Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip

Posted on May 21, 2012 by shaunamarlowe

So I’ve been MIA the past 2 weeks…oops. I’ve been super busy, so when I actually got the chance to sit down, I mostly just watched TV and relaxed. Lazy I know, but it felt good. We have had super fun weekends the past two. We went to Niagara Falls with our friends Maria and Rob which was of course a great time! This is us before we boarded the Maid of the Mist and got a close up view of the falls which was so awesome!

This past weekend, we went to Huntingdon, PA to hang out with a few friends from college. It is always great to see them, eat, and just spend time together. This time we went on two hikes, one up a mountain over 1,000 steps (literal rock ledge steps) and my calves are most definitely feeling it.

It’s always great to be able to spend time with friends, so I’m so glad we were able too!

Now it’s back to a normal week, except it is getting to be more and more like summer everyday which makes me very happy.

There are so many recipes for Buffalo Chicken Dip, so I wanted to see what I could come up with that would be healthier, but still have that spicy/creamy taste. This is just the ticket!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

6 oz fat free plain Greek yogurt
1 tbsp hot sauce (or more to taste)
2-4 chicken breasts
2 c cooked cauliflower (optional)
2 tsp ranch seasoning mix

Grill chicken breasts sprinkled 1 tsp ranch seasoning mix (recipe below). I used my George Foreman. Shred Chicken, or cut into small pieces.

You can use 4 chicken breasts, or for something a bit lighter use 2 chicken breasts and 2 c cooked cauliflower cut into small pieces.

In a medium saucepan, add Greek yogurt, hot sauce, ranch seasoning mix, and chicken (or chicken and cauliflower mix) and heat until hot and everything is mixed together.

Serve immediately, as a dip, in a Sandwich, or on top of salad. The possibilities are endless.

Ranch Seasoning Mix

1 tsp dried parsley
3/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp dried thyme

Mix everything together.

Weekend events and Slow Cooker Chicken Fajita Soup

Posted on March 12, 2012 by shaunamarlowe

Let me tell you about our weekend.

Friday we were supposed to have a relaxing evening at home..which we did until about 10:00 when our cat, Finley started acting really weird, running all over the house, breathing heavily and getting blood everywhere. We didn’t know what was wrong or what to do so we brought her to the emergency vet. After blood work and an x-ray and thoughts that she may have feline asthma, the vet came to the conclusion that the reason for everything was because she had a deep cut on her tail. We can only assume that the reason for the cut was because she bit it (she likes to play with her tail sometimes and got carried away this time…) It was kind of ironic because we had just finished watching 127 Hours. Anyway, she had to get stitches and has to wear an e collar for 10 days and get medicine every several hours. Needless to say, she is not a happy camper.

The rest of the weekend was a lot better though! Saturday we went to the Sharp Edge Bistro, and enjoyed delicious burgers and beer!

I didn’t drink all that by the way, but that Atwater Vanilla Java Porter was divine! Like a milkshake with the best aftertaste.

After that we went to Pittsburgh Ballet Theatres production of Streetcar Named Desire. It was really good! I’ve never been to a ballet before, because I’m more of a play and musical person but I really enjoyed it!

THEN, on Sunday it was so beautiful outside! SO, we went on the first bike ride of the year beside the rivers in Pittsburgh on the North Shore. I am so glad that the weather is getting nicer and we can enjoy our bikes and the outdoors more! I’m so excited for spring and summer!

Anyway, I know it’s getting warmer outside (for now), but it still gets pretty chilly at night. This Chicken Fajita Soup is perfect for these upcoming chilly spring nights. This recipe was inspired from a recipe I was given for a soup that is sold at Giant Eagle Market District.

Slow Cooker Chicken Fajita Soup

1-2 chicken breasts
15 oz can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 1/2 c frozen corn
1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles (I used Rotels diced tomatoes and green chiles, and Trader Joes fire roasted tomatoes with green chiles at different times and it tasted great with both)
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 quart chicken broth
1.12 oz Fajita Seasoning (Next time I make this I will make my own fajita seasoning, with no chemicals or weird stuff)
1 tbsp lime or lemon juice
1/2 c chopped cilantro
Cheese (we used mexican blend, but it would taste great with cheddar, Pepper Jack, or pretty much anything)

Add chicken, black beans, corn, tomatoes, chicken broth, and fajita seasoning to the slow cooker.

Cook on low for 8-9 hours or low for 4-6.

