Minestrone Soup

This makes two batches. If you don't want too much (12 to 14 servings) then cut servings in half. This is one of the (if not THE) best soup recipe I've ever made. So yummy, so flavorful, yet so healthy! I make a ton at once and freeze it for the weeks to come. Stolen from Freezer Pleasers, of course!

Nutritional Information (Serving Size: 1 Cup)

Calories: 235    Fat: Less than 1 gram      WW Points: 3.6   Points+: 5.5

Ingredients:
1 pound ground turkey
1/2 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 tsp minced garlic
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 16 oz can of kidney beans, rinsed & drained
1 15 oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed & drained
2 cups of tomato juice
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 14.5 oz can beef broth
3 carrots, diced & halved (about 2 to 3 cups)
2 zucchini, diced & halved (about 2 cups)
1 tbsp italian seasoning
1.5 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 cup water
1 cup uncooked ziti


Directions:
In a large pot, cook the turkey, celery, onion, & garlic over medium heat.
Stir in tomatoes, beans, tomato juice, tomato sauce, broth, carrots, zucchini, Italian seasoning, salt, sugar, and pepper.
Raise heat. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat, cover & simmer for 30 to 35 minutes (carrots should be tender).
If you want to freeze some or all, now is the time. Place in freezer container and freeze for up to 3 months.
If you want to eat now, add water & pasta and bring to boil.
Cover & cook until pasta is tender.
To use frozen soup thaw in fridge, then transfer to a large pot. Add water & pasta until soup boils. Cover & cook until tender.
Serve with Extra Dark hard sourdough pretzels. Yum!

What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

I usually reek havoc in the kitchen. My poor husband. I whip up a delicious meal, but then I leave behind chaotic mess for him to clean up. So I've been trying to turn over a new strategy in the kitchen. Pre-layout ingredients as much as I can, then clean up as I go. It went very well when I made this chocolate chip zucchini bread. (see picture above). 


Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose unbleached bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1& 1/8 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 large egg, beaten
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 cup apple sauce
1.5 cups zucchini, shredded


Directions:
Preheat oven to 325.
Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. 
Mix well.
Add chocolate chips and mix some more.
In a separate bowl, mix egg, vanilla, butter, apple sauce, & zucchini.
Add to flour mixture and stir until blended. 
Pour into a loaf pan. 
Bake for 45 to 55 minutes. 
Use toothpick to check to see if it's done. 
Cool for 10 minutes before slicing. 

What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Zucchini Breakfast Casserole

I'm obsessed with quiche & breakfast casseroles. I secretly want to host breakfast functions every week so that I can try out new recipes each time. 

Ingredients:

3 cups zucchini, sliced into halves

1 cup bisquick (use the low fat or heart smart kind)

1 small onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

5 egg whites, 2 whole eggs

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tsp salt

1 tsp parsley

20 pepperoni slices (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place all ingredients a large bowl and mix together. 

Pour into a greased casserole dish. (I used pam)

Bake for about 45 minutes. 

Check to make sure it's cooked through with a toothpick or fork.

I had to make two of these while on vacation with lots of friends. So for one of them I added pepperoni. It gives it a nice kick. Doesn't make the dish so healthy, but it tastes real good. 

What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Spaghetti Squash Primavera

This may be one of the BEST recipes I've ever made! So proud! You have got to try this one out!

So months ago I was watching Diners, Drive Ins, & Dives for the first time. They went to this place called The Pit Stop in New York and they did the most amazing thing with a spaghetti squash. Well, this was right around my spaghetti squash kick, so I was pretty excited. I had to wait a little but the recipe was finally put up on the web. I tried it for the first time and even though it's a spaghetti squash stuffed full of veggies my husband still loved it. Spaghetti Squash Primavera is so good! Yummo!


Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
1 red pepper
1 small eggplant
1 white onion
1 small head of broccoli
5 asparagus spears

1 oz of fresh parsley, chopped
1 jar marinara sauce
1 ball fresh mozzarella (I used lite part-skim)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
3 - 5 cloves of garlic, minced
salt & pepper to taste
parmesan cheese (optional)


The original recipe calls for other veggies; carrots, cauliflower, celery, & shallots. But I didn't include them. I figured this recipe has enough ingredients & vegetables already so I didn't bother.


I also think this recipe would taste great with red pepper. So if you are looking for a little kick, add that too!


I didn't use the parmesan cheese. But feel free to top your final product with that.



Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Split spaghetti squash in half and remove seeds. This is hard to do and involves a sharp knife. BE CAREFUL.


Add squash to large pot of boiling water and boil for 10 minutes. I had to do this in two phases and only bowl one half of the squash at a time.



While boiling, dice all vegetables. All the colors are so pretty!


In a very large pan heat olive oil and onions and garlic.
Saute until soft.


Then add all other vegetables and parsley. Stir together.


When read, move spaghetti squash from pot. Be careful, it's hot. I used tongs!


