Turkey Skillet Dinner

This recipe would have been quicker with leftover turkey or even a rotisserie chicken.  The turkey breast took two hours to cook, which was fine for me because it was my day of cookingn anyway.  This has bacon, potatoes and turkey.  You really can't go wrong with that combo.  I microwaved my potatoes for just 2 minutes before I diced them so they didn't need to cook in the skillet too long.   I probably could have thrown them in the oven with turkey, but didn't really think about it. 

Turkey Skillet Dinner

Prep Time: 20 min                

Cook Time: 25 minutes             

Yield: 8

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup onion, chopped

½ cup green pepper, chopped

½ cup red pepper, chopped

2 tbsp butter

4 cups cooked potatoes, diced

2 cups cooked turkey, diced

8 slices bacon, cooked

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

¼ tsp nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:

·         Cook turkey breast completely, allow to cool.  Use precooked potatoes or cook until just soft.  Cook bacon until done, but not too crispy.

·         Prep all vegetables prior to cooking.

·         In a large, deep skillet, sauté onions and pepper in butter until soft.  Add the potatoes, turkey and bacon and cook until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Add cayenne and nutmeg, stir through.

Allow to cool, then portion 1 cup per mealpod for freezing

8 PODS: 247 calories, 7g fat, 170g sodium, 25G carb, 3g fiber, 21g protein

nutrition information estimated at Livestrong.com:

http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/mealpod-turkey-skillet-dinner/

Make Ahead Ham & Cheese Casserole

So... um... that's not my casserole up there.  That's a random ham picture.   I made this Ham & Cheese Casserole and put it in the fridge on Sunday night.  Then I came in on Monday after my daughter's Book Club and threw it in the oven that my husband had thoughtfully preheated.  And we ate it.  Then I realized I needed pictures.  Doh!   


I didn't want to not post the recipe because it was GOOD.  And easy.  I am loving these make ahead type casseroles for Monday nights because Sunday is cooking day and Monday is an activity day.  It makes cooking a good dinner not so hard.  


We now have softball practice on Tuesday and Thursday and I need to come up with a better plan for these days.   We can either eat at 4:45pm or 7:30pm and frankly, neither works well for me or includes much time for cooking!

Prep Time: 10 min                

Cook Time: 90 minutes             

Yield: 6

INGREDIENTS: ½ cup onion, chopped 1 tbsp butter 16 oz frozen green beans 16 oz mini red potatoes 8 oz shredded cheese 1 lb ham steak DIRECTIONS: ·         Chop onion and cook in skillet until soft ·         Cook potatoes in microwave for 2 minutes to soften, then cut into wedges and add to skillet with onions to brown lightly ·         Add frozen green beans to skillet and mix thoroughly ·         Chop ham steak into bite size cubes and add to skillet mixture, combining until all ingredients are mixed throughout ·         Pour mixture into 9 x 13 dish and mix in shredded cheese, sprinkle additional cheese over top of casserole if desired ·         Cover and refrigerate for up to 48 hours, when ready to cook, preheat oven to 350˚ and cook for 60-90 minutes until everything is warm and cheese is melty and bubbly ·         Store leftovers as mealpods once cooled 6 PODS (servings) 270 calories, 9g fat, 836g sodium, 15G carb, 3g fiber, 30g protein nutrition information estimated at Livestrong.com: http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/make-ahead-ham-cheese-casserole/

 

Lunch Roundup #7

Whole wheat pita with grilled chicken, baby spinach and tomatoes, & fruit

To mix things up this week, I decided to try my hand at making whole wheat pitas. I found the recipe at King Arthur Flour website and it worked perfectly. If you haven't made pitas before, it is a basic flatbread recipe that when you bake it, it inflates like a balloon creating a pocket of air inside. Ihave to say Iwas really really amused when it worked - as I didn't think it actually would. 

It was starting to deflate at this point, but you can see the pillow shape

They use 1/2 whole wheat flour and half bread flour to get it to poof up like a pillow and create that telltale pocket. They also recommend using a pizza stone, which I didn't. If you don't have a pizza stone, just heat up your pan before putting your dough on it. 

One thing that wasn't apparent in King Arthur's directions was how thin to make the dough with your rolling pin. I tried them a few thickesses and it worked best when I rolled it the thinnest I could get it without breaking a sweat. If it wasn't thin enough it didn't blow up like a pillow in the oven giving you flat bread instead. 

