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Five Ingredient Broccoli Cheese Soup

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Mr. Allie has been on a serious dinner-cooking streak lately!  He’s on fire!  Every night a fabulous meal materializes before my eyes…

This chick is not complaining, I assure you.  Much as I love to cook, it’s soooo nice to have the pressure off!  And, I still get plenty of opportunities to putter in my kitchen.  The kiddies still need to eat, breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, and dinner.  (Many of Mr. Allie’s meals are not-so-kid-friendly.  They are, however, extremely Mama-friendly, as evidenced by the extra few pounds I’ve packed on.)

So lately, my five-year-old has been way into soups.  (How could anyone not be, at this time of year?)  I’m so happy about this!  It’s a great way for me to sneak in lots of good nutrition.

He recently got turned on to broccoli-cheese soup by my mom.  HA-lelujah!  He’s finally opened his mind to green foods!

Five-Ingredient Broccoli Cheese Soup

This is not my mom’s recipe, so hopefully he’ll still go for it.  It is super easy and comes together in minutes!  I whipped it up for him while he was at half-day kindergarten!  I’m really hoping he likes it, as it’s full of healthy veggies, protein, and calcium-rich dairy!  Three things I always struggle to get into him.

Five-Ingredient Broccoli Cheese Soup

Empty a carton of chicken (or vegetable) stock into a big pot, and dump a big bag of frozen broccoli florets into it.  Get that on a medium-high heat to simmer.

Five-Ingredient Broccoli Cheese Soup

While that is going, get a good quality cheese all shredded up.  My son (and I!) really enjoy a good, extra-sharp cheddar.

When the broccoli is nice and tender, add the milk and cream.

Five-Ingredient Broccoli Cheese Soup

Puree until you get the texture you are after.  I like mostly smooth, with a few chunks of broccoli still remaining.

Place the pot back on the stove, and add in the cheese, a handful at a time, stirring gently after each addition, until all the cheese is melted and incorporated.

Five-Ingredient Broccoli Cheese Soup

If you like a little extra protein and smokey flavor, you can make this Six-Ingredient Broccoli Cheese Soup, by adding a few handfuls of chopped, cooked ham, or crispy bacon.

Five-Ingredient Broccoli Cheese Soup

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Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 4-6
 

Ingredients
  • 1 32-ounce carton chicken stock
  • 1 14-ounce bag frozen broccoli florets
  • ¾ cup lowfat milk
  • ¾ cup heavy cream
  • 8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • ¼ pound cooked ham or bacon, thinly sliced (optional)

Instructions
  1. In a large pot, simmer the chicken stock and broccoli until tender.
  2. Add the milk and cream, and puree to desired consistency.
  3. Add the cheese, a handful at a time, stirring after each addition, until melted and incorporated.
  4. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
  5. Garnish with ham or bacon, if desired.

 

Five-Ingredient Broccoli Cheese Soup

Are you into soups lately too?  I swear I could eat soup every day at this time of year…  What’s your favorite kind?  How about your kiddos?  Has it taken them more than five years to take a bite of something green?

 

Ritz Cracker Cheddar Cheese Baked Chicken

Cheese and Crackers Chicken

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Well, we made it through Christmas.  And before that, we made it through Hannukah.  And before that, we made it through Thanksgiving.  Even before that, we got through Halloween.  Whew!

I can truthfully say, that even though the holiday season is, by far, my favorite time of the year, I do always breathe a huge sigh of relief when it’s all said and done.  It’s nice to have it all successfully behind us, and the kiddies basking in the afterglow, while life can return to normalcy for us moms…

My kids are still on Winter Break, which means less rushing around, but more effort on my part to plan fun activities to keep boredom at bay, as well as make the most of our time together.   My focus is on spending quality time with them, and making family [even more of] a priority.

Today’s recipe is a very kid-friendly, super-quick, shortcut meal.  I’d love to say it’s also full of all sorts of fabulous antioxidants and vitamin-rich organic ingredients, but, let’s be real for a minute.  Kids love their food processed within an inch of it’s life, and being a mom = compromising.  A lot.  Cheese and crackers is a sure thing for every kid I’ve ever known!  This one will get their tushies at the dinner table, some good protein into their bellies, and it’s surprisingly delish!

Cheddar Cheese Ritz Crackers Baked Chicken

I first saw this recipe in an issue of Real Simple Magazine, a few years back, but I do not remember the author and I no longer have the magazine.  I’ve changed it up to make it even more quick and kid-friendly, but I’d love to give proper credit, so if anyone knows, please leave me a comment and I’ll be sure to update the post.

