italian sausage soup

1 TBSP olive oil

8 oz sweet or Italian sausage

1/2 C chopped onion

32 oz of chicken broth

1 can (15 1/2 oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes

1 tsp Oregano leaves

1 tsp Rosemary leaves, finely crushed

1 tsp Thyme leaves

6 oz of baby spinach leaves

1/2 C uncooked small pasta.

1. Heat oil in large pan on medium heat. Add sausage and cook. Add onion and cook until onion is tender and sausage is done.

2. Pour chicken broth, beans, tomatoes, into pan. Stir in spices. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes.

3. Stir in spinach and pasta. Return to boil on medium - high heat. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 10 minutes until pasta is tender.

I liked this soup recipe much better the next day. I thought there was too much Rosemary in it. I would cut back on the spices a lot. The kids didn't mind the taste as much as they minded the soggy spinach. So, the kids didn't like it but Eric and I did.

winger's sticky chicken salad

3-4 chicken breasts

1/2 C sour cream

1 C bread crumbs

1 head of romaine lettuce

2-3 tomatoes diced

1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 red onion

Dip chicken breast in sour cream and bread crumbs. Bake on a cooking stone until crispy (20-30 min) @ 350 degrees. Remove from oven and slice into strips.

Combine into saucepan:

2 1/2 C brown sugar

1/2 C apple cider vinegar

1/3 C Franks hot sauce (I found it at Macey's)

On medium heat stir constantly for ONLY 1 minute. Then turn it to low and add the the chicken, stirring.

I want to introduce more dinners where salad is the main ingredient. This was a huge hit!

white asparagus with brown butter sauce

Peel 12 - 6" white asparagus spears. Boil asparagus in salted water for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. Heat 2 oz of butter in a saute pan and add 1 C bread crumbs. Add cooked asparagus and saute until coated with browned butter and bread crumbs. Garnish with parsley.

Doesn't my picture say it all. Yuck! It was disgusting but we ate it anyway. I talked the kids into eating one asparagus each. Eric was a good sport and ate a few.

turkey or chicken enchiladas

1/2 C + 3 TBSP of vegetable oil

1 3/4 C chopped onion

1 28 oz can of enchilada sauce

5 plum tomatoes, chopped

1 1/2 tsp of green or chipotle chilies

1 C fresh cilantro, chopped

3 C shredded cooked turkey

2 C grated Monterey Jack cheese

3/4 C sour cream

12 5 to 6 inch tortillas

1. heat 3 TBSP of oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 1/2 C onions and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add enchilada sauce, tomatoes and chipotles. Cover; simmer 20 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 C cilantro. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Mix turkey, 1 1/2 C cheese, sour cream, 1/4 C onion and 1/2 C cilantro in bowl.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat 1/2 C oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Cook 1 tortilla until pliable, about 20 seconds per side. Drain on paper towels. Repeat.

3. Spread 1/2 C sauce in 13 x 9 glass baking dish. Spoon 1/4 cup turkey mixture in center of each tortilla. Roll up tortilla. Arrange seam side down in dish. Spoon 2 1/2 C sauce over enchiladas. Sprinkle with 1/2 C cheese. Bake enchiladas until heated through, about 30 minutes. Use remaining sauce at dinner.

Enchiladas are not a favorite in our household but everyone liked them.

bountiful baskets

A friend introduced me to Bountiful Baskets this past Spring. The address is Bountifulbaskets.org. I went faithfully for weeks until I had surgery in June. I didn't feel well and just didn't cook enough and then I would end up throwing a lot of it away. I still sign up about every other week and I've enjoyed the yummy vegetables and fruit.

easy chicken noodle soup

Ingredients

4.5 cups chicken broth

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped carrot

1 cup chopped celery

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 bay leaf

1.5 cups egg noodles

2 cups chopped cooked chicken

Directions

Combine chicken broth, onion, carrot, celery, basil, oregano, pepper, and bay leaf. Bring to boil. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Add noodles. Cover and simmer 8 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Add chicken. Serve.

This version of Chicken Noodle Soup is not as tastier as the versions where you cook everything longer and use real noodles, but it tastes fine for how long it takes to cook.

spicy blueberry pork

Sorry, no picture this time.

