It's been so long since I've done a post! Life has gotten in the way. I do, however, have some things to share.
First, I tried the Peaches and Pork recipe on Chicken...it was Super Yummy! I served it with some baked beans and home made potato wedges.
Wedges:
Cut up some "New Potatoes" (I used the red skinned kind and left the skin on)
Put some olive oil in a zippy bag or in a glad ware container.
Seal and Shake.
Add in your favorite seasonings. (I used Rosemary and some parsley)
Shake some more.
Pour onto a baking sheet.
Bake at 350 until done. Simple, easy and delicious.
J hasn't been feeling the best lately, and he wanted something bland and some sort of soup...I decided I would try making Chicken and Stars.
2 Chicken breasts
1 box of Swanson's Chicken Broth
Seasonings (Italian Seasoning)
Handful of Frozen Mixed Veggies
Pastina
I diced up the chicken breasts and browned them, then slowly added in the broth. I then sprinkled some seasoning in until it smelled right and added in the frozen veggies. I let it all simmer for about 15 minutes and then added in the Pastina. ( I added WAAAAAAYYYY too much. I would guess I used 1/2-3/4 a cup of Pastina, and probably 1/4 would have been plenty.) I then let it simmer another 5-10 minutes then served.
The next time I make it, I'll take more time, and make sure to have better soup veggies (chopped celery, onions, carrots) and let it simmer a lot longer to let the flavors blend better, however over all it was really really good. I'm not sure how it would take to re-heating, since I added so much Pastina by the time we were done eating and cleaning up the boys etc to put away dinner, it had turned into a giant casserole, so we just tossed it.
One last thing to add, I've been trying to count calories and watch what I'm eating and tracking my calories here. I'm cutting back on Diet Coke and drinking more water. I'm (gasp!) exercising.
A couple of things I've learned I like in the last week or so include Greek Yogurt (It took a few tries to decide I liked it...the consistency is a lot thicker than regular yogurt but its good!), lots of fresh veggies for my snacks (rather than hitting up the vending machine for yet ANOTHER package of PB M&Ms). I've been making "old fashioned" oatmeal in the morning--still in the microwave, but it's supposed to be healthier than the instant. I bought some Agave nectar I've yet to try, but I'm excited to do so.
Last but not least, I've found a new (to me) way to enjoy salad.
Broccoli slaw
Chopped Cucumbers
Sliced Mushrooms,
Diced up Cheese Stick
Chopped Broccoli
Chopped Green Peppers
I then add 10 sprays of Ranch, put a lid on the bowl and shake. The 10 sprays usually coat the salad really well, adding a great flavor without too many calories.
So, that's what I've been up to....not as much cooking lately, but I'm excited for the fall weather and the delicious recipes that come with it.
What are you most excited for?
Monday, September 6, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Ewww...frozen dinners!
Typically I am anti-frozen dinner. I don't think they taste good, they're not filling, and just overall, gross. I once in a while would grab a Healthy Choice meal, but prefer to either take left overs, or (like I usually do) just eat out. After working 3 years downtown, I am REALLY sick of what the sky walk offers. Sure, I'll eat pizza now and again from Something Italian (my FAVORITE!) or some Chinese from Canton Express (aka "Dirty Chinese") but it was to the point where I couldn't think of a single thing to eat in the sky walk that sounded good and wasn't over priced. My dear friend "T" was eating something one day that looked...well...good! I asked her what it was, where she got it, cost, and most importantly, if it was good and decided to try it for myself.
The meals I speak of are by a brand called Amy's Kitchen. The dinners can be found in the frozen food aisles, at Wal-Mart, they are beside the healthier options. The Ankeny store offers a small variety of the meals, and I'm getting around to trying them all. They are pretty cheap, less than $4 each (which is cheap considering I had been spending at least $7 a day on lunch, sometimes more) and they are organic, vegetarian and most of all? DELICIOUS!! I never ever thought I would say that about a frozen meal that I hadn't created myself, but they are. They take about 5-7 minutes to cook, and smell amazing. I've had enchiladas, tamales, and lasagna so far and love them all. They are pretty filling as well, although sometimes I wish I had just a handful of chips and some salsa, or maybe a small side salad or piece of garlic bread. I have yet to finish one and then be STARVING within an hour like with some of the meals. Another perk about the meals--there are many different lines of the meals, that cater to people with special dietary needs or allergies (low sodium, gluten-free, lactose-free, etc).
