This angel hair is incredibly delicious and only takes a few minutes to make. It’s one of those amazing dishes you can just throw together with stuff you already have in the house, but tastes like you ordered from your favorite Italian restaurant!

Ingredients

1/2 package of angel hair or your favorite pasta. I like angel hair because it only takes 4 minutes to cook!

2 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped. Use whatever type you have in the house – plum, grape, beefsteak, cherry, etc. are all amazing as long as they are fresh!

3 tablespoons chopped, fresh garlic.

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1/3 cup white wine

1 handful of fresh basil. I keep a basil plant so that I always have fresh basil to use.

Parmesan Cheese [optional]

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drizzle a large, nonstick saute pan with olive oil. Let warm up over medium heat for 2 minutes before adding the garlic. Let garlic cook for 3 minutes stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes and cook for 4 minutes, add salt and pepper to taste. Add wine and cook for another 2 minutes.

Drain pasta and return to pot. Pour sauce over pasta, toss and add parmesan cheese if desired. Serve with a tossed salad. Enjoy!

These are seriously amazing! I don’t normally even like black beans but I love these quesadillas!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1/2 small green pepper, chopped

1 can black beans, drained

1/2 cup salsa –  If I don’t have fresh salsa I just use chopped tomatoes mixed with salt and a splash of vinegar

1 package fajita-size flour or whole wheat tortillas

8 ounces Mexican blend cheese, shredded

1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves

Nonfat yogurt and avocado for garnish if desired

Directions

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and green pepper and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in beans and salsa and cook for 3 minutes stirring occasionally.

Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Put one tortilla on the skillet and cook for 1 minute. Spread 1/3 cup of the bean mixture and 1/3 cup of the cheese evenly over the tortilla. Sprinkle some of the cilantro over the top. Add another tortilla on top and cook 1 minute. Press gently with spatula and turn. Cook for 1 minute or until browned.

Place quesadilla on a baking sheet and keep warm in a 200 degree oven. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make four more quesadillas.

Cut each quesadilla into quarters and top with nonfat yogurt and avacado as a garnish if desired.

Enjoy! This is usually enough for lunch the next day too!

These strawberry muffins are out of control delicious! They are perfect for summer with all the fresh strawberries in season. You can also use frozen in the winter or substitute any berry that you like. I substitute the butter for 1/2 cup applesauce and 1/3 cup lowfat Greek yogurt a lot of the time. The texture is a little different but the flavor is still good. I use butter though if I am bringing the muffins anywhere or serving them for a special occasion;)

Ingredients

1/2 cup of butter, softened [you can substitute 1/2 cup applesauce and 1/3 cup lowfat Greek yogurt for the butter, obviously it tastes better with butter but the lowfat version is still pretty tasty]

1 cup of sugar

2 eggs

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk

2 cups sliced strawberries

2 teaspoons sugar for topping

Directions

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Spray your muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray. This recipe makes 12 muffins.

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and beat well. Add the dry ingredients followed by the milk and vanilla. Gently fold in the strawberries and sprinkle a bit of sugar on top of each muffin before baking. Fill each muffin tin approx 1/2 way full of batter. Cook for about 20 minutes. You can stick a toothpick in the middle of a muffin to make sure it is done. If it comes out clean without any batter sticking to it then it is ready!

Enjoy!

This is one of my family’s favorite summertime dishes! It’s beautiful, colorful and tasty with tons of delicious veggies! You can use this pasta salad as an entire meal or as a side. It’s so simple!

Ingredients

1 pkg Ronzini Garden Delight Rotini – You can use any brand but I like this one because it provides a full serving of vegetables in every 4 ounce portion and it tastes great!

1 cup fresh broccoli florets

1 medium cucumber seeded and diced

1 cup grape tomatoes – I cut some in half and leave some whole

1/3 cup sliced black olives

1/2 a cruet of Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, put in a large bowl and refrigerate until cool. Meanwhile chop veggies and make salad dressing according to package directions. Add veggies and approximately 1/2 a cruet of Good Seasons Italian Dressing to the pasta. Toss. Add salt and pepper to taste. You can always add more dressing if desired.

Serve by itself or add some protein to make a complete meal [shredded cheese, chick peas, grilled chicken, shrimp or steak]. You can also serve as a side. The possibilities are endless! Enjoy!

Okay seriously this is to die for! This is the perfect dessert to showcase beautiful, fresh blueberries. It is so simple yet so yummy!

Ingredients

1. One cup plus 2 tablespoons flour divided

2. 1/8 teaspoon salt

3. 2 tablespoons plus 2/3 cup sugar

4. 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

5. 1 tablespoon white vinegar

6. 5 cups blueberries (3 pints or 1 quart)

7. 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. You can use a spring form pan which is used for cheesecake. If you don’t have one use a 9 inch pie pan. I am a lazy baker and opted for the pie pan because it is easier to assemble and clean up! Let’s face it they both taste great but I think using the spring form pan leads to a prettier presentation.

In medium bowl mix 1 cup of flour, salt and 2 teaspoons of sugar. Cut in butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. I let the butter soften first by leaving out for about an hour and literally just mash everything together with a fork. Sprinkle with white vinegar and mix. Press dough into pan 1/4 inch thick on the bottom and 1 inch high on the sides.

In a medium bowl add 3 cups of blueberries and mix with 2 tablespoons flour, 2/3 cup sugar and the cinnamon. Add blueberries to the crust and bake 50 – 60 minutes. Remove and add the remaining two cups of blueberries. Sprinkle with sugar if desired.

