Slow Cooker Beef Stew

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Classic Beef Stew -(serves 4 to 6) You won't miss the addition of fresh herbs or red wine in this stew.  Of course you can add them if you'd like but as I said before, I try not to spend a lot of money on our weeknight dinners and things like fresh herbs and wine can quadruple the price of the meal. Don't add salt to the stew until after it has finished cooking and you have tasted it. The sodium content can vary  quite a lot depending on the kind of stock that you use . Plus, the soup mix adds a lot of salt by itself. I served the stew with some Rosemary Focaccia Bread and a salad.

2 lbs beef stew meat that has been cubed
flour for dredging
4 tablespoons veg oil divided
2 cups chopped carrots (about 5 large carrots)
2 cups chopped potatoes (about 4 medium)

stew meat just beginning to brown

3 celery ribs chopped
2 medium onions chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
4 cups beef broth/stock (preferably low sodium)
1 package onion soup mix
2 bay leaves  
2 tsp dried Italian herbs or dried rosemary
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

stew meat after it has been browned resting on paper towel

Generously salt and pepper the beef then place in a bag with a cup of flour and shake to coat the stew meat.  Remove from the flour shaking off any excess off of the beef. Heat half of the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Working in batches if necessary, brown the meat flipping the pieces over after the first side is brown. This should take about 3 minutes per side. Remove from heat to a paper towel lined plate and repeat with the remaining pieces.

With the skillet still hot, add the beef broth and scrape up any brown bits off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. In your slow-cooker, add the meat, veggies, soup mix, herbs, bay leaves and vinegar and top with the hot broth.  Cook on low heat for 4 hours or high heat for 2 hours. Add some freshly cracked pepper and remove bay leaves before serving.

all ready to cook

out of the crock pot with some rosemary foccacia

Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya

Saturday, I ran across a good price on shrimp so I picked up some extra and came up with a quick and easy Saturday night dinner for Reg and I that seemed a little more special than my weeknight recipes. ALDI had a bag of frozen cheese ravioli for $1.99 that served 4. It was a new item for them and I wanted to try it. I tossed the pasta with some of my pea pesto which takes 2 seconds to make and topped it with some shrimp. It turned out great and was easy to do and pretty cheap to boot! I saved the remaining shrimp for our dinner Sunday night.

Cheese Ravioli with Shrimp and Green Pea Pesto Sauce

About the Jambalaya...working off of several different recipes, I figured out a way to cook this meal using one pot which makes for VERY easy clean up.  I wouldn't want to go up against Emeril with this recipe but for as easy as it is to make, we thought that it was darn good. In fact, I am going to call it "Weeknight Jambalaya" so that no one is under the impression that this is authentic New Orleans cuisine. Of course, I also added extra veggies because that's just what I do! I doubled the recipe to make enough for leftovers so cut the recipe in half if you don't want a gigantic pot of Jambalaya.  You could also made double and freeze half for another day.

Shrimp and Sausage Weeknight Jambalaya (serves 8) You could substitute 1 pound cooked chicken breast for either the shrimp or sausage or just add another package of smoked sausage and forget the shrimp if you want to make it super easy! The only time consuming thing about this dish is that there is a fair amount of chopping to do. If I'm pressed for time, I will chop up the veggies in advance and put them in a big freezer bag in the fridge until I can put the dinner together later. However, once you've chopped everything you are pretty much done with the recipe! Serve with a salad for a complete meal.

1 package smoked sausage (cut lengthwise then into bite size pieces crosswise)
3/4 pound shrimp (peeled and deveined)
3 green peppers diced

2 onions diced
2 cloves garlic minced
2 -14oz cans diced tomatoes (don't drain)
2 cups rice
4 cups chicken stock/broth
2 bay leaves
2 tsp dried thyme (optional)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (for mild) 3/4 tsp cayenne (for medium) or 1 tsp cayenne (for hot)
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a stock pot, large soup pot or dutch oven, add all of the ingredients except for the shrimp! Stir to combine. Cover and bake in the oven for 1 hour until rice is fully cooked.  Immediately out of the oven, toss in the shrimp and replace lid. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving to allow the shrimp to cook through.

Chicken Artichoke Casserole

Next week I'm thinking that I will make Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya which we haven't had since last year.  So if you see smoked sausage, shrimp or chicken on sale somewhere, pick it up! Also, don't forget that you can now print the recipes by clicking the green button at the bottom of every post.  If you haven't already heard... ALDI has some very popular toys at some very cheap prices.  Check out the This Week's Deals section of my blog for more info!

Chicken Artichoke Casserole-serves 6 to 8.  Lots of substitutions can be made with this recipe. If you don't like artichokes, omit them. Same with the spinach. We use brown rice and the low fat versions of the soups and cream cheese.  Serve with a green salad for a complete meal! To cook the chicken, I put the breasts on a baking sheet lined with foil, salt and peppered them and cooked them for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.  Coincidentally, the rice also takes 20 minutes so I cooked them simultaneously this morning while I was doing my chores and put them into the fridge until later when I was ready to complete the casserole. I will say that I don't expect to win any culinary awards with this casserole but it is very easy to put together and I knew that everybody in my family would like it! In fact, my husband isn't a huge fan of artichokes but gave me lots of compliments on this casserole!

how I cook chicken

2 lbs cooked chicken breast (5 or 6 medium) chopped into bite size pieces
1 1/2 cups rice-cooked according to package directions
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 box chopped spinach defrosted
2 cans quartered artichoke hearts drained and chopped
1 package cream cheese softened (or substitute 1 cup sour cream)
1 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until well incorporated. Place into a large casserole dish. Top with bread crumbs, crushed crackers or cheese.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Uncover and cook another 15 minutes or until topping is browned and/or cheese is melted and bubbly.

all ready to go into casserole dish

Maple Braised Pork Chops

Notice that there is a print icon at the bottom of the page! I am very impressed with myself for figuring this out.  My husband has said from the beginning that it would be so much better if you could print the recipes and I am glad that i finally got around to getting it figured out. also notice that you can easily delete my jibber- jabber from the printed recipe as well as the images by clicking a box at the top of the print page.

