Orzo with kale

It really doesn't get too much easier than this with out picking up the phone and trying to be patient while you wait for the pizza guy...which reminds me, it's been a while since I've done that, and now pizza sounds really good. Blast.

Here is what you will need
1 package orzo pasta (from Trader Joes) cooked according to package... boil it about 9 minutes, drain then put back in the pot to make the rest of this "masterpiece"!
4 sausages, cooked and chopped into small pieces (I used chicken feta - grill em or if it just so happens to rain or you run out of propane like I did- throw em in the toaster oven!)
2 handfuls kale, chop fine
4 T cream cheese (halfa block)- cubed
1/3 cup tomato vodka sauce (this is a jarred pasta sauce I get at Trader joes and my son LOVES so I always have it- you can totally sub any tomato sauce you'd like)

After you boil the orzo, drain it & put it back in the pot, add the cream cheese and tomato sauce immediately, turn on the lowest heat possible and stir the sauce & cream cheese until cheese is totally melted. Add sausage & kale, stir about 5-10 minutes till kale is a little softer.
YUM!
Since we used chicken feta sausage, I topped this with feta & it was soooooo good!

Power bowls of yumminess

I am so sure I didn't invent this "recipe" but love it and could eat one of these every day. Lately, to save time, money and make my meal prep quicker- I cook a batch of quinoa every Sunday, then on Tuesday or Wednesday make either a batch of pasta or a batch of brown rice. This was dinner on the night that I had just enough of the quinoa left and plenty of rice- it's been a massive help in my meal planning and getting dinner ready fast so we can eat all together more often

Here is what you will need (serves 4)

 1 cup dry quinoa (prep according to package)
1 cup dry Brown rice (prep according to package)
1 avocado, chopped
1 mango, chopped
1 cup shelled steamed edamame (you can buy this frozen, hullo easy fabulousness!)
1/4 cup pickled ginger chopped
a handful of kale "microchips" (from THIS POST)
Dried seaweed sheets (one package, you'll have leftovers- or skip this if you are not down with the dried sea weed!)
sesame seeds
Soy/ wasabi or ginger miso dressing  (you can buy ginger miso salad dressing, it's yummy....or, what we did, was mix a bit of wasabi in some low sodium soy sauce and drizzle it over everything!)

For each bowl, mix 1/2 cup cooked, cooled quinoa, 1/2 cup cooked, cooled brown rice- 1/4 avocado, 1/4 mango, 1/4 cup edamame, some ginger, sprinkle w sesame seeds & kale chips serve w seaweed sheets as an option.

Sweet Potato w White Beans & Kale

Ok, this barley qualifies as a "recipe" by any stretch of the imagination, but I am trying to incorporate more vegan meals into our routine and this was a SUPER easy lunch I made that Logan and I totally loved. I've also never posted about the amazingness of kale chips before so that made it worthy of a post on it's own.

Here's what you will need

Serves 4

2 sweet potatoes, scrubbed

1 15oz can white beans, drained & rinsed

Kale, finely chopped- stems removed

Olive oil

Salt

This was for lunch, with a 2 year old, feel free to oven bake the sweet potatoes when you make this- I didn't have time!

I punctured both potatoes & microwaved them on 70% power for about 7 minutes- until cooked through- split them in half, sit to cool.

Preheat oven (or toaster oven!) to 350

Cover a baking sheet with foil. Place a layer of the chopped kale on the sheet.

Spray or drizzle with olive oil and lightly salt w sea salt.

Bake for about 7-10 minutes until crispy but not dark brown, watch it- you want it to still be green!!

I chopped the kale super fine because I wanted to add texture to the dish, so we called them kale "microchips", then Logan called them "crunchies" when he asked for MORE, THREE TIMES, so now that's what they are.

YUM!.

Cheeseburger Casserole

This has been a go-to comfort food for me forever! It used to involve a certain box of shells and a silver packet full of yellow goo that could out live a hamster called "cheese". I promise you this will not be that much more time consuming, and you will feel SO much better knowing what's in it. Don't get me wrong- short cuts and shelf-life have a time & place, and I am aware that cream cheese counts as a processed food- but it's also a cheese product that requires refrigeration, so I feel better about it. Period.

Here's what you'll need (FYI this makes a GIANT skillet of food- we had this over about 3-4 nights for dinner and 2 lunches)

1 lb ground beef

1 small yellow onion finely chopped

1 bag elbow macaroni (16oz, Trader Joe's, 99cents!)

1 6oz can tomato paste

1 15oz can diced tomatoes, no sodium added, drained

4 big handfuls shredded cheddar cheese (get a big block and shred it, melts better, less preservatives you'll be glad you did)

8 oz cream cheese, cubed

2 carrots finely shredded w the cheese grater (sometimes I use carrots, I used to do finely chopped red bell pepper, but Logan is not down with that. You can also do sweet potato or add mushrooms- or ALL of that, get those veggies in there so you don't have to make a side dish!)

In a giant skillet cook the ground beef (about 7-10 minutes add onions when beef is nearly cooked, then sautee another 5 minutes or so. Add a bit of salt & pepper to taste. Drain on a plate covered in paper towels.

