Southwest Steak Bowl

So the picture is terrible, but the meal is not.  Remember this post where I said I wanted to try to get a more Taco Bell like Southwest Steak bowl?  Well, here's my second attempt, and it was much more to our liking.  I give this a perfect 10, because it's the kind of food I would eat every day.  Owen and Noah gave it a perfect 10 as well, and Aaron gave it a 9.  This is super delicious, and because the steak is just cooked really quickly seasoned with salt and pepper, then after cooking is sprinkled with lime juice, it tastes like steak, rather than fajita seasoning.  So, the calories all depend on which beans, enchilada sauce, and rice you use, but it isn't super high, because again no tortillas.  So here's what to do:

Pioneer Woman's Mexican Rice Casserole (remember I said this made a ton?  I used my frozen left overs :))
Our Favorite Refried Beans
Canned or Homemade Enchilada Sauce
1 lb steak, flank or skirt, well seasoned with salt and pepper
1/2 lime
1 T vegetable oil
cheese and other desired toppings

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet, and cook the steak for just a couple of minutes per side.  Let rest, then sprinkle with the lime juice.  If using a whole steak, cut it against the grain, if using prechopped, then serve.

Place rice, then beans, then enchilada sauce then steak then cheese, and add some jalapenos if you would like more spice.  Yummy :)

Steak Fajita Bowls

So I got the idea for this recipe from the Family Favorite Recipes  cookbook (that is the cookbook you asked about Mother), but I kind of did my own thing.  I loved the Taco Bell steak bowls from a long time ago, these are kind of similar, I think I will make them more like that next time.  Each serving, the way I made it, was 422 calories, but there will be tons of rice left over.  Noah and I gave this a 9, and Owen and Aaron gave it an 8.  Here's what to do:

1 lb fajita meat (my grocery store has it all chopped up ready to go, I get it when it goes on sale)
1/2 can El Pato
1/2 lime, juiced or more to taste
salt
1 T fajita seasoning
cumin, onion powder, and garlic powder to taste

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped

1 recipe Pioneer Woman's rice casserole (more like 1/8 of the recipe, lots of rice leftovers :))
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

desired toppings, cheese avocado, etc.

Marinate the meat with the salsa, lime, fajita, salt, and spices to taste for a few hours.

Make the rice casserole according to the recipe instructions, but add in the beans along with the tomatoes and Rotel.  Cook an extra few mintues.

When ready to cook, cook the meat with the peppers and onions, then serve with the rice and eat.

Kevin and Amanda's Cheesy Chicken Bacon Broccoli and Rice

I found this recipe here, but I will be posting the recipe the way I made it, so it is a little different.  I was a little concerned about how the ingredients would fit together, but it seemed to be a popular recipe, so I thought I would try it.  I was right to be concerned, these ingredients didn't fit well together.

I didn't make the white sauce and add the cheese to it, I just made it with the cheese added to the rice mixture.  I also would suggest making this in a big pot or Dutch oven, it makes a lot of food.  I would next time not add the broccoli, and add some more Mexican flavors, some cumin, etc, because the broccoli was just so out of place in this.  Oh well, try it and see if you like it.  Each serving was 350 calories approximately, and we got 10-12 servings out of this recipe.

Pioneer Woman's Broccoli Wild Rice Casserole

This wasn't a hit at our house, but there were some things about it that were definitely delicious.  This took some time, and effort and I don't really feel like it was worth it.  However, the homemade cream of mushroom soup was really good.  Owen, my rice loving kid, gave this an 8, Noah gave it a 7, and Aaron and I gave it a 6.  I added chicken to make it a main dish, and for 1/12 of the total, the calories were 238.  Here's what I did, which is slightly different from the Pioneer Woman's directions.