I took a little break from the blog because my brother got married last weekend and things have been a little hectic around the house. All are back to normal now and therefor I'm back in the kitchen! I found some boneless, skinless chicken breasts on sale and bought a family pack. I will use most of them to make a Chicken and Artichoke Casserole later in the week and save whatever is left over to throw onto a homemade pizza or grill for ceasar salads. I got the inspiration for the casserole from the meal served at my new sister-in-law's bridesmaid's luncheon. I don't think that it will be anything super exciting but hopefully will fit the criteria of a good, easy and healthy meal.
About the pork chops...This is a slow cooker recipe so needs to be prepared 4 to 6 hours ahead of time. I really love this recipe. The sauce is sweet, salty, tangy, and spicy all at the same time and the chops are unbelievable tender! I sincerely hope that you'll give this one a try.  You could very easily serve this on the weekend or for company because it feels a little more special than your average week night dish although it is still easy to make. We served ours over mashed sweet potatoes (i just mashed them with some of the chicken stock and some salt and poured the maple sauce on top) and had roasted asparagus (toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and throw into a 400 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes).  this recipe would also be great with a spinach salad.

Maple Braised Pork Chops-(serves 4) This recipe has been modified slightly from the Williams Sonoma Slow Cooker Cookbook. definitely do not use thin chops for this recipe. Also, I use REAL maple syrup as the recipe calls for. It is a lot more expensive but we use syrup so rarely and I don't like the fake stuff. Substitute Mrs. Butterworth's at your own risk!

pork chops and sauce before cooking

Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 bone-in pork loin chops, 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons chile powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

 Generously salt and pepper both sides of the pork chops. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm the canola oil.  cook the pork chops until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side.  Remove from the pan and set aside.  Add the onion and saute until soft, then add the garlic, chile powder, and cayenne to the pan and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the flour and stir for one minute.  Pour in the broth and deglaze the pan, stirring and scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.  Stir in the maple syrup, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil. Transfer the chops to a slow cooker and pour the sauce on top.  Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours.

dinner!

Chicken Pot Pie

fresh out of the oven!

A friend just told me about this awesome coupon book that publix mails out every quarter but you only have a week to sign up to get it . Coincidentally, the sign up starts today! Find the sign up link in the "This Week's Deals" section of my blog. 
I don't have much to say about Chicken Pot Pie.  I think the picture speaks for itself. It's easy, good, and healthy because it's loaded with vegetables.  Traditional pot pies can be fattening but mine is not that bad. Give it a try!
Later this week I'm going to share a slow cooker recipe for Maple Glazed Pork Chops.  You will love this recipe!  The sauce is sweet, salty and sour (my favorite combo) and I'll serve them with mashed sweet potatoes and roasted asparagus. 

Chicken Pot Pie- serves 6
to cook the chicken, place on a baking sheet, salt and pepper the chicken and bake at 350 for about  30 minutes depending on the size of each piece. If cooking chicken on the bone, add an extra 15 minutes cooking time.

2 lbs chicken breast cooked and chopped into bite size pieces
2 cups potatoes chopped into bite size pieces (2 medium size)
2 cups carrots chopped (about 6 medium)
1 large onion chopped
1 cup frozen peas -defrosted

cooked carrots, potatoes, chicken, and defrosted peas

4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour
1 1/2 cup milk
2 cups chicken stock or broth
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
lots of fresh ground pepper
1 can of biscuits 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pot, boil the potatoes and carrots for 10 minutes, drain and place pot back onto the stove over medium heat.  Add the butter and melt.  Add the onions and saute until soft.  Add flour and stir continuously for a few minutes.  Whisk in milk and stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and stir occasionally until the sauce has thickened to a gravy consistency and will completely coat a spoon (see pic). Stir in the spices, chicken, peas, carrots and potatoes.  Pour into a large baking dish, cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Using a pair of kitchen scissors, cut biscuits into sixths and drop onto the top of the hot casserole.  Bake uncovered another 10 minutes or until biscuits are brown.  You can make this recipe ahead and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.  If baking a cold casserole, cook for 35 minutes before adding biscuits.

the finished bechamel sauce

pot pie before baking

Mexican Lasagna

I'm thinking about Chicken Pot Pie for next week and maybe something in the slow cooker. I hope this recipe is more kid friendly than some of my others so that the moms of picky eaters can try this one! My husband says it's like eating nachos with a fork. Although it tastes like you are eating nachos, I assure you that it is much less fattening and also healthier! Except for the onion and turkey, I got all of the other ingredients for this at ALDI and spent maybe $4.50. This whole casserole cost me around $8 to make. Not bad!

