What's For Dinner?

I've been really lazy lately when it comes to cooking and preparing meals.  That's definitely reflected in my waistline and in the amount of take out containers and restaurant receipts we've been throwing out.  I blame some of it on a busy life and two picky eaters, but I think a lot of it is really just some laziness that has come with my depression.  Yes, that's kind of been back.  I may talk about in a later post, but know that I am once again working on it.  So anyway, last week I finally put my foot down and decided to get back into the habit of planning meals and packing lunches.  I actually really enjoy cooking.  That alone time in the kitchen and watching ingredients come together to make a great finished product is extremely soothing.  I started the week with a skillet pumpkin lasagna that I've made before.  It was delicious, as always, and there was enough left for an easy dinner the next night!  I did some delicious paninis the following night, with fresh mozzarella, basil from our garden, and a bit of pepperoni.  I had leftover ingredients from both meals, the mozzarella and some ricotta.  We have a bounty of all kinds of homegrown tomatoes and there is almost always some puff pastry in the freezer for a quick tart.  Those items, combined with the previously mentioned leftovers made for a great quick and easy sort of rustic tart/pizza.  I never settled on a name, so you decide.

It was yummy and doesn't it look beautiful?  I love the variety of tomatoes and all their different flavors!  So this isn't really something that calls for a recipe, but here are some general instructions.  I used a fork to poke some holes in the thawed puff pastry and then baked it at 400 degrees for about ten minutes.  After letting it cool and settle for a few minutes, I topped it with slices of mozzarella and tomato that I had let drain in a colander, dropped on dollops of ricotta cheese, and sprinkled it with some dried oregano.  Then I stuck the whole thing back in the oven for another ten minutes.  Easy, right?

I've gotten this week's meals planned out again and have been pinning and bookmarking some recipes to try, so I am hoping to stay inspired and keep on cooking.  Anyone have any great dishes or suggestions they'd like to share?

Mexican Lasagna

On July 4th, we had friends over for dinner and I tried out a recipe I had found online a few days earlier.  I made a regular version, which is vegetarian, and a vegan version for one of our friends.  I thought they both turned out really good, so I thought I would share the recipe.  If you prefer to make the vegan version, just substitute the cheese and sour cream.  You could probably add meat to this as well.  I love recipes that can be tailored to suit everyone's tastes!

I forgot to take photos, so this is what it looks like reheated the next day!

Vegetarian Mexican Lasagna

• 1 14oz can of diced tomatoes with chilies
• 1 10oz package of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 can of black beans
• 1c frozen corn
• 2Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2c textured vegetable protein (I had to ask my vegetarian friend what this was!)
• 1tsp taco seasoning -I make my own.  You can find a recipe here.
• 1c sour cream
• 2c shredded cheese (I used a Mexican blend, but feel free to mix it up!)
• 8 corn tortillas, cut into wedges 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Combine everything in a large bowl, reserving 1/2c of the cheese.  Coat a baking dish with oil or cooking spray.  The original recipe calls for an 11 x 7 dish, but I'm pretty sure mine were slightly larger.  Layer half of the tortilla wedges in the bottom of the pan, overlapping them slightly.  Top with half of the mixture, using the back of a spoon or spatula to evenly spread it.  Layer the rest of the tortilla wedges and then top with the remaining mixture and reserved cheese.  Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for an additional 30 minutes.

Easy, right?  Original recipe found here.

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

I love summertime meals!  I feel like I eat so much healthier in the warmer months.  I tend to go with lighter meals and lots of fruits and veggies.  We've been trying our best to eat less processed foods and have cut out meat, except for seafood.  This salad fits perfectly with summer meals and makes enough to last a few days!  You can find the recipe here, although it could be definitely be tailored to fit personal tastes.  I think I will use feta the next time, instead of mozzarella, and a balsamic vinaigrette for some extra flavor.  Enjoy!

