Baked Potato Soup

I hate being cold. But I do love Winter because of the following: Christmas, sweaters, and soup. There is just something ultra comforting about all three and it's a special treat when you can sit under the lights of the Christmas tree wrapped in a cozy sweater eating some warm and hearty soup. Ahhhh!



Baked Potato Soup
5 large baked  potatoes
1 small onion, diced
1 small bell pepper, diced
2 Tbsp butter 
3-4 pieces cooked bacon, crumbled
8 oz. sour cream
2 cups milk
2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
shredded cheddar cheese
minced fresh parsley


In a 5 qt. Dutch Oven melt butter over medium-high heat. Add chopped vegetables and saute until tender-crisp and lightly browned. Add broth and milk and stir. Cut potatoes into large chunks and add to pot along with crumbled bacon. Fork mash the potatoes, leaving some good chunks still in tact. The more you mash, the thicker your soup will be.  Add salt, basil and ground black pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh parsley and some shredded cheese.

Smoked Salmon Paté

My husband and I seldom exchange gifts on our birthdays. Instead, we like to shower each other with attention and service. For Mike's birthday this year I took him on a camping trip, just the two of us. For my birthday, he cooked me dinner. But not just any dinner! He went all out and smoked some wild-caught Alaskan salmon. Wow! That is definitely a new birthday tradition around here. I wish there were some way I could describe how delicious it was. In fact, it was so delicious that we decided on an encore for a Thanksgiving appetizer. It really was too good to turn it into a paté but I'd been wanting to try a new recipe. My thought was that I could put this on my daughter's bagels for the days that she insists on only bringing a bagel and cream cheese for lunch. That way she's at least getting some extra nutrients, right? I have the pickiest seven-year-old so we are constantly trying to find interesting things to try in her lunchbox. The girl won't eat peanut butter and jelly... But she did it this!

 

Smoked Salmon Paté

6 oz smoked salmon

juice of 1/2 lemon, or to taste

1/4 lb low-fat cream cheese

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

pinch of cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp prepared horseradish

2 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley

Put the ingredients into a blender or food processor. Process until smooth and creamy. Season with additional pepper to taste and add fresh, chopped parsley if desired. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and put in the refrigerator. Tastes great on bagels, crusty bread, crackers and cucumbers.

Pepperoni Chicken Involtini

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, about 8 ounces each

1 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. granulated garlic

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp dried oregano

8 oz. sliced pepperoni

4 thin slices munster cheese

8 large basil leaves

8-16 baby spinach leaves

First, flatten the chicken breasts, smooth side down between two layers of plastic wrap. For very thick pieces of chicken, it helps to cut partially into the meat and fold it out.

 I use the flat side of a meat tenderizer to flatten the meat. You could also use the bottom of a heavy pan.

 Mix seasonings and sprinkle generously over each piece of meat.

 Load each piece of chicken with spinach, basil, 1 slice cheese and about 4 slices pepperoni

 Roll chicken lengthwise. Keep it as tight as you can!

 Tie each piece of chicken with 2 pieces of butcher's twine and brush the surface of each with olive oil. I didn't have any twine, so I simply used thread which worked just fine.

 Grill over direct medium heat for about 12 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked and the cheese has melted. I turned my chicken every 2-3 minutes to keep it from burning.

 This would be great served with some good quality tomato sauce but we skipped the sauce so my girls would actually eat their dinner~ which the did. They loved it!

P.S. We sliced the leftover chicken and put it on sandwich rolls for some delicious sandwiches the next day. Yum!

