Spinach 'n Sour Cream

I love sour cream. I find reasons to use it. The first recipe that came to my mind when I saw the weekly ingredient was Spinach 'n Sour Cream. A lot of people are grossed out by creamed spinach, but this has a great onion flavor behind it and it's definitely worth a try.

2 (10 oz.) pkgs. frozen, chopped spinach

¾ cup white sauce (see below)

1 heaping cup sour cream

¾ TBSP. onion powder

1 tsp. chicken bouillon

½ tsp. salt

grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

WHITE SAUCE

1 TBSP. butter

2 TBSP. flour

2/4 cup milk

Melt butter; add flour and milk. Stir until thick.

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Spinach in Sour Cream

Cook spinach according to directions and drain well. Blend together white sauce, sour cream, onion powder, bouillon, and salt. Combine with spinach and combine in casserole dish. Cover with cheese. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes.

Homemade Salsa

I LOVE homemade salsa. It's pretty good canned as well, but nothing beats fresh salsa and tortilla chips. Mmm... my mouth is salivating right now. Seriously, this is the best.

So there isn't really an amount to anything here, just make as much as you want. But when I make it, I make alot. So I'll give you what I usually do.

6-7 tomatoes
3/4 green pepper, chopped
1 lime, squeezed
1 chopped jalepeno (remember the seeds inside are what is really hot, so don't just chop the whole thing and put it in unless you like it REALLY hot... I'm telling you this from experience. Although, that batch did last a long time, because we couldn't put very much on each chip!)
1/2 onion, chopped
cilantro - optional
salt
garlic powder

I cut the tomatoes first, and see how much I have, then add a small amount of everything and keep adding what I want until it tastes just right. But those amounts are generally what I end up using. Sorry, this is kind of generic but it gives you the opportunity to make your best salsa, just how you like it!

Sesame & Ginger Chicken

So this has lime, not lemon. But close enough, right?
I just tried this the other day and it was delicious! And super healthy too. And of course easy!

Sesame & Ginger Chicken Lettuce Wraps
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in bite-size pieces
1/4 c Asian-style dressing with sesame and ginger
2 c julienned carrots
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
1 head butterhead lettuce, leaves separated
1/4 c honey-roasted peanuts, chopped
Lime wedges

Sprinkle chicken with salt and peppers. Lightly coat a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray; heat over med-high heat. Add chicken; cook and stir for 3 min or until browned. Add 1 TBSP dressing and the carrots to skillet; cook and stir for 2-3 more min or until carrots are crisp-tender and chicken is no longer pink. Stir in red pepper.
Stack lettuce on plates. Top with chicken-carrot mixture. Sprinkle with chopped nuts. Serve with remaining dressing and lime wedges.
Serves 4
(231 cal, 7 g fat, 436 mg sodium, 3 g fiber)

Roasted Asparagus

I found this on Pioneer Woman and I LOVED it.  Plus it was really easy.

All you do is wash and pat dry however much asparagus you want.  Layer them on a cookie sheet in a single layer, brush with olive oil, and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper (I used sea salt and fresh ground pepper).  Then, the trick is to make sure your oven is really well pre-heated before you put them in there.  So, set your oven at like 450 and wait until it is fully heated.  Then pop the asparagus in there for about 7-10 minutes or until they start browning a little.  It depends on how you like them, I like them a little more cooked, but with some crunch, I think 10 min. in my oven was perfect for me.

Another variation I heard is to add some red bell pepper as well, I haven't tried it but I'm planning to this week!  My 2 year old loved the asparagus and even ate them cold the next day. If you want a better, more colorful recipe, go to the pioneer woman cooks website!

Eat Your Vegetables!

So I've been thinking this over the past few days and I have really liked the ideas that have been posted. So, I thought I should share some things our family does to make sure we get our veggies. A long while ago, I got a handout from the gym titled 55 ways to get 5 a day(fruits and veggies). Unfortunately, I can't say I've really put them all into practice, but some of my favorites that I do regulary are:

1. Keep cut up veggies in water in the front of the fridge. Although it cost a little more to buy precut veggies, it is worth it us - we eat them a lot more, we pack them in our lunches, and it is a lot less work to throw them in whatever I'm cooking.
2. We have lots of frozen veggies on hand too, so I put veggies in everything - even if the recipe doesn't call for it. Or if a recipe calls for carrots, I add carrots and peas, or carrots plus something else.
3. Make veggie lasagna with ricotta cheese and mixed veggies.
4. Veggies can be found in sweet things too - zuchini bread, pumpkin muffins/pancakes, carrot cake, etc. (okay, I've never made carrot cake, but we really like zuchini bread and pumpkin pancakes!)
5. Keep 100% juice boxes in your car for a snack
6. Freeze unsweetened fruit juice into ice cubes or popcicles
7. Make smoothies with yogurt and fruit and a little milk or ice (We do this almost every Sunday, it is yummy and easy, and healthy! And it goes great with buttery, salted popcorn - hahahaha.... it really does....
8. Put veggies out while preparing dinner. (This one I can vouch for - it works. I'm horrible at eating and tasting everything while I'm cooking, so this really works for me to munch on something healthy)
9. In place of Teriyaki or Stir Fry sauce, top the veggies with 100% juice, like orange juice or Dole's Mountain Cherry juice. (I've tried the orange juice, it is really good)
10. Top any kind of cereal with raisins or other dried fruit
11. Make homemade veggie pizza - use a pita spread with spaghetti sauce, lowfat cheese, and all the veggies you can find
12. Put single serving raisin boxes in your cookie jar
13. Be experimental - try a new fruit or veggie each week, or try a new way of preparing a veggie each week. Our latest craze: green beans (cooked of course) tossed with roasted pine nuts and bacon, and then drizzle a little olive oil on it. It really is yummy!

This is only a few ideas, but maybe it will help some of you spark your imagination on helping your family eat their fruits and veggies. It motivates me everytime I read over it. I think the biggest help for us is having frozen veggies on hand. We buy big bags of corn, peas, broccoli, green beans, and stir fry veggies at Costco. Then I can cook with them or even just heat some up for Will when he needs some veggies. He loves the peas frozen!? Weird. But it works. I also like to add our stir fry veggies to rice when we are having any sort of Chinese food. Okay, sorry this is a long post... I'm signing off, but good luck everyone!!