Pumpkin Bread Recipe

UPDATE*** Just wanted to add that in one of the loaf pans I mixed in some chocolate chips and let's just say Yum!

I'm in the mood for pumpkin so this weekend I'm going to make pumpkin pancakes and pumpkin bread. The recipe below is from my sister, where she got it from I have no idea so I'll just credit my sister for now. It's really good and probably not so healthy but sometimes you gotta live a little.

At least pumpkin is considered a vegetable? Fruit? Well it's gotta be some what healthy right?

Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

2 2/3 cup white sugar

4 eggs beaten

2/3 cup butter (softened)

1 15 ounce can pumpkin

3 1/3 cup flour

½ tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 ½ tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground cloves

2/3 cup water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Cream butter and sugar thoroughly.  Add eggs, pumpkin, and water and mix.  Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices, then add to pumpkin mixture.  Pour into two loaf pans.  Bake at 350 for approximately 1 hour.

Homemade Calzones

I have this recipe book, Cooking Light Super Fast Supers. There's a recipe that we make quite often because I need super fast in my life. Until the day I become a stay at home mom (next year hopefully - fingers crossed) it'll be slow cooker and super fast meals because I just don't have the time to make a big meal unless it's the weekend.

Back to the recipe, it's really easy and I always try to "skinny" up my recipes by using lean meat, low fat cheese, etc.

Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 cup frozen onions or fresh onions, more less depending on your taste (I've used both and doesn't really seem to make a difference unless you want super fast and don't want to chop onions.
1 clove minced garlic, more or less depending on your taste
Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste
1 package refrigerated pizza dough
shredded Italian cheese mix (I use the 4 cheese blend) or plain mozzarella
Olive Oil cooking spray
Marinara sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In skillet brown beef with onions and garlic. Drain liquid and return to burner. Season with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
Unroll pizza dough and cut into four squares.
Spoon meat mixture onto pizza square and top with cheese (however much cheese you want is up to you)
Fold dough corner to corner and press dough together to seal all around (so it looks kind of like a triangle)
Spray tops of dough with the cooking spray.
Bake on pizza stone or cookie sheet at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

While calzones are baking, heat some marinara sauce in pot and add remaining meat (if there's any left over). Heat to a simmer and pour over calzones or put in a small bowl and dunk, whichever you desire.

Here are some variations I've tried:
-I usually buy Pillsbury pizza dough but recently used Trader Joe's whole wheat dough, just made the calzone a little bigger but still yummy!
-Sweet turkey sausage (to die for, much better than the ground beef in my opinion)
-Sauteed some peppers, mushrooms and onions along with the turkey sausage above. This will be my new way to make these calzones.

Just a quick and easy dinner to share. As always if you are watching fat intake like I am I go for less cheese, lean meat and lots of veggies.

Mexican Pork

I love Mexican food so I came up with a quick and easy version of pork tacos. It's a pork tenderloin in the slow cooker and it turns out so tender and full of flavor. It's a quick and easy dinner solution (we like quick and easy!)

Pork Tenderloin

1 can of Rotel chilies and tomatoes

1 can diced green chilies

half onion, quartered

In the slow cooker, season the pork tenderloin with salt, pepper, and some garlic powder. 

Pour the above ingredients over the pork.

I don't drain the liquids and I don't add any additional water to the slow cooker and it typically turns out very juicy.

Cook on low  for about 8-10 hours.

I like to set up a taco bar and service this with the following:

black beans

rice

avocado

cheese

sour cream

salsa

tomatoes

cilantro

Sloppy Joes Pioneer Woman Style!

Last week I saw a recipe for sloppy joes on my new favorite blog www.thepioneerwoman.com. I haven't eaten sloppy joes since I was a kid and I remember I was not too fond of them at the time. This recipe was awesome, such a different flavor than I remember (these have a bit of a kick).

Ingredients
2 Tablespoons Butter
2-½ pounds Ground Beef
½ whole Large Onion, Diced
1 whole Large Green Bell Pepper, Diced
5 cloves Garlic, Minced
1-½ cup Ketchup
1 cup Water
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
2 teaspoons Chili Powder (more To Taste)
1 teaspoon Dry Mustard
½ teaspoons Red Pepper Flakes (more To Taste)
Worcestershire Sauce To Taste
2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste (optional)
Tabasco Sauce (optional; To Taste)
Salt To Taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
Kaiser Rolls
Butter

Preparation Instructions
Add butter to a large skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add ground beef and cook until brown. Drain most of the fat and discard.
Add onions, green pepper, and garlic. Cook for a few minutes, or until vegetables begin to get soft.
Add ketchup, brown sugar, chili pepper, dry mustard, and water. Stir to combine and simmer for 15 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste. Also add tomato paste, Worcestershire, and Tabasco if desired. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
Spread rolls with butter and brown on a griddle or skillet. Spoon meat mixture over the rolls, topping with a slice of cheese if it makes your skirt fly up. Serve hot with kettle cooked chips!

Side note: I did serve this with kettle chips (reduced fat) but also served a salad.

Turkey Sausage Pasta Recipe

Tonight I made the following recipe that I found on one of my favorite cooking blogs (Good Things Catered). It's got a little bit of a spicy kick and nice to have a pasta dish that's not chicken or beef. Ricky approved, but seriously, it was really tasty and had good flavor.

