Potato Bacon Chowder

1 lb. bacon, fried very crisp
2 c onion
4 c frozen hash browns
2 c water
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 c sour cream
3 1/2 c milk
1 tsp dried parsley

Fry bacon and set aside. Saute onion in the bacon grease until tender. Add hash browns, water, salt and pepper. Add remaining ingredients and let simmer.

Chrissy Davis

Vegetarian Chili

1 can kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can mild chilies (instead I use a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies for this and the next ingredient)
1 cup tomato sauce/or diced tomatoes
1 cup fresh chopped salsa (any jar of salsa that I have at home)
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp chopped garlic

Combine in large pot and cook over medium heat.
(1 cup = 1 point in the Weight Watchers Program)

Julie Nebeker

Taco Junk

1 lb ground turkey
onions
1 can tomatoes (I use a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies for this)
1 can beans (your preference - I use one can of dark kidney beans and one can of light kidney beans)
1 cup corn (I use sweet whole kernel/no salt)
1 package taco flavoring (I try to find reduced sodium packets)
1 package fat-free ranch dressing (Hidden Ranch)

Cook turkey and onions. Mix together remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat.
Even though this looks more like chili some of our family (non dieters) have used this as a dip with chips, or over chips with all of the makings for a taco salad. For those of you familiar with the Weight Watchers program, 1 cup = 2 points.

Julie Nebeker

Turkey Florentine Meatballs

This recipe came from a Rachael Ray show. She served it as a meatball sub with an provolone cheese sauce. I make a pink sauce (1 jar of Prego meat sauce and 1 jar of alfredo sauce) and serve it with whole wheat angel hair. They are really quick and easy.

Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 10 oz. box frozen spinach, defrosted in the microwave
2 pounds ground turkey breast
1 small onion, grated or finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
1 large egg
3/4 cup italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Wring defrosted spinach dry in a clean kitchen towel.

Place turkey in a bowl and make a well in the middle of it. Into the well, add the grated onion and garlic, egg, bread crumbs, grated Parmesan, spinach, salt and pepper.

Form into 12 large balls and arrange on a nonstick cookie sheet. Drizzle the meatballs with olive oil, about 1/4 cup, and roast for about 20 minutes, or until cooked through.

Yields 4-6 servings

Lauren Becker

Healthy Living: Puerto Rican Chicken and Beans

This was 2 recipes that I combined into one, to save time and energy.

4-5 chicken breasts
1 can (Goya) pidgeon peas - drained
1 can (Goya) pink beans - drained
1 can red kidney beans - drained
1 packet goya sazon (the orange and yellow box)
4 tbsp Goya Sofrito
4 tbsp Goya Recaito
3 tbsp Goya Adobo Seasoning
2 tbsp Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb (it's important that you use a garlic and herb seasoning with no salt!)
2 small cans of no salt added tomato sauce
1 box or large can of reduced salt chicken broth

Add all of the above to the crock pot. If the liquid does not cover the chicken, add water until the chicken is just barely covered. Turn crockpot on low for 8 hours or high for 4. Serve with brown rice.

***It's important that you use reduced or no salt added ingredients when possible. The Goya ingredients tend to be very salty and are easily overwhelming. The Goya ingredients can all be found in the mexican/international foods aisle at Safeway and Food Lion.

Lauren Becker

Healthy Living: Chipotle Chicken Salad Tacos

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo finely chopped (available in a small can at Safeway and Food Lion)
salt
1/2 small head Napa cabbage or romaine lettuce thinly sliced (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro (optional)
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 large ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/3 cup grated cheese (such as Mexican queso, romano or parmesan)
12 to 16 fresh, warm corn tortillas

1. The filling:
In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, olive oil and chipotles. Season generously with salt (about 1/4 teaspoon). Add the cabbage, carrot, onion, cilantro and chicken. Toss everything together and let stand for 15 minutes. Taste and season with more salt if necessary.

2. Finishing the Dish:
Scoop the filling into a wide shallow serving bowl, dot with the cubed avocado and dust generously with cheese. Set on the table the warm tortillas, and you're ready for some great roll- them- yourself tacos.

