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Imagine a hearty, nutritious, kid-friendly dinner entree that costs just $2.50 per serving. If a recipe with all those attributes sounds too good to be true, then read this blog post! Recently, we found a website called www.MakingLifeBetter.com featuring budget-conscious recipes. There, we noticed a dish for skillet pasta & beef dinner which we decided to cook for lunch today. Since Leah (Janice’s 9-year old) was home from school, she offered to be our official taste tester. Thanks Leah!

In the spirit of full disclosure, we must admit that we couldn’t resist the urge to tweak the recipe just a tad. We added a finely diced red bell pepper, used lean ground beef (look for 90% lean or higher), a whole wheat blend pasta (whole wheat can be a bit of an overachievement so we compromise with the whole wheat blends from Barilla Plus … plus they’re really delish), and switched to part skim mozzarella.

The dish was incredibly easy to make and a definite winner as far as Leah was concerned. She actually gave us a really cool idea: For kids who pick out and eat the pasta first, you can use the savory meat sauce like a sloppy Joe and add it to a whole wheat hot dog or hamburger bun.

Skillet Pasta & Beef Dinner

Makes 5 Servings

• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 1 medium red bell pepper, finely diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 pound lean ground beef (90% or higher)
• One 26-ounce jar pasta sauce (we like Light Ragu Tomato & Basil)
• 2 cups water
• 8 ounces dried whole wheat blend rotini (we like Barilla Plus)
• 1 cup preshredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (about 4 ounces)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, optional

1. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 5 minutes
2. Add the meat and cook, breaking up the large pieces, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Drain excess fat.
3. Stir in the pasta sauce and water, raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Stir in the pasta and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese. Cover and let stand until the cheese melts, 5 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese as desired.

Nutrition Information per Serving: 410 calories, 10g fat (4g saturated, 0.3g omega-3), 620mg sodium, 46g carbohydrate, 6g fiber, 34g protein, 35% vitamin A, 70% vitamin C, 25% calcium, 15% iron

On a final note, our November 12 Cooking with the Moms radio podcast will feature the topic of Healthy Eating on a Budget so stay tuned.

Liz & Janice

What do you do with one leftover grilled salmon steak? Who in the family gets to eat it the next day? This was the dinnertime dilemma Liz and her family faced last night. Well, to be fair, Liz took the leftover salmon, flaked it up and then used it in a simple pasta dish. This quick, toss-together dinner was a huge hit with everyone at the table (Josh missed out because he’s at sleep-away camp for a month). Though we haven’t tried this yet with a pouch or can of boneless, skinless pink salmon, we suspect it would work just fine.

Many people are surprised to learn that beans are actually a vegetable. Whether it’s black, pinto, cannellini, or garbanzo beans, they’re a good source of fiber, protein, iron, potassium and folate. Beans are versatile and can be added to soups, salads, pasta dishes, salsas, dips … even desserts! Here’s a recipe featuring beans that we created just this week.

Farfalle Salad with Chick Peas & Broccoli
Makes 5 to 6 Servings

8 ounces dried farfalle pasta
2 cups small broccoli florets
1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
One 7 3/4-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup Italian salad dressing
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Two to three minutes before the pasta is done, add the broccoli. Bring back to a boil and cook until the pasta is done. Drain and place in a large bowl.

2. While the pasta is still warm, add the tomatoes, chickpeas, feta cheese, salad dressing, and basil and stir to combine. Serve warm or refrigerate for a cold salad. Garnish with basil leaves as desired.

Nutrition Information per Serving: 280 calories, 5g fat (2.5g saturated, 0.3g omega-3), 350g sodium, 42g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, 11g protein, 20% vitamin A, 45% vitamin C, 10% calcium, 10% iron

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Share your favorite bean recipe by posting it to our blog.

Last week while Janice endured the bitter cold springtime weather here in Boston, Liz got on a plane and hightailed it down to Atlanta where the sun was shining and the flowers blooming. Though her trip was not for pleasure, it was a nice escape from the icy grip of New England, albeit for just one day. The reason for Liz’s sojourn to the south: a video shoot for EverWell, a TV show that now airs in doctor’s office waiting rooms nationwide. Liz is the show’s cooking guru, showing viewers how to whip up fast and healthy meals, snacks and desserts. For the shoot, she demonstrated four recipes: Garden Turkey Meatballs (see recipe below), Grab-and-Go Breakfast Bars, Apple Butterscotch Cake, and Shrimp & Mango Rice Salad.

To watch some of her other EverWell cooking segments — Teriyaki Salmon in Foil, Tuscan Minestrone Soup, Confetti Chicken Wraps, and Apple Blueberry Walnut Crisp — simply click here.

Garden Turkey Meatballs
Makes about 24 meatballs (6 Servings)

This simple weeknight dish is packed with great taste and great nutrition. Serve over spaghetti (we like Barilla Plus whole wheat blend pasta) and dinner is served!

1 pound ground turkey breast
2 to 3 medium carrots (6 ounces), peeled and finely grated (about 2/3 cup)
1 large omega-3 egg
1/2 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning or 1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
One 26-ounce jar pasta sauce

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a large baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. Combine the turkey, carrots, egg, oats, Parmesan cheese, flaxseed, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix until ingredients are just combined. Shape the meat mixture into twenty four 1 ½-inch balls. Place them on the baking sheet and cook until lightly browned, 10 minutes. Meanwhile, place the pasta sauce in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cover and bring to a simmer. When the turkey meatballs come out of the oven, add them to the sauce, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, about 20 minutes.

Nutrition Information per Serving:
230 calories, 10g fat (3g saturated; 0.5g omega-3), 730mg sodium, 18g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 22g protein, 60% vitamin A, 10% vitamin C, 10% calcium, 15% iron

Last week, Liz stopped by her friend Didi’s house for a quick visit. Didi (whose family owns the amazing Wilson Farms in Lexington, MA) was in the middle of making her family’s favorite dinner: penne pasta with broccoli, chicken, and a creamy cheese sauce. Being the nosey neighbor that she is, Liz just “had to have the recipe.”

Once Didi shared the recipe, we hit the kitchen and created our very own Meal Makeover Mom version (minus the cream of course). Our recipe is sure to be a huge hit with your kids because it features pasta (and who doesn’t love pasta), broccoli, and chicken pieces that look and taste like tenders. Given how much Josh, Simon, Carolyn and Leah (our clan) loved this dish, we’re confident yours will love it too. If you’re cooking for a crowd, you can easily double the recipe.