Grilled Chicken w/ Spinach & Melted Mozzarella

Credit: Skinny Taste
Recipe: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/03/grilled-chicken-with-spinach-and-melted.html

Cochran Review: Looking forward to trying this one soon!!

Chicken & Mushrooms in Garlic White Wine Sauce

Credit: Skinny Taste
Recipe: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/03/chicken-and-mushrooms-in-garlic-white.html

Cochran Review: This meal really came together effortlessly. Probably the most difficult part was my 15 month old wanting to be held while I made half of it.  :)  Even my husband who doesn't like mushrooms enjoyed this meal. I served it with the Zesty Broccoli from one of my earlier posts. Enjoy!

Artichoke Crusted Chicken

Credit: Sugarlaws
Recipe: http://www.sugarlaws.com/artichoke-crusted-chicken

Cochran Review: We really enjoyed this meal after I made a few adjustments to make it healthier. The substitutions didn't leave us feeling like the flavor compromised. I doubled the recipe so we could have four chicken breasts instead of just two (we like leftovers for lunch). The best part of this meal is that I it came together in about 20-25 minutes! Yay for tasty quick meals! We would definetly have this meal again. Hope you enjoy!

Substitutions/Alterations:
My husband is adamantly against all things mayo. So, I replaced the mayo with a 6oz container of plain Greek yogurt! This worked out great! the topping was very creamy and far healthier than even the same amount of light mayo made with olive oil!

I've been very intrigued with trying coconut oil. So, I tried it for the first time on this meal. I liked cooking with it. I'll post an article about my coconut cooking experience soon.

The recipe suggests chopping the artichoke hearts. I actually finely chopped them in my food processor. I thought they might be tricky for our 15 month old to eat otherwise. This worked out well. I think my husband actually liked the finely chopped texture better.

I'm not sure if the chicken breasts I used were thicker than the ones used in the original recipe or not, but my cook time in the pan and the broiler was about double the suggested time.

Here is a pic of our dinner fresh from the broiler:

Here's a pic plated with broccoli and mushrooms steamed in coconut oil, salt, pepper and a bit of garlic:

Baked Edamame with Parmesan

Credit: I actually made this up all on my own! :) However, I found few baked edamame recipes available online after making this.
Recipe:

1 bag of frozen edamame beans
2 Tbsp of olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
Parmesan Cheese to taste (I used about a 1/2 cup)

Steam edamame as directed. Cool. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drain edemame and lightly pat with paper towel to remove excess water. Toss edamame in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. I used approximately 2 Tbsp. Spray cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray... I wasn't stingy in hopes they wouldn't stick, and I was successful. Layer edamame in single layer on tray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Top with Parmesan cheese to taste. I think I used about 1/2 of a cup of fresh grated cheese. Cook for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Let stand to cool for a minute. Enjoy!

These turned out crisp, but not crunchy like a potato chip. They packed a lot of flavor and gave a fun alternative to a typical steamed veggie. We couldn't stop eating them!

Healthy Turkey Stuffed Bell Peppers

Credit: Allrecipes.com
Recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Stuffed-Peppers-with-Turkey-and-Vegetables/Detail.aspx

Cochran Review: These were great! Healthy, tasty, and didn't make us feel overly full... which we are aiming for in preparation of our vacation. I read a few recommendations posted on the original recipe and this is how I made them.

I used two green peppers and two yellow peppers. When selecting my peppers for stuffing I chose ones that were larger in size and stood upright on their own. I believe this saved me some frustration during the filling and cooking process.

My square casserole dish broke this week, and I haven't replaced it yet. So, I threw a little olive oil in my Dutch Oven, placed the four peppers upside down (w/ top cut off and inside cleaned) in the pot, and cooked the initial time. They turned out great and didn't stick or burn.

I put all of the veggies in my food processor to make quick work of the chopping. Also, this made the mushrooms less obvious. Helpful, because my husband doesn't think he eats mushrooms. He does. ;) I didn't include the additional red and yellow pepper in the mixture. Instead, I just chopped and included the tops of the peppers I filled. This was a recommendation posted on the original recipe.

Also, I opted to omit the tomatoes and tomato paste, and substitute a 15 ounce can of tomato sauce. Cheaper, less work, and we don't feel the taste was compromised.

We had more mixture than would fit in the peppers. So, I filled the peppers and put the extra in the pot around the bottom of the stuffed peppers. Once again, worked out well.

We made angel hair pasta in a separate bowl. Cook noodles as directed. Drain. Return to pot. Add olive oil to taste to prevent sticking (like a light dressing). Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Plate the Noodles. Put stuffed pepper on bed of noodles. Distribute additional mixture between plates or save for leftovers (we distributed). Sprinkle meal with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken

Credit: My Aunt Sherry found this on Allrecipes.com, & I'm so excited she shared!
Recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Spicy-Garlic-Lime-Chicken/Detail.aspx?ms=1&prop25=77640069&prop26=DailyDish&prop27=2012-02-19&prop28=DailyRecipe&prop29=FullRecipe&me=1

Cochran Review: I'll let you know... it's for dinner tonight w/ sweet potatoes and broccoli. -- These were amazing!!! My husband said this was the best chicken breast he ever had! Turned out very flavorful and juicy! I cut the spicy spices in half since we were serving this to our 14 month old. He loved this, too! Thanks again Aunt Sherry! What a great find!

Also, I found a bag of edamame beans in my freezer and decided to make them instead of broccoli. However, I wondered what they would taste like baked. See my edamame post for recipe... WONDERFUL!!! Enjoy!

Corn Spoon Bread

Credit: Real Simple Recipes
Recipe: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/corn-spoon-bread-10000001548373/index.html

Cochran Review: Decided to add this to our Mardi Gras themed dinner tonight. We will let you know. -- Well, this came together quickly and was very easy to make. However, the Thyme took over the dish and caused us to throw it out. Picture of our dish below. If there were a way to remove the Thyme after cooking, we would have. I will make this again, but omit the Thyme. Now, in all fairness to this strong herb, my family and I aren't big fans of Thyme. If you are, you'll love it! Enjoy!