meat? gooood. potatoes? gooood. veggies? goooood.

as you may have seen on facebook yesterday I was inquiring about delicious shepherds pie recipes. I definitely wanted to make some for dinner last night because I had leftover mashed potatoes from jon's birthday dinner the night before, and we all know that doing the mashed potato part of SP is the most annoying and time consuming part. i decided to go with rachael ray's 30 minute meal recipe (tina, next time i'll be trying yours to compare the two). i improvised quite a bit since my mashed potatoes were already made. i'll post rr's original recipe with my changes next to hers. either way I know it would have been a super tasty outcome. this was so yummy, quick and it's all you need (protein, starch, dairy and veggies) all in one dish. makes clean-up a cinch too! enjoy. 

Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Shepherds Pie

Total Time: 40 min

Prep: 15 min

Cook: 25 min

Yield: 4 servings

Level: Easy

Ingredients

2 pounds potatoes, such as russet, peeled and cubed

2 tablespoons sour cream or softened cream cheese

1 large egg yolk

1/2 cup cream, for a lighter version substitute vegetable or chicken broth

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan

1 3/4 pounds ground beef or ground lamb (i used ground beef)

1 carrot, peeled and chopped (i used probably 1-2 cups of frozen mixed veggies, which included carrots and lots of other things)

1 onion, chopped (i would suggest more like 3/4 of an onion)

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup beef stock or broth (all i had was a tiny bit so I used the rest chicken stock)

2 teaspoons Worcestershire, eyeball it

1/2 cup frozen peas, a couple of handfuls (again, frozen veggies which had peas worked wonderfully)

1 teaspoon sweet paprika 

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves (didn't have/didn't use)

Directions

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain potatoes and pour them into a bowl. Combine sour cream, egg yolk and cream. Add the cream mixture into potatoes and mash until potatoes are almost smooth. (since my mashed potatoes were already made, they obviously aren't used with these ingredients. i used potatoes, a little bit of milk, probably 2-3 Tbsp butter and salt to taste). 

While potatoes boil, preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to hot pan with beef or lamb. Season meat with salt and pepper. Brown and crumble meat for 3 or 4 minutes. If you are using lamb and the pan is fatty, spoon away some of the drippings. Add chopped carrot and onion to the meat. Cook veggies with meat 5 minutes, stirring frequently. In a second small skillet over medium heat cook butter and flour together 2 minutes. Whisk in broth and Worcestershire sauce. Thicken gravy 1 minute. Add gravy to meat and vegetables. Stir in peas.

Preheat broiler to high. Fill a small rectangular casserole with meat and vegetable mixture. Spoon potatoes over meat evenly. Top potatoes with paprika and broil 6 to 8 inches from the heat until potatoes are evenly browned. (I wanted cheese on top so i grated about a cup of cheddar cheese to sprinkle on top of the potatoes.)  i also didn't use the broiler because i didn't bake this right away. it sat in the fridge for a few hours so when i was ready i baked it at 375 for 20 minutes and it turned out perfect! 

pregnancy update

it's been a while since my last post. there hasn't been much cooking going on but hopefully that's gonna change soon. i went to the doctor today and saw my official OB who i haven't seen since I was 11 weeks. i walked out of my appt feeling really confident. first of all, everything came back perfect from the anatomy scan. elias weighed a little less than a pound at 20 weeks (i'm almost 23 weeks now) which is right on track. my cervix looks great as well. closed and long (sorry tmi). i asked him about the pressure i've been experiencing and he assured me it is very common. he didn't tell me I needed to be on any sort of bed rest so that's exciting! just take it easy and keep listening to my body. i've noticed the pressure seems to be getting better, hopefully it's because baby is bigger and sitting higher up in my belly. also he again confirmed that my diastasis recti (separated abs) is really bad and that is contributing to the pressure and also why i look 30 weeks pregnant instead of 22. he's gonna get me in touch with a physical therapist after i deliver. his last patient who had a bad case like mine (hers was actually not as bad as mine) was able to close her gap 90% of the way. he can't promise me i will be as lucky but anything is better than how it is now. he also told me that if for some reason i have to get a c-section (praying that doesn't have to happen) that he will stitch my abs back together while he's "in there". he said the surgery doesn't work as well as he would like but it's still worth a shot. since I birth giant babies, he's gonna try and start labor at 39 weeks (may 21) by striping my membranes if baby hasn't come by then. he basically just told me my body is traumatized from makena's pregnancy and that's why it's so much harder this time around. he also put me on a prescription for my terrible acid reflux. sorry so long, but that's the update! thank you to those who have prayed for us and also those who have helped us out with meals and meal planning! i have been blown away by the support. so happy to report that things can get back to normal and i can start doing more activity!! hooray! thanks again, xoxo :)

don't click if your new years resolution was to eat healthy.

healthy.  i don't have time for that nonsense right now.  i'm happy to have dinner on the table.

