My FAVORITE fall/winter recipe is San Antonio style tortilla soup. DH loves it, all the work people love it, parents love it, and I love making it. I make it on Sunday and we eat the leftovers for lunch the rest of the week. Gary: It goes GREAT with that Saturday/Sunday football game. Just add recliner and beer - or so my hubby says.

You can find it here.

YUMMO!

Thank you all so much!! I have a lot of new ideas already. I bet some of you do too! Keep them coming, we can always use more.

I had to work a little late so I grabbed something quick and easy ~ Breaded and Healthy VandeKamps fish fillets at the store. Fish sandwiches on whole wheat buns with lettuce, tomato and tartar sauce ~ some leftover baked beans and pear slices.

I can't wait to try some of these ladies!

Keep 'em coming...............

"Hey Ang.....I'm cooking tonight!"................

Heh!

Silly me, I knew I should have said sample.

Cheesy Broccoli Soup

Rough-chop about 5-6 broccoli crowns. Mince one small onion and two garlic cloves. Put it all in a pot and pour one box of chicken stock over top. Put a lid on it and boil it to oblivion (or until the broccoli mashed easily with a potato masher). Add a can of cheddar cheese soup and one small can of evaporated milk and reduce the heat to a simmer. Salt and pepper to taste. ONce the soup and milk have been nicely incorporated and blended into the soup, turn it off and serve it with a little shredded cheddar on top. If the soup seems too stiff, add a cup or so of water.

This also works well in the crock pot. Instead of boiling to oblivion, turn the pot on in the morning and by night, it should be ready for hte cheddar cheese soup and milk.

I've got a beef/veggie stew going in the crock pot right now! I love crock pot meals - they're wonderful time savers! Dh is the official goodness-meter in our house, so if he likes it, I'll post the recipe tomorrow. It's coming from the Fix-It and Forget-It Lightly cookbook which has a 1-1 record, so we'll see!

Keep them coming!

ALLISON ~ I made the Honey Pecan Crusted chicken today...had basmanti rice, frozen peas and whole wheat crusty bread.....

OH YEAH!! Who's the MAN!!?....I AM!!!

Angie and I loved it....still waiting on knucklehead nephew to eat....I let him out of prison to go play sme tennis at the courts...after he mowed the yard!! I bet he likes it too.

Thanks!

I will be trying some of the other recipes soon...always ready for more!

Mostaccioli-Spinach Bake

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked mostaccioli (3 cups uncooked tubular-shaped pasta) (I used penne)
2 tablespoons reduced-calorie stick margarine, divided
1 cup vertically sliced onion
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups skim milk
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) preshredded Parmesan cheese, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
Cooking spray
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons (1/2 ounce) preshredded Parmesan cheese
Parsley sprigs (optional)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; set aside.

Melt 1 tablespoon margarine in a medium heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add flour; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk; cook 4 minutes or until bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in 1/4 cup cheese, Italian seasoning, and pepper; remove from heat.

Combine pasta, cheese sauce, 1 cup cheese, tomatoes, and spinach in a large bowl; stir well. Spoon mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Combine breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons cheese, and remaining 1 tablespoon margarine; sprinkle over pasta mixture. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
Yield

6 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)
Nutritional Information

CALORIES 372(26% from fat); FAT 10.6g (sat 5.1g,mono 3.3g,poly 1.4g); PROTEIN 21g; CHOLESTEROL 20mg; CALCIUM 525mg; SODIUM 884mg; FIBER 3.6g; IRON 3.8mg; CARBOHYDRATE 48.4g

Idea: add a couple cups of cooked chicken breast or turkey Italian sausage to it. Yum!

gary, this is an awesome idea- I think we could come up with a whole string of meals for you!

Hm, my perfect meal would be to have some grilled haddock/cod/salmon/tuna filets
(salt, pepper, a lil lemon juice does the trick!) You salt and pepper it, grill it on a grill pan for about
4 minutes on each side or so. Place a lemon slice on top each filet after grilling!

with a side of Risotto (you can get the instant, all natural, farmer's risotto, ready in less than 16 minutes!)
Boil the rice, add some milk or a little butter, bring to a boil, let it thicken with the seasoning and cheese,
and voila! Risotto!

and a side of mixed veggies (cut some zucchini, squash, some broccoli and carrots) steamed. I love mild flavor and this would be the one meal that I would do. Although it might not mix well (risotto and fish) it's still yummy in my opinion!

Looking for something easy, easy, easy? Not sure how healthy it is, but it's one of my favorite easy meals

Ranch Chicken and Stuffing

Stove top stuffing
2 pkg Hidden valley ranch seasoning
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Mix stuffing as directed on the box, adding in one package of the ranch seasoning. Put in a deep baking dish. Layer chicken over the stuffing and sprinkle with the other seasoning packet. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Easy and very yummy.

This is a great thread! I'm printing out some of these recipes.