Alice Springs Chicken

Are you surprised to see a new post?  This is what preschool can do for a mom.  It's a free two hours a few days a week.  FREE MOM TIME!!! In order to ensure I stay productive during this newly found free time, I have set a goal to post a recipe every week.

Part of my incentive for this is since I have stopped posting, we had a child diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.  In an effort to feed her better, we measure, calculate, and ultimately search for as many healthy low carb recipes as we can find so when we are enjoying brownies and ice cream or a birthday cake, we can balance her better.  The good news is this is an all around better thing for the whole family. The bad news is, I didn't plan properly the fact this meant I needed to take photos for the recipe post this week.  But alas, you are in luck, because the recipes I am posting have come from other magnificent recipe sources.

So today's feature you are going to absolutely LOVE.  It  is an Alice Springs Chicken copycat recipe.  If you have never had this delightful dish from the Outback Steakhouse, you have no idea why a copycat recipe would be so exciting.  We have made this for company, my parents, my in-laws, and it's one that we are asked to make again and again.   It is gluten free as written, so that's another plus.  I'm linking you back to her recipe.  It is amazing and she is not kidding when she says the sauce is perfect!

We pretty much follow the recipe as is with some minor adjustments.  We have a large family, so we double the sauce, make a 9x13 pan with about 8 chicken breast halves cut in half.  Why you may ask?  Well, most half breasts weigh in around 6-7 ounces. 3 ounces of chicken is plenty for the little ones, and if an adult wants six ounces of chicken, he or she takes two.  It's easier than having a half eaten breast on the plate.  Second, we have picky kids, so one pan is made without mushrooms.  I have found when doing this there is a lot less moisture in the pan.  To help counteract this issue we do not reserve any of the sauce.  Half goes over each 9x13 dish.  We also add the cheese the last ten minutes of cooking.

As far as freezer meals are concerned, the only thing we do is cut the chicken and freeze it.  The mushrooms have such a high water content I'm not sure how they would hold up after freezing.  Regardless, ones the chicken has been trimmed and cut, throwing the meal together is really just a matter of minutes.  We've been known to have this meal on the table in 45 minutes including the time it takes to preheat the oven. Enjoy!

Just in case there are ever any problems with the link, here is the recipe from The Dinner Mom.  Check her out!

Alice Springs Chicken

• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Seasoning Salt
• 1 cup Honey Mustard Sauce (recipe below)
• 4 slices bacon, cooked
• 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese,Colby jack or cheese substitute, shredded

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Layer mushrooms in the bottom of a baking dish.
3. Add chicken and sprinkle with seasoning salt.
4. Top with bacon and about ¾ of the honey mustard sauce. Reserve about ¼ of the sauce to serve on the side (the reserved sauce should never touch raw chicken.)
5. Sprinkle cheese over the top.
6. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

 

Honey Mustard Sauce

• ¾ cup mayonnaise or vegan substitute
• ¼ cup honey
• 2 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

Use beaters to mix mayonnaise, honey and Dijon mustard until well-combined.

Chicken Cordon Bleu...in a Crockpot

Okay, so I wasn't so creative with the side dishes.  In my defense we arrived home from one of the girl's softball game at almost 6:00 p.m. and I was mainly concerned with getting dinner on the table.  However, since I haven't posted this recipe before we get the canned veggie side dishes and the egg noodles that cook up in seven minutes.

My kids ALL liked this, and with five sets of varying taste buds that is a huge accomplishment.  This started as a freezer meal that was thawed completely by allowing it two days in the fridge.  We knew in advance we had some crazy scheduling this week, but I understand that doesn't always make a great freezer meal for some families.  With the cheese in the chicken I'm not sure how a microwave defrost would affect the overall taste and texture and don't recommend it.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts fileted
4 large slices of swiss cheese
4 large, thin slices of ham
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk

Filet the chicken breasts in half to yield 6 long thin pieces.  I am not a top notch chef so mine do not end up in equal sizes.  This isn't a problem in my family as the kids usually want a smaller portion anyway, but it is something to note if you need to increase the number of chicken breasts you are using.  Layer 1/2 of a ham slice and 1/2 of a slice of swiss cheese on each piece of chicken lengthwise.  Roll each piece of chicken with the ham and cheese on the inside and secure with a toothpick.

To freeze, place the rolled chicken in a freezer bag.  I double bagged mine because of the toothpicks.  I don't know if this was necessary, but I was concerned of puncturing through the freezer bag.  It wasn't so much freezer burn as I knew it was only in the freezer for the month as much as the concern of the raw chicken juices leaking while the chicken thawed...


