Hungry Girl's Mac and Cheese

I made this dish this past week, I was a little skeptical about whether or not the hubs would like it. He is the mac and cheese King, and can be picky about it. The cheesier and unhealthier, the better for him. But I made it anyways because I care about his heart health, and he really enjoyed it. I made a little more cheese sauce than what the recipe calls for because I know my hubby would like it super cheesy. I also couldn't find plain frozen cauliflower, only broccoli/cauliflower mix. So I used the mix and it worked well. I saw this recipe on the Dr. Oz show; this recipe makes 4 servings (at about 2 cups per serving) for around 200 calories per serving.

Hungry Girl's Mega Mac & Cheese

3 cups frozen cauliflower florets
4 1/2 oz (about 1 1/4 cups) uncooked high-fiber elbow macaroni
2 T light sour cream
2 slices 2% american cheese
4 wedges The Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss Cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

Place frozen cauliflower in microwave-safe bowl; cover and microwave for 3 minutes. Uncover, stir. Re-cover and microwave for another 2-3 minutes, until hot. Drain excess liquid. Cover to keep warm.

Mean-while, prepare pasta per package instructions. Drain pasta and stir in cauliflower. In a microwave-safe bowl mix sour cream and cheese (breaking cheese into smaller pieces). Microwave for 20 seconds, stir well. Microwave another 20 seconds or so until cheese has melted. Stir well.

Add cheese mixture to pasta and cauliflower, add salt and pepper to taste, stir well. Enjoy!

xoxo

Super Easy Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken and Stuffing

I've been relying on my slow cooker a lot since I started working again. I made this dish yesterday, and the hubby really enjoyed it. It is relatively cheap too...I found it on mydailydish.com

3 large skinless chicken breasts, fresh
6 slices of cheese, american or cheddar or whatever you want
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup milk
2 cups of dry dressing, traditional seasoned
1 stick melted butter

Grease slow cooker and place chicken on the bottom. Lay cheese evenly on top of chicken. Mix soup with milk and pour over chicken and cheese. Sprinkle dressing evenly over top. Pour melted butter over the dressing. Cook on high 4-6 hours, or on low 7-8 hours.

The beauty of this recipe is that it can be altered any way you need. Change up the cheese, use cream of mushroom instead of chicken. I would suggest that if more than 3 pieces of chicken are being used, to increase the milk to 1/2 cup and/or add another can of soup just to make sure the chicken doesn't dry out and that there is enough sauce. Also, if more than 2 cups of dressing are being used the milk and/or soup amount should also be increased. This literally took 5 minutes to throw together in the morning before I left for work, and it smelled amazing when I got home!

xoxo

Rewards Cards

        I used to not really be into rewards cards; I hated having to keep them in my wallet and then dig around hunting for them when I needed to use it. However I reformed my ways after I got married determined to save money where I could, especially when it came to things I buy or places I go the most. It really is worth it to hang onto those punch cards or rewards cards at places you frequent. I go to Panera a lot (I think I'm kind of addicted...) and they have swipe cards that can give you rewards, like a free baked good on your birthday. I used to think that's all they were good for, but last week I got a free You-Pick-2 and a free coffee drink. To me that was incredible! A free meal (that usually costs $8-10) and a free coffee drink (usually $4-5)! I was blown away and really happy, so totally worth it to hand over the free plastic card when I hit up Panera. I also have a coffee punch card for the little place in town (3 Sisters), and frequently get a free coffee drink of my choice (usually a non-fat caramel latte). My sister frequently goes to Starbucks and has a gift card there that she registered online and reloads with more money when she needs it. The advantage to this is that when you have a re-loadable, registered gift card you get a free drink on your birthday, and get free flavor shots into drinks. This may not seem like a lot but a flavor shot is 10 cents, and if she gets a drink 4 days a week that is 40 cents saved. Over a year she would save about $20 on something she would normally already buy. My bottom-line, punch cards and free rewards cards are so totally worth it.

xoxo

Crock Pot Pizza Pasta

I came upon this recipe (from cookingwithjoey.com) last summer and was bit skeptical at first, pasta cooked in a slow cooker? Wouldn't that make the pasta soggy or gummy? But I've made it twice and have had FANTASTIC results, my hubby adores this stuff. The best part is that it's cheap, easy, and can feed a crowd (I think it makes 8-10 servings). Whatever is left over after two days I usually freeze in an air-tight glass container and bring it back out 2 or 3 weeks later ( I just thaw it in the fridge for about 36-48 hours). It can be made with whatever pizza toppings you like, just make sure that the meat is cooked before it goes into the crock pot. To make it low-fat it can be done without meat and be a veggie pizza with onions, green peppers, mushrooms, olives...whatever! I usually make it with low-fat cheese and the pepperoni is turkey to cut out the fat. Hope everyone loves it!