2 c brown rice
8 c chicken broth
3 broccoli head, cut into small florets
1/2 c butter
1medium onion finely diced
1/2 lb mushrooms, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
2 celery stalks, finely diced
1/4 c flour
1/2 c heavy cream
salt
2 c panko bread crumbs
3/4 lb chicken, diced

Preheat the oven to 375, and grease a casserole dish.
Cook the rice with 5 c of chicken broth, and cook until all the liquid is soaked up.  Microwave the broccoli florets until mostly tender, then set aside.  Melt 6 T of the butter in a large pot, then add the mushrooms and onions.  Add in the carrots and celery after onion has softened a bit, then when carrots have softened, add in the chicken and some salt.  When chicken is no longer pink, sprinkle the flour over, then add in the 3 c chicken broth.  Stir to combine, and bring to a gentle boil and allow to thicken slightly.  Pour in the cream, allow to thicken, and season to taste.  To assemble the casserole, add half of the rice to the casserole, then half the broccoli, then repeat.  Pour the soup over the top, then melt the remaining 2 T of the butter and mix it with the panko, and put that over the top of the soup.  Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes.  Serve.

Pioneer Woman's Lime Rice

 

This rice can be found in the Pioneer Woman's A Year of Holidays cookbook, and we really enjoyed this.  It is easy, and quick to make, and although I cut it in half, I basically followed the recipe.  Noah gave it a 7, and everyone else gave it a 9.  For 1/5 of the total, the calories are 151.  Here's what to do:

 

1/2 T olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 onion, chopped

1 c rice

2 c chicken broth

1/4 t salt

Juice of 1 1/2 limes, and zest of 1 lime

 

Heat the oil in a medium pan, then add the garlic and onion.  Stir them around and cook them for 3-4 minutes.  Reduce the heat to low, then pour in the rice.  Stir it around and let it cook for about 2 minutes.  Stir in the broth and salt, then add in the juice, and a little of the lime zest.  Cover and cook the rice 20-25 minutes.  Stir it once or twice, very important, to keep it from sticking.  Sprinkle on the rest of the zest, then serve. 

 

We ate ours with PW's Chimichurri Shrimp and Black Beans, recipes coming soon :).

Nacho Chicken Tortillas

 

2 cans (10 3/4 ounces each) Campbell's® Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup
1 cup water                                                                               
2 cups salsa                                        
1 1/4 cups uncooked regular long-grain white rice                                                                               
1.25  pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast tendersSalt

Stir the soup, water, picante sauce and rice in a 4-quart slow cooker.  Salt the chicken and add the chicken and turn to coat.                                                    

Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or until the chicken is cooked through.  Remove the chicken to a cutting board.  Using 2 forks, shred the chicken.  Return the chicken to the cooker and stir.

                                                                                                               

 

So I bought some cheddar cheese soup for a recipe I planned on making, and then I didn't want to make that recipe, so I had condensed cheddar cheese soup sitting around.  Enter google search :).  Here is where you can find the original recipe.  I found this, thought it sounded great and easy, and we made it.  Noah gave it a perfect 10, Owen gave it a 5 because he thought it was too spicy, and I gave it a 9.  The rice could've been a little less well done, but other than that I thought it was awesome.  For 1/12 of the total, which is a ton of food, the calories are 180.  I think it would be better split into 24 helpings.  Anyway, this turned out well, and I'm glad I didn't try the nacho cheese soup.  Mexican and soup just doesn't appeal to me, although I know lots of people like it like that.

Classic Thai Fried Rice

I found this recipe for Thai Fried Rice on Tasty Kitchen, and although it wasn't great, it wasn't terrible.  We liked the pineapple the best, we felt the rest was rather tasteless.  Aaron gave it a 6, I gave it a 7, and Noah and Owen gave it an 8.  This was super easy to make, so that is one positive.  Here is where you can find the recipe, I followed it exactly, except I mixed everything together instead of trying to mold it.  The calories for 1/6 of the total recipe were 405, and that includes the rice.  Not great, but not bad.

