Meatballs w/ Veggies, Roasted Butternut Squash and Broccoli

Recently we tried this recipe for Veggie and Herb Meatballs. I only used 1/2 pound of organic grass fed beef and to make up for some of the bulk, I added about 1/2 cup or so of brown rice (I had extra prepared rice on hand from another recipe earlier in the week). Otherwise I pretty much followed the recipe using zucchini and yellow squash for the veggies. And I used dried spices instead of fresh. These came together pretty quickly and tasted pretty darn good. 

Before I started on the meatballs, I had thrown some butternut squash in the oven. It takes about 40 minutes or so to roast butternut squash depending on the size of the pieces. I started out with the intention of following this recipe for Roasted Butternut Squash with Kale and Almond. I pretty much fell off my plan though bc I was getting distracted by the kids; so I just left it at, roasted butternut squash that had been tossed in olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and parsley! I just never finished it off w/ the kale or almond topping. Maybe another time! 

I also roasted some broccoli in the oven. I know "roasted" broccoli isn't exactly a traditional way to prepare it but we like it in our house. I just sprinkle on a little olive oil, salt and pepper and roast it for about 15-20 minutes. 

Might not seem so pretty but this is what the inside of the meatball looked like! 

Mexican Chicken Casserole

Last week I found this recipe on Pinterest for Cheesy Chicken Rice Bake which I have dubbed, Mexican Chicken Casserole. Please do yourself a favor and try this recipe! It was super easy to throw together and so, so tasty! All four of us really liked it. The flavors were amazing. I followed the recipe pretty closely and it made a huge amount. I could have cut it in half to feed my family of four and still had left overs; so this is perfect to feed quite a few people. Additionally, it would be really good as a dip for a party. I believe this will be coming with me to a football party this season! 

As for the recipe, I made the chicken and rice on Sunday so that I could easily throw this together after work one day. I added everything the recipe called for and I included olives bc they just sounded like a good addition to all the ingredients! While the rice helps the dish go longer by increasing the volume, I would say you could get away with a lot less. Next time I will probably only add 3 cups or less. And I will add more salsa and probably an extra can of green chiles. The flavors were amazing but the spice was lost on all of those ingredients. It didn't have any zing to it. So a little extra spice of some kind would be preferable. Otherwise...wow! Really, wow! I thought this was SO GOOD! 

See...it's really "ricey"! 

Lentil Mushroom Shepherd's Pie

A while back I tried a new recipe for Veggie Lentil Shepherd's Pie; see this post for info and link to to the original recipe. While I liked the way it came out, I immediately thought that it would have been better with regular potatoes as opposed to sweet. So I gave the recipe another shot last weekend substituting with gold potatoes. Either way it is a really good (and nutritious) dish but I'd say I much prefer the regular potato version. 

That's a lot of flavor! 

I left the skin on the potatoes (bc I like it like that). 

After baking; the liquid was oozing out from the bottom and the smell was incredible! 

May not look very impressive but it's super delicious! 

Apple Pie Pancakes

Sunday morning...I'm out of nearly everything and have no idea what to make my kids for breakfast. After spending a couple minutes on Pinterest I saw this post for Apple Pie Pancakes. I had everything I needed so I whipped up half a batch (it was just me and the kiddos that morning, Daddy was working). These were amazing! Repeat, amazing! 

Note-I added some nutmeg and chopped pecans to the mix. Yum! 

Steak, Kale, Cauliflower and Potatoes

Last Saturday my husband worked his behind off in our backyard so I wanted to make my hard working man a "hungry mans" meal! Meat and potatoes! I bought some grass fed steaks at Whole Foods and used this recipe for the garlic/soy marinade. I let the steaks sit in the marinade while I cleaned up dishes from earlier and got my kitchen ready for the sides. 

I started by quartering some red potatoes and then threw them on a parchment lined cookie sheet before drizzling w/ olive oil, salt, pepper and a generous amount of rosemary. I roasted these at 400 for about 30-40 minutes or so, tossing them every 15ish minutes so they didn't stick. 

After I got the potatoes in the oven, I rinsed and roughly chopped a head of cauliflower. I found a recipe for this a while back but now I just eyeball everything. Put the cauliflower pieces in a bowl and pour some olive oil, the juice of half a lemon (or more if you like strong lemon flavor), fresh sliced garlic, salt and pepper. Toss it all up and then throw it on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Roast at 400 for about 20 minutes or so, until the cauliflower is at least fork tender. Just watch it so it doesn't burn. 

