Sunday, January 24, 2016

Spaghetti Squash Bowls

Talk about endless possibilities and EASY!!!!!  This is always a good one because really anything works!  I can play the "clean out the fridge game" as long as I have a spaghetti squash on hand....and it always turns out yummy!

Most nights, we feed the kids early so we can sit with them and talk about their day, and then we eat together.  Sometimes it's hard to get much one on one time when there are 4 little people fighting for the floor! Lol...but this meal is nice because I can roast the squash while we do the bedtime routine for the kids and it's done and ready to rock when I come back down!

I roast up a couple pounds of brussels sprouts every Sunday for the week...just keep them around to add to things for a little power packed green thing!  They work perfect in this but you could also use wilted spinach, broccoli or peas!!!  Just trim them, cut them in half, toss onto a large pan and drizzle with a bit of olive oil, then roast at 400 for about 25 minutes!


Really....anything that works with pasta, works with this!  Honestly, there are a million combinations! It's fabulous with a good old meat sauce or just add fresh basil, cherry tomatoes, feta and grilled chicken slices!  Even sautΓ©ed peppers and salami!  We like it with sliced sautΓ©ed Caprese Chicken Sausgae, fresh basil, cherry tomatoes and a few pieces of fresh mozzarella! Lemon, dill, feta and grilled shrimp! Quartered artichoke hearts & diced tomatoes...ANYTHING!!!! But here's the basic!

What you need for this Chicken Carbonara with Brussels Sprouts Version...
1 spaghetti squash
1 cup roasted brussels sprouts
1 cup grilled chicken, sliced (I grill a bunch of chicken on Sunday so it's on hand to cut time)
2-3 pieces of bacon, rough crumbled
1/3 cup smoked gouda, chopped into cubes
1/4 cup half and half
2-3 cloves garlic, minced

Preheat oven to 400F.  Sliced the spaghetti squash in half, be careful!!!  Scoop out all the seeds with a spoon, discard.  Place the 2 halves face down in a lightly greased baking dish.  Roast for about 35 minutes, or until the meat is easily scooped out with a fork.  Clean all the meat out into a large bowl, reserving the 2 empty shells.  Make sure not to poke through the shells!  Add all remaining ingredients to the meat and mix well.  Carefully divid the filling in half between the two shells and return to the oven at 350F.  Bake for about 15 minutes or until warmed through!  Enjoy!
*I did sprinkle these with a teeny bit of parmesan!





























Crock-Pot Chicken and "Dumplings"

Lately, I have had so many people ask where I have been and when I am going to get some new recipes up.... I have several to blog....it's just finding the time to blog it!

There is always SO much going on around here!  The people that constantly tell you, "it gets easier," are wrong.  The truth is, it gets different.  Some things get easier, and then they are replaced by things that are just as tough.  Developing personalities, girls, the struggle for an appropriate amount of independence, girls, teaching them responsibility, girls, guiding them on how to make good choices, girls, girls, girls...haha.  I don't think parenting ever really gets easier, it's the toughest, but most important, precious thing in life.  You never know if you are making a good choice or not...and you won't really know until they are much, much older.  Such is true for all good parents.  But, if you give them as much as you can...I guess that's the best you can do!  So, lately we have really simplified a lot of our meals in order to maximize our time!

Two huge ways we have done this...The Crock-Pot and the Omelette.

These chilly temps....chilly for Wilmington, NC at least...have had my slow-cooker working overtime! In the last few days, I have made Chili, Broccoli Chicken Cheddar Stew, Seafood Florentine Chowder and now Chicken and Dumplings!  All recipes are coming soon!  They all make huge amounts....so that there are lots of leftovers to send the hubs for lunch on these cold days, for a quick on-hand dinner, and even for freezing for later! Awesome time saver and belly warming!

The Omelette bar!  I have been chopping a bunch of onions, peppers, mushrooms, fresh herbs and keeping those all ready to go!  I keep a ton of egg whites,tomatoes, spinach and chicken sausage...whatever you like in your omelette!  It's a quick, easy way to make a healthy meal with very little effort...and they are SOOOO good!  You can get a giant serving of veggies in there too!  I wilt almost a whole container of spinach for mine! Yum!





Chicken and "Dumplings"

This is definitely a Dump Meal...all you do is dump everything in!  The true shortcut here is all the frozen veggies, which are awesome because they don't have the sodium that canned stuff does! And you don't eve have to open the can! It's the simple stuff, right!?  And of course, the No Yolks!  They aren't homemade dumplings like my Dad has always made, but they plump up nicely and thicken the stew without having to add any flour!

What you need...
1 whole chicken - I usually get the Organic Whole, cut-up chicken bc it's cheaper
5 cups water
1 cup half & half or whole milk
1 bag frozen peas
1 bag frozen carrots
1/2 bag frozen chopped onions
4 cloves garlic chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped or 1/2 tsp celery salt
2 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper or more (I love pepper lol)
1 bag of No Yolks Dumplings or Broad Noodles

Rinse the chicken and place it all into the bottom of the crock-pot.  Cover, turn to high and cook for 3-4 hours.  Remove chicken from crock-pot to rest on a plate for a few minutes, until it's just barely cool enough to remove the skin and pull the meat.  (You should have a good couple of inches of nice broth in the crock-pot just from the chicken!)  While it rests, add in the water, half and half, carrots, peas, onions, celery, garlic, salt and pepper.  Using kitchen twine, tie the bay leaves and thyme together and drop into the stew.
*You can use 4-5 chicken breasts in place of the whole chicken, and just add 16 oz. container of low sodium/salt free chicken broth.

Remove the skin from the chicken and carefully pull the meat, discarding the bones, skin and any gristle.  You need to pull it while it's still warm to get the most meat and for it to shred easily. Once I have all the meat, I just shred it by hand right over the crock-pot.  It doesn't need to be super shredded, since it will do that on it's own as it cooks.  It should be very easy to rub between your fingers and shred anyway! After you have added the meat, dump in the noodles, stir well to combine and turn to low heat.  Allow to cook for about 4 hours, stirring about halfway through!  Remove bay leaves and thyme stems and serve it up hot!

This makes a ton!  It's super thick and hearty!  And it reheats so easy!  I served it to my kids in a mug and it was a huge hit!!!

*All crock-pots cook different.  If you find that it is getting too thick, just add more water, 1/2 a cup at a time, or even more half & half for a creamier stew!  Salt and pepper to taste as you add more liquid!