Velveeta Cheesy Broccoli Soup

(I added shredded carrots to the recipe)

What You Need

2 Tbsp.  butter or margarine

1/4 cup  chopped onion

2 Tbsp.  flour

2-1/2 cups  milk

3/4 lb.  (12 oz.) VELVEETA®, cut up

1 pkg.  (10 oz.) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed, drained

1/8 tsp.  pepper

Make It

MELT butter in large saucepan on medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Add flour; cook 1 minute or until bubbly, stirring constantly.
STIR in milk. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 1 minute.
ADD remaining ingredients. Cook until VELVEETA is melted and soup is heated through, stirring occasionally.

Kitchens Tips

Healthy Living

Save 50 calories, 6 grams of fat and 4 grams of saturated fat per serving by preparing with 2% Milk VELVEETA.

Substitute frozen chopped spinach; frozen cauliflower, chopped; or frozen asparagus spears, chopped, for broccoli.

I found this recipe on Kraftfoods.com  

Shepherd's Pie

With the colder weather lately I have been making more warm casseroles and dinners.  I have been trying a lot of new recipes and I found one that was VERY good.  Here is a link. or the recipe is below!  I knew that I would bee making it so the night before we had mashed potatoes so I made extra so I could use them in this recipe too.  It made the recipe so much easier!  ENJOY!

Shepherd's Pie

What You Need

1-1/4 lb.  red potatoes (about 4), cut into chunks

3 large  cloves garlic

1 lb.  extra-lean ground beef

2 Tbsp.  flour

4 cups  frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, corn, green beans, peas), thawed

3/4 cup  fat-free reduced-sodium beef broth

2 Tbsp.  ketchup

3/4 cup  BREAKSTONE'S Reduced Fat or KNUDSEN Light Sour Cream

1/2 cup  KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese, divided

Make It

COOK potatoes and garlic in boiling water in large saucepan 20 min. or until potatoes are tender. Meanwhile, brown meat in large nonstick skillet. Stir in flour; cook 1 min. Add mixed vegetables, broth and ketchup; cook 5 min., stirring frequently.
HEAT oven to 375°F. Drain potatoes; return to pan. Add sour cream; mash until potatoes are smooth and mixture is well blended. Stir in 1/4 cup cheese.
SPOON meat mixture into 8-inch square baking dish; cover with potatoes.
BAKE 18 min. Top with remaining cheese; bake 2 min. or until melted.  

Thirsty Thursday - Juicing

My Hubby had found a "Juice Detox" article in a Men's Health magazine this month and he really wanted to try it.  I was not to sure about this but he was really into it so I thought, heck why not lets give this a try.  It was a 3 day cleanse.  We started on Friday and went through Sunday.  So last Wednesday night we took a trip to the store and bought TONS of produce to juice.  We had read some articles on juicing and got some good ideas.  We got your typical apples, oranges, kiwi, grapefruit, and pears.  We also got spinach, kale, beets, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, and carrots.  We had previously bought a juicer from Bed, Bath, & Beyond.  So we were now ready to juice.  It was fun to see how much juice we could get out of each fruit or veggie.  But we did learn which ones don't mix.  We also learned that cucumbers do not make good juice.  It was very hard to choke down.  Here are some pictures from the juicing process.

It is kind of a messy process but clean-up is a breeze.  All parts are dishwasher safe.  Just rinse and load.

I love to see all the colors.  (From left to right) Grapefruit, celery, spinach, carrots, tomatoes, blackberries, raspberries, and kiwi!

All mixed and ready to drink!

Trust me it taste a lot better than it looks!

We were so hungry on Friday night that we did give in and steam up some veggies and ate them.  We were both fighting the erge to chew something and figured it is only veggies we would have juiced anyways.  We then went all Saturday and Sunday only drinking Juice and then ate dinner on Sunday.  I will say that I felt like I had more energy, and I was "healthier", and I lost 5 pounds!  We are going to definetly continue juicing but just not to that extreme.  If you have any questions about it just let me know.

Broccoli, Grape, and Pasta Salad

I found this amazing recipe on Pinterest a few weeks ago and have made it three times since.  Every time that I make it it is a hit!  Both times I did not add the pecans simply because I do not care for them.  This is now a family favorite!

