Mandarin Pasta Chicken Salad

I recently had a pampered chef party and we made this salad, it was so wonderful everyone was asking for the recipe.  About a week later I needed to make dinner for our sister missionaries and seeing as how it was still 100 degrees outside I thought this would be perfect, it was it definitely did not disappoint!  I got the recipe from the pampered chef consultant.

Mandarin Pasta Chicken Salad Recipe

Mandarin Pasta Salad
Dressing
1 tspn. Finely chopped, peeled, fresh gingerroot
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/3 cup rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
¼ cup orange juice
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix
2 teaspoons sugar

Salad
8 ounces uncooked bow tie pasta
½ cucumber, scored, seeded and sliced
½ cup diced red bell pepper
½ cup chopped red onion
1 package (6 ounces) fresh baby spinach leaves
1 can (11 ounces) mandarin orange segments, drained
2 cups diced, cooked chicken
½ cup sliced almonds

1. For dressing, finely chop gingerroot. Whisk gingerroot, pressed garlic, vinegar, orange juice, oils, soup mix and sugar together in small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.
2. For salad, cook pasta according to directions, drain and rinse under cold running water. Meanwhile, score cucumber using Lemon/Zester/Scorer. Remove seeds. Slice cucumbers and cut slices in half. Dice bell pepper. Chop onion. Add cucumber, bell pepper, onion, spinach, mandarin oranges, chicken and almonds to pasta. Pour dressing over salad and toss. Serve immediately.

Honey and soy sauce salmon

We eat salmon at least once a week and I get tired of eating it with lemon juice and lemon pepper seasoning so tonight I made it this way:

39. Honey Soy Salmon
Preheat the broiler and combine ½ tbsp. honey with ½ tsp. soy sauce. Season 1 5-oz. salmon filet with salt and pepper and broil for five minutes. Drizzle with honey-soy sauce and broil an additional 2-5 minutes. Serve with microwaveable rice.  ( only I made it with 4 fillets and I not only quadrupled the recipe for the four fillets I also doubled that!  So for four fillets I used 4 T. honey and 4 t. soy sauce.)  My kids gobbled it up and said it was really yummy.  It was a really nice switch up.  I did increase the cook time to 15 minutes on broil and I still added the sauce after 5 minutes. 

You can find this recipe and 51 other healthy recipes at this site.

Spaghetti Casserole

I made this yummy recipe tonight from Salad in a jar . The whole family loved it except for the one that doesn't like cream cheese. The frenchs fried onions on top were extra yummy too. I think next time I make this I want to try mixing the vegetables and cream cheese in with the meat sauce, just to make it a little more blended. The recipe was definitely a keeper and I'll be making it again.

Sesame Noodles

I made sesame noodles tonight using this recipe, they were really good and I will definitely make them again. We had them with marinated salmon and green beans, and had a ton left over for another meal. The only thing I would do differently is that I made these using whole wheat pasta and as you know wheat pasta has a strong taste so it mellows out the seasonings/sauce, so next time I will use regular noodles. The whole family seemed to enjoy them though and that is always plus!

Chicken Spinach Alfredo Pockets

I made this recipe a few weeks ago from A Chef in Training, it was delish, even my husband thought so. Brent does not like chicken pizza, a he really liked it.

SPINACH CHICKEN ALFREDO POCKETS

• 2-3 cups cooked chicken-shredded (I used a rotisserie chicken just to save on time)
• 1 (16oz) jar Alfredo sauce
• 1 (10 oz) bag fresh spinach
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 (8 oz) bag shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup mushrooms (optional) - I didn't use this because my hubby doesn't really like them
• I threw in about a 1/4 cup of sun dried tomatoes for more flavor, but it is completely optional
• 3 (13.8 oz) cans refrigerated pizza dough*

*I don't know that I'd use the pizza dough cans again, I think next time I'd use the homemade pizza dough recipe I like from Allrecipes.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Mix shredded chicken, alfredo sauce, spinach, salt, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, and mushrooms together by hand in a large bowl.

I rolled out the dough and cut to make rectangles for pockets. Place some of chicken mixture on one half of the rectangle dough leavining a 1 inch border. Fold the other half of dough over and press edges together until sealed.

After stuffing and folding each pocket, place on baking sheet. Whisk egg and 1 Tbsp. water together and brush over the top of each pocket. Bake at 375 for 15-18 minutes or until very golden brown on top. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

If you don't want little pockets, another option you could do is:

Unfold one can of dough onto prepared baking sheet. Gently stretch or roll into an 11-inch square; cut in half diagonally, forming two triangles. Place about 1 1/2 cups chicken mixture in the center of the triangle, leaving a 1 inch border on each side. Fold 1 side of triangle over filling, rolling up edges of dough to seal. Cut a small slit in top of calzone to allow steam to escape. Repeat with remaining dough and check mixture. Bake at 425 F for 15 minutes or until Golden Brown.

