Tortilla Soup

 Colleen's take: "I have developed this recipe to be convenient for my schedule, our tuesdays and thursdays are so busy and I don't have time to make meals so slow cooker nights it is! This meal cost me around $10 to make coming out to around $1.20 a serving. It's a perfect mix of spicy and satisfying, put it over rice to make it stretch further or just eat it with some tortilla chips & a slice of avocado either way it will rival any restaurant." 

Ingredients:

•  2 cans rotel 
• 1 medium onion 
• enchilada sauce 
• 14 oz can of chicken broth
• 3 chicken breasts or 1 1/2 lb pork loin (before serving you'll pull these out and shred them) 
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder 
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1/4 tsp pepper 
• bay leaf 
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 package of frozen corn (10oz) 
• 1/4 cup cilantro 
• lime, juiced & cut

Directions: 

Dump everything but the cilantro and lime into the crockpot or slow cooker plus two cups of water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4. At the end pull the meat out and let rest for 20 minutes, shred and add back to the slow cooker. Chop up cilantro and juice a half lime into the pot slice up the other side for serving. Serve with tortilla chips, cheese, dollop of sour cream, avocado or a wedge of lime. Enjoy. 

**If you want to make this meal ahead and freeze it in a ziplock bag, omit the chicken broth and water until you cook but this is a perfect make ahead! 

Chicken Taco Soup

Colleen's take: "This is one of my favorite dump and go crock pot recipes, I make it every couple of weeks because it cooks up beautifully and full of mexican flavor as well as plenty of delicious leftovers for us to eat for lunch the next few days. I've also substituted a pork loin to this instead of chicken. It's got so many ingredients that you could exclude the meat making it vegetarian, I haven't tried that yet, let me know if you do! This meal is great for the pocket book too, it costs us around $1.25 a serving!" 

Ingredients: 

1 onion, chopped
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer (or broth)
2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/4 cup cilantro chopped
shredded Cheddar cheese (optional garnish after cooking)
sour cream (optional garnish after cooking)
crushed tortilla chips (optional garnish after cooking)

Directions: 

Combine all ingredients into a Ziploc bag. Freeze for later if you want a quick make ahead meal. Thaw and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Shred chicken in crock pot once cooking is done (I usually take it out to shred). Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired. Served approx. 5-6 people. (I usually get 7-8 servings)

Pumpkin Banana Bread

Colleen's take: "I have altered this recipe into my own version, it's a complete hit in my house, my husband always wants it around so that he can eat it for breakfast every day! It's perfect for this Pumpkin filled October, the spice cake adds so much flavor and the moisture comes solely from the banana and pumpkin (no oil or eggs here), the added chocolate and nuts add the perfect crunch!" 

Ingredients:

• 3 ripe bananas
• box of Spice cake mix
• can of pumpkin puree 
• 1 cup of chocolate chips 
• 1/2 cup nuts (we use pecans & walnuts)  

Directions:

In a stand mixer blend together bananas, puree and cake mix. After all the ingredients are mixed together stir in nuts and chocolate chips. Line a cake sheet pan with wax paper and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes until knife inserted comes out clean. Refrigerate the leftovers if you aren't going to eat them within the first few days.

Sexy Broccoli

Colleen's take: "This is one of my absolute favorite foods right now! I can't make it enough, my 2 year old also cannot stop tearing this side dish up. I broil the broccoli which gives it a sweetness added to the light flavor of garlic salt making it sexy to the taste buds, yummmmmm!"

Ingredients:

• Broccoli 
• garlic salt
• olive oil  

Directions:

After broccoli is washed and patted dry. Add olive oil, I usually use 1 tablespoon per broccoli crown and garlic salt about a 1/2 tsp/crown. Mesh it all together with your hands covering everything. Put it under the broiler for about 10 minutes, once you smell the broccoli begin to singe it's ready. Ours is usually al dente, but feel free to alter it to your liking.

20-Minute Chicken Enchiladas

Colleen's take: "I clipped this Chicken Enchiladas Recipe out of my Cooking Light magazine and it's a good make ahead meal. I've made it earlier in the day, refrigerated it, then just popped it in the oven when it's time for dinner. I've followed the enchilada sauce recipe and i've used canned enchilada sauce, I couldn't really tell a huge difference between the two, so in lue of my laziness problem I choose the canned version. I'd suggest trying this one out, it's tasty and fast."

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• Ingredients: 
• 1 cup prechopped onion
• 1 cup unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson)
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 (15-ounce) can unsalted tomato sauce
• 3 cups shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast (about 15 ounces)
• 1 (15-ounce) can unsalted black beans, rinsed and drained
• 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• Cooking spray
• 3 ounces preshredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese (about 3/4 cup)
• 1 cup chopped tomato
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 6 tablespoons sour cream
• 
  
• Preperation:
• 1. Preheat broiler to high.
  2. Combine first 9 ingredients in a medium saucepan; stir with a whisk. Bring to a boil over high heat; cook 2 minutes or until thickened. Reserve 1 1/2 cups sauce mixture. Add chicken and beans to pan; cook 2 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly heated.
  3. Stack tortillas; wrap stack in damp paper towels and microwave at HIGH for 25 seconds. Spoon about 1/3 cup chicken mixture in center of each tortilla; roll up. Arrange tortillas, seam sides down, in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with reserved sauce and cheese. Broil 3 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned and sauce is bubbly. Top with tomato and cilantro. Serve with sour cream.
  
