White Chili

This is a good, easy soup.  Except for cooking the chicken, it's all just adding cans and spices.
I got this recipe from Taste of Home but I modified it.  You can modify it however you like.  It is good the first day, but this is one that is much better the second day (once the spices have time to sit), so sometimes I like to make it the evening before and serve it the next night for dinner.  It freezes well, too, so we normally eat half and freeze the other half for a night when I need a quick dinner.

Sauté in 2 Tbs. oil:
4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 large onion
3 tsp garlic powder

Add and bring to a boil:
4 cans Great Northern beans
2 cans chicken broth (I just use bouillon to make my own)
1 can diced green chiles
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Add and then simmer for 30 min:
1 cup sour cream
2 cups milk
(Sometimes I do 2 cups sour cream and 1 cup of milk if I want it to be creamier.  You can do heavy whipping cream instead of milk, but this is way less fat and still good.)

Enjoy!

Lasagna

1 lb. hamburger                                                    1 clove garlic, minced

1 TBS basil                                                          1 TBS parsley

1/2 tsp salt                                                            1 (16 oz) can whole tomatoes

2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste                                    8 -10 lasagna noodles

                                                                             1 lb. Mozzarella cheese

Brown meat, drain fat.

Add remaining ingredients in first column and cook until thickened.

Meanwhile, boil noodles until softer.

Combine the following:

3 cups cottage cheese (24 oz. container)

1 tsp. salt

2 TBS. parsley

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

In 9 X 13 pan, layer noodles, cottage cheese mixture, mozz. cheese, and tomato sauce.  Repeat once or twice.  Top layer should be tomato sauce if you don't want crusty cheese. (But if you do, then make the cheese the top layer.)

Bake at 375 degrees for 30-45 min.  Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

(May also be baked in a 12 inch dutch oven lined with foil.)

Laundry Soap

Does 100 loads.

1/3 bar Fels Naptha soap, grated (found in the laundry detergent aisle of store)
1 cup Borax (find in same place)
1 cup Washing Soda (not baking soda)

1 gallon/6 qt. pot
cheese grater
funnel
large wooden/metal spoon
a 5 gallon bucket
3  one gallon containers to put soap in (Jugs that juice come in work well.)

Measure 1 gallon of water and pour into the pot. Turn on to medium heat. Put 2 gallons of water into the 5 gallon bucket.  Grate the Fels Naptha and add to pot of water.  Stir until dissolved.  Add Borax and Washing Soda.  Stir until that dissolves and mixture thickens a little.  Remove from heat and pour into the 5 gallon bucket (that already has water in it.)  Stir.  Using funnel, pour into the 3 one gallon containers.  Shake before using because it separates.  It has a milky/cloudy color.. Use 1/2 cup per load.  (Front loading machines use 1/4 cup.)

INGREDIENTS REQUIRED TO MAKE 10 BATCHES:
2 boxes of washing soda (3 lbs. 7 oz. each)
1 box Borax (4 lb. 12 oz)
4 bars Fels Naptha

If you want modifications for greasy work clothes, or grass-stained clothes, let me know.

Granola!

Okay everyone.  I decided that since cereal is super expensive, not filling, and not that good for you anyway, I would try my hand at granola.  I had my doubts as I was making this recipe--especially when I smelled all the ginger after I put it in, but after baking it, letting it cool, and then eating it with milk this morning, it was perfect.
Paul hates coconut, so I took that out and got some raw nuts (almonds) and chopped those up in a blender and threw those in instead.  I also didn't worry about the flaxseed or the salt being kosher.  It was so good and pretty filling.  See what you think!  -Lou

Here it is:

Basic Granola 
(I got it from http://www.everyday-reading.com/2013/02/my-daily-breakfast-granola.html and they apparently had gotten it from somewhere else, too)
(slightly adapted from Perry's Plate)

3 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 T ground flaxseed
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Heaping 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1/3 cup honey
3 tablespoons oil (I like coconut best)
1/2 tsp vanilla 


Preheat oven to 300 degrees. 

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

In a small saucepan, heat honey and oil until well-combined. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.

Pour the liquid over the dry ingredients and stir until the dry ingredients are evenly coated.

