Ground Turkey and Quinoa

1 1/2 cups Quinoa
chicken boulion or Better than Boullion
1.5-2 lb ground turkey
1 taco seasoning packet
water
1 onion (optional)
1 green or red bell pepper (optional)

Cook quinoa in boullion according to quinoa directions

Saute turkey, onion, and bell pepper over medium high heat until turkey is cooked and no longer pink. Add taco seasoning according to directions on packet

After everything is cooked, add quinoa to turkey mixture and stir. Eat plain, with taco salads, as taco meat, or as burrito filling.

This is also delicious with black beans added!

Butternut Soup

This is one of my favorites. It reminds me of fall. It is easiest to make if you have an immersion blender (which I do not) but it also works in a food processor (in batches) or in a regular blender.

1 butternut squash, apprx. 8 cups cubed (I buy a package of pre-cut butternut squash at Costco...so much easier than cutting up a full squash)

1 can (14 oz) chicken broth

2 tbsp butter

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups Half & Half or whole milk (I made it recently with fat free Half and Half and it worked great!)

1/4 - 1/2 tsp curry powder (I did a little more because I like the curry flavor)

salt and pepper, to taste

dash nutmeg

sour cream for garnish

optional: 2 tbsp brown sugar

1. Place butternut squash in 3 qt. saucepan, add chicken broth; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until tender (10-15 min.)

2. While squash is cooking, saute chopped onion in butter until tender and beginning to brown or carmelize. Add garlic for last 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add approximately 1/2 cup Half and Half and puree with handheld blender. (We prefer our soup well blended, so I skipped this step and instead blended it after I added the butternut squash to the mixture)

3. Mash squash; add onion and garlic. (This is when I blended it)

4. Stir in remaining half & half. Season to taste with curry, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Warm through, if desired. Thin with milk, if needed. Garnish with dollop of light sour cream.

Serve and enjoy!

Ground Turkey Breakfast Sausage (you're totally going to thank me for this one)

I love breakfast sausage, but never buy it because it has about a zillion calories and about a billion grams of fat. Turkey sausage is a little better, but the store bought stuff is still really high in calories and fat. Then today, I got on Allrecipes.com and the recipe of the day was this home made breakfast turkey sausage. I decided to try it, and it is DELICIOUS! I bought the leanest turkey I could find, and made this. Then we made breakfast sandwiches. This is going to be a staple in our house :)

• 2 pounds ground turkey
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons dried sage
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix together the ginger, salt, sage, cayenne pepper, and black pepper until well blended. Put turkey in your kitchenAid and mix. Then slowly add the spices and mix the turkey and spices well, so you don't get pockets of spice in the meat.
   
2. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, and coat with nonstick cooking spray. Form the turkey sausage into patties, and fry until browned on both sides, and no longer pink in the center. This should take about 15 minutes.

Creamy White Chili

3-4 Chicken Breasts

Onion

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 TBS Veg. Oil

2 Cans Northern Beans drained (or any white bean)

14 1/2 Chicken Broth

2 (4 oz) Diced Green Chilis

2 tsp. Salt (I only use 1 tsp)

1 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Oregano

1/2 tsp Pepper

1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper (or less if you don't want it too spicy)

8 oz Sour Cream

1/2 cup Whipping Cream

Saute chicken, onion, and garlic powder in oil. Add beans, broth, and seasonings.

Bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered for 30 min.

Right before serving add sour cream and whipping cream

Chicken Enchiladas

This is a recipe from my new favorite cookbook: "The America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook." It feels more authentic than your average enchilada. Tim, my resident Mexican food lover, really liked these. I chose to make their homemade enchilada sauce which made the meal a little more complex, but it was a Sunday and I had a bit more time to prepare than usual. I may try to use store bought enchilada sauce if I ever make them on a weekday. A bit of work to put together, but worth it in the end.

Chicken Enchiladas

Notes from the cookbook:

"We prefer the flavor of our homemade enchilada sauce; however, you can substitute 20 ounces (2 1/2 cups) of canned enchilada sauce if desired. Make sure that the chicken is finely shredded or the edges of the large pieces will tear through the enchiladas."

