Menu for the week

Salmon Pasta Salad:  Cook spiral pasta and drain well. Add some diced tomato, cucumber, celery, red onion and a clove of garlic. Then add 1//4-1/3 cups olive oil, 1/3 cup lemon juice, 2 tsp of dill weed (or 2 TBS if fresh), a teaspoon of salt, and a generous 1/4 tsp of pepper. Mix together and crumble cooked salmon over the salad. Serve over lettuce, if desired. YUM! I swear my kids even gobbled this up.

Spinach and Lentil soup:
1 cup shredded carrots
1 large onion, chopped
1 TBP olive oil (again, I just use chicken broth, tastes just as good if not better)
6 cups water
1 (16oz) jar of salsa
1 1/4 cup dried lentils, rinsed
3/4 tsp salt
1 (10 oz) package fresh spinach, torn
In a large saucepan, saute carrots and onions in broth until tender. Add water, salsa, lentils and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 50-60 minutes or until lentils are tender. Stir in spinach; simmer until wilted. This is good, healthy and cheap...if you have your own canned salsa. Plus, play with the amounts to suit your tastes.

Chicken and sun-dried tomato bruschetta: I made this once when I found sundried tomatoes at the supermarket just sitting out, not packed or canned. I was like "oh yah". Marinate 2 boneless chicken breasts in a cup of Italian salad dressing (low cal is just as good) for 3 hours. Grill chicken, then cool and shred. I used the George Foreman and it worked great. Mix chicken, 4 cups of torn fresh spinach, 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese and a bunch of chopped sundried tomatoes (8 or so). Add 1/4 cup of Italian salad dressing. Serve in pitas or on focaccia bread.

Hamburger Soup: Got this one from my mother-in-law. It's not as good when I make it for some reason, but it's still good and my kids devour it. Just saute the ground beef with an onion, chopped carrots, celery and garlic (or whatever of those you have). When beef is browned, fill up the pot with water to cover the veggies, add diced potatoes (if you have) some V8 juice, a can of diced tomatoes, salt and pepper and ketchup, in whatever amounts you like. I also add worcestershire sauce and basil. Then when I serve it to the kids I add frozen peas to cool it down. Serve with bread or buns.

P.S. I made NONE of these recipes up (although some I alter and then forget the original)!! I would give credit where credit is due if I could remember who to give credit to <---poem