Italian Beef Casarecce Soup

You will not regret making this! It's easy to make, filling, easily adapted to what you have on hand, and the best part is it tastes like you're eating a bowl of lasagna. It comes together in about 30 minutes, and requires very little prep. An easy weeknight meal that's sure to impress.

Simple Beef Chili

I mentioned on Facebook that I hadn't been posting as much because my husband and I have been very serious about a deep freezer/pantry clean out! I love having about 5 times the amount of storage space for food versus our old apartment, but I didn't want things to become lost or forgotten. I've been coming up with interesting meals lately. Usually something frozen, with a can of something, and some veggies. Nothing blog-worthy. I did however spot canned tomatoes, canned black beans, canned kidney beans, canned corn, and frozen ground beef the other day; these ingredients just scream homemade chili. I'm surprised I've never posted a recipe for basic beef chili, but this one is so easy to follow and completely customizable. You can use beef, ground turkey, ground chicken, shredded chicken, veggie crumbles, or no meat at all. You can use black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, garbanzo beans, lentils, etc. It's up to you, so use whatever you have on hand.

Salisbury Steak

I don't know about you, but I love Salisbury steak! When I was in college and working I didn't have a lot of money, so I would buy those frozen dinners that would always go on sale, 10 for $10. I loved getting the Salisbury steak with mashed potatoes or with macaroni and cheese. It was great for lunch breaks. This is just as hearty and delicious, but it's healthier to make it at home. Especially since it's so easy! From start to finish, with photographing it, it took 40 minutes. Hope you enjoy!

Baked Ziti with Meat Sauce

Oh my goodness this is so delicious. This week was all about using up leftover ingredients. I had a big hunk of whole milk mozzarella, and a container of ricotta. I used some of the ricotta to make rolled eggplant, but had almost an entire container left. I didn't have lasagna noodles on hand, but I always have a few boxes of penne.

Easy Weeknight Meal: Baked Hot Dogs

This is not a glamorous elaborate meal that photographs beautifully, this is real life. Mommy life.

This is the my baby is getting her bottom teeth and woke up four times last night and my husband has been gone for three days meal. It's easy, quick, tasty, and filling. And generally kid approved, this was a favorite as mine as a child. I'll be honest though, I ate just about anything. I still do. 

Something else that's great about this meal is that you can store the hot dogs and the buns in the freezer. If you know you're going to have a busy day and are low on fresh food, thaw them in the refrigerator overnight! If you don't like onion, skip them. Use a different cheese if you'd like, caramelize the onions or use shallots, add relish or tomatoes. The possibilities are nearly endless! I like to keep it simple for the sake of my sanity. Hope you enjoy!

Thick and Savory Beef Stew

This recipe was completely inspired by my mom. I went over to my parents for dinner and my mom used left over pot roast and gravy she had made to make a beef stew. It was the best stew I'd ever had, I was pretty sure it was because of the gravy. And I was right, the gravy makes a world of difference. I don't know why I never thought to try it that way, but it works so well. It's thick and very beefy, but overall about the same nutrition as using plain beef or chicken broth. You can fancy this up with additional spices and fresh herbs, but this is a great basic stew recipe.

Small disclaimer, hideous picture quality! This was probably day 3 of the stew, I had been getting home from work after day. So instead of having time to take a good photo when it was hot and fresh, I just snapped a quick picture at work with my phone so I could post this recipe!

Low Sodium Taco Chili

When I want a quick meal that's slightly healthier for a fast food item, I pick up chili and a baked potato. The other day I decided to go ahead and make my own chili to have over sweet potatoes. Regular chili is delicious, but I wanted to incorporate some new flavors. This taco chili is full of nutrients and low on salt. If you aren't on a low sodium diet, I definitely suggest adding extra cheddar cheese and taco sauce to yours. My husband said it was even more delicious that way. I also completely forgot to buy peppers at the store. This recipe would be fantastic with fresh green chili peppers or jalapenos for extra heat.

Lower Sodium Beef and Potato Soup

*I wrote this two weeks ago, and told myself I would make it again to snap a decent picture. I only have one I took quickly to show my husband, then we ate it all. This happens a lot. So I never posted this. I've decided to go ahead and post it anyway, so it's definitely in past tense. I've been doing the low sodium thing for a while now and it's helping tremendously.*

During pregnancy, salt is your worst enemy. I've been swelling up like crazy lately. Mainly I've been too focused on overall calories, when I should be focusing on sodium. I'm eating 2000 calories a day and still gaining 5 lbs in one week, which is impossible by the way. So I've decided to stick as closely as I can to 1500 mg of sodium per day, plus extra potassium.

This soup can be fancied up into a stew if you feel like adding flour and taking the time to cook it out. I personally like the kinds of soups where you throw everything into a pot, bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer. So although this soup is more watery than a stew, it tastes just as good. Plus no added salt!

Low Carb Zucchini Lasagna

  Oh my goodness. This. Was. Good.

