Hearty Minestrone Soup

I was in the mood to "play with my food," so I decided to give minestrone a try. It's very good, but if you have time for it to simmer for awhile, it's even better as the flavors blend and meld.

6 C water
4 TB THRIVE Tomato Powder
1 can beef broth
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 Bay leaf
1 tsp parsley
1/2 C small shell pasta OR THRIVE elbow macaroni

1/4 C each of the following THRIVE freeze-dried products:
Onions
Celery
Carrot
Mixed bell peppers
Sausage crumbles
Sweet corn
Green beans

1 tsp olive oil


Heat water and stir in tomato powder. Add remaining ingredients except olive oil. Allow to simmer for at least an hour (the longer the better!!) Stir in olive oil, remove bay leaf, and serve hot. Top with parmesan or romano cheese, if desired. This recipe makes 4 decent-sized, fill you up, bowls of soup.

"Gee, I wish we had nacho cheese"

I'll be honest. Today I feel awful. I just want to sleep on the couch and have the world go away. Evidently, my kids feel the same way. The problem is, even when they feel bad, they still want to eat. So my oldest says, "Gee, I wish we had some nacho cheese. I'd really like a burrito." Well, knowing that I had leftover taco meat from last night (made with my THRIVE ground beef, of course! All I did was reconstitute and add a pouch of taco seasoning) I said, "Let me see what I can do." I went into the kitchen and mixed up the following, and voila! Burritos with nacho cheese!! And Spencer's response? "These burritos are amazing!" Now THAT puts a smile on a mama's face!

1/4 C THRIVE Monterey jack cheese
1/4 C THRIVE Cheddar cheese
2 TB your favorite brand of salsa in a jar (I always have some in my pantry)
1 tsp milk or water

Reconstitute cheeses in warm water and drain. Place in a small pot and melt, adding salsa and milk or water to thin a bit. Serve in a burrito with taco meat and refried beans. This recipe makes about 1/3 C of cheese sauce- just enough for 3 burritos for my 3 boys :)

Terrific Taco TVP Dip

I was playing around to make a dip to serve at an upcoming party, and my 15 yr old stole the bowl after it was made! I think it's a hit!

1/2 C THRIVE Taco TVP, prepared
1/4 C THRIVE onions
1 clove minced garlic
1/8 C THRIVE mixed bell peppers
1/4 C THRIVE sweet corn
1/4 C THRIVE cheddar cheese

Prepare Taco TVP and set aside to cool. Rehydrate all vegetables and drain if necessary. Rehydrate cheese and drain. Mix all ingredients together and serve with tortilla chips.

Great food storage article!

I'd like to thank my friend, Rochelle Crews, for sending along this great article! Be sure to check out the photos of her food storage room. I want one!!

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/695242364/Can-do-attitude--Book-offers-tips-on-using-food-storage-items.html

Chicken Tetrazzini- YUM!!

Here's one that will be sure to please a crowd- even your kids! Have company showing up and need something easy? A neighbor who's sick and needs a meal? This is perfect!!

Chicken Tetrazzini

1 ¼ cup THRIVE chicken dices, reconstituted

¼ cup THRIVE celery, reconstituted

¼ cup THRIVE onions, reconstituted

¼ cup THRIVE mixed bell peppers

1 ½ C THRIVE Monterey Jack cheese, reconstituted

1 can cream of mushroom soup

½-1 lb spaghetti (I like mine exceptionally creamy, so I use less spaghetti)

Pepper

Garlic powder

Cook spaghetti according to package directions, drain and set aside.

Place reconstituted bell peppers, celery and onions in a small pan with 2 TB margarine. Sautee. Add chicken, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Add soup and cheese and mix well. Add spaghetti. Place mixture in a casserole dish and bake at 350 until hot and bubbly.

My kids can't stand bell peppers, so I either reduce the amount or leave them out completely.

ENJOY!