Pot Roast

I've been making pot roast for years. but it wasn't until my husband said he looooveeeedddd pot roast that I attempted to make an epic recipe for the ages.

So what you'll need:

1 pot roast

red potatoes

carrots

 Beef Broth

Seasonings:

Cooking Dish:
I use a 9 x 13 glass dish

(if you want gravy)
Corn Starch 

What to do:

1. preheat oven to 350*
2. Rinse red potatoes and dice into semi-bite size pieces. I cut them a bit larger because they shrink/fall apart in the bag during cooking.
   
   
3. slice carrots into bite size pieces. Add to the bowl with the potatoes. [side note: Sometimes I'll had a quartered red onion if I have it on hand. but B loves red onions and I don't. So if I have one, I'll add it, but if not I don't sweat it]
4. I know this is vague. but I just add the spices to the bowl until it looks like its 'enough'. I add all but the pack of Roast Beef Seasoning. I use a spoon and make sure its all evenly coated.
   
   
5. Add the potato/carrot/seasoning mixture to the bag. Even out the mixture in the bag in the bottom of the dish.
6. Take the roast out of the packaging. rub the pot roast seasoning evenly on all of the roast. There will be excess in the package that falls off the roast.
   
   
7. Place the roast in the bag on top of the veggie mixture. shake the excess seasoning into the bag.
   
   
8. Poor the Beef Broth into the bag. Hold up the end of the bag so it doesn't seep out (common sense, I know but i wouldn't say it if i hadn't seen someone *not* do it). The more broth you use the more gravy you'll have. I use 32oz's because B lovesssss him some gravy. hahaha
   
9. Close the bag with the tie that it came with and cut a couple (no less than 3) small holes in the bag after you close it, towards the top of the bag.
10. Bake depending on the size of the roast. I average roughly 1 1/2 hours of cooking time.
    
    Fast-forward 1 1/2 hours....
11. Once the roast is done, Take it out and set it on a plate to rest. If you slice it open right away all of the juices will run out. No one wants that!
    
    
12. Take the juices out of the veggie mixture. I use a colander over a pot I plan to use for gravy. Set the veggies aside.
13. Make a corn starch mixture in a bowl. just a couple of spoonfuls of cornstarch and plain water. you want the mixture to be thick, but runny enough to stir with a fork.
    
14. In the gravy pot heat the gravy back up to boiling. Once its boiling, add cornstarch mixture and mix with a whisk. Heat until the mixture begins to thicken and then remove from heat. The longer it heats up the thicker it will get. It takes a bit to get the ration right, but with practice you will get it.
15. NOW you can slice the roast.
    
    
16. And... serve. 

That's a lot of steps, but the more you do it the better it will get.

Cheesy Turkeyburger Casserole

Cheesy Turkeyburger Casserole

Ingredients

18oz 93% Lean Ground Turkey
2 cups Whole Wheat Elbow Macaroni (or any pasta)
2 cups Reduced Fat Shredded Mozzarella
2 cans Diced Tomatoes
1 tbsp Oregano
1 tbsp Basil
1 tbsp Ground Cumin
2 cloves minced Garlic
1/2 cup Newman's Own Tomato Basil Tomato Sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 375*F.

Cook macaroni according to package and drain.

Brown turkey.

Add meat, tomatoes, garlic, sauce, oregano, basil, cumin, salt, and pepper. Mix together.

Add mixture to macaroni and pour in a baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Heat in oven for 7 minutes.

Add cheese to the top and bake until cheese melts and dish is bubbly (5-10 min)

Let set for about 5 minutes before cutting.

Nutritional Info

Servings Per Recipe: 6 Amount Per Serving: Calories: 304.4, Total Fat: 12.7 g, Cholesterol: 80.0 mg, Sodium: 436.3 mg, Total Carbs: 19.5g, Dietary Fiber: 2.5 g, Protein: 32.2 g

Mexican beef & Macaroni Casserole

Mexican beef & Macaroni Casserole

2 cups dried elbow macaroni
1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
2 ½ cups picante sauce or salsa
1 15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 teaspoons dried oregano, crushed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
¾ teaspoon garlic powder
1 16oz carton sour cream
¾ cup sliced green onions
1 2.25 ounce can sliced pitted ripe olives, drained
1 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese

1) Preheat oven to 350*

2) Cook macaroni according to package directions,

drain, and return to pan

3) In a large skillet, cook ground meat over medium heat until brown.
Drain off fat.
Stir meat into cooked macaroni.

Stir in beans,

picante sauce

oregano, cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder.

