Betty Crocker's Brown Sugar Oatmeal Cookies

Feel free to add raisins or chocolate chips to this recipe. In theory, it's healthier because there's no white sugar and less white flour than other oatmeal cookie recipes. My only issue is that the cookies you see are the only ones that turned out flat instead of round and cake-like. I have no idea why the others weren't as pretty....

Ingredients:

1 3/4  cups packed brown sugar
1     cup butter or margarine, softened
1     teaspoon vanilla
2     eggs
1     cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1     cup Gold Medal® whole wheat flour
1     teaspoon baking powder
3     cups old-fashioned oats

Preparations:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat brown sugar and butter with electric mixer on medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally, until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and eggs until well blended.
2. On low speed, beat in all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour and baking powder, scraping bowl occasionally, until well combined. Stir in oats.
3. On ungreased cookie sheets, drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart. Flatten cookies to about 1/2-inch thickness.
4. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.
   

Velveeta's Cowboy Quesadillas

Here's a really easy recipe for game day.

Ingredients:

1 lb. (16 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
6 flour tortillas (10 inch)
4 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 can (10 oz.) Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained

Preparations:

1. Over medium heat, melt Velveeta and diced tomatoes. Stir well.
2. Add chicken and onions.
3. In large nonstick pan, place one tortilla and 1/2 cup chicken mixture. Fold tortilla in half.
4. Cook on medium heat for one minute on each side or until golden brown. (Be careful. I've been known to burn more than one tortilla.)
5. Repeat process with remaining tortillas.

Super Bowl Crab-Filled Crescent Wontons

It's fast approaching and while I'll be mourning the fact that the Seahawks are not playing, I hope everyone else enjoys the game and some tasty food.

Here's an easy recipe from Pillsbury:




Ingredients:

1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet


1 package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup chopped cooked crabmeat

1 tablespoon chopped green onion (1 medium)

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)

1 egg white, beaten
 
Preparations:

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. Unroll dough on work surface (if using crescent rolls, pinch seams to seal); cut into 6 rows by 4 rows to make 24 squares.
2. In small bowl, mix cream cheese, crabmeat, onion and red pepper. Spoon about 1 teaspoon crab mixture 1/2 inch from 1 corner of 1 square. Starting with same corner, fold dough over filling, and tuck end tightly underneath filling; continue rolling to within 1/2 inch of opposite corner. Lightly brush exposed corner with egg white. Roll moistened corner of dough over roll; press to seal. Place on cookie sheet. Brush with egg white. Repeat with remaining squares and filling.
3. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet. Serve warm.

German Chocolate Bars

These are very rich, very yummy and best served warm over some vanilla ice cream to help cut the richness.

Check out those chocolate chips! Yummy!

Ingredients:
1 German chocolate cake mix with pudding
2/3 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup of milk
1 coconut pecan frosting
1 bag of milk chocolate chips

Preparations:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350.
2. Cut butter into dry cake mix until it's soft and moist.
3. Grease 13x9 pan and press half of the cake mix into the bottom.
4. Bake for ten minutes.Let cool for 10 minutes.
5. Layer frosting evenly over baked portion. Top with entire bag of chocolate chips.
6. Add milk to remaining cake mixture and drop evenly over chocolate chip/pecan mixture.
7. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes. (I did it for 30 and they still came out pretty moist.)

Cookies 'N Creme Brownies

Here's a super easy treat for a quick chocolate fix.

Ingredients:

1 box of fudge brownie mix
1/4 cup water
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 cup (7 cookies) creme-filled chocolate sandwich cookies
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 to 4 tablespoons milk

Preparations:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom of 13x9 inch pan with shortening. (Shortening is often more effective than the spray stuff.
2. Beat mix, water, oil and eggs until well blended.
3. Spread evenly in pan. Top with cookies.
4. Bake 24 to 26 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean when you test the center. Cool completely.
5. Mix powdered sugar milk until smooth. Drizzle over top. Cut into squares.

