Can also be made in the slow cooker – see recipe instructions!

This Summer White Chicken Chili Verde recipe was originally shared with you in June 2014. I’ve updated it with new photos, nutrition information and slow cooker instructions. It’s one I love making – leftovers make for quick healthy lunches. Enjoy!

Soup in the summer? Why yes, of course. I’m all in for soup for any time of the year, especially when it’s full of seasonal veggies like this white chicken chili verde recipe I made last week.

I have always found it best to have soup made and ready to eat in the fridge. It is truly one of my weekly go to meals especially when the late afternoons and evenings are busy with sports and activities or you’re just feeling lazy at dinnertime. It’s fairly easy to put together, though not necessarily quick – and it’s as healthy and chock full of nutrition and goodness as you want it to be. I like to think of soup as a good friend who is always there for you. 🙂

How do you make white chicken chili?

1. In a large soup pot, heat your olive oil over medium heat. Add your onion and garlic and cook for a couple of minutes. Add your peppers and zucchini and cook for an additional 5 minutes until all the vegetables start to soften and are fragrant. Add cumin, oregano, salt and pepper to vegetable mixture and stir.
2. At this time add your beans, broth, salsa and whole chicken breasts. Cover pot and bring to a slow boil. Let simmer for 30-45 minutes until chicken is cooked through (take a fork and pull apart to check).
3. Once chicken is cooked through, pull out onto a plate or cutting board and carefully shred into small pieces using two forks. Add shredded chicken back into the soup pot and cook uncovered for another 10-15 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust.
4. Serve with lime, fresh cilantro, cheese or Greek yogurt as toppings.

There is a great local produce market that I absolutely love to visit. I always leave there with way more fruits and veggies than I need, or can possibly cook in a week. I guess you can say this soup was inspired by a desperate attempt to clear out the produce drawer before anything went to waste. In the picture above you see some beautiful cubanelle peppers (that I can never ever resist) and a variation of zucchini I can only find at this produce market in the spring and summer.

If you don’t have either of these types of peppers or zucchini just substitute another kind of green pepper (poblano or bell would be great) or zucchini. Cubanelles typically have no heat and they have a light mild flavor so they are fun to cook with when you can find them (my grocery store tends to have them year round, I’m not sure if that’s a regional thing or not).

(more…)

The post Summer White Chicken Chili Verde appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

This recipe was created in partnership with Bush’s Beans.

If you like pork chops and barbecue then I am pretty certain you are going to love these Smothered Grilled Pork Chops today. I don’t cook pork chops often, but recently I picked up a couple of packages on sale since I know that my mother in law loves them and I want to treat her to dinner.

This meal made enough for them and my husband and I (I decided I wasn’t going to make the kids eat all those dreaded peppers 😉 ) and it was absolutely delicious.

(more…)

The post Smothered Grilled Pork Chops appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

We all know school nights are busy and can be a challenge at dinner times. But sometimes I feel the same during the summer! After being out all day playing and running around, the last thing I want to do some evenings is make dinner. But we need to eat, so unless I grill up something quick, a fast skillet dinner like this Balsamic Chicken with Sweet Peppers and Zucchini is something I would likely throw together.

This chicken dinner is as easy as it gets, and is so healthy and tasty, perfect for warm weather! I don’t regularly purchase thin sliced chicken cutlets but when I see them on sale I try to snag some for meals just like this. They cook up so quick and are perfect to saute in a skillet with veggies and sauce.

(more…)

The post Skillet Balsamic Chicken with Sweet Peppers and Zucchini appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

To say that I am obsessed with Greek food would be a total understatement. At least twice a month, if we are getting take out it is usually from one of our local family-owned Greek restaurants. I am in love with the flavors of the Mediterranean (if you can’t tell by the recipes I post), and Greek cuisine is high up on the list of food I love.

Today I am sharing with you a recipe from a beautiful cookbook I received recently, It’s All Greek to Me by Debbie Matenopoulos. When I opened up this book I could tell right away how authentic it was, and I was excited to read through it (am I the only one who likes to read cookbooks before they cook from them?).

When I looked through this book, it wasn’t just the beautiful and traditional recipes that caught my eye, it was also all of the gorgeous photos capturing the Greek culture that reminds me so much of my own Italian heritage – full of love, food and living life well. The underlying focus of this cookbook is not only delicious Greek recipes, but including and enjoying whole, natural ingredients as those in the Mediterranean part of our world do effortlessly as part of their lifestyle.

I love it. (and I love this Greek Village Salad too…the first of many recipes I want to try from this book.)

(more…)

The post Greek Village Salad Recipe – Classic Greek Salad – Horiatiki appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

Raise your hand if you love a good stir fry. (My hand is raised high – and so are my family’s hands too.)

