Quinoa Enchilda Casserole

Oh my goodness, how the heck is it April already?

and EASTER???

I swear it was just Christmas.

This winter has been a total blur of time and space around here

but now the sun is shining,

its spring break

the weather is warming up,

my body is healing and it's time to regroup.

I went back to work yesterday

and my body is loving feeling tired and sore again.

I really do believe that sweat and endorphins are nature's best anti depressants

and highly encourage anyone who is feeling sluggish or sad 

to get out there and start taking advantage of it!

Enough about me, on to food...

It may seem like I use my slow cooker for every meal, 

but that's not really true

I just like to share those recipes

because I think the slow cooker is such a great way

for a family to eat healthy despite busy schedules,

working parents, homework battles, long days etc.

For those of you that have time to prep dinner at dinner time 

here is another one of my family's favorites:

Quinoa Enchilada Casserole

Here's what you need:

1 Cup uncooked Quinoa

2 cups water

1 onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

*1 lb of ground turkey *(leave out to make vegetarian)

1 Tbs Cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 can chopped green chili's

1 can (15 oz) black beans rinsed and drained

1 can corn (drained) or 1 Cup frozen corn

2 cups red enchilada sauce

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

*1 Avocado

*cilantro for garnish

*optional ingredients

Start by adding the water and quinoa to a saucepan

and bring to a boil over medium high heat. 

Once it's boiling let it cook an additional 5 minutes or so at boiling 

and the turn down the temperature

to low and let simmer for ~20 minutes or until the water is absorbed

 and the edges have loosened.

While the quinoa is cooking preheat your oven to 350.

In a skillet brown the ground turkey, 

then add the onions, garlic, cumin and chili powder.

Once the meat is browned and the onions have softened

add them to a large bowl with the drained and rinsed black beans,

corn and chopped green chili's.

add the quinoa once it is done and stir to combine and 

then finally add in the enchilada sauce.

(I linked that to a recipe posted originally on Fairly Fit Food

to make your own and 

suggest making a large batch and seperating it

so you have left overs to use when you want/need it)

Pour the entire mixture into a casserole or 13x9 pan

sprinkle the mixture with the shredded cheddar cheese

and pop in the oven for 25-30 minutes 

or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Serve topped with Avocado, chopped cilantro and/or plain Greek yogurt.

(yum- look at this perfect avocado!!! 

Believe me finding one this pretty 

in winter in Maryland is quite a treat!)

This dish is a total family favorite and can easily be turned

vegetarian but cutting out the ground meat and replacing with chopped bell peppers instead.

Promise me the next time you are in a dinner rut you will give this one a go,

I promise you will not regret it!

~eat well, be well

Patty

Homemade bread

I think a lot of people are afraid to attempt homemade bread.

Do not be afraid, its not really that hard

and it tastes so amazing!

Now my family does not eat enriched flour or white flour 

so for this recipe I use white whole wheat flour.

My favorite brand is King Arthur, I don't know what

makes theirs different but I find it rises consistently better

than the few other brands I have access to here in the middle of nowhere.

This recipe took me a few months to perfect,

so you are very welcome for saving you the time!

It works fantastically in a bread machine but can be done easily by hand.

The rise times will vary and you should pay more attention to

the size of your dough than the times I list here 

as out door temps, humidity, the age of your yeast 

and the color of the sunset and style of your underpants can all affect this.

(yes...I am joking about the last few) 

Here is what you need:

1 1/4 cup water (80-100 degrees)

2 1/4 tsp active yeast (or 1 packet instant yeast)

pinch of sugar

2 TBS coconut oil or olive oil

1/4 C pure maple syrup or raw honey

3 1/2 C 100%white whole wheat flour

1/4 C flax seeds (optional)

1 TBS vital wheat gluten

1 1/2 tsp salt

The first step is to put on your cutest apron:

 

Now you need to activate your yeast.

Turn your water on and warm it up to around 90 degrees

if its too cold your yeast won't activate and if its too hot you 

will kill it and either of these will lead to your dough not rising and dense

cardboard like loaves.  No thank you!

Gently stir the yeast into the warm water until it dissolves 

and then let it sit until it starts growing.