Mexican Lasagna-serves 8
1 package ground turkey
1 onion chopped
2 packages taco seasoning mix
2 cans black beans drained
2 cans diced tomatoes with green chilies drained
2 cups corn (canned or frozen) drained
corn tortillas
2 cups grated monterey jack (or cheddar) cheese
chopped green onions and sour cream for garnish is optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat skillet over medium heat.  Cook turkey and onions together until onions are soft and turkey is no longer pink.  Drain. Add 2/3 cups of water to turkey along with the 2 packages of seasoning mix. Let mixture simmer for 5 minutes until some of the water is cooked out. Stir in beans, tomatoes and corn. In a VERY LARGE casserole dish (or 2 small) pour in half of turkey vegetable mixture and top with a layer of corn tortillas. Sprinkle the tortillas with one cup of the cheese. Repeat. Cover with foil that has been sprayed with PAM (so that the cheese doesn't melt and stick to foil) and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and cook for another 10 minutes. You can make this ahead of time and refrigerate. If cooking the casserole from the fridge, add 15 minutes of cooking time.

turkey, onion and seasonings

out of the oven!

Italian Sausage and Artichoke Soup

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Italian Sausage and Artichoke Soup -Sorry for the blurry picture. My camera is on its last leg. This is a very easy recipe that was shared with me by a friend. I made a few minor adjustments to it such as adding some beans. We had the soup with cornbread. It was tasty, healthy, easy and filling; what more could you ask for! Later this week, Mexican Lasagna aka Taco Casserole.  If you have any recipes that you want to share, please email me!

1 16oz. package Italian sausage (Johnsonville is really good)

2 14oz. cans artichoke hearts

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes with juice (or 2 14 oz cans)

1 14 oz can white beans drained (great northern beans) optional

2 packages Lipton's onion soup mix

6 cups of water

2 tsp. of Italian seasoning or a tsp each of oregano and basil

 

Brown sausage into soup pot. Drain, crumble and add back to pot. Cut artichokes into small pieces and add to pot. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer. Season to taste. Done!

 

Cornbread- if you are looking for a great cornbread recipe, this is it!

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

1 cup self rising corn meal

1/2 cup flour

1 stick butter-melted and cooled

1/4 tsp salt if you used unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 375.  whisk together all ingredients. Pour into a 10 inch iron skillet or 6 inch skillets. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I am not positive about the cooking time and my oven isn't very accurate so I suggest checking on it every 5 minutes after it's been in for 20 minutes.

Greek Chicken Roll-ups with Spinach Orzo Salad

Be sure to check out "This Week's Deals" for a great deal on a parenting magazine!  Also, before I get started on my recipe, I wanted to remind everyone that I am not a professional food stylist (as if you couldn't tell) but nor am I making an effort to make my food look as good as it could be.  I am taking a picture of our actual dinner before serving it to my family.  I could take the time to chop up some herbs and garnish all of my dishes to make them look fancy but I'm not going to do anything differently just because I'm blogging about it. I'm trying to keep it real sort of speak.
I mentioned that my freezer is overloaded with ground turkey so I am going to make Taco Casserole next week where I substitute turkey for ground beef and also the Italian Sausage and Artichoke Soup recipe that Meredith Kilgore shared with me. I will also post an awesome Cornbread Recipe that comes from Lynn Smith (my friend Carolyn's mother-in-law) that is delicious but not surprising when you see how much butter is in it! I'm looking forward to a great weekend of football! See you next week...

Greek Chicken Roll-ups with Spinach Orzo Salad- These are a knock off of the yummy roll-ups from Zoe's and a good way to use up some chicken when you see it on sale!  Incidentally, Ken's salad dressings are BOGO at Publix right now if you want a good deal on Greek Salad dressing. The orzo salad has a ton of spinach in it along with tomatoes so I'd say that it's a pretty healthy and easy side dish.

Roll-ups-makes about 7

3 chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
Greek salad dressing
4 oz feta cheese
small flour tortillas (fajita size)

Marinate the chicken pieces in1/2 cup of dressing for 2 hours.  Over medium high heat saute the chicken pieces until no longer pink.  Fill tortillas with chicken and feta and roll up tightly.  Brush the tops of the roll-ups and also the bottom of a baking dish with olive oil. Bake uncovered at 300 degrees for 15 minutes or until tortillas are slightly crispy.

Spinach Orzo Salad
1/2 lb orzo pasta
1/2 bag fresh spinach wilted in a pan with a little water then drained and chopped 
3/4 cup Greek Salad dressing

look at all of this healthy spinach

1 can petite diced tomatoes-drained
1/3 cup chopped scallions (green part only)
1/2 cup pitted and chopped Kalamata olives
4 ounces feta cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions.  While the pasta is still hot, toss with the dressing.  Stir in all other ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Add more dressing before serving if needed.

Turkey Stroganoff

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I had to change my menu plan for this week after I went to COSTCO, bought a 4 pack of ground turkey and came home to realize that I still had 2 packages in the freezer. Oops! In the interest of using up some of this surplus, I thought that it would be best to make a turkey dish this week so I came up with a recipe for Ground Turkey Stroganoff.  As promised, I will make Greek Chicken Roll-Ups with a Warm Orzo Salad later this week but will save the Italian Sausage and Artichoke Soup for next week along with Turkey Taco Casserole. Be prepared for a lot of recipes using ground turkey in the coming weeks! FYI, Piggly Wiggly's Italian Sausage is on sale right now so I picked up a package and will save it for next week's recipe.

