Shepherds Pie

So everyone has heard that shepherds pie isn't good.

Well.... This is good stuff. My picky eater loves it!!

Pretty healthy and pretty simple, a great make ahead

for later in the day or week or to even freeze.

1 lb Ground chicken

4 Cups of mashed potatoes

1/2 Small onion diced

2 Carrots peeled diced

1 Teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 Teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 Cup chicken broth

2 Tablespoons flour

In a large skillet combine onion,ground chicken

seasonings  cook stirring occasionally until chicken

is done. Add carrots and mix well,

stir in chicken broth and bring to a boil, let boil

for 3-5 minutes.

Transfer meat mixture to 8 inch

pie plate and top with mashed potatoes spreading

them evenly to the outer edges of pie plate.

***If you are eating this right away then just put under the broiler for

until top is golden brown and kind of has a

crust on it.

**If eating this later in the day or week preheat oven

to 350 bake covered for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven

and place back in the oven under the broiler for a few minutes

uncovered until the top is brown and has a crust on it.

** If pulling from the freezer you can put it right in the

oven @ 350 but would want to bake it for

35-45 minutes covered before putting it in the broiler.

Quick White/Wheat Bread Dough



3 cups all pourpose flour

2 cups bread flour

1 1/2 cups wheat flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon salt

2 packets quick rise yeast

6-8 cups of hot water

3 tablespoons olive oil

Mix all dry ingredients in your mixer,

add half the water, mix and then slowly add

the remaining water and your oil,

Mix well and cover and set aside and

let rise until doubled in size(about 30minutes).

Meat Rollup

So easy and kid friendly!

1 loaf of premade bread dough or pizza dough(i made my own bread dough)

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 shredded cheddar cheese

4 slices of turkey bacon cooked and diced

4 slices of Canadian bacon diced

3 slices of ham diced

4 slices of turkey diced

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

3/4 teaspoon parsley

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease your baking sheet, set aside.

Roll your bread dough out into a large circle.

Top the dough with your meat,cheese and seasonings, in

that order. Roll up like a cinnamon roll and place on your baking sheet.

Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown.
Slice and dip in your favorite sauce or dip.

**After you have rolled up your bread dough if you would like to freeze

it for later you can. Wrap it up in plastic wrap and then either foil or

freezer paper. Would be good in the freezer for 1-2 months.

*** The day you want to cook your frozen roll up thaw in the fridge before

baking.

My Quick Bread Dough

3 cups all pourpose flour

2 cups bread flour

1 1/2 cups wheat flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon salt

2 packets quick rise yeast

6-8 cups of hot water

3 tablespoons olive oil

Mix all dry ingredients in your mixer,

add half the water, mix and then slowly add

the remaining water and your oil,

Mix well and cover and set aside and

let rise until doubled in size(about 30minutes).

Crockpot Pork Chops

So good!!!

4 Thick cut pork chops

1 Clove of garlic

1 Teaspoon of black pepper

1 Packed of ranch seasoning

1/2 Cup of chicken broth

Place all ingredients in your crock pot and

cook on low for 6 hours.

So good!!! 

Enjoy with mashed potatoes and a veggie!

Easy Applesauce

Pretty easy once you get past the

coreing and peeling!

1 buschel of apples, peeled,cored and diced

2 cups of sugar

6 tablespoons of cinnamon

1 cup of water(possible more once apples cook down)

Place everything in a large roaster and mix well.

Set roaster on 250 degrees and let cook for

8-10 hours stirring every 2-3 hours.

At this point you can either

leave it more of chunky applesauce or

you can food processor and make it more a smooth

applesauce.

This will keep in the fridge for 3-6 weeks

or you can of course can it.

Enjoy!!

BBQ Chicken Sliders

Hope everyone has had a wonderful summer.
Ours had been super fun and super busy.

I will be back in the recipe writing once school starts.

If you would like to see what we have been up to, check out

our family blog:
http://www.thechavarriafamilyblog.blogspot.com

Now for the good stuff!

So easy,so good and pretty darn healthy!

