Pizza Popover

There are days where I just don't want to cook, and yesterday was one of them. My husband's brother passed away Sunday night, and all I really wanted to do is order a pizza. I knew that pizza wasn't going to cause our sadness to go away, so I reminded myself of that and the fact that I can't control everything in this life, but I can control this choice. Ben LOVED food, so I made it for him. <3

INGREDIENTS:

*1 lb of meat of choice- I used ground chicken; however, chicken sausage would be awesome too

*2 cups of pizza sauce

*a package of shredded mozzarella

*1 cup of milk

*2 eggs

*1 cup of whole wheat flour

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Brown/cook your meat in a skillet and drain excess fat.

3. Add the pizza sauce and bring to a boil.

4. Add the meat to a greased 13X9 baking pan.

5. Sprinkle the cheese over the meat.

6. In a bowl, mix the egg, milk, and flour. Make sure to mix it very well.

7. Pour the mixture over the meat and cheese and bake for 25-30 minutes.

*Serve with a side of vegetables or a salad

This hit the spot for that desire to eat pizza and paired with a salad, it was quite filling!

FIXERS: I counted it as 1 RED and 1 Yellow container and PART of a BLUE container. 

Happy Eating!

XoXO 

Kynslee

Crock Pot Chicken Parmesan Soup

Chicken Parmesan is a favorite dish of mine. Chicken, noodles, sauce, cheese-Mmm! This cold weather makes me crave soup as well. Being able to just put some ingredients in the crock pot and do what I need to do is pretty awesome.

INGREDIENTS:

*3 minced garlic cloves

* 1 green bell pepper, chopped

* 1 (14.5 oz) can of crushed tomatoes

*1/2 RAW chicken breasts ( I buy chicken breast tenders and break them up into packs of 3-4) I used one of the packs. 

* 3 cups of chicken broth ( I used low sodium.) **I added extra cup at the end.

* 1/2 cup chopped onion

*1/2 cup of shredded parmesan cheese **extra need to garnish

*1 Tbsp. of basil

* 2 tsp. of oregano 

* 1/8 tsp. of red pepper flakes

*4 oz. of UNCOOKED pasta ( I used whole grain penne)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In your crock pot, add and mix together all the ingredients EXCEPT the noodles and cook on low for 7 hours or high for 3 1/2. 

2. After 7 hours, remove the chicken and shred it.

3. Return chicken to crockpot and add the UNCOOKED pasta. Cook on high for 30 minutes. 

4. Add extra chicken broth if you feel the consistency is too thick once noodles have been added.

5. Serve garnished with parmesan cheese.

FIXERS: I filled a green container as my portion size and deducted ONE red and ONE yellow container per the guide on Pg. 72. 

This went really well with a salad. I was quite full after this meal. My daughters actually enjoyed some of the chicken that I shredded as part of their meal. Since they are not quite 2 and 4, soup would be a bit of a challenge; however, they enjoyed the whole grain noodles and chicken separately. :) 

Happy Eating!!

XoXo

Kynslee

Pizza! Pizza !! Crock Pot Pizza Casserole

Pizza may very well be my favorite food! I would say 9/10 times when I enjoy my treat meal, it is pizza from our favorite local place called Casamel's Pizza. Mmm!!!  When I was searching for new recipes, I immediately stopped when I saw PIZZA written in the title! Now, I am well aware that eating pizza every day won't get me closer to my goals, BUT if I can have some variation of it daily, I'd be down! :)

INGREDIENTS:

*1 lb. of ground chicken (or any other meat "topping" you would like) I will use turkey sausage next time! :)

*1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese

* 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese

*1/2 cupped chopped onion

*1/2 cup of chopped green pepper

*28 oz. can of tomato sauce

*2 tsp. of italian seasoning. I use this recipe to make my own.

*1/2 tsp. of red pepper flakes

* 2 cup of uncooked whole wheat/grain noodles ( I used rotini)

**You could also add mushrooms if you like.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cook your meat of choice until it is browned.

2. While doing that, chop your onion and green pepper, and add them to the crock pot.

My little chefs adding the onions and green peppers.

3. Add all the ingredients, other than the noodles, to the crock pot.

4. Once meat has browned, add that to the crock pot as well and stir. 

5. Cook on LOW for 4 hours. 

6. When ready to eat, cook pasta per directions, and add it to the crock pot. 

7. Stir and serve.

I've talked about how picky my husband is when it comes to food many times in posts!! He enjoyed it and actually took leftovers to work this morning!! Our oldest daughter, Kynsten, at least did 2 bites of it, while Bristyn, our youngest daughter, ate her WHOLE bowl and then some. 

We paired it with a salad, which was a nice complement to the dish.

I actually scooped some out prior to adding the noodles to the rest of the dish for me. I wanted some of my yummy popcorn last night, so I skipped the carbs at dinner. :)

 FIXERS: If you are eating with the noodles, I would portion it out in a green container and count it as 1 red and 2 yellow. I counted my portion as 1 red.

Happy Eating!!

XoXo

Kynslee :)

Crock Pot Pasta Fagioli Soup

It has been a hot mess around the Pearrell house since last Tuesday. Our youngest, Bristyn, was diagnosed with pink eye and a virus ;I was hit with flu symptoms Wednesday, which still have not subsided, our oldest had a stomach bug Thursday...then Saturday again...pink eye for me yesterday, and more puking for Bris today. Let's just say, eating hasn't really been a priority for any of us, except my husband. Luckily, my mom provided some meals for him. :) When I did eat something, my body craved chicken noodle soup. So now that I am feeling half human again today, I decided to make pasta fagioli soup that I intended to make over the weekend. My husband said he had been wanting soup, and I remembered he enjoyed this soup when we used to go to Olive Garden. 

Prep was pretty simple, and I love that I was able to just put it in the crock pot and go about my day.

INGREDIENTS:

*1lb. of sweet italian chicken sausage( can substitute other meat) (remove casing)

*1/2 cup of carrots (I used food chopper for all veggies.)

*1/2 cup of onion

*1/4 cup celery

*1 clove of minced garlic

*2 cans (15 oz.) of cannelleni beans ( you can use other beans like light kidney if you can't locate these)

* 4 cups of low sodium chicken stock

*2 cups of water

*1 can (28 oz) of diced tomatoes

* whole wheat orzo pasta ( about 2.5 cups cooked) - all depends on how much you like

*1 tbsp of olive oil

*1 tsp of rosemary

*1 tsp of thyme

*2 tsp of oregano

*2 tsp of parsley

*shredded parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Heat oil in pan over medium heat and add onion and garlic. Cook until tender.

2. Add the sausage and cook until browned. Drain.

3. Add all the ingredients EXCEPT the pasta on high for 4-6 hours. You could also do low for 6-8 hours. 

4. When you are ready to eat, cook the orzo pasta and add desired amount to your individual serving. Top with cheese if desired.

I am the first to admit that I am not a great cook. Well, actually maybe my husband is. :) It is a rare occasion that he declares something is "Good!" and scrapes the bottom of the bowl. He HATES leftovers, but I proposed we also eat it tomorrow, since I am still not feeling fantastic. He happily agreed. :) 

This was the perfect meal to have on this very cold night and for my sick taste buds. 

Happy Eating!

XoXo