mozzarella meatballs

from the cookbook "fix, freeze, and feast"

i have made these for a couple of different freezer meal demonstrations in the ward and with friends and they have been a HUGE hit! i had never made meatballs before, but these are so easy and yummy and freeze well. the recipe makes 120 of them. you could half it if you wanted, but i would suggest making all 120 and freezing them in quart sized bags. they'll go fast. sara, you can be my witness.

6 lbs. lean ground beef

15 string cheeses

3 cups dry bread crumbs

2/3 cup milk

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup minced onion

2 Tablespoons minced garlic

1 Tablespoon salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

1. remove string cheese from wrappers and cut each one into 8 equal pieces.

2. preheat oven to 500 degrees.

3. using your hands, thoroughly combine beef, bread crumbs, milk, eggs, onion, garlic, salt and pepper in a LARGE bowl. shape into 1 to 1 1/2 inch meatballs around each piece of cheese. seal meatballs well to keep the cheese from oozing out.

4. place meatballs close together on a lightly greased cookie sheet (i would use foil so you don't have a huge clean-up). bake for 15 min. let cool and place in baggies to freeze.

5. serve as spaghetti and meatballs, meatball subs, sweedish meatballs, sweet and sour meatballs, mushroom gravy meatballs, or whatever else you like. enjoy!

black bean & avocado salsa

okay, so this really isn't a meal, but i've been craving it lately and thought you all might enjoy it!

1 can black beans - drained and rinsed

1 can black eyed peas - drained and rinsed

1 can drained corn (i use frozen:  just run about 1 cup of it under hot water to thaw)

3T chopped red onion

2 avocados - diced 

8 roma tomatoes - diced

2 squirts of lime juice

1/2 - 3/4 bottle of italian salad dressing

salt and pepper to taste

you could put in cilantro, but i hate the stuff so i never do.

mix all together and serve with chips. enjoy!

italian chicken and veggies

this recipe is super easy, and super yummy.  

4 chicken breasts

5 lg carrots

5 lg red potatoes

1 lg onion

2 stalks celery

salt and pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 cup italian dressing

place chicken breasts in the bottom of crock-pot.  season with salt and pepper.  add chopped up veggies, garlic powder, and the italian dressing.  cook on high until chicken is cooked through, and veggies are tender. enjoy!

Angel Chicken

4 0z. cream cheese, softened
1 can mushroom soup
1/4 Kraft Tuscan House Italian Dressing
1 1/2 chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 Ib. angel hair pasta
2 Tbsp fresh parsley

Beat cream cheese, soup, dressing with whisk until blended. Pour over chicken in crock pot. Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-5 hours. Serve over cooked noodles and top with parsley.

We really like this and it is very fast to throw all together.

Rumbi chicken & Mango Salad & Zupa's Salad

1 romaine lettuce
½ c. feta cheese
3 tomatoes, diced
1 mangos, diced (or 1 can mandarin oranges)
2 chicken breasts, cooked seasoned with lemon pepper, heavily
1 T. sesame seeds
1 bag tortilla chips
*2 c. cooked rice


Dressing:
1/4 c. Dijon mustard
2 T. lime juice
1 t. chili powder
3/4 c. Mayo
1/2 c. white vinegar
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. white sugar
2 T. minced garlic
2 T. ginger powder


Blend dressing well. Layer salad with above ingredients and serve with dressing. Top salads with tortilla chips and serve immediately. *Optional: Serve with warm rice.

Ingredients
4 ounces mixed greens
2 fresh sliced strawberries
10 dried cranberries
5 red grapes
1 ounce diced cooked chicken breast
1/2 ounce chopped cashews
zupas strawberry vinaigrette (use 2 ounces)
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup canola oil
4 strawberries
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar

Directions
1 In a medium sized bowl toss the mixed greens, dressing, and chicken. Transfer into serving bowl.
2 Top salad with dried cranberries, red grapes, and sliced strawberries.
3 Sprinkle chopped cashews on top to finish.
4 Dressing:.
5I n a medium sized container mix the strawberries, salt, sugar, and vinegar. Blend well in a blender.
6 While blending slowly add in all of the oil, blending until smooth.

Checken with Broccoli and Garlic

This is a favorite easy go to meal. And it's healthy too!

2-3 tsp olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
8 oz boneless chicken breast cut into 1 inch pieces
about 1/2 tsp of dried thyme (more or less to taste)
Salt & pepper
2 cup frozen broccoli florets (or fresh)
3/4 cup chicken broth

Brown rice

Heat oil in skillet. Add garlic; saute one minute. season chicken with thyme and S&P; add to skillet cook stirring frequently until browned. add broccoli; cook 1 min. Add broth cover and cook 5 min. Serve over rice.

Easy Tilapia

We have been trying to cut out red meat at our house and we are getting tired of chicken and turkey. So I have been trying to cook more fish. I have not enjoyed fish in the past but I am getting to like it. Tilapia is such a mild tasting fish it actually does not even taste like fish. This is a easy recipe and supper yummy! if you have not experimented with fish in the past this is a perfect recipie. Everyone loves it even my 2 year old.

3 Tilapia loins
1 container of lemon yogart
Some Salt & Pepper

spray a pan or oven dish with non stick spray and put fish in. smoother the fish with the lemon yogart. sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Cook at 375 for 30-40 min. Enjoy!
(we like to eat the tilapia with herb rice and broccoli and carrots for some color.)

