homemade chicken noodle soup

I found this recipe forever ago on one of my favorite food blogs, Casual Cuisine. I finally made it yesterday and really enjoyed it! It made a huge pot so I froze plenty for future dinners. Try it soon! (Here's the recipe, slightly adapted)

ingredients:

2-3 chicken breasts, boiled or roasted, then shredded (or you can place raw chicken breasts in the pot while soup is simmering, and allow to fully cook)

8 cups chicken broth (low sodium is a good option)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

2 large carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 1/2 cups dried egg noodles

2 tbsp. fresh or dried parsley

salt and pepper, to your taste

directions:

Saute onion with salt and pepper over medium heat with a small amount of oil in a deep pot. When onion is translucent, add garlic and saute for about 30 seconds.

Add chicken broth, chicken, and bay leaf, and bring to a rolling boil. (If you put the chicken in raw, be sure to let boil until chicken is cooked through.) Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for pretty much as long as you'd like. Bring soup back up to a boil before adding carrots and celery, and simmer covered for about 5 minutes, until veggies are tender.

Stir in noodles. Simmer, covered, for about 5 minutes or until noodles are tender but firm. Stir in parsley to garnish. Enjoy!

hearty sausage and rice casserole

I found a recipe for this dish online, but didn't have all the ingredients it called for. So, I made up my own using the recipe I found as a guide. I am in love with this!

ingredients:

1/2 box rice (any kind)

1 pound bulk sausage (I used turkey sausage)

1 (8oz) box sliced fresh mushrooms, roughly chopped

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 large onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can chicken broth

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

garlic salt, onion powder, dried parsley, salt & pepper to taste

directions:

1. in a large skillet, brown sausage very well. drain off any grease.

2. add mushrooms, celery, pepper, an onion, and continue to cook with the sausage until veggies are tender. add seasonings to your taste.

3. in a very large bowl, add soup, broth, cheese, and uncooked rice. stir in the sausage and veggie mixture, combine well.

4. bake covered at 375 for 1 hour if you are using a 9x13, and for 30-35 minutes for 2 8x8's. Or, bake until bubbly and rice is done.

5. stir the mixture before serving. enjoy!

orange pineapple fruit salad

This is my absolute favorite fruit salad. I grew up eating this, and I could eat massive amounts of it at one sitting if I didn't feel like people would look at me funny. :) It's SO easy and so delicious! This recipe serves about 6, so just cut everything in half if you don't want that much.

ingredients:

2 cans pineapple chunks (or tidbits)

2 cans mandarin oranges

8oz. container sour cream

1.5 cups mini marshmallows

directions:

1. pour all the fruit into a colander and drain very well. you do not want this to be soggy.

2. in a large bowl, mix everything together.

3. let chill for at least an hour before serving. enjoy!

spaghetti with veggies

I am trying to incorporate more meatless meals into our diet. I have nothing against meat, I just know that it's not necessary to have at every meal. It can also be expensive, so spacing it out over the week can save lots of money, too. We usually have meat sauce for our spaghetti, but I wanted to try something meatless, yet still delicious and satisfying. The options are endless here... as you can add any veggies you like. I am going to leave off the amounts of the veggies, since you can add as many or as little as you want.

ingredients:

homemade spaghetti sauce (recipe here)

any kind of pasta (I used angel hair)

1 or 2 cans diced tomatoes (I used italian style)

fresh mushrooms

onion

bell pepper (any color you want)

minced garlic

directions:

1. make homemade sauce (or really, any sauce you want) and let simmer for an hour. add in the can or two of diced tomatoes.

2. boil your pasta according to directions. set aside.

3. in a medium saucepan, add about 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter. let it get hot before throwing in the veggies.

4. dice up veggies, and add them to the pan. stir around until they are golden brown and soft. add salt and pepper, and the minced garlic about a minute before you remove the veggies from the heat. (you don't want the garlic to burn.)

5. pour the cooked veggies directly into the sauce and continue to let simmer for another 10-15 min.

6. the sauce is ready! serve it over your pasta with a little parmesan cheese. enjoy!

simple pasta

I got creative in my kitchen the other night and came up with such a yummy pasta dish. I mostly just used what I already had on hand. I didn't use any measurements, but I will try to approximate what I did. You can easily change the amounts due to your liking, or how many servings you need. Enjoy!

ingredients:

pasta (any kind... i used regular spaghetti because it's what I had)

1 can diced tomatoes (i used the italian flavor)

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1 cup frozen chopped spinach

1 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp minced garlic

2 tbsp butter

1/2 cup bread crumbs

salt and pepper

directions:

1. preheat oven to 350.

2. boil pasta according to directions. remember to keep it al dente since it will be going in the oven for a bit. set aside.

3. in a large bowl, mix diced tomatoes with olive oil. whisk together well to make sure they are well incorporated.

4. add everything except the butter and bread crumbs. mix together well.

5. add pasta and mix well with the sauce.

6. pour pasta and sauce into a baking dish. top with bread crumbs and dot with pieces of butter.

7. bake until top is golden brown and the sides are slightly bubbly.

8. enjoy!

roasted potatoes and carrots

This isn't so much a recipe... just an idea for a fabulous side. I am not kidding when I say I could eat these for every meal of the day. I am currently eating the leftovers for lunch as I type.

ingredients:

small red potatoes, chopped

carrots (i use whole), chopped

1 onion, chopped

olive oil

salt and pepper

your favorite herb(s)

directions:

Chop all veggies to make them bite-size. In a large bowl, toss with a little olive oil (It depends on how many veggies you are roasting, but to make enough for our family I used about 1/4 cup oil). Add spices... as much as you like! Rosemary, garlic, thyme... the possibilities are endless. Bake at 375 in a dish covered with foil, for at least an hour. The longer, the better. The veggies get soft and caramelized... OH so scrumptious. And healthy! :)

crispy southwest chicken wraps

We are obsessed with these things. I rarely make things that I would consider restaurant-quality, but these totally are. Please try them!

ingredients:

1 cup cooked rice, warm or at room temperature
1 cup cooked, shredded chicken
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 green onion, finely sliced (white and green parts)
1/2 red or green pepper, diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
2 cups shredded cheese (I used a mexican blend)
6 burrito-sized flour tortillas

sour cream, guacamole, and salsa to garnish

directions:

Mix rice together with chili powder, cumin and garlic salt. Add remaining ingredients except for cheese and sour cream. Sprinkle cheese over tortillas, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges, then arrange chicken and rice mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll stuffed tortillas, leaving edges open. Spray the tortillas all over with cooking spray.

Heat a large non-stick skillet (or griddle) over medium heat for 1 minute. Arrange 2 wraps, seam-side down, in pan and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining wraps. Serve.