All Things Hold Together

This week’s Works-for-Me Wednesday is all about 5-ingredient-or-less recipes. This is a good one! I am going to be checking out links all week.

One of my favorite recipes is Chicken Pot Pie. It can be as simple or complex as you like.

Simple Chicken Pot Pie

Refrigerated pie crust
Frozen mixed veggies, thawed
Diced (leftover) cooked chicken
Jar of chicken gravy

Press pie crust into pie plate. Fill with chicken and thawed veggies. Top with gravy. Bake according to crust directions until crust is browned and filling is bubbly.

I did not give amounts for filling ingredients because I have found that people’s preferences vary. I use more veggies. Some people like more gravy or more chicken. Just don’t over-fill the crust.

If you like less crust, do not line the pie plate with the bottom crust, only use the top crust. You can also use biscuits as a topping instead of pie crust.

For a more complex recipe, you can make your own crust, make your own gravy, or even make the whole thing from scratch beginning with raw chicken.

Another easy recipe I enjoy is baked ziti.

Easy Baked Ziti

1 box ziti
1 package Italian sausage
1 jar spaghetti sauce
Shredded mozzarella

Cook ziti according to package directions. Meanwhile, cut sausage into bite-sized pieces and cook until done. Drain ziti and combine with sausage and sauce in a casserole dish. Top with mozzarella, to taste, and bake at 350-degrees until cheese is melted and begins to brown.

Be sure to head on over to Rocks in My Dryer and check out all the great 5-ingredient-or-less recipes.

I made Bakerella’s cupcake bites for my mom for Mother’s Day. They came out pretty well for my first try. Next time, I would make the balls of cake mixture a little smaller. (Like hers are.) My cupcakes look very top-heavy.

The link above has complete directions.

They taste oh so yummy! They taste like a candy - kind of truffle like, yet reminiscent of frosted cupcake.

The kids made some of them, too, and had a blast.

This week, I planned Weight Watchers recipes for dinner every night. Things have been really hectic and I just don’t want to have to deal with trying to calculate my points for each meal.

Monday: Turkey Enchilada Pie (4 points), served with Avacado (2 points for 1/4) and salsa (0 points).

Tuesday: Parmesan Pea Risotto (5 points) (recipe below)

Wednesday: Baked Macaroni and Cheese (5 points) (recipe is at the bottom of that post)

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche (5 points)

Saturday: Slow Cooker Red Beans and Barley (4 points) (I always add chili powder and cumin to this recipe)

Parmesan Pea Risotto

1/2 cup water
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic, minced
1 1/2 cup arborio rice
5 cup reduced-sodium, fat-free chicken broth
2 piece bay leaf
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1 tablespoon parsley
4 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp reduced-calorie margarine

Heat water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add rice and cook until translucent, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of broth and bay leaves and simmer until liquid is absorbed, stirring constantly. Add remaining chicken broth, 1/2 cup at a time, waiting until liquid is absorbed before adding the next 1/2 cup (our risotto takes about 20 minutes to cook from the time the first liquid is added). Remove bay leaves, fold in peas and cook until hot, about 1 minute. Remove from heat; fold in parsley, Parmesan cheese and margarine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and spoon risotto into shallow bowls; serve hot.

Makes 4 hearty servings
Points per serving: 5

For more Menu Plan Monday, visit Organizing Junkie.

I almost forgot to post my menu plan today, which would have been a shame, since I actually sat down and made one yesterday.

Let’s get down to it. I am feeling a bit chatty today, so the menu is in bold and my commentary/how-to’s follow each day. That way, you can read as much or as little as you want.

Monday: Chicken Pot Pie

I am using chicken left over from dinner last night. I love to cook extra chicken, so I can make one of these hearty favorites of mine. And today is even a rainy day - perfect for a belly-warming meal.

I do not use a recipe; I just make the pie using leftover cut-up chicken, veggies, and gravy, mixed together in a pie plate and topped with crust or biscuits. Bake until golden and bubbly.

