Orange Chicken for Dummies (Take Two)

We tried this meal from the Worldwide Ward Cookbook ... and just thought it was okay. We got thinking about how it can be improved -- and tried it again. SO much better. Here are both recipes ...

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts cut in 2 oz strips (we did this so it fit our 9x9 pan better)
1/2 c. apricot preserves (we did sugar free)
1/2 c. Catalina dressing (sf again)
1/2 packet onion soup mix

Directions:
mix preserves, dressing, and soup mix. Coat chicken in mixture. Cook at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until Chicken is cooked through. Serve with rice.

POINTS: 5 for a 4oz piece of chicken (if SF dressing is used).

JJ UPDATE Dummy Recipe
Ingredients: 2 chicken breasts, cubed.
3/4 c. apricot preserves (SF)
1/4 c. Catalina dressing (SF)
1/2 onion soup mix
1 can chunk pineapple (save 1/2 juice for cooking veggies)
1 green pepper cut in chunks (about 1/2 in square)
1/2 med. onion cut in chunks (about 1/2 in square)

Directions:
Saute pineapple, onion, and green pepper in juice of pineapple for about 6 minutes. Add onion soup, preserves, and dressing. Mix. Take off heat and mix in chicken. Cook "concoction" in a 9x9 pan at 350 for 30ish minutes, or until chicken is cooked.

SO MUCH BETTER! (You can tell from the pictures too. It just looks better!) And the best part is that the points are about the same ... because you are adding veggies!

Sukiyaki

Ingredients
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 lb beef or chicken
1 med. onion sliced
1 c. mushrooms, sliced
1 c celery, sliced
1 can bamboo shoots
1 can sliced water chestnuts
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. chicken broth
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 med. green pepper, sliced
1 1/2 c Chinese cabbage (I used Bok Choy this time)
1 c. spinach leaves
Cooking Directions.
Heat oil in wok until hot. Add the beef, cook until browned. Continue to add ingredients one at a time, each time pushing the mixture up the wok. You will create layers of veggies. Cook each ingredient for about 2 minutes. After the cabbage has cooked for 2 minutes, mix the entire mixture together. Add spinach and cover for several minutes, until spinach is soft. Mix. Serve with rice. (Or noodles).

I really like this meal. We ate it with spaghetti noodles tonight, but the noodles don't absorb the sauce -- rice is much better. We tried it with Ramon noodles once and it wasn't bad. The point value for this one ... roughly ... 3 points per cup. 7 points with 1 cup rice/noodles. Store rice and sukiyaki left overs in separate containers so rice doesn't get soggy.

Beef Lo Mein

Ingredients:
8 oz uncooked spaghetti
1/4 c reduced sodium soy sauce
1 lb sirloin steak -- cut into strips
1 Tbsp sesame seed oil
1 c fresh snow pea pods, trimmed
1 c broccoli florets
1 c shredded carrots
2 medium scallions, chopped
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted (I forgot to add these ... )
Cooking Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook spaghetti. In a cup, combine 2 Tbsp soy sauce and 1 tsp ginger; drizzle over steak. Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over med-high heat. Add steak to skillet and cook until steak is browned, but not too long. Remove steak and drain off any fat. Add snow peas, broccoli, carrots, scallions, red pepper flakes, and garlic to same skillet' stir fry for 2 minutes. Stir in remaining soy sauce, ginger, steak and cooked spaghetti. Remove from heat and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

I thought this was pretty good. The only peas I like are snow peas. I didn't follow the instructions very well -- I used about 2 cups of peas instead of one. I think I would have liked it better had I measured the veggies. This makes 6 servings and each serving is 6 points.

Luzelle's Chili From a Can

Ingredients
1 green pepper, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
1 lb lean ground beef
**2 cans black beans
1 can pinto beans (partially drained)
1 can red beans (partially drained)
1 can turkey chili
1 can mexican style tomatoes
1 can diced jalepanos
1 can diced green chilis
1 can tomato paste

Cooking Directions
Saute onions and peppers in water until soft. Add beef and brown. Drain fat when beef is cooked through. Add all cans, draining beans as necessary, (we don't like it super soupy. We take the top layer of juice off some of the beans ... ) Let mixture come to a boil. Reduce heat -- cook for about 30-60 minutes. The longer it cooks, the better it is! Makes 9 - 2 cup servings.

