Frito Pie

This is another one of those great fall recipes that I thought was pretty common... well, at least until I got a funny look when I mentioned it to a friend in Phoenix ;) This dish was so common, that our high school concession stand used to sell it to raise money for the band-- they called their version "Banditos" and used nacho cheese instead of shredded cheese. It's a really simple recipe that kids love

Ingredients:
Chili (click here for my chili recipe!)
Frito's (corn chips)
Shredded Cheese
Sour cream

Directions:
1. Put a handful of chips in the bottom of the bowl (the serving size of the brand I used was 31 chips, which was about a handful *I checked!*)
   2. Cover with a cup of chili.
   3. Top with shredded cheese and finish with sour cream.

Notes:
** I used an off brand of corn chips, 2% store brand Mexican blend shredded cheese, and store brand regular sour cream and chives.

** If watching calories and fat (especially saturated fat), substitute fat free cheese and sour cream. If watching salt intake find a better alternative to the usual salted corn chips-- they had more sodium than I expected.

Nutritional Information Per Serving:

Serving size = 1oz corn chips (about 31 chips according to the bag), 1/4c 2% shredded cheese, 2 tbsp sour cream with chives, and 1 cup of Chunky Chili

Calories   490	%DV*
Calories from Fat  170
Total Fat  20g	30%
Saturated Fat  11.5g	57.5%
Total Carbohydrate  40g	13.3%
Sodium  1175mg	49%
Potassium  321mg	9%
Fiber  7g	28%
Sugar  5g
Protein  24g
Cholesterol  69mg	23%

Vitamin A	15%
Calcium	32.3%
Iron	16%
Vitamin C	47%

*Based on 2,000 calorie diet

Chunky Chili

Nothing screams "Fall" quite like chili. Growing up it was a regular menu item. My mother always added ground beef, onions, peppers, ketchup and usually kidney beans. So one night, just after my husband and I had started living together, he decided he wanted chili dogs. He was off work that day and said he would pick everything up. I'm not even sure if "canned chili" had even entered my mind, so I was very shocked to find a can of tasteless black and runny stuff sitting on my counter~ I'd never seen anything like it! "Do people actually call that chili?" I asked him. He looked at me funny and said "Oh, so you can do better?" You bet your ass I can!

Utensils You Will Need:

5qt saucepot

Ladle

Ingredients:
1lb - Lean ground turkey or beef
1 - Onion, chopped
1 - Green Bell Pepper, chopped
4 - Banana peppers, diced
4 - Cloves garlic
1 - 15.5oz can diced Italian style tomatoes, undrained
1 - 15.5oz can seasoned black beans, undrained
1 - 15.5oz can dark red kidney beans, undrained
1 - 15.5oz chili beans, undrained
1 - 12oz can of sliced black olives
*Optional: Shredded cheese, Sour Cream, brown rice, Seasonings

Directions:
1. Brown ground beef/turkey. Drain off fat and add peppers, onion and garlic to the pot and saute until the onions begin to soften.

 2. Add all canned ingredients and bring to a boil. Serve over brown rice or top with cheese and sour cream if desired. (Yes, it really is this easy!)

Yield:
About 12 - 1c servings

Notes:
**This recipe will make a medium chili. For a milder chili take out the banana peppers, and choose a milder canned chili bean. For a spicier chili add jalapenos, or diced chilies etc.

 ** Pour all cans in undrained. This helps the chili have the right amount of liquid.

 **This recipe doesn't need any extra seasoning since the majority of the canned items already contain spices, so taste before you add anything extra.

 ** This recipe freezes well for a quick and really easy meal-- just cool and spoon the desired amount into freezer bags. The chili in the photo was frozen :)

Nutritional Information Per Serving:

Serving Size = 1 cup of chili*

Calories   190	%DV**
Calories from Fat  40
Total Fat  4.5g	7%
Saturated Fat  1.5g	7.5
Total Carbohydrate  22g	7.3%
Sodium  660mg	27.5%
Potassium  281mg	8%
Fiber  6g	24%
Sugar  4g
Protein  15g
Cholesterol  34mg	11.3%

Vitamin A	7%
Calcium	4.3%
Iron	14%
Vitamin C	45%

* Photo is of 2 servings

**Based on 2,000 calorie diet

2 in 1 Recipe: Sunrise Juice and Oatmeal Poppy Seed Muffins

Juice and muffins are a great way to start the day, especially when they're homemade!

Utensils You Will Need:
Juice Extractor
Containers for juice
Large mixing bowl (for muffins)
Muffin Pans (for muffins)
Sifter (For making the fluffiest muffins possible!)

