Kielbasa and Brussel Sprouts

I love love love love this recipe. It includes some of my favorite foods... kielbasa, mustard, onions & brussel sprouts.

Kielbasa and Brussel Sprouts
recipe adapted from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/kielbasa-with-brussels-sprouts/detail.aspx

Yield: 6 servings

Notes from Marie: 
 - If you don't like brussel sprouts, you could do this with broccoli or even kale. Mmm... Kale would be delicious with this.
 - You could also do just the kielbasa and onions, with something like mashed potatoes on the side, or mashed cauliflower if you're sticking with the low carb.

Ingredients:
2 packages of Kielbasa (I used the turkey based ones, they are much much healthier)
16 ounces of Brussel Sprouts (Aldi has plastic containers of brussel sprouts. I typically just buy one, I'm pretty sure it's 16 oz, it might be 14 though)
1 medium Red Onion, sliced
1 can of Beer (I used Yuengling. I like the flavor)
Mustard (I used a Spicy Brown/Whole Grain Mustard that includes horseradish. It's sooo good)

Seasonings:
Salt
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
Minced Garlic

Directions:
1) Turn the oven on Broil.
2) Clean and cut the brussel sprouts. This means: Cut the stem off. Cut in half.
3) Drizzle olive oil on a cookie sheet and put the cleaned and cut brussel sprouts on it. Season with salt and pepper. Put in broiler for approximately 15 minutes.
4) While the sprouts are in the oven,  put a saute pan on the stove under high heat. Pour in some oil and heat for about a minute. Put about 1 tbsp of minced garlic in.
5) Cut the onion into slices. Here's how: Cut the top off. Cut in half. Peel the skin off each half. Cut the end off and cut the onion from side to side in a rainbow formation. Then you have nice sliced onions. Toss into the pan as you finish each.
6) Cut the kielbasa up. I usually cut it in half, right down the middle and then cut those halfs in half. Then I cut them in half lengthwise and slice. Add to pan.
7) Season with salt and pepper. Pour in about 1/2 of the beer. You can drink the rest if you'd like. ;)
8) Drizzle the mustard over the pan. I can't tell you exactly how much I use, but it's a decent amount. Stir.
9) Take a handful of flour and put into the pan. Stir. This will quickly thicken the sauce.
10) Take the brussel sprouts out of the oven and add to pan. Stir.
11) Put some in a bowl and enjoy!

 
Next time I make this:
 - I have perfected this recipe to how I like it. It took a couple times. I wouldn't make an changes to it.

I hope you like this recipe. If you have you own ideas and improvements to them, just comment so I can try them myself! :)

Zucchini Pizza Bites

Sorry for the delay in putting more recipes up! I have had a baby with an ear infection and now I am sick myself! I have 6 or 7 recipes I need to post so stay tuned!!

Zucchini Pizza Bites
recipe adapted from: http://kalynsprintablerecipes.blogspot.com/2010/08/grilled-zucchini-pizza-bites

Yield: 16 pieces

Notes from Marie: 
 - This would definitely not be good freezer recipe.
 - You can put whatever toppings you would like on them, but remember that there is not a lot of room, so don't go too crazy!

Ingredients:
Zucchini
Marinara Sauce (for the recipe, look at the Introduction post)
Italian Cheese Mix (Again, I used the Aldi brand)
Pepperoni, Cut into 1/4's
Sliced Red Onions
Basil Pesto
Goat Cheese
Diced Chicken (I used leftover Chicken Roll ups)
or whatever toppings you would like

Seasonings:
Salt
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil for a quicker clean up.
3) Cut the ends off the zucchini. Then cut the sides off, so your zucchini is more of a square. Then cut that in half length wise, then width wise. You will end up with 4 pieces per zucchini. Continue to do this until you have all the pieces you would like.
4) Season with salt and pepper.
5) I made two different types when I made mine. I put the marinara on half of the pieces and the basil pesto on the other half.
6) I put the pepperoni and onions on the marinara ones and I put the goat cheese and chicken on the pesto ones.
7) Lastly I covered them in cheese. The best part!
8) Put in the oven for 20 minutes. We liked the little bit of crunch from the zucchini, so if you prefer not to have that, then cook it longer.
9) Let cool for about 5 minutes. Enjoy!

Next time I make this:
 - Personally Mike and I liked the marinara better than the pesto.
 - Next time I would like to do a variety of toppings.

