Belly Thrillers

Talking to a friend recently about must see movies and "thrillers," it occurred to me that's exactly what we need for the winter months - Belly Thrillers.  Belly thrillers are recipes and meals which 1. are hearty, 2. are healthy, and 3. thrill the belly!

Beef Pasta and Mushroom Soup

In honor of winter and January, I am pleased to introduce our first belly thriller: Beef Pasta and Mushroom Soup.  Soup, by its very nature, is a belly thriller.  Soup is warm and warms the body from the inside out.  Soup is comforting and can be hearty at will.  And soup is thrilling (at least to me) and filling!

Bow-tie Pasta with Chicken & Broccoli

Our second belly thriller is Bow-tie Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli.  Chicken and broccoli are healthy and hearty and get two thumbs up.  But the thrilling part of this recipe is definitely the Bow-tie pasta.  Change out your boring old noodles (whatever staple they may be) and exchange them for some BOW-tie!  (Not to be confused with Tiebow.)

Buffalo Chicken Tacos

Last, but never least, anything with the word Taco in the recipe title is automatically on the belly thrillers list.  What thrills me about these tacos is the buffalo chicken element of surprise.  I've done beef tacos, fish tacos, and chicken tacos...but it never occurred to me to spice things up with some buffalo-wow.  A must-taste belly thriller this season!

Enjoy!  Remember, we love feedback and photos and movie recommendations!

Chicken, Not Just For The Birds!

The birds may have flown south for the winter, but the chickens are still plentiful and plenty full!  If you are short on ideas for dinner this week, or wanting to spruce up your staple go-to meals, try out one of our fresh and fun chicken recipes.

Chicken Broccoli Bake

Do yourself a favor this year, and investigate recipes and meals that are quick to prepare, easy on your budget, and crazy tasty.  Casseroles, crock pots (aka slow cookers), and freezer meals are three great ideas for feeding your family healthy stuff that doesn't overtake your evening hours to prepare.

Baked Ranch Chicken

Get back to basics too.  Baking does not equal boring.  Baked chicken is very nutritious and can be very simple to prepare.  But how to make it worth tasting?  Revisit your spice rack, pantry, and salad dressing shelf in the refrigerator for some clever ideas for pleasing your family's taste buds.  Ranch dressing, seasonings, BBQ sauce and even jams/jellies can be refreshing ingredients for taste bud wake up.

Chicken & Orzo Skillet

Often a staple in Greek and Turkish cuisine, Orzo is a "big rice" way of rounding off a Chicken dinner.  Branch out in 2012.  Leave your old rice, pasta, and potatoes for another day; and dig into a new side dish that could also be better for you (think whole grains vs. white starch).

That's all I can say for Chicken at the moment and it's probably plenty for now.  I don't want to cause Chicken overload.  Enjoy trying some new recipes in 2012 and be adventurous!  Remember, we love feedback and photos!