4) Transfer mixture to an ungreased 3qt casserole dish.

Bake covered for about 25 minutes or until heated through

5) In a medium bowl stir together sour cream, green onions, and olives.

Spread sour cream mixture over top of casserole;

sprinkle with cheese.

Bake uncovered for about 5 minutes or more until cheese is melted.

Makes 8 servings

Per serving:
500 calories, 27 g fat, 93 mg cholesterol, 744 mg sodium, 36 g carbs, 5 g fiber, 31 g protein.

Chicken Enchiladas

I didn't take pictures while cooking last week, but i did to a lot of new recipes. So I thought i'd just post the recipes & my reviews.

Chicken Enchiladas = (1 = 336 cal/ 2 = 672)
1lb Boneless chicken breast - cut into thin strips
4 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp Olive oil
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp baking cocoa
1 cup fat-free milk
1 cup frozen corn (thawed)
4 green onions, chopped
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chillies (drained)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro, divided
6 whole wheat tortillas
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese


(1) Sprinkle chicken with chili powder. in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray. cook chicken in oil over medium heat until no longer pink. sprinkle with flour coriander and cocoa until blended

(2) gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the corn, onions, chillies and salt; cook and stir 2 minutes longer or until heated through. remove from the heat. stir in 1/4 cup cilantro.

(3) Spread 2/3 cup filling down the center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in a 13 x 9 baking dish coated with cooking spray

(4) in a small bowl, combine the salsa, tomato sauce and remaining cilantro (1/4 cp); pour over enchiladas. sprinkle with cheese. cover and bake at 375* for 25 minutes or until heated through.


Nutrition facts
1 enchilada =
336 calories
9g fat (2g saturated fat)
49 mg cholesterol
749 mg sodium
37 g carbs
4 g fiber
25g protein

MY REVIEW -

These were REALLY good. The only down side was the cilantro was really heavy on this. The sauce turned out really good. I will cut the cilantro in half at least next time.

I got this recipe Here.

Zesty Beef Casserole

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon cooking oil
1 pound lean ground beef [again, I used ground turkey]
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped red pepper

1 (14 ounce) can of stewed tomatoes (with juice), chopped

2 cups medium egg noodles [I used whole wheat wide noodles]
1 (12 ounce) can of kernel corn (with liquid) [nope, still didn't use corn]
1 1/4 cups water
1 (4 ounce) can of diced green chilies
1 (1 1/4 ounce) envelope of taco seasoning mix
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup grated jalapeño Monterey Jack cheese

Sliced black olives, for garnish

Directions:

Heat cooking oil in large frying pan on medium. Add next 4 ingredients. Scramble-fry for about 10 minutes until beef is no longer pink. Drain.

Add tomatoes with juice. Stir.

Transfer to ungreased 3 quart casserole.

Add next 7 ingredients. Stir. Bake, covered, in 350°F oven for about 1 hour, stirring once at halftime, until noodles are tender but firm.

Sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, for another 5 to 10 minutes until cheese is melted.

Garnish with olives.

Italian Potatoes & Chicken

So I don't remember where I found this 'recipe' or if i just made it up. Either way its good. This wasn't on my menu for the week. But, B really wanted it and I had all the ingredients except for the potatoes, so I went ahead and made it

Italian Potatoes & Chicken

I diced up roughly 8-10 red potatoes. We use more because B LOVES him some tatters

I had 5 thin sliced chicken breasts in the freezer

I stab the chicken breasts a bunch then pour the Italian Dressing over the chicken breasts
I had 2 partials bottles in the fridge

I used the red pepper Italian dressing to soak the chicken in
Then I stabbed the chicken a bit more.
I used my go to dish. My 13 x 9 glass dish
I poured a bit of the original Italian dressing to the bottom of the pan
Then I tossed about 3/4 of the potatoes on the bottom.

Next, I placed the chicken on top of the potatoes, and poured the rest of the dressing they were soaked in on top. Next I added the rest of the potatoes around the edges of the chicken

Then the cheeeeeeeeeseeeeeeeeeeeee... mmmmm. I love me some cheese. I used shredded parmesan. But I have also used mozzarella.

Then I placed it in the oven at 350 for 45-60 min. I'm still getting used to this oven, So I think after all was said and done it was over 60 min in the oven. and I ended up turning the temp up to 400* and putting tin foil over it. for the last 10 minutes.

It was so good, and we were so hungry... I forgot to get pictures of it before we ate it

but here it is after we were done stuffing our faces

It is seriously so good. We use this dish about every other week. SO nummmy.