New Recipes

Why is it that I only ever blog about food these days??

Cuz I'm back on Facebook ya'lll! I post all of my wit and humor there :)

OK, so we tried two new recipes.

Last night we had these Chicken Shawarma Pitas. Meh. They were OK. I was disappointed in the overall dish because when I made the marinade for the chicken, it smelled so good! It was creamy and had a little cinnamon kick. And the reviews on the website raved about the marinade.

But, when I cooked it, the chicken really dried out (probably some user error there) and the whole pita was just dry and bland. I also really messed up the yogurt based sauce that goes into the pita-- I accidentally used vanilla greek yogurt instead of plain. That made the sauce much sweeter than it's intended to be.

I think I was hoping for more of a gyro type meal, but this didn't do the trick (probably b/c its not a gyro recipe :) ). Next time I'm jonsing for a gyro, I'll try this recipe instead. I'll make it again (cooking the chicken in the oven instead of the Foreman grill and using plain yogurt instead of vanilla) but probably not for a while.

Luckily, tonight's dinner kicked some major flavor bootie!! We had Creamy Tortellini with Spinach and O.M.G! It was really good! At first I worried that the spinach wouldn't be cooked enough b/c all you do to prepare the spinach is to drain the tortellini over it in a colander. I thought that would make for some still crunch spinach leaves. Nope!

The recipe also called for savory garlic cooking cream. Huh? Never heard of it. Luckily I Googled it before I hit up the grocery. It's made by Kraft and found in the same section as the cream cheese.

I also almost bought cheese tortellini instead of the meat/sausage, but I'm glad I stuck with the recipe on that. I think the meat added a good flavor. Had I used the cheese, I think that would have been much and less flavorful.

I love everything about this dish. It's SUPER EASY, really creamy and has just a little bit of tomato flavor. Delicious.

The BONUS is that it's only 425 calories per serving!

I got the recipe from the magazine you get at the grocery store when you spend over $50. I usually don't look through it, but happened to this time. Glad I did. This is definitely a keeper.

A few good recipes

This week, you'll recall that we're trying several new recipes. I usually limit new recipes to one per week in the event that they bomb badly :)

But this week, Craig picked out a few of them and was OK with trying new ones....

Last night we enjoyed the Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers.  I've never made anything using roast beef (I'm not a big fan) so I wasn't sure about this.

They were pretty good, though! I thought the peppers would soften more in the oven and taste more like sauteed peppers so I was a little disappointed when they were still pretty crunchy. I also didn't have any mushrooms to use (as directed). We definitely missed having them, too.

In order to cut calories, I only used 1/2 the butter it calls for and on MY pepper, I only used one piece of cheese (instead of two).

Next time, we're going to make the philly cheesesteak and put it over portabella mushrooms! YUMMO!

So, this is a keeper, with just a few alterations.

Tonight we also made a new recipe: Turkey Black Bean Enchiladas.

Clearly I forgot to snap a pic before we chowed down :)

Ummm.....DELICIOUS! I made this as directed (no alterations) for the mixture, but only had flour tortillas so I used those. The recipe says to stuff the tortillas with 2/3 C mixture, but that was waaaay too much so I only used 1/3 C. As such, the nutrition info provided on the original recipe was incorrect. I recalculated and came up with 238 calories per enchilada. SCORE!

This, too, is definitely a keeper. Next time, though, we're going to add diced green chilis because we like things with a kick.

All in all, it's been a successful week of new recipes :) Oh and technically Monday night's recipe was new too since the mix I had turned out to be Honey Sesame instead of our usual General Tso's. It was pretty good, although I still prefer the Tso stuff.

Seriously, those mixtures make some AWESOME dishes. We especially like the fried rice mix. Craig said he prefers that over take out. They're the Sunbird Seasoning Asian mixes found in the international aisle at our local grocery. They're $0.99 a packet. And they're really, really good.

Tomorrow night-- BISCUITS and GRAVY! Oh yeah.

Finally, I am unreasonably and inexplicably excited about my new digital scale.

We've never owned one and one of the blogs I follow alerted that it was on sale for $9.99 (originally $59.99) at Amazon (and still is!). It's also free shipping for Prime members.

It measures in ounces, grams, kg, and lbs. With all of the conversions I'm doing with calorie counting, this has been a huge blessing! Plus, come on...it's fun piling crap on there to see how much it weighs :)

Menu Plan

Here's what we're eating this week:

Sunday: Sloppy Joes with sweet potato fries
Monday: General Tso's chicken with fried rice
Tuesday: Philly Cheese steak peppers (new recipe)
Wednesday: Turkey and black bean Enchiladas (new recipe)
Thursday: Biscuits and gravy (made with low fat biscuits)

If you follow the recipe links, most of them contain the nutritional information per serving.

