Polynesian Chicken

For Greg's mom's Mother's Day gift we made her this dinner. I found the website (http://skinnyms.com/14-days-of-weight-loss-entrees-dinner-under-285-calories/) on Pinterest and thought this was a perfect time to try one of the recipes out. All the recipes are under 285 calories and actually taste good! Greg's parents loved it! We even enjoyed it so much that I made it again for us a couple weeks later. There are 13 other recipes that I need to try on that page still. They look really good!

This is a very easy dinner to make. It only takes 10 minutes to get everything in the slow-cooker and then you are done. Just serve over rice or quinoa and that's it! This recipe has 255 calories per 1 cup serving (a little more if you use normal soy sauce). They have the other specifics like amount of sodium, etc. on skinnyms.com/slow-cooker-polynesian-chicken/ if you want to know the rest. Try it out and enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts, cut into 2" cubes
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced into 1" strips
• 1 (20 oz.) can pineapple chunks in natural juice
• 2 Tbsp. Bragg Liquid Aminos or lite soy sauce (I didn't have either so I used normal soy sauce)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (If you don't have fresh garlic use 1/8 tsp per clove)
• 2 tsp. freshly grated ginger
• 1/3 c. honey
• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch

 

Directions:

1. Use a 4-7 quart slow-cooker.
2. Pour juice from canned pineapple chunks into a small mixing bowl.
3. Add soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and honey; whisk to combine.
4. Add cornstarch and stir until combined.
5. Place cubed chicken in slow-cooker; add pineapple chunks.
6. Pour pineapple mixture over chicken, cover and cook on low 4-5 hours (I did it on high for 4-5 hours because that is the normal temperature for that amount of time. Or low for 6-8 hours; I've done both and both are great).
7. Add chopped bell peppers the last 15 minutes of cook time.
8. Serve chicken over a bed of quinoa or brown rice (I used quinoa and I love it! It is a super grain and really easy to make).

Firefighter's Chicken Spaghetti

I found this recipe in my Everyday Slow Cooker & One Dish Recipes cookbook. The picture looked good so I gave it a shot. It turned out incredible. It's like adding chicken and noodles to funeral potatoes, sort of. It has that delicious funeral potato taste but without the potatoes. If you don't know what I'm talking about just know that it tastes incredible. Greg and I finished it off in 2 days. The only thing is that this recipe serves 12-14 so you should probably halve the recipe like I did. Here it is!

It looks like a bit of a mess but it is delicious!

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces uncooked spaghetti, broken in half
• 1 can Cream of Chicken soup, undiluted
• 1 can Cream of Mushroom soup, undiluted
• 1 c. (8 oz.) sour cream
• 1/2 c. milk
• 1/4 c. butter, melted
• 2 Tbsp. dried parsley 
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 2 c. (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 2-3 celery ribs, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 can (4 oz.) mushroom stems and pieces, drained (I didn't add this because I dislike mushrooms)
• 5 c. cubed cooked chicken
• 1 1/2 c. crushed cornflakes

Directions:

1. Cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain.
2. In a large bowl, combine the soups, sour cream, milk, 2 Tbsp. of the butter, and seasonings.
3. Add the cheeses, celery, onion, and mushrooms.
4. Stir in the chicken and spaghetti.
5. Transfer to a greased 3-qt. baking dish (the dish will be full).
6. Combine the cornflakes and remaining 2 Tbsp. butter; sprinkle on the top.
7. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 45-50 minutes or until bubbly.

Our 2 Year Anniversary

We recently celebrated our 2 year anniversary. 2 years already! How awesome is that? I couldn't be more grateful for my husband than I am now. I married the best and kindest man. He always takes such good care of me and I am excited for the many many years ahead of us. :)

He surprised me with this amazing bouquet, delicious Reese's and turquoise (one of my favorite stones) earrings. Greg picked pink roses specifically because they mean love, gratitude, and appreciation. He picked that color specifically. How sweet is he? :)

Aren't I lucky?

 We went out to a great dinner and after that went to Pioneer Theater in Salt Lake to watch Les Miserables. This was the first time I have seen it professionally done and it was great. I absolutely love the book and am currently around page 500. It is a big book but one of the best you could ever choose to read. If I had thought about it I would have taken a picture of us there but of course I didn't think of it until the drive home.

Les Miserables at Pioneer Theater

We ended the night with homemade strawberry shortcakes, a movie, and cuddling.

Nom nom nom!!! Seriously one of the best desserts ever invented!

All in all, it was a fantastic day and I wouldn't want to be with anyone else in the world. And I'm pretty sure he feels the same!  ;) (That is supposed to be a winky face.)