Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Chicken Sale

FYI- Fresh Market has fresh boneless skinless chicken breasts on sale for $1.59 a pound.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Another Cooking Group

I've been thinking about it and I don't mind setting up another cooking group if there are people out there that would like to be involved in a cooking group but don't want to have more than 10 people.

If you know of anyone that is interested, let them know that I will head up the group. I won't participate because I'm already participating in this group, but I don't mind starting up the blog and getting everyone organized.

So spread the word.

Thanks

Serving Size

So I have a question for you all? Do you think our serving sizes are too big, too little or just enough?

For my small family of four; my husband (who generally is a big-eater), myself (who is also generally a big-eater), my 2 year old daughter (who eats like a bird), and my 8 mo (who would eat like a pig if she had teeth but alas is stuck to pureed baby food); we don't eat 6 servings. I can cook a recipe for 4 servings and still have left-overs for Aaron the next day. Six servings is just way too much for my family, especially if you count one whole chicken breast as a serving.

I would love to hear what you think. Let me know how well your family does with 6 servings. I think that probably the majority of us don't need 6 servings, but again, I might be wrong. So let me know because if everyone thinks we are cooking too much then lets cut it down. That would be cheaper in the long run and I wouldn't feel so guilty if I finally threw away the leftovers after eating it for the third day in a row.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Cafe Rio Pork

This meal has a little work if you want to use the tortillas. If you don't want to use them the pork is still yummy in a salad or with store tortillas. We love to eat these with rice and beans. You can either do regular rice and plain beans or you can make "fancy" rice and beans with the recipe below. I love them with black beans and that is why I provided a can along with the pork. We also like to serve these with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and avacado. Depending on how much pork you like in your burrito there might be a lot left over. The cooked pork freezes really well. Just make sure to include some of the sauce when you freeze it so it isn't too dry when you reheat it. The rice and beans don't freeze very well. The texture changes and it comes out a little dry after being frozen.

Calories 327
Fat 5.7
Sodium 282.3 mg
Carbs 64.5 (sorry)
Fiber 2.4

Café Rio Dressing
1 buttermilk ranch dressing packet (make as per recipe)
2 tomatillos (tomato like vegetable with a husk around them)
½ bunch of cilantro
1 clove garlic
Juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeño (Use the seeds too if you like it spicy. You could substitute a few drops of green Tabasco for the jalapeno.)

Use a food processor to blend all the ingredients well. Refrigerate.

Cafe Rio Chicken
1 small bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
3 cloves garlic—minced
5 lbs chicken breast

Cook all together in a crock pot for 4 hours, shred meat and cook 1 additional hour.(Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing has 2 grams of sugar per serving. I try to avoid dressings with sugar, but this is a very small amount. You're only using 8 ounces of the dressing per 5 pounds of chicken if you follow this recipe, so it should be fine, even for South Beach Dieters.)

Sweet Pork3lb. Pork Roast
16-oz. Chunky Salsa
1 Can Dr. Pepper
2 Cups Brown Sugar

Put pork in crock pot and fill half way with water. Cook 4 hours on high. Drain water, cut the pork in thirds. Mix together sauce (blend in blender) and pour on top of pork. Cook 4 more hours on low. Shred pork.

Café Rio Rice
4 c water
4 t chicken bouillon
4 t garlic –minced
½ bunch cilantro
1 can green chilies—or equivalent fresh
¾ t salt
1 T butter
½ onion
2 c regular white rice

Blend cilantro, green chilies and onion together in food processor. Bring water to a boil and add all ingredients, simmer covered 30 minutes.

BLACK BEANS
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 cup tomato juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in the cilantro

TRES LECHE CAKE
6 large eggs, separated
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream topping:
1 14-ounce can evaporated milk
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup heavy cream

To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour a 9 by 13-inch baking dish and set aside. (I used a smaller rectangle pan & a muffin tin, b/c I wanted individual cakes for presentation)
In the bowl of a mixer, beat the egg whites on low speed until soft peaks form. Add the sugar gradually with the mixer running and peak to stiff peaks. Add the egg yolks 1 at a time, beating well after the addition of each.

Sift together the flour and baking powder and add to the egg mixture, alternating with the milk. (Do this quickly so the batter does not lose volume.) Add the vanilla. Bake until golden, 25 minutes.

To make the cream topping: In a blender, combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream and blend on high speed.