On The GO "meals"

 

What do you think of when you think of dinner? Here are the things that come to my mind:

A properly set table complete with a fork spoon, knife and napkin.
A main course with at least two sides.
At least an hour of “slaving” in a hot kitchen…

Okay- so you got me. I like to cook so it’s never “slaving” for me, but I admit that I often spend an hour or more on a single meal. So what if I don’t have that kind of time? I anticipate this month being super busy for me. It’s the last month of school and there are plenty of class parties and activities to organize. Add that to beautiful Spring weather and a large garden to tend this year, not to mention home-schooling my oldest; and I don’t know if we will have even one slaved-over meal this month… 
I plan on using the crock-pot a lot and utilizing some of my pre-made meals from the freezer, but if those options fail me then I will just try to keep things simple. Dinner doesn’t have to be fancy, or traditional for that matter. As long as I’m covering the basics then I’m feeling pretty good.
So what are the basics?  Protein + starch + fruits and/or vegetables = dinner!
And really… if I’m being completely honest than if I cover even 2 of the 3 basics with each meal then I’m not beating myself up about it! Here are some things that I’ve found make some very quick “meals” when I’ve neglected to plan ahead with the crock-pot. These can also be very portable so you can easily grab and go if needed.

Proteins:
Hard boiled eggs. I usually even peel a few of them and keep them in an airtight container for ultimate convenience.
Thin-sliced lunch meats and pre-cooked bacon. I’m talking about real meat, not that ultra-processed kinda-resembles-sorta-tastes-like meat that you buy in those little plastic packages. eew!
Peanut/almond butter
Nuts
Lowfat cheese like mozzarella and cottage cheese.
Sliced and shredded cheese
Pre-cooked various beans (we use black beans, refried and kidney the most)
Yogurt, plain
Canned (or pouched) chicken and/or tuna
Protein  powder

Starches:
Whole wheat tortillas
Whole grain bread
Cooked brown rice (I usually throw some in my rice cooker at least once a week and keep it in the refrigerator for those crazy days)
Cooked pasta (Whenever we have a pasta dish I try to cook an extra couple cups of plain pasta to use as needed throughout the week.)
Whole grain crackers
Rolls, pita bread, muffins, biscuits, pizza crusts (All of these can be made ahead of time and kept in the freezer until needed.)
Granola, high fiber cereal
Whole grain chips

Produce:
Washed and peeled vegetables cut into bite-sized pieces such as: Carrots (or even buy the pre-washed baby carrots for more convenience), Celery, Peppers, Cucumbers, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Snow peas, asparagus
Also keep lettuce, tomatoes, spinach, and sprouts if desired
Cut-up fruit chunks such as: Pineapple, Melons, apples, oranges (mix the cut apples and oranges together to keep the apples from going brown)
Also keep on hand whole fruits like apples, bananas, oranges, berries and grapes

Extras:
Hummus, Ranch and Italian dressing, mayonnaise, mustard, honey, tomato sauce, seasonings, barbecue sauce, salsa, milk

At the end of the week mix all your pre-cut fruit together that didn’t get eaten yet and make a nice fruit salad. You can also mix the pre-cut veggies and cook them into a soup- or just blanch them and put them into the freezer for an easy soup, stew or crock-pot addition later.

Now what to do with all of this? Here are some ideas using the above ingredients for easy “meals” on the go.  Remember, just because you don’t have to sit down with a fork and plate to eat these, doesn’t mean it won’t fill you up.

Less than a minute:

    * Bag of carrots, tub of hummus, crackers
    * Brown rice and cheese (like string cheese) with asparagus and snow peas (raw)
    * Whole grain crackers and sliced lunch meat, your choice veggie
    * cottage cheese and berries with a muffin
    * Almonds and an apple and/or orange
    * Sliced apples with peanut butter
    * Tuna pouch and pita bread
    * Hard boiled eggs, veggies

A minute or so:

    * Cereal or granola and milk
    * Cooked rice, berries, honey and milk
    * Spread natural peanut butter on a whole wheat tortilla.  Place a banana in the middle.  Roll it it all up together.
    * Wash a handful of grapes and berries. Put them in a container. Pour yogurt on top with a teaspoon of honey and some granola (or keep it separate).
    * Make a sandwich with whole grain bread and whatever lean meat, low-fat cheese you have. Squirt some mustard on the bread, and add lettuce and a sliced tomato in there too if you can.
    * Put whole grain tortilla chips in a microwave-save container; sprinkle low-fat cheese on top; microwave for 30 seconds; top with salsa. Don't forget a napkin!
    * Blend together 1 ½ cup milk, a scoop of whey or soy protein powder, a dash of cinnamon, and a banana or handful of blueberries in a blender; pour in a portable mug.
    *Spread refried beans over  pizza crust. Top with shredded lettuce, tomato chunks and salsa. Add cheese if desired.
    *Combine cooked noodles or rice with a can of chicken and some barbecue sauce
    *Combine cooked noodles with chopped vegetables, Italian dressing and chopped mozzarella for a pasta salad. Add  some canned tuna or chicken if desired.
    *Combine lettuce, spinach, berries, and nuts with some Rasberry vinaigrette if you have some or just drizzle some lemon juice or add nothing but extra berries (that’s what I do!)
    * Egg, Tuna or Chicken Salad sandwiches- combine boiled eggs or meat with some mayonnaise (or substitute with plain yogurt) and mustard and serve on rolls or whole grain bread with lettuce and cheese
   * Combine brown rice, salsa and black beans with some taco seasoning and cheese. Serve on tortillas or just eat with a spoon.
   
Here are some other things that help:
   
    * Freeze serving-sized meals for use on hectic days.  Just microwave the meal in its container and go!
    * Have a portable cooler or decent-sized lunch bag on call at all times.
    * Keep a stash of napkins and plastic ware in your car, backpack, briefcase, or purse.
    * Pack your grab and go meal the day before when you know you'll be busy the next day.
    * Have transportable yet healthy foods handy, like some of the options mentioned in the above lists.

Sometimes our on-the-go destination is only our back yard.. Or even our kitchen table! But even then it’s SO nice to be able to have something quick, easy, and nutritious at our fingertips. The boys in my house would go completely bonkers if we ate this way all the time but when it’s necessary at least I can go to bed guilt-free that night.

Monte Cristo Sandwiches

I made these for lunch because my daughter kept asking me for a "meat and jelly" sandwich. No, she'd never had a Monte Cristo before- she just thought it sounded good! The kids had so much fun eating their lunch that I've put this back onto the menu for this week. After all, ham will be on sale!

 

Monte Cristo Sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 8 slices bread
• 8 slices thinly sliced ham
• 8 slices thinly sliced turkey or chicken
• 8 slices Swiss or Gruyere cheese
• a little mustard and mayonnaise, if desired
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• Fruit preserves for dipping

Preparation:

1. Heat 3 inches of oil in a deep skillet to 365 degrees F (180 degrees C). Or just fire up your deep-fryer. While oil is heating, make the batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg and water. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper; whisk into the egg mixture until smooth. Set aside in the refrigerator.
2. For each sandwich layer a slice of ham, slice of cheese, a slice of turkey or chicken then repeat. Add a little mustard or other dressing, if desired. Press sandwich lightly and trim crusts. Cut into halves diagonally and secure with toothpicks.

3. Dip each sandwich quarter in the batter so that all sides are coated. Deep fry in the hot oil until golden brown on all sides If using a skillet, you will have to flip the sandwich. Remove toothpicks and arrange on a serving tray. Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving and serve with fruit preserves on the side. 

Makes 4 sandwiches, 8 cut triangles, to serve 4.

Valentines Day Fun

I didn't make anything super extraordinary for Valentine's Day. But I made the day fun with heart shaped food all day! For the little kids anyway... My boys weren't too excited about a heart-shaped steak at dinnertime...

We had heart shaped pancakes. I even threw some strawberry gelatin into the batter for pink and flavored pancakes. But was too busy getting kids off to school to take a picture.

At lunchtime I let the kids choose what kind of sandwich they'd like and cut them all into heart shapes for them. I even cut the apples into hearts and served pink lemonade with heart-shaped strawberries.

 Then we had some non-food fun and made some Valentines. Kids love to glue things. They were entertained for MINUTES! (Seriously.. almost an hour which is amazing!)






For dessert, if I'd thought ahead a few more days, we would have had this cake. (I didn't end up actually making it until last night) So FUN!

Happy Late Valentine's Day everybody. Hope yours was as fun as mine!