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 to 3), trimmed, pounded if necessary

Salt and pepper

2 1/2 cups enchilada sauce (recipe to follow)

1 cup finely crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese (I recommend the queso fresco, it was dynamite! You can find it near the cream cheese and other cheeses at the grocery store)

1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles

1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro

12 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas

V egetable oil spray (such as PAM)

1 cup shredded monterey jack (about 4 oz)

Lime wedges (for serving)

1. Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. Combine the chicken and enchilada sauce in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, 10-15 minutes. When the sauce is simmering, flip the chicken over, cover, and continue to cook until the chicken registers 160-165 degrees on an instant read thermometer, 10-15 minutes.

3. Transfer chicken to a plate and shred it into bite-sized pieces when cool enough to handle. Combine the chicken, 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce, queso fresco, chiles, and cilantro in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cover to keep warm while heating the tortillas.

4. Lightly coat both sides of the tortillas with vegetable oil spray. Place 6 tortillas onto a baking sheet and bake until the tortillas are soft and pliable, 2-4 minutes.

5. Working quickly while the tortillas are still warm and pliable, spread them out over a clean counter. Place 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of each tortilla. Tightly roll each tortilla around the filling and lay them, seam-side down, in a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling and increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees.

6. Pour 1 cup more sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle with the monterey jack. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake until the enchiladas are heated through, about 10 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the cheese is melted, 3 to 5 minutes longer. Serve, passing the remaining sauce and lime wedges separately.

Make ahead tip: Assemble the enchiladas through step 5, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Before topping with the sauce and cheese and baking as directed in step 6, spray the enchiladas lightly with vegetable oil spray and bake until warm and lightly toasted on top, 10-20 minutes.

Green Enchilada Sauce

makes 2 1/2 cups

Notes from the cookbook: "If you can't find poblanos, substitute 5 jalapenos, stemmed and seeded. Two 1-ounce cans of tomatillos, rinsed, can be substituted for the fresh tomatillos. This sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

3 poblano chiles, stemmed and seeded

1 pound tomatillos (about 12) husked, washed and dried

Vegetable oil spray

1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 onion, minced

2 garlic cloves

1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves

1 tbsp fresh lime juice

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp sugar

Salt and pepper

1. Position oven rack 6 inches from the broiler and heat the broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Arrange the poblanos, skin-side up, and tomatillos on the prepared baking sheet and spray with vegetable oil spray. Broil until the vegetables blacken and begin to soften, 5 to 10 minutes, rotating pan halfway through cooking.

2. Remove vegetables from the oven, let cool slightly, then remove the skins from the poblanos (leave tomatillo skins intact). Process the broiled vegetables, broth, onion, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, and sugar together in a food processor until the sauce is almost smooth, 30-60 seconds. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (I used my Vitamix...it worked lovely)

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

A very random recipe for my first post, but one that I found recently and really enjoyed. I was always a little afraid of sweet potatoes in my pickier years, but they are really quite delicious and are a bit healthier than your average potato. Try them out! I promise you will not be disappointed.

We got a lot of sweet potatoes in our Bountiful Basket and wondered what we could do with them. I ran across this gem of a recipe and we'll definitely be adding it to our list of favorites.

4 tbsp butter

2 tbsp whipping cream

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

2 lbs sweet potatoes peeled, quartered lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/4" chunks

(approximately 2 large or 3 medium-small potatoes)

(I used about 5 or 6 small sweet potatoes)

1. Combine butter, cream, salt, sugar and sweet potatoes in a large saucepan.

2. Cook, covered, over LOW heat, stirring occasionally until potatoes fall apart when poked witha fork (approx. 30-45 minutes)

3. Take off heat and mash potatoes with a potatoe masher (or electric mixer, if creamier texture is desired).

4. Stir in salt & pepper to taste.

5. Serve immediately

5 Spice Chicken

I made this tonight, and it was great, Cory loved it.

