Easy Beef Casserole

Easy Beef Casserole adapted Mr. Food
1 pound ground beef
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 (16-ounce) package frozen mixed vegetables
1 (10.75-ounce) can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 (32-ounce) package frozen seasoned potato nuggets

Directions:  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cook ground beef and salt in a skillet over medium heat, stirring until meat crumbles and is no longer pink; drain. Spoon ground beef into a sprayed 2-1/2-quart shallow baking dish.Layer frozen vegetables, soup and cheese over ground beef. Top with frozen potatoes.
    
Bake casserole for 30 minutes or until potatoes are golden.

Modifications:
-I added a diced garlic clove.
-I added 1 chopped onion.

Here's what you'll need:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

I "chopped" an onion with my Vidalia Chop Wizard.

Sidenote:  Have you seen these?  I got it for Christmas and it "chops" everything for you in perfect little pieces.  Love it!

Just place it on the grate (comes with 2 different sizes) and close the lid down.

Here's what you get.  You can buy them at Bed, Bath & Beyond.

I switched out grates and then "diced" a garlic clove.

Brown the ground beef, onions, and garlic.

Once browned, put the meat in a baking dish. 

Add frozen vegetables.

Spread the undiluted cream of chicken soup.

Sprinkle with cheese.

Top with diced hashbrown potatoes (or any type of potato you prefer).

Put in oven for 30-40 minutes.

Here's what you'll end up with:

Our Thoughts:
This was a good, comforting dish for a cold winter day.  I was a bit skeptical about using cream of chicken soup with ground beef but it added a bit of sweetness that I wasn't expecting. 

This type of recipe is great for slipping veggies onto your kids' plates while masking it with the gooeyness of cheese and potatoes.

Hope you enjoy!
April

Chicken Rollatini Stuffed with Zucchini and Mozzarella

Chicken Rollatini Stuffed with Zucchini and Mozzarella adapted from Skinnytaste.com
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1 cutlet • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 4 pts
Calories: 171.9 • Fat: 6.3 g • Protein: 20.3 g • Carb: 7.9 g • Fiber: 0.9 g • Sugar: 1.3 g Sodium: 280.7 mg (without salt)

1 tsp olive oil
cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups (1 medium) zucchini, shredded
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp Romano cheese (or parmesan)
3 oz part skim shredded mozzarella
salt and pepper to taste
8 thin chicken cutlets, 3 oz each
1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1 lemon, juice of
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and fresh pepper
olive oil non-stick spray

Directions:  Wash and dry cutlets, season with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 450°. Lightly spray a baking dish with non-stick spray.

In a large skillet, heat oil on medium-high heat. Add oil when hot then saute garlic a minute, or until golden. Add zucchini, 1/4 cup Romano cheese, salt and pepper and saute about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool. When cool, add mozzarella cheese and mix to combine.

Lay chicken cutlets down on a working surface and spread 3 tbsp of zucchini-cheese mixture on each cutlet. Loosely roll each one and keep seam side down.

Combine breadcrumbs and grated cheese in one bowl; in a second bowl combine olive oil, lemon juice, and pepper in another bowl.

Dip chicken in lemon-oil mixture, then in breadcrumbs and place seam side down in a baking dish (no toothpicks needed). Repeat with the remaining chicken. When finished, lightly spraywith oil spray.

Bake 25 - 30 minutes. Serve immediately. Serving size is listed as one, but if you are having this as a low carb meal with a salad, I suggest you have two.

Here's what you'll need:

Slice or shred the zucchini in to small pieces so they can be rolled into the chicken.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Chop up the garlic and cook put in a pan with olive oil for 1-2 minutes.

Add the zucchini.

Add 1/4 cup of the grated cheese.

Mix the bread crumbs and 2 Tbsp grated cheese in a separate bowl.

Squeeze one lemon into another bowl and add olive oil, salt and pepper.

Pull the zucchini from the stove and let cool.  Once cool, add the shredded cheese and mix.

Lay the chicken out and season it.  Place some of the zucchini/cheese mixture on the chicken and loosely roll.  Leave seam side down.

Holding on to the loosely-wrapped chicken, dip in the olive oil and dip in to the breading.

Place chicken seam-side down in a baking dish.

Bake at 450 degees for 30-40 minutes.

Here's what you'll end up with:

Our Thoughts:

My friend, Andrea, posted this recipe on Facebook last week and raved about it so I thought I'd give it a try.

