If you’ve got a lot of carrots to use up, this is a great salad that actually features carrots rather than just using them as garnish. This is a nice, tangy salad that is as pretty as it is flavorful – and crunchy!

3/4 cup French dressing
1 teaspoon prepared or salad mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried parsley
4 cups sliced carrots
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped onion

In a medium bowl, whisk together French dressing, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and parsley.

Toss in the carrots, pepper, and onion and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for about two hours before serving.

This is one stew that doesn’t keep you waiting for hours! It actually comes together fairly quickly and only takes less than an hour to cook. When you want a dinner that’s hearty but still filling, this is a great stew to keep in mind.

1 lb. chicken breasts, boneless & skinless, cut into 1 inch cubes
3/4 C. and 1/2 C. chicken (or vegetable) broth
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon paprika
1 clove garlic, minced

3 medium carrots, cut bite size
1 medium onion, cut bite size
4 medium celery stalks, cut bite size
1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice

Place chicken, 3/4 cup broth, seasonings, and garlic into large stew pot. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer ten minutes.

Add vegetables and remaining 1/2 cup chicken broth. Cover and simmer on low heat 40 to 50 minutes or until chicken and vegetables are tender.

Remove from heat, add lemon juice and stir to combine.

This is another great kid-friendly dish. If your youngsters aren’t partial to cabbage, the creamy soup will help disguise the taste a bit while still providing a very nutritious meal.

3 C. coarsely chopped cabbage
1/2 C. chopped onion
1/2 C. water
1 (10 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 C. diced cooked chicken breast
2 C. hot cooked noodles, drained
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

In a large skillet, combine cabbage, onion, and water. Cover and cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until cabbage is tender, stirring occasionally.

Stir in chicken soup, chicken, and noodles. Add parsley and black pepper. Mix well. Lower heat and simmer 5 minutes.

One trick I’ve learned about frying fish, whether it’s oven fried or pan fried, is to dip first in dry, then wet, then dry. Also, refrigerating the fish before cooking it will “seal” the batter and keep it on the fish.

This recipe is especially yummy because of the added flavor provided by the dry mustard powder. People often forget to spice up the batter, so this is a very nice treat!

1 lb. fish fillets
2 C. bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1 egg white
2 Tablespoons milk

Stir together in a shallow dish the dry mustard and bread crumbs.

In a separate bowl, using a whisk, beat egg white with milk.

Dip fish filets, one at a time, first in dry mix, then in egg white mixture, then back in dry mix.

Place on baking sheet and place in refrigerator for 1 hour.

When ready to make, preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Remove from refrigerator and bake at 425 degrees F for about 15 minutes or until coating is crispy and fish flakes easily.

This meal is very kid-friendly and easy to make. I love serving little individual foods like this because it just seems fancy and fun! Put 4 or more on a plate alongside a nice green salad for a complete meal.

1 pound chicken breasts, boneless, skinless and diced small
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 onion, diced small
1 (16 ounce) jar salsa, divided
1 (8 ounce) package Cheddar cheese, divided
36 wonton wraps

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray a large skillet with a non stick cooking spray and place over medium heat. Put chicken in the skillet and sprinkle the taco seasoning over the chicken, stirring slightly to coat.

Cook the chicken in the skillet for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken in cooked through. Remove chicken and put in a large mixing bowl.

Add the onion, and half of the jar of salsa and half of the package of Cheddar cheese to the chicken and stir well to combine.

Coat the cups of a mini muffin tin with a non stick cooking spray. Press the wonton wraps into each of the cups. Place the muffin tin into the oven and bake 3 to 5 minutes or until wontons are a light golden brown.

Remove from oven, let cool slightly, then fill each cup with the chicken mixture. Top each cup with the remaining salsa, then with the remaining Cheddar cheese.

Put back in oven for 5 to 8 minutes or until heated through and the cheese has melted.

These are the carrots that kids LOVE. This yummy carrot dish is great for a special meal – perhaps alongside a beautiful Easter ham.

4 cups baby carrots
2 Tablespoons brown sugar, packed
2 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons margarine or butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine sugar, honey, and margarine in a saucepan. Heat and stir constantly until melted and starts to foam.

Put carrots in a casserole dish, one with a lid if possible. Pour hot sauce over carrots and stir well.

Bake covered at 400 degrees F for one hour.

When chicken breasts are a steal at the grocery store, I always stock up. The problem is finding new ways to cook them! Using unique glazes like this one keeps my family from getting bored having chicken once again for dinner.

6 chicken breasts – boneless skinless
1 cup orange marmalade
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons dried mint leaves, crushed

Combine orange marmalade, lemon juice, and mint leaves in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat until mixture forms a pretty glaze is heated thoroughly.

Place chicken breasts on broiler pan which has been sprayed with cooking oil.

Broil chicken 5 minutes, flip and broil 5 minutes more. Brush glaze on chicken, broil 3 minutes, flip and brush chicken with glaze, broil 3 more minutes.

Depending on the size of the chicken breasts, the cooking time may vary. Be sure to broil long enough before adding the glaze so that the chicken is no longer raw in the middle.

Making a deliciously different chicken dinner couldn’t get any easier! The cherry preserves are not only a wonderful flavor choice, but the color adds a lot of pizazz to this simple dish.

4 chicken breasts (boneless & skinless)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/3 cup cherry preserves
dash ground allspice

Place chicken on broiler rack. Brush first side with lemon juice.
Broil four inches from heat for 6 minutes.

Turn chicken over and brush second side with remaining lemon juice. Broil about 7 minutes more or until tender and no longer pink.

Heat cherry preserves and allspice. Spoon mixture over chicken breasts and serve.

This dish is extremely kid-friendly, but it doesn’t have to be only for the little ones in the house. Grown ups can enjoy this dish without too much guilt if you choose all-natural or vegetarian frankfurters. Don’t just grab the hotdogs you used to at the grocery store. There are many health-conscious varieties of hotdogs to choose from now.

1/2 C. finely chopped onion
1/2 C. finely chopped bell pepper
1 (15 oz.) chunky tomato sauce (any kind your choice)
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 (16 oz.) cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
8 oz. diced, frankfurters or sausages
Cooking spray

Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and saute the onion and green pepper until both are softened.
Stir in tomato sauce and brown sugar.
Add beans and frankfurters. Mix well.
Lower the heat to a slow simmer, cover and continue to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.

This is a great alternative to red sauce or white Alfredo style sauce on your spaghetti pasta. Buy low-fat cottage cheese and you’ll have a figure-friendly spaghetti that the whole family will enjoy.

Use fresh or dried herbs, but just remember if the herbs are dried, use about half as much. Taste test before you add more.

8 oz. spaghetti pasta
1/4 C. margarine or butter
1 C. cottage cheese
1/2 C. slivered blanched almonds
1 teaspoon fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon fresh marjoram
1/2 teaspoon fresh basil
salt and black pepper to taste

Cook spaghetti pasta according to package directions and drain.

In a large skillet, heat margarine or butter over medium low heat and saute almonds, stirring until they start to brown.

Add cooked spaghetti, cottage cheese, and seasonings to skillet and stir constantly until heated well.