Soups

I've been sick for 6 days straight as of today.  I haven't gotten out of the house and haven't felt like doing much either.  I knew I needed to eat nutritious and vitamin-full foods.  While talking to my mom, she suggested I make a carrot soup.  Being the obedient daughter I am (haha) I talked the girls into chopping me up some carrots, onions and garlic and boiling them in chicken broth.  When it was all soft, they blended it in our Vitamix with some milk.  It was delicious, but I added some curry to make it even better. :-)  Simple, quick, nutritious and cleared my sinuses!

Today I wanted to have soup again, but wanted to use some fresh spinach.  I microwaved two potatoes until soft, cut them into chunks, threw them in the vitamix with broth, milk, onions, garlic and fresh spinach and pureed it all until smooth.  Just added some salt and lots of pepper and it was delicious.

I have also made a very yummy mushroom soup in the vitamix, as well.  I am really liking fresh soups lately.  Very odd for me, who is not usually a big soup fan.  Looks like I will be making lots of cream of  "insert fresh vegetable here" soups this winter. :-) 

Another wonderful resource

The other day when I posted about "my brain," I included resources that I use to help get my brain in order.  However, I forgot about one wonderful resource I use all the time.... The Low Carb Diner ebook.  This book has an amazing section in the beginning explaining how you can simplify your meal planning. Lisa takes you through the steps to get your kitchen preparation and messes down to the fewest amount of days possible, but with delicious dishes coming out of it every day.  I love to cook once a month and use freezer meal planning quite a bit.  Lisa includes some freezer recipes as well as including other quick meal ideas (like how to make 3 meals at once) and ways to plan for the whole thing.  It is really a WONDERFUL resource I use so much that I forgot to include it...it is just such a natural part of what I do now!

Another wonderful thing about this ebook is, since it is Low Carb, most of the recipes are 100% safe for those of us that are Gluten-Free.  I can't think of anything off the top of my head that may need a substitution, but she might have soy sauce in a recipe or two.

She has a blog that goes along with the ebook and expounds on it.  She includes more recipes, explains how she makes things and has beautiful pictures.

Although I am doing this of my own volition and get no money out of the deal (I just want to share the great resource!), I feel it is only right that I let you know that Lisa is a wonderful friend of mine as well. :-)  She is an exceptional lady with a great family.  I have been privileged to know her for about 10 years now.

Sausage and Tortellini Soup

Hubby doesn't like soup very much (neither do I, for that matter) and I was determined, for some reason, to add some soups into our eating repertoire.  I knew he liked Olive Garden soups, so I thought I would try something Italian-y.  This is what I created....it was delicous!

1 lb. polish sausage, cut into slices
1 large onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
a bunch of italian seasoning
48 oz. beef broth
14.5 oz Diced Tomatoes
28oz Cut Italian Green Beans
9 oz cheese tortellini

Saute sausage, onion, and pepper in a bit of olive oil until vegetables are soft.  Add garlic and saute for about 30 seconds.  Pour in spices, broth and tomatoes and simmer for awhile.  Bring to a boil about 10 minutes before serving, add in tortellini and green beans. 

"Church Soup"

Since today is "Church Day" it seems appropriate to have the soup we call "Church Soup!" Especially since the kids are in the Christmas program tonight and we only have a few hours between the church services. Michael asked, very nicely, if we could try to eat sometime before 9:30pm so I am accommodating him. Aren't I a great wife? Heehee.

This soup is SOOOOO good and SOOOOO easy, I had to share the recipe with y'all. In case you have these kind of days and need something quick and easy and yummy!!

Church Soup

1 can ranch style beans
1 can minestrone soup
1 can beef broth
1 lb. ground beef cooked
1 can rotel (diced tomatoes and green chili) (you can just get diced tomatoes if you don't want the spice)

Mix all together and warm.

My notes:
~I usually cook my ground beef with a little diced onion and garlic.
~I highly recommend doubling it, you will want leftovers

That's it!


Oh yeah....
1 more step......