French's Zesty & Tender Steak Marinade

I was clipping coupons when I came across this easy and tasty steak marinade. If you're only cooking a 1lb steak then cut this recipe in half.

Ingredients:
1 cup Worcestershire Sauce
4 tbsps steak seasoning
2lbs of top round steak


Preparations:

1. Marinate steak in Worcestershire sauce. Drain and season.
2. Broil or grill steak about 15 minutes for medium rare. (So longer if you don't like it rare at all.)
3. Season with salt or pepper to taste.

Pillsbury's Beef and Bean Tortilla Bake

This recipe needs some tweaking. It's pretty bland by itself so I suggest add you some salsa, extra cheese and maybe even guacamole.

Ingredients:
1 lb extra-lean (at least 90%) ground beef
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed, drained
1 can (15 to 16 oz) pinto beans, rinsed, drained
1 can (14.5 oz) no-salt-added stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 envelope (1 oz) Old El Paso® 40%-less-sodium taco seasoning mix
2/3 cup water
3/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (3 oz)
2 tortillas (8 inch), cut in half, then cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide strips

Preparations:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In 12-inch skillet, cook beef over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown; drain. Stir in black beans, pinto beans, tomatoes, taco seasoning mix and water. 
2. Cook 2 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese.
    
3. In 8-inch square (2-quart) glass baking dish, spread 2 cups of the beef mixture. Top with half of the tortilla strips. Spoon half of the remaining beef mixture over tortilla strips. Add remaining tortilla strips; top with remaining beef mixture. Now's a good time to shred more cheese than what it calls for and add extra layer.
    
4. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes or until bubbly and heated through. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Bake about 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Cut into squares.
5. Top with sour cream or salsa or guacamole.
   
   

Betty Crocker's Tangy Steak Salad

This recipe convinced me that I was definitely not born to be a butcher. There's something about cutting up raw red meat that is decidedly unappealing. Putting that aside, this is easy recipe to make, it's relatively low-carb and can be done in about twenty minutes. I pulled this recipe off Betty Crocker's website.

Ingredients:
1     tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
1     pound beef boneless top sirloin steak, thinly sliced
3     tablespoons Dijon mustard
1     tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
4     cups bite-size pieces lettuce (iceberg or Romaine)
2     medium celery stalks, sliced (1 cup)
4     green onions, sliced
1     small red bell pepper, sliced

Preparations:

1. Heat oil in 10-inch skillet over high heat.
2. Cook beef in oil about 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until brown; drain. Stir in mustard and parsley; keep warm,
3. Toss lettuce, celery, green onions and bell pepper. Divide among 4 dinner plates. Top with beef mixture.
   
   Makes 4 Servings.

Tablespoon's Peanut Butter and Jelly Sushi

This is a great recipe for an after school kid's snack. It's super easy to make and is nutritious enough to tide kids over until dinner. You can see from my picture though that my bread folded rather than rolled....

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons of Peanut butter
4 tablespoons of Jelly (you pick the flavor)
4 slices of bread

Preparations:

1. Lay a slice of bread on a cutting board and roll it flat with a rolling pin.Spread one tablespoon peanut butter and one tablespoon jelly over 2/3 of the bread. (with or without crusts - your choice!)
2. Roll it up, starting with the end spread with peanut butter/jelly, and press edges to seal.
3. Repeat with remaining slices of bread, peanut butter and jelly.
4. Slice rolls with a sharp knife into 1/2" slices and serve.

Betty Crocker's Rich Peanut Butter Cookies

Here's another recipe from my cheap Betty Crocker's Cookies cookbook. So far the best thing about this cookbook is that the recipes are really easy. You can make them with your kids or on a late night when you're craving something sweet.

