Ravioli Soup

This has become a wonderful weeknight meal during the winter months!  We are eating it close to once a week these days.  I love that I can make it ahead of time in the slow cooker and when I get home from driving to various after school activities I simply turn on high and add the spinach and ravioli.  Even the baby liked it and she is truly a picky eater!  Did I also mention this is a one pot meal?  Slow cooker is all you need!  Easy clean up!

Serves 6-8

1 Large Onion, diced
3 or 4 stalks of celery, cut into bite sized peaces
3 or 4 carrots, peeled and sliced in bite sized pieces
14.5 oz Can of Diced Tomatoes (use juices too)
2 Cups Water
4 Cups Chicken Stock (you could use broth too)
1/4 Tsp Garlic Powder (or you can stick a clove garlic in the mix, just remember to fish it out!)
2 Packages of Mini Frozen Ravioli
6 oz Package of Fresh Spinach
Grated Locatali Romano Cheese, for serving

Place the onion, carrots, celery, tomatoes, water, stock, garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste in a large slow cooker.  Place the slow cooker on low setting for 6-8 hours until the veggies are nice and tender. 

When getting close to dinner turn the slow cooker up to the high setting and let the soup really start to simmer.  When nice and bubbly, add the frozen ravioli and spinach.  Let simmer for about 8-10 minutes until spinach wilts and ravioli is heated through.  Serve in nice big bowls with grated cheese sprinkled on top.

Sloppy Chicken Sandwiches

This is truthfully my sloppy dog recipe with chicken thighs!  It makes deliciously, sloppy pulled chicken sandwiches!  This recipe is best finished in the slow cooker on low for a couple of hours.

2 Tbsps Olive Oil
1.5-2 lbs Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs
1 Onion, diced
Half of a Red Pepper, seeded and sliced into bite sized pieces
2 Tbsps Tomato Paste
2 8oz Can of Tomato Sauce, no salt added
2 Tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1 1/2 Tbsps Red Wine Vinegar
Hamburger Rolls

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium heat and add the onions and peppers. While the veggies begin to soften add the chicken to the skillet. Let them cook for a good 5 minutes or so per side until nearly cooked through. Add the tomato paste and stir.

In a small bowl, mix together the tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, sugar and vinegar. Make sure the sugar is mixed in and not lumpy. Add the sauce to the skillet and stir. Lower the heat to low and let dogs simmer for about 5 minutes (or transfer to the slow cooker here).

Serve hearty portions on hamburger rolls topped with yellow mustard. They will be good and sloppy!

Creamy Spinach & Tomato Pasta

This was supposed to be Cooking Light's Grilled Chicken Florentine Pasta but I am really not good at following recipes.  So instead it morphed into this dish!  Honestly, I could do without the chicken but for the meat eaters out there it works.  I cheated and used frozen grilled chicken breasts but feel free to grill up some fresh chicken.  I simply cut out a step!

Serves 6-8

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Pints of Grape Tomatoes
1/2 Tsp Dried Parsley
1 lb Pasta (I love rigatoni)
3 Tbsps Butter
3 Tbsps Flour
1 Clove of Garlic, minced
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
1 1/2 Cups Skim Milk
1/2 Cup Finely Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 Grilled Chicken Breasts, cut into strips or bite size pieces
6oz Package Fresh Spinach

To begin, you will need three spots on your cook top: one for your pot of salted water for pasta, one sauce pan for the alfredo sauce and one saute pan for tomatoes and chicken.

In the saute pan over medium heat place the olive oil and tomatoes.  Sprinkle tomatoes with parsley and salt and pepper.  Let tomatoes cook until they burst and release yummy juices.  Add the chicken to the pan just to warm it through (don't want to overcook it).

In the sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Whisk in the flour and garlic until combined and bubbly.  Pour in the cream and milk while whisking.  Whisk for about 3 minutes to combine flour mixture with milk.  Let sauce thicken, whisking occasionally.  As it thickens, add the cheese and whisk to combine.  Lots of whisking!

While tomatoes are cooking and sauce is thickening, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the rigatoni until al dente.  Drain the pasta.  Before returning the pasta to the pot, pour the spinach into the pot.  Dump the pasta over the spinach and pour the sauce all over.  Mix together to help the spinach wilt a little.  Add the tomatoes and chicken and mix well.  Serve with additional cheese if you like!

Chicken & Onions

This is an incredibly easy meal to throw in a bag and marinate early in the day and then poor into a baking dish and cook in time for dinner.  I use chicken thighs because we are a dark meat family but this could easily be done with chicken breasts or even pork tenderloin.  To complete the meal we had some roast potatoes and green beans!

