Spinach Dip Crisps

  From: Pillsbury Annual Recipes

Ingredients:

• 1 box (9 oz) frozen spinach
• 24 wonton skins (from a 16-oz package)
• 1 can (7 oz) chopped green chiles
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 3/4 cup finely shredded Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese blend

Verdict: Thumbs up! I really loved the flavor of these and the added texture of the crispy wontons!

What I did differently: I actually only used about half the can of chiles. I think that was plenty. There was a slight kick, but not too much! For my mayonnaise I used Chosen Foods mayo with avocado oil. It's completely sugar-free and is my favorite mayonnaise!

Creamy Tuscan Chicken (Whole 30)

 From: Paleo Running Momma

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs chicken thighs boneless and skinless
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil plus additional if needed
• Sea salt and pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1 small onion chopped
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 Tbsp tapioca flour or arrowroot (I used almond flour)
• 1 cup chicken bone broth
• 1/2 cup coconut milk full fat, blended before adding if needed
• 1/2 Tbsp stone ground mustard
• 1 1/2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning blend
• 1/4 tsp sea salt or to taste
• 1/8 tsp black pepper or to taste
• 2/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped

Season the chicken with sea salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder. In a large skillet add the coconut oil and cook the chicken thighs on medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until browned and no longer pink in center. Remove chicken and set aside on a plate.

Add additional oil if necessary and cook the onions over medium heat until soft, then stir in the garlic and cook another 45 seconds.

Whisk in the tapioca or arrowroot, then add the broth and coconut milk. Stir to combine, then stir in the mustard, yeast, Italian seasoning, sea salt and pepper. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until it starts to thicken.

Add the spinach and sun-dried tomatoes and allow mixture to simmer until spinach is wilted and tomatoes are softened. Add chicken back to the skillet and simmer another 2 minutes. Serve over cauli rice, zucchini noodles, or with roasted potatoes. Enjoy!

Verdict:

Thumbs up! I don't normally cook with chicken thighs and I remember why... they're so fatty! Yes, they were cheap, but I had to trim a ton of fat off. I'd rather just buy breast cutlets next time for this recipe. The sauce, though, I was LOVING! I was a little surprised because I don't like coconut anything, so I was afraid the coconut oil and milk would be too much in this recipe. I couldn't pick out that flavor at all though. I really liked the tanginess of the sundried tomatoes. I think they added a lot to the recipe. All in all, very good, and I will probably make again, although I will half the recipe next time because I could see me doing this for a nice lunch for myself the next time I cook it.

Spinach Tortellini Soup

From: Budget Bytes

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion
4 cloves garlic
1 28-oz can tomato sauce
1 28-oz can crushed or diced tomatoes
28 oz water
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
15-20 cranks fresh cracked pepper
1 12-oz package frozen cheese tortellini
1 10-oz box frozen spinach
2 tsp salt

Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Cook both in a large pot along with the olive oil over medium-low heat until they are soft and transparent (about 5 minutes). Add the can of tomato sauce, the can of crushed (or diced) tomatoes, and one can full of water to the pot. Add the basil, oregano, a healthy dose of freshly cracked pepper, and stir to combine. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring up to a simmer (about 10 minutes). Add the frozen tortellini and frozen spinach (no need to thaw either one). Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to break up the frozen spinach. Cook until heated through, the spinach has completely incorporated, and the tortellini is tender (about 10 minutes). Season to taste with salt.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! We love spinach tortellini soup, and this is such a simple, classic recipe. Couldn't be any better! I did use my canned tomatoes instead of store-bought, but only because I need to put them to use. I have nothing negative to say about this recipe. I topped it with crackers and parmesan cheese. Absolutely delicious!

Spinach Minestrone

From: Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1 can (16 oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 medium carrots, sliced
1/2 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed

In a saucepan coated with nonstick cooking spray, saute onion and garlic until tender. Add broth, beans, tomatoes, carrots, macaroni and oregano. Cook until vegetables and macaroni are tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in spinach, bring to a boil. Remove from heat; let stand for 5-10 minutes.

One cup serving equals 143 calories, 109 mg sodium, 2 mg cholesterol, 26 gm carbohydrate, 8 gm protein, 1 gm fat.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Nothing.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I'll definitely make this again. Sorry there is no picture to go with the recipe. It was a fantastic soup and the best part is my 18-month old loved it. I love recipes that are so healthy that my kids will eat! Highly recommend this one!  

Cheesy Baked Pasta with Spinach and Artichokes

From: Real Simple

Ingredients:
8 oz mezzi rigatoni
1 14-oz can artichoke hearts, rinsed and quartered
1 9-oz package frozen creamed spinach, thawed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
pepper

Cook the pasta according to the package directions, drain, and return it to the pot. Heat broiler.

Add the artichoke hearts, spinach, Parmesan, half the mozzarella and 1/4 tsp pepper to the pasta and toss to combine.

Transfer the mixture to a shallow 2-quart (or 8-inch square) broilerproof baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella. Broil until the cheese is browned in spots, 2 to 3 minutes.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Instead of using creamed spinach I just used chopped spinach. Other than that, I didn't change anything.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Neutral. I actually love spinach and artichoke in dips, but I kind of thought the artichoke flavor was a bit too much in this recipe. To be honest, I would have been happy if it was just pasta, cheese and spinach! It definitely didn't taste bad, it just wasn't really my cup of tea.

$$:
This was a very inexpensive meal! The artichoke hearts were the most expensive - around $4, but it still came out to less than $1 per serving.

Printable version:

Ingredients:
8 oz mezzi rigatoni
1 14-oz can artichoke hearts, rinsed and quartered
1 9-oz package frozen creamed spinach, thawed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
pepper

Cook the pasta according to the package directions, drain, and return it to the pot. Heat broiler.

Add the artichoke hearts, spinach, Parmesan, half the mozzarella and 1/4 tsp pepper to the pasta and toss to combine.

Transfer the mixture to a shallow 2-quart (or 8-inch square) broilerproof baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella. Broil until the cheese is browned in spots, 2 to 3 minutes.