photo © 2010 jenny cu | more info

Ingredients:
1 lb pasta, ideally Penne or other large pasta
1 lb shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed
1 head broccoli, cut into small florets
3 teaspoons Watkins garlic liquid spice or 3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon Watkins Grapeseed oil, flavor of choice
1 can chopped tomatoes (12 oz/

1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon Watkins chicken soup and gravy base
1 teaspoon Watkins basil
Watkins black pepper to taste

Instructions: Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

In a frying pan, sautÈ the shrimp in the garlic liquid spice and grapeseed oil. Add the broccoli florets and tomatoes, simmer for about 5 minutes. Then add the water, soup base, basil and pepper. Stir and allow to simmer gently for another few minutes.

Pour the sauce over the cooked pasta, mix well. Sprinkle with additional basil leaves and serve immediately with your choice of cheeses such as parmesan, romano or asiago cheese. Serves 4-6

She will appreciate not having to cook on Mother’s Day. However, you’ll also want to make sure you’re prepared to clean up after yourself as well. It’s Mom’s special day so there’s no reason to make her clean up after the meal. She’ll really appreciate that you’re letting her relax and enjoy her special day without cooking and cleaning.

First of all, think about the foods your Mom loves for breakfast or lunch. You may also want to consider serving extra special foods she wouldn’t normally eat. Your goal is to prepare a meal Mom will enjoy and remember for years to come.

Start with freshly squeezed orange juice. If Mom drinks alcoholic beverages, you may want to add the fresh orange juice to ice cold champagne to make a Mimosa. Of course, you can also make a non-alcoholic version using sparkling grape juice.

Toast bagel halves, spread cream cheese on them and then top the bagel halves with a few thinly sliced pieces of smoked salmon. You can top them with capers, red onions or lemons if you want a traditional garnish. Try diced tomatoes or minced chives for a different taste to this classic brunch item.

Pancakes are also a good choice if you’re serving brunch, here’s how to make pumpkin spice pancakes from scratch. Crepes are another good brunch menu item. Either can be prepared to be sweet or savory. Traditional maple syrup is wonderful as a pancake topping but fresh fruit with whipped cream would also be delicious.

There’s no better time in the day to have pizza. Make a breakfast pizza with sausage and eggs to go with a great cheese. This may become a favorite brunch item that is requested year after year.

Healthy Brunch Casserole
A breakfast casserole makes an easy and delicious brunch that can be prepared the night before and baked in the morning. Try this Easy Baked French Toast or the following recipe.

8 slices of wheat bread
Egg substitute to equal 12 eggs
8 slices of smoked turkey breast meat, diced
1/4 cup low fat cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup low fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup skim milk
1/2 teaspoon Watkins seasoning salt
Watkins cooking spray

Instructions: Spray a large baking dish with the non stick cooking spray. Break up the bread slices into small pieces and layer in the bottom of the dish. In a small mixing bowl mix together the egg substitute, seasoning salt and the milk. Pour over the bread. Sprinkle the turkey over the top. Add both types of cheese evenly over the entire dish. Cover the dish and refrigerate over night. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove cover and bake for approximately 45 minutes or until firm and cooked through.

Once the main part of the meal has been served, don’t forget a healthy final dish. Many mothers love fresh strawberries any time of the year. When you want something special but healthy and delicious, slice up fresh strawberries and kiwi. Sprinkle with a little sugar plus 1/2 teaspoon of Watkins Original Double Strength Vanilla and gently mix. They will make their own sauce. Serve the fruit with “fancy” cookies such as biscotti, ladyfingers or Amaretto and garish with a dollop of real whipped cream. Your mother will love the combination of the vanilla fruit and cookies.

Set the table to with your family’s best dishes and silverware. Chances are these dishes aren’t used that often so why not use them to celebrate Mom? You can also find fresh flowers from the garden (with Mom’s permission) or buy a bouquet which can be split up between several small vases. Mom will love the extra effort you’ve made by using some of these Mother’s Day brunch ideas or coming up with ones of your own.

photo © 2009 Ginny | more info (via: Wylio)

What is fruit salsa? Does it contain hot peppers? I assumed it would so I never bothered to look at any of the recipes before. I confess, I’m not a fan of hot food. It turns out fruit salsa is basically chopped up fruit that can be eaten as an appetizer, snack or condiment!! Who knew?

I’m going to surprise hubby with fruit salsa and cinnamon chips this weekend. We both enjoy fruit and he’s always looking for something to snack on so I think it will be a great treat. Here’s the recipe:

2 cups fresh strawberries hulled and chopped
1 fresh mango, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup green grapes, halved
1 cup blueberries
3/4 cup pineapple (fresh or canned)
2 tsp of fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon honey

Directions: Add all chopped fruit to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with lime juice, drizzle with honey and mix gently. Chill for a few hours to allow the flavors to develop. Serve with cinnamon chips.

