Broccoli & Cheese Stuffed Shells

I always feel guilty for eating pasta, but I LOVE IT!!! I can't help it...its my favorite thing to eat although I don't very often b/c of the calories. I figure a healthier option for pasta would be to stuff it with veggies...yes thats it!!! Pasta with tons of broccoli pouring out :-)
I've made broccoli casserole numerous times and served it as a side dish...this time I made it and stuffed it in shells. Don't worry though...even though there is cheese and cream of mushroom soup, I used low fat cream of mushroom soup and 2% shredded cheese. It was delicous for dinner and for lunch the following day. It made 12 shells.



Ingredients
12 Large Shells, cooked according to box and set aside
2 (10oz) boxes of frozen chopped broccoli
1 can of low fat cream of mushroom soup
1 cup 2% shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg
2 teaspoons house seasoning (salt, pepper, garlic powder)
1/4 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
1 cup marinara sauce

Preheat oven to 400. Either mircrowave or steam your broccoli until just tender, about 5 minutes. DO NOT OVERCOOK OR IT WILL BE MUSHY!! In a large mixing bowl combine, broccoli, soup, cheddar cheese, bredcrumbs, egg, and S&P.
Stuff each shell with broccoli mixture and set in a greased 8x8 baking dish pour marinara sauce. Cover with mozzarella cheese. Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and let cheese brown, about 5 more minutes. ENJOY!!

Greek Burger

I've said it many times burgers are one of my favorite foods! Nothing beats pasta and seafood but burgers are definitly up there. There are so many different ways that you can prepare a burger...it can be a juicy beef burger with bacon and cheese or a much healthier option of ground chicken with greek flavors. This was such a hit with my kids that my 4 year old told me probably 5 times during dinner how much she loved it. It has such a fresh flavor because of the herbs and seasonings. I loved it!! Please try this soon!!



Ingredients
1 lb ground chicken
1 egg
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Feta cheese
2 T sundried tomato garlic ( you can find this in the produce section near the preminced garlice)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
Salt and Pepper
Whole Wheat Pita
Kalamata Olives
Tomato and Arugula
Tzatizki Sauce
1/2 English cucmber, shredded and squeeze the water out
1 small container of Greek yogurt (I used Chiobani plain)
splash of white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
splash of fresh lemon juice

Directions
In a small bowl mix the shredded cucumber, yogurt, vinegar, dill and lemon juice and set aside. In a medium bowl combine chicken, egg, breadcrumbs, feta cheese, SDT garlic, oregano, dill and salt and pepper. Form into small patties. Heat a cast iron skillet (or grill) to medium high heat and cook patties until golden brown on both sides. To assemble burgers, cut a small part of pita bread off so you an open it. Spread your cucumber/dill sauce inside; put 2 of the small patties, kalamata olives, tomato, arugula and feta cheese. Enjoy!!!

Chicken Soup with Orzo, Spinach and Lemon

Yesterday was the type of day that was rainy and had a Fall chill in the air. What's a better dinner choice than a big pot of chicken soup?! Ive made a soup before that had lemon juice added to the broth and it adds a freshness to the soup. Also I love spinach so I thought the recipe I found was a perfect choice. I found this recipe in the Paula Deen magazine and followed it exactly. There's nothing I'd change except maybe add a little more lemon juice. It was a perfect choice for a rainy Monday!

Ingredients

Chicken from 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded

2 carrots, diced

1/2 large onion, diced

1 teaspoon garlic

2 (32oz)cartons of chicken broth

2 T lemon juice, fresh

3/4 cup orzo

1 bag baby spinach

Directions

Add carrots and onion to a large stock pot with 1 T olive oil. Saute until soft for about 3 minutes. Add garlic...cook for 2 minutes. Add chicken and chicken broth. Let simmer for just a few minutes. Add orzo and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Add lemon juice and spinach. Cook until spinach is just wilted.

Serve immedietely and enjoy some toasty french bread or a salad! ENJOY!!!

Shrimp Pasta Primavera

This sounds like such a weird combo...shrimp with squash?! It was anything but that. I bought both yellow squash and zucchini, a pound of shrimp, jarred pesto, half and half, and pasta...basically sauteed everything and served it over the pasta. You could use chicken if you'd like but I love shrimp and so does my family. I hope you enjoy!!

