Stuffing!!!!

My family does Thanksgiving the Saturday before the big day.  This year I made the stuffing and it turned out quite good.  My sister said I should post it on the blog, so here it goes :)

I do need to mention that I adapted this recipe from one I found in the November issue of Food Network Magazine

Ingredients:

17 cups of cubed bread-I used 8 cups of pumpernickel, 4 cups of white and 5 cups of whole wheat

1/2 cup Brummel and Brown

2 cups chopped onions

2 cups diced celery

2 cups carrots

1 tablespoon sage

1 tablespoon thyme

5 cups low sodium chicken broth

2 eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon parsley

Buttered 9x13 pan (I cooked mine in a 5 quart baking dish)

Note: for a “crispier” stuffing, use day old bread or place the bread cubes in the oven on 300 degrees for about 15 minutes. 

Directions:
-Heat ½ cup butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

-Add onions, celery, carrots, sage and thyme.  Stir occasionally until the vegetables are tender, but not mushy, or about 5 minutes.

-Add chicken broth, bring to a simmer then remove from the heat

-Pour the eggs over the bread, then stir into the broth mixture, make sure the bread is coated well.

-Pour into your buttered pan and cover with foil.

-Refrigerate overnight or put it in the oven right away, I refrigerated mine overnight.

-Cook for 30 minutes covered in the oven at 375 degrees, then uncovered for an additional 20 minutes.

Healthy Eatings, 

Rachel

Cherry Spinach Salad with Yogurt Dressing-Thanksgiving style

This is a "repeat post" but I think it is a great salad to add to your Thanksgiving table!  


Ingredients:
1-8 oz bag of spinach
1-5 oz container of reduced fat blue cheese, I used about 3-4 oz.
1-5 oz container of vanilla or honey greek yogurt, I used Dannon's Honey Greek Yogurt
1/4 cup of white wine, I used [yellow tail] Reisling
1 cup of fresh or dried cherries or dried cranberries, halved and pitted 
Optional-your favorite nut; walnut, pecan, or almond

Directions:
Rinse Spinach and place in a medium size bowl.  Add the blue cheese and cherries/cranberries and toss.
Place yogurt in a small bowl.
Add the wine and mix until blended together nicely, then set aside.
You can either mix in the yogurt dressing into the salad until everything is coasted nicely OR serve it on the side, so everyone can add their own.
If you add the nuts into the salad.  I suggest having the nuts on the side because if they are mixed into to the dressing they may get soggy.  The nuts provide a great crunch and should be sprinkled on top, they also provide a great presentation.


Healthy Eatings, 


Rachel

Pork chops with tomato pesto and polenta

Yesterday was a balmy 45 degrees at my house, perfect time to find the deep freezer in need of defrosting.  I suddenly found myself knee deep in meat and ice and wondering, what should I fix for dinner?  Naturally I chose pork chops, but unlike the Brady's we did not have "porkchops and applesauce".   This recipe uses a nut free pesto that provides great flavor and a gluten-free side, that is also very tasty.

Please note: If you click on the links below to the Frieda's products, please note that the prices are for multi-unit packages and the prices at your local store will vary.


Ingredients:
4-6 pork chops, thawed
1-2 jars Frieda's Tomato Pesto
1 package Frieda's Sun Dried Tomato and Garlic Polenta

Directions:
-Place pork chops in a marinating container or glass pan.  Cover with the pesto, place lid or saran wrap on the container, then place in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours.
-Turn oven to broil or preheat your grill.
-Cut polenta into slices
-Place pork pesto side up on foil covered grill or on in a pan in the oven
-Flip after about 7-8 minutes, cooking to an internal temperature of at least 145 degrees
-Place polenta on grill or in oven, flip after about 4 minutes until golden brown and soft
-Transfer to a serving plate with the polenta placed on top of the pork chops.


Healthy Eatings,

Rachel

Be careful how close you watch what you eat!

The holidays are right around the corner.  Which means eating lots of good food and treats with family and friends.  After the holidays, is when many start to think about loosing weight and getting healthy, which explains why so many new years resolutions are to lose weight and get healthy.  When you want to lose weight you might think cutting calories is the best and fastest way.  However there is a real danger in consuming too few calories in your day.  Everyday Health covered this topic in an article on the health dangers of cutting too many calories from your day.