Tuesday: Baked Ziti with Turkey Sausage and Spinach

Again, no recipe. Just boil the ziti, as directed and brown the sausage in a pan, until cooked. Then, mix them together with bottled sauce and thawed frozen spinach, in a casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and bake at 350, until the cheese is melted and begins to brown slightly. Serve with salad and bread, if desired.

Wednesday: Leftovers night.

I am guessing there will be leftovers from Monday and Tuesday, and I do not want them to go to waste.

Thursday: Turkey-Stuffed Cabbage Leaves

That is a Weight Watchers recipe (5 points).

Friday: Chicken stir-fry

Another no-recipe meal. I cut up skinless, boneless chicken breast into 1-inch pieces and brown, add onion, garlic, sliced carrots and cook for a couple of minutes. Add thawed frozen peas and canned (drained) water chestnuts. I am also going to throw in some leftover cabbage, but I am not sure when. Probably after the carrots, but before the pre-cooked ingredients.

Then, I pour in a cup or two of chicken broth (enough to make a good amount of sauce), some soy sauce, to taste, and some ground ginger. And any other spices I so desire at the time. Once the broth comes to a boil, I add some corn starch dissolved in cold water to the pan. Stir until slightly thickened. Serve over rice.

To me, stir-fry is an adventure. It never comes out the same twice. Just wing it and have fun with it.

Saturday: Chicken Enchiladas

I made these last weekend and froze half. Now I can just pop them into the oven and have an instant dinner!

Enchiladas are super easy. Just warm corn tortillas (according to directions) and fill with desired filling, pre-cooked if necessary, such as meat. (I used chicken and pepper jack cheese.) Roll up and place seam-side down into a baking pan sprayed with cooking spray. Top with homemade or bottled enchilada sauce, sprinkle with cheese, and bake at 400, until sauce is bubbly and edges are slightly brown.

Some recipes call for spreading some sauce in the pan first, but the way I do it, the bottoms get crispy, rather than soggy.

For more Menu Plan Monday, head on over to Organizing Junkie.

This week, I finally got around to posting my menu plan on Monday. Sometimes I don’t do my menu plan in time. It depends on when I am going to do my grocery shopping.

At any rate, here is what we will be eating this week.

Monday: Crockpot chicken (This is an old stand by. Just throw some chicken in the crockpot with some veggies, spices and chicken broth. Thicken the sauce with some corn starch and water near the end of cooking time, if the mood strikes.)

Tuesday: Turkey meatloaf with couscous and broccoli

Wednesday: Leftovers night

Thursday: Homemade pizza

Friday: Vegetable Enchiladas

Be sure to head on over to Organizing Junkie to check out the rest of the menu plans. Laura also has a list of recipe websites that allow you to search by ingredient list.

I just want to take a minute to say, “thanks,” to Laura from I’m an Organizing Junkie for getting me into menu planning. It really does make my week go so much smoother when I plan my menu in advance. Not to mention how much easier grocery shopping is.

Tonight, my husband, Bob, is going to be getting home late, so we have a kid-friendly menu, since it is just me and the boys.

Monday: Chicken nuggets, fries and carrot sticks. (Chicken nugget tossed salad, for Mom)

Tuesday: Baked ziti w/ sausage and French bread

Wednesday: Taco salad

Thursday: Chicken pot pie

Friday: Slow cooker red beans and barley w/ kielbasa and corn bread

Saturday: Leftovers!

That’s our menu for the week. Be sure to head on over to orgjunkie.com and see the rest of Menu Plan Monday.

As I anticipated, I have been sick with the flu all week. It has been horrible!

Fortunately, I didn’t get sick until after I made this wonderful New England Boiled Dinner for St. Patrick’s Day.

