Crunchy Poppyseed Chicken Salad

This salad was absolutely delicious! I love the flavor of the broccoli slaw and you MUST use the cashews for the full effect. I actually had less poppyseed dressing than I thought so I used another fruity one I had on hand (pomegranate/blueberry) and it was just as tasty.

4 cups broccoli slaw

2 large red peppers, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)

4 carrots, shredded (about 2 cups)

1 can (8 oz.) pineapple tidbits, drained

1 cup grilled chicken breast, chopped

1/2 cup poppyseed dressing

1/4 cup cashew

Combine all ingredients except cashews and toss to coat with dressing. Sprinkle cashews on top just before serving.

Spinach and Orzo Salad

This yummy salad was another big hit. It has a very mediterranean taste which I love! Next time I'll use half as many onions and add a can of garbanzo beans to make it more kid friendly.

Tomato Paella

I served a mission in Spain where paella is more work than it is worth, in my opinion. However, this paella is super easy and is probably my favorite way to cook luscious homegrown tomatoes during the summer. It's okay with grocery store tomatoes, but for the best flavor either grow your own or visit the farmer's market.

Mollie Katzen

In an attempt to get my kids more involved in our dinner choices - so they would hopefully eat the results more willingly, we checked out a couple of Mollie Katzen's cookbooks for kids.

Here are some of the dishes we tried - with varying results...

*Broccoli Cheese Quiche - this was the winner this week - both kids gobbled it up! Next time I'll use a milder cheese though, the swiss almost lost them

*Zucchini Moons - the kids had fun making this but weren't so interested in eating them

*Sweet Potato Surprise - These sweet potatoes were excellent! Lincoln loved them, but Leah wasn't so sure

*Polka Dot Rice - the fun of this rice dish is that the kids get to assemble it themselves at the table, adding the veggies they prefer

*Noodle Pudding - don't forget the raisins!

Cabbage & Apple Slaw

This slaw was so tasty! I left out the onions and added 1/2 tsp of celery seed instead and replaced the honey with corn syrup because of allergies. Very creamy and fresh tasting!

Salted Oatmeal Cookies

I snagged this recipe from a friend's blog. While the cookies themselves were a little heavy for me (I like mine more buttery), the salt on top was an excellent addition!

Chicken Corn Chowder

One of our favorite dinners and super easy to throw together!

1 small onion, diced

1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced

1 cup celery, sliced thin

2 cups cubed, peeled potatoes

1 cup carrots, sliced

2 cups cubed, cooked chicken breast

1 can creamed corn

1 can whole kernel corn, undrained

1 can evaporated milk

2 cups chicken broth

red pepper flakes, to taste

fresh ground pepper, to taste

Saute onion and bell pepper in 1 Tbsp olive oil until tender. Dice the potatoes and place in microwave safe container. Cook on high for 5 minutes. Add to onions along with cubed chicken and saute another 2-3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let simmer 20 minutes. Enjoy!