  

  

  
  

Classic Roasted Vegetables

Colleen's take: "I love this recipe, when the seasons change to fall and all the bell peppers & asparagus go on sale, I go b-a-n-a-n-a-s! I can't get enough of this produce but most of the year I can't afford it, so I have to take advantage while I can. This recipe is a great one, the smell of the basil & balsamic dressing cooking up in the oven is delightful, the caramelization on the veggies towards the end of the baking process makes an almost sweetness occur on your tastebuds. I make a lot of this veggie recipe and use the left overs on pita bread with hummus, I have to slide some chicken in there for the hubby but I am just fine with vegetarian! Enjoy!"

2 medium red bell peppers, seeded and cut into 4 panels (I just use what's on hand, today it was yellow & orange, green's  aren't sweet enough)
1 medium zucchini, trimmed and cut on the diagonal into ¼-inch slices
1 medium yellow squash, trimmed and cut on the diagonal into ¼-inch slices
1 medium Vidalia or other sweet onion, root end left intact and cut into 8 wedges
1 pound thick asparagus, trimmed
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon dried basil
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Place one oven rack in the upper third of the oven and one in the lower third. Spray 2 baking sheets with nonstick spray; set aside.

- Cut each bell pepper panel on a diagonal into 2 triangles. Transfer the peppers to a large bowl and add the zucchini, yellow squash, onion, asparagus, garlic, oil, vinegar, basil, salt and pepper. Toss well to evenly coast with seasonings.

1 cup; 107 cal, 5g fat, 1 g sat fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg chol, 448 mg sodium, 15g carb, 5g fiber, 4g prot, 54mg calc. Points value: 2

Mango Spritzers

Colleen's Take: "This was so easy and refreshing, I used champagne (the $4 kind, cause i'm cheap!) but it was a great compliment to the cheesy egg bake, bacon, citrus salad & coffee cake." 

ingredients

• ice cubes
• 4 cups mango juice, chilled and well-shaken
• 4 cups sparkling wine or seltzer, chilled
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 8 paper-thin lime slices

directions

• Just before serving, fill 8 stemmed glasses with ice. Divide the mango juice, sparkling wine and lime juice among the glasses; stir to combine. Garnish with the lime slices.
• 
  
• recipe here

Sweet & Spicy Bacon

Colleen's take: "These were good, not great, not worth all of the trouble we went to to make it, regular bacon would have been just as good. This recipe was also prepped the night before." 

 ingredients

• 1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground ginger
• 2 tablespoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne
• 2 pounds thick-sliced bacon

directions

• In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, ginger, coriander, cardamom and cayenne. On a large sheet of wax paper, sprinkle both sides of each bacon slice with the sugar 1 mixture, using about 1/2 tsp. per side. Using your fingers, spread the mixture and press onto the bacon. After the bacon is coated, make 4 equal stacks. Place the stacks side by side, and wrap 3 times in plastic wrap to keep the package from leaking. Transfer to a large plate; refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
• Position 1 rack in the top third and 1 rack in the bottom third of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees . Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with foil. Place a large rack on each baking sheet. Have several layers of paper towels ready for draining the bacon. Unwrap the bacon and place the slices on the racks. Bake for 12 minutes. Using tongs, turn the bacon over. Rotate the pans and bake until the bacon is crisp and glazed, about 12 minutes. Drain briefly on the paper towels. Transfer the bacon to a platter and serve immediately.

Sweet & Spicy Bacon found here

Cheesy Egg Bake

Colleen's Take: "The original recipe called for white bread, my Dad almost had a coronary attack when I mentioned this, so we had to use nice italian bread. We prepped it the night before so we only had to pop it in the over Christmas morning, it was delightful! I will be using this one again."

ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 pounds mini sweet peppers or red bell peppers, seeded and cut crosswise 1/4-inch thick
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 6 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
• 10 large eggs
• 4 cups whole milk
• 12 slices  (1/2-inch thick) white bread
• 2 1/2 cups coarsely shredded gruyere

directions

• Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium-high heat. Add the peppers and a pinch salt and cook, stirring, until the peppers are softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the parsley and 3 tbsp. chives.
• In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Whisk in the milk.
• In the prepared dish, arrange 6 bread slices in a single layer, cutting to fit if needed. Top with the pepper mixture and 1 cup cheese, then the remaining bread. Pour in the egg mixture and top with the remaining cheese. [Make ahead: Cover with plastic; refrigerate overnight. Uncover before baking.]
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees . Bake until puffed up and browned, about 45 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 3 tbsp. chives.

recipe found here

Mixed Citrus Salad

Colleen's take: "There are some things I would do different about this salad, it was delicious and great contrast for breakfast, but it was so much work, I sat peeling fruit for an hour, next time I will just buy it all cut up (no sugar added of course) and add it all together. I also couldn't find some of the ingredients so I used grapefruits, cuties, & oranges." 

ingredients

• 6 tangelos, such as minneola
• 4 small ruby red grapefruits
• 4 navel oranges
• 2 blood oranges
• 1 tablespoon (packed) light brown sugar
• pinch salt
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest plus 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 cup pomegranate seeds

directions

• Using a small, sharp knife and following the natural curve of the fruit, peel the tangelos, grapefruits and oranges, removing all of the white pith. Cut the fruit crosswise 1/2 inch thick, then cut each slice in half; discard any seeds. [Make ahead: Transfer the prepared citrus to resealable plastic bags and refrigerate overnight.]
• In a small saucepan, bring 1/3 cup water, the brown sugar and salt to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the lemon zest and fennel seeds, cover and let steep for 10 minutes. Pour the mixture through a fine strainer set over a small bowl, pressing on the solids to extract the liquid; discard the solids. Let the syrup cool to room temperature, then stir in the lemon juice. [Make ahead: Cover and refrigerate overnight.]
• About 30 minutes before serving, pour off the liquid from the fruit (go ahead, have a sipits a treat for the cook!) and transfer the fruit to a large bowl. Gently stir in the sugar syrup and pomegranate seeds.

original recipe here