Remove the cake from the oven and while still warm, pour the cream mixture over it. Let sit and cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.

Homemade Whipped Cream
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 teaspoons confectioners' sugar

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream until soft peaks. Add the vanilla extract and confectioners' sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Next Month

Is the list to the left everyone who is going to participate next month?

Monday, October 11, 2010

Second Successful Attempt

Thanks to everyone for participating. I think we have a great variety of foods and I'm really excited to try them all.

With the busy holidays coming up, I figured I would post our next meal date now so that everyone has time to plan and prepare their meals. If you want to participate this month we will be having our next meal exchange on November 8th at 9:30am at my house.

I've looked ahead and it looks like we will probably meet December 6th and January 10if we decide to meet every 4 weeks. This will depend on how many people we have participating. So tentatively plan on those dates for the next several exchanges. I will let you know for sure the closer we get to those dates. If anyone has any imput please let me know.

Super Bean Burritos

1 cup brown or white rice (or 2 cups already cooked rice)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 jalapeno, seeds and membrane removed, finely diced (can substitute 1 can of green chiles)
1 teaspoon cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cans (15 oz. each) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups water
1 (10 oz) package frozen corn or 1 can whole kernel corn, drained
6 green onions, white and green parts finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
12 burrito-sized (10-inch) flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Cook rice; set aside. Meanwhile, heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, jalapeno and cumin; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened and golden, being careful not to let the garlic burn. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring for 1 minute.
Add one can of beans and mash gently in the pan (a potato masher or fork works great here). Add the second can of beans and the water and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 10-12 minutes, being careful not to let the mixture stick to the bottom of the pot. Add corn; cook to heat through, 2-3 minutes. Stir in onion and garlic powders. Remove from heat; stir in green onions and cooked rice.
Heat tortillas in microwave for about 30-45 seconds or until all are warmed through.
Fill each tortilla with about 2/3 cup bean and rice mixture and 1/4 cup cheese on one side of tortilla. Fold, and hold in sides. Starting from filled end, holding sides in as you work, tightly roll into a bundle. Place on a baking sheet, seam side down, and prepare remaining burritos.
Serve warm immediately, with salsa and sour cream if desired — or, to freeze for later consumption, put the baking sheet of burritos into the freezer for at least 30 minutes, or until very cold so that they don’t come apart in the wrapping process. Remove them from the freezer and wrap each burrito individually in plastic wrap and place all the wrapped burritos in a freezer-safe resealable bag and freeze up to three months.
To reheat from frozen:
Remove plastic wrap from the burrito. Poke holes in the top several times with a fork. Microwave on high for two minutes. Gently poke a few more holes in the burrito and microwave for another minute. Be careful as the burrito will be piping hot!

User Entered Recipe
6 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories905.5
Total Fat25.6 g

Saturated Fat10.2 g

Polyunsaturated Fat3.2 g

Monounsaturated Fat10.5 g
Cholesterol33.5 mg
Sodium1,328.6 mg
Potassium960.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate135.5 g

Dietary Fiber17.3 g

Sugars0.9 g
Protein34.4 g

Vitamin A8.1 %
Vitamin B-125.2 %
Vitamin B-623.0 %
Vitamin C15.1 %
Vitamin D0.0 %
Vitamin E12.0 %
Calcium41.1 %
Copper40.9 %
Folate101.8 %
Iron49.1 %
Magnesium37.9 %
Manganese101.9 %
Niacin36.3 %
Pantothenic Acid 17.6 %
Phosphorus 62.2 %
Riboflavin43.2 %
Selenium77.6 %
Thiamin71.8 %
Zinc

Creamy Chicken and Pasta

Ingredients

    3 Cups uncooked pasta
    1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
    1 (12-oz) Evaporated Milk
    1/3 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
    3 Cups Cooked Chopped Chicken
    1/3 Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Directions

Cook noodles in boiling, salted water for 2 min. LESS than the shortest time recommended on pkg. Drain. Combine soup, milk and cheeses. Stir in chicken and pasta.

To serve: Thaw- baked covered for 45 min. at 350. Then remove cover and bake 10 additional min.


