Creamy Penne Pasta and Chicken

It takes longer to cook the penne than to make the sauce! The roasted chicken can be bought pre-made from the grocery store deli. Delicious! Packed with protein and carbs, and you can add any of your favorite veggies as well.

HERE’S ALL YOU NEED TO DO

2 1/2 cups penne pasta, cooked as directed
4 tablespoons butter
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/3 cup onion, sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons flour
1 (15 oz.) can chicken broth
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 roasted chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces (can be bought pre-made)
red pepper flakes, optional
grape tomatoes, sliced, optional

While the penne is cooking, melt butter in a medium sauce pan. Cook garlic and onions with 1/4 teaspoon salt, over medium heat, until onions have softened. Add flour and cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Stir in broth, stirring frequently until sauce comes to simmer. Remove from heat.
Simply stir in the sour cream until it has melted. Be sure the pasta is well drained, then move to a large serving bowl. Top pasta with chicken pieces. Pour sauce over hot pasta, tossing well to get all that creamy sauce inside the pasta. Allow to stand a few minutes before serving, so sauce can thicken. Garnish individual plates with grape tomatoes and red pepper flakes.

This recipe is so good I can’t wait to make it again.

Source: SimpleDailyRecipes.com

Peanut Butter and Banana Breakfast

A simple, easy breakfast to eat on-the-go and keep you energized all morning.

HERE IT IS

2 slices whole wheat toast
2 tablespoons peanut butter
8 banana slices per sandwich
a glass of orange juice

We have had to hurry out the door every day this week. Making these breakfast sandwiches made it easy to eat on the go and kept us satisfied until lunch time.

Source: SimpleDailyRecipes.com

Carrot, Spinach and Rice Soup

This is an easy, super quick soup that’s healthy, nutritious, kid friendly and easy on the budget.

HERE’S ALL YOU NEED TO DO

2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
1 medium carrot, chopped the same size as the onion
1/4 cup parboiled white or brown rice (like Uncle Ben's or Minute Rice)
2/3 cup chicken broth
1 cup frozen spinach, thawed & squeezed dry
1 cup chicken broth
salt & pepper
Optional: 2-3 tablespoons light sour cream

In a medium sauce pan on medium heat, cook onions and carrots in butter with a pinch of salt, until tender. Add rice and cook until rice is a light golden color, then add 2/3 cup broth. When broth comes to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until tender, 15-20 minutes.

Add spinach, 1 cup broth, season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook until spinach is hot. You’re ready to eat a light, flavorful soup.
If you like, add 2-3 tablespoons of light sour cream for a creamier texture, more calcium, protein and calories.

Source: SimpleDailyRecipes.com

Creamy Spinach and Ravioli

When I prep all my ingredients before cooking (give or take 15 minutes), this meal is cooked in 10 minutes. That’s including the heat-n-eat garlic bread on the side.

THIS IS ALL IT TAKES

1 (10 oz.) bag of frozen spinach, thawed
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons oil
salt & pepper
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 vegetable broth cube
2 cups water
1/2 cup lite sour cream
1 family size package of fresh, ready to cook, four cheese ravioli
1 loaf of frozen heat and eat garlic bread
shredded Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven according to directions on garlic bread package.

Prep the garlic bread loaf on the cookie sheet. Prep spinach and onions, measure out the butter, flour, water and sour cream. Mince up the broth cube so it will dissolve better. Fill a large pot with hot water for cooking the pasta and set on high heat. Use a medium sauce pan for making the cream sauce and a small fry pan to saute the onions and spinach.

Start by adding 3 tablespoons of oil to the fry pan and heating it over medium to medium high heat. Add all BUT a 1/4 cup of onions and cook until softened. Add spinach, stir together and cook until heated through. Cover with a lid and remove from heat.

Next comes the cream sauce. Is the pasta water boiling yet? Yes? Good. Add the ravioli to the boiling water and pop the garlic loaf in the oven and set timer for 9 minutes. Lower the heat to medium on the pasta, and give the raviolis a gentle stir occasionally to keep them from sticking together.

Fully melt the butter in the saucepan over medium heat. Add the 1/ 4 cup sliced onions and cook until softened. Add the flour. Stirring continuously, cook the flour up to two minutes. Stir in the minced broth cube and 2 cups of water, until sauce is smooth and thickens a bit, 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat, gently whisk in sour cream until fully melted. Remove saucepan completely from electric burner.

If everyone in your family loves spinach then add it to the cream sauce now. Otherwise, when the ravioli is cooked and drained, pour the cream sauce over the pasta and allow to set. The sauce will thicken up and stick to the pasta…yummm. Top with shredded Parmesan cheese.

Oh and don’t forget about the garlic bread in the oven!

Source: SimpleDailyRecipes.com

Black Bean Snack Bites

Black bean nachos are served regularly round my house. Well, the other day, I didn’t have my normal flat, restaurant style chips and I had to use scoops. The kids loved the variety (they thought I’d made something new).

I kept them simple, but topped mine with chopped chicken, sliced onion and a dot of habanero sauce.

HERE’S ALL IT TAKES

Tostito Scoops (or other corn chips)
1 (15oz) can of black beans, drained
cheddar and jack cheese, shredded
thinly sliced onion (optional)
chopped cooked chicken (optional, can be bought pre-made)
habanero sauce (optional)
Preheat oven to 350F degrees.


Fill each scoop chip with any combination of the ingredients above.
Bake for 7 minutes. Serve hot!

Source: SimpleDailyRecipes.com

Easy Taco Salad

Taco Salad takes very little time to throw together and it only takes a little of this, a little of that.


HERE’S ALL YOU NEED

cooked ground beef seasoned with chili powder & cumin
green leafy lettuce
can of kidney beans, drained
shredded monterey jack & cheddar cheese
medium tomato, roughly chopped
purple onion, thinly sliced
tortillas chips
salt & pepper
Catalina dressing or Thousand Island

Start by seasoning cooked ground beef with chili powder and cumin. Set aside and allow to cool. Lay down the lettuce as the foundation, start with ground beef, then work your way down the list. You add as much of each ingredient as you wish to eat. I prefer Catalina dressing, but my husband prefers Thousand Island. To each their own.

Source: SimpleDailyRecipes.com

Simple Chickpea Salad

This chickpea salad is super fast to throw together and tastes AWESOME! It’s very filling and makes a perfect light meal. To make it even easier, you can use canned chickpeas (or whatever beans you have on hand) and a bottled salad dressing. Easy!

Meanwhile, HERE’S ALL IT TAKES

2 (14 oz) cans chickpeas, or 2 cups cooked chickpeas
6 green onions, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, cut into cubes
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon capers, drained
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley or cilantro
4 hard boiled eggs, cut into quarters

For the dressing (or use bottled oil and vinegar dressing):
5 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper

If using canned chickpeas, be sure to drain off the liquid. Place them in a serving bowl. Mix in the other ingredients, EXCEPT THE EGGS. Mix the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Toss the salad with the mixed herbs. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well. Taste for seasoning. Allow to stand for at least one hour. Just before serving decorate the salad with the egg wedges.

I didn’t think the one tablespoon of capers made that much of a difference. I did enjoy the flavor when I came across them in a bite, but one tablespoon was really not enough to cover the amount of salad here. If you don’t have capers, don’t sweat it. Just keep going.

I do wonder how a roughly chopped ripe avocado would taste in the mix. Hmmm.

Source: SimpleDailyRecipes.com