Ingredients:

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup of butter
1 egg
1 1/4 cups of flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup peanut butter chips
Granulated sugar

Preparations:

1. Beat brown sugar, peanut butter, butter and egg until mixture is creamy.
2. Separately, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. 
3. Combine both mixtures. Add peanut butter chips.
4. Shape dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. Dip tops of balls into granulated sugar.
5. Bake sugared side up at 375 for 9-10 minutes.

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

This recipe calls for beef stew meat and maybe at regular grocery stores that means that the meat is prepackaged into chopped up pieces? (If anyone knows, leave a comment please!) At the commissary on the air force base where I regularly shop for groceries, there's no such thing as beef stew meat so I had to buy 2lbs of meat and try to cut it into small pieces. I gave up after cutting up a pound! It's hard to cut up raw meat. I liked this recipe a lot and it's not hard to make at all. If you use a 6 qt crockpot you can actually cut the cooking time in half. It makes 8 servings.

Ingredients:

2     pounds beef stew meat

1     cup chopped onion
1     can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of golden mushroom soup
1     can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of onion soup (I couldn't find this soup so I used an additional can of cream of mushroom soup)
1     jar (6 ounces) Green Giant® sliced mushrooms, drained (I used two 4 oz cans)
1/4     teaspoon pepper
1     package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed
1     container (8 ounces) sour cream
6     cups hot cooked noodles or rice 

Salt to Taste

Preparations:

1. In 3 1/2- to 4 1/2-quart slow cooker, mix beef, onion, soups, mushrooms and pepper.
2. Cover and cook on low heat setting 8 to 10 hours or until beef is very tender.
3. Stir cream cheese into beef mixture until melted. Stir sour cream into beef mixture. Serve over noodles or rice.
   

My bad experience couponing at Target

I wrote previously about my positive experience with using coupons at Target so I feel like it's only fair that I follow up with yet another story. Tonight I went to Target with eight dollars worth of coupons and now is probably a really good time to mention that I'm more than 8 1/2 months pregnant with a feisty little boy who doesn't let me sleep much, has caused my body to retain 30lbs of water and makes it very painful to stand on my feet for more than 20 seconds. Still, I persevere with work, commuting and blah blah blah. ('Cause it's what women do in 2011!)

Keeping that in mind, I'm really looking forward to getting back to working out and wanted to get the new Bob Harper dvd while I had a $5 coupon for it. So I waddled into Target to buy the dvd and the required Quaker Oats products that came with the coupon. I didn't mind buying the products because I had an additional three coupons to cover those.

When I went to check out, I noticed a gray haired man standing at a cash register with no one in his line. My feet directed me to the line and from the minute he snapped "Hi" at me - I knew I had made a mistake. There was a reason his line was empty. I should have picked up my items and waddled away, but I didn't want to be rude. (especially since he was clearly going to be) He started ringing up my items and I handed him my coupons. At that moment, a crowd seeing it was safe to approach, quickly formed behind me.

As I watched the cashier reluctantly ring up my coupons, I noted his irritation and disgust. (That's fine. Seen it all before.) Then he proceeds to tell me that my Quaker oats are not covered by the $5 coupon. He makes some comment about the boxes having single servings and are therefore excluded. I fought the urge to say "Seriously? Do you not see that my items match the pictures on the coupon?" (And I really really wanted to say that.)

But I don't like to make a scene and I really don't like to inconvenience other people so I said "How about I step out of line. Take a look at where I went wrong and you can help the next person?"

He mumbled something at me and I stepped out of line. Thankfully, a manager or assistant manager happened to be walking by thirty seconds later and she was nice. I asked her to take a look at my coupon and explained the situation. She agreed that my items were covered and spoke to the cashier. He very angrily rung me up and all but threw my receipts at me. No "have a nice day" or "sorry about that" - just pure and utter disgust.

Aw, that joys of trying to save a buck. :)

Apple-Pecan Crisp

What to do when it's snowy outside and you've got fruit that no one seems all that interested in....I know! Search Bettycrocker.com for easy recipes!!! Yes, it's a boring life I lead.

