Thanksgiving Dinner, mmm good!

I am thankful for so many things, my family, my friends, my health, a roof over my head, friends inviting us over for Thanksgiving dinner, my list can go on and on. Usually for Thanksgiving I make a large meal for my family of four, turkey, stuffing, real mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, pie, and anything else I can think of. But this year, I recently lost my father and making a big meal just seemed tiring. So, this year I went small and it turned out great! I made turkey breast in my pampered chef deep dish baker, instant Betty Crocker Four Cheese Mashed Potatoes, Green Giant green beans with almonds, homemade mac n' cheese (you can find it on a previous blog post), and a paradise pumpkin pie. It was all so good, I just have to share the recipes!

Turkey Breast

I was going to put this in my crock pot for the day, but my friend Jamie, who sells Pampered Chef suggested I use my deep dish baker and it turned out great!

Ingredients:

Butterball Turkey Breast Roast 3 pounds
1 package dry Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1 tsp garlic powder
1-2 tsp olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix soup mix, garlic powder, and oil together(it should not be runny, it should be think). Rub it all over the turkey roast and make sure to get some under the skin. Put some water in the bottom of the baker, just enough to cover the bottom. Put the roast in the pan, skin side up. Cover and bake for 1 hour and 45 min or until your thermometer comes out to 170 degrees.

This is something we will definitely make again! It came out so moist and had a wonderful flavor!

Paradise Pumpkin Pie

Everyone who knows me know I love to cook and bake. One thing these people will be surprised to know is that today is the very first time I have ever baked a pie. I usually rely on other people to bring the pie, while I do everything else. I do have to say it turned out great!

This recipe my oldest daughter and I found on the Kraft Food website. It was something different from the traditional pumpkin pie we are used to.




What You Need

1/2 pkg. (15 oz.) ready-to-use refrigerated pie crusts (1 crust)
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs, divided
1-1/4 cups canned pumpkin
1 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. salt

Make It

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Prepare pie crust as directed on pkg. for unfilled 1-crust pie, using 9-inch pie plate.

BEAT cream cheese, 1/4 cup of the sugar and the vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add 1 of the eggs; mix well. Pour into crust; set aside. Mix remaining 1/2 cup sugar, remaining 2 eggs, the pumpkin, milk, spices and salt; carefully pour over cream cheese mixture.

BAKE 1 hour and 5 min. or until center is set. Cool completely. Store in refrigerator.

Kraft Kitchens Tips
Size-Wise
Since this indulgent special-occasion dessert makes 8 servings, it's a perfect dessert to serve at your next party.

Substitute
Prepare as directed, substituting PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese.

How to Soften Cream Cheese
Place completely unwrapped package of cream cheese in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 10 sec. or just until softened. Add 15 sec. for each additional package of cream cheese.

Jen’s Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

This is one of our favorite soups! It takes a while to make, but is worth the effort. It makes a ton and is very good reheated after being in the refrigerator or freezer. I made this last week and I used chicken thighs instead of breasts and it turned out great, it was just a big greasier.


Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped (if I do not have any onions, I use a bag of Seasoning Blend, I always have this in my freezer)
3 medium carrots, cut into 1/4-inch rounds or 1 small bag of baby carrots, cut up if you like
1 small bag/package of frozen peas
4 chicken bouillon cubes, broken up
2-3 celery ribs, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices (same with the onions, if I do not have any celery, I use a bag of Seasoning Blend, this has onions, celery, and peppers in it)
1 - 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
3-4 medium potatoes cut into chunks
2 or 3 chicken breasts with skin and bone(the skin adds flavor) (6-7lb)
49 oz chicken broth or canned low-sodium broth
1 quart cold water, or as needed
4 sprigs of fresh parsley or 1-2T of dried parsley
3 cloves of garlic or 2 tsp if it is already minced
1-2 tsp garlic powder (optional, depends on how much garlic you like)
3 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1-2 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6-12 oz medium egg noodles (depends on how much you want)
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish



Directions:

Cut up all of your veggies in advance. Rinse and cut the chicken breasts in half leaving the skin and bones. Cut through the bones. If there are any pads of yellow fat in the tail area, do not remove them.

Heat the oil in a broth pot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, garlic, potatoes, and celery and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 10 minutes.
(This step is optional, I only do this if I am in a hurry and want the soup to be done sooner. Most of the time I just throw the veggies in with the chicken right away, I am usually not in a hurry and let my soup simmer most of the day so the veggies are very soft by the time we eat.)

Add the chicken to the pot and pour in the broth. Add enough cold water to cover the ingredients by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming off the foam that rises to the surface. Add the tomatoes, parsley, thyme, garlic powder, bouillon cubes, and bay leaf.

Reduce the heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, until the chicken is very tender, about 2 hours.

Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside until cool enough to handle. If using fresh springs remove and discard the parsley and thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Let stand 5 minutes and degrease the soup.