Ingredients

2 cups blueberry preserves

1/4 teaspoon chipotle or chili powder

1/2 orange, zest and juiced

3 tablespoons whole grain mustard (I used honey dijon)

Salt & Pepper

1 pork roast (roughly 1.5 pounds)

Directions

In a medium saucepan over high heat, combine the blueberry preserves, chipotle/chili powder, orange zest and juice, and 2 TBSP of the mustard. Reduce the heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, about 10-15 minutes.

Salt and Pepper to taste roast on both sides. Pour a little of the sauce in a crockpot. Put roast in crock pot and pour the rest of the sauce over the roast. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until roast registers 145 degrees on an instant read thermometer. Let sit for 5 minutes. Serve with rice or potatoes.

fritatas

These were extremely simple to make and they tasted pretty good. I took 6 eggs and beat them together. Cook broccoli and place in the bottom of 8 muffin tin cups (spray the muffin tin with cooking spray). Pour an equal amount of egg into each tin. Bake at 350degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and add a sprinkle of cheddar cheese on top. Place back in oven and cook an additional 2 minutes.

grilled chicken parmesan

1 lb. of chicken

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Marinara Sauce

Mozzarella cheese

Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper chicken. Grill chicken until done. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place cooked chicken in baking dish. Place a tablespoon or so of sauce over chicken. Sprinkle both kinds of cheese on top. Bake until cheese is melted.

Sorry, no picture. This is a healthier version of the famous Italian restaurant's version. I used chicken tenderloins and they were juicy and tender! I served mine with an overwhelming amount of green beans.

not too far away

I haven't been shirking my duty. I'm still here. I've tried a couple new recipes and HATE them! BBQ-Bacon Meatloaf left a nasty after-taste and Fish Tacos was ... fishy. Honestly, I gagged. So, back to the drawing board.

chicken and broccoli alfredo

This is a family favorite.

1/2 of a 1 lb. package of linguine

1 C fresh or frozen broccoli flowerets

2 TBSP of butter

1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast cut into 1" pieces

1 can of mushroom soup

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1. Prepare linguine according to package directions. Add broccoli during the last 4 minutes of cooking. Drain linguine mixture well in a colander.

2. Heat butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook until well browned.

3. Stir soup, milk, cheese, black pepper and linguine mixture in skillet. Cook until mixture is hot and bubbling, stirring occasionally. Serve with additional cheese.

I've been thinking of a way to make this recipe a bit more nutritious. Instead of step #3 here is an alternative.

Guilt Free Alfredo Sauce

1 1/4 C chicken broth

3 TBSP flour

1 clove garlic, minced

pepper to taste

1/4 C plain yogurt

In medium sauce pan, gradually mix broth into flour, garlic and pepper until smooth. Cook over medium heat until it boils and thickens, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in yogurt and toss with pasta and parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

The whole family likes both recipes! They didn't even know that I had changed up the original recipe with Guilt Free Alfredo.

potato & carrot casserole

A year or so ago my husband's cousins put together a cookbook called the Hansen Family Favorites. I'm not part of the Hansen clan but they sure can cook so I begged for a cookbook. This healthy recipe comes from that cookbook.

1 lb ground beef, browned and drained

2-3 potatoes, peeled and sliced

4-5 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 can tomato soup

1/2 can water

Salt & Pepper to taste

Layer in 1 3/4 Qt. Casserole: Potatoes, carrots, ground beef. Mix together tomato soup, water, salt and pepper. Pour over top. Bake covered @ 350 degrees for 1-2 hours.

Disclaimer: I'm not a very good photographer nor is my camera a great camera.

My family loved this recipe. The carrots were so tender and delicious. I will definitely make this again.

Does anyone know if there is a more healthy substitute for canned tomato soup?

banana bread

I'm not even going to pretend to be an expert on nutrition. To prove my point the first recipe I've chosen is banana bread because it has bananas in it and bananas are nutritious. There's no better way of getting rid of overly ripe bananas. Also, the kids love it as an after school treat and sometimes I'll use it for breakfast served with fruit.

