Healthified Sloppy Joes

So as of this week, my husband has lost 30 lbs on good ol' home cooking and regular exercise. This blog has actually played a big part in that . Having it actually inspired me to try new recipes or take older ones and "healthify" them. I have found a few blogs to help there and wanted to share one with my readers. I love this one because it is run by a registered dietitian that just wants to raise healthy eaters. I changed just a few things and doubled the recipe so that I have another night's dinner already cooked

Healthified Sloppy Joes!

1 lb. ground turkey, beef or vegetarian ground meat,

1/2 yellow onion, finely diced

1 red or yellow bell pepper, finely diced (I used a yellow and several small sweet peppers)

1 large carrot, grated

2 large tomatoes, diced (or 15 oz tomato sauce)

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbsp. ketchup

8 whole wheat buns, (I used sandwich Thins)
Directions

In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the meat in its own juices until it is almost cooked through. . Drain off the excess liquid, if necessary, and add the diced vegetables to the skillet. Sauté the mixture for 2 minutes and add all the remaining ingredients, except the buns. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat, cover the skillet, and simmer it for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are tender. At this point you can refrigerate or freeze the mixture, or proceed to the next step.
To serve the sandwiches, lightly toast the buns and fill each one with a large spoonful of the meat mixture.

I used to have a pretty picky eater, but he ate this right up so I am thinking that the pickiness was subdued by the tasty sloppy Joes!

Nutritional Information per serving (% based upon daily values)

(with turkey)

Calories: 261

Total Fat: 10g, 15%

Saturated Fat: 2g, 5%

Cholesterol: 40mg, 15%

Sodium: 550mg, 22%

Total Carbohydrate: 30g, 10%; Dietary Fiber: 4g, 16%; Sugar: 5g

Protein: 17g

Green Enchilada Chili

Tonight I went to my sister's house and hung out with her for a bit. I brought homemade rolls and she made a new Chili recipe!

Melt in your mouth rolls

3 cups hot water
1 1/2 tbsp instant yeast
4 cups flour (starting) adding up to 8 cups - of course I used whole wheat
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup gluten
1 tbsp salt
1/4 cup powdered milk
1 crushed up 1000mg vitamin C

in a mixer, combine hot water with yeast. Add about 4 cups of flour and mix to paste-like consistency. Add oil, honey, salt and gluten. Turn the mixer from low to medium and add powdered milk. Gradually add more flour (I do 1/2 cup at a time) until dough starts to clean the bowl. Let knead in mixer for 5 minutes. Add crushed vitamin and mix 1-2 minutes more.
Slather hands with shortening to keep dough from sticking to your hands and break dough into abt 36 pieces and shape into rolls. Place on baking sheet and let rise in a warm area until doubled in volume (abt 15 min for me today). Bake at 350 for 19-22 minutes or until toasty brown.

Green Enchilada Chili
2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
1 large can green enchilada sauce
2 cans chicken broth
2 cans black beans
2 cans white beans
16 oz sour cream ( I prefer fat-free for less calories, but do what you like)
8-16 b0z grated pepper jack cheese

combine chicken and sauce in a large pot at medium heat. Add broth and beans. Simmer 10+ minutes. Add sour cream and let the chili get nice and hot. Gradually grate cheese into chili (if you add it all at once, you will have gooey chili instead of creamy). Serve and enjoy!

Long days = quick and easy dinners = Chicken Rice Ole'

So I decided to make cookies with my 2 year old before dinnertime and forgot to take care of dinner until dessert was done! What was I to do. Luckily, I freeze rice when I cook too much of it. This is one of my easiest and fastest recipes for those nights when theres a lot going on and not a lot of time to make dinner.

Chicken Rice Ole'

3 cups cooked rice (i like brown rice)
1 cup sour cream
1 10 oz can of cooked chicken
1 cup Salsa
a sprinkle of grated cheese

So for this, I just put everything in a microwave safe dish and stir it together. I pop that in the microwave for 3-5 min or until everything is heated thoroughly. Thats it!!!! It takes me less than 10 minutes to prepare and serve this when the rice is already cooked. Definitely a time saver and oh so tasty. My kids like it too!