Ingredients:
1 - Bag Granny Smith Apples (about 6-8)
1 - Bag of Oranges (about 6-8)
16oz - Strawberries
1c - Oatmeal (for muffins)
1/2c - Sugar (for muffins)
3 - Eggs (for muffins)
1 1/2c - Skim Milk (for muffins)
4 - Tbsp Poppy Seeds (for muffins)
1/2c - Butter (for muffins)
4 - Tbsp Vanilla Extract (for muffins)
2c - Self Rising Flour (for muffins)

Directions For Juice:
1. Peel all oranges, and remove as much white pith as possible, otherwise you will have a very bitter drink. If you are making the bread, go ahead and remove the seeds from the orange, and from the cores of the apples, otherwise you will be sorting through the pulp for them.

2. Send the strawberries through first, followed by oranges then finally apples. I always try to send the fruit with the thinnest juice through last to flush out the remaining thicker juices.

3. Sort into containers or pour over ice and enjoy!

Note:
**Make sure you empty your pulp container often to avoid a motor delay, or burnout. If making bread, go ahead and empty fruit pulp into the large mixing bowl.

Yield:
72 oz (9 - 8oz servings)

Directions for Muffins:
1. Make sure large pieces of pulp, seeds and skin are removed from your fruit puree.

2. Preheat oven to 400˚F. Butter or spray muffin pan, making sure each cup is well greased.

3. Pour Oatmeal and sugar into puree and stir until evenly distributed.

4. Add eggs, milk, vanilla and melted butter Blend well.

5. Stir in poppy seeds one tablespoon at a time.

6. Sift and stir flour in one cup at a time. Batter should be moist but a little lumpy.

7. Spoon 2 tablespoons of batter into each muffin cup (they should be 3/4 of the way full). Bake at 400˚F for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Muffins will be very moist.

Note:
** For the muffins to come out clean and retain their shape, allow them to cool for a few minutes before trying to remove them from the muffin pan

Yield:
27 muffins (exactly)

Nutrition Facts Per Serving:
Serving size = 1 muffin

Calories  114	%DV*
Total Fat  4.2g	6.5%
Saturated Fat  1.1g	5.5%
Total Carbohydrate  19g	6.3%
Sodium  62mg	2.3%
Fiber  2g	8%
Sugar  6g
Protein  3g
Cholesterol  24mg	8%

Vitamin A	4.7%
Calcium	4.8%
Iron	5.3%
Vitamin C	13.3%

*Based on 2,000 calorie diet

   

Rotini Chorizo Casserole

My husband is from Phoenix AZ and ♥'s chorizo sausage. For those of you who have never heard of chorizo, it is a spicy Spanish pork sausage. Mexican verities are often soft sausages marinated in paprika, chilies and vinegar. Chorizo can be a major diet killer as it is usually made with fattier ground pork for a more flavorful taste. So this recipe is an attempt to maintain the flavor without sacrificing our health :)

Utensils:
9 x 13" casserole dish (mine is glass)
cutting board and knives (for chopping veggies)
Small saucepot (For cooking the pasta)
Tin Foil


Ingredients:

15oz Ground chorizo sausage, cooked and drained

1c - Dry rotini pasta, cooked (do not overcook!)
26oz - Jar of marinara sauce
2c - Chopped broccoli
1 - Chopped onion

1 - Chopped green bell pepper

4 - Cloves garlic, minced

8oz - Mushrooms sliced
8oz - 2% Mexican blend shredded cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat Oven to 350°F. 

2. Spoon a generous amount of marinara sauce over the bottom of the casserole dish (this will keep everything from sticking without using any cooking spray)

3. Spread cooked pasta evenly over bottom of pan. (Pasta will absorb water and juices from the veggies so be sure not to overcook it!)

4. Top with broccoli, peppers and onions.

5. Spread chorizo evenly. (Be sure meat is well drained or it will accumulate in the bottom of the dish).

6. Sprinkle with minced garlic and mushrooms. (Since the mushrooms are dry, now is a good time to pack the dish so everything is even all the way to the corners.)

7. Spread the rest of the marinara sauce over the mushrooms and top the whole casserole with cheese.

8. Cover with tinfoil and bake 45min to 1hr at 350°F.

9. Remove cover and bake another 15minutes.

Cool for a few minutes before serving.

Yield:
8 Servings

Notes:
My chorizo sausage came from an Aldi, so if you are lucky enough to live near one I HIGHLY recommend it! 

Nutrition Facts Per Serving:

Serving Size = 1/8 Casserole

Calories  345	%DV *
Calories from Fat  148
Total Fat  19g	29.2%
Saturated Fat  8g	40%
Total Carbohydrate  22g	7.3%
Sodium  1210mg **	50.4% **
Fiber  5g	20%
Sugar  11g
Protein  14g
Cholesterol  56mg	18.7%

Vitamin A	50.3%
Calcium	24%
Iron	7%
Vitamin C	67.9%

* Based on 2,000 calorie diet

** I was a little shocked to find that the jar of marinara sauce I used contained 3900mg of sodium (that’s 488mg of sodium per serving!) So if you are watching your sodium intake, please pay close attention to your sauce!

