Super Filling Chicken Soup

My sister gave me a recipe for "Extreme Diet Soup" that was in Women's World Magazine in February 2009.  A coworker gave it to her, and she made it to help lose some weight before my wedding last spring.

The Extreme Soup Diet is actually a more reasonable soup diet than the cabbage soup diet from back in the day. You basically eat two bowls of the soup and two mini meals that are just small healthy meals a day. 

Not being on any sort of soup diet, I decided to make the "Extreme Diet Soup" as a way to automate my lunches for the week.  I wanted an easy and delicious way to get some addition vegetables into my diet, and I always love a big bowl of soup in the winter!

The soup happens to be a great tasting soup regardless of whether you are on a soup diet or not.  I think even non-dieters would approve.  It is very filling and flavorful!

The recipe makes 7, two-cup servings.  Each serving has 270 calories, 27 grams of protein, 8 grams of fat, 20 grams of carbs, 6 grams of fiber, and 6 grams of sugar.  For those of you on the BFC, you could always leave out the carrots or reduce use one onion to lower the sugar amount.  As prepared below, the S/C Value would be 6/1 for a huge 2 cup serving.  I promise this will fill you up!

Extreme Diet Soup
7 servings

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 large onions, very thinly sliced
1.5 lbs chicken breast, diced
1 large carrot, finely shredded
2 large cloves of garlic
1 jalapeno pepper with seeds, minced
2 tsp. fresh thyme or oregano (or 1 tsp dried)
8 c. fat free chicken broth
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained
6 cups fresh spinach leaves, packed
1 large tomato, finely diced
salt and pepper, to taste
7 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat.  Add onions, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.  Add chicken, stirring for 5 minutes more or until cooked through and onions are lightly browned.  Add carrot, garlic, jalapeno, and thyme.  Cook another 2 minutes.

Stir in broth and increase heat to high.  Bring the mixture to a boil.

Add beans, spinach, and tomato.  Bring back to boil, then turn off the heat.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Sprinkle each serving with 1 Tbsp. of Parmesan cheese. 

Enjoy!

Quick and Easy Chicken Fajitas

This recipe is the one meal that my husband knows how to cook.  It is really tasty and really easy. Lining the pan with foil makes clean up very easy!

I am amazed at how tender and moist the chicken stays without adding any additional fat or oil.

This meal is great for those on the BFC with family members who are not.  You can serve the fajitas with whole grain, corn or regular flour tortillas.

The S/C Value as I prepared it for me was 2/2.  This included 3 corn tortillas and a little bit of sour cream and salsa.  

Chicken Fajitas
serves 4

1 lb of chicken breast, cut into small pieces
1 packet of Old El Paso Fajita Seasoning
1/2 white onion, sliced thinly
2 peppers (we used one red and one orange), sliced thinly
corn, flour, or whole grain tortillas

 Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
In a bowl, combine the chicken, onion, peppers, and seasoning packet. Toss to coat.

Line a baking sheet with foil. Place chicken mixture on the foil.  Cover the chicken with another layer of foil.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Serve with sour cream, salsa, cheese, etc.

Chicken Salsa Melt

Today for lunch, I made a quick and tasty english muffin sandwhich.  This would be a great workday meal if you have a toaster oven in your office kitchen.

I love the convenience of using canned chicken.  I use Valley Fresh brand 100% Natural White Chicken in water.  

Depending on which brands you use, the S/C Value of the open face sandwich is about 1/2.

Chicken Salsa Melt

serves 1
1/2  can of All Natural White Meat Chicken
2 heaping tablespoons of low sugar salsa (I use Green Mountain Gringo Salsa which has less than 1 gram per serving)
1/2 tbsp. Ranch dressing (I use Hidden Valley Organic)
Shredded Cheese
Whole Wheat English Muffin  (I use Rudi's Organic brand)

Pre-toast the english muffin till lightly browned.  Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine salsa, chicken, and ranch dressing.  Spread the chicken mixture on the english muffins.   Top with cheese.
Bake in the toaster oven on 450 degrees for about 5 minutes (watch to make sure it doesn't burn, as toaster ovens cooking power varies).  Turn on the broiler and broil the muffins until the cheese is browned and bubbly. 

Enjoy!

Drunken Noodles

Tonight I tried to make a BFC version of one of my favorite Thai dishes.  It turned out really delicious!  If you do not have soba noodles, the chicken would be great over brown rice also.

One serving of the dish below has an S/C Value of  2/1, with 20 grams of carbs and 2 grams of fiber.

