Natalie's Super-Starrrrrched Burrito

Hey y'all!

I know I have been absent for months, so I need to apologize for that. My neuropathy has continued to get worse, so I haven't really wanted to type. Also, I fell in April and have been pretty much out of commission. I have been tied to my recliner for the past six months, so cooking has not been something I've been able to do much of. Awesome friends and family have brought in food and meals and my precocious nine year old has warmed up things as needed. Which brings us to today's recipe...

One particular day Natalie was unhappy with our lunch selections. She decided she was in charge of creating a new culinary masterpiece, hehehe. It was definitely interesting, and her friends thought it was delicious! This might not be your cup of tea...er...burrito of choice, but I thought it was a creative use of food. Also, it might be a sneaky way to get your kids to eat leftovers! ;) Without further adieu, I present to you:

Natalie's Super-Starched Burrito

Ingredients:
Soft tortillas
Leftover corn
Leftover mashed potatoes
Any other leftovers you want to use

Basically, you load your tortilla up with your leftovers of choice, roll it up, and nuke it in the microwave until warmed through. You could also bake it for a crispier crust. Whatever you decide to cook, however you decide to cook it, get in the kitchen with you kiddos. Have fun and get cooking.

Not-enough-to-make-a-meal salad

I looked in the fridge tonight and realized I had several bits and pieces of leftovers. There was only one piece of that delicious cajun sauteed fish from last night, so Natalie got that. I opened up a can of corn to complement her fish. I decided I would eat a salad, only when I took the bag out, the salad had gone soggy. Yuck! I picked out the good pieces, but there just wasn't even enough to make a rabbit happy. That's when I started pulling out all the bits and pieces to see what I could throw together. We had a half of a fried chicken strip, two raw button mushrooms, and some sesame ginger salad dressing. The little wheels of creativity slowly began to turn, and inspiration hit.

How could I put these random tidbits together and create something I actually wanted to eat? I put a little coconut oil in a pan and sliced the mushrooms nice and thin. I sauteed them, then added 2 Tbs of sesame ginger dressing and the chopped up chicken strip. After simmering for a bit, it still looked a little pitiful, so I threw in a large spoonful of whole kernel corn, and Voila! Perfection! After cooling for a minute or so, I served it up over the bed of salad greens and enjoyed! It was just enough to be satisfied, but not enough to be stuffed.

This may not sound like your idea of a tasty meal, and that's fine. Mainly, I just want you think outside the salad bar and come up with your own concoction. When you look inside the fridge and see nothing to eat, re-evaluate. It's quite possible you have the makings of something wonderful. Even better, you may enjoy it!

Not just your "stupid meatloaf!"

No, this isn't a salad, lol.  Woman can't live on salads alone, right?  I love deer meat.  I don't hunt, so I don't get it often.  My bff Tina handed me a pack of ground deer meat when I left her house the other day.  I knew exactly what I wanted to make with it!  Stuffed bell peppers!  Or, as Natalie refers to it, Just stupid meatloaf in a pepper!  Nope.  She's not a fan.  The only reason she likes for me to make it is because I let her chop up the veggies, hehehe.  Anyway, fan or not, it was tasty!  And super healthy!  If you don't have venison, ground beef or turkey will work just fine.  :)  If you don't like what I put in mine, mix it up and make it your own!  Now.  Let's get cooking!

(Not a great photo, but there's only so much you can do with a cell phone.)

Ingredients (for 4 small portions).

1 4 sectioned bell pepper

1 c raw, ground deer meat

1 T chopped onion

1 T chopped mushroom

1 T chopped black olive

1/4 c chopped spinach

season salt

ketchup

brown mustard

2 T whole cooking oats

1 egg

In a saucepan, I sauteed about a Tbs each of onion, finely chopped mushroom stems (I had leftover from making stuffed mushrooms the night before), finely chopped black olives (Natalie is GREAT at doing the finely chopped thing.), about a 1/4 cup chopped spinach, and a sprinkling of seasoned salt.  While that sauteed, I mixed 1 cup of raw, ground venison with 1 farm fresh egg, a squirt of ketchup, a squirt of brown mustard, and 2 Tbs of whole cooking oats.  When the veggie mixture was cooked, I let it cool.  If you put it in hot, the egg will begin to cook.  Not very good unless you like chunks of egg in your meatloaf.  I bought a pepper that had 4 segments, and cut it into the four segments.  If you cut it carefully, it makes 4 perfect little bowls to hold that yummy, meaty goodness!  Lightly stir the veggie mixture into the meat mixture.  Then gently scoop it into the pepper bowls.  Try not to mash it in there too hard or the meatloaf mixture is the consistency of a brick.  You want it to stay light and crumbly.  Arrange the peppers in a baking dish (I used a glass pie pan).  Put enough water in the pan to cover the bottom.  Bake on 350* F until the meat is cooked all the way through.  I think mine cooked about 45 minutes.

