Mini Chicken Pot Pies

Okay, so one of my all time guilty pleasures...no not pizza...or ice cream...old school, 50 cent, banquet pot pies....I'm not sure what it is i love about them so much...i think its the pastry crust...or the pure guilt of having probably a days worth of sodium in one little pie....and how are you supposed to get full on one of those...i know it has like 3 peas and carrots but really, get real!

I'm not going to sit here and tell you this is a low calorie dinner...but I am going to tell you that it is healthier than the frozen alternative, and you can rest assured of that unless you add a lot of salt to your mixture.

Now I promised you that we would get good use out of that rotisserie chicken....so we are going to finish it up!

Shopping List:

1/3 of your rotisserie chicken

1 package of Pillsbury pre- rolled pie crust unless you want to make your own crust...its not too hard but time is of the essence

mixed vegetable ( frozen or canned )

1 cup milk
2 TBSP butter
1 TBSP cornstarch
1 bullion cube
dash of salt
dash of garlic salt

pepper to taste

Step 1
In stockpot melt butter along with milk, bullion, salt and garlic salt, pepper and cornstarch
Once melted bring to boil and stir until thickened ( 1 to 2 minutes )

Step 2

Mix in 1 cup chicken and 1 cup mixed vegetables

Step 3
In muffin tin/cupcake maker/pan for oven ( any method will work )
Spray with non-stick spray
DO NOT PREHEAT

Step 4
Cut out dough to desired size and press in botton of tin/pan

Step 5
Fill with pot pie filling being careful not to overfill

...if you do, dont worry but your mini pie may run over in the oven or end up like this... ( the filling all fell through )

( as promised I will always share the good, bad and the ugly...nobody is perfect so DONT get discouraged )

Step 6
Cut out tops to pies and place over

 

Step 7
Trim edges and bake...
Depending on which method you use in over I would say 15 minutes at 425 or if you do one large pan 25 minutes at 400...but that is simply a guess

Before Cooking

After Cooking

Step 8

Sprinkle leftover pie crust with cinnamon, sugar and agave for a sweet dessert...bake for 5-8 minutes at 425!!! YUMMY!!!

Note: If you are wanting to lighten up this recipe you can double the vegetables and our ingredients directly in a pan and cover with crust so it only has one layer of starch!!! Happy Cooking!

Mini Pot Pies

Roasted Banana Pudding...Yes thats correct, Roasted :)

Alright y'all....so I promised you in the first post that I would share EVERYTHING  good and not so good that happens in my little pink kitchen...so stay tuned for some entertainment.

This is a recipe I found in "Cooking Light" magazine, it really caught my eye and I have been wanting to make it for awhile.  I didn't make any major changes to this but did make a few... here is a link to the original recipe Roasted Banana Pudding.

This recipe is decadent...no fakey banana taste...  YUMMY!!!
Shopping List:

• 5 ripe unpeeled medium bananas (about 2 pounds)
• 2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
• 2/3 cup sugar, divided
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 (12-ounce) container frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed and divided

 Step 1

This is the only exception I made to this pudding....  like I said earlier I have been wanting to make this for quite some time, therefore I had a lot of "old" bananas....I used 3 very over ripe bananas and 2 fresh bananas...the whole point of  "roasting the bananas" is to bring out the sweetness

So, back to step one...put bananas into pan in oven at 350 degrees...I honestly am really terrible at timing so I think I cooked the first ones maybe 15 minutes and the other 2 an additional 10? sorry I am not a timer nor am I one to measure...I cooked the over ripe ones for the lesser of the two... Once I put the other 2 bananas back in the oven I let them cook a bit and then turned the oven off and left them in.

Step 2
In a pot mix milk and 1/3 cup of sugar ( note not all of the sugar, half ) Heat over medium heat stirring so it doesn't scorch...do NOT boil!

Step 3
Mix other 1/3 cup of sugar, cornstarch, salt and eggs in separate bowl with whisk

Step 4

Mix the heated ( not boiling milk ) in to the bowl with the egg mixture...whisk until fully incorporated....sorry no picture I needed both hands :)  

This is where I got a good laugh...after whisking the egg mixture my whisk fell on the floor...I began by just using a fork in place of it because I didn't want to stop and clean it...then I changed my mind...but not before my sweet, very hyper dog, Tucker had taken off with the whisk...he was now outside ( probably with the whisk ) so back to using the fork

For those of you who do not know him...meet Tucker...my 6 year old...70+ lb "puppy of a lap dog" my pride, joy and patience tester

Step 5

Back to cooking....