Mike's Lunches

My husband has a job where he's often out on jobsites and driving around all day. This means I can't just send him with the ol' leftovers to re-heat in the break room like I used to do. So the alternatives are packing a cold lunch every day, going out every day or a little mix of both. While he does still go out from time to time, we really try to stick with lunches from home as much as possible. It's healthier and cheaper. I guess we'll just go with cheaper though because any time I try to throw in that 'h' word it severely turns him off...

Sandwiches

Sandwiches can be a little tricky when you're sending them for lunch almost every day. Deli meat only lasts about a week in the refrigerator, and bread tastes the best if you are buying/making it fresh every day. Well, that would absolutely decimate our grocery budget because that means we'd be buying meat every week and bread every day! Sales wouldn't be very likely... Not to mention that my 15-yr-old would be helping himself to the meat all week long which means I'd have to buy at least twice as much! The fix-all solution to these problems? My freezer, of course! By freezing pre-made sandwiches, you can still buy in bulk when you find a good deal, and you've got a quick and easy lunch at your fingertips every day.

Meat: I can usually find deli meat on a semi-decent sale about once a month- but not always. When I do find a good sale, I buy at least enough for that month. When I can't find it on sale, then I make my own. Thinly sliced roast from Sunday dinner makes a fantastic sandwich as well as grilled chicken, thinly sliced steak, and even pre-cooked bacon. All of these can be cooked ahead of time and assembled into indivual sandwiches- which can be frozen for later enjoyment. Just be sure to leave off any mustard, mayo or any other dressings as well as any vegetables.

Bread: By slicing bread and assembling into sandwiches immediately after purchase or baking, you'll be preserving the fresh taste and texture of your favorite bread. Just make sure you're using freezer quality wrapping before you freeze. Pictured below is several sandwiches I put together on Saturday after picking up my Ciabatta bread I'd ordered with my Bountiful Basket this week. This is some of Mike's favorite bread, so I dedicated four of the five loaves just to his sandwiches. We were able to get 3 huge sandwiches out of each loaf of bread. If I were making the sandwiches for myself it would be at least 5 sandwiches per loaf.

When you are ready to pack a sandwich into your lunch, open the frozen sandwich and spread some mayo, mustard or whatever other condiments you'd like. Also add some tomatoes and lettuce at this point if you'd like, or pack them pre-sliced into your lunchbox and add them to your sandwich when you're ready to eat.

Some other great lunch ideas that don't need to be re-heated:

Taco Pizza

Flat Bread Sandwiches

Tuna Salad

Cold Pizza

Broiled Tuna-Noodle Casserole

Make one of these for dinner, and one for a friend or to put into your freezer for later. This is our go-to meal when the hubby's out of town. He's not a big fan of Tuna Casserole, but me and the kiddos LOVE it!

Broiled Tuna-Noodle Casserole
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pounds wide egg noodles or bowtie pasta
2 red bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), thinly sliced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
5 cups skim milk
4 cans (6 ounces each) tuna in olive oil, drained
1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1 lb broccoli, lightly steamed and chopped
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan


Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly oil two 8-inch square (or other shallow 2-quart) baking dishes. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook noodles until 2 minutes short of al dente; drain, and return to pot. Meanwhile, in a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium. Add bell peppers, broccoli and zucchini; season with salt and pepper. Cook until crisp-tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Gradually add milk, stirring until smooth. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a simmer.Remove from heat; add mixture to noodles in pot, along with tuna, and green onions. Season with salt and pepper, and toss. Divide between prepared baking dishes, and sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake until golden and bubbling, about 20 minutes or place under a HOT broiler for 5-7 minutes.


To freeze: Prepare above recipe with the exception of baking; cool to room temperature. Cover tightly with aluminum foil, and freeze up to three months.

To bake from frozen: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake, covered with foil, until center is warm, about 2 hours. Uncover, and bake until top is browned, about 20 minutes more.

To bake from thawed:Thaw overnight in refrigerator. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake, covered with foil, until center is warm, about 30 minutes. Uncover, and bake until top is browned, about 20 minutes more.
1/3 cup olive oil, plus more for baking dishes

Egg Sandwiches

This is the only way my family will accept "Breakfast for Dinner" around my house. It is a super-simple idea and cooks up in a hurry when we've had a busy day. These are the BEST on home-made bread!

