So here we go!!!
Day 1
Monday Jan 31st.
Orzo Stuffed Peppers
1 lb ground turkey (Italian sausage would be good also)
1/4 to 1/2 lb of orzo-cooked
14 oz Italian tomatoes
small box of mushrooms
5 oz feta cheese
1 tbsp of Italian seasoning
1-2 tbsp minced garlic
1/2-1 tsp of red pepper flakes (I forgot this and I wish I would have added it)
Breadcrumbs
Parmesan cheese
4-6 sweet peppers, depending on size
Brown turkey with garlic, red pepper flakes to taste and Italian seasoning. Meanwhile cook orzo according to package.
When meat is done remove from pan and saute mushrooms.
Add the meat back to the pan and add the tomatoes, orzo, and feta.
Fill peppers with mixture and top with breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. Place in baking dish with about 2 cups of water at the bottom of pan. Cover with foil and bake for 30 min, uncover and bake 10-15 mins more or till peppers are fork tender.
I really liked the orzo in these instead of rice. I used green and red peppers, but next time I will probably use yellow or orange. To me the green had no flavor and the red was overpowering. The kids LOVED the filling.
When selecting the peppers if they are small I would use at least 6, maybe 8. If they are larger you might be able to get away with just 4. It made a lot of the stuffing so I ended up with some left over.
Day 2
February 2nd
White Bean Chicken Chili
4 chicken breast
1 can rotel
1/2 cup of salsa
2-4 cups of chicken broth, depending on how soupy you like it
2 15oz cans of white beans (I used great northern)
These added to taste
chili powder
cumin powder
paprika
cumin
cayenne
salt
pepper
Place chicken in slow cooker and top with rotel, salsa, and broth. Cook on high for 1 1/2 - 2 hours depending on size of chicken. Turn to low and cook till tender, but not over done.
Remove chicken and shred. Put back in slow cooker.
Add beans and seasoning as desired.
Cook on low for at least an hour to let flavors distribute.
Serve with cheese and sour cream.
I usually make a more complicated version of this, without the rotel or salsa, on the stove top but this was SO very easy. Both kids liked it and Matt LOVED it. I made homemade cornbread to go with it.
Ok I realize I have not kept up with this as well as I should have. But I have a reason. No, really I do!!! Right after my last post B got sick, took her to the pediatrician and turned out she had an ear infection. Yes even with tubes. So 10 days of antibiotics, and almost to the last day she was on them I took G in for horrible congestion, and turns out he had fluid on his ears also, so 10 days of antibiotics for him. So we did some take out (I know bad mommy) and what I did cook wasn't new. Now all the kids are well, I got back to it with last nights dinner. So here you go.
Day 3
February 21st
Cheesy Chicken Chowder
2-3 cups cooked chicken
8-10 cups of chicken broth (depending on how soupy you like it)
1 onion chopped
3 celery stalks chopped
3-4 carrots chopped
3/4 cup white rice
1/2 lb of velveeta
salt & pepper to taste
Saute the veggies in evoo till tender. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Stir in the rice and cook till tender, usually 20-30 mins. Turn down the heat to a simmer and add chicken and velveeta, stirring often till cheese melts. Salt and pepper to taste.
This was really good. K ate it all without us having to constantly tell him to "EAT." Very good with loaf bread.
Day 4
February 22nd
Mediterranean Chicken Pasta
3 boneless chicken breast
1 can of italian diced tomatoes
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 6 oz can of tomato paste
1/2 large onion, thinly sliced
1 small can of sliced black olives
2-3 tablespoons of minced garlic
seasoning to taste, I used garlic salt, italian seasoning, salt & pepper
Place chicken breast in bottom of slow cooker, season with spices. Add other ingredients on top of chicken and stir to combine them (I will mix in a bowl first next time). Cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 5-6. Serve over angel hair pasta. Top with parmesan cheese if desired.
I thought that the onions would be to much in this dish, but they cooked down so much we hardly noticed they were in there. This dish was good but it isn't something that I would make often. I shredded the chicken for the kids but you could serve whole.