Whole Wheat Homemade Pan Pizza

This past week I had a lot going on with my extended family. One night I made some cousins dinner. I did not have a lot of time, but I wanted to make something tasty, homemade and easy. So I came up with this.

Homemade Pan Pizza
2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
1 1/2 C warm water (about 110 degrees)
3 1/2 Cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp white pepper (I used regular pepper and it was fine)
1 scant Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 - 1 Cup tomato or spaghetti or pizza sauce
1 1/2 cups cheese - I used a little monterrey jack, cheddar, and mozzerella
Toppings that you like

In a large bowl, combine the yeast and water. Stir to dissolve the yeast and allow the mixture to rest for about 5 minutes. Sift about half of the flour into the mixture and blend until smooth with your hands. Add the salt, pepper and honey and mix to blend. Sift in remaining flour and mix to blend.
Lightly flour a flat surface. Turn pizza dough on to board and knead for 3-5 minutes. The flour should feel smooth and the ingredients completely mixed. Place the dough inside a slightly oiled large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in a warm place until doubled in volume.
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Melt butter in the bottom of two 8-9 inch round pans.
Gently press on the dough and divide into 2 parts. flatten each part and place in the 2 pans. Press dough to edges of the pan. Poke middle area of crust with a fork. Brush dough with a little olive oil before adding 2 large spoonfuls of sauce to the top and spread to cover crust as desired. Spread the top of the pizza with 1/2 cup of cheeses or as much as you want before adding desired toppings.
Bake for 7-10 minutes and remove from oven. Lift out of pan and cut.

Whats for dinner tonight.

Ok so I think that I want to try and do a few recipes a week and to start that out, I am doing a "whats for dinner tonight" post, kinda like Rachel Ray does on her morning show. I posted last nights and feel bad for leaving it with an unhealthy ending, so for tonight I am making a yummy southwest kinda salad.

This is one of my favorite summer dinners because it is so easy and doesn't heat up the house.

1 bunch of fresh spinach from the grocery store ( I usually cut off the stem part of the leaves)
several romaine lettuce leaves
about 1 1/2 c. rotisserie chicken (or any pre-cooked chicken will do)
1 can of yellow corn
1 can black beans
1/2 c. carrot shreds
1/2 cucumber, chopped
ranch dressing
barbeque sauce

I make 3 or 4 salads with this recipe so start by dividing spinach onto desired amount of plates. Add romaine lettuce to plates. Layer with corn, beans, cucumbers, and carrots. put about 1/2 C. chicken on to the top of the salad. Drizzle some ranch dressing over the top, followed by a light drizzle of the barbeque sauce. Serve and enjoy.

My husband made a comment about this salad the last time that I made it. He said that salads like this are like summer casseroles where you just mix it all together and enjoy.

Not so healthy...but easy

Ok so last night was not a healthy cooking night, but I will make up for that with a 4 mile run. I made a homemade alfredo sauce that was pretty good, but I figured out what it was lacking and so I am making and addition. Good luck!

1 pkg. fettuccine noodles
2/3 c. butter or margarine
1 1/2 c parmesan cheese (grated)
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 c milk
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 - 10 oz can cooked chicken breast (or 1-2 chicken breasts cooked)
1/4 c fresh chopped parsley

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat (put the fan on to avoid choking on the scent of cooking buter). Gradually stir in cheese then cream and milk, and garlic until well blended (I suggest you use a whisk too). Continue heating sauce stirring constantly, just to boiling point. Add cooked chicken. Remove from heat and stir in parsley. Add sauce to hot cooked pasta; toss lightly.
To me, this tastes close to the Olive Garden alfredo sauce. I know that adding a few other ingredients brings it closer to that taste, but that definitely boosts the fat content.

I suggest serving it with a light salad or cooked green beans to better balance the meal out.