Mixed Berry Smoothie

I'm keeping it simple today with one of my favorite recipes for a on-the-go breakfast or snack.

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen blueberries

1/2 cup frozen strawberries

1/4 cup orange juice

1/2 cup low fat vanilla (or plain) yogurt

What To Do:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend well for a few minutes until smooth.

Enjoy!

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Italian Beef Florentine & Savory Pasta

This is a Publix Apron's recipe that K found a while ago and wanted to try over the weekend. You can find the original recipe here. It's a 2-step process to make the Italian Beef Florentine and then the Tortellini & Broccoli pasta but it's well worth the effort. Overall it only takes about 30 minutes to cook eveything but there's several pots, pans and bowls involved. I modified a few ingredients from the original recipe but it was a huge win and K takes all the credit for this one. I did the dishes!

Serving Size: 4

Italian Florentine
Ingredients:
4 lean ground beef patties (1 lb)
2 eggs, beaten
1.5 cups Panko bread crumbs
2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
2 tbsp olive oil
1 jar Alfredo sauce
2 cups fresh baby spinach
1/4 cup flour
Salt & pepper to taste

What To Do:
Place flour in bowl
Beat eggs gently in second bowl
Combine bread crumbs, seasoning, salt, and pepper in a third bowl
 

1. Preheat large pan on medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Dip patties in flour, coating both sides. Dip into eggs; let excess drip off. Dredge in bread crumb mixture (wash hands)
2. Pour olive oil in pan, then slowly add patties and cook 2-3 minutes on each side to brown
3. Reduce heat to medium and cook for an additional 2-3 more minutes on each side or until cooked to your liking.

  

4. Place Alfredo sauce in medium saucepan; bring to a boil on medium-high
5. Reduce heat on sauce to low. Stir in spinach; cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until spinach wilts. Serve sauce over patties



Savory Pasta
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1.5 cups water
1 can diced tomatoes (drained) 
1 package frozen cheese tortellini
1 pack frozen broccoli with cheese sauce

What To Do: 

This is where I modified the recipe quite a bit. 

1. Boil tortellini in a medium saucepan according to direction on the package

2. Cook broccoli and cheese in the microwave according to the direction on the package

3. Drain tortellini and return to saucepan

 4. Add the diced tomatoes and cheesy broccoli to the saucepan with tortellini and cook 2 more minutes or until hot and bubbly

Serve and enjoy!

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Paleo Chicken Stew

I've been experimenting with different Paleo recipes to see how I like them and this chicken stew is one of the better ones I've tried so far. Stews never look pretty in pictures but the heartiness & healthiness of this recipe is worth trying for yourself. I found the recipe here and altered a few ingredients to my liking. 

Serving size: 6 

Ingredients:

 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp olive oil

3/4 cup chicken broth

1 cup butternut squash, chopped

2 sweet potatoes, chopped

2 cups fresh spinach leaves

1/2 red onion, diced

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

What To Do:

1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat and saute garlic and red onion for about 5 minutes until softened.

2. Add the chicken, squash, sweet potatoes and seasonings. Pour chicken broth over ingredients in the pan and stir ingredients. Bring to a boil and then cover and cook for an additional 15 minutes on medium-high heat.

3. Add spinach to the saucepan, stir and cook for an additional 10 minutes on medium heat or until the chicken and sweet potatoes are full cooked.

Enjoy!

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Slow Cooked Pulled Jerk Chicken

This recipe is for the spicy food lovers. Jamaican jerk is a seasoning used to kick up chicken, fish, and pork dishes (but not limited to that).

Serving size: 6 

Ingredients:

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tsp minced garlic
3 tbsp (mild) Walkerswood Jerk Seasoning
1 cup orange juice
5 carrots, chopped (optional)
 

What To Do:

1.  Place chicken breasts at the bottom of your crock pot and top with chopped carrots.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together garlic, orange juice, and jerk seasoning. Pour over chicken and carrots in crock pot. 

3. Cook on low for 6 hours. (Add 1/2 cup water if the consistency is too dry for your Shred chicken with two forks by pulling chicken in opposite directions with the forks. 

4. Put crock pot on 'keep warm' setting and let shredded chicken marinate in the sauce for an additional 30 minutes.

5. Serve over rice, in a sandwich or it's perfectly good by itself if you are limiting carbs. 

Jamaican jerk seasoning can be found in the Ethnic aisle at most grocery stores. I bought the 'hot & spicy' one but I recommend you start off with the mild which is still spicy or use only 1.5 tbsp of the hot & spicy.

Enjoy!

