Tastefully Simple: Modern cooking for the modern family

Today’s modern family is usually comprised of him, her, his kids, her kids, their kids, the dog, a few fish and a hamster. Not to mention that mom and dad both work, the kids have after school activities and overall, schedules are hectic and hard to manage with so little time. Often times, families don’t have enough time to cook, let alone eat together at the dinner table. Families need quick simple recipes that are still yummy to the tummy. Solution – Tastefully Simple! With Tastefully Simple recipes and products, you get the food you love and the time you deserve.

Tastefully Simple is a company that offers a wide selection of convenient, easy-to-prepare foods designed to help people spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying the rest of their lives. They offer inexpensive products and spices that can be easily added to things you already have on hand or can easily get from the store.

I love Tastefully Simple products because even a non-cook like me can make anything tasty, and the best part is that it’s easy for me to do! Below is a recipe to one of my favorite Tastefully Simple meals. For more information on Tastefully Simple and/or to purchase some of their delicious products please visit www.tastefullysimple.com/web/thart1.

1. Perfect Parmesan Biscuits (you can purchase the mix directly from the website above)
2. Ham and Swiss Mac
3. Garlic Garlic Green Beans
4. Rice Krispie Caramel Bars

The biscuits, oven baked mac and cheese, garlic garlic, and caramel sauce are all Tastefully Simple products!

Ham & Swiss Mac

Ingredients
Oven-Baked Mac & Cheese Mix
2 cups milk
6 oz. (about 1 1/2 cups) shredded or cubed Swiss cheese, divided
8 oz. (1/2 lb.) cubed fully cooked ham

Directions
Combine Cheese Sauce Mix with milk in a large saucepan; whisk to blend. Bring sauce mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer 4-5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add about 1 cup of cheese and all of ham; stir until cheese melts. Add prepared pasta to sauce; stir to blend. Pour pasta mixture into a greased 8 x 8 baking pan; top with remaining cheese and Crumb Topping. Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes until bubbly and browned. Makes 6-7 servings.

Garlic Garlic Green Beans

Ingredients
2 Tbsp. Garlic Garlic^TM
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 lbs. fresh green beans
2 tsp. sea salt
14.5 oz. can chicken broth
Pepper to taste

Directions
Saute Garlic Garlic^TM in olive oil until slightly brown; add green beans saute lightly. Add sea salt and broth; cover and steam approximately 5-10 minutes until slightly tender. Pepper to taste. Makes about 4 servings.

Rice Krispie Caramel BarsIngredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
12 cups miniature marshmallows
12 cups Rice Krispies®
1 jar Creamy Caramel Sauce

Directions
Melt butter over low heat; add marshmallows. Stir until completely melted. Remove from heat; add cereal. Stir to coat evenly. Spread half of cereal mixture in greased 9 x 13 pan. Pack mixture in pan firmly. Warm Creamy Caramel Sauce; spread over top of cereal mixture. Top with remaining cereal mixture. Cool. Makes 12-15 servings.

Guilt-Free Brownies

In my quest to empower the blended family in a holistic way, I want to share ways that help me take care of my family because at the end of the day we are a family. In doing so, I wanted to introduce one of my blog favorites; In Jennie’s Kitchen!

Jennifer Perillo is a New York mom, wife, personal chef and food editor who shares some mouth watering recipes on her blogs.  I love my NY moms/stepmoms…they totally defy the myth of the rude New Yorker. At any rate, I wanted to share one of her recipes for guilt-free brownies with you! These brownies are made with greek yogurt instead of eggs.  They reminded me of a blended family. Like the blended family sometimes there is an ingredient(s) that you might be a little fearful of adding. You might be scared of how it’s going to turn out, but once you mix it with love the end result is a beautiful final product. I hope you’ll try this tasty treat along with many others from Jennie’s Kitchen. She’s making meals easier, one recipe at a time!

PREP: 10 minutes
BAKE: 35 minutes
YIELD: Sixteen 1 1⁄2-inch square brownies (8 kids’, 8 adults’)

* 3⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
* 3⁄4 tsp baking powder
* 1⁄2  tsp salt
* 6 Tbs butter
* 3 oz dark chocolate, finely chopped
* 3⁄4  cup granulated sugar
* 5.3-oz container Greek-style fat-free yogurt, such as Fage
* 1⁄2  tsp vanilla extract
* 1⁄3 cup dried cherries
* 1⁄3 cup chopped pecans

1. Heat oven to 325°F. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

2. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt butter and chocolate for 45 seconds. Stir and cook 30 seconds more, or until smooth.

3. Slowly whisk in sugar. Cool slightly. Add yogurt, 1⁄4 cup at a time, whisking as you go. Stir in vanilla. Fold in half of flour mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and fold in other half.

4. Pour batter into an ungreased 8-inch baking pan. For adults: Sprinkle cherries and pecans over half. Bake 35 minutes. Cool completely, in pan, before cutting (about two hours).

HOW KIDS CAN HELP: Measure and whisk ingredients; spread batter into pan; sprinkle dried cherries and pecans.

PER SERVING: kids 128 calories, 6 g fat (4 g saturated), 94 mg sodium, 12 mg cholesterol; adults 155 calories, 8 g fat (4 g saturated), 94 mg sodium, 12 mg cholesterol

A Simple Turkey Burger Recipe

I [Kela] love healthy eating! I feel better after eating a tasty healthy dish and I feel better after feeding it to my family. Many think it’s way too complicated and costly to eat healthy but there really are some tasty recipes out there that aren’t too expensive to make. Below is one of my favorites that I’m sure you’ll enjoy and feel free to share you favorite recipes, too.  I enjoy trying different recipes and I’m certain our readers will enjoy them as well. After all, who doesn’t like to try new things, right?

Tasty Turkey Burger

Ingredients

• Ground Turkey (I prefer the honeysuckle white because it has less fat)
• Onion
• Green Pepper
• Teryaki Sauce
• Worschestire Sauce
• Sea Salt (for those who have high blood pressure)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions

1. Cut up your onion and green pepper (there’s really no set amount; it’s all about how much you want in the burger).
2. Season your ground turkey with the sea salt.
3. Mix the onion and green pepper into the burger as you form it into the size of the patty that you desire.
4. Add a tablespoon of teryaki sauce.
5. Add a tablespoon of worschestire sauce.
6. Put one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil into your frying pan (you can substitue the George Foreman Grill for the frying pan).
7. Fry the turkey burger patty until it’s well done.

Voila! You can dress your burger as you wish; tomatoes, raw onions, light mayo or mustard, etc. Also, I’m not a fan of french fries, so I usually serve it with a side of garlic new potatoe slices (I’ll save that simple recipe for another post).

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