Once the potatoes and cauliflower were about 10 minutes from being done, I threw one bunch of roughly chopped kale into a saucepan with some minced garlic and about a half cup of water. The kale barely fits into my largest saucepan but it steams and cooks down rather quickly, just like spinach. 

Finally I cooked the steaks on my griddle pan on the stove. On the rare occasion that we have steaks, my husband usually barbecues them but since he was working so hard in our backyard, I wasn't about to ask him to stop and bbq. 

This meal was a little bit time consuming from start to finish but it was well worth it! Husband was happy!

Zucchini Tots and Whole Wheat Biscuits

Last week I followed this recipe for Zucchini Tots. They were pretty quick and easy and came out really good. The only issue I had was removing them from the mini muffin pan. I used olive oil to "grease" my pan but it didn't seem to help one bit. These were really good served with ranch dressing. 

I also made some home Whole Wheat Biscuits following this recipe. They were ok. Theoretically they were just fine but they needed some flavor. Whole wheat flour is pretty dull so next time I will either had some seasonings and spices or maybe a splash of maple syrup to give the biscuits a sweeter bite. 

Zucchini prior to squeezing out the liquid. 

I made the biscuits a little too thin. This is before they baked and I wasn't sure how much they'd rise. Well now I know...roll out thicker biscuits! 

Sunday

I spent the better half of my Sunday in the kitchen prepping dinner and ingredients for more dinners later in the week. Pictured: brown rice cooking, potatoes boiling, lentils and veggies waiting to be thrown in a pot for Shepherd's Pie, beans soaking before being cooked in the slow cooker the next day and chicken breasts cooling after being baked. 

Buffalo Chili

Yesterday my son and I were lucky enough to go on a last minute ride on the famous, Good Year Blimp! Our ride was between 4-5 and it was about half an hour away so I got home much later than normal. Thank goodness I had thrown dinner in the slowcooker so the last minute change in (regular day to day) plans wasn't a big deal (as far as dinner was concerned).

 

I had previously browned 1/2 pound of buffalo meat and threw it in the slow cooker with a chopped onion, 1 cup each of rinsed kidney and pinto beans and about 1/2 cup of cannellini beans. I added a generous teaspoon of minced garlic and a couple heaping spoonfuls of "taco" seasoning mix (it's all the same spices as chili seasoning so I use it for both dishes). As for the liquid, I added one container (32 ounces or 4 cups) of TJ's organic vegetable broth and about equal parts (maybe only about 3 cups) of water.

 

I did not take any pictures of this masterpiece but you'll just have to take my word for it! It was delicious!

Lentil Veggie Soft Tacos

One night last week I made a version of lentil veggie soft tacos. This is a basic "go-to" meal that I make often bc it's easy, inexpensive and really nutritious. See this previous post about Taco Salad w/ Lentils or this one about Lentil Tostadas or this one about lentil tacos.

 

On this night, I rinsed one cup of lentils and poured them in a saucepan with about 2 1/2 to 3 cups of water. I threw in a couple heaping spoonfuls of homemade taco seasoning mix, brought it to a boil and then simmered for about 20-30 minutes, just until most of the water had been absorbed.

 

While the lentils were cooking I cut some large chunks of portabello mushrooms and green bell pepper and sauted them in a skillet just until they were soft, maybe about 10 minutes or so. I haven't made a batch of beans in a while so I had to use canned black beans (shameful, I know!) and I threw on some white cheddar cheese to complete the tacos. This dinner was fast and delicious!

Basically!

Salmon, Broccoli and Quinoa

Salmon is one of my favorite things to serve at home bc my kids both LOVE it. They eat so much, it makes me so very happy! Broccoli and quinoa are also an easy given with them. I bought 1.5 pounds of wild salmon from Whole Foods (don't ask the price, you don't want to know). I sprinkled a little salt and pepper on the fish and then baked it at 350 for about 30 minutes (salmon always varies based on the thickness of the filet). Salmon is so delicious, I just don't need to over-flavor it. Sometimes simple is just better!

 

I steamed some brocolli from the farmer's market and made a batch of quinoa. For the quinoa, I just add 2 cups of water and one cup of thoroughly rinsed quinoa to a saucepan. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the water is absorbed, usally about 10 minutes or so. I love making quinoa bc it's simple, quick and everyone in my family loves it. I always sprinkle a little soy sauce on mine though my husband and kids eat theirs plain.

