Hot Shredded Chicken Sandwiches

I got this recipe from my father-in-law's family. I'd never had it before and it's a yummy dish to make for a get together or lunch for the week. It sounds a little different, but it's really good!

Ingredients:

• 1 - 28oz can chicken
• 2 beaten eggs
• 8 slices cubed bread - no crust
• 1 can cream of mushroom or chicken soup
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Shred chicken in casserole dish. Stir in eggs, cream of mushroom or chicken soup and seasoning. Mix in cubed bread and cover.

Bake 45-50 minutes

Serve hot on toast or hard rolls. Top with mayo, shredded cheese, bacon, etc.

Submitted by Christine Frost

Crock Pot Stuffed Pepper Soup

This recipe came to me by someone who attends Weight Watcher meetings.  If you are counting points,
1 cup = 1.5 points

I've made this soup many times in the crockpot- It's very easy and is a huge hit with all of my family :)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb lean ground meat (I buy extra lean)
• 1 c diced onion
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 14oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 c chopped green peppers
• 1 15oz can tomato sauce
• 3 c water
• 1 Tbsp beef bouillon
• 1 c cooked brown rice

Directions:
Brown beef w onion. Place in slow cooker with the remaining ingredients. Cook on low 6-8 hours ot place in a soup pot and simmer for an hour.

Submitted by Kelly Guzie

Crock Pot Potato Soup

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law- I'm not sure where she got it from. It is super easy to make and is the best potato soup recipe that I've tried! I've also made it with ham and it's really tasty!

Ingredients:

• 1 - 32 ounce bag of frozen Ore Ida Southern Style Hash Browns
• 3 - 14 ounce cans of Swanson 33% less sodium Natural Goodness Chicken Broth
• 1 - 10.5 ounce can of Campbell's Healthy Request Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1 - 10.5 ounce can of Campbell's 98% fat free Cream of Celery Soup
• 1/2 cup of chopped sweet onions
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 - 8 ounce package of Philadelphia Original Cream Cheese, softened (stir in last 30 minutes)

Directions:
In a 6 quart crock pot, combine broth and the 2 soups and whisk until blended well then add hash brown, onions and pepper .. mix well . Cover and cook on low for 5 hours. Whisk in the softened cream cheese the last 30 minutes of cooking time .

Optional ... serve with Oscar Mayer ready to serve real bacon bits & crushed whole wheat Ritz crackers........... YUM :)

Submitted by Kelly Guzie

Grab & Go Granola Bars

I found this recipe on the Dr. Oz website and have made it several times. I use dried cherries for my fruit and almonds instead of walnuts.  They took a little while to make the first time, but once you already have the ingredients, it's pretty easy to remember how to make them and it goes more quickly the next time around.  They are so good and it's hard to stop at just one! My two year old and husband love them too :)

 

Ingredients:

Makes 16 bars

• 1 cup oats, quick cooking or old fashioned
• 1 cup shredded wheat cereal
• 1 cup walnuts
• 1 1/2 cups dried fruit (combination of your choice of dried apricots, dried plums, dried cherries, and dried cranberries)
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 ° F. Lightly oil or coat an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

Place the oats, cereal, walnuts, dried fruit, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is finely chopped (the dried fruit should be the size of a dried pea or lentil).

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, honey, and vanilla. Add the oatmeal mixture and chocolate chips and stir to combine. Transfer to the baking pan and flatten down gently with the back of a spoon or spatula to spread evenly.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes until the edges turn golden brown and the bars are done. Let bars cool completely in pan before slicing and serving.

Nutrition Facts

1 bar: 170 calories

7g fat (1.5g saturated, 0.7g omega-3)

85mg sodium

26g carbohydrate

3g fiber

3g protein

Submitted by Kelly Guzie

Crunchy Chicken

Ingredients:

• Chicken Breast
• 1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
• Packet of Ranch Seasoning (the dip kind)
• 1 bag of stuffing (I use the Chicken Flavored)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375

Place chicken breast in baking dish.

Spread soup over the chicken breast.

Sprinkle ranch seasoning over the chicken & soup.

Pour the uncooked stuffing over the chicken, soup, and ranch.

Turn the chicken over and repeat the process.

Bake uncovered for 35 mins or until chicken is thoroughly done.

We serve with scalloped potatoes and veggies.

Submitted by Kelly Lockwood

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bread

This week I decided I was in the mood to bake and even though I'm not a big pumpkin fan, this recipe caught my eye in a MixingBowl.com magazine because it just looked so good in the picture.  Besides the pumpkin, it's mostly ingredients you will have around the house if you bake frequently, so it's not very complicated.  The only thing is this recipe makes ALOT of pumpkin bread.  So I ended up taking the second loaf into the daycare and it was a big hit!  Also, if you want you can leave out the cream cheese filling and just make it as a pumpkin bread. 

Ingredients:

• Nonstick Cooking Spray
• 4 Cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 12-ounce (2 cups) semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 29-ounce can pumpkin
• 3 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons vanilla

Cream Cheese Filling

• 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two 9x5x3-inch loaf pans with parchment paper.  Coat paper with cooking spray.  In a large bowl, combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add chocolate chips and, if desired, nuts. (Tossing nuts and chips in flour will keep them from sinking during baking.)

In a mixing bowl, combine butter, pumpkin, sugar, eggs, sour cream and vanilla.  Beat with an electric mixer on medium until smooth.  Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, 1 cup at a time, beating on low speed until combined.

In a separate mixing bowl prepare your filling by combining the cream cheese, sugar, egg yolks and vanilla.  Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. 

Spoon half of the batter into prepared pans.  Carefully spread cream cheese mixture over batter in pans.  Top with remaining batter.  If desired, use a fork or spatula to cut though batter and swirl.  Bake for 65 to 70 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool in pans on rack for 10 minutes.  Remove loaves from pans and cool completely on wire rack.

Makes 2 large loaves - 32 slices.

Notes:  I didn't have the pumpkin pie spice and didn't want to buy it just for this.  So I used a mixture of ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg instead.  It took a little longer than the 70 minutes to bake completely.  I would say closer to an hour and a half.  Also, I did not put nuts in this...I figured the chocolate chips and filling were enough going on! 

Submitted by Christine Frost