I think the pitas were a hit for lunches this week. The kids enjoyed stuffing them with various fillings each day. Of course if Idid them every week - the novelty will wear off.... 

Bratwurst & Bacon Skillet

I am a HUGE fan of one dish meals.  Typically my Sunday of cooking will yield at least two dishwasher loads and sometimes three.  The weeks that I can get everything cooked and only have one load of dishes to unload is like a I've hit the jackpot.  

I know these ingredients don't sound like they all go together, but amazingly once you cook them all you get a tasty, hearty meal with just a bit of kick.   The mushrooms really fill it out and the tomatoes make it not all boring and light colored.  

Life has been really hectic lately, so I haven't had much to say.  I am impressed enough to get my recipes cooked and posted!

Bratwurst & Bacon Skillet

Prep Time: 20 min                

Cook Time: 20 minutes             

Yield: 5

INGREDIENTS:

6 uncooked bacon strips, diced

½ cup onion, chopped

5 cooked bratwurst, sliced

2 cups mushrooms, sliced

1 tbsp jalapeño, diced small

2 cups diced tomatoes with liquid

½ cup fresh Parmesan, grated

DIRECTIONS:

·         In a large skillet, cook bacon and onion until bacon is almost crispy.  Remove bacon and onion from skillet (leave drippings) and set aside.

·         In same skillet, sauté the bratwurst, mushrooms and jalapeño for 3-4 minutes or until mushrooms ae done.  Stir in diced tomatoes and bacon/onion mixture.

·         Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until heated through. 

Allow to cool, add Parmesan, then portion 1 cup per mealpod for freezing.

5 PODS: 409 calories, 28g fat, 1234g sodium, 13G carb, 1g fiber, 25g protein

nutrition information estimated at Livestrong.com:

http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/mealpod-bratwurst-bacon-skillet/

 

Need to get some more veggies in? This stew has a bunch!  Sweet potatoes, green beans, baby spinach, carrots, tomatoes, coconut milk and curry powder - need I say more? Oh and chickpeas - I say this last because Sis doesn't like them but I LOVE chickpeas. 

It is warm here in New Hamphire this week like most places in the US, so I decided to crock pot the Mealpods.  This recipe was so quick and easy and then a whole bunch of wait while it was simmering, but it is worth it. 

Vegetable Curried Stew

Ingredients

• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 medium onion chopped into large chunks
• 2 cloves garlic minced 
• 1 1/2 cup baby carrots
• 1 1/2 cup frozen green beans (rinsed and dried)
• 2 small sweet potatoes peeled and chopped 
• 2 cans chickpeas rinsed
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 2 cans lite coconut milk
• 1 cup (or more if you like) vegetable broth
• 1 tbs curry powder
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 3 cups baby spinach

Instructions

1. Turn your crockpot on high and add 1 tbs olive oil. Add garlic and onions and put the lid on while you get everything else chopped.
2. Chop your carrots, green beans, yams and add to the crockpot. Add in the rest of the ingredients making sure to drain the tomatoes and rinse the chickpeas.
3. Cook on high for about 6 hours or until the potatoes are soft.
4. Add in the spinach. Let it wilt, then serve.
5. I like this even better the second day and will be keeping it in the fridge all week for lunches and snacking.

Chicken Paprikash (Paprikás Csirke) with the Domestic Man!

Chicken Paprikash (Paprikás Csirke) 

I'm excited to post a collaboration with the blogger the Domestic Man! This is the sort of thing I was hoping we could do when starting the Mealpod website/blog, because honestly, my sister and I can only come up with so many ideas for Mealpods. When Russ Crandall from the Domestic Man blog offered  his recipe for Chicken Paprikash, I was really excited. Especially because the recipe was completely new to me. He describes it as:

Chicken Paprikash is a famous Hungarian dish, known for its mellow flavor, mild sweetness, and tender chicken. Some might consider it a stew, and I’m not arguing that fact – honestly, it really doesn’t matter. This stuff just tastes good. This dish is commonly served with egg noodles or spätzle-like dumplings. I thought that my roasted parsnips would be a good substitution, and it worked; their crispy outside and slight-spongy inside were perfectly paired with the chicken’s creamy sauce. 

Russ described how to make the recipe in such great detail in his blog post that I borrowed most of his wording for the instructions and inserted what I did differently. He also took photographs of the steps which were so helpful, so make sure to go check them out.