Ingredients

3 yellow sqaush and 3 zucchini...sliced into disks or cubed

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 yellow onion, diced

1/2 small jar of pesto

3/4 cup half and half

1/2 pound pasta (I used bowtie), cooked

parmesan cheese

Saute squash, zucchini, and onion in 1 T butter and 1 T olive oil over medium heat for about 7 min or until golden. Add shrimp and cook until no longer pink...about 4 min. Add pesto and half and half and simmer for about 5 minutes until just thickened. Serve over pasta and add parmesan cheese.

Pumpkin Dip

So I am totally in the Fall spirit and all I want to do is making Fall-ish foods and decorate! I play tennis on Sundays and since it was at home we had to bring a dish...I had some pumpkin that I just happened to pick up at the store without any thought what I would do with it. I came across a few recipes for different pumpkin dips but ultimately combined a few to make my own. DELISH!!! This is definitely something that I will make for many years to come. Its great with apples and ginger snap cookies. I hope you try it this Fall!!

Ingredients

1/2 can pumpkin (plain not pumpkin pie filling)

1/2 tub whipped cream cheese

2 T maple syrup

1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Whip everything together with a hand held mixer and put in serving bowl. Chill for 2 hours and serve with apples and ginger snap cookies. Also I sprinkled a little cinnamon on top for a little extra flavor.

Orange Parsley Porkchops

This past weekend I had the opportunity to go to the butcher that is like a mile from the house (Fergusons). I love this place!!! I know that the meat is fresh and that you can get a great deal. I also like being able to choose the amount of meat that I want. I loaded up on meat for the week and spent less than $30!!! One of the items that I bought were thick boneless pork chops. I figured I would find a recipe when I got home...which I did :-)

One thing that you should know about me is that I don't care for plain chicken or pork...not sure who does?! One of the easiest and quickest ways to add some great flavor to either of these meats is to make a compound butter to put on top. You don't have to marinade the meat for hours...you just grill and top with the butter. Honestly, it sounds pretty fattening but my butter to ingredient ratio only ends up having you eat MAYBE 1/4 T butter. Anyway, I found a recipe that had orange and parsley (which is a staple in my house) so ta-da!!

Ingredients:
2 bonesless porkchops (mind were really thick so I had the butcher butterfly them)
2 T butter, softened
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1 T orange rind
juice of 1/2 navel orange
1 teaspoon minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Season your pork with SPG (remember I always have a combo of salt, pepper, and garlic powder). Cook pork until done...on medium high for about 5-6 min per side. Use a meat thermometer to indicate doneness (is that a word?)

Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine softened butter, parsley, zest, juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Once pork chops are done put about 1T of mixture on top. Enjoy!!

*Notice the ratio of butter to other ingredients...the butter is pretty much just to combine everything.

** THIS WOULD ALSO BE DELICIOUS ON CHICKEN OR SEAFOOD!!!!

Chicken Noodle Soup with Lemon

When I go to the gym and run on the treadmil I watch the Food Network :-) You'd think watching cooking shows while exercising would make you hungry and un-motivated. For me it gives me ideas of meals to make for my family. I was watching Giada the other day and she made a Chicken noodle soup with lemon and it just sounded delicious! I had all of the ingredients at home from a meal earlier in the week so why not? Its a quick and delicious way to use up leftovers and have a good quality meal. I pretty much followed the recipe exactly...the only thing I didn't have was a cheese rind. Here is the recipe...

Ingredients

• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1 (2-inch) piece Parmesan cheese rind, optional
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 cup (about 2 1/2 ounces) spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces, *see Cook's Note
• 2 cups diced cooked rotisserie chicken, preferably breast meat
• 1 cup grated Romano cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• Kosher salt

Directions

In a large stockpot, bring the chicken broth, lemon juice, bay leaf, and Parmesan rind, if using, to a boil over medium-high heat.

Add the carrots and simmer until tender, about 5 to 8 minutes.
Add the broken pasta and cook until the pasta is tender, for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken and heat through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and the Parmesan rind and discard. Stir in 1/2 of the cheese and the parsley. Season with salt, to taste. Ladle the soup into serving bowls and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
*Cook's Note: You can use any short pasta from your pantry as a substitute for spaghetti.