 

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Slow Cooker Ribs with Sweet Potatoes

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Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf

 

Ingredients: 

1.5 lb ground turkey

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup of ketchup

3/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs

1 cup of milk

1 cup shredded cheese

Black pepper to taste

What To Do:

1. Grease baking dish and preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat the two eggs and then mix 1/4 cup ketchup and the remainder of ingredients. Use your hands to mix and blend everything together well. Transfer turkey mixture to baking dish and press firmly into the bottom of the dish.

3. Bake for 45 minutes and then remove. Top with remainder of ketchup spreading evenly. Return to oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes. 

Enjoy!

 

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Crockpot Skinny Chicken Pot Pie

Skinny Mom posted this Slow Cooker Pot Pie recipe late last year and I just had to try it. I love making use of my crockpot plus finding ways to cut calories in hearty recipes such as this one is always a win. I made a few small changes to the original recipe but overall I give this recipe 5 stars for being super delicious, fairly healthy (other than the biscuits) and easy to whip together.

Ingredients:
3-4 boneless skinless, boneless chicken breasts
7 red potatoes, peeled (optional) and cubed
1 cup 2% milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup chicken stock/broth
1 small yellow onion
2 cans Campbell's 98% Fat Free Cream of Chicken Soup
1 bag Birds Eye Frozen Mixed Vegetables
1 cup celery, diced
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp dried parsley
Black pepper (to taste)
Red Cayenne pepper (to taste)
1 can Pillsbury Flaky Biscuits (optional)

What To Do:

1. Place the cubed potatoes at the bottom of crockpot and layer chicken breasts on top.
2.  Evenly layer diced onion, celery and minced garlic over chicken.

3.  In a bowl, mix together the soup, milk, water and chicken stock. Stir in spices and seasonings and pour over the celery, onions, chicken and potatoes. 

4.  Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours (or high for 4 hours).

5. 30 minutes before serving, remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and shred with fork. Return to crockpot and stir in mixed  frozen vegetables. Cook for an additional 30 minutes.
6. Optional: Make biscuits according to directions on the package.

Enjoy!

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Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

This soup was amazing! I looked up several different pumpkin and butternut squash soups online and kind of just adjusted the ingredients to my liking. You can use less seasonings & spices for a milder soup but I like mine with a little kick.

Ingredients:

3 lb. butternut squash, cut in cubes

3 tbsp butter

3/4 yellow onion, diced

2 tbsp minced garlic

1 1/2 cup chicken stock

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp minced ginger

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup sour cream

Black pepper to taste

What To Do:

1. In a skillet, melt butter and saute chopped onions and garlic for 5 minutes on medium heat. 

2. Add cubed squash along with chicken broth and sprinkle with black pepper.

3. Cover and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes or until squash is soft enough to mash.

4. Add mashed squash to blender or food processor and puree. Return to pot. 

5. Heat stove to low/medium heat and add all remaining seasonings along with the whipping cream and sour cream. Stir all ingredients until well blended and heat for another 10 minutes.

6. Serve and enjoy!

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Sunday Brunch: Pineapple Mimosas

I'm a huge fan of brunch on Sundays and mimosas are often a staple. The thing is, I'm not a fan of orange juice so I started experimenting with other juices and pineapple juice has become one of my favorites. Top it off with a strawberry or blueberries and you're all set with a delicious and refreshing brunch beverage!

I fill each glass half way with champagne and the remainder with juice of your choice and then garnish with your favorite fruits.

Enjoy!

Tuesday's Recipe Swap will resume next week. I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas break and the holiday season!!

Slow Cooker Spiced Brisket

A coworker of mine shared her Spiced Brisket recipe with me and I changed it up to my liking. At first it seems like a lot of liquid to use but the brisket soaks it up nicely to create a juicy amazing taste and the leftovers are even better. 

Ingredients:

4 pounds beef brisket
1 large onion, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp mined garlic
1 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp cayenne
2 cups beef stock
1 cup ketchup
1 cup chili sauce
1 cup brown sugar

What To Do:
Pour 1 tbsp of olive in slow cooker and grease the bottom nicely before placing the brisket flat at the bottom of the crock pot.

Saute onions with remainder of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes. Add minced garlic and saute for 3 minutes more. Stir in the dry spices (paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, garlic and onion powders, black pepper) and cook for 2 minutes. Set aside. Pour mixture on top of the brisket and spread evenly.

In a large bowl, whisk together the beef stock, ketchup, chili sauce and brown sugar. Pour over onion/spice mixture in crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours (or 5-6 hours on high).

The consistency may look watery throughout cooking but the brisket really soaks up the juices and will help to keep it from drying up throughout cooking for that long period of time. Let cool for a couple hours before serving so the juices can set in even more.

We LOVED this recipe and briskets are great for leftovers because the flavor will soak up even more overnight.

Enjoy!

** We will be taking a break from the Recipe Swap next Tuesday 12/30 due to the holidays **

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