A rule that I try to follow is to eat all day long!  Kidding, kinda.  What I actually do is eat a few smaller meals throughout the day with healthy snacks in between those meals.  My go to snacks include: greek yogurt with honey, hummus and pretzels, fresh fruit, applesauce, hummus and veggies, veggies and guacamole, or rice chips and salsa.  To learn more about eating small meals throughout the day and calorie guidelines for that type of eating check out Boosting Metabolism with Mini Meals.


Healthy Eatings,

Rachel

no fail steaks

I made these on vacation for some friends because I wanted something that would taste great without a lot of work or extra pressure to get it just right.

Ingredients:
1 bottle of beer-I used Bud Light
4-6 steaks-I used Top Sirloin Filets
McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning
6 oz feta cheese
3 portabello mushroom caps, de-gilled, and diced

Early in the day:
Place steaks in a container and pour beer over top until the steaks are covered.  Sprinkle about a table spoon of the seasoning on top.  Place lid or cling wrap over the container and refridgerate for at least 3-5 hours.

Directions:
Grill the steaks to you preferred temperature.
Place mushrooms in a small sautee pan with a bit of olive oil or butter.  Sautee until soft then, reduce heat to low and add the feta cheese until it is soft and melting.

Serve the steaks with the mushrooms and cheese on the side or on top.

I paired this recipe with broiled garlic asparagus (recipe below) and boiled baby yukon potatoes.

Garlic Asparagus:
1 bunch asparagus placed in a baking dish.
Spread about a tablespoon of butter over the asparagus
Use a clove of fresh pressed garlic and spread over top
Broil about 5-8 minutes, flipping the asparagus every couple of minutes


Healthy Eatings,

Rachel

What is happening to me??

Ever have those days or weeks where nothing goes right??  In the past few weeks I have been in such a cooking rut and to top it all off, I had lost my newest issue of Food Network Magazine.  I was really struggling because I wanted to post a new recipe, but had nothing to post.  A couple of good friends brought to my attention that maybe I was so excited for my upcoming vacation that my heart wasn't in it and could post some healthy tips when I have "cookers block" (my version of writers block).  So, in addition to some new recipe posts I am going to be infusing some quick health tips into the blog.  I really hope that you enjoy these posts in addition to enjoying my recipes.  I am also hoping to gain some "southern inspiration" while on vacation in Tennessee and North Carolina.


Healthy Eatings,

Rachel

Chicken and Rice 2.0

One of my favorite meals that my grandma and my mom used to make was chicken and rice. However, I could never perfect the rice and I wanted a version with less sodium.  This is one of those recipes that has taken me years to perfect into something that I would eat again because it was just not where I wanted it.  I was not overly positive that this recipe was going to turn out because I was starting to get frustrated by not being able to "perfect" it.

A side note...The rice I used in this recipe is on the pricier side (and my youngest thought it was birdseed at first :) ).  I feel the health benefits outweighs the higher price, as it is higher in dietary fiber and protein than regular white or brown rice.  Also, this is a gluten free rice option for families who have special dietary needs. With that being said, if your budget does not support this rice or it is not available at your local grocery store, you can substitute what works best for you.  Coupons are also available through the Lundberg website, linked in the Ingredients section.

I have listed some very specific ingredients because they are what I used and I really liked the result.

Ingredients:
1 to 1 1/2 pounds of chicken pounded thin and as uniform as possible
16 ounces of Lundberg Wild Rice Blend, cooked to the package directions.
1 Teaspoon of Mrs. Dash Onion and Herb Blend Seasoning
1 can Campbell's Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 container Philadelphia Cooking Creme
3-4 cups brussel sprouts, steamed for 4-5 minutes depending on size of sprouts.
1/2 cup milk

Directions
-Broil the chicken for about 6-8 minutes (3-4 minutes on each side)
-In a large bowl mix together the cooked rice, soup, cooking creme, brussel sprouts, milk and seasoning
-after the chicken is finished, cut it up into pieces (how big is up to you) then add to the rice mixture
-spread everything into the pan, cover with foil and bake for 1 hour at 375 degrees
-remove foil and cook for an additional 10 minutes if needed.



Healthy Eatings,


Rachel