Turkey Stroganoff- I found a rather fancy recipe for Beef Stroganoff that called for red wine, wild mushrooms, sherry, fresh thyme, dry mustard and fresh parsley for garnish (which I will admit would have make for a prettier dish than the one that i photographed!) and sort of dumbed it down in order to cut the cost and also to save time. I'm sure that it would be delicious but during the week, I'm just trying to keep things as simple as possible. I also cut the calories by eliminating the butter, substituting light sour cream for regular and using 25% less sour cream than the recipe called for.  I think that it turned out just fine and my husband gave it a thumbs up as well. This recipe makes a ton so it would even feed a family of 6 (meredith) although I don't know if kids eat this kind of thing now a days.

1 lb egg noodles cooked according to package directions
1 package ground turkey browned and drained
1 large yellow onion halved and thinly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic minced
3 cups of beef broth
1 lb of mushrooms (any kind) sliced
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 cups light sour cream
4 tbsp flour 
salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large pot or dutch oven to medium high heat, add olive oil and saute onions until soft about 10 minutes.  Add garlic and cook another minute.    Add the stock and deglaze the pan and let the stock and bring to a simmer.   Add in the mushrooms and turkey, stir to combine, cover, reduce heat to low and let cook for an hour, stirring occasionally.  In a small bowl, whisk together the Worcestershire sauce, sour cream and flour. When ready to serve, stir in the sour cream mixture. Increase heat to med-high and simmer for 5 minutes to thicken the sauce. Serve over hot noodles.

Chicken Pesto Pizza with Whole Wheat Crust

Pizza is a great way to use up things in your fridge or to stretch your meal when you only have a little of something left over.  I mentioned that I cooked two extra pieces of chicken earlier in the week to use on our pizza last night. Pizza is also a super fast dinner to make.  I started making my own crust so that it would be a little healthier.  I don't like the pre-baked crusts and i've never seen a raw pizza dough that comes in whole wheat.  I will admit that regular pizza dough has a better texture than whole wheat and I will also admit that the last time that I bought a ball of Publix pizza dough my husband commented that it was the best crust that i had made in a long time! I can't remember if a fessed up to him that I didn't make it myself. Making your own crust isn't difficult but you can skip this step and just buy one from Publix (in the bakery section) for a little over $2.  However, if you're like me and feel guilty about eating too much white flour then try out this recipe. I made green pea pesto as the base of the pizza because i think it goes better with chicken that marinara sauce.  If you are a person that can't stand peas (cathy) then you can simply substitute a package of frozen spinach that has been thawed and drained.  The Green Pea Pesto recipe can be found on an earlier blog post. Try topping your pizza with slices of smoked provolone instead of mozzarella.  It melts just as well and has a slightly stronger flavor.  We also topped our pizza with carmelized onions (on my half!) and some reduced fat feta in addition to the chicken and pesto.

before cooking

finished product

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust-this recipe makes enough for one large and one small pizza, one extra large pizza or 2 medium pizzas.  I made Wade a small personal toddler friendly pizza and then a large for Reg and I which was more than enough!

• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups flour, plus more for dusting

before rising

after rising

Directions

Combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water; stir gently to dissolve. Let the mixture stand until the yeast comes alive and starts to foam, about 5 to 10 minutes.

In the bowl of a food processor add the flour, salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil and pulse to combine mixture. Turn the processor on and slowly add the water/yeast until the dough starts to come together into a ball. Get a feel for the dough by squeezing a small amount together: if it's crumbly, add more water; if it's sticky, add more flour - 1 tablespoon at a time.

 Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold it over itself a few times; kneading until it's smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a round and place in a lightly oiled bowl, turn it over to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in the fridge for several hours up to overnight until doubled in size.
Once the dough is domed and spongy, turn it out onto a pizza pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray or oiled. Roll and stretch the dough into whatever shape works best!
Preheat oven as hot as it will go (500 to 550). Top with your favorite flavors. bake for 8 to 12 minutes, until the crust is golden and crisp. Watch carefully so that it doesn't burn. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Creamy Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas

Today I made it easier to comment on my posts.  You no longer have to create an account or fill out anything.  Hope this helps.  Please feel free to share a recipe with me or any advice you have that would improve the blog or a specific recipe.  Remember that i'm still new to this so go easy on me!

The boneless skinless chicken breasts are a good price at Piggly Wiggly so I bought a family pack and decided to make these enchiladas.  I cooked two extra pieces of chicken and will make use them to make a chicken pesto pizza later in the week. I will also include the recipe for my whole wheat pizza crust along with some tips about making homemade pizza.  I still had some left over pieces of chicken from the pack so I threw those in the freezer and will use them next week when I make a knock off of Zoe's Greek Chicken Roll-ups with a Spinach and Feta Orzo Salad. Meredith Kilgore shared a recipe with me for an Italian Sausage and Artichoke soup that looks really yummy but very simple so I think that I will try that next week also.

Creamy Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas- This recipe is SUPER easy, SUPER good and kid friendly.  It also has a ton of spinach in it so that's not bad either. I adapted it from a recipe in the Food for Thought cookbook which is delicious but has heavy cream, cream cheese AND grated cheese in it! That is just too indulgent to have for a week night meal. Not to mention it doesn't have any vegetables in it so I added in the spinach.   I served this with Spanish rice that I added a can of diced tomatoes and a can of black beans to just to get in some extra vegetables into our meal.

