I really like spaghetti, but after a long day of work or an evening full of grad classes, I don't have time to whip some sauce up from scratch. Luckily, I found this wonderful recipe that freezes really well! I'm still eating my first batch of this from the freezer on a regular basis. Simple to make, and simple to reheat. Yay. I did, however, tweak it a little. Check it out.
1 lb. Grass-fed, local ground beef (from Greenwood Farms!)
1 lb. Ground sausage (I got some from the g-store that was minimally processed)
Chopped Onion to taste (I like a lot of onion)
Minced garlic cloves (I like a lot of garlic. ALOT)
2 - 28 ou. can of chopped tomatoes
2 - 8 ou. cans of tomato sauce
2 - 6 ou. cans of tomato paste
2 c. homemade chicken bone stock (mine was frozen)
Spices to taste: (because I like a lot of spice)
Oregano
Basil
Salt
Pepper
In a large skillet, brown the beef and sausage over med-high heat with the onion and garlic until cooked through. Drain off any grease. Combine in a slow cooker with the rest of the ingredients and turn on low. Cook for 6-8 hours. Allow to come to room temperature. Portion and freeze.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Recipe: Chicken and Corn Crockpot Chili
***UPDATE***
I ended up not liking this recipe! Maybe I don't like pinto beans or chicken with beans and these spices, but I ended up throwing this away. It wasn't worth the precious space in my freezer, unfortunately! Let me know if you try it and like it. Maybe I'm just picky!
It's finally starting to feel like November here in St. Louis, and I'm continuing my brave quest of trying new recipes, cooking at home, trying to cook in a nourishing fashion, and tweaking recipes to make them more nourishing. I adore crockpot cooking. Today I tried and tweaked something from the internet. It's still cooking...so I guess I'll find out later if it is super awesome.
I started with a recipe from here. Here's what I ended up doing:
1 frozen package of free-range, pastured, local chicken (2 legs, 2 thighs)
2 c. frozen homemade chicken bone broth
1 pkg. dry pinto beans
2 -15 ou. jars of salsa (I used mild)
3 ears frozen sweet corn (picked and prepared in season)
1 small can of tomato paste (I added halfway through to thicken a bit)
All spices to taste (I like a LOT of spice: me-ow):
Cumin
Chili Powder
Garlic Powder
Black Pepper
Salt
Directions:
1. Prepare your beans. Either soak overnight or prepare the quick cook way. Don't forget to rinse and pick out the rocks!
2. Put frozen chicken and broth in your crockpot on high. Cook until chicken is done enough to pick off the bone.
3. Pick chicken off of bones (I hate this part, but worth it). Discard the bones, skin, fat. Return shredded chicken to the crockpot for additional cooking.
4. Add drained beans, spices, salsa, tomato paste, and corn to the crockpot. Continue cooking on high/low (your preference) until done and ready to serve.
I plan on serving mine with cheese, tortilla chips, and sour cream. I am trying to add homemade broth to as many recipes as possible, so I'm hoping it works nicely here. The original recipe also says to use more chicken, and boneless, skinless breasts. However, I used less chicken to frugal it up, and thighs/legs are less expensive as well. Plus, bone-in cooking is more nutritious! Let me know what you think! Do you have a better spin on Mexican Chicken Chili? I want to know about it!
I ended up not liking this recipe! Maybe I don't like pinto beans or chicken with beans and these spices, but I ended up throwing this away. It wasn't worth the precious space in my freezer, unfortunately! Let me know if you try it and like it. Maybe I'm just picky!
 |
| Photo Credit |
I started with a recipe from here. Here's what I ended up doing:
1 frozen package of free-range, pastured, local chicken (2 legs, 2 thighs)
2 c. frozen homemade chicken bone broth
1 pkg. dry pinto beans
2 -15 ou. jars of salsa (I used mild)
3 ears frozen sweet corn (picked and prepared in season)
1 small can of tomato paste (I added halfway through to thicken a bit)
All spices to taste (I like a LOT of spice: me-ow):
Cumin
Chili Powder
Garlic Powder
Black Pepper
Salt
Directions:
1. Prepare your beans. Either soak overnight or prepare the quick cook way. Don't forget to rinse and pick out the rocks!
