Spinach Pasta Salad

• 1 cup uncooked bow tie pasta
• 1 package (10 ounces) fresh baby spinach
• 1 medium sweet yellow pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinaigrette
• 
  
• Cook pasta. Meanwhile, combine the spinach, yellow pepper and apricots. Drain pasta and rinse in cold water; add to spinach mixture. Drizzle with vinaigrette and toss to coat.

Turkey and Brie Melts

multigrain bread

turkey slices

1/4 c. apricot preserves

8 0z. brie cheese slices, rind removed

3 Tbs. butter

butter outside of bread and place on med. heated skillet

spread preserves and layer with turkey and cheese and top with other slice of bread

cook over med. heat until bread is browned and cheese is melted

Summer Marinade

this is a yummy summer marinade good for steaks or chicken!

1/4 c chopped onion

1/4 c oil

2 Tbs. lemon juice

2 Tbs. soy sauce

1 Tbs. sugar

1 Tbs. cider vinegar

1 Tbs. honey

2 tsp. minced garlic

2 tsp. worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Pesto Meatballs and Couscous

We love pesto at our house and freeze it after making in all summer with basil from the garden. Enjoy this fun variation on meatballs.

3 T olive oil plus more for pan
1 ½ lb ground beef
½ c bread seasoned crumbs
¼ c pesto
1 egg
1 1/2 t salt
3/4 t pepper
10 oz. box couscous
1/4 c grated parmesan

1. Preheat to 350.

2. Using your hands, combine beef, bread crumbs, ½ of pesto, egg, salt, and pepper.

2. Shape mixture into 12 meatballs. Transfer to a baking dish that has been drizzled with 2 T olive oil in baking dish.

3. Bake for 15 min. Turn and bake another 1o min until cooked through.

4. Meanwhile, prepare couscous according to package directions.

5. In a small bowl, combine remaining olive oil and pesto. Spoon that mixture over the top of the meatballs.

6. Serve meatballs over couscous and top with Parmesan cheese.

Sweet Potato Vegetable Sandwich

1 sweet potato
4 slices wheat bread
4 slices red onion
1 avocado, sliced
4 slices tomato
T and 1 t honey mustard
1 T mayo
1/2 T poppyseed dressing
2 slices cheese
salt and pepper
lettuce or sprouts

1. Whisk honey mustard, mayo, and poppyseed for sauce. Spread on 2 slices of bread.

2. Microwave sweet potato for 4 minutes. Slice it when cooled.

3. Top bread with onions, avocado, sweet potato, tomato, cheese, greens, and salt and pepper.

**For the person who could never be content with a veggie sandwich, add a few slices of turkey. It's yummy that way too.

Tacos in a Bowl

A new kid favorite in our house.

1 lb. ground beef

4 T. chopped onion

1 1/2 c. salsa or 1 can rotel

1 pkg. taco seasoning

1 1/2 c. water

2 pkg. ramen noodles

1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

tortilla chips (optional)

In a skillet cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink, drain. Stir in salsa, taco seasoning and water. Bring to a boil. Add ramen noodles (discard seasoning packet or save for another use). Cook and stir for 3-5 mins or until noodles are tender.

Spoon into serving bowls, sprinkle with cheese and tortilla chips.

Variation: Add corn to mixture.

ENJOY!

Turkey Burgers

We just had these last night... turned out pretty good.

1 lb. ground turkey

1/2 c. bread crumbs (I used Italian)

1/2 cauliflower (in the food processor)

1/4 c. skim milk

2 T. soy sauce (I used worshershire sauce)

2 cloves garlic, chopped

Salt & Pepper

Mix together, form into patties and grill.

Serve with sweet potato fries... YUM!

Chicken and Rice Soup

3-4 chicken breasts (or 3-4 cans of shredded chicken)

1 onion, chopped

2 stalks celery

1 1/2 t. salt

1 t. pepper

2 bay leaves

2 chicken bouillon cubes

1 c. uncooked rice

1 carrot grated

1 T. butter

1 can cream of chicken soup

1. Bring first 6 ingredients to a boil in 3-4 quarts of water. Cook until chicken is cooked through and tender (approx. 30 mins.)

