Homemade Lasagna

Here's a great recipe from my mother-in-law. It's a new take on lasagna...and it's delicious! You'll have leftovers for days!

1/2 to 1 lb. hamburger

1/2 c. chopped onion

garlic salt to taste

2 cans tomato soup

1/4 tsp. oregano

1/2 c. water (you can replace with a can of diced tomatoes)

2 tsp. vinegar

1/2 lb. lasagna noodles (12 noodles)

1 pt. cottage cheese

1/2 lb. grated Mozzarella cheese

Brown hamburger and onion. Add garlic salt, oregano, soup, water, and vinegar. Simmer until mixed well. In a 13 x 9 inch pan, begin layers with 1/3 noodles, then 1/3 cottage cheese and 1/3 hamburger mixture. Repeat for 2 more layers. Top with Mozzarella and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from oven. Let set for 15 minutes before serving. If made ahead and refrigerated, bake a little longer. Excellent to freeze.

have a healthy weekend!

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Lasagna Soup

This is one of my favorite soups to make.  
1/2 lb. Italian sausage
1/2 lb. ground beef
1.5 tsp of salt, optional
1.5 c. chopped onion
1.5 c. carrots
6 cloves minced garlic
7 cups chicken broth
3 c. of canned diced tomatoes
1.5 c. marinara sauce
1/2 tsp oregano, thyme, basil, parsley
1/4 lb egg noodles
brown sausage/beef with salt.  add carrots and onions.  saute for 3 minutes.  add garlic, saute for 3 more.  add broth, tomatoes, marinara sauce and herbs. bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until carrots are tender.
add egg noodle pasta, bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes or until noodles are cooked.
enjoy with Parmesan and/or mozzarella cheese.

Have a Healthy Weekend!

Hope your Thanksgiving was great! Here's some post-Thanksgiving pre-Christmas articles!

What to do with all that left-over turkey!

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Enjoy the holiday weekend...and get some good deals!

Need some last minute recipes?

I found this great site, Simply Recipes. It's a family blog type thing and all the recipes have been tried at home. They have a fair amount of recipes, and one section for Thanksgiving. Sweet!

You can also browse the budget, low carb, quick, and a great tips section. I love it! Tonight I made spinach following their recipe and it was pretty good!

Good luck cooking!

What I'm Eating This Thanksgiving:

Here's some of my favorite family recipes. The first, mac & cheese in a family staple. No occasion or event or celebration or dinner is ever held without it. It is that good. The second is a fruit salad that we haven't had for a few years, but I'm going to make it this year. Enjoy! What are some of your favorite foods from Thanksgiving?

Macaroni & Cheese

3 c. macaroni (cooked) (don't make that mistake -- I have)
2 small cans of tomato soup
1/2 - 2/3rds lb cubed cheese (cheddar or colby jack work great)
salt & pepper

Mix together and place in an oven safe dish. Cut little pieces of butter to put on top. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 55 minutes. Uncover and bake for about 10 minutes, until the edges are cooked. enjoy!

Cranberry Pineapple frozen salad

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
20 oz drained crushed pineapple
1/2 c chopped pecans (I leave those out just because I don't like nuts but... either way..)
1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
2 c mini marshmallows
8 oz cool whip

Mix together. Put in 9x13 pan (spray w/ cooking spray) and freeze until firm.

Hanging onto summer

Here are some recipes from yoplait.com that sound soo good. For the most part, especially if you use frozen (then thawed) or canned fruit, you can easily make these even as we move into December.

Fresh Fruit Tart (ha, or maybe thawed fruit)

1 box lemon cake mix
1/2 c. butter/marg. softened
1 egg
2 cups vanilla yogurt
1 box instant pudding and pie filling mix
3 cups sliced fruit, berries, mandarin segments
3 tbsp apricot preserves preheat oven to

375 (350 for dark/nonstick)

grease pizza pan. mix cake mix, butter and egg until crumbly. press on pan. bake 14 - 18 minutes. cool completely. beat yogurt and pudding (dry) med. speed until blended. spread over baked layer, and arrange fruit. heat preserves until melted and brush over. serve/store within 24 hours. (don't leave out for more than 2!)

Banana Split Tart

1 box refrigerated pie crust
1/2 c. semi sweet chips, melted
1 c. yogurt (vanilla or strawberry)
2 small bananas, sliced
1 can (21 oz) strawberry pie filling
1 c. fresh (or thawed) strawberries

preheat oven to 375.

unroll 1 crust flat, centered on ungreased cookie sheet. place 2nd crust on top, pressing to seal and roll our to 14 in. round. fold 1/2 in. of crust, forming a border. seal with fluted edge. prick generously with a fork. bake 20 - 25 minutes. cool for 30 minutes. spread 1/4 c. of melted chocolate and yogurt. add banana slices and pie filling. then strawberries and drizzle with remaining chocolate.

yum!

have a healthy weekend!

