I checked out a couple of cookbooks at the library this week, and found this recipe.  I  made it last night and it was REALLY good.  Not as good the second day for lunch, but still very yummy, so deserves to be on my Yummy Grub site.  I made a few adjustments though, as always (which I will put in parenthesis below).  Hope you like it though!

From Turn up the Heat with G.Garvin


Ingredients:
4 Tbs olive oil
salt
1 16 oz. pkg bow tie pasta ( I didn't have this so I used penne noodles.  I also was cooking for 2 adults, and 2 kids, so I cooked a 12 oz. box and probably only used 6 oz.)
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked (I chopped mine into bits, cooked them on the stove at Medium heat with olive oil, chopped garlic, and seasoned with season salt, italian seasoning, and onion salt.)
8 asparagus spears, blanched (To blanch, place in boiling water for a minute or so until it turns bright green.  Transfer to ice water.  Drain well.) (I used 8 spears, but next time will definitely use more like 10-12.)
2 Tbs. chopped garlic ( I didn't do quite 2 Tbs.)
2 Tbs. chopped shallot ( I didn't have this so I used a yellow onion)
1 C. chopped tomato
1/2 C. tomato sauce
1/4 C. grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbs. chopped fresh basil  (Didn't have fresh, I used about 1 tsp. dried)
2 tsp. chopped fresh Italian parsley ( Ditto to above, but used 1 tsp. dried) )
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 Tbs. unsalted butter
Grated Parmesan cheese
Chopped fresh basil and fresh Italian parsley

1.  In a large pot combine 2 quarts of water with 2 Tbs. of the olive oil and a pinch salt; bring to a boil.  Add pasta; cook according to package directions until tender.  Drain pasta; place in a bowl and keep warm.

2.  Break chicken into small pieces and set aside.  Chop asparagus into 1-inch pieces and set aside.

3.  In a medium pot heat the remaining 2 Tbs. olive oil over medium- high heat.  Add chicken, asparagus, garlic, and shallot; stir (I also had a lot of mushrooms, thanks to buying bulk at Costco!, so added a couple handfuls of chopped mushrooms).  Add chopped tomato, tomato sauce, the 1/4 C. Parmesan cheese, 2 Tbs basil (adjust if using dried), 2 tsp parsley (adjust if using dried), the pepper, and a pinch of salt; stir.  Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes.

4.  Add pasta to pot and stir to combine.  Add butter (next time I will use less butter) and stir until melted.  Spoon mixture onto serving platter.  Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese, basil, and parsley.

My kids have been hooked on smoothies since they were babies.  It is a great way to get a boost of fiber and Vitamin C into yourself and your kids.  And it is even healthier (and an easy way to get picky eaters to eat veggies, as long as they don't see you making it!) if you add a handful of spinach and a couple carrots!  Sounds gross, I know.  I thought so too.  But if you add enough other fruits (especially ones with a lot of color like bluberries) you can't even taste or see the icky green color.  Add variety by trying different flavors of 100% juice, or flavored yogurts.

Blend together:
-Enough 100% fruit juice to liquify fruit and veggies (my favorite is orange juice)
-handful of spinach
-2 medium sized carrots

After fully chopped and blended, add:
frozen or fresh fruit in example:
      -We use Costco's frozen fruit blends with peaches, pineapples, strawberries, and also their mix of marionberries, blueberries, and blackberries.  Or try:
      -bananas
      -oranges
      -peaches
      -pineapples
      -strawberries
      -blueberries
      -raspberries

You get the picture.... try different variations of fruit with different juices.  Or to make a more smoothe smoothie, add a little yogurt (Our favorite is Mountain High brand).  For a little kick, add some lemon or lime zest.  If your fruit is very tart (and of course if you don't add yogurt), you can add a few squirts of Agave nectar (sugar replacement, similar to honey, but less viscous).   This is a great, cool summer treat, and a great way to get your vitamins and help get your kids, or yourself over colds!

Need another quick idea for dinner?  Do your kids love lunch meat as much as mine do?  Here is a nice twist for that boring lunch meat and a quick dinner.  Serve with a fruit smoothie, broccoli slices and ranch, and some chips.