2. Put frozen chicken and broth in your crockpot on high. Cook until chicken is done enough to pick off the bone.
3. Pick chicken off of bones (I hate this part, but worth it). Discard the bones, skin, fat. Return shredded chicken to the crockpot for additional cooking.
4. Add drained beans, spices, salsa, tomato paste, and corn to the crockpot. Continue cooking on high/low (your preference) until done and ready to serve.
I plan on serving mine with cheese, tortilla chips, and sour cream. I am trying to add homemade broth to as many recipes as possible, so I'm hoping it works nicely here. The original recipe also says to use more chicken, and boneless, skinless breasts. However, I used less chicken to frugal it up, and thighs/legs are less expensive as well. Plus, bone-in cooking is more nutritious! Let me know what you think! Do you have a better spin on Mexican Chicken Chili? I want to know about it!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Yogurt.
Seriously? I mean, who knew that what I've been eating at years wasn't real yogurt. Well, I suppose I was *forcing* myself to eat it.
Today, I experienced what I consider actual yogurt for the first time. This is what I purchased at the g-store:
Organic Plain Whole Milk, Cream on Top, Yogurt
Besides the unpleasantness of slicing my thumb open on the foil yogurt lid (OUCH!), I was really surprised by this yogurt. Here's my brief yogurt history. I never really ate yogurt until late 2005 when I hired a nutritionist and personal trainer to facilitate weight loss. I was to have a low fat yogurt cup each evening at 8:30pm IF I was still hungry. I was restricted to a certain brand and line of yogurt. The consistency always presented the "ick" factor, and even with vigorous stirring it was still kinda, well, lumpy. Often, I would even hold my nose to get it down, no matter the fruity or pie flavor. Eww! Well, today was different. When I opened the container and smelled the yogurt (yes, I smelled it!), it smelled a little like cream cheese! This totally intrigued me!! It didn't taste like cream cheese (darn!), but with a little on top of fresh strawberries, it was pretty good! Definitely not my typical yogurt experience. And, today could have been the first time EVER that I was satisfied without sugar on my strawberries. That's a huge accomplishment!
So...my big question is WHY people don't talk about this? Why are full fat dairy products so demonized? This yogurt was definitely superior to any sugar free, low fat, flavored yogurt I've ever tasted. I hope my local g-store keeps carrying it...
Today, I experienced what I consider actual yogurt for the first time. This is what I purchased at the g-store:
Organic Plain Whole Milk, Cream on Top, Yogurt
Besides the unpleasantness of slicing my thumb open on the foil yogurt lid (OUCH!), I was really surprised by this yogurt. Here's my brief yogurt history. I never really ate yogurt until late 2005 when I hired a nutritionist and personal trainer to facilitate weight loss. I was to have a low fat yogurt cup each evening at 8:30pm IF I was still hungry. I was restricted to a certain brand and line of yogurt. The consistency always presented the "ick" factor, and even with vigorous stirring it was still kinda, well, lumpy. Often, I would even hold my nose to get it down, no matter the fruity or pie flavor. Eww! Well, today was different. When I opened the container and smelled the yogurt (yes, I smelled it!), it smelled a little like cream cheese! This totally intrigued me!! It didn't taste like cream cheese (darn!), but with a little on top of fresh strawberries, it was pretty good! Definitely not my typical yogurt experience. And, today could have been the first time EVER that I was satisfied without sugar on my strawberries. That's a huge accomplishment!
So...my big question is WHY people don't talk about this? Why are full fat dairy products so demonized? This yogurt was definitely superior to any sugar free, low fat, flavored yogurt I've ever tasted. I hope my local g-store keeps carrying it...
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Weird!
So...I cooked dinner from scratch at home as well. I actually only had iced tea for lunch because I wasn't hungry after a late-ish breakfast for the stars. Dinner consisted of the following:
--brown rice. Well, the brown rice was kind of an experiment in the rice cooker. I used chicken broth instead of water, and added sauteed garlic, parsley and an onion to the rice. It turned out FAB! The broth taste with the onion reminded me of my mom's rice that she always made growing up. Now...if I could only use broth that wasn't from a can...
