Spicy Chili

We used to make chili all the time. We started avoiding it a while back – not sure why but I think maybe because it was too acidic. I always used a big can (like the super huge one) of tomato juice. This isn’t really spicy, even though it says it is. 🙂 I also typically don’t like beans, but anything that’s been in a crock pot all day long tastes good! I’m already trying to decide how I want to use the leftovers today. I’m thinking maybe chili cheese pinwheels? I have some crescent roll sheets. For the next week or so, I’m thinking my adventures with low-carb might not happen…

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground beef (cooked and drained), or 1 lb. Italian sausage + 1 lb. ground beef
• 3 cans petite diced tomatoes
• 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
• 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
• 1 can kidney beans, rinsed
• 1 can chili beans
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 2 jalapenos, diced
• 2 tbsp. chili powder
• 2 tbsp. white vinegar
• 1 tbsp. spicy brown mustard
• 1 tbsp. dried oregano
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1.5 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. paprika

Directions

1. Brown ground beef, or ground beef and Italian sausage. Drain, but retain some fat
2. Put all of the ingredients in a crock pot, and stir.
3. Cook on low for 6 hours.
4. Serve with your choice or toppings. Our favorites are sour cream and cheddar.

Swedish Meatballs

Not sure why I decided to make these so big, but I did.  I used a 1/3 c measuring cup and winged it from there.  You could make these much smaller and they work go a lot farther.  I ate mine over cauliflower rice.  Jamie had his over angel hair pasta.  DELICIOUS!  The girls are still in Effingham. Jamie has been working on finishing the laundry room in the basement and I’ve been doing odds and ends around the house.  We have PLENTY of food to go around but will soon be running low on some of our healthier choices.  Yes, we can go to the grocery store, however, we’ve been talking about using what we have and doing the best we can.  We are fortunate to have quite a bit of food that needs to be used.  This is another recipe I got from skinnytaste.com.  I changed a few things up, bit it’s pretty close!

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup onion, minced (food processor)
• 2 celery stalks, minced (food processor)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp parsley
• 1 lb ground chicken
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp allspice
• 2.5 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
• 6 oz fat-free cream cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

• In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat and add onions, celery, and garlic. Sauté until onions are translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add parsley and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.  Set aside to cool.
• In a large bowl, combine beef, chicken, eggs, onion mixture, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and allspice. Mix well and form into 9 large meatballs.
• Add beef stock to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and slowly drop meatballs into the broth. Cover and cook about 20 minutes, until cooked through.
• Remove the meatballs with a slotted spoon and set aside in a serving dish.  Transfer the broth and scrapings to a blender and add cream cheese.  Blend until smooth. Return to the skillet with the meatballs and simmer.

Each meatball (when you make 9) with sauce is 275 calories.

The recipe total is 2,472 calories.  Use that if you make more than 9 meatballs. 🙂

Total Calories-275  *Total Fat-15.1g  *Total Carbs-6.1g  *Protein 27.2g

Shepherd’s Pie

The girls are getting used to spaghetti squash and riced cauliflower.  Tonight Addyson said, “Mom… I’m going to starve.  This is cauliflower, not potatoes…  I just can’t.”  She dropped a little out of her mouth on the floor for the dog… (EYE ROLL).  She’s still calling me evil from the table.  Bryleigh was a clean plater!  She said it was good.  Jamie and I also approved. If you’re trying to have taters when you can’t have carbs, mashed cauliflower it is.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. lean ground beef browned and drained
• 2 tbsp. + 2tsp. lower-sodium brown gravy mix
• 1/2 c. water
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 3 c. cooked cauliflower, mashed in food processor
• 1/2 c. unsweetened almond milk
• 1 wedge laughing cow cheese (I used garlic and herb)
• 3 c. canned french style green beans, no salt added, drained
• 1 c. shredded reduced-fat cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Brown ground beef, drain.
3. Combine beef, gravy mix, water, salt, garlic powder, and pepper in a medium skillet.
4. Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 5 to 10 minutes.
5. Spread ground beef mixture into a casserole dish.
6. Spread green beans over the top of the meat.
7. Spread mashed cauliflower  (processed with almond milk and laughing cow cheese) over the green beans.
8. Sprinkle cheese on top of the cauliflower.
9. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

4 servings. 417 calories per serving.

Cheeseburger Pie

Spaghetti squash for days.  It takes so long to prep we do 2 spaghetti squash at a time.  We used our 1st spaghetti squash for our lasagna last night.  Tonight is Cheeseburger pie.  It calls for pickles but they aren’t included in the calories per serving because pickles are the devil, so there will be none for me!