So healthy yet so yummy

Baked Turkey Chimichangas

1/2 pound ground turkey

16 oz. fat-free canned refried beans

1 cup salsa (Or more for desired consistency)

7 oz. canned green chili peppers, mild, drained and diced

1 tsp chili powder

1 cup shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese

8 large burrito-size wheat flour tortillas 

1 cup fat free sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, coat a 13 x 9 pan with cooking spray. Add Turkey to skillet and cook until lightly browned (about 5 min).

Add beans, salsa, chili peppers, chili powder to turkey.  Cook until heated through, about 3 min. stir in cheese. 

Assemble chimichangas by spooning about 1/2 cup of turkey mixture onto each tortilla, fold in sides and roll up

Place chimichangas, seam-side down, in baking dish. Bake uncovered until tortillas are crisp about 15-20 min. Serve each topped with salsa and sour cream. 

I made these for my whole family and everyone loved them.  Brandon was looking at the recipe when we were cleaning up and he said O, you didn't use Turkey. When I told him it was he was shocked he couldn't even tell a difference. Even my little brother asked for this recipe he like it so much. 

my best find!

i know this is technically not a recipe, but this has been my most favorite find in the grocery store thus far. maybe you already know about it, but if not then you'll never have to boil another lasagna noodle again!

i made 3 lasagnas for some girls in our ward and it only took me about 30 minuets thanks to these little gems. just follow the instructions on the back along with your favorite lasagna recipe and you'll have dinner in no time. enjoy!

You'll Like This

Garlicky Tortellini, Spinach & Tomato Soup

-2 Tbl. butter
-6-8 cloves of garlic chopped
-4 cups chicken broth
-6 oz fresh or frozen cheese tortellini (I use way more than this, probably more like 18 oz)
-14 oz canned diced tomatoes with their liquid
-10 oz fresh spinach
-8-10 leaves basil (or a bunch of dried basil)
-Grated Parmesan cheese

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute about 2 minutes. Add the broth and brink to a boil. Add the tortellini and cook halfway, about 5 minutes for frozen, less if using fresh. Add the tomatoes and their liquid, reduce heat to simmer, and cook until pasta is tender. Stir in spinach and basil and cook until wilted, 1 - 2 minutes. Serve sprinkled with tons of grated cheese.

This is such an easy recipe! Dalene shared it with me and we love it. I get a big bag of frozen tortellini at Costco, but I bet fresh would be even better. Yummy! Don't forget the Parmesan cheese! Enjoy!

Tuscan Vegetable Soup

Its been a little chilly around here lately, at least chilly for So Cal. I love making soup and this recipe I made tonight was great for a few reasons. #1- It's super healthy for you, #2- It was pretty quick to make, and #3- It warmed our insides. I just served it with some french bread and the whole family loved it.

TUSCAN VEGETABLE SOUP
www.RecipeGirl.com

One 15.5 oz. can cannellini beans (or other small, white beans), rinsed & drained
1 Tbs olive oil
1 cup diced onion (about 1/2 large)
1 cup diced carrots (about 1 large)
1 cup diced celery (about 2 stalks)
1 cup diced zucchini (about 1 medium)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs chopped fresh thyme (or 1 tsp. dried)
1 Tbs chopped fresh sage (or ½ tsp. dried)
½ tsp salt, plus more to taste
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
4 cups low-sodium canned chicken or vegetable broth
One 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, with juice
2 handfuls baby spinach leaves (about 2 cups packed)
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. In a small bowl, mash half of the beans with the back of a spoon; set aside.

2. Heat oil in a medium-sized soup pot over medium-high heat. Add veggies and spices (onion thru pepper), and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add the mashed and whole beans and the spinach leaves and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes more.

4. Serve topped with Parmesan.

Servings: 4 (serving size 1 1/2 cups)

Nutrition Facts
Amount Per Serving
Calories 243
Calories From Fat (24%) 59
Total Fat 6.68g
Saturated Fat 2.05g
Cholesterol 7.33mg
Sodium 1191.12mg
Potassium 1250.24mg
Carbohydrates 35.35g
Dietary Fiber 8.73g
Sugar 8.27g
Net Carbohydrates 26.62g
Protein 13.52g

WW Points: 6

Shredded Chicken Tostadas

We really liked these, it was super easy and quick, and also with the leftovers I put the chicken mixture on a salad and it was really good. 

8 six inch tortillas

1 can (11 oz) of mexican corn (normal corn is good too)

1 1/2 shredded cooked chicken

1 jar (16 oz) salsa

1/2 cup sour cream

1 - 2 Tbs. milk

1 cup cheddar cheese

2 1/2 cup shredded lettuce 

1/4 cup green onions

1. Heat oven to 375 place tortillas on cookie sheet to crisp up (7-10 mins)

2. In a sauce pan mix chicken, salsa and corn cook over medium heat until hot (5 min)

3. Mix milk in with sour cream until it is thin enough to drizzle

4. top tortillas with lettuce chicken mixture cheese, then drizzle sour cream on top and sprinkle green onions

Chicken Tamale Casserole

Yeah! I get to the be the first to post on the new blog. Thanks Sara for starting this. It will be fun sharing recipes with the world (or with a few friends anyway).
My recipe for today is yummy and easy. I love to take this dish for a compassionate service dinner. Its also one of my hubby's favorites.

Chicken Tamale Casserole
1 cup preshredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided
1/3 cup fat-free milk
1/4 cup egg substitute ( or 1 egg)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1 (141/3-ounce) can cream style corn
1 (8.5 ounce) box corn muffin mix (such a Jiffy or Martha White)
1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine 1/4 cheese and next 7 ingredients (through chiles) in a large bowl, stirring until just moist. Pour mixture into a 13x9 baking dish coated with cooking spray.
3. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake again for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Top each serving with sour cream.
Serves 8 (or 4 hungry people)

Enjoy!