Apple Cider-Squash Penne with Swiss Chard, Toasted Walnuts and White Balsamic Cranberry Grilled Chicken.

It's been unusually cold and rainy here in Phoenix. Enough so that we had to dig through our closets and find our thick, cozy sweaters and dust them off accordingly. Even thought it has been in the low 40's when I wake up and head to work around 6 a.m. I still feel a bit silly piling on my mismatched layers of sweaters and jackets. It doesn't help that the only pair of mittens I own are both left handed. Odd.  and the only scarf I own is way dated and thread bear. I have to wrap it tightly around my neck several times to keep warm, which isn't easy to do wearing 2 left handed mittens.

So needless to say, I have been on a bit of a soup binge for the last couple of weeks. I love soup and have to get my fill before the temperatures jump to 80 next week. True story. Love Phoenix.

 I have the only kids in the Universe who aren't fans of spaghetti and meatballs. Maybe if I used a sugary pasta sauce instead of a home made marinara? 

They did love this pasta that I whipped up using one of the many boxes of healthy pasta that Barilla was kind enough to send me. This one is a "White Fiber" pasta and I dolled it up by roasting an  squash  and then blending it up with some apple cider. 

Just sweet enough to be a yummy dinner that everyone liked.

image source

Prep time     20 minutes           Cook time    50 minutes       Serves    6 

Ingredients:1 package Barilla White Fiber Penne Pasta1 small acorn or butternut squash2 chicken breasts1 small bunch Swiss or rainbow chard (preferably Organic)1 handful walnuts, chopped1 apple (Fuji, Macintosh, gala) diced1 cup apple cider or juice1/2 cup chicken broth (or water)3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar divided. (I used a white balsamic-cranberry)1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil divided1 teaspoon saltfreshly cracked pepper to taste (I used white pepper)

Putting it all together: 

Preheat oven to 400F. 

 Using a sharp paring knife, cut skin off of squash. Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds and strings.  Cut into 1 inch pieces and place on grill pan  Bake at 400F for 30 minutes until a fork pierces flesh easily and squash is browned. Remove from oven, set aside to let cool slightly.

Cut chicken into thin strips. Place in small bowl and add 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon oil and a dash of cracked pepper.  Grill for 5-7 minutes on a hot grill pan, turning once. Remove, set aside. 

Meanwhile, wash chard and remove stems. Chop stems into 1/2 inch pieces, set aside. Chop leaves of chard into small pieces.  In a hot skillet add 1 tablespoon oil. Add chard stems, cook 2 minutes. Add leaves, cook 5 more minutes stirring occasionally. Add chopped apples. Cook 3-5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar, toss to coat.  Cover and remove from heat. 

Cook pasta according to package directions. 

Place half of the cooked squash in a blender. Add apple cider, broth and salt. Blend till smooth and creamy adjusting liquid to desired consistency.  Drain pasta. Return to pot, turn off heat. Add squash mixture, toss to coat. Add chard, apple and squash pieces to pasta, toss to combine. 

Top with chicken.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Pasta can be a great source of good carbohydrates to fuel your body for exercise. When I make pasta I like to add lots of veggies, fruits and healthy toppings like nuts and good cheeses such as

 Romano and Parmesan. 

Barilla sent me a nice variety of their healthy pastas. I've cooked with Barilla Plus a few times before in my Pasta with White Clam Sauce.   They are offering to send a box full of a variety of their healthy pastas and an apron to TWO lucky Simply Healthy Family readers.

Barilla Pasta is a nutrient-rich, complex carbohydrate that is a good source of thiamin, folic acid, iron, riboflavin and niacin. It’s low in sodium and naturally cholesterol free.
Barilla PLUS offers a taste, color and texture as good as traditional Barilla pastas, and is a good source of protein, ALA omega-3 and fiber. It delivers 44 percent more protein and almost twice as much fiber than traditional pasta.

This time around I used the White Fiber pasta which they claim tastes just like regular pasta but with 3 X's the fiber and provides 30% of the DRV for whole grains all from natural ingredients.  Our family loved it!

With Barilla White Fiber, eating well can be fun for the whole family. Available in
three varieties, Mini Rotini, Mini Shells and Mini Penne, Barilla White Fiber looks
and tastes just like regular pasta, letting your whole family enjoy their favorite pasta
meals, while also providing them with a hidden boost of the fiber and whole grains
they need.

In order to win:

Leave a comment below telling me what your favorite healthy pasta dish is.

Not required to win, but greatly appreciated:
Follow Simply Healthy Family by signing up to recieving healthy recipes by email or adding Simply Healthy Family to your favorite reader or following me on GooglePlus.


TWO winners will be chosen at random on Thursday, January 31st. Winners will be notified by email so make sure you leave a valid email address in your comment.

One extra entry by Pinning an image from this post. Leave me a link so I can follow you!

10 Healthy Soups to Keep You Warm and Happy and Well.

We're knee deep into winter  (o.k. I'm not because I live in Phoenix, but the rest of you look pretty cold and miserable ;)    and we are all exhausted from the Holiday's and need some time to rest and relax. I know I ate more than my fair share of Holiday ham, mashed potatoes, cookies and pie and oh yeah, there was that surprise dinner at my dear sister in laws home of Prime Rib, caramelized onion and green beans with home made Au jus and horse radish, Mmmmmmmm.