Toasted Egg Sandwiches

2 thick slices bread
1 egg
1 slice cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup fresh spinach (optional)
1 tsp hot sauce

Butter the backsides of each slice of bread as you would for a grilled cheese sandwich. Place cheese between slices (make sure buttered side of bread is out) and cook on a medium-hot, pre-heated griddle for about 2 minutes per side or until golden brown. Meanwhile, fry egg. Open cheese sandwich and add cooked egg and spinach. Drizzle egg with hot sauce, replace bread and eat!

Tortilla Soup

My mother-in-law recently gave me a treasure that has been sitting un-used in her basement for the past several years. A Vita-mix! I have been using this gem every single day (sometimes multiple times!) for everything from making smoothies, to making lunch, to even grinding meat! Here's a yummy garden soup that I put together last week when I needed something quick and easy for lunch. Mmmm!

Tortilla Soup

1 large carrot
4 large tomatoes
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 small onion
2 large green chile peppers
2 cloves garlic
2 cups water
1 Tbsp chicken soup base
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 ear corn, removed from cob
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast- cooked and cut into quarters
tortilla chips

Place tomatoes, onion, green chiles, carrot, cilantro, and garlic into Vita-mix. Pour in water, chicken soup base, and seasonings. Start Vita-mix on speed #2, gradually turn dial to #10 then switch to high. Process 4-5 minutes until soup is hot. Add chicken, corn and a handful of tortilla chips. Cover, and process on speed #2 for about 30 seconds. Pour into bowls and serve with cheese and chips if you desire.

*To make this recipe without a Vita-mix: Coarsely shred carrots and finely chop remaining vegetables and chicken. Add all to a 3 qt. saucepan and cook until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer until soup is desired consistency.

Stuffed Peppers

We scored some delicious red bell peppers in our Bountiful Basket last Saturday plus that's one thing that I've actually been pulling out of my garden right now (finally!). So I've been loaded with peppers this week! I used some in my Mango salsa, I threw one in my pico de gallo and the rest I turned into stuffed peppers last night. They are quick and easy and they freeze very well for an easy lunch or dinner down the road. I doubled this recipe for that purpose.

Stuffed Peppers

6 large sweet bell peppers

1 recipe Seasoned Rice and Pasta

1 lb ground turkey, cooked (may substitute ground beef, or leave out for vegetarian)

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 tomato, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 F. Wash peppers and remove tops including stems and seeds. Combine cooked turkey, onion,  Seasoned Rice and Pasta, and tomato. Stuff each pepper with mixture. Place peppers in lightly greased large casserole dish. Sprinkle cheese all over each pepper. If lid doesnt fit snugly, cover tightly with aluminum foil. (If there is extra filling, you can add that to the bottom of the dish.) Bake covered for 40 minutes. Serve hot with a fresh garden salad.

To freeze: Cool. Wrap individually in heavy duty aluminum foil or place each one into a quart sized freezer bag; label and freeze.

To Serve: Unwrap stuffed peppers. Place in roasting pan. Heat at 350 for 25 minutes. Or unwrap and cook in microwave 3-5 minutes.

Taco Pizza

Taco Pizza

1 12-inch pre-cooked pizza crust

1 can Refried Beans

1 cup salsa

2 cups chopped lettuce

1 cup chopped cilantro

2 avocados, diced

2 cups tomatoes, diced

2 cups Pepper Jack cheese, shredded (optional)

2 cups taco seasoned ground beef (optional)

Spread beans all over pizza crust. Sprinkle cheese (if using) all over beans. If you want the cheese melted, put pizza under broiler for about 5 minutes then continue to add toppings such as salsa, shredded lettuce, cilantro, chopped tomatoes and avocados.

Flat Bread Sandwiches

If you look carefully at this picture, you'll see that a chunk is torn from the bread. This would be the result of my 3-year-old begging for a "taste" of every piece as I pulled these off the grill.

