Skillet Ravioli

1 26 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
1/3 cup water
1 25 oz. package meat or cheese filled ravioli
1 beaten egg
1 15 oz. container of cottage cheese
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
A handful of fresh spinach (can use frozen if needed)

In a 12 inch skillet combine spaghetti sauce and water; bring to a boil.
Stir in ravioli.

Cover and cook mixture over medium heat for five minutes, or until ravioli are nearly tender, stirring mixture  to prevent sticking. (a medium boil) Give it a good stir before adding further ingredients.

In medium mixing bowl combine egg, cottage cheese and parmesan cheese.

Dot the ravioli with spinach, spoon cheese mixture on top. Cover and cook over a low heat about 10 minutes until cheese layer is set and pasta is just tender.
You need to continue a low boil to get your pasta cooked through.
Do not stir.

The amazing thing about this recipe is how quickly it is finished. 15 minutes! You can't beat it. Kids will eat this. I dot spinach on half the pan for those who are picky. This is one my kids top ten. Your kids will love it!

It serves four people. I have some small eaters so I can get away with one bag of pasta. If you are serving more than that, you may need to double the recipe. If you do, use two jars spaghetti sauce and 1/3 cup of water.  This should be served from the pan as everything is set at this point.

Lemony-glazed Apple and Spinach Salad

On two salad plates (or however many you are serving)
Arrange:
spinach
diced, golden delicious apples
craisins
chopped pecans

Make dressing and pour over salad just before serving:
2 Tablespoons lemon zest
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons honey mustard
1/4 cup oil
1/3 cup honey
1 egg yolk
Mix in small bowl with fork. Pour over salad just before serving.

Sprinkle granola on top.

Delicious anytime of year, but with apples coming on, this will make a great side dish to your dinner.

Nectarine and Spinach salad

Spinach
Nectarines
Pecans, chopped
Craisins




Dressing:
1/2 cup homemade apricot jam
1-2 tsp. balsamic vinegar



Mix dressing. If you need to thin this you can add water. You could add oil also, but I do water for less calories. Sometimes a thicker jam takes a splash of water to make it pourable.

Toss dressing with spinach. Add nectarines, pecans, craisins.

This salad is just so easy to pull off. It tastes fantastic and is a great way to get your nuts, fruits and veggies all in one serving. Your dressing should look like a rusty orange color. Try this, you will impress.
I forgot to add craisins to the picture! Make sure you add them.
This is what the jam looks like with the balsamic vinegar. Once it is mixed it looks like this picture on the bottom. It's almost a glaze. It should be drizzled onto the salad, not tossed.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Fresh spinach leaves
Sliced and washed strawberries
sliced almonds
craisins
granola

Dressing:
1/2 cup to 1 cup homemade strawberry jam
1 tsp. Balsamic vinegar
You can thicken this by refrigeration, or you can thin it by adding water. Pour over salad just before serving.

I tried earlier to make a vinaigrette, it can take up to two days! The beauty of this recipe is you can use your own jam to make something even better in just a few seconds. This has been a hit whenever I've served it. People have said it is so sweet, it's like eating candy. Your dressing should look like a rusty color. Not too brown, not too red.

If you are making a small salad for two, just a few spoonfuls of jam with a splash of balsamic vinegar will work very well.

You sprinkle the granola on top of your salad just before serving.

I'm sure any granola would work but if you want my homemade, here it is:

Honey Granola with Fruits, Seeds and Nuts
1 cup honey
1/3 cup canola oil
1/8 tsp. salt
4 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
2 tsp. sesame seeds
1 cup crasins
1 cup golden raisins

300 degrees. Spray cookie sheets with Pam.
Combine honey oil and salt in small saucepan. Stir over med. heat until well blended. 2 minutes

Mix oats, pumpkin seeds, almonds, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds in large bowl. Stir honey mixture and drizzle over oat mixture while stirring. Continue stirring until oats are coated.

Spread mixture onto baking sheets and cook 15 minutes. Stirring and toatating pan until golden brown. Watch closely to avoid burning. (It usually takes me around three sets of 15 min.)

Cool and stir in crasins and raisins.
This part of the recipe came from Prevention magazine.