Shana's Pesto Chicken Penne Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 package (16 ounces) penne pasta
• 6 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 4 cups (16 ounces) shredded Italian cheese blend
• 3 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1 can (15 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 1 jar (15 ounces) Alfredo sauce
• 1-1/2 cups 2% milk
• 1 jar (8.1 ounces) prepared pesto
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the chicken, cheese blend, spinach, tomatoes, Alfredo sauce, milk and pesto. Drain pasta and add to chicken mixture; toss to coat.
• Transfer to two greased 8-in. square baking dishes. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and oil; sprinkle over casseroles.
• Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Cover and bake the remaining casserole at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until bubbly.
• To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until bubbly. Yield: 2 casseroles (6 servings each).

Puffed Pastry Wrapped Tenderloin

Preseasoned pork tenderloin, cut in half lengthwise
Cream cheese
Sheet of puff pastry
Foil, non-stick is best

Smear cream cheese between two halves of tenderloin.  Wrap in puff pastry.  Place on foil & bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

May wrap up in foil & freeze if desired prior to cooking.

DINNER DIVAS
Thaw 24-48 hours.  Unwrap foil (can use same piece to cook it on), place on baking pan & bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Cheesy Potatoes with Smoked Sausage

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Makes: about 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg. Hillshire Farm Angus Italian Style Smoked Sausage
• 1 bag (20 ounces) refrigerated shredded hash brown potatoes
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• ¼ cup butter or margarine, melted
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Lightly spray a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Cut sausage into ½” cubes.  Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Spread mixture evenly in prepared pan.  Bake 40-45 minutes or until lightly browned.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

*I used turkey smoked sausage and low fat sour cream

Baked Teriyaki Chicken

This recipe got LOTS of good reviews on All Recipes, so I hope it's yummy!

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon cold water
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
  
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
  

• 1 clove garlic, minced
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  
• boneless skinless chicken thighs
    
  Directions: 
  1. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the cornstarch, cold water, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger and ground black pepper. Let simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens and bubbles.
  2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
  3. Place chicken pieces in a lightly greased baking dish.
  4. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn pieces over, and bake for another 30 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear. 
   

Chicken Tenders "On the Ritz"

Chicken Tenders "On the Ritz"

1/2 cup prepared Ranch dressing
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp black pepper

1 cup finely crushed Ritz crackers
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
2 tsp dried parsley
chicken tenders
3 TBS melted butter

Your choice prepared dipping sauces (ranch, honey mustard, BBQ)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray or, for easier clean-up, line the cookie sheet with foil and spray foil with nonstick spray. (Dinner Divas: I sprayed the cooking tin, so you can cook in this if you prefer.)

In a small bowl, mix the Ranch dressing, milk, and pepper; set aside. In a shallow pan or dish, combine the cracker crumbs, breadcrumbs and parsley.

Dip each chicken tender into the dressing mixture, then roll in cracker crumb mixture to coat. Place tenders on prepared baking sheet, then drizzle with melted butter.

Bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Turn tenders over and bake an additional 10 min. If extra browning is desired, broil for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from oven and serve with your choice of dipping sauces.

To prepare from frozen: Thaw and bake as listed above.

Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas

Heard a few people liked this one - so I am making it again for this month - pretty healthy, as it only has a few ingredients :)

Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas

4-5 chicken breasts - sliced lengthwise

2 Tbsp Fajita Seasoning

1 medium onion (cut into strips)

1 medium bell pepper (cut into strips)

1 can Rotel

In a gallon baggie, place chicken and Fajita Seasoning and shake it up

Add onion, bell pepper and Rotel

Seal and freeze

Divas:

Thaw in refrigerator for 24 hours

Place in Crock Pot for 4-5 hours on LOW

Serve on corn or flour tortillas (one package provided for you)

Add fixin's

Enjoy :)

Honey-Garlic Chicken Kabobs

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• Chicken

Instructions

In large bowl whisk together all ingredients in marinade.

Chop up veggies and chicken.

Mix marinade with veggies and chicken and let it sit for two hours (refrigerated) for up to 8 hours. The longer the better!

Pre-heat grill to medium heat (around 350-400 degrees).

Drain marinade from veggies and chicken and place on skewers. We've found it works best to put all the chicken on the same skewer, all the onions and peppers on one, etc. That way you can cook them as needed without over cooking.

Grill for around 12-15 minutes. Some veggies will cook faster than others, so you'll just have to keep an eye on them.

DIVAS...

I just cut up and marinated the chicken, cause the veggies likely won't freeze and then thaw well... plus my family is a strictly meat kabob kind of family.  So I will throw in a bag of frozen veggies for each family too.