carrie's awesome chicken & pesto pasta

This is a dish Carrie made for us the first week we had Anna. Since then i've made it for us a few times and for a few others who have had babies. Everyone raves about how great it is!

I box whole wheat penne pasta cooked and drained (or whatever kind you want, we have done regular, and veggie pasta)

4 oz cream cheese softened (I put this in right after I drain the noodles so it will melt a little more and mix easily)

1 jar Classico Pesto Sauce

1 can diced tomatoes drained

some fresh baby spinach leaves (as little or as much as you like)

diced chicken breast cooked (I have used left over chicken, the tyson already cooked stuff in a pinch, and fresh sauteed or grilled chicken)

toss all together and put in a baking dish

top with mozzarella cheese

put in oven for about 5 mins on broil (keep a close eye on it when it starts to get a little tan spots on top take it out)

Super easy if you have cooked chicken. (It is worth the tyson for me because it makes clean up so easy).

butternut squash & macaroni casserole

I just got the Whole Foods App and have tried a few recipes. I really liked this one.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 butternut squash (about 2 lb), peeled, seeded and cut into 1 in pieces

1 (15 oz.) can coconut milk

salt & pepper to taste

1 tablespoon chopped sage (i didn't have this and i thought it was still good)

3/4 pound dried elbow macaroni (i used penne b/c that's all i had)

1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts

1/2 cup bread crumbs

Method

Prehead oven 350. Lightly oil a 9x13 in casserole dish, set aside

Heat oil in med pot over med heat. Add onions and cook, stirring often, unstil softened, 5-7 min. Add squash, cocount milk, s & p and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to med low and simmer until squash is tender, about 20 min. Stir in sage & simmer 1 min more. (This part can be made ahead, up to 1 day in advance).

Meanwhile, brin ga large pot of salted water to a boil. Add macacroni (or other pasta) and cook until tender but still firm, about 8 min. Rince in cold water, drain and transfer to a large bowl. Transfer squash mixture to bowl with macaroni. Add walnuts, s&p and toss to combine.

Transfer to prepared dish and top with bread crumbs. Bake until just golden brown and hot throughout, about 30 minutes.

Serves 8

egg muffins & quinoa

So i started working through my new cookbook and have 2 ideas to share!

Egg Muffins- never thought to bake eggs in a muffin pan before! Just mix egg whites & eggs with a little milk, pour into muffin cups and bake for 12-15 min at 400 degrees! Sprinkle with bacon- yum! Jessica Seinfield suggests adding chickpeas for added protein without the fat, but we didn't really like the taste. I would add more cheese to bake into the egg!

Quinoa- my new favorite super food- a protein rich seed that's gluten free! It's a little pricey so I am keeping my eyes open for sales. I cook mine for dinner with chicken broth to give it a great taste instead of cooking with water. Jessica has a recipe for breakfast made of cooked quinoa, sweet potato puree, little maple syrup, milk, cinnamon and pinch of salt! So yummy, i loved it!

Greek Chicken & Orzo

A group of friends & I do this thing called "Meals in Heels". See my friend Danielle's post about it.

One of our favorite meals to make & freeze is Pampered Chef's Power Cooking Recipe for Greek Chicken & Orzo!

What you need:
1 lb. of cooked chicken (cut chicken into cubes and cook over olive oil on med-high heat until no longer pink)
2 medium zucchini, cut into
1/4 in. pieces
1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans,
drained and rinsed
1 can (14 oz) garlic and onion-
flavored diced tomatoes
3 tbsp Greek Seasoning (found at Publix & Walmart)
2, 14oz cans of chicken broth
1 box (16 oz) Orzo pasta (found at Publix prob walmart too)
Feta Cheese for topping
Kalamata olives for topping if you like

Directions:
• Add tomatoes, garbanzo beans, greek seasoning, two cans (14 oz each)
chicken broth and 1/2 cup water to (12-in.)
Skillet; cover. Bring to a simmer over
medium-high heat.
• Reduce heat to medium; add 1 lb uncooked
orzo. Cover and cook 5 minutes (or halfway
through cooking time according to package
directions), stirring occasionally.
• Add chicken & zucchini. Cover and cook 5-7
minutes or until orzo is tender and zucchini
begins to soften. Remove from heat; top with
2 oz crumbled feta cheese. Sprinkle with
coarsely chopped pitted kalamata
olives, if desired.

yummmmmmmy! We've made it without chicken and it's great. we've made it without chicken or beans and it's STILL great! so for all you veggies out there, this is a good one!

veggie burgers anyone?

