LENT recipe: Potato Pancakes

 Lent is a time where I prepare for Easter by making sacrifices. One of the food items I abstain from during all Fridays of Lent is meat. To me, this is the least I could do. It certainly poses some food challenges for me as I strive to eat enough protein and figure out ways to have my balance nutrition. I DISLIKE fish!! I can handle maybe a few raw shrimp drenched in my mom's homemade cocktail sauce. Thinking back to my childhood, our freezer was always stocked with potato pancakes. It was a go-to meal at our house along with grilled cheese, mac n' cheese, and cheese pizza.

Over the past year and a half or so, I have come to realize that I can enjoy the foods I always have, BUT it is important to KNOW what is in my food; therefore, I've had to bite the bullet and get over my fear of cooking.  I can't believe how I've been missing out on the TRUE taste of good food as opposed to processed and prepared foods. These potato pancakes tasted so fresh unlike their frozen counterparts.

INGREDIENTS:

*1 lb. of Yukon potatoes- I used 3, medium sized potatoes

*1 medium sized onion

*1/4 cup of whole wheat flour

*1 large egg

*1 tsp of sea salt

* 1/4 tsp of pepper

*olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Peel the potatoes and cut them in quarters. 

2. Grate your potatoes. I used the blender grate option. If doing this, fill it with 2 cups of water and add 6 pieces at a time. Grate for 5 seconds and check consistency. I had to do it for about 10 seconds.

3. Drain potatoes in a strainer and use paper towels to extract the excess water.

4. Place the potatoes in a bowl.

5. Follow the same procedure for the onion as described above with potatoes.

6. Place the onions in the bowl once water has been drained completely. 

7. Lightly beat your egg before placing it in the bowl with the potatoes and onion and mix together with spoon.

8. Add the flour, pepper, and salt to the bowl and mix unit ingredients are fully incorporated.

9. Heat your skillet and add olive oil to cover the bottom of it. (Don't over heat skillet so that olive oil smokes)

10. Take about a Tbsp. of the mixture and place in your skillet. I cooked 3 at a time. Wet the back side of your mixing spoon to help flatten the potato pancakes.

11. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. 

12. Transfer them to a plate with a paper towel to absorb excess oil.

These paired well with my salad and my mustard for dipping! My girls had theirs with the traditional side of applesauce. Greek yogurt or guacamole would be other delicious dipping sauces. 

This recipe made 16 potato pancakes the size shown above. 

FIXERS: 3 of these would be 1 yellow!!

Happy Eating!!

XoXo

Kynslee

Clean Eating Tortilla Chips

We all like a good crunch every once in a while, right?! Since starting The 21 Day Fix Extreme, I have been changing some of my habits since I've gotten a little comfortable with where I have been. Changing one's exercise and nutrition routine every 4-6 weeks is very beneficial. Completing the same workouts and eating the same foods ALL the time can surely put you in a plateau.

I used to make these chips ALL the time! They really hit the spot, especially when paired with some salsa or guacamole! Mmm! I really enjoy eating what people call "normal" foods but making them with much better ingredients that leave me satisfied as opposed to overstuffed and bloated.

INGREDIENTS:

1. Whole wheat tortilla/pita- I use Aladdin's whole wheat pitas because they have FAR less ingredients than most tortillas or pitas. I purchase them at my local Giant Eagle. 

2. Olive oil

3. Garlic Powder

4. Grated parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Take a pizza cutter and cut the pitas into triangular pieces. Separate the triangles in half so it is 2 thinner pieces as opposed to one thicker chip. 

3. Place the pita pieces on a baking sheet and use a basting brush to rub olive oil over them.

4. Generously sprinkle garlic powder and sprinkle a little bit of grated parmesan on each.

5. Bake for approximately 8-10 minutes. I typically do 8. They may not seem hard like a chip, but they will harden once out of the oven.

*They store well in a Ziploc bag. 

**21 Day FIXERS: 1 yellow= 14 chips!! :) 

Make these for a party to serve with salsa or chips. They make a great appetizer, which my kiddos LOVE! My husband really enjoyed them yesterday with guacamole. :) 

Happy Eating!!

XoXo

Kynslee

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

Stuffed Chicken Sausage Lasagna OR Shells

I am a creature of habit; it makes my life easier! I can eat the same thing nearly ever day, and I am not bothered by it. My treat meal once a week spices it up a bit! :) My husband on the other hand won't really touch a leftover and gets bored very easily, so every once in a while I try a new recipe. 

I was looking to make stuffed shells;however, couldn't find any whole wheat jumbo pasta shells. Anyone know where I can get some?! I was simply ( I like simple, remember?!) going to mix the sausage mixture with the whole wheat noodles we always have; but, I noticed I still had some whole wheat lasagna noodles, so I gave that a shot. Try it with pasta, lasagna noodles, or stuffed shells, whatever works for you!!

INGREDIENTS:

*Pasta product-probably about 16 jumbo shells, 9 lasagna noodles

*1 lb. of chicken sausage-so yummy!

*1 Tbsp. of of minced garlic

*14 oz. can of diced tomatoes

*1 cup of frozen spinach-thawed and drained- or fresh

*1 cup of cheese( I used shredded cheeses because I dislike ricotta).

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Cook shells or lasagna noodles as instructed. Place shells in a bowl of ice cold water to prevent sticking. If using lasagna noodles, place them on a piece of tinfoil.  This is so they don't stick together as well as is a good surface to spoon sausage mixture into them without a mess on your countertop. If cooking just regular rotini noodles, I would wait to cook these until later in the process so they are still warm when serving. 

3. Remove sausage from casing and place in a large skillet. Cook at medium temperature until browned. 

4.  Thaw spinach in microwave if necessary and squeeze ALL the water out.

5. Add the garlic, mixing it for a brief time-1 minute or so-don't allow it to brown

6. Add the diced tomatoes (juice and all) & spinach, mixing it for a few minutes. 

7. Turn off stove top and add the cheese. Mix until completely melted. 

8. Scoop sausage mixture into shells or lasagna noodles. If eating with regular rotini noodles, put noodles in bowl, add mixture, and enjoy!

9. SHELLS & LASAGNA- place in oven safe dish and heat for 25 minutes. 

This goes REALLY nicely with a salad. I was only able to enjoy ONE. I eat my veggies first to fill me up. :)

My fellow FIXERS:  I would count 2 of these lasagna rolls as 2 yellow containers, 1-2 reds (depends on how stuffed your lasagna rolls are :), and a blue. Mine were fully loaded, so it was likely 1 container for my 1 roll. 

Happy Eating!

XoXo