I remember the days when I started my Saturdays off by sleeping in and not clipping coupons and searching for recipes on the web. It's not the fancy single life I once had (and let's face it I was never one of the gals from Sex in the City), but it's actually kind of fun to save money and score good deals. It's also really nice to be building a steady supply in the pantry just in case...

Here's an easy recipe that tastes so good I risked burning my tongue just to try a bit. If you don't like nuts then leave out the pecans.

Ingredients:

Fruit mixture:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons self rising flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 cups sliced peeled Golden Delicious apples (6 medium)

Topping:
1 cup Gold Medal self-rising flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
10 tablespoons butter
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preparations:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Mix sugar, 2 tablespoons of flour and cinnamon. 
3. Add apples. Stir to coat evenly. 
4. Pour into greased 13x9 glass baking dish.
5. Mix remaining flour and brown sugar. 
6. Cut butter into mixture until it looks like coarse crumbs. Add oats and pecans.
7. Sprinkle mixture evenly over fruit.
8. Bake 30-35 minutes or until topping is golden brown.

Deep-Dish Taco Squares from Tablespoon

Congratulations to Wendi P who won our first round of cookbook giveaways!!! If you've already entered, your name is still in the running for next Wednesday's drawing.

I'm glad it's Friday and a three day weekend. Here's an easy recipe for Monday's lunch if the kids are home and restless. It really doesn't take a lot of prep work and I consider it kid-friendly as long as you use mild green chilies. (that's if your kids are like mine and complain that cinnamon gum is "spicy") There's no nice pretty picture of this casserole because when I scooped it up - it was messy goodness all over the plate! (Here's the original recipe and a nice pretty picture.)

Ingredients:
 
1/2  lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1/4  cup chopped onion (1 small)
2  tablespoons Old El Paso® taco seasoning mix (I used the whole package)
1  cup Original Bisquick® mix
1/4  cup cold water
1/2  cup sour cream
1/3  cup mayonnaise or salad dressing (I used Ranch dressing instead of mayonnaise)
1/2  cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (2 oz) (Shred a cup, add half to the sour cream and top with the rest for extra cheesiness)
1  medium tomato, chopped (3/4 cup)
1  can (4.5 oz) Old El Paso® chopped green chilies

Preparations:

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 8-inch square (2-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In 8-inch skillet, cook beef and onion over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in taco seasoning mix until blended.
2. In medium bowl, stir Bisquick mix and water until soft dough forms. Using fingers dipped in Bisquick mix, pat dough in bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of baking dish.
3. In same bowl, mix sour cream, mayonnaise and cheese until blended. Layer beef mixture, tomato and chiles over dough; spoon sour cream mixture over top.
4. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until edges of dough are light golden brown.

Hershey's Chewy Chocolate Pan Cookies

If you like to bake, Hershey's website is worth checking out. They have tons of recipes that are rated by skill level and you can choose based on reviews people have posted. Here's an easy one for the Thursday "Is it Saturday yet?" blues.

http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipes-by-type/20/Cookies.aspx

Ingredients:

1-1/4 cups (2-1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) REESE'S Peanut Butter Chips

Preparations:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 15-1/2x10-1/2x1-inch jelly-roll pan.
2. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; gradually blend into butter mixture. Stir in peanut butter chips. (Batter will be stiff.) Spread batter in prepared pan.
3. Bake 20 minutes or until set. Cool completely in pan on wire rack; cut into bars. About 4 dozen bars.

Pillsbury's Chicken Italian

This is a really easy version of Chicken Marinara. It's so easy in fact that you could put your teenager to work making dinner with this recipe. The only thing I found is that it took me more than 8 minutes to cook my chicken so I'm leaving their cooking time for chicken out of the recipe.


