pasta with zucchini, tomatoes, feta and black olives (greek pasta)

a few weeks ago, two of my sisters came over to have a twilight: breaking dawn viewing party (our husbands will deny it, but they were more excited about it then we were!) anyways, my sister brought all the fixings for her 'greek pasta' and cooked dinner for us. it was soo good! (even though it had spinach in it!.. it was also nice to have someone come to my house and do all the cooking for the night- it was like having an in-home chef) so good, in fact, that i had the leftovers the next day (i'm not a fan of leftovers in general- let alone pasta leftovers).  i had some zucchini that needed to be used so i sauteed it really quickly and added it to the heated leftover pasta. it was just as good as the previous day! ever since i have been having a craving for this pasta again. i tweaked the recipe a little and left out the spinach and replaced it with zucchini. i think it turned out awesome, if i do say so myself.

Greek Pasta
from kara (my sister)

3 tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup black olives, pitted
8 oz feta cheese, crumbled
1 package linguini
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 zucchini, sliced and quartered


In a large pot of boiling water, cook the spaghetti until done. Drain. set to side.

Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and zucchini and cook until soft. Add the cooked pasta, feta and black olives to the pan and toss together until mixed well.

grilled cheeseburger wrap

im so happy that the meijer by my house sells the la tortilla factory 100 calorie tortillas (considering that most flour tortillas are 8 weight watchers points+). anyways, i found them a few weeks ago and they were on sale so i stocked up. shortly after i found this recipe and knew that i had to try it at once! (when i showed my husband the picture on pinterest he agreed immediately). and cheeseburger wrap night was born! my son ate it without any problems (and as i have said before, getting him to eat anything these days is rough) and my daughter gobbled one up (this says alot considering she only has one tooth and usually picks the meat out of anything that i give her). halfway through my husband's second wrap he said that this was something that he wanted in our regular dinner rotation. perfect for me since i only had to make one meal for all of us (i have been making three separate meals for as long as i can remember) anyways, enjoy!

grilled cheeseburger wrap
from http://www.skinnymomskitchen.com/2011/08/09/grilled-cheeseburger-wrap/

1 pound ground beef (I used 1/2 lb beef 1/2 lb ground turkey)

1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon ketchup

1 teaspoon dried onion flakes

1/8 teaspoon pepper

5 flour tortillas (i used la tortilla factory 100 calorie traditional tortillas)

5 slices american cheese

1 cup of romaine lettuce (not pictured in wrap... this was a pic of one of the ones that i made for my kids)

Additional ketchup

crisp bacon slices (optional)

 In a large skillet coated with cooking spray, cook the beef/turkey mixture until cooked through, breaking up meat as it cooks. Drain fat if any. Return to heat and add worcestershire, ketchup, dried onion flakes and pepper. Mix together until thoroughly combined.

Preheat panini press ( you can use an indoor grill at 350 degrees or a grill pan if you don't have a panini press)

 In the center of  the wrap place a slice of cheese and 1/2 cup of the beef/turkey mixture. Add additional ketchup, lettuce and bacon if using. Add any additional condiments that you might like such as mustard or mayo. Roll the wrap and place seam side down on grill. Once there are nice grill marks turn over. Grill for another 2-3 minutes then remove. Repeat for remaining wraps.

penne with chicken sausage, spinach and beans

YUM! i was hesitant to try this recipe because im not a huge fan of spinach and ive never tried chicken sausage but i had some in my fridge that needed to be used so i thought i would give it a try. and omg was i pleasantly surprised! oliver hardly put up a fight eating it (after picking out the green of course). aj was a little hesitant at first, but she finished her portion (minus the beans... my husband and i are trying to figure out how we had a child that doesnt like beans). even my husband enjoyed it (onions and all! in fact he kept saying "i can't believe i like spinach") anyways, this is definitely a recipe that i will be making again very soon! SUCCESS!

