Recipes
Chili Mac and Cheese
The other day, I was thinking back to when Z and I first got together. I was a young new bride and didn’t know much about cooking.
So, I did what any other sane person would do……..
I went for the man’s heart and I bought Hamburger Helper! Awe yeah! You know you do did too! Right????
I remember being in the grocery store and thinking……..”Man! They have a million different varieties! They have Cheesy Hamburger Helper, Hamburger Stroganoff, Bacon Cheeseburger, Cheesy Broccoli.” *It was like I was in that scene from Forrest Gump….. Shrimp creole…..
One for every night of the week! I had totally SCORED!
Fast forward 11 years later and the man can hardly look at a box of it without his stomach turning.
I have to say though, this homemade Chili Mac and Cheese recipe conquered his fear had him coming back for more. Your’s will too…. not to mention your kids will love it as well!
From the cheesy macaroni,
To the diced tomatoes with green chiles. Your family will be hooked with the first bite.
The only thing I can suggest is that you may just want to double the recipe!
*Now, the only thing I need to work on is his fear of Shake-N-Bake!
Recipe: Chili Mac and Cheese
– 1 lb. Ground Beef
– 1 tsp. Canola Oil
– 2 tsp. Chili Powder
– 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
– 1 tsp. Cumin
– 2 cups Lower Sodium Beef Broth
– 1 cup Water
– 1 (10oz) can Mild Diced Tomatoes and Green Chiles, Undrained
– 12 oz. Uncooked Elbow Macaroni (*Go for whole wheat if you can find it!)
– 1/2 cup Fat-Free Milk
– 4 oz. 1/3-less-fat Cream Cheese (about 1/2 cup)
– 4 1/2 oz. Reduced- Fat Finely Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Directions:
– Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil, and swirl to coat. Add beef , chili powder, garlic powder, and cumin. Cook meat until no longer pink and cooked through. Drain Meat in a colander.
– Return meat to pot and add broth, water, and tomatoes. Bring to a Boil.
– Stir in macaroni, cover and cook 10 minutes or until macaroni is done.
– Heat milk and cream cheese in a saucepan over medium heat.
– Cook 4 minutes or until cheese melts stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
– Stir in cheddar.
– Add cheese sauce to macaroni mixture and toss well.
– Serve immediately. Goes great with Roasted Broccoli or Salad!
Ghoulishly Good For You Smoothie
I love smoothies! They are yummy and sweet and best of all, GOOD FOR YOU!
Goulishly Good For You, that is! *Pretty sure that’s a word?
You can use any kind of blender, but recently, I bought a Blendtec and I haven’t regretted it for one second!
This thing makes a mean smoothie, amongst other things.
It literally makes it as smooth as the ones you would buy in the store. Most people wouldn’t care about that, but I have never been able to get that consistency until now. 🙂
Here is what I did:
I took a couple handfuls of fresh spinach, 1 kiwi, 1/2 cup fresh blueberries, 1 apple (sliced into wedges), 1 whole banana (peeled of course), and 1 1/2 cups water.
Then I tossed all the ingredients into the blender, secured the lid and pressed the smoothie button. *For a regular blender, just blend until completely smooth.
I should also mention that I like my smoothies more on the thinner side so that they are easier to drink. If you prefer yours on the thicker side, I would use a little less water. You could also add some ice cubes to the smoothie as well to have a thicker consistency.
In the end, you are left with a great energy boosting drink that has loads of fiber and vitamins.
Did I mention that my children would probably sell me to the highest bidder for one of these drinks? They love it!
They have absolutely no idea that it is so good for them.
I promise that you can’t taste the spinach. They always have to ask me if I put spinach in it. 😉
It’s a good thing that they can’t taste everything in the smoothies. It would just be too awkward to explain things after the neighbor’s cat went missing…….
Mooooohaahaahaahaahaa! (*Evil Laugh)
Yeah, Z didn’t get it either. Guess I’ll have to work on my jokes.
XOXO,
Esther
I’m Back, JACK! …….. and I got some Vodka Sauce to go with it!
Whoo! It has been a long time since I have been able to type on these pretty pages.
It’s not my fault though, it’s my HUSBAND”S FAULT!!!
Let me explain:
First, he goes and get’s me hooked on Breaking Bad. Did I mention that I had never seen a single episode? He tells me, “Don’t worry sweetie. Netflix has all of them and you can watch them all there!”
Word of advice: Never watch it! You will become consumed and it will take over your life.
Well, I finally finished all the episodes and I was done. Life was worth living again and I was fine.
Enter: Sons of Anarchy!
