Mexican Flavored Pulled Chicken

1 cup tomato sauce

1/4 cup canned chopped green chilies, mild or hot (or more to taste)

1/2 cup minced yellow onion

3 Tbsp red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp taco seasoning

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp chili powder

2 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp minced garlic

2 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts sprinkled with salt and pepper

Stir tomato sauce, chilies, onion, vinegar, sugar, taco seasoning, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, dry mustard, and garlic in a bowl. Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray. Place chicken breasts in pan. Pour sauce over meat, turning breasts to coat. Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake in pre-heated 350 degree oven for one hour or until chicken is cooked through. Shred chicken with two forks and spoon some of the remaining sauce from pan over meat.

ALTERNATIVE COOKING METHOD:   Stir tomato sauce, chilies, onion, vinegar, sugar, taco seasoning, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, dry mustard, and garlic in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Tuck chicken breasts into sauce, turning to coat.  Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours, or until meat can be easily shredded with a fork. Do so with two forks, stirring shredded meat into sauce.

Serving size: about 1 cup

Makes approximately 10 servings
WW PointsPlus^® value | 6 per serving

Serve over rice, topped with cheese or in tortillas taco style with peppers, onions, and cheese. Also good as a quesadilla filling or serve any way you like.

This is a modified version of a weight watcher recipe.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

1 lb. cooked chicken breast, shredded (see below for my preferred cooking method)

1 tsp. salt (or more to taste)

½ tsp. black pepper

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 c. carrot, finely chopped

½ c. celery, thinly sliced

½ tsp. minced garlic

3 fresh parsley sprigs

3 fresh thyme sprigs

1 fresh rosemary sprig

2-3 fresh bay leaves

½ c. white wine

8 cups unsalted chicken stock (I prefer Kitchen Basics brand)

2 c. uncooked medium egg noodles

To cook chicken breast: I get thin sliced chicken breast or chicken breast tenderloins, sprinkle them with salt and pepper, and place them in a 9 x 13 casserole pan sprayed with cooking spray. Pour chicken stock over chicken (just enough to cover the meat). Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Transfer from pan to plate and allow to cool. Then shred meat. Save stock from casserole pan (include this stock with the 8 cups of stock used in the soup).

In a skillet sprayed with cooking spray, cook onion, carrot, and celery until soft. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Lower heat and add wine, stirring to deglaze pan.

Place herb sprigs and bay leaves on cheesecloth. Gather edges and tie securely with kitchen string to make a sachet.

In large saucepan or Dutch oven, pour in stock. Add chicken, salt, pepper, vegetable and wine mixture from skillet, and herb sachet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Remove and discard herb sachet.

Return soup to a boil. Add noodles and cook about 8 minutes or until noodles are soft.

Ladle into bowls and serve.

Cream Cheese Banana Walnut Bread

¾ c. butter, softened

1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened

2 c. sugar

2 large eggs

3 c. all-purpose flour

½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

1 ½ c. mashed bananas (1 ¼ lb. unpeeled bananas, about 4 medium)

1 c. chopped walnuts, toasted

½ c. shredded coconut, toasted (optional, or can use more if desired)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in bananas, pecans, and vanilla. 

Spoon batter into 2 greased and floured 8 x 4 inch loaf pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a long wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and sides pull away from pan, shielding with aluminum foil during last 15 minutes to prevent over-browning, if necessary. 

Cool bread in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool 30 minutes on wire racks before slicing.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding

2/3 c. granulated sugar

4 Tbsp. cornstarch

4 Tbsp. powdered cocoa

3 c. 2 % milk

1 c. heavy whipping cream

4.5 oz. milk chocolate, finely chopped (I used Hershey bars)

1 c. creamy peanut butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 6 oz pkg chocolate covered peanuts, chopped (or dry roasted peanuts or chopped Reese’s Pieces or chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup candy)

8 or 9 inch Graham cracker pie crust or Mini Graham cracker pie crusts (optional)

Cool Whip

Combine sugar, cornstarch, and cocoa in a large saucepan; stir with a whisk. Whisk in milk and cream. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook 1 minute or until thick and bubbly, stirring constantly while mixture boils. Remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate, peanut butter, and vanilla, stirring until smooth.

Allow mixture to cool. I cool any type of pudding or custard mixture by pouring it into a glass bowl and covering the mixture with plastic wrap. Lay the plastic wrap directly on top of the surface of the pudding and lightly press with your fingers to get a good seal. This prevents the pudding from developing a skin on top as it cools.

Serve in bowls or mini graham cracker crusts topped with Cool Whip and sprinkled with chopped chocolate covered peanuts or topping of your choice. Can use as a pie filling in an 8 or 9 inch graham cracker crust (you will have enough filling for 2 pies) or any type of prebaked pie shell. Also good as the pudding layer in trifles or parfaits with any combination of ingredients you like. Recipe can be halved to make a smaller amount.

Mexican Chicken Casserole

1 lb. cooked and shredded skinless chicken breast

1 can chicken broth

1 can Rotel

1 can Cream of mushroom soup

1 can Cream of chicken soup

1 lg. onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 Tbsp. chili powder

1 c. cubed Velveeta

1 pkg. tortilla chips

1 c. grated cheese (Mexican blend)

Dash of salt

Dash of black pepper

In skillet sprayed with cooking spray, cook onion and bell pepper until soft and lightly browned. In a large saucepan, combine chicken, Rotel, soups, cooked vegetables, and spices. Bring to a boil. Boil 10 minutes. Lower heat and add Velveeta cheese, stir until cheese is completely melted. Remove saucepan from heat. Layer ingredients in a  9 x 13 casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray in the following order: chips (enough to completely cover bottom of pan, break into smaller pieces if needed), chicken and soup mixture, chips (again, enough to cover), chicken and soup mixture. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.