Easy Roast Chicken and Butternut Squash

When I think of fall I think of squash and cinnamon, so this recipe was a no brainer for me. It's so simple to put together but I love that the flavors are a little different than what I'm used to which is more of an Italian flavor base. This recipe has cinnamon in it which it such a great addition and really warms the meal up. The best part is it's a one pan recipe, and the ingredients list is simple.

Roast Chicken with Sage Brown Butter Sweet Potatoes

It's still in the 80's and 90's here in Southern California, so the other day I decided to really force fall upon us. We had the AC on so the house wasn't too hot, a pumpkin apple candle was burning, and fall decor was everywhere. It really did feel like fall, unless you ventured outside. The best part of the day was dinner, it was so incredibly delicious and satisfying. I roasted a couple of chicken breasts for us, steamed some frozen veggies, and the star of the show was these sage brown butter sweet potatoes. I used my spiralizer to make them into noodles. It was an enormous waste of time in the end. I was flipping them very gently while they cooked but I still ended up with more of a sweet potato hash, still tasty though. I would recommend a small dice if you make these. Unless you want a killer arm workout from turning sweet potatoes into noodles! 

Chicken Enchiladas

These are so delicious and filling! Best part is you can have two enchiladas and a side of beans (or salad? anyone?) and it can be a meal for under 400 calories! Which leaves room for dessert, you're welcome. If you have a bunch of bell peppers on hand and no tortillas, then you could easily turn this recipe into enchilada stuffed peppers. Which would be so delicious, cut calories, and definitely cut carbs. 

Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Kabobs

This was so easy and delicious! You won't believe how good these are until you make them yourself. The ingredients are simple and cheap, but this is the kind of meal you'll want to go back for a second helping. Let's get right into it!

Crock Pot Chicken & Dumpling Soup

This is a definite crowd pleaser. Super easy to put together, you can even make this into a freezer bag meal that you thaw out the day before you cook it. I love using the crock pot when it's too hot to be in the kitchen. It's been in the high 80's here, and just last night cooking pancakes for dinner I was sweating bullets. This was a total fuss free meal and it's so delicious, give it a try when you're in need of some hearty comfort food!

Cauliflower Chicken Fried Rice

Chicken fried rice has always been an indulgence for my husband and me, we probably get it 3-4 times a year whenever we're in the mood for Chinese or Thai food. We have Benihana restaurants here in CA and they make really delicious chicken fried rice. I did a search and found a few recipes that were inspired by Benihana's rice, but instead of white rice I used cauliflower rice. If you're unfamiliar with cauliflower rice, it's just cauliflower you run through the food processor to chop it up into "rice." It's yummy, quick, and saves on the carbohydrates. The best thing about this recipe is you can use whatever you have on hand; in my case, whatever I had in the freezer.

Using Up Leftover Green Juice Pulp

My husband and I recently bought a juicer and the three of us have really been enjoying green juice. Especially Isla, she keeps begging for more until it's gone. I love having the juice instead of a smoothie because I don't feel like I'm choking it down. The downside is missing out on the fiber and having a bunch of leftover pulp. After doing a search on how to use it up, I saw several websites that suggested cooking with it. You can stir it into mac and cheese, make crackers out of it, and even incorporate it into breads and baked goods. I wanted to make a pasta dish because I had a chicken breast that needed to be cooked and a bag of mini shell pasta. This recipe is pretty simple depending on how many ingredients you have on hand, plus it can be made so many different ways. I loved the flavor from the sun-dried tomatoes and toasted pine nuts combined with salty parmesan cheese.

*Warning* This isn't a low calorie meal, but it's extremely filling. Isla had some, I had a bowl of it then went back for seconds and there was still enough left for lunch the next day. So I'd call this 3-4 servings, but definitely serve it up with a big side of steamed vegetables.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup, Two Ways

I've made this soup a few times now and a couple of different ways. I definitely preferred the presentation of the soup when it was made on the stove top with frozen vegetables and cubed chicken over the crock pot with canned veggies and shredded chicken. Both taste the same, but the veggies have more crunch when you use frozen. Canned are definitely cheaper so use them if you're on a tighter budget. It's definitely easier to make this in the crock pot. I tossed in the chicken breasts, and dumped everything else on top. Then 30 minutes before serving I shredded the chicken in the crock pot and let it hang out on low heat. You'll see in the pictures below the stove top version is just prettier, but man I love my crock pot. Either way the recipe is super easy. Give it a try if you're in the mood for chicken pot pie without the fuss! I should also say my 11 month old daughter loves this soup, it's kid friendly and has lots of veggies for your little ones.