I just thought I would share this product with you guys while I was thinking of it...and while I was making my grocery list for next week as well.
What's your favorite frozen dinner or meal to pack for lunch during the week? I could really use some new ideas!!
The meals I speak of are by a brand called Amy's Kitchen. The dinners can be found in the frozen food aisles, at Wal-Mart, they are beside the healthier options. The Ankeny store offers a small variety of the meals, and I'm getting around to trying them all. They are pretty cheap, less than $4 each (which is cheap considering I had been spending at least $7 a day on lunch, sometimes more) and they are organic, vegetarian and most of all? DELICIOUS!! I never ever thought I would say that about a frozen meal that I hadn't created myself, but they are. They take about 5-7 minutes to cook, and smell amazing. I've had enchiladas, tamales, and lasagna so far and love them all. They are pretty filling as well, although sometimes I wish I had just a handful of chips and some salsa, or maybe a small side salad or piece of garlic bread. I have yet to finish one and then be STARVING within an hour like with some of the meals. Another perk about the meals--there are many different lines of the meals, that cater to people with special dietary needs or allergies (low sodium, gluten-free, lactose-free, etc).
I just thought I would share this product with you guys while I was thinking of it...and while I was making my grocery list for next week as well.
What's your favorite frozen dinner or meal to pack for lunch during the week? I could really use some new ideas!!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Peaches and...pork?
So, I found a recipe in a magazine I wanted to make. I read the ingrediaents list and bought everything....then? Threw the magazine in the recycling...whoops! So, the closest I found was found here. But it was different than the one I wanted to use sooo, I decided to play with it.
I started with the basics from the recipe, but cut it in half:
1/2 cup Peach Preserves
About a tablespoon of honey (I never measure honey, its too sticky)
Lemon Juice
And that's where it went wrong. I poured a lot more lemon juice than I intended so I had to add some more Peach Preserves and squirted in some more honey to even it out.
Then I added some cinnamon, probably 1/2 teaspoon and some brown sugar (around 1/4 cup) and simmered it until it was a nice looking glaze....it was thickening like a gravy, where when you drag the scraper thru, you can see the bottom of the pan.
Then I sent J outside with the glaze since he is the official griller in the household. He grilled our chops (I used some thinner chops, almost like a butterfly chop that's been cut in half) for about 10 minutes or so, flipping every couple of minutes and re-applying the glaze on each turn. After the grilling, he tented them with foil so they could rest, and I finished up the sides. We were going to have fresh green beans, but Dahls only had them in huge bags, which we would never use, so he bought a bag of the steamer kind. We rounded it out with some mixed fresh fruit.
The chops were AMAZING. They were super juicy, and the flavor was really good. We had a ton of the glaze leftover, since I had to add more to even it out, but it was sooo good and we will definatly being having them again, and I might even try the original loin. I think they would be really good with grilled peaches (I remember I wanted them just as J was pulling back in the driveway from getting the lemon juice and beans), sweet potato fries or even baked wedges.
I started with the basics from the recipe, but cut it in half:
1/2 cup Peach Preserves
About a tablespoon of honey (I never measure honey, its too sticky)
Lemon Juice
And that's where it went wrong. I poured a lot more lemon juice than I intended so I had to add some more Peach Preserves and squirted in some more honey to even it out.
Then I added some cinnamon, probably 1/2 teaspoon and some brown sugar (around 1/4 cup) and simmered it until it was a nice looking glaze....it was thickening like a gravy, where when you drag the scraper thru, you can see the bottom of the pan.
Then I sent J outside with the glaze since he is the official griller in the household. He grilled our chops (I used some thinner chops, almost like a butterfly chop that's been cut in half) for about 10 minutes or so, flipping every couple of minutes and re-applying the glaze on each turn. After the grilling, he tented them with foil so they could rest, and I finished up the sides. We were going to have fresh green beans, but Dahls only had them in huge bags, which we would never use, so he bought a bag of the steamer kind. We rounded it out with some mixed fresh fruit.
