Low Cal Stir Fry

Keith and I love Chinese food but hate the calories associated with it. So I found a low cal recipe from www.eatingwell.com

I used the following
1/2 C of low sodium chicken stock
3 TSP of low sodium soy sauce
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
chopped broccoli
baby carrots
baby tomatoes
diced celery
dash of paprika
dash of cayenne pepper

The glory of stir fry is if you want more veggies, add more veggies. If you want less/more spice, adjust how much pepper you use. Either way, it was super easy and way cheaper than take out.

Taco Dip

So the week before vacation is when you try to get rid of all the food in your fridge that could go bad. Which is what we're doing. Since we tend to eat spicy we had lots of peppers and vegetables. So I made up a taco dip recipe.

1 lb Ground beef(or turkey)
1/2 green, red, orange & yellow bell pepper
1 packet of taco seasoning
2 tbsp of sour cream
2 tbsp of salsa
Dash of cayenne pepper
Dash of cumin
1 small white onion
1 clove of garlic
1 Jalapeno
3/4 bag(yeah I used it all) of Mexican mixed cheese

I think that's it. My problem is I kind of cook off instinct so it's hard to convey in a recipe. But it usually works out well.

Anyway, I fried the meat, added the veggies and spices. After it was all cooked, I added the cheese to the top and let it melt. Served in bowls with chips as a dip. It was yummy.

5 Minute Dinner

Literally, 5 minutes.

Original Recipe is found here.

4 Chicken breasts(I use skinless & boneless)
1 cup salsa
1/2 c sour cream
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 packet taco seasoning

I also added....b/c we like it spicy in our house.
1 can of chipotle peppers
dash of cayenne pepper

Season the chicken breasts with the taco seasoning. Put in the crockpot along with the salsa, sour cream and cream of chicken soup. Shred the chicken so it all absorbs the flavor. Cook on low for 6-8 hours and viola! I used frozen chicken breasts, for 8 hours and they turned out fine. I shredded the meat about 6 hours in. I served over brown rice and it was fabulous! Enjoy!

Christmas-y coffee

A trick I learned from my step dad a few years ago makes coffee taste that much better.

After putting the coffee grounds into the filter, sprinkle a bit of cinnamon onto the grounds. The end result is the same yummy coffee with just a bit of cinnamon/Christmas-y flair.

Pot Roast

I got this recipe from my mom and it's so easy.

I put a pot roast in the crock pot with the following.

1 packet of onion soup mix
4 celery stalks(diced)
3 carrots(diced)
4 red potatoes(sliced in quarters)

cover everything with water and put on low for 6-8 hours. Ta-da!

Pasta

So tonight I winged it again.

Boiled some Penne pasta noodles.
Took some generic meat flavored spaghetti sauce, added some mushrooms, garlic salt, onion powder and viola. Yummy pasta.

Chicken Fajitas

Last night I decided to make chicken fajitas. I had remembered seeing a recipe but my computer crashed so I kind of winged it. Here's what I used.

4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1 packet of taco seasoning
1/2 red, green, orange bell pepper
Dash of cayenne pepper
Dash of onion salt
EVOO

Fry it up in a skillet, grab some tortillas, sour cream, cheese, salsa, and whatever other toppings you like and viola! Fajitas!

Giving Thanks

My dear sweet friend Aimee is spending her Thanksgiving in the hospital. Her darling husband M has been hospitalized for what they think is an issue with his colon. Although he is appearing to get better, they will not make it home for Thanksgiving. We are raising money to order them a full meal from a local cafe, so they can have a traditional dinner even in the hospital.

Here's the link if you'd like to donate.

Chili rubbed Tilapia

I like tilapia because it's not a fishy fish, you know, like salmon. In fact, when seasoned and cooked right, you can't tell it's fish. So tonight I made this and some pasta.

For the pasta I used regular spaghetti noodles but added a bit of butter and garlic salt to give it just a bit of flavor.

It was excellent! K liked it because he likes things with lots of flavor so the chili was a win for him. And the asparagus was a great side.

I cheat when I cook

I have been sick the last couple of days, so cooking has been put on hold since Keith had plenty of leftovers to eat.

Tonight I made some chicken breasts with a Greek dry season rub. I love this rub b/c it takes 30 seconds to put it on the chicken and throw it in a pan and cook. Make with some asparagus(or your fav veggie) and some rice or pasta and you have a quick and easy meal! Less than 10 minutes.

Menu for the week

Sundays I like to sit down and figure out our menu for the week. It helps us keep on track and figure our grocery budget as well. So here's the plan

Monday - Pot Roast with carrots and potatoes. Probably biscuits too.
Tuesday - Chicken Papkrish with rice
Wednesday - Spaghetti with meatballs
Thursday - Orange Soy Glaze Porkchops
Friday - Santa Fe Stew with chiles

Sounds like a yummy week!