--grilled chicken. Right now the only chicken I have are some boneless, skinless breasts from whole foods market (no meds/hormones). The only "grill" I have is a George Foreman. ;) So I grilled a ginormous chicken breast with a lot of black pepper. I only ate half of it, so yay for leftovers.
--local zucchini. Zucchini is seriously one of my favorite veggies. MMMM. I pan cooked the zucchini in some pastured butter with seasoned salt and red pepper flakes. I didn't cook it long, as I don't like my zucchini mushy - yuck! Then, I grated some fresh parmesan cheese on top. I only ate half of the batch...so again...yay for leftovers.
This dinner was GOOD! I used a LOT of pepper though, it it was a little heavy on the heat side. But guess what I found out? I was craving a glass of milk after the meal to counteract the heat. The milk tasted similar to an after-dinner ice cream treat because of the taste and the creaminess of it. WEIRD! Who would have ever thought that a simple glass of milk could quench my nighttime ice cream cravings?! Amazing... I also have to say that with both meals I cooked today I had a different experience. Usually I get a sickly full feeling when I eat a meal. Today I just felt satisfied, not sickly or overly full. Of course, it could just be a psychosomatic thingie-ma-bob...so I guess I'll see if I continue on this coolio path.
--brown rice. Well, the brown rice was kind of an experiment in the rice cooker. I used chicken broth instead of water, and added sauteed garlic, parsley and an onion to the rice. It turned out FAB! The broth taste with the onion reminded me of my mom's rice that she always made growing up. Now...if I could only use broth that wasn't from a can...
--grilled chicken. Right now the only chicken I have are some boneless, skinless breasts from whole foods market (no meds/hormones). The only "grill" I have is a George Foreman. ;) So I grilled a ginormous chicken breast with a lot of black pepper. I only ate half of it, so yay for leftovers.
--local zucchini. Zucchini is seriously one of my favorite veggies. MMMM. I pan cooked the zucchini in some pastured butter with seasoned salt and red pepper flakes. I didn't cook it long, as I don't like my zucchini mushy - yuck! Then, I grated some fresh parmesan cheese on top. I only ate half of the batch...so again...yay for leftovers.
This dinner was GOOD! I used a LOT of pepper though, it it was a little heavy on the heat side. But guess what I found out? I was craving a glass of milk after the meal to counteract the heat. The milk tasted similar to an after-dinner ice cream treat because of the taste and the creaminess of it. WEIRD! Who would have ever thought that a simple glass of milk could quench my nighttime ice cream cravings?! Amazing... I also have to say that with both meals I cooked today I had a different experience. Usually I get a sickly full feeling when I eat a meal. Today I just felt satisfied, not sickly or overly full. Of course, it could just be a psychosomatic thingie-ma-bob...so I guess I'll see if I continue on this coolio path.
New Breakfast Tradition
So, I haven't blogged in a while. A very, very brief catch up.
--I read the book "Deep Nutrition" from cover to cover and it made sense to me.
--I have been scouring the internet for information.
--I started an ecouse on traditional food and budgeting
Last night, I went to the grocery store determined to get "better" food for breakfast today. I love breakfast, but I had gotten into the bad (very bad) habit of eating McGriddles from McDonalds in the morning. Well, I have to tell you that my breakfast this morning was so much tastier than McDonalds today! MMMMM.
At the store, I bought the following for breakfast today:
--organic, cage free eggs (not free range, but pretty close)
--preservative free, nitrate free bacon (I was shocked to find this at the regular g-store!)
--Organic, pastured butter (mmm)
--Organic, whole, vitamin D milk
I have to say I was really concerned about drinking whole milk. I've been drinking skim milk since starting high school (hmmm...that's about...well...holy crap 17 years! I'm old...), and milk fat has been vilified. I honestly expected it to be chunky and taste like gristle or something. Well I was wrong. I opened and poured it into a glass this morning with uneasiness. Then, I smelled it. Who smells their milk?! Apparently, I do. I realized there was no smell. When I buy skim milk, I have thought for years it smelled - even when it was fresh off the shelf. This is one of the main reasons I stopped drinking milk straight out. There was NO smell to my new milk in the red carton. Then I took my first sip and MMMMM. I have rediscovered milk!
Amazingly, I also decided that I would be fine with LESS food than I made this morning. That's weird...I usually always want more breakfast. Maybe that real fat told my body that it was full. Anyway...so far, so good.
