A friend recently recommended this recipe to me. I'm always looking to add good, hearty soups to the mix as fall sets in. I will confess I was pleasantly surprised by this one, in spite of her glowing reviews I had some serious reservations.
Country Cabbage Soup 2 pounds ground beef, cooked and drained 2 cans (28 ounces each) stewed tomatoes 1 medium head of cabbage, shredded 2 large onions, chopped 6 celery ribs, chopped salt and pepper to taste Once you've browned the beef (and drained it) in a large pot, add in the remaining ingredients (except salt and pepper). Bring these to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer it for about 25 minutes, or until the veggies are tender. Season to taste. A couple of side notes. First off, I couldn't find stewed tomatoes so I used fire roasted tomatoes. The liquid yield is a bit lower so it was less soupy, but super delicious. Second, I had a yellow onion and a red onion . . . use what you have. Third, the most brilliant thing you could do for this already super easy recipe is throw it in a slow cooker once you've browned and drained the beef. Seriously, you'll be the smartest person in town that day!
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As we head into fall and the schedule fills up with evening activities I head back to my go-to crock pot dishes. This is one I found a few years back and I love to add it to the mix for it's variety. It's not every day your recipe calls for a roast and raisins!
This is a dish I make work for me, not against me! If I don't have lots of time, I skip the searing. If I have time to mix up the French Herb mix, as to have it on hand at a later date, then I do (recipe below). If I want the meat like a roast then I cook it for the shorter duration. If I want the beef truly falling apart I will cook for the longer duration and, usually, even longer! I love to serve this on top of mashed potatoes or rice and served with a side of greens of my liking for the day. Beef in Pomegranate Sauce 2 pound beef roast of choice sea salt olive oil 1 onion, halved and sliced 4-6 garlic cloves, chopped (I always use 6 . . . or more!) 1 cup unsweetened pomegranate juice 14 ounces fire roasted diced tomatoes 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1/8 cup pure maple syrup 1/2 cup golden raisins 2 thick pinches marjoram 2 thick pinches thyme 2 thick pinches savory 1 thick pinch basil 1 thick pinch rosemary 1 small pinch sage 1 small pinch fennel seeds (combined these make French Herb mix, which I never have, so instead I just add these amounts of what I do have on this list. If you do make the mix, use a teaspoon of it for this recipe.) Salt the beef and allow to rest while heating the olive oil in a pan. Sear the beef on all sides. Pour a dash of oil in the base of your crock pot. Add onion and garlic, stirring together with oil. Place the beef on top of the onion and garlic. In a bowl, mix the remaining ingredients together. Pour over the beef. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5 hours. French Herbs 3 tablespoons marjoram 3 tablespoons thyme 3 tablespoons savory 1 teaspoon basil 1 teaspoon rosemary 1/2 teaspoon sage 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds Recipe from Gluten Free Goddess You guys, I would be keeping a wonderful secret from you if I didn't share this recipe with you! This is such a delicious and nutritious fix - you should add it to your regular rotation. Plus, you know me, I love things that are versatile and this recipe is just that. It is perfect for using as a base for your protein or reheating for breakfast and topping with an over easy egg. It is just so yummy. Added bonus, red cabbage packs a powerful nutrition punch! Check this out: On to the recipe . . .
Sauteed Red Cabbage 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced 4 slices of bacon, chopped 1/2 head red cabbage, thinly sliced 2-4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1 teaspoon rosemary 1 teaspoon salt 1 green apple, cut in matchsticks or diced In a large saute pan on medium heat, brown bacon pieces. Remove bacon to a plate and set aside. Saute onion in remaining bacon grease. Stir in sliced red cabbage and cook until beginning to soften. Stir in apple cider vinegar, rosemary, and salt, cooking until cabbage is really soft. Stir in apple and cook until apple is desired tenderness. Serve topped with pulled pork or shredded chicken. Also delicious topped with homemade ground sausage or eggs. If you're feeding more than just yourself you've immediately jumped from straight forward cooking to complicated cooking. Trying to fix meals that make everyone happy can be a real challenge. One person loves broccoli, another can tolerate it, and another dry heaves if you make them eat it. We know trying new things can be a battle! You just never know if they'll love it or hate it. Not only that, when they hate it you've now got an exuberant amount of produce to be consumed. That's why I love this super, simple solution: the scrambler. The scrambler is made by taking 3-4 vegetables and fixing them together. This allows you to put some safe foods your family likes in and also add in 1 or 2 new ones, or even ones that not everyone is in love with. It's also a great way to let people try new things without tons of complaining and waste.