I hope you like this recipe. If you have you own ideas and improvements to them, just comment so I can try them myself! :)

Zucchini Lasagna

Here's the recipe I did for Wednesday. Not the most attractive photos in the world. I'll be sure to take better ones next time.

Zucchini Lasagna

Yield: 9 pieces

Notes from Marie: 
 - This is a good meal to make ahead of time and freeze.
 - If you want a more extreme healthy version, sub yogurt instead of the ricotta cheese.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound Ground Pork
1/2 pound Ground Turkey
4 Zucchini, slice thin with the mandolin (For notes on slicing, look at the Chicken and Zucchini Roll Ups recipe)
1.5 cups Italian Cheese Mix (Again, I used the Aldi brand)
3 cups Ricotta Cheese
1 egg
Marinara (for the recipe, look at the Introduction post)

Seasonings:
Salt
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
Italian Herb Mix (See Chicken and Zucchini Roll Ups recipe)
Minced Garlic

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) In a saute pan, heat up some oil. Add about 1/2 tbsp garlic and cook for about 1 minute.
3) Add the ground pork and turkey to the pan and brown.
4)Season with salt, pepper, and about 1/2 tbsp Italian Herbs. Stir!
5) In a bowl, combine the ricotta, egg and 1/2 tbsp Italian Herbs. Pour into the pan with the meats and mix. Don't let cook, just mix together.
6)In a 2 quart oven-safe dish, use the sliced zucchini to cover the bottom. Be sure there is no part of the dish showing. Cover with a layer of marinara sauce. Then a layer of the ricotta and meat mixture. Top with Italian Cheese. Repeat process until the pan is full.
7) Last layer should be a layer of zucchini. Top with a thick layer of cheese.
8) Put in the oven for 45 minutes. I recommend putting a cookie tray with foil over it underneath the dish. Mine decided to boil over...
9) Let stand for about 15 minutes before serving. Here's what mine looked like:

Personally I enjoy the burned cheese on the top. It's soooo good! But if you don't like it, put it in the lower part of your oven. Enjoy!
 
Next time I make this:
 - I want to put looooots more vegetable in it. I want to do both squash and zucchini slices. Add mushrooms and onions.
 - I want to use less ricotta and more Italian cheese.
 - I want to use ground turkey breakfast sausage instead of the turkey.
 - I want to use more marinara.

I hope you like this recipe. If you have you own ideas and improvements to them, just comment so I can try them myself! :)

Teriyaki Chicken and Vegetables

Here's my Tuesday recipe. I'll put up a picture next time I make it. I forgot to take one...

Teriyaki Chicken and Vegetables
teriyaki recipe from: http://carzycook.com/showthread.php?tid=5684

Yield: 3 servings (well, me and mike servings that is...)

Notes from Marie: 
 - If you are a vegetarian, these vegetables would be fantastic with tofu for asian style vegetables.
 - If you want a more extreme low-carb version, use Splenda or another artificial sweetener.
 - Do NOT marinade for longer than instructed. I marinaded my chicken for too long.

Ingredients:
6 chicken breasts Again, the portioned broken-down chicken breasts, not the gigantic ones!
1 medium yellow onion
1 bulb of fennel
1 leek
6 mushrooms

Seasonings:
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
1 bottle Soy Sauce
2 tbsp Fresh Ginger, minced
2 tbsp Minced Garlic
3/4 cup Granulated Sugar 

Directions:
1) In a bowl, combine 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 3/4 cup soy sauce (about 2/3's a bottle), 1 tbsp garlic and 1 tbsp ginger in a bowl. Stir until the sugar is no longer sticking to the bottom of the bowl.
2) Put the chicken in the marinade, cover and let marinade for at least 3 hours.
3) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
4) In a saute pan, heat up a little bit of oil and sear the chicken. I always sear my protein before I put it in the oven. Searing it helps keep the meat moist and juicy. :)
5) After searing the chicken, put it in an oven-safe pan along with the leftover marinade and cook it for 15 minutes.
6) While the chicken is cooking, slice up the onion and mushrooms. Throw them in a saute pan with some oil and start to cook them.
7) Use the mandolin and slice the fennel and the leek. Throw into the pan with the onions and mushrooms.
8) Use the rest of the garlic and ginger to season. Add pepper, about 2 tbsp of soy sauce, and a 1/2 tsp of sirachi (if you want). Salt it not needed for this because of the soy sauce.
9) Saute until all the vegetables are cooked.
10) Take the chicken out of the oven, plated with a drizzle of the teriyaki sauce over the chicken and then Dinner time! :)
 
Next time I make this:
 - I will definitely only let the chicken marinade for 3 hours.
 - I want to add cabbage and carrots to the vegetables. I feel like I wanted a large variety of vegetables with it.