Enjoy!

30 day salad challenge continues!

I'm a little behind starting this challenge on the blog.  That's why you see two salads in the same day.  This salad was crazy good!  I admit, I was scared about this one.  It was actually born from the dressing.  Natalie was eating grapefruit, and it just smelled so good.  I thought, wow!  That would make a great salad dressing!  But, what in the world will go with it?  Well, citrus goes with fish.  Why not?  I mean, if I didn't like it, I could just give the tuna to the cats and try again.  Right?  So, there you have it!  YUM, YUM, YUM!!!!  (And very filling!)

Salad:
Baby spinach
1 can of drained tuna
Pink grapefruit sections
Sunflower seeds

Dressing:
Grapefruit juice, and about 3 bites of fruit
Apple cider vinegar
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
A pinch of sugar

I don't measure, really.  I just pour a little of this and a touch of that.  I try to make just enough dressing to equal about a Tbs or so.  That way there is no waste.  This one ended up being a little more because of the grapefruit juice, but it really added to this salad.  I was afraid the tuna would make it heavy.  It wasn't at all.  It was very light, but super satisfying.  I'm looking forward to making this one again!

Salad? REALLY? But I'm not a FAN of salads....sigh....

Hey y'all!  I haven't posted recipes in ages.  I haven't done alot of stuff in ages.  My body has been on strike, so my "cooking" has consisted of warming up something out of a box or can.  Obviously, all that cheap eating and being stuck in bed has caused my already ample physique to expand.  Ugh!  Yep.  I've gained weight, and feel horrible!  So, I've challenged myself to replace one meal a day with a salad.  No, I'm not starving myself.  I'm trying to cook real food (even though boxed meals are so much CHEAPER and EASIER!!!!)  I'm trying to make breakfast my biggest meal of the day, and all cooked from scratch.  I am still eating out once in a while, still indulging in a doughnut now and then, and still drinking sweet tea.  I'm just trying to be a little healthier.

Now, back to these salads.  I'm not a fan.  Truly.  Salads have never been my go to meal.  It's not something I crave, love, or really care to eat.  For years, my version of a salad was lettuce, ranch dressing, and croutons or crackers.  I've had salads I like.  Some I love, even.  However, not something I want to eat every day.  Nonetheless, I need to eat cleaner.  I need to feel better!  Less processed foods, less junk, less starch, more wholesome goodness.  My sister gave me a salad zinger for Christmas.  The sample dressings looked so yummy...but who needs dressing without salad?  So, here goes!  30 whole days of salad!  I'm challenging myself to make it a little different every day.  I get bored easily and hate eating the same thing.  You will see lots of the same ingredients, just put together in different ways.

Here's my challenge to you!  Experiment!  Mix up something completely unexpected and see how it turns out.  They may not all be winners, but you can figure out what you like.  Have fun with your food.  If you, too, want to eat a little cleaner, feel a little better, and get a little adventurous with your eating, make your own 30 day salad challenge!  Here we go!  Let's get cooking!

Salad:
Chopped baby spinach
Small avocado
Mango
Sunflower seeds
A sprinkling of pink Himalayan salt

About a tablespoon of dressing:
lemon juice
rice vinegar
olive oil

I can't say that I've had these flavors together before, and really didn't know how it would work out.  It was wonderful!  It is very fresh and refreshing.  The sweetness of the mango offsets the tang of the salad dressing.  I used the dressing very sparingly because I didn't want it to overpower the avocado.  The lemon juice helps keep the avocado from turning so quickly.  Definitely a winner!!!!

 

Oh, so easy, Crock Pot Shrimp Chowder!

Good Morning!  Well, it's almost lunch time, I guess.  :D  And guess what I'm eating for lunch?  Yep!  Crock Pot Shrimp Chowder, left over from last night.  You KNOW it's good when you still want to eat it the next day!

