Lemon Slush

1 12oz. can frozen lemonade concentrate
4 c. sprite
ice

Place ingredients in a blender and blend unitl smooth. This is a really tart slush. If you prefer you can cut the concentrate in half.

Italian Grilled Potatoes

6 medium potatoes
salt and pepper
1 1/4 cups Italian dressing, divided

Cut potatoes diagonally into 1/4 " thick slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in ziploc bag with 3/4 cup italian dressing--shaking to coat.

Coat food rack with vegetable cooking spray; place on grill over med/hi. Grill with lid on 20 min. or until tender (turning and basting occasionally)

Swiss Steak

4-6 cubed steaks
1 can cream of mushroom soup (10 oz.)
1 can stewed tomatoes with juice (14 oz.)
8 unpeeled red potatoes (quartered)
1 med. yellow onion, sliced in rings
1 Tbsp. Worchestershire sauce
1 can green beans
Season to taste.

Heat oven to 425*. Line a 13x9" pan with aluminum foil. Place steaks in pan and top with onion slices. Whisk together soup, tomatoes with juice, worcestershire sauce, and seasonings in bowl until well-blended. Pour over steaks and onions. Cover pan with foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Add potatoes, re-seal, and bake additional 45 minutes. Add green beans and bake 15 minutes. (Truthfully, I just dump it all in and cook it 1 hour and it all works out just fine without any fuss!) Tastes great served with a salad and some rolls, etc.

Ginger Chicken with Scallions

olive oil
1 lemon
4 quarter sized slices of ginger (unpeeled)
4 chicken breasts
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup chicken broth
3 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 c. sliced scallions
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. salt and pepper

1. Grate zest from 1/2 the lemon. Cut the remaining half into paper thin slices. Mince ginger.

2. Cook chicken in 2 tsp. olive oil until golden. Remove and cover.

3. In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in broth.

4. Add 2 tsp. olive oil to skillet. Cook lemon zest, ginger, garlic and scallions 1 minute.

5. Add cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil. Return chicken, lemon slices, sugar, red pepper flakes, and pepper. Return to boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, simmer until chicken is cooked through. 5 minutes

6. Season with salt. Serve hot, with equal amounts of scallions and sauce.

Old Fashioned Lemonade

12 large lemons
8 cups cold water
1 1/4 cups superfine sugar
1 lemon, sliced for garnish

1. Microwave lemons for 10 secons. Cut in half and juice; you should have roughly 3 cups of juice.

2. In a large pitcher or pot, combine lemon juice, cold water and sugar. Stir to dissolve sugar.

3. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to a day before. Stir before serving. Garnish with sliced lemons if desired.

Make Your Own Instant Oatmeal

(Okay, personally, this is not worth it to me, I'll just buy the ready-made packets, but if you are feeling particularly industrious, you go girl!)

3 cups Quick oats

salt

sugar

powdered milk

ziploc storage bags



Blend 1 cup of oats in a blender (1/2 cup at a time) until powdery.



Into each ziploc bag put:



2 Tbsp. of above powdered oats

1/4 cup of regular quick oats

1 tsp. powdered milk

1/8 tsp. salt

a pinch of sugar if you wish



This will make 8-10 packets.



To cook the oatmeal:

Dump the packet into a bowl and add 3/4 cup boiling water. Let stand for 2 minutes.



For Different Flavors:



Brown Sugar/Cinnamon

To each packet add 1 Tbsp. brown sugar and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon.

Apple/Cinnamon

To each packet add 2 Tbsp. dried apples and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Raisin and Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp. packed brown sugar and 1 Tbsp. raisisns

Quick Key Lime Pie

2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (key limes if you can find them)
2 Tbsp. water
1-2 drops green food coloring (optional)
1 tsp. grated lime peel
1 ready-made graham cracker crust (it would probably taste better with a homemade graham cracker crust)
1 cup whipping cream
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

In a large mixing bowl beat eggs and yolk with wire whisk until combined.