Add lime or lemon juice, and cilantro. Cook for an additional half hour.

Serve, topped with cheese of choice.

Chicken Pumpkin Curry in the Slow Cooker

Posted on February 4, 2012 by shaunamarlowe

Curry is my favorite spice. We even named our cat after it.

I used to make curry dishes all the time. But I have expanded my horizons a bit. Still whenever I see a recipe that calls for Curry, I am immediately drawn to it. I just can’t help it. Whenever anyone asks us what we eat for dinner (which is a weird question, but we have been asked several times…) Johns normal response is, “Oh, well we eat a lot of Curry dishes” which I think is pretty funny…but still not true (anymore).

When I saw this recipe, while scanning for them, I knew it was a must try and also something that John and I would really enjoy! I know it uses pumpkin, which was like so 4 months ago. But please, I just stocked up on the stuff. I recently got the organic pureed pumpkin, originally $3.99, for $0.99 which I was pretty psyched about. I altered this recipe quite a bit, and put it in the slow cooker for the day. I wasn’t sure how it would turn out in the slow cooker but it worked really well. The chicken was so moist and fell apart with just a touch of the fork. That’s the best kind of chicken in my book.

Chicken and Pumpkin Curry in the Slow Cooker

2-4 chicken breasts (I only used 2 but there was quite a bit of leftover veggies..so this meal could easily feed 4, especially if served over quinoa)
1/2 c chopped onion
1 c chopped bell peppers
3 c cauliflower florets (frozen or fresh)
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp red curry powder (or regular curry powder if you want a dish that’s not spicy)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
dash of nutmeg and allspice
1 14 oz can lite coconut milk
1 15 oz can organic pumpkin
1/2 c vegetable broth
1/2 c raisins
Salt to taste

Put chicken and vegetables in your slow cooker.

Mix together the coconut milk, pumpkin, vegetable broth and spices in a bowl. Pour over chicken and veggies.

Cook on high for 4-6 hours and low for 8-10. Before the final hour is done, add the raisins and stir slightly to incorporate.

Serve plain or over quinoa.

What is your favorite spice?

Chicken Jambalaya

Posted on December 13, 2011 by shaunamarlowe

Is everybody ready for Christmas? I never really knew what people meant when they asked this question. If they asked me when I was a kid it was always a YES! Now however, I am beginning to understand what they mean. Is all of your Christmas shopping done? Baking? Wrapping? Decorating? Christmas cards?

I have one out of all of those done! I guess that’s better than none. The decorating is done and the tree is up:

John and I are having a “Beer and Cookie Swap” this Friday. Since you can mostly only buy a case of beer in PA, John thought it would be fun if every guy brought a case of beer so that by the end of the night each guy had a variety of different beers. I thought why not make it a cookie swap as well so it can be our Christmas party. So the girls are bringing cookies. Everyone can enjoy cookies, and beer, or of course a champagne punch, and other salty snacks. After all those cookies salty will be necessary. This week is grocery shopping, baking cookies, cleaning, and preparing for the party. I’m really looking forward to it though!

For those of you you were wondering, I did finally figure out what to wear to Johns work party and it was really fun! The party was held at Heinz Field (The Steelers Stadium) so we got to tour that and John and I won a gift card to a fancy restaurant I’ve been wanting to go to! Can’t get much better than that!

This recipe for Chicken Jambalaya is a relatively easy dish to make in the midst of all of the holiday madness. It’s also sure to please the meat lovers in your life and it even looks festive! I modified this recipe from one I found in the December 2011 issue of EveryDay with Rachael Ray.

Chicken Jambalaya

1 link spicy chicken or turkey sausage (I don’t know how to calculate the size, but my link was about 6 inches long and pretty thick)
2 chicken breasts
1 c diced green bell peppers
1/2 c onion
2 tsp smoked paprika
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 c quinoa
1 1/2 c frozen spinach
salt and pepper

Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up into pieces until browned.

Add the chicken and salt and pepper and cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.

Add the bell peppers, onion, paprika, and cayenne pepper and cook until vegetables have softened.

Stir in the tomatoes, quinoa and 3/4 c water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered for about 15 minutes, until quinoa is cooked through.

Stir in spinach, cover, and simmer for another 10 minutes.

If this dish isn’t spicy enough for you, you can up the amount of ground cayenne pepper you put in it, or put hot sauce on top.

Are you ready for Christmas?

