Weight Loss Wednesday

How are ya'll doing?  I'm not losing much weight but I'm hanging in there and chugging along with our goals.  You can read more about it and catch up on all previous posts HERE.

This week I thought I'd chat a bit about eating healthier.  When we hear the words "eat healthier" we think of salads, and tofu...at least I do.  I thought today I'd share a healthier version of a recipe our family loves.  I switched out a few things and they love it!   Give it a try!

Healthy Parmesan Crusted Chicken

12 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt  (instead of the mayo)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I'm cheap so I used Kraft from the can -- got it nearly free with sale and coupons!)
4 Roma tomatoes seeded and chopped
1 T Italian herbs
1 T basil
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Crumbs:  (I left out the butter crackers and just sprinkled the following ingredients.)
3 T Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. garlic salt

The goal to cooking the chicken right is to have them the same size. You will want to cut each chicken breast into at least 3 separate equal sized pieces. Cut them on a slant not in three chunks...you want it to look pretty! :)

Place the chicken in 2 -- 9x13 baking dishes. In a bowl combine yogurt, parm. cheese, roma tomatoes, Italian herbs, basil, and cayenne pepper. Spread the mixture over the top of the chicken.

Mix the crumb ingredients and sprinkle over the chicken. Place in a pre-heated 425 degree oven and bake for 25-35 minutes until cooked through.

Creamy Chicken -n- Noodle Casserole Revised

I posted the original recipe HERE, but I've tweaked it over the last year or so to be a bit healthier and budget conscious. 

Creamy Chicken -n- Noodle Casserole

16 oz. egg noodles (cooked)
1 can cream of chicken soup (or use my homemade version HERE, just cut the recipe in half)
3/4 can of milk (I'm into dirtying as few dishes as possible! -- just use the can from the cream of chicken soup to measure...or about 1 cup will do fine)
1/4 c. butter
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 c. shredded colby-jack cheese
1 can of cooked chunk chicken (or 1/2 - 1 lb. cooked, chopped chicken -- depends on your preference)

Cook the egg noodles. Combine the remaining ingredients in a large saucepan.  Stir until the mixture is nice and creamy. Stir in the chicken and combine with the noodles.

Notes: You can put this in a baking dish and add cracker crumbles or crumbled chips as a topping and bake for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees. Or you can skip that step and just add the noodles to the bowl and serve from there. *whisper* That's what I do. They don't care about the fancy-schmancy presentation. But don't tell them there's an option. *wink*

Or...you can make this mid-afternoon and then put it in a crock pot on warm to keep it warm. This is such a versatile dish! Oh so many options!

Also there are no leftovers with this meal. If I make a double batch then there might be a little bit for lunch the next day but the more I make the more they eat. I guess it's a good problem to have, eh?

Sausage and Rice

I tried this recipe (from Thriftyfun.com) last week with some smoked sausage I picked up pretty cheap.  It got rave reviews all the way around the table!  I, once again, tweaked it.  You can find the original here.

2 lb. Kielbasa sausage
1 can of chunk pineapple and juice
1 large green pepper
3 tomatoes
1 T cornstarch
1 T vinegar
1 T soy sauce
1/2 c preserves (I used pineapple ice cream topping)
2 cups snap peas

Slice kielbasa and then cut slices into quarters and cook in a large covered skillet.  Cut up pepper and tomatoes, add to pan.  In a separate dish, combine cornstarch,vinegar,soy sauce and preserves.  Do not taste test the sauce at this point (icky, trust me!). Simply add it to the pan with sausage and veggies.  Now add the pineapple and the juice from the can and stir.  Here I added about 2 cups snap peas. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes on low -medium.  Serve over hot white rice.  Enjoy!

*pic. from Ekrich.com

Easy Beef and Noodles

I made beef and noodles a few weeks ago and I thought I'd post the recipe because to my surprise it was super easy and it tasted pretty good. So good that after my crowd left the table there was none left at all. That's a good problem to have!

Easy Beef and Noodles

16 oz. bag egg noodles cooked
1- 27 oz. can beef (Grabill Meats...good stuff!)
3 cans beef gravy (Campbell's is what we used)
1/2 tsp. black pepper
salt to taste

Mix together the ingredients and warm up on the stove until it's "scarfing temperature"...that's what hubby calls it!

*Next time I make it (assuming I have some canned beef on hand) I will get some gravy mix packets. It would be much cheaper. But...that's what we had so that's what I used. Worked for me!

