current...not our "after" just yet!" collage.  

WOW.

I cringe to see what we looked like in our "before" picture.  (That's the whole reason I'm having issues with posting this collage!)  I'm printing it off and hanging it on my fridge for those days (which have been many lately) that I just want a stinkin' brownie!  So here it is in all it's glory...

Okay, glad that's over...now, on to the recipe!

When I stumbled upon this recipe (Thanks Mel...LOVE her site!) I knew it was one that I needed to make and that could be adapted to fit our diet.   It was wonderful!  Just enough spicy for me (and I'm a wimp!) and paired with the cilantro lime dip...oooohhhhhh...divine!

You must try these!

Chipotle Chicken Skewers with Cilantro Lime Dipping Sauce
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2-2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup packed brown sugar (we used equal amount of Stevia)
2 tablespoons cilantro
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced (scrape out the seeds unless you like your food pretty spicy!)
2 teaspoons adobo sauce from the chipotle chile can
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
skewers, I prefer metal because I always forget to soak the bamboo ones and then they catch on fire!:)

Cilantro Lime Dipping Sauce
3/4 cup fat free sour cream (can use lowfat as well)
1/4 cup lowfat mayonnaise or greek yogurt (we opted for nonfat greek yogurt)
1/4 cup lime juice, from 2-3 limes
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, minced
2 green onions, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Slice the chicken into 1/2 inch strips.  In a small bowl combine the sugar, cilantro, chipotle chile, adobo sauce, and spices.  Stir to combine.  Toss chicken and sugar mixture in a large ziploc bag until evenly coated.  Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.

About 30 minutes before grilling the skewers, make dipping sauce.  This will give it time in the fridge for all the flavors to mesh together.  In a small bowl combine all ingredients and stir.  Place in fridge until chicken is ready to serve.

If using bamboo skewers, soak for 30 minutes in water before grilling.  Preheat grill to medium-high (about 400 degrees).  Weave chicken onto skewers making a "rolling hill" pattern.  Use about 2-3 strips per skewers, depending on the length of skewer and chicken strips.  Some of mine I even used 4 on.   These tend to stick to my grill so I always use a coat of cooking spray before grilling.  Grill for about 7-9 minutes, turning midway through cooking time, or until cooked through.

Serve immediately with dipping sauce.

Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Taco Cupcakes

When Caleb (11 year old) told me he wanted Spanish Rice and Ravioli's for his birthday dinner, I was kind of grossed out. (ok, a LOT grossed out!)  Not because I don't like either one, but because they just don't go together.  So I made him choose.  He decided he'd rather have Spanish rice than the ravioli's and I told him I'd find something great to go with it.  And I did!

When you say the words taco's and cupcakes in the same sentence, it just doesn't sound appealing in the least to me.  But trust me when I say these are a kids dream!!  If your kiddo's like taco's they will love these!

And I love that they can be "dressed up" for adults too.  Add some sour cream and guacamole and you've got a little piece of Taco Cupcake heaven!! 

And to make these even more appealing...they are on the light side!  Each cupcake has 164 calories (without the sour cream or guacamole) and is 4 WW points!

Taco Cupcakes

Recipe adapted from Emily Bites

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1 pound lean ground beef (or lean ground turkey or chicken)

1 Tablespoon Taco Seasoning

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

wonton wrappers (found in the produce section)

queso dip (I used Tostitos)

Chunky Salsa

1-1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (use reduced fat for calories and WW points listed above)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Brown beef (of meat of choice) with taco seasoning in a frying pan over medium high heat.  Add the black beans and cook a few minutes until heated through.

Grease 2 muffin tins lightly with cooking spray.  Push a wonton wrapper in the bottom each cup.  Spoon a teaspoon of queso into the bottom and spread.  Follow with a spoonful of meat mixture, then a spoonful of salsa, and then sprinkle with some cheese.

Take more wonton wrappers and place over cheese, with corners of wrapper in between the corners of the first layer wrappers. Repeat the layers.

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the wonton wrappers are golden brown.  Let them cool for about 5 minutes before removing from pan.

Serve plain or topped with sour cream and guacamole!  YUM!



Bacon Artichoke Alfredo Penne Bake

There are so many good things goin' on in this!  Bacon...artichokes...alfredo...pasta...grilled chicken...DELICIOUS!!  Another thing I love about this recipe is that you can make it healthier & lower in fat and calories than a regular Alfredo dish!  Use whole wheat pasta, turkey bacon, and low-fat cream cheese and skim milk.  Believe me it is still wonderfully delicious without all the fat and calories!

Bacon Artichoke Alfredo Penne Bake

Recipe from Our Best Bites

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(This picture is with whole wheat penne, turkey bacon & low-fat alfredo sauce!)

16 oz. Penne Pasta (whole wheat pasta is YUMMY!)

1 recipe Alfredo Sauce (below)

2 chicken breasts, grilled and chopped (about 2 cups chopped)

6 ounces (1/2 package) cooked bacon, chopped (use turkey bacon for lower calorie)

1 (14 oz.) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained & chopped

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

salt and pepper

Alfredo Sauce:

2 cups milk (low-fat or skim work well)

1/3 cup cream cheese (can use low-fat)

2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon butter

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare pasta according to package directions. 