2. Remove chicken and bay leaf

3. Add bouillon cubes and bring to a boil

4. Stir in rice, carrot and butter. Cook for 20 min or until rice is done. While rice cooks, shred chicken.

5. Add in cream of chicken soup and shredded chicken.

6. Salt to taste.

ENJOY!

Ultimate Chicken Fingers

These are so easy and fast and we love them! Yay for Bisquick box recipes. :)

2/3 c Bisquick mix

1/2 c grated parmesan cheese

1/2 t garlic salt

1/2 t paprika

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips or chunks for nuggets

1 egg (+ a little milk)

3 T butter melted

Heat oven to 450. Line cookie sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.

In 1-gallon ziploc bag add bisquick mix, cheese, salt & paprika. Whisk egg and a little milk in separate bowl. Dip chicken in egg and place in bag of bisquick mixture. Seal bag, shake to coat. Place chicken on cookie sheet. Drizzle butter over chicken.

Bake for 12-14 mins, turning half way through.

Asian Wonton Salad

Ingredients:

2 heads romaine lettuce

3 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

cherry tomatoes

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1 cucumber, sliced

1 package wontons

vegetable oil for frying

Sweet Sesame Dressing:

2/3 C. rice vinegar

1 C. canola oil

2 T. sesame oil

4 cloves garlic, pressed

2 T. soy sauce

1/2 C. sugar

4 T. sesame seeds

- Place all ingredients in quart jar and shake vigorously. If desired, make ahead of time and store in the fridge.

Directions:

Heat about 1 inch of oil in a pot on the stove top. Use pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut wontons in thirds (3 strips). You may not need the entire package, depending on how much salad you are making. I used about 1/3 of the package. You will want the oil 375 degrees. Test by dipping a wonton in and seeing if it bubbles up quickly. Fry wontons a few at a time and set on paper towels to dry. These can be made ahead of time and kept in an air tight container.

Tear clean lettuce into chunks and place in a large salad bowl. Top with cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber, and red onion. Add chicken and top with Sweet Sesame Dressing. Toss salad together. Once everything is well coated, add wonton strips and gently toss to combine.

* I cut this recipe in half for the two of us. It makes plenty !

* I also marinated two chicken breasts the night before in a teriyaki marinade with minced garlic and cooked it on the griddler instead of plain cubed chicken.

Hearty Minestrone Soup

Awesome, healthy winter dish. And it cooks itself in the crock!

2 cans (one 28 oz., one 14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups water
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 pkg. (3-1/2oz.) sliced pepperoni
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. chicken bouillon granules
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
2 cans (16 oz. each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1-1/4 cups cooked elbow macaroni
Shredded Parmesan cheese

In 5-qt. slow cooker, combine the first 10 ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or until vegetables are tender.
Stir in the beans, spinach, and macaroni. Cover and cook 15 minutes longer or until heated through. Sprinkle with cheese.
Yield: 7 servings

*Tips- I tried to use organic ingredients when possible- especially for tomatoes and carrots which have higher traces of pesticide residue- used turkey pepperoni, and used organic (but natural would be good too) kidney beans. I was buying my beans at Aldi cuz they're super cheap, but noticed that they are also loaded with high fructose corn syrup- yucky and unnecessary! Meijer's natural and organic brands are a fabulous way to avoid these types of ingredients for an even healthier soup!

Fruit Cobbler

2 sticks of butter (yikes! ....i know!)

2 c of fresh berries of your choice

1 3/4 c sugar

1 1/4 c flour

2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 c milk

pinch of salt

Melt 1 stick of butter in 8'' baking dish. Prepare crust by mixing sugar (only 3/4 c),

flour, baking powder, milk, salt, and 1 stick of softened butter. Spread crust over melted butter in baking dish. Mix fruit with 1 c sugar. Pour over batter mixture. Do not stir. Bake at 350

for 1 hour. Enjoy!

