Buffalo Chicken Wrap

Another twist on the lunchbox sandwich!  We are moving this weekend, so I have chosen not to get groceries this week.  This means lots of box meals and throwing together whatever is left in the refrigerator.  We are out of pitas, so my daughter has a Buffalo Chicken Wrap in her lunch.  I didn't tell her what I put in it yesterday (the same thing) and wanted to see her reaction.  Now she's not sure which she likes better!  I took a whole wheat tortilla and spread some Spicy Garlic on it.  Then I put two slices of mozzarella down the center and put about 6 slices deli chicken around it.  I microwaved it for 30 seconds so that it would soften enough for me to wrap it.  The cheese melted a little and I wrapped it up!  Today I had room in the box for a little container of ranch, so she is going to dip her carrots and her wrap...

Taco Burgers

When we were growing up, one of the easy go-to meals my mom made was pizza burgers.  I make them pretty often as well, but last night I didn't have the right ingredients, so they became "Taco Burgers."  They are so easy!  I browned 1 pound ground beef and added a packet of taco seasoning with 3/4c water.  I just added however much water the packet called for.  I also added about 1/2c corn and a large handful of cheddar.  I actually added mozzarella because the cheddar got left out on the counter all weekend, so mozzarella was all I had.  But, I really wanted to add cheddar.  Anyway, mix all of it together and put it on a bun open faced.  I used 2 buns - which made 4 open faced burgers.  Usually it makes 5-6 burgers, but for some reason I had less meat this time than usual.  While I was making this, my tater tots were baking at 400 for about 10 minutes.  I put my burgers on the same baking stone and baked everything for 10 minutes and Voila! - dinner is served!

BBQ Bean Flatbread Pizza

So today's lunch was a "What can I find in the pantry?" kind of lunch.  I knew I wanted to make a flatbread pizza, but I didn't actually plan anything to put on it, so it was just what I found!  I spread some BBQ sauce on the whole wheat flatbread, then I added some rinsed and drained red beans - about half a can.  I chopped some Compari tomatoes, added corn, and cheddar cheese.  I baked at 350 for about 10-15 minutes.  It's so funny to watch kids eat things like this.  Most people would probably think kids would never eat something like this, but they love it.  The little girl I babysit couldn't get enough.  I told my son that Daddy might eat all of his pizza when he got home (even though I knew my husband would never even try it) and he said "I eat all my pizza then Daddy not eat my pizza" in his cutest voice.  so, he scarfed it down so that Daddy wouldn't eat it - very funny!

Meatloaf

Last night for dinner we had meatloaf - a favorite of all except my husband.  I use 1lb ground beef, 1 egg, a few shakes of Worchestershire, a few shakes of steak seasoning, about 1 TB dijon mustard, and soem bread crumbs.  I don't measure anything, so sorry.  As far as the bread crumbs go, the more you add the denser it will be.  This means that it won't fall apart on you.  The less you add, the more moist it will be, but it will crumble when you're slicing it.  I bake it at 400 for about 30 minutes.  Then I add a sauce of equal parts Worchestershire and dijon.  I bake for another 15 minutes or until done - interior temp of 165. 

As a side, I heated up some olive oil and sauteed snow peas, aspagarus, and a few crushed red pepper flakes until they were tender, but still firm.  All 3 of my kids loved these veggies!

In the Lunchbox

Today in the lunchbox, my daughter has a Granny Smith apple cut in slices.  I give her a little container of peanut butter to dip.  She also has cheese and crackers (cheddar and triscuits), yogurt, and a can of low sodium tomato juice.  For a little treat, she has 2 pieces of Dove Bliss dark chocolates.

Baked Rosemary-Garlic Chicken Legs

One of my favorite shows on the Food Network is "Tyler's Ultimate."  I don't usually actually make what he makes, but I like watching him and getting some ideas.  Last week's episode, though, looked delicious and easy enough to make on a weeknight.  He made Baked Rosemary-Garlic Chicken Legs with Farmers Market Pasta.  It is only called farmers market because he apparently went to the farmers market that morning and found tomatoes, artichokes, and penne pasta...anyway, I pretty much made everything exactly like his recipe.  I was kind of excited about preparing an artichoke.  I had never done that before, so I saved the episode on my DVR and watched him while I got to the heart.  I did add a little crushed red pepper to the tomato sauce, because I thought the veggies might be a little bland.  I thought it was a great addition.  My husband LOVED the chicken and I thought it had good flavor, but I do not like chicken on the bone at all.  So, next time I'll probably use boneless skinless breasts.  Not only was this the first time I cut up an artichoke, it was also the first time I tasted an artichoke not out of a can.  Turns out, I like them better from the can.  So, next time, I think I'll just make roasted artichoke hearts and just put the squash in the sauce.  Here is a link to the recipes from Tyler's episode.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/tylers-ultimate/baked-rosemary-garlic-chicken-legs/index.html

Buffalo Chicken Pitas

My daughter packs her lunch pretty much everyday.  She used to eat in the cafeteria everyday, but as we started going through her menu she said she didn't really love any of the food.  So, I told her she could pack a lot more because it's a lot cheaper for us and I think I can probably pack her healthier food than the school makes most days.  She does not like sandwiches, which makes packing her lunch a lot more challenging.  We discovered she does like pitas, however, so they are the new sandwich.  Today I cut a round whole wheat pita in half and popped it open.  I spread a little buffalo sauce on it, put a couple pieces of mozzarella in, and a couple slices of chicken lunch meat - Voila a sandwich!  She also had 2 clementines, a yogurt, milk, and a cookie.  Usually no cookie, but she had the day off school yesterday and made cookies.  If they don't get packed in her lunch, I will eat them all and better her than me!!!