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the alfredo sauce.  For the Alfredo sauce, blend the milk, cream cheese, flour and salt in a blender until smooth and set aside.  In a large non-stick saucepan, melt butter on medium high heat and add the garlic.  Saute the garlic for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly.  Add the milk mixture to the pan.  Stir constantly for 3-4 minutes until it just comes to a simmer.  Keep stirring and let it cook for a few more minutes until the sauce thickens, about 6-7 minutes.  Remove from the heat.  Whisk in the cheese and immediately cover the pan.  Allow the sauce to stand for 10 minutes before using.  It will continue to thicken upon standing.

When the pasta is done, drain and then add the sauce together with the pasta.  Toss pasta mixture with the chopped chicken, bacon, artichoke hearts, green onions, and 1/2 cup mozzarella.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Transfer mixture to a 9 x 13 baking pan and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is bubbly.  Serve.

This is really good with Twisty Breadsticks or Garlic Bread.  Also serve with some greens of some sort...we like some freshly steamed broccoli!

Baked Chicken Pesto

Do you want (or NEED!!) something simple, easy, & yummy to make for dinner??  Look no further!:)

When the kid's start school it seems we are going every which way & have about 1/2 hour window to sit down and eat dinner together.  (Unless we want to eat dinner at 9:00 every night!!:))  So, this is one of those "slop everything into a baking dish and throw it into the oven" meals...exactly what I need right now!!  You can also just slop it all together in the morning and then put it in the frige until you're ready to cook it!  Serve it with a nice green salad & some melon (or other fruit) and you've got yourself a kickin' dinner!  Enjoy!

Baked Chicken Pesto

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4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

salt & pepper for seasoning chicken

1 jar basil pesto (or you can make some from scratch...like THIS one!)

1/2 cup (or a little more:)) grated mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Take chicken breasts and cut each one into 2 or 3 strips of chicken (depending on the size of the breast). 

Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray and spread half of the bottle of pesto onto the bottom of the pan.  Lay the chicken strips on top and then spread the rest of the pesto over top the chicken.

Cover with tinfoil and bake for 25-30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and take off the foil.  Turn the oven on to broil.  Sprinkle the mozzarella over the chicken and place back in the oven without the foil.  Broil for 5 minutes or so until the cheese has started to brown.  You need to watch it carefully because it can burn quickly!

There is a lot of "juice" at the bottom of the pan so you could serve it over rice with your chicken if you'd like as well, or just spoon the juices over top you chicken! 

Black Bean Soup

This soup is so hearty and filling I absolutely loved it!!  Don't let the look of it throw you, it is an excellent dish!  The whole family really enjoyed this one!

Black Bean Soup

Recipe from Our Best Bites

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1 tablespoon Olive Oil

3/4 cup diced carrots 

3/4 cup diced celery

1 cup diced onion

4 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped

2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (3.5 ounce) can diced green chilies

2 (15 ounce) cans low-sodium beef broth

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon dry oregano leaves

1 bay leaf

1 lime, juiced

Optional toppings: sour cream, tortilla chips, shredded cheese (or crumbled feta!), chopped cilantro, etc.

Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat.  Add carrots, celery, onion, and garlic and saute for 4-5 minutes.

Add the black beans, chilies, and beef broth.  Stir to combine and then add the salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and bay leaf.  Simmer uncovered for about 20-25 minutes or until carrots are tender.  Remove from heat.  Remove bay leaf from soup.

Transfer the soup to a blender.  Place lid on blender but remove the stopper in the lid to let heat escape.  Cover the hole with a paper towel to avoid splatters.

Puree soup until desired consistency is reached.  Squeeze in the juice from one lime and pulse to combine.

Ladle into bowls and top with desired toppings. (We topped ours with either feta or mozzarella cheese and cilantro.)

Italian Chicken and Vegetable Skewers

For those who don't know...it's diet time here at our house!:(  We (Tony--the hubby--and I) did a little too much bingeing this summer and need to get back in the habit of eating wonderful HEALTHY foods.  This skewer was so perfect for our diet and is really good!  I don't think you can actually count it as a diet food, but it fit within our boundaries and was so delicious!  We will make this one even when not dieting!

Italian Chicken and Vegetable Skewers

Recipe adapted from Our Best Bites

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(sorry it's not the best picture...it actually was taken with my phone!!  Our camera is having issues...we need to replace it...anyone have some good suggestions on what kind to buy that will take fabulous food photo's???)

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

1 bottle of fat-free Italian dressing (or your favorite homemade recipe)

1 medium yellow squash, cut into bite size pieces

2 bell peppers, various colors, cut into bite sized pieces (we used green & purple...found at the produce stand down the street...really good!)

1 small red onion, cut into chunks

2 tomatoes, cut into chunks (we used 2 red tomatoes & then some yellow pear tomatoes)

12 white mushrooms, cut in half

Place your cut up chicken in a shallow dish and pour half of the bottle of Italian dressing over the top.  Cover and let marinate in the fridge for 2-3 hours. 

Gently toss the vegetables with the other half of the Italian dressing. Set aside.

Thread the meat and veggies onto some skewers.  There will be more veggies than meat.  A good rule is to do 3 veggies and then meat, 3 veggies then meat...etc.:)  TIP: If you are using bamboo skewers you can soak them in water for 30 minutes before use so they don't burn when you put them on the grill.  I would recommend investing in some metal ones though...whether or not I soak my skewers they always end up burning.  But, they taste good either way!:)

Preheat your grill to about 400 degrees.  Cook the skewers for about 10-12 minutes turning at the half way point, or until the chicken is done and the veggies are tender-crisp. 

Enjoy...these were wonderful!!