Using a fork, scrape the inside of the squash into a large bowl. I used the original pot that I boiled the spaghetti squash in after I drained it. 


Be sure to keep the shell and keep it in tact. 


Then add the vegetables in with the squash and most of the marinara sauce.


Mix together real well and split into the two spaghetti squash shells.


Top with thick slices of the mozzarella and remainder of the sauce.


Sprinkle with salt & pepper.


Cook in oven on baking sheet or pan for 10 to 12 minutes on 350 degrees.


Remove from oven, top with parmesan, and serve.


What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Make-Ahead Breakfast Sausage Casserole

Ingredients:

2-3 cups seasoned croutons
• 1 pound spicy pork sausage
• 6 eggs
• 2 1/4 cups milk
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of broccoli soup
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach - thawed, drained and squeezed dry
• 1 large zucchini, chopped and quartered
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

Directions:

Spread croutons on the bottom of a greased 9x13 casserole dish

Cut sausage and heat in a medium skillet until brown

Spread over croutons

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, soup, spinach, zucchini, cheese, and mustard. Mix really well.

Pour egg mixture over sausage and croutons. 

Refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, preheat to 325 degrees.

Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes until set and lightly brown.

What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Three-Cheese Kielbasa Bake

This is one of my new favorite dishes to make! (Another great selection from Taste of Home's Freezer Pleasers!)


Ingredients:
12 to 20 oz of uncooked elbow macaroni or mini penne pasta
2 pounds of polska kielbasa (I used turkey polska kielbasa)
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 cup onions, diced

1 large zucchini, quartered & sliced
1 cup of diced or shredded carrots
4 cloves of minced garlic
1 jar (24 oz) spaghetti sauce
1 large can (28 oz.) stewed tomatoes
1 egg, beaten
2 containers (15 oz) of fat free ricotta cheese
1.25 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
8 green onions, chopped


Directions:
Cook pasta according to box directions
Meanwhile, in the largest skillet you have, brown sausage in oil. (I skipped the oil and used olive oil spray).
Drain, if necessary. You may not have this problem if you are using lean kielbasa.
Add the onions, zucchini, carrots, and garlic. (Admire all the pretty colors).
Stir and simmer for about 10 minutes. Make sure the veggies are crisp-tender.
Stir in spaghetti sauce and tomatoes.
Bring to a boil. 
Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, drain the pasta.
In each of two greased 13 x 9 baking dishes. Layer the pasta, the meat mixture, the ricotta cheese mixture, and shredded cheese.
Repeat layers and top with green onions.
Cover and bake the casserole at 350 for 15 minutes.
Then uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
You can freeze one of the dishes and cook the other. Or you can freeze them both.


If you choose to freeze...thaw in the fridge for 24 hours. 
Remove from fridge 30 minutes before cooking. 
Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.






What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Eggplant & Zucchini Lasagna

I've been on a big lasagna kick lately. But it's hard to cut out the fat & calories. So instead of using any meat I've been trying different vegetables out and was excited when I realized I could give eggplant a try. I had two eggplants and three zucchinis. You don't need that many, but I put aside some of the leftover vegetables to eat as a snack. You might want to use less vegetables. Also, I keep the skins on the vegetables to save time, but you can feel free to peel the eggplant & zucchini and cut into smaller pieces.



To make this recipe healthier I use Light Ragu instead of another type of pasta/tomato sauce. I also use fat free cottage cheese instead of ricotta. I know my true Italian friends are gasping everywhere, but sometimes these sacrifices need to be made. This was a big dish and I was able to make 3 lasagna layers because I had so many veggies! I think this recipe could use some improvement so I'm open to any suggestions. It's easy to make it taste better by adding more cheese, but I'm trying to avoid that. For starters, I only used 1 jar of Light Ragu. I would recommend using maybe two. I also like making lasagna with diced tomatoes. You can use fresh tomatoes or diced tomatoes from a can. I would recommend doing that for this recipe even though I didn't. Also try using Parmesan cheese on the top layer.


When I had dinner with my in-laws this weekend I needed to have enough food to feed the 7 of us. I didn't think one lasagna was enough. So I brought this along with the taco lasagna. 

Ingredients:
12 whole wheat lasagna noodles
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium eggplant, chopped
2 medium zucchinis, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cups spaghetti sauce (I used light ragu)
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1/3 cup water
2 cups fat free cottage cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook pasta according to box directions.Chop eggplant, onions, & zucchini.
Heat oil in large saucepan and add vegetables. 
Saute until tender.
Stir in pasta sauce, water, and parsley.
Simmer for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, drain noodles, separate and place on parchment paper to avoid sticking together. 
Arrange 3 pasta pieces on bottom of greased 13x9x2 inch baking dish.
Spread 1/2 cottage cheese over noodles. 
Spread 1/3 sauce mixture over cheese.