I hope you like this recipe. If you have you own ideas and improvements to them, just comment so I can try them myself! :)

Rolled Chicken and Zucchini

Here is my Monday recipe. I have a picture, but it's not the most attractive one...

Rolled Chicken and Zucchini

Yield: 3 servings (2 pieces of chicken each)

Notes from Marie:
 - This recipe needs a good bit of time, so don't make it on a day where you don't have the time. I also used my mandolin and my mallet.
 - However, you could make them ahead of time and put them in the fridge. I don't recommend freezing this one. The chicken maybe, but definitely not the zucchini. 
 - I wanted to do the zucchini portion of this, but couldn't find it at the grocery store. The zucchini were nice little bites, but the eggplant would have been larger.
 - These zucchini rolls could definitely be an appetizer or something for a snack. I plan on making some of these and the eggplant today and putting them in my fridge for me to snack on throughout the week.
 - For the chicken, you can use whatever kind of cheese you would like. If you're lactose intolerant, then cut a stick of margarine into smaller pieces and use them to stuff it. Also, if you're lactose intolerant, the goat cheese should be okay for you (or at least not as bad).

Ingrediants:
6 chicken breasts (and again, these are the portioned chicken breasts I spoke about earlier, not the monstrous ones you buy at the store)
6 zucchini
Marinara Sauce (recipe listed under Introduction)
Italian Cheese Blend  (I use the blend from Aldi with Part Skim Mozzarella, Provolone, Romano, Asiago and Parmesan Cheeses)
4 oz Goat Cheese (Again, I get this at Aldi. For this recipe I prefer the already seasoned Garlic and Herb)

Seasoning:
Italian Herbs - blend 1/2 tbsp of each: oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme & rosemary
Garlic Powder
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
Salt 

Directions: 
1) Turn oven up to 350 degrees.
2) Fill a small pot about halfway full with water, salt and put lid on. Turn heat up to high. Make sure to salt the water. This will not only season your zucchini, but it will also make it bright green! I also recommend using a small bowl because the water bowls quicker (small area to heat and less water!)
3) Cut the end off your zucchini. Use your mandolin to cut the zucchini into super thin slices. Hint: Unless you have an industrial slicer, or a huge mandolin, your zucchini will not fit all the way in your mandolin, but you need one long solid slice from it. I found that holding the mandolin vertically with one hand and slicing with the other worked beautifully. Laying it down just didn't work.
4) The water should be boiling by this point. Layer a couple paper towels on a plate. About 4 slices at a time, put the zucchini slices in the boiling water. They only need to be in there for about 1 minute, if that. Use tongs to pull them out and place them on the paper towels. Repeat the process, including putting more paper towels between layers, until all the zucchini has been blanched.
5) Put the plate of zucchini in the fridge to cool off while you prep the chicken.
6) Place two pieces of chicken between 2 pieces of plastic wrap on a cutting board. Use the mallet (flat side) and pound chicken about 1/8 of an inch thick. Repeat this process until all the chicken is pounded.
7) Season the inside of the breasts with the Italian Seasoning, Garlic Powder, Salt & Pepper. Sprinkle the inside of the chicken with the Italian Cheeses. Roll each breast up. Season the outside of the rolled breast with the seasonings.
8) In a saute pan, add oil and turn the heat about medium-high. Sear all the sides of each chicken roll, starting with the bottom first. If you don't do this, the roll will fall apart. Also, make sure you have enough oil or it will stick and fall apart.
9) Once you've seared the chicken, put them in a oven-safe dish, top with more cheese, and put into the oven. Let cook for 15 minutes.
10) During the 15 minutes, remove the zucchini from the fridge. Place 6 pieces or so on a cutting board. Use a paper towel and pat the pieces dry. Using a butter knife, spread the goat cheese on each zucchini. Roll them up and voila! Repeat until all the zucchini is done.
11) Mine timed perfectly. As soon as I finished my zucchini, the chicken was done. When I plated the dinner, I put marinara on top of the chicken. I also dipped the zucchini in some of the marinara too! 

Next time I make this:
 - I wouldn't change too much about this dish. I might experiment and try it with different types of cheese. I think I might try it with fresh mozzarella next time.
 - I do however want to make eggplant rolls instead of zucchini sometime soon.