ENJOY!!

Pumpkin Spice Muffins Saga

I had a can of Pumpkin Pie Mix in my pantry and I really wanted some Pumpkin Muffins this morning. Seemed like an easy enough deal.

So I start searching on the web for Pumpkin Pie Mix + Muffins. Hmmmmmm. Harder than I thought. Especially since a lot of the recipes I found said NOT "pumpkin pie mix."

I found a great looking recipe for Pumpkin Oat Muffins but it was a vegan recipe and I didn't have any of the special ingredients and didn't want to keep finding substitutes. I did find a recipe that said you could mix Pumpkin Pie Mix and Spice Cake to make muffins. I knew we didn't have any spice cake mix, so I kept looking. Another recipe I found (on the Libby's site) sounded great but needed baking mix. I only have 1 cup of baking mix at the moment. I also found substitutions for baking mix but didn't want to use ALL my flour for making the baking mix! Apparently you have to make baking mix in large quantities.

Not one to give up, but also not one to waste ingredients by trying to create things that might not work, I kept looking. Nada. Nothing. Okay, back to my pantry. Maybe I had some pumpkin hidden somewhere. nope. WAIT. Is that Spice Cake??? Where on Earth did I get spice cake? And Why? Okay, who cares, back to the 'net. Let's find that recipe again.

Guess what. Yup, couldn't find it.

Okay, there has GOT to be a recipe on here with pumpkin pie mix and spice cake. I eventually found one. I did. I actually found several. I decided on one I liked but still had to substitute things and I ended up combining a few different recipes. The batter was delicious. I mean, take a spoon and eat it all up delicious. (not really a good idea with raw eggs, I know) Luckily, the baked muffins were just as good. :-)

So, here is my made-up, spliced together, substituted recipe.


1 box of spice cake
1 30oz can Pumpkin Pie Mix
1 3.4 oz box butterscotch pudding
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla flavoring
2 tbs. sour cream
1/2 c. veg. oil
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
brown sugar

Mix cake mix, pudding and pumpkin pie spice. In separate bowl mix pumpkin pie mix, sour cream, eggs, vanilla, and oil. Combine the two mixes and stir until well mixed. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. If desired, sprinkle tops with brown sugar. For small muffins bake in a 350 degree oven for approx 25 minutes. For large muffins bake in a 350 degree oven for approx 30-35 min. (or until toothpick comes out clean)

Yummy!!!
Got lots of oohs and aaahs.
We will definitely be making this one again.

3 Envelope Roast Recipe

Recipe Name: CP 3 Envelope Roast

Ingredients:
3 to 4 Lb. beef roast
1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
1 envelope brown gravy mix
1 envelope Italian dressing mix
1/2 c warm water

Instructions:
Place roast in crockpot. Mix contents of all 3 envelopes and water and sprinkle over roast. Cover; cook on Low for 6 to 7 hours.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMM this makes the best gravy!! I usually throw in carrots and potatoes too. :-)

Menu Plan Monday #2

Monday: Spaghetti Carbonara
Tuesday: Meatloaf (recipe below)
Wednesday: leftovers
Thursday: Manicotti (from oamc book) make 2, freeze one
Friday: Breakfast for Dinner
Saturday: something grilled (whatever hubby wants)
Sunday: 3 Envelope Roast

I don't like most tomato sauce based things. In fact, unless it is the Marinara that I make out of the oamc cookbook, I don't eat anything tomato based. (I like raw tomatoes, just not anything with cooked tomatoes) So I have a hard time with a lot of meatloaf recipes. This is a recipe my hubby found somewhere online and it is DELICIOUS!! We love it!

Cubby's Meatloaf

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 tsp emeril
1 med chopped onion
1 cup grated cheddar
2 tbsp worchestshire sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Instructions:
Mix all together and put in loaf pan or pat into loaf shape.

350 degrees for 45 minutes

We tried the new recipe for Baked Ziti but I didn't like it much. Hubby and kids said they loved it, but hubby later said he liked my old recipe better. Now if I could only find it......