Freezer bag label: Thaw completely, place in crockpot and cover with 1 can cream of chicken soup mixed with 1/2 cup milk.  Cook on low in crockpot 4 -5 hours.

If you choose not to freeze this, place the chicken in a crockpot and cover with the cream of chicken soup mixed with milk.  Cook on low in the crockpot  4 - 5 hours.  If you have a small crockpot you can teepee the chicken so they are all in a single layer.

Please remember crockpot cooking times typically assume your crockpot is 1/2 - 2/3 full.  The chicken may dry out if you have a seven quart crockpot and are only cooking 8 pieces of chicken.

Canning Salsa...

So I've made jam and love it.  I decided last year to start canning more.  We canned pears and it was a huge hit.  We tried peaches and they weren't freestone so it was a disaster.  Apricots bombed too.  It's been a live and learn experience.  Hence, I needed to rebuild my confidence and at the beginning of summer canned more jam and syrup.

So, with confidence back up I decided to try salsa.  We consume huge amounts of salsa in our house, but I have always been scared away from anything that involves vegetables when it comes to canning.  I don't have a pressure canner as of yet, and I didn't want to try my luck with my pressure cooker and hope I was measuring the pressure correctly.  When I discovered canning salsa could be done safely with a hot water bath I jumped in.

Now this is my first attempt meaning I researched and looked for recipes hoping not to come up with something that would end up not tasting well or would be a complete failure.  I came across a recipe at food.com that looked promising and decided to give it a try.  HOWEVER, I have researched enough about canning salsa that I knew it was not advised to go over a 50/50 ratio between tomatoes and other veggies, and this recipe is a little vague in the measurements.  Hence, I tried to be a little more specific in the measurements of what I did, which I'll list below.  Also, I used roma tomatoes so I lost a little more liquid than I would have had I used the plum tomatoes that the recipe called for.   I processed mine in multiple batches experimenting with heat from the jalapenos.  You can adjust as you see fit.  For a mild salsa I seeded the anaheims and the jalapenos.  For a medium heat I left the seeds in the anaheims and in a couple of the jalapenos.  The peppers are completely interchangeable and you can use bell peppers, yellow peppers, whatever you prefer.

20 cups firm tomatoes, chopped and seeded
Pickling salt
1 small can tomato paste
6 cups onions, diced
3 cups cilantro, chopped
1 cup garlic, minced
7 cups anaheim peppers, chopped
3 cups jalapeno peppers, chopped and seeded
3 Tbs lime juice for every pint jar (I didn't use fresh limes...I was too cheap and lazy)

With the roma tomatoes it took about forty tomatoes to get a twenty cup yield.  I peeled the tomatoes dropping them in boiling water for about thirty seconds and then placing them in an ice water bath.  This was so easy my eight and eleven year olds ended up peeling most of the tomatoes for me.  The tomatoes were then cored and chopped and laid on a cookie sheet.  I LIGHTLY sprinkled pickling salt on the tomatoes after the cookie sheet was covered and then repeated after another layer of tomatoes filled the sheet again.  The tomatoes were then placed in colanders to drain off excessive liquid while I started the water in my hot water bath and began chopping the rest of the veggies.  I usually sterilize my jars through a hot water wash and heat dry cycle about now also.

When it looked like the water bath was close to boiling I sterilized my lids and rims in a small pot on the stove top. As soon as the hot water bath is ready and the dishwasher has run through it's cycle so the jars are hot, I added a small amount of tomatoes and the tomato paste to my pot and stirred until there were not lumps in the paste, then I added all the vegetables.  DO NOT add the lime juice yet.  Stir the ingredients together and bring to a boil.  I had one batch of tomatoes I used that were a little riper than I would have liked.  They were good quality tomatoes, but they lost a little more juice when I was draining them.  I remeasured these before mixing them together and adjusted down my vegetables just to be safe.  I honestly don't know if this is necessary, but I do know you can't go wrong safely canning salsa with more tomatoes in the recipe and you can go wrong with too many other vegetables...let's just chalk this up to better safe than sorry.

As soon as the salsa reaches a boil, add 3 tablespoons of lime juice to your pint size jars, 6 tablespoons to your quarts.  Fill the rest of the jar with salsa, leaving one inch of head space. Wipe the rims clean and seal your lids.  Once you have enough prepared to fill your waterbath, place the jars in the water bath and return it to a boil.  You want about one inch of water covering the jars.  I processed my jars for fifteen minutes and I am about twelve feet above sea level.  This was from the FDA guidelines.  They recommend twenty minutes 1,000 - 6,000 feet and twenty-five above 6,000 feet.  Do not start timing until the water has returned to a boil.