We've been super busy lately, and that's why I haven't posted anything new.  We've either eaten out, eaten breakfast, or been cooking out of a box.  Last night I decided I wanted something easy, but something satisfyingly HOME COOKED!  I opened up my freezer and took a quick inventory.  Remember when I told you about keeping a tuperware container in the freezer to dump your leftover bits and pieces in?  Well, mine had rice, a little bit of chicken, and corn in it.  There wasn't enough for a casserole, but I did have about a cup and a half of frozen salad shrimp left in a freezer bag!  Sounded like chowder to me!  You ready?  Let's get started!

What I had:

leftover cooked rice, kernel corn, and shredded chicken.  All together, there was maybe 2 cups total of all that.

1 1/2 cups frozen, cooked, salad shrimp

about a cup of water

1 can evaporated milk

1 heaping Tbs flour

3 Tbs margarine

Cajun seasoning (to taste)

Season Salt (also to taste)

What I had to run and buy:

1 bag of shredded cheddar jack cheese

I poured about a cup of water in the bowl with my frozen leftovers and dumped the entire contents into my crock pot.  The crock pot was on high.  I put the cover on so that could go ahead and start cooking.  Then, in my frying pan, I started a rue.  It's basically making gravy.  I melted my margarine, sprinkled the flour over it and let it cook a little, then poured my can of milk in.  Make sure you whisk it really well so that you get the lumps out.  While the gravy was thickening up, I sprinkled in a little Cajun seasoning and season salt.  I poured that into the crock pot, along with my frozen shrimp, and gave it a good stir.  Cover it up, and let it cook!

We went to a baseball game, so I turned it down to low before I left.  I picked up a bag of cheese on the way home.  I suppose the chowder had cooked about an hour and a half by the time we got home.  Everything in it was already cooked, so it was really just about warming it all up and letting the flavors mingle. I put the entire bag of cheese into the chowder, stirred well, and voila!  It was time to eat!  Natalie loves shrimp, but isn't fond of chowder.  She ate almost her entire bowl, though.  That's as good as a seal of approval in this house, lol.  

I hope you enjoy this recipe!  Mix it up and make it your own!  Natalie hates carrots, but I love cooking shredded carrots in chowder.  Onions and potatoes are always good, too.  So many different ways to make it yummy!  Have fun with it.  :)  Until next time!  Get in that kitchen and get cooking!

Easy On-Hand Spinach Dip

I had the munchies tonight.  Not hungry enough for a real meal, but hungry enough for something to snack on.  I took a look around the kitchen to see what I had.  Cream of Chicken soup.  As much as I love that right by itself, that really wasn't what I wanted.  I had club crackers, but who wants plain old crackers?  I needed something to eat WITH them...  I opened the freezer...ice cubes, a pack of chicken, a couple of Popsicles, and some spinach.  That's when it hit me!  Spinach Dip!  I wanted Spinach Dip!!!  But...how was I going to make that?  A quick peek in the fridge revealed some shredded mozzarella.  Now we're cooking!

I've had a couple of people tell me they are counting carbs or calories, so I figured I'd go ahead and do that for you.  Check your containers, though.  They do vary depending on the brand.

1 can of Cream of Chicken Soup (18g carbs, 70 calories)
2 cups of frozen spinach (3g carbs, 30 calories)
1/2 cup of mozzarella (2g Carbs, 80 calories)

I mixed everything in a small baking dish, and put it in the oven on 350 for about thirty minutes. When the top was lightly brown, I took it out, and let it cool for a few minutes.  As it cools, it thickens up a little bit.  It makes about 2 2/3 cups of dip, by the time the spinach cooks down and everything melts together.  I didn't see what the sodium content was, but between the mozzarella and the soup, it was definitely salty.  I think when I make it again, I will double the recipe and use one can of Cream of Mushroom to cut the saltiness.  You could also use a different cheese.  A mild cheddar or colby jack would probably be nice.  Nonetheless, it was very tasty!  If you're craving a salty snack, this one's for you!

We'll say a serving is 1/3 cup, though I ate an entire cup of it.  Hey, I'm considering it supper, lol.  Anyway, if we count a serving as 1/3 cup, that would have 22.5 calories and 2.75 carbs. I ate it with the club crackers, which I did NOT check the carb content of.  I think I would rather have cut up and baked some whole wheat tortillas with it.  I'll have to buy some and try this again.  See?  Already, I'm thinking of how to make it different the next go around. Hope you enjoy it!  Use what you've got, and make it your own.  Alright!  Get cooking!  :D