Inspired by Take-out!

This week, I've really wanted restaurant food. There is just something about someone else cooking and cleaning for you that makes eating out a special treat. Unfortunately, with a family of six, that luxury is just that...a luxury. I decided instead to recreate some of our favorite foods at home. Here is a week's worth of take-out quality food that you can make yourself. I promise that each one is super easy and much less than you would pay to eat out if you include gas, food, drinks, and tip.

Meatless Monday - Nacho' Ordinary Quesadillas
Quesadillas are like the Mexican grilled cheese sandwich. They are so easy to jazz up that the possibilities are endless. This is my take on a nacho grilled cheese. I keep almost all of this on hand so this could be your go to meal on nights when the drive-thru is calling your name.

Whole wheat tortillas (I like the small ones.)
shredded cheese, Mexican blend
can of refried beans, low fat
can of black beans, rinsed and drained
salsa
sour cream, for dipping
butter

Make your "grilled cheese" with cheese, refried beans, salsa, and black beans placed inside 2 whole wheat tortillas. Heat large skillet or griddle pan. Melt a pat of butter in pan and place quesadilla in pan. Brown on one side, then flip and brown on the other. Take out of pan and cut into wedges. Serve with more salsa and sour cream for dipping. You can let each person make their own. Wonderful!

Day 2 - Thai Shrimp Soup
I know that you may not normal buy these things but if you learn to make this soup, you will eat less take-out. It's so easy; if you can boil water, you can make this soup. It's also pretty healthy. It's a win-win combination. You can find all this in your regular grocery store in the asian food section. This serves 4-6 and can easily be halved.

1 (6 oz.) package of rice noodles
2 can light coconut milk (you can use regular but it will triple the calories)
2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons thai red curry paste
1-2 lbs. peeled, deveined shrimp
2-3 cups of snow peas, washed and trimmed
salt and pepper to taste
cilantro, chopped
lime wedges

Cook noodles according to package directions and set aside. In a soup pot, bring coconut milk, stock, soy sauce, and curry paste to a low boil. Add shrimp and cook one minute. Add peas and cook 3-5 minutes until shrimp is pink and peas are tender crisp. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Add noodles to serving bowl and top with curry shrimp soup. Top with cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

Day 3 - Chicken, Veggies, and Rice
This meal came together out of necessity. We are trying to empty our cupboards before we begin the renovation. This is what I created. The kids loved it and it is also asian, sort of. Enjoy.

2 cups brown rice, cooked according to directions
1-2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1 can of peas and carrots, drained
1 can corn, drained
3 tablespoons soy sauce

Cook rice according to directions; mine was about 45-60 minutes. The last 10 minutes, throw in everything else. Let cook until all the water is absorbed. If you like it a little on the stir-fried side, just add a little oil and crank the heat up. Stir constantly to keep the rice from burning.

Day 4 - Crockpot Chicken Parmesan
This is for the day you want Italian but don't want to put on real clothes. It won't take all day unless your chicken is frozen so plan to make it on a day that you'll be home in 6-7 hours.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, more for passing at the table
1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 egg, beaten
1 ball sliced mozzarella cheese
Jar of marinara sauce
small bag of baby spinach
1 box of whole wheat pasta, cooked according to package directions

Spread the 1 T of olive oil into the bottom of your crockpot stoneware insert. Beat the egg in a bowl. Combine the bread crumbs with the seasonings and Parmesan cheese in another separate shallow bowl or plate. Dip the chicken into the egg, then into the bread crumb mixture, coating both sides with crumb mixture. Place the chicken breast pieces in the bottom of the crock. Layer 2-3 slices of mozzarella cheese on top. Top with spinach and cover with entire jar of marinara sauce. Cook on low 6-7 hours or high for 3-4. Make pasta right before serving. Serve with pasta and I put parmesan on the table if people want to sprinkle more on top.

Day 5 - BBQ Pizza at Home
Ok, this is pretty close to take out since everything that you use is premade. This is not the healthiest of my meals but when you're craving a specialty pizza, this will satisfy you in a pinch. I'm also pretty sure this is at least half the fat and calories of the one that you get at the pizza place.

1 Boboli whole wheat pizza crust
1 package of shredded barbecue chicken (It's in the refrigerated section of the grocery store.)
1 package of shredded mozzarella cheese
jar of barbecue sauce
Pickles

Top crust with a thin layer of barbecue sauce, chicken, and cheese. Bake according to package directions. Serve with pickles on the side. It's so good.

Day 6 - Peanut Butter Cup Rice Crispy Treats

Ok, So this is not a meal, at least it shouldn't be. This is however a redone recipe that far exceeds the original. I love the combination of peanut butter and chocolate. Add coconut oil and something crispy to the mix and it's bliss. This will take 5 minutes, yep, that's it.

