Chicken Parmesean Stacks

This is a unique way to bring chicken parm back and yet not be repetitive. Because I am certain we have had chicken parm before on the blog and it has got to be one of the faves of my son. This version doesnt involve lots of sauce and cheese, just a much lighter, fresher version that got second helping requests from my boy.
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts sliced in half
1 small tomato
1/4 cup grated parm cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
fresh parm cheese grated

Preheat oven to 350
season chicken with salt and pepper and place on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes
in meantime combine all dry ingredients
when chicken is done coat each tomato slice very well with dry ingredients both sides place slice of tomato on each breast of chicken
turn broiler on high
place chicken and tomato under broiler for 1 minute
remove from broiler and top with fresh grated parm cheese

Italian Meatloaf

I've been upping the protein in all that I eat for the past several weeks - and it's helping me in alot of ways.  I've been doing the P-90x workouts that are insanely tough and more than that, they're super long and you do them every day!  That said, I eat alot of protein and my body is changing...finally something that works.  (Catering for two days followed immediately by Thanksgiving was TOUGH on my diet!).  It's nice to be back at the right foods for me.

This is one of the recipes from the p90x plan  - a basic meatloaf.

1/2 cup onion, diced
(1/2 cup finely diced carrots)
2 tbsp chicken broth
2 tbsp garlic, minced
1 1/2 lb turkey breast
1/2 cup italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup low fat marinara sauce
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped (or 2 tsp dried basil)
2 tbsp Italian parsley, chopped (or 2 tsp dried parsley)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
saute the onions (and carrots) in chicken broth until soft
add the garlic and cook until flavorful.
In a mixing bowl, combine the onion and ground turkey, bread crumbs, 1/2 cup marinara, basil and parsley.
form into a loaf and place in an ungreased loaf pan.
top with 2 more tbsp marinara and bake unti cooked through - about 35-40 minutes
drain off any fat, allow to cool for 10-20 minutes before slicing into 8 slices.

Someone my size would eat 2 slices - someone my husbands size would eat 4 slices.  Plan accordingly!

I added the carrots to the recipe - p90x does not.  It's such as simple way to hide veggies, so we should just do it!
(p.s. I labeled this as poultry and beef because obviously ground turkey and ground beef are pretty much interchangeable and won't affect the outcome of this recipe!)

White Chili

This recipe should make Jillian proud - always our goal for Tuesdays!  And, I've made this recipe as a "planned holdover" going with the potato tomorrow.  Nice planning.  Be sure to eat an appropriate amount of chili  - a problem many of us have.  I did take this recipe off the internet because I can't find the one I've made before ... this recipe sounds really good, with a good array of spices to keep it interesting from start to finish.  Sometimes white chilies aren't as "hot" as red, but this one holds good potential... let's see what happens.

Ingredients

1/2 lb white beans, soaked overnight in water, drained (or 1 can cannelli beans & 1can Northern White)
6 cups turkey stock
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onions, chopped (divided)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 jalapeño or serrano pepper, stem and most seeds removed, chopped (optional)
2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoon dried oregano
Pinch of ground cloves
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 4-ounce cans chopped green chilies
4 cups diced cooked turkey
Salt to taste (about 1 tsp)

Possible Garnishes and extras
1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
1/3 cup (loose) chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and chopped (or guacamole)
Chopped tomatoes or salsa
Corn tortilla chips and/or fresh warmed flour tortillas

Combine beans, turkey stock, garlic and half the onions in a large soup pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until beans are very soft, 1 to 3 hours or more. (Depending on the type of white beans you are using. Cannelli beans are tender and tend to cook rather quickly. Navy beans take longer.) Add additional water (or watered-down stock), if necessary.

Heat olive oil in a skillet on medium heat, cook chopped jalapeno (if using) and remaining onions in oil until tender. Add green chilies and seasonings and mix thoroughly. Add to bean mixture. Add turkey and salt to taste, and simmer for 10 minutes or more (up to an hour) until the beans are thoroughly soft and the stew has thickened.

Serve topped with grated cheese. Garnish with cilantro, chopped fresh tomato, salsa, chopped green onions, and/or avocados. Serve with fresh warmed flour tortillas or tortilla chips.



Serves 4 PLUS about 2 to 3 cups of leftovers.

