Three Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake

1 1/2 c. multigrain penne pasta uncooked (I like SmartChoice)
1 pkg. (9 oz.) fresh spinach leaves
1 lb boneles chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
1 jar (14 1/2 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained
2 oz. (1/4 pkg) neufchatel cheese (I used cream cheese since I had some on hand)
1 c. mozzarella cheese, divided
2 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 375. Cook pasta, adding spinach to boiling water for last minute of cooking.
Cook chicken and basil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat for 3 min. Add sauce and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Simmer 3 min or until chicken is done. Stir in neufchatel cheese. Drain pasta mixture. Return to pan. Stir in chicken mixture and 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese. Spoon into 2 qt baking dish. Bake 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Bake 3 min.

TIP!!! Cook pasta in a large pot so you have enough room for the spinach and later adding the chicken mixture. I would also suggest at least a 2 1/2 qt baking dish (that's what I used and it was pretty full!)

This recipe is from Kraft Food and Family magazine.

Death By Chocolate (Cake)

1 Devils Food chocolate cake mix
1 (4 oz.) pkg instant chocolate pudding mix
2 c. chocolate chips (regular or mini)
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. warm water
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 350. Spray bundt pan with cooking spray and dust with flour. Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips and blend well. Stir chocolate chips into batter. Pour into bundt pan and bake for 45-50 minutes.

This recipe came from my friend Meg (it's her aunt's recipe). I've nicknamed it "Death By Chocolate" because when you eat it, it's like you've died and gone to heaven. If you're a chocolate cake lover, this one is for you!

Old Fashioned Butter Cookies

Mix together

3 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
1 t. baking powder

Cream together

1 c. butter

3/4 c. sugar

Add to creamed mixture

1 egg

2 Tbsp. milk

1 1/2 t. vanilla

Beat all ingredients together. Chill dough for up to 1 hour. Roll our on floured surface to 1/8-1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Bake for 5-8 minutes at 400 degrees on ungreased cookie sheet.

*This is a recipe from my great grandmother on my dad's side of the family. These are great frosted or you can use colored sugar on them before you bake them. As a kid we used to use this recipe to make Christmas cookies. My mom also always made us cookies for our birthdays in the shape of our age. I've been doing the same for my own son.

Oatmeal Waffles

1 1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. quick oats
1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 1/2 c. milk

6 Tbsp. butter, melted

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

Mix together flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In another bowl, mix together eggs, milk, butter, and brown sugar. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix together. Follow directions on your waffle maker to cook the batter.

Modifications: To make these even healthier, I substitute 1/2 c. whole wheat flour for some of the regular flour. I also substitute half of the butter for unsweetened applesauce. I've added ground flaxseed to these in the past as well.

*My mom gave me this recipe. I'm not sure where she got it from. I love these waffles with peanut butter (but then again, that's how I eat most waffles, pancakes, and french toast). My son Brayden loves these waffles with some strawberry preserves on them. I make a big batch and freeze them. They toast up nice for a quick, healthy breakfast (I microwave them for Brayden)

Honey Walnut Bran Muffins

1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. finely ground sea salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 c. fat-free milk
1/4 c. butter, melted
6 T. honey
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. All Bran original cereral
1 1/2 c. low fat plain yogurt
1/4 c. finely diced walnut pieces (optional)


Preheat oven to 375. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a large bowl. In a medium bowl stir together egg, milk, butter, honey, and vanilla. In another medium bowl combine bran cereal and yogurt; let soak for 3 minutes. Add cereal mixture to liquid ingredients and mix well. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until just combined; batter will be lumpy. Spoon batter into 12 paper- lined or greased muffin cups. Sprinkle tops with walnuts (if desired). Bake muffins until tops are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 16-18 minutes. Let muffins cool slightly in pan. Remove muffins from pan to finish cooling on a wire rack. Serve warm with butter or honey, if desired.



*I've made these muffins several times. I always loved my mom's bran muffins as a kid, but these are healthier. Brayden really likes them too, so I'll sometimes send one to daycare with him for breakfast.

Recipe from a Bashas' Grocery store advertisement.

Mediterranean Quiche

1 refrigerated pie crust
5 eggs
1/2 c. milk
3/4 c. diced Italian tomatoes
3/4 c. frozen chopped spinach
1/4 c. feta cheese
1/2 t. onion powder
1/2 t. garlic powder

*Other than the pie crust and the eggs everything else is pure estimates. I was just dumping stuff in a bowl and mixing.

Unroll the pie crust and press into pie plate (I don't have glass one, so I used a metal one). Following the directions for pressing it into the pan and fluting the edges as given on the package. Place a double layer of aluminum foil into the pie crust so that it covers the crust and the edges. Bake at 450 for 12 minutes. While it is baking, mix together the remaining ingredients. When pie crust is done, remove foil and pour egg mixture into crust. Bake at 325 for 30-40 minutes or until knife comes out clean when stuck in the middle.

This is actually a recipe I came up with on my own. Whenever I do this my husband always gets a worried look on his face ( I really can't blame him). Our cupboards, refrigerator, and freezer are in desperate need of restocking. Tonight for dinner I scrounged up some things and made my first quiche...or at least I think that's what you would call it. As I was eating tonight I was thinking of other combinations of things I could substitute for the spinach, feta, and tomatoes. The possibilities are endless. I was also thinking that you could easily make this crustless and probably with egg substitute, therefore making it healthier since both the pie crust and the eggs add a lot of fat to this dish.

Mandi Foster's White Chicken Chili

32 oz chicken stock
3 cans white beans (undrained)
5 c. cooked chicken (rotisserie or boiled)
16 oz salsa
8 oz pepper jack cheese (shredded)
2 tsp ground cumin
2 cloves garlic (minced)
black or white pepper to taste
1/2 c. finely crushed corn chips (optional, if you like your chili thicker)
sour cream (for garnish)

Place all ingredients except the corn chips in a crockpot. Cook on high until the cheese is melted. Chili may also be cooked on the stovetop over medium-high heat until cheese is melted. When the chili is ready, add the crushed corn chips, if using, and simmer for 10 minutes to thicken. Garnish with more chips, cheese and/or sour cream and serve.

*This is a recipe I saw on Rachael Ray's 2009 Top Ten show.   I love this recipe.  The flavor reminds me of a much more complicated tortilla soup recipe a friend makes.  When I made this, I did it on the stove, used boiled chicken, and did not add any pepper or crushed chips.  I did serve it with tortilla chips.  My husband would have preferred it to be thicker, so next time I'll try the crushed chips.  I don't really know if they mean regular corn chips (like Fritos) or tortilla chips.  I never buy Fritos, so I would use crushed tortilla chips instead.

Recipe and photo from http://www.rachaelrayshow.com