**You can use whatever beans you like. This is a combination that we really enjoy. I always recommend 2 cans of black beans though!!

This recipe feeds a whole herd ... but it is quite yummy. I can't figure out how to reduce the volume. You could freeze it ... if you don't like left overs. Personally, I like to cook it once and eat it all week. Some chili ideas: Navajo tacos, Chili Cheese Dogs, Chili on Potatoes, Chili Salad .... The Chili is 5 points for 2 cups.

Tonight we had navajo tacos. We used the flat pita bread (2 points) instead of fry bread (I don't want to even KNOW how many points). Top with lettuce, onions, tomatoes, cheese, olives, salsa and sour cream. 7 points total. Wow, I'm full!

Daddy's Darn Good ShShShSHishkabobs!

Ingredients:
Chicken
Lemon Pepper Marinade (some bottle that I had in my pantry -- bought at grocery store awhile ago!)
Shrimp (we bought the pre-cooked kind)
Onions
Peppers
Fresh Pineapple
Wooden skewers
whatever else you like BBQ (mushrooms, zuchinni, etc.)

Cooking Directions:
Kind of obvious. Chicken: cut chicken into long strips. Marinade in whatever flavor you want for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile -- soak skewers in water -- for ??? We did it for about 20 minutes, but they could have used a bit more time. Cut all other ingredients into chunks. Place on skewer. When chicken is finished, weave the skewer in and out of the chicken strip. My dad did it this way, and it held the chicken onto the wood nicely. THEN GRILL.

YUM :) My dad (hence the name of the dish) made this for us on Mothers day ... and it sounded good to replicate. It was fun putting together. The reason he put identical items on a skewer was so that if a member of the family didn't like an item (say mushrooms) they could simply pass the skewer by ... also it made it a lot easier to cook. The chicken needed a lot more time than the pre-cooked shrimp. It was fun :) Points: Chicken: 2 points per kabob, Shrimp: 1 point for 2 kabobs, Pineapple: 2 point for 3 kabobs, Peppers & Onions: FREE! I ate 9 points total tonight and am SUPER full!.

2 Point Chocolate Muffin

Ingredients:
3 c. all bran cereal
2.5 c. water
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1 pkg Krusteaz FF Brownie Mix


Cooking Directions:
Soak Bran in water for 10 minutes. Add baking powder, vanilla, and mix. Spray muffin pan with Pam cooking spray and add mix. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. makes 12 muffins

I made this in a 9x13 pan and cut it into 24 pieces so they are one point a piece. That way I could go back for seconds and still have it be a nice low-point treat. I like this best with a bit of whipped topping. If it is FF, I don't worry about changing the point value. I served this to my niece and nephews last night (ages 5, 8, 11) -- and the youngest asked if she could take the rest home with her ... they liked it too :)

Mustard Dill (or Rosemary) Chicken

Ingredients:
1/4 c. Dijon mustard
1/4 c plain FF yogurt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
4 tsp dried dill or rosemary ( I like Rosemary!)
4-4oz boneless skinless chicken breast

Cooking Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Combine mustard, yogurt, garlic powder and dill/rosemary in a small bowl. Thoroughly coat chicken with mustard sauce. Tear off a large piece of aluminum foil. Place chicken in center of foil; gather foil loosely around chicken and fold to seal. Place on a baking sheet; bake 20 minutes. Open foil and broil for 3-5 minutes, until chicken is browned

LOVE this recipe. We fed it to the Sister Missionaries last night. They enjoyed it too -- asking how we made it! When cooked, the mustard "glaze" turns into a sauce, so this is very good on rice -- I like wheat the best for this one. We didn't have rice, so ate it with baked potatoes, broccoli, salad, and corn on the cob. I forgot to take a picture, but this is a Weight Watchers recipe ... so was able to find a photo online! I'll make it again and replace the photo. 4 points for the chicken. NOT BAD :)