August 2015 Menu

We usually only make 1 big trip to the grocery store each month. I sit down and create a list of meals for the month and list the ingredients we need to buy. I don't usually plan out each days meals, I just list the meals and then decided that day or the day before what I'm going to make. I may try to actually plan it out again, but for now this is working out.

I thought I'd list what's on our menu for this month and give a review about the dishes. Some of them are new, some we've had before.


Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Chicken Fajita Stuffed Peppers
Chicken Veggie Meatballs with Fettuccine Alfredo
Juicy Apple Turkey Burgers and Oven Fries
Sweet Potato and Kale Chicken Patties, with Cheesy Broccoli Orzo
Grilled Bruschetta Chicken, Salad, and Butter Herb Fettuccine
Skinny Chicken Cordon Bleu and Zucchini Casserole
Loaded Baked Sweet Potatoes
Pizza Turkey Burgers and Crock Pot Italian Potatoes
Baked Chicken, California blend, and Baked Potatoes
Veggie Cheesy Quinoa Casserole and Salad
Cheese Tortellini Veggie Lasagna Bake
Creamy Crock Pot Spaghetti and Garlic Bread
Creamy Beef Noodle Bake
Roasted Sausage, Sweet Potatoes and Peppers, with Buttered Noodles.

I haven't decided if I'll post individual recipe posts on each meal, or one at the end of the month reviewing them all. You can click on  the links to find the recipes.

What's on your menu this month?

My New Favorite Meatloaf Recipe

I posted a meatloaf recipe a while back on here. I really liked it and then came across a recipe that had some "hidden" veggies in it that looked really good. I decided to combine the two recipes to make my own. I took different bits of each recipe to make my own version and Andy and I really like it. I've made it twice now and it's very good. I keep forgetting to take a picture of it, but here is the recipe.

Brittany's Meatloaf

3lbs ground beef or turkey (I usually use a mix)

2 eggs

2 c. plain bread crumbs

1 c. each of finely chopped carrots, celery, onion, bell pepper (I use red or yellow)

3/4c. grated parmesan cheese

1/2c ketchup

2 tsp garlic salt

2 tsp dried parsley

2 tbsp brown sugar

Mix all ingredients together and form into two loaves. Top with ketchup.  Place in 2 baking dishes and bake at 350 for 1 hour.

This makes 2 meat loaves, you can freeze one for later if you like. I have made it with only 2lbs of meat and kept the remaining ingredients the same to make 1 loaf also. 

I use my food processor to chop the veggies. The carrots are still a little firm in the meatloaf even when chopped extra fine, I think next time I may lightly steam the carrots to see if that works better. 

On The Menu This Month...

Andy and I are working to get into shape for a wedding we're in this summer, so this month's menu is full of healthy food options! I'm excited to try the new foods on the list and looking forward to some of our favorites. I thought I'd share our menu with you all, plus the links (colored words) to the recipes. Let me know if you try any of them yourself. I'll also try and let you know how the new recipes turn out.

Breakfasts
*Baked Peanut Butter Oatmeal
*Breakfast Ham Cups

Dinners
Skinny Chicken Cordon Bleu and veggies
Loaded Baked Sweet Potatoes
Baked Chicken Parmesan and veggies
*Meatball and Spaghetti Soup
*Cheesy Baked Spaghetti Squash Boats with Grilled Chicken
Chicken Cacciatore and Baked Potatoes
*Skinny Baked Broccoli Mac and Cheese
Meatloaf Cupcakes with Mashed Potato "Frosting"
*Salisbury Steak with *Skinny Garlic Mashed Potatoes
*Pinto Bean Soup

Desserts
*Skinny Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
*"Made Over" Banana Pudding Poke Cake

Snacks
*No Bake Peanut Butter Protein Bars

* Recipe we haven't tried.

The ones that aren't links are recipes that are actually a combination of 2 recipes, if they turn out well I'll post the combo/recipe I used.

Corn and Cheese Chowder

This week we tried a new recipe. It was really good!

Corn and Cheese Chowder

4tbs butter
1/2 onion, diced
3 slices bacon, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 can corn, drained
1 can creamed corn
1/4c flour
3c chicken broth
2c half and half
2c shredded monterey jack or cheddar cheese
1/4c green onion

In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Cook onions for a few minutes, then add in bacon and diced bell peppers. Cook until soft. Add in corn and simmer a couple more minutes.

Sprinkle flour over mixture, and stir. Then add in broth and simmer for 3-4 minutes.