I hope you like this recipe. If you have you own ideas and improvements to them, just comment so I can try them myself! :)

Crockpot Cabbage Jambalaya

Here's the recipe I did for day one. I'll put up a picture next time I make it. I forgot to take one...

Crockpot Cabbage Jambalaya
recipe adapted from: http://www.recipe.com/chicken-jambalaya

Yield: 6 servings (well, me and mike servings that is...)

Notes from Marie: 
 - This is a good meal to have prepped in your fridge, so all you have to do is transfer it to your crockpot, turn it on low and got to work. Then, when you come home, add the rice and in 45 minutes... Dinner!
 - If you want a more extreme low-carb version, cut out the rice all together. That does mean you should add more seasoning to compensate too!
 - This does have a bit of a kick to it, but nothing too crazy! If you want to avoid the kick, just buy normal rice (brown if you want to stay along the healthy route) and add it. Again, add more of the seasonings to compensate.

Ingredients:
3 cups diced boneless skinless chicken breast I say 3 cups because if I say 3 chicken breasts, who knows how much chicken you will actually get. The chicken breasts they sell now are monstrous! I typically buy a pack of them, cut them all in half and then use those. I used three of my cut in half breasts, so choose whichever way you would like!
1 package of turkey kielbasa, cut in half & sliced (You could use turkey smoked sausage too)
2 diced bell peppers (I chose green, you pick whatever. FYI green is always cheaper!) 
1 medium yellow onion, diced 
1 - 14.5oz can of petite diced tomatoes
2 - 14.5oz cans chicken broth
2 cups shredded cabbage (Mine was a little blanched already because I used what was leftover after making my stuffed cabbage in this. You don't have to do that)
4oz (1/2 box) of Jambalaya rice mix (I used Zattaran's)
Seasonings:
Salt
Black Pepper (I have a pepper grinder and put peppercorns in it, so I have fresh ground pepper. I recommend this. It adds a different more delicious flavor!)
Cumin
Cayenne
Garlic Powder 

Directions:
1) Turn your crock pot on low. Add the diced peppers, onions and chicken. Then add the sausage and the cabbage.
2)Pour in the stock and the tomatoes. Be sure to drain the tomatoes!
3)Season with salt, pepper, cumin, cayenne and garlic powder. Not too much because there is some seasoning in the rice box. Stir everything together!
4)Cover and cook on low heat for 6 -8 hours. You could probably even let it go longer if necessary. The only item you have to worry about overcooking in this is the chicken, but it shouldn't be a big deal. If you want to eat it quicker (like I did), you can cook it on high for 3 hours.
5)Stir in rice. If you have it set on low, turn the heat up to high. Wait about 45 minutes for the rice to cook.
6)Dinner time! :)
 
Next time I make this:
 - I would love to do it as the longer prepped in the fridge version. This was handy because I put everything in the crockpot and let it cook while I was making other meals.
 - I also want to use actual chicken stock instead of broth (which I plan on making my own stock next time too).
 - I want to use even more cabbage and less rice next time. Mike however loved the amount of rice, so I might just left some boiled cabbage to the side so I can add it to my own.

I hope you like this recipe. If you have you own ideas and improvements to them, just comment so I can try them myself! :)

Enjoy! 

Intro & Organization

Hello! I had so many friends and family members ask about posting my meal plan online, so I decided to do just that... A blog where I post the recipes as well as tidbits that I think will help!

I started using Pinterest a little over a week ago and have become addicted it. I began pinning all sorts of things and saw how people mentioned planning and organizing things to make dinners. This is something I had wanted to do for a while and with my wonderful husband getting me the mandolin (slicer) I so desperately wanted for Christmas, it made it easier to do. Planning things out like this minimizes the amount you spend on groceries and it saves you time, which is something high on my list with my baby girl here now. I decided I wanted to take this challenge on. New year, new organizational system.

I started off with a Microsoft Word template. I loooove Word. I used it all the time. I even used it for my wedding invitations. Anyways, I used the 12 month basic Calendar, (any year) template. It's fantastic! You can choose your month and year and save it, but it also gives you the option to change the month and year, so when you are ready for a new month, all you have to do is hit the button. I typed in important dates in January, such as days I knew I wouldn't be cooking dinner (working events, out of town, family/friend parties, etc). This also helps me keep track of things like that as well! I printed it out and then began to plan my menu. Here's what it looks like:

I know it doesn't look like much at first glance, but I promise. Everything is low-carb and healthy! I had to do the low-carb thing with my gestational diabetes for 4 months, so I had to get creative (especially as a pregnant lady!). I do want to note that these are not crazy low-carb, but I will make notes on how to make them like that if you would want. We decided to go back to low-carb since we both lost so much weight, but not be quite as crazy about it as we had to be during my pregnancy.