Dorie Greenspan's Rice Pudding

We tried Dorie Greenspan's rice pudding from her cookbook Baking: From My Home To Yours, and this was only pretty good :(.  I love rice pudding, it is such comfort food for me, but even though I followed the recipe exactly, it didn't turn out.  It didn't set up, it was soupy.  Sad.  Aaron gave it a 4, Owen gave it a 5, and Noah and I gave it a 7.  We had some strawberry sauce on top, and that was good, but the soupiness really was off-putting.  Here is a link to the recipe, scroll down to see the recipe in English, and after searching the internet, I found out that everyone had soupy rice, that this needed to cook for at least 45 minutes, but more like an hour.  Hmm...kind of frustrating, but I will probably try this again given my love of rice pudding.  One poster said to use 1/2 c rice instead of 1/4 c, so I may try that as well.  The calories for a serving, we made 6 servings, were 284.  I would try this with the modifications suggested, and definitely serve it with some sauce.  Also, I didn't try the chocolate variation, because I like me some plain old rice pudding ;).

Paula Deen's Corrie's Thai-Style Chicken

We had this chicken from Paula Deen's family cookbook the other night, and it was a flop.  This wasn't bad, it just didn't have very much flavor, and we were all disappointed.  I followed the recipe exactly, and I don't know why, but it was super duper bland.  Aaron gave it a 3, and the boys and I gave it a 5.  The calories for 4 servings, per serving with the rice are 471 calories.

Corrie’s Thai-Style Chicken and Veggies

3 T olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut crosswise into strips

Salt and pepper

2 c chicken broth

1 c unsweetened coconut milk

1 c broccoli florets

8 ears canned baby corn, cut crosswise in half

½ c drained canned sliced bamboo shoots

1 T sweet chili sauce

1 T Asian fish sauce

Juice of ½ lime

1 T cornstarch

Rice for serving

1.       In a medium saucepan, warm the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3-5 minutes.  Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook until just done, 5-7 minutes.  Remove the chicken and reserve.

2.       In the same pan, combine the broth, coconut milk, broccoli, baby corn, bamboo shoots, chili sauce, fish sauce, and lime juice.  Boil gently until the broccoli is just tender, 3-4 minutes.

3.       Meanwhile, in a small cup, combine the cornstarch with 1 T water and stir until smooth.  Add the cornstarch to the pan and let boil, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.  Add the chicken and simmer until heated through.  Serve with rice.

Braised Chicken (Rabbit) Thighs with Olives and Orange

We had a very successful dish last week.  This one was incredibly successful, at least for three of us.  It's called Braised Rabbit Thighs with Olives and Orange.  We used chicken thighs, and they worked great.  Aaron and Owen gave this a perfect 10, I gave it a 9, and Noah was mad so he gave it a 2.  I wouldn't include his vote, so expect this to be great.  The calories for 6 servings are 285/serving, and then we included rice, so that's an extra 150 calories, approximately.  I found this recipe in Michael Symon's Live To Cook cookbook, and we're nearing the end of our Michael Symon recipes now :)  Here's the great recipe with the amounts I used.

4 bone-in chicken thighs
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 T ground coriander
1/2 c flour (I used less than this)
1/4 c olive oil
1 medium onion, halved and sliced
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 fresno chile, seeded and sliced
1 c dry white wine (I used chicken broth)
1 c fresh orange juice
3 c chicken stock
12 black olives
1/2 c chopped parsley leaves
2 T honey
1 c toasted sliced almonds

Preheat the oven to 225 (I didn't do this, I totally spaced it :))
Place a dutch oven over medium heat.  Season the chicken thighs with salt, pepper and coriander, then dredge in flour and shake off the excess.  Add the oil to the dutch oven.  Brown the chicken thighs for about 2 minutes per side.  Remove the thighs.  Add the onion, garlic, chile, almonds, and a pinch of salt to the pan, and sauté until the veggies and almonds begin to brown, 4-5 minutes.  Add the wine, orange juice, and sotck, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.  Return the thighs to the pan and bring the liquid to a simmer.  Cover the pan, transfer to the oven (I didn't do this, I just left this on the stove on low for 3 hours), and braise for 3 hours, or until the meat is very tender.  Remove the thighs from the pot.  (I shredded the chicken and removed the bones.)  Over medium heat, return the sauce to a simmer and whisk in the olives, parsley, and honey.  Return the thighs to the pot to reheat and then serve.

