Skillet Beef With Lentils

This was very good! I am really lovin the More-with-Less cookbook!!! Super easy and super good, and super healthy! ;) (sorry about all the "supers" in that sentence! ;))

The kiddos gobbled this one down as well. I fixed this with acorn and butternut squash, just to make the plate look a little bit more colorful!



Cooking the lentils in water

Frying up some onions and garlic


Added the browned hamburger (this isn't a full pound of it, but I NEVER use the full amount of meat, I always cut back a bit!)


Add the "broth"


This is how I saved my lentil water. I used the Pampered Chef strainer and bowl set. First time I've used it like this! I always use the bowls of the strainers, but never together! But you can do it however you want, as long as you save the water! :)


The somewhat cooked lentils!


Now I added the spices to the water, beef, and onions


Then I added the lentils... ;)


It's all cooked! Stir it up a bit....


And there ya go!!! :)


Here's the acorn and butternut squash cooked! I probably should've put the acorn squash in another pan, but oh well! ;) (I cut the squash in half, took the seed out, put them in the pan, put about a cup of water in the bottom of the pan, covered it with foil and cooked at 350d for 3 hours. It was done, so I just put the oven down to 200d, depending on how big your squash is, it may take longer. One more hint, I just put one little cut down the middle of the squash and pop it in the microwave for a a minute or two and I can cut it much easier! Makes the skin a bit softer!)


I know, not too yummy looking, but it is really good!


Here is our supper! The lentils and both squashes!



Skillet Beef with Lentils


Bring 1 quart water to boil in saucepan.
Add:
1 1/2 cups lentils, rinsed
Cook 20 minutes. Drain, reserving liquid.

In deep skillet saute:
2 tablespoons margarine of butter
2 medium onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced

Stir in:
1 pound ground beef

Brown well. Dissolve in 2 1/3 cups reserved liquid
2 beef bouillon cubes

Add liquid to meat mixture, cover and simmer 10 minutes.

Stir in:
reserved lentils
2 tablespoons long-grain rice
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer 30 minutes, or until lentils and rice are tender and liquid is absorbed (add more if necessary). Check seasonings and stir in:
1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Top with parsley (dried or fresh)

*A few things I did a bit differently, go figure huh? ;)
I only used about half of the lentil, I wasn't sure how it was going to taste... I wanted to make sure the kids were going to eat it! ;) (I saved the lentils for a recipe I used the next nite!)
I used coconut oil instead of the butter or margarine
I used one onion and 2 gloves of garlic (I also chopped the garlic instead of mincing it)
I didn't use the beef bouillon
I also used 4 tablespoon rice
I also forgot to add the cider vinegar at the end (opps)
I also used the same pot for cooking it all in. My cast iron skillet doesn't have a lid, so I just cooked the lentils, then put them to the side to drain and then did everything else in that pot! (One less pot to add to the dishwasher! ;))

Tacos/Tostados-Serape

Love this!! :D So good and easy!!!

I put them on tostados because I didn't have any tortillas and didn't have the energy to make them! I probably could've made some, BUT we had these the nite after I went to Boot Camp! (for those of you who don't know what happened, let's just say that Boot Camp got me! I pushed myself and couldn't walk down the stairs for like 3 days!! Thanks to some Arnica I made it!! hahahaha!!!! ;))

Anyways....

This is a recipe from a super special lady at Back 2 Back, in Mexico. I had the privilege of eating a meal cooked by her and can only hope I give her some justice by making the same thing! We didn't eat these, but we had something else and that recipe will soon be coming! I just need to figure out her green sauce! ;)

I will post the recipe, then I am going to post the pics and how I did it. I always do things a bit differently!

Serape

1 pound of pork, beef, or chicken
1 slice onion
1/4 pound ham
1/2 pound bacon
2 green peppers
Asadero cheese
Cook meat in bacon fat. Add onion, pepper, and ham.
Put cheese on top and melt, or put meat mixture in a tortilla and top with cheese.

First of all, if anyone can find the Asadero cheese, please, PLEASE tell me where you found it!!! I've been looking for that and can't seem to find it! It may be an only find in Mexico type of cheese, but I am going to keep looking!!! :D

Ok, so here at the pictures and then how I did it!



I fried the bacon and took that out, then I put in half of a small onion and half of a green pepper


Fried the onion and green pepper for a little bit then added the bacon


then the ham


then the ground beef (I already had some browned ground beef in my freezer, so that's why I didn't cook it in the bacon fat...)


