Creamy Salmon Pasta - total time 25 minutes

My husband and I both accepted new jobs back in December.  His requires him to be at work early (and also home early) and mine some times requires late nights.  This difference in work schedules has impacted our life schedules too.  We're no longer waking up at the same time, which means there's an even wider gap between 'bedtimes' than there used to be.  It also means he is home (usually) hours before me at night... waiting for dinner.

Can't blame him... he is usually eating lunch by the time I'm finishing my morning coffee.  That's a long time to wait between meals.

So, the dinner goal is often... the faster the better!  Those 8pm dinners don't work when he is going to bed right after.  

This recipe is perfect for a quick dinner.  And it tastes sooo good too!  Not much of a mess to clean up afterward either (always a winner in my book).  Salmon and a cream sauce go hand-in-hand, quite delectable.  The broccoli gives it a slight crunch for texture.  And the herbs brighten the dish since cream sauces can feel a little heavy.  Yum!  I'm ready for a second serving!

Broccoli Chicken Alfredo Pizza - total time 30 minutes

Seems like every night this week I've been rushing to get dinner on the table before 9:00!  Whether it's work, after work activities, working on our fitness, or running after kids, we all need a quick go to meal.  My first mainstay is tacos, but sometimes get tacoed out (it takes a lot of tacos to get there, but occasionally I reach that tipping point).  So my plan B menu item... pizza, of course!

I always have a ball of whole wheat dough in my fridge just waiting to be made into a pizza, stromboli, or calzone thanks to GreenBEAN delivery.  It makes homemade pizza night sooo easy!  

Usually we stick to traditional red sauce with mostly traditional toppings.  But this time I changed things up a bit by making a white pizza!  And what goes best with alfredo sauce?  Chicken and broccoli!  This pizza has become the new favorite in our household.  Can't wait to make it again.  :)

Get Your Greens Yakisoba - total time 25 minutes

If you're like any college student ever, you have probably had your fair share of Ramen noodles in your life.  Probably to the point of never wanting to see a pack of those noodles again!  But then a couple years ago, Ramen noodles came back in a more sophisticated, trendy way with chunks of fresh salmon and cute little restaurants.

As the Ramen goes, so goes the Soba noodle.  Maruchan used to make a yakisoba kit available in the refrigerated section next to the wonton and eggroll wrappers.  It had instructions on how to prepare vegetables to go along with your soba noodles and "yaki" sauce pack.  Several years ago, they got rid of that option and opted for a version just like those Ramen noodles we loved to hate in college.  Added in more preservatives to give it a shelf life of forever and has about a teaspoon of dried veggie pieces to try to pass as real yakisoba.  Ugh.

Well, now soba noodles are getting trendy and I'm loving this Japanese fast food!

In this recipe, we're piling on the veggies and they happen to be all green (with at least one serving of green veggies per plateful, you're mom approves of this recipe).  The sesame oil makes this dish a real treat with tons of flavor.  And it truly is fast food, taking less than 30 minutes from start to finish.

Broccoli Cauliflower Gratin - total time 35 minutes

It's Thursday and that means it's cruciferous vegetable night!  

I don't know what it is about cauliflower, but I have always thought it needs to be paired with broccoli.  Whether one a vegetable tray or in a meal... if there is cauliflower, the broccoli is always right there beside it.  I never have those thoughts about broccoli... just cauliflower.  Maybe it's because they're the only vegetables that look like little trees... so when you have the white tree, you need the green tree?  Odd.

So, some times you need a little help to get some one to eat their vegetables.  One bad experience can prevent them from ever trying it again.  Also, one person saying they don't like vegetables is enough to make no one like them.  To combat this negativity, start them off with a delicious cheesy version and then work your way toward roasted or steamed veggies.  That is exactly how I started with brussel sprouts... started with a gratin and now they are one of my favorites!

Broccoli Stuffed Chicken - total time 35 minutes

I used to buy those premade stuffed chicken breasts from the freezer section of my grocery store.  That used to be one of my "I'm in the mood to cook so I'll put these in the oven with some potatoes and we'll have a gourmet dinner that I slaved over a hot stove for".  How times have changed!  I don't even want to know what all was in those little plastic pouches.  I'm sure it was still better than going to a fast food place, but I would rather spend a little more time and energy on what is fueling my body.  Plus, I get to pick the filling... and I pick gouda!

