Black Bean & Corn Salad

 

I do love a good salad! This Black Bean & Corn Salad was easy to throw together and I really liked the flavor of the homemade dressing. 

While I liked it, it wasn't my favorite salad. I could see myself making it again in the future when I meal prep lunches for myself for the week. The kids thought it was good but didn't like it enough to request to have it again. 

Italian Zucchini Topped Baked Potato

 

In our house, we all love a good baked potato! As a way to mix it up a bit, we tried this Italian Zucchini Topped Baked Potato. It was quite tasty!

This will be a recipe I continue to return to throughout the summer. It's easy to make, very filling, and a great way to use some of the zucchini in our garden. 

Cheesy Spinach Artichoke Bagels

 If you like spinach artichoke dip, you'll love this recipe. It is full of cheesy yumminess! It's a quick, easy, and filling lunch or you can serve it as a dinner on the go too. 

I bought a package of plain bagels and planned to top all of them with this filling. I used one block of cream cheese as called for but added a lot spinach and artichoke hearts to bulk it up. I also eliminated a lot of the cheese because I really didn't think it was necessary with the cream cheese base. Everyone loved these open faced sandwiches and we didn't miss the extra cheese at all. They were delicious even with considerably cutting back the cheese. 

Roasted Red Pepper, Spinach & Feta Pasta

 

I was in search of a new pasta recipe to try to help Kenxie carb load the night before a softball tournament. I wasn't looking for a heavy, rich sauce but instead wanted something lighter. I thought this quick and easy pasta would fit the bill.

It was easy to make with only a few ingredients required. In the end, once the pasta was ready to serve, it left me underwhelmed. The flavor just wasn't there. Everyone ate a big plateful but they were in no rush for me to make this recipe again. Bummer...we'll keep searching for a new pasta recipe to try. 

White Bean and Pesto Risotto

 

I was drawn to the recipe because it was fairly healthy and the ingredient list was incredibly short. Besides oil, salt, and pepper, there are ONLY 3 INGREDIENTS! 

I don't shy away from beans when cooking but this recipe just didn't come together quite as expected in the flavor department. It wasn't bad, but I wasn't left wanting more either. 

Sweet Potato Stuffed Portobello Mushroom

 I am a big fan of mushrooms and have yet to find a stuffed portobello mushroom I don't like. I wasn't sure how this one would go over with the kids since Lexie is not a fan of sweet potatoes BUT...she ate it without any complaints, had seconds, and told me that she liked it so much that she thought it was squash. Win for Mom!

I have to agree, this was a tasty combination! The sweet potato paired with the apple, pepper, and walnuts was a winning combination. The addition of the poultry seasoning is a must too! I loved it on top of the portobello mushroom but could also eat the stuffing plain 😋

Baked Broccoli Penne

 

This recipe caught my attention because the prep seemed to be SUPER easy. Mix all ingredients together and pour into a baking dish...you can't get much easier than that!

I was slightly unsure how the pasta would cook in this recipe. Part way through the bake time, I took a peek. So happy that I did because I realized that not all of the pasta was fully submerged in liquid and it was not cooking evenly. To avoid crunchy, uncooked pieces of pasta, I quickly stirred up the mixture before placing it back in the oven. Really not much of an inconvenience at all. 

Tomato and Black Bean Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

I LOVE mushrooms! We’ve tried a number of different stuffed portobello mushroom recipes, all of which I’ve loved! When I saw this recipe, I thought it may be a good one to add to our selection. 

The flavor was wonderful! I was a little nervous when I finished making the stuffing because I thought I was a bit too seasoned BUT when it was paired with the portobello mushroom, it was the perfect balance. So yummy! The added asparagus was a nice touch as well :)

Mushroom and Spinach Pasta

I wasn’t so sure how the kids would like this Mushroom and Spinach Pasta but I was pleasantly surprised when they devoured the entire skillet. They typically are not huge fans of balsamic vinegar but apparently they didn’t mind it in this recipe.

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

I had some extra quinoa from earlier in the week so I decided to make this Mediterranean Chickpea Salad to use it up. Great decision…it was a delicious salad that the whole family enjoyed.

