Quinoa Pizza Crust

Like usual I am a little behind. Too many leftovers to use ;) A few days ago I made a BBQ chicken pizza on a Quinoa crust! It was good. If you go to Google and type it in, I'm sure you will find a ton of different ideas of how to do it.   Here is how I did it and what I should have done differently! :)

So I made the quinoa according to the package. I used one cup of dry quinoa. When it was close to being done I took it off of the burner and used my immersion blender to blend it all up. I should have blended it up more, that's my first fix. Adding a little extra water would be my second fix. I made it a little too thick. I added salt, basil and garlic to the mixture. I heated up a large round skillet pan and pressed the "dough" into the pan. And my final change would be a thinner crust. Next time I will turn it into 2 pizzas. I cooked it until crispy on both sides and then added BBQ sauce, pulled chicken and mozzarella. I kept mine on the stove but it could easily be thrown in the oven for a few minutes. I really liked the pizza, other than my needed changes. My toddler loved the pizza. My husband, he spit it out. I told you I would be honest. Here are a few reasons why I think he did. He doesn't like quinoa. It was far too thick. And finally, he got home a couple hours after it was made and the sauce had soaked into the crust and it was a horrible texture. My next piece of advice would be to eat it fresh! I will be making this again. My mixture should have been thinner like pancake mix and it was like  bread dough. If you take these changes into account I'm sure it will be a great recipe for you!

Check back later for my 2 week meal plan!!!

Taco Chicken Chili Stuffed Peppers and More!

I haven't posted in a bit, but I've been cooking some delicious meals! I mentioned this blog is more for planning and meal inspiration than it is for full recipes. With that being said, here we go! This weekend I made a roast in the slow cooker, with onions and carrots and a cup of water. I added a little seasoning of choice and that's it! A very simple and filling meal. We also ate roast at my moms and she puts an onion soup packet in with her roast, which is also super good.

Then I had a large ham I needed to use. Guess what I did with that!? Yep, slow cooker. I will never make a ham any other way ever again. I put about a cup of apple juice in with it and that was all. Juicy. Juicy. Juicy. I made some green means and caulimash to go along. I steamed my cauliflower then mashed it up with a little butter, salt and pepper. Awesome meal!

The next day for lunch(was going to be for dinner, but we couldn't wait) I made a huge Cobb Salad with SOME of the leftover ham. Eggs, avocados, pepper jack cheese and tomatoes!

(I posted that picture on my Facebook page, check it out!!)

Last night I planned on making a southwest type of stuffed pepper. As I was throwing black beans into the pan I decided to add more beans and turn it into a chili. After the peppers were stuffed I had chili leftover for the 3 of us for tonight or even for a lunch! They were great!

Taco Chicken Chili Stuffed Peppers
30 min total

28oz can diced tomatoes
15oz can black beans, drained
15oz can chili beans, drained
1 large chicken breast, uncooked
1 cup corn
4+  green or bell peppers (depending on if you want leftover chili)
1 tsp: Chili powder
2 tsp: Cumin
1tsp: Paprika
Salt
Pepper
Shredded cheese if desired.

Preheat oven to 350. Place chicken and tomatoes in a pan. Cook until chicken is done. Shred chicken. Add rest of ingredients (except peppers) and stuff into 4-6 peppers. Place in baking dish for 20 minutes or until peppers are cooked to liking. Top with cheese if desired.

For leftover chili I always top it with cheddar cheese and sour cream!

Chicken&Veggie Pastaless Lasagna

This is a more time consuming recipe. It's really great and filling, it is just a little more "detailed."  I would love to give you my prep time but I typically cut a veggie, pick up my baby, cut another veggie, get my toddler a drink... You get the idea.  It's NOT a hard meal to make. Just allow yourself some time to cut veggies and cook a chicken breast!

So, here it is... !

Chicken&Veggie Pastaless Lasagna

2 medium sized zucchinis, sliced lengthwise, thin
1 small/medium eggplant, sliced into circles
2 cups of sliced mushroom
4 parsnips, pealed and sliced thin
2 cups fresh or frozen spinach
1 chicken breast (uncooked)
1 jar of spaghetti sauce (or homemade)
2 cups shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 400. Salt and drain the eggplant and zucchini. Let sit. Put sauce and chicken in a pan and cook over low heat until chicken is cooked. Shred chicken. Place a little bit of sauce into a 9x13 pan and spread it out. Layer parsnips on top of sauce. Next place eggplant on top.

x

Place mushrooms on next, followed by half of the sauce and chicken mixture. Place spinach on top then the zucchini on top of that.

Pour remaining sauce mixture on top. Cover with mozzarella and place in oven for 40 minutes. Take out and let sit for 10-15 minutes.

Will be saucy!!! That's okay!
I have done this with sweet potatoes instead of the eggplant and it is JUST as good. :)

Kielbasa Soup

Mmmm...kielbasa soup! I had 4 venison kielbasa's that I've been wanting to try in a soup and it was AWESOME! And simple. I was really considering beans for this soup but then I realized that not much is better than meat and potatoes.