Ingredients:

8 oz uncooked spaghetti
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 package (1 lb) boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 can (19 oz) Progresso® Vegetable Classics hearty tomato soup
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (2 oz)

Preparations:

1. Cook and drain spaghetti as directed on package.
2. Meanwhile, in 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until hot. Cook garlic and chicken in oil until chicken is light brown on both sides.
3. Sprinkle basil and pepper flakes on chicken. Pour soup over chicken; sprinkle with cheese. Cover and simmer 10 minutes.  

Ham Fried Rice

Saturdays are a time for grocery shopping and leftovers. This recipe is great if you have leftover meat and/or rice.

Ingredients:

2 eggs, scrambled

2 cups rice, cooked and cold

1 1/2 cups cooked ham, cubed

1/4 cup onion, chopped

2 tablespoons Olive oil

2 tablespoons Soy Sauce

1 packet Fried Rice seasoning

Preparations:

1. Over medium heat in oil, cook onions until soft.
2. Add ham and rice. Mix with onions.
3. Add soy sauce and packet seasoning.
4. Add eggs. Cook until mixture is thoroughly warm and mixed.
5. Add more Soy sauce if needed!
6. Salt to taste.

Easier than Paula Deen's Chocolate Pecan Pie

On Hulu, there are short cooking videos on how to make various dishes and hosted by several famous tv chefs. I watched one with Paula Deen and I thought at some point I should try to make the chocolate pecan pie she and her guest host were raving about it. Better I never did because a) they never showed a list of the ingredients and b) it didn't look that great.

Here's a recipe that is easier than her's that takes very little time and effort especially if you use a ready made pie crust. My only issue with this recipe is that it states to bake it for 35 minutes but that is not enough time. I baked it for 40 and it was still doughy and had to put it back in for additional time. So keep in eye on this pie. If it's not done at 35 minutes then crank the heat on the oven or add some time.

Ingredients:
1/cup butter
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 8 inch unbaked pie shell

Preparations:

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and chocolate chips until mixture is smooth.
2. Remove from heat. 
3. Add eggs, pecans, sugar and coconut. Stir until well blended. Pour into pie shell.
4. Bake at 350. (See my comments above about time.)

This recipe comes from:

Adventures in Couponing

Couponing takes time. It's definitely a trade of time for money. Yesterday I spent a half an hour going over the ads for the local supermarkets and comparing them to the stash of coupons I hoard every month. (I'm finally getting more organized about this.) After a great deal of math, I was able to come up with one really good deal.

Fresh Market (formerly Albertsons) had a "buy 4 boxes of cereal for $10. The cereals were Multi-grain Cheerios, Golden Grahams, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Wheaties. They also had an in-store coupon that said if you buy "10 boxes of these cereals) you can save $5.

I also had coupons for each of these cereals from coupons.com and smartsource that allowed me to save $1 for every two boxes I bought except for the Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I had a .55 coupon for each of those boxes. I figured that if I bought 12 boxes I would get the 4 for 10 deal so before coupons I went spend $30 plus taxe. After 10 boxes, I saved $5. Add $6.10 of my coupons to that and I spent approximately $1.55 per box.

Couponing while it takes time, can really pay off in the long run. There are also some really great sites out there that you can subscribe to. They'll send you daily updates on deals so you don't have to all of the leg work on your own.

Here's a list of sites I get daily emails from:


Krazy Coupon Lady
We Use Coupons
Stockpiling Moms

We Use Coupons was actually featured on Nightline and has a youtube video on their site that will show you how to get started.

Happy Clipping! Leave me a comment if you're new to couponing and find this helpful.

Triple-Decker Tortilla

Here's an easy recipe that you can make in 20 minutes and is only about 200 calories per serving. Not a bad dish to start the new year off with, right? Of course, my husband's response was "You know what would make this better? Re-fried beans."

My response - "This suppose to be a "healthy" version of this recipe."

