Lemon Chicken Rigatoni with Broccoli

An easy dinner for the busy mom.  This is a great all-in-one from the kitchens of Betty Crocker.  Talk about a deal.  All ingredients are pretty inexpensive and you only have 1 skillet to clean.  I've made this several times, and it comes out perfect every time.  Not bad in the calorie count either about 380 using margarine.  You can replace the Parmesan cheese with feta cheese for a completely different taste.

Amount	Unit	Ingredient	Preparation
2	Tablespoons	Butter / Margarine
2	Cloves	Garlic	Finely Chopped
2	Cups	Rigatoni Pasta	Uncooked
2	Cups	Chicken Broth
2	Cups	Broccoli	Frozen
1 ½	Teaspoon	Lemon Zest
¼	Cup	Parmesan Cheese	Shredded

1.       In a 12-inch skillet, melt butter or margarine over medium heat.  Add garlic; cook about 1 minute, stirring  occasionally, until softened

2.       Stir in uncooked pasta and broth.  Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally; reduce heat to medium-low.  Cover;   simmer 11 minutes.  Stir well.

3.       Spread broccoli and chicken over pasta.  Cover; cook 12 to 14 minutes longer or until pasta is tender.

4.       Stir in lemon zest and top with cheese

Curried Apricot Chicken

This is a recipe worth keeping.  It doesn't take much time to prepare, and the results are amazing.  It's not really low cal, (about 430) but every once in a while why not cheat....just a little

 

Amount	Measurement	Ingredient	Preparation
4	5 oz	Chicken Breast	Skinless / Boneless
2	Tablespoons	Olive Oil
½	Cup	Onions	Diced
¾	Cup	Mixed Dried Fruit
¾	Cup	Water
2	Teaspoons	Curry Powder
1	Teaspoon	Lemon Juice
½	Teaspoon	Salt
¼	Teaspoon	Pepper
½	Cup	Apricot Preserves	Low Sugar
1	Tablespoon	Parsley	Minced
2	Tablespoons	Almonds	Sliced & Toasted

   1.  Coat a large skillet with no-stick coating spray; heat over medium-high heat. Cook chicken in hot skillet until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes. Remove from skillet.

2.    Heat oil over medium heat in same skillet.

3.    Add onion & cook 5 minutes or until tender

4.    Stir in fruit, water curry powder, lemon juice salt & pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low.  Return chicken to skillet

5.    Cover & simmer 20 minutes or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165F

6.    Arrange chicken breasts over rice on serving platter

7.    Stir apricot preserves and parsley into sauce, heat through

8.    Spoon over chicken

9.    Sprinkle almonds on top

Carrots Almondine

It's not low cal, but it is a great way to get the kids to eat cooked carrots.

Amount	Measurement	Ingredient	Preparation
1	Lb	Carrots	Sliced 1/8” thick
¼	Cup	Raisins
¼	Cup	Margarine
3	Tablespoons	Honey
1	Teaspoon	Lemon Juice
¼	Teaspoon	Ginger	Ground
¼	Cup	Almonds	Sliced

.

1.        Cook carrots covered in ½” boiling water for 8 minutes, drain

2.       Turn carrots into a 1 qt baking dish          

3.       Stir in raisins, margarine, honey, lemon juice and ginger

4.       Bake uncovered in a preheated 375 F oven for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally

5.       Spoon into serving bowl and sprinkle with carrots

Mango Chutney

I make a small amount of chutney at a time & keep it in the fridge in a plastic tupperware type container.  I use it for everything.  On top of any fish, or chicken.  It packs a lot of flavor and very few calories.   This recipe makes about 86 Tablespoons, which is about 80 calories per tablespoon.  I'm not fond of a lot of heat in my food, so I scale back the red chili pepper. 

Amount	Measurement	Ingredient	Preparation
1	Cups	Sugar
½	Cup	White Vinegar	Distilled
3	Cups	*Mangos	Peeled & Chopped
½	Cup	*Onion	Chopped
¼	Cup	Golden Raisins
1/8	Cup	Crystallized Ginger
½	Clove	Garlic
½	Teaspoon	Mustard Seeds	Whole
1/8	Teaspoon	Red Chili Pepper

* 3 cups of mango are about 2 - 3 mangos
* 1/2 cup of chopped onions is about 1/2 of a medium onion

1.  Combine sugar and vinegar in a large pot bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves
2.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer uncovered until syrupy & slightly thickened about 45 minutes.
3.  Let cook and store in a jar or tupperware container.


          

Strawberries

Fresh Strawberries

For a great dessert, how about fresh strawberries?  The great thing is, 4 oz of fresh strawberries is only about 57 calories.  Add 1% low fat milk & and a package of equal, you have a great dessert for only about 100 calories.  What's not to love about that?

4          oz                strawberries

4          oz                1% low fat milk

1          packet          equal

1.  Clean strawberries & remove the stem
2.  Slice the strawberries
3.  Add equal and mix well
4. Refrigerate

It's that simple

Chicken Primavera

It doesn't get much easier than this.  A great recipe from Minute Rice and it's all in one.  This is a meal in less than 30 Min's.  I used mixed vegetables instead of the peas & broccoli and it came out great.  You can keep the chicken breast whole, or cut them into small bit size pieces.  All you need is a salad and your ready to go. The recipe serves 4, and the best part; about 206 calories with only 2 grams of saturated fat.  If you remove the Parmesan cheese, only about 183 calories with only 1 gram of saturated fat. 

Amount	Measurement	Ingredient	Preparation
¾	Lb	Chicken Breast	Boned & Skinned
1	Ea	Onion	Chopped
1	Tablespoon	Olive Oil
1	Cup	Broccoli	Frozen
1	Cup	Peas	Frozen
1	Ea	Carrot	Julienned
13 ¾	Oz	Chicken Broth
½	Teaspoon	Basil
1 ½	Cup	Rice	Instant
¼	Cup	Parmesan	Cheese

1.      Cook & stir chicken & onion in hot oil in large skillet til chicken is browned.

2.      Add broccoli, peas, carrot, broth, basil & pepper; bring to boil. 

3.      Stir in rice.  Return to boil.  Reduce heat; cover. 

4.      Simmer 5 min. Remove from heat.  Let stand 5 min.  Stir in cheese

Fish Baked with Chutney

There's a great thing about serving fish for dinner, it's healthy, it's "brain food" and cooks up in a hurry.  You will spend more time getting the ingredients ready that total cook time. You can buy chutney in your local market or make your own. (mango chutney recipe to follow)

Amount	Size	Ingrediet
1 ¼	Lbs	Halibut		*Note
2	Tablespoons	Vegetable Oil
1/3	Teaspoon	Garlic		Crushed
2	Tablespoons	Butter
½	Teaspoon	Black Pepper
½	Teaspoon	Ginger		Grated
4	Tablespoons	Mango Chutney
½	Teaspoon	Paprika
1	Medium	Onion		Finely Chopped
2	Tablespoons	Cilantro	Chopped

*Note:  You can use any white fish   (I used cod and it was delicious)                                                                                                                                       

Season fish with pepper & paprika on both sides, & cook in hot oil for 40 seconds on each side

Sprinkle with lemon juice

Place half the fillets in a buttered ovenproof dish

Brown onion, garlic, & ginger in 2 Tablespoons of butter

Add Cilantro to the onion mixture & mix well
Spread the onion mixture of the first layer of fillets, 
Pour any remaining butter over the fillets
Lay the remaining fillets on top
Spread the chutney evenly over the fillets
Bake @ 350F for about 12 mins.


Serve hot, you may add more chutney at the table.