Easy Vinagrette (or Italian) Pasta Salad

Spiral Pasta, cooked, drained and rinsed with cold water.
Add sliced black olives
Add Grape Tomatoes cut in half
Add a bottle of a Vinagrette dressing (I like Rasberry)

It’s sweet and delicious :) 

You can use italian dressing for a different flavor.

Easy Pasta Tuna Salad

Medium Shell Pasta, cooked, drained and rinsed with cold water
Add a can of drained Tuna in water
Add Miracle Whip until it seems like you have enough - then add a bit more.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
You can add onions if you like.

You can do the same thing with shredded chicken or turkey.
If you prefer Mayo you can use that but be prepared to need more seasoning.

What’s your favorite Pasta Salad recipe?  Share it in the comments!

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My ‘Spicy Tomato’ Dip Recipe Idea:

Cold Layered Spicy Tomato Tortilla Chip Dip

Step #1:
1 Cup Real Mayo
1 Cup Sour Cream
1 Packet of The Goosie Moosie Spicy Tomato Dip

Prepare The Goosie Moosie Spicy Tomato Dip as Instructed on Package and chill two hours in the fridge.

Step #2:
1 Can of Refried Beans
1 Large Tomato (Diced)
Small Can of Sliced Black Olives (Drained)
Chopped Green Onions (To Taste)
2 Cups of Shredded Lettuce
1 Cup of Shredded Cheese

Choose a large platter (I like using a long oval dish) and cover it with about a half inch of the refried beans. 

Now spread the prepared and chilled Spicy Tomato Dip.

Cover the middle of the plate with the diced tomatoes, then place a ring of black olives around that, then a slim ring of green onions, then fill out the plate with shredded lettuce.  Now springle the shredded cheese over the whole plate.

The plate will look so colorful and yummy you won’t want to wait to dig in!

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Christina Lemmey gets great advice for adding more raw food to her ten year old’s diet - but we’d love to hear your tips too!  What tricks do you use to introduce more fresh veggies and fruit to your kids?

Recommended Articles on Family Food Network:

• 8 Fun Ideas To Get Your Kids To Eat Their Veggies - by Susanne Myers
• Sneaky Nutrition Tactics for Moms - by Laurie Ayers

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• Kelly McCausey, Mom’s Radio Network
• Tishia Lee, Tishia Saves Time
• Aurelia Williams, Real Life Coaching & Parenting My Teen Podcast

In this first episode, we talk about how in this generation there are a lot of young moms who haven’t been taught how to cook and who feel inadequate in preparing fresh, nutritious means for their families.

Tishia says she just never learned how to cook.  Aurelia says she learned how to peel potatoes when she was just seven years old.  Listen in as Aurelia shares a simple recipe for preparing a whole chicken in the crock pot and hear about how this recipe has helped Tishia gain confidence in the kitchen.

The Recipe: Sticky Chicken

3 tsp salt
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 large roasting chicken
1 cup chopped onion

In a small bowl, thoroughly combine all the spices.
Remove giblets from chicken, clean the cavity well and
pat dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mixture into
the chicken, both inside and out, making sure it is
evenly distributed and down deep into the skin. Place
the chicken in a resealable plastic bag, seal and
refrigerate overnight.

When ready to cook chicken put onion in the cavity and
put it in the crockpot and do not add any liquid. As
the cooking process goes on it will produce it’s own
juices. Cook on low 8 to 10 hours and  it will be
falling off the bone tender.

Aurelia’s personal notes: 

I dont follow the recipe to a *T*.  Where it says 3tsp Salt, I use 4tsp of Seasoned Meat Tenderizer. Where is says 1/2 tsp of Pepper - I use 1 1/2 tsp Black pepper (we love PEPPER).

Thing is…no matter what you add to this as long as you keep the proportions somewhat the same as below…you will be FINE ~ So mix it up as you normally would season your chicken.

After it was done, I went to pull the entire chicken out of the crock pot and Do you know that the BOTTOM FELL OFF OF THE CHICKEN!?… now that’s what I call tender:.

Enjoy the show!

 

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But beyond saving time and money there are some other great reasons for family meal planning.  By planning your meals and doing your shopping ahead of time, it’s easier to make sure your family eats healthy and balanced meals. 

