Crunchy Whole-Grain Chicken Bites

Hudson LOVES chicken nuggets and when I saw this recipe in my new Pampered Chef cookbook I thought I would give it a try. I am SO GLAD I did...these are FANTASTIC!!! Kelly couldn't quit saying how much he liked them too. They are really light and super crunchy...easy to make too! Seriously, go get the stuff and make these tonight...you won't regret it!

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Crunchy Whole-Grain Chicken Bites

• 1 pound chicken tenders (I used breasts)


• Dry ranch dressing mix


• 1 egg white


• 6 cups whole-grain chips (I used Sun Chips)


• 1/4 tsp paprika


• Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400. Cut chicken into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Whisk together 1 tbsp dry ranch dressing mix and egg white. Crush chips in a resealable plastic bag and add paprika and shake well. Add half of the chicken to egg white mixture; mix well to coat.

Put the chicken in the crumb mixture; shake to coat with crumbs and arrange in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining coated chicken and crumbs. Spray the chicken with cooking spray. Bake 14 - 16 minutes or until chicken is golden brown and centers are no longer pink. Yum!!! These are REALLY good. Enjoy! :)

Shrimp Stuffed Potatoes

OK, I know what you are thinking. This doesn't sound good, right? That is what I said to my Dad when he gave me this recipe. I was VERY skeptical because the recipe just didn't sound normal. But, my Dad and I have very similar tastes in food so I trusted him and I'm SO GLAD I did!! This is definitely not a normal, every day kind of recipe, but if you are wanting something out of the box you HAVE to try it. It isn't healthy by any means...it is a Paula Deen recipe, so you know how hers are...not healthy, but YUMMY! Give this a try...I promise it won't disappoint! Oh, and did I mention that it is easy too?

Shrimp Stuffed Potatoes

6 large Idaho potatoes

Vegetable oil, for coating

8 tbsp butter

2 cups graded cheddar cheese, plus more for sprinkling

2 cups grated Monterey Jack

2 cups sour cream

Salt and pepper

1 pound shrimp, peeled and sauteed (I used frozen again and thawed out under running water while I prepped everything)

Paprika

**I halved this recipe...it makes a lot.

Preheat oven to 350. Begin by washing potatoes, drying them, and gently pricking them with a fork on the sides. Coat each potatoe with vegetable oil, place on foil covered pan, and bake for approximately 1 hour.

Place butter in a large bowl. Remove the potatoes from the oven and slice each potato in half. Gently scoop out the potato and place in the bowl. Using a mixer on high, mix the potatoes, butter, sour cream, salt, and pepper.

Fold the shrimp and both cheeses into the mixture.
Gently stuff the mixture back into the potato shells, making sure not to break them. Pile the mixture as high as you can on top of the potato shells.

Sprinkle each potato with cheese and paprika for color. Bake in the oven for approximately 20 - 30 minutes until browned on top.

I'm telling you, these got rave reviews...even my 3 1/2 year old devoured these! Enjoy!

Cajun Shrimp and Rice

This recipe came from the Food Network website and has a level of EASY, a prep time of 14 minutes and a cook time of 6 minutes. Let me just say that yes, it is super easy and takes no time at all. Honestly, I don't even think it took me that long and it was so good and fresh tasting! The best part is that it is one of those one dish kind of meals. I just threw together a salad and dinner was done!

Cajun Shrimp and Rice

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp Cajun seasoning

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used frozen and that made this easy recipe even easier...I just thawed them out under running water as I prepped the rest of the meal)

Salt and Pepper

4 plum tomatoes, chopped

2 bunches scallions, chopped (I forgot to pick these up at the grocery store, so I just used some green onions and they were great and added a pop of color)

3 cups cooked white rice (I used the Steam Fresh rice and just made it in the microwave)

3 tablespoons chopepd fresh parsley (I skipped this)

Lemon wedges for serving (optional)

**I halved this recipe if you are thinking it looks smaller!

Heat the butter, olive oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the Cajun seasoning and shrimp and cook, stirring until the shrimp begin to curl, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the tomatoes and scallions (or green onions in my case) to the skillet and cook, stirring about 1 minute.
Add the rice and 1/4 cup water and continue to cook until the rice is warmed through and the shrimp are opaque, about 3 more minutes. Stir in the parsley and serve with lemon if desired.
Dinner is done!
Again, SUPER easy and so good!! I'm always a little scared to cook any type of seafood because I don't always get the best results, but this was fool-proof. Enjoy! :)

French Bread Pizza

This is one of those go-to recipes if you know you have a busy night and need to get dinner ready QUICK. It is from one of my Cooking Light cook books and I love it not only because it is so quick, but you can customize each piece for the people you are making it for. LOVE that now that I have a child who doesn't want sauce on his pizza!!

French Bread Pizza

1 loaf French bread

Cooking spray

1 cup marinara sauce

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Pizza toppings of YOUR choice!

Preheat oven to 450 and line baking sheet with foil.

Cut bread in half horizontally and vertically to form 4 pieces.
Coat cut sides of bread with cooking spray; place bread, cut sides up on a baking sheet and bake at 450 for 3-5 minutes or until lightly browned.

Spread marinara or pizza sauce on each bread quarter.

Top with cheese and toppings of your choice.

Bake at 450 for 5 minutes or until cheese melts.

Yep, it is that easy!! Yummy too I might add...enjoy! :)

Dijon-Crusted Chicken Breasts

I tore this recipe out of a cooking magazine a few months ago and am so glad I did! It is super easy (notice how I LOVE easy recipes?!?) and tastes wonderful.

Dijon-crusted chicken breasts

1/3 cup dry bread crumbs

1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp. reduced -fat margarine

Place the first six ingredients into a shallow bowl. Brush chicken with mustard; roll in crumb mixture:

In a large nonstick skillet, cook chicken in oil and margarine over medium heat for 5-6 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 170.
That's it! Yep, it's that easy...dinner is served. The coating comes out a little crunchy and the chicken is super tender.

Enjoy!