I think he chuckled at that before piling on the sour cream. (Guys never seem to worry about squeezing into skinny jeans. :)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of pinto beans, rinsed and drained (and mashed if you want them to seem like re-fried beans)
2 cups of salsa
4- 6 inch flour tortillas
1 cup of whole kernel corn
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat Monterrey Jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded lettuce

Preparations:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Spray pie dish with non-stick spray.
3. Cover the bottom of your pie pan with a thin layer of salsa.
4. Add tortilla.
5. Layer 1 cup of the pinto beans on top of tortilla, add 1/2 cup of corn, 1/4 cup of cheese and 1 cup of salsa.
6. Add one tortilla. 
7. Top with another equal layer of beans and top with another tortilla. 
8. Last layer - add remaining corn, salsa and cheese. 
9. Bake for 15-20 minutes. (Keep an eye on this. The recipe says 12-15 minutes but that wasn't long enough.)
10. Top with shredded lettuce and sour cream if you like.

First Annual Free Cookbook Giveaway!

Beginning January 12th, Christina's Guide to Feeding the Family is giving away a cookbook to one lucky reader every week for FIVE weeks!

To enter your name in our drawing, click "Enter to Win" below and complete the contact form. Our lucky winners will be notified via email. US Residents Only Please! Good luck!!!


Enter to Win!!

Veggie Mash aka Mashed Potatoes

A while back, I tried making the Biggest Loser's version of mashed potatoes where you substitute cauliflower for potatoes. My husband said it was okay, but neither of us were really impressed with the texture or taste of that recipe. So when I came across this recipe for "Veggie Mash" in my latest cookbook, I thought it seemed like a good compromise between regular mashed potatoes and the Biggest Loser version. And surprisingly enough - it is. There are just a couple of caveats....

(This recipe is supposed to serve 6 but I think it's more like 4 and there aren't seconds so if you have a crowd - make more!)
 
Ingredients:

1lb potatoes, cubed and peeled (supposed to be 3 medium sized potatoes)
1 cup coarsely chopped cauliflower
1/2 cup sliced carrot
1/4 cup light dairy sour cream
1/4 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

Preparations:

1. In medium saucepan, boil potatoes, cauliflower and carrot for 15-20 minutes. (Cover with lid)
2. Drain water.
3. Mash by hand or with electric mixer.
4. Add sour cream and salt.
5. Mix until well blended.
6. Top each serving with cheese.

Now here's the "but" if you aren't worried about calories or water retention - add some salt and butter! This dish is actually pretty tasty with plenty of salt, but without it - it's way too bland for you to serve at dinner and not get some "Um, mom? this kind of sucks" looks. (Or maybe they'll wait until company is over and raving about your dinner to chime in with "Hey, remember that time you made veggie mash and it had as much flavor as paste?" - Gotta love teenagers!)

Here's the cookbook this recipe came from. :)

Low Calorie Turkey Taco Salad

I'm slightly addicted to buying cheap cooking books. I actually bought this one at a discount on Barnes and Noble online. (I'm a member so I don't have to spend $25 to get free shipping.) This is by far the best kid's cookbook I've come across (and bought) yet. In fact, it really doesn't seem like it's geared towards kids, it's just geared towards healthy eating.

Ingredients:

12 ounces uncooked ground Turkey
1 15 oz can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup whole kernel corn (I went with canned rather than frozen)
1 cup bottled salsa
1/4 cup water
4 to 6 cups shredded lettuce
1/4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1 cup broken baked tortilla chips

Preparations:

1. Brown turkey over medium heat until no longer pink.
2. Drain off fat.
3. Add beans, corn, salsa and water.
4. Bring to boil, reduce heat. Simmer, covered for 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Line four bowls or plates with lettuce. Top with hot turkey mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and tortilla chips.