The chops were AMAZING. They were super juicy, and the flavor was really good. We had a ton of the glaze leftover, since I had to add more to even it out, but it was sooo good and we will definatly being having them again, and I might even try the original loin. I think they would be really good with grilled peaches (I remember I wanted them just as J was pulling back in the driveway from getting the lemon juice and beans), sweet potato fries or even baked wedges.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Baby Food! (because babies eat too!)
I've been making a lot of my own baby food lately. There are several reasons (healthier, fresher, easier to store, fun to make...) but I'm doing it mainly because...well, I'm cheap. I got the idea one day when I was cleaning out the freezer. We were almost out of peas, E's favorite, so I decided to try my hand with my new blender.
I did a few quick online searches and basically they said to steam your veggies, mash them up and freeze them in ice cube trays. So, that's basically what I do!
So far, we've tried Peas, Mixed Veggies, Sweet Potatoes (I bake those, then peel them and mash them up), and lately been venturing into different combos.
Over the weekend, I made Cauliflower and Carrots, these were a little thicker, so I added some breast-milk into them, like I do with the sweet potatoes. I've read you can also use formula, and sometimes I add extra of the water I steamed them in, depending on the veggie--sometimes though, the steamed water can make it bitter, or so I've read.
In addition to the cauliflower-carrots, I made a couple fruit combos. Before this weekend, the only fruit I'd done was peaches (I would literally buy the frozen non-sweetened ones, thaw them out, mix them up and re-freeze them) so I was curious to see what he'd like. The first combo was an idea I had gotten from Chanda, a fellow baby-food maker. She said that her daughter loves fruit and yogurt so I thought, might as well! I took out my bag of mixed berries, added a banana and some yogurt, just like a smoothie, put in some breast-milk and blended away. I let E try it as I was filling the trays and ended up saving a bowl for him, he LOVED it.
I then decided I would try apples, So I cored one, skinned it, chopped it and steamed it in the microwave. I have a giant glad-ware container that works great for steaming since I don't have a steamer and well...probably wouldn't use if even if I did. While they were steaming I chunked up a kiwi and a banana, and grabbed a few of the berries he loved so much. After the apples were mostly soft, I dumped them and the tiny bit of juice/water that was in the container, mixed in the other fruit and blended it. I thought this one was a little bitter, but E loved it. (I think the problem was there wasn't the yogurt or any sugar that I'm used to, so it just wasn't as sweet.)
Overall, I'm pretty happy I decided to go on my baby-food making adventures, and will probably continue to do it, at least until he decides that he doesn't have to gag with texture...This weekend, I'm going to try chicken and pasta. I bought some Pastini, the itty bitty stars to try.
Tips:
I use my blender, usually on puree.
I blend the fruits/veggies both cold and hot, not really a difference as long as they are cooked.
When it's time to eat them, I usually set them out as I start cooking dinner, so they are softened by the time he's ready to eat. I have microwaved them for 30 sec at a time or so though when needed, stirring lots and usually letting it sit on the counter to come back to room temp.
If you're not sure how to cook something, look it up! I've used here a few times and here. I'm sure there are plenty of other great resources. If you know of one, please let me know!
Any combos you think I should try?
I did a few quick online searches and basically they said to steam your veggies, mash them up and freeze them in ice cube trays. So, that's basically what I do!
So far, we've tried Peas, Mixed Veggies, Sweet Potatoes (I bake those, then peel them and mash them up), and lately been venturing into different combos.
Over the weekend, I made Cauliflower and Carrots, these were a little thicker, so I added some breast-milk into them, like I do with the sweet potatoes. I've read you can also use formula, and sometimes I add extra of the water I steamed them in, depending on the veggie--sometimes though, the steamed water can make it bitter, or so I've read.
In addition to the cauliflower-carrots, I made a couple fruit combos. Before this weekend, the only fruit I'd done was peaches (I would literally buy the frozen non-sweetened ones, thaw them out, mix them up and re-freeze them) so I was curious to see what he'd like. The first combo was an idea I had gotten from Chanda, a fellow baby-food maker. She said that her daughter loves fruit and yogurt so I thought, might as well! I took out my bag of mixed berries, added a banana and some yogurt, just like a smoothie, put in some breast-milk and blended away. I let E try it as I was filling the trays and ended up saving a bowl for him, he LOVED it.