Mix it all together and kept it on low until heated all the way through


This is 2 avocados, half of a jalapeno pepper diced small, the other half of the onion that I used for the meat mixture and juice of 2 limes


Mix it all together


Add one chopped tomato


Stir it all up, that's my guac! ;)


Layer some guac on the bottom of a taco or tostado


add meat mixture to the top


Add some mozzarella cheese to the top, unless you found the asadero cheese... ;)

And enjoy!! :D

For my guacamole, I don't always have the tomato and onion chopped that big, but when making these, I was in a hurry, so I didn't take the time to make it super small! ;)

opps, I forgot to mention how much meat I used and everything else... ;)

3 slices bacon
1 thick slice of ham, chopped up
1 pound ground beef (you can use turkey, or any other meat, I just happened to have some ground beef already browned ready to use in the freezer!)
half of an onion, chopped
half of a green pepper, chopped

Guacamole:
2 avocados
the juice of 2 limes (make sure you roll the limes before cutting, much easier to get the juice out and you usually can get a little bit more juice out! :D)
half of the onion from the top, chopped
half of a jalapeno pepper, diced
1 ripe red tomato, chopped

Squish the avocados, add everything but the tomatoes, stir it up, then add the diced tomatoes. Serve immediately! ;)
I'll post a video below on how to get the avocado seed out... My darling oldest daughter taped it for me, so it's a bit shakey, but I think you will get the jist of it! :) Just be SUPER careful if you do it that way! PLEASE!!!

Savory Baked Limas

So as I was looking at the recipe tonite, I realized I used the wrong beans! I used baby soybeans instead of limas... AND I forgot the molasses!!! Opps.. Oh well... It was still good! ;)

This was pretty easy to make as well! Takes time, that's about it! ;)

I didn't soak the beans overnite, so I did a "quick" soak. I put the beans in a big pot and put enough water in to cover about 2 inches over the top. Bring it to a boil, steady, rolling boil for 3 minutes, turn off the heat and put the lid on and let it sit for 2 to 3 hours. Then you drain them and ready to use! :)



Beans and apples together in a pot

Add the chopped onion


then the brown sugar


dry mustard and Worcestershire sauce here (this is where I SHOULD'VE added the molasses!!! LOL)


All mixed up!


About 3 to 4 slices of ham cut in half


Put the ham in


Cover with the beans Cover and cook!!! :)





The finished product!! :) (yes that is a kids plate yet again!! LOL)


Savory Baked Limas

Wash and soak overnight:
1 pound baby lima beans
6 cups water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Drain beans, reserve liquid from soaking beans plus water to make 2 cups
2 cups diced tart apples, peeling still on
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup molasses
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard

Stir well and score or slice up
1/4 pound bacon or ham
Bury bacon or ham deep in the center of beans. Cover and bake for about 5 hours. Stir once of twice and add water if needed.

*Ok, so we already know I used baby soybeans
AND I forgot the molasses, but it was still good! :)
Also, the recipe says dark brown sugar, I used light, the only kind I have. You could probably use the brown sugar Splenda version...?
Also, I forgot to soak the beans the nite before, so I did the quick soak, which I put the "recipe" up there.
Also, it says to use the bean water, I don't, I rinse my beans after I've soaked them. You could rinse them before soaking and after if you want. Usually my beans are in dirty water even after rinsing them before soaking, so I am safe and rinse them again after soaking... If you are still with me after all this, then good, if not, sorry! ;)
I used ham for this, but bacon would be just as good. The recipe calls for salt pork, but I went ahead with a few ham slices... I know, processed ham, shame on me... ;)
Let me know what you think if you try it!! :)
Enjoy!!! :D
(P.S. this recipe was taken from More-with-Less)

"Snack Lunch"

We did very easy for lunch today! My kids always love getting the lunchables, but we don't buy those anymore! For a few reasons:
1) Way to expensive
2) Not enough food in them for my kids, so I always have to find more to add to it...
3) Processed meat

Yep, trying to stay away from anything that is processed. Although we do have a bit of ham in our supper tonite, that is if it turns out! ;) The beans aren't getting soft, grr.... Will have to be patient and see what happens...

Now that I TOTALLY steered away from our lunch.... ;)

I've been making the kiddos "snack lunches" for a while now. I used to put in the processed meat with cracker, cheese, and then just add a whole bunch of other things. My kids are kinda pigs, they eat, a LOT... Is this normal? Most kids I know don't eat this much til they are teenagers!

Now I am not saying to not buy the processed meat for lunches, ya gotta do what you gotta do. But for me and my family, we are staying away from those things for now!

So, this is what their lunch was today, and let me tell you, it doesn't have to be just like this, it can be WHATEVER!!! Do you do this for your kids, and if so, what do you put in their "snack lunch"?

These are GREAT for kids who go to school for their lunch as well! They sell those individual containers that look like the lunchable containers! Or you could just put them all in baggies in their lunch bag! I am not sure if it is GLAD or ZIPLOC that sells those containers, but I do know I just saw them last week at Target!

Ok, back to their lunch today, man am I getting sidetracked right now!!! Can I blame it on a rough morning? ;) Or the fact that I need to keep going upstairs to tell me little princess that she needs to stay in bed for her nap.....?