Crock Pot Enchilada Casserole

Apparently it's fall, but in Southern California it's hot. In the 90's hot, which is exactly when I get out the crock pot. During the winter when it's cold (again, Southern California, so like 60 degrees cold) I look forward to big pots of hot soup and doing the dishes because it warms me up. But when it's hot like this the kitchen is the last place I want to be. The great part about this meal is it can be made 100% with food from the pantry. The chicken and cheese are both optional, but if you have them on hand it really adds a nice change in texture to this dish.

Easy and Delicious Pollo Asado Tacos

This was another quick and easy meal that we really enjoyed. You can speed the process up more by using pre-made ingredients, but why buy salsa if you already have the ingredients in your fridge. The best time saver here is starting the pre-marinated chicken, and while it cooks throw together the toppings and your side.

Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Sliders

This recipe came together quickly and was so delicious. Juicy chicken, spicy BBQ sauce, and sweet Hawaiian rolls. It's a winner, great for appetizers or a main dish. My husband and I ate these for dinner with potato salad on the side. They would also be phenomenal with macaroni salad. 

Low Calorie Curried Chicken Salad

I love all of the cold salads: potato salad, macaroni salad, and especially chicken salad. This recipe is really simple and all I had to go buy was the celery and butter lettuce, chances are you also have the ingredients you need already in your pantry and fridge.

Orange and Parsley Chicken Cutlets with Arugula

I saw this recipe on Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals and just had to recreate it, in a low carb way of course! I subbed the flour for coconut flour and used flax meal and Parmesan cheese instead of regular bread crumbs. It was so delicious but quite a large meal for one person. I definitely think this is great for when you're starving, or you can share it with someone else and add some extra veggies.

Lower Sodium Sausage, Potato, and Kale Soup

Another soup recipe, and what to do with those other sausage links leftover from this recipe. Hubby and I love Olive Garden for the soup, salad, and bread sticks. The only downside is the sodium. Nowadays I'm not even worried about overall calories because I always stay right around 2000-2200. I am however worried about sodium content, which has put a damper on eating out. I decided to spice up the leftover chicken apple sausage and try a lighter version of our favorite soup, Zuppa Toscana. This doesn't taste as good as the real deal because I'm using milk instead of cream, and I've omitted the bacon. Give this a try if you're also stuck on a low sodium diet like me!

Spicy Peanut Chicken and Noodles

  If you love noodles but hate the carbs that come with them, this recipe is for you. I try to keep it low carb most days. Eating high carb meals gives me stomach aches and makes me feel tired and sluggish. The problem is, I love carbs! It's a struggle, but meals like this give me my carb fix with doing damage. This noodle dish is creamy, spicy, sweet, crunchy, and satisfying. 

Garlic, Lemon, and Parsley Chicken

  A very simple dish that incorporates the same ingredients and flavors from this shrimp recipe. Most likely you have these ingredients on hand, but if you don't they're very cheap and easy to find! I love garlic and lemon paired with chicken, and fresh parsley really is a match made in heaven with canned tomatoes. The no salt added canned tomatoes tend to be a little low on flavor, but adding fresh parsley and course ground black pepper really livens up this dish! 

Spicy Asian Chicken Stir Fry, under 250 calories

  Oh don't worry, you haven't been redirected to the wrong page. The dish pictured above was indeed 218 calories total!

  The stir fry came out spicy and sweet with a hint of toasted sesame. More importantly it's super filling thanks to the lean chicken breast and Miracle Noodles. Check out Miracle Noodles (shirataki noodles) online if you haven't heard much about them, I bought mine off Amazon.

Maple Cayenne Brussels Sprouts w/ Ginger, Garlic, Soy Chicken

I wish I had discovered this recipe sooner on this diet! I'm almost finished with the low calorie phase, but I can guarantee you I'll be making this often in the future. It's sweet, tangy, and spicy but it comes together in about 20 minutes or less.

Fiesta Chicken

This chicken is so flavorful you won't miss the extra calories! It's incredibly filling and only 154 calories!

Noodle Free Chicken Lo Mein

 Low carb diets are difficult for me because I can't have the pasta. Recently I made chicken pad thai using Daikon Radish instead of noodles and it was fantastic! It greatly inspired me to try out lo mein. This dish is ordinarily made using spaghetti noodles, so instead I decided to use cabbage. This isn't a zero calories meal, but it's a great deal healthier than authentic Chinese food. I can't wait to try it with shrimp or beef next time!