Recipe:

1 lb ground chicken breast

1/4 cup plain bread crumbs

1/4-1/2 cup your favorite bbq sauce

1 tablespoon bbq seasoning(dry)

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes(optional0

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon olive oil

8 slider buns

lettuce

tomato

mayo

bbq sauced for topping

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and form in to

eight equal size patties. Heat your olive oil in a large skillet

or grill pan. Cook burgers about 5-7 minutes on each side.

Serve warm!

You could also cook them on your outdoor grill.

Enjoy!

Italian Marinated Roasted Veggies

A nice twist on something

that can become boring... veggies!!

3 cups of chopped brocolie

3 cups of chopped cauliflower

2 cups of sliced carrotts

1 bottle of fat free Italian dressing

Pour all ingredients in a large ziplock bag, mix

well and refridgerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

Remove from refridgerator and bake at

400 for 30-45 minutes.

Low Carb Low Fat Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse

So very yummy and not

very bad on the waist line!!

Recipe:

slightly adapted from foodnetwork.com

12.3 oz package of silken tofu

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

1/3 cup of powdered sugar

1/3 cup cocoa powder

4-8 tablespoons fat free milk

Puree tofu in the blender and then add in the

rest of ingredients  and blend until well mixed.

Pour into serving dishes and chill for at least

1 hour before eating.
Makes 8 servings.

Strawberry Jello Salad

Cold,creamy and yummy!!
Kids love this stuff!!

Recipe:

2 large boxes of strawberry jello

1 quart strawberries cleaned and cut in 4ths

1  8oz container of fat free cool whip

2 cups of miniature marshmallows

Prepare jello according to package directions pour

into a large bowl, ad in cut strawberries and marshmallows,

chill until firm(about 4 hours).

Stir well in cool whip and mix well!

Italian Pasta Salad

Super easy and just in time

for all the summer cook outs and picnics.

Recipe

1 lb cooked and cooled pasta

1 bottle fat free Italian salad dressing

1 6oz can black olives

1 pint cherry tomatoes cut in half

1/2 cup shredded parmesean cheese

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

Refrigerate for 4-6 hours before serving.

Mom's Meatballs

These are one of my favorite things my

mom makes. They are pretty easy to make

and are loved by all who eat them.

1 1/2 lbs ground turkey,chicken or beef

1 egg

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 cup minced onion

1 teaspoon parsley

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 small cans of chicken and rice soup

Mix all ingredients except for the soup in a large bowl.

Roll your meat mixture into golf ball size balls and place in a

skillet on medium-high heat.

Brown meatballs all around and then turn heat down

to medium-low. Add in the soup and continue to simmer

on low for another 30-45 minutes(the longer the better).

These are wonderful! We like to eat them with mashed potatoes

and use the rice soup mixture as a gravy.

Crusty Pork Chops

These are probable the BEST pork

chops I have ever made.

These were super juicy and super tender.

And they were pretty simple to make.

Recipe:

4 boneless pork chops

2 cups milk

2 cups of panko bread crumbs

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350

Pour milk into a bowl large enough to hold pork and let

sit for 10 minutes while preparing everything else.

In a shallow dish, mix together the bread crumbs,pepper,salt and garlic

sit close to your cooking area. In a large skillet heat olive oil.

Now take each pork chop and coat it well with the bread crumb mixture and

place in your hot skillet. ONLY cook for about 2 minute on each side,

till the bread crumbs are crusty and then turn off the heat, add chicken broth and cover.

Bake in your preheated oven for 30-40 minutes until cooked through.

Tomato and Tortellini Soup

So yummy and so very easy!!

And on a gross day like yesterday it

was just what we all needed!

Recipe:
2 small cans or 1 large can of tomato soup
1 1/2-3 cups of skim milk
1 package of cheese filled tortellini(cooked according to package directions)
1/4 cup velvetta cheese chopped
1/2 loaf french bread for dipping(optional)

In a large pan cook soup according to package directions,
stir in cheese and stir occasionally until melted and creamy.
Mix in tortellini and let simmer for 30 minutes.

For bread sticks:
Preheat oven to 400 and line
a baking pan with foil.
Cut the loaf of french bread into 8 sticks, and
arrange on baking pan.
Brush with olive oil and then bake
for about 10-15minutes until crispy and golden brown.

