Pizza Casserole

Serves 8-10

1 lb ground turkey breast
1 (8-ounce) bag egg noodles
1 (1-lb, 8 oz) jar marinara sauce
2 cups part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 (3.5 oz) package pepperoni slices (you'll use about 1/2 the package)

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Brown the turkey breast and drain (if needed.) Cook egg noodles and drain.

2. Spoon a thin layer of marinara sauce on the bottom of a large casserole dish. Then layer:
1/2 the meat,
1/2 egg noodles,
1/2 remaining marinara,
remaining noodles,
1 cup cheese,
remaining meat,
remaining marinara,
remaining cup of cheese, then
top with pepperoni.

3. Cover with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil, and bake additional 15 minutes.

Served with salad.

Results: This was super easy to make and very tasty. Next time, I'd like to add some mushrooms or green peppers (or any kind of pizza topping would be great.) This made a HUGE casserole (I doubt we will be able to finish the leftovers), so next time I'm going to divide this into two smaller casseroles and put one in the freezer. (You may need more marinara sauce and cheese for that!)

Steven saw this meal on my computer and asked me to make it, without the meat. I put the meat in ours, but made a small casserole for him without the meat. What did this little guy think of this meal? He said, and I quote: "Mom, THIS.IS.DELICIOUS! I want you to make this five nights in a row!" He even went back for seconds! Winner, winner, pizza dinner!

Recipe from For Mamas

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

Chocolate-Marshmallow Fudge

Makes 36 pieces

Cooking spray
1 2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup fat-free evaporated milk
2 Tbsp reduced-calorie margarine, or light butter
12 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
14 large marshmallows

1. Coat an 8- X 8-inch pan with cooking spray. In a medium saucepan, stir together sugar, evaporated milk and margarine; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes. Stir in chocolate and marshmallows; remove pan from heat and stir until smooth.

2. Pour mixture into prepared pan and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.

3. Cut into thirty-six squares. Yields 1 piece per serving.

Results: MMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! So yummy! I know you are thinking "One piece is NO WAY enough to satisfy my chocolate craving!" but it totally is. Totally. For realsies. And while I wouldn't say these are "diet", they are certainly lighter than regular fudge. And so easy to make! Also, these are great in the freezer! They taste just as good once they've thawed, so you can keep a bunch in there so you always have a little treat.

Me, Henry & Steven LOVED these, but my husband thought they were way too rich, so he only had ONE. Can you believe it?

Bowties with Broccoli Pesto

Serves 4
Prep time & cooking time: 45 minutes (It was hard to separate the prep time and cooking time, because you are sort of constantly working on this meal. From pulling ingredients out of the pantry to having the meal on the table was 45 minutes, BUT, if you have a larger food processor (mine is so tiny and I had to work in three batches) this will come together much faster for you.)

8 ounces whole wheat farfalle
2 cups broccoli florets
3 tablespoons water
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 garlic cloves, halved
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup reduced-sodium vegetable broth
2 teaspoons olive oil
Grated zest of 1 lemon
6 dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced

1. Cook farfalle according to package directions, drain and keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, place broccoli and water in medium microwaveable dish. Cover and microwave on high until tender, 2-3 minutes; drain. Rinse under cold running water; drain again.

3. To make pesto, place broccoli, basil, Parmesan 1 tablespoon of the pine nuts, the garlic, salt, and pepper flakes in food processor; pulse until coarsely chopped. Add broth and oil; process until smooth.

4. Combine pasta, pesto, and lemon zest in large serving bowl; toss to coat. Sprinkle with sun-dried tomatoes and remaining 1 tablespoon pine nuts.

Served with garlic-cheese toast.

Results: I was all prepared to hate this dish. I'm a huge fan of pesto, and I just knew that I would think "Nice try, Weight Watchers, but FAIL!" Nope, this dish was delicious! The broccoli pesto was so fresh and tasty. I loved it! I put half the pesto mixture in the freezer to use another day (I knew the boys wouldn't eat anything GREEN.) We had some leftovers and they were delicious cold for lunch the next day. Takes some effort to make, but this is a new favorite!

Baked Beef Ziti

Serves 8
Prep Time: 38 minutes (includes time cooking meat and pasta)
Cooking time: 30 minutes

*NOTE: Go ahead and double this recipe and put an extra in the freezer. It is NO EXTRA WORK to make two, and it will make for a super easy dinner another night! This is also a meal that can be made early in the day, then cooked for dinner. Perfect if you have company coming for dinner (which we did this night.)