It’s too easy to reach for the phone and order a pizza when everyone’s just gotten home from soccer practice and your fridge is empty. 

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Make it Routine – Try to serve at least one veggie with each meal your child has.  You can alternate between salads and cooked or cut veggies but always serve at least one with each meal.  Your child may not eat them at first but if they see that veggies are a standard part of meal times they may just start trying them.

Set a Good Example – This one goes without saying.  Just like making veggies a routine part of meals it will also help kids to see mom and dad eating their greens.  Show your kids how nice veggies can be by filling your plate up.

Get Creative – Okay this is a little sneaky but definitely works.  Most kids love spaghetti so place some veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower, peppers into a food processor and whiz until liquid.  Add the mixture to your spaghetti sauce for a nutritious meal.  But make sure you don’t go overboard and add too many veggies as this will change the taste of the sauce.  The trick is to start out slow and gradually increase the amount of veggies as your kid’s taste palette changes. 

Veggie Muffins – Add a little grated carrot or zucchini to your standard muffin recipe.  Banana carrot muffins are delicious and so are zucchini chocolate chip muffins.  You can also bake pumpkin muffins or cake.  This is a great way to give your kids a yummy treat and still ensure they’re getting a good serving of veggies.

The One Bite Rule – We have a rule in our house.  Even if the kids don’t like the look of the veggies they must at least try one bite.  If they actually don’t like it then they don’t have to eat it.  This avoids a lot of meal time tantrums and a lot of the times the kids will actually like the food once they taste it.  Try it you may be pleasantly surprised at how many different foods you kids will actually eat.

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Uses for Cream Cheese

Cream cheese is a type of fresh, un-aged cheese that comes from the milk of a cow. This particular cheese was created in the United States in the late 1800’s and is widely popular today, adding texture, delicious taste and richness to all kinds of recipes. There are all kinds of ways to use this delicious cheese; following are some of the most well known.

Bread Spread
Without a doubt, cream cheese is known for being one of the greatest spreads to put on a bagel, toast, roll, crackers ,and more. Cream cheese is the perfect texture and is often nice and thick, making any bread extremely delicious.

Cheesecake
If you love cheesecake, it is probably due to the main ingredient; cream cheese. Cream cheese is known for being very thick and rich and adds a wonderful taste to this favorite cake.

Cream Cheese Dips
If you are looking to create a crowd pleasing holiday appetizer or party dip, don’t forget the cream cheese. Cream cheese is very appealing and goes very well with crackers, vegetables, and just about anything else you can think of. It can be added with other ingredients to make a quick fruit dip. Cream cheese also makes a wonderful topping for veggie pizzas.

Cheeseballs
A staple for many get togethers when are parents were young, the cheeseball is actually time less. It is a great choice for any occasion. And it is so simple to make. Simply take softened cream cheese and add in a cheese of your choice such as cheddar or American, form into a log, then roll in finely crushed cracker crumbs. Chill for a few hours and serve with chips or veggies.

Cream Cheese Icing
Cream Cheese is a great idea for frosting, instead of going with sweet, choose the luxurious flavor and feel of cream cheese.

Pastries
Cream cheese is a preferred filling in several pastries such as strudels and is used in a variety of pastry crusts.

Hot Cheese Melts
Cream cheese is also a wonderful addition to crab melts and other hot cheese mixtures. You can add it to many tasty ingredients such as salsa, cheese, chili, etc.

If you like the flavor of cream cheese, but strive to lower your fat calories, you should know that there are many decreased fat cream cheeses available and even a some non- fat cream cheese at your grocery store. Additionally, if you enjoy the taste of cream cheese, you may want to try the French version of cream cheese- Neufchatel. This cheese is very similar to cream cheese, except that it has ripened and is usually not as thick due to no emulsifiers added.

Get The Most Awesome Cream Cheese Fruit Dip Recipe

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Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350F.  Lightly grease a medium loaf pan and set aside. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and sift into a large bowl.  In a separate bowl add the peanut butter, margarine and sugar and mix together.  Add the eggs and mix.  Add this mixture to the sifted dry ingredients and mix together but do not over beat.  Gently fold in the mashed banana and transfer to baking pan.  Bake at 350F for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour or until baked through.

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