So choose your veggies. Add a tablespoon of cooking oil (olive oil, bacon grease, ghee) per pound of vegetables. Then, season them with some salt and pepper (or any other seasoning of choice). Then you can saute, roast, or grill them. Also, be sure to make an extra large batch of your scrambler as it makes for awesome leftovers! Scramble an egg in, add some diced chicken, or homemade sausage and you've got yourself multiple meals from one dish! Here's are a few mix-ups I really like:
Give it a shot and don't be afraid to try different combos! You may find the kitchen just became a happier place! One of my absolute favorite things is to make extra veggies with my dinners. Especially roasted veggies. Then for breakfast or lunch I heat them back up in a skillet and do one of two things.
Just like the roast chicken throughout the cooler months this is my go to in the warmer months. I love to grill chicken in large quantities so I can insure leftovers. Why? Well, because grilled chicken can be used in so many ways. Endless ways, dare I say. There's nothing spectacular about how I prepare the chicken. Most commonly I just salt and pepper it and call it good. So once you've accomplished that first meal - grilled chicken thrown together with grilled veggies - here's some other good go to's.
One of my favorite go to's is the bowl. Super easy to throw together and added bonus is the whole fam can make it to their liking! Also, I often make extra meat one night and then will use this to make it even easier! I also love making bowls for myself from leftovers for lunch. So here's a couple suggestions for making a bowl to fuel you well!
Taco Bowl: Rice Meat of Choice - ground beef, chicken, shredded beef or pork Beans - pinto or black Salsa Black Olives Avocado Cheese Sour Cream Leftover Bowl: Rice Meat of Choice - ground beef, chicken, shredded beef or pork Cooked Carrots, diced Cooked Broccoli, chopped Okay, for reals, I've been trying to keep this recipe under wraps. I took another trip through the cookbook aisle at the library. I've just been struggling for variety, feeling worn out by the same old meals. After my last cookbook experience I was feeling a bit discouraged. They either use so many ingredients I don't have or the recipes literally just suck. Sorry, but true. So when I saw this gem on the shelf I tried to suppress my expectations. Then we made these chicken fingers. Seriously, I haven't had chicken fingers in forever. Number one because of the batter. Number two because they're fried and let's face it. . .frying is not a great healthy option. However, I made an exception for these out of a need for something fresh and I really feel like it was worth it. This is definitely not going to become a staple in our week, but worth inserting once a month or so! Added bonus, it's not as hard as you may think.
Chicken Fingers 4 pounds Chicken Breasts (could buy tenders for ease) 4 large Eggs 2 teaspoons water 2 cups Almond Flour 2 teaspoons Garlic Powder 2 teaspoons Paprika 2 teaspoons Chili Powder 1 teaspoon Salt 1 teaspoon Black Pepper Coconut Oil for frying Preheat the oven to 200F. Preheat fryer to 375F. Cut the chicken into strips or pieces for nuggets. In a bowl, beat eggs and water. Add chicken and stir to coat. In a medium bowl, mix almond flour, garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Once fryer is heated, dredge chicken in the flour mixture and place in fryer. Fry for 6-8 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from fryer and place on a baking sheet in oven to keep warm. Continue cooking in batches and begin honey mustard sauce. Honey Mustard 1/2 cup Mayonnaise 1/4 cup Dijon Mustard 1/4 cup Raw Honey 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder In a small bowl, whisk all ingredients together. May store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week (good luck having it that long!). This recipe is from Katie Wells, "The Wellness Mama Cookbook" Maybe you read about my enthusiasm for the slow cooker cookbook I picked up from the library. I tried a couple of recipes from it and was feeling deflated. I fully understand that there are about 100 recipes in there, but when the first two you select are a fail you start feel a little disheartened. Until I made this jambalaya. Now, I admit, it's a little time consuming for a slow cooker recipe and quite honestly you could easily do this on the stove top in an afternoon, but it was so good! So give it a shot and relish the fact that in the evening all you have to do is ladle some in a bowl and enjoy!