(full disclosure... i tried using dry beans that i had sitting in water overnight knowing i was going to make this recipe... those didnt work out -they were still hard as rocks- so next time i make this i plan on using canned beans... and i will never again try using dry beans. this is the third time that i have tried using them and i'm 0 for 3. so unless someone has any tips/suggestions on what i can do differently, im sticking to canned beans)

penne with chicken sausage, spinach and beans
from http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/01/pasta-with-italian-chicken-sausage.html#more

10 oz penne pasta
1 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 al fresco cooked chicken sausage links, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 cup fat free, low sodium chicken broth
1 cup cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 bunch spinach rinsed and torn into bite sized pieces (i only used one bunch cuz iwasnt sure how i was going to like it but next time i will definitely double the spinach)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper, or to taste (optional)
pepper to taste

Rinse spinach and tear into bite sized pieces.

Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente in a large pot of salted water. Reserve 1/2 cup water before draining.

While pasta water boils, heat a large non-stick skillet on medium heat. Add olive oil; when hot add onions, garlic and pepper until soft.

Add sausage until heated through- set aside in a dish.

Add chicken broth and beans to the skillet. Add spinach; stir and cook about 4 minutes or until wilted.

Gently stir in sausage, pasta, red pepper flakes, 1/2 cup of the reserved water or more if needed and grated Parmesan.

cream cheese lasagna

i have to thank my aunt cindy for this recipe! she has been making it for years and it has always been a favorite of mine... and since i always have tomato sauce on hand, its super simple to throw together. and the best part about it... my entire family loves it! my husband isn't a fan of red sauce at all, but he is always excited when he hears that we are having this lasagna for dinner.

cream cheese lasagna

8 barilla no boil lasagna noodles
1 1/2 packages 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1 cup tomato sauce
8 oz mozzarella cheese sliced or shredded

preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread thin layer of sauce on bottom of pan. put two lasagna noodles on top. Slice cream cheese into roughly 1/4 inch strips and place 3 to 4 on each noodle. cover with spoonful of sauce.

repeat 2 more times.

place last two noodles on top of last layer and cover with sauce and mozzarella cheese.

cover with tented aluminum foil and place in oven for 40 to 45 minutes. remove foil and bake for 10 more minutes or until bubbly and browned.

White Chicken Enchiladas

i have heard so many things about this recipe so i finally had to try it! it was definitely good though i like things a little spicier (this may be my fault, i knew that my kids were going to be eating it, so i held back on the green chilies)

i think that next time i make this i will make it into more of a casserole by layering it instead of rolling it into enchiladas first.

White Chicken Enchiladas
from http://joyful-mommas-kitchen.blogspot.com/2011/09/white-chicken-enchiladas.html

10 soft taco shells (I used corn tortillas)

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

3 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup sour cream

1 (4 oz) can diced green chillies

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray casserole dish with cooking spray

2. Mix chicken and 1 cup cheese.  Roll up in tortillas and place in pan.

3. In a sauce pan, melt butter, stir in flour and cook 1 minute.  Add broth and whisk until smooth.  Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly.  

4. Stir in sour cream and chilies.  Do not bring to boil, you don't want curdled sour cream.

5. Pour over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.

6. Bake 20 min and then under high broil for 3 min to brown the cheese.

mexican rice

mexican food is by far my favorite of all time... and i'm happy to say that i finally found a mexican rice recipe that is worthy of making at home! i was skeptical about trying this recipe because nothing has ever lived up to being as good as a mexican restaurant. but this rice is GOOD! and not just like, 'oh its a good attempt at something done better at a restaurant good'. I'm glad i made a big batch because i have leftovers for tomorrow to go alongside my attempt at white chicken enchilada casserole.

mexican rice
from http://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/mexican-rice/

2 cups uncooked brown rice
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
3 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp olive oil

heat oil in heavy saucepan over medium heat. add rice and toast until rice is browned. reduce heat to low. add sauce and chicken broth. cover and cook until rice is soft, about 20 to 25 minutes.

red velvet diet coke cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

Happy Valentine's Day! I wanted to do something with my kids for today and i thought that baking cupcakes would be perfect! and red velvet cupcakes are the first that came to mind of course (and i also had a package mix already in my pantry) . i have heard about substituting diet pop in cake recipes to cut out calories and fat so i thought that i would give it a shot today. i tried one and it was awesome. i didn't find that it tasted any different than a regular cupcake. anyways, happy valentine's day from my family to yours!