Chicken Croissants

So, I came across this recipe in a very roundabout way.  My friend/neighbor visited my cousin in Atlanta a few years ago and made me chicken croissants when she came back.  She got the recipe from my cousin who got it from my aunt - small world!  Anyway...mix the following together:

4T cream cheese
1T butter
1T milk
salt and pepper (I like a lot of pepper in this)
1 can chicken or about 2c shredded chicken

There are 2 methods of making the croissants.  The first way I learned is to take 1 can of crescent rolls and make 4 squares.  You put a dollop of the chicken mixture in each one and fold them up.  I used to do that, but then got lazy.  Now I put half the crescent rolls on the bottom of an 8in square pan, top with the chicken, then top with the rest of the crescent rolls - much easier.  Either way, top them with a mixture of butter and crushed croutons.  Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes.  This goes great with broccoli!

Hummus

One of my lunch staples for the vegatarian I babysit, is Hummus.  It's so easy to make that you really don't need to ever buy it.  Mix all of the following together in a food processor until it's the consistency you like:

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 T olive oil
1T lemon juice
3 roasted red peppers
salt and pepper
water - add enough to make it the right consistency

Sometimes I add a few shakes of dried basil.  I also pack this in my daughter's lunch and she LOVES it when I add the basil.  You can use this as a dip with veggies, pita bread, or crackers.  For lunch, I like to spread this on the inside of a whole wheat pita and cut it up.  It's easy for a 1-year old to eat and not too messy!

White Bean, Sausage, and Kale Soup

This is kind of my version of Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana soup.  I'm not a huge fan of potatoes, so I substitute the white beans and I think it's better.  Here are the ingredients:

1 bag dried white beans
1lb Italian sausage
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 quarts chicken broth
1 bunch kale
salt and pepper

Follow the instructions on your bag of beans for overnight soaking.  I drained and rinsed mine the next morning and just let them sit on the counter until I was ready.  Not sure if that's the most "food-safe" but it works for me.  Brown the sausage and then add olive oil and the onion to soften.  Add the garlic and saute for another minute.  Add the chicken broth and scrape any bits off the bottom of the pan, then add the beans.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 hours.  About 10 minutes before serving, add the kale.  To prepare my kale, I just tear it off the stems and rip it up.  I think it's easier than chopping it up.  The stems don't soften very well, so be sure not to have too many in your soup.  Add salt and pepper to taste and you're ready to go!

Beef and Noodles

I was not in the mood for cooking tonight, so I went to one of my go-to dinners - Beef and Noodles.  I decided to spruce it up just a bit, though.  First, I broke up the beef (I used a pint of homemade canned beef) in the skillet.  I filled up the jar with water and stirred up all the bits stuck to the jar.  I added the water, 2 bullion cubes, 1 can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes, a few springs of thyme, a lot of black pepper, and half a bag of Inn Maid noodles.  The thyme and tomatoes were my extra ingredients.  I don't usually add them, but lately, I add fire roasted tomatoes to almost everything!  I boiled everything for 10 minutes and we ate! 

Swedish Meatballs

My daughter has been asking for Swedish Meatballs for a while and I've been trying to use up the 25 lbs of ground beef in my deep freeze, so that sounded good for dinner last night.  I made my meatballs as usual (ground beef, egg, whole wheat bread crumbs, steak seasoning, and Worchestershire sauce, baked for 20 min at 400) then started on my sauce.  I just made this up as I went along.....uh oh

I sliced 1 onion and sauteed it in olive oil.  when it was about soft, I added 1 clove of minced garlic.  Then I added 2c chicken broth, some shakes of Worchestershire sauce, and red wine vinegar and just let it simmer for a while.  While it was simmering (i was trying to get it to thicken, but of course it didn't), I boiled 1/2 bag od whole wheat egg noodles.  Since the sauce wasn't getting thick, I added some cornstarch.  Once it started getting thick, I added a splash of red wine.  The sauce wasn't dark enough, so I thought that would make it darker!  I tasted it and it was actually pretty good.  I turned the temp way down so it stopped boiling and was just staying warm and added about 3/4c sour cream.  My sour cream separated a little bit, but that's because my sauce was still boiling a little when I added it.  Once it was all creamy, I added my noodles and the meatballs.  Usually I just add the meatballs and serve it over the noodles, but I don't think it gets mixed as well, so I just did all the mixing in my pan. 

Chicken and Spinach Risotto

We got our computer back a few days ago from getting a couple virusus removed and memory added, so it's been a while.  I also didn't cook anything creative over the holidays.  Last night, I was all out of ideas for dinner, but we didn't have any leftovers, frozen pizza, or chicken nuggets, so I had to come up with something.  I thawed out 3 chicken breasts, cubed them, and browned them.  I took them out of the pan and sauteed an onion and 3 cloves garlic in olive oil.  Once the onion was soft, I added 1 c basmati rice and browned it a little.  I added the chicken back in and also added 2c chicken broth and 1tsp dried basil.  I brought it to a boil and let it cook for 20 minutes.  I was preparing my family that this might be one of those meals that we only eat a few bites and then suggest that I never make it again, but when the 20 minutes were up, I was pleasantly surprised.  I added a couple handfuls of spinach and stirred them in to wilt.  I also added a few shakes of parmesan cheese.  This actually tasted like a risotto even though it just all cooked in the pan!  My husband actually asked to take the leftovers to work with him - hmmmmmm