There are lots of ways to incorporate seafood and it doesn’t have to break the bank. While fresh seafood is always my preferred kind, we use frozen shrimp and fish filets often and it’s still delectable.

This was so simple to make, which fit into our busy weeknight schedule nicely. We cooked it together, ate together and it was pretty quick, not to mention delicious and flavorful! What more can a busy mom ask for?!

SHRIMP SCAMPI AND ASPARAGUS PARMESAN PASTA

COOKING WITH SHRIMP: FROZEN VS FRESH

My favorite frozen shrimp to use are raw, no tail and de-veined. They are super easy to thaw with warm water, you don’t have to stand at the sink yanking off tails that will smell awful in the trash later that night, and there is a little more leeway with cooking them before they turn rubbery.

The wiggle room while cooking is especially nice with kids running around while I’m making dinner. And the shrimp do still cook pretty quickly – they are fully cooked in about 5-7 mins. Afternoons and evenings are busy for us – and many of you – so getting dinner to the table faster is always good thing.

SHRIMP AS A HEALTHIER AND LEANER PROTEIN SOURCE

Shrimp is America’s #1 seafood and, when compared to other sources of protein – such as chicken, it offers a healthier and leaner alternative. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends people eat at least two servings of seafood each week.

The average American consumes less than one serving a week (that would be us, for the most part). We like seafood, but once a week is on the high end of consumption for us.

Eating seafood twice a week sounds expensive to me… but, we’ve found that frozen seafood is the best (or at least better) of both worlds. It’s more affordable than fresh seafood and offers the flexibility to add it to our week night dinners without having to stop at the store as apart of dinner preparations.

Yield: Serves 6

Shrimp Scampi and Asparagus Parmesan Pasta

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Delicious shrimp in a buttery sauce served with noodles and a creamy alfredo make this a hearty, rich dish perfect for dinner any day of the week.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Additional Time 5 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 12 oz raw, thawed shrimp (no tails and de-veined)
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 4 tsp lemon juice
• garlic, salt and lemon pepper to taste
• 12 oz tricolor rotini pasta
• 12-15 asparagus stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 4 mushrooms, sliced
• 12 oz jar alfredo sauce
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 3 stalks green onions, sliced for garnish

Instructions

1.In a pot, boil water for the pasta. Cook the pasta to al dente, approximately 8 minutes.

2.Melt the butter in a large saucepan on the stove. Add shrimp, asparagus and mushrooms to the melted butter sauce.



3.Saute the shrimp, asparagus and mushrooms in 4 tbsp butter until they are tender. Season with garlic, lemon juice and lemon pepper if desired. This only takes about 8 mins or so.

If you prefer your asparagus more tender, saute them first and add the shrimp and mushrooms when the asparagus is nearly done.



4.Strain your pasta and return to the pot to keep warm.

5.Add the alfredo sauce and parmesan cheese and let the sauce simmer on low heat for 5 minutes.



6.You can add the pasta to the sauce and mix until the sauce evenly coats the pasta or serve the sauce over the pasta.



7.Enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 535Total Fat: 37gSaturated Fat: 22gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 219mgSodium: 1426mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 27g

The post Shrimp Scampi and Asparagus Parmesan Pasta appeared first on While He Was Napping.

Yep, you read that right. Dinner in under 30 minutes – and we’re including cook time there. This recipe is a perfect go-to for busy families and leftover nights! Ready to get your soup on? Let’s do this!

TURKEY NOODLE SOUP in under 30 minutes

Yield: Serves 4-6

Turkey Noodle Soup

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A quick, delicious and healthy soup the whole family will enjoy.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups Turkey Meat, pre-cooked and cubed
• 30 oz Chicken Broth
• 1 lb Rotini Pasta
• 12 oz package of Frozen Mixed Vegetables

Instructions

Add the broth to a large pot on medium-high on the stove. Add any additional seasonings you might want. I added a tsp of garlic because we love us some garlic.

When the broth warms and starts to simmer add your noodles, mixed vegetables and the turkey meat.

Cover and simmer for 7-9 minutes or cook for the duration directed on the pasta packaging. Your soup is ready when the noodles are tender.

Allow to cool slightly and serve.

Notes

You could substitute the turkey with chicken dices or pre-cooked hamburger meat. Or omit it entirely.

If you use raw meat dices instead of pre-cooked, add them when you put in the pasta. Ensure they cook thoroughly.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1 cup
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 484Total Fat: 5.4gSodium: 158mgCarbohydrates: 74.1gFiber: 3.7gSugar: 2.7gProtein: 32.4g

My kids loved it. And it was even finger-food-friendly for the baby – I just drained the juice off and he went to town.

I love that our Turkey Noodle Soup was delicious, super fast, healthy (under 500 calories) and that my whole family enjoyed it!

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The holidays are over and school (finally!) started back up again. Which means our lives are back into a routine of sorts. Which means that I’ve gotten back into my slightly more structured life. I’ve gotten back to more regular meal planning, which has been good for us in more than one way: our budget, our waistlines, and our overall health. I definitely feel much better when I’m eating more healthy. But we have a routine because we’re busier now and that means I don’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen. I need quick meals that are delicious and family-friendly. So, with the help of Progresso® Light soup, I came up with this Enchilada Casserole.

PROGRESSO® LIGHT SOUP ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

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Progresso® Light Soup Enchilada Casserole

Prep time:  25 mins

Cook time:  35 mins

Total time:  1 hour

Serves: Serves 6-10

Enchiladas in a fraction of the time.