I served it with a simple spinach salad for some added fiber.

Drunken Noodles

Serves 4

4 ounces of soba noodles (I used organic Hakubaku brand from World Market.  It has 0 grams of sugar) 
1 lb chicken breasts, cut into small pieces 
2 serrano chilies, seeded and chopped 
tsp soy sauce 
2 cups fresh basil, ripped into large pieces 
1 tbsp fish sauce (found in the Asian food section 
2 tsp chopped garlic (I used jarred garlic) 
1 Tbsp canola oil 
1/2 tbsp red-chili paste (found in the Asian food section)
1 tsp Sugar in the Raw (1 packet)

1/2 tsp black pepper


Finely chop the garlic and chilies.  Combine and chop together until they make a paste.
Add oil to a skillet heated over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic-chili mixture and cook for about a minute.  . Add the chicken and cook until lightly browned (about 3-4 mins).

Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, red-chili paste, and sugar, and continue to cook until the chicken is done all the way through (about 5 mins).
Add the pepper and basil, and cook until the basil is wilted. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Spicy Lemon Chicken Pasta

 I modified this recipe from a Martha Stewart recipe, and it turned out fantastic.  I can tell that this will be one of my new favorite meals.  I used a rotisserie chicken to make it even easier.

The S/C Value for 1/4 the recipe below is 3/2, and each serving has 6 grams of fiber.

Spicy Lemon Chicken Pasta

6 ounces of healthy pasta (I used Dreamfield Healthy Carb Spaghetti)

3 tablespoons olive oil

zest and juice of 2 lemons

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and thinly sliced (You may also use 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes if you do not have fresh peppers)

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the lemon zest, garlic, and jalapeños and cook until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the pasta, lemon juice, peas, salt, pepper, and remaining oil and cook until heated through, 3 to 4 minutes, adding the chicken at the end.  Add the Parmesan and toss well.  Serve.

Chicken Fingers!!

Tonight I made real, crunchy breaded chicken fingers.  They were delicious!  I experimented with deep frying them, using Smart Balance Oil which is a healthy oil.  They turned out fantastic!

The most amazing part of these chicken fingers were the S/C value and fiber content.  For 1/4 of the recipe below, the S/C Value is 0/1 with 4 grams of fiber!!

I served the chicken fingers with S/C value 0/0 hot sauce. 

They were delicious when deep fried, but will be just as good if you oven fry them.  See below for instructions for both.

Whole Grain Chicken Fingers

Serves 4

1 c. of ground Uncle Sam's cereal (I used my coffee grinder to grind the cereal)
1 tsp. season salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
2 eggs
2 tsp. water
1/4 c. whole wheat flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour)
 1 lb. chicken breast, cut into thin strips

In a flat shallow dish, combine cereal and seasonings.  Stir until well combined. 

In another shallow dish, combine eggs and water. 

Put the flour on a plate or shallow dish.


To bread the chicken:

Take chicken strips and lightly coat with flour, making sure to coat each side.  Brush off any excess flour.  Next, dip chicken strips in the egg mixture, coating each side.  Finally, roll the chicken in the cereal breading.  Set aside.

To deep fry: 
Heat oil to 250 degrees.  When hot, add the chicken and cook for about 5 minutes, or until cooked through.  Drain on a plate with several paper towels, and serve while hot.

To oven fry:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place chicken strips on baking sheet which has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake about 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked through.

General Tso's Chicken

This recipe is based off of a weight watchers recipe.  I made some changes to give it more flavor and to make it a belly healthy recipe.

I served this with 1/2 cup of steamed broccoli and 1/4 cup of brown rice.

The only source of carbs in the dish are the xylitol (12 grams for the whole dish), cornstarch (7 grams for the whole dish),  and minuscule amounts in the scallions and garlic. I think that this makes the S/C Value for the chicken 0/1.

The S/C Value for the total meal  (with the broccoli and brown rice) would be 1/2.

General Tso's Chicken

Serves 4

3/4 c. chicken broth
1Tbsp. xylitol, ground into a fine powder (I use my coffee grinder)
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. sesame oil

2 tsp. oil (I use Smart Balance)
2 medium scallions, thinly sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. red pepper flaked
1 lb of chicken, cut into 2 inch pieces

1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. cold water

Stevia to taste

Combine broth, xylitol, vinegar, ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil.  Set aside.

Heat oil over medium high heat.  Add scallions, garlic, and red pepper flakes and cook for two minutes.

Add chicken and cook until chicken is browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.