hi, its debbie downer reporting again tonight.  its been another long day of sickness in this house.  makena spiked a fever of 104 today so we had to take her back to the doctor.  they ran tests for strep and the flu but both came back negative so we basically don't know whats wrong with her. they wanna run a full panel of tests tomorrow but i just don't know if i have the heart to put her through all of that again. blood tests, urine sample. UGH.  hopefully she just picked up my cold (on top of her rsv) and nothing worse.  

i hate not having answers.  no answers on her illness, no answers on all this pressure i've been feeling.  not to mention this crib to bed transition is going to be the death of me.  a month and a half and still a screaming, hour long fight every night. god sure is testing me.  

on a brighter note i got to see elias yesterday for my 20 week anatomy scan. halfway done with this pregnancy!  i know nothing as far as how the scan went, which is a huge tease.  it was a tech doing it at an imaging center so she can't disclose any info to me.  i should get all the results from my doctor in a few days.  praying for that too.  

i have 3 recipes to share tonight.  the first is a freezer to crock pot meal i put together so i can only tell you how to make it, not how it tastes.  here's the recipe:

bacon meatballs:

1/4 cup chopped italian parsley

1.5 pounds lean ground beef

4 slices smoked bacon, diced (raw; don't cook it)

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup panko-style breadcrumbs

2 eggs

2 tablespoons dried minced onion flakes

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

additional ingredients:

1 cup flour

2 cups chicken broth (can use beef)

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

 

instructions:

use a 6-quart slow cooker. spray the inside of your cooker with cooking spray, or rub it down with a bit of olive oil (don't go crazy, just a little glisten) and set aside. in a good-sized mixing bowl, combine the chopped parsley, ground beef, and diced bacon. Add in Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, eggs, and the dried spices. combine well.

 

after the meat is mixed, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or non-stick foil. pour 1 cup of flour into a shallow dish (pie pan works great).

roll meat into golfball-sized balls and then lightly dust each meat ball with flour before placing  onto the lined cookie sheet. when all the meat is gone, put the whole cookie sheet into the freezer for 1 hour, or until completely frozen. it's okay to freeze overnight, if you'd like to break this into two days (put in sealed dish/tupperware if freezing for longer).

 

once your meatballs are frozen, place them one-by-one (this means don't dump!) into your lightly greased slow cooker. it's okay to stack them. in a  small mixing bowl, whisk together the broth and tomato paste to create a gravy. Pour this evenly over the meatballs. cover, and cook on low for 5 hours, or until the meatballs have browned and are fully cooked. i cooked the meatballs pictured above on low for 5 hours, then let them sit on warm for another 3 1/2 hours before dinner was served.

serve alongside pasta or rice, or all on their own. these are filling!

 

(i copied this recipes here)

 

 

i'll try and remember to report back with an update on how they were once we eat them.   

 

next i'll show you the 2 latest crock pot meals i made.

crock-pot chicken with black beans and cream cheese:

 

ingredients:

 

4 -5 boneless chicken breasts
1 (15 1/2 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can corn
1 (15 ounce) jar salsa, any kind
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

 

instructions:

 

1. take 4-5 frozen, yes, frozen, boneless chicken breasts put into crock pot.

2. add 1 can of black beans, drained, 1 jar of salsa, 1 can of corn drained.

3. keep in crock pot on high for about 4-5 hours or until chicken is cooked.

4. add 1 package of cream cheese (just throw it on top!) and let sit for about 1/2 hour.

you can find the original recipe here

 

i wasn't sure how this was supposed to be served. it was almost like a soup but a little too thick.  ideally it would have been best over rice but we had rice a few times already this week so that didn't sound good to me.  i put it in a bowl and served it with a tortilla. we kinda dipped the tortilla/scooped up the chicken with it.  it was pretty tasty! and so so so easy. it really doesn't get any easier than this one.

the next night i just had no desire to cook or come up with something so i planned on making linguini and clams.  jon, so sweet, offered to make it for us.  i walked him through it and he did it all himself! such a great husband and it turned out perfect!

 

tonight i made scalloped potatoes and ham in the crock pot.

ingredients:

• 3 pounds potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped cooked ham
• 1 (10.75 ounce can condensed cream of mushroom soup 
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

 insturctions:

1. place sliced potatoes in slow cooker. in a medium bowl, mix together shredded cheese, onion and ham. mix with potatoes in slow cooker. using the same bowl, mix together condensed soup and water. season to taste with garlic powder, salt and pepper. pour evenly over the potato mixture.
2. cover, and cook on high for 4 hours.