Reduce heat to low, then stir in half-and-half, and cover to thicken. Simmer about 15 minutes.

Stir in cheese and green onion. Once cheese is melted, salt and pepper to taste.



We didn't have any green onion so I left that out. It was very flavorful!!!

Crock-pot Turkey

Around Thanksgiving, a local store had a coupon stating: Buy 1 ham and get 1 free turkey. We went ahead and took advantage of the deal even though we weren't hosting any holiday meal. I froze the turkey right away, and decided to go ahead and make it now to freeze and have on hand for after Kanaan is born. I don't have a roaster pan or a pan big enough for a turkey that goes in the oven, so I made it in the crock pot. I had an 11 pound turkey and used a 7qt crock pot.

Crock-Pot Turkey
Carrots
Celery
Onion
Vegetable bouillon base
Chicken bouillon base
Olive oil
Water
Turkey
Poultry Seasoning

I didn't use any measurements and you can do this with what you have on hand. That just happened to be what I had on hand.

First I put enough water in the bottom of the crock pot to barely cover the bottom. Then added 1 teaspoon of vegetable broth base and 1 teaspoon of chicken broth base. Added some baby carrots, celery, and 1 onion cut into large pieces. I rinsed the turkey and removed the giblets and neck. Then rubbed olive oil and sprinkled and rubbed my poultry seasoning all over that side of the turkey. I put the breast side down on top of the veggies in the crock pot while I oiled and seasoned the other side. Then I put the lid on and let it cook on low 10-12 hours. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the cooked turkey. The skin did not get crispy like if you had cooked it in the oven, but I don't like the skin anyway so it didn't really matter to me. Also it doesn't hold together for a fancy presentation if you are going for that. For our family holidays we always take the meat off the bones before dinner so people can just grab the meat and go through the line, we have a big family. We ate some for supper, and I had some for lunch the next day, but I was still able to have 13 cups of shredded meat to freeze. I probably would have had more if I hadn't munched on it while I was measuring it out to freeze.

Chicken Bouillon I used

Vegetable Bouillon I used

veggies and liquid before I added turkey

Make Your Own...Poultry Seasoning

Making your own poultry seasoning is a great way to cater the flavors and spices to your taste. Also you will know exactly what's going in to it. This is the recipe I used for Poultry Seasoning.


Poultry Seasoning
4 tbsp Sage
2 tbsp Thyme
2 tbsp Marjoram
1 tbsp Rosemary
1 tbsp Ground White Pepper
Pinch of Allspice
Pinch of Nutmeg

Mix all together. If desired, mix in blender or food processor for finer texture. (I did not blend/process). Store in airtight container.

Uses:
- Rub on surface of poultry before cooking.
- Season chicken or turkey soups.
- Season stuffing/dressing: add 1/2 to 1 tsp for 4 cups of stuffing/dressing

These are all dried spices/herbs.

Flower Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes for a bake sale at work. They are a fun easy activity that kids would love to help with. Just cut mini marshmallows in half diagonally so the form a flower petal shape. Place them in a baggie of colored sugar and shake. The sugar will stick to the cut side of the marshmallow. Arrange the petals on the cupcakes around a small round candy. Thats it they are done and so cute.

Breakfast Muffins

Breakfast Muffins
1 cup egg beaters
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup quick oats
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
5 frozen Banquet turkey sausage links, cut up
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1/4 cup green onions

Spray muffin pans heavily with cooking spray, set aside. Preheat oven to 375F. In a medium bowl mix egg beaters and applesauce, set aside. In a large bowl mix, flour, oats, baking powder and salt. Add egg mix to dry ingredients stir until just mixed. Add in sausage, carrot, cheese and green onions.Bake 14 to 16 minutes or until tops are browned and lightly spring back when touched. Serve warm.


These are really good. Don't be scared off by the applesauce and carrots! I made 18 so mine are 65 calories each. 

Broccoli Chicken Rollups

 I loved these. They are super quick and easy. They would be a perfect appetizer for a get together or party, or even great for a kids menu. They are less than 200 calories each when using light mayo and would probably be even less if you substitued mayo with plain yogurt.