I like to add homemade whipped cream. It’s so easy to make and so delicious that you will never buy store bought whipped cream again!! Add 2 cups of heavy cream and 1 1/2 teaspoons of confectioners sugar into a mixer. Mix on high speed (there is usually a setting for whipped cream) until stiff peaks form. To die for! Enjoy!

These chicken cheese tortilla twists are amazing! They taste great and are fun for my 2 year old to eat. They are also easy to make and there are enough for at least two nights of meals plus a few lunches. They freeze well so you can have a home cooked meal ready and waiting for you in the freezer. Tastes great and more than one night of meals with easy prep. What could be better?

Ingredients

1. One Rotisserie chicken

2. Two cups Mexican blend shredded cheese

3. One bunch of scallions

4. Two tablespoons heavy cream [you can substitute skim milk if you are worried about fat content. It still tastes good but not exactly the same]

5. One package of 10 large flour tortillas

Optional Topping Ingredients

The tortilla twists are great on their own but I love to add some fresh avocado and salsa.

1. Two ripe avocados

2. Juice from half a lemon

3. Salt

4. Your favorite salsa

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 9X12 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Take the meat from the chicken and put in a large bowl. The chicken should be the size and consistency of pulled chicken. Mix chopped scallions, shredded cheese and cream with the chicken.

Put approx 1/4 cup of the filling towards the bottom of the tortilla. Bend in each side of the tortilla approx 1/4 inch and roll up. Place rolled tortilla in baking dish. Repeat with all of the tortillas. Bake for 10 – 15 minutes. If tortillas are becoming too brown cover with aluminum foil.

Now for my favorite topping!! Mash the avocados in a medium sized bowl with a fork. Add the juice from half a fresh lemon and salt to taste. Mix well.

Top the tortilla twists with your favorite salsa and avocado if you desire. They are great plain as well. Enjoy!

My family eats a lot of chicken so it’s important for me to have a lot of different ways to cook it. I love how the buttery, sweet taste of the shallots combines with the tomato and basil in this delicious sauce! If you don’t have time to cook chicken you can top your favorite pasta with this amazing sauce for a quick, tasty meal!

Sauce Ingredients

1. Four large plum tomatoes

2. One large shallot

3. One cup chicken broth

4. Two tablespoons fresh basil

5. Salt to taste

6. Olive oil

Chicken Ingredients

1. One package boneless, skinless, thin cut chicken breast. If you prefer you can pound regular, boneless chicken breasts between two pieces of wax paper until thin but buying them already cut thin is so much easier!

2. 1 1/2 cups flour

3. 2 eggs

4. 1 1/2 cups seasoned bread crumbs

5. Mozzarella Cheese – either the block or shredded, whatever you prefer to top the chicken with. I alternate between whatever I have in the house. Sometimes I cut thin pieces from the block of cheese or I will sprinkle already shredded mozzarella right over the chicken.

6. A few pieces of chopped, fresh basil for garnish

7. Two tablespoons olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Pour olive oil onto a cookie sheet. Make sure the sheet is evenly coated.

Drizzle olive oil into a large, nonstick, saute pan over medium heat. Dice the shallot while you give your pan a few minutes to heat up. Add the diced shallot and let cook, stirring occasionally until soft (approx. 5 – 7 minutess). While the shallot is cooking, dice your tomatoes, chop your basil and add both to the shallots. Sprinkle w salt to taste and cook for 1o minutes.

Bread your chicken while the sauce is cooking. Use 3 medium sized bowls. Put flour in one bowl, mix eggs in another and bread crumbs in the last bowl. Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour, then egg and lastly in the bread crumbs. Coat each piece liberally with all the ingredients. Lay on the cookie sheet. Bake for approximately 10 minutes on each side. All ovens vary so test a piece before serving. If the chicken is white inside without any traces of pink and the juices run clear then they are ready!

Add 1/2 cup of chicken broth and saute for ten more minutes. If the liquid starts to evaporate add more broth and turn the heat down to low. After the sauce is finished cooking, carefully transfer to a food processor and blend together.

Once chicken is finished cooking, spoon sauce on top of each breast, top with mozzarella cheese and bake for another 5 minutes or so until the cheese has melted. Sprinkle fresh basil over the top before serving and enjoy!

I usually serve this dish with a tossed salad. Delicious!

Yum! These chicken fingers are so delicious you won’t believe they are baked instead of fried! My two year old loves them and so do my husband and I! I’m pregnant (due in Nov) and am craving crunchy, delicious, fattening chicken fingers and am so happy to have this lower fat alternative.

Ingredients

1. 1 package chicken tenders – you can also use boneless, skinless breasts and cut them into strips if you prefer but the tenders are so easy!

2. 2 eggs

3. 1 1/2 cups flour

4. 1 1/2 cups seasoned bread crumbs. I like the Progresso Italian style but use whatever is in your cabinet.

4. 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Pour olive oil onto a cookie sheet. Make sure the sheet is evenly coated.

Use 3 medium sized bowls. Put flour in one bowl, mix eggs in another and bread crumbs in the last bowl. Dredge each chicken tender in the flour, then egg and lastly in the bread crumbs. Coat each piece liberally with all the ingredients. Lay on the cookie sheet.

Bake for approximately 10 minutes on each side. All ovens vary so test a piece before serving. If the chicken is white inside without any traces of pink and the juices run clear then they are ready!

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce! I love mixing a package of Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing with Lowfat Greek yogurt. Delicious, creamy ranch dressing without all the fat! My family also loves honey mustard with them. Enjoy!