 

after i put this all together i read some of the user comments and added a few ingredients.  i probably used closer to 1.5-2 cups of ham, 2 total cups of cheese and added some milk to make them a little soupier.  it ended up being the perfect consistency, just like scalloped potatoes i've had elsewhere.  i made this as our main dish but its probably ultimately better as a side.  very yummy, nonetheless.

i'll leave you with some happy pictures of my cute little girl.  i have discovered her new favorite thing in life.  letting her push the kid cart around the grocery store and putting all the items in the basket herself.  watch your ankles, fellow shoppers!!! she's fast and is terrible at steering! 

and a fro-yo date the other day when her and i were both feeling good :

coughs and crock pots.

first of all, i gotta say i'm impressed i even got dinner on the table last night (sadly that's about all I accomplished all day). i just cannot kick this cold. i feel like it's getting even worse. last night i was awake til 2:30 because i couldn't breathe and then of course makena had a rough night too. woe is me, i know. wah wah.

anyways, this crock pot meal turned out to be much more delicious than I expected. there's really not much to it so i was worried about flavor and with pork chops, it's so easy for them to be dry and tough. not these ones. and the juices created a delicious sauce to pour over the meat and some white rice. served it up with some zucchini and that's all there was to it. 

i found it on allrecipes.com and it's simply called slow cooker pork chops II. here you have it...

you'll need:

-1/4 cup olive oil

-1 (or a little more) cup chicken broth 

-2 cloves garlic, minced

-1 tablespoon paprika

-1 tablespoon garlic powder (i did 1/2 tbsp garlic powder, 1/2 tbsp onion powder)

-1 tablespoon poultry seasoning 

-1 teaspoon dried

-1 teaspoon dried oregano

-1 teaspoon dried basil 

-4 thick cut boneless pork chops

-salt and pepper to taste 

instructions:

-in a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, chicken broth, garlic, paprika, garlic powder, poultry seasoning, oregano, and basil. pour into the slow cooker. cut small slits in each pork chop with the tip of a knife, and season lightly with salt and pepper. place pork chops into the slow cooker, cover, and cook on high for 4 hours. baste periodically with the sauce.

i also prepped my first of many freezer to crock pot meals! hard to say how it's gonna taste but all i need to do when I'm ready to eat it is stick it in the crock pot, add some water and wait! i'm too lazy (and busy watching the bachelor) to type up the recipe so i'll take a picture of it instead.

wish me luck, i seriously need sleep tonight. jon has to go to vegas tomorrow for work so i'm on my own with makena. i'm not supposed to pick her up. and should be lying down as much as possible. this could be interesting!! 

chili. cheese. fries.

this is what happened around here last night for dinner. and boy was it delicious! my mom got me a mandoline for xmas so i wanted to test it out and try making homemade french fries. dangerous. they were so dang good. i'm gonna get so fat. i can't share the chili recipe, it's my brother in law's mom's recipe so it's not my place to post it. I guess there's no point to this post other than to share some pictures. 

oh and go chargers! 

a meal. yes, in the crock pot.

i've been so happy with all of the help i've gotten coming up with easy meal ideas. i put together a whole list of things to make. the majority of them you just toss in a freezer bag, throw them in the freezer and then pop them into a crock pot when you're ready to make them. that's my kind of meal prep! 

yesterday i made...actually i have no ideas what it's called and i also don't remember where I found it. helpful huh? the point is, it was easy and tasty. we made some garlic toast to go with it. enjoy. 

ingredients:

-one bag fresh tortellini (i used cheese, i think mine was like 12oz)

-2 cups fresh spinach

-2 cans diced tomatoes 

-4 cups chicken broth 

-1 block cream cheese, cubed 

-1 tablespoon dried basil

-1 tablespoon dried oregano 

-2 teaspoons salt

-1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

instructions:

-place all ingredients in crock pot and stir to mix together 

-cool on high for 4-5 hours 

-stir to mix melted cream cheese in before serving 

and a cute baby. you'd never know she has rsv with these happy smiles! 

 

be prepared for tons of crock pot recipes in the coming months.

gotta love my crock pot.  and its quite a coincidence that my mom bought me a new, bigger crock pot this year for xmas. 

i've heard great things about this super simple recipe so i figured i'd give it a try.  there are 5 ingredients. 

pepperoncini pot roast

ingredients:

-3-5 lb beef/chuck roast
-one 16oz jar of pepperoncinis, with juice
-garlic powder
-salt
-pepper

instructions:

-place roast in crock pot.  sprinkle with garlic powder, salt and pepper.  pour entire jar with juice of pepperoncinis on top.  cook on low for 8-10 hours or until done


i put the meat and peppers on some fresh kaiser rolls from the grocery store bakery and melt a piece of provolone on top.  bam, done. its definitely got a little kick to it but its really yummy!! perfect meal to try and clear up our sinuses in this house!

 

next up.
i made this corn and black bean salad the other day because i thought makena (worlds pickiest eater) might like it. she was being a stinker and refused to try it but i'm so glad i made it. its so good!! and healthy! i changed the recipe a little to cater to makena's needs but next time i would probably add some green onion and the cayenne pepper.  you can throw the mixture in a taco/burrito, scoop up with tortilla chips or just eat it with a spoon like i did for lunch today. 

Black Bean and Corn Salad

• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained 
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
• 1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped  (i used half of a cucumber, chopped instead and it was amazing)
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 6 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional) (this sounds like way too much, i used maybe 1/8 cup)  

instructions: 

- place lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and cayenne pepper in a small jar. cover with lid, and shake until ingredients are well mixed.
- in a salad bowl, combine beans, corn, avocado, bell pepper, tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro. shake lime dressing, and pour it over the salad. stir salad to coat vegetables and beans with dressing, and serve.

picture was taken before i added cilantro, woops