Spinach Stuffed Shells

I'm sure everyone has a good recipe for stuffed shells, but I just made these tonight and wanted to share. I make it with low-fat ricotta cheese and 2% mozzarella to make it a little more figure friendly. This is a great way to get spinach in kids, I'm learning! :o) E loves these.

1 box jumbo shells

2 cups marinara sauce (I use Shana's recipe for meat sauce)

10 oz. box frozen spinach, thawed and water squeezed out

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 egg

1/2 tsp dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Cook shells according to package directions; be sure to leave al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water. Mix together spinach, ricotta, parmesan, garlic, egg, oregano, salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 350. Spray bottom of a 13x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon spinach and cheese mixture into shells and place in bottom of the dish. Pour sauce over shells and top with cheese. Bake for 35 minutes until cheese is melty and sauce is bubbly.

Chicken Lasagna Florentine

This is one of my favorite low calorie, Crock pot recipes.

2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup (reduced fat)
1 pkg. frozen chopped spinach (thawed and drained)
1/2 pound cooked chicken (I used shredded rotisserie chicken breasts)
8 oz. reduced fat sour cream
1 cup milk
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
9 uncooked lasagna noodles (don't use the oven-ready noodles)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Combine the soup, spinach, chicken, sour cream, milk, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg in a large bowl.

Grease Crock pot with cooking spray and place 3 lasagna noodles in the bottom of the Crock pot. Break noodles as needed to fit. Spread 1/3 of the mixture over the noodles; sprinkle with 1/3 cup of mozzarella cheese. Layer three more noodles, half of remaining mixture and 1/3 cup of mozzarella cheese. Top with remaining noodles, mixture and mozzarella cheese.

Cook on HIGH for 1 hour and then reduce heat to LOW and cook for about 3-4 hours or until done.

Hallie's Salad Dressings

My sister-in-law, Hallie, makes the most delicious salads all year round. I always feel so healthy after I eat one. She always makes organic spinach salads with loads of healthy ingredients, including every color bell pepper you can imagine, red and green onion, apples, beets, fresh cilantro (always a must with Hallie and me), pomegranate seeds, and sunflower seeds or dry roasted peanuts. One of these babies and you're good on vitamins for the day. The veggies are great, but her dressings are really what make the salads.

Mexican Lime Vinaigrette

• Juice of one lime
• Large pinch paprika
• Large pinch cumin
• Large pinch sugar
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• Dash white vinegar

Curry Vinaigrette

• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp dry mustard

The curry dressing is wonderful over a spinach salad with red apples, raisins and roasted peanuts.

PS - Thanks to Hallie, my new obsession is pomegranate seeds. They are delicious and Ellie loves to snack on them. That makes me happy because they are chock full of antioxidents and vitamins. Hallie shared a tip for cutting up pomegranates that really works wonders. Cut both ends off the pomegranate and then score it (cut four slices through the pith, without cutting into the fruit). Submerge the pomegranate in a large bowl of water and start to peel it, as you would an orange. Soon, the pith will rise to the top while the seeds fall to the bottom.

Spinach & Artichoke Dip

This is one of my favorite appetizers. Matt and I always order it in restaurants and I decided I needed to find a good recipe. I found a few different recipes and modified those into this recipe. I made this for the first time for dinner with Jane and her family. It got rave reviews and is now a favorite in our house.

8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
salt and pepper to taste
14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a small baking dish. In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, garlic, basil, garlic salt, salt, pepper and mozzarella cheese. Gently stir in artichoke hearts and spinach. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven 25 minutes, until bubbly and lightly browned. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips, pita chips or sliced French bread. Enjoy!