Christmas Brunch

Gonna make this for Christmas brunch:

Christmas Brunch Casserole

Want to try:

Bacon Cheese Pasta Casserole

This was good:

Egg Free Cornbread

Garden Vegetable Soup

I saw these recipes on Dr. Oz. I'm afraid I'll lose them before I get a chance to try them, so I'm putting them here. I'm especially anxious to try the Garden Vegetable Soup recipe.

Ingredients

Makes 6 servings

1/2 cup carrots, sliced

1/4 cup onions, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups fat-free beef, chicken or vegetable broth

1 cup green cabbage, diced

1 cup spinach, chopped

1 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup zucchini, diced

Directions

Spray a large saucepan with nonstick cooking spray, and heat.

Place carrot, onion and garlic in saucepan. Sauté vegetables over low heat for 5 minutes, until softened.

Add broth, cabbage, spinach, tomato paste, basil, oregano and salt. Bring saucepan to a boil.

Reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Stir in zucchini, and cook 3-4 minutes.

Weight Watchers PointsPlus™ Value: 1

© 2011 Weight Watchers International, Inc. © 2011 WeightWatchers.com, Inc. All rights reserved. WEIGHT WATCHERS and POINTS are registered trademarks of Weight Watchers International, Inc. and are used under license by WeightWatchers.com, Inc.

Strawberry Mango Smoothie

Mixed Berry Crumble

Banana Bread (Egg/Dairy free)

1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup applesauce
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 small ripe bananas
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cream coconut oil, applesauce and sugar in large bowl. Slowly sift in flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add mashed bananas and vanilla. Pour into greased loaf pan.

Bake for 60 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Allow to fully cool before slicing.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Gonna try this:

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Mmmm Meatloaf

Gonna try this Meatloaf.

Spicy Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry

2 pounds boneless chicken
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups brown rice
3 cups water
12 ounces broccoli
1 tablespoon water
6 green onions
2 jalapeno peppers
3 tablespoons coconut oil
3 tablespoons hoison sauce
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 cup & 2 tablespoons water

• Cut chicken into cubes. Toss with cornstarch, salt and pepper. Place in a covered container and refrigerate.
• Prepare rice as per package directions.
  
• Chop broccoli and place in a microwave cooking dish. Sprinkle with water, cover and microwave on high for 1 minute.
• Chop green onion and add to broccoli. Set aside.
• Dice jalapeno pepper. Mix with hoison sauce, garlic, red pepper flakes, ginger and sugar.
• Heat oil in a wok or stir-fry pan over medium-high heat. Add jalapeno and hoison sauce mixture. Stir-fry for about 15 seconds.
• Add chicken to wok and continue to stir-fry for about 5 minutes.
• Add broccoli, onion and water and cook for 1 minute.
• Stir in rice and continue cooking until rice is hot and mixed thoroughly.

I liked this! Spicy and satisfying. I think I'll add more hoison sauce or maybe some teriyaki sauce to the mixture next time. I was craving a little more sweet stir fry flavor.

Water Kefir

I'm making water kefir again. Kefir is full of all kinds of friendly bacteria. For more on how to make kefir and to get some starter cultures check out Cultures for Health.

Mongolian Beef

I got this recipe here: Mongolian Beef, but the recipe below reflects my changes due to allergies and preference. Really spicy! Really good!

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 4 teaspoons dry sherry
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons chili paste with garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 Tablespoon minced fresh garlic
• 2 pounds sirloin steak, thinly sliced across the grain
• 16 medium green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces

Preparation

• 1. Combine first 8 ingredients, stirring until smooth.
• 2. Heat coconut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced ginger, minced garlic, and beef; sauté for 2 minutes or until beef is browned. Add green onion pieces; sauté 30 seconds. Add soy sauce mixture; cook 1 minute or until thickened, stirring constantly.

Garlic Parmesan Tilapia

2 Tilapia Fillets

1 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp. Good Seasoning Garlic & Herb Salad Dressing & Recipe Mix

Dash of Montreal Steak Seasoning

sprinkle of Parmesan cheese

Spray baking sheet with cooking spray and place tilapia on sheet. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil on fish. Season fish with seasoning mix to taste, sprinkle Montreal Steak seasoning and then Parmesan cheese on top. Broil 8 inches from heat at medium for 15 minutes.

I served this with "tartar sauce" that I made using 16 oz. nonfat Greek yogurt and a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Harvest Dill dip mix.

08/17/2011

Menu

Roast, potatoes, carrots
Tilapia, brown rice, broccoli
White Chicken Chili
Mongolian Beef
Spicy Chicken Broccoli Stir-fry

Chicken Cabbage Soup for lunches
High Protein Banana Muffins for snacks

Low Fat "Alfredo" Chicken and Broccoli

3-4 boneless chicken breasts-cut up into bite sized pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cups broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)
2 cups chicken broth
8oz. fat free cream cheese
1 packet Uncle Dan's ranch dip & salad dressing mix (no MSG!)

Saute the chicken in olive oil until almost done.
Add broccoli and 1 cup of chicken broth, continue sauteing.