Ingredients

• 1 large spaghetti squash (4 cups)
• 1 lb. lean ground beef (80/20)
• 1/4 c. diced onion
• 6 tbsp egg beaters (or 2 eggs-will add calories)
• 1/3 c. low-fat, plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2/3 c. reduced-fat, shredded cheddar cheese
• dill pickles (optional)

Directions

• Prepare spaghetti squash (bake @400 cut in half, cut side down for 50 minutes to 1 hour)
• Preheat oven to 400, if spaghetti squash has already been prepared
• Spray pie dish
• Press squash strands into the bottom and up sides of a pie dish, creating an even layer.
• Prepare pie filling.  In a skillet, cook beef and onion until beef is browned.  Drain.  Remove from heat.
• In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together eggs, Greek yogurt, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce.
• Stir sauce into ground beef mixture.
• Pour filling over squash crust.
• Sprinkle with cheese, cover, and bake for 35 minutes.
• If desired, add pickles before serving.

Yields 4 servings (1 Lean, 3 Green, 3 Condiments).  419 calories per serving!  1/4 of the pie!

Big Mac in a Bowl

Love a McDonald’s Big Mac but watching your carbs?  Here’s a great alternative that my family enjoyed.  3 out of the 4 of us went with Skinny Girl Ranch instead of the Thousand Island.  If you are on the Lean & Green plan I’ve included those counts for you!  If not, just ignore the parentheses after the ingredients. 🙂

Ingredients (Per serving)

• 4.5 oz. lean ground beef, browned (3/4 lean)
• 1/4 c. 2% shredded cheddar cheese (1/4 lean)
• 2.5 c. lettuce, shredded (2 1/2 greens)
• 1/4 c. tomatoes, chopped (1/2 green)
• 2 dill pickles (1 snack)
• 2 tbsp. Lite Wish-Bone Thousand Island Dressing (1 Healthy Fat)

*Any seasoning you want on the ground beef!  (count as a condiment)

The directions are pretty self-explanatory on this one! 🙂  Enjoy!

Sloppy Joe Boats

When you’re not really sure what to fix for dinner crazy (and sometimes delicious) things can happen.  I go through cycles of being really proactive about planning meals.  Then, I fall off the wagon and we’re lucky to eat more than grilled cheese (or whatever Jamie or I grab on the way home).  We didn’t really feel like going anywhere, but we didn’t have anything planned.  My mom used to make us biscuit pizza when we were little, so I gave this a whirl.

Ingredients

• 8 ct. biscuits (not flaky)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound ground beef
• 8 ounces tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup ketchup (or your favorite BBQ sauce)
• 3 tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. mustard
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• pepper, to taste
• Pickles (optional – yuck)
• Shredded cheese

Directions

1. Saute the garlic in a few drops of olive oil for one minute.
2. Add ground beef, and cook until no longer pink.
3. Drain grease from meat.
4. Stir in tomato sauce, ketchup (or BBQ), brown sugar, Worcestershire, mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper until well combined.
5. Simmer for a few minutes until heated through.
6. Spray the pan with non-stick.  I used my 8 loaf pan.  You could use a muffin pan (half the biscuits).
7. Spread the biscuit out in the pan.
8. Top with sloppy joe.  You could also add some pickles on here…
9. Top with shredded cheese
10. Bake at 350 for the time listed on biscuits.

 

Lasagna (Possibly the best ever..)

My immediate family loves this recipe.  My extended family often asks for the recipe.  There are a few “secret” ingredients.. I suppose I can share 🙂  The secret ingredients are most certainly the spices (you can use your favorites), alfredo sauce, and sliced provolone.

Ingredients

• Seasonings
  • Ms. Pattis Seasoning
  • Beachy’s Garlic Salt & Pepper
  • dried onion
  • Beachy’s Italian seasoning (to sprinkle on top)
• 2 lbs. hamburger
• Brown sugar, to taste
• 2 jars  24 oz. spaghetti sauce (I use Hunt’s Roasted Garlic & Onion)
• 1 jar Alfredo (I use any variety of garlic Alfredo I can find)
• 1 package oven ready lasagna noodles
• 2 packages shredded cheese (I usually go Colby Jack)
• 1 package sliced provolone or mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Brown the hamburger with dried onion, Garlic Salt & Pepper, and Ms. Patti’s Seasoning.
2. Drain the meat – we even run a little water over it to drain excess grease.
3. Put the meat back in the pan and add both sauces.  Add brown sugar to taste.  We usually use about 2 heaping tbsp.
4. Time to layer (after using Pam, of course)..
   1. sauce
   2. noodles
   3. cheese
   4. sauce
   5. noodles
   6. Alfredo Sauce (after I dump it all in I add a smidge of water to the jar, shake and pour it in)
   7. sliced cheese
   8. noodles
   9. sauce
   10. cheese
   11. Italian Seasoning
5. Bake at 350 covered for 45 minutes.  Uncover and cook an additional 15 minutes.  Let set at least 15-20 minutes before serving.
6. PS – It’s even better the next day.

