Quick and Easy

I am always looking for quick and easy recipes to make for dinner. By the time I get home from work, I don’t have a lot time to get dinner on the table. I hate the nights where we are not eating until almost 7:00 pm, so it is not uncommon for us to have turkey sandwiches, Lean Cuisines or some other quick fix for dinner. I love recipes that I can quickly pull together (that I am not taking out of a box and putting in the microwave). If there is any prep work that can be done the night before – even better. A few weeks ago my good friend Svetlana shared a recipe with me for "Chicken Rollatini Stuffed with Zucchini and Mozzarella." I made it for dinner last night and oh my gosh – yum! It was definitely a hit in my household and would make it again for sure.

It was so good, I had to share it on my blog. The recipe came from http://www.skinnytaste.com/. So not only was it quick and easy, but as an extra bonus it was on the healthier side. I looked at the website and there are TONS of healthy yummy recipes on there too. (If I make any of them, I will post on my blog too). Thanks for sharing the recipe Svetlana! The nice thing about this recipe is that I was able to prepare everything (quickly) on Sunday night so when I got home from work on Monday, I just had to throw it in the oven. (The pictures on the website look a lot better than how mine turned out below). If anyone else has any good recipes to share, please pass them along! Tonight for dinner, I made "Easy Taco Melts," which I have also included the recipe below. It was a Pillsbury recipe that was pretty good, Rob had seconds. It's just a change from your regular old tacos.  

Chicken Rollatini Stuffed with Zucchini and Mozzarella
Weight Watchers Points+: 4 pts 
Calories: 171.9

Fat: 6.3 g

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 1/2 cups (1 medium) zucchini, shredded

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp Romano cheese (or parmesan)

3 oz part skim shredded mozzarella

salt and pepper to taste

8 thin chicken cutlets, 3 oz each

1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

1 lemon, juice of

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and fresh pepper

olive oil non-stick spray 

Directions:

Wash and dry cutlets, season with salt and pepper.  Preheat oven to 450°. Lightly spray a baking dish with non-stick spray.

In a large skillet, heat oil on medium-high heat. Add oil when hot then saute garlic a minute, or until golden. Add zucchini, 1/4 cup Romano cheese, salt and pepper and saute about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool. When cool, add mozzarella cheese and mix to combine.

Lay chicken cutlets down on a working surface and spread 3 tbsp of zucchini-cheese mixture on each cutlet. Loosely roll each one and keep seam side down.

Combine breadcrumbs and grated cheese in one bowl; in a second bowl combine olive oil, lemon juice, and pepper in another bowl.

Dip chicken in lemon-oil mixture, then in breadcrumbs and place seam side down in a baking dish (no toothpicks needed). Repeat with the remaining chicken. When finished, lightly spray with oil spray.

Bake 25 - 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Easy Taco Melts
Calories: 310
Fat: 15 g

Ingredients:

1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef, cooked, drained (I used ground turkey)
1 ½ cups Old El Paso® Thick ‘n Chunky salsa (I used Pace)
1 can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® refrigerated biscuits (I used the low fat version, so maybe my calorie content is slightly lower)
½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese or Mexican cheese blend (2 oz) (I used cheddar because that is all I had).

**I used lettuce, light sour cream and crushed tortilla chips as a topping. I also added 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning to the meat and salsa.

Directions:

In 10-inch nonstick skillet, mix cooked beef and 1/2 cup of the salsa. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until hot.

Press each biscuit into 6-inch round. Spoon 1/3 cup meat mixture and 1 tablespoon cheese onto center of each round. Fold dough in half over filling; press to seal. Place on greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375°F 9 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with remaining salsa.