Biggest Loser Challenge

Hello all! :)

Sorry it's been a while since I've written. I have been gone at my in-laws for Christmas break, and then getting back and starting a new life challenge. A new life challenge if life wasn't challenging enough... yeah I know, remember I'm a gluten for punishment. I started this Biggest Loser challenge through a personal trainer I know. I've been on it for about 10 days and at my first weigh in 3 days ago, I had lost 7 pounds. I am not starving myself. I am eating up to 6 meals a day, and exercising. Eating 6 meals a day is actually a lot harder then I thought it would be. Most of these meals require some type of cooking. So I'm working on trying to get a handle of these meals. however, I'm on a Jumpstart right now through Thursday, Jan. 19th. I am trying to create recipes that are delicious, filling and beautiful. A few have turned out good. Other's not so much. I know not everyone likes everything I'm using, but as long as I do, you can adjust as you'd like.

I will be posting those recipes and tagging them under Biggest Loser challenge, low calorie, and even, what meal it works for. I hope these are helpful. The recipes for the jump start are gluten-free. The only actual dairy are the one's with cottage cheese, but that is fat free cottage cheese, and not many people like that. I've had very low carbs as well, no pasta, no bread which has been really a difficult change for me. I am looking forward to getting off the jumpstart on Thursday so I can start eating healthier breads, and carbs. I hope you enjoy these recipes :)

Hard to believe that it's been a month since i've posted!

I am so sorry it's been so long since i've posted. I've had my in-laws visiting and so we've been out to eat a TON, and I need to get on it quick... I am headed  to Phoenix, AZ this weekend, for my Associates Degree Graduation. So, hopefully when I get back I can focus on more baking and posting. I'm in my bachelor program right now, so I'm still busy. But I still make dinners for my family. Last night we had chicken fried steak. MMM they were tasty. But I already have that recipe on here. I need to start shaking things up! New christmas cookie recipes, and dessert options to come! I LOVE the holdiays! :)

Here's hoping for a quick return and more recipes to come :) Have a GREAT FALL/Holiday Season! :)

Shae

Creamy Pumpkin soup

Today it's cold outside. I have the day off, and I wanted to make some kind of soup with pumpkin. It just sounded so good. Something rich and creamy. Doesn't that just sound so yummy? Well, first I posted in FB that I wanted to make a pumpkin soup and asked if anyone of my friends had a reliable soup recipe using canned pumpkin that was good. I got suggestions to look at a few websites for pumpkin soup recipes. So I looked around and found a few. Most of the recipes had mixed reviews to being too bland, yucky, good, and GREAT all on the same soup recipe. So, I decided to go to the expert pumpkin source lily pumpkin's website. They had a recipe for pumpkin soup. I read it and it sounded good. So, I started making it... then I realized I wasn't following the recipe the way they wrote it, so here's my version of their pumpkin soup. I think it's got a great flavor, but not overpowering the pumpkin flavor. Let me know what you think... :)

Ingredients:

1- large can of puree'd pumpkin
1 can evaporated milk
2 tbsp Pampered chef Thai Peanut sauce
3 packed tbsp brown sugar
1 medium onion chopped
1/2 stick of butter
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cans chicken broth
1/2 can water
salt and pepper to taste
2 dashes pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

In a medium sauce pan add the butter, onions, garlic and brown sugar. cook until the onions become translucent. Add the chicken broth, water, and pumpkin. Cook 15 minutes until boiling. Add the salt, pepper, pumpkin pie spice, evaporated milk and Thai Peanut sauce. Stir to incorporate. Let cook another 5 min. Stirring occasionally.  With a submersible mixer or blender blend until smooth or desired consistency. let simmer 5-10 min. and Enjoy!

This has a nice flavor and very tasty. I made this and then set it in my slow cooker on warm, to keep it heated all day. Dinner was done quickly and easily this morning.

Carmel Cinnamon Bread Pudding

Carmel Cinnamon Bread Pudding

This was going to be an afternoon snack for my kids, but I'm thinking of making it dessert instead. I had made some homemade bread last week, and the boys haven't been eating it as fast as they used to. So the bread was a little stale. Which is perfect for bread pudding. I should have done two loaves for a fuller bread pudding, but this works. This bread pudding mix was also originally supposed to be placed in the slow cooker, but I want to use that for the lasagna tonight. So adjusted the recipe for baking. 

Ingredients:

1-2 loaves of bread, stale, and cubed

5 eggs

3/4 cup milk

2 tsp vanilla

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup cinnamon chips

1 bag caramel chips (melted) or caramel sauce - to drizzle on top of finished bread pudding.

Directions:

Preheat oven 350F.

Place the cubed bread in a large bowl. In a separate bowl mix the eggs, milk, vanilla, brown sugar, sweetened condensed milk and cinnamon chips. Pour on top of the cubed bread, toss to coat the bread. Let sit for 1-2 min, then toss again and let sit for another 1-2 minutes, so that the bread soaks up the egg mixture. *The cinnamon chips will not melt completely, but are so yummy.  While the bread is soaking, spray a 13X9 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Once the bread has soaked up the majority of the egg mixture, pour into the prepared 13X9 baking dish. Place in a water bath and bake for 1 hour. Then remove and drizzle caramel on top of the baked bread pudding. Enjoy with whipped topping or plain. 

