Spaghetti Squash Confetti

(sorry I forgot to take a photo so this is leftovers at lunch the next day)
I like squash and loved this, Dan hates squash and it 'was ok'. (lol) *shrug* We both agreed though that it needed more tomatoes (the original recipe called for more, but I only used one since its all we had). The original recipe can be found here (their picture is prettier than mine)... I just added the garlic. :)

Ingredients:
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Garlic
• 1 whole spaghetti squash
• 1 yellow squash
• 1 zucchini
• 3 large tomatoes
• Parmesan cheese

Directions:
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Slice your spaghetti squash in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds and season with olive oil, salt and pepper on all sides. Place the squash flesh side down on cookie sheet with foil covering all of the exposed skin. Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until tender.
• Meanwhile, saute the yellow squash and zucchini with oil, salt and pepper. Add the garlic (minced).
• When the spaghetti squash is done simply pull your fork through the flesh and it will come out like spaghetti noodles! (this was my first experience with spaghetti squash, and was pretty cool!
• Combine the “noodles” and sauteed vegetables and serve with chopped fresh tomatoes. Sprinkles with fresh Parmesan cheese and salt & pepper.

Chicken & Veggie Stirfry

I love making this! Its so simple, pretty quick, and a good way to get in TONS of veggies! Dan laughs because I call this 'My Experimental Stir-fry Veggies with a Hint of Rice' ... its always different depending on what we have available at the time (hence 'experimental') and its like a whole pan full of veggies .... with a little rice. :) This is totally one of those meals you just make up as you go with what you have and what sounds good!

Ingredients:
Chicken breasts (we usually do 2-3)
Veggies, chopped (various peppers, peas, carrots, corn, squash, zucchini, water chestnuts, etc)
Rice (I go by looks since we keep our rice in a plastic container, but usually its about 2 cups)
Soy Sauce and/or Teriyaki Sauce
Salt & Pepper to taste *optional

Directions:
Cube and cook chicken well in a large frying pan. (Add a splash of Teriyaki if you like)
On another burner cook your rice. (we usually have the 'instant' kind around, so it only takes a minute or so)
Chop and add your veggie medley to the pan with the chicken. Saute until tender.
Add rice, some soy sauce, and mix well. I usually cook it all together for another minute or two after adding the rice.
Add soy sauce or seasoning as you like it and enjoy!
(makes about 6 servings)

Bow ties with Veggie Cutouts

One of my favorite cookbooks growing up, ...well, make that 'ever'... is the Disney Family Cookbook! Its not only yummy (and adorable!) recipes, but they're also recipes made to try to interest kids in cooking. I seriously recommend it. :)
Ive been looking around for a yummy recipe to make with squash and zucchini.... not only because I like it and my lovely friend Tannie gave us some form her garden, but also because it needed t be something yummy that I made with them so as to help convince my veggie-hating-husband that he likes them too. I kept coming back to this recipe(which Ive always wanted to make -probably mostly because its the cover picture and is so cute!) so I decided this was it.
....Not only did we all (including Addie) like it, but it was super easy and really quick! -which is always a big plus right?! :)
**I couldn't find a picture online, and I didn't take one of the meal I made because we didn't have all the ingredients so it wasn't as 'pretty' as the photo in the book -though it was still just as yummy! The only photo I could find to use (for now) is a picture of the cover of the book. Doesn't show it too well, but you get the idea right?

Want to try it? Here's what you need:

Ingredients:
2-3 cups vegetable cutouts (carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, red & green peppers, etc)
*the picture shows cute little 'cutouts' of veggies in shapes, but we just did the basic chopping veggies into bite sized pieces ... also, I didn't measure by cups, I just added 1 squash 1 zucchini, etc...
1 pound bow tie pasta, cooked (*we just used Penne because that's what I already had -and again, just 'dumped' a good amount in, didn't measure an actual pound)
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1/3 cup ground almonds (*we didn't have any and it was still good without it)
1/3 cup milk
3 crushed garlic cloves (again, I didn't have at the moment so improvised with garlic powder/salt)
1/2 tsp salt
black pepper
Parmesan cheese

Directions:
To make cutouts, slice the vegetables into 1/8 or 1/4"thicknesses, and cut into shapes with tiny cutters (cut from the fleshy side) .... OR, just be boring like me and chop your veggies into basic bite sized pieces. Set aside.
While the pasta is cooking, heat 1 Tbsp Olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Saute the vegetables for 3-4 minutes.
Remove vegetables and add the remaining olive oil and the almonds. Stir until lightly browned. (*again, we didn't have the almonds, so I just left the veggies int he frying pan and added the rest of the ingredients).
Return the vegetables to the pan and add the milk, garlic, salt, and pepper to taste. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
Drain pasta, and toss it with the vegetable mix in a large bowl. Serve with Parmesan if desired. (which we did).

It took like 10 minutes total, and was not only yummy, but a success in getting the picky husband (probably 'kids' in your case) to eat their veggies! *wink*