Broccoli Chicken Rollups
1 c. chicken, cooked and chopped
1/2 c. carrots, finely chopped
1/2 c. broccoli, finely chopped
1/4 c. mayo
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 tsp dill weed
1 pkg refrigerated crescent roll dough

Mix first 6 ingredients together. On a baking sheet separate dough triangles. Place spoonful of filling in each triangle of dough. Roll up. Bake at 375F for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Fiesta Chicken Pie

Fiesta Chicken Pie (makes 2 pies)
2 pkgs refrigerated pie crust
1 jar (16oz) salsa
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 pkg (24oz) frozen corn
2 cans (9.75oz each) chunk chicken, drained
1 can (15oz) black beans, drained and rinsed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring pie crust to room temperature.

Mix salsa, soup, sour cream, cheese, corn, chicken and beans in large bowl.

Line 2 pie pans with one crust each. Divide filling amoung the pans and cover with remaining crust. Cut slits in the top to release steam. Line edges of pan with foil to prevent the crust from getting over done on the edges.

Bake 30 minutes, then remove foil and bake for a remaining 15 minutes or until crust is golden.

Enjoy!

Skillet BBQ Chicken

This recipe was a hit at our house. It took about 30 minutes to make so it's nice for a quick supper.

SKILLET BBQ CHICKEN
4 chicken breasts thawed
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp pepper
2/3c BBQ sauce
2/3c applesauce*
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp chili powder

Heat oil in a skillet. Sprinkle chicken breasts with pepper on both sides. Brown in skillet on both sides. In the meantime mix bbq sauce, applesauce, brown sugar and chili powder. Once chicken has browned on both sides, add sauce and cover. Continue cooking until chicken is done.

*The original recipe called for chunky applesauce, I didn't have that so I just used plain and it was really good. I think the chunky would have apple pieces in it, where the regular applesauce, just thickened the bbq sauce and made it a bit sweeter.

Blondies

This is one of my favorite desserts. One of the best parts of it is that its made with staples you always have on hand!
BLONDIES
1/4 c. Melted Butter or Margarine
1 c. Light Brown Sugar
1 Egg
1/2 c. Flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
Combine all ingredients. Spread in a greased baking dish and bake at 350 for 12-20 minutes.
This makes enough for a 9x9 pan.

Fiesta Chicken & Rice Wraps

This is a super quick and easy recipe!

Fiesta Chicken & Rice Wraps
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup chunky salsa
1/2 cup water
1 cup uncooked instant white rice
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
4 (10in) flour tortillas

Mix soup, salsa and water in saucepan. Heat to a boil.

Stir in rice and chicken. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes.

Spoon about 1 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla. Fold tortilla around filling.

Chicken Nugget Casserole

One of my favorite dishes! It's like a really easy to make Chicken Parmesan.

Chicken Nugget Casserole

1 12oz package chicken nuggets
1 jar spaghetti sauce
mozzerella cheese
pasta

Cook enough pasta to cover a 9x13 pan. Layer frozen nuggets on top of pasta, cover with sauce then cheese.

Bake at a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and nuggets are hot.

Meatloaf

Growing up I was not a meatloaf fan at all, until I tried this recipe. It's a bit sweeter than the one I grew up with and doesn't have green peppers, of which I am also not a fan.

Meatloaf

2lbs Hamburger
2 Eggs
1/2 - 3/4 sleeve crushed crackers
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
Sprinkle of onion powder
Ketchup to top

Mix first 7 ingredients together and form into a loaf. Place in a baking dish and cover with ketchup. Bake 1 hour at 350.


* The recipe above makes a larger meatloaf than the one shown. I used it to make stuffed peppers and then baked the rest of the meatloaf.

Taco Casserole

Taco Casserole

1 lb Ground Beef or Turkey
1 tube Refrigerated Crescent Roll Dough
1 pkg Taco Seasoning (or the equivelent if using homemade)
1 bag Doritos, crushed
1 c. Sour Cream
1/4 c. Ranch Dressing
Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook meet until browned and drain off fat. Add taco seasoning and water called for on seasoning packet.

Mix sour cream and ranch dressing. 

Spread the crescent roll dough in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch pan. Cover the rolls with 1/2 of the crushed chips. Sprinkle with taco meat. Cover meat with sour cream mixture. Cover with cheese then the rest of the chips.

Bake for 35 minutes and enjoy!

Red Velvet Cookies with Cheesecake Filling!

I took these cookies to the office today for Valentine's Day and they were a hit! They aren't really hard, but are quite detailed. But in my opinion they look super cute and the taste is worth the work. DELICIOUS!!!