Makes 6 or 7 enchiladas

4 medium to large boneless skinless chicken breasts (salt, pepper and bake at 350 for 25 min)
1 box frozen spinach, thawed and drained
2 cans diced green chilis
1 -8 oz package light cream cheese softened
1/2 tsp salt
Flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 300.  Chop cooked chicken breast into bite size pieces.  In a large bowl combine chicken and remaining ingredients.  Fill tortillas with mixture and put side by side into a rectangular casserole dish. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

tortilla filling mixture

finished product

Roasted Root Vegetables and Free Music!

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"Roasted Root Vegetables" may sound a little more fancy than it really is.  I have been making this dish for years and everyone is always complimentary.  However, I can't take credit for it because it comes on the back of the Lipton Onion Soup mix box. You can do this recipe with just potatoes or any combination.  I used carrots, potatoes and onion.  If you've never had roasted carrots before, you need to give it a try.  Everyone in my family loves them and Reg and Wade aren't big vegetable eaters. We had this dish last night along side some grilled chicken. Next Monday's recipe will be Creamy Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas so stay tuned!

Roasted Root Vegetables 
3 cups potato (any variety) cut into bite size chunks
1/2 bag of baby carrots

before cooking

1/2 large onion chopped
1 packet onion soup mix
1/4 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Combine soup mix and oil in a small bowl and stir to combine. Place vegetables on baking sheet and toss with oil mixture. Cook for 20 minutes. Take veggies out and give them a stir and continue cooking for 15 to 20 more minutes till vegetables are beginning to brown.

after roasting

Turkey Spaghetti

We are having grilled chicken later this week because I bought some bone-in chicken breasts yesterday and because the weather is beautiful and perfect for grilling.  I will put the chicken in a brine today and we may smoke them on the grill tomorrow night.  The side dishes we will have with our chicken will be cheese tortellini with spinach pesto and roasted root vegetables. I will include these recipes later this week. Next week's recipe will be Creamy Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas a Thomas household favorite so be sure to check back!

Turkey Spaghetti- All I can say about this dish is that it's chock full of veggies and still qualifies as comfort food.  The picture isn't the prettiest but that's casseroles for you.  I used whole wheat spaghetti, and the low fat versions of the cream cheese and soup to make it a little healthier. This recipe makes a ton so definitely plan on left overs! Serve with a green salad for a complete meal.

1 box spaghetti cooked according to package directions
1.25 lb ground turkey browned and drained
1 green pepper diced

sauteed peppers and onion

1 yellow pepper diced
1 red pepper diced
1 onion diced
1 package light cream cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
 2 cans diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 cup chicken broth (water optional)
1 tsp salt
Shredded cheddar or breadcrumbs for topping casserole

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. After cooking the turkey meat, set it aside in a large bowl. Saute the diced veggies in the same pan until soft approximately 10 minutes. Turn off heat and add the cream cheese and cream of chicken soup and stir until combined.  Add in tomatoes, broth and salt. Pour mixture into bowl with turkey.  Add noodles and toss until noodles are coated with sauce.  Pour into LARGE baking dish.  Top with cheese or breadcrumbs. Cover with foil and cook for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and continue cooking for 5 or 10 minutes to brown the topping.

sauce mixture 

finished product

Tangy Orange Chicken with Coconut Rice

I just figured out how to make a link on my blog all by myself! I am still new to all of this and get super proud of myself when I do something that seems to me to be pretty computer savvy.  Anyway, if you have a toddler, I highly recommend these chicken nuggets.  My son loves them and I don't feel like I'm feeding him all of the weird chemicals that go into regular chicken nuggets. I have only seen them at Whole Foods and they are pretty pricey but i think they are worth it.  If you want to try them out, now would be a great time! They are on sale for $3.19 a box and there is also a $1 off coupon. Look to the right of the page for the deal and the link to the coupon!

 On a trip to the Pig yesterday, I saw that ground round was on sale so I got a medium sized package.  Burgers are definitely reserved for the weekends at our house so I will probably make these for watching the Alabama game.  Avocados were also a really great price so I picked up 2. they are hard as rocks but are now in a paper bag on top of my fridge getting ripe so they can be turned into a topping for my California Green Chili Burgers.  Burgers don't really require a recipe but I'll throw it up next week if anyone is interested!

I believe that I mentioned that I bought some chicken thighs last week at Piggly Wiggly when they were on sale.  I came up with this recipe recently and it went over well at our house so last night I made it for the 3rd time.  I got 2.5 lbs of chicken thighs which is enough for us to have for dinner again tonight. Serving it over coconut rice is optional although I think that it should be served over some kind of rice! I use brown rice when I cook during the week but the coconut milk really turns boring brown rice into something special!

Tangy Orange Chicken with Coconut Rice -As you can see this recipe doesn't require many ingredients and although it cooks for over an hour, the prep time is really fast.

