Chicken Tetrazinni Casserole

Serves 6

8 oz uncooked spaghetti
1 pound cooked chicken breast, (I used a store bought rotisserie chicken)
2 10&3/4 oz cans condensed cream of mushroom soup, reduced-fat
1 cup low-fat milk
2 2/3 oz romano cheese, grated (I used cubed mozzarella)
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
2 Tbsp light butter, unsalted, melted

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Spray a 7 x 11-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Cook the spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and keep warm.

2. Combine the turkey, soup, milk, cheese, peas, garlic powder, cumin, and pepper in a large bowl; add the spaghetti and toss well. Transfer to the baking dish.

3. Combine the bread crumbs and butter in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the spaghetti mixture and bake until the top is golden, 20–25 minutes.

Served with steamed broccoli.

Results: This was certainly not pretty to look at, but it was actually really good. Even the leftovers were delicious! Both boys scowled at their plates when I set it in front of them, but hunger finally got the better of Henry and he tried it. Good thing, because he actually liked it and finished everything on his plate! Steven never succumbed.

I added peas to the list of ingredients. I forgot to add mine in, and the dish would have been much prettier with them.

This recipe was intended as a way to use leftover turkey from the holidays. I'll have to remember that!

I meant to add peas and sliced mushrooms to this casserole, and forgot. Taste-wise, the recipe didn't need anything more, but the green peas really would have improved the presentation.

Recipe from Weight Watchers

Texas-Style Casserole

Serves 6

olive oil cooking spray
2 cups frozen hash brown potatoes
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 green pepper, cut into strips
8 oz raw turkey sausage, thinly sliced (I used an Artichoke and Garlic Chicken sausage to add extra flavor)
1 cup fat-free skim milk
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a medium square or rectangular baking dish with cooking spray. Place potatoes and then vegetables in baking dish; top with sausage.

2. In a small bowl, beat together milk, eggs, salt and pepper; pour over sausage and then sprinkle with cheese.

3. Bake until casserole is hot and cheese is browned, about 45 minutes. Cut into 6 pieces and serve.

Results: If this is how they do things in Texas, I can understand why Texans are so proud of their state. This casserole was SOOOOO easy and SOOOOO delicious. I made an extra one for the freezer. I really do recommend using some sort of spicy or flavored sausage. It added so much to the dish.

Recipe from Weight Watchers

Taragon Chicken

It took me FOREVER to remember where I found this recipe, but I finally got it! I found this awesome website, Everything Mom, with links to different freezer meals. It linked to this website, Organized Home, with the recipe for Tarragon Chicken. The original recipe sounds great, but I had to tweak it to make it more healthy. You should definitely check it out, because they give you instructions for making this a freezer-friendly meal. The original recipe uses dried tarragon, but I had some leftover fresh tarragon from the Chicken Saute with Pine Nuts recipe, so I substituted 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon for the dried tarragon.

serves 4

4 chicken breast halves, skinless and boneless
3 zucchini squash, small
1 c small mushrooms, whole
3 carrots, peeled
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons light butter, melted
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon tarragon, dried (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
cooking spray

1. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise, then again into quarters, and cut into 2-inch spears. Peel carrots and cut into 1/4-inch slices.

2. Arrange chicken, meaty sides up, in 13x9 baking dish coated with cooking spray;
sprinkle with paprika. Place zucchini, carrots and mushrooms around and over chicken. Mix remaining ingredients; drizzle over chicken and vegetables. Spray chicken and veggies with cooking spray.

3. Cover and cook in 350-degree oven until chicken is done, 50 to 60 minutes.

Served with mashed potatoes

Results: This was really, really good. I used about half the butter (and switched that up to light butter) and don't think I missed anything, tastewise. The vegetables were roasted perfectly. I will say that the chicken was a little dry, but the chicken breasts I used were really thin, so I think it had more to do with that than with the cooking times. Super easy to make and a nice colorful meal.

Recipe from Organized Home

Crock Pot Salsa Chicken

Serves 6 (you can make this serve 8 by adding one more chicken breast)

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1-10.5 oz can cream of mushroom soup
1 packet (1-1/4oz) low-sodium taco seasoning
1-16 oz jar salsa
1 cup frozen corn
1-15 oz can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 cup reduced fat sour cream
Baked tortilla chips

1. Place the chicken breast in the bottom of the crockpot. Mix soup, salsa, and taco seasoning together and pour over chicken. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

2. Before serving, shred the chicken in the crockpot with 2 forks, add corn, beans, and sour cream. Cook for a few more minutes until everything is heated through.

Serve with tortilla chips

Results: I found this recipe on Two Pink Hippos. It looked so good, so I added it to the menu for this week. It did not disappoint! This was sooooo good and filling. Chris liked it. Henry said it was "The bestest thing you have ever made." and had two servings. I think this one was a hit. (And in case you are wondering, Steven didn't have any because he was TAKING A NAP! That is not a typo. My six-year old son, who gave up naps when he turned one, was TAKING A NAP! I will take a sleeping child over fake gagging over my gourmet food any day!)

Henry ate two servings, and enjoyed being a "chef" by putting the chicken on the tortilla chips. He said adding the corn was his idea, but it really wasn't.

As an added bonus, this was so easy to make! At 9:24 a.m., as we were getting ready to leave for swim class, I remembered I needed to start the crock pot. I got everything going, and we were out the door at 9:31 a.m. Perfect! Thanks Two Pink Hippos!

Pork Chops & Pears

Serves 4

1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
4 boneless pork chops
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup white wine or chicken broth
1/3 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 firm ripe pear, cut into thick slices
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley

1. Combine the flour with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a shallow plate. Add pork chops, tossing to coat.

