Favorite Two Websites for Recipes

Each week, when I'm preparing my grocery list for the week, I like to look around for recipes to make it through the next few weeks. There are two web sites that I frequent the most for delicious recipes so I don't have to resort to the same old thing each night.


www.campbellskitchen.com

I know this one sounds like a cheap out, because all you have to do is open a can of cream of something and add some type of meat and vegetable. But this is actually the beauty of it. Take their Tuna Noodle Casserole. All you have to do is boil some egg noodles, and then combine them in a casserole dish with two cans of tuna, a can of cream of celery soup, some frozen peas and throw the mixture into the oven for twenty minutes. On those nights when I'm so tired from school and work, this web site is my saving grace for yummy food that contains very little ingredients.

www.cookingspot.com

I somehow stumbled upon this site in my novice days of cooking, and it is a site that I frequent now even after four years of picking up a spatula. It works two ways. You can either browse their thousands of recipes submitted by users, by clicking on whatever type of recipe you are looking for (such as chicken recipe or main dish). Or you can search for a recipe based on one or two ingredients you have on hand. I use this web site to find dinner inspirations at least once a week, which is why it is one of my favorites (like the Baked Ziti posted last week).
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Making the Switch to Whole Wheat Anything

In my ongoing efforts to eat healthier, my husband and I decided to start adding more whole grain items into our cart. This wasn't a very hard decision, especially with all of the evidence that is out there about the benefits of whole grains. The only problem was getting used to the taste and texture of whole grain pastas and cereals.

Our first attempts at cooking with whole grains were kind of a bummer. For instance, if you don't use enough water when cooking brown rice, it can come out kind of chewy, and chewy rice was not what we were looking for. When we made spaghetti with whole grain pasta, we didn't cook it long enough, and the noodles also came out chewy, and it put me off of using whole grain pasta for awhile.

Now that we've learned how to cook these grains the correct way and have them taste like the pasta and rice we grew up with, whole grains are a staple in our diets. Here are a couple tips for cooking with whole grain pasta and rice:

-Cook the pasta five minutes longer than it says on the box, and taste a noodle every couple of minutes until the pasta is as soft as you like it.

-For whole grain rice (like brown rice or wild rice) use a little bit more water than you usually would. If the recipe calls for one cup of rice to one and a half cup of water, use two cups of water instead.

Some other ways to sneak whole grains into your diet in relatively painless ways are to switch to whole grain bread, whole grain tortillas and also whole grain cereals. Its a pretty easy way to improve your diet in a small way. According to mypyramid.gov, whole grains provide B vitamins, iron, folate, and may help with weight management. They can also help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease, something which may be far from our minds at this stage in life, but it doesn't hurt to be aware of preventing these problems when we're young.
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Things to do with ramen noodles

Ah, ramen noodles. Thought of for years as the universal food of college students, this simple meal has been providing college students sustenance while on a cheap budget. It is easy to see why with the just-add-water appeal, and the plethora of flavors, from beef, chicken, and even lime chili shrimp, which is my favorite, and the simple fact that a dollar can get you 10 packages.

But sometimes this staple of the collegiate diet leaves us yearning for more. Here are a few easy ways to jazz up your favorite flavor of ramen noodles. (Most of these work best if you are preparing your noodles on the stove or in the microwave.)

- After you've added the noodles and seasoning packet to the pot of boiling water, crack an egg into the pot and then add in some sliced green onions.

- Throw some chopped broccoli and chopped bell pepper of your choice into the boiling water with the noodles and seasoning packet. Cook until the broccoli is bright green, but not mushy, aka tender crisp.

- Heat up some store bought chicken strips, and add them to your noodles right before you eat them. (You could always cook a chicken breast yourself if you feel so inclined.)

- For a spicy version, buy the lime chili shrimp ramen noodles, or any of the spicier ones. Cook the noodles with the seasoning packet, and then drain once cooked. Add 1/2 cup pepper jack cheese to noodles, and garnish with sliced jalapeños.

- Or you could just do what I like and open one end of the package, add the seasoning packet, and carefully crush the noodles inside the packet and eat it crunchy. I know, not very healthy, but it tastes really good! Continue Reading>>