(i want to note here that i did a batch of diet coke cupcakes and a batch of regular cupcakes which my kids are eating here)

Diet Soda Cupcakes
from http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/12/diet-soda-cake-35-pts.html

1 package red velvet cake mix
10 oz diet soda
2 egg whites

Beat cake mix, diet soda and egg whites in bowl. sppon evenly into paper lined cupcake pans.

Bake as directed on box. (but watch closely because it took less time for mine to cook completely)

let cool completely and frost.

Cream cheese frosting:

8 oz cream cheese, room temp (i always use 1/3 less fat)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

beat all ingredients together in bowl. Frost cupcakes.

crockpot italian beef

anyone reading this from the chicagoland is probably thinking "i don't want to read this unless its a copycat portillo's beef recipe." well, thats exactly what i was googling when i found this recipe. we live in the vicinity of a portillo's so we don't have to go without it, but i always like to try to create our fast food favorites at home for a fraction of the price. i have never actually done this recipe exactly as i found it, so i cant say that it tastes exactly like portillos, but its still pretty good. i will list the recipe exactly as i found it and then what i left out or changed alongside it.

italian beef sandwiches

1 tsp salt (i don't use salt in almost any of my cooking so i omitted it)
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp onion salt (i used onion powder)
3 cups water ( i dont think that this amount is right for this recipe so it may be more. i used 3 cups beef broth and 2 cups water)
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp garlic powder
1 bay leaf
1 package italian salad dressing mix
5 lbs rump roast (i used sliced roast beef from the deli)

in a medium saucepan over medium heat combine water, salt, pepper, oregano, basil, onion salt, parsley, garlic powder, bay leaf and salad dressing mix. stir well and bring to just a boil. ( i skipped this step completely and just added all the ingredients in the crockpot)

place roast in slow cooker and pour mixture over roast.

cover and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours. (since the roast beef that i got was already cooked, i cooked it on low for a couple hours just to heat)

remove bay leaf and shred meat with fork (since it was already presliced i didn't have to shred the beef)

serve on italian rolls.

philly cheesesteak sloppy joes

i thought that this recipe was really good... my son didn't feel the same way even though he helped me prepare it. i had a feeling that he wasn't going to like it so i had him help me to get him excite about trying it... he DID try it without a fight (these days that says alot because he refuses to try anything new without trying to get some sort of reward for it) but thats as far as he got... which is more than i can say for my husband- he refused to even try it because it has onions in it.

philly cheesesteak sloppy joes
from http://www.chef-in-training.com/2012/01/philly-cheesesteak-sloppy-joes.html

1 pound ground beef
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons steak sauce ( next time i will only use 1 tbsp)
1 cup beef stock
black pepper
4 dinner rolls
4 slices provolone

In large skillet over medium-high heat brown ground beef, about 5-6 minutes .Drain fat and  return to heat. Add the onion and green pepper and cook another 3-4 minutes, until the vegetables start to get tender. Stir in the steak sauce and beef stock, season with pepper, bring to a bubble and cook about 2 minutes.

Split open rolls and remove most of the soft insides, leaving a bed to hold the meat mixture.

To serve, place a scoopful of the meat mixture onto the bottom of the rolls, then top with the cheese and throw in toaster oven to melt cheese.

bruschetta chicken

i have to say that one of my all time favorite things to eat is bruschetta. my mom and nonna make it the best (it used to be romano's macaroni grill's but they changed their recipe and now it doesn't even come close). my sister gina has always said that the bruschetta chicken sandwich at red robin is great, but that was when i was a vegetarian so i couldn't picture the tomato/onion/basil combination on anything but toasted bread.

anyways, i came across this recipe on skinnytaste.com and knew that i had to try it. i wasnt sure o it was going to go over with my husband but he enjoyed it (after picking the onions out of course). i LOVED it... i seriously think that i could eat it everyday it was that good! (and it ws even better because all the other recipes that i tried today were fails in a big way... so atleast i hit this one out of the ballpark!)

Bruschetta Chicken
from http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/05/grilled-chicken-bruschetta.html

3 medium vine ripe tomatoes
2 small cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 tbsp fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 tbsp extra virgin oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar ( i used balsamic glaze because thats all i had on hand)
salt and pepper to taste
3 oz part skim mozzarella, diced
4 chicken breasts

For the bruschetta:

combine the onion, olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper. set to the side for a few minutes.

