Beef Stew with Ranch Mashed Potatoes

Let's just ignore the fact that I haven't posted a new recipe in ages, okay?

I've been wanting to try this recipe since last winter at some point. I'd been searching for beef stew recipes that I felt would be flavorful enough to counteract Hubby's dislike for your standard-issue beef stew and I think I've got it pretty well ironed-out!

I served this with some steamed green beans because I needed something green and it was gone in seconds. I'll definitely be making this again this fall/winter for sure!

Beef Stew with Ranch Mashed Potatoes
Slightly Adapted from The Pioneer Woman
Serves 6
Estimated Point Value: 8 pts

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp light butter, (Land O'Lakes Light Butter is my favorite)
1 lb stew beef
1 small red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 oz tomato paste
2 cups beef stock
Worcestershire, to taste
1/4 tsp sugar
1 cup carrots, diced
8 oz mushrooms, small whole or quartered medium sized
~2 lbs red potatoes
5 tsp Ranch Seasoning
1 Tbsp light butter
2 Tbsp light cream cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. In a large dutch oven heat the olive oil and first tablespoon of butter over medium high heat. 
2. Brown the stew beef and season with salt and pepper.
3. Remove the beef from the pan and saute onion and garlic until soft in the deliciousness that the beef leaves behind.
4. Stir in tomato paste, then add in beef stock, sugar, and a few dashes of Worcestershire, to taste.
5. Add the beef back into the pot, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 2 hours.
6. Add in carrots and mushrooms, stirring to combine. Simmer for a half hour, covered.
7. While the carrots and mushrooms are simmering, prepare mashed potatoes. In a large pot cover potatoes with water and bring to a boil then cook for ~20 minutes or until done.
8. Drain potatoes and add in butter, cream cheese, and Ranch seasoning (I realize making your own Ranch seasoning is way better for you, but I have yet to find a seasoning combination that I think tastes as good as the classic Hidden Valley variety...it's my cooking fatal flaw, we eat so much ranch I know I should find a healthier alternative...suggestions welcomed.) 
9. Mash using extra beef broth for liquid if necessary (yes milk is more delicious, but...broth has zero points and we're in diet mode people!)
10. Serve one serving of the beef stew over one serving of the mashed potatoes in a shallow bowl.

Also this is totally one of my 30-by-30 items so I'm counting it as a double-win!

Chicken and Mushroom Stroganoff

Slow Cooker meals are always a tough sell around my house, but I've been trying to find a good knock-off stroganoff recipe for YEARS. My hubby is obsessed with the Mushroom Stroganoff at Noodles and Company, but that's anything but figure-friendly. I saw this on Pinterest (like I do) and decided to give it a shot, incidentally enough the same day another friend was testing out the same recipe, ha!

The results were pretty tasty. The original recipe called for Cream of Mushroom soup, but I had Cream of Chicken on-hand and while I'm sure Cream of Mushroom would have given this a solid mushroom boost, I was pretty pleased with the flavor. I also used fettuccine instead of egg noodles since that's what I had on-hand, but I'm sure either would be super yummy =)

Chicken and Mushroom Stroganoff

Adapted from Shrinking Jeans

Serves 6

Estimated Point Value: 8 pts

1.5 lbs chicken breast (4 frozen chicken breasts worked for me)

16 oz nonfat plain yogurt

1 can Campbell's Healthy Request Cream of Chicken Soup

1 package Lipton Onion Soup Mix

10 oz Mushrooms, quartered

12 oz Fettuccine (or Egg Noodles, whatever you have/prefer)

1. Spray slow cooker with cooking spray and put chicken breasts on the bottom (I put mine in frozen; me = lazy one who never remembers to defrost).
2. Combine yogurt, condensed soup, and soup mix in a small bowl and pour over chicken.
3. Layer quartered mushrooms on top.
4. Cook for 7 hours on low.
5. Remove chicken, shred, and return to the sauce.
6. Prepare noodles according to the package instructions.
7. Serve noodles topped with stroganoff sauce.