Pioneer Beef Stew

*Note: This week is all topsy turvy...the three day weekend does that to a person! So...the Queen of the Castle book post will be tomorrow. I know...some of you are just so upset because the sun rises and sets on my blog posts! LOL! ; )

Here's another recipe from the Gooseberry Patch Cookbook Preview Party that I hosted last week. It was supposed to be baked in the oven but I was in a crock pot mood so in the crock pot it went!

Pioneer Beef Stew

14-1/2 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
1 c. water
3 T. quick-cooking tapioca, uncooked
2 tsp. sugar
1-1/2 tsp. salt (I used less than 1 tsp. salt)
1/2 tsp. pepper
1-1/2 lbs. stew beef, cubed (I used a can of our local Grabill Meats canned beef...order here.)
3 to 4 potatoes, peeled and cubed (hmm...seems I forgot to add these?)
4 carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
1 onion, diced (I used 1 tsp. onion powder)

In a large bowl, combine tomatoes with juice, water, tapioca, sugar, salt and pepper. Mix well; stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into a grease 3-quart casserole dish. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, until beef and vegetables are tender. Serves 4 to 6.

*I cooked it in the crock pot on low for about 7 hours. The last 2 hours I cooked it with the lid slightly off to let some of the liquid evaporate. But...thinking about it now if I would have added the potatoes I probably wouldn't have to had take the lid off for a while. I guess I was just so busy that I left the potatoes out. I'm not a huge stew fan but my mom seemed to love it so I guess it wasn't that bad.

Chicken Chimies

This is a new recipe from Gooseberry Patch's latest bookazine. It's a magazine but without ads. Love that!


Chicken Chimies

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
salt, pepper and garlic salt to taste
1 T. butter
10 (8-inch) flour tortillas
8 oz. pkg. shredded Monteray Jack cheese
6 green onions (I used a some chives from the herb garden.)
1 T. vegetable oil
Toppings: sour cream, guacamole (wouldn't use that...the kids hate it), salsa
Optional: lettuce leaves

Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper and garlic salt to taste. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add chicken and saute about 3 minutes.

Spoon chicken evenly onto tortillas. Top with cheese and green onions (or chives or sprinkle some onion powder); fold up sides and roll up, burrito-style. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add rolled-up tortillas and saute until golden. Serve with your choice of toppings and over lettuce leaves, if desired. Serves 6-8. (We doubled it for us.)

We served these with tortilla chips, mexican rice, refried beans, sour cream. Deeelish!!!
Enjoy!

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

I found this recipe in a magazine a few years ago.  We love it! Perfect for grilling weather! I've tweaked it to suit our family size.

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 2 lbs.) -- I butterfly them or trim them into smaller pieces.

1/2 cup Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing, divided
2 tomatoes, finely chopped

1 cup shredded mozzarella Cheese

2 tsp. dried basil


Heat your grill to medium heat. Cover half of the grill grate with a sheet of heavy-duty foil (don't use the el cheapo...bad things happen!). Place the chicken in a large baggie along with 1/4 cup of the dressing; seal the bag. Massage the bag to evenly coat. Refrigerate it for 10 minutes. Remove the chicken and discard the bag with the dressing. (Icky!) Place the chicken on the uncovered side of the grill and cover with the lid. Grill about 6-8 minutes. While that's cooking combine the remaining dressing (the fresh stuff...not from the bag...eew!), tomatoes, cheese and basil. Turn the chicken over onto the foil. Top with the tomato mixture. Cover (with the lid) and grill 8 more minutes or until the chicken is done.

We serve this with garlic bread, bow tie pasta, some corn on the cob and some steamed or grilled veggies. I warm up a little bit of the dressing (again...the fresh stuff!) if anyone wants to toss it with their pasta. Enjoy!

Sloppy Joes

Our busy day of the week is Wednesday. We usually have tacos or sloppy joes. They are quick and easy. Everyone likes them and I can throw them in the crock pot after lunch and they're ready for dinner. This is my own sloppy joe concoction. You may like it, you may not. Feel free to tweak it however you like!

Sloppy Joes

2 lbs. ground beef, browned and drained
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1 tsp. mustard (from the fridge...not powder)
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. Worchestershire sauce

In a crock pot put the beef and add the remaining ingredients. Mix together and cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2.

Enjoy!

Ranch Cheddar Chicken

I bought a lot of split chicken breasts a few weeks ago that were super cheap and put them in the fridge. I had my husband (aka Hubster, not-the-Hubster...hehe) grill some the other day and to get them thoroughly cooked they had to be...um...charred, let's say. So I'm thinking grilling these puppies is not a great idea. I dug up this recipe that I haven't used in a long time and it's a hit!