 

I happy that we were actually able to taste the zucchini in this dish.  It still had a bit of a crunch and wasn't overly squishy or mushy.  I believe it also added to the juiciness of the chicken.  Along with or in place of zucchini, you could substitute any garden veggie that you like.

 

Scott really enjoyed the flavor of the Italian breadcrumbs with the cheese and zucchini.

 

Hope you enjoy!

April

Barbecue Cola Meatballs

Barbecue Cola Meatballs adapted from Debbie Does Dinner
Adapted from Between the Lines
Meatballs:
1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey
1 1/4 cups bread crumbs (I used panko)
1 egg
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1 (1 oz) package dry ranch style dressing mix
Sauce:
3/4 cup ketchup
1/4 barbecue sauce
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup cola
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup green or red pepper, chopped
1 tsp. seasoning salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Directions:  In a large bowl, mix together the meatball ingredients until well blended. Shape into meatball and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 turning them over half way. Mix up the sauce ingredients in crockpot. Remove meatballs from baking sheet and place in sauce in crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours, then remove lid and cook for an additional 15 minutes before serving. Mine made 40 meatballs.

Total calories = 1922 calories 40 meatballs = 48 calories per meatball with sauce

Modifications:
-I used pre-made, packaged meatballs found in the frozen section.
-I used the entire can of cola and added extra dashes of bbq and apple cider vinegar.

Here's what you'll need:

Chop up the onion.  Place it with the wet ingredients in a bowl and mix.

Place the meatballs in a crockpot and pour the mixture over.

 

Our Thoughts:

I did not get an "after" photo because we were already at the New Year's Eve party and I didn't think about it.

 

These meatballs were super easy and really delicious.  The sweet soda mixed with the tanginess of the bbq and ketchup worked great.

 

Hope you enjoy!

April

Our Favorite Recipes of 2011

So it's the end of another year.  Can you believe it?  I can't 2012, already?!  I thought I would make it easy for you to find our favorite posts of 2011.  We loved each and every one of these dishes and hope you will, too.

Appetizers

Pioneer Woman's Guacamole

West Texas Chipotle Chicken Wrap

Main Dishes

Shepherd's Pie

Latin Chicken in Crockpot

Soups
Chicken and Bean Chili

Southwest Chicken Chili Soup

Sandwiches

Grill Chicken and Pineapple Sandwiches

Sloppy Pizza Joes

Sides
Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Brown-Sugar Pecan Topping

Roasted Acorn Squash

Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pieadapted from Taste of Home Everyday Light Meals
6 medium potatoes
1lb carrots, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 1/2lblean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 jar (12oz) fat-free beef gravy
1 tsp salt, divided
1/2 tsp rubbed sage
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 tsp pepper
1/3 cup fat-free milk
1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:  Peel and cube the potatoes; place in a large saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cover and cook for 20 minutes or until tender.  Add 1inch of water to another saucepan; add carrots.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer until crisp-tender, about 7-9 minutes.  Drain.
 In a large nonstick skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.  Stir in the carrots, gravy, 1/2 tsp salt, sage, thyme, rosemary and pepper.  Transfer to a shallow 3qut baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray.
 Drain the potatoes; mash with milk, butter and remaining salt.  Spread over meat mixture.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until heated through. 

Nutrition Facts:
Cal 390
Fat 13g (6g sat fat)
Choles 53mg
Sodium 859mg
Carb 43g
Fiber 6g
Protein 30g

Diabetic Exchange:  3 lean meat, 2 starch, 2 vegetable, 1/2 fat

Modifications:
-I used ground chicken instead of ground beef.
-I added a can of Italian styled diced tomatoes.
-I used a packaged gravy instead of a jar.
-I did not sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Here's what you'll need:

Peel and cube the potatoes.

Slice up the carrots.

Dice up the onion.

Put the carrots in water to boil and soften.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Brown the ground chicken.

Cook the potatoes, drain and add the butter.

Add the onion to the ground chicken.

Once the chicken is cooked through, add the carrots.

I decided to use a can of Italian-style diced tomatoes.

Add the tomatoes and the herbs.

Make the gravy.  If using jarred gravy, skip this step.

Add the gravy to the pot and let simmer for 5-6 minutes.

Pour into a greased baking dish.

Spread the mashed potatoes over the top.

Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes.

Here's what you'll end up with:

Our Thoughts:
We love shepherd's pie around this house and this one is no different.  The addition of the brown gravy in with the mixture of onions and tomatoes really gave an extra depth.  Scott said it was one of his favorite meals that I have made in a long time and he had 3 helpings! 

This is a perfect comfort food dish!

Hope you enjoy!
April