Hey again! I tried to take off my comment about not having made them before, and the whole post disappeared! We tried them, but used our own black beans we soaked & cooked- didn't work too well.

Just use canned black beans and canned corn and it should be great!

Thanks Dawn!

Vegetarian Black Bean Burgers

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained, rinsed and mashed

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/3 cup whole kernal corn

1/4 cup think and chunky salsa

1 garlic clove, pressed

2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup unseasoned dry bread crumbs

2 egg whites, lightly beaten

1. Mash beans. Finely chop onion. Add onion, corn, salsa, garlic, cilantro, salt and pepper to beans. Mix well. Add bread crumbs and egg whites to bean mixture; mix well. Form bean mixture into four round patties, about 1/2 inch thick.

2. Heat skillet over medium heat until hot. Lightly spray pan with nonstick cooking spray; cook patties 6-8 minutes or until lightly browned.

Swiss Chard Pot Stickers!

We got some Swiss Chard a few weeks ago and the farmers gave us a recipe, I lost it so I found this one on Whole Living! We left out the mushrooms. Alex LOVED them to say the least. Great way to sneak in some veggies!

Makes 24

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, such as safflower
• 8 ounces Swiss chard (one small bunch), leaves coarsely chopped, stems minced
• 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and discarded, caps chopped (I DIDN'T USE MUSHROOMS B/C WE DON'T REALLY LIKE THEM...)
  
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons rice-wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil (DIDN'T USE THIS EITHER B/C IT WAS EXPENSIVE)
  
• 1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 24 round dumpling wrappers (FOUND THESE AT ASIAN STORE)
  

Directions

1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add chard, mushrooms, scallions, and garlic and cook until chard stems are crisp-tender and liquid has evaporated, 3 to 4 minutes. Squeeze excess liquid from chard. Transfer to a bowl; stir in vinegar, sesame oil, and soy sauce; season with salt and pepper. Wipe skillet dry and set aside.
2. Place 1 rounded teaspoon filling toward the edge of a dumpling wrapper. Moisten one edge with water using your finger. Bring two edges together, forming a half moon and enclosing filling. Pinch a couple of small pleats along top layer of wrapper. Seal by pressing pleated and unpleated edges together. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat. Keep dumplings and unused wrappers covered with damp paper towels while working.
3. Heat remaining tablespoon vegetable oil in reserved skillet over medium-high heat. Arrange dumplings in pan, tightly, flat-side down, and cook until deep golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add 1/2 cup of water. Return to heat. Cover and cook until heated through, all the water has evaporated, and bottoms are crisp, 4 to 6 minutes more (remove the lid for the last 30 seconds of cooking). Slide dumplings onto a serving platter, and serve with dipping sauce (we used duck sauce).

veggie lasagna

1 9oz box whole wheat lasagna (no bake, the brand she used was Gia Russa, but I am sure you could use any no bake noodle)
2 24 oz jars tomato basil spaghetti sauce
2 eggs
2 lbs. ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan or romano cheese
1 Tablespoon dried parsley flakes
2 medium sized zucchinis or 3 small (my mom used a combo of yellow squash and zucchini)
1 8oz package baby bella sliced mushrooms
1 6 oz package baby spinach
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves fresh garlic minced (she used more garlic)
additional grated parmesan and romano cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 9X13 glass baking dish (if using a foil pan it says to allow 10-15 extra minutes to cook) with nonstick cooking spray
2. In a medium bowl combine:ricotta, mozzarella, grated cheese, eggs and parsley; set aside.
3. In a large skillet, heat olive oil and saute garlic; add zucchini, squash, mushrooms and gently saute for approximately 2-3 minutes (careful not to overcook, they will continue to cook while baking); set aside
4. remove lasagna from box, DO NOT BOIL
5. To assemble, cover the bottom of the baking dish with 3/4 c sauce
6. Layer 4 uncooked noodles (slightly overlapping), 1/3 of ricotta cheese mixture, 1/3 of veggies and 1/3 of spinach. Drizzle 3/4 cup of sauce over veggies. Next layer another row of noodles and press down slighlty, repeat previous steps until there are 4 layers. Top with 3/4 cup sauce
7. Cover with foil and bake for 45-50 min or until hot and bubbly.
8. Remove from oven and let stand for 15-20 min before cutting and serving. Heat remaining sauce and serve with lasagna.

baked Taquitos

got this from The Mother Huddle...love her blog. it is yummy!

