Potato Soup with Kale and Sausage

Happy Tuesday, 

so excited for another fabulous week to be underway! 

Always so many great opportunities in any given week, 

so much to pursue and accomplish. 

My weekly to-do list is always quite ambitious, 

thankfully I'm motivated by progress, 

so in a good week, my productivity will snowball by the week's end. 

Of course, feeding my family is always on my weekly to-do list.

Last night, 

we enjoyed a family favorite

Chicken Quesadillas

for dinner. 

Tonight will probably be another hearty soup, 

something along the lines of this soup, both comforting and scrumptious

Potato Soup with Kale and Sausage.

Sure, we all love the soups that simmer all day, 

like our moms and grandmas used to make….

But, I'm also a big fan of a soup that can be whipped up in just about 30 minutes.

especially when it is complete with 

protein, carb and vegetable. 

My favorite meals are always a one-dish wonder!

Otherwise, I must admit, 

I might get too lazy to serve a vegetable, 

who wants to dirty another dish

when you can throw it all in one pot!  

Start by browning up 1# of Italian Sausage.

Fat aside, I'm a pretty big fan of the flavor that sausage imparts and 

have been cooking with it more than ever. 

Set the sausage aside and brown up

1 onion - chopped, 1 tbsp minced garlic, 1 tsp of each salt and pepper. 

Maybe some butter to aid in the browning, 

but I thought there was enough fat left from the sausage, 

so I omitted that. 

Like spinach, this baby kale wilts down a ton!

So, in goes 2 large handfuls of baby kale….

And after just a few minutes, 

it is wilted down to this. 

Then add 4 medium potatoes - chopped.

The smaller the potato pieces, the faster they cook. 

Maybe I'd cut them smaller next time. 

Add back the sausage. 

And then add 4 cups of broth

and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are cooked.

I know I've said this a million times, 

but we like thicker soups, 

so feel free to add more broth if that is your preference. 

Finally, add 1 cup of whole milk

for the creamy-effect. 

Feel free to top with some

 freshly grated parmesan

for some delightful cheesy-nuttiness! 

RECIPE:

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1# of Italian Sausage

1 onion - chopped

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp of salt

1 tsp of pepper

8 oz baby kale

4 medium potatoes - chopped

4 cups of broth

1 cup of whole milk

Freshly grated parmesan

Directions:

• Brown sausage and set aside. 
• Soften the onion and garlic seasoned with salt and pepper. 
• Add the kale for wilting. 
• Add chopped potatoes, sausage and broth. 
• Simmer for about 15 minutes until potatoes are cooked. 
• Add milk, top with parmesan and serve. 

Chicken Broccoli and Quinoa Bake

Well, hello there. 

Today I'd like to share with you a fabulous

One-Dish-Wonder…

They are most certainly my favorite! 

I mean, really,

does it get any better than having

Protein  (Chicken), Veggie (Broccoli), Carbs (Quinoa)

and

(wait for it)

FLAVOR 

all is one dish!?!?!

This whole quinoa-thing is around to stay in my house. 

My kids prefer it over rice and

I would gladly serve it more…

but there is a price point on it, 

(which is a small price to pay for a carb with protein and fiber!)

so I limit it to about once a week. 

This was so easy…

dump it all into a dish

and bake! 

Gotta love the no-brainer dinners! 

This is what 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups of chicken broth look like in a dish. 

Next, 2 cups of broccoli florets were added. 

(This made for some mushy broccoli, 

if you prefer your broccoli to have a little more texture, 

add it later!)

About 3# of chicken breasts

(which, did you know are less expensive than tenders!)

were cut into tenders and sprinkled with 

poultry seasoning and seasoning salt, 

to your liking. 

Ready to be popped into a 400 F oven. 

After 30-40 minutes, 

I have to admit that I was mesmerized by watching the quinoa cook…

this dish was ready to go! 

There is, of course, the optional cup of shredded mozzarella. 

And, if you wanted crunchier broccoli, 

that could be added at this time instead of at the beginning. 

It may alter the overall nutrition of this dish, 

but it helps to buy me a little more leeway with my next healthy endeavor, 

so I oblige. 

Pop it back in until the cheese melts

or put it under the broiler for some browning…

which I love! 

This dish it out and serve it up! 

RECIPE:

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Bake Time: 30-40 minutes

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

1 cup of quinoa

2 cups of chicken broth 

2 cups of broccoli florets

3# of chicken breasts - cut into strips

Poultry Seasoning - to taste

Seasoning Salt - to taste 

1 cup of shredded mozzarella

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 F. 
• Start with 2 cups of chicken broth and 1 cup of quinoa in the baking dish. 
• Broccoli can be added now, if well done is the preference, other wise it can be added later. 
• Layer chicken on top and season. 
• Bake for 30-40 minutes until quinoa is translucent with an apparent spiral or germ present. 
• Top with broccoli, now, for more texture along with shredded cheese, if desired. Bake for another 5-10 minutes.

Spaghetti Squash Pizza Boats

We've made it to the last week in March and can only hope that warmer temperatures make their arrival along with the new month.  The snow on the ground this morning isn't exactly what I was hoping for.  I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Basketball wrapped up recently with a wonderful weekend in the Dells at The Great Wolf Lodge with our basketball families. Now, we are looking forward to soccer and baseball, whenever warmer temperatures arrive.

Despite the cool afternoons, the kids have been outside with friends after school, at least enjoying the longer days of sunlight.  Last night when they came in with their cheeks rosy from the cool temperatures, there was some nice, warm, filling and healthy pizza boats ready for them.

I love this combination of something familiar and something healthy.  The kids weren't sure what they thought of the spaghetti squash itself, but when it was loaded with their beloved pizza toppings, they dove right in!

To serve my family of five, I bought 2 spaghetti squash, which are about 3 lbs each.  Each serving was a quarter of a squash and there was enough for seconds and leftovers.

These yellow squash are solid!  They must be pre-heated for a minute in the microwave, after piercing, in order to cut them in half for baking.  Then, scoop out the seeds and fibers and they are almost ready to go into the oven.

The preparation for baking was pretty simple, just brush with olive oil,  sprinkle with seasoning salt and fresh ground black pepper.  I was pretty liberal with all three of these, because once they are cooked and the spaghetti is shredded, there is plenty go to around.

Contrary to many preparation methods, these were baked cut-side up at 400 F for 40 minutes, then checked for tenderness and ease of shredding.  Since there were a few tough spots, I popped them back in for another 10 minutes to ensure doneness.

The next step was to top with your favorite pizza toppings.  Starting with an 8 oz jar of Classico Pizza sauce, 1/3 cup was spread on top of each half, then a handful of shredded mozzarella cheese (probably another 1/3 cup) and finally, 2 of them were topped with pepperoni, to satisfy the meat lovers in the family.

The kids did really well with this variation of a time-honored favorite.  They were intrigued by the fact that the shredded squash really did look like spaghetti and I'm always pleased when a filling, healthy meal can be served up as a one-dish wonder.

 Recipe

Ingredients
2 Spaghetti Squash
Olive Oil 
Seasoning Salt
Black Pepper
8 oz jar of Classico Pizza Sauce
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Pepperoni
(any additional pizza toppings of your choice)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400F, pierce squash and microwave for 1 minute to soften. Cut in half, brush on olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper. Bake, cut side up for 40 minutes, or longer if necessary, until squash shreds easily.

Remove from oven, top shredded squash with favorite pizza toppings.  I used 1/3 cup Classico pasta sauce, a handful of shredded mozzarella cheese and some pepperoni.  Return to oven until cheese is melted.

Cut in half and serve!