Yummy food

Here's a quick and easy meal that I made while Nick's mom came to visit. I actually got the meal started in the crock pot before we left for an afternoon of shopping on Friday. It was tasty, and I got Nick to eat spinach AND asparagus in the same meal! :)

Italian Bow Tie Supper
1 lb. lean ground beef, browned & drained
½ cup frozen chopped onions
1 tsp. dried minced garlic
16 oz. tomato sauce
14 ½ oz. diced stewed tomatoes
Sprinkle of salt and pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
16 oz. Veggie (colored) bow tie pasta, cooked & drained
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed & drained
8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese

Place disposable bag in slow cooker and ingredients (the beef through the seasonings). Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until bubbly. Stir in pasta, spinach, and mozzarella. Cover and cook for another 15 minutes, or until heated through and cheese is melted. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on individual portions.
Yields 6-8 servings

Sautéed asparagus
1 lb. asparagus spears, trimmed and washed
1 T olive oil
1 T butter
1 tsp. dried minced garlic

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and asparagus for 1 minute, remove and immediately place in ice water. Once the asparagus is cooled, drain. Meanwhile, heat oil, butter, and garlic in a large sauté pan, stirring continuously. Add asparagus and stir frequently until asparagus is heated through and as crunchy as you like. This recipe said to cook for about 5 minutes, but I probably cooked it for 10-15 minutes since Nick doesn’t like it crunchy.
Yields 4 servings

Strawberry Sensation
2 lbs. fresh strawberries, washed and cut up
1 can sweetened condensed milk
¼ cup lemon juice
8 oz. fat free cool whip, divided
8 Oreo cookies, chopped

Line a bread pan with foil. Mash strawberries in a large mixing bowl and add condensed milk, juice and ½ of the cool whip. Pour into pan. Top with cookie pieces and press them into the mixture. Cover and freeze for at least 6 hours. To serve, invert onto plate and remove foil. Frost with remaining cool whip.
Yields 8-10 servings

Here's a BONUS recipe that I made last week that was delicious--Nick thought that it was my best enchiladas so far (even better than one of the restaurants in town too!).

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
8 oz. fat free cream cheese
2 T. water
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. cumin (or cayenne pepper)
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1 lb. cooked diced chicken (I baked mine before hand)
10 flour tortillas, room temp.
1 can low-fat cream of chicken soup
8 oz. fat-free sour cream
½ cup milk
4 oz. chopped green chilies, drained
4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese (1 cup)

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese through pepper ingredients until smooth. Blend in chicken. Place approximately ¼ cup of mixture down the middle of each tortilla, roll up, and place seam side down in greased 9x13 baking dish. (I used 2 8x8 pans so that I could freeze one pan for later). In the same bowl, combine soup, sour cream, milk, and chilies. Pour over enchiladas. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until heated through and bubbly. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and bake another 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Yields 6-8 servings