This was a really great way to use our leftover Rib-eyes from our 4th of July party. For our "flat bread" I just used my One Hour Bread Recipe and grilled them similarly to what I do for Grilled Pizzas.

Flat Bread Sandwiches

2 Rib-eye steaks, grilled medium

8 pieces flat bread

10 oz baby spinache

2 cups chopped cilantro

1 large tomato, chopped

Ranch or Bleu-cheese dressing

Salt and Pepper

Slice cold steaks thinly across the grain of the meat. Add meat and vegetables to folded flat bread. Drizzle salad dressing over all. Enjoy!

Simple Grilled Flat Bread

1/2 One Hour Bread Recipe

Olive Oil

Parchment Paper

When bread dough has been thoroughly kneaded and is ready to shape into loaves, instead divide into 8 equal pieces. Using your fingers or a small roller, flatten each piece of dough on a sheet of parchment paper to create 8 rounds. Each round should be about 1/4 in. thick. Lightly brush the tops with oil. Let the rounds sit at room temperature 5-10 minutes. While dough is resting, pre-heat grill to 400 F. Brush cooking grates clean. Work with 2-4 rounds at a time depending on what can fit onto your grill (mine fits two). Remove dough from parchment paper, place the dough on the cooking grate and grill with lid closed as much as possible, until the dough is well marked and slightly firm on the underside, about 2 minutes. Rotate as needed for even cooking. Flip dough and cook the other side for about 1 more minute. Dough should be cooked, but still soft.

Minestrone Soup & Pesto Dip

Here's another one for the Crock-Pot on hot days. In my bountiful basket Saturday, I bought the Italian pack add-on which had a bag full of herbs. I used some to season my soup and the rest I used for a yummy pesto sauce to spread on my bread to go with dinner. Some of the herbs are growing in my garden also, so I had lots of oregano and rosemary to make a strong pesto instead of an all-basil version.

Minestrone Soup

1 large onion
1 lb cooked ground beef (optional- we didn't use it)
2 (15oz) cans diced tomatoes
3 cups water or vegetable broth (I used the vegetable broth I saved from blanching my veggies on Saturday)
2 c. beef broth (again, leftovers from the last roast I made- it's been int he freezer)
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (or 1 Tbsp. dried)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil (or 1 tsp. dried)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano (or 1/2 tsp dried)
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 large cloves garlic
1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans
1/2 lb fresh green beans, cut (or 1 15 oz can)
1 (15oz) can kidney beans
1 cup. uncooked pasta
1 small zucchini, sliced
1 cup fresh spinach, optional

Chop and slice onions and carrots into bite-sized pieces. Add to slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients except pasta, zucchini, and spinach. Mix thoroughly. Cook on LOW 6 hours. Add pasta, zucchini and spinach if desired. Cover and cook 1 hour longer until pasta is tender. Serve with hard rolls and fresh pesto.

Strong Italian Pesto
1/4 cup roasted whole almonds*
2 large cloves garlic, peeled
2 oz. (about 2 cups packed) fresh Italian herbs
    (I used a combination of basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme and marjarom)
1 medium fresh tomato, quartered
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (or more if desired)

Process the almonds and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the herbs, cheese, tomato and salt and process until thoroughly combined and the consistency you like. With the food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil through the chute. Add more salt to taste if necessary and more olive oil if desired. This will keep several days in the refrigerator or you can freeze it. Pour it into an ice cube tray to freeze, then transfer pesto cubes to a heavy-duty freezer bag.

*If using raw almonds, spread them on a baking sheet and place in a 350 F degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Use your toaster oven if possible.

"Outside In" Burgers aka Juicy Lucy

Again, it was too hot to cook inside yesterday. I asked the boys what we should grill: "Hamburgers. Like the ones on Man Vs. Food." Ok, so I'm thinking I can do that. I'll just grill me up a turkey burger to go along with dinner so I don't feel too deprived when all the boys are scarfing down Juicy Lucys... um, yeah.. that totally didn't happen. One look at those burgers coming off the grill and I couldn't help myself! There never was a turkey burger that was as juicy and delicious as these babies! One day of fattening food isn't going to ruin everything... right?