Our Chicken Marsala came out wonderfully! We couldn't find the Marsala cooking wine at Walmart, Reasor's or the Target super center. Michael finally went to Albertson's and found it there! YEAH! He bought me 2 bottles, which should last me 4 months of having marsala chicken once a month. Anyway, it is sooo yummy and came out so good (as usual). I highly recommend the recipe, if you like Chicken Marsala. The only problem: I don't like restaurant Chicken Marsala as much anymore! LOL

To see other participants of Menu Plan Monday, check out I'm an Organizing Junkie's Blog.

Menu Plan Monday (on Sunday)

Since I seem to be using my blog to organize and plan my life, I thought I'd contribute to Menu Plan Monday as well!

Monday: Wild Rice Chicken (make 2, freeze one)
Tuesday: Baked Ziti (going to try this new recipe)
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Chicken Marsala (if I can find Marsala wine) (see below)
Friday: Homemade pizza
Saturday: Hamburgers on grill
Sunday: Dinner at church

Chicken Marsala Recipe:

Ingredients:
4 boneless chicken breast halves without skin
1/4 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp basil, dried
3 tbsp butter or margarine
3 tbsp olive oil
4 to 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced (1/2 to 1 cup sliced)
1/2 c Marsala wine

Instructions:
Pound chicken to 1/4" thickness between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Combine flour, salt, pepper, and basil; mix well. Heat oil and butter in a heavy non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Dredge chicken in seasoned flour mixture.

Cook chicken until lightly browned on first side (about 2 minutes). Turn chicken and add mushrooms around the chicken pieces. Cook about 2 minutes more, until lightly browned; stir. Add Marsala wine to pan. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Serve with hot cooked pasta or rice.

For other menu plans, check out Organizing Junkie's Blog.

addendum: got lots of comments on the Marsala Chicken. This is actually one of our regular recipes. I just haven't found Marsala wine in a couple of months, since our nearby Albertson's closed down. The three Walmarts I have checked don't have it. I am going to see if Reasor's has it, if not, I can send hubby to the Albertson's near him!

WFMW - Eating Well Edition

This is one of my favorite Weight Watcher Recipes Ever. I have no idea how many points it has or anything like that...it has probably been 15 years since I got it, but I still remember it and love it! (Just don't eat too many of them! They are SOOOO good!!)

Sweet Potato Chips

Ingredients:

2 tsp vegetable oil

6 oz thinly sliced sweet potato (1/8" thick)

1 tbsp firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

dash cinnamon

Instructions: In small mixing bowl drizzle oil over potato slices and using 2 forks, toss to coat.on baking sheet arrange slices in single layerIn cup or small bowl combine remaining ingredients and sprinkle evenly over potatoes; back for 10 minutesReduce over to 350 degrees, turn potato slices over and continue baking until crisp, 15-20 minutes (check frequently)

Transfer potato chips to small serving bowl, serve immediately or let cool to room temp.

Be sure to check out everyone else's healthy tips this week at: Rocks in my dryer

Chocolate Cookie Bark

I made this as gifts this year for our nurse, speech therapist (did I mention how much we love her??) and our respiratory therapist (whom we also really like!).

It is sooo yummy. I made some for family gifts as well and hopefully there will be a little left for me. ;-)



1 pkg. (8 squares) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate
1 pkg. (6 squares) BAKER'S Premium White Baking Chocolate
2 Tbsp. peanut butter
10 OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

PLACE semi-sweet chocolate and white chocolate in separate medium microwaveable bowls. Microwave until completely melted, following directions on package. Add peanut butter to white chocolate; stir until well blended. Crumble half the cookies over chocolate in each bowl; mix well.

DROP spoonfuls of the chocolate mixtures onto wax paper-covered baking sheet, alternating the colors of the chocolates. Cut through chocolate mixtures several times with knife for marble effect.

