List of Favorite Healthy Exchanges Recipes

Newsletters:  January 2003 - June 2003
   


January 2003 newsletter

Creamy Apricot Dessert, p. 12
    (Tonight I made [this] - It is easy and so good; it is 2 w.w. points per serving.  
     Try it, you will like it!)
Cherry Cheesecake Parfaits, p. 8
    (Last night I made [this].  My husband and I couldn't believe it wasn't cheesecake.  
     Yum!) 
Judy's Cherries Jubilee Cheesecake, p. 4
    (I pampered myself and made [this].  This would be good for Valentine's Day menu.  
     It has been so dreary all day and the thoughts of having this for dessert after 
     dinner gave me something to look forward to.  One thing about it is you can't eat 
     but one slice.  It is filling and satisfying.)
Piquant Meat Loaf, p. 1
    (I made [this].  I followed the directions exactly using lean ground turkey.  I cooked 
     it 50 minutes and it was very moist and very good.  I will make it again.)

Well, let me tell ya, I just went ga-ga when I got the January newsletter! . . .
 And I just gotta tell ya, on page 5 there is a recipe that has won my heart. 

  Mayonnaise Raisin Cake, p. 5
    (It is to just lay down and die for!  If you like raisins you have to try this one. 
     It is so very good and chock full of raisins.) 

Now I also made . . . 

  Scroll down after clicking on this link to see:
  Sombrero Pie, p. 6
    (and boy oh boy!  It is a southern girl's dream, almost like a cornbread top crust 
     over a wonderful filling.  Ate it with my red cabbage . . . .) 
    ([This] we had for supper tonight was just delicious.  Sometimes the recipes look so 
     good on paper, and then I'm not too fond of some of them.  But this one is perfect 
     just as it is for us.)
    (One word-----YUM!!!!)
    (Growing up we had topsy-turvy cornbread (because we flipped it over to serve).  This 
     is like it only with the Mexican flair added to the meat mixture.  Excellent!)
    (Ohhhh, that Sombrero Pie is wonderful!!!  Just had to throw in my two cents worth.)
    (I made [this] tonight.  Hubby ate two helpings, he loved it so much.  My son loved 
     the insides but wasn't too keen on the topping.  I thought it was great and had a 
     hard time sticking to one portion.  I wish it made 4 servings instead of 6!  LOL)

. . . I'm just in a dither cooking out of this newsletter!  OHHHHH JoAnna, Thank you!!! 

Chicken Pot Pie Quiche, p. 6
    (Tonight for dinner I made [this].  I changed the recipe some, I made my own pie crust, 
     did not prebake the 6 minutes and since frozen carrots are banned from our homestead, 
     I opted to slice baby carrots thinly and toss in.  Mashed potatoes and salad finished 
     the meal.  I liked this quiche but then I generally enjoy ANYTHING in a crust.  Husband 
     liked it, I think - he only ate FIVE slices!:)  Our 5 year old daughter did not like 
     this quiche, but only because she did the stirring and saw the onions go in.  :)  Baby 
     Molly has no opinion . . . yet.)
    (Today, we made [this].  We had a salad and it was very filling.  Would I make it again? 
     Yes, but with all the other recipes I don't know when we will have it again.  I used the 
     Tyson diced frozen chicken and it worked well.  We didn't spray my pie plate before we 
     put the crust in, so it stuck a little, but it didn't destroy the presentation.)
Western Spaghetti, p. 12
    (I have also made: [this] -- I LOVE it!)
Meat Loaf Italia, p. 1
    (I have also made: . . .  [this] -- REALLY yummy!)