Chop tomatoes and combine with garlic, basil, onion-balsamic combo and additional salt and pepper to taste. Set aside and let it sit at least 10 minutes or as long as overnight. Toss in the cheese when ready to serve.

season chicken with pepper. Grill the chicken until cooked thoroughly- top with bruschetta and serve

pretzel bites

i love pretzel bites! sometimes i go to the movies just because i want pretzel bites so when i found this pin i was incredibly happy. all week long Oli has been asking to watch the star wars movies and eat popcorn and m&ms (his favorite snack... at preschool the other day his teachers gave him popcorn and he asked them where the m&ms were lol). i thought that this gave me the perfect oppurtunity to try this recipe out. and i was definitely pleased with the results. its easier than you'd think. time consuming but worth it!

pretzel bites
from http://traceysculinaryadventures.blogspot.com/2010/02/soft-pretzel-bites.html

1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled just slightly
2 1/2 teaspoons  salt
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 quarts water
3/4 cup baking soda
1 whole egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water

On low speed, mix the water, sugar, yeast, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook until combined. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Add the salt and 4 cups of the flour and mix on low speed until combined.  Increase the speed to medium and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl, adding 1/2 cup flour while dough is being kneaded. If the dough appears too wet, add additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough clears the sides of the bowl.  Remove the dough from the bowl, place on a lightly floured surface and knead into a ball with your hands.

Spray a bowl with cooking spray (or oil with with vegetable oil), add the dough and turn to coat.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 F.  Spray two baking sheets liberally with cooking spray.

Bring the water to a boil in a pan over high heat and add the baking soda.

Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a flat surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, about 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 ounces each.  Roll each piece into a long rope measuring about 22 inches.  Cut the dough into one inch pieces to make pretzel bites.  Boil the pretzel bites in the water solution in batches of about 10-15 for 30 seconds.  Remove with a large slotted spoon and place the pretzel bites on the prepared baking sheets, making sure they aren't touching.  Brush the tops with the egg wash (and course salt if you have it/ want salted pretzels... i dont like to add any extra salt if i don't have to).  Place into the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Its important to watch them because they go from light to dark very fast.... some of mine turned out a little darker than i like but they still tasted great!

cheddar cheese crackers (goldfish crackers)

my son LOVES cheddar bunnies/goldfish crackers. so i decided that i wanted to find a recipe to make them from scratch so that i can make them at home and save some $. I found this recipe and immediately went to the store to get what i needed to make these asap. they turned out great and both of my kids like them (and i think that they are better than the store bought ones!) I made these today and Oli kept running into the kitchen and grabbing a handful off the counter! I love when homemade recipes turn out!

Homemade goldfish crackers/cheddar cheese crackers (since i didn't have a goldfish shaped cookie cutter)
from http://tastykitchen.com/blog/2011/09/homemade-goldfish-crackers/

8 ounces, weight Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
4 Tablespoons Butter, Cut Into Cubes
1 cup Flour
¾ teaspoons Salt
2 Tablespoons Cold Water

Pulse everything (except water) together in the food processor until the dough resembles coarse sand.

Pulse in water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Remove dough from the processor, wrap in plastic, and chill for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Roll out the dough and cut into desired shapes. Place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. They puff up a bit and don't look as if they would be crispy but they are!

smores cookie bars

i have had a killer chocolate craving this week... its been terrible. so while my husband took my son to hockey practice, i decided to whip up the first thing i came across on pinterest that i had all of the ingredients for. and this recipe came up. of course, i didn't actually have all the exact ingredients but i had enough to make something similar. my son thanked me as soon as he walked in the door and smelled these. my diet, on the other hand, hates me and we are currently not on speaking terms.

smores cookie bar


from http://www.theaprongal.com/2011/11/baked-smores.html


1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla 
1 1/3 cups flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (approximately 7 full graham crackers)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350. Grease bottom of  an 8 x 8 pan.

in a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together butter and sugars. beat in egg and vanilla.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix until combined.

Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips over dough. Sprinkle marshmallows evenly over the chocolate chip layer.

Crumble/spread remaining dough as evenly as possible over marshmallows.

Bake 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow to cool at least slightly (if you can wait that long) before cutting.