Easy New Year's Eve Appetizer!

If you're anything like me then you've been snacking on lots of junk food since the week before Christmas and it's still going on! Lots of get togethers and parties always having an abundance of sweets and appetizers. If you're hosting a New Year's Eve party or going to one and want to snack on something a little more "figure friendly" then pita chips are the thing to make. Your guests will love them too! Pair up these easy chips with a dip like hummus, tzatziki, salsa, and spinach dip which are also a bit better for you and some cut up veggies on the side. Serve straight from the oven and you can put the leftovers in a zip lock bag for later.

Pita Chips

- Preheat oven to 400 degrees

- Cut pita bread (white or wholewheat) into triangles. You can also rip apart the pita bread and make them thin pita chips

- In a bowl add some Extra Virgin Olive Oil and your favorite seasonings

- Spread the triangles on a baking sheet and brush on the olive oil mixture to each one

- Put in the oven between 5-6 mins. but keep an eye on them because they do burn quickly!

An easy snack to have instead of a bag of greasy chips and you're left feeling satisfied! Enjoy...

Leftover Idea

So now what do you do with all the turkey lurkey hanging around your house? There are all kinds of different ideas for that... soups, sandwiches... but my favorite is turkey pot pie and that is what I plan on making for supper tonight. There are all kinds of variations of pot pie... you could use gravy as the mixture or a cream of 'something' soup. Then you can add any veggies you want to that are kicking around or just add some mixed frozen veggies. So if you like to follow recipes here's what I am doing today:

Leftover Turkey Pot Pie

Take out a baking dish (either round or square) that is the size of a pie shell.

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees

- Cut up turkey to bite sizes (about a cup and a half or whatever you have will do)

- Need 3 cups of frozen veggies, thawed and drain off the water

- 1 can of cream of chicken (or any other cream soup will do) you could also add a cup of packaged turkey gravy too (prepare as directed on the package)
- Mix the veggies and soup, add a little milk or sour cream to get it a creamy texture
- Add any of your favourite seasonings (basil, salt, pepper, etc.)
- Add to baking dish then top with a pie shell (if it's a square baking dish you will need to work with the dough a little... don't worry if it breaks a little)
- Bake for approx. 50 mins. but keep an eye that the crust isn't burnt
- Serve with some rolls with butter and a nice salad and you are all set! Simple and easy!

Hint: For figure friendly add fat free soup or low sodium gravy in place of the soup

Enjoy and Happy Boxing Day!

Christmas Eve

My favorite day of the year has to be Christmas Eve day... even better than Christmas Day! The excitement of seeing family and heading out to a candle light service and then relaxing with lots of finger foods and egg nog really makes the night special! Every Christmas Eve we go to my parent's place for a get together with family and friends and tell funny stories and of course eat. This is Leeland's first Christmas so it is going to be extra special.

For Christmas dinner we are heading to my parent's place. I have offered to make a squash dish to bring to help mom out in all the cooking. My friend Somer made this recipe once and I loved it and I made it at Thanksgiving this year and took it to my inlaw's place and everyone there loved it too.

Squash Delish Dish

-1 medium size buttercup squash

(peel it and cube it up)
-2 cans of Cream of Mushroom soup (or any soup you prefer would work)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Put cubed up squash into a 9"x13" baking dish
- Mix in soup
- Sprinkle a box of Stove Top dressing on top of squash (you can use crushed up croutons if you do not have any Stove Top)
- Bake for 1 hour

Hint: For figure friendly use fat free soup and less sodium Stove Top.

Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

Introduction

Today my sister and I were talking on the phone and she mentioned she'd like to start a blog about fashion. I thought that was a good idea for her because she loves clothing and likes to be on top of what's up and coming. It made me think... I love to cook and create new things and maybe I could do the same about one of my hobbies! Lots of times my hubby wanted to do some Youtube vidoes of me cooking up some of his favorite dishes and call it "Cooking With Michelle." I love how supportive he is and he always raves over what I make him for meals.

I am a new mother so I've really had to make time to prepare meals that are healthy and yet something I can pull together fast. The biggest thing is being prepared and having your veggies cut up ahead of time so that you are not scrammbling to wash romaine to try and make a salad. It certainly takes more energy but worth it in the end.

I'd like to blog about some of the recipes that I've tried and love and recipes that are easy to make and also easy to make healthy too. I live with a non-veggie husband so sometimes stuff I have to omit the good stuff but sneak it in somehow.

So as I blog about what you should try to make for supper for your family you can also visit my sister's blog and see what not to wear! Thanks for checking me out and I will do my best to keep an updated blog of new things for you to try out and with some pictures to see what the recipe looks like.

It's all about having fun!