Gradually add milk to yolks, beating until combined. Add lime juice, water, food coloring (if desired) and lime peel. Whisk until well mixed. Pour into crust. Place on baking sheet. Bake at 350* for 20 minutes until almost set in the center. Cool on wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Chill small mixing bowl and beaters of electric mixter.

In chilled bowl beat cream, sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Pipe or spoon whipped cream around edges of pie. Garnish with lime slices.

Muddy Buddies

1 6oz. pkg (or 1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup peanuts (optional)
6 cups kellog's crispix cereal
1 cup powdered sugar

In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate for 1 minute. Stir and heat 30 seconds longer or until melted completely when stirred. Stir in peanut butter and peanuts. Gently stir in crispix cereal until evenly coated. Place powdered sugar in a 2 gallon ziploc bag. Add coated cereal to sugar and close bag (I usually fold the sides of the bag down first so I can roll them back up and not have it be all messy) Gently toss cereal mixture until evenly coated. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. 16 servings.

If you haven't tried these...they are divine! (Kellog's calls them "sweet minglers" but we always called them muddy buddies)

Teriyaki Chicken Kabobs

4 chicken breasts
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. ground ginger (or fresh)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. chopped green onion
12 cherry tomatoes
2-3 onions, cut in chunks
1 c. pineapple chunks

Cut chicken in chunks. Marinate in soy sauce, water, honey, ginger, garlice and green onions. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours. Drain meat, threat on skewere, alternating chicken, tomatoes,onions and pineapples. Broil 5-7 minutes.

Egg Nog Cream Cheese Dip (for fruit)

16 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 jar (7oz.) marshmallow creme
1/4 cup Braum's egg nog
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, marshmallow creme, egg nog, vanilla and nutmeg. Beat until smooth. Place dip in serving bowl, then place serving bowl in the middle of a large platter. Arrange fruit decoratively on the platter surrounding the dip.

Cranberry Meatballs

Meatballs:
1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
1/2 lb. ground sausage
2 Eggs
2 slices of bread, crumbled
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1 Med. Onion, chopped
1/3 cup ketchup
6 Tbsp. parsley, chopped and divided

Sauce:
1-16oz. can while cranberry sauce
3/4 cup chili sauce
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped

Meatballs: Heat oven to 350* Mix beef, sausage, eggs, crumbled bread, garlic powder, salt, onion, ketchup and 4 tbsp. chopped parsley. Blend well in a large bowl. Form into small, evenly sized balls and place on a large baking dish with sides.

Sauce: Mix cranberry sauce, chili sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice, rosemary, and remaining 2 Tbsp. chopped parsley. Heat in a saucepan over low heat until cranberry sauce melts. Pour over raw meatballs and bake 45 minutes at 350*

Cheesy Rice--Kid Pleaser!

1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice
3 cups water
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese (about 6 oz.)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened

Heat rice, water and salt to boiling, stirring once or twice. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 14 minutes (do not lift lid, or stir!) Remove from heat. Fluff rice slightly with fork. Cover and let steam 5-10 minutes. Stir in cheeses and butter. (This is a dish kids love! I sometimes add some peas to it for a little more nutrition!)

Sausage Bread

1 recipe pizza dough
8 oz. mild Italian sausage-browned
8 oz. grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. oregano
2 cloves garlic-mashed and minced
melted butter

Prepare pizza dough. You may use frozen, thawed dough, a bread machine recipe, or just your favorite. Shape dough into a rectangle about 8x12" Top the center of the dough with the remaining ingredients. Fold the sides of dough over the topping, overlapping. Enclose the ends; brush with melted butter. Bake on a lightly greased baking sheet or dish at 400* for about 20 minutes, or until browned. Cool slightly on a rack then cut into 1 inch slices.