Nutritional Info
  • Servings Per Recipe: 6
  • Calories: 585.9
  • Total Fat: 26.4 g
  • Cholesterol: 158.8 mg
  • Total Carbs: 25.2 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 0.5 g
  • Protein: 59.5 g

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Tater-Tot Casserole

1 lb lean ground beef
1 8oz container low fat sour cream
0.5 cup skim milk
1 10.75oz can cream of mushroom soup
1 pkg (26oz?) tater-tots
1 can green beans
1 cup medium cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp onion powder

Directions
Brown the beef. Drain. Add sour cream, cream of mushroom, salt and pepper, and the onion powder to the mixture. Stir and cook until simmering.

In a greased 8x10 or 9x13 (depending on how thick you want your casserole) add the tater-tots. Then layer the green beans, sauce and cheese.

Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Makes 6 servings.

Nutritional Information:
Calories 380.7
Total Fat 21.1 g
Saturated Fat 10.0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.1 g
Monounsaturated Fat 3.7 g
Cholesterol 75.9 mg
Sodium 825.3 mg
Potassium 135.9 mg
Total Carbohydrate 21.0 g
Dietary Fiber 1.0 g
Sugars 0.7 g
Protein 25.1 g

FYI- This is how you would make the recipe if you were not freezing it. In order to prepare it from the freezer, follow these instructions:

Thaw the sauce. In a greased 8x10 or 9x13 pan (depending on how thick you want your casserole) layer the tater-tots, green beans, sauce and cheese. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Red and White Mostaccioloi

1 lb. uncooked mostaccioli or other tubular pasta
Alfredo Sauce (homeade listed belowe)
1 26 oz jar meatless spaghetti sauce or 3 cups homeade spaghetti sauce
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Alfredo Sauce
1/2 c butter (1 stick)
1 3 oz package cream cheese (I used 1/3 fat)
1 pint heavy cream
1 t garlic powder
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
salt and ground black pepper

Nutritional Info
Fat: 177
Calories:2835
Fiber 17
Protein: 88

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Chicken Delight

4 Chicken Breasts, cooked and cut up
8 oz cream cheese
1 cube butter
chives (1-2 tbsp)
salt and pepper to taste
2 8 oz. packages crescent rolls
Mix cooked, cut up chicken, cream cheese, butter, chives, salt and pepper.  Mix well.  Make into 16 balls.  Wrap crescent rolls around chicken balls, pinch together and roll in ball.  Roll in bread crumbs.  Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.


Gravy
3 tsp. chicken bouillon
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
2 cans of water


Mix together thicken with cornstarch and water.
Thaw and bake at 375 for 30 minutes and reheat the gravy.  


Calories  333
Fat 21g
Fiber 2g


Sorry so many fat grams oops!  It's the butter!  I usually serve this with rice and broccoli it has been a family favorite for years!  When I make it normally I use 1/2 cube of butter and less chicken that helps to decrease the calories but when putting the recipe in on the site it is hard to determine servings and serving sizes.  Enjoy!!

Enchilada Casserole

1 lb. Ground Turkey (browned and drained)
2 Cans Chili (I used turkey chili)
1 Can Tomato Soup
1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
6 Eight Inch Flour Tortillas (torn up in 2-3 inch pieces)
1 3/4 cup Shredded Cheese

1.  Combine 1st four ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
2.  Spread 1 cup of soup mixture on bottom of 13x9 pan.
3.  Layer half of the torn tortillas on top of soup mixture.
4.  Layer 1/2 of the soup mixture on the tortillas.
5.  Sprinkle 1 cup cheese on top of soup.
6.  Repeat tortilla and soup layers.
7.  Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. 
8.  Top with remaining 3/4 cup cheese and bake for 5 minutes more.
9.  Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.

**Garnish with sour cream, red pepper flakes, and/or crushed tortilla chips
**We like to eat this with a green salad or with green peas.

Nutrition Info:
307 Calories
12.3 grams Fat
30 grams Carbs
19.5 grams Protein

Chili

CHILI

Recipe:
1 lb. ground beef
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped green bell pepper
1 (16 oz.) can cut-up petite diced tomato
1 (16 oz.) can dark red kidney beans (drained/rinsed)
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. dried basil, crushed
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions:
Brown beef; drain excess oil. Combine remaining ingredients. Bring to boil; cover reduce heat to low/medium-low; simmer 20 minutes.