I took his suggestion of using boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of regular chicken thighs and drumsticks. I also made a julienne of parsnips and carrots instead of chunks so it would behave like a pasta would and soak up the sauce when packaged up like a Mealpod, but otherwise I follwed his instructions exactly.


Russ also suggests to get Pride of Szeged Sweet Hungarian Paprika and I highly recommend following his advice. The color of it is much richer than the cheap store brands that were in my cupboard and the taste is so mellow and sweet - it completely makes the dish. I can't wait to try it with other recipes. I found it right at my local Market Basket grocery store. The tin was turned backwards though on the shelf so it took me a while to find it! The backside is all red and the front side is not, lol.




 Chicken Paprikash

• 1.5 lbs boneless chicken thighs which was 8 thighs trimmed. 
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp Pride of Szeged Sweet Hungarian Paprika
• 1 tsp dried marjoram
• 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup sour cream 
• 5 parsnips
• 2 carrots

1. Slice the onion and pepper into large pieces. Set aside.
2. Gently rinse the chicken pieces with cold water, pat dry, and sprinkle with salt and pepper
3. Warm the butter in a large pan on medium/high heat for about five minutes. Add the chicken parts and brown for about six minutes per side. 
4. Once they are well-browned, set the pieces aside. 
5. Reduce the heat to medium, and add the onion slices. Sauté for five minutes, stirring often, until the onions are softened. Add the pepper slices and sauté for another three minutes. 
6. Add the marjoram, chicken broth, white wine, and half of the paprika, and stir everything together. Add the chicken pieces, moving the onions/pepper to make room for the chicken. Bring to a simmer, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for one hour (45 minutes if you’re using boneless, skinless chicken thighs).
7. While the chicken is simmering, julienne your carrots and parsnips. Using a julienne peeler, peel then julienne your parsnips and carrots.  You can also use a cheese shredder to get the same effect or buy pre-shredded carrots. Sautee or steam them just until al dente or slightly softened. 
8. Remove the chicken from the pan and cover with tin foil. Raise the pan’s heat to medium and bring to a simmer, then remove from heat. Stir in the remaining paprika and the sour cream until everything is well-mixed; be sure to temper the sour cream by adding some of the sauce to it before adding it all to the pan. Tempering will make sure the sour cream doesn’t curdle. 
9. Place a pile of parsnips and carrots  in a 12" x 12" piece of foil, top with one piece of chicken. Pour some sauce over both making sure to keep track of how much you have left for the other pieces. We ate some right away and then packaged up the rest.

Here they are in their Mealpods ready to be frozen. I ran out of the julienne, maybe because I was snacking on it as I went... but maybe because I could have made more. For a couple of them I paired them with gluten-free spiral noodles I happened to have in the pantry. I can't thank Russ enough for the recipe and great instructions. We'll have it up on the Mealpod site soon. The chicken did turn out delicious and so tender. 

If you are new to the Mealpod site and want to find out how we individually package the meals there are instructions at Mealpod.us or use the tabs on this blog at the top of the page. 

Kielbasa Ratatouille Skillet

I like sausage.  It's easy, it taste good, what else can you ask for!  There has been a lot going on at my house lately, so quick and easy is what I have been aiming for.  My daughter had a sewing lesson Sunday morning, so I had less time to cook my weekly meals.  

Kielbasa Ratatouille Skillet

Prep Time: 10 min                

Cook Time: 15 minutes             

Yield: 6

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb kielbasa

½ cup onion, chopped

1 large eggplant, peeled and cubed

3 small zucchini, cubed

1 green pepper, chopped

3 roma tomatoes, chopped

½ tsp salt

½ tsp fresh basil

½ tsp fresh oregano

¼ tsp pepper

¼ cup fresh Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

·         Chop all vegetables and slice kielbasa to prep

·         In large skillet, sauté kielbasa with onions

·         Stir in eggplant, zucchini and green pepper, cooking until soft about 5-7 minutes

·         Stir in tomato, salt pepper, basil and oregano and heat through

Portion into pods, allow to cool, then add Parmesan cheese to top before freezing.

6 PODS: 297 calories, 24g fat, 820g sodium, 8G carb, 2g fiber, 12g protein

nutrition information estimated at Livestrong.com:

http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/kielbasa-ratatouille-skillet/

Crockpot Irish Lamb Stew

I want to like lamb.  I really do.  There is something about it though, that doesn't typically appeal to me.  I thought maybe by cooking it all day that it would help and it totally does.  This tastes more like beef than lamb to me.