When creating my menu, I tried to do things like use the zucchini for the first week so it doesn't go bad and re-purpose the leftover Buffalo Chicken as a salad. This will get more refined the more I cook these recipe and figure out exactly how much I have leftover and figure out how things can be repurposed.

After deciding on the menu, I printed out all the recipes I got my inspiration from. I am a stickler for not actually using the recipe, but tweaking it to how I think it should be or flavor combos I liked better, so my copies have notes all over them  with things crossed out and added on. The biggest thing I find in recipes is major lack of seasoning. I also hate the way most recipes are written. All of mine I post on here will be a specific layout with important info on it!

I took all of these recipes and put them in a binder in order that I needed them. I also wrote a list of all the recipes I want to use and listed them on the first page and checked off the ones I was using this cycle. I also made a prep list. Everything I could do to make the meals easier and things I could cook ahead of time and freeze. Here is a picture of my binder:

 

I wrote down and totaled up all the ingredients I needed. I added everything up in my head, crossing my fingers that the total wasn't more than $200. I figured I could do the whole thing, 2 weeks worth of meals, for around $175. I was excited and set out on my journey to the grocery store, on a Sunday no less!

I did better than expected. I spent $160 in two locations. I got half of the stuff at Aldi and the other half at Wal-mart. I am usually not a fan of Wal-mart, but they have ground pork and ground turkey, not to mention their produce is much better than Aldi's and cheaper than Giant Eagle's. I did find out something interesting though... Wal-mart does not have Goat Cheese. Aldi, on the other hand, has Goat Cheese every single time I go there.

High off spending less than intended, I came home and unloaded my groceries. It was amazing! My fridge had never seen so many vegetables!! Look!

 It's beautiful right? My bottom drawers and bottom shelf filled to the brim with veggies! It still makes me smile...

Once all the groceries were unloaded, I began all my prep work. I started by making a gallon of marinara. It's so simple and so good! I like making big batches because if I don't use it, I freeze it. Here's my recipe: 
Marinara Sauce
Yield - 1 gallon
4 - 28oz cans of Crushed Tomatoes
3 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tbsp Minced Garlic
2 tbsp Dried Basil
1 package Fresh Basil
Salt & Pepper to taste

1)In a large pot, turn the heat on high and dump in Olive Oil. It should be enough to cover the entire bottom of the pan.
2)Give the oil about a minute or two, until hot and dump the minced garlic into the pot. Stir, and be careful. The garlic will burn before you know it!
3)Once the garlic has cooked for barely a minute, before it burns, pour the cans of tomatoes into the pot. I recommend pouring it in with the mouth of the can against the side of the pan. This avoids having the tomato sauce splatter everywhere!
4)Stir everything around and add a decent amount of salt and pepper. Remember, tomatos, especially canned, don't really have much flavor, but adding a decent amount of salt is what helps enhance that flavor! Add the dried basil and stir again.
5)With the heat still on high, mince up the fresh basil and add to the sauce. Stir again.
6)Turn the heat down to low when it begins to bubble. Leave on the heat for about an hour (longer if you want/have time) and then you're done! Told you it was easy!

I used this marinara for multiple recipes on this menu cycle.

Then I portioned all my chicken out into bags and froze what was being used next week and kept out what I needed for this week. I made a homemade teriyaki marinade for one of the portions of chicken and put it in the fridge.

Then I made my stuffed cabbage, cheesy enchilada bake and my stuffed peppers. I had planned on making lasagna too, but I forgot to buy my ricotta cheese. I will posted these recipes soon. I wrapped them all really well and put them in my freezer.

During all this, I also cut everything up for my crockpot cabbage jambalya which we had for dinner that night. I will also post that recipe soon as well. I don't have a picture of it though. I forgot to take one!

Now you have an insight into how I started everything and how I plan on doing my next couple cycles of meals. It took me about 3 hours to cook everything, which is great when you consider I saved myself prep time on almost every single one of my meals and even cooked 4 off them!

I plan on coming up with 40+ recipes for me to use so I never have to repeat  recipe in a month! I also plan on coming up with ways to re-purpose meals and more freezer and crockpot recipes! Stay tuned! I will post some recipes tomorrow... Right now, I have to make dinner! 

Thanks for joining me!