"Outside In" Burgers

2 lb ground chuck
1/4 cup chicken broth (I used vegetable broth from the veggies I cooked earlier that day)
1/4 cup fine bread crumbs
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 oz American cheese

Mix ground beef with broth, bread crumbs and seasonings until well combined. Shape into 8 patties. Pile 1/2 oz cheese on top of each burger.

Shape meat around cheese, fully enclosing cheese inside of burgers. Preheat grill to 500 F. Brush cooking grates clean. Grill 8-10 minutes, flipping burgers once when they come away easily from the cooking grates. During last minute of grilling, toast buns if desired.

Mike wanted bacon on top of his burger, so we added some bacon to the grill as well. This, in my opinion, is the best way to cook bacon seeing as it doesn't force everybody in the house to smell bacon for the next 24 hours.

Here's Mike's partially eaten burger.. so messy he should be eating it with a fork (which he didn't, of course). He topped it with bacon, lettuce, tomato, bleu cheese dressing, ketchup, mustard and salsa.  Yum! Mike tells me this concoction was a total of only 80 calories... right...

And lastly, a close up of the cheese oozing out of the center of the burger.

Tuna Salad

Tuna Salad

1 5 oz can tuna in water, drained

2 cups chopped fresh spinach

1/3 cup diced onion

1 hard cooked egg

2 tsp mustard

1 Tbsp olive oil

Combine tuna, spinach, egg and onion. Mix together mustard and olive oil then drizzle over salad. Mix thoroughly. Serve as a sandwich with a slice of mozzarella or eat as a salad.

Veggie Burgers

For the vegetables in these patties, I used 2 1/2 cups of the stir-fried vegetables that I cooked earlier this month. They've been in my freezer. It was a mix of cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, peppers, onions and mushrooms. You can use 1 green bell pepper, halved and seeded plus 1 onion, quartered and  1/2 cup sliced mushrooms as a substitute. Or use whatever you have on hand.

Veggie Burgers

Ingredients

1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
1 cup water
2 (16 ounce) cans beans, rinsed and drained
2 1/2 cups cooked vegetables
6 cloves garlic, peeled
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 eggs
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs, or as needed

Directions

Bring the brown rice and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender, and the liquid has been absorbed, 45 to 50 minutes.

Add drained beans and cooked vegetables to a 2 qt food processor or blender. Process until thick and pasty; set aside.

Place the brown rice and mozzarella cheese in the food processor, and process until combined. Stir the mixture into the black beans.

Preheat a cast iron skillet for medium high heat. Whisk together the eggs, chili powder, cumin, garlic salt, and hot sauce. Stir the egg mixture into the black bean mixture. Stir in the bread crumbs, adding additional bread crumbs as needed until the mixture is sticky and holds together. My vegetables were extra moist and I didn't drain my beans all the way, so I ended up using about 2 cups bread crumbs instead. Divide into large patties.

Spray skillet lightly with Pam. Place patties onto the prepared pan, and cook until browned and heated through, about 5-8 minutes per side.

 

To bake the patties: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and lightly oil a baking sheet. Place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side.
 

I ended up with a lot of mixture. I used more vegetables than the recipe calls for and an extra can of beans. So I turned the remaining mixture into Veggie "meat"balls. Drop by teaspoonful onto greased pan and bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Use these in soups such as Minestrone or cook into some spaghettie sauce and serve over pasta for some easy pastafazool.

Oh! and did you notice the sprouts in the first picture? I've been sprouting my own seeds these last couple weeks. Pictured are sunflower sprouts (one of my favorites!) which are SO good. They take about 4-5 days to sprout so when you are using sprouts you do need to plan ahead. I've got 3 batches of sprouts going at once, all at different stages so I can usually always have some fresh sprouts available when I want them. If you get into the habit of eating sprouts everyday then you never have to worry about all your hard work going to waste. I love them on sandwiches and burgers instead of or in addition to lettuce. They have so much more flavor!