Ranch Cheddar Chicken

8 chicken breasts (split with skin removed or boneless)
1 cup ranch dressing
2 T flour
1/2 c. cheddar cheese

Combine ranch, flour, and cheddar cheese and spread on top of the chicken. Bake at 375 degrees covered with aluminum foil for 10 minutes. Remove aluminum foil, bake for 25 minutes. Check for doneness.

Enjoy!

*drawing from kitchentablecomix.com

Stuffed Crust Pizza

Friday night at our house is usually pizza night. Sometimes we order out but usually we make it. I have to use two large rectangular baking sheets and that feeds us plenty with some leftovers for the next day.


Stuffed Crust Pizza

Dough
10 sticks mozzarella string cheese
1 1/2 cups pizza sauce or spaghetti sauce (the latter is cheaper and doesn't taste any different)
4 oz. shredded colby jack cheese
16 oz. mozzarella
pepperoni
Parmesan cheese (I used Parmesan/Romano blend)
Basil
Oregano
Garlic powder

(I usually add browned sausage, onions, green pepper, and black olives on one of the pizzas but I didn't have those since we were eating from the pantry last week.)

Spray the cookie sheets with non-stick spray. Put two large clumps of dough on the cookie sheets and pat out with greased hands. Make sure you make the edges of the dough touch the pans and be a little thick. Cut the string cheese in half and then in half lengthwise. Push them into the edges of the dough.



Once you've laid out all the string cheese start folding over the dough so it encases the cheese.


Spread out the pizza or spaghetti sauce. Try not to touch the seams where your dough encased the cheese or they may unroll and the cheese will melt out.



Sprinkle half the mozzarella on the cheese and then the colby jack. Then lay out the toppings.



Sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella. Sprinkle generously with Parmesan/Romano cheese (I use the kind in the can), garlic powder, oregano, and basil (there's not a specific amount...it depends on what you like).



Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Ovens vary, and if you are baking two pizzas you'll need to rotate them.


Enjoy!

Meatloaf

I never found a meatloaf recipe that the whole family likes so I made up my own. Hope you all like it.

Meatloaf

-makes 1 loaf pan

2 lbs. ground beef
1 cup crushed crackers (I use butter crackers like Ritz)
1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 T parsley (dried)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup

Sauce:
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp. mustard
2 tsp. brown sugar

Mix together the first set of ingredients in a large bowl. Bate in a preheated 375 degree oven for 40 minutes. Carefully drain grease. Spoon sauce on top and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Caesar Chicken Pizza

A friend of mine shared this recipe with me years ago and our family loves it! She used 2 Pillsbury pizza crusts or you can use my recipe.

This recipe is for one large rectangular pizza.

1 lb. chicken
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese
Parmesan cheese (1 fresh wedge (shredded) is best but I use the canned Kraft kind and eye-ball it)
2 tsp. minced Garlic (or 4 cloves or 1 tsp. garlic powder) -- divided
Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing (Kraft makes a nice one!)
Romaine lettuce
Roma tomatoes
Black olives
Green onion if you like (us...not so much!)

Cut chicken into strips. Put 2 T. salad dressing and 1 tsp. garlic into a large skillet. Add the chicken and cook thoroughly. Place the pizza crust on a pan. Spread 2 T dressing and 1 tsp. garlic onto the crust. Sprinkle 1/2 the wedge of Parm. cheese (or 1/2 cup-ish of canned) plus 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese over the crust. Put the cooked chicken on top of the cheese then sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top. Bake for approx. 25 minutes (or until cheese is melted and crust is done).

The topping for this is basically a salad on top. Chop up your lettuce, dice the tomatoes, black olives and onion. Toss it with some of the dressing and place on top of the baked pizza. Slice and enjoy!


**photo from blogchef.net

Ham and Popeye

No, not ham potpie...ham and popeye! Hubster's Grandma used to make this every Easter. It is wonderful comfort food!! I know...they're just homemade noodles, you say. Not to me! They're popeye!! : )

I'm typing this out like it is on my recipe card. There's no ingredient list, really. That's how grandma's cook, you know?! I'll do my best to guide you along.

10 lb. picnic ham in a large roasting pan, covered mostly with water. Cook in a 350 degree oven for 5 hours or so.

Take the ham out to rest. It's so exhausting, you know?! ; )

Bring the juices from the ham to a boil (after skimming out the fat pieces). You may need to add a bit more water.

Put popeye (see below) in gently one at a time...or they'll stick together. (It's tedious but well worth it!! Cook them for about 15 minutes. And no, the popeye that you put in first won't be "overcooked" by the time the last popeye are done.)

**Here's me flipping over my recipe card**
Popeye
Beat 6 or 7 eggs in a large mixing bowl (with a fork, no mixer allowed!)

