Mexican Chicken and Mexican Rice

Remember the Queso Enchiladas?? If you made them, you've probably got some of that Velveeta Queso Blanco left over. Well, don't be wasteful! Use some of it to make these recipes! These are both quite easy. It seems like a lot of instructions, but the chicken and the rice each go together in probably 5 minutes. Then you just have cooking time. First, the chicken:

-2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (one for each person- I'd even recommend putting in a couple extra to use later in the week or for leftovers!)
-1 can Rotel
-4 oz. Velveeta Queso Blanco
-taco seasoning
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Puree rotel.You don't necessarily have to puree the rotel, but I don't like chunks, so I do. It also seems to make a better "sauce" when it is pureed. Reserve 1/4 c. if you are going to make my Mexican Rice too! Pour half of rotel in a baking dish. Cut Velveeta into 8 squares (in half vertically and horizontally, then flip on the side and in half again). Lay 4 squares in dish in rotel. Rinse chicken breasts. Lay each breast on top of 2 squares of cheese. Sprinkle with taco seasoning- don't be shy. Pour the rest of the rotel on top. Lay the rest of the cheese on top. I cut mine into smaller pieces, but you don't have to. Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until chicken is done and no longer pink. After you dish out the chicken, stir what's left in the dish. Spoon a little bit of the sauce over your chicken if you want! This recipe is for 2 people. If you're needing to make it for more, increase your cheese. You can probably get by with one can of Rotel for about 5 chicken breasts. You will just have less sauce, which is okay because there is quite a bit when you're only making this for 2!

you can use your Rotel like this...

..or pureed like this!

Poured into a dish with squares of cheese

Lay chicken on top

Sprinkle with taco seasoning

Cover with rest of Rotel and cheese

This is what it looks like, right out of the oven

I don't think this chicken photographs as well as it tastes ;-)

Mexican Rice

-1/4 c. Rotel, pureed (should be reserved from above)
-2 c. Brown Instant Rice
-2 single servings of frozen corn, or 1 small can of corn
-1/2 can Black Beans
-1 t. Taco Seasoning
-2 oz. Velveeta Queso Blanco, cut into chunks
Make rice according to box directions. If you are using the frozen corn that you steam in the bag, make according to package directions. If you are using canned corn, rinse and strain. Rinse and strain black beans, as well. When rice is done, add in all ingredients. Mix well. Keep on low heat to melt cheese and keep warm. If you made the Mexican Chicken to go with this, you can use a little of the sauce to add into this if you want it "saucier". If you didn't make the chicken but still want a little more sauce, just add a little more pureed Rotel.

Easy, delicious meal!

If I would have known that these were both going to turn out so great, I would have made more chicken! The rice recipe actually makes quite a bit. NEXT TIME, I will be making some extra chicken breasts. I will cut them up and mix them in with the rice to put in a tortilla for the next day!

Crunchy Peanut Butter Bites

I realize I have another recipe similar to these- Energy Bites. These are different in that they have a few more ingredients. I wanted to add the rice krispies for a little more crunch, the almonds to make them a little more filling, and the flax and the cinnamon for the health benefits. I was reading about the benefits of cinnamon, and I just HAD to include it in a recipe TODAY! So, you're welcome for making you a little healthier after eating one of these bites ;-)

-1/2 c. Crisp Rice Cereal
-1 c. Fiber One 80 Calorie Cereal, Honey Squares
-1 T. Ground Flax Seed (you could use the whole flax seeds instead if ya want!)
-1 t. cinnamon
-2 T. chopped almonds
-2/3- 3/4 c. peanut butter
-1/2 T. honey
Crush Fiber One cereal until it is in small crumbs. Do the same with the almonds. Combine both cereals, flax, cinnamon, and almonds together in a bowl. Add in peanut butter. Start with about 2/3 cup. You want it to be just enough to moisten all the dry ingredients. Add a little more if needed. Stir in honey. Squeeze "dough" into about 1.5 inch balls. Store in refrigerator. Makes 15 bites.
You can certainly add in more cinnamon if you love it as much as I do. The way this recipe is written is how I made them today. But after tasting them, I would probably add in a little more. Maybe even another teaspoon! You can taste the cinnamon in these fine, but if you're wanting a stronger cinnamon flavor, add a little more!

dry mixture

mixed with peanut butter and honey

Makes 15

up close and personal!