And, I have to admit, I was TOTALLY WRONG about the zucchini boats from last week. I thought Craig would give them 2 out of 5 stars and ask to limit them to once/month. But, he actually really liked them! I thought they were OK (3/5 stars), but he really, really liked them. I'm glad :)

Love this recipe

We LOVE this recipe for Spicy Romano Chicken. 

We've done really well counting calories lately, so when we had a day where we needed a higher calorie meal, I knew exactly what I wanted to make! It's SO GOOD!

According to my calorie calculator, this has about 965 calories per serving as prepared (makes 4 servings). Yauzers! 

However, when I made it last night, I used 1/2 the butter in the sauce (saving 200 calories). I estimate each serving was about 800 calories. 

Next time, I think I can cut back on the heavy cream too (saving MANY calories).

Now that I've exposed how neurotic I am about calories right now.....here is the recipe. 

The Sauce:

• 1 pint heavy cream
• 4 T butter
• 2 tsp  salt
• 1 – 2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 cup romano cheese
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 2 tsp cayenne pepper  *EDITED*  If you aren’t sure how much cayenne you will like, add a tiny amt and taste as you add until it’s to your liking!

The Rest:

• 10 ounce package of bowtie pasta cooked and drained according to package directions – al dente.
• 1 1/2 T melted butter
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 small jar artichoke hearts, drained
• 1 7-8 ounce precooked sliced grilled chicken 
• 1/8 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
• 1 oz heavy cream

How To Make It:

Sauce:

• Melt butter in saute pan or skillet. Add cream, salt and pepper, heat to a boil. Remove from heat and fold in cheeses and cayenne pepper. Set aside.

The Rest:

• In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter, then add mushrooms, and sundried tomatoes. Stir for one minute. Next add artichokes and chicken (and cooked sausage or other meat). Stir. Stir in 1 ounce heavy cream and 1/2 of the sauce. Add bowtie pasta followed by rest of the sauce. Stir gently. Serve.

If you're in need of a new dish to try, you surely won't be disappointed with this one!

Menu Plan

Here's our menu for the week. We're trying new dishes tonight...vegetarian night!

I'm going to predict that Craig will think dinner tonight is "OK" but will request that we only do this once a month :)

Sunday: Creamy Zucchini Boats and Sweet Potato Fries

Monday: Asian Lettuce Wraps (I'm also making these stuffed fillo shells for MOPS)

Tuesday: Spicy Romano Chicken

Wednesday: Wonton tacos

Thursday: Dine out (Bob Evans for Valentine's Day with friends)

Menu Plan

Last week we did great with our meals.

On Tuesday, we used Peach preserves on the salmon since I didn't have any raspberry. It was still delish! Craig said it was the best salmon I'd made so far. Score!

We didn't end up having the chili, though, because the meat went bad before Thursday. Instead, we had our back up meal (Bertolli Chicken Florentine- its a freezer bag meal). I always have one of those on hand because they work great as a last minute meal (seriously, they head up on the stove top in 10 minutes). I don't normally include them as part of the menu because I try to make meals (rather than just heat up prepackaged food), but I keep this on hand *just in case.*

We did REALLY well with eating 1,200 calories each day :)

Now, here's this week's menu!

Sunday: Chili dogs, nachos, and stuff that others brought over for the Superbowl
Monday: Arlene's Meatloaf and roasted broccoli
Tuesday: Tailgate Sandwiches with cooked carrots
Wednesday: Chicken fajitas
Thursday: Pot Roast and asparagus
Friday: Hot dogs and beans (unless we dine out)

Menu Plan

Back in the day, I used to post my menu for the week on my blog.

A few people (who read but NEVER comment!) have asked that I do that again.

I still menu plan, so its no big deal to do up a quick post and get it out there.

I use Evernote to store my recipes, so most of the links I post will be to my Evernote account that has the recipe listed.

Here you go!

Sunday: Asian lettuce wraps (they were actually pretty good- we'll keep 'em around)
Monday: Salmon with tangy raspberry sauce and asparagus
Tuesday: General Tso's chicken and fried rice (I use the packets from the grocery store)
Wednesday: Craig has a meeting so I'll have a Monster Green Smoothie and Ryan will have tuna fish with fresh fruit as a side
Thursday: Chili (Craig's mom's recipe, which I don't have digitally yet)

I usually only menu plan for Sun-Thurs. We generally eat out Friday and Sat.

I've been pretty good about trying new recipes every week or two. This week the Asian lettuce wraps were new. They were good and I think they're healthy too.

Last week I made a corn and bean salad (cold).

I liked it.

Ryan liked it.

Craig tolerated it.

We'll have it again b/c it's easy and healthy :) Craig asked that it be limited to once/month. Fair 'nough.

Kale Chips

I freaking LOVE kale chips. I mean, love, love, love them.

They're weirdly addicting and unlike anything else I've ever tasted.

Yet, as much as I love the chips, preparing the kale has been time consuming which prevents me from making them as often as I'd like. Having to rinse, then cut, then let the kale sit out to become bone dry takes time. Because of that, it wasn't easily something you could decide to make on the fly.

