steak and veggie quesadillas

As I mentioned in my previous post, I have been making a conscious effort to make some healthier meals.

Whenever I ask my husband what he's hungry for, most of the time he will say "Can you make TACOS?!" out of everything I make, he wants tacos. Unbelievable.

With this in mind, I decided to change up taco night with a healthier quesadilla.

You'll need:

2 thinly sliced flank steaks (Buy what's on sale, I did)
1/4 bag of frozen corn
1/4 bag frozen pepper strip mix
1 small onion, diced
heaping tablespoon of garlic, minced
1/2 packet taco seasoning
10 cherry tomatoes (or so) diced
8 flour tortillas
1/2 bag or 1 cup of shredded cheese (I used mexican blend)

salsa and sour cream to garnish. I also made some rice as a side!

This makes 8 flour tortillas folded in half. I cut each folded tortilla in half for a meal size portion(making 16 pieces total). As an appetizer, I would cut each folded quesadilla into quarters, making 32 quesadillas. The whole batch cost me $6.50, not bad!

First, I broke out my grill pan and got it VERY hot with a little oil brushed on it. Once it was sizzling, I quickly put each steak on the grill and flipped it after a minute or two, just to char it. I removed the steak and let it sit on my cutting board. We prefer our steak, medium, and with such thin pieces, this was perfect for us. Use your judgement according to your steak preference.

In a large skillet on medium high, combine the frozen corn, frozen pepper strips, diced onion, garlic, diced tomatoes and taco seasoning. Cook until everything is tender. With such small pieces, this only takes a couple minutes.

 

In the meantime, your steak has rested and now you can slice it very thin. Add these slices to the skillet and let the taco seasoning flavor the steak as well. Take out another skillet and heat it on medium, drop a flour tortilla in and on one side put a thin layer or cheese. Using a large spoon, add a thin layer of the veggies and meat, top with more cheese. Using a spatula, fold the tortilla over and press slightly. Let the cheese melt, then carefully flip the tortilla over to be sure the other side has melted and the tortilla is browned slightly. Remove from the pan to cool. Continue this process for all eight tortillas.

Cut the quesadillas in half, thirds, or quarters, depending on how you plan on serving them. I added salsa and cour cream, my husband topped his with extra cheese and ranch! I also made a quick side of spanish style rice. We had lots of left overs and this would be a great party food, too!

 

Banana, chocolate chip, oatmeal muffins... guilt free :)

Today I had 2 ripe bananas on my counter... which made me think BANANA CUPCAKES! Something my mom always whipped up with our old bananas.

BUT, yesterday I decided although I am breastfeeding and it is sucking the life out of me (which no one tells you!) and I eat non-stop to keep up... I really need to cut back on the junk and get back in the routine of eating healthy for Gracie. I can't say enough how thankful I am I can do this, because I was back into shape in 4 days and feel awesome, but that doesn't mean I should eat crappy just bacause I can get away with it!

So I put the lid on my pringles and decided to come up with something healthier I wouldn't feel bad about with these bananas staring at me...

So, here's what I created:

No butter, no sugar, no flour, no salt, no eggs... and DELICIOUS!

You'll need:

3/4 cup quick cooking oats
1/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup chocolate chips (or raisins, or nuts... whatever you have!)
2 mashed up ripe bananas
non stick spray
2 tablespoons splenda (you can use real sugar or brown sugar, though. this just makes it really guilt free!)


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, spray a large muffin tin with non stick cooking spray (bottom and sides, or just use liners). Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Check the consistency, it should be similar to oatmeal raisin cookie dough... a little thicker than a normal batter. Taste the batter for sugar/sweetener. I used 2 tablespoons due to the chocolate chips, I didn't want them over sweetened, so this is your preference. After it's combined well, drop a large spoonful into each muffin tin. Bake for 15-20 minutes. The recipe makes enough for 12 muffins.

Note: these will not be browned very well. I used a small knife at 15 minutes to check the bottoms of the muffins (slid it under and kind of peeked) I decided to leave them in a bit longer until they were more brown on the bottom and since I didn't have liners, just to be sure they would hold nicely.

 Remove them and let them cool. They are very yummy and chewy and great for busy moms (or dads, or anyone!) to grab and go for breakfast or a snack without feeling too guilty. Next time, I'd like to experiment with applesauce, cinnamon, or peanut butter to change up the flavors :) Give it a try!

Poor Man's Meal

As I started cooking more on my own in college and when I moved out into my first apartment, I would call my mom A LOT for recipes. I mostly wanted to know how to make the things I missed from home.

Usually, I would call and ask, "Mommmm, how do I make ________ again?" and her response would be "Ashley, THAT'S A POOR MAN'S MEAL!"

here's a picture of my mom, the queen of poor man's meals and I :)

I would laugh and say out of all the awesome food my mom would make, those are the meals I missed! Things like halushki, halupkis, palachinkas (crepes), pot pie, shit on the shingles, etc. They might be poor man's meals in my mom's eyes, BUT it's what I loved and wanted to make when I was away from home.

I've learned over the past few years that I'm not the only person missing these! My husband LOVES these so called poor meals and asks for them all the time. If we love them, and they're cheap dinners... why not?!

