Chicken Tortellini

Tis' the season to snuggle up and enjoy a steaming bowl of soup.  This is a recipe I have made for years, I got it from the noon news and it was a keeper.  Enjoy!

Chicken Tortellini Soup

(serves 8-10)

6 cups water

3 cups chicken broth

1 can Cream of Chicken soup

2 cups diced chicken

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup sliced carrots

2 tbsp. apple juice concentrate

2 cloves minced garlic

1/2 tsp. basil

1/2 tsp. oregano

7 oz. fresh cheese tortellini

9 oz. broccoli

Combine everything but tortellini and broccoli.  Bring to boil and simmer for 30 minutes uncovered.  Add remaining ingredients.  Simmer 10-15 minutes.  Serve with parmesan cheese.

Tips:  I used dried pasta and get good results.  Also, check out my chicken soup mix recipe for a healthy, inexpensive substitute for the can of soup.  You can even skip the step of cooking it!  Don't forget some warm french bread too!

Cilantro Lime Chicken

It is the holiday season and life gets insanely busy!  You need to feed your family amid all the chaos.  You also want to eat healthy and not have to fight to get the weight off again.  Here is a simple recipe that be prepared ahead and ready when you are.  Besides it can help use up leftover chicken or turkey.

Cilantro Lime Chicken

(from Emily Laudie)

4 cups shredded chicken, cooked

6 tbsp. plain greek yogurt

1/2 tsp. lime pulp

2 tbsp. lime juice

1 clove minced garlic

1 jalapeno, minced

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 cup red onion, diced

1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped

Serve cold in a wrap or tortilla.

I've been distracted!

Several months ago my friends started talking about running a half marathon in Oregon.  I had be working hard to improve my health and felt like it was a great goal for me.  Besides it was a bucket list item and I would love a weekend with my girlfriends.  

I started working towards my goal and it was slow going.  I panicked when I realized it was coming really fast and I began to question if I would be able to do it.  Thankfully, my friends stepped up and got me to make a plan.  Most of October was dedicated to running, a lot!  But it paid off.  By race time, I was confident my body was ready and I had finally lost 30 pounds since February.  

I was still smiling at the finish line because I did it!  I have a hard time describing the relief and joy of crossing the finish line and the cheers just for me.  I wished my husband was there to share that moment with me.  The family sacrificed a lot to enable to reach my goal.

The next day I wondered why I waited so long to try it.  My body is not as strong as it used to be but I proved that I can still do whatever I put my mind to, even if I'm the turtle!

Candy Corn Sugar Cookies.

Halloween caught me by surprise this year.  I was really busy and focused on my first half marathon.  I found a few minutes one day to make a Halloween treat, Candy corn cookies.  They were really easy and fun to bake.  The kids loved helping me and making them disappear.  We nicknamed them "Baby Crack", since the baby was addicted!  She would just fall apart if we wouldn't give her another and she ate 10 or more.

It is still fall and in my book it is not too late for candy corn!  Check out this tutorial from Kathie Cooks:Candy Corn Sugar Cookies.  She has great pictures of the steps.  I used my own sugar cookie recipe and it worked great.  My family got this recipe from a dear neighbor, Mary Temple.  She was so sweet and we loved her.

Mary's Sugar Cookies

 (Makes 3 dozen cookies)

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup butter

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. almond extract (optional but recommended)

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cream of tartar

2 1/2 cups flour

Cream the sugar and butter together.  Mix the rest of the ingredients in order, incorporating after each addition.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.  Roll out to 1/4 inch thick and cut your desired shapes.  Bake at 375 for 5 minutes or edges are just starting to brown.

Roasted Parmesan zucchini

Do you have zucchini coming out of your ears?  We check regularly but it never fails, there is one the size of a small child!  So we're looking for new ways to use them.  I found lots of stuffed zucchini recipes and tried my version, it had potential.  Last night we tried Roasted Parmesan zucchini.  The kids didn't go crazy but they liked and we'll have it again for variety.

Roasted Parmesan Zucchini

zucchini

olive oil

garlic salt

pepper

Parmesan cheese

Slice the zucchini about 1 inch think.  Place on baking sheet and brush with olive oil.  Season with garlic salt and pepper to taste.  Finish with Parmesan cheese.  Bake at 400 for 15 minutes or until the zucchini is fork tender. Then broil for just a couple of minutes to brown the cheese.

Notes:  Our zucchini was gigantic, so we cut out the seeds.  How you cut it would depend on how big your zucchini is.  I like the zucchini still firm, it was just right for me.  My hubby would have cooked it longer for his preference.  

French bread

Want yummy, warm french bread to complement that fall soup for dinner?

This is easy and really cheap to make.  I found that it takes a least two hours to finish instead of the 90 minutes promised.  So plan ahead and give yourself plenty of time.

You'll find the recipe at 

Deals to Meals: French bread

Enjoy!

Zuppa Toscana

Back in college I worked in the cafeteria and had many adventures there.  I started off washing dishes, then food runner and finally doing salad prep.  As a part of the salad prep, I washed lots and lots of kale.  It was used as decoration to cover all the ice.  I couldn't imagine ever eating it, just admiring the color on the salad bar.

Imagine my surprise when I tried Zuppa Toscana for the first time and learned that it had kale in it!  I was really yummy and my family loved it.  It is now our favorite cold weather meal.  It is fast and easy.  

Now you can try it too, just in time for the fall weather!

Zuppa Toscana

1/2 pound Italian turkey sausage

1 large onion, diced

2 tsp. minced garlic

12 cups water

6 tsp. chicken bouillon 

1 pound diced potatoes

1 cup milk

1 bunch kale, chopped

Saute sausage, onion and garlic until the sausage cooked and onion is tender.  Drain fat, if any.  Add water and bouillon.  Bring to a boil.  Add potatoes and cook until soft (approximately 30 minutes).  Add milk and heat through.  Add kale just before serving.

Notes:  You can use pork sausage and cream instead of milk for the full fat version.  I also do not peel the potatoes, I like the added color and texture.  Olive Garden serves it with Parmesan cheese, it adds some extra flavor.