12 oz uncooked ziti (I used penne, because it was the only whole grain I could find)
2 tsp olive oil
2 clove garlic clove, minced
3/4 pound raw lean ground beef
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
1/2 jar marinara sauce (another reason to make two dishes...you'll use the whole jar! I used a heart healthy, no added sugar variety.)
1&1/2 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese (shredded)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and return pasta to pot. Set aside. Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat; add garlic and sauté 2 minutes. Add beef and cook until browned, breaking up meat with a spoon as it cooks, about 7 to 10 minutes; drain off any fat and set pan back over medium heat. Add oregano, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper; stir to coat beef. Cook until herbs become fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Spoon a small amount of beef-tomato mixture into bottom of a 4-quart casserole dish (just enough to cover surface).

4. Pour remaining tomato-beef mixture in the pot with pasta. Add marinara sauce and mix well. Pour pasta mixture in casserole dish; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake until cheese is golden and bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Served with salad with the dressing from this recipe.

Results: It's sort of impossible to see what was "diet" about this dish, which is a very, very good thing. I was reluctant to use whole grain pasta, since we had a dinner guest, but you couldn't even tell, and both men went back for seconds! If you are in the mood for a cheesy Italian dish, give this a try! Steven wouldn't try it, but Henry ate all of his and requested leftovers for lunch today. Portions are HUGE, so bring your appetite!

Italian Meatball Sandwich Casserole

Serves 8

1 (1 pound) loaf Italian bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Frozen meatballs (amount is up to you)
3 cups spaghetti sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Arrange the bread cubes in a single layer in an ungreased 9x13 inch baking dish. Mix together the cream cheese, mayonnaise, Italian seasoning and black pepper until smooth. Spread this mixture over each bread cube with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the grated mozzarella cheese.

3. In a large bowl, mix together spaghetti sauce and garlic. Gently stir in meatballs. Pour over the bread and cheese mixture in the baking pan. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese evenly over the top.

4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes, or until heated through.

Served with salad

Results: This is one of my favorite casseroles, which is saying a lot, since I'm not much of a casserole fan. Whenever I make it, I will usually put half the ingredients in another dish, because it freezes really well. (Allow to thaw before following the cooking instructions above.) You can use homemade meatballs if you like, but I think it takes too much effort, so I always buy a big bag of frozen meatballs and divide them among the different dishes.

Eating this dish has never been a problem for Chris, Henry and me. Steven has never wanted to touch it, but I'd like to proudly state that he not only ate a full serving, but asked for seconds! (No meatballs for him, though.) Success!

Swiss Chicken

Serves 6

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
6 slices Swiss cheese
1 10-ounce can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup white wine
2 cups seasoned dry stuffing mix
3/4 stick butter, melted
Cooking spray

1. Preheat over to 350°.
2. Spray 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray
3. Place chicken breasts in the prepared dish and cover each cutlet with a slice of cheese. Set aside.
4. In a bowl, stir together the soup and wine until combines. Pour mixture evenly over chicken.
5. Sprinkle stuffing mix and melted butter over dish.
6. Bake, uncovered, for one hour.

Served with green beans.

Results: I'm not a big casserole fan, but this one is really good. This dish is so easy to prepare, with no chopping or pre-cooking required. Love that! It also freezes well (just thaw before cooking), so make an extra for the freezer. Henry ate all of his, Steven wouldn't touch the chicken (but did eat all of his green beans, which was surprising.) A definite keeper.

Baked Cavatelli

Serves 6

7 ounces dried cavatelli or wagon wheel pasta
12 ounces uncooked Italian sausage links, casings removed and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 24-ounce jar pasta sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; set aside.

2. In a large skillet, cook the sausage, onion, and garlic until sausage is brown; remove from skillet and drain.

3. In a large bowl, stir together pasta sauce, 3/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese, and the pepper. Add the cooked pasta and the sausage mixture. Stir gently to combine. Spoon the mixture into a 2-quart casserole.

4. Bake, covered, in a 375° oven for 25-30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Bake about 5 minutes longer, or until cheese is melted.

Served with salad

Results: We are overflowing with leftovers in our house, so I divided this into two 9x9 pans and put one in the freezer. Half of this dinner was the perfect amount for a family of four (with two being small children.) We had no leftovers.

This is very easy and quick to put together. It was also very tasty. Henry ate THREE bowls of this. He loved it. Steven, surprisingly, ate the sausage, but didn't want the pasta. That counts! Yay!