This really is pretty easy.  If you start out with chicken cutlets, you really just lay out the chicken and filling, roll it up, and tie it closed.  I like to use really thick freezer bags covered in a towel to flatten meat... it keeps everything nice and clean.  And then another trick... instead of using toothpicks which can be hard to find once cooked and easy to find when you're taking a big bite... use baker's twine.  At the end you just give it one snip and the twine is easily peeled off.  Plus, it is usually in bright colors and easy to see once cooked.

This recipe is pretty versatile too.  Try it with turkey, pork, of fish.

Broccolini Frittata - total time 35 minutes

Happy Independence Day!  I hope you have time for a "lazy weekend" breakfast or brunch before running off to parades and fireworks.  While this breakfast has nothing to do with anything red, white, and blue (like a strawberry and blueberry parfait), it is great to just sit down and really enjoy breakfast with the family without rushing around worrying about being late for something.

This breakfast will leave you feeling full without weighing you down.  It is savory with a touch of bacon (easily omitted to make vegetarian).  And it is really easy!  I love frittatas for feeding multiple people in the mornings.  It is like cooking individual omlettes for everyone in one pan all at once.  I also like frittatas for dinner because cold cereal for breakfast every morning really just doesn't do it for me and some times the only time you can get a real breakfast in is when the sun is going down.

Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps - total time 30 minutes

When I was doing my 40 Day Vegetarian Challenge I had some tofu lettuce wraps when we went out to eat for my birthday and Valentine's Day.  I have been meaning to replicate the dish for a while now.  After getting some beautiful green leaf lettuce in my CSA delivery, I decided this week was the week to try!

I don't know what it is about tofu... everyone seems scared of it!  It's just soybeans!  I know I pop soybeans like candy at sushi restaurants as edamame.  And soy is used in so many of our everyday food items as a thickening agent or for added protein.  But even knowing all of this, I was a little nervous about cooking it myself.  I know tofu can be delicious, but I figured it took years of trial and error to be good at cooking tofu.  Turns out, you just need to get it in a pan and it is hard to go wrong!

So I knew for these lettuce wraps, I wanted soy sauce to flavor the tofu, but that would not be enough.  Add some broccoli and cashews and you really got something.  Your carnivores and tofu haters will forget this meal doesn't have meat because they will be gobbling these Asian tacos too quickly to remember!

Broccoli Chicken Alfredo Lasagna Rollups - total time 1 hour

I have developed a Nat Geo addiction over the past week or so.  Last weekend I watched too many hours of The 80s: The Decade That Made Us which I thought was fascinating.  Two things kept crossing my mind while I stared at the screen... 'how did I not know any of this was going on while I was growing up?' and 'wow, I can't believe we lived without ___ 20 years ago'.  Things I take for granted now, like computers that fit on a desk, internet, cell phones, etc.  Now I do remember the progression of all this technology... the green and black computer screens, getting on the internet for the first time in fourth grade, using my dad's cell phone for the first time in eighth grade... but it is hard to think of life without these things now.

And now Nat Geo has me hooked on Brain Games and I am sure I'll get hooked on The Numbers Game.  Can't multi-task and watch these shows... they take you're full attention. At least one network has something interesting to watch.  I used to default to Cooking Channel or Food Network (are you surprised?), but now those channels are full of reality cooking/baking crap.  I tried to sit through an episode of Cupcake Wars (while doing other things, mind you) and had to change the channel... 

Any way... here is a recipe that you can prepare on a night you have time to cook and save it for a night you don't want to or don't have time to cook but still want a home-cooked meal!

Broccoli Cheddar Pot Pies - total time 45 minutes

In the mood for the ultimate comfort food?  I certain am.  The calendar says it is Spring, but the weather says otherwise.  Everyone is tired of the cold at this point.  Even people who love winter.  So this pot pie is a great way to warm the soul while we wait for Spring to really get here (and hopefully the Spring flowers survive through the dustings of snow).

Broccoli Avocado Pasta - total time 20 minutes

I'm not quite sure when avocados are in season, since they really don't grow in Ohio, but they must be in season now because they are on sale everywhere!  And they are one of the so called 'super foods' because of their potassium and omega 3 fatty acids.  Sounds like a good excuse to stock up and make some guac!

Really you can use avocados to replace a lot of creamy sauces, like in chicken or tuna salad.  I also love avocados on sandwiches and burgers because I don't like condiments.  I have seen them used in smoothies, but I'm not sure I'm ready to try that yet.  What I am ready to try is making an avocado sauce that replaces alfredo!  And if you make your own alfredo sauce, this is sooo much easier!

