Orange-Thyme Chicken

This is another great way to eat chicken, also it's a WW special!

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 Tbs olive oil
2-3 minced garlic cloves
1 Tbs fresh chopped thyme
1Tbs fresh chopped rosemary
1 tsp red chili flakes
Zest and Juice of one med orange (or 1/2 c OJ concentrate)
Salt to taste

Directions
Combine: oil, thyme, rosemary, garlic, red chili flakes, and orange zest and juice.
Pour marinade over chicken breasts and place all in a ziplock bag for 1-2 hours
Bake covered in a greased dish for 35 mins or till juice of the chicken runs clear.
This serves 2 or 4 depending on how you cut the chicken breast and is great for leftovers.

WW info: one breast w. 2T pan drippings = 4 pts.

Chicken Caccitore

This is from my WW cookbook and is really dee-lish.

Ingredients:
6 pieces of chicken--any type you like, but about 3 1/2 pounds. I like boneless/skinless breasts.
olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
2 thinly sliced carrots, or about 10 baby carrots (if you have a Pampered Chef chopper use that!)
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 red and 1 green bell pepper, seeded, and chopped
3 cloves minced garlic
1-2 t dried marjoram, or oregano
1, 28 oz can, or 2, 14 oz cans Italian tomatoes, chopped.

Method:
Start the chicken off in some oil. Brown it about 3-5 mins a side. Remove this to a plate and start your veggies in the same pan/pot. Add all of your veggies to the pan, including spices. Stir till all are slightly soft and add tomatos, with the juice. Cook till the sauce has had a chance to thicken and become bubbly, about 5 mins. Add the chicken back in and cook for an additional 25 mins, or till the chicken is done thru. Serve over rice or potatoes.

Nutrition information: 1 serving = 1 pc chicken + 2/3C sauce; 273 cals; 10g fat; 3g fiber. WW points = 6.

Best Bean Soup

This is a variation of a WW recipe that I've tweeked a bit to be a "year supply dinner", and by that I mean, most of the ingredients can come from your pantry or year supply.

2 cans Great Northern Beans
2 cans stewed tomatoes, any variety
2 cans veggie broth, but you can use chicken broth too
1 pkg or 1 lb fresh spinach, washed and chopped or torn into peices (you can use a 10 oz pkg of frozen spinach, but I find that the texutre and apprearance of frozen spinach to be very off putting)
1 med onion diced up
2-3 cloves or minced garlic
1 lb ground turkey
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 bunch Italian flat leaf parsrley or 1 T dried parsely (optional)
Crusty bread & the cheese of your choice

Method:

Sautee onion and garilc till soft and almost translucent. Add meat and brown, don't forget to salt and pepper. When the meat is brown add the beans, tomatoes, and broth. Bring to a boil and cook for about 20 mins. Next add the spinach in in batches and allow to wilt down then add the next bunch, add the parsely here too if your're using it. Allow to cook for a few more minutes and serve with warm bread and cheese. WW info: 1 1/2 C soup = 4 pts, add appropriate points for bread and cheese according to lable info.

Varation: Place in a 2 qt casserole dish when all the ingredients are cooked. Rip bread into chunks and place on top of the soup, also sprinkle cheese on top and broil till cheese is brown and bubbly -- like you would do with French Onion soup. If you do it this way your WW nutrition info is: 1 1/2 C soup w/bread = 8 pts.

Rosemary Lemon Chicken

This is one of my current favorite ways to have chicken:

1 sm-med shallot minced
3 cloves minced garlic
1 T fresh rosemary, cut up w/o the stems
1 T stone ground or dijon mustard
1 T olive oil
Zest and juice from a small lemon

Combine all of these, and then marinate for a few hours 2-3 big boneless/skinless chicken breasts or 4-5 thighs.

Bake for 30 mins on 350, or till meat is done thru.

The marinade is good on roasted potatoes as well. :)

This is also a WW recipe, the nutrition info is: 1 breast = 4 pts.

Pineapple-Agave Chicken

I am all about eating healthy and fantastic chicken recipes. Here is a new one that we like:

Pineapple-Agave Glazed Chicken

2-3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 T soy-sauce
2 T agave nectar*
1 T fresh grated ginger (you should always have a fresh ginger root in your fridge!!)
1 minced shallot
1/2 C crushed pineapple
2 T fresh chopped flat leaf parsley
1 t corn starch
2 t cold water

Method:
Combine: soy-sauce, agave nectar, ginger, pineapple, shallot in a ziplock bag and add chicken. Marinate for at least 2 hours, but more is better. Bake in a 350F oven for about 30 mins or till chicken is done thru. When the chicken is done remove to a plate and take the pan juices and put them in a sauce pan on the stove. When the liquid comes to a boil add the corn starch and water that you have pre-mixed. When the liquid thickens, about 2-3 mins, add the parsley and remove from the heat and pour over the chicken. Serve with rice.

*Agave nectar is a natural sweetner made from the agave plant. If you are world wise, you will also know that agave is used in the production of tequila, although, the nectar is non-alcoholic. I like the nectar, which is like a light honey. It's good too because it does not crystalize like honey, so you can keep it on the shelf forever. Agave nectar can be found at Whole Foods or Wild Oats or perhaps Trader Joes, by the sweetners like Stevia. If you can't find agave necatr, use honey.

This is also a Weight Watchers recipe, the nutrition info is: 1 breast + 2T sauce = 5 pts, add 1/2 white or brown rice add 2pts.