REFRIGERATE at least 1 hour or until firm. Break into 14 pieces. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Kaedy's Birthday Cake

Apple Bundt Cake - DEEEEEEEEEELIcious!!!
This was great as a b'day cake, but would also be good as a breakfast bread.

Ingredients:
2 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup orange juice
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped nuts
Confectioner's sugar
2 cups diced, peeled apples
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon


Directions:

To Make Filling: Combine the diced apples, 1 tablespoon white sugar, and cinnamon. Set filling aside.

To Make Cake: Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat 2 cups white sugar, oil, orange juice, vanilla, and eggs at high speed. Stir in sifted ingredients. Fold in nuts. Pour 1/3 of the batter into a greased Bundt or tube pan. Add alternate layers of filling and batter, ending with batter.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 55 to 60 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly touched. Remove cake from the pan while hot. Cool the cake, and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. (I forgot the confectioners' sugar and we didn't miss it at all!!)

Crockpot Applesauce

Here is my favorite recipe for crockpot applesauce:
3 pounds apples (Granny Smith work well), peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

Put everything in crockpot.
Cook on high for 3-4 hours,
mash with a potato masher
add 1 tsp ground cinnamon at end, if desired.

Most recipes tell you to put water in. DON'T DO IT! Our applesauce always ends up way too runny when we add water. The water in the apples is enough all by itself. If you like chunky applesauce, like we do, just use the potato masher a little less....if you like it smooth, mash more or you can even put it in a blender.

Apple Pecan Crumble Pie

Got this from the Washington Apple Page
It was really great! Even for those that don't like Apple pie that much.

Directions:
Pastry for one-crust 9-inch pie
6 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, and thinly
sliced
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground mace
Crumb Topping (recipe follows)

Crumb Topping
In small bowl, combine 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. With pastry blender or fork, cut in 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter until mixture is crumbly.


Instructions:

1.) Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9-inch pie pan with pastry, trimming edges.

2.) In large bowl, combine apples, pecans, sugar, flour, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, and mace; toss well to blend. Transfer apple mixture to pastry-lined pan.

3.) Prepare Crumb Topping; spread evenly over apple filling. Bake pie 45 minutes or until apples are tender.

Country Vegetable Pies

I hope you all had a great Christmas!! What a blessing to have Kaedra Noelle home with us this year. I kept thinking it was "Baby's first Christmas," which, to us, it was! :-) We did things differently this year, but my favorite part was going to church on Christmas morning. I wish we had church EVERY Christmas morning! We took Kaedy to church with us, too, and it was wonderful. It was a prayer answered, to have her there, with her church family, able to sit through a service. (well, just barely, she was SOOO wiggly and busy!)

My parents are in Hawaii on a cruise and it was a little odd not talking to them on Christmas (they were in the middle of the ocean, away from phone service on Christmas day). On top of that, we have been talking more regularly now, so I have missed them while they have been "out of pocket."

I tried a new recipe the other night and everyone LOVED it. It was a HUGE hit! I need to type it in for Miss Linda and for my palm pilot cookbook, so I think I will share it with all y'all here!


Country Vegetable Pies
Yield: 2 pies to serve 6-8

2 prepared pie crusts
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup grated Swiss cheese
4 cups frozen vegetable mixture
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water to make an egg wash

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. LIne two baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with non stick coating.
2. Place 1 piecrust on each baking sheet.
3. Beat together the cheeses. Spread half on each piecrust, leaving a 2 inch border of dough.
4. Todd the vegetables with the vegetable oil, basil, salt and pepper.
Place half the vegetables on each crust, covering the cheese mixture.
5. Fold up the edges of the dough, partially covering the filling. Press the edges together to hold them in place.
6. Use a pastry brush to cover dough with egg wash.
7. Bake 20 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.

(I messed with the recipe a lot. I added chopped ham, used olive oil (instead of veg oil), used italian seasoning (instead of basil), used garlic salt (instead of salt) and didn't do the egg wash. You can use any kind of veggies and add any kind of meat. Michael also wants to try it with cheddar instead of swiss.)