Discard the chicken skin and bones and cut the meat into bite-size pieces or shred.

Add the noodles and peas and cook until done, about 10 minutes. Stir the meat back into the soup and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot and with French bread (to soak up juice).

This soup can be prepared up to 3 days ahead, cooled, covered, and refrigerated, or frozen for up to 3 months.

**Just remember that the noodles will soak up juice, so if you do not want it thicker you may have to add water or chicken broth to it if it sets in the fridge for a couple days. I personally like it both ways.


Yield: 12 to 14 servings

How to End Emotional Eating

Emotional eating is my downfall, it happens to me all the time. I get stressed, mad, sad, you name it. The only time I can say I do not not really do this is when everything is going the way it should, for the most part. I saw this article on Everyday Health and thought I would share it because I know I am not the only one that does this.

How to End Emotional Eating
From The South Beach Diet

As many of you know, it isn't always hunger that causes you to reach for your favorite foods. Our moods and emotions can play a big role in how we view food and in how well we are able to stick to a healthy eating plan.

Emotional-Eating Triggers

Fatigue caused by a hectic daily schedule or being overwhelmed by responsibilities can set off emotional eating. Depression and loneliness are other causes: Many people eat to fill a void or use food to keep themselves company. Some look to food as a distraction from a traumatic experience, such as the loss of a job, a death, or a breakup. But most who resort to emotional eating find that it can't be traced to one specific cause — it's simply a well-established pattern to fall back on food when needing comfort.

However, the good news is that it is possible to change patterns of behavior. There are ways other than eating to deal with complicated emotions, and it's much healthier to process feelings than to bury them under a mountain of food. It's important to realize that ultimately we do have power over our actions. Eating is something that can be controlled and enjoyed.

When you’re feeling overwhelmed and stressed out, here are some helpful ways to prevent your emotions from getting in the way of your weight-loss goals:




* Write in a journal. Keeping a food journal not only helps you keep tabs on what you’re eating but also on how you’re feeling at the time. Knowing what your eating triggers are will keep you on track. To break bad habits, you should record not only what and when you ate, but also the circumstances that prompted you to overindulge and make unhealthy choices.

* Keep yourself distracted. Instead of focusing on your cravings, engross yourself in a good book, listen to music, watch a movie, call a friend, or better yet, hit the gym or head outdoors and get some exercise.

* Cook something healthy. If you take the time and make the effort to prepare a wholesome meal rather than grabbing convenience food, you’ll really enjoy eating it. Plus, cooking is a great way to take your mind off what’s bothering you.

* Reevaluate your emotions. Before you grab that doughnut, take a moment to think, “Is this going to make me feel any better?” Oftentimes, you just need to step back and have that moment of clarity.

Spaghetti Taco

One of the very popular shows in our house is iCarly. Many times in this show, Spencer makes his odd food creation, Spaghetti Tacos often. My oldest daughter decided she would like to try them. I do have to say they were quite tasty, not something I would eat often, but every once in a while. My oldest LOVED them, but my youngest, not so much. When she thinks taco, she thinks meat and hard taco shell, but she was happy with just the spaghetti!

Here is the recipe from iCarly, I had to add it because I thought it was cute! I will add mine after it.

Here it is:
Get taco shells.
Get spaghetti (with meat sauce).
Get a BIG spoon.
Use the BIG spoon to put spaghetti into taco shells.
Eat.
Burp.


Now for my recipe, I made the spaghetti and mixed the sauce and spaghetti together and added a little shredded cheese on top with some extra sauce.





Cooking Time: 30
Servings: 6

Ingredients:

1 box thin spaghetti

1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (can use meat sauce)

1 box taco shells (I used the bigger ones that allowed me to stuff them more)

1 package of taco seasoning (if you are going to add meat)

1 lb ground beef or ground turkey (optional if you use a sauce that already contains meat)

Cheddar Cheese, Taco Blend, or Mexican blend shredded cheese

Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Cook spaghetti according to package directions.

Meanwhile, brown meat. Drain. Return to pan (if you are using meat).

Add sauce to meat and bring to a simmer.

Cook taco shells according to package directions.

Toss sauce with spaghetti until combined, reserve some sauce to add to top if you like a bit more.

Spoon spaghetti into taco shells. Add a bit more sauce to top as well as, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and shredded cheese, if desired.

