Strawberry Slush

This was one of those recipes that sounded better than it actually was. It was no where near as good as the slush my mom makes for special occasions. This slush gave the drink more of a frothy, root beer float type taste because of the ice cream that was in it. It also didn’t seem to make that much, although the recipe said it makes 5 cups.

Cost: About $8.50 ($0.87 per serving) - Strawberries ($3.99), 50% less fat ice cream ($3.49), sugar-free strawberry gelatin ($0.40), diet lemon-lime soda ($0.79).

Prep: 15 minutes

Freeze: Overnight

Yield: 10 servings

• 1 quart fresh strawberries
• 2 cups fat-free vanilla ice cream, softened
• 1 package (.3 ounces) sugar-free strawberry gelatin
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 liters diet lemon-lime soda, chilled
• Additional fresh strawberries, optional

1. In a large bowl, mash the strawberries; add the ice cream. In a small bowl, dissolve the gelatin in water; stir in the lemon juice. Add to the strawberry mixture; mix well. Pour into a 1 1/2 qt. freezer container; cover and freeze overnight.
2. Remove from the freezer 15 minutes before serving. Spoon into glasses; add soda. Garnish with strawberries if desired.

Nutrition: (1/2 cup serving without garnish) 63 calories, 1 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 40 mg sodium, 12 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 2  g protein.

Artichoke & Spinach Dip Restaurant Style

Another Super Bowl snack. This is the first time we’ve made artichoke dip and this recipe tasted really good. I never knew canned artichokes were so expensive though. We baked it about 40 minutes to get it bubbly. Tasted the best with crackers while still warm.

Cost: About $12.25 ($1.02 per serving) - Garlic ($0.29), frozen spinach ($0.99), artichoke hearts ($3.99), Alfredo pasta sauce ($3.25), mozzarella cheese ($2.50), cream cheese ($1.25).

Prep: 40 minutes

Cook: 30 minutes

Yield: 12 servings

• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 (10 ounce) container Alfredo-style pasta sauce
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Place garlic in a small baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven 20 to 30 minutes, until soft. Remove from heat. When cool enough to touch, squeeze softened garlic from skins.
3. In an 8x8 inch baking dish, spread the roasted garlic, spinach, artichoke hearts, Alfredo-style pasta sauce, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and cream cheese.
4. Cover and bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until cheeses are melted and bubbly. Serve warm.

Tammy’s Corn Dip

This is one of Tammy’s favorite things to make for parties and we love to eat it. The recipe is super easy to mix up. We use the scoop style Fritos to dip. If you like spicier foods, you can add more jalapeno to heat things up.

Prep: 10 minutes

Chill: 2 hours

Yield: 3 cups

• 2 cans shoepeg corn
• Half of a red onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons diced jalapenos, can
• 2 cups shredded Colby cheese
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 4-6 tablespoons mayonnaise

1. Mix ingredients; cover and chill for at least two hours or overnight.

Bacon Ranch Dip

This was another Super Bowl snack that we had. The dressing tasted great on vegetables and was hard to distinguish that it was low fat. Really easy to make.

Cost: About $7.50 ($1.26 per serving) - Light mayonnaise ($2.49), light ranch salad dressing ($1.50), fat-free sour cream ($1.37), bacon ($2.17).

Prep: 15 minutes

Chill: 1 hour

Yield: 6 servings

• 1/2 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat ranch salad dressing
• 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup crumbled cooked bacon
• Assorted fresh vegetables

1. In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, salad dressing, sour cream, Parmesan cheese and bacon; mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve with assorted fresh vegetables.

Nutrition: (1/4 cup dip) 172 calories, 11 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 18 mg cholesterol, 542 mg sodium, 13 g carbohydrate, Trace fiber, 7 g protein.

Ranch Tortilla Roll-Ups

We made a lot of food and snacks for Super Bowl Sunday and these Ranch Tortilla Roll-Ups were great. We’ve had them before and they were just as good as we remembered. The snack is easy to make in advance and can be cut up before servings. We used three jalapenos, but discarded all the seeds so it was very mild.

Cost: About $5.75 ($0.36 per serving) - Cream cheese ($1.25 x 2), ranch salad dressing mix ($0.65), 3 jalapenos ($0.64), 2 oz jar pimientos ($0.79), flour tortillas ($1.19).

Prep: 15 minutes

Chill: 1 hour

Yield: 16 servings

• 2 packages (8 ounces each) fat-free cream cheese
• 1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
• 2 to 3 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
• 1 jar (2 ounces) diced pimientos, drained
• 8 flour tortillas (8 inches)

1. In a small mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, salad dressing mix, jalapenos and pimientos; mix well. Spread over tortillas.
2. Roll up tightly; wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Unwrap and cut each tortilla into eight pieces.

Nutrition: (4 pieces) 106 calories, 2 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 419 mg sodium, 15 g carbohydrate, Trace fiber, 6 g protein.

Shrimp with Creole Sauce

If you like shrimp, you'd like this recipe. Noah and I ate them up, but Noah prefers the shrimp just plain. Tamara and Shelby both at least tried it and said it wasn't too bad. Although, Noah and I won't complain because it just means more shrimp for us.

Cost: About $17 - Green pepper ($.50), celery ($1.49), tomatoes ($0.99), parsley ($1.39), tomato paste ($0.60), shrimp ($11.98).

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 25 minutes

Yield: 10 servings

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
• 1 celery rib with leaves, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 pound bag frozen cooked cocktail shrimp, thawed

1. In a large nonstick skillet, saute the onion, green pepper and celery in oil for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.
2. Drain tomatoes, reserving juice; add juice to skillet. Mash tomatoes and add to skillet.
3. Stir in the parsley, water, tomato paste, lime juice and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes or until thickened.
4. Serve warm with shrimp.

Nutrition: (12 shrimp with 1/3 cup sauce) 133 calories, 2.6 g fat, 0.1 g saturated fat, 176 mg cholesterol, 971.4 mg sodium, 6.6 g carbohydrate, 1.5 g fiber, 3.7 g sugars, 20.5 g protein.