Comfort food- Chicken Zucchini Casserole

I originally found this recipe on Allrecipes and I LOVE it! It tastes like thanksgiving and its a fabulous way to use up your zucchini!

Ingredients

• 1 (6 ounce) package stuffing mix
• 3/4 cup butter, melted
• 3 cups diced zucchini*
• 2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• 1 medium carrot, shredded
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup sour cream

*I usually use 2 C. shredded zucchini instead

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine stuffing mix and butter. Set aside 1/2 cup for topping. Add the zucchini, chicken, soup, carrot, onion and sour cream to the remaining stuffing mixture. Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with reserved stuffing mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

Taco Seasoning

I have been using this fabulous taco seasoning recipe that I found on Kid Appeal for about a year now, a great way to save money and lose the sodium (when you leave out the salt) and preservatives.

Taco Seasoning Recipe (based on this allrecipes.com spice ratio)
2 TBSP Cumin*
5 TBSP, 1 TSP Chili Powder*
2 TSP Red Pepper Flakes*
2 TSP Garlic Powder*
2 TSP Onion Powder*
1 TBSP, 1 TSP Paprika*
2 TBSP, 2 TSP kosher salt
1 TBSP, 1 TSP black pepper

Add all ingredients to a small mixing bowl and combine. Return spice mix to an airtight container or empty spice jar. Per your taste, add 1/2- 1TBSP of this mixture to 1 lb of cooked ground meat. Add it in larger quantities to make taco flavored soups. You should get 8-16 servings assuming you're flavoring 1lb of meat. Add a label to your spice mixture with the amount to use "1/2-1 TBS per lb meat" so you don't forget!

Note: This mixture is forgiving. If you're out of something, leave it out. My grandma just used salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder to season taco meat, so that's all I usually use. It is a slightly different flavor than the packages, but your family will get used to it over time. Also, this doesn't contain flour or cornstarch, and it doesn't call for adding water, so this won't give you saucy meat, rather, flavored meat. That's the way we roll!

Yummy Healthy Yogurt Cake

l white cake mix
l weight watchers yogurt, any flavor
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup water
3 egg whites

Mix following the directions on the back of the box.
Bake 350 degrees 25-30 minutes

Frosting

1 weight watcher's yogurt
1 8oz. tub fat free Cool Whip
Keep refrigerated
optional - top with berries

This cake is super delish and I've tried with fiber one yogurt, and light and fit as well, it just needs to be a 6 oz container. The last time I made it I used strawberry light and fit and I think it was my fav so far.

Cheese and vegetable soup

A few weeks ago I made this great Cheese and vegetable soup from Jamie Cooks it up. I highly recommend it, it had a great flavor with out all the sodium. I am excited to make it again switching up the vegetables, I want to try broccoli and cauliflower next.

PW's Vegetable Lasagna with our changes.

We (aka my husband and I, Ava could care less and Katrena does care, a lot) like to eat at least one vegetarian meal a week. So when I came across Pioneer Woman's Vegetable Lasagna recipe on Monday morning I knew I had to make it. We made it last night, with a few changes and we LOVED it. Well one said nothing (Ava), some of us loved it (Brent and I) and the other said "why can't we just eat your regular lasagna with meat" (katrena). I think my sweet child really dislikes trying anything new unless its a sweet, and her mother likes to constantly make something new.

Anyways on to the lasagna:

Lasagna noodles, I use oven ready but you could use regular noodles as well.
2 T. olive oil
1/2 medium onion
4 cloves garlic ( I use 2tsp minced)
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 yellow squash, diced
2 zucchini squash, diced
1 small can sliced mushrooms
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes, italian style
1/2 c. white cooking wine
1/2 T. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
black pepper
1/2 t. crushed red pepper
about 30 oz of cottage cheese
2 eggs
1/2 c. grated parmesan
2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 c. parmesan cheese.


If needed cook noodles, and prepare vegetables.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for a minute. Add bell peppers and saute for another minute. Add squash and mushrooms and cook for a few minutes more. Pour in wine, salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper and stir. Pour in tomatoes and parsley, stir to combine and let simmer for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile:preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

And in a separate bowl combine cottage cheese, eggs, parmesan cheese and a little black pepper.

