We got fed

Spaghetti

Posted on May 24, 2011 by ben

Date: May 23, 2011

Recipe: Modified from http://www.momsbudget.com/freezerrecipes/spaghettisauce.html

Modifications: I used 1.5 pounds of sausage and 0.5 pounds of ground beef because I like sausage better. We added chopped spinach to the portion we ate tonight. I added a few more cloves of garlic.

[UPDATE]: Here is the actual full recipe that we now use

1 lb bulk Italian sausage (mild or hot)
1 lb ground beef
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 (12 ounce) can tomato paste
3 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
2 cups red wine
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 lb chopped spinach

In pot, brown ground beef and sausage with onions until completely brown. Drain fat.
Add remaining ingredients, bringing to a boil.
Reduce heat, loosely cover and simmer for 30 minutes, making sure to stir occasionally.

Time to table: 30 minutes prep, 30 minutes to simmer

Servings: 2 adults, 1 toddler, plus 4 extra meals in freezer bags

Ben: Love

Erin: Love

Annie: Love

Notes: Someday I will make this with around thirty cloves of garlic and revel in the best spaghetti sauce in the world. I also want to try making it with red wine in place of the water. We had this with whole wheat pasta twists tonight, with copious amounts of Parmesan cheese. We love this sauce around here.

Posted in cheese, garlic, greens, ground beef, italian sausage, onion, parsley, pasta, spinach, tomatoes, triple love | Comments Off

Black bean burgers

Posted on May 23, 2011 by ben

Date: May 22, 2011

Recipe: This was from the site that used to exist called Good Things Catered, but it seems to be gone now. Erin had this starred in Google Reader, so we managed to keep it. I’ve pasted it here:

Ingredients:
2 (14oz) cans low-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed well
1/2 medium yellow onion
1/2 large green pepper, seeds discarded
1 large clove garlic
1 medium carrot
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp spicy chili garlic sauce, optional (if you like them spicy)
1 egg
1/4 c. herbed bread crumbs

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment.
-In bowl of food processor, add onion, green pepper, carrot and garlic.
-Pulse to combine well and mince ingredients.
-Remove from food processor bowl and place in fine mesh strainer to strain off excess liquid.
-In medium to large bowl, place rinsed and dried black beans.
-Smash into paste with fork.
-Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine well.
-If chili garlic sauce is not used, add a pinch of salt and ground pepper.
-Using hands (and mixture is relatively goopy, don’t worry), place bun-sized patties onto baking sheet.
-Place into oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until edges have crisped up and burgers are cooked through.
-Remove from oven, let cool and serve or store.

Makes about 8 patties.

Modifications: I used a whole green pepper because I didn’t want left over green pepper.

Time to table: 30 minutes prep, 30 minutes to cook

Servings: 7 patties

Ben: Like

Erin: Like

Annie: Love

Notes: We froze 4 of these patties before cooking them to have at a later date. Ours seemed to crumble and fall apart a bit, not sure if I did something wrong, or if that’s just they way they are. Annie greatly enjoyed these, as you can see from her clean plate:

Posted in black beans, carrot, cheese, eggs, garlic, green pepper, onion, vegetarian | Comments Off

Breakfast hash

Posted on May 22, 2011 by ben

Date: May 21, 2011

Recipe:

4 strips bacon
1 cup diced sweet potato
1 small diced red potato
4 diced cloves garlic
1 cup shredded cheese

Dice the bacon and cook in a fry pan. Remove the bacon and set aside. Cook the sweet potato and potato in the bacon grease until nearly done. Add the garlic and the bacon for the last 1-2 minutes. Top with the shredded cheese and let it melt together.

Time to table: 30 minutes

Servings: 2 adults, 1 toddler

Ben: Love

Erin: Like

Annie: Like

Notes: I soaked up some of the bacon grease with a paper towel. This is, again, one that can be made with whatever veggies you have around. We also sometimes top the hash with a fried egg, just didn’t feel like it today. This is also a lunch item for me, easy to throw together quickly.