Scroll down after clicking on this link to see:
Cheddar Meat Loaf, p. 1    Yahoo Access
    (***** (Plus)  "This is awesome" -- my daughters comments.  Dennis and I both felt that 
     this was the best meatloaf we have had in years.  Years ago when I used to do the cooking, 
     I used uncooked oatmeal in my meat loaf recipe; I loved it!!)
    (This was so good.  We have had twice since the January newsletter came out.)
    (Now that I have found this meat loaf, it will probably be the same as The Best Mashed Potatoes 
     (Across America, p. 329; Ten Years and Still Creating! Anniversary Cookbooklet, p. 19), and
     Simple White Bread and Whole Wheat Bread (I Got The Machine, pp. 14, 11) and become standard 
     in our home.) 
    (I made [this].  It was very good.  While it was cooking I made some homemade mashed potatoes 
     (The Best Mashed Potatoes) from Cooking Healthy Across America, p. 329 (excellent). . . . 
     We have meatloaf every other week or so.  It's really an easy meal if you have the time to 
     cook it.)
    (We had a family get-together to celebrate our grandson's 4th birthday.  There was none left 
     from 2 meat loaves.  Both my daughters & SIL praised the meatloaf.)

Cheesy Carrots, p. 6
    (*****  Fabulous.  We loved it.  It was a little higher in points than we usually use for 
     vegetables, but we will be having again with roast chicken and mashed potatoes -- just too
     rich tasting to be healthy, but it is low fat and so creamy.) 
Onion Rice Side Dish, p. 6
    (This was good.  Charlie said it was missing something.  He added salt and said it was a 
     keeper.)
Baked Tacos, p. 4
    (Wow!  This is a keeper.  It's so easy to prepare, with few ingredients.  I could have this 
     every week!)
    (These were so good!!)
Chili Meat Patties, p. 7
    (We really liked these.  I got a GF grill for Christmas and this was the first thing we tried 
     on it.  Charlie liked the beans in the sauce.  I thought it would be more chili spice taste, 
     but good.  Even better the 2nd day, for me.)

Scroll down after clicking on this link to see:
Chicken, Broccoli and Cheese Soup, p. 9
    (a [dish] of Joanna's that I love as well as the family . . . I put 1/3 of the mixture in the 
     blender after cooking it to puree some of the broccoli.  Awesome stuff on a cold winter day!)




February 2003 newsletter


Scroll down after clicking on this link to see:
Magical Maraschino Cherry Muffins, p. 4
    (My February Newsletter arrived Monday - it was a good thing I was sitting down when the 
     husband brought the mail in!  :)  That very night I went through with my trusty WW point 
     finder.  Tuesday, before the birds dared to utter a chirp I was busy whipping up [these] -- 
     my comments :) . . .  HUGE but they are 4 WW pts, deliciously yummy, a definite "would 
     make again" recipe.)

Scroll down after clicking on this link to see:
"From Scratch" Chocolate Pudding, p. 4
    (It is so strange I had to try it.  The thickening is 1/2 cup of Bisquick Reduced Fat 
     Baking Mix.  From what I sampled it is wonderful and nice and thick and chocolately.)
    (***** plus   Well, this will now be a mainstay in our home.  In Canada no on sells
     sugar-free cooked puddings.  All the others we tried used cornstarch for thickening, 
     but I liked them, but not overly jumping up and down.  [I enjoy this one, as it doesn't 
     use cornstarch.])