Need some more Thanksgiving food ideas? Here's some delicious looking sides! (and why we eat what we do for Thanksgiving).

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10 tips for healthy eating in college.

College eating and fitness tips 101.

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no bake cookies

Have you ever tried these? They are super easy, require no sweating AND they are packed with heart-healthy oatmeal. I just googled a recipe for "easy no bake cookie recipe" (or something) and browsed a bit until I found one. I found this at about.com. There are probably more sophisticated websites but...this one worked (and tasted great!)

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces butter or margarine (one stick)
  
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 cups sugar (I used that, but I think next time I'd just use one. That's a lot of sugar)
  
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 to 4 tablespoons peanut butter, optional (I used it and I liked it. Adds a little something)
  
• 3 cups oats, quick or old-fashioned
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:

Place chocolate chips, peanut butter (if used), oats, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Combine the margarine, milk, and sugar in a saucepan; bring to a rolling boil. Boil for 1 minute. Combine the hot mixture with the oatmeal and chocolate chip mixture; stir well. Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper.

Makes 2 dozen. I put one pan in the freezer for quick setting and it worked great!

Enjoy! (and while your at it, try these healthy cookie recipes or these)

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menu planning

I have tried and failed over the years to create menus. For a few months I or we did great. But then school gets in the way and I don't want to make anything that takes longer than 10 minutes. Sound familiar? There are plenty of meal ideas that I have that are yummy, usually healthy and pretty quick. For some reason, menu planning in school is tricky! I've tried calendars and lists...and while they don't work for too long...I won't get discouraged yet!

One tip my mom gave me and that I've found a few places is to spend an evening and cook chicken and hamburger or sausage and then refrigerate or freeze. Then, when you want some tacos or soup or pasta and chicken, you don't have the added step of cooking the meat.

At the more matters website, they have so many great tips on menu planning. They are tried and true principles that if you can pick just one or two, I think meals can be faster, healthier and cheaper.

And get this: they even have five weeks worth of planned menus complete with shopping list. Some of them may be complicated or expensive (they calculate the approximate price). If you find ideas with things you already have, are only cooking for 1 -2 people, it will be cheaper!

I definitely say take advantage of pre-planned menus as a way to kick-start your own. As previously posted, even picking two or three days when you make a more involved meal, you can have leftovers (of which I am a firm believer) and can have a healthy delicious meal.

I have great links to all sorts of recipes. Check them out!

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30 ways in 30 days [part 3]

ways 21 - 30 on stretching your fruit and vegetable budget:

21. (not super applicable to all - sorry) Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) can be used to purchase vegetables

22. When trying new fruits and vegetables, buy in small amounts. Taste test before you change your list. (oh man, I struggle with that one).

23. Keep it simple. Buy dried beans, peas and lentils in their raw or uncooked form instead of the processed and packaged versions which cost more. (and here's how to cook them)

24. Avoid buying single servings. Small packages are often more expensive than buying in larger amounts. Freeze!

25. Shop at discount grocery stores. (BUY LOW!)

26. Shop at large grocery stores instead of small convenience stores when possible as their prices and variety differ greatly: cheaper and more.

27. To make many fresh fruits and vegetables last longer, store them in refrigerator or freezer soon after getting home.

28. Clearly label foods in the freezer and refrigerator with contents and date to stay with in a safe time frame.

29. Get creative! Make salsa from tomatoes and smoothies from your fruits. Find recipes at more matters.

30. Buy frozen fruits and vegetables in large bags to stretch your budget (ie green beans and blueberries). Avoid those with added sugar, salt or sauce.

source of 30 ways

have a healthy weekend!

Since it's Halloween, here is an article with ideas how to keep your kids safe trick-or-treating AND keep their calorie counts low.

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Check out these "7-ways" tips!

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Really though, who eats seven chips and three pretzels??
Well, maybe you should but...game day was made for eating :)

have a safe and happy halloween!

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easy chicken noodle soup

4 c. chicken broth (3)
1 c. shredded cooked chicken (1 piece)
1/2 c. uncooked egg noodles (1)
1 stalk celery (1/2 c. broccoli)
1 medium carrot, sliced
pepper (a little garlic)

Heat broth, pepper, carrot and celery in medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Add noodles and chicken. Reduce to medium. Cook 10 minutes or until noodles are tender. Stir often.

This soup was the easiest to make and it was delicious! The parenthesis is how I made it for two people. I don't like celery, nor did we have any...and we like extra noodles.

I got this from a book of adds...so I can't legitimately source it. However, it's great soup and souper easy! Enjoy!

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four loaves of bread in one hour.

I'm serious! For enrichment, a girl in my ward shared this recipe. You can do SO much with it...and I've only tried one myself, but I tasted plenty at the activity. It would also be more beneficial if I had a heavy duty mixer or bread pans. Anyways, here is the recipe, some ideas for variations, tips for making it and a picture of the "chop pizza" Dave and I made.