Chicken Corn Soup in the Slow Cooker

Posted on November 21, 2011 by shaunamarlowe

This weekend was so much fun! Friday we went to “Light up Night” in downtown Pittsburgh and then got dinner with some friends. Saturday I spent all day in the kitchen making a ton of food. It was tiring but totally worth the reward of all the delicious looking food. That night John and I went to the Drive In movie theater. I had been waiting for weeks for “50/50″ to come to that theater and it finally did. It just so happened that the Co-feature was “Breaking Dawn” which John wasn’t terribly excited about, but I secretly was. I guess it’s not a secret now…Going to the Drive In when it’s cold outside is so fun! I’d say even better than going in the summer. We brought a big comforter and were warm and cozy the whole time. I definitely recommend it!

“50/50″ was soooo good! Honestly one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time. I laughed, and I cried. I always get super excited about a movie and then I see it and am pretty disappointed, but not so with this one. I Loved it! “Breaking Dawn” was alright too…I’m definitely not a Twilight Person but the movies are a bit intriguing and I just want to watch them…so now we don’t have to get it on Netflix.

Yesterday we were able to enjoy Thanksgiving Dinner with our church. It’s always a fun time with tons of food, and getting to meet new people. It made me really excited for Thanksgiving this week. Getting up for work this morning was tough. But I’m definitely thankful that it’s a short work week and that we’ll be bound for York on Wednesday!

I don’t know about you, but when I know it’s a short week and I still have two desserts to make, and when I know I’m going to be eating like a pig in a few days, I want to make something for dinner that is quick and easy. As well as delicious, heartwarming, and healthy. So soup it is! I’ve made this soup in some variation or other several times ever since college. It’s one of my favorites! This time I made it in a slow cooker which makes it that much easier!

Chicken Corn Soup in the Slow Cooker

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 c frozen corn
1 1/2 c frozen (or fresh) spinach
1 c chopped carrots
1/2 c onion
1 quart chicken broth
salt & pepper to taste
1 tbsp Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute*
1 c quinoa (You can also use rice or noodles if you prefer)

Put all ingredients except quinoa into the slow cooker. Put enough broth in to cover all of the ingredients and still be soupy. Cook on high for 5 hours, or low for 8.

Shred chicken with two forks, and stir.

Cook quinoa according to directions on box. Stir in to soup. Let sit for 10 minutes more.
*21 Seasoning Salute is a delicious blend of (you guessed it) 21 different ingredients from Trader Joe’s. I add it to a lot of different recipes to add a bit more flavor to them and I love the taste. For $1.99, you just can’t beat it either. If you’re lucky enough to have a Trader Joe’s near you, I would definitely pick some of goodness up. The ingredients in it are:

-Onion
-Spices (black pepper, celery seed, cayenne pepper, parsley, basil, majoram, bay leaf, oregano, thyme, savory, rosemary, cumin, mustard, coriander)
-Garlic
-Carrot
-Orange peel
-Tomato granules
-Lemon juice powder
-Oil of lemon
-Citric acid

This soup would definitely still taste delicious without 21 Seasoning Salute. In the past, I have used rosemary, or thyme to switch up the taste a little bit. I actually added a couple of sprinkles of cinnamon once and it was surprisingly good. This soup is just so versatile, you can add whatever spices and vegetables you want and it will still taste good.

Have you seen any good movies recently?

Mexican Chicken Chilli in Slow Cooker

Posted on October 28, 2011 by shaunamarlowe

So Halloween weekend! I’ve never been ‘gung ho’ Halloween. I mean I love candy and parties…But dressing up is just a pain for the most part and it stresses me out! We are going to a Halloween party tomorrow and I do have my “costume”, except for my wig If it’s not in the mail tomorrow, I don’t know what I’m going to do. Also, my costume is kinda silly and people (except for the people at this party) won’t even know who I am until they see me with John, and even then, it’s very much a 2011 costume. I’m doing it for John though based on his “favorite” song (Don’t ever say I’m not a good wife ). Maybe I’ll post a picture later if it all works out. Are you dressing up for Halloween this year? If so, what are you being?

I totally failed in posting this on Wednesday like I had planned. Oh well, regardless of when I posted it, it is still delicious! This is modified from a Weight Watchers recipe that I found on Photo a Day, so that goes to show that it is low in calories too! But still so hearty and fulfilling!