These are not that much work, although they do need to cook a long time.  It's so worth it, and we really liked it with the rice, since I made more sauce then I needed to.

Sweet and Savory Coconut Rice

Again, we don't have any pictures, but don't worry, the link with the recipe does!  We really liked this rice, Aaron especially.  I found it just a little sweet, so I added more salt to it, but Aaron and the boys liked it just how it was.  The coconut rice is found here, and it was fast and easy to make.  Aaron said it reminded him of Dominican rice he ate there, and he's wanted since.  He actually requested that I make this frequently, which I think scores a perfect 10 from him.  I gave it an 8, and the boys gave it a 9.  We had it with some green beans and this flank steak, which we also enjoyed, just not as much.  I can't serve meat medium rare because I'm preggers, so I had to serve it well done, and steak well done is just not delicious.  Oh well.  It was a great meal and we enjoyed it.  I will hopefully get back on the pictures next week, but I'll have a cookie recipe coming up soon that was pretty good.

Cube Steak with Easy Sauce

We had some cube steak with an easy sauce and rice tonight.  Aaron didn't like it, but the boys and I did.  I gave it an 8, Owen gave it a 9, Noah gave it a perfect 10, and Aaron gave it a 3.  It didn't have enough seasoning to it, and since I don't have a crockpot here, the meat wasn't tender like I hoped it would be, but it was easy and tasty.
1 lb cube steaks
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 c beef broth
1/2 onion
seasonings to taste
rice

Cook it all together in a pot in the crockpot hopefully, or in the oven if not able to use a crockpot.  Serve with rice.

One of the fun things about this was we used local beef we bought at the farmers market.  It's fun to be able to buy local, clean meat from farmers here.

Chicken and Rice

We have lots of chicken and rice in this house, since both of those things are well loved in this family :)  This was a one pot meal, which I love, and although it took a while for everything to cook, it still was a manageable week night meal.  This comes from Cook's Illustrated New Best Recipe cookbook.
Chicken and Rice with Chilies and Lime
1 cut up chicken (I just used 4 bone-in, skin-on thighs)
Salt and Pepper
2 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 jalapenos, chopped (I took out seeds and ribs)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 t cumin
2 t coriander
1 t chili powder
1 1/2 c long grain white rice
14.5 oz diced tomatoes, drained, 1/2 c liquid reserved
1/2 c dry white wine (I used chicken broth)
2 c water
1/4 c cilantro leaves
3 T lime juice

1. Sprinkle the chicken pieces liberally on both sides with salt an dpepper.  Heat the oil until shimmering in a large, heavy nonreactive Dutch oven over high heat.  Add the chicken pieces, skin-side down, and cook, without moving them, until well browned, about 6 minutes.  Turn the chicken pieces and cook, again without moving them, until well browned on the second side, about 6 minutes longer.  Transfer to a plate and set aside.
2. Pour all but 2 T of the fat from the pan, return it to the burner, and reduce the heat to medium.  Add the onion and jalapeno and saute, stirring frequently, until softened, 3-4 minutes.  Add the garlic and cumin, coriander and chili powder, and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute longer.  Stir in the rice and cook, stirring frequently, until coated and glistening, about 1 minute.  Stir in the tomatoes with the reserved liquid, the wine or broth, 1 t salt and the water, scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pan.  Return the chicken thighs and legs (if using) to the pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently for 15 minutes.  Add the chicken breast pieces(if using) and stir the ingredients gently until the rice is thoroughly mixed.  Cover and simmer until both the rice and chicken are tender, 10-15 minutes longer.  Stir in the cilantro and lime juice, cover, and rest dish for 5 minutes.  Serve immediately.