In a large sauce pot, cook the noodles according to package- & drain. Put the skillet back on the stove on low heat, pour the noodles in, add the beef and onions and slowly stir in remaining ingredients- carefully- this will be one FULL skillet. 

Once all ingredients are stirred in, heat on low and stir for another 5-10 minutes to get the cheese all melty and delicious. Add salt & pepper to taste. 

We topped this with fresh heirloom tomatoes & chives from the garden for some next-level yumminess.

A fun upgrade to a childhood comfort-food classic. You're welcome.

Spinach & Mushroom Pasta

I think I make this at least every 6 weeks, different variations, but the theme is the same- veggies, carbs, protein, one bowl- dinner for more than one night, boom.

Here is what you will need
Noddles ( I used a little more than half a package of Trader Joe's fusili)
Raw baby spinach finely chopped, several handfuls
1 large portabella mushroom, chopped
about 7 shiitake mushrooms, chopped
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
1/2 a yellow onion, chopped
1 T butter
1 T olive oil
Salt to taste
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

In a skillet, melt the butter, add olive oil, heat on medium about a minute- add onions and sautee about 5 minutes, add rosemary- reduce heat to low, cover 5 more minutes.
Remove cover- add mushrooms- stir, cook about 5 minutes. Turn off heat- cover.
Meanwhile cook pasta to al dente according to package directions- drain.
Put the chopped spinach in a large bowl, dump the super hot pasta on top of the spinach immediately after you drain it, let sit for a few minutes, then (remove rosemary sprigs from skillet) add mushroom/onion mix to the bowl.
Top with yogurt and Parmesan, stir until all are incorporated.
I served this with Trader Joe's meatless meatballs, and got a "so tasty!" from the two year old- so guess we'll do it again soon...like leftovers, tomorrow night ;)

Crock pot BBQ Garlic Chicken

Call me crazy, but I feel like loading up on garlic is one of the mainstays of our "stay-healthy" routine around here. I usually kick it up an extra notch or 10 right before we travel, must be a blast to work out next to me this week.

Here is one that came, as usual, from what we had and an extreme lack of time or planning. So much so, all I have is the blurry photo above from the day after we had it for dinner on potato bread as my quick lunch while getting ready for our trip! Sorry bout that guys!!

Here is what you will need:

1 package boneless skinless chicken breasts

about 1 1/2 cup bbq sauce

8-10 cloves of garlic (I used a whole head, c'mon!)- peeled and cut in half or crushed a bit

about 1/2 a cup water or broth (veggie or chicken)

salt, paprika, garlic powder

Put chicken and garlic in crock pot

add about 3/4-1 cup bbq sauce (cover top of chicken)

Pour water or broth in on the side, not over the bbq sauce chicken

Low for 4 hours or until chicken is cooked through & shreds eaisily- mine was done-da-da at 4 hours but well done, I probably could have finished it off at 3:30 or 3:45.

Transfer chicken to bowl, use a slotted spoon to transfer the garlic as well.

shred chicken using two forks

Sprinkle on about 1 tsp paprika, and 2-3tsp garlic powder

add 1/4-1/2 cup bbq sauce

use forks to mix well

taste, then add salt if needed

What you do with this garlic gloriousness is up to you! Top a salad? Roll in a tortilla? Stuff a yummy Hawaiian roll or pita pocket?  (or on potato bread for a blurry sandwich photo, perhaps??) lol.

Awesome Crock Pot Chicken Enchiladas

Wow, these were EASY and soooooo delicious! A while ago my sister told me I had to go get the Salsa Verde from Trader Joe's and mix it with Greek yogurt- then put it on everything, because it's awesome. The time finally came this past weekend, I tried it, and I'm hooked.
This is a perfect summer crock pot recipe that I will definitely make again and again, it's relatively inexpensive and could not be any easier.

Here's what you need:

1 package boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 package whole wheat tortillas
2 jars Trader Joe's salsa verde
1 container Greek yogurt (you will use about a cup)
3/4 a sweet onion diced
2 cups shredded cheese

Lightly spray the inside of the crock pot with olive oil to help prevent sticking. Scatter a small handful of onions across the bottom, place chicken on top of onions, pour about 2/3 of one of the jars of salsa over the top of the chicken. Cook on low about 4-6 hours or until completely cooked through and easily shreddable.
Remove chicken from crock pot, discard liquid.
Place chicken in a large bowl and use two forks to shred it up, let it cool a bit, then add 1 cup Greek yogurt and the remaining salsa in the first jar, use forks to combine well. (I did this on Sunday, then put the chicken mix in the fridge and did all the steps below for dinner Monday)

Preheat oven to 375
(for a freezer meal, follow the steps below, except baking, cover, freeze and bake for about 45 minutes at 375 from frozen when ready)
Line a 9x13 baking dish with foil
Lay a tortilla on a plate and scoop about 3 forkfuls of chicken mix onto the tortilla, top with a half of a handful of onions, 1 T of salsa and wrap shut- place in pan seam side down, repeat until you are out of chicken or the pan is full.
Pour salsa from the 2nd jar generously over the tortillas, top with lots of shredded cheddar cheese, reserve a bit to mix with the greek yogurt for after baking.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until cheese is all melted and bubbly.

Serve with a dollop of the Greek yogurt/salsa sauce, avocado, black beans and rice!