When the jars are finished processing, remove from the water, and set aside until you hear that wonderful popping sound.

So far so good, and I'll let you know if I find any others worth sharing, but so far it was a positive experience.  I plan to do some more research and try some other recipes just because this is a very chunky salsa and only appeals to about half my crew.  I'll need to work on adding another more blended salsa to the pantry so everyone is happy!

Lettuce Wraps

First, let me just say I have never been to PF Chang's.  With that said, I know this is a copycat recipe, and for any PF Chang fans out there, I apologize in advance if this does not resemble the real thing.  HOWEVER, even if this doesn't resemble theirs, my family finds this worth making.  This is not a leftover meal.  I froze a little the last time we made them, and I'll be defrosting it within the next week to let you know how it holds up as a freezer meal.  You won't be freezing the lettuce of course.

The page I picked up the recipe from is Wasabimon.com.

Did I do anything different?  Yes, but only because I was using what I had, not because of any culinary insight.  I used regular sesame seed oil, and the dijon mustard I had was not the "good stuff" but a store brand.  Also, I did not have fresh lemons, so I did use lemon juice from my fridge.  The verdict...they were still AMAZING.  We had no leftovers either time I have made them.  The only reason I was able to put some to the freezer test is because I put it in the freezer before we started eating.  Even if I can only freeze the cut chicken ahead of time this recipe is staying as a regular in our house.  If for any reason the link doesn't work let me know and I'll send you over the recipe I have printed from the website.

By the way...this has moved so high up our favorites list it is what I requested for my Mother's Day dinner...the bad news - I think I'm prepping it today. Such is life.

S'more Cereal Bars

We discovered this recipe on the back of some generic marshmallows.  I have tried to locate the recipe online to give credit somewhere with no luck as of yet, so I'll post it here to share.  I used it today with some Young Women handouts and my kids devoured all the extras.  Let me add that I made a double batch, so it is impressive that they ate ALL the extras!

1/2 cup peanut butter
2 Tbs milk
1 package miniature marshmallows
3 1/2 cups Cocoa Puffs
3 1/2 cups Golden Grahams
1/2 cup peanuts



In a large heavy bottom saucepan stir together peanut butter, milk and marshmallows until melted.
Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients.
Immediately pour into 9x13 pan and press down evenly in pan.
After the mixture has cooled, cut into 24 pieces. (For my handouts I only did 12 in a pan)

The original recipe only calls for 6 total cups of cereal, but I think they are a little TOO sticky and gooey if you don't add the extra cereal.  My general rule of thumb is if you add more to your homemade rice crispy treats, add more here also.

Cooking for the Month of April The Plan

We actually traveled for Spring Break this year.  We drove to Texas and stopped in New Mexico on our way back.  We had such a great time.  HOWEVER, every time we have a big trip I forget to schedule a couple days just to catch up.  Our first week home was full of play practices, church activities, volleyball and choir practices.  Needless to say it's taking a while to catch up.

I did start my freezer meal cooking for the month of April.  We had used all but two of our freezer meals before we left, so it was a mad dash and not nearly as much planning as usual.  So, why would I share the chaos version of freezer meal cooking?  The simple reason is I don't want people to think there has to be a perfect plan.  It's okay to wing it when needed, and it's absolutely okay to slow down and work with your schedule when necessary.

The mainstay of this month's menu was boneless skinless chicken breasts.  Our Sam's Club allows you to purchase a case of approximately fifty pounds at $1.66/lb.  This is by far less expensive than most sales, and it's a constant price so I don't have to worry about purchasing and cooking during the sale.  In addition, even though it's a "case" of chicken, it's really a box of their prepackaged chicken breasts in the display case so it's easy to work with.  Also, every package is individually labeled.  If you're thinking you can't use fifty pounds of chicken, think about teaming up with a friend and splitting the cost.  We also purchased 5 pounds of ground turkey, simply because tacos are a mainstay in our home and we can't live without them.

This is an approximate breakdown of how the meat was separated.  Please keep in mind I plan meals for six or more.  If your family is smaller, cater your menu to your needs.