Doesn’t the meat look tiny compared to the vegetables? That’s because Bob won’t eat beef unless it is local (and rightfully so) and the local corned beef at the co-op was $8.99 a pound!

It was the most amazing thing I have ever tasted, though.

I had pictures of the cupcakes that I made, too, but I dumped them onto the computer before the re-installation of the operating system and I have not put the old data back on yet, so I cannot get to them right now.

I am still feeling pretty lousy. I just hope I am better in time to make something half-way decent for Easter.

At least we have no company coming this year.

And to think, I was disappointed at not having company for Easter for the first time.

I guess it was for the best after all.

Well, that’s what has been going on with me all week.  How about you?

This week, we are dealing with a nasty flu.

My mother-in-law had it (just as we were leaving from our trip to visit her) and her fever lasted for 6 days.

My husband has had it since Thursday, stayed home from work on Friday, and hasn’t been out of bed all weekend.

As of yet, I have not had the full-blown symptoms, but I am not feeling well at all.

So, Sunday morning, I went through the sale fliers, gathered up my coupons, and headed out to shop for a week of ready-to-eat dinners!

This is a new thing for this cook-from-scratch mama.

Monday - St. Patrick’s Day - Corned beef and cabbage w/ carrots and potatoes. No green beer for these flu-fighters, but there will be cupcakes with green sugar sprinkles.

Tuesday - Chicken Breast Tenderloin sandwiches (frozen) and French Fries (also frozen) w/ baby carrots.

Wednesday - Frozen mini pizzas w/ salad

Thursday - Fettuccine w/ bottled Alfredo Sauce and Broccoli (frozen)

Friday - Slow Cooker Red Beans and Barley w/ Turkey Kielbasa (I add chili powder and cumin to that recipe and use chicken broth instead of veg.)

That will be the least cooking I have ever done in a week, while still eating decent food.

To check out more menu plans, head on over to Organizing Junkie.

I finally got around to posting my menu plan again! I mean to do this every week, but there is just something about Mondays!

This week, we are going to visit my parents-in-law on Friday, so I have a short week of cooking.

Sunday:Chicken Fajitas* and Spanish Rice

Monday: Pizza topped with left over fajita meat

Tuesday: Baked ziti with sausage

Wednesday: Baked chicken breast, roasted potatoes, and a veggie

Thursday:Chicken Pot Pie (made with leftover chicken breast)

* I make my fajitas using a spice blend of 2 tsp. chili powder, 1 tsp. cumin, 1 tsp. onion powder, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. sugar, and 1/2 tsp. salt.

Brown meat (~1 1/2 ponds chicken cut into strips); add spice blend and mix; throw in the pepper and onion (one of each, cut into strips) and a little water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are tender crisp.

Be sure and stop by OrgJunkie and check out the rest of Menu Plan Monday.

I tried that cream of chicken soup substitute and the recipe came out tasty, but I do not have anything to compare it to. I don’t cook with cream of chicken soup, so I can’t tell you how it measures up.

I can, however, share the recipe I made up last night using the substitute.

Slow Cooker Chicken Yumminess

1 potato, diced
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced or sliced
1 stalk celery, diced, or some celery salt, which is what I used.
2 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut up into 1″ chunks
1 recipe Cream of Chicken Soup Substitute
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1 cup frozen peas, thawed

Instructions:

Place the root vegetables in the bottom of your slow cooker. Place chicken on top. Pour cream of chicken soup and chicken broth over top, with herbs.

Cook on low 6-7 hours, or until chicken is cooked and veggies are tender.

Stir well, mix in peas and heat through.

Serve over noodles or biscuits. My favorite biscuit recipe comes from King Arthur flour.

Tips:

Turn off the slow cooker and let mixture cool a bit, stirring occasionally, to thicken the sauce before serving.

When you assemble the ingredients, take the peas out of the freezer and put them in the refrigerator to thaw, so they will be ready when you need them.

You can add the herbs to the cream of chicken soup substitute when you make that.