Serves 6

2 Onions, peeled and quartered
1-1/2 to 2 lbs Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/3 Cup Stone Ground or Dijon Mustard
1 Tsp Dried Thyme

Place all of the ingredients in a Ziploc bag and mix well so onions and chicken are coated with mustard and thyme.  Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours to marinate.

When ready to cook, pour all the contents of the bag into a baking dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place in a preheated 400 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Chocolate Chip Bread

 

 

 

 

 

 

Starbucks came out with a chocolate cinnamon bread that my daughter Kenzie and I love.  I absolutely do not want to know how many calories are in a slice so I decided to attempt my own version!  This is certainly healthier and pretty close the Starbucks bread.  I chose to top mine with mini chocolate chips instead of cinnamon and sugar like Starbucks does.  Feel free to top yours however you like!  I know I am not getting any complaints come dessert time from my kids!

 

Makes 1 Loaf

 

2 Ripe Bananas, mashed

1 Cup Pumpkin Puree

1 Devil's Food Cake Mix

4 Egg Whites

1 Tsp Cinnamon

3/4 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

 

In a large bowl, mix the banana and pumpkin.  Add the cake mix, egg whites, and cinnamon.  Mix until combined and all large lumps are gone.  It will not be perfectly smooth.  Add 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips and stir.  Pour into a greased 9x5 loaf pan and top with the remaining 1/4 cup of mini chips.

 

Bake for 55-60 minutes until cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.  Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes before letting cool completely on a wire rack.  



Cookie Dough Truffles

These truffles are seriously good. For all cookie dough lovers, this is a yummy treat!  My three-year-old particularly enjoys them.  In fact, she helped make them.  If you want to be fancy you can cover the entire truffle with chocolate.  Since my daughter was helping me, I let her spoon the chocolate over the truffles, just covering the tops.  Either way they are delicious!

Makes about 50 Truffles

1/2 Cup (1 stick) Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
3/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar
1 Tsp Vanilla
2 Cups Flour (White or Whole Wheat works)
14oz Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
3/4 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips
12oz Package of Dark Chocolate Candy Coating
50 Mini Cupcake liners

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar.  Beat in vanilla, flour and milk, alternate the flour and milk until all incorporated.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Place liners on a baking sheet.  Using a 1" cookie scoop, scoop a ball of dough into each liner.  Cover with waxed paper and place in the fridge for about an hour, until firm.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt the candy coating slowly, stirring until smooth.  Using a spoon, drip candy coating over top each of the truffles.  Work fairly efficiently so the chocolate does not harden and get clumpy.  Once each truffles is topped, refrigerate again to set the chocolate.  Then sit back and enjoy one!

Spaghetti & Meatball Soup

This is now the most requested dinner in my house.  Seriously, almost every night, "Are we having meatball soup tonight?"  I won't pretend like I don't love it as much as the kids.  I look forward to it too!  Plus it is loaded with veggies and the meatballs can be turkey to make it a little healthier.  I will warn that the spaghetti will absorb the sauce so if you like the soup to be thinner, lay off the tomato paste and cook the spaghetti separately and at the last moment.  I personally love it super thick and stew like, especially leftover the next day!

Note:  I made this exact recipe with 1lb of sweet Italian sausage cut into 1" peices and it was fantastic!

Makes 8 Servings

1-2 Tbsps Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion, diced
2 or 3 Carrots, peeled and sliced into coin sized bites
2 Stalks Celery, sliced
1 lb Mini Meatballs (raw, fresh or frozen)
10oz Pureed Squash
4 Cups Chicken Stock
1 28oz Can Crushed Tomatoes
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 6oz Can Tomato Paste (optional)
Half a Box of Cut Spaghetti or Filini
Parmesan Cheese or Romano Locatelli for Topping

I cook this recipe in my multicooker so I can saute the veggies and slow cook the sauce in the same pot.

Place the olive oil in multicooker or saute pan over medium heat.  Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook until tender about 5-7 minutes.  Add meatballs and saute until just starting to brown. 

Place squash in a slow cooker (or add to multicooker and set cooker to slow cook) and set to low.  Add the veggie and meatball mixture to slow cooker, get all the good juices! Pour in chicken stock, crushed tomatoes and garlic and stir. Let cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.

About 30 minutes before eating raise slow cooker to high and add the paste and filini.  After 15 minutes, stir and let cook for another 10-15 minutes.  When pasta is cooked, serve with generous topping of cheese and enjoy!  Truly yummy with a slice of garlic bread!