Spinach Lasagna Rolls

Tonight we tried this yummy new recipe and TRENT even "liked" it! If you know how picky Trent is, then you know that is saying a lot!! (He liked it more than his salad, anyway.) I got it from a blog that I follow -



Christy, the author of the blog, was a friend of Rachel's in our ward growing up.

We tried it with the optional chicken and I liked it, but Ray thinks he would have liked it better without. I guess lasagna and chicken don't go together for him. Also, it seemed like adding the chicken made the filling go farther. I had enough left over to do one more noodle. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

Spinach Lasagna Rolls

9 lasagna noodles, cooked
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely drained
1 (15 ounce) container fat free ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasonings
salt and fresh pepper
(optional) 1 chicken breast, cooked and diced
32 oz tomato sauce (I used spaghetti sauce)
9 Tablespoons part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350°. Make sure you drain the spinach well. Combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan cheese, egg, garlic, Italian seasonings, chicken, and salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Pour about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry by patting them with a paper towel. Take 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over a noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.

Ladle sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with 1 Tablespoon of mozzarella cheese. Cover baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts. Makes 9 rolls. To serve, ladle a little sauce on the plate and top with lasagna roll.

Chocolate, Bannana, Peanut Buttery Goodness

This is my new favorite treat.  Seriously...I ate it three days in a row!  It would have been more if I didn't run out of Almond Milk.  (I can't E dairy because E doesn't like it.) 

1 cup milk
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 bannana
2 T chocolate syrup
2 cups ice

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend.   

Mexican Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

1 small onion, chopped
1 can of chopped green chilies
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 TBSP oil
1 28oz. can crushed tomatoes
3 cups of tomato juice
1 ½ cups of water
1 8oz. can of beef broth
1 8oz. can sweet corn
1 8oz. can black or pinto beans
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
4 chicken breasts

Serve with optional items:
Green onions
Tortilla chips
Green onions
Cheddar cheese

Directions:

Sauté onion, green chilies, garlic and oil together on stove. Once sautéed, add ALL ingredients into the crockpot. Cook on high until chicken breasts are cooked (the time will vary depending on if the chicken was frozen or not). Remove chicken, shred, and add back into soup. You can add more beans, corn, or other items as desired to make heartier. Serve with sour cream, cheddar cheese, green onions, or chips.

Best Sugar Cookies Ever

I seriously have never had sugar cookies as good as these.  They are so soft and moist.  For St. Patrick's Day I colored them green.

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter 2-3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
6-7 cups flour

Directions:

Mix baking soda into sour cream and set aside.  Cream butter and sugar, add eggs and cream together. Add remaining ingredients one at a time, beginning with sour cream mixture and ending with flour.  Bake at 350 degrees for 7-9 minutes.

Summer Cooler Green Smoothie

Michael and I have been hearing a lot about green smoothies so we decided to try them.  I have one word for this recipe...DELICIOUS!  Seriously it is so good and you would NEVER know there was this much spinach in it.  Maybe a good way to get little kids to eat more veggies. 

1 cup green grapes

1 large slice of pineapple

1 slice of lime (with peel)

3 large handful of spinach

1/4 of an apple

1/2 banana

1 tsp. Agave nectar or honey

1 1/2 cups of ice

A little water if you want it more like a drink or not if you like it like a smoothie.  

Better than Chili's Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup

This one is for you Marissa!   Hope this satisfies your craving.  It really is so good!  

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. Vegetable oil

1 lb. chicken breast fillet

½ cup diced onion

1 clove garlic, pressed

4 cups chicken broth

1 cup masa harina (corn flour)

3 cups water

1 cup enchilada sauce

16 oz. velveeta

½-1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. chili powder

½ tsp. cumin

Garnish: shredded cheddar cheese, corn tortilla chips, pico de gallo, corn, black beans

Directions

Add 1 Tbsp. of oil to a large pot over medium heat. Add chicken breasts to pot and brown for 4-5 minutes per side, shred, and set chicken aside.

Add onions and garlic to pot and sauté over medium heat for about 2 minutes, or until onions begin to become translucent. Add chicken broth.

Combine corn flour with 2 cups of water in a medium bowl and whisk until well blended. Add mixture to pot with onions, garlic, and broth. Add remaining 1 cup water, enchilada sauce, cheese, and spices to pot and bring to a boil. (Stir frequently, it scorches easily)

Add chicken to the pot. Reduce heat and simmer soup for 30-40 minutes or until thick.

Saturday Sandwiches

18 dinner rolls 1/4 cup soft butter

2 Tbsp mustard 2 tsp poppy seeds

2 Tbsp onion powder 18 thin slices ham

Swiss cheese slices

Spread butter on inside of buns, spread on the mustard mixed with the poppy seeds and onion. Place a slice of ham and a piece of Swiss cheese. Close the bun. Place all in a baking pan. Cover with foil and bake at 325 degrees for 20 min.

Broccoli Au Gratin Chicken and Rice Casserole

Ingredients:

One box of Brocoli Au Gratin Rice-a-roni
1 3/4 cup water
One can Cream of Mushroom Soup
Three or four chicken breasts, cubed

Directions:
Combine rice-a-roni rice and seasoning packet, water and soup in a 9x13 baking dish. Mix well with a wire wisk or fork. Arrange chicken pieces on top. Bake uncovered 1 hour at 375.

Serves 4. Really yummy with bread and butter.