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 pounds skinless chicken thighs 
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 medium/large onion cut in half and thinly sliced (i used red but it doesn't matter)
• 1 large garlic clove minced
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1/2 cup orange marmalade
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar (balsamic vinegar or white vinegar optional)
• 3/4 cup chicken stock



Browning the chicken




• 1/2 cup orange marmalade (i have been using publix low sugar orange marmalade) 

In a small bowl, mix together the marmalade, vinegar and stock and set aside. Heat the oil in a large deep skillet over medium high heat.  Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.  Add the chicken to the hot oil to brown approximately 5 minutes. Work in batches if all of the chicken won't fit in the pan.  When chicken is brown on one side, remove from the pan and add the onions cooking until soft 3-5 minutes.  Add the garlic, cook an additional minute.  Add the flour and stir for one minute.  Add the broth mixture while scrapping up the bottom of the pan with your spoon.  When the mixture returns to a simmer, add the chicken back into the pan submerging it in the sauce.  Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 1.5 hours.  If you don't have a lid for your pan just use a large plate or cookie sheet etc.  Serve over rice. Serves 4-6

sauce before chicken is added back

finished product

 Coconut Rice- serves 4
1.5 cups rice
2 cups light coconut milk
1 cup water

bring rice, milk, and water to a boil. cover and reduce heat to low/medium low. cook for 20 minutes. don't peek or stir after you have covered it!

Slow cooker Beef Brisket

This is a recipe from the Williams Sonoma Slow Cooker Cookbook that I modified slightly.  I was nervous about the results but it turned out great! Brisket isn't something that I grew up eating and really didn't know much about it but in this recipe the brisket came out super tender and the sauce was DELICIOUS!  I made some plain mashed potatoes (a little butter, milk, salt and pepper) and served the brisket and sauce over them. Because there aren't a whole lot of veggies in this recipe, we had a spinach salad on the side.

Barbecue Style Beef Brisket- The original recipe calls for the brisket to be browned in the pan first before the onions.  I did this with ours last night but I think that this step could be skipped. The brisket may not come out as pretty but I don't believe skipping this step will change the outcome.  It's up to you!  Notice that you have to saute some ingredients in a separate pan before adding them to your slow cooker. I do mine in a dutch oven because my slow cooker is tiny and have the modified cooking temps and times for a dutch oven if you need them.

• 1 cup beef broth
• 2 Tbsp cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1- 14 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 Tbsp veg. or canola oil
• 1 onions, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic cloves, minced
•  1/2 tsp. allspice
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 
• 1.5 to 2 lb. beef brisket, trimmed of excess fat

Brisket after 4 hours of cooking

finished product

 In a small bowl, combine the broth, sugar, vinegar and tomatoes and set aside. Generously salt and pepper both side of brisket. In a medium saucepan or skillet heat oil over medium/medium high heat. Add the onions, and sauté until the onions begin to turn translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute one minute. Stir in allspice and flour and cook an additional minute.  Pour in the reserved broth mixture, stir and bring to a simmer. Place brisket in slow cooker and cover with sauce. Cover and cook on the high-heat setting for 3 to 4 hours or the low-heat setting for 6 to 8 hours. Turn off slow cooker and let meat rest in the sauce for one hour. The meat should be very tender when pierced with a fork. Transfer the brisket to a cutting board.   Slice the meat across the grain. Spoon the sauce over the meat and serve over mashed potatoes. Serves 4.

ALDI

Since it's friday and I'm not cooking for a day or 2, I wanted to say a few words about ALDI.  I am not ashamed to say that I think ALDI is great. Not for everything but for a LOT. There's no need to worry about coupons because everything is as cheap or cheaper than if you had a coupon. This saves time and money because you know that you are getting the VERY best price of any store. Don't get me wrong,  I love Publix for the free balloons and fun grocery carts for the kids and the awesome customer service but you are paying for it in the cost of the groceries.  I still go to Publix once a week for their Buy One Get One Free sales and for produce that ALDI doesn't offer but I also go to ALDI every week for my staples.  If you've never been, I think that you'd be surprised and impressed by their selection. It is definitely a different shopping experience but once you understand how it works, it's a really great way to shop! I will say that i've never bought any fresh meat there so I can't speak to it's quality but here are some of the items that I get at ALDI and the prices in case you are interested.

Romaine Hearts- $1.99 (a dollar cheaper than any other store)
Rotel- $.59 ($0.75 cheaper)
Cream of Chicken Soup $0.69 (at least $0.50 cheaper)
Tater Tots $1.89 per bag
String Cheese $3.69 ($2.00 cheaper than Walmart Brand!)
Fresh Baby Spinach $1.69 a bag ($1 cheaper)
Crystal Light $1.69 for 6- 2 quart pouches (publix brand is $2.50)
Crumbled Feta $1.99 ($1 to $2 cheaper depending on the store)

*some of my other favorite things to get there are fresh guacamole (same thing as Wholly Guacamole), milk, eggs, canned biscuits/cinnamon rolls, any kind of cheese from sliced provolone to Dill Havarti, mushrooms, avocado, baby carrots, cereal, whole wheat pasta, frozen peas, otter pops, Gogurt, fig newtons, yogurt raisins, sugar, flour, cooking spray, olive oil, vinegar, foil, plastic wrap, canned diced tomatoes, canned or dried beans, tortillas, kettle potato chips, fresh salsa, tortilla chips. you get the picture!

In case you are interested, Monday or Tuesday's recipe will be a slow cooker BBQ Beef Brisket and later in the week Sweet, Salty, Sour Chicken Thighs with Coconut Brown Rice.  The skinless bone-in chicken thighs are a good price at Piggly Wiggly right now. Have a good weekend!