Chicken Penne Pasta

5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

10-12 basil leaves, chopped

5 tomatoes, diced

16 oz. mayonnaise

1/2 lb. cooked chicken, diced

12 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 lb. penne pasta, cooked and drained

grated romano or parmesan cheese

Mix garlic, basil, tomatoes, mayonnaise, chicken and mozzarella (reserving 1 cup).

Add the pasta and mix well. Pour into 9x13 and top with remaining mozz. cheese

and grated cheese. Cover and bake at 350 for 45 min. Enjoy!

Creamy Chicken Dinner

4 chicken breasts

1 slice of swiss cheese for each piece of chicken

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/4 c. dry white wine

1 c. herb-seasoned stuffing mix, crushed

1/4 c butter, melted

Arrange chicken in lightly greased 9x13

Top with cheese

Combine soup and wine, stirring well. Spoon

evenly over chicken. Sprinkle with stuffing mix.

Drizzle butter over the crumb. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Enjoy!

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

8 oz. package pasta
1 cup fresh or frozen broccoli
2 tsp. butter
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

COOK pasta (linguine is recommended, but I use whatever is cheap) to package directions. Add broccoli for last 4 min. of cooking time. Drain.

HEAT butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken until browned, stirring often.

ADD soup, milk, cheese, pepper, and pasta mixture and heat through. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese.

Thanks!

Great recipes ladies! Thanks for sharing. I can't wait to try many of them. Keep 'em comin'!

Heath Bar Cake

1 German Chocolate Cake Mix
1 Jar of Caramel Syrup
1 Eight Ounce Container of Cool Whip
2 Heath Candy Bars

Prepare cake as directed. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Take out of oven. Poke holes all over the cake. Pour caramel syrup over the cake. Let cool. Ice with Cool Whip. Sprinkle with Crushed Heath Bars over the top.
Enjoy!

Filled Rich Chocolate Cupcakes

Cupcake Batter:
3 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. sugar
2/3 c. cocoa
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 c. water
2/3 c vegetable oil
2 tbsp. vinegar
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Filling:
1 (8oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/3 c. sugar
1 egg
1/8 tsp. salt
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips or miniature chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Filling: In small mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, egg and salt; beat until smooth and creamy. Stir in chocolate chips. Set aside.

Batter: In a large mixer bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add water, oil, vinegar and vanilla; beat on medium speed 2 minutes or until well combined. Fill paper lined muffin cups 2/3 full with batter.

Spoon 1 level tablespoon filling into center of each cupcake. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick comes out clean. Cool. About 2 1/2 dozen cupcakes.

Very good and moist! I kept them in a cool place because of the cream cheese mixture.

Sweet and Sour Chili

I made this for Life group last week and people were enjoying it!! This is a tried and true hit. It only serves about 4-5 people so I often make an additional half batch to serve a few more.

Saute these three together on med-high heat:

1 lb. ground beef or ground turkey

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1 clove minced garlic

Add and Mix:

1 cup water

6 oz. tomato paste

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 1 tsp pepper

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp parsley

1 tsp sugar

1 1/2 T grated Parmesan cheese

2- 15 oz. cans Reads Three Bean Salad Mix (can be found at Kroger)

Simmer for about 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Italian Sausage Florentine

1 lb. Bob Evan's Italian Sausage
12 oz. egg noodles
10 oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed
3-4 cloves garlic
3/4 - 1 c. Parmesan cheese

Cook egg noodles according to package directions. Add spinach in the last few minutes of cooking time. Meanwhile brown the sausage. Add garlic. After the sausage is browned add about 1/2 cup of the cheese. Drain the noodle and spinach mixture. Add sausage mixture to this. Add remaining cheese and stir. Serve immediately. Serves 6-8.