Beef and Barley Stew

It has been SOOOOOOO cold here in Minnesota and that makes me want to eat hot soup!  This is one of my favorite cold weather recipes for the crock pot.

1 lb. lean beef stew meat
1 T. veg. oil
1 pkg. (32 oz.) reduced sodium beef broth
2 cups baby carrots
1/2 pkg (16 oz) frozen small whole onions (1 3/4 cups)
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 c. water
3/4 c. pearl barley
1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 t. black pepper
1/4 c. chopped parsley

Brown the stew meat in hot oil over medium-high heat.  Transfer to the slow cooker.  Stir in all ingredients except parsley.  Cover and cook on low (9-10 hours) or high (4 1/2- 5 hours).  Spoon stew into bowls and sprinkle with parsley.

Date and Nut Bars

I got this recipe for homemade date and nut bars from a friend.  Give it a try!

1 cup unsalted cashews
1 cup dates (or figs)
1/2 T. warm water

Put the cashews in the food processor until small crumbs form. Put in a bowl.  Put the dates in the processor and pulse until chopped in to small pieces. Add the cashews to the dates and blend well.  Form into bars, put in air tight container.  Store in the refrigerator. (Add a little more water if needed to form the bars.)

I have a recipe that is very similar to this one that includes sunflower seeds (a few Tbs), 1 T. of cocoa powder, 1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder, and walnuts instead of cashews.  Experiment with it and see what you like best.

Cottage Cheese Spinach Quiche

MMMMM, breakfast!  I like this recipe because there is no crust, but it still tastes so good!  You can add any sort of meat or veggies to it.  Quiche is another great "dump in your leftovers" sort of recipe. Enjoy!

1 cup cottage cheese
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, well drained (I use fresh instead)
3 eggs, beaten
1 scant tsp. Lawry's seasoning salt
sprinkling of nugmeg
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
paprika

Mix all ingredients, except the paprika.  Pour into greased 9 inch pie plate.  Sprinkle with paprika.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until center is cooked through.  Serves 6.

Chicken with Honey Beer Sauce

I got this from Cooking Light magazine.  A few weeks ago, I made it for the first time for my family and it has great flavor!

2 t. canola oil
4 (6 oz) skinless, boneless, chicken breast halves
1/4 t. fresh ground black pepper
1/8 t. salt
3 T. thinly sliced shallots
1/2 c. beer
2 T. low sodium soy sauce
1 T. whole grain Dijon mustard
1 T. honey
2 T. fresh flat leaf parsley

Heat skillet over med-high heat.  Add oil to pan; swirl to coat.  Sprinkle chicken evenly with pepper and salt.  Add chicken to pan and sauté 6 minutes per side or until done.  Remove chicken from the pan and keep warm.  Add shallots to the pan and cook 1 minute or until translucent.  Combine beer and next 3 ingredients (through honey) in a small bowl; stir with a whisk.  Add beer mixture to pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.  Cook 3 minutes or until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup.  Return chicken to pan; turn to coat with sauce.  Sprinkle with parsley.

Serves 4. Only 245 calories per serving.

Stuffed Peppers

My husband found this recipe on the Biggest Loser website and we've made it many, many times!  It's a good one!

olive oil spray
1/2 cup onion, minced
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 package extra lean ground turkey
salt, to taste
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 c tomato sauce (I use Hunts)
1/2 c low sodium chicken broth, divided
1 T fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped
3 large red, green, yellow, or orange bell peppers
1/4 c reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  Lightly coat a large nonstick skillet with olive oil spray; heat over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic; saute two minutes or until softened.  Add ground turkey breast, salt, garlic powder, and cumin.  Break meat apart and cook over medium heat for 14-16 minutes, or until well done.  Add tomato sauce and 1/4 c chicken broth.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for about five minutes.  Add cilantro or parsley.  Cut peppers in half lengthwise and remove seeds and stem.  Place in baking dish.  Spoon 1/3 c of the turkey mixture into each pepper half.  Pour remaining 1/4 c chicken broth in the bottom of the baking dish.  Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes.  Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Chili

It's really hard to screw up a meal like chili.  It's not so much about following an exact recipe, but more about dumping things together and tasting until you are satisfied.  I love recipes like that!  Chili is a meal that shows up on my menu during the cold months.  It's so hearty and satisfying!

1 pound ground turkey
1-2 cans of Hunts tomato sauce, no salt added
1 can Rotel (you choose how hot and spicy!) or 1 cup salsa
1 can chili beans
1 can Hunts stewed tomatoes
chili powder to taste, or try cumin
My secret flavor weapon: 1 T. vinegar
You can also add chunks of onion, peppers, black beans, whatever you want

Brown the ground turkey until cooked through and crumbled.  Add the rest and heat through.  Voila!

I like to use the Hunts tomato products because they generally don't have a bunch of weird ingredients or sugars.  Read the label.

Elvis Oatmeal Cookies

I call these Elvis Oatmeal Cookies because they have peanut butter and banana in them and he was famous for eating that combination.  "Cookie" is only to describe what they look like, but I eat these for a quick breakfast or post-workout snack.  They are easy to grab and go!

4 smashed ripe bananas
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup honey
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
1 cup oatmeal

Mix it all together.  If it's still too wet, add a little more oatmeal until it's the right consistency.  Bake on a greased cookie sheet for 9 minutes at 350 degrees.  They are yummy and can fix that cookie craving that you may be missing if you are not eating baked goods.  No sugar and butter!