Lemon Butter Braised Scallops

scallops

What You Need:

1 1/2 lb. fresh sea scallops
3 tsp butter, divided
1 C of chicken broth
1 tsp lemon zest grated
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

How to Make It:

Rinse the scallops and blot dry with paper towel.
Melt 2 tbsp of butter in a skillet over medium high heat.
Add the scallops and cook 5 minutes, turning occasionally, until cooked through.
Place the scallops in a serving bowl and keep warm.
In a separate bowl combine the broth, lemon zest, lemon juice and cornstarch.
Season the broth mixture with the salt and pepper then pour the mixture into the skillet.
Bring the mixture to a boil stirring constantly and allow it to boil 1 minute or until thick.
Take the skillet off of the heat and stir in the remaining butter and the parsley.
Pour the sauce over the scallops and toss gently to coat.

Makes 4 servings

It is important to purchase firm moist scallops that have a creamy white color. This will ensure you have purchased fresh scallops. Scallops that are not fresh will have a sulfur odor and have a pearly look. Do not purchase scallops that have a liquid oozing into the package. When you purchase scallops use them right away or freeze them for up to 2 months. Remember scallops do cook rather quickly so cook your side dishes first and then your scallops.

Preparation Time: approximately 10 minutes
Cooking Time: approximately 6 minutes
Total Time: approximately 16 minutes

Nutritional Information: (approximate values per serving)
Calories 192; Fat 5g; Saturated Fat 2g; Carbohydrates 6g; Protein 29g; Fiber 0g;
Cholesterol 64mg; Sodium 765mg

Spiced Baked Potato Skins

What You Need:

8 baking potatoes, scrubbed well
4 tbsp butter, melted
2 tbsp hot sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp onion powder

How to Make It:

Set the oven to 350 degrees and preheat.
Use a fork to pierce the potatoes in a few places and place them directly on the oven rack.
Bake the potatoes for 55 minutes or until soft.
Set the potatoes aside to cool and set the oven temperature up to 450 degrees.
When the potatoes have cooled enough to handle cut them into quarters.
Scoop out the pulp leaving a 1/4 inch shell.
Place the potato skins on a baking sheet skin side down.
Place the melted butter in a bowl and stir in the hot sauce, salt and onion powder.
Brush the butter mixture over the potato skins.
Bake for 15 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.

Makes 8 servings

These make a great appetizer when you have company over. Believe it or not the potato skins are where most of your nutrients are found in potatoes. Serve these with a light blue cheese dressing as a dip. Use the reserved potato pulp to make a chunky potato soup or for hash browns with breakfast.

Preparation Time: approximately 15 minutes
Cooking Time: approximately 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time: approximately 1 hour 25 minutes

Nutritional Information: (approximate values per serving)
Calories 237; Fat 12g; Saturated Fat 5g; Carbohydrates 30g; Protein 4g; Fiber 1g;
Cholesterol 16 mg; Sodium 859 mg

Ranch Pepper and Pimento Rollups

What You Need:

2 (8 oz.) pkgs. fat free cream cheese, room temperature
1 envelope dry ranch dressing mix
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped fine
1 (2 oz.) jar diced pimientos, drained well
8 (8 in.) flour tortillas

How to Make It:

Stir together the cream cheese, dressing, peppers and pimento until blended well.
Lay the tortillas flat and spread the mixture evenly over each tortilla.
Roll the tortillas tightly around the filling and wrap each roll in plastic wrap.
Chill for at least 1 hour or until firm.
Unwrap and slice each roll into 8 appetizers.

Makes 16 servings

These tasty yet healthy appetizers are sure to please even the greatest skeptic. Healthy appetizers can be hard to find sometimes but these will fit the bill all the way around. Be sure to wear disposable gloves when chopping the peppers and wash your hands well when you’re done.

Preparation Time: approximately 10 minutes
Chilling Time: approximately 1 hour
Total Time: approximately 1 hour 10 minutes

Nutritional Information: (approximate values per serving)
Calories 106; Fat 2g; Saturated Fat 1g; Carbohydrates 15g; Protein 6g; Fiber 0g;
Cholesterol 10 mg; Sodium 419 mg

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Baked Cinnamon Crunch Poppers

cinnamonpoppers

cinnamonpoppersWhat You Need:

2 T of sugar
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1 (10.2 oz.) can refrigerated home style biscuits
2 T of margarine, melted
3/4 C of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, crushed fine

How to Make It:

Allow the oven to heat to 400 degrees F/
A cookie sheet is sprayed with a non stick cooking spray.
Blend together the sugar and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.
The biscuits are separated into 5 pieces.
Each of the biscuits is cut into 6 pieces.
In the bowl with the cinnamon put the biscuits pieces and coat well.
The melted butter is poured over the above pieces and stir until well coated.
In a plastic bag put the crushed cereal.
The biscuit pieces are put in the bag a few at a time, seal the bag and shake to coat.
The coated pieces are put on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 32 poppers

Kids love to pop these little treats into their mouths. The leftovers can be stored in an airtight container. Warm them by putting in the microwave for about 30 seconds. These make a very good breakfast treat.