Mexican Lasagna - 14 pounds (4 recipes)
Chicken for Chicken Alfredo - 7 pounds (5 recipes-I use 1 1/2 breasts for each meal)
Chicken Parmesan - 2 pounds (1 recipe)
Chicken Francese - 2 pounds (1 recipe)
Orange Chicken - 6 pounds (3 recipes-we make A LOT the kids INHALE this)
Thai Peanut Chicken - 2 pounds (1 recipe)
Stir Fry - 3 pounds (2 recipes)
Southwest Chicken Salad - 1 pound (1 recipe)
Chicken Enchilada Soup - 2 pounds (2 recipes)
Creamy Crockpot Chicken - 6 pounds (3 recipes)
Lettuce Wraps - 4 pounds - (was suppose to be 2 recipes, but the kids REALLY loved these and ate a little more than one recipe, so we froze what was left to use for when I have lunch company)
BBQ Chicken Salad - 1 pound (1 recipe)
Taco Meat - 5 pounds (4 recipes-we'll use the meat for Tacos, Taco Soup or Taco Salad)

I can't BELIEVE I haven't posted the Creamy Crockpot Chicken recipe yet, and will post it with the others soon.  We have already made the Lettuce Wraps, so that will be up soon also, but the others...well, they are new recipes, so you'll find out how they taste with us.

What's Next?
You have your food prepped, it's bagged and frozen, and you're not sure what to do.

Make a calendar.  One of our new favorites is Cilantro Lime Shrimp.  I bought 2 pounds of shrimp to make that this week, and we have pizza EVERY Friday.  So, the other item in our freezer is a HUGE bag of pepperoni.  Between all this and the chicken, we have 34 dinners, plus the southwest chicken salad was planned for lunch a weekend we have company.

I started my calendar on April 2nd.  We will be gone Easter weekend, so there were three free days.  With all this, we have our menu planned through Monday, May 9th.  One of the main things we look at when planning our menu is game schedules.  We have a volleyball player in our troop, and the games can go until 6:00 p.m. about 30 minutes from home.  Those nights always end up with a crockpot meal or a salad.  All the work can be done in advance, and we're ready to eat as soon as we get in the door.  The joy to planning is it eliminates the need for fast food stops on those crazy nights.

This post is getting really long, so I'll just finish up with a couple quick notes.  All of these meals require something more than what's in the freezer.  I don't have the space in my freezer to keep the full meal, and some things just don't freeze as well as others.  With that in mind, the last key to success is making sure you have supplies on hand for the night you are planning to use your frozen food.  For example, with the chicken alfredo we only freeze the chicken.  Because we made enough for five dinners, I also purchased enough pasta and alfredo sauce for the five dinners.  If you need to, label what's in your pantry to make sure it's there when you need it.

Last, the way I do freezer meals does not eliminate grocery shopping through the month.  We go through a lot of milk and fresh fruits, and as you can see salad is a frequent on our menu plan.  I do try to think about side dishes and plan according to keep shopping minimized to once a week when at all possible.  If you have room in your freezer for frozen vegetables, you may have a little more flexibility than I do.

This may seem like a lot, but I promise it is absolutely worth every ounce of effort you put into it.  I cooked over two days total, with stops in between for laundry, dishes, and everything else that goes with getting back from vacation. More to follow on the cooking details.

Garlic Lime Chicken

This recipe wins in all categories.  First off, two of my favorite things are garlic and lime.  Second, it's a freezer meal. Third, it's diet friendly. And last, it is flexible in preparation; it can be cooked in a crockpot or you can marinate the meat and cook it on a grill.  How can you possibly go wrong?

Yes, after I took the pretty picture I did add sauce to my rice and chicken...I'm a saucy kind of girl...

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper


If you are marinating the meat, stab the chicken and place in a gallon size ziploc freezer bag.  Combine the other ingredients and pour over the chicken.  Marinate at least 2 hours and grill.

If you are using a crockpot place the chicken in the bottom of your crockpot.  I find a 4 quart works great for this recipe.  Combine the other ingredients and pour over the meat.  Cook on high 3 - 4 hours, or low 6 - 8 hours.  If you can, turn the meat about half way through.  Also, if you are cooking in a larger crockpot this will cook MUCH faster.  Check your meat frequently or double the chicken.  There is no need to double the sauce, there will be plenty.

For those who are counting calories...I cut the chicken as best I could into 4 ounce pieces before I placed it in the crockpot.  With the chicken I purchased, it four chicken breasts allowed for approximately two and a quarter pounds of chicken.

To prepare as a freezer meal.  Place the chicken in a labeled ziploc freezer bag.  Combine the other ingredients, then pour into the bag.  Again, if you plan to grill the chicken, it's best to stab the chicken first. For grilling, thaw overnight in the refrigerator.  The meat will marinate while it's thawing.  For crockpot cooking, on cooking day place the items from the bag in the crockpot and cook as above.  If you cook from frozen remember your cooking time will be on the high side.

We usually serve this with rice and steamed veggies.  LOVE IT!!!

Nutritional information per Spark People Recipe Calculator

For each 4 oz serving of chicken:
115     calories
0.5 g   fat
2.3 g   carbohydrate
0.1 g   fiber
0.5 g   sugar
24.1 g protein