Ingredients

• 
• - Progresso® Light Soup Chicken and Cheese Enchilada Flavor
• - 1 cup Enchilada Sauce
• - 3 large Mushrooms, sliced
• - 3 Green Onion Stalks, sliced
• - 2 cups Shredded Cheese
• - 4 Wheat Tortillas
• - 1 large Red Pepper, cut into slices
• - 1 medium Roma Tomato, sliced
• - 1 cup cilantro, sliced
• *We had some rotisserie chicken in the fridge from a meal a couple days before, so I cut it up and added it to our enchiladas as well. The soup has chicken in it already, so you don't really need to add more. But, I needed to use ours up and three of the four males in my home are meat-lovers, so no one complained.

Instructions

1. - In a 9x13" pan, pour about ½ cup of enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan. Spread the sauce so that it covers the entire bottom of the pan.
2. - Cut the tortillas in half. Arrange them on top of the enchilada sauce with the flat edge against the edge of the pan.
3. - Pour half the can of Progresso® Light Soup on top of the tortillas. Spread to completely cover the tortillas.
4. - Sprinkle cilantro, mushrooms and chicken pieces (if desired) on top of the soup.
5. - Sprinkle ¾ cup of shredded cheese on top of the cilantro and mushroom pieces.
6. - Repeat the steps above. Add another layer of tortillas, then another layer of soup, another layer of cilantro and mushrooms, and another ¾ cup layer of shredded cheese and the rest of the enchilada sauce.
7. - Lay out red pepper slices on top of the shredded cheese and then put a tomato slice in the middle of each pepper slice.
8. - Sprinkle green onion slices on top.
9. - Cover and bake at 350ºF for 20-25 minutes. Then, uncover and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake another 5-10 minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbly and lightly toasted.
10. - Remove from oven and allow to set for 10 minutes - your layers will stay together better if you do.
11. - Slice and serve. Top with sour cream and cilantro if desired. Enjoy!

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I like the light part of these soups. It’s a new year and many of us have recommitted to eating better. This soup was full of flavor and goodness without being loaded with calories. And there is so much variety available. My boys loved the potato and bacon one we had for lunch the other day. It was creamy and cheesy, yum! We haven’t tried the other ones yet, but I’m pretty excited about them!

I also love Progresso® Light soups because they have BoxTops for Education Labels. Big J’s school collects them. I love that I can help out his school and feed my family healthy meals! The boys and I grabbed our Progresso® Light soups at Walmart. So, next time you are at Walmart, grab a few cans and make them apart of your family dinners. Right now you can grab this coupon and save $1.00 when you purchase four cans. And check out even more recipe ideas using Progresso® Light soups!

The post Progresso® Light Soup Enchilada Casserole appeared first on While He Was Napping.

3 GENERATION GOULASH

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3 Generation Goulash

Prep time:  5 mins

Cook time:  30 mins

Total time:  35 mins

Serves: Serves 6-8

A hearty casserole-style dish with lots of flavor. Pasta covered in flavorful tomato sauce with vegetables and hamburger make this a wonderful family favorite.

Ingredients

• 16 oz uncooked Pasta
• 12 oz bottle Ragu Pasta Sauce
• 5-6 medium Portabello Mushrooms
• 1 Red Pepper
• 14 oz canned Corn
• 14 oz canned cut Green Beans
• 1 lb Ground Beef
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 Tbsp dried Minced Onions
• Shredded Cheese

Instructions

1. Boil water for the pasta as directed on the box. When water boils, cook the pasta as directed.
2. Brown the ground beef in a skillet on the stove.
3. Add the garlic powder and the minced onion.
4. 
5. Slice the pepper and mushrooms. Add to the ground beef. Saute until the mushrooms and peppers are tender.
6. 
7. Add the green beans and the corn. Combine until well mixed.
8. 
9. Stir in the Ragu pasta sauce and mix until the sauce coats the meat and veggies evenly.
10. 
11. Simmer on low on the stove while the pasta cooks.
12. Drain the pasta and rinse, if desired.
13. Add the pasta to the sauce and mix until the pasta is evenly coated.
14. 
15. 
16. Serve topped with shredded cheese.
17. 

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My grandma always makes her own tomato pasta sauces, but my mom always used Ragu pasta sauce. I love the option, because with my busy life and busy boys, I don’t always have the time or energy to make my own sauce. I love that Ragu pasta sauce is a part of this tradition and that it is a sauce that I can count on to deliver quality flavor.

While working on this post, I was able to learn more about the origin of Ragu and the woman who started it all. Assunta Cantisano was a woman with a dream. Assunta came to America from Italy and brought her family’s recipe for tomato sauce with her. Her neighbors loved it. And so did her neighbor’s neighbors. Before too long, people were grabbing it off of store shelves in Iowa and the Ragu tradition was off and running. Great success story, right? But it wasn’t easy fame and fortune for Assunta. She grew up during the Great Depression and she struggled as a single mom. Her hard work and perseverance clearly paid off. When people didn’t have much of anything, she gave her all to share her sauce with others. Since Ragu was born hundreds of pasta sauces have graced the shelves over the past 80 years, and has even gone on to become America’s number one pasta sauce.

Do you like to experiment in the kitchen? Right now, food.com has a contest running called Ready. Set. Cook! and they have issued the challenge to create new and unique recipes featuring Ragu sauce plus a set list of other ingredients. Think you’re up to the challenge? Check out the Ready. Set. Cook! contest over on food.com.

I love traditions and sharing them with my kids, especially this time of year. What are some of your favorite family traditions?

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