Mix in pepper (how much isn't written down but I would do no more than a 1/2 teaspoon)
DO NOT ADD SALT!!

Stir in about 3 cups SELF-RISING flour until the dough can be rolled (1/4 inch thick). (It'll be really sticky-goey but then you'll plop it out on a floured counter and knead in a little bit of flour so you can roll it. Real precise, I know. Again...that's the charm of grandma's cooking!)
Cut the dough into squares about 2"x2" or smaller. (I use a dull pizza cutter and cut it right on the counter.)

Well there ya have it! Ham and Popeye! It goes great with mashed potatoes and Grandma's Mac-n-Cheese along with some biscuits! Yum!


* Print is from Art Country Canada

Chicken Pot Pie

I have a few friends whose children think I make the best chicken pot pie ever. Some were betting that I was making it the other night for dinner when they came over. They were sort of bummed that I hadn't. So I promised to put the recipe on here so their mom could make it for them. : )

Chicken Pot Pie
This recipe is for 3 pot pies -- if you don't need to eat three, then eat one, bless a friend with one, and stick the other one in the fridge for another day that week. ; )

Double Crust Pie Crust Recipe x3
2 lb. bag of frozen mixed veggies (I get the kind with carrots, peas, and green beans)
2 T. onion powder (or 2 medium onions chopped)
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup flour (I use unbleached all-purpose)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sage
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk
3 pounds cubed cooked chicken (or turkey for turkey pot pie)
1/4 cup dried parsley (or 1/2 cup fresh)

Make the pie crust and stick it in the fridge for a while to stiffen up. Cook the mixed veggies according to the package; drain. In a very large saucepan melt butter and stir in onion powder (or cook onions until tender). Stir in flour, salt, sage, thyme, parsley (unless fresh then add it when the chicken is added) and pepper. Add chicken broth and milk all at once. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Stir in drained veggies and chicken. Heat while mixing until it's bubbly. Turn it down to warm then roll out your pie crusts, pour in the fillings, then top with crust. Flute edges of pastry, cut slits in the top for steam to escape. Cover the edges with foil and bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes, remove the foil and bake until golden brown on top (about 20 minutes more).

Notes:
*Sometimes I'm feeling really industrious so I dice up some potatoes, cook them most of the way then add that to the pot pie filling. Make sure to reduce the veggies to 1 lb. or you'll have extra filling left.

*Also, you can pour the filling into a 9x13 baking dish. Roll out the pie crust (use 1 double crust recipe) and place over the top. Flute the edges, cut slits in the top. Bake 450 degrees for 15 minutes or so.

Easy Peasy Chops

This recipe is so simple it's crazy! I got this from a friend years ago. In my opinion besides Lemony Pork Piccata, it's the only way to cook pork chops. They are nice and tender and if you trim most of the fat off of the pork chops you can use the left over juices (after cooking) for gravy!

Easy Peasy Chops

2-3 lbs. of boneless pork chops (I buy pork loin and have the meat counter slice it about 1/2 in. thick)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cans water (No need to dirty a measuring cup, right?)
6 T. worchestershire sauce
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. black pepper (depends on how much you like pepper)
a few dashes of salt

Place your chops in a 4-ish qt. crock pot. Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl or mixer then pour over the chops. If there are some parts of the chops exposed just pour a bit more water over it or half way through the cooking turn them over so they don't dry out.

Cook on high for 4-6 hours. Remove the chops to a dish and cover so they can rest (that cooking process is tiring, you know?). Strain the bits out of the remaining juices and if you feel it's a bit too runny add 1 T flour to take 1/2 cup of cold water in a small bowl or tea cup. Then when it's no longer runny add it to the juices and mix in a saucepan over medium heat until it's thicker. (I usually do this a bit at a time so it's just the right thickness.)

I serve this with mashed potatoes or rice. With a side veggie dish and rolls. Mmm mmm good, and easy peasy!

Cinnamon Chicken

In season 6 of Little House on the Prairie there's an episode where Laura makes a meal for Almonzo but Nellie is pretending that she made it. Laura is upset with Nellie so she puts cayenne pepper in the mix instead of cinnamon. It's one of my favorite episodes. Hilarious to say the least!

Every time I make this the kids chatter on and on about that episode. But then of course we have to a-hem and remind them that it wasn't very nice of Laura. (But it sure was funny!)

