Light Pumpkin Mousse

Serves 6

2 boxed fat-free, sugar-free vanilla pudding mix

15 oz. canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (I added extra)

2 cups 1% milk

1 8 oz. tub Cool Whip Light

Beat pudding mix and milk in a bowl until thick. Mix in pumpkin and spice. Fold in Cool Whip.

Source Weight Watchers

I served this on top of crumbled graham crackers and it seriously couldn't have been any easier to make. As an added bonus, it's way better for you than actual pumpkin pie but you still get that yummy, fall dessert taste!

French Onion Soup

Serves 2

2 tablespoons butter
2 cups thinly sliced yellow onions
4 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons Sherry
1 teaspoons Worcestershire
Salt and pepper to taste
4 slices crusty bread
4 slices Swiss cheese

Melt butter in large saucepan. Add onions. Cook, covered over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally for 8-10 minutes. Stir in broth, sherry and Worcestershire. Bring to boiling. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Preheat broiler. Broil bread topped with cheese on baking sheet; place in bowl of soup when ready.

Source: Better Homes and Gardens

Apple Crisp

4 cups peeled and sliced apples

Cinnamon

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup all purpose flour

Quick-cooking oats

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and 8x8 baking dish. Place apples in prepared dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Pour water over top. In a bowl, cream together sugar and butter. Blend in flour. Sprinkle mixture evenly over apples. Top with oats. Bake for 50 minutes or until crust is golden and apples are tender. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

"Light" Macaroni and Cheese

I'm not sure if you can really make macaroni and cheese resemble a "healthy" food, but this recipe is a pretty good attempt at at least making it closer to healthy!

Serves 4

1 1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese

1 1/2 cup skim milk

1 tbsp. mustard

Pinch of cayenne

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup grated white onion

1 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar

1/2 lb. uncooked elbow macaroni (I used whole wheat)

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 375. Prepare dish with a light coating of cooking spray. In a blender or food processor combine the cottage cheese, milk, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg, salt and pepper and puree until smooth. In a large bowl, combine with the onions, cheddar and uncooked macaroni. Stir well. Pour into baking dish. Combine Parmesan with breadcrumbs and sprinkle over the top. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until topping is browned and center is firm.

Turkey Ricotta Meatballs

Makes about 18 meatballs

1 lb. ground turkey

1/2 cup part-skim ricotta

1 egg

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, then shape mixture into about 18 meatballs. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add meatballs and brown on all sides. Remove from skillet; transfer to a broiler pan coated with cooking spray and bake for 15 minutes or until done.

Source: Cooking Light

These are really good and a pretty healthy version of the usual meatball. Yum!

Broccoli Potato Soup

Serves 4

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
Salt and pepper
2 small yukon gold potatoes, peeled and finely chopped
1 bunch broccoli (about 1 1/4 lbs), chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the potatoes and 3 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the broccoli, cover and cook just until tender, about 7 minutes. Using a blender, puree half the soup; combine with the other half. Stir in 2 cups shredded cheese, the stir in the cream. Season with salt and pepper.

Source: Everyday with Rachael Ray

Weekly Menu 11/16-11/22

Sunday:
Macaroni and cheese, salad

Monday:
French onion soup
I'll also be making cheese muffins and s'more brownies for our potluck lunch at work on Tuesday

Tuesday:
Colin is having a "Men and Meat" dinner at Texas de Brazil, so I'll be making cous cous again because I've become slightly obsessed with it!

Wednesday:
Parmesan orzo, pesto red potatoes and green beans

Thursday:
Taco soup, jalapeno cornbread

Weekly Menu 11/9-11/15

Sunday-Migas and breakfast potatoes
Monday-Broccoli and Potato Soup
Tuesday-greasy, overpriced food at the Mavs game
Wednesday-Turkey-Ricotta Meatballs
Thursday-Fettucine with Spinach-Cheese Sauce

Warm Cous Cous Salad

For some reason that I don't understand, Colin absolutely hates cous cous, so I figured the perfect time to make it was while he's still in Chicago. This was really good and very fall-ish. I'll definitely make this again (although I might have to wait until the next time Colin is out of town)!

1 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1/8 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

1 cup instant cous cous

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 green onions, chopped (I didn't have these, but it was just fine without them)

1/3 cup golden raisins

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh mint (I also didn't have mint)

In a small saucepan over high heat, combine the chicken broth and salt and bring to a boil. Stir in the cous cous and return to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and fluff with a fork to separate the grains. Add the carrots, green onions, dried cranberries and raisins (I also added a few almonds just because I thought they would add a little pizzazz, and I was right!). In a small bowl, whisk together the oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Stir into the cous cous mixture. Sprinkle with mint and serve warm.

