Weight Loss Magic Soup ~ by Sarah

Now, don't get all excited about the title.  There's really nothing "magic" about it.  You're just supposed to eat it for lunch, snack, and dinner for two weeks and then you'll supposedly lose weight.  Well, duh.  But I'm pretty sure that if I ate this three times a day for 14 days, I would never want to eat it ever again.  But it is a delicious soup and very, very filling.  It makes a TON--like almost more than my big crockpot could hold--so make sure you freeze it or halve the recipe if you don't think you'll get through it in a week.  Wes and I are both taking it for lunch and it looks like it's going to be the perfect amount to get us through the week.  It is delicious, fresh, and will keep you full!

Ingredients:

2 cans chicken broth (I used low-sodium)
3 cups V-8 juice (you can use low-sodium V8--which I did--or even tomato juice)
2 cans Italian diced tomatoes
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves minced garlic
1 package sliced mushrooms
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 zucchini, diced
1 yellow squash, diced
2 cups fresh or frozen green beans
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3-4 cups shredded cabbage
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
3 chicken breasts, boiled and cubed (This is my addition.  There is no way I can do lunch without meat, so I added it.  I'm sure it still keeps the calories low.)

Directions:
In a large frying pan sprayed with cooking spray, sauté garlic, onions, carrots, and mushrooms for about 5 minutes. In a large crockpot, combine sautéed garlic and vegetables with the remaining ingredients. Cook on high for 2-3 hours, or until vegetables are cooked.  (This is where I will do things differently last time.  This filled my crockpot SO full that it took forever for the soup to begin to boil and I actually had to cook it on high for about 4 1/2 hours.  So next time I will put it in my Dutch oven on the stove so that I can stir it and not have it take so long.)  This makes a large batch of soup. If you would like to freeze portions of it to use later, undercook the vegetables just a little. Pour the soup into freezer Ziplock bags and let as much air out as you can. Lay the bags flat on a cookie sheet and freeze. Once the soup is frozen flat, it is easy to layer in your freezer and won't take up much room. To thaw, place the bag in the fridge for 24 hours and then reheat.

Obviously not my picture...

Here is the link to the original post: http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/2014/01/weight-loss-magic-soup.html

Won Tons~by Kelsey

Mom usually makes these.  They are really good, so I got brave and tried to make them myself.  They turned out pretty good for my first attempt.  They are so yummy, it's worth the effort.

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground beef
finely chopped cabbage
2 whisked eggs
pkg of bean threads (I find them with the Chinese food stuff in the ethnic foods aisle of Fred Meyer)
salt
garlic salt
soy sauce
egg roll skins (these are found in the refrigerated produce section, maybe with the mushrooms in Fred Meyer, I can't quite remember)
cooking oil (lots)

Mix hamburger, cabbage, eggs, seasonings, a little soy sauce.  Break up bean threads and pour hot water on them in a bowl so they will soften.  After they have softened, add them to the hamburger mixture.

Put about 1/4 cup of the mixture on an egg roll skin and roll up like a burrito.

Use a little water on your fingers to seal the edge.  Make sure you don't get it TOO wet, though, or it will fall apart.  Place the roll on wax paper on a tray.  They will stick together, so put wax paper in between each layer if you stack them.  Cook them in oil, (I use my deep-fat fryer with about five inches of oil in it).

The trick is to cook them completely inside without burning the outside.  When they turn crispy brown on the outside they should be done.  Let them cool and then serve with a mix of soy sauce and ketchup for dipping.

Slow-cooked Ginger Pork and Coleslaw Wraps ~ by Molly

This recipe makes enough for 6-8 people, so I cut it half, since I was just making it for myself. I wish I hadn't, the leftovers were so good! For those of you that don't know what hoisin sauce is, it's basically a sweet Chinese BBQ sauce. Yes, they sell it at Fred Meyer's.

Hoisin and Ginger Shredded Pork

6 pounds pork roast, trimmed of thick fat

Salt and pepper

6 cloves garlic, smashed

1 large piece fresh ginger, about five inches long

1 bottle hoisin sauce (about 8 ounces)

2 T Molasses

Rub the trimmed pork shoulder all over with salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Put in the slow cooker (cut in pieces first, if necessary). Add the smashed garlic cloves, tucking them around the pork. Peel and cut the ginger in large chunks and put it in too. Pour the hoisin sauce and molasses over everything. Cover and cook on low for about 10 hours or overnight.

When finished and tender, remove the ginger and use two large forks to shred the meat and mix it with the sauce.

Crunchy Peanut Slaw
1 big bowl of slaw, serves at least 8

1 medium head green cabbage, outer leaves removed
1 1/2 cups roasted, unsalted peanuts
Salt and pepper

Dressing:
1/2 cup light oil, like canola
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar (or more, to taste)
1 teaspoon soy sauce (or more, to taste)

Shred the cabbage very finely. Toss with the peanuts in a large bowl, seasoning very lightly with salt and pepper.

Whisk the dressing until emulsified, then taste and adjust to your own preferences of sweetness and saltiness. Toss with cabbage.

To serve:

Put pork and slaw in a warm tortilla shell (I used whole wheat).