Sandra Talbot

Healthy Living: Mix Them Up Wraps

Tortillas - any flavor
Cream cheese
Spinach or lettuce (whatever you prefer)
Roast beef, turkey, chicken or ham
Your favorite veggies (tomatoes, avocados, sprouts, cucumber)

Spread a thin layer of cream cheese on the tortilla. Layer your lettuce, meat and veggies. Roll up and enjoy.

Chris Bowman

Cheesy Catfish

2 Tablespoons margarine
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup yellow cornmeal
¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon Spanish paprika
2 pounds U.S. Farm-raised Catfish fillets

Preheat oven to 400º F. Place margarine in a 13x9-inch baking pan and put in the oven to melt while oven is heating. Remove pan from the oven.

Mix Parmesan cheese, cornmeal, flour, pepper and paprika in a plastic bag. Add catfish fillets, one at a time, and shake to coat with the Parmesan mixture. Arrange fillets in a single layer in the prepared pan, turning once to coat with margarine. Sprinkle remaining cheese mixture over fish.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown and fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Gail Short

Minestrone Soup

4 cups leeks, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/3 cups carrots, sliced
1 1/3 cup celery sliced
1 1/2 cooked kidney beans
1 1/2 cups potato, diced
1 quart tomatoes or 16 oz can
1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped
4 sprigs thyme
2 tsps dried oregano
2 tsps salt
1/2 TBSP pepper
2 cups button mushrooms, sliced
2 cups spicy tomato juice (V8)
6 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
2/3 cup small shell pasta
1/2 pound fresh spinach cleaned and torn
grated parmesan cheese

In a large soup pot, saute the leeks in the olive oil until they soften. ADd the carrots, celery, kidney beans, potatoes, tomatoes, parsley, thyme, oregano, salt, pepper, mushrooms, tomato juice and broth. Simmer for 1 hour.

Add the pasta and spinach and cook for 30 minutes to an hour more until the soup is very thick. Remove the thyme sprigs. Sprinkle with grated cheese and serve hot.

The best minestrone soup ever! Even kids who don't like vegetables like this soup.

Sandra Talbot

Pistachio Lime Chicken

This is the meal my 7 year old request more than anything else (including eating out or pizza night in) We eat this for her birthday, anytime she goes out of town and when she returns. It is also a fun family meal because the kids can help shell the pistachios while you get the chicken cooking. (my 2 year old even helps shell pistachios!)

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2 medium garlic cloves minced
2 limes juiced
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/2 pistachio nuts coarsly chopped
1 pound linguini cooked al dente (you can add 2 tbsp butter to the cooked noodles if you don't want them to stick)

The recipe calls for cutting the chicken into strips but I cube it so that it is already bite sized for the kiddos. In a large frying pan put 2 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp oil, heat over medium until butter melts. Add chicken and cook through. When chicken is almost cooked through add the garlic. Give it a minute to heat the garlic, but be careful not to burn. Remove chicken from the frying pan and set aside. Add pistachio nuts to the frying pan and stir until lightly toasted. Stir in lime juice and pepper then add the chicken back to the pan and stir to coat. Serve the chicken over the noodles.

I keep a bottle of lime juice in the fridge so I don't have to worry about finding fresh limes when I make this. If you do this and keep extra pistachios around then you will almost always have what you need on hand to make this.

My girls are 7 and 2 and they both love this so it kid approved

-Melissa Boyd

Hawaiian Haystacks

Mix and simmer:
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (can be canned)

Pour over:
Rice

Toppings:
Chow Mein noodles
Tomatoes
Celery
Green onion
Green pepper
Red pepper
Pineapple tid-bits
Mandarin Oranges
Grated Cheese
Slivered almonds
Coconut

Cafe Rio Chicken

This chicken is great on a salad with romaine lettuce, black beans, pico de gallo, cheese and the tomatillo dressing below!