 

I try to avoid adding the sugar if possible but if after a few minutes 

you do not see a thick foam starting to form 

on the top of the mixture than 

add a pinch of sugar and gently stir it in, 

this 'feeds' the yeast and can help it activate faster.

Here is what the top should look like if its working:

Whatever you do, DON'T continue until your yeast is working!

I do this step first because its easy to discard the yeast and water and start over.

Do not be afraid to do that. Better to waste a little yeast

than ruin your bread!

Now is where the instructions separate.

If you have a bread machine:

Pour the water and yeast mix in the loaf pan,

then add the oil of choice and syrup or honey.

Next add the dry ingredients in the order they are listed.

My machine has settings for Wheat or White bread,

make sure you choose wheat as it usually has a time to preheat the 

machine allowing the yeast more time to grow

which helps give the extra rise that the denser heavier wheat flour requires.

So on my Breville I select Wheat bread (regular not rapid)

1.5 lb loaf and light crust.

Turn it on and walk away and in 3.5 hours you will have delicious bread!

 

If you do not have a bread machine:

buy a bread machine.

Haha!! I'm just kidding (sort of)

You can certainly make this by hand but after about 6 months of 

trying to knead bread dough with carpal tunnel I thought

my bread machine was truly a gift from God and

not just from my wonderful husband

In a big bowl,combine all of the dry ingredients and 

In another large bowl or stand mixer add the oil and honey or syrup into the yeast mixture.

Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ones mixing well as you go,

stir until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. 

This takes ALOT of elbow grease to incorporate all the flour so add it slowly while you stir

or rely on the power of the mixer with a dough hook attachment.

Let the dough rest for 20 to 30 minutes in the bowl.

Turn your oven on to 

preheat to 200 degrees

Once it reaches 200 degrees turn it off,

you will use the leftover built up heat

to help your dough rise.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it begins to become smooth and supple. (You may also use your electric mixer for this step) 

At this point the dough should be soft, but still firm enough to knead. Adjust its consistency with additional water or flour, if necessary. 

The more you make this bread the better you will be at 

judging the perfect consistency at this point.

Now, transfer the dough to a lightly greased glass bowl, cover it with either a clean cloth or greased plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise till puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 1 to 2 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.

I find that where I live I get a much more efficient rise if I place my bowl in my warmed up oven for this time. However if you live in a warmer climate or are making this in the summer the 

preheated oven may not be necessary for you.

After the rise time your dough should be large and airy,

Place your dough on a lightly oiled work surface, and shape it into an 8" log. 

Transfer the log in a lightly greased 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan, cover the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the bread to rise for another 1 to 2 hours, or till the center has crowned about 1" above the rim of the pan. This can be done either on the counter

or again in a slightly warmed oven 

(do not leave the oven on while it is rising or 

it will start to slowly bake, 

just use the leftover heat from a low preheat as above)

Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Bake the bread for 35 to 40 minutes, 

tenting it lightly with aluminum foil after 20 minutes to prevent a crusty edge.

The finished loaf will register 190°F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center. 

Remove the bread from the oven, and turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool.

Cool completely before slicing and store the bread in a plastic bag at room temperature.

I promise it sounds way harder than it is and the more you do it

the easier it gets! 

Good Luck.

~eat well, be well

Patty

Chicken with Lemon-Garlic Marinade

Happy Monday everyone!

Right now I am hosting a 3 week clean eating challenge

and while my family and 

I try to eat clean most of the time

it is easy to get stuck in a recipe rut.

I decided to use the group to test out some new recipes

and inject a little more excitement into

my kitchen than the last 

month or so.

Here is a non slow cooker chicken meal

bursting with flavor-

It does need some time to marinate

though so its not a last minute meal.

Here's what you need:

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast

1/4 C EVOO

1 large lemon (juice and zest)

3 cloves of garlic

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp Cumin

 

I was so excited to have a reason to use my new zester!

Zest the whole lemon into the olive oil and then add in the juice from the lemon 

make sure to squeeze it good- the more lemon the better I say!

