Wise named acting president at LVH-Pocono

Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono is a two-month old entity with a century’s worth of patients.It’s understandable that, in the eight weeks since Pocono Health System merged with Lehigh Valley Health Network, the fused healthcare provider that’s replaced Pocono Medical Center is still in a stage of learning. A lot has happened since December, when the former PMC announced the layoff of healthcare positions — predominately registered nurses from three [...]

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New Retro Fitness to open Monday in Middle Smithfield Township

A fitness franchise will officially open its newest location Monday in Middle Smithfield Township. Retro Fitness gym off Route 209 had a soft opening on Sunday, said Regional Manager Brittney Goldstein, who is also general manager of the Stroudsburg location, which opened in 2015 at the former OfficeMax building.“This location was based on the needs of the community,” she said. “Due to the feedback from our members in Stroudsburg, we [...]

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13 Delicious Ways to Use Leftover Rotisserie Chicken

Whether you ran out of time to make dinner, have a hankering for barbecued meat, or simply don’t want to cook, a rotisserie chicken could be the lifeline you’re looking for. With these skewered delights, you get a main course that’s smoking hot and ready to eat without having to do any cooking yourself.

Costco’s rotisserie chickens are especially popular, mainly because they’re still just five bucks and bursting with salty-barbecue flavor. But really, most major grocery store chains offer their own ready-roasted version of a delicious bird to take home. That includes Kroger, Publix, Safeway, and Whole Foods, to name a few.

Once you pick up a rotisserie chicken at the store, there are plenty of easy ways to turn it into a meal. Add a few side dishes (vegetables, rice, etc.) and you’ve got a full-blown dinner. Carve some slices onto bread with a bit of barbecue sauce and you’ve got a BBQ chicken sandwich. Throw some slices on top of a big green salad and it’s practically a health food. With so many ways to parlay this bird into dinner, it’s hard for a rotisserie chicken to lead you astray.

• Related: 26 Favorite Cheap and Easy Meals

13 Ways to Use Leftover Rotisserie Chicken

But, what do you do those rotisserie leftovers? At the very least, you can boil the bones and tendons for a couple of hours and make your own delicious chicken broth. But if your family doesn’t throw back an entire rotisserie chicken in one sitting, consider using the leftover meat to create a brand-new meal the next day. Here are some potential recipes and options:

#1: Rotisserie Chicken Alfredo Pasta

If you love alfredo sauce, adding rotisserie chicken to your favorite pasta dish is a smart move. The perfectly seasoned meat will fit in perfectly with your creamy alfredo masterpiece, and add a burst of protein to your dish to boot.

Boil and prepare any pasta of your choosing while you prepare your own cream sauce. This Food Network recipe promises alfredo sauce that’s better than Olive Garden’s, so it’s worth a try.

Plate your pasta, add sauce, then add some heated rotisserie chicken and parmesan cheese on top. And if you want to take the easy route, you can even buy a jar of alfredo sauce and use that instead.

#2: DIY Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Rotisserie chicken cooled in the fridge is the perfect main course for a DIY chicken salad. Most chicken salads call for chicken (duh) and additional ingredients such as parsley, dill, mayonnaise, lemon juice, or celery. Others add to those ingredients sweet, diced grapes, and even walnuts.

You can make chicken salad any way you want, but we suggest this Food Network recipe because it includes fewer ingredients than most. Add your chicken salad to a big hoagie bun, and serve with chips or vegetables for a healthy leftover lunch.

#3: Chicken Stir-Fry

Stir-fry is easy to make. Simply chop up some of your favorite vegetables, then heat them in a wok over medium heat with some oil and your favorite soy or teriyaki sauce. Add some chunks of leftover rotisserie chicken for the last few minutes of cooking, and you’ve got an easy chicken stir-fry on your hands – serve it over rice or noodles to stretch it a bit farther.

You can use whatever vegetables you have on hand for a stir-fry, but my favorites are snow peas, diced carrots, onions, green peppers, and broccoli.

#4: Chicken Fried Rice

Chicken fried rice is easy-peasy. This better-than-takeout fried rice recipe lays it all on the line.

You’ll need tiny veggies (think peas, corn, and diced carrots and onions), prepared rice, soy sauce, sesame oil, eggs, and garlic. Follow the directions for the perfect fried rice, taking special care to add your leftover rotisserie chicken for the last few minutes in the wok.

The best part about this dish is that it’s a complete meal in itself, with protein, vegetables, and grains.