Totally worth the calories (I have to tell myself that to avoid overwhelming guilt).  But now that it's all over I'm ready for simple meals that take very little time and yet offer a fulfilling and  healthy  end to a cold and exhausting day.

How about you?



I have been sick for almost TWO whole stinking weeks. That's two week of my life completely wasted away and gone. I  h.a.t.e.  admitting I'm sick which is why I think this cold got the best of me and turned into the world's worst bronchitis with a side of pneumonia and a dash of a sinus infection.  If I were a smart girl I would have rested and taken better care of myself while it was a mild cold and not pushed myself through the Holiday celebrations and gluttony with feverish joy........


Denial does nothing for warding off the flu, or in my case coal miners lung.



On a positive note,

I work in the medical profession and know a good lung transplant doctor and also have a good friend on the transplant team. Maybe I could talk them into doing me a solid and performing quadruple lung transplant on me. If that doesn't work out I have another friend in the Pharmacy who might be able to score me a hard core sedative so I can just sleep through the rest of this thing.


On a less positive note,

Being sick and having to call in to work 4 days in a row whether you're dying or not is a sin not easily forgiven when you work in a hospital.... full of sick people. Try getting sympathy from a group of nurses and doctors who are patching up holes in peoples spleens before breakfast.


No dice.




Back on a positive note:

Here is my list of our families favorite soups. We can not get enough of these during the 2 months of winter we have here in Phoenix and not feeling guilty after 'indulging'  is an added bonus. I hope you try some of these 'lightened' up soups, bisque's and stews. I know you'll love them too.

Potato Leek Soup with Crumbled Bacon

Try this healthier version of a classic creamy soup with Potato Leek Soup Make Over.  It's healthier but definitely not lacking in flavor, you'll be surprised at one of the ingredients used to add depth and flavor.

Sauerkraut and Sausage Soup

Want to try something new and incredibly delicious? Of course you do! This sauerkraut soup was a huge hit with my family and is one of our new favorite go to 'comfort foods'.  Cooking the sauerkraut actually makes it taste a bit sweet!  Trust me, even your picky eaters will love this one.

Harvest Turkey Soup with Jamaican Spices

This Harvest Turkey Soup is super simple to make with whatever veggies you have on hand. Use any variety of squash, sweet potato and fresh or frozen veggie you like. If you don't hoard frozen turkey like I do then chicken breast will do.

Simple Pozole in Broth

Pozole is one of my most cherished meals. I've only made it a couple of times from scratch because to make it authentically requires a lot of prep work and an attention span that I seem to have temporarily traded in for  breaking up major LEGO disputes, tending to owie after owie and wiping noses. Basically just keeping 4 kids alive all day is my full time job right now.

Almond Chicken Soup

Sweet potato and almond butter give this soup a creamy, decadent texture.

Zuppa Toscana

Zuppa Toscana is probably the only thing other than salad that I've had at Olive Garden.

There's just something so comforting in the slight spiciness of the Italian sausage and the perfectly thin cut potatoes with the skin still hanging on. The bits of kale floating around in the soup add just enough hardy green veggie to the soup without going over the top.  

Potato-Blu Cheese and Broccoli Soup

The blu cheese was a fabulously unexpected addition to this classic comfort soup.  The fresh thyme really brought out all the flavors of the vegetables. Crispy bacon sprinkled on top of the potato soup had everyone scraping their bowls for the very, last drop.

Sopa de Almejas {Mexican Clam Soup}

Traditionally, a good Mexican meal starts with a nice bowl of soup as a first course, just after the appetizers. It can be a simple broth, accompanied with lemon or lime to be squeezed into it, some radish, onion, chili peppers and cilantro leaves for flavour. Or a more elaborated recipe, using seafood, meat, pasta, legumes and vegetables.

Cauliflower Yam Bisque

I make this quick and hearty bisque by using two of my favorite kitchen tools:

My Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker and my handy immersion blender.

Thai Chicken Lemongrass-Coconut Soup
{Tom Kha Gai}

Nothing makes me feel instantly warm and happy like this classic Thai soup. It gets it's zing from classic Thai ingredients like: Coconut milk, lemongrass, fresh ginger, lime juice, chile paste, basil and cilantro.

Last but not Least!.......

Gazpacho {Chilled tomato based soup}

This is a powerhouse of vitamins and protein! 

So many good things for you in this zesty little glass of juice.

Perfect Miso Soup

Miso is an excellent source of several vitamins and minerals including, zinc, copper, vitamin K,  magnesium and B-12.

Honestly, I couldn't spend enough time telling you about all of the health benefits of this delicious and naturally salty soup.
Best of all, it's probably the simplest to make!

Brussels Stew

This is in all respects a 'peasant stew'.  Peasant stew can be defined by using just a few simple ingredients that are already in your cupboard or ice box. That's what happened here. I had purchased a big stock of Brussels and needed to use up the last bit. Poooor Brussels. 

What are your favorite soups that get you through these cold winter months and help you recover from sickness?