Green Chili Burritos

Ingredients:
3-4 pound roast
1 medium onion, diced (we like it chopped up pretty small)
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cans El Pato Salsa Jalepeno
2 small cans green chilies
1 Tablespoon cumin

salt to taste
cornstarch for thickening

tortillas
shredded cheddar cheese

Cube the roast and brown with the onion and garlic in a large stock pot.
Add el pato, green chilies and cumin.

Bring it all to a boil and then turn the heat down to low and simmer for about 5 hours. (You can go shorter or longer if you need to. Up to 8 hours. The longer you let it cook the more tender it will be)

Bring it back up to a boil and add cornstarch to thicken it up. It will vary depending on how juicy your meat was. I usually put a couple heaping spoonfuls and a little water into a small tupperware with a lid and shake it up to mix it before adding it to the meat. Pour the cornstarch/water mixture into the meat and stir. I usually have to do this two or three times before it's thick enough. You don't want it to be too soupy on your burritos. Now add salt to taste.

Put meat on tortillas with shredded cheese and any other toppings you like. Roll up into burritos and EAT! SO YUMMY! You can make chimichangas, enchildadas, tacos, tostadas, or whatever with this meat. It makes quite a bit, but it stores well in the fridge or freezer.

Marissa's Re-invention Of Chicken Rollups!

-1 can of Pillsbury biscuits (doesn't HAVE to be Pillsbury of course)
-2 large chicken breasts fully cooked and cut into tiny pieces
-1 small can cream of mushroom soup
-3 slices of crispy cooked bacon, crumbled
-about 3 oz. of cream cheese, softened (roughly 1/3 of an 8oz. block of cream cheese)

Combine softened cream cheese, cream of mushroom, crumbled bacon, and chicken pieces. This is your filling. Flatten your biscuits out and stretch them so they are big enough to hold a big spoonful of filling. Fold the biscuit over to meet up the edges making a half circle shape. Seal the edges by pressing down with a fork. They really end up looking like empanadas. Bake at the temperature on the instructions of the biscuit can for about 25 minutes or until golden brown.

I made these one night and made it up as I went. Now they are Zack's favorite. Delicious!

30-Day Bran Muffins

These probably sound like they aren't that good.  Michael was skeptical when I told him that Bran Muffins were good but he LOVES them.  The great thing about them is that you can whip up the batter and leave it in the fridge for 30 days,  only taking what you need when you want them over that 30 days it's GREAT!  We half this recipe.  

Ingredients: 

4 cups All-Bran cereal

2 cups boiling water

1 cup margarine or butter

2 ½ cups sugar

4 eggs

1 quart buttermilk

5 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

5 cups four

2 cups Bran Flakes cereal

Directions:

Pour boiling water over All-Bran cereal and let sit.  Cream butter and sugar; add eggs then dry ingredients alternating with buttermilk.  Mix in All-Bran and water mixture.  Last of all, stir in Bran Flakes.  This batter stores in the fridge for 30 days and makes dozens of muffins!  Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes in greased or paper-lined muffin tins.

Buttermilk Substitute:

2 cups milk (1/2 a quart) with 2 T. lemon juice = buttermilk

Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes

I found this recipe at Picky Cook and it is wonderful!

Ingredients:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1/3 cup poppy seeds
zest of 4 lemons
2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons butter, melted
butter, to serve (and for pan)

Directions:
To make the pancakes combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt in a large bowl. In another bowl the buttermilk, eggs, butter, lemon zest and poppy seeds. Add the wet to the dry. Stir all the ingredients until they are just combined. Don't worry if the batter is a bit lumpy, you don't want to over mix.

Heat your skillet, pan, or griddle to medium-hot and brush it with a bit of butter. Test for the right temperature. If a drop of water dropped onto the pan starts to dance, you are in the ballpark. Pour about 1/3 of a cup of batter into the skillet. Wait until the pancake bottom is deep golden in color, then flip with a spatula and cook the other side until golden and cooked through. Repeat with the remaining batter. 

We serve them with strawberries and whipped cream.  Sometimes we squeeze a little more lemon on them as well.  These are seriously SO delicious.

Minestrone in Minutes from Nigella

This is such a quick soup to make and so delicious.  We double this one too because we love leftovers for lunch.

Ingredients:
1 14-oz can mixed beans (sometimes sold as mixed bean salad) or other canned beans (I usually get a can of black beans and kidney beans)
3 cups hot chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup tomato-based pasta sauce of your choice
4 oz ditalini or other soup pasta

Directions:
1- Drain the beans and put them into a saucepan with the hot stock and pasta sauce
2- Bring the pand to a boil and then add the ditalini, cooking according to package instructions
3- One the pasta is tender, switch off the heat, romove the pan to a cool surface, and let stand for 5-10
    minutes.
*serves 2-3

Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup

This is the best chicken noodle soup ever! 

Ingredients:

2 tsp. chicken soup base, or 2 bouillon cubes

3 cups canned chicken stock

2 cups chopped carrots

2 cups chopped celery (5 sticks)

¾ cup chopped onion

2 cans (10 ½ oz.) cream of chicken soup

¼ cup evaporated milk, or ½ cup whole milk

2 cups cooked diced chicken

2 ½ ounces (about 4 cups) cooked noodles

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat chicken soup base and stock together.  Add carrots, celery, and onion; simmer until vegetables are tender.  Add cream of chicken soup and milk.  Thicken with roux as desired, then add cooked chicken and noodles.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Makes about 2 ½ quarts, or 10 one-cup servings. 

When we make this we usually double it and freeze the rest for a quick meal another night.  The portion that we freeze we do not add noodles to because the soak up too much broth.