 We love Italian food, especially the stuff heavy on the carbs. However, me being me (aka high maintenance) I am currently eating low carb/low sugar. It just seems to work best for me! Hubby wanted lasagna, so I decided to ditch the noodles and use zucchini.  Not only does skipping the noodles cut the carbs, it cuts the calories significantly. So you can have more cheese. Because really, isn't that what life is all about? More cheese? Maybe that's just my life.

Pasta & Italian Meatballs

*This is a reposting of a previous recipe from 2011, I lightened it up a bit and calculated the calories*

There's absolutely no way you could see these pictures without a little drool dribbling down your chin. Or is that just me? I'll own it, because this dish is divine. I highly recommend not using Bucatini noodles, and instead using spaghetti or angel hair pasta. In fact, given the fact that I am gluten free most days I would substitute quinoa spaghetti pasta for the noodles and call it a day. I would also, sadly, pass on the white bread. Anyway the Bucatini noodles look great and I remember thinking they would absorb the sauce well, but they were chewy and disappointing. Since these pictures I have made the dish using spaghetti or angel hair pasta and we have enjoyed it more that way.

Crock Pot Beef & Veggies

Oh my yum. I love this recipe, I've used a similar method in the past with seasoning packets. This time I mixed it up a bit by throwing the veggies right into the crock to save some time. What I learned? Use less onion, otherwise your eyes will burn when you enter your home for about a day. This is a simple and healthy meal, great served over rice, mashed potatoes, or steamed veggies. Hearty and healthy, perfect for those cold rainy days.

Beef Pho for Under 200 Calories!

Well hello, we meet again. It has been quite some time since I've published a blog post. My absence is due to many reasons, one of the main ones being that I recently published a book! That's right, I wrote a book using iBooksAuthor and my book is now published to the iTunes store. If you have an iPad you can download it for $1.99, it's called "Healthy and Homemade Recipes" ^_^ 

Low Cal Chili with Nopales

  This chili totally hit the spot! It was so lean but super filling. I really wish I would have added a dash of hot sauce when I ate it because that would be so yummy and make it even more filling. I'll definitely do that for lunch tomorrow. I use nopales instead of bell peppers. It's only 42 calories for 3 cups, only 3 carbs once you subtract the fiber, 3 grams sugar, and 3.3 grams protein. It's truly a wonder food, and living so close to the border I can always find nopales at the grocery store. These are also delicious in enchiladas, breakfast burritos, or even raw in green smoothies!

Under 200 calories: Steak & Broccoli

 It's amazing how much food you can enjoy for such a small amount of calories. Round beef is relatively low on calories (166 for 3.5 ounces, or 100 grams) and cooks up in literally no time at all. The best way to add flavor and juiciness is using a nice dry rub, while it's cooking you can add a little 99% fat free chicken broth to keep it moist. I used the browned bits left behind in the pan and combined those with chicken broth to deglaze the pan, then I threw in my steamed broccoli and a little S&P just to add a bit of flavor to the veggie. 

This whole meal was 179 calories.

Beef Fajitas

I can't recall cooking beef lately, the last time I remember buying any was for those meatballs I made in June. I purchased some flank steak a while back but ended up freezing it because I had other things I wanted to cook first, or not have to cook like salads.

Healthy Lasagna: So You Don't Have to Feel Guilty About Eating the Whole Pan

5 lasagna noodles. That's all. Yet it holds its shape remarkably well and tastes heavenly. The secret is in the zucchini! Go all out on the veggies and use extra lean beef and this will soon be one of your favorite dishes to make.

Repost:Triple Seasoning Crock Pot Roast

Since I haven't been cooking anything interesting (just a lot of omelettes and frozen foods) I thought I would repost a favorite recipe of mine! If you want a nice home cooked meal over the weekend, without doing much cooking, this crock pot recipe is absolutely perfect!

I saw the recipe on Monica's blog and I knew I just had to make it! I actually have three recipes to share with you tonight.

Triple Seasoning Crock Pot Roast

When I first saw this all I could say was "mmm," I assure you after my first sniff I said the same; after my first taste I was in heaven, mmm'ing with every bite that hit my tongue. I saw the recipe on Monica's blog and I knew I just had to make it! I actually have three recipes to share with you tonight. First: crock pot roast beef; second: mashed potatoes with purple kale; third: orange glazed carrots. Thank you Monica for posting such an amazing recipe, I absolutely loved it.

Taco Pasta, adapted from Rachael Ray

I was watching Rachael Ray's show on ABC the other day and she made something that really caught my eye! One of my favorite meals as a kid was crunchy homemade tacos. While my mom was browning and spicing up the meat, I remember sneaking in and snacking on it. Rachael made a "Taco Pasta Toss," it's basically all the flavorings you would do for tacos but you dump the shells and tortillas and toss in pasta. I never would have thought to combine Mexican and Italian flavors. They're a match made in heaven!

Irish Colcannon: Served with Corned Beef Brisket & Cabbage

Top of the mornin' to ya! I hope everyone is having a lucky St. Patty's Day. This is one of my favorite holidays, in addition to being Irish I am also a beer and whiskey drinker . . . obviously this holiday suits me well ;-) I decided to cook colcannon, brisket, and cabbage this year. Super incredibly simple to make and very hearty. Here is a simple and quick recipe for Irish Colcannon.