Cheesy Vegetable Chowder

First post of the new year and it's a yummy, hearty soup for the cold months we still have ahead!

I, along with everyone else I'm sure, have quite a few recipes that are seasonal.

I only want to make them, or even feel like making them, at certain times of the year.

This chowder is a prime example of that.  I actually crave making this soup on cold winter nights.

As soon as the cold weather starts up this recipe is added to our rotations and it usually makes an appearance once every other week.

I love that it's full of veggies, creamy, flavorful, and filling.

I found this recipe last year on Pinterest and changed it up just a little bit to make it my own.

It's one of the ways I can get my kids to willingly eat broccoli ;)

Southwestern Quinoa Salad

I have a new recipe for you!

This was my second attempt making quinoa and I must say I love having it as an option to throw in the mix of dinners.

This dish had really great flavor.

We actually ended up having some left over, so the next night for dinner I actually made nachos with it. I just added tortilla chips, cheese, and lettuce for a meatless version of nachos, and it was really good.

And it doesn't hurt that this is super simple to throw together :)

Spinach & Parmesan Quinoa

I don't really ever remember eating spinach growing up.

I do remember people always hated it in the cartoons and kids shows though.

I honestly don't know why that is.

I happen to love it.

I make this recipe probably once every other week. It's great to throw in the mix for a meatless meal that's still packed with protein, and it's super easy to throw together!

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sauce

So this is one of those recipes I pinned a long time ago on Pinterest, and since starting my goal of trying one new recipe a week, I finally tried this recipe out.
(It also helped that red bell peppers were on sale 3/$1!! Oh yeah.)

I'm so glad I tried this, it's SOOOO yummy!

This sauce is packed full of some amazing flavor!

* Update, I have made this pasta a few more times and tweaked the recipe a little. I also now add baby spinach to sneak in even more veggies. If you want to add a little more protein you can also add some cooked chicken (cut into bite sized pieces) to the noodles and sauce.

Southwestern Egg Rolls

So about a month and a half ago I decided that I wanted to start making and trying new recipes.

I thought in order to make this a realistic goal I shouldn't go too crazy, so I decided that I would make one new recipe every week.

That way I didn't feel overwhelmed, but it would be a nice change up for my family.

Well, I've been successful in keeping up with my goal, and I'm excited to say we've added 5 new recipes to our collection so far!

This is one of the new ones we tried out and liked.

This recipe can be a Main Dish or used as an appetizer!

Baked Chicken Taquitos

These taquitos are SO good!  The tortilla is perfectly crispy, while the filling is creamy and flavorful, mmmmm...

Chicken Taquitos

Makes 12 Taquitos (about 6 servings)

• 3ounces cream cheese
• 1/4 c. green salsa (I got a good sized bottle from Wal-mart for $1.68)
• 1 Tbsp lime juice
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 (large) clove garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
• 2 Tbsp chopped green onions
• 1 c. shredded Mexican cheese blend
• 12 soft taco sized tortillas
• 2 c. cooked shredded chicken*