Chicken Mushroom Pot Pie, p. 6
    (Then for supper, I made [this].  DH and I both liked it.  Easy to make as I had some 
     cooked chopped chicken in the freezer.  I served it with a green salad with lite ranch 
     dressing that I 'water' down with milk, and steamed broccoli.)
    (What really topped it off for the month was [this]. . . .  ***** (Plus)  Dennis, our 
     daughter Denise, and I feel this is the best Chicken Pot Pie that we have ever tasted. 
     The only change Dennis made:  he added a pinch of Saffron that had been given to us.) 
    (I thought this was very good.  The filling filled my taste for chicken pot pie filling. 
     Charlie said too many peas and carrots.  (But, JoAnna, he ate them all anyway!))
French Cream of Chicken Soup, p. 1
    (We thought this was very good.  Charlie said the dried rosemary was the drawback (pieces 
     too hard to eat).  We think it is probably a keeper.  Very fast and easy.)
Buffet Scalloped Potatoes & Mushrooms, p. 11    Yahoo Access
    (This was a great dish!  We loved the taste and it is easy.  It will make a good pot luck, 
     family dinner, or holiday dish.  Mostly, we'll enjoy it for ourselves.)
    (These were wonderful.)
Broccoli-Rice Cheese Pie, p. 7
    (This was excellent.  I made a mistake and put all the cheese in the crust and it was great! 
     I will definitely make this again for myself.  Like Cliff, Charlie won't eat broccoli.)
Chocolate Tarts with Lemon Topping, p. 12
    (These were for me because Charlie doesn't like instant pudding.  These made up so fast and 
     were so much food for the exchanges!  I really liked them.  The lemon taste overpowered the 
     chocolate; I didn't taste the chocolate pudding so much, just the chocolate chips.  Might
     try something like raspberry jello.  The large serving and freezability put it over into the 
     keeper category.)
Easy Breakfast Squares, p. 9
    (These were good.  It's a nice one to assemble the night before.  I like the potato in them; 
     it sets them apart from other breakfast egg casseroles/stratas.  A little much onion and all 
     on top, but still good and easy.  It will be great for guests.  I like that it freezes, so
     leftovers make for a fast breakfast another day.  I was having some at work and someone 
     commented on the nice look/coloring it had, too.)
    (These were great, a keeper for sure; made 1/2 recipe to serve 4 and served with a spoonful 
     of salsa on the side.  Yummy!!)
Vegetable Minestrone, p. 1
    (*****  We loved it.  Usually we send over some to our oldest daughter who lives on her own, 
     but instead sent her the Gringo Chicken Stew (When Every Minute Counts, p. 104) that we had 
     for dinner the same day and saved our seconds for the next day.) 
    (another great soup from JoAnna!)
 



March 2003 newsletter

Dijon Meatloaf, p. 7
    (I tried [this] in this months newsletter.  Also very good, but I'm going to make some changes 
     the next time I make it.  I'm going to add more Dijon mustard to the meat mixture and try adding 
     some Dijon mustard to the ketchup topping.  My family said [this] should be made again.)
    (I loved this.  The meat loaf was so compact that it was easy to eat.  Charlie didn't like the 
     flavor of the reduced sodium ketchup.)
Salmon Loaf with Mushroom Sauce, p. 1
    (I recently made [this] and thoroughly enjoyed it.  That particular day, did not feel like chopping 
     mushrooms and instead threw in some frozen peas.  Like the added color. . . . will definitely make 
     . . . again.)
Chicken Fettuccine Primavera Salad, p. 9
    (Excellent!  I love this and am sure to do it again and again.  Charlie isn't a broccoli fan, so it 
     was just mine!)
    (*****  This is a great salad -- could be doubled or tripled I am sure to take to a potluck.)
Shrimp Macaroni Salad, p. 1
    ([Editor's note:  Debbie didn't actually have the "Favorites *" by this one, but because of her
     review, I thought it could be included here.]  This was great!  It's been a looooong time
     since I've had shrimp cocktail, but I think this had that taste.  I may or may not make it again, 
     but it was very good.  Loved the shrimp.  Charlie doesn't do shrimp.)
Cheesy Tuna and Rice Casserole, p. 1
    (We really liked this a lot.  I liked the cheese mixed in with the topping.  Good comfort type food.)
Texas Rice Bake, p. 6
    (Charlie asked, is this as easy as it looks?  I liked it pretty average.  Charlie said it was a keeper. 
     Rice and hamburger together sure is good.  Green pepper was OK for Charlie in this one.)
Chicken Brunch Casserole, p. 9
    (This one was different, and we loved it, and I will make it again.)
Hamburger Hot Dish, p. 4
    (Last night, I prepared [this].  It was very filling with a salad and a side of green beans.  Will 
     have it again tonight, as leftovers are in the refrigerator.  I used frozen diced potatoes as the 
     lazy way of making this dish.  I just defrosted them some in the microwave before I added them to 
     the other ingredients.  I also find for my own taste that I add some salt to the recipes.)



