Spaghetti Sauce

I can’t believe I have not put this up until now. 

So without further ado, here is my recipe for spaghetti. I make it vegetarian for my canning, then I add meat when I am ready for dinner. I do this because when I canned this the first time with the meat, it seamed to dry out the meat. So now I add that after. 

Ingredients

1 cup Celery 
1 cup Carrots 🥕 
1 Onion 🧅 
1 cup Corn 🌽 
4 cups of tomato 🍅 (sauce)
1 Garlic 🧄 (to taste) I use a whole head 
1 tbsp of rosemary 
1 tbsp of Italian seasoning 
1 pound of Ground Meat 🥩 

Add it all to the pot if you are going to eat it and not cann it. Cook until you can put a fork in the carrot. If you are going to cann it, do not add the meat. 

For canning, process in pressure canner. 

Clean pint jars, lids and rings in hot soapy water.  

Prepare your preserve. 

Fill jars with 1 inch head space, place lids and rings properly. Place in canner. 

Vent canner properly. Pressurize. Process for 55 min (adjust for your elevation). 

Cool canner. down to 0 psi or until the canner looses all pressure. 

When done. Take out and put on a rack. Let it sit until cooled. (About 12 hrs) When cooled, check to see if it has sealed properly. Look here to see how, and all other important info on canning. 

Green Bean Casserole

I don’t know how to have Thanksgiving without green bean casserole. Do you? I found out a couple years ago that I like French style green beans instead of just regular. Why? Well, because I found out it all marries a lot better when they are opened like this. Trust me, try it. 

Ingredients

About 30 oz of Green Beans

1 10.5 oz can of Cream of mushroom soup

1 cup of French fried onions 🧅 

1/2 cup of milk 🥛 

Fresh ground pepper to taste 👅 

Directions

Set oven for 350°

Start with your onions. I find mixing everything in a bowl first not only keeps it cleaner but also makes it so the sides of your finished dish does not burn.

 

Then comes the can of goodness

Poor in your milk

Mix it in with half your French fried onions

Bake for 25 minutes uncovered. Then remove from oven and top with additional French fried onions. Return to oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until onions have browned.

Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Tacos 🌮

Ingredients

 1 Head of Broccoli 🥦 

1/2 of red onion 🧅 

2 Chicken Breasts 🐓 

1 oz of sour cream

2 oz of green enchilada sauce

1/4 oz fress cilantro 🌿 

1 lime

8 oz shredded cheddar jack

6 flour tortillas

Instructions

Cut cicken into strips. Pat dry and season with salt, pepper and garlic. Slice onion and cut broccoli. 

Put chicken in skillet. Once one side is done then turn over and then add the brocolli and onion. Put lid on so it steams the brocoli. After a couple min add 2 tbsp of butter to skillet and toss to coat. 

Make crema with sour cream, a pich of salt and enchilada sauce. Stir to combine.

Add cheese ontop of chicken and veggies and let melt. 

Warm tortillas and dish up. 

Green Smoothie

TOTAL TIME: 5 MIN      

BLENDING: 4-5 MIN      

SERVES: 1

 -Celery, 3 ounces (weight loss)

-Cucumbers, 3 ounces (weight loss)

-Granny Smith Apples, 5 ounces (Regulates blood sugar levels)

Super Greens, 4-5 leaves (reduce risk of cancer and regulates blood sugar levels)

Lemon, 1/3 (Immune system)

Lemon Zest

Water, 1/3 cup

Ice, 2/3 cup 

1. Take out your blender and all of your ingredients.

2. Cut up each of your ingredients so they work well with the blender.

3. Does not matter whether you cut or dice because we are measuring by ounces to make this correct.

4. This should make a 16 ounce smoothie for one person.

5. I recommend putting the apples, celery, cucumbers, lemon, greens and water in the blender first. Blend for 4-5 min. If you blend for less than this you might get a chewy smoothie.

6. After all of it is blended add your ice to make it nice and cold.

Serve and enjoy!!

Quiche Bites

 Ingredients

6 Large Eggs 🥚 

1 Cup Heavy Cream

Pinch of Cayenne Pepper

1 1/2 cups of graded Cheddar Cheese

Optional Add Ins

Chopped Spinach 

Chopped Broccoli 🥦 

 Diced Onion 🧅 

Bacon 🥓 

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Whist together the eggs, then add the heavy cream and cayenne and whisk some more. Then add the spinach and combine. Add the cheese and combine. 

Add any add ins at this point  and then fill the muffin tins about 80%. 

Bake for 15-25 min. Check with a toothpick. Should come out clean. Remove from oven when done and let rest for about 5 min. 

BON APPETIT!!!

