Now that the cold weather is gone, it’s time to do a little summer purging and make a buck or two from our unwanted items. The key to a lucrative yard sale is making tough choices about what you can let go. For many of you packrats out there (you know who you are), making these decisions will be difficult or impossible. Try to use your garage or a covered porch as a staging area and once you put something our there, DON’T BRING IT BACK IN THE HOUSE! You may have to watch your spouse and children on this one, especially if you’re getting rid of their things.

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8 oz. pasta, cooked and drained according to package directions
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon sugar
½ tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 carrots, shredded
tofu or cooked chicken, diced
dash of Tabasco, if desired

Toss cooked pasta with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in sauté pan over medium heat. Add carrots and tofu or chicken and cook over medium heat with ginger until warmed. In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients well. Heat in microwave to melt peanut butter, about 45 seconds. Mix well. Pour over noodles, add carrot mixture and toss.

Serve chilled or at room temperature with steamed broccoli or snow-peas.

Serves 4-6.

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OK, I’ll admit it. I DO prefer clean sheets and a nice hotel swimming pool to roughing it. However, this year, my accountant (i.e. husband) has called a moratorium on hotel vacations. So for Memorial Day, we got a group of families together and went camping.

This was not your normal group of experienced campers, but that is what I think made it so much fun. Our “non-camping” (hesitant first-timer) friends brought WAY too much stuff, and were worried about nature calling in the middle of the night. We all laughed at each other as we avoided mirrors at all costs, let our hair go frizzy and went without makeup for a few days, just to get in the spirit of things. Baseball caps or knit beanies are indispensable in this situation.

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(4 servings)

2 cups of 2% Shredded Cheddar Cheese
8 Slices of Deli Turkey
½ cup Green Taco Sauce or drained can of mild green chilis
Spray Butter
4 Large Whole Wheat Tortillas

• Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. It is hot enough when a drop of water sizzles.

• Spray the pan with the butter. Place a large tortilla in the pan.

• Drizzle the tortilla with taco sauce or green chilis and sprinkle ½ cup of cheese.

• When the cheese begins to melt, lay down two slices of the turkey and fold the tortilla over to make a half-circle.

• Let it brown for 30 seconds more then remove from heat.

• Slice with a pizza cutter and serve in pie-shaped pieces with salsa for dipping.

Good sides or starters: Canned black beans (seasoned) and sliced cucumbers.

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Here are some ideas to help you whip up something REALLY EASY on Easy Day. They fit into four categories: Breakfast for Dinner, Frozen Entrees, Kids Help Cook and Sandwich Night.

Frozen Entrees

Rules of thumb for serving frozen entrees:

1. Always serve with a vegetable or fruit salad.

2. Even a small portion is likely to have a lot of sodium so be aware of portion sizes. We’ve chosen ones that have more moderate amounts of sodium than standard frozen entrees.

3. Supplement with a whole-grain bread or baguette to add calories to frozen meals for hungrier eaters.

Frozen entrée suggestions:
Stouffer’s Grandma’s Chicken & Vegetable Rice Bake, family size
Stouffer’s Chicken Enchiladas with Cheese Sauce & Rice
Stouffer’s Meatloaf in Gravy
Jennie-O Frozen Turkey Meatballs (make a good meatball sandwich)
Rosetto Cheese Ravioli
Amy’s Kitchen Black Bean and Cheese Burritos (pair with a good salsa)
Amy’s Kitchen Texas Veggie Burger (awesome on a whole grain bun)

Healthier Frozen Pizza Choices:
DiGiorno Harvest Wheat Thin Crispy Crust Supreme Pizza
Healthy Choice Cheese or Supreme French Bread Pizza
Kashi Five Cheese Tomato or Mediterranean Pizza
Amy’s Pesto or Mushroom and Olive Pizza

Breakfast for Dinner

We have some recipes in our Hate to Cook section for pancakes, french toast and omelets, but breakfast for dinner can be almost anything. I like to make Egg, Ham, Cheese and English Muffin sandwiches. Serve a fruit salad on the side and you have a quick, nutritious dinner. Turkey sausage, cheese, red pepper and eggs also make a great scramble and a filling dinner. Serve the scramble with wheat toast and orange juice to round out the meal.

Kids Cook

There are many kid’s cookbooks available (check out this link for some good cookbooks) and if you think simply, you can get the kids to do the majority of the food prep. Bagel pizzas are a great entree for kids to prepare. We also love to make pigs in a blanket as a family.

Sandwich Night

In a hurry and running from practice to practice? Just toss the bread, lunch-meat, condiments and sandwich veggies out on the counter with a bag of tortilla chips (black bean or blue corn are healthier) and call it a night. You can still sit together as a family and enjoy your sandwiches.

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1 lb. ground turkey
½ large carrot, grated
¼ cup chicken broth
½ tspn. dried minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
½ cup dried bread crumbs
1 large egg, slightly beaten
¼ tspn. dried thyme
¼ tspn. salt
Freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl mix together all ingredients. Transfer to an oiled 4 x 8 x 2 ½ inch loaf pan.
2. Bake until lightly browned and crisp around the edges, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and let stand 5-10 minutes. Run a knife around the side of pan, invert onto a platter, and lift off pan. Slice and serve immediately.

Suggested sides are mashed potatoes and/or a steamed vegetable.

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