Family Dinner Revival: Making dinner time meaningful

Healthy Hearty chicken noodle soup In Crockpot: Chicken breast (only a few so it's not too full of chicken) Carrot slices Celery slices Mushrooms (if desired) Potatoes (if you want to make it really hearty) Chicken broth Seasonings Serve with frozen/unthawed egg noodles or a gluten free pasta

SO YUMMY!  How can it be baked AND crockpotted? Well... I placed all my chicken breasts in the crockpot with 2 jars of my favorite red spaghetti sauce from Sprouts as well as one jar of a white alfredo type sauce.  Salt to taste and add oregano and thyme or basil.  Set on high and cook for 6-7 hours. Shred chicken when done and stir around in sauce Boil water Add 1lb of the penne pasta....cook til AL DENTE...NOT beyond! Drain the water off the pasta and add olive oil to the pasta with a toss Place the pasta in a baking dish Add as much sauce as you want Cover with mozarella and parmesean cheese. Cover and Bake at 350 until cheese is melted (about 15 minutes) Serve and enjoy!

This version of potato soup can be built upon.  The first "layer" is the healthiest layer that actually stands quite well on it's own (especially for children with young tastebuds who don't need the cream or dairy anyways).  After this first layer is made, you can add any of the following for taste: -sour cream -cheese -bacon -chives/green onion -heavy cream to thicken it up -any vegetable you want First layer (I serve just this):  Serves about 7-9 people Need: 5lb bag russet potatoes 1 can favorite chicken stock salt nutmeg flavor seasoning (show mine in a picture) Action: 1)  Boil big pot of water (add salt to the water) 2)  Peel and cut 5lbs potatoes (cut in quarters or smaller if it's a really large potato....this helps the potatoes soften quicker) 3)  Add the potatoes to the boiling water plus a little dash of vegetable oil to keep from boiling over. 4)  Boil the potatoes til soft and you can easily pierce with a fork 5)...

Ingredients: 2 jars of your favorite pasta sauce (I used tomato basil from Sprouts!) 1 lb. lean hamburger or italian sausage 1 container ricotta cheese 1/2 container (or full) of cottage cheese 1-2 cups mozarella 1 box lasagna noodles (I used gluten free/no pre cook necessary kind!) Italian spices Salt Parmesean if on hand Instructions: Meat sauce: Cook the hamburger, salting to taste and add the 2 jars of sauce Cheese combo: In separate bowl, mix the cottage cheese and ricotta, blending til smooth Place a thin layer of the meat sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish Place 3-4 large lasagna noodles (not letting them overlap!) on top of the meat sauce Spoon out the cheese combo on top of the noodles Place a layer of the meat sauce on top of the cheese combo Add 3-4 more lasagna noodles Another cheese layer on top And finally the rest of the meat sauce Sprinkle with Mozarella  and parmesean (optional) on top of everything and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degree...

Everyone has their own spin on this delicious dish....here is my simple, quick and healthy version!  I have a picky eater who doesn't like tomatoes (or sauce for that matter😔) but the rest of the boys (especially my hubby!) GOBBLED it up!: Instant pot chicken spaghetti: Chicken: 1)  Grab your instant pot 2)  Throw in 6-7 small chicken tenderloins or 4 larger chicken breasts (less chicken depending on how much you like in your sauce). 3)  Add 1 cup favorite chicken broth 4)  Add salt (you can go easy here if you add salt to the actual sauce too) 5)  Close lid and set to High Pressure for 25-30 min with a Natural Release     ( you want the chicken to be tender and cooked enough to shred easily) 6)  Once done, shred chicken and leave some juices in (depending on how thick you want the sauce...mine was a little thinner so it could stretch farther) 7)  Add your favorite jar of spaghetti sauce (my was a nice chunky red sauc...

              I have a confession to make.. I love watching cooking shows while I walk or jog on the treadmill! Seems like a funny combo but it's usually the only time in my day I have for TV watching and I LOVE learning how to cook new things so it's a double win to get my workout in AND learn a good skilll! It's a balancing act isn't it?? I believe in GOOD FOOD to bring people together around the dinner table I believe in NUTRITION I believe in staying ACTIVE physically I ALSO believe in GOOD DESSERTS! And giving our bodies enough REST after physical exertion I believe in BALANCE in our lives concerning food and health I have counseled enough people to see a trend with feeling like nutrition has to be an ALL yummy or NONE yummy type of mentality.  Not so.  You really can learn to maintain a healthy balance of things that are tasty to you and things that are nutritionally NEEDFUL for your body.  You can have your ...