Foods

Okay so I have been meaning to write this for a while. I am hoping to write more about my cooking adventures, but who knows when I will find the time, lol. So here are several meals from the past week that I'm actually pretty proud of. The first one is the only one that I've remembered to take photos as  I preped and cooked, but I'm sure most of you aren't interested in the prep. The first is a lightened version of tater tot casserole. 

So first I chopped/diced 2 stalks of celery, and a bunch of green onions and minced some fresh garlic. Save the green tops of the onions for garnish. I also diced a red pepper.

I used ground turkey instead of beef, browned it up and drained the juices. I also added onion, garlic, cumin, tumeric and salt and pepper. I kind of just sprinkle until I'm happy, I'm a big seasonings/spices girl.

Once browned add veggies

Sprinkle 2-3 table spoons of flour over top and mix to combine. I was following another recipe, but it called for a cup each of chicken stock and milk. But I've found that produces too much liquid, so I'd scale it back to 3/4 cup each. 

Cook until thickend. I usually have to turn up the heat to get it to thicken, but that's probably because of the pan I'm using (can't stand non -stick, but stainless steel makes me crazy too!) After it's thickened, toss it into your favorite casserole dish, top with frozen tater tots and cook according to tot package directions until the top is browned and the sauce is bubbly. Top with diced onions and cheese. 

Looks like this and is so super yummy!

You can put all kinds of things in this, we also like broccoli, carrots, peas or corn. I take a picture of my food and Abi says "take a pictur of mine mommy!!" So...

Here's Abi's plate. LOL

Next up was chili. Super easy because I did it in the crock pot. 2-3 cans diced tomatoes (some with oregano, onion and garlic, others just plain) and a can of chili ready beans (mild) Brown ground beef with cumin and chili powder, onion and garlic powder and of course salt and pepper. Then toss it into the crock pot with the tomatoes and beans. I also added frozen green beans and corn. I always add extra seasonings into the pot, again because I'm a spicy girl. And basically set to high or low dependingn on how much time you have and let it go 3-6 hours to let the flavors marry. 

Next up is chicken and gnocchi stoup. 3 chicken breasts in a crock pot with enough chicken stock to come up just above the chicken. Add a box of cream of chicken soup (we use organic and it's in a box instead of a can, so whatever your preference here) Onion and garlic powder, celery seed, salt and pepper to taste. Turn it on high for about 2-3 hours. Then add frozen peas and carrots, 30 minutes later, once it's nice and hot again add whole wheat gnocchi. That cooks fast but I like to leave it in for another 30 minutes or so. Pull the chicken about 10 minutes before you're ready to eat, shred it and put it back to soak in more juice. This stuff is so amazing, we actually fight over leftovers! 

And here's Abi's since she wanted another picture of her food, lol.

Finally, last nights meal, quinoa and bean stuffed peppers. I am not a big fan of cooked peppers like this, so to save time (and flavor) I skipped cooking the peppers and just chopped them into the stuffing. Which is quinoa, seasoned with cumin, onion, garlic and a little tumeric, salt and pepper... pinto beans (we use all kinds of beans for this, but I'm finding I really like the pinto) Then I minced cilantro and added that to it (Abi however, did not like the cilantro so I had to make her meal slightly differently.) Finished the whole thing off with some feta cheese and the peppers. I like to add a splash of lemon or lime juice, but I can't for Abi so I usually omit that all together. This is such a yummy and super easy dinner! I love it and we usually eat a variation of it once a week or so. 

I was really feeling the comfort foods this week, and I'm hoping that theme doesn't carry on because some of them can get a little on the fattier/heavier side.. but I do always try to lighten it up if at all possible. :) If you make anything I've blogged about, let me know how you liked it and what changes , if any you made. I'm always looking for ways to improve on my meals!