Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Sketchapalooza layouts

I completed 17 of the 20 sketches in Feeling Scrappy's sketch class that just ended. Woohoo! Here are a few of them.
This one is for the family album. Sketch was by me.


Another one for the family album. This one was based on a sketch by Jayne Jones.

A page for the family album. Based on a sketch by me.


This version is for Abby's album. Based on a sketch by Tracy K., our guest designer.


Monday, November 9, 2009

Potato Soup

A super fast and easy yet diet friendly meal. This recipe is from my friend Jayne.


Potato Soup
1- 30 oz bag of frozen hashbrowns
2 cans chicken broth
1 pkg country gravy mix-dry mix envelope

Directions:
Brown hashbrowns a little in a big pot with non-stick spray. Add broth and prepared gravy. Simmer for about 30 minutes.

WW- about 3 points per cup

*This is great with shredded cheese and bacon but those would be extra points. :)

Menu Plan Monday



We're counting Weight Watcher points now so look for my links and recipes to include those points. :)

Gotta shed that baby weight. ;) Until I have time to calculate points for many of our favorite recipes, I will plan on using recipes that have already been figured out. I have several recipes that I have the points already figured out and will incorporate those as well.

Monday- Crock Pot 3 Bean Turkey Chili (I made a few changes and will share later if it turns out well. :) )
Tuesday- Split Pea Soup, homemade whole wheat bread
Wednesday- Beef Picadillo, a veggie and rice
Thursday- Potato Soup
Friday- Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken , rice
Saturday- Rice and Bean Stuffed Peppers
Sunday- Pasta Fagioli

Visit www.orgjunkie.com for more great menu ideas!!

Rice and Bean Stuffed Peppers

I will have to add a photo after we make these. I haven't made them since the last time we were counting WW points (after Abigail was born) but I remember them being good. :)

Rice and Bean Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients:
6 medium-sized bell pepper
1 TBS olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can tomato sauce (15 oz)
1/4 cup dry white wine (I will probably leave this out since I don't have any wine right now. Might use chicken broth instead.)
2 TBSP cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp oregano
1/2 cup raisins
3 cups cooked brown rice
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 TBS grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
Cut off stems of peppers and remove the seeds. If necessary, trim bases so they will stand upright. In a large pot, boil peppers for about 2 minutes and then remove them with tongs, rinse under cold water to cool and set aside to drain.

Heat oil in a large nonstick pan over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook just until soft (about 2 minutes). Add 1 cup of the tomato sauce, wine, vinegar, cinnamon, oregano, and raisins. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in rice, beans and almonds.

Fill peppers equally with rice mixture. Set upright in a shallow 1 1/2-quart baking pan. pour the remaining tomato sauce into pan around the peppers. Cover and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with cheese. Continue to bake uncovered about 15 minutes or until cheese melts and browns a little.

WW: Makes six serving at 5 points a serving.

Whole Wheat Bread

We have made this many times. I got this recipe from Jeremy's aunt Linda-thanks!!
Wheat Bread
1 TBS yeast
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups warm water
2 TBS honey
2 TBS oil (I use olive oil)
1/2 tsp salt

Directions: Disolve yeast in water. Let sit until foamy (about 5-10 minutes). Mix all of the ingredients together and knead about 25 times. (I use my mixer and dough hook to make all of my breads now, but I didn't used to and this is not a hard bread to make by hand.) Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. Punch down, shape and put on a pan to bake. Cover and let rise another 20 minutes or until doubled in size. Make a few slashes in the top of the loaf about 1/2 inch deep. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes until golden and the bottom sounds hollow when you tap on it. Let sit for at least 15 minutes before slicing.
WW- 10 slices @ about 3 points each.

Potato Soup

A super fast and easy yet diet friendly meal. This recipe is from my friend Jayne.

Potato Soup
1- 30 oz bag of frozen hashbrowns
2 cans chicken broth
1 pkg country gravy mix-dry mix envelope

Directions:
Brown hashbrowns a little in a big pot with non-stick spray. Add broth and prepared gravy. Simmer for about 30 minutes.
WW- about 3 points per cup
*This is great with shredded cheese and bacon but those would be extra points. :)

Monday, November 2, 2009

Pumpkin Crumb Cake

I love pumpkin! If you have a favorite pumpkin recipe, I would love for you to share. :)


Pumpkin crumb cake
This was really tasty!

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)


Directions-

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray or grease one 9x13 inch pan.
Reserve 1 cup cake mix. In a large bowl, combine the remaining dry cake mix with 1 egg and 1/2 cup melted butter. Mix well, and then pat into prepared pan.
In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin, 3 eggs, 1/2 cup white sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Pour over crust.
In a small bowl, combine reserved 1 cup cake mix, 1/2 cup sugar, and 3 tablespoons softened butter. Crumble over pumpkin filling. Sprinkle nuts evenly over the top, if desired.
Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes.
(Note-I made this in an 8 1/2 x 11 pan and cooked it longer since it was thicker.)


Menu Plan Monday


Another easy week. We are pretty busy so I probably won't try anything new. (Well, maybe a new pumpkin recipe if I stumble across one...I have some fresh pumpkin puree I need to use. If you have a favorite pumpkin recipe, please leave me a link in the comments!)

Monday- Crock pot beef roast (we had leftovers last night instead of this so we'll have it tonight.), mashed potatoes, peas
Tuesday- Crock pot Mexican Chicken soup, salad
Wednesday- Chili and rice with some steamed brocolli
Thursday- out (if we end up going to Costco, we'll eat there)
Friday & Saturday- not sure yet...we will have family visiting :)
Sunday- Tuna Casserole with green beans

For a ton of menu ideas, visit www.orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan Monday


Another easy week. We are pretty busy so I probably won't try anything new. (Well, maybe a new pumpkin recipe if I stumble across one...I have some fresh pumpkin puree I need to use. If you have a favorite pumpkin recipe, please leave me a link in the comments!)

Monday- Crock pot beef roast (we had leftovers last night instead of this so we'll have it tonight.), mashed potatoes, peas
Tuesday- Crock pot Mexican Chicken soup, salad
Wednesday- Chili and rice with some steamed brocolli
Thursday- out (if we end up going to Costco, we'll eat there)
Friday & Saturday- not sure yet...we will have family visiting :)
Sunday- Tuna Casserole with green beans

For a ton of menu ideas, visit www.orgjunkie.com

My lovely blog visitors