Stir fries are a busy weeknight’s lifesaver. They are simple, healthy and quick. A no brainer really if you think about it. All it takes is a little prep (those precut bags of veggies at the grocery store come in real handy if you are really short on time) and a good wok.

Here are a few more healthy dinner ideas for you.

I’ve been lacking in the good wok department for quite some time. I have not had much luck with woks over the years for some reason. They have always seemed to get warped and become lopsided on my cooktop and the inside of the wok gets a little sad looking after some time.

Swiss Diamond recently sent me their 14″ Nonstick Wok to test out and I am so impressed. The quality is amazing. It’s a huge wok (and comes with a glass lid) so you can easily make stir fries packed with veggies your whole family will love – like this Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry I made this week. Their nonstick coating is made with real diamond crystals (pretty cool, huh) and they are made of heavy-duty cast aluminum with a flat bottom so no warping, tipping or spinning will be happening.

I’m excited to offer the same wok to one lucky reader too – see the below the recipe to enter the giveaway!

(more…)

The post Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

So last week I was majorly on the ball and had a meal plan that included this recipe for Bison and Brown Rice Stuffed Peppers. This week, not so much on the ball. But for good reasons!! My baby boy got pretty sick (tonsilitis!) over the holiday weekend so I have been in survival mode most of this week. Thankfully he’s on the mend so things are starting to feel slightly more normal today and I am playing catch up with all things life.

Here’s a snapshot of last week’s meal plan:

I have to tell you, having a meal plan and writing it out where everyone can see is life changing. My kids are constantly asking me “what’s for dinner?” and not really listening to or remembering what I tell them. With it displayed in plain sight on our “communication station” wall all I have to do is point and smile. 🙂

Monday night we were at school for teacher night so I made the kids a quick dinner of tortellini with sauce (good jarred stuff) and broccoli. I honestly can’t remember what my husband and I ended up eating that night so let’s move on to Tuesday…I grilled some frozen turkey burgers I get from Costco, roasted some sweet potatoes and threw together my favorite store bought kale salad kit. This is becoming a good go-to dinner for us on busy nights.

I also tried a new recipe last week (something I am trying to do every week to keep things interesting). I saw this recipe for Healthy Crock Pot Butter Chicken on ifoodreal.com a few months ago and I have been obsessing about it ever since. My entire family loved this recipe and I will definitely make it again. If you haven’t visited ifoodreal before you are missing out on some seriously delicious looking healthy recipes – and gorgeous photography too (one of my favorite healthy food blogs for inspiration!).

This recipe for stuffed peppers makes a big batch which is great for freezing or having for leftovers for lunch throughout the week. I shared half with my husband’s parents who actually requested I make them and I’m so glad they did. It had been a while since I had made stuffed peppers. They are a bit time consuming as far as prep goes as well as cook time but so worth it in my opinion. I prepped and cooked them early in the day then reheated them at dinner time. These would be perfect to make on a Sunday to give you a head start on one of your dinners for the week.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

(more…)

The post Bison and Brown Rice Stuffed Peppers appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

When Micah was about 5 weeks old, I had a bit of a sleep-deprived induced meltdown. There was a lot of crying going on (mostly him, but also a little from me) and not a lot of sleeping  happening (mostly me). Up until then I had honestly forgotten about the being “so tired your brain hurts” feeling that comes with having a new baby. I know that feeling oh so well now.

A good friend of mine was lucky enough to witness my meltdown when she was dropping off my kids from school for me one afternoon. It was one of those days where Micah wasn’t sleeping for more than a few minutes at a time unless he was being held, I still hadn’t showered and dinner was definitely going to be take-out. Add on the fact that we were getting up every couple of hours during the night for several days, I was so exhausted. The thought of my kids getting home from school with lots of energy and homework kinda sent my head spinning. Needless to say, when my friend dropped them off all she had to ask was “how are you doing” for the waterworks to happen.

Sigh. I’m so glad I’m getting a little more sleep now.

My dear friend came to my rescue that week. She picked up my kids from school the rest of the week, took them out to dinner one night, and brought us dinner another night. As humbling as it was for me to break down like that, I’m so grateful my friend was there for me when I needed the help the most.

So what does this healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup have to do with any of this? This soup is what my friend Heidi brought us for dinner. You would have thought we hadn’t eaten in daaaays with how excited, thankful and hungry we were when she walked through our door with her pot of soup and all the fixings to go with it. This isn’t her exact recipe, I am still waiting for her to pass it along to me, but I believe it’s close – it tastes just as delicious and hits the spot every time I make it. It is especially comforting after a long day or when I only have enough time to heat up a quick bowl of soup for lunch. I truly love a soup that makes you feel good after eating it, and this is definitely one of those soups. Enjoy!

Here are a few more healthy dinner ideas for you.