Chicken and Root Vegetable Potpie

Serves 8

3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups frozen green peas, thawed
1 cup (1/2-inch) cubed peeled baking potato
1 cup (1/2-inch) cubed peeled sweet potato
1 cup (1/2-inch) cubed peeled celeriac (celery root)
1 cup (1/2-inch-thick) slices parsnip
1 (10-ounce) package frozen pearl onions
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
2/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 3 ounces), divided
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
1 sheet frozen puff pastry dough, thawed

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Bring broth to a boil in a large Dutch oven. Add peas and next 5 ingredients (through onions) to pan; cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 6 minutes. Add chicken; cook for 5 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove chicken and vegetables from broth with a slotted spoon; place in a large bowl.

3. Increase heat to medium. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Place all but 1 tablespoon flour in a medium bowl; gradually add milk to bowl, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Add milk mixture to broth; cook for 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently. Stir in chicken mixture, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper. Spoon mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

4. Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon flour on a work surface; roll dough into a 13 x 9-inch rectangle. Place dough over chicken mixture, pressing to seal at edges of dish. Cut small slits into dough to allow steam to escape; coat dough lightly with cooking spray. Place dish on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 16 minutes or until pastry is browned and filling is bubbly.

Results: Do you have three hours to stand in the kitchen and chop vegetables? If so, then THIS IS THE MEAL FOR YOU! This dish was good, but it would have tasted a lot better had it not taken sooooo loooooong. I kid you not...I was standing in the kitchen for THREE HOURS! And the boys wouldn't even touch it! The only thing that makes me feel better about this meal is that I doubled the recipe so I now have one waiting in the freezer for an easy meal another night. I won't repeat this, but only because it took way too long.

Butternut Squash and Leek Gratins

Serves 6

1 (2-pound) butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon butter
4 cups finely chopped leek (about 6 large)*
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Dash of ground nutmeg
4 large eggs
1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

*I've left the ingredients list as the original recipe, however, I bought three large leeks (because that's all they had at the grocery store) and one of those leeks made 4 cups chopped. Go figure. I guess I had some genetically mutated leeks. Now I've got two leeks I need to use. By the way, if you've never used leeks before, you'll need to know how to clean them. This site has a great tutorial, and the pictures make me want to eat leeks everyday: David Lebovitz

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Place squash halves, cut sides down, on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes or until tender. Cool 30 minutes. Scoop out pulp, and mash with a potato masher or fork until smooth.

3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat; coat pan with cooking spray. Melt butter in pan. Add leek; cover and cook 20 minutes or until tender, stirring once. Reduce heat to medium-low; uncover and cook 10 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly.

4. Preheat oven to 325°.

5. Combine sugar and next 4 ingredients (through eggs) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add squash and leek; stir until well combined. Divide the squash mixture evenly among 6 (6-ounce) ramekins or custard cups coated with cooking spray. Place ramekins in a 13x9-inch baking pan; add hot water to pan to a depth of 1 inch. Cover pan with foil; bake at 325° for 25 minutes. Uncover and cook an additional 15 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven, and place the ramekins on a baking sheet.

6. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons Parmesan cheese over each ramekin.

7. Preheat broiler.

8. Broil gratins for 2 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown.

Served with: chicken noodle soup, which wasn't the right dish. Make with a grilled pork chop next time.

Results: This was so yummy. It was very labor-intensive and time consuming, which is why I served it with something simple, but it was oh-so-good. Henry ate a ton of this while we were mashing it, but wouldn't touch it when we served it for dinner. Steven (obviously) wouldn't try it. It's got the consistency of mashed potatoes, so I would think most kids would like it. My kids are just insane. We had plenty of extras, which I put in the freezer. They froze well, and were just as tasty.

Sweet Orange Salmon

Serves 4

2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
4 (6-ounce) salmon filets
Cooking spray

1. Preheat broiler or grill.

2. Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl. Rub spice mixture over both sides of salmon filets. Place salmon on a broiler pan or grill coated with cooking spray. Broil or grill 8 minutes or until salmon flakes easily with a fork.

Note: This spice rub is very easy to make, but to make dinner even quicker, you can make it ahead of time and store in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days. You can also rub the spice onto salmon before freezing.

Served with orange slices, rice and sugar snap peas.

Results: Henry let out no fewer than three "I LOVE THIS!" comments while eating dinner. I think he was talking about the sugar snap peas, but he also ate most of his salmon without complaint. Steven wouldn't try it, but he didn't complain either, so I'll mark that as a win. This is one of my favorite salmon recipes and I make it all the time. It's a quick and easy meal, that tastes great.