Four Pasta Beef Bake

4 cups uncooked pasta (4 different shapes)
1 lb ground beef or ground turkey
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 c. sliced fresh mushrooms (I don't use these)
2 jars meatless spaghetti sauce (26 oz each)
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cups (16 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the beef, green peppers, onions and mushrooms over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.

Drain pasta and place in a large bowl; stir in the beef mixture, the spaghetti sauce and eggs. Transfer to a 9x13 pan. Top with cheese and any remaining sauce. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until heated through.

NOTE: This recipe freezes well, so you could double the recipe for a freezer meal.

Mexican Manicotti

This recipe is really good! I love how it cooks in the microwave.

1/2 lb lean ground beef or turkey...browned and drained
1 16 oz. can regular or spicy refried beans
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. cumin
8 manicotti shells, not cooked
1 1/4 c. water
1 8 oz jar picante or taco sauce (I use salsa sometimes)
1 8 oz carton sour cream
1/4 c. chopped green onions
1/4 c. sliced olives
1/2 c. grated Monterrey Jack Cheese (mozzarella works good too)

Combine beef, beans, oregano, and cumin. Mix well. Fill uncooked shells with meat mixture. Arrange in 10x6x2 baking dish. Combine water and picante sauce, spoon over shells. Microwave on high 10 minutes, turning dish half-turn once. Using tongs, turn shells over. Microwave covered, on medium for 17-19 minutes or until pasta is tender, giving dish a half-turn once. Combine sour cream, green onions, and olives. Spoon down center of casserole. Top with cheese. Microwave uncovered on high 2-3 minutes or until cheese melts. Makes 4-6 servings.

Chicken Caesar Pasta

This is one of my new keeper recipes! I found it from a blogger friend. We didn't have the red pepper or croutons, but it still turned out fabulous. This amount made an 8x8 dish. Also, I pre-cooked the chicken.

1-2 chicken breasts, sauteed
8 oz pasta, cooked (I used rotini)

Stir into the following and put in casserole dish:
1/2 c. Caesar dressing
1/2 red pepper, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1/3 c. chicken broth
1 cup grated mozzarella

Top with Caesar-style croutons and 1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until warmed through. Croutons brown quickly, so you might want to cover with foil or put croutons at bottom of casserole dish.

Deceptively Delicious: Macaroni and Cheese

This is REALLY GOOD mac and cheese! I used pureed cauliflower. Next time I might increase it to 1 cup, as I couldn't even tell. I doubled the recipe, and the kids gobbled it up! Serve it with whole grain noodles for more nutrition.

1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
Nonstick cooking spray
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup nonfat skim milk
1/2 cup butternut or cauliflower puree
1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces)
4 ounces (almost 1/4 cup) reduced-fat or nonfat cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the macaroni and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain in a colander.While the macaroni is cooking, coat a large saucepan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the oil, then the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture resembles a thick paste but has not browned, 1 to 2 minutes.Add the milk and cook, stirring every now and then, until the mixture begins to thicken, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the vegetable puree, Cheddar, cream cheese and seasonings and stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the macaroni and serve warm. Serves 4.

Breakfast (or anytime) Smoothies

Here are a few of the smoothie recipes I make. These are only approximate portions, however, because I use what I have on hand or change my mind all the time. I never measure anything. It also depends on how much I want to make as to the portion sizes. They always turn out different, but good!

Orange Julius
1/2 c. orange juice concentrate
1 c. milk
1 or 2 bananas
3-4 raw baby carrots
handful of fresh pineapple
handful frozen peaches
half apple cut into chunks
1 c. vanilla yogurt
honey to sweeten (optional)

Blend until smooth! I use frozen fruit so I don't add any ice. If you use canned or all fresh you will want to add ice. Can also add pears or any other yellow or orange fruit or veggie.

Purple Passion
1/2 c. vanilla yogurt
1 c. milk
handful of frozen blueberries & raspberries & strawberries
small handful raw baby spinach
3-4 baby carrots
1 banana
honey to sweeten

Blend until smooth! Like I said above, if you don't use frozen fruit add ice.

Peanut Butter Blast
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 banana
chocolate syrup
small handful of graham crackers
ice

Blend until smooth.

Here is a link to some more really yummy smoothie recipes. Happy drinking!

Fabulous Fettucine

1/2 lb. sliced bacon, diced (Iuse precooked bacon)
3 Tbls. olive oil
2 onions, chopped
3 lbs. fresh tomatoes (peeled,seeded, and chopped) or 2 cans diced tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbls. fresh tarragon or 2 tsp. dried tarragon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
1 lb. fettuccine
shredded parmesan cheese

In skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Remove to paper towls. Drain, reserving 1 Tbls. drippings. Add oil and onions to drippings; saute until tender. Add tomatoes and garlic; simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes. Stir in tarragon, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, prepare fettucine according to package directions. Stir in bacon to tomato mixture. Drain fettucine; top with tomato mixture. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Chicken Poppyseed Casserole

So easy--and even Nic likes it!

3 c. cooked rice
2 lbs chicken, cooked and diced (I have used canned chicken as well)
2 c. sour cream
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 roll Ritz crackers, crushed
2 Tbls. poppy seeds
1 stick real butter

Spread cooked rice on bottom of 9X13 baking dish. Layer cut-up chicken on top of rice. Mix together sour cream and soup. Pour over chicken. Spread crackers over cream mixture. Sprinkle with poppy seeds. Melt butter and pour over entire mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cracker topping is lightly browned.