Spread the granola evenly onto a cookie sheet and bake for 40 minutes, stirring every ten minutes (be especially careful to get the edges since that's where it's most likely to burn). 

Let cool and store in an airtight container. 

ASIAN PEPPER PORK

Asian Pepper Pork
serves 6-8

1/2 cup soy sauce (reg. or lite)
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 TBS vinegar
1 tsp. sesame (or whatever) oil
3-4 garlic cloves, sliced thin (or 3-4 tsp. of minced garlic)
1 TBS ginger
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (optional, I didn't use it)
2-3 pounds pork, trimmed and cut into half-fist sized pieces (could be chops, or a roast)
1 pkg. whole wheat linguini
2-3 green, orange, red, or yellow bell peppers, sliced into thin strips
10-12 oz. of snow peas (they come in bags by the salads)

Combine first 7 ingredients and set aside.  Place pork in crock pot and pour soy sauce mixture over meat to coat.  Cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high 4-5 hours until it easily pulls apart with a fork.
Just before serving, boil pasta in large pot, adding peppers and peas to boiling water during the last two minutes of cooking.  Don't overcook the veggies.
Drain noodles & vegetables.  Set aside (keep warm.)
Remove meat from crockpot.  Shred.  Strain cooking liquid and pour into skillet.  Bring to a full boil (thicken with corn starch or flour.)  Cook until slightly thickened.  Add shredded meat.
Serve meat over pasta and veggies.  Garnish with sesame seeds of chopped peanuts, if desired.

This was a big hit at our house.

Homemade Granola Bars

These are actually good.  They taste a lot like the Quaker ones.  Just don't leave your honey mixture on the stove too long like I did.  Ooops....

They freeze well and thaw well too and are good in lunches.  

And supposedly healthier and cheaper.  Probably depends on if you have a cheap source of honey.

Chewy No-Bake Granola Bars

Makes 24 bars (9″x13″ pan)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 ½ cups Rice Krispies (if you want to make these healthier, you can use plain puffed rice cereal)
• 1 ¾ cups quick oats (regular rolled oats work too)
• ¼ cup wheat germ (or ground flax seed, wheat bran, or additional oats)
• ½ cup additional mix-in ingredients, optional (i.e. shredded coconut, chopped nuts, raisins or other dried fruit, sesame or sunflower seeds, etc.)
• ½ cup honey
• ½ cup brown sugar (or sucanat)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

• Combine first 4 dry ingredients in a bowl.
• In a saucepan, mix the honey, brown sugar and salt. Over medium-low heat, stir until the mixture comes to a complete boil for 30-60 seconds.
• Remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until smooth.
• Pour over the dry ingredients and mix well.
• Let cool for 5-10 minutes before mixing in the chocolate chips.
• Press into a greased 9×13 pan and let cool before cutting into bars.

These freeze well!!

Brigette Shevy from moneysaving mom.com

Chicken Carbonara (Under 500 Calories)

Chicken Carbonara--from ksl.com

WW Spaghetti

Ingredients:

8 oz. whole wheat Spaghetti
½ gallon water
½ tsp. olive oil

Lite Alfredo

Ingredients:

1 oz. yellow onion, diced
1 tsp. garlic, chopped
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 1/3 cup 1% low-fat milk
½ cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground white pepper
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

Carbonara

Ingredients:

5 slice cooked bacon, diced
¾ tsp. garlic, chopped
¼ cup fresh basil
½ cup green peas, frozen
20 oz. pre-cooked grilled chicken
¼ tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. walnut halves & pieces, toasted
1 Tbsp. parsley, chopped

Directions:

1. Heat water to a rolling boil; add pasta, oil and salt; cook until Al dente. Hold hot.
2. Sauté onion and garlic in the olive oil until light brown.
3. Add milk, chicken broth, flour, salt and pepper over low heat until smooth and thick.
4. Continue to cook over medium low heat, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens; stir in parmesan cheese.
5. Heat the cooked bacon and garlic in a pan until bacon is crisp. Add chopped basil.
6. Add the lite Alfredo, peas and the pasta; toss to coat.
7. Fan chicken to the left side of the pasta.
8. Sprinkle with toasted chopped walnuts, black pepper and chopped parsley.