Chicken Pot Pie Made EZ

There's nothing like a GREAT chicken pot pie on a cold day! It may seem like it could be overwhelming to make but this is a VERY simple recipe for you to try.  You will be making the basics right on your stove top in a deep sauté pan then transferring it into a large individual ramekin.  I purchased my individual ramekins at one of my favorite places - home goods! So here's the recipe - if you are snowed in like me today and you have these ingredients - now you have something wonderful to create!

1 whole roasted chicken (I usually buy one already roasted to save on time but you can roast one if you decide) shred chicken off the bone

3 large Carrots sliced thinly (after being peeled of course)

3 large Celery Stalks sliced thinly

1/2 bag of baby frozen peas or same of fresh peas (depending if you can find fresh)

1/2 small carton of mushrooms (any kind is ok) sliced up small

1 small onion finely chopped

4 tablespoons of unsalted butter

1 teaspoon of paprika

3 Tablespoons of Flour

1 cup of Chicken Stock or Broth

2 Cups of Whole Milk

Refrigerator Pie Crust - usually in dairy section

In your skillet, melt 2 tablespoon of the butter.

Add the onion, mushrooms, carrots and celery

season with salt and pepper

Cover and cook until veggies are softened.

Uncover and cook, stirring till lightly browned

Stir in the flour and paprika and continue to cook for about 2 more minutes

Add the stock till well blended.

Add the milk and bring to a low boil.

Stir in the Chicken and peas.

Remove from heat.

Get your individual ramekins out

Fill them with your chicken pot pie ingredients.

Roll out your pie crust and cut it to fit over your ramekin.

Preheat your oven to 425 - put your individual pot pies on a cookie sheet (just in case they drip plus they are much easier to remove from the oven if they are on the cookie sheet)

Bake for 20-30 minutes until your pie crust is golden brown.

Serve up!

This is not a diet meal but if you had a healthy breakfast and lunch plus you worked out in the gym - you will be fine enjoying this!

It is a real show stopper - if you serve this to company! True comfort food:)

Updated Breakfast Healthy Oatmeal

You may notice that there is another Oatmeal posting on my blog from a few years ago.  I have completely changed what I add to my Oatmeal since that posting - so here it is:


Oatmeal (I never use instant)
Fresh Blueberries - about 2 tablespoons
1/4 piece of a banana
A pinch of Sliced Almonds
1 teaspoon of ground flax seeds
1 teaspoon of Chia seeds
1 sprinkling of knox unflavored Gelatin (good to build up strong nails and hair)
a dash of Cinnamon
Mix all together with Almond Milk
Drizzled some honey on top


Microwave for 4 minutes! It's really a fabulous start to your morning!


Also if you want to add some protein which I do on occasion - whip in 1 egg white prior to microwaving or add in 1 heaping teaspoon of Almond Butter!  This is something the trainer in my gym told me to do if I needed more protein in my diet.  You do not taste the egg white - it makes the oatmeal lighter and more fluffy.


I absolutely LOVE my morning start up!

Hearty Winter Lamb Stew

2 lbs of Lamb Cubes
Flour
Salt and Pepper
EVOO
1 small chopped onion
4 large Carrots cut in cubes
2 cups of Chicken Broth
1-8oz can of diced tomatoes in tomato sauce
1 teaspoon of lemon pepper
1/4 teaspoon of marjoram
1/8 teaspoon of dill
1 teaspoon of garlic powder

1) Pour 1 cup of flour in a zip lock bag add the salt and pepper
2) Add the lamb cubes and shake in the bag till coated
3) heat your EVOO in sauté pan
4) add lamb cubes to brown up
5) add the onions to the lamb cubes sauté around for about 15 minutes
6) coat your crockpot with a thin layer of cooking spray
7) add your lamb cubes and onion to the crock
8) add the rest of the ingredients
9) cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours

It has a delicious bold flavor! I had mine over spaghetti squash with a side of roasted purple turnips. So wonderful!