Chicken Salad

So, I have only discovered enjoying chicken salad in the last few months...it's been so hot around here I decided I needed to attempt to make a batch for myself. My recipe contains no nuts or celery like your standard chicken salad, but I find it delicious (and neither of those things would be consumed by Hubby since he's allergic to celery, yes I said celery, and he hates when nuts are mixed into "otherwise perfectly good food"...so there you have it...and don't ever try to give him a brownie with nuts mixed in unless you want to see a combo sad/angry face.)


It may continue to evolve a bit, but I'm pretty stoked with what I've come up with so far!  

Chicken Salad
Serves 4
Estimated Point Value: 4 pts

14 oz deboned rotisserie chicken meat (white meat only)
4 Tbsp Light Miracle Whip*
3 Tbsp dried cranberries
3 Tbsp frozen peas
2 Tbsp fresh parsley
Garlic salt and pepper, to taste

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until combined. Serve over lettuce, in a hollowed out tomato, a red bell pepper halve, or in a croissant (none of those serving options are included in the estimated point value given above.)


*Whatever, I use Miracle Whip because it's delicious, you can use mayo if you want, but I'm gonna think you're sorta gross...well, not really...it'll be delicious, just less...zing! We can still be friends. Promise.

Buffalo Pulled Chicken

A while back I found a pin for this type of thing on Pinterest. The recipe took me back to a blog I'd never been to before called My Kitchen Apron and I decided to give it a shot although I made several changes after reading reviews and such. It was pretty tasty, but definitely hit my preferred tolerance-level as far as the heat was concerned (Bing would probably not consume this as he and I share drastically different "pepper palates" as it were. It made for a tasty open-faced sandwich with some ranch dressing drizzled over the top though and it shall be a tasty treat to keep in the freezer when I want a warm treat!

Buffalo Pulled Chicken

Serves 5 (generously)

Estimated Point Value: 4.5 pts

1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts (I used frozen)

1 cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce - Original

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch mix

2 Tbsp butter, salted

1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt

1. In a crock pot, layer the chicken breasts after spraying the pot with cooking spray.
2. Sprinkle the packet of dressing mix over the top of the chicken.
3. Pour the hot sauce and chicken stock over the chicken.
4. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.
5. After 4 hours remove the chicken from the crock pot and "pull" (using two forks or the handy stand-mixer-with-paddle-attachment trick, whichever you prefer) then return to the crock pot.
6. Add the butter and yogurt and stir well.
7. Cook for 1-2 hours on low until it reaches your desired consistency.
   
   I went about 30 minutes with the lid on, then 30 with the lid off, 30-on, 30-off. The result was a bit sloppy for picking up a sandwich to eat, but I ate mine open-faced and it was amazing.

Stuffed Red Peppers

So, my mother is going to pass out when she sees this one!

I hate stuffed peppers.

So, why are they making an appearance on my blog? Why, they are one of Megan's favorite foods, so naturally I need to learn how to make it so that when she doesn't have the time in her schedule for a road-trip to her mom's kitchen, she can just place her request for some peppers and consider it done (complete with her own set to take home in an aluminum baking dish that she can pop in the oven and then throw away after consuming the contents, brilliant!)

The results were pretty tasty, I'll consider the major improvement the red bell pepper vs. green bell pepper I grew up eating (stuffed with meatloaf, which you know is also one of my least favorite foods, but one I have two good recipes for since not only does Hubby love meatloaf, it's one of Megan and Tessa's favorites too...so...what's a girl to do ;-) ) Next time I may play with the spices a bit more...remove the cumin and dump up the Italian Seasoning or keep the cumin and add some corn and/or black beans for a more Tex-Mex twist (as you know I love!)