April 2003 newsletter

Chicken Cheddar Noodles, p. 12
    (Very good.  It was so fast and easy.  Charlie said the only bad thing was the peas.  He ate it all, 
     though.)
Florida Cream Coconut Cake, p. 4
    (Excellent!  This had a good texture for the cake (what I've been looking for) and the fruit topping 
     complimented it.  The overall taste was special.  It will be a great thing to share with guests and
     showers and take to potlucks and . . . .  I cut it into twice the pieces and it still seemed like a 
     large enough serving.)
    (I made this cake last weekend.  It was very good, Huge, though, 12 large servings.  It occured to me 
     while I was making it that it is a very expensive cake to make.  I think I will make it again sometime 
     for a special occasion.)
Texas Gumbo Rice, p. 4
    (I only used 1 teaspoon of Splenda, instead of 2 T.  I really liked it.) 
Spring Time Rhubarb Crisp, p. 4
    (This was the dessert we served for Thanksgiving dinner.  We all enjoyed it, even our daughter who is 
     not a rhubarb fan but loves apple crisp, enjoyed it and took some home.)
Almost Ravioli, p. 4    Yahoo Access



May 2003 newsletter

Heaven in a Crust, p. 1
    (DH and I tried [this] and loved it!  It uses those strawberries you were talking about, . . . and it 
     was great - we gave it a 5* out of 5.)
    (The pie was wonderful!  I might change the extract the next time I make it - my kids aren't very fond 
     of coconut, so I may go with vanilla or almond.  I used Great Value (Wal-Mart brand) FF cream cheese, 
     and I don't know if that had anything to do with it, but I ended up with WAY more cheesecake than fit 
     comfortably in the crust.  I had to scoop some out so the strawberry topping would fit.  Not a bad 
     problem to have!  [This] rates right up there with Riviera Strawberry Pie (Heart Smart, p. 219).  
     They're both so good, words can't adequately describe how delicious they are!)
Chinese Bean Salad, p. 7
    (Good oriental salad; nice, different side dish.  Goes good with Thai Tuna Sandwiches - from Cooking On 
     The Go, p. 21.)
Marge's Champagne Salad, p. 6
    (This was very good.  I liked the banana taste in it a lot!)
Ranch Style Supper Beans, p. 4
    (We both really liked these.  Very basic and very good.)
Lemon Pineapple Fluff, p. 8
    (We both liked this.  Now if we can think of something like this that is all strawberry!  A coworker 
     liked this too.)



June 2003 newsletter

Waldorf Salad with Grapes, p. 11
    (really good ****)
Mandarin Chicken Salad, p. 5
    (really good ***** -- I liked the chicken best.  I didn't have almonds, so I used walnuts.)
Grape Dew Sparkler, p. 9
    (This was very good.  I've been doing this throughout the month.)
"Homemade" Pasta Sauce, p. 4
    (We liked this and it was so fast!  I would probably add some hamburger to this to get my protein 
     into the meal.  I have learned that the protein is needed so that I don't feel hungry and try to 
     overeat before my next food.)
Zucchini Parmigiana, p. 7    Yahoo Access
    (I made this for dinner last night.  Hubby said, "You can make this again - tomorrow!"  I guess he 
     liked it.  Since zucchini are in abundance right now . . .)
Summer Day's Slaw, p. 1    Yahoo Access
    (I'm already thinking about the 4th of July and looking for a good Healthy Exchanges coleslaw 
     recipe.  JoAnna has lots of them and it's difficult to choose.  I thought everyone here might tell 
     their favorite. . . . 
     [This] has become our family favorite.  Every time I make it my DH asks where I bought it.)