Meatballs and Marinara

You may wonder why I would make my own marinara sauce when it is soooo cheap to buy.  The thing is that I have champagne tastes on a beer budget. I really don't love the popular, mass marketed sauces and it's not in our budget to spend $7 on one of those fancy jars of  "gourmet" tomato sauce for a typical week night meal. I have only recently started making my own sauce and found it to be much tastier than jarred sauce and it really isn't that hard to make. Plus, I can hide an extra veggie in it! I do have to warn you that making it yourself won't save you any money.  So if you are perfectly happy with the stuff at the store, I would just stick with that!

 Healthy Homemade Marinara Sauce- this makes a double batch so take half and freeze it for another day!

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups chopped carrot
• 1 cup diced onion
•  2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 cans (28 ounces each) crushed tomatoes with basil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 and 1/4 tsp coarse salt and 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

to prepare the sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for an additional 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the tomatoes. Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 20 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper, and sugar. Use an immersion blender to puree or let the sauce cool a little before pureeing in a blender. Keep warm over low heat. To eliminate the pureeing step, leave out the carrots and onion and proceed with the rest of the recipe.

sauteed carrots

Blending the sauce after it has simmered

The same reasoning applies to Turkey meatballs. I think that the frozen kind are tough and rubbery and probably highly processed.  I also like making my own because my son loves them and I feel like they are a healthy alternative in a world of processed nuggets and mystery meats for toddlers. Even if you don't feel like spending time on the sauce, I think that homemade meatballs are worth the effort! We serve the sauce and meatballs over whole wheat pasta which makes for a darn healthy dinner!

Turkey Meat Balls-they look prettier if they are browned in a pan first and then baked but to save time and dishes, I just bake them in the oven.

• 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (or 1 Tbsp dried Italian herbs)
• 1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 1/4 lbs ground turkey
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

My little kitchen helper fresh from the tub

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley, and garlic  until combined. Add the milk, and stir until incorporated. Add the turkey, egg, salt, and pepper, and mix with your hands until well combined. Form mixture into 2-inch balls. Place on a foil lined baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake for 25-30 minutes until the centers are no longer pink.

Tuscan White Bean Soup

Tuscan White Bean Soup- I have to admit that I ripped this recipe off from Giada. However, her version was a little fancier than the recipe that I am sharing.  For instance, I substituted onion for shallot and left out a sage leaf because I'm not a huge fan of sage (the herb, not the person!) and I wasn't going to go spend $3 on sage when the recipe only called for one leaf.  Anyway, this is the 3rd time that i've made this soup.  Cannellini beans are super creamy and make for a very velvety soup. This soup doesn't take any time to make and doesn't require a lot of ingredients.  Giada's recipe served the soup with toasted ciabatta bread but we are having it tonight as a main course along with grilled ham and cheese sandwiches on sourdough bread.

•  2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup onion chopped
• 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 cloves garlic, cut in 1/2
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

Place a medium, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the butter, olive oil, and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the beans and stir to combine. Add the stock and bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the garlic and simmer until the garlic is softened, about 10 minutes. Pour the soup into a large bowl. If you have an immersion blender, puree the soup directly in its pot.  If not, carefully ladle 1/3 to 1/2 of the soup into a blender and puree until smooth. Be careful to hold the top of the blender tightly, as hot liquids expand when they are blended. Pour the blended soup back into the soup pan. Puree the remaining soup. Once all the soup is blended and back in the soup pan, add the cream and the pepper Keep warm, covered, over very low heat.
Tomorrow's recipe will be Homemade Marinara Sauce.  All you will need is 1 large can of  whole tomatoes, 1 onion and a couple of carrots!

Mondays

Things aren't exactly going as planned today. I'ts not been an awful day, just harder than usual. Wade just doesn't want to go along with my plans and Savannah decided to cut her nap very, very, short. Anyway, I just wanted to get the word out that there is a coupon at Piggly Wiggly on top of the deli case for $1 off when you buy a half pound or more of Sara Lee deli meat. They already have the best deals on deli meat and if you add the coupon, you are saving $3 or $4 over what Publix charges.  The coupons are first come first serve so I grabbed a bunch. i think that they expire in November but this will save me a lot because i'm buying about 1.5 lbs of lunch meat every week!

My food plans have also changed. I did a slow cooker recipe last night that was so good that now there's not enough for leftovers for tonight!  I have had to rethink the menu a little bit for this week but here's what I'm planning so far...Tonight I am going to make a Tuscan White Bean Soup that we will have with grilled ham and cheese sandwiches.  I'm hitting costco tomorrow to get some ground turkey and later in the week we will have Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs.  I make the meatballs and also the marinara sauce but you could just as easily open up a jar of pasta sauce to save yourself some time.  After looking through my slow cooker cookbook, a BBQ Brisket recipe jumped out at me and then i saw that it was on sale at Publix.  I usually don't spend this much money on a cut of meat bound for the slow cooker but the picture just looked too yummy. i'll probably save the brisket for football watching this weekend. 

Stay tuned for the soup recipe and pics tomorrow and the other 3 recipes later in the week!

crispy baked chicken fingers and green pea pesto sauce

Tonight's menu is chicken fingers served with whole wheat pasta with green pea pesto sauce!  This is my first time with the chicken fingers but I make this pesto at least once a month to top a homemade pizza or pasta side dish! Green peas aren't my favorite and i don't like them all mounded up on the side of a plate but I know that they are good for you so I found a way to hide them in a pasta sauce! Trust me, the basil and garlic completely hide the fact that you are eating a green veggie. I always keep a bag of petite green peas in my freezer just for this recipe. Publix recently had a BOGO on frozen organic green peas so I stocked up!