--I read the book "Deep Nutrition" from cover to cover and it made sense to me.
--I have been scouring the internet for information.
--I started an ecouse on traditional food and budgeting
Last night, I went to the grocery store determined to get "better" food for breakfast today. I love breakfast, but I had gotten into the bad (very bad) habit of eating McGriddles from McDonalds in the morning. Well, I have to tell you that my breakfast this morning was so much tastier than McDonalds today! MMMMM.
At the store, I bought the following for breakfast today:
--organic, cage free eggs (not free range, but pretty close)
--preservative free, nitrate free bacon (I was shocked to find this at the regular g-store!)
--Organic, pastured butter (mmm)
--Organic, whole, vitamin D milk
I have to say I was really concerned about drinking whole milk. I've been drinking skim milk since starting high school (hmmm...that's about...well...holy crap 17 years! I'm old...), and milk fat has been vilified. I honestly expected it to be chunky and taste like gristle or something. Well I was wrong. I opened and poured it into a glass this morning with uneasiness. Then, I smelled it. Who smells their milk?! Apparently, I do. I realized there was no smell. When I buy skim milk, I have thought for years it smelled - even when it was fresh off the shelf. This is one of the main reasons I stopped drinking milk straight out. There was NO smell to my new milk in the red carton. Then I took my first sip and MMMMM. I have rediscovered milk!
Amazingly, I also decided that I would be fine with LESS food than I made this morning. That's weird...I usually always want more breakfast. Maybe that real fat told my body that it was full. Anyway...so far, so good.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
nourishment.
I signed up for an e-course yesterday on consuming nourishing foods, frugally.
Here it is: The Peasant's Feast: Nourishing Food on a Budget
Yeah, it cost me moolah, but I'm excited. Most people don't know that for years I've been reading up on nutrition, foods, vitamins, minerals, raw foods, etc... It's a bit of a secret hobby of mine. I even considered getting a degree in nutrition. You wouldn't probably know it by looking at me, honestly. I'm not in the best shape (just round). But I never really devoted the time to change anything in my routine for the better. I'm going to try and change that this summer. I have the time! I also ordered a few new books, and I'm looking into the possibility of ordering some grass-fed, pastured meat and free-range eggs from a local Missouri farm in the future.
Does anyone already do this stuff? Tips, ideas, thoughts, recipes? I'd love to hear.
Here it is: The Peasant's Feast: Nourishing Food on a Budget
Yeah, it cost me moolah, but I'm excited. Most people don't know that for years I've been reading up on nutrition, foods, vitamins, minerals, raw foods, etc... It's a bit of a secret hobby of mine. I even considered getting a degree in nutrition. You wouldn't probably know it by looking at me, honestly. I'm not in the best shape (just round). But I never really devoted the time to change anything in my routine for the better. I'm going to try and change that this summer. I have the time! I also ordered a few new books, and I'm looking into the possibility of ordering some grass-fed, pastured meat and free-range eggs from a local Missouri farm in the future.
Does anyone already do this stuff? Tips, ideas, thoughts, recipes? I'd love to hear.
food preservation.
This summer, I'm teaching myself to can.
No, not dancing the can-can, but learning to create my own canned goods in jars. I've been looking, for a while, ways to preserve and store my own food - meaning, knowing every last ingredient in things (and ingredients that I can pronounce!).
My first project wasn't canning at all, however. My friend and work colleague owns a farm and brought me 10 huge heads of broccoli this week. I wanted to freeze it all in small servings to use throughout the year. I learned how to blanch, and I really enjoyed it! Usually, cooking is such a difficult task for me because of my time restraints due to my schedule. But when I have the time, I'm learning I love the processes of cooking. It was actually kind of fun. :)
I bought two books on canning as well:
No, not dancing the can-can, but learning to create my own canned goods in jars. I've been looking, for a while, ways to preserve and store my own food - meaning, knowing every last ingredient in things (and ingredients that I can pronounce!).