Get a couple of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, and cube them up into bite sized pieces.  Place the chicken chunks in the bottom of a 9″x9″ oven safe dish, and season with salt and pepper.

Ritz Cracker Cheddar Chicken

Now empty a sleeve of buttery crackers into a gallon-sized zip-top bag and take out your frustrations.

Ritz Crackers Cheddar Baked Chicken

**Try using whole-grain buttery crackers for a healthier option.  We had these left over from our Christmas Eve celebration… where we are not interested in a healthier anything.**

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Now throw in a handful of shredded cheddar cheese, and about a teaspoon of garlic powder, and toss it all around to mix.

Ritz Cracker Cheddar Cheese Baked Chicken

Dump the mixture over the chicken, and drizzle a little melted butter all over the top.

Cheddar Cheese Ritz Cracker Baked Chicken

Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.

Ritz Cracker Cheddar Cheese Baked Chicken

I had my boys at an indoor playground all afternoon today, and then whipped this up in minutes, for a family meal that everyone truly enjoyed.

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Cheese and Crackers Chicken
Author: 
Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: American
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 4
 

Baked Chicken with Buttery Cracker Breading and Cheddar Cheese
Ingredients
  • 2 Chicken Breasts, Cubed
  • Salt and Pepper to Taste
  • 1 Sleeve Buttery Crackers
  • 1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
  • 1 Teaspoon Granulated Garlic Powder
  • 4 Tablespoons Butter, Melted

Instructions
  1. Place the cubed chicken in a 9×9″ oven-safe dish.
  2. Crush the crackers in a zip-top bag. Add the cheese and garlic powder.
  3. Pour the cracker mixture over the chicken, and drizzle with melted butter.
  4. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.

 

Ritz Crackers Cheddar Cheese Baked Chicken

What are you doing to keep your kids occupied over Winter Break?  Do you find it a challenge to get your kids around the dinner table every night?  (Mine seem to turn their noses up at almost everything that isn’t PB&J or mac ‘n cheese…!)  What are your family favorite dinners?   What are your go-to shortcut meals?  Are you breathing a sigh of relief now that the holidays are over?

Quick and Easy Tomato Soup

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This morning we awoke to the most beautiful blanket of snow…  It looked so clean and pretty, fluttering down from the sky and covering all the bare tree branches.  And it bought me a 30 full minutes (!) of uninterrupted computer time while my little ones made snowmen in the back yard.  I still can’t get over my good fortune!

The first snowfall is always such a delight, and this one was a happy surprise.  Between the luminous, soft filtered light from my kitchen window, and the rosy cheeks and noses, and frosty fingers of my little ones as they shook the snow off their boots, I just knew today would have to by a bloggy day- and there was no other option but soup.

My five-year-old is way into soup lately.  And considering how infuriatingly picky he is about what he will and won’t eat, I’m happy to feed him anything morning, noon, and night, as long as it’s not chips!

This one is easy as can be, with just a few ingredients, and it comes together in about 15 minutes.

Tomato Cheddar Soup

2 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 32-ounce box chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Saute the garlic in a little olive oil until fragrant.  Add in the crushed tomatoes, stock, and cream and heat until just about to simmer.  Add in the cheese and stir, continuously, until melted.  Season with onion powder, salt, pepper, and honey.

It’s so comforting and warm in your tummy!

* For a more grown-up version, try substituting freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano or pecorino-romano for the cheddar, and garnish with a chiffonade of fresh basil *

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Easy Quinoa Salad

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Tired working mom seeks easy.

Since I’m now on a mission to eat something for dinner that I’m proud of, tonight I made my easy, healthy, but most importantly delicious and kid friendly quinoa salad.  This takes about 5 minutes of prep and 15 minutes to cook, and the beauty is that it’s really versatile and easy to tailor it to your family’s tastes.

Most people I’ve talked to have told me their kids go cuckoo for quinoa.  This is true for one of my children.  My daughter chose to eat dill pickles for dinner instead.  To each their own. It’s usually hit or miss with that one.

Here’s how I made mine, but feel free to improvise because it’s pretty delicious no matter what you put in it.

Mere’s Quinoa Salad
1 cup Quinoa
1 1/4 cup water
A handful of dried cherries
A bigger handful of cashews
8 can of kidney beans
1 apple, peeled, cored and diced
1/2 (8 oz) bottle of goddess salad dressing

Prepare your quinoa as instructed on the package.

While that’s cooking, dice up your apple.  Once the quinoa is finished, put it in a large bowl and add all your other ingredients.  Mix it up and eat it all-y all.  You might want to refrigerate it for a bit before you eat it, but it’s good warm too.

The end.