Lower Fat Baked Taquitos

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1-1/2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded or cubed

1 can diced green chillies

1/3 cup onion. chopped extra fine

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1 tsp cumin

salt to taste

1/3 cup cottage cheese, optional

corn or flour tortillas

1-2 Tbsp oil

Mix black beans, chicken, onion, green chillies, cilantro, cumin and cottage cheese. Add salt to taste.

If using corn tortillas warm them in a skillet on each side or they will break apart when you try to roll them up. Place a couple tablespoons (more if using flour tortillas) of mixture on edge of tortilla and roll up.

Place on lightly greased baking sheet. Repeat until mixture is gone. Baste with oil and place in a 375º oven. Bake for 8-10 minutes on each side or until crispy. Serve with Pico de Gallo, sour cream and guacamole.

My little guys love these because they can just pick up the whole thing and it is easier and less messy to eat then a taco or burrito. I hope your families love them too.

I’m not kidding when I say I can’t stop thinking about desserts. I have literally been dreaming about them. I can’t wait for May 22nd when I can start trying them. Stay tuned they look really good…in my head anyway.

A new Tilapia Fav

We've loved Tilapia for a while, and usually just season with allspice and lemon juice. Well, i guess the allspice was old, so i threw it away. Last minute we found this easy recipe and happen to have all the ingredients, so we tried it. It's good...but I would suggest not cooking the max time...ours was just a little overdone.

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan (for 2)

Original recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Broiled-Tilapia-Parmesan/Detail.aspx

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon butter, softened
• 2-1/4 teaspoons mayonnaise
• 1-1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/2 pound tilapia fillets

Directions

This recipe's Ingredients were scaled to yield a new amount. The directions below still refer to the original recipe yield of 8 servings.

1. Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.
3. Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

Turkey Chili

Stephanie's Mom's Turkey Chili!
Very good!

1 lb of ground turkey

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can kidney beans

1 can tomato sauce

1 can tomato soup

1 beef bullion cube (if I spelled that right)

1 yellow onion

1 dash of soy sauce

1 dash of worchestershire sauce

1 dash of onion salt

1 dash of celery salt

1 dash of pepper

Cover the turkey and diced onion and beef bullion cube in your pan (that you will make the rest of the chili in) with water and brown your meat. Once the meat is brown add all other ingredient and simmer for an hour stirring regularly.

Simple Chicken Salad

3 cups chicken, white meat, cooked & cubed
1 1/2 cups celery, diced
3 eggs, hard boiled chopped (alex doesn't like the eggs, so I don't put them in)
3 TBSP sweet pickle relish
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup light mayo (I sometimes use Vegenaise)

Mix all together!

172 calories per serving
6g of fat
22g protein
5g carbs
1g dietary fiber
134mg cholesterol
488g sodium

Exchange: 3 lean meat, 0 veggies, 1 fat, 1/2 other
carbs
You could put it over lettuce to add some veggies

Mini Turkey Meatloaves

My husband's office created a recipe book with suggestions from all of the employees. We tried this one the other night! I made 4 mini meatloaves, we ate almost 2 and froze the others for later!
SO EASY to make!!

Mix:
1.5 lb ground turkey
1 cup bread crumbs (I used italian breadcrumbs)
1 cup canned tomato sauce
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 T. italian seasoning
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. onion powder
Salt & Pepper

Whisk together:
1/4 cup ketchup
2 T. brown sugar
1 T. spicy brown mustard

Directions:
Line the bottom of a broiler pan or cookie sheet with aluminum foil and place in oven at 425 degrees. Whisk together ketchup mixture. In large bowl combine the meat and other ingredients. Blend together and divide into 4 parts. Shape into mini meatloaves about 4" long and 3" wide (mine were just blobs on the pan, doesn't matter if you don't care what it looks like). Brush loaf with ketchup mixture. Remove the heated pan from oven and mist with cooking spray. Transfer loaves to pan. Bake for 25-30 min. Remove and let sit 2-3 min to cool.

Enjoy!!!! We at it with broccoli & carrots! i might add some variations later.