When your 2o minutes are up, you are ready to assemble. Spread a little of your sauce mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 pan, layer your noodles on the bottom of the pan, spread a 1/3 of your cottage cheese mixture and a 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese, and then a little less than a 1/3 of the vegetable mixture.

Repeat the layering process two more times, finishing with the rest of the vegetable sauce mixture and sprinkle with 1/4 c. parmesan cheese.

If using oven ready noodles cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, remove foil and bake another 15 minutes. Let stand about 10 minutes before cutting.

If you are using regular lasagna noodles, cover with foil and bake 20 minutes, remove foil and bake 5-10 minutes more. wait about 10 minutes before serving.

Banana Bread (Paula Deen)

I found this banana bread recipe here, and fell in love. This is definitely my new favorite banana bread recipe.

Banana Bread:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 ripe bananas, mashed

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan. In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar; mix well. Add the salt, eggs, vanilla, flour, baking soda, baking powder and bananas. Mix well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes.

Easy Tuna Casserole

Easy, peasey and kids like it : )

This is a great stapple recipe at my house and you don't have to use tuna, we've used frozen shredded chicken and canned chicken too. This meal also freezes great too.

1 box macaroni cheese
1/4 c. butter/margarine
1/2 c. milk
dried onion
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can tuna fish
1 c. frozen vegetables (you can use any kind, mixed or peas) thawed
crushed crackers or potato chips (optional)

Prepare macaroni and cheese according to box directions. Then you are going to add soup, tuna, sprinkle in some dried onion, and vegetables (thaw first). Place casserole in baking dish and sprinkle with crushed crackers or potato chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 3o min.

If you are going to freeze this meal, leave off the crackers, cover with tinfoil and freeze before baking. Thaw over night, add topping before baking, and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Baked Tortelini

LOVE this Casserole style tortelini, its one of our family favorites. Quick, easy and yummy!

1 pkg (9oz) refrigerated cheese tortelini, uncooked
1/2 C. boiling water
1 green pepper, chopped
1 zucchini, sliced
1 3/4 C. marinara
1/2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, combine all ingredients except cheese in 13x9 baking dish and cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes.

Rremove foil and stir, sprinkle with cheese and bake uncovered an additional 10 minutes.

This recipe serves 4,
Calories: 310
Fat: 9 g.
Fiber: 4 g.

Thai Sweet Sticky Rice

YUMMY!!! If you have ever eaten ate a Thai restaurant I hope that you have taken a moment or two to enjoy Thai Sticky Rice, its more like a dessert rice served with mango, and my family loves it. We had it this last week for dinner, for lunch, after school snack...

Thai Sticky Rice
Basmati rice (cook according to package directions)
1 1/2 C. coconut milk
1 C. white sugar
1/2 t. salt

Mango's peeled and sliced

Make rice according to package directions. While the rice cooks, mix together 1 1/2 cups coconut milk, 1 cup sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil; remove from heat and set aside. Stir the cooked rice into the coconut milk mixture; cover. Allow to cool for 1 hour.

Serve mangos over rice.

Some, probably most, make a sauce with more coconut milk and sugar, salt and tapioca starch to serve over the rice and mangos, but we find it plenty sweet with out it.

Spaghetti

Ok. So Spaghetti, my spaghetti really doesn't need a recipe post, but I thought I would share how I spice up the plain ole spaghetti

First off to make it healthier I always use whole wheat pasta, and I only put in 1/2 lb of hamburger. I use store bought sauce, (lazy I know, but its all good), usually the vegetable one or traditional. I add either dried onion or about a fourth of a regular onion, diced, as well as one chopped green pepper and one cup diced or shredded zucchini. I also usually add a few shakes of basil, thyme and oregano.

There you have it our simple, whole wheat, vegefied spaghetti.

Fish Tacos

Some of us love fish tacos, others tolerate fish tacos at our house. I try to make them every once in awhile to please the whole family, and it helps that they are super easy

Corn tortillas (or flour)
Breaded fish (our favorite is breaded parmasean tortilla tilapia from costco)
black beans (optional)
coleslaw type lettuce
lime
salsa (optional)
sour cream (optional)
tarter sauce (optional)

Place your fish in the oven and cook according to directions on the box. While cooking your fish you can prepare your corn tortilla's, put a little oil in a skillet and cook each tortilla on each side for 1-2 minutes. This is also when you would heat up your black beans.

Once everything in heated; assemble. Place your fish in your tortilla along with some cabbage or coleslaw and squeeze with lime juice. If you are going to use black beans, I either serve them on the side or place them first in my tortilla shell, topped with fish, cabbage, lime, etc. Now you just top it off with any other toppings you want, salsa, sour cream, or tarter sauce.