My kiddos had 2 types of crackers, wheat and poppy seed.
I found a big box at BJ's that have 6 different types of crackers! YAH!!!!
Then I gave them a slice of 2 different cheeses, Monterrey jack and co-jack
1/4 of an Asian pear
1/4 of an apple (JAZZ, have you had those? YUMMO!!!!!!!! Nice and crisp, sweet and juicy!!!)
a few carrots, depending on whose plate it was, they got more or less...
a few dried pea pods (found those awesome yummy things at Mom's Organic! MUST get more!!)
a few turkey mini pepperonis (I know, how can you call them pepperoni if they are turkey? Hmm...)
I know what you are thinking, hmm, no more processed meats, um, isn't that what pepperoni is? Yeah I guess, so let me re-state that. We haven't had any processed meat in FOREVER, so I figured I could treat them to these fake pepperoni's. Right? Like I say, ya gotta do what ya gotta do! This is their "treat" for today! ;)


So there ya go! You can mix it up, do little or more... Like I said, depending on whose plate it was, they got more or less... I have one that is allergic to milk products, but she LOVES cheese, so I gave her skinny slices of cheese! For my oldest, she got more because she can pack it in!

Try them and let me know what you think! It's WAY cheaper and you get to be in charge of what they eat!!!


Their "snack lunch"


All of them outside enjoying it!!


Hmm, this is good mom!!!


She wanted to smile, but she was chewing... Notice both hands have something in it? ;)


She had to get low for her pic... This is my stubborn princess.... ;)


My stubborn princess' way to eat her cracker!


My oldest that eats like a teenagers way for her cracker! ;)


My oldest boy, does it like his older sissy!


My youngest trying to figure out why they call it mini turkey pepperoni? ;)


Deep in thought, wondering if he should eat it, or play with it! :D

P.S.
I find that my kids like to eat lots of little servings of different things! It keeps it different for them so they aren't eating the same thing everyday! So you could make these everyday, but mix it up differently every time! Keeps them happy!! :D When the kiddos are happy, so it momma!!! :D

Monterey Beans and Cheese

So for the next 2 weeks we are doing simple, and healthy here. (We are talking hardly any cheese and meat food items! More beans and I guess there are quite a few that has bacon in it...) Ok, so they may not all be super simple, because I do have some gluten free things planned.... ;)

I also planned out breakfast, lunch AND dinner! Typical when making out menus, breakfast and lunch were more of a "go - with - flow", but I decided I want them all planned out, that way I know I have enough bread for their pb and j and not making these extra trips to the store! I am not gonna lie, buying for 2 weeks kinda stinks! Now, I will have to go to get more milk, but I know for a fact that I am covered with the rest of the ingredients, minus milk and bananas! :)
Not gonna lie, planning all 3 meals, whew... But then again using this cookbook I found a few really good looking breakfast ones! Lunch will be pb and j and then leftovers, or more like cracker, cheese and fruit and veggies... Will see how it goes!! :D

My mom had gotten me an AWESOME cookbook and will be taking many recipes from that. It's called More-with-Less.

Tonite I went with a bean recipe again, go figure! Last nite I made tostado's, will put that recipe up once I get the green sauce figured out! :)

Anyways.... This was super easy to make! I just put the beans in a pot and let it come to a slow boil and boiled them for about 3 hours.



Place your bacon in the frying pan...

While bacon is frying, cut up your pepper and onion....


Bacon nice and crispy, yummy!!!


Place your pepper and onion in the bacon fat and saute... Make sure the heat isn't up too high or you will burn those puppies! You want them soft, but not brown.... ;)


While the onions and peppers are frying, cut up the tomato(s)


Ok, so mine got a little brown, but they were nice and soft and now burnt... ;)


Add all the other ingredients next! The beans, bacon, cheese, tomatoes, chili powder...


Stir it up til the cheese is melted


Place your rice on a plate (sorry for the kid-monkey plate... We used kids plates tonite for din-din!)


Place some of your Moneterey Bean and cheese on top...


Mix it all up and ENJOY!!!! Loved it! Such GREAT flavors!!!!


Monterey Beans and Cheese

Fry drain and break into pieces, 2 - 3 slices bacon
Set that aside and saute in bacon fat until tender:
1/2 medium onion
1/2 green pepper
Add:
bacon bits
2 cups cooked kidney beans
1/4-1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 ripe tomatoes, diced (or 3/4 cup tomato sauce)
1/4 cup beef broth or tomato juice
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper
Cook slowly, stirring constantly, until ingredients are blended and cheese is smooth- about 5 minutes. Serve with rice.

*I didn't have any beef broth or tomato juice, so I just used water.
I also used 1 tomato instead of 2. My kiddos aren't too big on tomatoes, well, I take that back, 2 of them are fans, then other 2, not so much, so I was trying to please them all and just used 1! :)
I didn't add any salt or pepper.
I also used 3 slices of bacon, recipe calls for one, but we like bacon in this family!!! :)
You could use no cheese, or they have some milk free cheese that you could use instead!
Also, I used Jasmine rice, it is THE best rice out there! I won't every go back to bland, boring white rice! My friend got me HOOKED on this stuff!!!! Not as healthy as brown rice, but hey, baby steps right? ;)


Enjoy, let me know what you think! ;)