Cinnamon Chicken
2 whole chickens (see note below)
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup honey
2 T. lemon juice
1/8 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. garlic salt

Blend together broth, cinnamon, honey, lemon juice, cumin, chili powder, and garlic salt. Place chicken in a large ungreased roasting pan (I use my roaster); pour mixture over chicken. Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight. Bake at 400 degrees for 1 and 1/2 hours. (Make sure that you have plenty of room between the chickens to let air circulate.) Let them rest for about 20 minutes to retain moisture.

Note: You can use chicken pieces such as breast on the bone with skin. Cooking time will be less (about an hour) and you'll want to lower the temperature to about 375 degrees.

Creamy Chicken -n- Noodle Casserole

This recipe came from a friend many years ago. I think my family would eat it every day if I served it. Enjoy!

Creamy Chicken -n- Noodle Casserole
16 oz. egg noodles (cooked)
1 can cream of chicken soup
3/4 can of milk (I'm into dirtying as few dishes as possible!)
1/4 c. butter
1/2 lb. Velveeta
1 can of cooked chunk chicken (or 1/2 - 1 lb. cooked, chopped chicken -- depends on your preference)

Cook the egg noodles. Combine the remaining ingredients in a large saucepan.  Stir until the mixture is nice and creamy. Stir in the chicken and combine with the noodles.

Notes: You can put this in a baking dish and add cracker crumbles or crumbled chips as a topping and bake for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees. Or you can skip that step and just add the noodles to the bowl and serve from there. *whisper* That's what I do. They don't care about the fancy-schmancy presentation. But don't tell them there's an option. ; )

Or...you can make this mid-afternoon and then put it in a crock pot on warm to keep it warm. This is such a versatile dish! Oh so many options!

Also there are no leftovers with this meal. If I make a double batch then there might be a little bit for lunch the next day but the more I make the more they eat. I guess it's a good problem to have, eh?

Lemony Pork Piccata

Here's another Gooseberry Patch recipe that our whole family loves! (I've tweaked it a bit.)

Lemony Pork Piccata

2 lb. pork tenderloin, sliced into 16 portions

4 t. lemon-pepper seasoning

6 T. all-purpose flour

4T. butter

1/2 c. chicken broth

1/2 c. lemon juice (I use the bottled kind)

Pound pork into slices to 1/8 inch thickness, using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Lightly sprinkle pork with lemon-pepper seasoning and flour. Melt 2 T. butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of pork and saute 2-3 minutes on each side until golden, turning once. Repeat procedure with remaining butter and pork. Remove pork to a serving plate; set aside.

Add chicken broth and lemon juice to skillet. Cook 2 minutes until slightly thickened, scraping up browned bits. Add pork and heat thoroughly.

Serve over quick-cooking angel hair pasta or brown rice to enjoy every drop of the lemony goodness!

Baked Oatmeal

This is a much requested breakfast treat.  May your family enjoy it as much as mine!

Baked Oatmeal

Mix:
4 1/2 c. quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
3 t. baking powder
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1 1/2 t. salt

In a separate bowl mix:
3 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
3/4 c. applesauce*(or oil)

Mix and bake in 9x13 greased pan in a preheated 350 degrees oven for 25-30 minutes


*Note: The applesauce tastes much better than the oil (in my opinion anyway).

I mix this (dry ingredients in one bowl, wet in another (and put in the fridge)) the night before so all I have to do in the morning is preheat the oven, mix all of it together, pour in a pan and pop it in the oven. I also add raisins to one half since half of my gang doesn't like raisins. (Just spoon them over one half and push them down in a bit.)

I'm sure there's a healthier alternative to the brown sugar...if anyone has any ideas, let me know!

Chicken Burritos

We have a certain child who really doesn't like anything made with sour cream in it. I made this and didn't reveal what was in it. He loved it. What he doesn't know won't hurt him, right? (This recipe is from Gooseberry Patch.)


Chicken Burritos
2 lb. cooked and shredded (or chopped) chicken

1 1/2 c. salsa (divided)

1 c. sour cream

8 (10-inch) flour tortillas

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 c. shredded colby-jack cheese (or mexican blend kind)

Combine chicken, 1/2 cup salsa and sour cream in a large bow. Spoon chicken mixture evenly onto tortillas. Fold up sides and roll up, burrito-style; place in an ungreased 9x13 baking dish. Mix together soup and remaining salsa (1 c.); pour over burritoes.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and bake 5 more minutes or until cheese melts. Serve with chopped black olives, tomatoes, sour cream, baked beans, mexican rice, etc.

Note: When I bake this I double the recipe (using my BigOven program!) and bake in two dishes. I put them in the oven together and rotate the pans half-way. I find that the bottom of the burritos aren't as crunchy and easier to cut this way. When baking together the bottom dish shields the top dish from the intense heat. Make sense?