Today at the grocery, I found a bag of shredded kale for $2.50! It's a huge bag too. This. Changes. Everything.

1 lb bag of kale

Kale, in all of it's simplicity, has amazing benefits:

Top 10 Health Benefits of Eating Kale

By Alison Lewis

Kale is being called “the new beef”, “the queen of greens” and “a nutritional powerhouse.” Here are ten great benefits of adding more kale to your diet:

1. Kale is low in calorie, high in fiber and has zero fat. One cup of kale has only 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber and 0 grams of fat. It is great for aiding in digestion and elimination with its great fiber content. It’s also filled with so many nutrients, vitamins, folate and magnesium as well as those listed below.

2. Kale is high in iron. Per calorie, kale has more iron than beef. Iron is essential for good health, such as the formation of hemoglobin and enzymes, transporting oxygen to various parts of the body, cell growth, proper liver function and more.

3. Kale is high in Vitamin K. Eating a diet high in Vitamin K can help protect against various cancers. It is also necessary for a wide variety of bodily functions including normal bone health and the prevention of blood clotting. Also increased levels of vitamin K can help people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

4. Kale is filled with powerful antioxidants. Antioxidants, such as carotenoids and flavonoids help protect against various cancers.

5. Kale is a great anti-inflammatory food. One cup of kale is filled with 10% of the RDA of omega-3 fatty acids, which help, fight against arthritis, asthma and autoimmune disorders.

6. Kale is great for cardiovascular support. Eating more kale can help lower cholesterol levels.

7. Kale is high in Vitamin A.Vitamin A is great for your vision, your skin as well as helping to prevent lung and oral cavity cancers.

8. Kale is high in Vitamin C. This is very helpful for your immune system, your metabolism and your hydration.

9. Kale is high in calcium. Per calorie, kale has more calcium than milk, which aids in preventing bone loss, preventing osteoporosis and maintaining a healthy metabolism. Vitamin C is also helpful to maintain cartilage and joint flexibility

10. Kale is a great detox food. Kale is filled with fiber and sulfur, both great for detoxifying your body and keeping your liver healthy.

(Courtesy of MindBodyGreen)

Here is the kale chip recipe I use (from Gluten Free Girl):

Baked Kale Chips

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic 
3 large handfuls lacinato kale, torn into shreds
1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preparing to bake. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Combine the salt, smoked paprika, and garlic in a small bowl.

Wash the kale. Rinse the kale leaves, then put them in a salad spinner and spin until the green becomes a blur. Round and round, spinning and spinning — let the kale dry. After it comes out, dry it even more with paper towels. Those leaves should be bone dry.

Oiling the kale. Put the kale leaves in a large bowl. Drizzle over 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Massage the oil into the leaves. You might need more. You might have larger hands than I do. Use your judgment.

Bake the chips. Arrange the kale chips onto the sheet try and slide it into the oven. Bake until the leaves are crisp to the touch but still a dark green. (When they turn brown, they turn bitter.) Check at the 12-minute mark, to be sure.

Remove them from the oven. Sprinkle with the garlic smoked paprika salt.

Let them cool a bit. Eat.

Freshly made kale chips going into the oven

Now, I have a Misto (which if you don't have one, you're missing out- they're fabulous), so instead of putting the kale in a large bowl and dumping oil into the bowl, I just sprayed the olive oil directly onto the kale as it sat on the foil lined cooking sheet. I did massage it a little, but the Misto makes it SO EASY to oil things. Seriously, you need one.

And, because of the awesome bag of kale, we can enjoy these much more frequently so when I made the seasoning this time, I made a bulk batch. 

Kale chip seasoning

So now I've got everything needed to make these wonderfully addicting (and healthy) chips quickly. 

To ensure you're getting maximum nutritional benefit from these chips, be sure to use unrefined sea salt. Unrefined salt is mineral rich, unlike the refined salt that has been stripped of magnesium, potassium and other important nutrients. Using this mineral rich salt kicks up the health factor significantly! 

I hope you enjoy these as much as we do! 

This is my life

This picture makes me happy. It represents my usual Saturday or Sunday morning.

I've overtaken the kitchen table.

This morning is particularly happy for me for several reason:

1) My Starbucks Christmas tumbler made it's first appearance of the season
2) We accidentally got TWO coupon books in the Sunday paper
3) My iPad spontaneously started playing Garth Brooks' Beyond the Season Christmas Album

I'm working on my menu planning and grocery lists. I normally meal plan 2 weeks at a time, but I've decided to tackle the rest of Nov and all of December. Having meals planned ahead of time definitely helps me enjoy life a little more than usual.

Planning ahead also ensures I try new recipes every once in a while, like the French Toast Muffins I'm making for our North Pole breakfast on Sat, Dec 1st. I'm not spilling too many details about the big breakfast, but just you wait, it's going to be AWESOME!