Best Broccoli of Your Life

So I saw the original recipe on Pinterest and tried to give it a try. Those who know me well know that I'm not a huge broccoli fan. But I've been making a huge effort to eat more veggies since Brynna watches everything we eat and emulates that. Plus I wouldn't mind losing the 10 pounds that have crept back on since Brynna stopped nursing! So here it is and the title says it all. Truly amazing. I am so going to buy more broccoli and lemons tomorrow so I can eat this again.

Ingredients
Broccoli (2 heads)
olive oil
salt
pepper
garlic (I used garlic powder since I didn't have fresh garlic and still tasted great)
lemon

Directions
1. Toss chopped, dried broccoli with olive oil, salt and pepper. (Original recipe says 5 Tbs olive oil, 1 1/2 tsps kosher salt, 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper, but I just eyeballed it.) Now add 4 garlic cloves that are peeled and sliced and toss them in too (or garlic powder if you feel like it).
2. Bake at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes, tossing occassionally.
3. Remove from oven, toss with 1/3 cup shredded parmesan. Zest one lemon over broccoli, squeeze lemon over broccoli.
4. Toss.
5. Enjoy.
6. Thank me later when your children actually eat broccoli.

Garlic Parmasean Croutons

Ingredients:
whole wheat bread
olive oil
parsley flakes
fresh garlic
parmasen cheese (fresh or canned)


Directions:
I don't usually measure on this. Just throw some olive oil, parsley, garlic, and parm cheese in a bowl and mix it up. Then brush it on the bread (both sides) and cut into cubes. Bake in oven on 350 degrees tossing about every 5 minutes (about 20 minutes total cooking time). Otherwise you could cut the cubes first then toss them in the mix then bake.

Garlic Chicken Pasta

We ate this tonight. So yummy!

Ingredients
2 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite sized pieces 2
2 cloves garlic
1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 cups whole wheat pasta
3 cups milk 3 Tablespoons butter
grated parmesan cheese
3 ounces cream cheese

Directions
1. In a skillet, saute chicken and garlic in olive oil.  Turn to low heat to keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a big pot with the milk, butter and salt.  Stir almost constantly, especially as the pasta is becoming tender and the milk is beginning to boil.  Cook and stir over medium heat until pasta is tender and the starch from the pasta has thickened the milk, creating a creamy sauce.
3. Stir in cheeses.
4. Stir in the chicken and serve immediately.

Popeye Pasta

Brynna and I just made this dish and I wanted to share! This recipe was a favorite of my niece Sydney's as a toddler and now Brynna loves it too! I'd be lying if I said Mommy didn't enjoy it on crackers as well! I thought it was a great recipe to share because many of us have toddlers running around the house these days! It's quick and easy to make and a good source of iron, dairy, and fiber. I am also going to experiment with adding some veggie purees to it in the future. Pretty sure you could replace the milk with cauliflower puree without anyone noticing. :)

Ingredients
(1) package frozen Spinach
8 ounces pasta (calls for small pasta, I usually cook noodles and chop them finely)
4 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons milk
4 ounces grated cheese - I've used mozzerella and sharp cheddar

Directions
Cook spinach via directions on package, drain.
Cook pasta.
Saute spinach in butter.
Combine pasta, spinach, milk, cheeses and mix well.
Serve as is or delicious on crackers as well!

Mixing it up!

Taste testing her creation!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

This is a party favorite. I always get asked for the recipe at least once every time I make it. It's easy and delicious!

Ingredients
Chicken (about 2 cups shredded)
8 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cup Frank's hot sauce
Bleu Cheese salad dressing
8 ounces Parmasen Cheese

Directions
1. Melt cream cheese, combine with 1/4 cup hot sauce
2. Spread mixture on bottom of dish (about 8x8)
3. Combine chicken with remaining hot sauce
4. Spread on top of cream cheese mixture
5. Spread desired amount of Bleu cheese dressing (or crumbled bleu cheese)
6. Top with parmesan cheese
7. Bake at 350 degrees (about 30 minutes or until bubbly)

ENJOY with tortilla chips (or Fritos if you're my husband!)

Modified versions: For a quick version you can combine all the ingredients and microwave until warm. The original recipe calls for rotisserie chicken. For a "healthier" version I bake 1-2 chicken breasts and chop that up into small pieces. You can also add more/less hot sauce depending on your palates! Some people also use mozzerella instead of parmesan (I find the parm melts nicer and doesn't burn as easily).

Crock Pot Burritos

I saw these on one of my favorite blogs and tried them out, they are delicious! And so easy to make!

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
1 jar salsa
½ cup water
1-15oz can of black beans (drain and rinse)
1-11oz or 15oz can corn (drain and rinse)
½ packet taco seasoning
-------------------
1 cup uncooked brown rice
8 oz brick cream cheese (low fat works well)
-------------------
Tortillas

Directions:
1. Combine first 6 ingredients in crock pot. Cook on low 6-8 hours. 
2. One hour before you're ready to serve, add 1 cup uncooked brown rice. 
3. Half hour later, add 1 brick of cream cheese. Shred chicken and scoop into tortillas to make burritos.

Katie has lots of great recipes if you're looking for other ideas!

Community Kitchen

I don't know about everyone else but I always seem to be scrambling for new recipes and ideas of things to feed my family. I feel like Pesto Chicken and Tacos make the rotation every week. And while we love both, I need some new ideas! So I came up with the idea of Community Kitchen. A place where we can post our favorite recipes and browse each others' for new ideas. You can be as involved as you want, posting recipes or your menu for the week or just looking at everyone else's ideas. When you post make sure to "link" what the main ingredient is - chicken, beef, fish, etc so everyone else can easily click on the topic they're looking for and get a list of recipes. Also link your name. How do you do this? When you're in the "posting" mode, you'll see a section called "labels". Type in your name or chicken (as many as you want) to link the post to that code word. If you need help, email me! I am happy to post things if you email the recipe! I hope everyone enjoys this and gets some use out of it! Let's get cookin!