Sweet, Satisfying & Slimming!

Those aren't 3 words I can usually use together. I have had a sweet tooth ever since my pregnancy and it just won't go away. I still love spicy, savory food, but I now feel like I have to end every meal with something sweet. This NEVER used to happen to me! This is probably why I can't seem to get rid of this extra weight that keeps hanging around.

This recipe gives me the sweetness I crave with hardly any calories compared to the regular dessert! And which dessert would this be, you ask? Banana Pudding! I love it. And I don't want the traditional kind with meringue. I want cool whip on top. Yum...ok enough of that. This is a great alternative to banana pudding. Banana Pudding has about 466 calories in 1/2 a cup. WOW! This Banana Pudding Smoothie has about 180 calories!!!

I got the idea from Rachael Ray. She gave a quick tip on her show about using frozen bananas and whole milk in the food processor to make a quick alternative to banana ice cream. I decided to take it a step further and made it a smoothie, banana pudding style. And let me tell you, it was awesome! Logan loved it too. We've been having these about once a day lately. :)

Banana Pudding Smoothie
Inspired by Racheal Ray

1 medium banana, sliced and frozen
1/4 cup whole milk
2 vanilla wafers

Throw the banana slices and milk in the blender. Crumble in the vanilla wafers. Pulse the blender until it is all nice and smooth. You can also top it with an extra vanilla wafer for a garnish. Just for fun. ;)

Mexican Chorizo Pasta

Saving money is a big deal for our family right now. I guess it is for most people. I used to be obsessed with coupons and playing the grocery game, but found out I was spending more money getting the grocery game's list than I was saving if I didn't religiously get online Sunday nights and make my list for Monday. That worked fine for several months, but then sometimes Monday's just weren't the best for me to go to the store. And sometimes we forgot to stop and get a paper. Plus, her list isn't up until Sunday afternoon and you can only use that list for Monday and Tuesday. I also just don't have the stamina to go to 3 or 4 different stores to get the most savings with a one year old in tow. Don't get me wrong. Her list is awesome and I know it takes a lot of work. I just can't afford to pay for a list and pay for a paper to get coupons and then not have the time to use it effectively.

We still try to get a paper when we remember, and I go ahead and cut out the coupons we might possibly use and file them. I then use free websites to look up sales or I just look at the store circulars myself. I've also been going to Aldi a lot. I've really come to love it. If you can get over the fact that they rarely have anything name brand, unless it is a special buy for the week, you will love it too. Now, there are some things on which I will not compromise, chips for one. I only like Doritos; no off brands please! And my husband will only eat Blue Plate mayonnaise on his sandwiches. I can use an off brand mayo as an ingredient in a dish, but not just on a sandwich. Other than that, we can't tell a big enough difference in the off brand items.

Aldi also has fun and different things in their meat and cheese case. Last week I got some crumbled goat cheese with basil and onions and some crumbled feta that is awesome! I also got some Mexican chorizo which will show up into todays post. I realize you can pay a lot for specialty meats and cheeses, and I'm sure there is some truth in you get what you pay for. But if my option is to not have it at all or get it cheaper, I'll take cheaper.

I used this recipe for something new and different to do with chorizo. It turned out pretty good. I did use white beans instead of chick peas. And I loved the toasted garlic breadcrumbs on top!

Risotto Fake Out

I love risotto! It is so creamy, so cheesy and so decadent. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. However, having a little monkey running around means I do not have 45 minutes to stand at the stove and stir rice. It's just not happening.

I have seen Rachael Ray make her broken spaghetti risotto a million times and thought about making it, but just never got around to it. I finally decided to try it for myself last week and it was a hit with the family. The husband and little monkey-boy loved it! And it is SO much faster than regular risotto.

You pretty much use the same method as the real thing, but you use broken spaghetti pieces instead of rice. This has become my go-to quick meal. You can add pretty much any meat to it and it's dinner!

We were in such a hurry to eat that I only took a picture of it in the pot. No time for plating and pictures this time. ;)


Click here for Rachael's recipe.

A Twist on the Originals

I got this idea when reading about chicken parm burgers on A Taste of Home Cooking. They looked mouthwatering. But, I didn't have ground chicken. I did, however, have some more ground beef in the freezer. I got to thinking about other Italian specialties and I thought of meatballs. I love them, but the hubby can do without them. As I've mentioned before, he prefers meat sauce on his pasta instead of meatballs with sauce. But I really wanted to try making meatballs into a burger, topping with marinara sauce and cheese and see what he thought. If nothing else, it would be something completely different from the every day burger and fries.

It more than met my expectations! T even liked it and went back for seconds.

Meatball Burgers
Source: Me, but I used this recipe as a jumping off point

1 lb. ground beef
1 c. Italian style breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/2 c. asiago cheese
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper

Mix all ingredients and form into burgers. Place in the fridge for about 20 minutes to firm up. Grill until done to your preference. ;) Top with marinara sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese. Toast some buns on the grill right before you take the burgers off and brush with garlic butter.

*Here's a tip about grilling the burgers: Don't flip them until they form a good crust. Otherwise they fall apart kind of easy.

Easiest Potatoes. Ever.

No muss. No fuss. No real clean up!

Dice your potatoes. Dice some bell pepper. Sprinkle with grill seasoning. Dot with butter. Wrap in foil. Throw on the grill. 25 minutes later: perfect potatoes!!!

Everything on the foil, ready to go on the grill:

Off the grill. Look at all that steaming goodness!

These were honestly some of the best potatoes I've ever had! I will be doing this a lot from now on!

Our potatoes were served with a garlic and peppercorn pork tenderloin from Smithfield (I think) that I grilled along with the potato packet:

A Chili-Wannabe

You know those nights you look in the freezer and pantry and try to come up with something new and different? This was one of those nights. :)

It's kind of a beef, bean & salsa casserole. T said this reminded him of chili. I guess it isn't that much different, just not the typical way I make it; you know tomato sauce and the like.

It turned out really well. I even ate the leftovers which is a big deal if you know me. I'm just not a fan of eating the same thing over and over. I also got the chance to use some of my yummy jalapeno peppers as a topping. I try not to mix the hot peppers into whatever we are eating since I'm afraid it might not sit well on a one year old's tummy. These look red and green because I left them on the vine a little long and they started turning red. They were plenty hot though!!

Salsa Chili Casserole
Source: Me

1 lb. ground beef
1 19 oz. can cannellini beans, drained
1 10 oz. box frozen corn in butter sauce
1 c. salsa (click here for my recipe)
1 c. shredded cheese blend
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. paprika
1 tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tbsp. cumin
1/2 tbsp. ground mustard

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground beef and drain. Add back to the pan and add beans, corn and spices. Make sure the spices are combined, then add salsa. Dump everything into a casserole dish and cover with cheese. Bake until cheese is melted; about 7 minutes.

Some Like It Hot!

I love hot peppers, but I don't discriminate. I also like mild ones like the good old bell's. Here are
some of the peppers my garden produced this year; cayenne, jalapeno and bell.