The sauce was easy to throw together using my Cuisinart Mini Prep Plus. Gather all the ingredients and throw them in together. A few minutes later, tadah! Beautifully blended sauce with very little clean up. So handy and perfect for smaller jobs when a full sized food processor isn’t needed.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

If you haven’t tried Roasted Brussels Sprouts, you are in for a treat! Gone are the days of mushy, smelly, overcooked brussel sprouts. You’ll love the subtle crunch and mild flavor of these veggies when roasted with just a few simple ingredients.

I’ve tried a few recipes where the brussels sprouts are roasted with bacon. I like bacon but love the brussels sprouts on their own so I actually prefer them without the added bacon. I do like to drizzle them with a little balsamic glaze right before I serve them. Not for everyone but I sure like it.

Pesto Ravioli

This Pesto Ravioli is one of those super QUICK recipes that really can be made and served within 15 minutes. It’s a recipe that is easy enough for the kids to make (with a little supervision at the stove) so if you need a day off in the kitchen, add this Pesto Ravioli to your menu.

Spinach & Artichoke Soup

I ❤️ spinach and I ❤️ artichokes so this Spinach & Artichoke Soup sounded like it was made just for me. I have to say I was a little skeptical as I was making it but it all came together and tasted like the soup version of a very tasty spinach and artichoke dip…you know the kind that is loaded with cheese…a heart attack waiting to happen. Yep, that’s the one!

Bean and Pico Tostadas

When you are in need of a meal that you can prepare in less than 10 minutes, give these Bean and Pico Tostadas a try. They aren’t fancy but any means but they are pretty tasty for the amount of time and effort you have to put into serving dinner.

To make these a little healthier, you could make your own tostadas. If you go this route, it will increase the prep time a bit. Still a super quick meal to prepare but it is an added step. I went the quick and easy route tonight and bought premade tostadas at Aldi.

Veggie Mac & Cheese

When the kids came into the kitchen, they were very excited to see this Veggie Mac & Cheese ready to be served. They said it looked and smelled delicious! I typically lean towards healthier recipes and there is no way that this would be considered healthy…at all! It was, however, a good fueling meal for Lexie (pasta is always on the menu the night before a competition).

Creamy Fettuccine with Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms

I thought I would love this Creamy Fettuccine with Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms but I was slightly underwhelmed. Brussels sprouts and mushrooms are two of my favorite veggies so I had high hopes. That being said, my kids all liked it and had seconds so maybe it’s just me. I did alter the recipe a bit so that could play a part in it as well.

Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Quick, easy, healthy and filling…these stuffed sweet potatoes check all the boxes! Dinner can be on the table in 15 minutes and you only need 4 ingredients. That’s definitely a win in my kitchen!

I chose to use my air fryer to cook the potatoes to get that fluffy inside and crispy skin. Xander was recruited to put them in the air fryer so they would be done when I returned home from the girls’ practices. I prefer the air fryer over the microwave but when in a time crunch, the microwave works just fine.

Olive Garden Minestrone Soup

A cold day calls for some soup! A hot, delicious bowl of Olive Garden’s Minestrone Soup fits the bill. Instead of heading out (or ordering in) for a tasty bowl of their veggie packed soup, stay in and make it yourself.

Although I used nearly all of the ingredients in this recipe, my version of this soup was a lot thicker and more veggie packed than the recipe as written. If you prefer a more brothy soup, follow the recipe more closely than I did.

Mac and Cheese - Quick & Easy

I was looking for a quick and easy pasta recipe to give Lexie the carbs needed for a meet tomorrow morning so…mac and cheese it is 🙂 This mac and cheese recipe fit the bill and the kids all liked the pasta. I thought it was ok…didn’t love it but didn’t hate it either. It was just an ok bowl of Mac and Cheese.

Chickpea Soup - Absolutely Delicious!

I’ve tried a number of chickpea recipes over the past few months and they have all been pretty tasty but this one, WOW, this one is AMAZING! This healthy chickpea soup recipe is one of the quickest and easiest recipes I’ve made it a long time and it was absolutely delicious! I made a loaf of sourdough bread earlier in the week so I served this soup with the bread used for dipping.