Stuffed Red Peppers

Stuffs 4-5 small/medium-sized red bell peppers

Adapted from Gina's Skinny Recipes

Estimated Point Value: 2.5 per half-pepper

1 lb lean ground beef

1/4 onion, minced

1 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp Italian Seasoning

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 c tomato sauce

14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes, drained

1 cup chicken stock

1 1/2 cup brown rice, cooked

RF Cheddar Cheese, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 400 and prepare a large casserole dish with cooking spray.
2. Cook rice according to the package instructions and set aside in a large bowl.
3. Brown beef with onion in a large skillet.
4. Season beef and pour in tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes, and 1/2 cup of chicken stock, breaking up tomatoes into smaller chunks.
5. Allow beef mixture liquid to reduce until basically gone.
6. Combine beef mixture and rice mixture in a large bowl.
7. In the large casserole dish lay out the pepper halves (cut in halve, remove stems, ribs, and seeds).
8. Fill each pepper with as much of the beef and rice mixture as possible (I got just under a 1/4 cup in mine I believe).
9. Pour in the remaining chicken stock around the peppers (not too deep, barely covering the bottom of the pan.
10. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30-35 minutes.
11. Remove the foil and top with shredded cheese and allow to melt, or put back in the oven for a minute or two to speed up the melting process.

I served one pepper (two halves) with sides for dinner last night - broccoli roasts nicely in the 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes...spray with olive oil spray and season with garlic salt and pepper...that's basically all you need unless your dining companion is like my man requires a potato =P) I'm guessing you could freeze individual pepper halves that have been stuffed before the baking and have an easy to pull-out dinner in the freezer waiting for you, not a bad idea if I do say so myself!

Tuna Noodle Casserole

I love me some down-home casserole action. I had never had tuna noodle casserole until I was in high school (early in their marriage my mother apparently made a disastrous tuna noodle casserole for my father and he asked her to never make it again...she didn't...ever) and had it over at my boyfriend's house for dinner and it was amazing. I have that recipe, but decided to try out this lighter version for dinner. It was definitely a keeper and felt indulgent without being terrible for the waist-line. Not sad about leftovers to be had later in the week, nope, not sad about that at all!

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Adapted from Gina's Skinny Recipes

Serves 6

Estimated Point Value: 6pts

6 oz egg noodles (well, no yolk, or whole grain ones)

1 Tbsp margarine

1 onion, chopped

3 Tbsp flour

1 3/4 cups chicken stock

1 cup skim milk

1 oz Marsala

10 oz sliced mushrooms

1 cup frozen peas

2 (5 oz) cans tuna in water, drained

Garlic salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper, to taste

4 oz shredded reduced fat sharp cheddar

2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp seasoned breadcrumbs

1. Preheat oven to 375 and prepare a large casserole dish with cooking spray.
2. Prepare noodles according to the package instructions, drain, and set aside.
3. In a large skillet, saute onion in butter.
4. Sprinkle in flour and allow to cook out a bit, then whisk in chicken stoke and milk until smooth.
5. Once boiling add in Marsala, peas, and mushrooms and cook for 5-10 minutes.
6. Add in drained tune, garlic salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper (if you like a little heat) to taste.
7. Remove from heat and stir in cheddar cheese.
8. Combine noodles with the sauce mixture and pour into casserole dish.
9. Top the casserole with the Parmesan and the breadcrumbs.
10. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

So I have made another attempt at Broccoli Cheese soup from my first. This was supposed to be a "skinny" version and while the flavor was pretty good I just couldn't get behind the consistency. I got an immersion blender as a birthday gift from my Hubby and wanted to try it out...I may have over blended the soup? Perhaps if I hadn't blended it quite so much it would have stayed more liquid-y and less "mashed potato" consistency? For the points it's definitely worth a second look in the future sometime!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Adapted from Gina's Skinny Recipes

Serves 6

Estimated Point Value: 3.5pts

1 onion, diced

1 handful of baby carrots, diced

1 rib of celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp margarine

2 Tbsp flour

3 1/2 cups chicken stock*

1 cup skim milk

2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced

4 cups (~10 oz) broccoli florets

6 oz reduced fat cheddar cheese

2 slices 2% pepperjack cheese

1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper, to taste

Pinch of nutmeg

1. In a large soup pot melt butter and saute onion, carrots, celery, and garlic until translucent.
2. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth then whisk in the chicken stock and milk.
3. Bring to a boil and add potatoes then cook, covered, for about 15 minutes (or until potatoes are tender).
4. Add in the broccoli and Parmesan cheese and cook uncovered for about 5 minutes or until the broccoli is tender.
5. Add the remaining cheeses and stir until melted.
6. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until it reaches your desired consistency.
7. Adjust salt and pepper to taste and then serve!

