Michigan Spinach Salad: A Simply Suzanne Recipe

Eating healthy is hard. Getting your kids to eat healthy is even harder. That’s why I was so pumped to try out the Simply Suzanne So Very Cherry Granola, from Michigan company, Simply Suzanne.

Not only is the So Very Cherry granola good for you (low in sugar, vegan, and all natural), it’s good to you as well! Simply Suzanne adds Michigan cherries and sweetens the granola with pure maple syrup and brown sugar.

The granola contains no preservatives, artificial flavors, high fructose corn syrup, cholesterol or trans fat. It’s also nut Free, and high in protein and fiber.

Simply Suzanne me a bag of the Simply Suzanne So Very Cherry Granola to try out, along with a recipe which they guaranteed kids would love.

Simply Suzanne Michigan Spinach Salad

Ingredients:

  • 8 cups baby spinach (or mixed greens)
  • ½ cup Simply Suzanne So Very Cherry Granola to taste
  • 10 tablespoons pecans or walnuts, roughly chopped
  • 12 grape tomatoes or 2 small tomatoes, quartered
  • 8 tablespoons blue cheese, crumbled to taste
  • Salt and pepper
  • Vinaigrette dressing

Directions:

  • Place baby spinach or greens in a dish. Add salt and pepper to greens and toss.
  • Sprinkle remaining ingredients over the greens.
  • Add vinaigrette. Toss lightly and serve.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Total time: 10 minutes

Servings: 6 generously

I made a few substitutions/adjustments, based on our preferences.  It was super-easy to make. And the verdict: Everyone loved it! Two thumbs up.

The hubs and the kid are still munching on the granola – with or without the salad.

 

Disclosure: I was provided a bag of So Very Cherry granola, from Simply Suzanne, for the purposes of the review. All opinions stated are my own (and the kid’s and the hubs’).

Sausage & White Bean Soup with Randall’s Great Northern Beans

Earlier this month, the hubs and I attend the Mitten Mom’s Blogger Conference and Retreat; him as the photographer and me as a round table facilitator and attendee.

As a part of our awesome goodie bags – filled with yummy food, awesome swag and cute little tchotchkes – we each received a jar of great northern white beans from Randall Beans.  Now, I have to say… I am NOT a bean person – at all.  But the hubs is, so he took on the task of finding a recipe to use the beans in.

After a week or so of searching, he finally came up with something he wanted to make – sausage and white bean soup. He found the recipe on allrecipes.com.

Sausage & White Bean Soup (serves 4)

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3/4 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, in the casing
  • 1 ounce thinly sliced prosciutto ham, minced
  • 1 medium onion, in medium dice
  • 1 medium carrot, peeled and in medium dice
  • 1 medium celery stalk, in medium dice
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
  • 1-1/2 (15.8 ounce) cans great Northern or other white beans, not drained
  • 2 cups chicken broth (carton or can)

Directions

Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, add sausages; cook, turning once or twice, until well-browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. (Sausage will not be fully cooked at this point.) Remove from pan. When cool enough to handle, cut into slices 1/4-inch thick.

Add prosciutto, onions, carrots, celery and thyme to the empty skillet; cook, stirring often, until well browned, 8 to 10 minutes. In a small bowl, mash one can of beans with a fork into a chunky puree. Add broth, whole and mashed beans, and sausage; cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, partially covered, to blend flavors, 20 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes; serve.

We (really he) made a couple of adjustments for taste. For instance, I hate onions. So, he didn’t put them in. Also, instead of the sausages in casings, I got ground Italian sausage, because I didn’t know which kind the recipe called for. In hindsight, I really wish I would’ve gotten the actual sausages – or maybe even kielbasa. And the prosciutto? Not even sure we needed it.

All-in-all, it wasn’t a bad tasting soup.  And the beans? Not so bad, either.

Quick, Easy & Yummy Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

I made chicken pot pie for dinner last night. It was so good and so easy to make, I thought I’d share the recipe with you guys.

The recipe isn’t mine. I’m not even sure where I got it from. I think I copied it down from one of my mom’s recipe cards.

Ingredients*

1 cup cooked chicken, cut into bite sized pieces

1 2/3 cups frozen vegetables, thawed

1 (10 ¾ oz) can cream of chicken soup

1 cup Bisquick baking mix

½ cup milk

1 egg

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a 9 inch pie pan (non-greased) mix vegetables, chicken and cream of chicken soup together .

In a separate bowl, mix remaining ingredients, pour and spread on top of chicken mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes or until top turns golden brown.

 

 

 

 

*(For a healthier version, you can use low fat Bisquick and milk, as well as low sodium cream of chicken soup.)

A family that eats together…

I’m a guest blogger over on the Cooking Matters Michigan blog. I’m blogging about Eat Better, Eat Together Month.

Here’s an excerpt from my post:

Being a mom and wife who works full time sometimes makes it difficult to get a hot, healthy meal on the table. Lucky for me, I have a wonderful husband who is well-versed in the kitchen and often jumps in, when I can’t be there to get it done.

Often times, I’ll have the hubs and/or the kid assist me with food prep. It’s a great way to cut down on the time it takes to prepare a meal, and it brings us all together in a fun activity.

Read the whole post here.

Super-easy school lunch ideas that your kids will love!

It’s no secret that the kid is a picky eater. So, when it comes to making healthy school lunches he’ll enjoy, I have to have a bunch of ideas at my fingertips so I’m not scrambling around trying to pull things together.

 I’ve put together a few ideas the kid loves. I’d bet your kids will as well!

Sandwich Roll Ups I make these by spreading thin slices of lunch meat and cheese on a piece of flat pita bread, with a little miracle whip, mayo or mustard. I then wrap it up and add a pickle spear and chips, just like they do at a restaurant. The kid really gets a kick out of that.

Mini-subs – Instead of buying actual sub buns, I just take a hotdog bun, and add all kinds of deli meats, cheeses, shredded lettuce, etc. I also pack a small container of dressing for him to pour on top, when it’s time for him to eat.

Sandwich Shapes  To break up the monotony of the “plain old sandwich,” I use cookie cutters to make them into fun shapes. If you use small cookie cutters, you can make them bite sized.

Hot Foods in a Thermos – When I was younger, my mom would put leftover chili and/or soup in a thermos for my dad to take to lunch. How wonderful would it be for your son or daughter to open their lunchbox and have a hot lunch waiting for them? Throw in some crackers and celery/carrot sticks and you have a wonderfully filling lunch! And, don’t forget about macaroni & cheese!

I hope these ideas provide you some inspiration for your kid’s school lunches!

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Got any ideas to add? Include them in the comments section below.