So here you are super easy and yummy too.

Happy Eating!

Weekly Menu Plan 2/21- 3/2

Okay we are back! We went to Phoenix for the Weekend so my husband could renew a certification, we got to see a few old friends and catch up with my husbands brother and family. We also got to eat at some of our favorite restaurants. Places you must try if you are in the phoenix area. We ate at restaurants in Peoria, Tempe, Mesa, and Gilbert, some are a chain or Franchise and others are locally owned. I plan on doing a post on each of them this next week. As well as a shout out to a couple of others we love but didn't get a chance to eat at.

So with out further ado, here is our weekly menu.

Monday: Fish Tacos
Tuesday: Spaghetti/Salad/Bread
Wednesday: Curried Coconut Chicken with Mango Rice
Thursday: Pork Chops, Vegetables and Mashed Potatoes
Friday: Apricot Chicken, Cous Cous, and Vegetable
Saturday: Homemade Pizza
Sunday: BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, funeral potatoes and corn
Dessert: Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes
Monday: Enchilada's, yellow rice and mexicorn
Tuesday: Ravioli, salad and bread.
Wednesday: Balsalmic Chicken, Rice and Vegetable

So there you have it and recipes to follow.

Happy Eating!

Crazy Week Ahead...

Due to our crazy week this next week, I won't post a new menu plan until Monday, we will be eating out and eating out of a box I am afraid the next few days. I do have the olive garden Alfredo recipe from last night to still post as well, I will try to do that soon. Promise.

Happy Eating, and I will see you on Monday!

Creamy Lemony Chicken

I found a new recipe to try this week, simple, easy and I had all the ingredients on hand, now that is my kind of meal! I also like any crockpot chicken meal that allows me to throw my meat in frozen; because A) I'm lazy and B) I am forgetful I can NEVER remember to thaw my chicken!

The recipe was posted by Crafting Chicks, a craft blog I follow and it looked good and was simple so I thought why not. You can go here to try it. The only thing I would do differently would be to shred the chicken before serving and then serve it over the rice. It had a WONDERFUL flavor, but I thought the chicken was a little dry, this could be due to the fact that I cooked it on high for 4 hours (remember I am lazy and forget to thaw my meat and sometimes I just plain forget to start dinner) all I had was full size chicken breasts and thought I should give them an extra hour.

So go check out this super easy yummy recipe, that your whole family will eat.

HEARTS and Calzones

For our Valentines breakfast I went super simple: heart shaped nuttella toast and strawberry milk.

For lunch: peanut butter and jelly heart shaped sandwiches with juicy red strawberries.

And for dinner I decided to make my family heart shaped calzones. They turned out to be super yummy. I didn't end up doing a dessert as NUBI frozen yogurt was having a buy one get one, so we headed over there, before dinner :)

First I made the crust:

1 C. warm water
1 T. sugar
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 t. salt
3 T. olive oil
2 1/2 C. flour.
1/2- 1 t basil
1/2- 1 t. oregano
1/2- 1 t. garlic powder
1/2- 1 t. thyme

Filling:
pizza sauce or marinara sauce
mozzarella cheese
pizza topings (pepperoni, canadian bacon, olives, pineapple, green peppers, etc.)

Combine water, sugar and yeast and mix until yeast is dissolved. Add salt and olive oil and mix. Slowly add flour and mix until well blended. Lest rest covered for 10 minutes.

Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and put a little olive oil on your fingers and press the pizza out flat making a rectangular shape. You are now going to sprinkle your basil, oregano, garlic powder and thyme over your dough until it is evenly covered. Now at this point you can either get out your cute heart shaped cookie cutter and make enough hearts as your dough allows for both top and bottom. Taking the excess from around the hearts and pressing it out again to make additional heart shapes or your can cut your dough in fourths making four larger calzones. If you are doing hearts then you will only do the following to half of the hearts, if you are doing larger calzones then you will only cover half of each of your rectangles. okay.

So first you spread your pizza sauce, or marinara sauce, then you place a nice layer of mozzarella cheese, followed by pizza toppings of your choice. Our toppings included turkey peperoni, canadian bacon, green peppers, and olives, Everyone built there own, so they were all different. Followed by a little more mozzarella cheese.

Now if you made heart shaped calzones you will place the hearts with nothing on them on top of your pizza layered hearts and press the edges to seal. If you made standard rectangular shaped calzones you will fold the dough in half and seal the edges.

Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Easy peasy and my whole family loves them. I cut my 2 year olds heart in half and she ate it just like a sandwich.

Happy Eating!