Tips on freezing food

With everyone's everyday hectic lives I found these tips on allrecipes.com and thought I would share. I love having meals in the freezer that I can pop in the microwave and freeze on one of our busy nights!



http://allrecipes.com//HowTo/freezing-foods-a-real-time-saver/Detail.aspx

Banana Nut Bread

I had some bananas laying around and thought I would give a new recipe a try. Everyone in our house loves banana bread. I found this recipe to be interesting because it is actually called Vegetable-Nut-Bread. I found this in an article on Yahoo! called Sneak in Veggies! 7 Ways to Trick Anyone (Yourself Included) into Eating Greens. It had some great ideas in it. I am as guilty as a lot of people when it comes to eating my veggies. I do it, but do not always like it. For me reading recipes is like reading a feel good book. I love to see what others are putting together. I would consider myself to be a cookbook junkie. This I have my mom to thank for, she had a love for cooking and cookbooks as well. I collect all kinds, but my favorites are the ones that have a story behind the recipe or the type of food. One of my favorites is called Cajun-Creole Cooking by Terry Thompson. It tells the story behind the food, about the people, when and why it's served. This leads me to my second favorite type, the ones from small communities. The older books that are from the area I grew up in contain a lot of food I grew up on, I have very fond memories of this.

This bread was great hit in my house. I hope you try it and let me know what you think! I will post the original recipe after mine for anyone that would like to give that a try as well! I plan on trying it, again, I just used what I had on hand.

Banana Nut Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour (I use half whole wheat, half all-purpose)
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup orange or apple juice or milk
1 egg
1 cup banana (about 2 banana's), mashed with fork
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan butter or spray it with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients.

In another bowl whisk together the juice, butter, and egg. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir with a spatula just enough to moisten; do not beat and do not mix until the batter is smooth. Add the bananas and the nuts, then pour the batter into the loaf pan. Bake for about an hour, or until the bread is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes before removing from the pan. Makes 1 loaf.




Vegetable-and-Nut Bread

For this loaf, I used grated raw sweet potato and chopped walnuts. You could alternatively bake the batter as muffins: Prepare as directed, then divide among 12 greased or paper-lined muffin cups and bake at 400°F for 20 to 30 minutes. Adapted from How to Cook Everything, by Mark Bittman.

2 cups all-purpose flour (I use half whole wheat, half all-purpose)
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup butter, cold and cut into pieces
3/4 cup orange or apple juice or milk
grated zest of an orange or lemon
1 egg
1 cup any raw fruit or vegetable: small berries left whole, anything else peeled and grated or chopped (I used grated sweet potato)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with butter or spray it with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients using a fork, pastry blender or your fingers, until there are no pieces bigger than a small pea. (You can use a food processor for this step, which makes it quite easy, but you should not use a food processor for the remaining steps or the bread will be tough.)

In another bowl whisk together the juice, zest and egg. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir with a spatula just enough to moisten; do not beat and do not mix until the batter is smooth. Fold in the fruit and the nuts, then pour and spoon the batter into the loaf pan. Bake for about an hour, or until the bread is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes before removing from the pan. Makes 1 loaf.

Tasty Breakfast

I have a blog/podcast that I follow, Leigh Peele, which I absolutely LOVE! I have learned so much about nutrition, calorie counting, & exercise from listening to her, she ROCKS! On her blog she shares recipes from time to time and the last one was a quick and easy egg sandwich, she also has a step by step video as well if you want to check it out. It is great, super filling and quick and easy to make. Like many recipes I make, I never quite have the same thing on hand, so I use what I have and see how it works. This recipe is no different. I will post what I did different, but eventually will try it her way. I ate this paired this with a 3oz banana and a cup of coffee around 8am and was still not hungry by 1pm. It is usually more calories than I consume at breakfast, but it is filling and I didn’t need a snack before lunch.


The Perfect Egg Sandwich

3 Large Eggs (whites)
25g Smart Balance Light “Butter”
30g Shredded 2% Cheese (I used 1 serving (1/3C) Shredded Taco Cheese)
1 Muffin (egg, spelt, grain, etc) (I used Rye Bread, lightly toasted)
salt/pepper

1.Heat a small skillet pan on low-medium (4-5) and melt butter.

2.In a ramekin, heat 15g of the butter in microwave for 10-15 secs.

3.In a bowl, mix egg whites and melted butter. Set aside ramekin to use later.

4.Pour mixture into the skillet. Season with salt/pepper on top.

5.Let cook for a min and then move it a round into a slight scramble. You do not want to completely scramble the eggs You want them to still be wet and have a slight soupy texture.

6.Scrap/pour eggs into the ramekin. Stuff shredded cheese down with the eggs into the ramekin (being I was using bigger bread, I used a small oval like container instead of using a ramekin).

7.Heat in microwave for 15-20 secs. This can be a little longer depending on your microwave or how cooked the eggs are. You may need to cook it up to 30 secs.

8.Let set for 2-3 mins while you toast your muffin.

9.Scrap around the edges of the ramekin and flip the egg onto the muffin. Top and serve.

Entire Recipe
Calories: 344 Protein: 23 Fat: 16 Carbs: 26

My version I figured to be 351 calories, when I add my coffee and banana to it, my total calories for breakfast equaled 462.75. My splenda and creamer get me for my coffee!

I hope some of you give this a try and check out Leigh's Blog!