(it should yield you about 1/4 cup of lemon juice

if your lemon is very small I would use 2)

whisk the oil and lemon together

and mince the garlic

(if 3 is too much garlic for you 

or your cloves are large only use 2)

Add the minced garlic, cumin, salt and red pepper flakes

and mix it well. 

cover your chicken with the marinade

and cover and refrigerate it

for at least 4 hours.

When you are ready to cook the chicken,

discard the marinade and grill the chicken

or cook in a frying pan for about 5 minutes/side 

or until it is cooked through.

This chicken should be moist and full of the subtle but 

zingy flavor of the lemon, garlic, cumin combo.

You can serve this any way you like-

we ate it over zucchini noodles

with pesto sauce and it was AMAZING!

If you make it let me know how you like it-

~eat well, be well

Patty 

Homemade Granola

 

The weather here this weekend was so yucky.

Ice falling from the sky and coating EVERYTHING.

It was definitely not the kind of day 

you run out to the grocery store

for no good reason so when I had

a giant craving for some granola I went scavenging in the pantry.

All I could find were some fiber one oats and chocolate 

granola bars that my kids love as a treat and that is not what I was hoping for.

A quick look on the Internet for clean granola landed me with

loads of recipes that used stuff I did not have already

and since I wasn't going out they were off the list.

I looked at my old favorite recipe for homemade granola bars

from The Pioneer Woman but was hoping to 

make something with less molasses and stuff, no chocolate

and of course I did not have any apple juice so that one

was out also.

So I decided to make up a recipe and 

surprise...IT WORKED!

Here is what you need:

2 3/4 C Old fashioned Oats

1/2 C Wheat germ

3/4 C chopped walnuts

1/4 C all natural Honey

1/2 C Unsweetened applesauce*

2 tsp cinnamon

*I used 3/4 C of applesauce but think it came out a touch gummy 

even after the egdes were starting to burn a bit so

I would try using just 1/2 C and only add a touch more if

you are having trouble wetting all the dry ingredients.

 

Preheat the oven to 325

and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place the Oats, wheat germ and walnuts 

(you can use whatever kind of nut you have or like here

I just had the walnuts- mine were big though so

I put them in the food processor to chop them down to small bits)

in a large bowl and mix through.

Add the honey, applesauce and cinnamon into a smaller bowl

and whisk until smooth and well blended.

 

  

Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients

and using your hands or a fork stir together

until the oats are covered evenly.

Spread the mixture out evenly onto

the parchment lined baking sheet

and place in the oven for about 60 minutes.

Be sure to stir it around every 10-15 minutes to ensure it gets

equally crusty and break up any large lumps.

 

Once it is dry and starting to look golden brown pull it out, let it cool

and then eat!!

 

(ok- you don't want to eat it all right away so

you could place it on an airtight container and save for later.)

I put mine in a mason jar and placed it in the fridge to make sure it

stays fresh but I don't expect it to last long as my 

first grader thinks it is a new exciting candy.

Score for me!! 

~eta well, be well

Patty

Honey Dijon Chicken Thighs

 

I hate cooking chicken.

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind eating it.

I just hate touching it when it's raw.

or chopping it or really even looking at it.

This is really one of the main reasons 

I cook so much chicken in my slow cooker.

I dump it in there and don't have to touch it again 

until its ready to eat.

If you have been following along with me 

you know I was pregnant until recently

and now I need to be extra diligent

with my diet to try and get my waist back.

 

Mr. Jones and I are starting a new round of 

Beach Body 21 Day Fix and trying to get

back to a full on clean eating diet

(yes...we slipped up the past few weeks...)

So we have a menu and our meals planned

for the week. It includes lots of chicken

less carbs than my cravings would like

and lots of veggies.

Here is one of my new chicken recipes

for you to try:

Honey Dijon Chicken Thighs

(but you can totally do it with breast also, 

my grocery budget just preferred the thighs this month)

What you need:

1 pound chicken (thighs or breast)

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup Spicy brown mustard

1 Tbsp EVOO

1 Onion chopped

2 cloves of garlic minced 

Salt 

Black pepper

Thyme

Rosemary

 

In a small bowl mix together the oil

mustard and honey.

