Tasty Tuesday: Cook Once, Eat Thrice!

I love bulk cooking.
It's easy and a HUGE time-saver.
And lets not forget the money that can be saved!

This week we're talking about a staple of the Weight Watchers Diet: The Chicken Breast.
Most stores now have huge two or three pound packages of breasts for super cheap. Sometimes you can find them on special for less than a dollar a pound. When this happens, I stock up! Most of the time, I separate them into one and two breast portions, but this time around, I was out of baggies and food saver bags. So I had to freeze the whole thing. Thus, I had to cook the whole thing.


The first meal I made with them is a simple crock-pot recipe that I got off the Weight Watchers message boards. The second is a simple chicken and chili enchilada.. Finally, there's a great chicken pot pie that will blow you away!

Meal 1:
Crock Pot Chicken (served with cous cous and green beans on Monday)
Servings: 9-10

1 market special package of chicken breasts (9-10 breasts/pkg.)
2 low-sodium/low-fat cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup (I used both!)
1 C chicken broth
1 packet low-sodium onion soup mix
1 T Herbes De Provance or your favorite herb mixture

Combine soups, broth, soup mix, and herbs in a large crock pot (5 qt). Add chicken and toss to coat entirely. Cook on low 6-8 hours or until chicken is tender and shreds easily.

See?? Easy, right!

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Meal #2:
Cheesy Chicken Chili Enchiladas (I served with vegetarian refried beans and fajita-sauted peppers and onions)

2 chicken breasts, shredded
1 low-sodium/low-fat cream of mushroom soup
1 can chopped green chilis, drained and rinsed
1 C shredded low-fat cheddar cheese, divided in half.
1 small can red or green enchilada sauce
8 fajita size whole wheat tortillas

In a large bowl, combine chicken, soup, chilis, and 1/2 the cheese. Mix well to combine.
Place tortillas on a microwave-safe plate and cover with a moist (NOT wet!) paper towel. Microwave on high 30 seconds to 1 minute or until heated through.
Cover the botton of a rectangular glass baking pan with 1/2 the enchilada sauce.
Place 1/8 the filling into a tortilla and roll gently.
Place seam side down into the pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
Top with remaining sauce and cheese.
Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and slightly browned.
Allow to rest for at least ten minutes to allow for the filling to set.

This is made even easier if it's made in advance! It's also slightly tastier, as the flavors will have had time to meld!
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Meal #3:
Chicken Pot Pie

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg white
3 chicken breasts, shredded
2 can cream of chicken soup
1 c chopped onion
1/2 c chopped celery
1/2 c chopped carrots
1/2 c frozen peas
1 T Herbes de Provance, or your favorite herb blend

In a large bowl combine chicken, soup, herbs and vegetables. Turn out into a 9X9 glass baking pan sprayed with cooking spray. Top with puff pastry. Beat the egg white slightly, then brush onto the puff pastry. Bake at 425 for 25-30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly and puff pastry is puffed and browned.

There you have it! Three meals from one package of chicken. The best part about all of these is that they can be assembled beforehand and stored in the fridge or freezer until you're ready to bake them. Be sure to adjust times accordingly though. PS: if you do this with the pot pie, be sure to add the puff pastry later, when you're ready to bake!


Enjoy!

Here's To Being Losers in 2011!