Simple/All purpose Butternut Squash Sauce

pic borrowed from Here

pic borrowed from HERE

1 Large butternut squash, or 1 1/2 pounds cubed squash

1/4 Cup Milk (or more if you want it creamier)

Coarse Salt and Pepper to Taste

1 Tbl Honey

1/4 C Chopped Fresh Basil

If you want a more "cheezier" tasting sauce and less sweet. Omit the honey, add about 1/4 c of Brewers yeast (or nutritional yeast), and 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder. 

Steam the squash till soft, puree with the rest of ingredients.

THAT'S IT!! You'll love it!

I eat as pizza sauce (with feta, cranberries, sauteed spinach or baby kale, toasted walnuts, onions), over baked potatoes (sweet potatoes are amazing with it!), green beans, chicken if you like, and pasta!!

Really it can be used anywhere!! Let your imagination have fun!

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Supper Super Fast

Say that three times fast. :)

This is PERFECT for the night you need dinner in less than 20 minutes.

Thats as long as this takes! I just altered THIS original recipe.

Picture (realsimple.com)

Green Veggie Fettuccine

12 oz. Whole Wheat Pasta (your choice)

1 Package of Frozen Lima Beans (about 1 1/2 c)

1 C Chopped Mushrooms

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

1 C Frozen Peas

2 Leeks:

(they look sort of like celery, taste like an onion) - just use the white and light green parts only.

Kosher salt and Black Pepper

3/4 C Low Fat Evaporated Milk

1 Tbl Whole Wheat Flour

2 Tbl chopped Fresh Tarragon (I used 1 tbl of dried)

1/4 C Parmesan

-Cook Pasta. Last 3 minutes of pasta cooking time, throw in Peas and Lima Beans.

- Add 2 tsp of Olive Oil to pan. Let it heat up a bit. Cute Leeks into half moons, and RINSE WELL! Add Leeks. Cook until softened slightly. (4-5 minutes). Add mushrooms and garlic. (You can add a little water if pan is too dry) Cook until leeks and mushrooms are pretty soft. (about 3 minutes more)

-Sprinkle with Flour and mix for about 20 seconds. Add Evaporated Milk and turn heat to med. Let it heat up and thicken. (the time depends) When the sauce has thickened to desired consistency add the strained pasta and veggies. (if the sauce seems to thick, and a little milk)

-Stir in Tarragon and Parmesan, S and P and serve! ENJOY!

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Black Bean Cilantro Pasta

I have a ton of veggies in the fridge that need to be eaten.

I always turn to a pasta dish when this happens.

Its the easiest way to use them up!

I used one of my FAVORITE pasta sauces.

I actually can't believe I haven't posted it yet!

You can also make THIS pasta as well, but I was in the mood for something different.

Dressing:

1 1/2 C Fresh Cilantro

1/3 C Shredded Parmesan

1/3 C pine Nuts (these are pricey, I use sunflower seeds)

1/4 Olive Oil

1/4 C Cottage Cheese

1 Tbl Lemon Juice

1/8 Tbl Cayenne Pepper

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

Put all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth.

(You may need to add some milk to thin it out just a touch.)

For the Pasta, I cut up some veggies (I just used squash, zuchinni, and tomato) Put on baking sheet, spritz with Olive Oil and a little salt and maybe a touch of Garlic Powder and put in 400 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes.

Cook Pasta while you do this.

When done, combine pasta, the sauce, the veggies, 1 Tbl Chili Powder (optional), 1 can Black Beans. Cook over low heat until all heated through.

You can easily add some shredded,canned, or diced chicken as well!

ENJOY!! My Hubby L-O-V-E-D this!

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Green Mac and Cheese??

Today the kids wanted a special lunch,

considering it was my son's birthday I wanted to make it fun!

He requested Mac and Cheese. I thought - YUCK! But I had a fun idea for a twist.

I took about 6 baby carrots, cooked them in the microwave and then pureed them with 1 cup of spinach. I added about 1/4-1/2 cup of the pasta water to the veggies. Make sure to get it pretty liquified! I swirled it into the mac and cheese and called it "Green Mac and Cheese" Surprisingly they really liked it! I felt a little better having them down this! :)

For more Mac and Cheese ideas, click HERE

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Easy Tomato Sauce

For Pasta, Pizza, Anything you like!

1 Tbl extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (29-oz) can tomato (diced, puree, chopped)
1 (6-oz) can tomato paste
1/2 cup water (or less, depending on desire of consistency)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp basil
1 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet, and add onion. Cook until soft and translucent. Stir in garlic, and cook one minute, stirring frequently so garlic doesn't burn. Add remaining ingredients, and cook over low heat for 30 minutes. You can then blend it for a more liquid sauce (for pizza) but we like it chunky. :)

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Oil Free Pesto

You will not be disappointed, this is surprisingly tasty!