Serves 6

Oatmeal Dinner Rolls

2 cups water
1 cup quick-cooking oats
3 Tbsp. butter
1 pkg. active dry yeast (1/4 oz.)
1/3 cup warm water (110*-115*)
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp. sugar
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1-3/4 to 5-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

In a saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add oats and butter. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat; cool to lukewarm. In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the oat mixture, sugars, salt and 4 cups of flour; beat until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled (about 1 hour) Punch dough down; allow to rest for 10 minutes. Shape into 18 balls. Place in 2-9 inch round baking pans, coating with nonstick cooking spray. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 350* for about 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from pan to wire racks. Yields: 1 1/2 dozen

1 roll= 172 calories, 33 carbs, 4g. protein, 2 g. fat, 1 g. fiber

Applescotch Pie

3 cups thinly sliced pared tart apples (about 4 medium)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
3 Tbsp. butter
Pastry for 9-inch two-crust pie

Mix apple slices, brown sugar, wtaer and lemon juice in saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat just until apples are tender...about 5 minutes.

Mix flour, granulated sugar and salt. Stir into apple mixture. Cook, sirring constantly, until syrup thickens, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and butter.

Heat oven to 425*. Prepare pastry. Turn apple mixture into pastry-lined pie plate. Cover with top crust that has slits cut in it; seal and flute. Cover edge with 2-3" strips of aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning; remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking. Bake 40-45 minutes until crust is golden brown.

6 servings: 630 calories per serving!!?

Betty Crocker Lemon Meringue Pie

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 cups water
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
3 Tbsp. butter
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 drops yellow food coloring (optional)
9 inch baked pie shell
Pie Meringue (recipe below)

Heat oven to 400*. Mix sugar and cornstarch in saucepan. Stir in water gradually. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir at least half of the hot mixture gradually into egg yolks. Blend into hot mixture in saucepan. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in butter, lemon zest, lemon juice and food coloring. Pour into baked pie shell.

Spoon meringue onto hot pie filling; spread over filling, carefully sealing meringue to edge of crust to prevent shrinking or weeping. Bake until delicate brown, about 10 minutes. Cool away from draft. Refrigerate any remaining pie.

6 servings: 480 calories per serving

Meringue

3 egg whites
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
6 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Beat in sugar, 1 Tbsp at a time; continue beating until stiff and glossy. Do not underbeat. Beat in vanilla.

(You can also make a LIME Meringue pie by decreasing cornstartch to 1/3 cup and omit butter. Substitue lime zest and 1/4 lime juice...and add green food coloring instead of yellow)

Mykin's Pumpkin Bread

2 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 1/3 c. flour
2 c. cooked pumpkin
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. oil
1 c. water
4 eggs

Combine sugar with all wet ingredients first. Then add all dry ingredients. Blend through. Bake in one large loaf pan for 1 hour or 4-5 small loaf pans for 35-45 min. Then glaze.

Glaze
1/2 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. vanilla
Heat until dissolved. Glaze with pastry brush.

Quesadillas Con Frijoles Refritos

We are having this super-easy and tasty meal for lunch today. You can sneak other veggies in this dish too when your kids aren't looking!

1 cup fat-free refried beans
2 tablespoons hot salsa, plus more for dipping
12 6-inch corn tortillas1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup chopped scallions
3/4 cup finely grated Monterey Jack cheese (3 ounces)

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil.

2. Combine refried beans and 2 tablespoons salsa in a small bowl.

3. Place a tortilla directly on a stovetop burner (gas or electric), set at medium, and toast, turning frequently with tongs, until softened, about 30 seconds. Wrap in a kitchen towel to keep warm while you soften the remaining tortillas in the same manner. (I just microwave mine all at the same time wrapped in paper towels and they are just fine)

4. Lay 6 of the softened tortillas on the prepared baking sheet. Divide the bean mixture among these tortillas, spreading evenly. Sprinkle each with corn, cilantro and scallions, then cheese. Top with the remaining softened tortillas and press to seal. 5. Bake until lightly crisped and browned, about 10 minutes. Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges. Serve hot, with additional salsa for dipping.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 237 calories; 6 g fat (3 g sat, 2 g mono); 13 mg cholesterol; 38 g carbohydrate; 10 g protein; 6 g fiber; 354 mg sodium; 186 mg potassium.

Five Spice Turkey and Lettuce Wraps

I'm watching what I eat and this is a super-healthy meal!

