Total Recipe Resources

Chunky Chicken Salad Lunch Idea

Ingredients:

2 chicken breast halves, cooked and diced.
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup grated carrots
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley

Instructions:

Bake the chicken for 20 minutes at 350 degrees or just use leftover chicken. Cook frozen peas according to package directions.
(you can substitute a drained can of peas but the flavor isn't as good and the peas aren't as "green")  Chop and shred chicken. Mix with cooked peas, mayo, grated carrot, and parsley.  Spread on crackers, bagels, pita shells, etc.  Add cheese and a salad for a complete lunch.

*TIP:  Create your own homemade version of a Lunchable and send with your kids to school.

Crunchy Hash Brown Casserole

Ingredients:

8 cups hashbrowns
2 cups ham cubes (or more if you're trying to finish off leftovers!)
2 cups sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped onions
salt and pepper to taste

Crunchy topping:
cornflakes
a little bit of butter

Instructions:

Mix together everything except the crunchy topping ingredients. Spread mixture evenly into a baking dish. Crush cornflakes and mix with the butter. Sprinkle evenly across top of casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Healthy Homemade Soups to Go!

With so much convenience food readily available to us it can be hard to eat healthy around a busy schedule - especially if you have a family to cater for. With the following tips for soups on the go you’ll learn how to make sure that the food you grab is of the healthy variety.

Soup is tasty, filling, and good for you anytime, but especially on a cold fall or winter day. There are hot soups and believe it or not even cold soups. Many of the warm soups are even good eaten cold or lukewarm.

First, choose your favorite soup. A popular and delicious choice is chicken noodle soup. There’s nothing better when you are under the weather than the warm chicken broth soothing your throat. Campbell’s has a wonderful soup in a microwave container perfect for eating on the go, but we are going to make our own soup for an even healthier choice.

The one thing that is best about homemade food is that you know what is and is not in it. Since we are concerned with health, preparing your own soup creations at home is the best way to go. No matter which type of soup you choose to make, be sure to use fresh ingredients. The other items you’ll need are plenty of cups with lids and a blender.

Now it’s time to actually create your time saving soup. A good soup always starts with the stock. For chicken soup, make the broth by boiling the remains of the chicken you had for dinner. Add the herbs and seasonings of your choice and boil until the chicken bones come out clean. Any remaining meat will be included in the broth. Once the broth cools completely, ladle it into air-tight jars or containers for storing.

If you’re more of a beef and vegetable soup lover, you can use commercial canned broths or bouillon cubes for the base of your soup. Season the stock really well and boil before adding any other ingredients. Once the stock is ready, all that is left to do is toss in your favorite veggies.  Again, wait until the soup is completely cooled before pouring into storage or serving containers.

Now, what about that blender?  It’s a bit difficult to eat soup the traditional way while driving and if you are serving to your kids, the combination of a car and soup in a bowl is a disaster waiting to happen.  Here’s where the blender comes into the picture.

Pour some of the soup into the blender and blend until the pieces are small enough for you to swallow without choking. You can even puree the soup completely if you’d prefer. For a thicker texture, add a bit of cream soup. Now, your soup is ready for distributing in your to-go cups.

The ideal cup would be a coffee mug with a lid. These types of cups have a wide opening perfect for drinking soups from. Be sure to prepare enough soup for the entire week. You can take the soup with you while you’re out shopping, working in the garden or to work.  A cup of soup is packed with healthy nutrients and it won’t mess up the car or cramp your busy lifestyle.  The next time you don’t have time to eat, reach for a cup of healthy homemade soup instead of pulling into that fast food drive thru.

Tomato and Garlic Frittata

* this is a basic frittata recipe.  If you’d like you can also add a little feta cheese and sliced black olives, or maybe you’d prefer to add a little parmesan and baby spinach, or mushrooms and chives.  The combinations are endless but sometimes just a quick and basic recipe like this one hits the spot. 

Serve with warm whole wheat bread and a side salad for a full meal.

Ingredients:

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 tomatoes, diced into small pieces
6 organic free-range eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil

Place the olive oil in a hot non-stick frying pan.  Gently sauté the garlic for approximately 2 minutes, add the tomato and sauté a further minute.  Now add the beaten egg and cook over low heat for approximately 5 minutes.  Place the pan under a hot grill until the top of the eggs sets and is lightly golden.  Serve hot or cold.

Baby Spinach and Chickpea Stir Fry

Ingredients:

2 (14 ounce) cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 ounces baby spinach leaves
1 (14 ounce) can of chopped tomatoes
1 small red chilli, seeded and finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 red onion, finely sliced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil

Heat the oil in a  wok and add the cumin and onions, stir fry for approximately 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and chilli and stir fry a further 2 minutes.  Now add the chickpeas and tomatoes.  Reduce the heat and simmer for approximately 10 to 15 minutes.  Add the spinach 1 minute before removing from heat and stir through.  Serve with rice or noodles.