3 lb chicken breasts
1/4 c Soy Sauce
1 tsp garlic powder (or two crushed cloves)
2 tsp fresh grated ginger
2 tbs honey
1/8 C. Olive oil
1/8 C. Sesame oil
2 tsp Chinese 5 Spice (can be bought at any grocery store)
1 tbs Sherry (cooking sherry can be bought at grocery stores)

Mix all ingredients besides chicken as a marinade. Add chicken to sauce and marinade at least one hour, or over night. Grill chicken or bake at 375 for 40 minutes (I like to butterfly my chicken and cook it for a shorter period of time. If you butterfly it, just cook for 30-35 minutes in the sauce).

Serve with rice and veggies.

Spinach bars

I made this for dinner last night and the kids downed it! Spinach and all, I couldn't believe it. They loved it, and Cory loved it. I think it is a keeper. Here is the recipe from Allrecipes. I made a few changes. I used fresh spinach that I chopped, a little extra garlic, and half the butter. I also think next time I'll do half regular cheese and half fat free cheese to cut the calories. Anyway, it was a really yummy dish, for breakfast or breakfast for dinner!

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Melt butter in a 9x13 inch baking dish while the oven preheats.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, flour, salt, pepper, baking powder and garlic until well blended. Add the mushrooms, spinach and cheese, and stir to blend evenly. Tip the baking dish to coat with melted butter, then pour the spinach mixture into the pan.
3. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until firm and golden. Cut into bars, and serve warm.

Teriyaki Salmon with Apricot Jalapeno Glaze

I have made this several times and it is delicious!!

Teriyaki Salmon

Teriyaki Sauce (2+ Cups)

Ginger (1 tsp)

Brown Mustard (2 TBS)

Minced Garlic (1 or 2 TBS)

Brown Sugar (1/4 Cup)

I just eyeball it and make enough to cover the salmon in a baking dish. Cover Salmon with sauce and cook at 375 for about 20 min or until no longer translucent.

Apricot-Jalapeno Glaze

2 TBS Oil

2 Jalapenos cut into rings (Take out seeds unless you like it really spicy)

1 TBS Mince Garlic

1/2 cup White Wine

3 TBS Whole-Grain Mustard

1 cup Apricot Preserves

In a small pan heat oil.

When hot, add Jalapenos and saute until caramelized

Add Garlic and before it begins to brown, deglaze with white wine.

Next, add mustard and apricot preserves and bring to a simmer.

Simmer over low heat for 20 min.

Spread over your Salmon and Enjoy!

V-Day Cupcakes!

I am making these today for my family, they looked so fun! But I'm not going to use a box cake (yuck). I'm going to make my own white cake mix. Happy Valentines Day everyone!

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 egg whites
• 8 drops red food coloring
• 2 drops raspberry candy oil

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a standard muffin tin with paper cupcake liners.
2. Beat the cake mix, water, vegetable oil, and egg whites together on low speed for 30 seconds, then on medium for 2 minutes, until smooth. Fill cupcake liners 1/3 full with white batter; set aside.
3. Stir 4 drops of red food coloring into the remaining bowl of batter to make the batter pink, stir in the raspberry oil. Pour 1/3 of pink batter into a resealable plastic bag and set aside.
4. Mix more food coloring into the remaining bowl of pink batter until it is an orange/red color and pour the batter into a resealable plastic bag. Cut a corner off the bag, stick the open tip into the center of each cup of white batter and squeeze in about two tablespoons of red batter.
5. Cut the corner off the bag with the pink batter, stick the open tip into the center of the red batter and squeeze about 1 tablespoon pink batter into each cup.
6. Bake the layered cupcakes in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

Chicken Oraganato!

I made this the other night, and both kids cleaned their plates. I used organic, boneless/skinless chicken thighs from Costco, but I have also used chicken breasts to make it as well. Super yummy :) It is also good to make it earlier in the day, and let the spices flavor it during the day. And then right before you stick it in the oven for dinner, pour the olive oil and lemon juice mixture over it. Sometimes I like to prepare dinner early, and then in the evening, all I have to do is stick it in the oven.

• 7 chicken thighs
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 lemon, juiced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2. Wash chicken well and pat dry. Mix oregano with salt and pepper to taste. Rub well over all of the chicken pieces. Put chicken in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. Whisk the oil with the lemon juice and drizzle half over the chicken. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Turn the chicken pieces and drizzle with the remaining oil/lemon mixture. Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm, cold or at room temperature!