Ingredients:
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 lb. smoked lean turkey sausage, sliced
1/4 tsp chili flakes or red pepper flakes (I used red pepper flakes)
3 cloves garlic, diced finely
1/4 c. low sodium chicken stock
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes in juice
14/5 oz can tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. fresh oregano leaves, torn
3 c. fresh spinach
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 box penne pasta (or pasta of choice)
1/2 c. flat leaf parsley
Parmigiano cheese

Directions:
- In large stock pot over high heat, bring water to boil and cook pasta according to package.
- Meanwhile, in large pan over medium heat, add oil and bring up to almost smoking.
- Add chopped onion, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown (almost 10 minutes).
- Add thyme and sliced sausage and cook, stirring occasionally until beginning to brown (about 5 minutes).
- Add chili flakes and garlic and cook, while stirring, until fragrant (about 1 minute).
- De glaze the pan with chicken stock, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan.
- Add diced tomatoes and tomato sauce, stirring to combine well.
- Add oregano, spinach, and balsamic vinegar and bring to boil.
- When pasta is finished cooking, drain well and place into pan with tomato sauce.
- Toss and remove from heat.
- Let cook slightly, mix well, and garnish.
- Serve and enjoy!

Balsamic-Rosemary Marinade

I found this marinade recipe on Williams Sonoma website. I used this marinade with chicken breasts and broiled them in the oven (we were supposed to grill but ran out of propane...right Ricky?). Nevertheless, they turned out very juicy and yummy. I served with mashed potatoes (yukon gold potatoes are the only way to go), a salad and whole wheat yeast rolls. Pretty darn good meal!

Ingredients:
2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
2 Tbs. soy sauce
4 1/2 tsp. firmly packed golden brown sugar
3/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh rosemary
5 garlic cloves, chopped

Directions:
In a food processor, combine the vinegar, olive oil, soy sauce, brown sugar and pepper and pulse until blended. With the motor running, drop the rosemary and garlic through the feed tube and continue to process until fairly smooth.

Shrimp and Grits

Last night I made Shrimp and Grits for dinner. I found this recipe on www.foodnetwork.com. As much as I tried to "lighten" it up, I realized that sometimes you just have to do it the bad way. It turned out so yummy!

Ingredients:
4 cups water
Salt and pepper
1 cup stone-ground grits
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 pound shrimp, peeled and de-veined
6 slices bacon, chopped
4 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 cup thinly sliced scallions
1 large clove garlic, minced


Directions:
Bring water to a boil. Add salt and pepper. Add grits and cook until water is absorbed, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter and cheese.
Rinse shrimp and pat dry. Fry the bacon in a large skillet until browned. In grease, add shrimp. Cook until shrimp turn pink. Add lemon juice, chopped bacon, parsley, scallions and garlic. Saute for 3 minutes.
Spoon grits into a serving bowl. Add shrimp mixture and mix well. Serve immediately.

* For an extra kick, add Tabasco Sauce on top of grits and shrimp mixture.

Spinach and Shrimp Penne Pasta

I made this recipe Saturday night for dinner. It was yummy!!

• 12 ounces penne pasta
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled, deveined
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 5 large plum tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
• 6 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 6 cups baby spinach leaves, packed
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Ladle 1 cup pasta cooking liquid into small bowl and reserve. Drain pasta. Return pasta to pot; cover to keep hot.Meanwhile, heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle shrimp with salt and pepper. Add shrimp and garlic to skillet and saute 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, 4 tablespoons basil, lemon juice and lemon peel and saute until shrimp are cooked through, about 3 minutes. Add white wine and simmer until sauce is reduced.Add spinach leaves to hot pasta; toss until spinach wilts. Add shrimp mixture and toss to blend. Add enough of reserved pasta cooking liquid to moisten. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer pasta to bowl. Garnish with red pepper flakes for those that like a little zip and fresh grated Parmesan cheese (optional).

Per Serving: 278 Calories; 5g Fat (16.4% calories from fat); 1g Saturated Fat; 9g Protein; 46g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 30mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 1/2 Grain (Starch); 1 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1 Fat.

Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken

Wanted to share a chicken recipe that we made a few months ago. If you like grilled chicken and honey mustard then you've got to give this a try (the best thing is it's healthy and low fat)!

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/3 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon steak sauce

Preheat the grill for medium heat. In a shallow bowl, mix the mustard, honey, mayo, and steak sauce. Set aside a small amount of the honey mustard sauce for basting, and dip the chicken into the remaining sauce to coat.
Lightly oil the grill. Grill chicken over indirect heat for 18 to 20 minutes, turning occasionally, or until juices run clear. (Do not allow to burn) Baste occasionally with the reserved sauce during the last 10 minutes.

Servings: 4

Per Serving: 227 Calories; 4g Fat (15.0% calories from fat); 1g Saturated Fat; 28g Protein; 20g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 71mg Cholesterol; 383mg Sodium. Exchanges: 4 Lean Meat; 1/2 Fat; 1 1/2 Other Carbohydrates

Autumn Pasta Salad

I found this delicious pasta salad recipe (in the Vera Bradley Fall Catalog of all places). I made it yesterday and just ate it for lunch and it was so yummy.

1 16oz.box of tubular pasta (I used whole wheat penne pasta for some added nutritional value)
1 bunch of spinach, cleaned, torn into bite size pieces.
1 red onion, diced
2 large tomatoes, diced
2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 can olives, sliced, drained
16 oz. pkg. feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
3/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
1 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package, drain. In a large bowl combine pasta, spinach, onion, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, feta cheese, and parmesan cheese. Mix well.
In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, vinegar, mustard, and parmesan cheese. Pour vinaigrette over pasta salad and mix well. Add salt and pepper.
Make a day in advance to allow flavors to blend.

Enjoy!