And SOOOO EASY and FAST!

I wish I would have added some more veggies, it felt bare.

My new favorite website provided this recipe

Click HERE to try it!

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Butternut Squash Pasta

As you can probably tell, I am big on one meal dinners. Something that makes a meal in one. Pasta is perfect for that. If you want something else, just add some fruit or a simple salad. So easy! I'm definitely not one for lots of side dishes.

Anyway, this one was so yummy! I thought for sure the three year old would not touch the squash, but he downed the whole thing.

Butternut Squash is a gem! I love the stuff! Its an amazing heart healthy vegetable. Visit HERE for more info. It's probably more of a fall item, but who's watching? :)

I am going to cut smaller pieces of it next time, and leave the pasta really al-dente. I totally cooked it too long and it cooked more when I added it to the squash/sauce. So undercook it quite a bit!

Ingredients:

1 T Olive Oil

1 Medium Butternut Squash (about 2 lbs.) Peeled, Halved lengthwise, seeded, then cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Click HERE for directions on how to do that.

6 Scallions, sliced thin

2 T of minced fresh Sage (its important to use FRESH sage in this recipe!)

1/2 oz. dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed and minced (I just used regular mushrooms)

1/8 tsp. nutmeg (freshly grated adds a little bit, but I didn't have that!)

Salt and Pepper

3 C low-sodium Chicken Broth

1 Pound Whole Wheat Penne Pasta

1 oz. Parmesan Cheese Grated (about 1/2 c)

4 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice

1/4 C sliced almonds, toasted

NOTE: You could easily add some chopped cooked chicken breast! YUM!

Directions:

1. Heat Oil in a medium-high skillet. Add squash and cook until slightly browned. (about 15 min)

2. Stir in scallions, sage, mushrooms, nutmeg, 1/8 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp pepper and cook until scallions are soft. Add broth, bring to simmer and cook stirring occasionally. Until squash is tender.

3. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to directions. Reserve 1 C of pasta water (I never used mine)

4. Add drained pasta to squash mixture. Add parmesan and lemon juice. Toss to combine. Adjust sauce consistency with reserved water. Season with salt and pepper and top with Almonds. YUM!

Recipe from: America's Test Kitchen, Light and Healthy

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Peanut Butter Pasta

That's right - Peanut Butter! Our family LOVES this dish, my three year old can never get enough! Try this for dinner tonight! (And let me know what you think)

Ingredients:

Coarse Salt

½ lb. Whole Wheat Fusilli noodles (I love Barilla)

2 heads of Brocoli

3 T Canola Oil

½ tsp. red pepper flakes

¼ C rice vinegar (maybe little less)

2 T All Natural Smooth Peanut Butter

3 T low sodium Soy Sauce

1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced crosswise

½ C Roasted Peanuts

Instructions:

1. Cook pasta

2. Trim and chop broccoli to bite size pieces. Using a vegetable peeler, peel outer layers of stalk, thinly slice crosswise.

3. Heat 1 Tbl of oil in LARGE skillet. Add pepper flakes, broccoli and ¾ C water, cover and cook until it is tender. 6-8 minutes. Uncover and cook until liquid is evaporated, 2-4 min.

4. In bowl whisk 1-2 Tbl. of oil, vinegar, Peanut Butter, and soy sauce. Add pasta, broccoli, sauce, scallions, and peanuts - toss to combine. Serve immediately.

 -NOTE: You may want to add peanuts individually. They may get soggy in the leftovers.

Note: You can add canned chicken or diced cooked chicken breast for some more protein. Serve this warm or cold - which makes it a great lunchbox idea!

Variation: Have you tried Soba Noodles? They are double the protien of rice and full of fiber. (read more HERE) This would be a great dish to try them on! Just use instead of pasta. Get them in the asian or health section of your grocery store! YUM!

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Easy No-Creamy Pasta

I love this dish! This is my go to quick meal of the week. A healthy and low fat version of cream pasta. No cream here!! Its great if I need to use a bunch of unused veggies in my fridge or for the extra speedy version, I use a bag of frozen veggies.

1 1/2 C Whole grain Rotini Pasta

1 Tbs. Olive oil

Mixed veggies (fresh or frozen)

3/4 C Low Fat Evaporated Milk

1/2 C low sodium Chicken Broth

2 Tbs. All Purpose Flour

1/3 C Finely Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Cook Pasta according to directions. Cook Veggies. You can stir fry them in the oil, steam them, or microwave. Whisk Milk, Broth, and Flour in separate bowl. Add to skillet with veggies and cook on medium until thick and bubbly. Mix in pasta and cheese. YUM!

My Score: 4 1/2 stars

Hubby: 4 1/2 stars

3 Year old: LOVES IT!

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