Day 5
February 23rd
Pizza Pot Pie
1 lb of sweet italian sausage, casings removed
1 sweet red pepper
1 small onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
small box of button mushrooms (I used the canned mushrooms and it was good but next time I will use fresh)
8 oz of fat free cream cheese
1 jar of pizza sauce
mozzarella cheese
2 thin crust pizza dough
Saute pepper, onions, garlic and mushrooms till onions are tender. Add the sausage and brown then add the cream cheese and melt, then add in pizza sauce. Grease a 9x13 and put one of the pizza crust on the bottom (take a fork and put holes in the dough to keep from bubbling up), sprinkle with cheese and top with meat mixture. You can add more cheese on top of mixture if you want (we did, who doesn't want MORE cheese). Put the other pizza crust on top and bake in a 400 till crust is golden.
You can leave out the bottom crust if you would like, Matt said he liked both since he thought it held it all together.
I have to say this one is a keeper, the kids loved it and Matt went back for seconds. And the good thing is there was leftovers for today's lunch!!!!!
Day 6
February 24th
Sloppy BBQ Chicken Pizza
Cornbread:
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 cups of flour
1/4 cup of oil
1 egg
1/4 cup of sugar (I will use honey next time)
1 cup of milk
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Mix together, place in oven safe skillet (I used my round cast iron), but a 9x13 would also work. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, till golden brown.
Topping:
2 cups of cooked chicken
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 8oz can of tomato sauce
2 tsp of hot sauce
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp cumin
1-2 tbsp mined garlic
2 sweet peppers (I used a red and a green)
1 small onion chopped
cheddar cheese
Saute garlic, peppers, and onion in evoo till tender. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Cook till sugar dissolves. Put mixture on cooked cornbread, top with cheese and put back in the oven till the cheese melts.
I liked the chicken mixture, it had a really good flavor. The only thing I didn't like was there was almost too much corn bread to mixture ratio. I might use only half of the cornbread next time and just bake the rest to use as cornbread stuffing for something else. I also thought it might be good if the cornbread was on the top of the chicken instead of the bottom, but the bottom is what makes it the "pizza" part.
Day 7
February 28th
Chicken Tortellini and Edamame
about 2 cups of cooked chicken chopped (could go meatless also)
1 bag of cheese tortellini (I used Barilla)
1 cup of edamame (steam first)
1 red pepper roasted (I wont do this next time, took too much time, I will saute with onions and garlic)
2 tbsp of minced garlic
1 small onion
1 tbsp of italian seasoning
8 oz of fat free cream cheese
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup of half and half (I did a mix of half and half with milk)
mozzarella cheese
Cook pasta according to package. While pasta cooks steam edamame. Saute the pepper, onion, and garlic till tender. Add edamame, cream cheese, seasoning, chicken, broth, and half and half. Bring to a simmer and cream cheese is melted then add the tortellini. Toss in a handful of cheese and stir till melted.
Day 8
March 1st
Black bean "meat" balls & spaghetti
1 can of black beans drained and rinsed
1 cup of cooked rice
1 egg
1-2 cups of plain breadcrumbs
1/4 - 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese
2-3 tbsp of salsa
garlic salt & pepper
2-4 cups of pasta sauce (depending on how much sauce you like)
Mash the black beans with a fork and add rice, egg, spices, salsa, cheese, and breadcrumbs till no longer sticky. Shape into "meat" balls and brown in a pan with evoo. Add pasta sauce and simmer for 10 mins. Serve over spaghetti or any pasta you like. Top with parmesan cheese.
I'm sorry I don't have a picture for this one. My camera didn't upload it and now I can't find it.
I do have to say though these we really good, I had made them into patties for burgers for lunch for me and had leftovers so I thought why not, the kids love spaghetti and meat balls. The devoured them. I asked Matt this morning what he thought of them and he said "they weren't what I was expecting but they were good." I usually don't make meatless meals since Matt says he needs the meat to fill him up but he did say that these would be good as burgers. These will defiantly be making a reappearance in our dinners.
