English Muffin Pizzas

I bought some sourdough English muffins and made little pizzas from them. They were a big hit.

*Halve the English muffins
*Spread them with pizza sauce - not too much
*layer favorite vegetables (I used mushrooms & diced tomatoes)
*layer with favorite meat if you like (I used real bacon bits)

*Broil for a couple of minutes

*sprinkle with shredded cheese and place into oven

*Turn oven off and let sit until cheese is melted (cheese will melt superfast since oven is so hot).

*Serve with a tossed salad!

Salmon Salad

I am trying to go lower on the carbohydrates yet high fiber, so I invented a yummy salad:

Salmon Salad

This makes a giant batch; it fed my family of five and I had leftovers for today...

Mix the following:
2 cans of Salmon (with or without bones... mine is with)
1 can of water chestnuts (chopped or diced or whatever)
mayo - enough to make it stick
salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder to taste
dill - to taste
diced pickles, if desired or pickle juice!  I just poured it in and tested it until I liked the taste. 
sunflower seeds - I probably used about 1/4 cup

Fresh spinach leaves
Give everyone a portion of spinach leaves, and then top with the salmon mixture.
Yum!  High protein... low carb... high fiber

Mushroom Noodle soup

I realize this recipe carb & sodium city, but today is the day before getting groceries.  I try to only shop twice a month so...  If anyone is like me, I usually have a few things left in the pantry (we always have tons of deer meat but who wants to cook that for lunch?).  This is what I threw together for lunch and it was just too tasty not to share:

1 package of Amish noodles
2 packets of mushroom gravy
1 packet of country gravy (white)
If I had them, I would add sliced fresh mushrooms too

Prepare the Amish noodles according to the package.  During the last 5 minutes (while the noodles are boiling).  Mix all 3 packets of gravy in about a 1 1/2 cup of cold water or milk.  Pour the gravy mixture into the boiling noodles and mix.  If you have mushrooms...add them too!
I will probably be bouncing off the walls in a bit after all those carbs (and very little protein) but it sure was good!

Grilled pizza

This recipe was in our electric consumer newsletter.  The boys loved it.

I am typing from memory so I apologize for the un-sofisticated style here. ;-)

You need bread, white cheese slices of your choice (mozzerella, monterey jack, etc), basil, and pizza sauce.

Make a grilled cheese sandwich with the bread and cheese, except sprinkle the bread with basil before you grill it.  Use a pizza cutter to cut into long strips.  Dip in warm pizza sauce.

I think next time I am going to try to put mushroom slices or even pepperoni in the middle! Well.. anything that might top a regular pizza would probably be good.

Easy Pizza Bread

Pizza bread is a very easy and quick supper. It makes a great weekend meal or a great meal on a night you really don't feel like cooking.

What you need:

Spaghetti or pizza sauce
French bread, hamburger or hot dog buns, or rolls
cheese
toppings of your choice (pepperoni, sausage, hamburger, bacon [or bacon bits], mushroom, peppers, olives, onions, ..... the list is endless!)

Directions:

Place bread open-faced on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven (I broil for about 1 minute). Spread a little sauce on each bun. Sprinkle with cheese. Add toppings.

Place under broiler for 1 -2 minutes. Watch closely so that you don't burn the bread!

That's all! :-) Easy & quick!

You can also do this Mexican style. The variation is to add taco meat & cheese instead of pizza sauce. After it's broiled... top with lettuce, tomatoes, taco sauce, & sour cream!

Salad, A Great Summer Lunch

I really do not have much time for cooking lunches. Lunch-meat is way, way too salty so I usually do not buy it. I do not want to spend the money on pre-packaged lunches.
Sometimes we do leftovers. However usually, I only have enough for one meal (which I send with Michael to work). I know... I know... I need to cook extra.

So...what do ya do other than sandwiches or leftovers? I posted before about having a vegetable tray. Another option is to do salads.

Options are virtually limitless:

• Lettuces: Spinach, Iceberg, Romaine....
• Veggies: Broccoli, Carrots, Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Red Cabbage shreds, Sprouts, Cauliflower......
• Canned Vegetables: Any type of bean or pea, Chick Peas (my favorite!), Corn, Hominy...
• Frozen vegetables (I am thinking peas)...
• Strawberries, mandarin oranges, raisins...
  
• Diced Meats (Cook a whole chicken early in the week,divide it into Ziploc bags, & freeze), boiled eggs...
  
• Toppings: Bacon Bits, Salad Crispins, Nuts, Seeds, Shredded Cheeses...

If you are taking your lunch away from home, Glad brand makes pudding sized containers that are great for those things you don't want to add to your salad until the last minute!

Add wheat crackers, a cup of fruit,yogurt, or cottage cheese and you have the perfect lunch!