Here's the blogsite I got the recipe from...but as you've come to expect, I modified it a bit.
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/turkey_white_chili/

Italian Sausage & Veg Pasta

Cleaned off my desk yesterday - the one in the basement that hasn't been cleaned off in "a while" we'll leave the description of time as that.  I found some cool recipes that I'd pulled uhm before we began this project.  Anyway, this one page had three kickin' recipes that we're going with this week - this being the first of them.

To me this is sort of a justification recipe...see, this is something I would regularly make for the family but usually feel that it's more of a thrown together meal than cooking from a recipe - but now I have a recipe for this, so it legitimizes my method of healthy meal making!  Sweet!

In the picture above I omitted the pasta entirely - part of my reduced carb consumption plan (we don't say diet here in my house!).  I subbed in a bowl full of baby spinach but otherwise followed my recipe.  Calories? as if...

bring together
8 ounces whole-wheat pasta
2 cups spaghetti sauce (of choice)
4 pre-cooked Chicken or Sausage sausages - like Asiago and Spinach Chicken Brats or Sundried Tomato and Gouda or whatever you find/like.
4-8 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chopped mushrooms
2 cups chopped onions
2 cups chopped zucchini
1/2 cup grated Parmsan cheese (to your liking - this seems like ALOT!)

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Saute the mushrooms, onions and zucchini in a large frying pan over medium heat (sprayed lightly with cooking spray) - after about 5 minutes, add the sliced sausages and garlic, brown slightly - another 4-5 minutes, then add the sauce for the final few minutes until it's all hot and married together and the veggies are really tender.
Top pasta with sauce mixture and sprinkle with cheese!

SIMPLE and YUMMY! -

Thanksgiving Meal

Turkey

Is there anything else?

Well, I suppose some do ham...but really, Thanksgiving screams Turkey.

And so did the deals from the chain stores last week.  Spend $20, use a coupon for $10 off your turkey - which made our turkeys pretty darn inexpensive this holiday season.

So, all you need to do to cook a SIMPLE turkey is...

THAW the turkey thoroughly!

REMOVE the gunk that the turky makers insist on putting in the former stomach cavity.

Lightly oil the bird, then put sage, salt, and pepper on the skin of the bird, put in a roasting pan, some people prefer covered, others open, then bake!

BAKE for hours and hours at 325 degrees.  (it's about 12 to 15 minutes per pound)

carve and serve.

There are tons of marinades, brines, rubs, and other recipes for turkey on the web.  And the Butterball site, http://www.butterball.com/ is the best at predicting how much turkey to buy, and how long to cook it.  These are important things to keep in mind when buying and preparing your meal.

TURKEY GRAVY...

2 cups turkey broth, made by boiling the neck (one of the things stuffed in the cavity of the bird) and 3 cups water for a few hours

2 tbsp flour

1 tbsp corn starch

1/2 cup water

Mix the flour, corn starch, and water in a small bowl or shakable container
bring the broth to a boil, then remove from heat.  Stir in the flour mix, then return to heat and stir like crazy!  keep stirring until it thickens.  Then add pepper to taste and serve.

Chicken Breast Stuffed with Broccoli and Swiss Cheese

A few months back we made a chicken breast baked with swiss cheese that was pegged by my son as the "best thing" I made so far, so we decided we had to bring it back in some way or another. We decided to stuff the breast this time with the cheese and more importantly a vegetable to keep it super healthy. Broccoli was our choice, but honestly asparagus, spinach, artichoke would all work beautifully. The breasts needed to be sliced from the side inorder to create a pocket. I did slice them all, but kind of poorly(notice in picture- the broccoli coming out)however, when the breast were baked, it all came together with big servings of protein and calcium from the cheese and the broccoli. I am oh so certain that Kims chicken looks better then mine. Oh well, presentation not my strong suit.

ingredients
6 chicken breasts fresh or frozen
1 1/2 cup broccoli pieces
3 slices swiss cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon parsley

slice a pocket in each chicken breast and season with salt and pepper
stuff brocolli and 1/2 slice cheese inside chicken breasts
if need to keep closed when cooking, do so with a toothpick
place in baking pan
coat wine and olive oil over all six breasts
sprinkle with parsley
bake in oven aat 340 for 20-25 minutes

Here's Kim's picture:

So, Barbara is fancier than I - I stuffed the broccoli and swiss inside my chicken - you can see the broccoli poking out - closed it "perfectly" but then just sauted it a frying pan without the olive oil, wine, or parsley.  I'm too simple.  I did achieve a fabulous golden color by sauting uncovered in my new Calphalon frying pan for seven minutes, flipping gently, then continuing to cook, covered, for four minutes.  Then, I removed the cover and let the moisture that had collected on the cover to drop back into the pan - cooking for another four minutes and thus the golden color appeared all over my wonderful stuffed chicken.  It was a huge hit with Joe, Ellie and me - the little ones just ate the chicken and cheese.  Were I not so concerned with keeping this meal within the confines of my current "eating program", I would have laid another piece of swiss cheese on top of the chicken and thrown it in the overn for 4 minutes for a beautiful melted goo on top of the chicken!
My biggest tip for Barbara, after looking at her picture and thinking about what I did is to chop the broccoli finer than it appears she did (we're talking dime or smaller size pieces here!).  It stuffs much easier! 

Chicken Stir Fry - homemade sauce

Time for some "from scratch" sauce making

1 to 1 1/2 pounds chicken
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon garlic
1 teaspoon ginger

onion

cauliflower
broccoli
snow peas and or carrots
mushrooms
peppers and or green beans
OR
1 bag Aldi Stir Fry Veg mix (without sauce)

heat soy, vinegar, 1/2 chicken broth, garlic and ginger - saute until tender
add the meat - saute five minutes
add the veggies - saute until tender and the chicken is no longer pink in the middle

Green Chili!

Oh, this is so good.  I made it for the first time about a year ago and froze extras in 1 cup containers - then I hid them from Joe so I could have it!  Is that bad?  Don't tell him :-)  Really, I do love this chicken based chili and have been waiting a long time to share it with you.

I know you will find this hard to believe, but really, I did find Hominy in a 28 ounce can AT ALDI a few weeks back!  I hope you were able to find it too!  It was only like 90 cents or something, which makes me EVEN HAPPIER!  I do hope you enjoy this soup/chili as much as I do!

8 cups chicken broth
1 onionk finely chopped
2 lbs chicken breast (approx)
2 cans green chilies
6 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp ground cumin (or more :-) )
1 28 ounce can white hominy, drained

1 cup Aldi's fresh salsa - or a cup of diced tomatoes
1/2 cup sour cream

in a large pot, combine chicken broth, onion and chicken breasts.  Heat to boiling over high heat - reduce heat to low and simmer until the chicken is no longer pink - about 20 minutes (this is called poaching!).  Remove chicken from broth with a couple forks or something - you're saving the juice!  Set the breasts aside to cool.

Add chilies, garlic, cilantro, cumin, and hominy.  Heat over low heat - simmering for a while!

when the chicken is cool, shred it by pulling two forks across the meat.  Add the meat back to the broth and simmer for about 40 minutes longer.

Spoon a portion of soup/chili into a bowl - a portion is about 1 1/4 cups.  Top with 2 Tbsp salsa or diced tomatoes and 1 Tbsp sour cream.

If you want some add'l carbs, serve a corn or flour tortilla alongside.  you can also make "chips" of the tortilla and dip them.  
MMMMM.

Harvest Salad

This type of salad goes by so many names, or salads with this name can imply so many things however you want to look at it... tonight we're going with a salad similar to one we've had before, but with apples in it.  It's the kind of salad that you find in many restaurants from Panera to the fanciest of eateries. 
1 package field greens or salad mix
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 large apple, sliced
1/2 cup bleu cheese
1/4 cups chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 lb chicken, cooked, cut into strips (precooked would work nicely)

2 Tbsp Raspberry Jam
1 Tbsp Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp Sunflower oil (substitute with all canola oil if this is not in your pantry already)
1 1/2 Tbsp Canola oil
Stir together, pepper and/or salt to taste

Divide lettuce equally into four salad plates.  place strips of chicken intersperced with strips of apple in a circular pattern around the edges of the plate.  top with cheese, cranberries and nuts.
Drizzle dressing on top of salad and serve with crusty bread if desired.