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup instant brown rice
2 tsp. sesame oil
1 lb. 93% lean ground turkey
1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
1 lg. red bell pepper, finely diced
1 8oz. can of water chestnuts, rinsed and chopped
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp. Hoison sauce (check asian food aisle in market)
1 tsp. 5 spice powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Heads boston lettuce, leaves separated
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 large carrot, shredded (I use the pre-shredded kind)

1. Bring water to boil. Add rice; reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil--add turkey and ginger--cook 6 minutes. Stir in cooked rice, bell pepper, water chestnuts, broth and hoison sauce, five spice powder and salt--cook 1 minute.

3. To serve, spoon portions of the turkey mixture into lettuce leavs and top with cilantro and carrot and roll up into wraps.

285 calories, 11 g. fat, 24 g. carbs, 5 g. fiber, 26 g. protein (from Eating Well . Com)

Quick Salsa

2 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes
small yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves minced
Large handful of cilantro, chopped fine
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 Jalapeno, minced
1 lime

Put all ingredients into a blender and puree to desired consistency. I play around with this and sometimes add a splash of vinegar...or cook it (it changes it's taste a bit) or use fresh tomatoes, etc.

Homemade Tortilla Chips

4 Corn Tortillas
1 Tsp. Canola Oil
Salt to Taste (I use coarse kosher salt)

1. Preheat oven to 400*. Lightly oil 2 baking sheets.

2. Lightly brush one side of each tortilla with 1/4 tsp. oil and sprinkle with salt.

3. Stack tortillas and cut into 8 wedges. Arrange on baking sheets. Bake until crisp (8-10 minutes)

Per chip: 8 calories 0 g. fat 2 g. carb

Turkey Mini Meatloaves

Our little 18 month old foster son ate almost 3 of these! He loved them! Good way to sneak in veggies!

1 lb. 93% lean ground turkey breast
1 medium zucchini, shredded
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped red pepper (we didn't use this)
1/2 cup uncooked whole wheat couscous (I didn't have any more of this, so I used bread crumbs and it came out just fine)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tbps. worchestershire sauce
1 tbsp. dijon mustard (I'm not a mustard fan, so I didn't use it)
salt, pepper and 1/4 c. bbq sauce

1. Preheat oven to 400*. Generously spray a nontick muffin pan with cooking spray (yields 12).

2. Gently mix turkey, zucchini, onion, pepper, couscous, egg, worcestershire sauce, mustard pepper and salt in a large bowl, preferably with your hands without overworking it. Equally divide the mixture among the muffin cups. Spread bbq sauce on each loaf (I put a little in the mixture too!)

3. Bake until the meatloaves are cooked through...about 25 minutes. Let the loaves stand in the pan for 5 minutes before serving.

(This dish served with the healthy mac and cheese recipe below, a salad and fresh fruit makes a super-healthy dinner!)

Healthy Mac & Cheese

Okay, I tried this last night and it is SO yummy. You have to eat it right away, while it's warm and fresh, and it tastes almost afredo-sauce-like! With no butter!? It may seem like more of a hassle, but it comes together quickly and easily and so much tastier/healtheir than traditional mac and cheese.

2 cups uncooked whole-wheat elbow noodles
1 (10 oz.) pkg. of frozen chopped broccoli (I used 14 oz. pkg. and use Bird's eye, it gives you good chopped broccoli, and not all those woody little stems and no tops!)
1 3/4 cups low-fat milk, divided
3 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground white pepper (I just used black)
3/4 cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese (I just used 1 cup shredded italian blend cheeses...and forgot the cheddar/parmesan combo.)
1 tsp. dijon mustard (I didn't use it)

1. Bring large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta for 4 minutes. Add frozen broccoli to the pot and boil 4-5 additional minutes.

2. Heat 1 1/2 cups milk in another large pot over medium-high heat until just simmering. Whisk remaining 1/4 cup milk, flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper in small bown until combined. Add the flour mixture to the simmering milk. Return to a simmer and cook, whisking continuously, until the mixture is thickened (2-3 minutes). Remove from heat and whisk in cheese.

3. Drain pasta and broccoli and add to the cheese sauce. Return to heat and cook, stirring through until heated (about 1 minute...I didn't do that!)