Category Archives: Entrees

Paltrow’s Japanese Chicken Meatballs

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We felt like something different and more lean.  These meatballs by Gwyneth Paltrow fit the bill.  The maple syrup is a unique touch.  I had to omit the raw garlic but it was great anyway, even without the sauce!  Makes 2 dozen protein-packed meatballs.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 pound ground chicken (preferably dark meat)
  • ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 garlic clove, very finely minced
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons good-quality maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons neutral oil (like canola, grapeseed, or safflower oil)
  • Lee’s Hoisin Sauce for serving  (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Thoroughly mix the chicken with the salt, pepper, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and maple syrup.
  2. Roll the mixture into golf ball–sized meatballs.
  3. Grill, roast, broil, or pan-fry the meatballs until they’re cooked through and serve with optional Lee’s Hoisin Sauce.

Italian Tortellini Garden (Slow Cooker) Soup

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We absolutely loved this slow cooker soup – Dave said it was my best slow cooker soup ever!  It’s chock full of healthy veggies, like awesome zucchini, and has the creamy tortellini for a unique flavor.  Don’t skimp on the diced tomato can – make sure you get the one that has basil, garlic, and oregano in it for FULL flavor!  Instead of the onion, I added more bell pepper and celery.  I couldn’t find navy beans in a can so I subbed red kidney beans.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 T. extra-virigin olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup sliced celery
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano, undrained
  • 1 can (15 oz) navy beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 medium zucchini, chopped
  • 1 cup frozen cut green beans, thawed
  • 2 cans (14 oz each) chicken broth
  • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 package (9 oz) refrigerated sausage or cheese tortellini pasta (I used frozen cheese tortellini and let it come to room temp).
  • 3 T. chopped fresh basil
  • Grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese

 

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot.  Add bell pepper, onion, and celery.  Cook and stir 4 minutes or until onions are translucent.  Transfer to slow cooker.
  2. Add tomatoes with juice, beans, zucchini, green beans, broth, and garlic powder.
  3. Cover, cook on low 7 hours, or high 3.5 hours. (Your slow cooker will vary).
  4. Turn slow cooker to high, add tortellini and cook 20 -25 minutes longer or until pasta is tender.
  5. Stir in basil.  Garnish each serving with cheese.

Quick Taco Salad

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I had always wanted to try a taco salad and this easy recipe fit the bill.  I halved the recipe, omitted the onion, olives, and Jalapenos (all health or personal taste reasons) and it was perfect for our family.  It was simple to throw together, enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 pounds ground beef chuck
  • 2 envelopes taco seasoning mix
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cups green leaf lettuce, shredded
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 cups shredded Cheddar/Monterey Jack cheese blend
  • 1/2 cup chopped black olives
  • 2 cups salsa
  • 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped (optional)
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 (10.5 ounce) bag corn chips (such as Fritos®)

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat until crumbly and no longer pink, about 10 minutes; drain excess grease.
  2. Mix in taco seasoning mix and water. Bring the beef mixture to a boil and cook until thickened, about 10 more minutes. Transfer beef to a serving bowl.
  3. Place chopped onion, lettuce, cherry tomatoes, Cheddar cheese, black olives, salsa, jalapeno peppers, sour cream, and corn chips in individual serving bowls.
  4. Allow diners to assemble their own salads from the ingredients.

Couscous & Apricot Stuffed Peppers

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What a unique dish!  This is definitely a recipe that you could tweak to your liking.  I like apricot flavor but we noticed we didn’t love a full 1/2 cup of them in the peppers.  We’ll add apricot in the future, just less.  Yummy recipe and it’s interesting to see a pepper recipe without a tomato-based sauce!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/2 lb. ground beef
  • 1/2 cup raw couscous
  • 4 sliced scallions (optional – I didn’t do this, just added onion powder)
  • 1 cup crumbled Feta
  • 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
  • salt/pepper
  • 4 hollowed-out bell peppers

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Brown 1/2 lb. ground beef.
  2. Cook 1/2 cup couscous according to package directions.
  3. Mix the beef, couscous, 4 sliced scallions, 1 cup crumbled Feta, and 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots; season with salt and pepper.
  4. Stuff mixture into 4 hollowed-out bell peppers and bake at 400° F, covered, until tender, 45-50 minutes. 

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches

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This is such a simple pulled pork recipe!  It only works with regular root beer, not diet.  So it’s the only time you’ll see regular pop in my house.  It turns out beautifully!  The recipe says you can make it with a pork loin roast, but I had tried that previously and noticed the tenderloin shreds MUCH easier!  Leftovers are just as good as the main meal!  We used Sweet Baby Ray’s “Original” sauce, my favorite BBQ sauce, even though it’s not the healthiest one, it’s one sacrifice we make because we love it.  You could use any BBQ though.  ENJOY! 

INGREDIENTS:

  • One 2-lb. pork tenderloin
  • One 12 fl. oz. can or bottle root beer (approximately 1 1/2 cups)
  • One 18 oz. bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
  • 8 Hamburger buns, split (lightly toasted, optional)

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Place the pork tenderloin in a slow cooker, pour the root beer over the meat. 
  2. Cover and cook on low until well cooked and shreds easily, about 6-7 hours.  (Pork should get to a minimum temperature of 160 degrees to be safe, though the USDA said it can be 145, I go with 160 minimum).  The length of slow cooker time varies by your slow cooker.
  3. Drain well.  Stir in BBQ sauce. 
  4. Serve over buns.

The Best Chicken Pot Pies *

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These were fantastic!  That is all there is to say.  I found this on Allrecipes.com. 🙂  They are savory, perfectly cooked pot pies!  You can use pre-made pie dough or make your own.  I made my own and it was great.  I am usually not a fan of boiling, but it was flavorful and very tender. A+!  I used five ramekins (technically souffle dishes) and it was a perfect size for us.   I went light on the butter for the roux and it worked out nicely.  I also used the pie crust on just the top to save calories and again, no problem!