I then decided I would try apples, So I cored one, skinned it, chopped it and steamed it in the microwave. I have a giant glad-ware container that works great for steaming since I don't have a steamer and well...probably wouldn't use if even if I did. While they were steaming I chunked up a kiwi and a banana, and grabbed a few of the berries he loved so much. After the apples were mostly soft, I dumped them and the tiny bit of juice/water that was in the container, mixed in the other fruit and blended it. I thought this one was a little bitter, but E loved it. (I think the problem was there wasn't the yogurt or any sugar that I'm used to, so it just wasn't as sweet.)
Overall, I'm pretty happy I decided to go on my baby-food making adventures, and will probably continue to do it, at least until he decides that he doesn't have to gag with texture...This weekend, I'm going to try chicken and pasta. I bought some Pastini, the itty bitty stars to try.
Tips:
I use my blender, usually on puree.
I blend the fruits/veggies both cold and hot, not really a difference as long as they are cooked.
When it's time to eat them, I usually set them out as I start cooking dinner, so they are softened by the time he's ready to eat. I have microwaved them for 30 sec at a time or so though when needed, stirring lots and usually letting it sit on the counter to come back to room temp.
If you're not sure how to cook something, look it up! I've used here a few times and here. I'm sure there are plenty of other great resources. If you know of one, please let me know!
Any combos you think I should try?
Monday, June 14, 2010
mmmm...meatloaf...
Yesterday was one of those icky kinda days. It was raining, chilly (inside anyway) and just seemed like a day for comfort food. I didn't have anything much thawed out, just a couple of pounds of ground pork that needed to be used or frozen...I didn't have some of things I normally have on hand and was stumped.
Then I found a meatloaf mix from Elsie's Kitchen the last time they were in town. (I normally DO make my own meatloaf, however, I was out of breadcrumbs...plus this is delicious and super easy.) I just started using ground pork recently, so this was new but I thought it certainly couldn't hurt any...and if all else failed, we could order pizza.
Mix was simple--called for 2 eggs, 1/2 cup water and 2 lbs of meat. Mix and bake at 350 for around 1/2 hour. I added some ketchup to the mix (I just squirted some in there, but I would guess less than 1/4 cup. I normally add mushrooms, some shredded cheese and once in a while bacon, buuut I was out of all of that, so just ketchup it was.)
Once that was mixed and in the oven, I whipped up a couple boxes of au gratin potatoes and then Spenny picked the veggies, so we had peas.
The meatloaf took right at 30 minutes to get done, so I took it out, cranked the oven to 450 to finish up the potatoes for another 5-10 minutes, then put the meatloaf back in for just a couple of minutes to let the ketchup bake on. It was pretty good! The color was different...it was lighter, the smell was a little off from the beef kind, but the best part of it was there was not a ton of grease in the bottom of the pan. Plus, the taste was pretty darn good! It was different of course, but not bad at all and I think that it would be pretty easy to get used to.
Then I found a meatloaf mix from Elsie's Kitchen the last time they were in town. (I normally DO make my own meatloaf, however, I was out of breadcrumbs...plus this is delicious and super easy.) I just started using ground pork recently, so this was new but I thought it certainly couldn't hurt any...and if all else failed, we could order pizza.
Mix was simple--called for 2 eggs, 1/2 cup water and 2 lbs of meat. Mix and bake at 350 for around 1/2 hour. I added some ketchup to the mix (I just squirted some in there, but I would guess less than 1/4 cup. I normally add mushrooms, some shredded cheese and once in a while bacon, buuut I was out of all of that, so just ketchup it was.)
Once that was mixed and in the oven, I whipped up a couple boxes of au gratin potatoes and then Spenny picked the veggies, so we had peas.
