Honey-Glazed Carrots

1 1/2 cups baby carrots
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Rinse the carrots, then add about 1 inch of water into a pan; bring to a boil. Add the carrots and lower the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes until softened. In a separate pan, add the honey, lemon juice and brown sugar. Mix well and bring to a boil. Drain the carrots and add them to the honey mixture. Toss to evenly coat and serve.

Yah, I know carrots are already sweet, BUT these are sooooo good. The girls ate them, I ate them and B kept eating them out of the pan when was done altogether. BOOM.

Roasted Garlic Parmesan Asparagus

Asparagus
Olive Oil
Minced Garlic
Parmesan Cheese

Pre-heat a pan, then put olive oil in the pan. Add the asparagus & cover for 2 minutes. Then, add the minced garlic & Parmesan cheese. Make sure the garlic is roasted, not burned. Once garlic is roasted and asparagus is dark green, remove from the pan and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

I actually ate this....and it was good! B liked it as well, although I overcooked it a little bit. Next time, maybe a little bacon?

Goat Cheese Nachos

Diced Tomatoes
Goat Cheese
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
Ground turkey, cooked
Mozzarella cheese, sliced
Quinoa Cooked
Tortilla Chips

This is literally a "throw-everything together" type of nachos. Heat the bell peppers, ground turkey (I used leftover meatloaf), diced tomatoes & 1-2 slices of Mozzarella cheese. Then, add in the quinoa (again, leftovers). Before you put all this loveliness on the chips, sprinkle the goat cheese on the chips, then goop everything on. MMMMMM.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

2-3 cups Brussels sprouts
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinaigrette
2-3 tablespoons honey
Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Trim the stems of the Brussels sprouts and cut the large ones in half. Toss in the olive oil and place on a large baking sheet. Roast for about 20 minutes. While baking, combine the vinaigrette and the honey. When the sprouts are done baking, toss them in the vinaigerette-honey mixture. Sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top if preferred.

Not only did the girls love these, so did my best friend! B likes them without the sauce, but manfully ate them anyways.

Spaghetti with Spinach, Lemon and Garlic

1 lb. spaghetti, cooked
6 tablespoons olive oil
8 tablespoons minced garlic
1 lemon, zested
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
Baby Spinach

In a pan, heat up the olive oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for about 12 minutes. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice. Add the spinach to the cooked spaghetti, then add the lemon garlic oil and toss. BOOM.

This is tasty; not too sour, not to garlicky. Perfect. The girls eat it, I EAT IT and we serve it with another veggie, chicken or just salad. YUMMERS.

Feta Spaghetti Squash

2 small spaghetti squash, halved & seeded
1/4 yellow onion, chopped
Butter
Minced Garlic
Feta Cheese, crumbled

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spread some butter & minced garlic on the flesh of the squash, then lay the halves flesh-side down on a baking pan with aluminum foil. Bake for 30-40 minutes. When the squash is almost finished, saute the onions, butter & garlic until onions are soft. Pull the squash out and scrape the flesh into a glass bowl. Mix the squash with the onion mixture, then add the feta cheese (as much as you want).

I normally don't like vegetables, but I love feta. So I guess if you combine the two, it's a meal made in heaven. The girls even ate it, if that means anything at all! Easy to bake and easy to make!

Chinese Chicken Stir Fry

2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Sweet & Sour Sauce
Orange Sauce
Teriyaki Marinade
Yoshida Sauce
Thyme
Salt & Pepper
Rosemary
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
Minced Garlic (you pick the amount)
1/3 cabbage, diced and shredded
5 mini carrots, sliced

Place the two thighs in a pan. Pour equal amounts of sweet & sour sauce on each thigh, then tiny amounts of the orange and teriyaki sauce on each thigh. Sprinkle thyme, salt & pepper over each thigh. Pour yoshida sauce to cover the bottom of the pan; sprinkle rosemary onto the yoshida sauce. Cover and cook on low until chicken is done. Remove the chicken and place the onion and minced garlic in the sauce. Boil for 2 minutes. Place the assorted bell peppers and carrots into the sauce and cook on low for 5 minutes. Chop up the chicken and place into the sauce as well. Then, add the cabbage, mix well and serve over rice.

This is one of the few meals that B actually walked into the kitchen and said, "What smells so good?" He was serious too! He had many servings, as did I. This was not a kid friendly one, but the two big girls ate their food due to the bribery of dessert afterwards.

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

2 cans diced tomatoes
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced onions
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon basil
4 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup flour
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups half and half, warmed up
Salt&Pepper

In ye olde crockpot, add the tomatoes (undrained), celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, oregano, basil and bay leaf. Cook on low for 7 hours. 30 minutes before serving, melt the butter in a pot & stir in the flour. Whisk constantly for 5-7 minutes. Add 1 cup of soup and mix. Add another 3 cups and stir. Put the soup mixture back into the crockpot and stir in the Parmesan cheese, salt&pepper and the warmed half and half. Add additional basil and oregano, if you want to. Cook on low for 30 minutes and then enjoy!

I love soups and this one was one of the best so far. Creamy, cheesy and tomato-y. Perfect with grilled mozzarella sandwiches and/or French bread.

Zucchini & Black Bean Skillet

1 tablespoon oil
1 zucchini, sliced and chopped
1 squash, sliced and chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup rice cooked
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Warm up the oil in a skillet, then add zucchini, squash, bell pepper and onion; cook for about 5 minutes. Add the beans and tomatoes, increase heat and bring to a boil. Add the rice and then remove from the heat for about 7 minutes. Stir in the cheese and SERVE!