*I had to add an extra cup of chicken stock from the original recipe to get a more smooth consistency. I did this during the blending step, but I think it would be more useful earlier on and would help you decide what thickness you want to blend the soup when it comes time for that...

Mac & Cheese Soup

This soup* was sort of amazing...and I can't wait to make it again. I made it for lunch with my gals and we had some cheese bread from Whole Foods that was sort of amazing along side. Granted, me and my gals rarely make poor food decisions ;-)

Mac & Cheese Soup

Adapted from Gina's Skinny Recipes

Serves 5

Estimated Point Value: 6 pts.

4 oz Barilla Plus elbow macaroni

1 1/2 cups onion, chopped

Small handful of baby carrots, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp light butter

2 tbsp flour

2 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 cup skim milk

pinch nutmeg

1/2 tsp dry mustard

salt and fresh pepper to taste

10 oz broccoli florets, chopped into small pieces

6 oz 2% shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 tbsp parmesan cheese

1. Cook macaroni to al dente using the package instructions, drain and set aside.
2. In a large soup pot, melt butter and saute onion, carrot, celery, and garlic until softened.
3. Whisk in flour, dry mustard, salt and pepper and allow to cook out for a few minutes before pouring in milk and stock while constantly stirring/whisking.
4. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat, cover, and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes.
5. Add in the broccoli and allow to cook for about 5 minutes (or more if you want softer broccoli).
6. Add in both types of cheese, stirring til smooth, and adjust salt and pepper, to taste.
7. Remove from heat and stir in the macaroni right before serving (so they don't get too mushy).

*Yes, I realize I'm posting a lot of soup recipes...I love soup and I sort of missed out on National Soup Month and have been making it up to myself lately. I also realize that I've been neglecting to take photos of my recipes which was a goal for the year....sometimes a girl just wants to eat all the things...

Stuffed Pepper Soup

BFF-M loves stuffed peppers. I have not been able to perfect them (probably due to my inability to trust ground beef baking and meat thermometer, or my irrational fears of food borne illnesses instilled in me by my middle school Home Economics teacher (not Mrs. Morral, the other one which I cannot remember her name...the one that made her own clothes...) you know, or the fact that meatloaf sort of grosses me out)...BUT I came across a recipe for Stuffed Pepper Soup and knew we had to try it...my love for soup combined with her love for stuffed peppers, this bad boy had WIN written all over it. I forgot to ask for her "rating" (since Hubby isn't a huge soup person so I generally don't let him vote on soups) so I'm guessing here...but I think it was most definitely a keeper, I mean, she did take home leftovers ;-)

Stuffed Pepper Soup

Adapted from Gina's Skinny Recipes

Serves 6

Estimated Point Value: 5pts.

1lb lean ground beef

1 small green pepper, chopped

1 small red pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans diced tomatoes (with liquid)

1 can tomato sauce

2 cups chicken stock

1/2 tsp dried marjoram

1 tsp Italian seasoning blend

Salt and pepper, to taste

3 cups cooked brown rice

1. In a large soup pot, brown onion, garlic, and ground beef together.
2. Add in peppers and allow to soften for a few minutes.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients (other than the rice) and simmer together for at least a half hour.
4. To serve, place 1/2 cup of the rice in the bottom of a shallow bowl and top with 1 cup to 1 1/2 cup of soup.

Super easy and super tasty!

Chicken Stuffed with Broccoli and Cheese

Let's be honest, I'm terrible at rolling up things inside of chicken. That being said, this was totally worth it and delicious. I did the stuffing before dinner and just popped this in the fridge until I got the call that Hubby was on the way home and they turned out great. I'm sort of in love with browsing Gina's Skinny Recipes and highly recommend it for inspiration for anyone trying to watch their waistline!

