Now that I have energy and feel better, I have been cooking a lot more and finding new stuff on Pinterest to cook.  These were really easy and yummy.  I altered the recipe a bit to make it  healthier.

1  box jumbo pasta shells
water for boiling pasta
4oz cream cheese, softened
4 oz. plain yogurt
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese + 1/4 cup for topping
prepared pesto, add as much or as little as you like
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
salt and pepper to taste


In a large pot over high heat, boil water and prepare pasta shells as directed on package. Cook pasta shells only until al dente. The pasta will finish cooking when the dish is baked. Drain the pasta shells and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients, except the 1/4 cup of cheese for the topping. Fill the pasta shells with the filling and place in a baking dish.  Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese over filled shells. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake shells uncovered for 30 minutes or until shells are bubbling hot and cheese melts.

Oreo Pudding Poke Cake

Another Pinterest recipe.  It is super easy and I have made it a couple of times in the last two weeks.  So yummy and I prefer it cold right out of the fridge.

Ingredients:
1 Box Chocolate Cake Mix
Ingredients needed to make cake (usually eggs, oil and water)
2 (4 oz.)packages of Instant Oreo pudding
4 cups milk (2% or higher)
Crushed Oreo Cookies (optional)

Directions
Make cake mix according to directions and bake in a well-greased 9x13 pan (I use the nonstick spray that has flour in it).

Just before cake is done, start making pudding. In a medium bowl, begin to add milk to pudding mix and continue to whisk until most of the lumps are removed. Let pudding mixture sit for about 2 minutes. You want it to thicken slightly so it isn't runny but not fully thickened into pudding.

When cake is finished, while still warm, poke holes all over cake (about 1-inch) intervals using a wooden spoon handle or a straw. Pour pudding mixture over warm cake.
Spread it out with a spoon, gently pushing the pudding down into the holes.
Allow the cake to cool for several minutes on the counter then put into the fridge to set up. About an hour.

Once it is set, top with crushed Oreo cookies. The cake needs to be kept refrigerated.

Cook’s Note: This is great with so many different combinations; yellow or white cake mix with chocolate pudding is another good one.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

I found this recipe on Pinterest.  It looked easy and delicious and it lived up to the hype.

Crust:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough:

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup flour

2/3 cup chocolate chips

Cheesecake Filling:

10 oz cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line an 8" square baking pan with parchment paper or foil allowing a little overhang and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Mix the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs until thoroughly combined. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 6 minutes. Remove pan to a cooling rack. Leave your oven on while you prepare the dough.

3. While the crust is cooling, prepare the chocolate chip cookie dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth and thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Mix in the flour on low speed, and mix until just incorporated. Mix in the chocolate chips. Set aside. (*Note: This mixture is going to be dry...that’s okay. It’s rather like a crumble topping. You’re going to crumble it on top of the cheesecake layer.)

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer cream together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Mix in the egg and vanilla on low speed just until incorporated. Pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared crust. Distribute the cookie dough onto the top of the cheesecake batter in teaspoon-sized clumps. Be sure to use all of the dough.

5. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the top feels dry and firm (the cookie dough) and the entire pan looks set if given a gentle shake. Move bars to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Chill in refrigerator overnight or for at least a couple hours.

6. Lift the bars out by the overhang and cut into squares for serving.