Again! My husband says, “You have to watch this! Netflix has all of them too!”
“NO!”, I said.
“Just watch one episode and you don’t have to watch anymore”, he says.
Five seasons later (*Don’t judge me!), I am finally alive again and not living in a leather made world of tattoos and motorcycles. (*Except for on Tuesday nights when the current season comes on…….)
I have neglected you and I feel bad about it.
SO!
As a peace offering, I give you this:
The easiest ever Shrimp Fettuccine in Vodka Sauce!
Now, I was going to try and make my own Vodka Sauce, but by the time I added up all the ingredients that I would need to make my own, it just seemed more reasonable to go another route.
I am a very practical girl and I’m not afraid to use a bottled sauce every now and again.
I usually buy Bertolli products when I purchase my pasta, so since they had a Vodka Sauce, I decided to go with them.
So so yummy!
I used shrimp and a lot of it because my family is what you call BIG EATERS, but you could definitely use chicken.
Best part is that this is probably a 20 minute meal!
Not to mention that it only has 5 ingredients and the whole family will LOVE IT!
Here you go!
Recipe: Shrimp Fettuccine in Vodka Sauce
Ingredients:
– 1 – 2 lbs. of Raw Medium Shrimp, peeled ( I used 2 only because I have a family of 5 and they eat A LOT!) or 1 lb. Chicken Breast, cut into cubes in place of Shrimp
– 16 oz. Fettuccine
– 2 tbsp. Olive Oil ( I use extra virgin)
– 2 (24oz) jars of Vodka Sauce (*I used Bertolli) *I USED 2 JARS BECAUSE I HAD 2 LBS. OF SHRIMP, BUT YOU COULD DEFINITELY USE 1 JAR) OR still use 2 jars if you like a lot of Sauce.
– 2 tbsp. fresh chopped Basil (Optional)
Directions:
– Cook Fettuccine according to package directions.
– Meanwhile, heat a large skillet on medium heat.
– Add Olive Oil and Shrimp and saute 4 minutes or until shrimp are cooked and are no longer opaque. *Try not to overcook shrimp! Set aside.
– In the same skillet, heat Vodka Sauce and let simmer for 10 minutes.
– Return cooked Shrimp to pan with sauce and add cooked Fettuccine.
– Top with chopped fresh Basil.
– Serve immediately.
*NOTE: If using Chicken, cut chicken into cubes and saute’ in place of shrimp about 6 to 7 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and cooked through. Continue with recipe.
Beef Orzo Skillet
Now that school is back,
I really want to utilize my time and be more productive during the day. I have all these wish lists of things I want to accomplish. Like for instance, simplifying MY LIFE! LOL! That will always be #1 and most important on my list. However, I will probably NEVER accomplish it……. and I’m ok with that……… most of the time.
One thing I can probably, maybe, sort of do that with is dinner. You always hear about 30 minute meals and while some of them are good…… others are GREAT!
I happened to find one of those the other night when I was scouring the internet for some culinary inspiration. I ended up finding this one on my Calendar site I use, www.cozi.com.
It was SOOOOOOO good! The best part was that my kids gobbled it up and my little one didn’t even realize that there was Spinach in it!
It’s so nice to only mess up one pan when cooking and not a million bajillion (is that a word?) of them. I honestly do not know how my fingers do not shrivel up and wither away from all the pots and pans I wash????
You MUST give this one a try!
Recipe: Beef Orzo Skillet
Ingredients
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can (14.5 ounce) diced tomatoes ( I use the garlic, basil, oregano flavor)
- 1½ cups low sodium beef broth
- 1 tsp minced fresh oregano or ½ tsp crumbled dried oregano
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 8 ounces orzo pasta, dried (1 cup) – try whole wheat if you can find it!
- 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- ½-¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
- Sprinkle salt into a 10 to 12 inch frying pan over medium-high heat. Crumble beef into pan and cook, stirring often, until meat begins to brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium, stir in onion, and continue to cook, stirring, until onion is soft but not brown, about 5 minutes. Drain grease from meat in a colander and return to pan.
- Add garlic, tomatoes (break them up with a spoon) and their liquid, broth, oregano, and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil then stir in pasta. Reduce heat, cover and simmer gently until pasta is tender to bite, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Meanwhile, squeeze as much liquid as possible from spinach. Stir spinach into pasta mixture just until heated through. Serve with cheese to add to taste.
*By the way, if you like a spicy kick, do what my hubby and I do and add cayenne pepper to yours!
ENJOY!
XOXO,
Esther
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
You must be logged in to post a comment.