2. In a large skillet, heat oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add pork chops and cook, turning once, about 8 minutes total or until cooked through. Remove to a plate; cover loosely with foil to keep warm.

3. In the same skillet, add wine, scallions, cream, lemon juice, and remaining salt and pepper, stirring to scrape up any browned bits and until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.

4. Gently stir in the pear slices; cook until lightly heated (about three minutes). Pour over chops; sprinkle with parsley.

Served with salad and roasted potatoes

Results: This is an easy meal to prepare and is very delicious. The cream sauce is fantastic. The original recipe calls for only cooking the pears for about 30 seconds, but I didn't like how raw they were, so I cooked them longer. Henry devoured his pork chops, which have a nice crunchy bite to them with the flour coating. While I was enjoying my pork chops & pears, Steven sat next to me announcing how yucky dinner was.

Baked Buttermilk Chicken

Serves 4 (with some leftovers)

Cooking spray
4 chicken drumsticks, skins removed
4 chicken thighs, skins removed
2 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk
4 cups cornflakes, finely crushed
3/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Transfer to a medium bowl. Pour buttermilk over chicken. Cover, and let marinate 1 hour in refrigerator.

2. Preheat oven to 400°. Cover a baking sheet with tin foil, and spray generously with cooking spray.

3. Toss cornflakes, Old Bay, thyme, basil, and cayenne in a large bowl. Remove 1 piece of chicken at a time from buttermilk, letting excess drip back into dowl, and dredge in cornflake mixture.

4. Transfer pieces to oiled baking sheet; lightly coat each one with cooking spray. Bake, turning pieces halfway through, until crisp and cooked through, about 40 minutes.

Served with green beans and roasted potatoes

Results: Henry ate...make that, devoured, two drumsticks all on his own. Steven wouldn't even pretend to look at the chicken. He did, however, love the roasted potatoes and requested seconds. I thought this was very good chicken, and easy to prepare, but it was messy to eat and between the hour to marinate and 40 minutes cooking time, it took awhile to be ready. The corn flake mixture was yummy, but most of it came off on the baking sheet when I turned the chicken. I'm definitely keeping this recipe!

Salmon with Orange Marmalade

Serves 4

1/4 cup orange marmalade
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (1&1/2-pound) salmon fillet
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat over to 400°.

2. Combine first 3 ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Place salmon on rack of a broiler pan lined with foil; sprinkle fish evenly with salt. Spread half of marmalade mixture over fish. Bake at 400° for 18 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Remove from oven. Spread remaining marmalade mixture evenly over fish.

3. Preheat broiler.

4. Broil fish 3 minutes or until topping browns.

Served with edamame beans and spinach salad with Orange-Sesame Dressing

Orange-Sesame Salad Dressing
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon hot mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

1. Combine first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl. Slowly drizzle oils into juice mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk.

Results: The salmon was a bit overcooked, so watch the cooking time. I think 10 minutes would have been plenty. Still, it was very tasty and I would make this again. It was super easy, but make sure you do cover that baking sheet because the marmalade burns. Fake gagging from Steven, but Henry devoured his, and had an extra piece from Chris and me. Chris didn't think the salad dressing was that great. On just the spinach, I agree, but I did have a salad with spinach & chicken for lunch the next day and it tasted much better.

Pepperoni Bread

Serves 4

one can of refrigerated pizza dough
one jar of pizza sauce
whatever "topping" you want (we used mozzerella cheese and Summer Sausage)
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 egg
cooking spray
Parmesan cheese, shredded

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Roll out pizza dough on baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Spread pizza sauce (leaving about an inch from each side. Add toppings, as desired. Gently roll the dough, lengthwise. Pinch the ends closed.

3. Whisk the butter and egg together, then brush onto the dough. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

4. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

Results: Success! Steven loves this bread, and has requested it three times since the first time I made it. It's super easy and quick to prepare. I think I'm going to start sneaking some veggies in. This recipe came from my friend Terri.

Honey Ribs

Serves 4 very hungry rib lovers

1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth
3 tablespoons honey mustard
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup honey barbeque sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 pounds baby back pork ribs

In slow cooker, mix together all ingredients, except ribs. Slice ribs apart, leaving an even amount of meat on each side of the bone. Place ribs in slow cooker. If the ribs are not covered with the broth mixture, add more water or beef broth. Cover, and cook on High for 5 hours, or until the meat falls easily from the bones.

Served with mashed potatoes and broccoli

Results: You-know-who wouldn't touch them, of course, but Henry ate more ribs than I did! We didn't have a single rib leftover. Super easy and tasty meal that I would make again. This recipe came from 365 Days of Slow Cooking.

Zuppa Toscano

I saw this recipe on one of my favorite cooking blogs 365 Days of Slow Cooking yesterday and had to make it last night. Luckily, I had almost all the ingredients in my kitchen, as there has been a huge snowstorm going on in Denver the past two days. I did not have kale, so I used spinach leaves. The recipe below is as I made it, check out the original recipe on Karen's blog.

Serves 6

1 lb ground Italian sausage
2 cans chicken broth (I didn't have enough chicken broth, so I added some beef broth)
1 cup water
1 onion, chopped coarsely
3 large potatoes, cubed
3 cloves garlic
salt & pepper
6 slices bacon, cooked crisply and crumbled
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 bag spinach leaves
parmesan cheese

1. Crumble sausage and combine in slow cooker with broth, water, onion, potatoes, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours, until potatoes are tender and sausage is cooked through.

2. Just before serving, stir in bacon, cream and spinach leaves. Top with parmesan cheese.

Served with garlic bread

Results: Steven didn't touch it, Henry liked it, and I *LOVED* it. This is seriously the best meal I've had from a slow cooker. Loved it!