Chicken Noodles

Recipe:

2 Boneless/skinless chicken breasts

1 Teaspoon Black Pepper

3 Cups Chicken Broth

1 lb Favorite Noodle's(we love the old fashion/Amish style)*

**cooked according to package directions**

In a large crock pot, add 1 cup chicken broth,chicken breasts,and

black pepper. Cook on low for 8 hours until chicken is falling apart.

Once chicken is done add your cooked noodles and remaining broth.

Let cook on low for an additional 1 hour.

Serve over mashed potatoes.

This recipe makes enough for left overs and to freeze.

Have a wonderful week.

Crock Pot Cubed Steaks

These were so very good.

And they were very easy to get ready.

Recipe:

8 cubed steaks

1 can tomato soup

1 can reduced sodium/low fat cream of mushroom soup

1 cup beef broth(reduced sodium)

1/2 onion diced

1 glove garlic minced

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon black pepper

Place all ingredients in the crock pot and cook on low

for 8 hours.  When meat is finished, you can make a gravy 

right in the crock pot for topping. Remove meat and in a small cup

mix together 2 tablespoons of corn starch and 1/4 cup of cold water.

Add to crock pot and mix well. Will thicken w/in 5 minutes.

We had these with mashed potatoes and even my picky guy ate them right up!!

Hope you all have a wonderful rest of the week!!

White Chicken Pizza on Whole Wheat Crust

Who doesn't love pizza?!?!? This is

a white version and just as tasty as the

other pizza!!

Before baking...

After baking!!

Recipe:

1 pizza crust any style

2-4 boneless,skinless chicken breast-cooked anyway you desire

2 cups of alfredo sauce(jarred or homemade)

1/2 cups  grated parmesan cheese

2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese

2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried italian parsley

Misc chopped veggies

Top pizza in the following order

crust,sauce,grated parmesan cheese,oregano,parsley,chicken,

mozzarella cheese,veggies and a little more of your mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 425 for 25-30 minutes

Enjoy!!!

Italian Meat and Mac

This is a great one, make ahead and freeze!
3 cups of whole wheat pasta
1 lb of ground turkey
20 turkey pepperonie cut into 4's
1 garlic clove-minced
1 teaspoon oregano
1 jar/can of your favorite tomatoe pasta sauce
1/2 cup of shredded motzerella cheese
Pre heat oven to 350.
cook pasta according to package directions, place in a caserole dish.
In a medium skillet brown garlic,oregano and ground turkey until done-add to the pasta, mix in
the pepperonie. Stir in the sauce and then top with the cheese.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and ooy-gooy looking!!!
Enjoy!!

Chocolate Sugar Cream Pie

Sugar cream pie and chocolate? Yes Please!

1 1/3 cups of granulated sugar
3/4 cups of flour
3 tablespoons of cocoa powder
1 cup of whipping cream
1/2 cup of milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter cut into small pieces
1 prepared pie crust(unbaked)

Preheat oven to 450

Combine all ingredients except the butter in a mixing bowl and then pour in to prepared pie crust. place pieces of butter on top. Bake in oven on 450 for 10 minutes and then reduce heat to 350 and cook an additional 35-40 minutes.

When done should be a little soft to touch similar to a custard or cheese cake. Cool completely before cutting. Enjoy!!! It was wonderful!!!

Menu for the week of 1/17 through 1/22

Monday January 17-Chicken Lasagna

Tuesday January 18-Oven Baked Pork Chops

Wednesday January 19-Leftovers

Thursday January 20-Homemade Pizza w/whole wheat crust

Friday January 21-order food out

Saturday January 22-Breakfast(undecided as to what yet)

I will post the recipes through the week!
Hope this helps you plan your upcoming meals!!
:)

Chocolate Tapioca Pudding

Tapioca is pretty yummy, but can be

kind of boring! So how about super yummy,creamy

and chocolaty tapioca? Its wonderful!!!

The finished product with some

vanilla whipped cream on top

Before chilling the in fridge for 4 hours
Before the magic of the stove topRecipe:

1 cup of milk(either variety is fine)

1 cup of whipping cream

2 eggs

1/2 cup of sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup of tapioca granuals

Beat together,eggs,sugar,salt and cocoa powder, over medium heat stir

in the milk,cream and tapioca granuals, bring to just a boil

Once it starts to thicken remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Chill for 4 hours before eating.