Preparation Time: approximately 10 minutes
Baking Time: approximately 12 minutes
Total Time: approximately 22 minutes

Nutritional Value per 4 bites: (approximate values)
Calories 70; fat 4 g; sodium 95 mg; carbohydrates 9 g; sugar 4 g; protein 0 g

Lil Smoky Snake Snacks

What You Need:

1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
4 (11 oz.) cans refrigerated bread sticks
2 pkg. cheese smoky links
1 t of processed cheese spread
48 small raisins

How to Make It:

The oven is set to preheat to 375 degrees F.
Cut the bell pepper into 24 small pieces to look like a tongue.
The bread stick dough is removed from the cans but not unrolled.
Each bread stick roll is separated into 6 pieces.
1 roll of the dough is unrolled and press to seal the center perforation.
The dough is wrapped loosely around a smoky link with 1 1/2 in dough extending from each end.
Do this until all the smoky links have been wrapped.
On an ungreased cookie sheet put the wrapped links.
Place small balls of foil under the extended ends of the dough to form the heads and tails while baking.
Make a mouth by making a small slit in each piece of dough.
Put in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until dough is a golden brown.
Place a dab of the cheese spread on the head of each snake where the eyes and tongue are to be placed.
On each snake put two raisins for the eyes and a piece of the bell pepper for the tongue.

Makes 24 servings

These sneaky snakes are loved by kids. In place of the smoky links you may use regular hot dogs.

Preparation Time: approximately 30 minutes
Baking Time: approximately 15 minutes
Total Time: approximately 45 minutes

Nutritional Information per serving: (approximate values)
Calories 290; fat 16 g; sodium 910 mg; carbohydrates 29 g; sugar 6 g;
protein 9 g

Baked Kabob Appetizers

biscuits

biscuitsWhat You Need:

4 (8 ct.) refrigerated home style biscuits
24 frozen meatballs, thawed
6 T of Parmesan cheese, grated
1 sweet red bell pepper, seed and cut into 12 chunks

How to Make It:

The oven is set to preheat to 375 degrees F.
Each biscuit is cut into 4 equal pieces.
In a mixing bowl put the biscuit pieces.
The Parmesan cheese is added and the biscuits tossed until coated.
On a metal skewer put one biscuit and one meatball.
Add a biscuit and a chunk of pepper.
Add another biscuit and another meatball and end with another biscuit.
Continue making 11 more with the ingredients in the same order.
Place in a 15 x 10 baking pan.
Bake for 15 minutes or until the biscuits are a golden brown.
Cool the kabobs slightly before serving.

Makes 12 kabobs

Kids love these kabobs served with tomato sauce, pizza sauce or a cheese dip.

Preparation Time: approximately 20 minutes
Baking Time: approximately 15 minutes
Total Time: approximately 40 minutes

Nutritional Information per skewer: (approximate values)
Calories 580; fat 29 g; sodium 1,730 mg; carbohydrates 57 g;
sugar 17 g; protein 24 g

Not So Spicy Taco Dip

chips

chipsWhat You Need:

3 C of prepared bean dips
1 1/2 C of chive and onion sour cream
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 C of Mexican cheese blend
1 large bag of tortilla chips

How to Make It:

In the bottom of a serving bowl put the bean dip.
Over the bean dip spread the sour cream
The tomatoes are sprinkled over the sour cream.
Over the tomatoes spread the cheese.
Serve as a dip with the chips.

Makes 12 servings

This recipe will satisfy any kids taste for tacos. A few ideas for additions to your dip are taco flavored meat, olives, onions and lettuce.

Preparation Time: approximately 20 minutes

Nutritional Information per 1/2 C serving: (approximate values)
Calories 350; fat 25 g; sodium 820 g; carbohydrates 27 g; sugar 5 g; protein 10 g

Cornbread Cinnamon Twisters

cinnamonsticksjar

cinnamonsticksjarWhat You Need:

2 (8 oz.) cans refrigerated cornbread twists
2 T of butter, melted
4 t of cinnamon sugar

How to Make It:

The oven is preheated to 375 degrees F.
A cookie sheet is lightly sprayed with a non stick cooking spray.
Separate both cans of the dough into 2 separate rectangular pieces.
With you fingertips seal any perforations in the dough.
Each rectangle is rolled to 12 inch long and 7 inch wide.
With butter evenly brush each rectangle.
Over both rectangles sprinkle the cinnamon sugar. evenly.
The dough is cut crosswise into 12 strips each.
Each strip is cut in half.
The strips are twisted and put on the prepared cookie sheet.
Put in the preheated oven and bake 10 minutes or until a dark golden brown.

Makes 12 servings

These sweet twists make the kids go a little crazy. You may add yogurt or pudding on the side for dipping.

Preparation Time: approximately 20 minutes
Baking Time: approximately 10 minutes
Total Time: approximately 30 minutes

Nutritional Value per 4 twists: (approximate values)
Calories 150; fat 7 g; sodium 470 mg; carbohydrates 19 g; sugar 7 g; protein 3 g

Cheesy Pizza Dog

hotdogs

hotdogsWhat You Need:

8 all beef hot dogs
2 (8 oz.) cans of pizza sauce
8 hot dog buns
1 C of pizza cheese blend, shredded

How to Make It:

The hot dogs are cut into strips and put in a saucepan.
Over the hot dogs pour the pizza sauce and gently stir to coat.
Stir often while cooking over medium heat 5 minutes.
The hot dog buns are opened.
Evenly spoon the hot dog mixture onto each bun.
The cheese is sprinkled evenly over the buns.
The buns are closed and cut into 4 equal size pieces.
Each of the pieces is secured with a toothpick.

Makes 32

These are a great party appetizer for kids of all ages. If you like your pizza cheese a little gooey put the above on a cookie sheet under the broiler for 2 minutes, watching very carefully so they don’t burn.

Preparation Time: approximately 15 minutes
Cooking Time: approximately 5 minutes
Total Time: approximately 20 minutes

Nutritional Information per 4 bites: (approximate values)
Calories 350; fat 22 g; sodium 1,240 mg; carbohydrates 28 g;
sugar 8 g; protein 13 g