Creamy Pesto Chicken Breasts

I have two different pesto/cheesy/chicken recipes. This is the super quick and easy one. Actually, truth be told, they're both incredibly easy. I suppose this one just has one less ingredient... Have you guys seen the new(ish) Philadelphia Cooking Creme?!

This stuff is the bomb.com. There's so many flavors!! So, pretty much all this recipe involves is- filling a chicken breast with some of that creamy deliciousness, rolling it in some bread crumbs, and baking. Voila! So easy!

-Boneless, Skinless chicken breasts (1 for each person)
-1 Egg
-Philadelphia Cooking Creme- Creamy Pesto
-Italian Bread Crumbs
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pound out chicken breasts so they're 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. I put mine in a ziploc bag, seal all the air out, and then pound it with the flat side of a meat tenderizer. Beat egg in a small dish; set aside. Pour bread crumbs into a shallow dish; set aside. Spoon about a tablespoon of the Creamy Pesto onto each chicken breast. Spread it around, but not all the way to the edges. Roll up as best as you can. Stick toothpicks in to secure ends of chicken. Brush bottom of each piece of chicken with beaten egg. Lay chicken, brushed side down, into the bread crumbs. Brush tops and sides of chicken with egg. Roll chicken in bread crumbs. Bake on a baking stone (my fave) or baking sheet for 35-45 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Cooking time will vary depending on how thin you make your chicken breasts.

Pound out chicken breast

May have gotten a little too much creme on this one... no crime here :)

Toothpicks hold it all together

Rolled in bread crumbs

baked

This chicken is so creamy on the inside!

So juicy!

When I do the other version of this, I use Classico Traditional Basil Pesto (found by the spaghetti sauce in the store) and mozzarella cheese. Instead of using the Philadelphia Cooking Creme, use the pesto/mozzarella combo. Just spread a little pesto onto each chicken breast and sprinkle with cheese. You could use sliced mozzarella cheese instead, if you want. I usually don't keep that on hand is why I don't generally use that. All of the other directions from this recipe are the same then.

Skinny Ice Cream Sandwiches

I totally wish I could take the credit for this idea, but I can't! :( Definitely got these off of Pinterest! So many good ideas on there! They are an incredibly easy alternative to regular, full fat ice cream sandwiches. I had one tonight and it totally satisfied my chocolate craving AND my ice cream love, for only 80 calories! Wahoo!!!

-Chocolate Graham Crackers
-Fat Free Cool Whip
How much of these two ingredients depends on how many sandwiches you want to make. Break graham cracker sheets in half (so they're squares). Spoon a couple tablespoons of cool whip onto half of the squares. Top with other halves. Freeze in a container for a couple hours. Eat 'em up!

Before freezing

After freezing... and eating...

Spaghetti and Meatballs

This is how I do my spaghetti and meatballs. I don't know if it's right... haha just kidding...what is "right" anyway? We think these meatballs are delicious here in the Baker home. We're also big fans of Ragu Traditional Sauce. You can use your own homemade sauce recipe in this if you prefer. You can also make your life quick and easy by using the jar ;-)

-1 lb. ground beef
-1/4 c. barbecue sauce
-1/4 c. ketchup
-1 egg
-2/3 c. Italian Bread Crumbs
-1/4 t. garlic powder
-1/4 t. pepper
-1 jar spaghetti sauce
-1 pkg. spaghetti noodles
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Beat egg in a mixing bowl. Add in barbecue sauce, ketchup, garlic powder, and pepper. Mix well. Now add in hamburger and stir until all the meat is broken up and combined with the wet mixture. Mix in bread crumbs. Pour a little bit of sauce in the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish, just until the bottom is covered. Roll beef into 1-2 inch balls, depending on how big you like your meatballs. Place meatballs in the pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, get a pot of water on the stove to boil for the spaghetti noodles. Boil until noodles are done, according to package directions. Take pan out of the oven and flip meatballs to coat the other side with sauce. Bake for another 10 minutes or until done (meatballs are no longer pink). While meatballs are finishing up, strain water off of noodles. Heat remaining sauce in the microwave or on the stove. Serve (noodles on a plate, spoon sauce, top with meatballs).
*Just a little note about these meatballs... They aren't the "spongy" type of meatball. We don't like that. If you do though, just add a little milk to your liquid mixture while making the meatballs!