Original recipe makes 1 – 9 inch pie or about 5 ramekins
INGREDIENTS:
  • 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cubed
  • 1 cup sliced carrots
  • 1 cup frozen green peas
  • 1/2 cup sliced celery
  • 1/3 cup butter
  • 1/3 cup chopped onion*
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • /2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
  • 2/3 cup milk

  • 2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts (Or homemade dough

*Onion can flare some patients, so please know if you can use it first.

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)
  2. In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
  3. In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
  4. Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
  5. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Simple & Healthy Flatbread or Tortilla Wrap * (Not IC Safe)

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If you’re looking for a quick and healthy meal, I have one for you – and I promise it’s easy!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 piece Tortilla or high-fiber Flat Out flatbread
  • (Here’s the one I used Light Sundried Tomato flatbread**
  • Light Mayonnaise or Light Italian /Caesar Dressing**
  • Lettuce, washed and dried, I used red leaf lettuce
  • Thinly sliced ham
  • Thinly sliced cheese
  • Freshly ground pepper and optional spices**

**Known IC irritants, tread carefully!

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Lay tortilla or flatbread on a cutting board.
  2. Spread a small amount of mayo or light Italian or Caesar dressing on wrap.
  3. Put lettuce on wrap, and then layer ham and cheese.  Add other optional toppings that you choose: tomato, cucumber, etc, but keep the bulk down as it will be difficult to cut into.
  4. Top with freshly ground pepper or spices. 
  5. Roll tightly, while holding firmly, cut down the middle so you end up with two cross-sections of your wrap. 
  6. Enjoy!

Stuffed Pepper Soup

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Stuffed Pepper Soup Angie

We really love this savory recipe!  It’s basically everything that’s great about stuffed pepper soup with less work.  The original recipe called for 2 cups raw rice, but after making this recipe with 1 cup raw rice, you will find it is more than enough!  ENJOY!

Serve 6
398 cals 5.6g fat (1.9g saturated) (without cheese)

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1lb LEAN ground beef
  • 1 lg onion, diced (WE USED ONION POWDER)
  • 1 cup white or wild rice
  • 1 14.5 oz. can Hunts flavored diced tomatoes (Red pepper and fennel, roasted garlic, sweet onion etc) (I USED PLAIN JUST FINE)
  • 1 can tomato sauce (14.5oz can)
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp pepper
  • 1 box chicken stock (32oz)
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 tbsp powdered beef stock
  • 3 bell peppers, any color
  • Cheese for topping (optional)
  • Fresh cracked black pepper for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

  1. In a large soup pot coated with cooking spray, over medium-high heat, brown the grown beef with the onions and rice. I know that sounds odd, but browning the rice gives it a nice nutty flavor – do not allow it to burn!
  2. Meanwhile dice your peppers into small ½” pieces, set side.
  3. Add in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, chicken stock, water, and powdered beef stock, then allow it to come to a boil.
  4. Reduce heat, cover and allow it to cook 20 minutes then add the peppers and allow it to cook another 20-30 minutes (some types of rice may need longer cooking times).
  5. Serve with cheese on top (optional).

Baked Ravioli

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This is an awesome recipe that tastes as good, or better than the restaurant.  Since I have to avoid the fresh garlic and onion, I put ALL of the first seven ingredients in a pan and just started cooking, substituting onion and garlic for onion and garlic powders.  I proceeded to step 5.  It turned out just great.  A+!

 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme or oregano
  • 1 can (28 oz) whole tomatoes
  • 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
  •  2 pounds ravioli (We used four cheese)
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
  • 1/2 cup grated aged Parmesan (in the block form or pre-shredded)

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425° F.
  2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
  3. Add the onion and garlic, and season with salt and pepper, cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
  4. Add the thyme or oregano, and tomatoes.
  5. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, breaking up the tomatoes with a spoon, until the sauce is thickened and reduced to about 5 1/2 cups, 20-25 minutes.
  6. Meanwhile, cook the ravioli in a large pot of boiling salted water just until they float to the top.
  7. Drain the pasta, return to pot.
  8. Toss the sauce with the pasta.  Pour the pasta into a large dish or 9×13″ baking dish, and sprinkle with the cheeses. 
  9. Bake until golden, 20-25 minutes in oven.  Cool slightly before serving. 

 

 

Beef Barley Soup

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I haven’t uploaded a recipe in a while, it’s been an extremely busy few weeks of school and life.

This is a wonderful soup, it’s hearty and tasty.  It’s filling with the barley.  Feel free to add more veggies, including your favorites.  It’s actually best on day two and beyond.  In the summer, we’ve actually grilled the meat and then sliced it up and put it in the soup!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/2 lb. cooked shredded beef (I use peppersteak or a similar thin steak sliced up)
  • 1 medium onion diced (I use onion powder)
  • 1-2 ribs celery, diced
  • 1/2 small green bell pepper, cored and diced
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 1 16-oz. can diced tomatoes
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 6 cups beef broth
  • 1/2 cup pearl barley (I use the slow cooking barley, not the quick one)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • FEEL FREE TO ADD: dried oregano, pre-cooked green beans (we did!), or any other veggies, or more of the mentioned veggies!

 

DIRECTIONS:

  1. In a large soup pot, combine beef, onion, celery, green pepper, carrot, and tomatoes.  Cook over med-high heat, stirring constantly, 3 minutes. 
  2. Add bay leaves and broth, bring to a boil.
  3. Stir in barley, continue boiling 5 minutes.
  4. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook 1 hour.  Stir and check liquid level frequently. 
  5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.