This was a huge hit with the boys, they gobbled it up, but Aaron and I felt it was a little lacking in the flavor department.  I think we could've upped the spices, and I don't think removing all the ribs and seeds was necessary.  The boys really liked the flavor so I'm not sure if I needed to change it or not :).  The calories for 1/4 of the rice and chicken, which is a lot of rice, is 505.  If you used more chicken, this would spread the rice out more and be less calories.  Aaron gave it a 6, because he doesn't like bone-on chicken, and because of the previously mentioned flavor, and the boys and I gave it an 8, on my part because of the ease of the recipe as well as the flavor.

Tomorrow we're having salmon cakes.

Gingery Stir-Fired Chicken and Bok Choy

We are going through Cook's Illustrated The New Best Recipe Cookbook and trying new things right now, and so tonight we had a stir fry.  Aaron doesn't love stir fry, so he only gave this a 6, but he said, and I agree, the chicken was great.  Noah and I gave it an 8, and if we had had peanut oil, I think it would've been even better.  The calories for this recipe, with rice, are 334.  This is a quick dinner, and tastes fresh and delicious, just like all of Cook's Illustrated's recipes do :).  Here's the recipe, and even though it looks like a lot of steps, it's actually not difficult or time-consuming.

Marinated Velveted Chicken for Stir-Fry from Cook's Illustrated New Best Recipe
1/4 c soy sauce
1/4 c dry sherry (I used 1 T red wine vinegar and 3/8 c chicken broth)
1 c water
1 lb skinless chicken breasts cut into chunks
2 T sesame oil
1 T cornstarch
1 T flour

1. Combine the soy sauce, sherry, and water in a medium bowl; add chicken and stir to break up the clumps.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
2. Mix the sesame oil, cornstarch, and flour together ina medium bowl until smooth.  Drain the chicken in a mesh strainer.  Toss the chicken in the conrstarch-flour mixture until evenly coated.  Use immediately in the Bok Choy stir-fry.

Gingery Stir-Fried Chicken and Bok Choy from Cook's Illustrated New Best Recipe Cookbook
1/4 c chicken broth
2 T dry sherry (I used vinegar and water)
1 T soy sauce
1 T oyster sauce
1/2 t sesame oil
1 t cornstarch
1 t sugar
1/4 t red pepper flakes
4 t minced fresh ginger
1 medium garlic clove minced
2 T and 2 t peanut or vegetable oil, divided
1 recipe marinated velveted chicken for stir fry
1 small head bok choy (about 1 pound), washed and dried, stalks and greens separated, stalks cut on the bias into 1/4-inch slices and greens cut into 1/2-inch strips
1 small red pepper (I used 1/2 a green pepper), cored, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch strips

1. Whisk the chicken broth, sherry, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch, sugar, red pepper flakes, and 2 t of the minced ginger in a small bowl.  Combine the remaining 2 t ginger, the garlic, and 1 t peanut oil in another small bowl.
2. Heat 2 t peanut oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over high heat until smoking; add half of the chicken in a flat, even layer.  Cook, without stirring but gently separating the pieces, until golden brown on the first side, about 1 minute; turn the chicken pieces over and cook until lightly browned on the second side, about 30 seconds.  Transfer the chicken to a clean bowl.  Repeat with an additional 2 t peanut oil and the remaining chicken.
3. Add 1 T peanut oil to the now-empty skillet; heat until just smoking.  Add teh bok choy stalks and red bell pepper; stir-fry until they begin to brown, about 1 minute.  Push the remaining vegetables to the sides of the skillet to clear the center; add the garlic-ginger mixture to the clearing and cook, mashing the mixture with a spoon, until fragrant, 15-20 seconds, then stir the mixture into the stalks and continue to cook until the stalks are tender-crisp, about 30 seconds longer.  Stir in the bok choy greens and cook until they begin to wilt, about 30 seconds.  Return the chicken to the skillet.  Whisk the sauce to recombine and add to the skillet.  Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thickened and the chicken is cooked through, about 30 seconds.  Transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately with rice.

If you get everything prepared while the chicken is marinating, this goes into the pan and is ready in at most 10 mintues.  This tastes great and is super easy.