Cinnamon Chips
4-6 whole wheat flour tortillas
2 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoon honey
Watkins cinnamon

Directions: Melt butter and honey, brush on one side of the tortillas, place on a cookie sheet butter side up and sprinkle with a little cinnamon. Use a pizza cutter to cut the tortillas into wedges. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Tip: use what ever seasonal fruits and berries you have available, or your favorites, you don’t need to stick to the one’s listed above.

So are you a fan of fruit salsa? Go ahead tell me what I’ve been missing!

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose or whole wheat flour

4 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon Watkins baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon Watkins ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon Watkins purest ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups milk (2% or skim)

1 cup pumpkin puree, fresh or canned

2 beaten eggs

2 tablespoons Watkins Original Grapeseed oil

Directions: Measure all dry ingredients and place in a large bowl. Mix together until well blended.

Directions: Measure all dry ingredients and place in a large bowl. Mix together until well blended.

In another mixing bowl, add the wet ingredients. Mix wet ingredients together with a wire whisk until fully combined.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir only until combined. It’s important that you don’t over-mix the batter, yes it should be lumpy!

Preheat a non-stick skillet or cast iron griddle on medium heat. If you aren’t using a non-stick pan, spray with cooking spray or add a teaspoon or two of oil to the pan, so pancakes don’t stick.

Using a ladle, pour about ½ cup of batter to the skillet per pancake. Allow to cook until bubbles form on top and edges look dry, then flip and cook on other side. Cook for a couple minutes more until browned.

Serve with maple syrup or your favorite pancake toppings. Makes about 12 pancakes.

Basic Pancake Recipe

If you prefer regular pancakes here’s the recipe!

2 cups flour

2 cups milk

2 eggs (beaten)

2 tablespoons Watkins original grapeseed or vegetable oil

2 tablespoons sugar (optional)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon Watkins Vanilla

Directions: In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until blended. Add milk, beaten eggs, oil and vanilla, stir until just combined. Preheat lightly greased griddle or frying pan. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into pan per pancake. Cook until pancakes begin to bubble. Flip once and cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer. Serve with maple syrup, jam or fruit. Makes approximately 8 pancakes

It’s not hard to make pancakes from scratch! This recipe has been added Real Food Wednesday list on Kelly the Kitchen Kop’s blog.
How do you like your pancakes?

Do any of these traditional holiday foods sound familiar to you? Turkey with bread stuffing, creamy mashed potatoes and gravy. How about sweet potatoes or yams with brown sugar and marshmallows, green bean casserole, and breads. We can’t forget the many desserts and goodies such as pies, cakes, cookies, squares and other treats that are being planned for the upcoming holiday.

Don’t despair, you and your family can enjoy your holiday feasts and still maintain a healthy diet. Substituting whole grains, low fat, low sodium ingredients and using less sugar are some of the ways in which you can cook up a healthy alternative.

To help you find healthier versions of traditional and unique holiday recipes for your menu I’m hosting the recipe round up! I’ll be posting recipes for the holiday here which support living a healthier lifestyle and I’ll be linking to other great recipes that help you sustain that goal as well.

Four weeks of healthy recipes for the holidays!

How do you participate? I’m so glad you asked, it’s easy and here’s how!

If you are food blogger:

• Simply post a recipe on your blog and include a link back to this post. Your recipe must be health conscious, for example one or more of the following; whole grains, low fat, low sodium, reduced sugar, vegetarian, gluten free, egg free etc.
• You may submit an older post as long as you edit it to include a link back here.
• Then let me know about it by contacting me here, include your name, the link to your post and anything special you would like to tell us about your entry.
• Post the Healthy Holiday Recipe Round Up Button on your blog along with your recipe or in your side bar or both and link it back to this post, optional but very much appreciated!
• Limit one entry per blog per week.
• I reserve the right to choose which entries are featured and the right to up date the rules if required. (It’s my party but I promise to be fair!)
• Submit anytime, but the deadline for each week’s submission is midnight Sunday.

Everyone:

• Simply visit each week to see what wonderful new recipes are featured in this week’s recipe round up.
• Then visit the blogs of the featured submissions and enjoy.
• We’d love to hear from you so please leave a comment each week before you go.
• Don’t forget to tell your friends about this fun event!

Schedule of Events

To make it easy for you, I’ll link to each week’s post from here as well.

Visit November 12th’s recipe round up

Visit November 20th’s recipe round up

November 26th recipe round up

December 3rd recipe round up

So what are you waiting for? Join in the fun, I can’t wait to see what great recipes you have to share with us!