5 pounds of chicken breast
1 small bottle zesty italian dressing
1 T. chili powder
1 T. cumin
3 cloves of garlic, minced
Mix all ingred. together in a large crock pot. Cook on high for 5-7 hours.
Remove chicken and shred. Reserve a small amount of juice and pour over
shredded chicken. Keep warm.

US Senate Bean Soup

Soak 1 pound white beans overnight in cold water and cover. Drain the beans and put them in a soup kettle with a ham bone that still has some meat on it and 3 quarts water. Bring the water to a boil and simmer the mixture for about 2 hours. Stir in 1 cup cooked mashed potatoes and add 3 onions, 1 small bunch of celery including tops and 2 garlic cloves all finely chopped and 1/4 cup chopped parsely. Simmer the soup for 1 hour longer, until the beans are thoroughly cooked. Remove the ham bone from the kettle and dice the meat on it and return to the soup pot. Serves 6.

Sandra Talbot

St. Louis Toasted Ravioli

1 bag frozen ravioli
2 Eggs
2 Cups Milk
Italian Bread Crumbs
1 jar spaghetti sauce

Whip eggs and milk, place in a bowl. In a separate bowl add bread crumbs. Drop 6 frozen ravioli at a time in wet mixture. With a slotted spoon place in bread crumbs
and coat. Place in freezer till you fry. Fry in skillet or Fry Daddy till puffy and golden brown. Serve hot with side of spaghetti sauce for dipping.

Chris Bowman

Mexican Rice

2 pkg Rice a Roni Spanish Rice
2 jars Rotell with chilies
1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 bad shredded Mexican cheese

Prepare Rice a Roni according to box (using Rotell with Chilies as the tomatoes) in a very large skillet. Add rest of ingredients and simmer till all is cooked about 20 or 30 minutes. Top with cheese and serve. If cooking for a small group of around 4 use half recipe.

Chris Bowman

Australian Macaroni, Cheese and Bacon Casserole

This is Mac & Cheese Aussie style.. A LOT LESS FAT and A LOT MORE FLAVOUR. One of my favourite meals mum made growing up. Works really well if you serve it with green peas.

INGREDIENTS:
125 grams Canadian Bacon (medium sized pieces)
1 onion (medium sized pieces)
2 cups cooked macaroni
2 cup grated tasty cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup undiluted condensed chicken soup (can)
1 cup crushed potato chips (50 gram packet)

METHOD:
1. Place bacon and onion in a shallow dish or pie plate.
2. Cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 minutes.
3. In a 2 litre casserole dish, place in layers - macaroni, bacon, onion and cheese in layers and then soup poured over the top (no cheese on top).
4. Top with crushed potato chips.
5. Cook on MEDIUM for 8 to 10 minutes.

Christy Holzworth

General Joe's Chicken

I found this recipe on the Food Network website and changed a few things to make it cheaper and easier. (That's also where I found the picture.)

1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
½ cup + 1 T. chicken stock
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
Vegetable oil, for frying
1 tablespoon minced garlic
pinch or so of ginger
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup roughly chopped lightly toasted cashews

Marinate the chicken in 1 T. soy sauce in the refrigerator for up to 2 hours.
To make the sauce, in another bowl, whisk 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of the chicken stock until smooth. Add the remaining chicken stock, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, the vinegar, and sugar and whisk to combine. Set aside until ready to finish the dish.
In a large wok or pot, heat about 1 tablespoon oil and brown chicken with the garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes. Add 1/2 cup green onions and stir-fry until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the chicken stock sauce, bring to a boil, and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
Arrange the chicken on a platter and pour the sauce over it. Garnish with the cashews and additional green onions. Serve with hot rice.

Lauren Becker

Flank Steak

This is the recipe I grew up with....and Jason LOVES it it so I guess it is pretty good...It is kinda like a teriyaki marinade

1 1/2-2 1/2 lb flank steak
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 TBSP honey
2 TBSP vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ginger
5 green onions chopped

Mix ingredients. Place steak in a 9x13 pan. Pour marinade over meat and marinate at least 8 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. BBQ and enjoy!
-Melissa