Smoky Corn Chowder with Easy Beer Bread

Smoky Corn Chowder

Source Real Simple

Serves 4

8 oz. sliced bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 large sweet onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 (10 oz.) packages frozen corn
3 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1 cup half and half

Salt and pepper

4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced

Cook the bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Spoon off and discard all but 2 tablespoons of drippings and return the pot to medium heat. Cook the onion, stirring occassionally, until soft, 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic, paprika and red pepper and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the corn, broth and half and half and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Transfer half the soup to a blender and puree until smooth. Return to the pot, add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and stir to combine. Divide the soup among 4 bowls and top with scallions and bacon.

Easy Beer Bread

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

4 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar

12 oz. beer

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9x5 loaf pan. In a large bowl, combine flours, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and garlic powder. Whisk to combine. Slowly add beer to dry ingredients and stir lightly until just combined and all ingredients are completely moistened. Place in loaf pan and pour melted butter over the top. Place in the oven and bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

This was perfect for a fun, low-key dinner to celebrate my mom's birthday. It was really good and really easy, so I was able to spend more time hanging out with my fam.

Olive oil

2 (14.5 oz.) cans diced tomatoes

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half (the half and half is good but it's definitely better with the heavy cream)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

16 oz. rotini pasta

Heat skillet over medium-high heat and drizzle about 3 teaspoons of olive oil in pan. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Meanwhile, cook pasta. Add tomatoes to skillet and simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the tomato chunks start to soften. With a spatula lightly mash the tomato chunks to release the juices. Continue to simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Add cream and cheese and cook 1 more minute. Add pasta and toss to coat. Serve immediately with a little more Parmesan sprinkled on top.

Weekly Menu 11/2-11/8

Sunday:
Smoky Corn Chowder
Cheesy Beer Bread

Monday:
Chips and guacamole
Tortilla Bowls with Taco Salad

Tuesday:
Laughing Cow Chicken
Garlic and Herb Pasta Side

Wednesday:
Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce
Garlic Spinach

Colin is heading to Chicago on Thursday morning, so I probably won't be cooking too much for the rest of the week.

Honey Dijon Chicken with Smashed Red Potatoes

This chicken was really good and had tons of flavor. I definitely recommend it!

1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup dijon (next time I might use a little more dijon and a little less honey, just to suit my tastes)
1/2 cup butter, melted
4 chicken breasts
4 tablespoons breadcrumbs

Mix honey, mustard and butter in a small bowl. Place chicken breasts in a baking pan and pour the mixture over them. Sprinkle lightly with breadcrumbs. Bake for 45 minutes at 375. Serve with any extra sauce from dish poured over top.

Serves 6
5 cups unpeeled and cubed red potatoes (about 2 lbs.)
2 tablespoons butter
Splash of milk
1/4 cup sour cream
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

In a large saucepan combine potatoes and water to cover. Boil over high heat for approximately 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Drain potatoes. In a large bowl, combine hot potatoes and remaining ingredients. Stir with a spoon until blended and potatoes are coarsely mashed.

Source Taste of the South, Parties Edition

Blueberry Stuffed French Toast

4 pieces of bread

1 bag of frozed blueberries, thawed

1/2 block of cream cheese

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Splash of milk

2 eggs

Vanilla

Cinnamon

Nutmeg

Spray a baking 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Line the bottom with a few pieces of bread, broken into bite sized pieces. Then, in a bowl, mix 1/2 block of cream cheese with 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar and a splash of milk. Drop this mixture by small spoonfuls over the bread. Then add the blueberries. In another bowl, mix together enough milk, eggs, a splash of vanilla and a little cinnamon and nutmeg to cover the bread. Pour over the bread and blueberries mixture. Bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes.

*Can be mixed the night before and left in the fridge overnight to bake in the morning.

Tortellini and Spinach Soup

This is one of my favorite things to make--so easy and so good!!

Serves 4

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
6-8 cloves garlic, chopped
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
6 oz. cheese tortellini
14 oz. canned diced tomatoes, with their liquid
10 oz. spinach, washed and stemmed
8-10 leaves basil, coarsely chopped
Grated Parmesan

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute about 2 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add tortellini and cook halfway, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and their liquid, reduce heat to simmer. Cook just until pasta is tender. Stir in spinach and basil, cook until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan.

Source thenest.com