Top with 3 more noodles.
Repeat.
Top with final 3 noodles. 
Spread mozzarella cheese & parmesan cheese on the top.
Bake for 40-45 minutes until hot and bubbly. 
Let cool for 10 minutes and serve.
 
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Kielbasa Rotini Skillet

Right before Christmas our friends got together to do a mini-Christmas exchange, drink some egg nog, and start celebrating Christmas. 


It was a great time and it was an excuse for me to make one of my all-time favorite dishes...Kielbasa Rotini Skillet!


I did not get a picture of the final dish. But trust me, it's beautiful and delicious. One of the reasons I love it is all the beautiful colors. 


Ingredients: 
8 oz of rotini pasta
1 package of Polska Kielbasa Lite, diced
2 green bell peppers, seeded & diced
2 medium sized zucchini, diced
6 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of extra virgin oliv eoil
1 medium onion, diced
1 can of crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup italian seasoning
1/4 cup red pepper flakes
salt & pepper




Directions:
Boil water & cook pasta according to box directions.
Meanwhile heat 2 tablespoons of oil in large skillet.
Add garlic & onions and cook for about two minutes.
Add kielbasa and cook for 5 minutes.
Add zucchini, green pepper, red pepper flakes, & italian seasoning. Cook for 5 more minutes. (I like to add lots and lots of italian seasoning & red pepper.  The red pepper makes the whole dish spicy and good. So feel free to add as much as you want.)
Mix in tomatoes and after pasta is drained add that too.

Here is Gerald making egg nog. I personally am not a fan of egg nog, but Gerald did very well (with Ashley's help of course). I'll be sure to post the recipe once I get it from him.


I would love to know that you visited my blog or tried out a recipe. Leave me some love & encouragement!

Crock Pot Tuscan Pasta

Stumbled across this recipe on more than one website. Decided to give a try. It worked out very well and I'm a big fan of leftovers it created for lunch the next day (and the rest of the week). It was almost too much for my smaller crock pot. But the point is it is very easy to make. The basic ingredients are chicken, spaghetti, kidney beans, & tomatoes. But I wanted to make it better so I added zucchini, green pepper, roasted red peppers, pepperoni, & cheese. It's delicious and filling. Especially with a side of my husband's perfect garlic bread :-)


Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 15 oz can red kidney beans, drained
• 1 15 oz can stewed tomatoes
• 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large zucchini, chopped
• 1/2 cup of roasted red peppers
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup celery, diced
• 1/2 cup of turkey pepperoni
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced or 1 tsp of garlic salt or 1 tsp of garlic powder
• 1 cup water or 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons italian seasoning
• salt & black pepper
• 6 oz of uncooked spaghetti, broken into pieces
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated or shredded

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients, except the spaghetti and cheese in medium sized crock pot and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.
2. Stir in spaghetti, cover & cook on High for 45 minutes to an hour, or until pasta is tender.
3. Top with parmesan cheese before serving.

I would love to know that you visited my blog or tried out a recipe. Leave me some love & encouragement!

Mashed Potato Bar (aka Mash-tini Bar!)

My mom sends me links and emails from time to time. If she comes across a recipe she thinks I'll like or if she just comes across something cute she wants me to check out she'll send me a quick note about. Last month she told me to "google" Mashed Potato Bar because she had just seen a segment about it on the Today Show. Apparently, it's the new thing that catering companies or weddings are doing now. It's pretty cool! A lot of you may have heard of a Baked Potato Bar, but the Mashed Potato Bar takes it to a whole 'nother level. I really wanted to give it a try but was waiting for the perfect occasion to use it. We helped host a Christmas Party this past weekend and tried it out. Total success! It worked out well because a lot of people brought desserts and hours de vours, so it was nice to have the mashed potato bar to compliment them all. 

In reality, it's a real simple idea. Sophisticated simplicity, if you will. Mashed Potatoes are pretty easy to make. (well if you use instant like I did) Then you just select a variety of ingredients that you think your guests will enjoy with their mashed potatoes. The best part is you can use an icecream scoop and
serve them in martini glasses! Hence the name, Mash-tini Bar!!! It makes mashed potatoes look a lot fancier then they are and everyone loves the variety. We ran out of martini glasses so I used a variety of wine glasses. Check out the pictures!



Here are some ingredients I included:
Green onions
Shredded cheese
Roasted red peppers
Beef gravy
Chicken gravy
Sour cream
Diced tomatoes
Corn
Marinated zucchini
Bacon pieces
Turkey Pepperoni pieces
Paprika
Garlic Salt

What are your thoughts? What would you add to your Mashed Potato Bar?
Chili!
Melted Cheese!
Bacos!


Need more ideas? Check these out: San Diego Cooks, Frugal Fairy, Project Wedding.

My next challenge? I think I'm going to take on cake pops! Has anyone tried making these before??? Let me know if you are up for the challenge!


I would love to know that you visited my blog or tried out a recipe. Leave me some love & encouragement!