Crockpot Irish Stew

Prep Time: 10 min               

Cook Time: 8 hours                  

Yield: 8

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs lamb roast, cut into 1” pieces

1lb small red potatoes, cut into bite size pieces

5 large green onions, sliced

2 large carrots, sliced

1 large parsnip, sliced

3 stalks celery, chopped

3 cups chicken broth

2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

DIRECTIONS:

·         Cut lamb into 1" pieces. Cut potatoes into bite sized pieces. Slice green onions, carrots, parsnips and celery.

·         Combine lamb, potatoes, green onion, carrots, parsnips, celery, broth, thyme, salt and pepper in a 6-quart slow cooker; stir to combine. Put the lid on and cook on low for 8 hours.

Allow to cool, portion into 1 cup servings, then freeze.

Nutrition: 8 PODS: 410 calories, 24g fat, 970g sodium, 14G carb, 2g fiber, 29g protein

nutrition information estimated at Livestrong.com:

http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/mealpod-irish-lamb-stew

Grain-free Chicken Parmesan

 One of hubby's biggest comfort foods is chicken Parmesan and that was his request this week. I made it for him the traditional way but made a grain-free version for my own Mealpods. It was just a matter of having two different crusts on the chicken and coming up with a pasta substitute to have it with. 

For the grain-free crust I used a simple walnut and Parmesan crumb mix and then crisped it in olive oil.

Hubby said he didn't know if the extra calories of the walnuts were worth it, but if you pair it with julienned veggies instead of pasta the calories naturally even themselves out to the calories of traditional bread crumbs and pasta noodles. 

Walnut Parmesan Breading for Chicken (or fish)

• 1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup walnuts 
• 1-2 eggs
• Italian seasoning
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 3 large chicken breast
• mozzarella cheese sliced to top
• pizza sauce 
• tomato paste

1. Measure out 1 cup of walnuts and then chop in a food processor until small, but not pasty. Pour into a large bowl. 
2. Empty the food processor and grind your Parmesan cheese. You will need about 1/2  cup (or less if you like) after it is ground. Add the Parmesan to the ground walnuts. 
3. Season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. 
4. If using large chicken breasts, pound them to make them thinner and cut in halves or thirds. 
5. Dip them in whipped egg first then dip them in walnut mixture to coat. 
6. Preheat 2 tbs olive oil in a nonstick skillet on med-med high heat and brown on both sides. 
7. Mix a cup of pizza sauce of your choice (look for organic, with good oils like olive oil and minimal sugar) with one can of tomato paste. Add extra seasoning if you like. 
8. Place the cooked chicken on a cookie sheet, top wit a spoonful of sauce, and a thin slice of cheese. 
9. Broil until the cheese bubbles. 

Julienned Butternut Squash and Zucchini 

• 5 zucchini
• 1/2 butternut squash peeled
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• Italian seasoning

Julienne Peeler from Amazon

If you do not own a little Julienne peeler (ABOVE) you have to get one (click on it to see it on Amazon.com).  It is as easy to use as peeling a carrot and you get great long thin strips of veggies. You can only use it on firm veggies or fruits but there are plenty to choose from. I used it on my butternut squash first. You have to have it peeled already because you don't want to eat the peel. My grocery store sells them cut in half and peeled or I am not sure I would have chosen it even though it works perfectly and the sweet taste is so good with tomato sauce. Just place the julienne peeler at the top neck of the squash and using downward pressure (quite a bit of pressure) pull the peeler towards the other end of the squash and oila squash noodles! Do the same with the zucchini, but the center part with the seeds won't work well, so stop when you get to the seeds. You also can and should keep the peel on when julienneing the zucchini because it is yummy! The extra squash I could not get to julienne I just cubed up and through in the oven with a drizzle of olive oil for a snack. 

The rest I put in my nonstick skillet with a little olive oil, garlic, and Italian spices and cooked until al dente. I had to do the butternut squash first because it takes longer to cook. Keep on turning it over so all the "noodles" get their fair share of heat. It may take a while. You know it is finished by tasting them to see if they are getting sweet. Remove the squash and do the same for the zucchini. The zucchini cooks really really quick - just a couple of minutes. 