Banana Bread (2 loaves)

1 C sugar 2/3 C shortening

2 eggs 2 C flour

4 T sour milk 1 tsp soda

1 tsp salt 1 or more C bananas

1 C nuts (opt)

Cream shortening and sugar. Add and mix ingredients in order given. Bake for 45 minutes at 350.

I decided to try a variation on this recipe. I've heard you can use applesauce instead of oil. This recipe calls for shortening but I wanted to see what would happen when I used applesauce instead. I mixed in chocolate chips so my kids would eat it if it didn't work out. That was a wise decision as the bread turned out dense and doughy. The kids ate it anyway but I thought it was disgusting. A week later I made banana bread again and I used a 1/2 cup of shortening and a 1/4 cup of applesauce. This turned out yummy!

fruit juice

Joe and I bought the Montel Williams Healthmaster. I don't want this to sound like an advertisement, but we love it! Check it out on the WWW if you're interested in learning more. Anyhoo ... we are now making our own juice! We've had some pretty bad ones (ones even MY parent's wouldn't drink) and some pretty good ones. Vickie told me to add the bad ones, but I'm not sure. They are really REALLY bad.

One that Joe and I loved is the following:

2 apples, cored

2 pears, cored

10 strawberries (take off the greens)

1 cup apple juice

3 cups water

Our blender truly is amazing because it literally purees everything to a nice, sometimes frothy, juice drink. No sugar. No additives. No food coloring. Just all natural goodness.

turkey bacon

When it comes to turkey bacon, you either love it or hate it. I've tried ground turkey in meat loaf and hated it (thanks to some in-laws, I'm excited to give ground turkey another chance)! I was a bit uneasy to try turkey bacon, remembering the awful taste of the meatloaf, but gave it a go and actually like it more than regular bacon.

Try it on breakfast sandwiches with cheese, egg, and an English muffin; low-calorie bacon burgers (use whole-wheat or multi grain buns); crumbled as a topping in a salad; as a side to hash browns and eggs; or anything you'd normally add pork bacon too!

sweet and sour chicken

My sister Denise and her boys are here for the entire month of April! They are kind of oriental food connoisseurs so I was a bit uneasy to make this dish for them, but they loved it! This dish was taken from "The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook," and tweaked a bit. It makes four servings with zero leftovers.

Ingredients:

1 TBSP cornstarch

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper, or to taste

1 lb. trimmed boneless, skinless chicken, cut into bite-sized cubes

1 TBSP toasted sesame oil

1 cup 1/2"-wide onion strips

1 cup 1/2"-wide green bell pepper strips

2 TBSP freshly minced garlic -or- 4 garlic cloves

1/4 cup bottled sweet and sour stir-fry sauce

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine cornstarch, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and mix well. Add chicken and toss until chicken is evenly coated.

Place a large nonstick skillet over high heat. When hot, add 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, onion, green pepper, and garlic. Stir fry until onions are caramelized, or vegetables are crisp-tender. Do not over cook. Watch the heat so garlic doesn't burn. Transfer contents to a large bowl.

Return pan to high heat. Add another teaspoon of sesame oil and half of the chicken (in a single layer). Cook until chicken browns. Flip the pieces and continue cooking until the chicken is no longer pink.

Add the cooked chicken to the bowl with the vegetables. Return pan to high heat. Add remaining oil (2 teaspoons), and cook remaining chicken.

Return the vegetables and chicken to skillet to reheat. Transfer back to medium bowl, add sauce, and mix well until evenly coated. Add crunchy chow-mien noodles or nuts for extra topping. Serve. Enjoy.

On a side note, I made this while down at my parent's house, watching my grandma. My mom came home and could smell the garlic from outside. She was a bit disappointed that there weren't any leftovers.

welcome

Welcome and hello. My sister and I are doing a collaborative food blog for picky eaters everywhere. We're trying to be a little healthier this 2010. Join us as we experiment with new foods and tastes. Hopefully our families enjoy, or even just like, the foods we'll bring to the table and we'll hopefully end world hunger one picky eater at a time. Be patient, we plead, while we get things up and running.