Enjoy!

2 in 1 Recipe: Berry Blast Juice & Peanut Butter and Berry Bread

After the sad demise of my old juicer (I burned out the motor) I finally have a new juicer and am constantly coming up with ways to put it to good use. This is one of those ways...

Utensils you will need:

Juice Extractor

Containers to store juice

Large mixing bowl for pulp (for bread)

Bundt Pan (for bread)

Flour Sifter (for making the bread as fluffy as possible)

Ingredients:

4 -Red Delicious Apples (remove core seeds for bread)

2 - 16oz packages of strawberries

2 - 8oz packages of blackberries

1 - 16oz package of cherries pitted, stems removed

3c - Self rising flour (for bread)
1/2c - butter melted (for bread)
3/4c - honey (for bread)
2tbsp - Vanilla extract (for bread)
Peanut Butter (for bread)

Juice Directions:
1. Send the blackberries, pitted cherries and strawberries through the extractor.

2. Send through the apples, make sure to remove the seeds first if you are making bread, this will save you a little time when sorting through the pulp. I also juice the apples last because they produce a thinner juice than the berries-- this helps to flush any remaining berry juice.

Pour over ice and enjoy!

Yield:
About 4 - 8oz servings

Directions for Bread:
1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and Flour bundt pan (I used butter)

2. Sort through pulp making sure to remove any large pieces or seeds.

3. Stir in melted butter and vanilla extract.

4. Slowly stir in honey making sure to mix it in evenly.

5. Sift and stir in flour a cup at a time.

6. Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and bake at 325°F for 1hr 30 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out mostly clean.

7. Let cool, cut and top with peanut butter [my husband ♥'s this recipe!]

Notes:
* Bread will be brownie moist due to the fruits
* To get the finish in the photo, cut two slices of bread, top one with peanut butter, then turn the other in the opposite direction and finish with another layer of peanut butter.
* I used honey peanut butter, it's available at most grocery stores.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving:

Serving Size = 1/16 +1 tbsp of peanut butter*

Calories  260.8	%DV **
Total Fat  11.5g	17.7%
Saturated Fat  1.7g	8.5%
Total Carbohydrate  36g	12%
Sodium  137mg	5.7%
Fiber  2g	8%
Sugar  14g
Protein  6.6g
Cholesterol  10mg	3.3%

Vitamin A	4.2%
Calcium	1.2%
Iron	8.3%
Vitamin C	4.6%

* Photo is of 2 servings

** Based on 2,000 calorie diet

Chicken Florentine Casserole

This past Wednesday my husband and I visited my parents. My mother wanted us to stay for dinner but she had no idea what she could make, so I rummaged through her freezer and cupboards and came up with this recipe...

Utensils you will need:

9 x 13" casserole dish

Ingredients:

2-3 Chicken breasts chopped

2 - 16oz Bags of frozen spinach thawed but NOT drained

1 - Onion, chopped

4 - Cloves of garlic, minced

1 - 8oz package of fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 - 10.5 oz can condensed cream of chicken

2c - uncooked brown rice

1 - 8oz package of shredded 2% sharp cheddar

Seasonings: Pepper, Onion Powder etc.

Directions:

1. Pour one bag of undrained spinach into bottom of an ungreased 9 x 13" casserole dish.

2. Top spinach with chopped onion and chicken.

3. Evenly shake rice over chicken.

4. Spread the second bag of spinach over the rice and season lightly.

5. Add the sliced mushrooms and minced garlic.

6. Pour condensed soup over mushrooms and add water until you see it seeping up through the spinach.

7. Top with cheese, cover with aluminum foil, and bake at 350ºF for 1 hour.

8. Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes.

Allow casserole to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving. And enjoy!

Yield:
8 Servings

Notes:
My mother didn't have any shredded cheese so I made do with what was on hand... powdered cheese she saved from mac and cheese boxes (she sometimes uses mac and cheese to make macaroni salad *no self-respecting person uses powdered cheese in macaroni salad!*). The dish in the picture was topped with two packets mixed with water until they had a smooth, yet thick consistency. I cooked it uncovered due to the extra water :)

Nutritional Information:

Per 1/8 Casserole

Calories  272	%DV*
Total Fat  6.0	9.2%
Saturated Fat  2.2g	11%
Total Carbohydrate  22g	7.3%
Sodium  542mg	22.5%
Fiber  4.1g	16.4%
Sugar  1g
Protein  33.1g
Cholesterol  60.3mg	20.1%

Vitamin A	140.1%
Calcium	27.3%
Iron	15.9%
Vitamin C	23.4%

*Based on 2,000 calorie diet