I'm working on redoing the master bath... needless to say my OCD is fully raging right now because everything seems like a giant mess... Will post pics once its complete... and if it turns out good...haha!
These I made in honor of the host with the most:
So Hubs was giving me a little shiz this week that I'm so funny cuz I always have to cook him "fancy" dinners. This man would be happy with peanut butter sammies every night. I am not that way but it got me to thinking... turns out I was brought up that way. Here's a little Schroeder Family secret.... We don't show our love with hugs... we show it with food. Turns out a good dinner or a tasty treat is our way of saying I love you! Get in my bubble and I may just throat punch you like Senor Holyfield... or turn red and start crying...whatevs... but give me some cookies and you'll have my heart forever! The reverse is true too... you'll get the akward back pat from me... but don't judge our friendship based on my hugging abilities... if i really like you... you and your belly will be rewarded. It's funny but i think most of the fam is like that... when we were kids my dad always made us breakfast when time allowed and everyones arse at the family dinner table was a rule unless we were off being awesome in a organized sport or activity. Even if we couldn't be home for dinner my dad or stepmom would make a plate of food and leave it in the fridge. This is true even with my older brothers I think... when I visit they are always making their deliciousness (with the help of their beautiful wives of course!). My mom is the same way. That woman- bless her heart- cooks for an army every.time. When I go to visit its pretty much elastic pants and baggy tshirt city because not only does she cook her socks off... it is in large quantities. Anyways... moral of the story is... nothing says I love you more than a warm meal so hubby is gonna have to suffer through me making him dinner. I can't help it- that's just the way it is. Poor guy!
I may be semi retarded but I can't figure out how to attach docs to this damn blog - so if you want a printable version of recipes and the grocery list email me at melschroeder32@hotmail.com and I will send it to you! Sorry I'll work on getting more bettah at this! Here's is what the hubs has to look forward to this week:
Sunday: SuperBowl baby!!!!
Monday: Crunchy Black Bean Tacos
Tuesday: Beef Stew
Wednesday: Chicken Chow Mein
Thurday: Spinach & Artichoke Chicken
Friday: Chicken Pot Pie
Crunchy Black Bean Tacos
From: http://www.endlesssimmer.com/2012/04/04/cornerstone-cooking-crunchy-black-bean-tacos/#more-33746
Makes 8 tacos (serves 4).
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
2 C. black beans, cooked
½ C. red onion, minced
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
4-6 ounces pepper jack cheese, grated
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 avocado, sliced
Pinch of salt and pepper
8 corn tortillas
Hot sauce
Salsa
Sour cream
Directions:
1) In a medium bowl, add beans along with red onion, cilantro, and spices. Add a pinch of salt and lightly mash all of the ingredients together. Grate your cheese and have it ready as well.
2) In a large, non-stick skillet or cast iron skillet, add a few tablespoons of oil and heat over medium-high heat.
3) Add one corn tortilla at a time and let each get hot in the oil for a few seconds. Then add about 1?4 cup of the bean filling to one half of the tortilla. Top with a sprinkle of grated cheese.
4) Using a spatula, carefully fold the tortilla over so it forms a shell. Press down lightly on the tortilla so it holds its shape.
5) As the first tortilla cooks, move it to the side and do a second one. Depending on the size of your pan, you should be able to get 2 or 3 tacos at once. If you have a griddle you can do even more at once.
6) Cook each taco for about 3 minutes per side until they are nicely browned and crispy.
7) When flipping the taco to cook on the other side, use a spatula and flip the taco toward the fold so the filling doesn’t fall out.
8) Serve tacos with toppings like hot sauce, salsa, avocados, and sour cream.
Note: Corn tortillas are resilent to heat. Don’t worry about burning them. They are very flexible. Just be sure to cook them on each side long enough to get them really crispy.
Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Stew Meat – I usually buy 1-1.5 lbs for two of us plus leftovers
Bag of Baby carrots
6 small-medium red potatoes cubed
Large onion chopped
1 pkg sliced mushroom
1 Packet of Stew Seasoning (or make your own)
Tablespoon of flour or cornstarch
Put meat in bottom of slow cooker. Put Veggies on top. Mix seasoning packet with water as directed on package and put in slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Before serving mix 1 tbs flour or cornstarch with 1 tbs water add to sauce in crockpot and mix well to make gravy. You may need to repeat this if it doesn’t thicken up.
Chicken Chow Mein
Adapted from: http://www.hwtm.com/recipe_box/vegetablechowmein
Ingredients:
1 pkg of your favorite flavored ramen noodles
1 cup cubed cooked chicken
1 medium-sized onion, thinly sliced
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 bag pre-shredded cabbage (or coleslaw mix)
1 medium-sized green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup bean sprouts
1 tsp garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp light cooking oil
1 tsp pure sesame oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
salt, to taste
Directions:
BOIL noodles, drain and toss in sesame oil (and seasoning packet if you like). Set aside to cool.
HEAT oil in a wok and garlic till fragrant. Add onions, bean sprouts, and mushrooms, and fry till mushrooms give out moisture and cook through.
ADD salt, black pepper, white pepper, cabbage and green peppers, and stir-fry for a minute.
THROW in the pre-boiled noodles and soya sauce and toss to coat evenly with veggies.
Spinach & Artichoke Chicken
from: http://www.emilybites.com/2013/01/skinny-spinach-artichoke-chicken.html
Ingredients:
8 (4 oz each) raw boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets (2 lbs total weight)
Salt and pepper to taste
4 oz of 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
½ cup fat free plain Greek yogurt
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup chopped onion
14 oz can artichokes packed in water-based brine (not oil), chopped
10 oz package of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (the kind that comes in a can)
½ cup shredded 2% Mozzarella cheese
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly mist a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Lay the chicken breast cutlets across the bottom of the dish in a single layer (see photo above). Sprinkle them with salt and black pepper and place them in the oven to bake for 15 minutes.
3. While the chicken bakes, combine the yogurt and softened cream cheese in a large bowl and mix together until thoroughly combined. Add all the remaining ingredients and stir together until everything is well mixed.
4. Remove the chicken from the oven after the 15 minutes (it will not be fully cooked yet). If the chicken has released a lot of excess liquid at this point then drain it out or soak it up with paper towels and discard. Using a large spoon or a spatula, spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the chicken in a nice thick layer. Place the dish back into the oven and continue to bake for another 20-25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
Yields 8 servings. WW P+: 6 per serving (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)
Nutrition Information per serving from myfitnesspal.com: 232 calories, 6 g carbs, 8 g fat, 35 g protein, 2 g fiber
Bobby’s Lighter Chicken Pot Pie
From: http://www.pauladeen.com/recipes/print_view/1736/
Servings: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
2 cups cooked cubed chicken
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 cooked cubed all-purpose potato
2 (10 3/4-ounce) cans fat-free cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup fat-free milk
8 (12 x 17-inch) sheets thawed frozen phyllo dough
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375°F degrees.
Combine the chicken, mixed vegetables, and potato in a large bowl. Stir in the soup and milk until well blended. Ladle about 1 1/4 cups chicken mixture into each of 4 ovenproof bowls. Place bowls on a jelly-roll pan.
Stack the phyllo sheets. Roll up, starting at a long side, then cut into 1/2-inch strips. Place the strips in a large bowl tossing to separate the strips. Spray the strips with nonstick spray and arrange over the chicken mixture. Lightly spray the tops with nonstick spray. Bake until the filling is hot and the phyllo is browned, 25 – 30 minutes.