3 tablespoons coconut oil, plus a tad to grease the pan
10 oz. bag of small marshmallows
6 cups rice crispy cereal
1/2 cup Reese's peanut butter chips
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Grease 9 x 12 dish with coconut oil. Place 3 tablespoons of coconut oil and marshmallows in a large plastic or glass bowl. It will need to be really big. Heat in the microwave for 2 minutes. Take out and mix the marshmallows, oil, and rice cereal together. Add chips until well blended. Dump into greased dish and spread evenly. Let cool to room temperature. Cut into squares and enjoy.

Leftover remix -
You could call this international night and pull all the leftovers out on the counter. Let the family mix and match their favorites. Who know, you may find an awesome new creation.

With great food in the belly and more money in the wallet,
Brooke

The Great Flu of 2013

We've been inundated with the flu this week. Three out of my four children have had it and the time off has messed my meal planning all up. I have enjoyed the time with my babies and I'm ready for some normalcy, whatever that means in our house. I had some great plans for some awesome new recipes. Those did not happen. I always revert back to old tried and true recipes when I'm stressed. I thought I'd go ahead and give you those. I did have to improvise a little and found some really fun meals. I hope you think so too.

Meatless Monday - Pumpkin Pancakes with Scrambled Eggs

2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 tbs. Brown Sugar
1 tbs + 1 tsp. Pumpkin Spice
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
2 cups Milk
1 cup Pumpkin Puree
1 Egg
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Vegetable oil or butter for frying
Instructions

In a bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin spice and salt.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Not too hot or your pancakes will burn on the outside.
Scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake and spread out with a spoon.
Wait until large bubbles start to appear in the middle and flip and cook until brown on both sides.

Scrambled eggs are very personal. I've found that people are very particular about how the cook their scrambled eggs. If you really need a recipe, email or message me and I'll send you mine.

Day 2 - Sausage with Red Onions and Brussels Sprouts with quick Radish Pickles

1 package of your favorite sausage or brats
2 large red onions, sliced thin
1-2 lbs. brussels sprouts, thinly sliced
2 T. olive oil
Salt and pepper

Place an inch of water in large skillet. Add sausages and heat to boiling. Cook for 15 minutes. Pour out water and brown sausages on all sides and remove to a plate. Add olive oil to empty pan and add onions and sprouts. Cook stirring often adding salt and pepper to taste.


Radish and Red Onions

2 cups red wine vinegar
1 cup water
2 T. salt
1 T. sugar
1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
2-3 cups of radishes and red onions, thinly sliced on a mandolin

Mix all ingredients into a large jar and shake well. Let set for 20 minutes before serving. These will keep indefinitely in the fridge.

Serve sausages with sprouts and onions. Use pickles for a fresh acidic side.

Day 3 - Pizza from Scratch in One Hour

1 cup really warm tap water
1 T. honey
1 packet of instant or quick rise yeast
1 tsp. salt
2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 T. olive oil
1 small jar pesto
1 (8 oz.) block of mozzarella cheese grated
pepperoni slices

Combine honey, water, and yeast in a glass bowl. Let stand 10 minutes until the water is really cloudy. Mix salt and flour into mixture until everything is well mixed. Turn onto floured surface and kneed dough for a couple of minutes until it starts to feel smooth. Add flour to keep from sticking. Put olive oil in bowl you just mixed the flour in. Put dough back in bowl and roll around to coat with oil. Cover with a towel and put in a warm place to rise. Preheat oven to 425. I let mine stand for 15 minutes but you can let it rise up to an hour. Flour surface again and dump dough onto surface. Roll dough into a circle. I use a drinking glass sprinkled with flour to get it flat. Place on a cookie sheet. Spread with pesto and top with cheese and pepperoni. Back for 15 minutes.

If you want to make the lightest, crispiest crust. Let the dough rise an hour and kneed it for 10 minutes. Divide dough in half and let rise again for an hour. Roll out as before but now you will have two thin crusts.

Day 4 - Potpie Bow Ties
I made this one night using what I had on hand. This is a great comfort food when you just want something soothing.

1 box of whole wheat bow tie pasta
3 T. butter
1 cup left over chicken or ham
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 onions, chopped
4 large carrots, chopped
3 T. flour
3 cups chicken stock

Cook pasta according to package directions. While water boils, put butter, meat, celery, onions, and carrots in a large skillet and cook until veggies are soft. Sprinkle flour in skillet and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in chicken stock. Thicken and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mix drained bow ties with veggie sauce. Enjoy!

That's all I've got for you. I'm sorry there's not more but this week has worn me out. Prayers for all of you to have health and wellness during this flu and cold season.

With Tamiflu and ibuprofen,

Brooke