Tomorrow we're having another chicken dish, and some potatoes and green beans.

Shrimp Fried Rice and Fried Zucchini

First today we had shrimp fried rice, and this is a recipe we all enjoy. I put a little more rice than usual and a little less soy sauce, so Aaron said it lacked flavor (it did), so he gave it a 6, I gave it an 8, and the boys gave it a perfect 10. They love that dish. Here is the recipe from Jaden Hair, we love it.

Perfect Shrimp Fried Rice 8 servings, 287 calories/serving

 

4cups leftover, previously chilled cooked rice

1/2 lb small raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 t salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 t cornstarch

2 T high-heat cooking oil, divided

3 eggs, beaten

2 scallions, minced

1 T soy sauce or 2 t fish sauce

3/4 c frozen peas and carrots, defrosted

1 t sesame oil

 

1. Gently separate the rice grains with a fork, taking care not to smush the delicate grains.  In a bowl, toss the shrimp with the salt, pepper and cornstarch.  Let marinate for 10 minutes at room temperature.

2 Set a wok on high heat.  Add 1 T of the cooking oil and swirl to coat the wok.  Add the shrimp, quickly spreading it out around the cooking surface area so they are not overlapping.  Let fry, untouched for 30 seconds, or until almost cooked through.  Remove the shrimp from the wok to a plate, leaving as much oil in the wok as possible.

3. Turn the heat to medium and let the wok heat up again.  Add the eggs, stirring in a quick motion to scramble the eggs.  When the eggs are almost cooked through (they should still be slightly runny in the middle), dish out of the wok in to the same plate as the shrimp.

4. Use paper towels to wipe the same pan clean and return it to high heat.  Add the remaining 1 T cooking oil and swirl to coat.  When the oil is hot, add the green onions and cook, about 15-30 seconds.  Add the rice and stir well to mix in the green onions throughout.  Spread the rice all around the wok surface area and let the rice heat up, untouched until you hear the bottoms of the grains sizzle, about 1 minute.  Use a spatula to toss the rice, again spreading the rice out over the surface of wok and let cook for 1 minute.

5 Drizzle the fish sauce or soy sauce all around the rice and toss.  Add the peas, carrots, eggs, shrimp and sesame oil, tossing to mix the rice evenly with all the ingredients.  Repeat the tossing, spreading and 1 minute frying until each and every grain of rice is heated through.  Taste and adjust with additional soy sauce if needed.

 

For veggie we had some fried zucchini from Giada de Laurentiis's cookbook Everyday Pasta.  We gave this an 8, who doesn't like fried stuff?  Here's the recipe

 

Fried Zucchini 32 slices, 126/slice

1 ½  c freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 ½ c panko

¾ t salt

2 large eggs

3 medium zucchini, cut into ½-inch strips

Olive oil, for deep-frying

Stir 1 ½ c of the Parmesan cheese, the panko, and salt together in a medium bowl to blend.  Whisk the eggs in another medium bowl to break them up.  Working in batches, dip the zucchini sticks in the eggs to coat them completely, allowing the excess egg to drip back into the bowl.  Coat the zucchini in the panko mixture, patting to adhere and coat completely.  Place the coated zucchini strips on a baking sheet. 

Heat 2 inches of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350.  Working in batches, fry the zucchini sticks until they are golden brown, about 3 minutes.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer the fried zucchini to paper towels and drain.

Arrange the fried zucchini on a platter.  Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ c of Parmesan cheese and serve.

 

Aaron helped me out with this, thanks honey!

 

Tomorrow we're having a chicken dish and a cornbread panzanella.

Cranberry Mustard Chicken

We had chicken tenderloins with cranberry mustard sauce tonight.  This was not a fabulous dinner.  Although very low in calories, it didn't have tons of flavor, and the cranberries didn't really stand out very much.  Aaron gave it a 5, I gave it a 6, and the boys both gave it an 8.  It was very fast and easy to make, and low in calories, one tenderloin with sauce and 3/4 c of rice was 353 calories, but we won't be having it again.  I used more chicken broth instead of the wine in the recipe.