Bean Soup and Whole Wheat Cornbread

Last week I made some hodge podge bean soup with whole wheat cornbread on the side. My meal plan was for white bean chili but I had a bell pepper and a portabello on hand that I was supposed to have used for another meal that I didn't end up making that week. So I decided to chop the extra veggies and throw them in the mix. The soup went something like this...

• 1/2 pound of organic dark turkey meat (which I had browned the night before)
• 1 onion, 2 stalks of celery, 1 green bell pepper and 1 portabello all chopped (again, done the night before)
• 1 cup each of rinsed pinto and cannellini beans
• 1 container of TJ's vegetbale broth plus equal amount of water (about 4 cups)
• Generous sprinkling of cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and oregeno 

I tossed all of the above in my slow cooker and let it cook on low for 8 hours. Perfectly delicious and healhty soup was ready when I got home. I made a batch of whole wheat/organic corn bread following the recipe on the bag of cornmeal that I have. I also mixed up a little honey butter to serve with the bread.

Blueberry Chia "Jelly"

I recently tried this recipe for blueberry chia "jelly" and it came out pretty well. I cut the recipe in half bc I didn't want that much jelly and it still made more than enough to last all week. My kids tolerated it just fine on their toast and pb&j sandwiches. I thought it tasted just like jelly and it was packed full of nutritious goodness.

Mushroom Pasta and Salad

Last week I made Mushroom Pasta following this recipe that I found on Pinterest. I more or less followed the recipe exactly excpet I used double the amount of mushrooms (bc I LOVE them) and I used whole milk rather than cream. While the flavor of this dish was excellent, the consitency of the sauce didn't impress me. It was way to thin and runny. Next time I make this, I will make a roux before adding the liquid. This should help thicken it up a bit. Stayed tuned for my improvised version with hopefully thicker sauce!

I used whole wheat rotini pasta.

And a side salad!

Chocolate Oatmeal Bars

Last weekend, I made this recipe for Best Ever Chocolate Oatmeal Bars and wow, were they ever delicious. Husband, kids and everyone in my office loved them. They were super simple to make and relatively healthy. A few notes...

• I did not add nuts bc I used chunky peanut butter.
• I only added about half the amount of dark chocolate and threw in a couple spoonfuls of cacao powder (for added nutrition).
• I used an 8" square pan bc I wanted thicker bars.
• These have to be stored in the fridge otherwise they get to soft and mushy.

Pork Tenderloin, Fried Quinoa and Green Beans

Last Tuesday I was in a huge hurry to put dinner on the table after work so that we could get my son to his swim class on time. I made a pork tenderloin, quinoa "fried rice" and some fresh green beans. My basic way to cook a pork tenderloin (unless I'm following some other recipe) is to rub it with salt, pepper, sage and fennel and roast it at 400 for about 30 minutes. I check it with a meat thermometer but 30 minutes usually does the trick (sometimes 40). Let is rest for a few minutes before slicing into it...so good!

 

As for the quinoa, I started out following this recipe for quinoa fried rice but now I just wing it. I also do not add chicken to the micture. This quinoa is really easy to make and is always a big hit on our house.

 

Lastly, I had a bag of green beans from the farmer's market so I just washed them, trimmed them and then steamed them until they were soft enough for my liking. We don't like them too mushy but obviously they need to be cooked enough.

 

And there you have it. Delicious dinner prepared, served and eaten within an hour and 15 minutes.

Banana Egg Pancakes

I am way behind on blogging so these pancakes happened a few Saturday's ago. Kids were requesting pancakes one Saturday morning and I had remembered that my best friend told me about the most delicious "pancakes" she made using only bananas and eggs. I couldn't remember exactly how she said she had made them (or exact quantities of each) so I visited my trusty friend Pinterest and found a zillion versions of banana egg pancakes.

 

I mashed 2 ripe(ish) bananas with a fork and stirred in 3 eggs (from neighbors chickens-YUM) to make a batter. I sprinkled in some cinnamon (based on my own preference) and thought a handful of some oats would be good in the batter. I just wanted to give it a little texture and body. Let's say I threw in about a half a cup or so (I really have no idea). I also threw in a handful of chopped walnuts. There you have it...pancake batter.   

 

On a hot griddle, I s.l.o.w.l.y poured some batter over melted butter. I emphasize slowly bc I didn't want to just plop the batter on the pan. It's super thin and would have no doubt run everywhere. I cooked these just as you would a normal pancake and they were really delicious. Different but still very good. Kids and husband loved!  

Notice that my trusty cup of coffee is never too far away!