Mexican Chicken Chili in Slow Cooker

-1/2 c onion
-1 16 oz. can black beans (drained and rinsed)
-1 16 oz. can kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
-1 14.5 oz. can tomato sauce
-1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
-3/4 c chicken or vegetable broth
-2 c frozen corn
-2 chicken breasts
-1 packet taco seasoning (If you have an ethnic aisle in your grocery store, there are so many options)
-1 tbsp cumin
-1 tbsp chili powder
-a dash of cayenne pepper (optional)

Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker. Cook for about 5 hours on High, or 8 hours on low. Shred chicken, then cook for an additional 15 minutes or so.

Spicy Chicken Sauce in the Slow Cooker

Posted on October 19, 2011 by shaunamarlowe

I’m writing a post for crock pot Thursday…on Wednesday. So you can make it on Thursday. I started crock pot Thursday because I don’t get home from work until about 6:30 and thought it would be nice if dinner was pretty much ready when I got home. Also, our favorite TV shows are on that night so it gives me more time to relax and enjoy the good ol’ TV. The Big Bang Theory and The Office are the shows I am referring to by the way. They just crack me up every time. We have also been watching Whitney. I’m still not sure what I think about it but it’s funny enough. I watched one of her stand up routines earlier this summer and thought it was pretty dang good, so thought why not watch the show? I’m still eh about it though.

So as I was just reading the word “crock pot”, I wondered if I should use the “slow cooker” instead? It’s kind of like the whole tissue/Kleenex thing. I don’t even know if my slow cooker is actually a crock pot or not. So I will just say slow cooker from now on.

Anyway, I made this Spicy Chicken Sauce for dinner last Thursday. I got the inspiration from the September 2011 issue of Rachael Ray. However, that recipe wasn’t in a slow cooker, and I made quite a bit of changes. I also would typically serve this dish over quinoa, but this time I served it over whole wheat pasta with spinach because I knew John was hankering for pasta (he always is). So do whatever you are hungry for…it was delicious with pasta, but it would be with quinoa, rice, plain, or wrapped in a tortilla as well! This recipe served 2 of us with leftovers. And we eat a little more than a normal serving size so it could potentially feed a family of four.

Spicy Chicken Sauce

-2 chicken breasts, chopped
-1 small onion sliced, about 1 cup
-1 jalapeno chile chopped (seeded and de-ribbed unless you want it super spicy)
-3 cloves garlic minced
-1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles (You can also use plain diced tomatoes if you prefer)
-1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
-Salt and Pepper
-Juice from 1 lemon (about 1 tbsp)

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.

My slow cooker cooks pretty fast so this was done in about 5 1/2 hours on low. However, all slow cookers cook differently. Typically I would cook this on high for 5 hours and low for 8. You probably know how your slow cooker works so do what you think would work best based on how your slow cooker cooks and your schedule.

chicken mozzarella roll ups

Posted on June 1, 2011 by shaunamarlowe

So John’s friend was coming over to dinner. Well…I guess he’s kinda my friend too. It’s weird. John seems to have more highschool/college friends in the area, and they are all nice enough to include me in everything. So anyway, I wanted to make him at least a semi good dinner because he lives by himself and goodness knows what he normally eats.

I had some fresh mozzarella and tomatoes I had to finish before they got moldy along with my ever present pesto that I thawed out the night before. So I decided on these roll ups and they were quite good.

Chicken Mozzarella Roll ups:

-chicken tenderloins
-mozzarella cheese
-pesto (store bought or homemade recipe at the bottom of this post)
-roma tomatoes
-salt
-pepper
-olive oil

Depending on how many people you will be serving use as many tenderloins as you think you will need (I used 11: 4 roll ups each for the guys, and 3 for me)
Smash them a little bit so they are thinner and easier to roll.
Put a small spoonful of pesto, a piece of tomato, and a piece of cheese on each. roll up and place on baking sheet seam down.
Put olive oil on top (I have one of those olive oil sprayer things that work really well, but you could also brush it on) then top with salt and pepper.
broil for 8-10 minutes until slightly browned on top.

I served these with a big salad and homemade garlic breadsticks (I would post the recipe but they really weren’t that good)

I just love basil, tomatoes, and mozzarella together. So I thought this would be a good combo and I was right. There are so many ways you can make these chicken roll ups so I might be posting more recipes. And if you come up with any other delicious ideas, please let me know!

Cheer and Chow

Category Archives: Chicken