Mongolian Beef (Instant Pot)

My grandma and grandpa got me an Instant Pot for Christmas.  I’ve been hearing about it for a couple of years but never pulled the trigger to purchase one.  I’ve always been happy with my crockpot (when I plan ahead, of course) so I didn’t think I needed another kitchen appliance.  I’ve used it twice and have been pleasantly surprised both times!

Make sure you know how to use the Instant Pot!  The first time we used it.. we were a little nervous!

I added broccoli and carrots to my Instant Pot.  When I make it again, I will steam the broccoli separate.  As you can see from the picture, the broccoli sort of went to mush. 🙂  The carrots held up well.

Serve over Jasmine rice.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. top sirloin or flank steak, trimmed of gristle and thinly sliced against graint
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp. ginger
• 2 to 3 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1.5 cups brown sugar
• 6 carrots, peeled and sliced.
• 2 tbsp. corn starch
• 3 tbsp. cold water
• Green onions, chopped
• Rice, cooked
• Steamed Broccoli

Directions

1. Brown/sear meat.  You can do this in the Instant Pot on the saute/brown/sear mode or on the stove, whatever you prefer.  Once pot is hot, add oil and brown meat in 2 to 3 batches.  Do not crowd.  Transfer meat to a plate when browned.
2. Add garlic and ginger to pot and saute, while stirring, 1 minute.  Add water, soy sauce, and brown sugar.  Stir to combine.
3. Add browned beef and sliced carrots.
4. Make sure the valve is sealed and select manual, or the beef option. Set the timer for 12 minutes.
5. When beep sounds, turn pressure cooker off and use the quick pressure release.  When valve drops carefully remove lid.
6. Turn pot on again to brown/sear mode.
7. In a small bowl combine the cornstarch and 3 tbsp. water, whisking until smooth.  Add cornstarch mixture to the sauce in the pot, stirring constantly.  Stir until sauce thickens.
8. Serve over rice and steamed broccoli.

Delicious!!

Zoodles Spaghetti

I’m pretty sure that those who know me closely won’t believe what I’m about to say… I found an alternative to pasta – that I’ll eat…

Little Miss Bean came home sick from school today (a tummy ache – or she missed her mom.. I’m not sure yet) – so I finally got to use my spiralizer.  I’ve been wanting to try this and started to actually get concerned that I might be building it up and it wouldn’t be as good as I thought it would be.

We were both pretty mesmerized by the process.. It’s pretty cool!

We did 6 zucchini – I thought it might be too many.. but it really cooks down.  Here’s what 6 looked like (before it was cooked).

You have to sweat the zucchini.  What’s that you say?  It’s mostly water.. so get out what you can.  I put just a sprinkle of salt over it – with paper towels under and blotted the top as well… I replaced the paper towels.  Then, I put it in the oven on 200 for 20 minutes.  No, the paper towels won’t start on fire.

Then, boil the noodles for 3-4 minutes, or under tender.  Drain.  You will be AMAZED at what’s left.  It shrinks by more than half.

I used my regular spaghetti sauce.. Next time, I will use turkey burger.  (I’M TRYING).  I sprinkled just a little bit of cheese (for some reason it look like WAY more than it is) over the top and some Italian seasoning and stuck it in the oven for a few minutes just to melt the cheese.

The results were delicious.  Everyone approved.  Jamie says no more pasta, zoodles it is….

 

Brown Sugar Meatloaf

Mom and I spent a day this past weekend preparing meals for the winter.  Since my evening supervision is heavy throughout the winter, the girls and Jamie tend not to eat very well.  We put away 20+ meals.  We left one of these out and made it that evening.  It was delicious!  I’m not a super big fan of meatloaf, but this is a must try!

Ingredients:

• 2 pieces of bread
• 1.5 pounds ground beef
• 1/2 cups milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 package onion soup mix
• 3/4 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 tsp. Worcheshire sauce
• BBQ sauce of your choice (We love Doug McCains)
• Cooking spray

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350.
2. Coat 9×5 loaf pan with cooking spray.  Place 2 pieces of bread at the bottom (soaks up the excess grease).  If you have a meatloaf pan (where the grease drains, you can leave out the bread).
3. In large bowl, combine all ingredients.
4. Top with your favorite BBQ sauce.
5. Bake in a preheated oven for 75 minutes, or until cooked through.

DELICIOUS!