Sauce
1 avocado
.25 cup creme fraiche (or sour cream)
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp parm, shredded
1 tbsp basil, chopped
1 garlic clove
salt and pepper

2 cups cooked spaghetti
1.5 cups steamed broccoli

1.  Boil spaghetti noodles according to package.  Steam broccoli for 5 minutes.  Saute garlic in olive oil.
2.  Cut open avocado and scoop out into small mixing bowl.  Add lemon juice, chopped basil, shredded parm, sauteed garlic, creme fraiche, salt and pepper.  Smash ingredients together with a fork.
3.  Combine noodles, broccoli, and sauce together and serve! (see, so easy!)

Broccoli Alfredo Bake - total time 40 minutes

So the plan was to make homemade mac and cheese.  This was like my third or fourth attempt.  For some reason, I can't get the cheese to melt right even after scouring the web for different cheese sauce recipes and directions.  I don't know.  I guess it was never meant to be.  Any way, I had the noodles ready and needed to throw something together before we passed out from hunger.  After shredding a mound of cheese, I was over that, but still wanted something cheesy and creamy (which is why we were having mac and cheese).  I don't usually have canned alfredo sauce on hand... but it was on sale last week, and it ended up saving dinner!  Alfredo bake!

12 oz pasta (elbows, shells, bowtie)

1 jar of alfredo

1 cup broccoli

1 tbsp butter

.25 parm, grated

.25 cup panko bread crumbs

2 tbsp italian herbs

salt and pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Boil noodles for about eight minutes and drain.  Add chopped broccoli, alfredo, herbs, salt and pepper to the noodles.

2.  Butter some ramekins (or a casserole dish) and scoop pasta into each ramekin.  Squish noodles down with the back of the spoon.  

3.  Top with parm and bread crumb mixture.  Spray a mist of cooking spray on top.  Bake for 25 minutes.

Broccoli Rice Cups with Creme Sauce - total time 45 minutes

Another recipe with individual serving sizes... it is just so practical for portion control, simple to serve, and easy to make more and reheat later in the week.  The recipe is pretty simple enough, I think we have all made a version of broccoli and rice.  This one is slightly different because we need ingredients that will bind everything together in the cups.  And with the creme fraiche sauce... this is definitely tastier.

Broccoli/Rice Cups
1 cup brown rice
1 cup broccoli, chopped
2 eggs
1 cup cheese, divided (I used asiago, gouda, parm)
1 pinch red pepper flakes
rosemary and thyme
salt and pepper

Sauce
.5 cup creme fraiche
splash of milk
1 tbsp chopped chives
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp parsely, minced
salt and pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook rice according to package.
2.  Combine broccoli, egg, spices and herbs, and half of the cheese.  Add rice once done cooking.  Mix together.  
3.  Spray cupcake pan with olive oil.  Spoon broccoli/rice mixture into cups.  Compress mixture in cup by pressing down with a spoon and then top with remaining cheese.  Bake for 25 minutes. Combine sauce ingredients together and drizzle over broccoli cups when serving.

Creamy Chicken and Broccoli over Rice - total time 7 hours (20 minutes of work)

Chicken, steamed broccoli, and rice seems like the epitome of a low lat, plain jane meal.  Spice up the ordinary with this creamy variety made in a crockpot.  Definitely much more flavorful!

1 head of broccoli

1 pound of chicken

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup sour cream (or creme fraiche)

.5 cup fresh mozzarella

salt & pepper

1.  Cook chicken in chicken broth, salt, and pepper in your crockpot on low for six hours.  Shred the chicken with forks and add back to the crockpot.  Add chopped broccoli, sour cream, and mozzarella and continue to cook.

2.  Prepare rice according to package.  Check on chicken and broccoli; if soupy, add some flour.  Once mixture has thickened, serve on top of rice and enjoy!

Broccoli & Cheese Stuffed Turkey Breast - total time 40 minutes

Before I started really cooking, I used to buy frozen stuffed chicken breast.  They tasted fine and were easy (just throw in the toaster oven).  But when you make them yourself with fresh ingredients... it just tastes so much better.  And you can customize it... like using your favorite cheese, trying turkey breast instead of chicken,using different bread crumbs like panko or whole wheat.

2 turkey breast cutlets

2 cups broccoli

4 slices of cheese - I used smoked gouda

.25 cup milk

.25 cup bread crumbs

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly steam large pieces of broccoli.

2.  Put a slice of cheese, some broccoli, then more cheese on the turkey cutlet, then wrap the turkey around and hold in place with a toothpick.

3.  Dip each cutlet into milk and roll in bread crumbs.  Put in casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes.  Turn on broiler for one minute to toast the bread crumbs.  Yum!