***If you want to prepare in a slow cooker follow the directions above, except cook on high heat setting for 2 1/2 - 3 hours, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. ***

Orange Beef and Fried Rice

Tonights dinner started this morning before I left for work. It felt good to come home and be half way done with dinner. It was so easy. You can do this even if your not an experienced chef/cook. Just make sure you have a skillet, a wooden spoon, a slow cooker and the ingredients. That simple, that easy. The best thing about this dinner is most of the ingredients can be kept in the freezer and pulled out when ready to use it. you can even freeze your leftover rice in a ziploc bag for later use if you don't want to use it right away. This is great for those "gotta get dinner quick" nights. In the time it would take to order takeout and have it delivered you could have this done. Easy. Peasy :)

Orange Beef
Ingredients:
1 flank/skirt steak semi-frozen cut in to 4 strips across the grain
1 1/2 cup of Panda Express Orange chicken sauce

Directions:
Add ingredients to the slow cooker on low 6-8 hours. Then shred with forks. Should be fork tender. Then add back into the orange sauce. keep warm til ready to serve.

Fried Rice
Ingredients:
2-3 cups leftover white or brown pre cooked rice
1 bag frozen mixed veggies (mine had corn, peas, carrots, and green beans)
1/4 cup frozen green bell peppers
1/2 cup frozen diced onions
2 eggs
1/4 cup fresh bacon bits
sesame oil
soy sauce
oyster sauce

Directions:
Open frozen veggie bags, measure out the bell peppers, and onions. set aside. In a small bowl whisk the eggs (just like for scrambled eggs) set aside. If using raw bacon for bacon bits, brown the bacon in the bottom of the skillet, once the bacon is cooked, remove cool and crush bacon. In the hot bacon grease with the skillet still on scramble the eggs. remove from pan and set aside. In the same pan add all the frozen veggies with about 2 tbsp sesame oil. toss to coat and cook. about 3-4 min (the onions will start turning translucent). Remember you want crisp veggies so don't over cook.  Once the veggies are cooked if any residual liquid is in the pan, remove with paper towel. Then add the rice, eggs and bacon to the veggie mixture. gently toss. drizzle in about 2 tbsp sesame oil, soy sauce and 1 -2 tsp of oyster sauce and toss to coat. Keep tossing until the rice and eggs are heated through then serve approx 1-3 minutes. (depending on pan). All of this is done in a HOT pan. I used my WOK. you can use that too but a 10' skillet is perfect too.

This rice is SO yummy! My family just loved it with the orange beef. It was a fun "chinese eat in" night instead of takeout/delivery. All were fed before they had to rush off to their many activities tonight. They all ate all of the veggies and that is an accomplishment! I hope you enjoy this as much as we did. :)

Layered Dip

This dish is similar to a 7 layer dip. It has a few extra layers. But should be delicious. I am bringing it for a Relief Society PotLuck.

Layered Dip

1 -16-ounce can of refried beans

1 - envelope of taco seasoning

1 – 16 oz can of black beans drained

2 c. shredded cheese, like cheddar or Monterey Jack

2 c. guacamole

1 - 16-ounce container of sour cream

1 - 16-ounce jar of chunky salsa

2 cups shredded cheese, like cheddar or Monterey jack

1/3 c. green chili’s

1/2 head of shredded iceberg lettuce

Optional: olives and jalapeno’s

Tortilla chips

         A 13- x 9-inch microwave-safe glass baking dish or deep pie pan

Directions:

In a microwave safe 13X9 baking dish, mix together the refried beans, and taco seasoning mix. Then sprinkle with the rinsed black beans. Heat in the microwave 2-3 minutes stirring every 45 seconds. Then top with cheese. Spread the guacamole on top, then the sour cream on top of the guacamole. Once that is spread spoon the chunky salsa on top and lightly spread around. Then sprinkle with more cheese. Lightly spread the green chili’s on top of the cheese layer, then sprinkle the lettuce on top. The lettuce should be cut small enough to be on a chip. Then sprinkle with additional cheese. Top as desired with olives and jalapeno’s if desired. Serve with Tortilla chips or corn chips.

Banana Chocolate Chip Bars

I have started a part-time job, so I haven't had much time for cooking from scratch lately, trying to juggle work, school, kids, family you know all the stuff that makes us busy, busy, busy! I have taken advantage of a few extra hours today, since it's stake conference at church. I have made some yumminess to add to my boys lunches this week. I doubled the original recipe, so we could have a few as a snack today and still have some for lunches. I also had 6 bananas that I needed to use.

These bars are moist and delicious. My kids have been begging for more. I guess that's a sign of success! :)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 cups mashed ripe bananas (4-6 medium)
2 tsp vanilla
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 pkg (2 cups) chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate)
1 1/2 cup walnuts (optional - I didn't use any nuts)

Directions:

1. Grease 2 large jelly roll pans 15X10X1 baking pans. set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the grandulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt, beat til combined. Beat in the eggs, bananas, and vanilla til combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in the chocolate pieces and if desired nuts.
2. Spread the prepared baking pan with the mixture. Bake in a 350F oven about 25 minutes or til golden brown. Cool on wire rack. Cut into bars. Makes a bunch, depending on how big you cut the bars.

This recipe comes from my 1930-2000 Limited Edition Better Homes and Gardens New CookBook. This recipe is already doubled. If you want to make a smaller batch, just cut the ingredient amount in half. This is great for those bruised/ultra soft bananas.

These are nice and moist, so tasty! :)