Stuffed Red Pepper with White Beans, brocolli and Chicken $5.52

I found this recipe on one of my favorite Blogs - Ginas Skinny Weight Watchers Blog. I love this blog because the recipes are great and she focuses on healthy and not so high caloric meals as wekk as detailing all the WW points, so anyone counting points has the work done for them. I already stuffed peppers a few weeks back and liked it so much, I am going for it again! This time around I am incorporating some protein coming from chicken, and vitamin C and K coming from brocolli, and lots of fiber coming from white beans,. So for the vegetarians out there, the chicken can be ommited, and there is still plenty of protein to be had>

2 red peppers or green will due as well$2.99 (I used red peppers, which are usually more $)
1 medium onion diced .40
3 cloves garlic minced .20
3 tablespoons olive oil .30
1 tbsp fresh rosemary or dry
1 cup frozen brocoli florets fresh or frozen(frozen thawed).40

1 can 15 oz of white beans drained .69
2 chicken breasts cooked and shredded(bake in oven for 15 minutes at 350 $2.13
salt and pepper .10
1 cup cheddar cheese$1.30
in saute pan heat oil and saute onion for 5 minutes on low, add garlic, saute until onions are glassy
add chicken, rosemary, brocoli and beans saute for 5 minutes, add salt and pepper to taste
remove from heat
slice peppers in half length wise, and remove all seeds
Place all eight half peppers in a baking dish, fill them with the chicken and bean filling
pour 1/2 cup chicken broth or water in bottom of baking dish
cover whole pan tightly with aluminum foil
bake at 350 for 30 minutes
remove foil, top with cheese, bake another 5 minutes until cheese is melted

Chicken Parmesan Salad $7.38

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts $ 2.13
1/4 c. flour .10
2 egg whites, beaten .20
3 oz. grated parmesan cheese .40
1/3 t. dried parsley .02
1/3 t. dried chives .02
1/3 t. dried basil .02
1/3 t. dried tarragon(?) optional.15
3 plum tomatoes, deseeded and chopped$1.20
2 tsp fresh shredded basil .15
2 Tbsp olive oil .60
1 lemon, juiced .40
1 dash pepper
4-8 cups mixed field greens$1.99

pound the chicken into 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick cutletts.
prepare three bowls for dipping the chicken - one with the flour, one with the egg whites, one with the parm and spices mixed.
In the order listed, dip each chicken piece in flour, egg, and parm, then place into a non-stick skillet warming over medium heat. Saute for approx 5-6 min per side.
While watching the chicken cook, in a small bowl combine the lemon juice and pepper, then add tomato and basil. Stir.

Place desired amount of field greens in large bowls or plates. Top with prepared chicken, then tomatoes and serve.
A very healthy alternative to the heft of noodles on a gorgeous summer day (ha ha - it's like 56 and cloudy - and really windy.) :-)

The website I got this idea from lists this as 350 calories, 15 g. fat, 13 carbs, and 40 protein. 3 grams fiber as well!

Lemon Garlic Chicken and Veggies $7.88

This dish sounded really easy and simple, wholesome and fresh. It delivered. The lemon was not overbearing at all - in fact, I like even more lemon flavor - I upped the zest to 2 Tbsp now! Also, I made it with asparagus, which goes amazingly well with the lemon and peppers! We loved this dish - and it was not high in calories or carbs... very wholesome!

Lemon Garlic Chicken and Veggies

4 tsp olive oil, divided .40
2 large red bell peppers, diced $2.20
1 pound asparagus trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces or brocolli(or both)$1.19
2 T freshly grated lemon zest .20
1/4 tsp salt
5 cloves garlic, minced .35
1 to 1 1/2 pound(s) chicken, cut into bite size pieces $2.50
1 cup chicken broth .49
2 tsp cornstarch .15
2 T lemon juice .20
2 T chopped parsley .10

Heat 2 t oil in large skillet. Add peppers and aspargus and or brocolli, lemon zest, and salt, cook until softened - about 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cover to keep warm.
Add the rest of the oil, chicken and garlic. Cook about 6-8 minutes until chicken is almost cooked thru.

In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch and chicken broth. Once chicken is cooked, add this mixture and cook, stirring continuously for 2 minutes more. Then remove from heat and stir lemon juice and parsley into the chicken.

Serve the chicken over top of the veggies.

Here's a day when Barbara and I didn't get exactly the same results, but I think she used brocolli, and I used asparagus. Be creative folks - just because you don't have the exact recipe ingredients, don't be limited, use what you have, and make it work!

Fruity Chicken Salad Wraps $4.94

These are really simple chicken salad wrappers that are a bit messy, but really quite healthy. We lighten the dressing a lot, and add a bunch of fruit to up the sweetness naturally. Also, there is walnuts in them, so that combined with the ton of chicken mades for a super healthy quick dinner.