So, last night I made my best friend Stacy's favorite poor man's meal... Potato Pancakes. They are easy, use mostly things you already have, and after I figured out the cost a batch of 12 pancakes came to $2.03 and we have leftovers for breakfast AND lunch :) gotta love it.

Here's my best recipe:

2 cups of mashed potatoes, prepared (my mom always used left overs, instant were on sale for $.88 last week so I used them. Not a fan of them plain, but in a casserole or batter, save the work!)

3/4 cup flour
1/2 stick softened butter
1/4 cup frozen or prepared corn (left overs)
1/4 cup chopped onion (optional)
1/4 cup shredded cheese (anything in the fridge will do!)
1 egg
1/4 cup milk (add more depending on how thick your potatoes are!)

Season the batter heavily with salt and pepper, I add season salt as well.

Mix everything in a large bowl. It shouldn't be thin like pancake batter, but should be thinner than mashed potatoes. It's not rocket science, so don't stress. They are hard to goof!

Heat a few tablespoons of oil in your largest skillet on medium heat. With a large spoon, drop a scoop of batter into the hot oil and flatten it slightly. Fry each pancake for a few minutes and flip, it should be golden brown. Repeat on the other side. Remove them from the pan and put them on a paper towel to get rid of the extra oil. I add extra salt and pepper at this point since the batter is so thick and sucks up the seasoning so much.

The batter makes 12 pancakes and is enough for 4-6 people. It's cheap, delicious and very difficult to mess up!

 

Soooooooo yummy :)

back in the kitchen :)

A lot has changed since my last post, the new title of my blog should be "how to cook for your man with a drink in your hand... and a baby screaming in the background!" I took a hiatus during my pregnancy. But, now that I am officially settled in as a stay at home mom until January, I am ready to start back up again trying new recipes and sharing my ideas with everyone. Here is a picture of our beautiful new addition, Gracie Mae. She does a lot more sleeping than screaming, but you get the idea! This stay at home mom business is no joke!

 

 

Speaking of business, my sister, Christina, (who is CRAZY talented in the kitchen) and I are contemplating a new business venture. We'd like to take our love for cooking to the next level and cater parties and small functions locally... baby showers, graduation parties, housewarming, etc. If you'd be interested please let me know via comment or through facebook! Our menu and pricing information is in the works... our hungry husbands are very busy taste testing for us :)

More posts to come asap!

Healthier Chicken Parm and Pasta

Chicken Parm:

1pkg chicken tenderloins
1 cup part skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 jar pasta sauce

Grill chicken on a grill pan and season with garlic powder and season all generously until seared on both sides. In an 8x8 pan smear pasta sauce lightly on the bottom. Add seared tenders. Top with one tablespoon of sauce on each. Cover with cheese. Place foil on top and bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.


Pasta:

1 box frozen creamed spinach
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tomatoes, chopped
olive oil
1/2 box angel hair pasta

In the meantime, lightly oil a large sauce pan and place the frozen creamed spinach in the pan to cook. (medium high) chop and add both tomatoes, add more oil. Add the minced garlic to the pan. Let everything come together and add more oil to loosen the sauce as needed. Prepare the pasta as directed. Using tongs, lift the pasta directly out of the water and into the sauce pan to toss. Top with left over cheese and serve with chicken.

Deconstructed Lasagna Soup

Deconstructed Lasagna Soup

Soup:

1 lb ground chicken, turkey, or beef

1 onion, diced

1 pepper, diced

3 tablespoons minced garlic

1 large can crushed tomatoes

1 jar spaghetti sauce

½ box of oven ready lasagna noodles, broken

Cheese topping:

1 block cream cheese, softened

½ cup parmesan cheese

½ cup mozzarella cheese

½ cup bread crumbs

Brown the meat in a large sauce pan. Add the onions, peppers, and garlic. Pour this mixture into a crockpot, set to low for 8 hours or high for 8 hours. Add a can of crushed tomatoes and a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce. Fill the jar with water, shake, and pour into the crockpot. Break a half a box of oven ready lasagna noodles, stir in so the noodles are covered. Season with Italian seasoning.

Make the cheese filling: in a bowl add all ingredients and cream together with a mixer. Set aside.

When the soup is ready (noodles soft) Scoop a tablespoon or 2 of the cheese mixture into the center of your bowl. Pour the hot soup over top so the cheese mixture melts and breaks apart throughout.

Serve with crusty bread and a salad for a complete, easy meal!

Glazed Pork Chops with Apple Stuffing

Glazed Pork Chops with Apple Stuffing

Stuffing:

3 cups diced bread

2 cups diced apples

½ onion, diced

½ cup celery diced

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 stick of butter

10 thinly sliced pork chops OR 5-6 bone in, thick cut pork chops

Salt, pepper, maple syrup

Begin by searing each pork chop in a hot pan for 2-3 minutes on each side. Season with salt and pepper. (If you are using the bone in chops, slice a thick cut in the center of each to stuff it.

Dice all your ingredients for the stuffing. Melt the stick of butter in a large pan, add the onion, garlic and celery. Season with salt and pepper. Next, add the apple and finally the bread. Stir everything together as the bread absorbs the butter. Place a layer of pork chops in a 13x9 inch pan. Scoop the stuffing into each, and top with another chop. I secured the top and bottom chop with tooth picks. Drizzle with maple syrup and bake covered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove the foil and finish baking for an additional 20-30 minutes.