To Serve 3-4:

Ingredients:
1 pound deli roast beef, (we like Boars Head - higher price, but no preservatives!) sliced
1 green bell pepper sliced
1 red bell pepper sliced
half of a yellow/white onion, sliced
handful of mushrooms, sliced
Italian Dressing (we prefer Newman's Own - no icky high fructose corn syrup)
Shredded Mozzarella cheese
Hoagie rolls



-In a saucepan, on medium heat, add sliced roast beef and enough Italian Dressing to lightly cover meat.
-Let simmer until warm.
-While meat is simmering, in another saucepan, add a little olive oil or about 1 Tbs butter and saute onions, and bell peppers until tender.  Then add mushrooms until starting to turn brown.
-Butter or put mayo on your hoagie roll, place meat, veggies, and top with mozzarella cheese!

Voila! Another quick and easy dinner!

This is a great recipe I found a long time ago on AOL Food.
I love it because it is quick, easy, and FULL OF FLAVOR.  I serve it on top of brown rice and with a green salad.  Enjoy!

Serves 6; ready in 35 min.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
• 8 cloves garlic, minced, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, divided
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. Place shrimp in a medium nonreactive bowl and toss with lime juice, 1/4 cup cilantro, half the garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, marinade and remaining garlic; cook until the shrimp are just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; add the remaining 1/4 cup cilantro, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper. Toss to combine.

This is another favorite recipe of mine that my Mom used to make when I was home.  It is quick, full of flavor, and you can add in as many veggies as you want, making it so much more nutritious!  There really aren't measurements, but I just kind of eyeball it depending on how much of one thing or another I want.  Good luck!

Feeds (in my house) 2 adults and 2 kids
Chop:
About a head and a half of broccoli
Half of a white/yellow onion
2 carrots
1 small pkg of white mushrooms
half of a package of sausage (Not the small sausage links, or the breakfast patty sausage, but the pinkish sausage that is kind of in a smooshed "C" shape.  What do you call that?!)

-In a large saucepan, add enough olive oil or coconut oil to create a thin layer over bottom of pan. 
-Add about 1 tsp minced garlic. 
-Add onions, carrots, broccoli, and a little water and put a lid on this for a couple minutes until veggies are getting tender (NOT MUSHY).
-Then add the mushrooms (and if you decide, snow peas are good too) and sausage.
-Cook until mushrooms are browning and sausage is warm. 
-Sprinkle a little salt over veggies.

-While all this is cooking, boil about a half of a package of wheat egg noodles.

-When all is finished cooking, place egg noodles on plate with veggie mix on top.  Add shredded parmesean cheese.

Great served with a roll and salad.

My cousin posted a link to this site for the chocolate bowl recipe. What a great idea! I thought they looked delicious and such a fun party treat. Thought I would pass it along. Let me know how they turn out!

Here's the link!

I didn't have any tortillas last night to go with my Bajio Chicken salad (we wanted to make it more like burritos than an actual salad), so I used this recipe my sister in law sent me. It worked in a pinch (and my daughter had fun rolling them!), but it was really not my favorite recipe. It says it makes 15-20, but when I first started rolling them out, they were really thin. They almost turned out crunchy because they were too thin. I started adding two together to make them thicker and they turned out a little better. Still not my favorite though. Any ideas, or thoughts? Any great tortilla recipes?

Home Made Tortillas

2 cups – All Purpose Flour
½ tsp. salt
2/3 cup warm water
¼ cup oil
Additional Flour

Rub flour, salt, & oil together with your fingers until completely
incorporated and fine crumbs form.  Pour water into dry ingredients and
immediately work it in with a fork.  Dough will be in large clumps.
Sprinkle flour and knead until smooth, about 2 minutes.  Divide dough into
12 – 15 portions and shape into balls about 2 inches in diameter.  Set
dough balls on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and let dough rest for at
least 30 minutes before baking.  Roll out until thin, rolling from the
center to the outside. It may be helpful to roll the dough between 2 sheets
of plastic wrap.  Bake on very hot, ungreased griddle until freckled, about
20 seconds on each side.  Serve warm.