Posted in breakfast, cheese, eggs, garlic, potato, sweet potato | 1 Comment

Sweet Potato Sausage Skillet

Posted on May 21, 2011 by erin

Date: May 20, 2011

Recipe: http://thedomesticwannabe.blogspot.com/2011/05/sweet-potato-sausage-skillet.html

Time to table: 30 minutes

Modifications: I used 3 chicken sausage links. Did not peel the sweet potatoes and they were already diced up smaller than the recipe indicates. Sauteed the sweet potato in with the rest of the veggies and sausage all at once, but didn’t stir very well because some of the potatoes weren’t quite done.

Servings: 4 adults, 1 toddler

Ben: Like

Erin: Like

Annie: Like

Notes: This was really good! I was pleasantly surprised. Annie mostly went just for the meat and pasta, but I think some veggies might have slipped in, mostly onions and tomatoes. Another great one-dish meal!

This is what you get when a toddler says cheese with a mouthful of food.

Posted in cheese, chicken, cream, green pepper, one dish meal, onion, sweet potato, tomatoes | Comments Off

Sweet potato & egg quesadilla

Posted on May 20, 2011 by ben

Date: May 20, 2011

Recipe:

1 large tortilla
1 cup diced sweet potato
1 cup shredded cheese
2 eggs
salt, pepper

Saute the sweet potato in some olive oil until soft, around 5 minutes. Remove sweet potato and set aside. Using the same pan cook the two eggs to your liking. I added red pepper to my over medium eggs. When eggs are nearly done, microwave the tortilla for 20 seconds. Lay the sweet potato on one half of the tortilla. Top the sweet potatoes with the cheese. (I used some sriracha here as well, totally optional.) Place the two eggs on top of the cheese. Fold the tortilla in half. Put the folded tortilla in the pan and cook it for 3-4 minutes, turning over once to brown both sides. I topped mine with a little more sriracha. (I currently have the knock off sriracha from whole foods that is neither as hot, nor as tasteful, as the real deal, so I need a little more).

Time to table: 15 minutes

Servings: 1 adult

Ben: Love

Notes: This was lunch today. This is again one of those versatile recipes. Any vegetables you have will work: onions, garlic, black beans, green onions, potatoes, celery, zucchini, squash, any greens, etc.

Posted in cheese, eggs, lunch, sweet potato, vegetarian | 5 Comments

Spinach and Cheese Quesadilla

Posted on May 13, 2011 by erin

Date: May 11, 2011

Recipe:

2 whole wheat tortillas
Very large handful spinach (fills a 10” skillet when fresh)
1/2 cup shredded cheese
Olive Oil
1 clove garlic

Add 1 Tablespoon olive oil to pan, heat up for about 30 seconds and add 1 clove minced garlic. When the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds more, add a large handful of baby spinach (or chopped regular spinach) and stir until wilted.

Spread shredded cheese on one tortilla, add spinach, cover with a bit more cheese so that the cheese can adhere to both sides of the quesadilla.

Using the same pan, add a bit more oil (I used spray) and heat quesadilla on both sides until the cheese is melted.

Time to table: 15 minutes

Modifications: I cut this into quarters with a pizza cutter (My preferred way of cutting quesadillas – much easier than a knife), and then cut one quarter into bites for Annie, also using the pizza cutter (pictured below).

Servings: 1 adult with a small appetite and 1 toddler (I had 3/4s, Annie had 1/4)

Erin: Love (surprising! This is probably because I got some really tasty white cheddar from Whole Foods that really made this delicious to me)

Annie: Like+ (she ate it all but wasn’t shoveling in)

Notes: This idea came from my friend Rebekah – when I lamented that I had no idea what to cook for myself and Annie, she said she always does spinach and cheese quesadillas on her solo nights with her daughter. I also gave Annie about a 1/4 cup sauteed sweet potato cubes as well.

Posted in cheese, garlic, greens, Mexican, spinach, vegetarian | 1 Comment

Spinach & potato frittata

Posted on May 13, 2011 by ben

Date: 5/12/2011

Recipe:

6 eggs
1.5 cups of diced sweet potato
1 diced red potato
4 cloves garlic, diced
handful of baby spinach
1 cup shredded cheese
salt and pepper

Beat the eggs with salt, pepper, and the cheese, set aside. Sautee both kinds of potatoes in a cast iron skillet with olive oil until nearly done. Add the garlic for a minute. Add the spinach until lightly wilted. Pour the egg mixture in and stir until mixed in. Let it sit on the stove for 4-5 minutes on medium-low heat until the eggs begin to cook through.