Cob Salad 🥗

4 servings

 Ingredients

(Diabetic Friendly)

2 Head of Romaine Lettuce 🥬 (Same)

6 Hard boiled Eggs 🥚 (3 Hard Boiled Eggs)

12 slices of Bacon 🥓 (NO Bacon)

2 Avocado 🥑 (1 Avocado)

2 oz of Blue Cheese 🧀 (1 oz of Blue Cheese)

7 oz of Grape Tomatoes 🍅 (6 oz of Grape Tomatoes)

You can make it a meal and add 8 oz of Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

Healthy dressing home made recipe

1 oz Blue Cheese

1/3 cup of Buttermilk

1/3 cup of Mayonnaise

1/3 cup of Low Fat Sour Cream

1 Tablespoon of White Wine Vinegar 

1/4 teaspoon of Garlic Powder

Instructions

Chop everything up into bight size pieces and layer them how you choose. Mix before serving. 

Steak and Potato Tacos 🌮 with Chimichurri and Queso Fresco

 Ingredients (serves 2)

Chimichurri 2 oz.

Grape Tomatoes 4 oz.

Potatoes 4 oz.

Queso Fresco 1 oz.

Seasoned Salt Blend 1/2 tsp.

Whole Wheat Taco Tortillas 6

Sour Cream 1 oz. 

Steak Strips10 oz.

Directions

Coarsely chop potatoes. Halve tomatoes. Combine tomatoes and chimichurri sauce in a mixing bowl. Separate steak strips into a single layer and pat dry.

Chimichurri sauce

1 cup firmly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, trimmed of thick stems

3-4 garlic cloves

2 Tbsps fresh oregano leaves (can sub 2 teaspoons dried oregano)

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Mix all these ingredients in a food processor.

Place a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches if necessary, add tortillas to hot, dry pan and heat through, 30-60 seconds per side. Remove from burner. Wrap heated tortillas in a clean towel or piece of foil to keep warm. Reserve pan; no need to wipe clean. To heat in a microwave instead, wrap tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave until warm, 30-60 seconds.

Return pan used to heat tortillas to medium heat and add 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Add potatoes to hot pan. Stir occasionally until browned and tender. Add steak strips and seasoned salt. Stir often until no pink remains and steak reaches a minimum internal temperature of 145 degrees, 4-6 minutes. Remove from burner. Rest, 3 minutes.

Plate dish as pictured on front of card, filling tortillas with filling and topping with cheese, sour cream, and chimichurri tomatoes. 

Bon appétit!

Spicy Chicken with veggies 🌽 🍅 🥑

 

Ingredients

2 Skinless Boneless Chicken 🐓 Breasts (defrosted)

2 corn on the cob 🌽 or 1 can of corn

1 1/2 cup of grape tomatoes 🍅 

1 avocado 🥑 

A few springs of cilantro 🌿 or parsley 🌿 for garnish

Seasonings

1 1/2 tsp of Chili 🌶 Powder

1/4 tsp of Cumin

1/4 tsp of Garlic 🧄 Powder

1/8 tsp of Cayenne

1/4 tsp of Salt

Have everything set aside and ready

Smother the chicken in the mixed seasonings on both sides. Add 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil to a skillet, or in my case my Le Creuset braiser. About half way through squeeze half the lime on top. Cook until it is 165 degrees in each chicken. Whenever the pan gets to dry add a tbsp of water.

Do not clean the pan. You will be using these yummy spices to season the corn

Mix it up

Add your tomatoes 🍅 cut in half and mix

Let it cook until everything is cooked through and tomatoes are softened.

Plate the corn and tomatoes.....add the chicken on top...the avocado..the cilantro or parsley....squeeze the other half of the lime on top and add some queso fresco if you like.

BON APPETIT!!!!

Pasta with Chicken 🐓 and Broccoli 🥦 Pesto

Tonight’s dinner was the start of us changing our lifestyle. My husband got diagnosed with borderline diabetes and so the change had to happen. As a family we have gotten rid of all tempting foods in the house and went shopping for the healthy alternatives. Such as whole wheat flour and such. My mother is allergic to gluten so you will also see recipes in here for gluten free recipes when she is visiting. Time for our family to eat healthy!

 Ingredients

4 servings

2 cups broccoli florets

2 cups of pasta (I’m using whole wheat penne)

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

5 tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp chopped walnuts

1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed and divided

1/2 tsp salt

6 oz of cooked chicken

1/4 tsp pepper

6 oz fresh baby spinach

1 cup grape tomatoes

Directions

Bring large saucepan of water to a boil. Add broccoli and cook for 3 min or until tender. Remove to a small bowl. Reserve the water.

Cook pasta according to package directions using the reserved water. Drain pasta and cover to keep warm.

Combine broccoli, basil, 3 tbsp of cheese, walnuts, oil, 1 clove and salt in food processor or blender. Process until smooth. In large bowl combine pasta and broccoli until combines. Cover to keep warm.

In skillet, heat over medium heat. Add chicken and pepper. Cook until done. I like to shred my chicken after and put it back on the skillet. Temperature must reach 165 degrees. 

Wilt spinach and cook tomatoes (halved), cook until spinach is wilted and tomatoes begin to soften. 

Add to pasta. Stir gently to combine

Divide pasta mixture evenly among four serving bowls. Top with remaining 2 tbsp of cheese.

BONAPPETIT!!