Kielbasa Soup
  Slow Cooker: 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low

3-4 Kielbasa's, chopped
2 Cups Carrots (I used organic baby carrots and cut them in half)
32oz Chicken Broth (I used organic chicken broth, but veggie broth would be good too!)
2 Celery Stalks, Chopped
4-5 Small/Medium Potatoes, cubed
4 Cups Water
1 Small Onion
1 tsp: Chili powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
Parsley as garnish

Put all of the above in a slow cooker. I know, it's so complicated!! ;)

2 Week Plan

I've been pretty busy! We just got some baby chicks and we are helping to make a coop for them so my time has been devoted to that! Luckily I freeze any large amounts of leftovers so I always have a quick and yummy dinner waiting for me. If you don't do that, please start! I freeze little portions for a quick lunch... Okay, I freeze everything,

So back to the point of this post. We did manage to get groceries done Saturday. My meal plan is below. Remember, I do change it up a lot if produce needs to be used or if we aren't home for dinner.

Monday: Kielbasa Soup
Tuesday: Pastaless Lasagna
Wednesday: Maple Roast w/ Carrots
Thursday: Ham(in the slow cooker), Caulimash and Green Beans
Friday: Ham Cobb Salad
Saturday: Freezer Meal
Sunday: Leftovers
Monday: Stuffed Peppers
Tuesday: Breakfast
Wednesday: Spinach Quinoa Pizza
Thursday: Stuffed Meatballs
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Chicken "Who Needs Noodles" Soup
Sunday: Shopping


My weekends I usually have leftovers or freezer meals. Chances are we aren't home so I don't like to plan a good meal for those days. Tonight in Kielbasa Soup! I have some venison kielbasa and I'm not really sure of my plans as far as what I want to put in the soup, but I need to get that in the slow cooker now!

Breadless Chicken Nuggets and Carrot Fries

       Prepare for a whirlwind of confusion when you start reading about tonight's dinner! Okay, it's not that confusing. Guys, just because we put breading on something and fry it up, does not mean that's the only way for it to be a finger food. So can't a girl make some awesome chicken nuggets, without the extra stuff, and still eat it with her hands? Well...I did. Now the cycle of confusion continues...    I. Made. Carrot. Fries. I'm not a carrot fan, unless I cook them in a brown sugar glaze of course! I did it though! I cut up big carrots, put them in the oven disguised as fries and I loved them! I made some honey mustard sauce(equal parts honey and Dijon mustard) for the chicken and I started to wonder what I should dip the fries in.... Duh! Obviously ranch dressing(organic). Hello!! Where has this been all my life!?!

       Back to the chicken. How does it get so much flavor without the yummy breading? Two words, people. Bacon. Grease. There, I said it, but before you close this page let me explain myself. Bacon is a good food, in moderation like everything else. If you buy it local and/or organic, you don't have all the nasty chemicals in it as you would get on the shelf. After I make bacon I put the grease in a mason jar and use it as an oil substitute in my cooking. Don't believe me? Check this out: http://www.healthstartsinthekitchen.com/2013/06/14/oh-for-the-love-of-fats-and-bacon-grease/

Now that we've got that covered, here's our dinner! :)



Breadless Chicken Nuggets and Carrot Fries

30 min cook time

I'd suggest cutting up the chicken and carrots before hand but it isn't a long process if you're not able to!

6 Carrots, peeled or scrubbed well
2lbs of chicken (2 or 3 breasts)
Bacon grease or oil of choice
EVOO
Chili powder

Cut carrots into carrot sticks/fries. Drizzle in EVOO and season with chili powder.

 Place in 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until crispy. While carrots are baking cut chicken up into "nugget" size pieces. Add bacon grease and a teaspoon of chili powder to a skillet over medium heat. Add nuggets. Cook nuggets until golden on the outside and cooked in the middle. If you let the nuggets sit for a minute it will absorb the juices in the pan and glaze the nuggets.

I made a honey mustard sauce for the nuggets (equal parts honey and Dijon mustard) and I had some organic ranch dressing to dip the carrot fries in.

Buffalo Pork Chops and Cucumber Tomato Salad

Tonight's dinner was great! Buffalo pork chops and cucumber tomato salad. It sounds like a summer meal, but this "warmer" weather made me really want some tomatoes! I do have to say I should have let the salad sit a bit longer to really soak in all of the flavors. It was still refreshing though! For the chops I had 4 medium ones, boneless. I had every intention of using fresh mozzarella but I had some pepper jack cheese I needed to use up and it worked perfectly! When I was making it I realized how easy it would be to substitute barbeque sauce for hot sauce and put some provolone on top! Next time...!

 

 We only need to feed three of us. Usually I make a decent size dinner because we love leftovers for lunch. This meal made about three or four servings so we will have no leftovers. It can be easily doubled! So here it is!

Buffalo Pork Chops:
20 min total

4 Pork Chops
Cheese of choice
Hot sauce of choice
1tsp Chili powder
1tsp Red pepper flakes
EVOO

Drizzle EVOO in a pan over medium high heat. Add red pepper flakes and chili powder. Let EVOO heat up and add the chops. Cook like regular pork chops, a few minutes on each side or until cooked thoroughly. A few minutes before they are done drench them in hot sauce (as much as you please). And top with cheese. Place lid on pan until cheese is melted. Eat. Eat. Eat!



Tomato Cucumber Salad
Serving 3

1 Medium/Large Tomato
1 Mini cucumber or 1/2 of a large
1 Small onion
1 Tbsp EVOO
1 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar
fresh garlic

Cut up tomatoes, cucumbers and onions thin. Add to small bowl. Add in EVOO, vinegar and garlic. Mix well. Let sit in fridge for a few hours. Add pepper if desired.