Calories: 275 per serving

Betty Crocker's Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

There's something about oatmeal raisin cookies that reminds me of nap time and Kindergarten. Remember nap time? Remember when your biggest problem was whether you had to share your Leggos or whether you going to get a turn in line playing tether ball? Oh, how I miss those days.... (Back then I had no idea teenagers, cell phones and mortgages lay ahead of me. If I had, I would have taken more naps!)

In honor of the days when we didn't have mortgages to pay or teenagers turning our hair prematurely gray, here's a tasty recipe from Betty Crocker's Cookies.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup raisins


Preparations:

1. In mixer, combine all ingredients except oats, flour and raisins. Beat well.
2. Separately, combine flour, oats and raisins.
3. Combine both sets of ingredients. Mix well.
4. Bake 9 - 11 minutes or until light brown. 

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

My husband came home the other night with three very ripe bananas in hand and said "Can you make something with these?" So, I decided that rather than make my usual banana bread I'd branch out and see what other kind of recipes are out there for very ripe bananas that your husband deemed too ripe to put on his granola.

I came across this one by Danielle on Allrecipes.com and it was very highly rated.

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 bananas, mashed
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preparations:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine sugar, shortening, eggs, vanilla and bananas. (I used all three instead of just two.)
3. Separately, combine flour, soda and salt. Mix.
4. Add both sets of ingredients. Mix until well combined. 
5. Pour in chocolate chips. Mix again.
6. Bake at 350 in a loaf pan for 60-70 minutes.

I thought this was too much batter for one loaf pan so I took the excess and made three muffin tops with it. This recipe is really good especially served warm with butter.

Better Homes and Garden Split Pea Soup in a Crock Pot

I've gotta whole lot of ham left over from Christmas and no one willing to eat it! I hate to waste food so I decided the only way I was going to get rid of it was to put it in something else. This recipe is perfect for Sunday dinners because I'm home enough that I can just throw things in a crock pot and check on it periodically. With the weather being cold and frosty, this is a great recipe to warm you up on the inside and it takes very little preparation.

One thing you have to note about this recipe is that it needs salt! Throw a few shakes in while it's cooking and be sure to taste and season when it's done. Also, I threw in chunks of ham instead of a ham bone and it made the soup that much more tasty.

Ingredients:

2 & 3/4 cups water
1 & 1/2 cups dry split peas
1 14.5 oz can of chicken broth
1 to 1 1/2 ham bone (if you don't have this, throw in some chopped bacon or bits of ham)
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram, crushed
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup chopped carrot (1 medium)
1/2 cup chopped celery (1 stalk)
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)

Preparations:

1. In 4 or 6 quart crock pot, combine peas, ham, spices, carrot, celery and onion.
2. Pour water and broth over over all ingredients. Stir.
3. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. 

Keep an eye on your peas and make sure they don't run dry. You might need to add an additional cup of water towards the end.

My Power Smoothie

Happy New Year! What better way to start off the new year then by adding some vitamins and power to your diet? Smoothies are a quick and easy way to add vitamins and minerals to your morning routine. Here's my recipe for a power smoothie.

Ingredients:

1 16 oz package of frozen VIP Cherry Berry Blizzard (I like VIP better than Yoplait because it contains more fruit per package and comes with a smoothie powder.)
1 cup of Cran-Raspberry Juice
1 single serving of Dannon vanilla yogurt
20 baby Spinach leaves
Redi-whip (optional)

Preparations:

1. Run your frozen fruit under hot water for a couple of minutes to soften it.
2. Place frozen fruit and powder in blender. Blend on a high for a minute.
3. Add yogurt and stir. Blend for 30 seconds.
4. Add spinach and juice. Blend until all ingredients are combined well. 
5. Top with Redi-whip (only 15 calories a serving!)

Makes 2 1/2 servings

Note: We use a Vitamix blender but those things are dang expensive!!! (see below) I never would have bought one. This is a purchase my husband made before we were married. But if you are into making smoothies daily or like the ability to make soup in a blender, then the Vitamix is worth checking into.