Meatball mixture

Pour sauce in pan

Place meatballs in pan.

Bon Appetit!

**I usually halve this recipe because we simply don't need as many meatballs as a whole pound of hamburger makes. I still use 1 egg though. We also like ours pretty saucy so I still use a whole jar of sauce, too. I usually go ahead and boil the whole package of noodles and just put leftover noodles in a large ziploc bag in the fridge for another meal. When you want to use them again, put them in a pot of very hot water and let them sit in there to warm up. Then continue on with your recipe as usual.

Cinnamon Pull Aparts

This is a very quick and easy breakfast dish that you can throw together quickly in the morning. Or, if you have ZERO extra time in the morning (like me), you can prepare them the night before! Ooooor just bake them the night before for super extra ease :) These taste like a cinnamon roll married some monkey bread. How can that not be good? You'll want to pay close attention while baking these so you don't bake them too long. I speak from experience. Thought I'd be soooo smart to throw them in the oven before getting in the shower... turns out I've yet to speed my showers up. Mine baked for 15 minutes which I think was probably just 2 or 3 minutes too long! They still tasted great, but they ended up being just a little hard on the tops. Oh, and you can also choose to forgo the cream cheese in these. Or, do half with and half without (like I did).

Looks like a great value advertisement goin on here.. haha :)

-1 can refrigerated cinnamon rolls
-Butter
-Cream cheese
-Brown sugar
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place about a 1/2 T. butter in each of 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle with a little brown sugar. Put a little bit (about a 1/2 T.) of cream cheese on top of brown sugar. Cut each cinnamon roll into 6 pieces (in half, then in thirds). Place 4 pieces of cinnamon roll in each muffin cup. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until tops are golden. Immediately dump muffin tin upside down onto a platter or cookie sheet. Drizzle with icing from cinnamon roll package.

Butter in cups

Cinnamon roll in 6 pieces

brown sugar on top of butter

Add a little chunk of cream cheese on top of the brown sugar

Top with cinnamon roll pieces

This is what they looked like right after being dumped. That one was one without cream cheese!

Ice them all

Yum!!

Queso Enchiladas

We've got a lot of love for Mexican food in this house. Any type of Mexican food- we're not choosy. Last week, our friend, Brooke, brought over some white queso dip made with Velveeta Queso Blanco. Whaaat?! Didn't know such a thing existed. Life got even better right then. It IS the little things that should make a person happy, right? Anyway, I'll quit justifying my love for this block of heaven. These enchiladas can be made with beef or chicken. Or, be like me and make both to suit each person's tastes... The directions are the same for both except for browning the hamburger vs. baking/boiling and shredding the chicken breasts.

-1 lb. ground beef or 3 chicken breasts
-1 can cream of chicken soup
-1 can red enchilada sauce
-1/2 c. shredded Pepper Jack cheese
-2 T. or half of a packet of taco seasoning
-10 oz. Queso Blanco Velveeta cheese
-1/2 c. sour cream
-splash of milk
-6 burrito size tortillas
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brown hamburger and drain grease, if any. Stir in cream of chicken soup, enchilada sauce, taco seasoning, and pepper jack cheese. Spoon evenly into each tortilla. Roll up (long side, ends, roll). These are meaty little things, by the way! Place in a 9X13 pan. Cut velveeta into chunks and put in a medium sauce pan, along with the sour cream. Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently. Once cheese is just about melted, add a little milk to make it just a little thinner. Pour cheese sauce over tortillas. Bake for about 10 minutes. At this point, you're not really cooking anything- It's just to let the cheese sauce seep into all the cracks and for all the flavors to really come together. Enjoy this lip smackin' cheesiness!

meat mixture

Awww, aren't they kind for marking the ounces for us...

sour cream and velveeta

fill 'em up!

The black sheep on the right is a whole wheat tortilla

mmmmm cheese sauce

baked

This is mine with chicken. Austin had the beef ones.

If you are making these for a crowd and you're not in a hurry (what's that like?), you can put them in the oven set at its lowest temperature just to keep them warm.