16 ounces chicken (cooked using your chosen method) $2.26
1/4 cup green grapes .20
1/4 cup red grapes .15
1/2 apple or 1/4 cup pineapple tidbits.49
2 tbsp red onion .20
2 tbsp finely chopped celery .10
1/4 cup walnuts .70

mmm... the sauce
1/4 cup plain yogurt .29
1/4 cup mayonnaise of choice (we prefer Kraft with Olive Oil).15
1 tbsp dijon mustard .15
1 tbsp lemon juice .20
1 tsp black pepper .05

six to twelve inner leaves of romaine lettuce

mix the sauce, then coat the other ingredients in it - allow to flavor for as long as possible, then spoon onto six tortillas which are lined with romaine lettuce. Cut diagonally into two pieces, and serve with chips or veggies or just as is. These are awesome without the carbs of those wraps. If you don't get the high fiber, low carb wraps, the flour tortillas are actually not that great for you - they pack a ton of calories unnecessarily. Those looking for the healthy option can get it really easily by eating in the leaf of romaine without the tortilla.

Turkey Krisps $3.10

Now presenting...

a REALLY easy open face sandwich on a cracker. Revolutionary.

But really folks, around this time of the year there is so much going on, and dinner or lunch has to be simple some days - this is just that, and something that my kids will eat because it has swiss cheese. We can do these open facers for lunch during the week and I feel like I gave them something good.

I have not tried this with tomato under the cheese - on top of the meat - but I KNOW that the tomato lovers out there would find it fantastic. This also can be used at a party for a fast app. remember, cooking doesn't have to be hard, or fancy, just from the heart!

Turkey Swiss Rye Krisps

8 Rye Krisp Lite Toasts .80

8 ounces thinly sliced turkey breast $1.30

6 ounces sliced swiss cheese .60

8 thin slices Tomato (optional) .40

Preheat broiler
lay 8 slices of toast side by side on broiler pan
top with piles of turkey breast
(optional tomato)
"rip" swiss into smaller pieces and cover as much of the turkey and tomato as possible.
Broil until the cheese is beautifully melted.

Serve - two krisps per person with a small pile of veggies of choice - cauliflower works best for me - and you've got a nice quick summer meal. (serve with veggie soup in the winter!)

Chicken and Wild Rice Salad

Here's a plan ahead, but really easy salad to make for your friends and family one of these long hot summer weekends!  We're making it Saturday for the Brewer Game that we're going to on Sunday.  A nice big meeting with a bunch of my family on my Mom's side.  Should be a great time.

Chicken and Wild Rice Salad - serves many!

2 1/2 cups cooked Wild Rice (about 3/4 cup uncooked wild rice)
2 1/2 cups cooked chicken breast (any method of cooking will do!)
2 cups chopped celery
8 ounces drained pineapple chunks
1 cup grape halves (green or purple!)
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup cashews
3/4 cup mayo product of choice - I'll be using Kraft Olive Oil Mayonaise

Mix and allow to flavor thru overnight for best results!  (besides, you don't need the stress of prepping salads for the party on the day of the party!!!)

Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad

Oh, man, I totally owe you this recipe from Saturday of last week.  I've made like 16 servings of this in the past week...we've shared it with friends and family and neighbors and each time they're either being nice or really liked it - and these folks aren't usually throwin' down compliments for exercise, so I'm betting you should try it!  I loved it!
Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad

8 ounces chunky pasta - farfalle, penne, rigatoni, etc.
16 ounces chicken breast (about 12 ounces prepared)
1 red pepper (orange can substitute - want color!)
1/3 cup low fat ranch dressing
3-4 tbsp Frank's Buffalo Red Hot sauce

Cook pasta to al dente (crunchy) per package directions.  Drain, and rinse with COLD water to begin cooling immediately.  Chill.

Prepare chicken to your liking, I've grilled it for the best flavor, but you could use ready to serve, left overs, or whatever you've got.  Chill.

Dice peppers.

Mix Ranch and Red Hot Sauce.

Mix, refrigerate, and serve over a bed of lettuce for a meal or next to your burger at a picnic.  Either way, it's a superstar meal!

Sausage in Veggies

Here's a great way to use up older veggies -
And, left over bratwurst or sausages work great too.
This happens to be a ring of chicken sausage that I had in the frig, but I've made this meal with whatever kind of "sausage" is available!  Also, my veggie choices probably weren't the best, but since I made this the night we got back from a six day vacation to the inlaws, the options in the frig weren't plentyful.