10.5 cups white bread flour or wheat flour (do not use all-purpose flour) (note: we used all-purpose and it tasted fine. but, we didn't make an actual bread loaf)
.5 cup sugar
1 tablespoon salt 3 rounded tablespoons saf-instant yeast
3 tablespoons liquid lecithin (note: this is an enhancer, and NOT necessary. if you do use, don't measure, just squeeze right in because it is VERY sticky)
4 cups hot tap water

Mix dry ingredients. Add lecithin and water. Mix for one minute and check consistency. If dough is too dry, add more water. Dough should be very sticky. Mix for five minutes. (don't add flour after it has finished mixing). Spray counter and pans with cooking spray. Shape loaves and cover with towel. Raise 25 minutes, cook 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes four loaves.

Now. There are a lot of things you can do with the dough. Here are some of the girl in my ward's suggestions/tips for a few things:


Bread:
The recipe doesn't usually call for enough water. Add enough water until your dough is, well...a doughy texture (too vague?)
When the dough is ready roll it out with a rolling pin into a rectangle. Then roll it up (hot dog style I guess you could say). Make sure to roll it tight so that your bread does not have any holes!
When it is all the way rolled up, seal the lose end by just pinching the dough together
When it is rolled up, "Poke in the belly buttons" (the ends-poke them with a finger) and then chop (not with a knife, just use your hand) and tuck the excess dough under so that it creates a round end to your bread loaf.
At this point, if it is not the shape you want, roll it out again and try it all again

Cinnamon Rolls
Same as bread. Roll out the dough into a rectangle.
Spread softened butter all over the dough. Top with cinnamon sugar
Then, roll (hot dog style again, just like the bread) and seal the edges
Then simply cut along the "hot dog" and you will have little cinnamon rolls
Cook at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes
You can top with the cream cheese mixture (1 pkg. cream cheese, 1 c. powdered sugar, a little vanilla).

Chop Pizza
Split the dough however you would like.
Press dough out to a circle
Place all the toppings you want on the dough
Cover toppings with dough
Chop-no need to be exact! Just CHOP! then gather all the parts of your pizza and, place it on a tray!
Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the pizza 5-7 minutes before it comes out of the oven.
Back at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes

*If you like normal pan pizza, just roll out the dough to the size of your baking sheet. I prefer to cook the crust all the way and then add the sauce and toppings to ensure that the pizza is cooked all the way through and will not be doughy.

Dessert Braid
Press dough out to cover an entire cookie sheet
Using a spatula, cut 1/3 of the way into the middle on both sides
Continue to do this, strips should be about 1" wide. Make sure there are the same number on both sides
Place cream cheese and powdered sugar mixture (1 pkg. cream cheese, 1 c. powdered sugar, and some vanilla) down the middle of the dough
Top cream cheese with any kind of jam or other delicious things
Now, take each piece of dough and cross it over to the opposite side. Continue to do this all the way down. This creates the braid look.
Let raise, and then bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees!


here are our chop pizzas. (I'm sure you don't have to do it this way; you could make small normal pizzas or try cal zones (that is how we folded the dough w/ pepperoni - like a cal zone)). we quartered the recipe and it made four small pizzas -- perfect! Don't use an electric beater...we just used dave's muscles and an ice cream scoop!

They were great! I can't wait to try out more ideas with the dough. It's great! Enjoy!

Here is the website from which the recipe came.

black bean dip

I made this for a housewarming party we had.  It was pretty good.  Not too many ingredients and I felt like a pro chef throwing it all in the blender.

• 1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 red pepper, diced finely
• 1/2 cup prepared salsa
• 2 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1/2 cup low fat sour cream
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Combine all ingredients in a food processor, mixing until smooth. Chill until ready to serve.

homemade oreos

We all know how not so great oreos are for you. (grams?  who weighs their servings...seriously?) Tricky.

Instead, how about you make your own?

Dough:
2 chocolate cake mixes
1 1/2 c shortening
4 eggs

Filling:
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 c butter
2 tsp vanilla
3 1/2 - 4 c powdered sugar

Mix dough and roll into balls. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. Mix filling and wait for cookies to cool before assembling

(I halved this and it made plenty.  It depends on how big you make the balls of dough). 

Also, my friend laura brought an amazing creation to a housewarming party we had.  Oreo truffles.  I don't have a recipe or a picture, but trust me, they were delectable.  

mix cream cheese and mint oreos in a bag.  roll into balls, dip into milk chocolate and freeze.  (Laura, help?)  I bet you can just guess on the proportions...not too cream cheesy but not too crummy. 

enjoy a slighly healthier alternative!

fall foods

Health.com has a great slide show of healthy fall produce and great recipes you can use.  A lot of the times we don't realize that there are fruits and vegetables that are harvested in the fall, instead of throughout the summer. 

click on the picture to access the slide show.

enjoy!

ideas and tips

need some menu ideas?  BYU Women's Services and Resources has plently of recipies and menus.  check it out!

menus

recipies

nutrition

oh, and want their cookbook?  it's right here !