#5: Chicken Quesadillas

Chicken quesadillas are delicious and easy to make. You’ll need tortillas, chopped up rotisserie chicken, shredded cheese, and whatever extra goodies you want inside.

Start by cooking your chopped rotisserie chicken with a packet of taco seasoning and water. In another pan, cook up your finely cut vegetables – green peppers, red peppers, and onions, for example.

Once your quesadilla’s insides are cooked, you can begin assembly. Pack the bottom side of a quesadilla with filling, shred cheese on top, then add another tortilla to make a sandwich. From there, you can brown your quesadilla and melt the cheese on your stovetop or in the oven.

#6: Chicken Nachos

Ooey-gooey-melty nachos. Is there anything better?

Rotisserie chicken works amazingly as a topping for nachos. You can make nachos any way you want – with salsa, sour cream, green onions, peppers, black olives, or other toppings mixed with warm melted cheese. Then just heat your leftover chicken in the microwave or in a skillet with oil, and shred it on top of your nacho platter to kick things up a notch.

#7: Spicy Buffalo Chicken Dip

While you can use any buffalo chicken dip recipe with rotisserie chicken, this one appears to work rather well. All you need for the perfect dip is ranch dressing, cream cheese, hot sauce, and mozzarella cheese.

Melt your ingredients together with shredded chicken, then serve with your favorite dippers. If you want to skip some of the carbs, serve your dip with carrot or celery sticks instead of tortilla chips.

#8: Homemade Chicken Pizza

Homemade pizza is easy to make, and you can use just about any toppings you want (or want to get rid of). Start with a store-bought pizza crust or dough (or better yet, make your own), and add your favorite toppings – including shredded rotisserie chicken, of course.

You can go one of two ways with this strategy: red or white. A red pizza with chicken might work best with a handful of your favorite vegetables, like peppers and mushrooms, with shredded cheese and marinara sauce; but you can also go crazy and use barbecue sauce instead. A white pizza might include onions and artichokes with a garlic cream sauce — or even ranch dressing, whatever floats your boat. Really, there’s no wrong way: You can make your pizza however you want.

#9: Club Salad

Another easy way to use up rotisserie chicken is to throw it on top of your favorite salad. Cut up your favorite greens along with your favorite veggies – like chopped carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and red peppers.

Warm up your rotisserie chicken and throw it on top of the salad. Serve with your favorite dressing, croutons, and shredded cheese on top. For even more protein, add some sliced hard-boiled eggs, too.

#10: Shredded Chicken Tacos

Shredded chicken tacos are another easy favorite. All you need to do is fix tacos like you normally would, but fill them with rotisserie chicken instead of beef.

Saute your shredded rotisserie chicken leftovers in taco seasoning for added flavor, then add it to your taco shells. Other toppings to consider include refried beans, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, onions, shredded cheese, and sour cream.

#11: Garden Chicken Wraps

Another easy – and healthy – way to use up rotisserie chicken is to create a healthy garden wrap. Buy a pack of tortillas at the store when you pick up the chicken, then fill them with chopped garden vegetables, shredded lettuce, and rotisserie chicken.

To add more flavor, line the inside of your tortilla with your favorite spread as well, like honey mustard or mayo. You can even try veggie cream cheese for a creamy kick, or your favorite spicy cheese dip.

#12: Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

Leftover rotisserie chicken is perfect for soup — after all, you’re often left with lots of small bits of meat, and you can make your own free broth by boiling the leftover bones with salt, pepper, an onion, and a couple of carrots. This Easy Chicken Noodle Soup recipe simply instructs you to combine leftover rotisserie chicken with chicken stock, chopped onions, celery, carrots, and your favorite noodles.

Homemade chicken noodle soup might be the perfect food to get you through the remainder of winter. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with bread, and you can’t go wrong.

#13: Creamy Chicken and Kale Soup

This recipe comes courtesy of my neighbor, Beth: In a large pot, saute one stalk of chopped celery, half of a diced onion, and one diced potato in some olive oil. Add chopped rotisserie chicken and chopped kale. Add two boxes of chicken stock, three cubes of Dorot frozen garlic, and simmer until potatoes are done. Turn down the heat to the lowest setting, and stir in one block of reduced-fat cream cheese and 3/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese.

The end result? You’ll have a creamy soup full of vitamins and flavor.

Holly Johnson is an award-winning personal finance writer and the author of Zero Down Your Debt. Johnson shares her obsession with frugality, budgeting, and travel at ClubThrifty.com.