(more…)

The post Healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

This Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchilada Bake recipe is sponsored by Bush’s Beans.

A few years ago, I discovered how well black beans and sweet potatoes go together. There have been plenty of times since that discovery where I have served myself roasted sweet potato halves or rounds topped with leftover black beans on a plate for a simple, yet filling, vegetarian lunch or dinner. There’s such a good sweet and savory balance that comes from the pairing, and it’s fun to experiment with it too. And not to mention, Bush’s black beans and sweet potatoes are pretty much healthy staples in my kitchen so it’s not hard to include them in everyday recipes.

This recipe for Roasted Veggie and Black Bean Burritos are what started it all, though it’s been a while since I’ve made them. They are actually what inspired this enchilada bake. I have been wanting to make the burritos but was looking for something I could prepare ahead of time and easily throw in to the oven at dinner time. I guess I could have probably still done that, but then I wouldn’t have this new recipe to share with you, would I? 😉

Don’t be intimidated by the list of ingredients. Most of it goes into a roasting pan all at once and you can even cook it up ahead of time like I did. Having my go-to enchilada sauce recipe ready to defrost in the freezer is a huge help – if you haven’t tried it yet, please do!

If you’re looking for a good meatless dinner option try this one out!

Enjoy!

(more…)

The post Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchilada Bake appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

Call it a craving, but last week I had to have a cheesesteak sandwich. Like, HAD to. I had been wanting one for a few days, but I have to admit, normally for me mouthwatering greasy cheesesteak sandwiches equals a big ole stomach ache. Not fun. It is what it is.

My pregnant self and I decided to take this cheesesteak craving into our own hands – make a little less greasy version of one for the family at home. You have no idea how happy my husband was to hear that cheesesteaks were on the menu that night. Anytime beef or steak make an appearance in my kitchen, I swear, he gets giddy. It’s a treat, and I know I owe it to him every now and then considering he doesn’t complain one bit about all the veggie and bean meals and lean ground turkey we normally eat. I’m truly happy to treat!

I know there are people out there who get very passionate about how their cheesesteak sandwiches are made. I will be the first to admit that I’ve never had a “real” Philly cheesesteak, and by no means am trying to pull these off as authentic. You know what they were? They were delicious, and incredibly easy enough to pull together on a lazy Friday night in my kitchen.

And I have to say, they satisfied my craving perfectly.

I served these tasty and easy cheesesteak sandwiches with these perfectly baked Italian herb fries – I highly recommend you get yourself in the kitchen to make this soon. Or at least add it to your easy back-to-school dinner recipes rotation! This recipe was adapted from American Test Kitchen’s 6 Ingredient Solution, such a great cookbook to have in your collection!

If you are in need of more easy back-to-school recipe inspiration – or are a fan of America’s Test Kitchen – you still have a few more days to enter my giveaway for ATK’s newest cookbook, 6 Ingredient Solution.

(more…)

The post Easy Cheesesteak Sandwiches appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

Summer vacation has officially begun in Casa Goodman. Last week was our first full week out of school and we kicked off the break with some time at a resort in Orlando using my parent’s time share points. Though it rained mostly every day, it didn’t stop my kids from non stop swimming, sliding, lazy river-ing, playing water volleyball and basketball.

I am always amazed at their endless energy and I have to say I am thankful they are at the age they can be in the pool without me physically by their side with them every minute – this mama needed a few lounge chair breaks to regain strength and un-prune her fingers and toes from all the water. I loved seeing them so active all day long, and honestly, the cloudy weather was actually a blessing – the sun came out in full force Saturday and whoa was it hot.

As always, there’s no place like home and we were all happy to get unpacked and back to normal yesterday. Since I didn’t have time to get to the grocery store before family hunger kicked in, I fell back on an ole reliable meal I tend to make pretty often throughout the summer – Grilled Italian Chicken Sausage and Peppers.

I pretty much always have a pack of precooked chicken sausages or two in the freezer (I stock up on several of the Aidell’s varieties every time I go to Costco, this time I picked up a new Italian style one from Casual Gourmet) and I usually have at least bell pepper or two along with onions in house too.

I love using soft pita bread to hold the final grilled product together as a sandwich as a opposed to a bun, and even throwing on a little feta sometimes to change things up (note: my favorite pita bread is this one from Joseph’s Bakery – only 60 calories, 6 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber – I have seen it at Publix and Walmart in the deli section). This meal always comes together in under 30 minutes, and I know everyone in the fam will eat it up (minus the peppers for the kids) alongside a salad or some raw veggies and ranch.

A perfect easy summer meal to add to your menu in my opinion! Happy grilling! 🙂

(more…)

The post Go-To Summer Meal: Grilled Italian Chicken Sausage and Pepper Pitas appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.