Add a generous sprinkle of Rosemary and Thyme.

 

Chop the onion and place 

the onion and garlic in the bottom of your slow cooker.

Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken and 

then place it on top of the onions

in your slow cooker.

Pour the sauce evenly over the top of the chicken.

 

Close it up,

Plug it in and

turn it on low 6-8 hours or until the 

temp of the thigh reaches 175 degrees.

Pull that yumminess out and serve 

We like ours over brown rice or 

alongside some quinoa or 

mashed cauliflower.

 

I hope your family digs this as much as mine does!

~eat well, be well

Patty

Valentine's Breakfast

I know you have all seen the hundreds of variations of Valentine's day pancakes.

Heart shaped pancakes.

red velvet pancakes,

pancakes covered in whipped cream and strawberries,

cute animals holding hearts shaped pancakes.

And then there are the muffins-

Man, who knew there were so many varieties of

red berry filled muffins?!?!

Not a morning person?

Don't want to wake up an hour early 

just so your spouse or kids don't feel deprived 

of a pinterest worthy breakfast?

Have I got a cheat meal for you!

Best part- it takes about 5 minutes!

 

First, put a piece of toast

in the toaster.

Next,

Grab a plate and a plastic cookie cutter

put a few drops of olive oil on a paper towel and 

rub it on the inside of the cutter

and on a microwave safe plate.

Put the cookie cutter in the center of the plate,

Break the egg into the cutter

(if you like the yolk whole be careful here

but if you prefer scrambled 

just take a fork to it and carefully

mix it up inside the cutter)

pour just enough water on top of the egg

to slightly cover it,

place it in the microwave for about 45 seconds

(longer or shorter depending on how you like your yolk

I did 45 and the yolk was cooked through)

If a bit of egg has seeped under the edge of the cutter just scrape it away

Now your toast should have popped up.

Use the same cutter or a different one

to cut it into a valentine worthy  shape,

then put a touch of red preserves on it for a pop of color.

Slide a knife under the egg

(the oil should make this easy)

and place on a plate with your 

super fancy toast cut out

and serve.

It's a total cheat but it 

tastes great and is a super fast easy and healthy way 

to tell that special someone how much you care

without having to lose any precious sleep or make a zillion extra dishes....

Happy Valentine's Day.

~Eat well, be well

Patty

Digging out of my Hole

I was looking back at my posts since this blog started

and I am a bit disappointed with myself.

My intent was to be super structured about posting 2 -3 times per week 

and with those posts include 1 to 2 recipes per week.

What I was not banking on was finding out I was pregnant at the end of June

and being super sick all summer

and having cravings for all things sweet and full of carbs.

I'm not joking here, the smell of lettuce made 

me physically sick until at LEAST late October!

Now if that did not throw enough of a wrench in 

my plans I had placenta previa, limiting my physical exercise

and then an abdominal hernia so I was really just

trying to stay afoot with my job at the gym and 

my two little rugrats and this crazy puking that would not quit.

But life happens right?!?

I kept telling myself after the baby came I would jump right back in full swing.

What I was absolutely NOT prepared for 

was for this baby not to come.

Three weeks ago about 33 weeks into my pregnancy

I went to the OB and said that I was concerned that 

fetal movements were slowing down.

I was not totally freaking out because I was still feeling large movements 

just not the constant crazy kicks and punches

you expect in the third trimester.

They hooked me up to check on my sweet Morgan and 

could not find a heartbeat.

At that moment I felt as though time stopped.

She must have been mistaken.

Didn't she know she was supposed to tell me 

I was just being a worry wart and everything was fine?

I don't think I will ever forget the look on the doctors face

when I asked her to please tell me what was wrong.

The next few days are a bit of a blur of wretched and painful emotions.

I had to undergo a c-section and then my husband and I were blessed to have a few special

moments with our little angel. But it was not enough. 

I am happy I got to hold her in my arms but there is so much more 

that I will never get, so many things about her I will never know.

There really are no words to describe the hurt and sadness of it.