My first project wasn't canning at all, however. My friend and work colleague owns a farm and brought me 10 huge heads of broccoli this week. I wanted to freeze it all in small servings to use throughout the year. I learned how to blanch, and I really enjoyed it! Usually, cooking is such a difficult task for me because of my time restraints due to my schedule. But when I have the time, I'm learning I love the processes of cooking. It was actually kind of fun. :)
I bought two books on canning as well:
I've already read then and tagged recipes I want to try...including watermelon rind pickles. Just sounds interesting! I borrowed my Mom's boiling water bath canner that has been collecting dust since about 1975, and I ordered a new tools set that should be arriving via Amazon.com tomorrow. My Mom has jars that I can use that have also just been collecting dust since who knows when - probably since before I was born! So, I'm about good to go!
Along with the preserving and such, I've ordered a small deep freezer that will be delivered in Tuesday. This is a purchase that I've been wanting for a long time.
My small little freezer on my apartment sized fridge just doesn't cut it. With my busy schedule, I like to cook big batches of things when I have time, then freeze in serving size containers for quick, homemade deliciousness on busy weeknights (or basically every night). I just hope it fits in the space I have for it the way I want it to...I guess I'll find out on Tuesday!
Friday, April 9, 2010
pumpkinhead.
The new soap arrived on Thursday afternoon. I was motivated to take a shower immediately, to try out a few of the new soaps. I say a "few" because I used the shampoo bar, the complexion bar, and a regular body soap bar. And I have to say...
I'm in serious like with this soap!
I never thought I would say such a thing! For years and years I would take showers and baths and when I got out my skin was raw, blotchy, red, dry, and felt fragile. In fact, I can't remember a time my skin didn't feel like that...until yesterday!
Maybe my skin was all raw and hurting because of chemicals in the soaps I was using. I can't imagine it being anything else because there has been such a dramatic change. But the most dramatic has been my face. Usually, when I get out of the shower after washing my face, it looks like I have rosacea or something. The skin is dry and flaking, red and blotchy. Rough, in fact. Even if I would moisturize immediately, it wasn't smooth. Well, I am happy to report that the Pumpkin Complexion Bar is *amazing!* I honestly was not expecting these results. But when I get out of the shower, my skin is calm, smooth, clean, supple, and NOT in need of a moisturizer! I can't stop touching my skin. I was even excited to get home from work today so I could take a shower with my new soap. It's that awesome! I also used the triple butter soap for my body, and the babassu and coconut milk shampoo bar. Now, I think I mentioned before that I was a bit apprehensive about the shampoo "bar," but I have to say so far, so good! The lather is unbelievable! Very little product and a huge amount of lather. My hair seems to have more volume (I have very thin, baby fine hair) than using store bought volumnizing shampoo/conditioner. I'm very pleased!
Even after 2 days, ALL of my skin seems calmer, moisturized, clean, and healthier. I am so surprised and so happy! I will keep you updated, but all in all, I am already hooked on my pumpkin face!
I'm in serious like with this soap!
I never thought I would say such a thing! For years and years I would take showers and baths and when I got out my skin was raw, blotchy, red, dry, and felt fragile. In fact, I can't remember a time my skin didn't feel like that...until yesterday!
Maybe my skin was all raw and hurting because of chemicals in the soaps I was using. I can't imagine it being anything else because there has been such a dramatic change. But the most dramatic has been my face. Usually, when I get out of the shower after washing my face, it looks like I have rosacea or something. The skin is dry and flaking, red and blotchy. Rough, in fact. Even if I would moisturize immediately, it wasn't smooth. Well, I am happy to report that the Pumpkin Complexion Bar is *amazing!* I honestly was not expecting these results. But when I get out of the shower, my skin is calm, smooth, clean, supple, and NOT in need of a moisturizer! I can't stop touching my skin. I was even excited to get home from work today so I could take a shower with my new soap. It's that awesome! I also used the triple butter soap for my body, and the babassu and coconut milk shampoo bar. Now, I think I mentioned before that I was a bit apprehensive about the shampoo "bar," but I have to say so far, so good! The lather is unbelievable! Very little product and a huge amount of lather. My hair seems to have more volume (I have very thin, baby fine hair) than using store bought volumnizing shampoo/conditioner. I'm very pleased!
Even after 2 days, ALL of my skin seems calmer, moisturized, clean, and healthier. I am so surprised and so happy! I will keep you updated, but all in all, I am already hooked on my pumpkin face!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