Chicken Sausage Meatball, White Bean and Tuscan Kale Soup

1 pound dried beans - I used White Cannelloni Beans because that's what I had in my house
8 cups of low-sodium chicken broth, that's 2 of those boxes, I use organic
1 small onion peeled and chopped up finely
2 carrots peeled and chopped up finely
2 stalks of celery, chopped up finely
4 large cloves of garlic, chopped up finely
4 thyme sprigs, fresh
1 bay leaf
1 small parmesan rind - buy a piece of parm with the rind - cut off the rind to use
1 pound of Chicken sausage or any kind you like - I used Chicken to save on calories
1 handful of kale
1/2 juice of 1 lemon
Sprinkling of Crushed Red Pepper
Sprinkling of Fresh Grated Parmesan




1) In your Slow cooker, add the first 9 ingredients. Cover it and turn cooker slower cooker on 4 hours for high or 7 hours for low.
2) Take the sausage and squeeze the meat out to form small meatballs - this was super simple to do.
3) Add them to the soup the last 30 minutes just so they cook up.
4) Add the kale the last 20 minutes
5) Squeeze the 1/2 of lemon into soup - stir up.
6) Sprinkle in the crushed red pepper - add as much as you want depending on the heat you like.
7) Remove the thyme springs, the parm rind and the bay leaf - discard those.
8) Plate up your soup in a bowl - topped off with some grated Parmesan cheese.

Inside-Out Carrot Cookies

These cookies are unbelievable! They are really not hard to make at all. I left out the raisins as I'm not a huge raisin fan. The recipe made 20 nice size cookies. I am constantly on a recipe hunt and this one was posted by a women in Newsday a few weeks ago. I could tell it was a true winner! Oh I also sprinkled mine with powdered sugar as they look much nicer on the plate. I highly recommend these!!!

Chicken Chili

Here's a really delicious and healthy version if you like to have Chili during the cold months. I enjoy Chili but don't eat the beef version any longer since the calorie content is so high. Just not where I chose to use up my calories. So here's the recipe:

2 cups of shredded chicken (from a roasted chicken) or you can use any type of cooked chicken you have on hand
1 large Zucchini, cubed
1medium onion, diced
1 Cup of diced mushrooms, I used baby Bella's
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 small can of green chilies (in Mexican section of grocery)
1 8 ounce can diced tomatoes in sauce
1 8 ounce can pinto beans (you can use red kidney beans)
Chili powder -add as much as you want depending on the amount of spice you like
Dash of salt and pepper
1/2 cup of a Chicken broth, I use organic
Reduced fat cheddar cheese for topping if you like

1) sauté the zucchini, onions, pepper, garlic in a amount of EVOO then as this starts to soften up add the mushrooms
2) add in the rest of the ingredients (not the cheese that's for topping at the end)
3) let it all simmer on low setting for about 30 minutes.
4) spoon into a nice large bowl
5) top with your cheese
Serve up with a big salad!
Enjoy it:)

White Chocolate Coconut Truffles

For Truffles:

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup butter

1 teaspoon coconut extract

12 ounces good white chocolate

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

For Topping:

1 cup tender flake shredded coconut

8 ounces white candy melting chocolate for dipping

1. Over a double boiler, in a heat proof bowl, heat up the cream, butter, coconut extract and white chocolate stirring constantly till it's all melted.

2. Stir in the confectioner sugar till all mixed together well.

3. Refrigerate the truffle mixture until firm like 2 hours or so.

4. Put the shredded coconut in a bowl 

5. Roll the truffle mixture into small balls

6. Place them on a cookie sheet or on waxed paper

7. Refrigerate or freeze them while you melt the white chocolate candy coating.

8. Melt the white chocolate candy coating in pot on stove very carefully so not to burn - do it on low heat stirring constantly.

9. Dip the truffles into the melted white chocolate then coconut - I used a toothpick in the truffle to dip then rolled it in the coconut and pulled out the toothpick. The coconut will cover the little hole you make with your toothpick!

10. Refrigerate till serving.