Meanwhile,

In a small sauce pot cook on medium heat:
remaining chicken broth, cream cheese and packet hidden valley ranch dip mix
Cook and stir until smooth.

This turns out very saucy. You can serve it over pasta, or if you like it thicker just decrease the amount of broth.

It's also pretty salty. Next time I'll use half the pack of seasoning.

You can also add small frozen raviolis when you add the broccoli. I added butternut squash ravioli for tonight's dinner.

You can also add Parmesan cheese to the sauce or sprinkle on the top after cooking.

Chocolate Cake in a Mug

Erin just made this, but unfortunately, it was gone before I could get a picture. So I made my own and shared half with Abby. I had to get a picture, right?

Microwave Cake In A Coffee Mug



Pictured is half of the mug cake, which was plenty! It's very rich, but sooo goood.

Crock Pot Chicken Parmesan

This was easy and not bad! I think I prefer it made the traditional way, but I love cooking with the crock pot and will probably make this again.

Chicken Parmesan for the Slow Cooker

Potato Kielbasa Skillet

Pretty Easy. Really tasty!

Potato Kielbasa Skillet

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Tuna Noodle Casserole


I made this tonight, not terribly exciting, but good enough that the kids took seconds. I made it with whole grain shells and swapped the potato chips with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese on top.

Thai Chicken Pizza

Gonna try this!

Thai Chicken Pizza

Mom's Apple Cake

One of my favorite desserts! Very rich. It looks pretty ugly in the pan. I've taken it to picnics and potlucks, and people have been reluctant to take a slice, but those who dare are glad they did!

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
3 TBS brewed coffee
2 tsp vanilla
4 cups chopped apples

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease and flour a 9x13 pan
  
• In a medium bowl, stir flour and baking soda with a wire whisk and set aside.
• Mix sugar, oil, eggs, coffee, cinnamon, and vanilla.
• Add flour mixture and mix until well combined.
• Stir in apples.
• Pour batter in pan and bake about an hour.
• When cake is cool poke holes in top and pour topping over cake.
  

Topping

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk

Melt over stove to boil

Double-Crust Chicken Pot Pie

Gonna Try this!

Basic Meatloaf

Easy Meatloaf Recipe

She enjoys helping, but it's squishy.

Use the Leftovers Crockpot Chili

This is my own made up recipe that began as a way to use some leftovers and make a delicious hearty chili at the same time. I did a lot of improvising and experimenting. I added 12 oz. chicken broth to mine, but replaced it in the recipe below with 1 cup of salsa instead because mine turned out a little too soupy. I just simmered it to cook off the extra liquid, though.

We had this with some chili cheese cornbread. YUM!

1 pound stew meat
Leftover shredded pork roast (about 2 cups)
Leftover seasoned, browned ground beef (taco meat, about 1 and 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 TBS olive oil
1 cup salsa
1 cup marinara sauce
3 15 oz cans of pinto beans (not drained)
2 TBS chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 dash of hot sauce

In a mixing bowl, combine beef and flour; toss to coat meat evenly. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot; brown beef. Put browned meat and all other ingredients in the crock pot and cook on low 7 to 9 hours. (could also add green chilies, sauteed onions, corn, etc.)

Chicken Broccoli Cheese Casserole

My whole family LOVES this recipe. I tried it when I was experimenting to see if avoiding gluten would help me feel better. Now I just make it using all purpose flour and whole wheat bread crumbs. We've had it several times, and it's on the menu this week.

Chicken Broccoli Cheese Casserole <~~~~~ Gluten free!

My version:

CHICKEN BROCCOLI CHEESE CASSEROLE

3 cooked chicken breasts, shredded

1 cup cooked brown rice

1 lb fresh or frozen broccoli, chopped

2 Tbs. of butter

2 Tbs. flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp of pepper

1/2 tsp. of dried mustard

1 1/2 cups of milk

squeeze of lemon juice (optional)

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar

1/2 cup bread crumbs for topping

1/4 cup slivered almonds for topping

Directions:

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the flour, salt, pepper, and mustard, and cook 2-3 minutes until bubbly and foamy. Slowly whisk in the milk and cook until thickened. Stir in the shredded cheese. Place the brown rice, chicken, and broccoli in a casserole dish and pour the white sauce over the top. Add the mayonnaise and lemon juice if using and mix until combined. Spread the breadcrumbs and slivered almonds over the top. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Taco Pasta Casserole

I found this recipe when I was looking for a home-cooked version of Taco Hamburger Helper. A freezer full of beef and a pantry full of noodles made this a yummy but cheap way to stretch my food budget to the next payday.

I used tomato soup instead of cream of mushroom when I made it.

I was surprised how tasty it was.

Taco Pasta Casserole

Another Recipe Blog

This blog is a collection of links to recipes I've tried and my family has loved. It's mostly to keep myself more organized because planning dinner is always a trial for me. Pleasing everyone is almost impossible, and the question I have come to hate most is, "What's for dinner, Mom?" I'm going to make peace with that question, once and for all.

For now, I'm going to post links to recipes as I prepare them. As the collection grows, I'll attempt to categorize them and make it easy to find what I'm looking for. If you find something of value, that's great too!