The meatloaf took right at 30 minutes to get done, so I took it out, cranked the oven to 450 to finish up the potatoes for another 5-10 minutes, then put the meatloaf back in for just a couple of minutes to let the ketchup bake on. It was pretty good! The color was different...it was lighter, the smell was a little off from the beef kind, but the best part of it was there was not a ton of grease in the bottom of the pan. Plus, the taste was pretty darn good! It was different of course, but not bad at all and I think that it would be pretty easy to get used to.
Friday, June 4, 2010
It's been FOREVER...
But I've still been cooking, just lazily!
Couple of recipes I've been wanting to share....
Pepsi Roast
1 roast (I've been using pork, but the original recipe was for beef)
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 package of dry onion soup mix
Pepsi
(The soups/Pepsi may very, depending on the size of your roast, I think the last time I made it (we had company over) I used an 8 lb roast, 2 of the tall cans of cream of mushroom soup, 2 packages and about a 1/3 of a 2 liter bottle of Pepsi.)
If you do this in the crock pot, it's super easy, just mix up the soups with some pepsi, throw the roast in, and cook on low pretty much all day until it's done. The soups/Pepsi make a great yummy thick richy gravy, so all you need to finish the meal out is some mashed potatoes and some veggies, maybe some bread or a salad...or whatever your normally fix with your roasts. If you do it in the oven, I use my big roasting pan and cook for several hours, depending on the size of the roast.
This is one I stole from my MM girl Nikki...it's AMAZING!!!
1 box cook and serve chocolate pudding
1 box chocolate cake mix
1/2cup chocolate chips
1/2cup chopped nuts (optional- i'm not a huge fan of the nuts, so i bypass them)
prepare pudding and add dry cake mix into the pudding
pour into greased and floured 9 x 13 pan
sprinkle with chips and nuts
bake at 350 for 30 minutes
sprinkle powdered sugar if you want
(I never flour my pan tho...or use nuts...lol)
I've also tried a new variation of the cake, I used white cake, vanilla pudding and cherry chips on one half and chocolate on the other...it wasn't very pretty looking but as soon as I covered it in whipped topping, it was pretty darn delicious!! My mom also tried a similar one after I told her about it, she used strawberry cake, vanilla pudding and white chocolate chips and said that it was good as well.
Other than that, we've been doing pretty easy, throw together type stuff...or worse, eating out! lol Lazy much? :)
Happy Cooking!
Couple of recipes I've been wanting to share....
Pepsi Roast
1 roast (I've been using pork, but the original recipe was for beef)
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 package of dry onion soup mix
Pepsi
(The soups/Pepsi may very, depending on the size of your roast, I think the last time I made it (we had company over) I used an 8 lb roast, 2 of the tall cans of cream of mushroom soup, 2 packages and about a 1/3 of a 2 liter bottle of Pepsi.)
If you do this in the crock pot, it's super easy, just mix up the soups with some pepsi, throw the roast in, and cook on low pretty much all day until it's done. The soups/Pepsi make a great yummy thick richy gravy, so all you need to finish the meal out is some mashed potatoes and some veggies, maybe some bread or a salad...or whatever your normally fix with your roasts. If you do it in the oven, I use my big roasting pan and cook for several hours, depending on the size of the roast.
This is one I stole from my MM girl Nikki...it's AMAZING!!!
1 box cook and serve chocolate pudding
1 box chocolate cake mix
1/2cup chocolate chips
1/2cup chopped nuts (optional- i'm not a huge fan of the nuts, so i bypass them)
prepare pudding and add dry cake mix into the pudding
pour into greased and floured 9 x 13 pan
sprinkle with chips and nuts
bake at 350 for 30 minutes
sprinkle powdered sugar if you want
(I never flour my pan tho...or use nuts...lol)
I've also tried a new variation of the cake, I used white cake, vanilla pudding and cherry chips on one half and chocolate on the other...it wasn't very pretty looking but as soon as I covered it in whipped topping, it was pretty darn delicious!! My mom also tried a similar one after I told her about it, she used strawberry cake, vanilla pudding and white chocolate chips and said that it was good as well.
Other than that, we've been doing pretty easy, throw together type stuff...or worse, eating out! lol Lazy much? :)
Happy Cooking!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna
Apparently, I need to get more creative in my meatless meals, because I'm stuck in a rut of my ricotta-portabello-mushroom mix. However, I tried this as a lasagna and it was DELICIOUS!