Sausage, cut into 1 inch chunks

Peppers (red or orange for max color/eye appeal)
Yellow Squash or Zucchini
mushrooms
red onions

Rotini or Farfalle or Penne pasta (something "chunky")

Prepare pasta in boiling water per directions
Cut all veggies into "bite size" pieces - about 1/2 inch thick and size of a quarter.  Saute veggies in a few sprays of non-stick cooking spray.  After about 3 minutes, add the sausages, and simmer until the flavors are shared and the meat is thoroughly warmed through.  This depends on how much is in your pan, how high you have the heat, and how thick your meat chunks are. 

Italian Dressing chicken

utilitarian food - the ultimate in easy food for when you gotta get the chickent to the table fast!

lowfat Italian Dressing

Chicken tenderloins

marinade tenderloins in dressing for as many minutes as you can - five is OK, 30 is great!

grill to perfection - about 4 minutes per sided

And, one of my new favorite veggie combos -

sliced mushrooms

spinach

garlic

lemon juice

black pepper

Put the sliced mushrooms in a non-stick frying pan, saute until they start to release their juices, then throw in as much spinach as will fit in the pan - allow it to wilt, and if appropriate, add more spinach!  Drizzle a bit of olive oil on top, then add some garlic, lemon juice (maybe 1 tbsp), and pepper to taste - also great with lemon pepper seasoning salt.

Saturday's Greek Pinwheels - $6.21

Greek because of the Feta Cheese and black olives - these pinwheels are an absolute delight! They are healthy, they are pretty, and you an serve them as a luncheon salad accompanyment, an appetizer, or a meal! I've eaten these so many times over the past few years - they do not get old to me!

Greek Pinwheels
1/2 cup reduced fat cream cheese, softened .50
1/2 tsp dried oregano .05
1/2 cup feta cheese .99
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped finely .99
1/4 cup finely chopped black olives (drained well!).30
4 whole wheat tortillas (the healthy, high fiber, expensive ones are preferred - the cheap flour ones will sub) .40
8 ounces sliced turkey breast .99
2 cups fresh spinach leaves $1.99


In a mixing bowl, flex your muscles in your arms as you combine the cream cheese, spices, feta and black olives.
Evenly spread 1/4 of the mixture over each of the four tortillas
top each tortilla with 1/4 of the meat, then finally the spinach.
Roll up tightly, then cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate, and wait (patiently) for them to become firm enough to slice (if desired, you don't have to wait if you're only doin' this for yourself and you don't want to wait - just half and eat!)
Upon firming up in refrigerator (15 to 30 minutes), slice into six or so pieces, plate beautifully, and endulge.

Chicken Breast with Artichoke & Swiss on Couscous (Wednesday)

We had a very similar meal a few weeks ago, and Barbara's family thought she'd re-invented the wheel - they thought it was the best thing she's ever cooked - or at least close.  We're going to change up the meal just a touch by adding the artichokes under the swiss.  I did promise Barbara to melt my swiss cheese this time - that might cause issue, but I'll try it with at least my plate!
Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts $3.10
olive oil .20
white wine .25
artichoke hearts .99
4 slices swiss .50
$5.04

So, to make the chicken,
Place 1/4 cup white wine and 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan, heat over medium heat to almost boiling, add the chicken tenderloins, cook for four minutes, flip, cover, and cook another four minutes.

place 1-2 artichoke heart quarters on top of the chicken, then cover with a slice of swiss or provolone cheese.  Place under broiler for 3 or so minutes to melt and slightly brown the chicken.

serve this chicken with:

Parmesan Couscous
I like to buy plain, unflavored sides when we have grains - rice and pasta mixes, while fast and easy are LOADED with sodium.  and artificial things I'm not in the mood for.  SO... here's my recipe for Parmesan Couscous.

1 box Plain Couscous (check stats - should have zero sodium)
1/4 cup chopped artichoke hearts
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Bring as much water as the box dictates to a boil  use just watern o oil or butter, then add the couscous and remove from heat.  After five minutes remove cover, fluff, and stir in parmesan cheese and artichoke hearts.  Cover again, and let sit up to 10 minutes, covered, before serving.  (Don't let it get cold, but give the cheese a few minutes to melt together.

Serve chicken and couscous with a side salad.