Chicken Stuffed with Broccoli and Cheese

Adapted from Gina's Skinny Recipes

Serves 4 (one large and one small chicken cutlet per serving)

Estimated Point Value: 8 pts.

1 tsp + 1 Tbsp EVOO

4 cloves garlic, minced

1-box chopped frozen broccoli, thawed

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

3 oz reduced fat mozzarella cheese

8 chicken cutlets (~24 oz total)

1/2 cup Italian seasoned wheat breadcrumbs

1 lemon, juiced

Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 450 and prepare casserole dish with cooking spray.
2. In a large skillet, saute garlic in 1 tsp of EVOO until golden then add broccoli and cook through for a minute or two.
3. Stir in 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese and remove from heat.
4. Once cooled enough to handle, mix in mozzarella cheese.
5. In two rimmed shallow bowls prepare the breading ingredients: one bowl with the breadcrumbs and 2 Tbsp of Parmesan cheese mixed and one bowl with the lemon juice, 1 Tbsp of EVOO, salt and pepper.
6. Lay the chicken out on a cutting board (you can pound thin if you like, but it's not necessary) and put a layer of 3 Tbsp of the broccoli mixture onto the chicken.
7. Roll each chicken cutlet up, dip in the lemon/EVOO and then in the breadcrumbs. Lay in the casserole dish seam down (no need to use toothpicks).
8. Bake at 450 for 25-30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

I served ours with some two-point potatoes and some zero-point veggies. Delicious!

Chicken and White Bean Enchiladas with Creamy Salsa Verde

Boy the name of this recipe is long, I shall call it Chicken and White Bean Enchiladas from now on. After getting up the motivation to kick start the new year with some weight-loss goals Hubby and I decided we needed some new recipes to get excited about. I have been wanting to try making a green/white sauce for a while and was excited to see this recipe from Gina's Skinny Recipes pop up on my GoogleReader. These earned good reviews from Hubby and his only real suggestion for next time would be to add some sort of cold chunky salsa when serving, which I must say, isn't the worst idea in the world!

And yes, I forgot to take a picture...

Chicken and White Bean Enchiladas

Adapted from Gina's Skinny Recipes

Makes 8 Enchiladas

Estimated point value: 4 pts per enchilada

1 tsp EVOO

1 softball-sized white onion

2 cloves minced garlic

3 - 4.5 oz cans diced green chiles

15.5 oz can Cannellini beans

8oz (one large) chicken breast, cooked and shredded

1 -1/2 cup chicken stock

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp butter

2 Tbsp flour

2 jalapenos, chopped

1/2 cup lite sour cream

3 oz shredded reduced fat Mexican cheese blend

8 low carb tortillas (medium/soft taco)

Salt and pepper, to taste

• Preheat oven to 375.

Enchilada Filling

• In a large skillet, saute 1/4 cup of the minced onion and garlic in olive oil until tender.
• Add one can of the green chiles, beans (undrained), 1/2 cup chicken stock, and cumin. Mix well and simmer for about 15 minutes.
• Add chicken and cook until mixture thickens and the vast majority of the liquid is gone.
• Set aside to cool.

Green Enchilada Sauce

• In a large pan, saute the rest of the onion in butter until tender.
• Add in flour and cook out a bit before whisking in the remaining 1 cup of chicken stock.
• Whisk sauce until smooth and up to a boil.
• Once the sauce has thickened up a bit add the other cans of chiles, jalapenos, salt and pepper.
• Turn off heat and stir in sour cream.

Enchilada Assembly

• In a greased casserole dish, spread a small amount of enchilada sauce on the bottom (1/4 cup or so).
• Fill each tortilla with the chicken mixture, roll up, and place in the casserole dish seam-side down (I'm a weirdo and I weigh everything to make sure the filling is evenly distributed...no one likes to have that one tiny enchilada that inevitably happens if you eye-ball it and have a poor eye-balling skills...like me.)
• Spread the rest of the enchilada sauce on top and sprinkle on the cheese.
• Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.