Related Articles: 

• Double-Header Dinner Ideas: Three Easy Recipes for Back-to-Back Nights
• 17 Vegetarian Recipes to Save Money on Meals
• Homemade Bone Broth: A Healthy and Frugal Winter Warmer
• Learning to Love Leftovers: Eight Strategies to Make Last Night’s Food Taste Great Again

How do you use leftover rotisserie chicken? Have you tried any of the recipes on this list?

The post 13 Delicious Ways to Use Leftover Rotisserie Chicken appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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The Woman Who Made $12K in Her Sleep Answers Your Burning Questions

Dear Penny Hoarders,

It’s me, Jillian, that girl who spent lots of time making lots of money to sleep. After writing about my experiences, I started receiving several of the same questions from readers, so I figured I’d answer all of them in one easy-to-read place.

For those who haven’t seen the original story, here’s a quick recap.

Research facilities around the world pay people to sleep, and you can participate in those studies by following a few steps. It’s a fun and fulfilling role that gives you the opportunity to contribute to science, while making some cash in the process.

Let the Q&A begin!

1. Where Do I Sign Up?

This was the No. 1 question, and the answer is different for everyone. Originally, I offered this link to help people find studies in their area, but Penny Hoarders helped out by suggesting this site, too.

Here’s the catch: Looking on these sites doesn’t mean you’re now part of the study. They just show you research facilities near you.

You can take this one step further by visiting the websites for the clinical studies in your area. They typically have a page listing current studies with corresponding surveys to see if you qualify, but you can always call or email to express interest in participating. Even if you don’t currently qualify for a study, they may keep you on a list for future consideration.

In short, once you find open sleep studies, visit the websites, call or email the facilities, and ask how you can get involved. Every study and every facility is different.

It’s also helpful to do a simple Google search for “paid sleep studies in [your city].” This may generate results more specific to what you’re looking for. You can look for paid studies on any topic, too.

Available studies include those for smokers, late-shift workers and people who are chronically tired. The sky’s the limit — just be specific in your search, and you’ll get specific results.

It’s important to note that larger cities typically have larger research facilities. Hospitals sometimes double as places for case study research, so the larger the hospital, the more likely it is to have a sleep division or clinical trial area.

2. How Do I Know This is Legit?

I know you don’t know me, but I wouldn’t lie to you! Studies offer people a great opportunity to earn some money while they’re between places, figuring things out or going to school. You can verify legitimacy by contacting local facilities and asking for details on their paid studies.

When investigating a study, always ask to see the terms written out in a contract. Ask lots of questions, and look into the background of the location. I participated at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, which I knew was an honest, reputable institution I could trust to take care of me during my stay.

As a general rule, if you get a bad feeling about a place, you don’t have to move on with the study. Every study I’ve joined states that you’re allowed to leave if you ever feel uncomfortable or decide you aren’t OK with the circumstances.

Additionally, if you’re staying overnight at a facility, always let someone else know about the location and duration of the study. Do your research, and make good choices before signing up. Don’t jump into something without knowing all the facts first.

3. Are We Supposed to Just Contact a Center to See if It’s Running a Study?

Yes, this is the best way to know if you qualify for a study. You can also see if the facility has a survey you can complete to qualify for future studies. Ask the center to contact you or keep you on file if it’s ever searching for someone. This makes the recruitment process easier for the center and gives you an advantage in being selected.

4. Rectal Thermometer, Say What?

In my article, I was honest about some studies requiring regular blood draws and internal temperatures, but this is not every study. This is something you can learn more about by looking into what different facilities are interested in studying. For example, I participated in a study all about color, and the researchers put me in a room with a different luminosity every day.

Every study is unique. Careful research and a call to a recruiter will give you the best idea of what studies require of you physically. If you want to get a good laugh, just come right out and ask, “But do they make you put in a rectal thermometer, or what?”

5. Love the Idea. Can You Hire Me?

Some people thought I was writing as a representative for a place or an organization. Nope, I’m just someone who learned about research studies and made them my life for a while. You can, too!

I hope this clarifies a few of the questions that everyone has about sleep studies. I’m happy to answer more, but if they are location-specific, it’s best to reach out to organizations in your area that are performing the studies. Some pay better than others, some are a small commitment, and some are more ongoing. Think about your schedule and lifestyle, and pick a study that works for you.

Jillian Shea is a freelance creative who runs her own copywriting business. She loves obscure means of money and media. Read her blog at http://ift.tt/1fL5mLm.

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