Monday, October 27, 2014

Banana Split Poke Cake


Ingredients
  • 1 white cake, prepared in a 13x9 dish
  • 1 box (3.4oz) Instant Banana Pudding mix or vanilla i used cause i couldnt find banana
  • 2 cup milk
  • 2 large bananas, sliced
  • 8oz strawberries, sliced
  • 1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
  • 12oz Cool Whip
  • 1/4 cup chocolate syrup
  • 24 maraschino cherries
Instructions
  1. Prepare white cake according to package directions for a 13x9 cake.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together pudding mix and milk until smooth.
  3. Remove cake from oven and poke holes all over the cake. Pour pudding immediately over warm cake. Refrigerate for 3 hours, or overnight.
  4. When chilled, top with sliced bananas, sliced strawberries, crushed pineapple and Cool Whip (in that order). Drizzle with chocolate syrup and place cherries on top. Serve cold.

Stove Top Lasagna



Ingredients
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 2 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1-2 Tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 packageOven-Ready Lasagna, broken into fourths
  • 1 1/2 - 2 jars Spaghetti Sauce (depending on how saucy you like it)
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
Instructions
  1. In a 5 quart cooking pot, cook ground beef, garlic and dry seasonings over medium high heat, until meat is cooked through and no longer pink. Drain grease from pan.
  2. To the meat, add one third of the sauce, then a layer of noodles and repeat, ending with the final third of sauce on top. (the noodles didn't really want to break into fourths, so take what you can get. If they break into smaller pieces, that's ok). Add the chicken broth and stir slightly. (*if only use 1 1/2 jars of sauce, you may need to add more chicken broth. Just watch that it doesn't get too dry).
  3. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes, stirring gently a few times to help keep the noodles from sticking together.
  4. When noodles are tender, remove the pot from the heat. Gently stir in cheese and reserve some Mozzarella for sprinkling on top. Cover and let sit for five minutes to allow cheese to melt.
  5. Serve.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

One Pot Creamy Chicken and Pasta



Ingredients
  • 2 large (or 3 small) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cups of roughly chopped raw vegetables(I used equal amounts of onions, carrots, celery)
  • 1 Tbsp minced garlic
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 1 small can cream of chicken soup + 1 can milk
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 Tbsp dried parsley
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 pound dry fettuccine pasta
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese + 1/2 cup cheese for topping
Instructions
  1. Heat olive oil in a 4-5 quart pot.
  2. Add chopped vegetables and minced garlic. Saute over medium-high heat for about five minutes, or until vegetables are just becoming tender.
  3. Add chicken and season with a couple pinches of salt and a pinch of pepper. Continue to saute over medium heat until chicken is no longer pink. It does not have to be cooked through since it will continue to cook in the sauce.
  4. Add cream of chicken soup, milk, chicken broth, pasta and dry seasonings. Stir.
  5. Bring to a boil and turn heat down to low. Simmer for 20-25 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring every five minutes to keep pasta from sticking together.
  6. Once pasta is cooked to your liking, remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover pot and let rest for 5-10 minutes to thicken the sauce.
  7. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley for garnish.

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry


Ingredients
  • 2 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 3/4 cups low sodium chicken both
  • 2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp honey
  • 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 chicken breasts, cut into one inch chunks
  • 5 cups roughly chopped vegetables your choice! (broccoli, bell peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, carrots, celery, onions)
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 Tbsp minced garlic
  • Green onion, diced, for garnish
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch, chicken broth and soy sauce until smooth and the cornstarch is completely dissolved.
  2. Add oil to a 12 inch skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and stir-fry until browned (chicken does not need to be completely cooked through at this point). Transfer the chicken to a plate.
  3. Add the vegetables, ginger and garlic to the skillet. Stir-fry until the vegetables are tender, but still crisp to the bite. Stir in the sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil and allow to thicken. Add the chicken and cook until the chicken is cooked through.
  4. Serve over rice or noodles, or enjoy on it's own.

stuffed peppers casserolle



Ingredients
  • 1 lb extra-lean ground beef 
  • 1 ½ C green bell pepper, chopped
  • ½ C onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp pepper
  • 2 C long grain brown rice, cooked
  • 1 C tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 (24 oz) jar reduced-sodium, no sugar added spaghetti sauce (or your favorite homemade spaghetti sauce)
  • 1 ½ C reduced-fat shredded mozzarella cheese blend, divided

  1. Cook ground beef in a large skillet over medium until no longer pink. Drain excess grease. Add pepper, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Continue cooking until onions turn translucent and peppers become tender.
  2. Preheat oven to 350.
  3. In a large bowl, carefully stir together beef mixture, rice, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and ¾ cup shredded cheese.
  4. Spread mixture into a 2 ½ quart casserole. Sprinkle with remaining ¾ cup shredded cheese.
  5. Bake for 25 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.
  6. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
  7. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.