Red Velvet Cookies with Cheesecake Filling
For the cookies:
 1 box Red Velvet Cake Mix
 2 tbsp Flour

 2 large eggs

 1/2 c. oil

 1 tsp vanilla

For the filling:
 4oz cream cheese
 2 c. Powdered Sugar
 1 tsp vanilla

For the Topping:
 White chocolate chips or almond bark

1. Mix cake mix and flour. Whisk until all lumps are gone.  Mix together cake mix/flour mix, eggs, oil and vanilla until smooth. Wrap dough in plastic wrap. The dough will be oily. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

2. Using a mixer combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Using a 1/2 tsp scoop out mix and form into balls. Place balls on a plate and put in freezer for at least 2 hours.

3. Preheat the oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Take about 1/8 cup of cookie dough and flatten into your hands. Place a ball of filling in the center of dough and wrap it around the filling and roll into a ball. Make sure their are no holes for it to leak out.

4. Place onto baking sheet. The cookies will spread so space them out. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until they start to look "crackled". Let them cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes. They will be all puffy when you take them out of the oven but will flatten & firm up while they cool. After 5 minutes transfer them to a cooling rack.

5. Once cooled, drizzle with melted white chocolate if desired.

I think these would be good using any cake mix. You could customize it to whatever theme you wanted. I forgot to get a picture of what the inside looks like but it's just cookie with a bit of white filling in the middle. They are SO yummy!

52 Weeks To A Better Me - Week #4...Make Your Own...Granola!

This week I made my own granola cereal! It was great! We've already eaten the whole batch (and would've eaten more if I had enough ingredients to make more).

It's very easy to make and so customizeable! The recipe I used called for pecans, which we don't like so we left them out, and sunflower kernals which I put in, but will probably leave out next time.

This is the recipe I tried.

Honey Nut Granola
4c. Rolled Oats
1c. Sliced Almonds
1c. Chopped Pecans
1c. Raw Sunflower Seeds
1/3c. Canola Oil
1/2c. Honey
1 tsp Vanilla
1 tbsp Cinnamon

Mix together nuts and oats in a large bowl.

Mix wet ingredients, then pour over oats. Stir to evenly coat.

Spread granola on two cookie sheets. Bake in a preheated 300 degree oven for 10 minutes, stir then bake 10 minutes more or until golden.

It smells wonderful while baking and despite the cinnamon in it, it really isn't noticeable at all. We ate it on yogurt (vanilla and fruit flavored) and with milk and love it. This will definitely be our go to granola from now on. I will probably try to use 2 c almonds to replace the pecans and an extra cup of oats to replace the sunflower seeds next time.

Two Recipes!

Today I made two new recipes! They were both really good so I'm going to share them with you!

Chicken Primavera
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 bag frozen stir fry vegetables
1 container Philadelphia Cooking Creme Italian Herbs and Cheese flavor
8 oz Linguine, Cooked

Cut chicken into bite sized pieces and cook in a large nonstick skillet until cooked through.

Add vegetables and cook until tender.

Add Cooking Creme and mix, heat till bubbling.

Add Linguine and stir together. Enjoy!

We couldn't find the stir fry vegetables so we used a blend of broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, corn and red peppers. It was great though! To go with we made Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks.

Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks
1 Tbsp Active Dry Yeast
1 1/2 c Warm water
3 c flour
2 tbsp Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 c melted butter
Garlic Salt
Dried Parsley
Shredded Parmesan Cheese


Dissolve yeast in water.

Add flour, sugar and salt and mix well. Let dough rise 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 375. Pour melted butter, parsley and garlic salt into a cookie sheet.

Roll dough into strips. Roll strips in butter mixture and bake 18-20 minutes.

Sprinkle sticks with cheese and bake another 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.

I thought the dough was too sticky and had to add a bit more flour, but they were really good!

Bar-B-Cups

I've recently tried a recipe that was super easy and super yummy! There are a couple of versions of this recipe floating around the internet that you a store-bought bbq sauce, my recipe did not. You definitely could use 1/2 c of a store sauce if you'd like but I found it just as easy this way.

Bar-B-Cups
1 pound ground beef or turkey
1 can refrigerated biscuit dough
1/2 c ketchup
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 c shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375 and spray muffin tins.

Cook ground beef until browned, drain off fat.

While beef is cooking mix ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar and chili powder. set aside.

Once beef is browned, add sauce mixture and heat until bubbling.

Flatten biscuit pieces and place one in each greased muffin cup.

Add 1/4 cup of meat mixture to each cup and top with cheese.

Bake 18-20 minutes until biscuits are browned and cheese is melted. Enjoy!!