Add sauce mixture, reduce heat until simmering.  Simmer for about 3 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.  When the chicken is cooked through, taste sauce and add a pinch of stevia if you want the sauce to be sweeter.

Dissolve cornstarch into the water.  Add the cornstarch mixture to the sauce and let sauce bubble and thicken.  When sauce is thick, remove from the heat.

Serve and enjoy.

Chicken Fried Rice

So, I am a huge fan of fried rice.  Sometimes I break down and eat it even though it is one of the worst things a diabetic could eat because of the insane amount of carbs in one serving.

Tonight, I made a version of fried rice that uses grated cauliflower instead of rice.  It was delicious!  I gave it to my husband without telling him that it was cauliflower, and he did not even notice that the rice was missing.

I got the recipe for which I based my version of the fried rice on Healthy Indulgences (wonderful website!!)

If you eat 1/2 of the recipe below, the S/C value would be about 4/2.  It tastes so good that I will not miss the carb laden version that I have been eating!  If you do not have 4 grams of sugar to spare for dinner, try omitting either the carrots or the onions, or use 1/4 c of each. 

Chicken Fried Rice (serves 2-3)

1/2 lb of chicken, cut across the grain in thin slices
1 tbsp oil
salt and pepper

1-2 tbsp oil (I used Coconut, but whatever should work. The coconut oil gives the dish a slightly sweet flavor)
2 c. grated Cauliflower
1/2 c. yellow onion, chopped
1/2 c. of matchstick sliced carrots (I used the pre-cut version)
10 snow pea pods, chopped (about 1/4 c.)
1 clove of garlic
5 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
dash of garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 eggs, beaten

In a frying pan over medium-high, heat 1 Tbsp oil.  Add chicken and season with salt and pepper.  Cook until cooked through.  Take chicken off of heat and set aside.

In a frying pan, heat 1 Tbsp. of coconut oil over medium heat.  When hot, add onions and cook until soft.  Remove onions from the pan and set aside.  Add carrots, chopped pea pods, and garlic and cook until soft and set aside with the onions.

Add cauliflower to the frying pan and saute for a minute or two, adding more oil if necessary.  Add 3 Tbsp. of soy sauce, 1/4 tsp. sesame oil, garlic powder, and pepper and stir until all of the cauliflower is coated with the soy sauce.  Cook until the cauliflower is soft.  Add the remaining vegetables.  Stir until combined.


Then, push all the vegetables to the side of the pan.  Scramble the eggs in the open space on the pan, using a spatula to dice up the cook egg.  When the egg is cooked, incorporate it into the vegetables.

Add the cooked chicken to the vegetable/egg mix.  Add remaining 2. Tbsp soy sauce and 1/4 tsp. of sesame oil.  Stir fry the mixture until chicken is warm. Serve and enjoy!

A Quick Dose of Buffalo Chicken Dip

Today I was really craving Buffalo Chicken Dip.  For those of you who have not had this delicious party food, it is a creamy and spicy dip that tastes like buffalo chicken wings.  It has become an obsession for some of my friends, and we make it for every party!

Buffalo Chicken Dip is a wonderful mix of chicken, ranch dressing, cream cheese, and hot sauce.  It is excellent when paired with tortilla chips and celery.

I mixed up a single serving version to satisfy my cravings.  Based on the brands used below, one serving of the dip alone has an S/C value of 2/0 (1.5 grams of sugar and 2 grams of carbs). See below for a list of delicious dippers and their S/C values.

Single Serving Buffalo Chicken Dip

2 Tbsp of full fat cream cheese, softened (I used Philadelphia brand)
1 Tbsp of ranch dressing (I used organic Hidden Valley Ranch)
1 1/2 tsp of Frank's Red Hot (more or less can be used, depending on taste)
Chicken chunks, shredded  (I used  about one heaping tbsp size scoop of Valley Fresh 100% Natural white meat canned chicken) 

In a small  microwave safe bowl, smash cream cheese with a fork.  Add ranch and hot sauce and stir to combine.  Flake chicken with a fork and add to cream cheese mixture.  Combine.  Microwave for 5-10 second intervals, stirring after each, until the dip is  hot, soft and creamy.

Enjoy with any of the following:

Tortilla Chips- I used about 1 ounce of  Tostito's brand Scoops for an S/C value of 0/1. You may be able to find a better option.  This is just what I had at my house. (The total S/C value for the dip and chips would be 2/1.)
Celery- A whole stalk only has an S/C value of 1/0! (The S/C value of the dip and celery would be 3/0)