Tomorrow we're having some pumpkin bread.

Chicken and Rice, Blueberry Yogurt Waffles, and Blackberry Ice Cream

We had a lot of yummy food today, because today my little guy had his first day of preschool! Hooray! This is his second year with Mrs. Caffrey, and he loves going to school and having fun there. He decided he wanted blackberry ice cream, blueberry waffles for breakfast, and chicken and rice for dinner. First we have the ice cream, from the Pioneer Woman. Here's the recipe, it's easy and creamy and has great texture.  We added chocolate chips like it said to in the cookbook, and this turned out really well.  Noah gave it a perfect 10, I gave it a 9, and Owen and Aaron gave it an 8.  The only change I made was to use lime instead of lemon, because that's what I had, and I strained the custard after cooking it.  I also refrigerated the custard before churning it because my ice cream mixer has to have the custard cold.  The calories for 1/12 of the total, which is about 1/2 cup, are 320.

The waffles were really good. They are Blueberry Yogurt Waffles from Two Peas and Their Pod. I like that they used whole wheat flour and the yogurt instead of oil. I used blueberry Greek yogurt instead of plain, and they were sweet and delicious. I gave them an 8, Noah gave them a perfect 10, and Owen gave them a 7 because he doesn't like blueberries very much. They are 165 calories/waffle when you make 16 waffles.

And last we had chicken and rice which I started making after marrying Aaron because it was his favorite food my Mother-in-law makes.  I have changed it through the years to make it more what I enjoy, but it's still pretty much the same thing Aaron grew up eating.
Chicken Casserole (or Chicken and Rice as we call it)
(This is how I make it)
1 lb chicken breasts
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
green onions
seasoned salt
thyme
cayenne pepper
Any other spices you feel like adding
1-2 T sour cream
Throw everything in the crockpot except for the sour cream.  Mix it all together and cook on low for at least 4 hours.  Add in sour cream 30 minutes before serving.  Serve over rice.  Adjust seasonings to taste.

The boys give this a perfect 10, Aaron gives this between an 8 and a 10 depending on how I make it, and I give it a 5.  I'm not a huge fan of it, but my boys really love it so we have it every so often.
The calories with rice are 315/serving.

Tomorrow we're having another chicken and rice dish, but it's not the same :)

Chili Rice

We had Chili Rice tonight!  This was delicious!  It got a perfect 10 from everyone except Aaron who gave it a 9, becaue it didn't have enough meat in it.  We had this with corn on the cob, and everyone was super happy!  This was a fast, easy to make, flavorful dinner and we all really enjoyed it.  The only problem I had with the recipe was the amount of servings it said the recipe made--4-6.  I followed the recipe exactly except I used only one bell pepper and less oil, and when the recipe was done, we had more like 12 servings.  So the calorie count for 12 servings was 294/serving.  My kids didn't even mind the spice!  We'll definitely have this again.

Tomorrow we're having a seafood stew and some cheddar muffins.

Mediterranean Chicken and Pioneer Woman's Marmalade Muffins

Here is the link to the recipe we had tonight.  I really like everything we've tried from this lady, and this was another one we enjoyed.  We gave it a 7, and it was a quick, easy pretty healthy dinner, only 435 calories for rice and chicken and sauce.  The only change I made was to cut the oil in half, and use 5 chicken tenders, so we cut it into 5 portions.   Notice the green beans?  They are from our garden :)

We had these mini muffins for breakfast this morning, and they were delicious! We got the recipe from the Pioneer Woman's first cookbook, they are called marmalade muffins, and although they don't have any marmalade in them (thankfully), they were easy and great tasting. I cut the recipe in half and made 20 mini muffins out of it, and the calorie count for each muffin was 114/muffin. We gave it on average a 9, for the ease of making them and how delicious they are. Tomorrow we're having a chicken dish from the Pioneer Woman and a broccoli recipe from Our Best Bites.