Chicken Fajita Salad

Warmer weather means lighter dinners. Lately that's meant salads for me. It's difficult for me to actually share a recipe for the salads I make, because I typically just throw them together with whatever's on hand.  I used leftover cooked veggies from the previous night's mushroom cheesesteaks, for instance.  That's the great thing about salads, they're pretty versatile.  I thought I'd share the ingredients for this one and let you figure out how much of each to add, because it ended up being a pretty delicious meal. I recommend eating it with a chipotle or southwest dressing!

Chicken Fajita Salad

•mixed greens

•grilled chicken

•shredded cheese

•avocado

•sautéed peppers & onions 

•black beans

•corn

•crushed tortilla chips

Enjoy!

Happy New Year!

Hey there!  I hope everyone's year is off to a good start!  I know I'm a little late with the new year's wishes, but better late than never, right?  I had a great New Year's Eve at home with my family, which is just how I like it.  I've never really been into going out on New Years Eve or doing much of anything, outside of eating some good food and trying to stay up until midnight.  I accomplished both of those things this time around.  We had cheese fondue and meatballs for dinner and after everyone went to bed, Donnie and I watched reruns of  Doctor Who and Portlandia and enjoyed some chocolate fondue.  On a related note, toddlers with fondue forks are both hilarious and terrifying!

Crustless Spinach Pie

I mentioned in yesterday's post that I made two pies for the December crafternoon.  They were really simple to make, but were both pretty tasty.  I actually made the spinach pie for dinner on Monday night and have been enjoying the reheated leftovers.  The preparation is next to nothing and I think that this is one of those dishes to which you could easily add some extra ingredients to switch things up.  I added some garlic powder to it this last time that just added a bit of extra flavor.  Enjoy!

Crustless Spinach Pie

• 12 oz bag frozen spinach, thawed and drained (I use paper towels to squeeze out the excess liquid.)
• 2 c fat free cottage cheese
• 8 oz shredded cheese (I used a cheddar blend.)
• 4 eggs
• 6 tbsp flour

Combine the spinach, cottage cheese, and shredded cheese.  Combine the eggs and flour in a separate bowl.  Combine both mixtures and pour into a lightly oiled dish.  I found that this was too much to fit in my pie plates, so I used a round casserole dish.  Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.  I like to keep mine in a little longer than 45 minutes, so the top and edges get brown, like in the picture below.  How simple is that?!  Let it cool a bit and then dig in!!

original recipe found here

Taco Chicken Chili

I seriously love my slow cooker.  It's so easy and I'm certain that it makes everything taste better.  Chili is one of my favorite things to eat and this recipe is especially delicious and easy.  It's in pretty heavy rotation here.  With the colder weather arriving, I have a feeling I will be making it more often!  What I love about this dish is that you can switch up ingredients and just use what you have on hand.  I can't remember where I first found this recipe, but it's originally from Skinny Taste.  If you haven't been to this site, you're missing out!  Gina posts delicious healthy recipes and she includes the Weight Watchers points for those of you who are counting.  I've tried quite a few of her recipes and have never been disappointed.  Enough babbling already!!  Find the original recipe here.  This is my adaptation-

• 3 large chicken breasts
• 1 can of black beans (rinsed and drained)
• 1 can of kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
• 1 bag of frozen corn (or you can use a can of corn, drained)
• 1 chopped onion (I often use half a bag of frozen chopped onions) 
• 2 large cans of diced tomatoes with green chilies
• chili powder (I'll be honest, I don't ever actually measure this!)
• 1 packet of taco seasoning
• your favorite chili toppings (I prefer sour cream and shredded cheese!)

I think the original directions say to put the chicken on top of everything else, but I usually put it in first and then dump everything else on top of it.  I cook the whole thing on low for about 10 hours, but you could cook it on high for probably about 5 or 6 hours.  I then remove the chicken, shred it with a fork and knife, and then mix it back into the remaining ingredients.  Easy, right?  This makes a pretty big portion of food and it tastes just as good reheated.  Enjoy!!