Ingredients

1 cup chopped pecans

• 1/2 (16-oz.) package farfalle (bow-tie) pasta
• 1 pound fresh broccoli
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup diced red onion
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups seedless red grapes, halved
• 8 cooked bacon slices, crumbled

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through.
2. 2. Prepare pasta according to package directions.
3. 3. Meanwhile, cut broccoli florets from stems, and separate florets into small pieces using tip of a paring knife. Peel away tough outer layer of stems, and finely chop stems.
4. 4. Whisk together mayonnaise and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl; add broccoli, hot cooked pasta, and grapes, and stir to coat. Cover and chill 3 hours. Stir bacon and pecans into salad just before serving.

Crock Pot Chicken & Rice

This is our new very favorite/easy crock pot chicken & rice recipe  yum!  I found it on Pintrest.  If you are looking for a great Crock Pot recipe for this fall this is the one!

Ingredients:

2-4 frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese (let sit out to soften)

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 pkg. italian dressing seasoning (the dried kind in the packet)

rice

Stir the cream cheese, cream of chicken, and seasoning together in the crockpot.  I actually start it on low and let them sit in there for about 30 min so the cream cheese is softer to stir. Put the frozen (because i'm lazy) chicken in and cover with the mix. Cook on high 4-6 hours or until the chicken is cooked and fall-apart-tender. After the first two hours when the chicken is softer I cut it up into strips for easier eating. How easy is that!?

Cook the rice in a pot and smother with chicken mixture! The italian seasoning is the secret ingredient! So yum! and so easy!

New Recipe

Salsa Chicken Wrap with Pineapple Pico de Gallo

What You Need

2 cups finely chopped fresh pineapple

1/4 cup  finely chopped red onions

2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro

1 Tbsp.  finely chopped jalapeño peppers

1 Tbsp. lime juice

2 cups  shredded cooked chicken

1/4 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing

1/2 cup  (1/2 of 8-oz. tub) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese Spread

2 Tbsp. TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa

4   flour tortillas (10 inch)

4 leaf lettuce leaves

1 large  tomato, cut into 8 thin slices, halved

Make It

COMBINE first 5 ingredients.
TOSS chicken with dressing. Mix cream cheese spread and salsa until well blended; spread onto tortillas. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, chicken mixture and half the pineapple mixture; roll up, tucking in both sides of each tortilla as it is rolled. Secure with toothpicks; cut in half.
SERVE with remaining pineapple mixture.

A new recipe

I got this recipe from a blog that I follow and I made it the other night and it was so Yummy!


Pasta Salad



1 cup shell macaroni (or twists or elbow...)
hard boiled eggs - I use 2, but you can add more or less to taste
1 small can tuna fish, or like amount of chopped ham, or diced chicken
1 can peas
1 tablespoon chopped pickles (optional)
1/2 cup salad dressing
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In 2 cups boiling water, cook pasta until tender. Place in colander and drain with cold water. Allow to cool.
Toss together meat, peas and pickles. Cut eggs fine and add to meat mix. Stir in pasta and salad dressing. Stir in cheese.
Refrigerate overnight. You may need to add more salad dressing before serving, as pasta may absorb some.

This makes a great summer supper!

White Chocolate Candy Mix

I made a batch of this mix the other night.  We love is so much and it is so easy to make.  So I thought I would share it with you.  It does make quite a bit but we just store it in ice cream pail containers and it fits nicely in two of them. 

White Chocolate Candy Mix
6 Cups Crispix
3 Cups Cheerios
2 Cups pretzels
1 Lb. M&Ms
Large jar Dry Roasted Peanuts
36 Oz. White Chocolate

Melt chocolate and pour over other ingredients.
Put on wax paper and crumble when cooled.



Here are the ingredients.  I used Chex instead of the Crispix.

I found it easier to melt the chocolate in two separate pans so it is less likely to burn.

Melt at a very low heat.

It is also easier to mix in two separate bowls.

Pour the chocolate over the mix.

Looking yummy!

(hehe Mallorie decided she wanted to be held so she made it hard to take a picture.  You can see her at the bottom of the picture.)

ALL DONE and READY TO EAT!!!!