My next post will come early next week and will feature a slow cook recipe for pork tenderloin which are on sale at the Pig until tomorrow.

Panko Crusted Chicken Fingers-these guys are baked  and are so good! Remember that chicken tenders are on sale at Piggly Wiggly through saturday. I got a package of 13 fingers for a little over $4.  This recipe should be enough to have extra for kids or to cut up over a salad for lunch.  Use whatever type of mayo that you like.  I use the olive oil kind and in this capacity, it really isn't adding but about 10 calories per finger. The great thing is mayo adds a little extra flavor and enables the breadcrumbs to stick nicely to the chicken without the mess of using eggs, flour and milk! Wade liked his with ketchup but Reg and I dipped ours in Ken's light honey mustard.

2 cups panko breadcrumbs
 3 tbsp. canola oil
 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
3 tbsp. mayonnaise
Cooking spray
2 lbs. chicken tenders

Preheat the oven to 475˚ F.  In a large skillet, toss the panko with the oil.  Toast over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes.  Transfer the toasted crumbs to a shallow dish or pie plate. Spray a wire rack lightly with cooking spray and place over a rimmed baking sheet.
 Mix the mustard and mayonnaise together along with a half tsp of salt. Using the back of a spoon or a basting brush, lightly coat both sides of the chicken then coat each piece in the toasted breadcrumbs before placing on the wire rack.
 Lay the coated pieces on the prepared wire rack and repeat with the remaining chicken.
Spray the tops of the chicken pieces lightly with the cooking spray.  Bake until the chicken is cooked through, 12-15 minutes.  Serve warm.

Green Pea Pesto Sauce-this is much thicker than your normal pesto because there's not a lot of oil in it. you can add more if you prefer but if you toss it with hot pasta it should melt and coat the pasta nicely.

1 cup loosely packed basil
1 cup green peas thawed according to package directions
1 garlic clove (or 2 if they are really small)
1/3 cup shredded or grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional if you like spicy) 
1 box pasta (I am using whole wheat rotini)  

Throw the basil, peas, garlic, and Parmesan in a food processor and blend. Scrape down the sides to make sure that all the garlic gets chopped up.  Add in the salt and olive oil and blend again. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and immediately return the pasta to the hot pan over low heat while it's still wet. Add in the pesto and stir over the low heat until the sauce melts and the pasta begins to absorb the pesto about 5 minutes. Serve!

P.S. we actually had this last night for dinner and Reg said that it was like candy. That tells you how much he likes this pesto!

Turkey Meatloaf with Stewed Green Bean and Potatoes

This week on sale at Piggly Wiggly are chicken tenders and pork tenderloin. I bought 2 of the pork because they are just so easy to throw on the grill and there's always leftovers.  Also on sale are snap beans which are my favorite kind of beans and also new potatoes. It turns out that one of my very favorite veggie recipes is stewed green beans and potatoes. it's very easy so i'll include it here. tonight i am going to make up a mess of the beans and potatoes and throw a pork tenderloin on the grill. We have ceasar salad and left over consume rice to complete the meal. Tomorrow I hope to have a recipe up for the chicken tenders and in the week to come, i will include a slow cook recipe for the other pork tenderloin along with side suggestions for both!

In the mean time, I just finished up a turkey meat loaf for last night and i will include that recipe along with the green bean/potato recipe. I ALWAYS have ground turkey in the freezer. So don't be surprised if at least one recipe a week is made from ground turkey. i buy my turkey at costco. It is Butterball brand and comes  4-1.25 lb packages that comes out to about $2.25 per pound which is by far the best deal that i've seen for lean (93/7) ground turkey.

Turkey Meat Loaf- this is a pretty healthy recipe and a great way to hide veggies that you have sitting in the fridge, just omit the red pepper and substitute a half cup of whatever you have on hand. i have thrown in green pepper before and another time grated carrot just to make it extra healthy. No one will ever know! Another super healthy aspect is that whole oats replace breadcrumbs which makes the meatloaf extra high in fiber! I keep a big container of oats in the pantry only for this recipe because we have it at least once a month and makes enough for 2 nights! This meatloaf cost me about $4 to make and most everything can be found in your pantry!

• 1 cup whole oats
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
• 1.25 pounds ground turkey breast
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper (optional)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, stir together the oats and milk.  Finely chop the  onion. In a large bowl combine the turkey, oat mixture, chopped onion, bell pepper, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, salt and a few grinds of pepper. Mix just until well combined.
Transfer the mixture to a 9 by 13-inch baking dish and shape into a loaf about 4 inches wide and 2 1/2 inches high. Pour the tomato sauce over the meatloaf . Bake for about 1 hour. 
Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 to15 minutes before slicing.

Stewed Green Beans with Potatoes-If you aren't a big fan of green beans you may want to try this because they come out smothered in potatoes, tomatoes, and garlic. Everything for this recipe I got at the pig except for the olive oil. This will make enough for more than 2 nights and cost me exactly $5.

• 1 pound green beans, trimmed and snapped in half
• 1.5 lbs (approximately) small red potatoes quartered or cut into same size pieces
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 3 TBL extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 (28-ounces) diced tomatoes
• 1 cup water

Cook green beans, potatoes, and garlic in oil with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper in a 5-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften and stick to bottom of pot, about 10 minutes.

Add in diced tomatoes. Add water and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Mash a few potatoes into sauce and season with salt and pepper.