You want to make sure you cook them al dente or pretty firm if you are going to freeze it in a Mealpod so when you reheat they don't get mushy. To make this into a Mealpod, just place a little nest of squash on your tin foil (or glass container) and top with a piece of chicken, fold and place in a plastic bag. To get full packing instructions and other freezing tips see our website. http://www.mealpod.us/freezing-tips

Lunch Roundup #6

This week's lunch has pea pods, grapes, cheese, spelt chocolate chip muffins, and pasta with chicken sausage.

I was going to include the recipe for the chocolate chip muffins in this post but they didn't turn out very good. I used the recipe on the Bob's Red Mill package for spelt muffins but altered it a bit with buttermilk and adding vanilla and chocolate chips. They turned out spongy, but edible.

For the pasta and sausage I used a gluten-free pasta which I am not the biggest fan of but I had some in the cupboard. I prefer skipping the pasta myself and giving the rest of the family whole wheat pasta. The gluten-free just doesn't have as good of texture as normal pasta. I added some butter in it for the kids and some Thin n' Trim garden vegetable chicken sausage. Their veggie was on the side - nice crunchy pea pods.

 Its a pre-cooked product but does not have any nitrates so I think it is good for every once in a while. The only ingredient that is not meat or veggies is a bit of sugar.

I cut the sausage in chunks and browned it with a little olive oil before combining with the pasta to make it more tasty. It is precooked, but browning it makes it extra special.

 I made my husband an Italian pasta salad with the hot sausage flavor, olive oil and veggies for lunch as well. 

Chicken Pot Pie

This is another ALMOST gluten free recipe. Instead of wheat flour I again used whole grain spelt flour. It seems to not effect me in the same ways as gluten: no bloating, water weight gain, or bingeing tendencies so far. I don't think I want to have TOO much spelt, but one recipe a week I think is fine.

This recipe is for two 9 inch pies - one with 2 crusts and a lighter one with one crust on top and none on the bottom.

Spelt Pie Crust Recipe

The recipe I used for the spelt crust was from user spud nut on food.com http://www.food.com/recipe/spelt-pie-crust-146604  It makes two crusts so I went ahead and doubled it to make 4 and then froze one so I could have the one bottomless and the other not. 

• 2 cups whole spelt flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/3 (10 tbs) cup cold organic butter 
• 1/3 cup organic shortening (yes there is such a thing and it is trans fat free)
• 5-7 tbs ice cold water 

I did this in the food processor but you could do it by hand like the recipe link describes. Here's what I did:

1. Add flour and salt to the food processor. 

2. Add butter and shortening and pulse until it until the butter and shortening are pea sized. 

3. Add 1 tbs of cold water at a time into the processor pulsing in between until it can be formed into a ball. 5 tbs did it for me. 

4. Remove and shape into a large disk. If you did the one recipe cut into 2 pieces, reshape into disks and wrap them in saran wrap. If you doubled it for top and bottom crust make 4 disks. 

5. Place them in the fridge until your filling is made. 

6. When ready - remove disks and place one on a piece of parchment paper. Place another piece on top and roll until it is bigger than your pie dish. 

7. Peel off parchment and flip over into pie dish or over filling and cut off excess.

Chicken Pot Pie Filling Recipe

Enough for 2 9-inch pot pies

Ingredients

• 4 cups roasted shredded chicken thighs
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 chopped onions
• 2 potatoes chopped and peeled
• 2 carrots chopped and peeled
• 1 celery stalk chopped small
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 1 cup finely chopped kale
• 2 tsp sage
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp Low Sodium Chicken Bouillon Granules
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup corn starch
• 2 cups milk (I used 1%)

Instructions

1. In a saucepan pour half the chicken broth, add onion and bring to a boil.
2. Add the other half of the broth along with potatoes, carrots, peas, kale, bouillon granules, and spices.
3. Cook until potatoes are tender.
4. Mix milk with corn starch in a medium bowl and stir until combined well, set aside. 
5. Rinse and dry your frozen peas and add to the pot.
6. Add the cornstarch mixture into the pot and cook on med high for about 5 minutes and has thickened.
7. Remove from heat and divide into your two pies.
8. If doing it bottomless make sure you generously grease your pie pan. Fill with pie filling and then top with a crust as described above. 
9. Brush with an egg yolk mixed with a little milk if desired. 
10. Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes or until browned.