I do not want to go too far into this as I am still struggling to find my way

through the grief but now I find myself home,

healing from the surgery, loving on my two other children,

walking blindly through this tragedy with my husband 

and trying to grab onto things that I can control and pull myself

back into reality and start focusing on looking forward.

Easier said than done of course.

But I still have baby weight to lose, 

I still want to be healthy and 

I still want help my kids learn to be healthy.

So even though most days I feel like burying myself in a vat of ice cream,

I am battling back. 

My husband and I are recommitting to our healthy eating habits,

focusing on keeping artificial ingredients and flavors out of the house and 

meal planning our menus, loading the fridge and pantry with real food ingredients and

paying more attention to portion sizes and protein/veggie/carb ratio's.

So while I recommit to this I am really going to try and diligently be honest with 

all of you. Sharing both the things we do right and the mistakes we make.

So join us in our journey to a healthy family and a healthy kitchen!

 

 

 

Slow cooker chicken Divan

 

When I was little my favorite meal was Turkey Divan.

My mom made it by layering thick cuts of turkey

with a heavy white cream sauce, broccoli and provolone cheese.

A few more layers like that and it ended up

like a delicious creamy meat and cheese lasagna.

The thought of it still makes me hungry 

but I decided to try out a healthier version

of it and so here we have

Chicken Divan casserole.

It's not exactly the same but it was yummy and 

my kids ate it up with no issue.

For this recipe I used added rice straight into the slow cooker

but I think the next time I make it I may leave

the rice separate and simply serve the

chicken mixture on top.

Here is what you need:

2 TBS extra virgin olive oil

2 onions, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp dried thyme

3 TBS whole wheat flour

1 Cup organic chicken broth

1/2 cup skim milk

1 TBS brown mustard or 1 tsp dry mustard

1-2 pounds boneless skinless chicken

1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 Cup grated Parmesan

2 Cups instant brown rice* (if adding to the slow cooker) or

2 Cups regular brown rice if cooking separate

4 Cups chopped broccoli

*I don't usually encourage the use of instant rice however 

I read that when adding rice into a slow cooker recipe the

instant rice maintains it's flavor and texture better than either

uncooked regular rice or pre-cooked rice which tends to get mushy.

This is why I made the recipe this way, and I agree it worked better than 

other recipes I have tried to make with rice mixed in however my family

prefers the taste and texture of regular long grain brown rice and this is why

next time I say I would probably leave the rice out of the recipe and simply serve the 

rest of the mixture on top of a bit of regular brown rice cooked separately.

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the onion, garlic and thyme.

cook about 8-10 minutes until soft

 and then add in the flour and coat everything evenly.

Once the onions are well coated slowly add in the chicken broth, using it to 

de-glaze the pan and get all the browned bits up and mixed in (yum!)

 

(see how the bottom of the pan looks clean now as you stir- that's what you want.)

Doesn't this look yummy?!? It is I promise

 

Pour the onion mixture into the slow cooker and add the milk and mustard

Place the chicken in the liquid, coating both sides and then turn the cooker on low for 4-6 hours.

Once the chicken is cooked through use a spoon or fork and shred it

then stir in the rice*, cheddar and Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste

let cook about 30 minutes or until the rice is cooked through.

 

During the last half hour chop the broccoli florets into small even sized pieces and 

steam or microwave it to heat through.

 

Add the broccoli to the chicken mixture and cook for another 5 minutes or so, serve and enjoy.

 

So this is definitely not My Mama's recipe....

but it is easy, yummy and a healthier version of it.

Remember, you don't have to eliminate everything you love to eat when you

are trying to get healthier, just play with your recipes.

I replaced heavy cream sauce with the broth and skim milk and mustard

and made a huge difference in calorie and fat levels and by adding

in the rice instead of serving it with thick mashed potatoes I

cut that down even more.

Now if you are just starting out attempting a clean eating diet you

may wonder about the cheese. Some people do not include

cheese regularly as part of a clean eating plan however my family loves cheese

so instead of cutting it out we opt to use real cheese with no added ingredients.

Buy Block cheese and shred or slice it for any of your needs.

All the loving goodness of cheese without any of the crazy added ingredients in the bagged stuff!

~eat well, be well

Patty