Now you will pour that mixture back onto the stove....at this time I washed my bowl so I could re use it once my pudding was cooked

*note, wash because of raw eggs that were originally in there

At this time you want to be heating your mixture for about 3 minutes but DO NOT BOIL...

This is also a good time to take first batch of bananas out of the oven

Step 6

Mash first batch of bananas, mix with butter and vanilla

Step 7

Incorporate banana mixture into custard until butter melts

Step 8

Make ice bath out of 2 bowls or however you choose (ice bath = one large bowl with ice and water with smaller bowl inside, used to cool in quicker time)

Step 9

Pour custard in bowl and refrigerator for 40 min to 1 hour (until cool)

Step 10
Take out last 2 bananas and slice

At my house step 10 also included finding my whisk...it went out the dog door and was in the grass....oh sweet tucker love

 Step 11
Fold 1/2 of whipped topping or whipped cream into custard ( once cool )

Step 12

Layer vanilla wafers, sliced banana and  custard in whatever pattern you choose

Step 13

Add additional 1/2 of whipped topping on top of pudding and garnish with crumbled cookies

enjoy!!!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Well I figured there is no better way than to start this blog off right with one of my all time FAVORITE recipes..Tortilla Soup! I'm a little bit under the weather so I can use any kind of feel good potion available. For each recipe posted I will post: Shopping List, Step by Step instructions ( with pictures ) and the final product :) ENJOY!!!

Before we begin a quick tip for ANY meal includes:
1 oz courage
2 tbsp determination
5 oz flexibility
1 # LOVE

Happy Cooking!


Chicken Tortilla Soup

2/3 shredded rotisserie chicken ( keep the other third for another recipe I will be posting Wednesday--stay tuned)
1/2 onion ( yellow or white )
1/4 bunch of cilantro
2 bell peppers ( any color )
a few garlic cloves or minced garlic
3 TBSP light olive oil
1 TBSP taco seasoning
1 box of chicken broth ( you can use the low sodium if you would like )
1/2 cup of milk ( i recommend 1% or 2% for cooking and baking )
1 can rotel or store brand tomatoes and chilies
a few corn tortillas
2 generous TBSP of reduced fat sour cream

OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS:
avocado
jalapeno
cheese ( you can choose the reduced fat variety if you choose ) i normally do but my sweet husband bought the groceries this week and i forgot to specify!
black beans
corn or mexi corn



                             CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

Step 1:

Gather all ingredients and wipe off counters

Step 2:

Rinse off produce if you will be using the skin

Step 3

Heat Stockpot over medium low heat with 3 TBSP light flavored olive oil

Step 4

Dice onion and add to oil, turn up to medium heat

Step 5

chop garlic and add to oil

Step 6

Chop bell peppers and add to pot, be sure to stir as needed, also at this time add jalapeno...use as little of as much as you would like....advise, wear gloves so your hands don't burn....and remove seeds!

Step 7

Add  taco seasoning and can of rotel to pot

yours should look something like this....

NOTE: if you are adding corn, beans or any other vegetables add them now!

Step 10

Shred the chicken, you can do this with 2 forks, i used my hands they are the best tool in the kitchen!



Step 9

Add shredded chicken and give it a good stir

Step 10

Add box of broth, 2 generous TBSP of sour cream, and 1/3 cup of milk

Step 11

While letting the soup cook slice up a few tortillas, add most to soup and keep the rest to make crispy strips of!

Step 12

Take a small amount of light olive oil and heat to medium high and add tortilla strips

Step 13

They will end up looking like this :) add a dash of salt if desired!

Step 14

Slice avocado and garnishing as desired

Step 14

GARNISH AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST...ENJOYYY!!!





my first blog!!!

greetings to all! my name is Lindsey and this is my first attempt at a blog.  i want to focus this blog on everything, good and bad that goes on in my "little pink kitchen." let me start with telling you that i am a wife to an amazing man and i love to cook for him.  i also love to entertain and i feel that i can show my love to others by cooking and baking for them.  i do have a  pink  kitchen...yes my husband is amazing! it is breast cancer pink and we love it! i am a nutritionist and i love to incorporate a lot of fruits and vegetables into our meals.  i am a firm believer that what we put into our bodies determines how we feel...yet sometimes cravings, impulse and time get in the way.  i want to focus this blog on little changes that can help you and your family! welcome!