Tomato Cream Pasta

This is one of my "Go to" meals for when I'm in a hurry.  It tastes great, everyone loves it & it's quick & easy to make.

Tomato Cream Pasta

• 12oz to 16oz bag Penne pasta
• 2 - 14.5oz cans diced tomatoes with garlic & onions
• 1 1/2c whipping cream
• 2t Basil
• Sauteed Mushrooms
• grated Parmesan cheese
• crisp bacon

Cook the pasta & then set aside.  Cook the tomatoes over medium-high heat, in a skillet, until juice is reduced (about 5 minutes).  Reduce heat, add basil, cream, mushrooms, heat through. DO NOT BOIL.  **At this point, I usually add a tablespoon of flour if the sauce hasn't thickened as much as I want it to.**   Toss with the pasta.  You can serve it with the cheese & bacon on the side or mix them into the serving bowl  just before serving.

Doesn't this sauce look delicious?

Blackberry Lime Bars

I've decided that I need to add another category to my blog.  I think I'm going to call it "Too Good to Miss".  This category will be for those amazingly delicious recipes that do have either HFCS or PHO in them but can't be forgotten because they are just that good. 

This is one of those recipes that is just too good to give up.  It was created by my very talented friend Carrian at Sweet Basil.  It is a refreshing dessert & the lime & blackberries work really well together.  

You can find the recipe here, at OhSweetBasil.com & make sure you check out the rest of her site.  She has TONS of delicious recipes for you to try.

I Love graham cracker crusts.  So yummy.

Don't those blackberries just look wonderful?  Just have to cook it & then it'll be ready to eat.

It's Time to Vote!!!

Doesn't this look delicious!!!    This recipe was created by my friend Carrian from Sweet Basil.  She's entered it into a contest at Mrfood.com & has been selected as a finalist.  She could use all the votes she can get so head on over & help her out.   Here's the link to vote.  Just click on the button in the upper right corner that says "vote now" & then vote for the Fajita Burger made by Carrian Cheney.

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

This is seriously one of my new favorite dishes.  It was simple to make & it tasted amazing.  It even tasted good the next day when I reheated it in the microwave.  The recipe calls for green bell peppers but that just happened to be what Walmart was out of this week, so I substitutes red bell peppers.  They tasted great.  Next time I make this (which will be soon) I'll try the green peppers but I have a feeling I'll stick with the red peppers, after that.

You can find this recipe at Peace, Love & Low Carb

Sauteing the mushroom & onions 

Deliciously sweet red bell peppers

The filling is ready to go

Stuffed

Topped with some yummy Provolone cheese

Time to eat!!!

Quinoa Patties

Quinoa has become the new craze in Superfoods.  What used to be just a side dish can now be found replacing rice in just about any dish.  So why not use it in a veggie burger.  

The first time I tried this recipe, I had a backup plan in mind because I just didn't think it would work out very well.  It just seemed a little too "different."  Well, I couldn't have been more wrong.  These tasted wonderful & were so filling.  My kids love them & they are another recipe where I can hide my kids veggies inside.

I got this recipe from Eating Well, Living Thin.  She also includes a recipe for a Tzatziki sauce but I just used "Some Dudes" fry sauce & it was great.

Per burger:  Calories 132; Protein 8 g; Fat 5 g; NET Carbs 12 g; (Fiber 2 g); Sugar 0 g; Sodium 200 mg

When my husband saw me mixing this, I think he got a little nervous.  As much as he wants to eat healthy, I think sometimes he gets a little worries about the foods I make him try.

You'll definitely want to use a measuring scoop to get these in the pan & then flatten them down.  Cook them on medium to medium low so that they cook through before they burn.

Pizza Bites

Okay, so this isn't one of my favorite dinners but it's pretty good & my kids absolutely LOVE it.  Essentially they are little pizza muffins.  They are full of herbs & cheese & you can add whatever pizza ingredients that you want.  My favorite add-ins (which my kids have no idea about) are carrots & zucchini.  The herbs have a strong enough flavor that you can't even taste the veggies & if you grate them, the kids will never know they are there.

You can find this recipe at Lick the Bowl Good

As a dip, you can use pizza sauce but we chose to use this Quick & Easy Marinara Sauce from Gina's Skinny Recipes.  Trust me, once you try it you will never eat that bottled stuff again.