1lb rigatoni or mostaccioli noodles, uncooked
2-3 jars of whatever tomato sauce you enjoy
1 T. dried oregano
1 lb ground beef (or ground turkey!)
1 lb fresh ground italian sausage
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 can sliced mushrooms
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 package sliced pepperoni

Brown beef (or turkey) and italian sausage in a large skillet, drain excess fat. Mix tomato sauce and uncooked pasta in a large bowel with oregano until the pasta is evenly coated with sauce. Spray the inside of the crock pot with cooking spray. Make layers with half of each ingredient in this order: pasta with sauce, cooked meat mixture, onions, peppers, mushrooms, pepperoni, cheese. Then again: pasta with sauce, cooked meat mixture, onions, peppers, mushrooms, cheese, and pepperoni on top. Sprinkle with a little more oregano or italian spice blend. Cook on low for 4 hours.

The original recipe I found instructed to cook on low for 6 hours, but the pasta has been perfectly done at 4 hours for me. Note: most crock pots will switch to "warm" setting once the time has elapsed, don't let it sit on "warm" setting for too long because it will continue to cook the pasta and may become gooey.

xoxo

Rachel Ray's spicy tomato sauce

This tomato sauce is amazing for several reasons...it's super homemade, it had vegetables in it (onion, pepper, tomato), it tastes like Italian sausage even though it's vegetarian, and it's made by Rachel Ray! I made this last night to go over spaghetti, it was incredible. And it's healthy!!

Rachel Ray's (super healthy) Spicy Tomato Sauce with Fennel, Peppers and Onions

1/4  cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or thinly sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 cubanelle peppers, chopped (these are a sweet, light green Italian pepper)
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons tomato paste (but I put the entire tiny can in)
1 cup dry white wine (like a Riesling)
28-32 oz chopped tomatoes

Heath olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat for about 30 seconds. Add fennel seed, pepper flakes, and garlic. Stir for 3-4 minutes over medium heat until fragrant. Add chopped onion, peppers, and salt. Stir, cooking for 5-6 minutes. Stir in tomato paste for about a minute. Add wine and reduce for a minute. Then add chopped tomatoes. Simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes. Can add starchy pasta water to sauce to help thicken it once pasta is done cooking.

xoxo

Taco Dip/Soup - Slow Cooker

I found this recipe in a Taste of Home slow cooker magazine, tried it over the weekend, and loved it! It's vegetarian, virtually fat-free, and full of vegetables. It's super tasty without meat, but to make it more hearty ground hamburger, chicken, or turkey could be browned and added to this. I used it has a dip with baked tortilla chips, but I'm using the left-overs as soup tomorrow by adding a can of tomato juice and some extra chili powder!

16 oz. kidney beans, rinsed and drained
16 oz. corn, drained
16 oz. black beans, rinsed and drained
14.5 oz stewed tomatoes
8 oz. tomato sauce
4 oz. chopped green chilies, drained
1 envelope taco seasoning
1/2 cup chopped onion

Throw it all in a slow cooker on low for 5-7 hours, stirring occasionally.
Makes about 7 cups
About 50 calories per 1/4 cup

Kettle Bell Class

     For the past few weeks I've been taking a kettle bell workout class at the local park district with my mom. I've been intrigued by kettle bell workouts for a while because I keep reading about how fabulous they are for you. Though whenever I was in the free-weights area of the gym I was too intimidated to actually pick one up and use it, because well I had no freaking clue what to do. So, a class where I could learn some technique and exercises twice a week sounded fabulous. Now I consider myself to be in relatively good shape, lifting weights twice a week, running 5 miles three times a week, and other cardio exercises 3 times a week as well as doing the Brazilian Butt Workout (by BeachBody) - let me tell you that kettle bell class kicks my ass. We do a different routine each week, and some are thankfully easier than others, but besides doing BeachBody's Insanity program I've never done anything more challenging in my life. But after a month of going to the class, both my mom and I are seeing results so it's worth the effort.
     Bottom line: if you are plateauing with your workouts, add kettle bells. I know that different companies make DVDs and you can buy a kettle bell at Walmart or Target. So get "kettle-belling" people!

xoxo