Turn the oven broiler to low and move the skillet into the oven to broil the top of the frittata for 3-4 minutes. Take out and serve.

Time to table: 30 minutes

Modifications: You could really use any vegetables you have on hand as well as bacon or sausage.

Servings: Perfectly fed two adults and one toddler.

Erin: Like

Ben: Love

Annie: Love

Notes: Erin insisted I include the third picture of our recently cleaned house. Annie and I are clearly confused that she is taking photos instead of eating with her family. The frittata paired well with my Summit EPA. (Note from Erin: this meal was my idea, even if Ben was the one who executed it)

Posted in breakfast, cheese, eggs, garlic, greens, potato, spinach, sweet potato, vegetarian | Comments Off

Roast chicken, asparagus, potatoes

Posted on May 12, 2011 by ben

Date: 5/6/2011

Asparagus recipe: http://weelicious.com/2011/04/20/grilled-lemon-asparagus/

Chicken recipe:

Preheat roasting pan or oven to 450.
Sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper, oregano
Place in pan with halved red potatoes and 2 carrots, roughly chopped
Roast for approx 1 hour, or until chicken is done
Let chicken rest for 10 minutes, then cut it up

Time to table: 90 minutes

Modifications: I did the asparagus in the broiler instead of the grill, just didn’t feel like it.

Servings: Six adults, one toddler.

Erin: Like

Ben: Like

Annie: Like

Notes: The roasted chicken has many variations, just do a google search for options.

Posted in asparagus, carrot, chicken, potato | Comments Off

Tuna Pea Salad

Posted on May 10, 2011 by erin

Date: 5/10/2011

Recipe: Very similar to this: http://wegotfed.com/2011/05/tuna-salad/

2 cans tuna, drained
2 shredded carrots
3 stalks celery, diced
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup shredded cheese
3/4 cup mayo
salt, pepper, other spices to taste (I actually forgot this because Annie was fussing but this definitely would make it better)
1 pound whole wheat pasta shells

Cook noodles according to package. Add peas for the last minute of cooking. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool. While pasta is cooking, shred 2 carrots, dice celery, and shred cheese. Mix everything together with mayo.

Time to table: 20 minutes

Modifications: I added the celery after I dished out Annie’s portion, and diced hers up super small. I cut her shells in half.

Servings: Probably 5 adult servings.

Erin: Like

Annie: Dislike (she did take a few bites but I think she filled up on cheese samples at Whole Foods… oops)

Notes: Definitely don’t forget the seasonings – my bad. I will add them before I eat this for lunches. The perfect dinner for our first hot day of the summer!

Posted in carrot, celery, cheese, lunch, pasta, peas, tuna | Comments Off

Softshell tacos

Posted on May 5, 2011 by ben

Date: 5/5/2011

Recipe:

1.5 lbs of ground beef
1/2 tomato, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 cup chopped lettuce
2 cups shredded cheese
Sour cream
6-8 tortillas

Brown the ground beef and drain the fat. Add the taco seasoning and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil and let simmer until the water reduces down to your liking. Spoon the beef into a warmed tortilla with the toppings of your choice from above. Plenty of options here for toppings: cilantro, bell peppers, garlic, avocado, sweet potatoes (Annie and Mia had these).

Taco seasoning recipe: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Homemade-Taco-Seasoning-Mix

Time to table: 30 minutes

Modifications: I halved the seasoning recipe, but you can make a full batch and freeze it for up to one year. For the toddlers we sauteed some diced sweet potato and onion and mixed that in with ground beef, cheese, tomato, and lettuce in a bowl.

Servings: Four adults, two toddlers.

Ben: Like

Erin: Like

Annie: Like

Notes: We were going to have spaghetti, but since it was Cinco de Mayo Erin wanted something Mexican. Neighbor Molly suggested tacos and supplied the veggies.

Posted in cheese, ground beef, Mexican, onion, sour cream, sweet potato, tomatoes | Comments Off

Spaghetti

Black bean burgers

Breakfast hash

Sweet Potato Sausage Skillet

Sweet potato & egg quesadilla

Spinach and Cheese Quesadilla

Spinach & potato frittata

Roast chicken, asparagus, potatoes

Tuna Pea Salad

Softshell tacos

Archives

Tags