I used the Barilla No-Boil Flat noodles, a couple cans of Hunts 4 cheese sauce, and the mixture, layered it up and baked. Served with some cheese bread and a salad and it was perfect.
Recipe:
Mixture:
1 15 oz package of ricotta
2 eggs
couple handfuls of fresh spinach, chopped
8 oz container of portabello mushrooms, chopped
Layers:
Box of No-Boil Flat noodles
Shredded Mozzarella
2 regular sized cans of sauce
I used a tinfoil cake pan, I think it might have been 9x13, but I'm not sure. I dumped about 1/2 a can of the sauce in the bottom, spread evenly then layered my noodles. I don't like my lasagna noodles to over lap, mostly because I think they get chewy, so I just put down three noodles across, then spooned on the ricotta mixture, sprinkled some cheese, poured some sauce, repeat. I did 3 layers, but stopped, mostly because I was afraid of the boiling over the back of the box on the noodles sugguested. I easily could have done another layer or two tho, as when it came out, it was pretty flat still. After the final layer of noodles, I covered it with lots of sauce then some mozarella and shredded parameasean, covered in foil and then baked for about 1/2 hour, then took the foil off and finished until the cheese was browning and bubbling. I had put the cheese bread in when I took the foil off, and I like to bake it for a bit then turn the broiler on to finish it up quicker.
Since I had done the lesser layers, I had all this extra stuff laying around. I decided to go ahead and make a small 8x8 to put in the freezer so that way some nigth we could have another but not have to make it all over agian. On this one, I layered it up to the top, since the noodles fit in nicer and i didn't want to waste any of it. I think in the future, I might just make 2 8x8s each time, but we'll see how that goes.
Other than that, we've been pretty basic here, bbq chicken and baked potatoes last week, this week we've had brown sugar pork chops, twice baked potatoes and a salad one night and the night before we had breaded chicken breasts, sweet potato fries (regular fries for J) and baked beans.
Once we get the propane in, we should be grilling quite a bit, guess we'll see where that leads us!
I used the Barilla No-Boil Flat noodles, a couple cans of Hunts 4 cheese sauce, and the mixture, layered it up and baked. Served with some cheese bread and a salad and it was perfect.
Recipe:
Mixture:
1 15 oz package of ricotta
2 eggs
couple handfuls of fresh spinach, chopped
8 oz container of portabello mushrooms, chopped
Layers:
Box of No-Boil Flat noodles
Shredded Mozzarella
2 regular sized cans of sauce
I used a tinfoil cake pan, I think it might have been 9x13, but I'm not sure. I dumped about 1/2 a can of the sauce in the bottom, spread evenly then layered my noodles. I don't like my lasagna noodles to over lap, mostly because I think they get chewy, so I just put down three noodles across, then spooned on the ricotta mixture, sprinkled some cheese, poured some sauce, repeat. I did 3 layers, but stopped, mostly because I was afraid of the boiling over the back of the box on the noodles sugguested. I easily could have done another layer or two tho, as when it came out, it was pretty flat still. After the final layer of noodles, I covered it with lots of sauce then some mozarella and shredded parameasean, covered in foil and then baked for about 1/2 hour, then took the foil off and finished until the cheese was browning and bubbling. I had put the cheese bread in when I took the foil off, and I like to bake it for a bit then turn the broiler on to finish it up quicker.
Since I had done the lesser layers, I had all this extra stuff laying around. I decided to go ahead and make a small 8x8 to put in the freezer so that way some nigth we could have another but not have to make it all over agian. On this one, I layered it up to the top, since the noodles fit in nicer and i didn't want to waste any of it. I think in the future, I might just make 2 8x8s each time, but we'll see how that goes.
Other than that, we've been pretty basic here, bbq chicken and baked potatoes last week, this week we've had brown sugar pork chops, twice baked potatoes and a salad one night and the night before we had breaded chicken breasts, sweet potato fries (regular fries for J) and baked beans.
Once we get the propane in, we should be grilling quite a bit, guess we'll see where that leads us!
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