**FYI - The nutrition facts will vary based on the kind of beef you get. When calculating the nutrition facts on sparks, I selected "lean ground beef". However, it did not specify what "lean" was exactly. I think the facts are a little inflated from what I use and how I prepare it.
Calories -- 308.8
Total Fat -- 16.3 g
Saturated Fat -- 6.3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat -- 0.8 g
Monounsaturated Fat -- 6.9 g
Cholesterol -- 56.7 mg
Sodium -- 793.1 mg
Potassium -- 430.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate -- 23.4 g
Dietary Fiber -- 7.7 g
Sugars -- 6.6 g
Protein -- 19.9 g

Italian Chicken Pasta Skillet

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

1 green pepper, chopped
1 small onion, cut into thin wedges
1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce
2 cups mostaccioli, cooked, drained
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese, divided

Cook and stir chicken in large skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium heat 5 min. Add vegetables; cook 5 min. or until chicken is done and vegetables are crisp-tender.

Add sauce and pasta; cook until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Stir in 1 cup cheese; top with remaining cheese. Cover; let stand 2 min. or until cheese is melted.

Per serving (1 recipe serves 6):
Fiber: 4
Calories: 380
Fat: 12

(I altered the original cooking instructions to make it easier to mass-produce and freezer friendly.)

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Recipe/ nutritional value

Better late than never! So both my recipes/ info are here for your careful perusal

Divine Crock-Pot Chicken
(regular recipe says 5-6 chicken breasts, but this time I did 4. All my nutritional info is based on 4 chicken breasts, FYI)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of celery soup
1 can (10.5 oz) cream of mushroom soup
1 envelope (1 oz) dry onion soup mix
1 tsp dried parsley

Directions:
Put chicken in crock pot (can be totally frozen)
Combine the rest of ingredients and pour over chicken
Cook on low for 4-6 hours
Serve over rice or pasta

Calories 183.3
Calories from fat 58
Fat 6.4 grams
Fiber .7 gram
Carbs 10.5 grams
Protein 20 grams

** I threw 3 potatoes (washed and cut up, but not peeled) in the crock pot and they were delicious. As mentioned we served this over rice. We also had some delicious jello. Sorry it is not more creative, but in my house they are grateful for just about anything so I don't try to make it fancy.


September meal: Ritzy Chicken (regular recipe says 5-6 chicken breasts, but they seemed so big I only did 3, if you feel ripped off I'll reimburse you. All my nutritional info is based on 3 chicken breasts, FYI) 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (pounded out) 2 cups smashed Ritz crackers (about 45 crackers or 2 sleeves) 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 1/4 tsp parsley 1/4 tsp salt 1/8 tsp pepper 1/8 tsp garlic powder (I always use more for my own) 1/2 cup melted margarine or butter 1/3 cup apple juice Calories 248.7 Calories from fat 171 Fat 19 grams (wow that sounds bad, sorry) Fiber 0 grams Carbs 2.1 grams **We have this with potatoes (mashed, au gratin...etc)

Saturday, October 2, 2010

October's Official Member List

For this month's meal exchange we are cooking for 10 people (see the official MMMM widget for a list). This list is subject to change for November but as for October this is it. Please bring them to my house on October 11 at 9:30am.
A couple of things to remember:

Make sure you bring them frozen.

Bring a box or laundry basket that you can put your frozen meals in. Then we will line the floor of my kitchen with the boxes/laundry baskets and hopefully it will be easier to go around and grab the food.

If you have several items that go together either attach it to the main meal with it labeled the name of the main dish or have them already put together in a grocery bag so that everyone can grab a bag.

Make sure you use heavy duty tin foil or the freezer bags that say "freezer" on them.

Label your food with the name of the dish, how to cook it, what temperature and for how long, when to add extra ingredients (if applicable), the date, and your name.

Sometime before or directly after the exchange everyone needs to create their own post and add their recipe along with the nutritional facts.

I will post something like this again when it gets closer to the exchange date but just keep these things in mind as you are making your meals.
Good luck and happy cooking!!!!!!

Friday, October 1, 2010

October Menu

Please post what you will be making for October. Instead of just commenting, please come in and edit the post so we have the list all here on one page. Thanks.

Nanci - Enchilada Casserole

Carrie- Cafe Rio Pork and tortillas (you can make it into a salad or burrito)

Cari J- Bean Burritos, but I am also confused should I be part of the other group

Lisa- Italian Chicken Pasta

Erika-Red & White Mostaccioli

Savanna: Tater-Tot Casserole

Natalie-Divine Crock Pot Chicken

Bobbi-Creamy Chicken Pasta

Brandie--Chicken Delight (aka chicken pillows)

Mara - Chili