This has been an amazingly quick meal to make and an amazingly yummy meal to eat! Full of veggies and delicious! I also made this with orzo rather than rice and it was just as good. I wonder how it would be with quinoa???

Tomato, Basil, Cheddar Soup

2 cans diced tomatoes (28 oz.)
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup basil, chopped
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt & Pepper

In a pot, heat up the olive oil and add the onion. Cook for about 4 minutes, then add in the garlic. Cook for about 2 more minutes. Pour in the tomatoes (juice and all) and the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil. Add the basil, oregano, sugar and salt&pepper; simmer for 10 minutes. Add in the yogurt and cheese; mix well. Take your hand blender and blend up most of the tomatoes and onions. Serve with sour cream, French bread and extra grated cheese.

This was super yummy (and I love tomato soup, by the way). Very creamy, with a hint of tart. The girls actually ate this, which I really didn't think they would. Our only complaint was that it was very acidic. But seriously......good.

Zucchini Fettuccine

3 large zucchini, sliced into fine strips
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons tomato sauce
1/3 cup half & half
Feta Cheese
Basil
Salt&Pepper

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and saute the onions until soft. Add the garlic and the zucchini strips (it says to use a mandolin and julienne them, but since we have neither, B sliced them thinly). Saute until zucchini starts to soften. Add the tomato sauce and half & half. Mix well, then add in as much Feta, basil & salt&pepper as you'd like.

I served this twice in one week: once with baked meatballs and once with Italian meatloaf. They were that delicious! The girls don't really like them, but they will LEARN TO LOVE THEM!

Sauteed Vegetables- Italian Style

1 zucchini, washed and sliced
1 yellow squash, washed and sliced
1/2 orange bell pepper, washed and sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, washed and sliced
1/4 cup Italian style bread crumbs
1/4 cup spaghetti sauce
1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
3 tablespoons minced garlic
Water

Heat up the spaghetti sauce and water (just a little bit to water down the sauce) in a pan. Add all of the vegetables and the minced garlic; cook on medium heat until most zucchini and squash are translucent, stirring throughout. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top of the veggies and top with the mozzarella sauce. Heat through until the cheese is melted.

Broccoli Cheese Potato Soup

3 large red potatoes
32 oz. bag of frozen broccoli
2 cans of cheddar cheese soup
2 cans of evaporated milk
Salt & Pepper
Garlic Powder
Minced Onion

Get out ye olde crockpot and toss in both cans of the cheddar cheese soup and evaporated milk. Next, add the broccoli. Season with salt & pepper, garlic powder and a good helping of minced onion. Stir together and cook on low for about 4 hours. With about 30 minutes left for the soup, wash off, cut up and steam the potatoes. I like to steam mine for about 12 minutes or until they are super soft (and even a little crumbly). If you're like me and not a big fan of veggies, take 3/4 of the soup, put it in the blender and blend away. It takes majority of the chunkies out. Add the potatoes to the soup and SERVE!

Add some sour cream and bacon bits and yum, yummmy, yum.

I got this recipe out of our 101 Things to Make with a Slow Cooker book that B got for Christmas (it actually just calls for everything but the garlic powder and the potatoes...I added those for my sake...or my dislike of vegetables). I actually liked it and went back for seconds. I think next time, though, I'll blend everything together before adding the potatoes. I just wasn't a fan of the chunks of broccoli.

Epic Lasagna

Extra Virigin Olive Oil
Large Shallot
2 Zucchinis
2 Yellow Squash
2 Green Bell Peppers
3 Large Cans of Hunts Pasta Sauce
1/2 Basket of Sliced Mushrooms
1 to 1 1/2 Boxes of No-Boil Lasagna Noodles
16 oz. Ricotta Cheese
Chicken
Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
Salt & Pepper
Italian Seasoning

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large pan, add in oil and heat. Slice up shallot and sautee. Add mushrooms and then add bell pepper and let them sautee until onions are translucent and bell peppers start getting limp. Add zucchini and saute until medium done. Then pour in 2 cans of sauce, mix well, heat up. Salt and pepper and Italian seasoning to taste. Spray down pan with Pam. Place one layer of noodles, ladle sauce mixture in a thin layer. Add ricotta and chicken. Add second layer, smoosh and repeat. One layer of noodles. Last layer, add rest of sauce (can add third can at this point). Put shredded mozzarella on top. Spray down a piece of foil with Pam and cover lasagna with it. Put it in the oven for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, take foil off and cook for 15 minutes. Take it out and cool off for 15 minutes.

This recipe is from my dad. He's a great cook and this just goes to show it. It was really yummy and I actually liked the zucchini and squash in it.

Summer Vegetable Ratatouille

4 roma tomatoes, chopped
2 onions, sliced into thin rings
2 zucchinis, cubed
2 medium yellow squash, cubed
2 green bell peppers, seeded and sliced
1 medium eggplant, cubed
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup olive oil
2 heaping tablespoons of minced garlic
Bay Leaf
Thyme
Parsley
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and add the onions and garlic. Cook them until they're soft. Meanwhile, in a skillet, add 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil and start sauteing the zucchini. After they've begun to brown, add the rest of the veggies into the skillet (with a little more oil) and saute them too. After about 10 minutes or so, add all of the skillet into the large pot. Add the bay leaf, sprinkle a good amount of thyme and the salt & pepper and cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes. Add the tomatoes and parsley and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes.

Oh my gosh. For someone who intensely dislikes veggies, this was SO good! I seriously could not believe it. I would make this over and over again. In fact, the only thing we would change is to slice all of the vegetables instead of the dicing and cubing! Yum, yum!