Slow Cooker Paleo Jambalaya 4 slices of bacon, cut in 1" pieces 1 large onion, chopped 1 large green pepper, chopped 1 cup chopped celery 3 cloves garlic, crushed 1 pound chicken thighs, cut in 1" cubes 1 pound sausage, casing removed & crumbled 8 tomatoes, peeled and chopped (with juices) 2 cups chicken broth 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon dried parsley 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning 1 pound shrimp, cooked and without tails In a heavy pot cook bacon until crisp, about 5 minutes. Set aside until ready to serve. In your heavy pot cook onion, bell pepper, and celery in the bacon grease until tender, about 5 minutes. Add in garlic and cook 3 minutes. Dump mixture into your slow cooker. Begin cooking chicken and sausage in your heavy pot until browned, about 5 minutes. Dump these in with your veggie mix. Stir into the slow cooker the tomatoes, chicken broth, herbs, and spices. Cook on low for 7 1/2 hours or high for 3 1/2 hours. Then stir in shrimp and cook another 30 minutes. Just before eating stir in bacon. If you are good with grains, cook up some rice to serve your jambalaya over. So yummy, so worth the work! Plus, it gets easier to pull together each time. Recipe from "The Paleo Slow Cooker" by Arsy Vartanian I found these yummy burgers while on the Autoimmune Protocol diet. This "diet" is a for reals cleanse and a good indicator of food intolerance and/or allergies. If you are unsure about continual gut problems (yes, this includes being farty (on either end)), I strongly suggest a diet like this to get to the source of your problems. I felt like eating AIP wasn't nearly as challenging or boring as I originally thought it would be. The most basic description I can give you is that it is a severely stripped down Paleo diet. While we were on it we ate a lot of bugers, I mean A LOT! While some in my family could never get tired of eating a burger, I am not one of those people. That's when I stumbled upon this goody!
What I love about this recipe from Paleo Mom is that it is savory and sweet, which is a nice twist for this burger eater. I admit not everyone in my family loves this recipe like I do. I have one guy who can't understand why you would ever eat a burger if it is not made from cow. Others can't understand why you cranberry sauce should be involved. However, for me, this off the beaten path turkey burger is a delightful break from routine. It does take a little more work than your standard burger, but you don't have to prep all the toppings so maybe it's a trade off. Maybe. And you have to make the sauce, you just have to. Trust me. Maple-Cranberry Sauce: 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries 1/2 cup Grade B maple syrup 1/4 cup water In a small pan bring cranberries, maple syrup, and water to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 8-10 minutes. Stir occasionally, simmering until most of the berries pop and the sauce thickens. Once cooked, refrigerate for 1 hour. Bacon-Apple Turkey Burgers: 2 pounds ground turkey 6-8 slices bacon, chopped 1 medium onion, finely diced 1 large apple (I've used Fuji or Granny Smith), finely diced 1 teaspoon rosemary 1/2 teaspoon salt In a large pan fry chopped bacon, cook until crispy and then remove and set aside. Add diced onion to the bacon fat pan and cook until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the apple and rosemary and cook until onion is browned and the onion and apple are soft (takes about 5-8 minutes). Keep the pan hot while you mix up the meat. In a large bowl combine ground turkey, bacon (crumble the pieces in your hand as you add it), apple and onion mix, and salt. Get in there with your hands and blend it all together. Form into patties - be warned, it's sticky! Start frying them up in your pan. Be sure to keep your pan greased or they will cook to it - bacon grease keeps the flavor consistent and delish! The patties take about 10-12 minutes a piece to cook, flipping once halfway through cooking. The best way to eat these is topped with a dollop of guacamole and then smothered in your homemade cranberry sauce. No bun. No lettuce. No tomato. No ketchup. Keep it simple friend and enjoy the delightful pleasure this twisted turkey burger brings your taste buds and belly! |
AuthorMy name is Tiffany and I am the owner and trainer at Frank Fitness, a garage gym. I provide workouts to increase/maintain cardiovascular wellness and build strength. My goal is to help athletes maintain life-long wellness. Archives
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