It's Fall Y'all

We welcomed the first day of fall this week and that means cooler weather, football, boots, and of course PUMPKIN! I love fall! So tonight I'm writing this entry with an Autumn Harvest candle burning and a delicious fall recipe to share. If you look back at past entries (and I'm sure there will be more in the future) you know that I love pumpkin - pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin stuffed shells, pumpkin beer, and of course pumpkin cupcakes!

In anticipation of fall I started searching Pinterest weeks ago for some new pumpkin recipes and stumbled across this Pumpkin-Sausage Pasta recipe, some of my favorite things in one recipe how could I not try it?! I have  to say, this recipe is so simple to make and will definitely be repeated lots this fall. Okay, I've rambled enough about my love for fall and my love for this new dish let me get to the recipe!  Enjoy!!

Pumpkin-Sausage Pasta (originally from Mix and Match Mama)

Ingredients
1 pound pasta (I used whole wheat penne)
1 pound sausage (I used pork but you can use chicken or turkey-will try with turkey next time)
3 garlic cloves, chopped (I used 1 1/2 tsp of minced garlic)
1 onion, chopped (make this easy on yourself and get the pre-chopped onion)
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling, I used canned Libby's pumpkin)
Freshly Grated Parmesan cheese
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste (I actually didn't add either of these, don't think it needed it)

Steps
1. Bring one large pot of water to a boil for pasta. Cook pasta until cooked completely.
2. In another large skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Brown and crumble the sausage.
3. After sausage has browned, add in onion and garlic and sauté 4-5 minutes.
4. Once sausage and onion mixture is sautéed add in chicken broth, lower heat to low and let chicken broth simmer 2-3 minutes.
5. Stir in pumpkin and heat through about 3 minutes.
6. Drain your pasta and add to the sausage pan.
7. Stir in cheese and enjoy!!

Happy Fall Y'all!

 

 

 



Dinner's Ready...for weeks!

I think we can all agree if dinner isn't prepped it is far too easy to make an excuse not to eat at home.  I'm trying to be better about cooking and prepping my meals ahead of time, so today I took a few hours (really less than 2), and prepped some freezer meals for the coming weeks! Also helps if you get together with friends, it makes the meal prep more fun and go by in no time.  Nancy and I got together today as she prepped her meals to have ready when her baby girl arrives in a month.  We had such success today we are definitely thinking of making it a regular thing and I have even heard of a "Freezer Meal Club", where 4-5 friends get together and everyone brings a copy of one dish for everyone so you walk away with 5 different meals!

I focused on a lot of Crockpot recipes and walked away with 7 different recipes and multiple batches! Especially since the recipes are meant for families I will have plenty to eat off of but I don't mind, it will make it last longer.  So I did a lot of Pinterest searching and narrowed down the recipes I wanted to try, made my grocery list, got all the ingredients and labeled my Ziploc bags with the recipe names and cooking instructions, all was set for our preparation today.  I did make one recipe that is not intended for the crockpot but still a great freezer meal.  On to the recipes!

Chicken Teriyaki (found on Mommy's Fabulous Finds obviously from a Pinterest search)
Ingredients
Large bag of baby carrots
Red Onion sliced into large chunks
2 cans (20 oz each) Crushed Pineapple (un-drained)
4 garlic cloves (I used 2 tsp. of minced garlic)
4-6 boneless chicken breasts
1 cup Teriyaki sauce

Directions
Split ingredients in half, place all ingredients in 2 resealable gallon Ziploc bags, mix together and zip closed.
When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge overnight.  Cook in crockpot on Low for 6-7 hours.
Serve over rice.
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Cilantro Lime Chicken (found on Six Sisters' Stuff)
Ingredients
1.5 lbs chicken breasts
Juice from 2 limes
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Place all ingredients in a resealable gallon Ziploc bag. Mix together and zip bag closed.
When ready to eat, remove from the freezer and thaw in the fridge for 24 hours.  Cook in the crockpot, on High for 4 hours, Low for 8 hours.
Serve with tortillas and toppings such as sour cream, guacamole, salsa, and cheese.
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Maple Dijon Glazed Chicken (found on Six Sisters' Stuff)
Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts
1 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup Maple syrup
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions
Place all ingredients in a resealable gallon sized Ziploc bag.  Mix together and zip closed.
When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in the fridge for 24 hours.  Cook in the crockpot on high for 4 hours, low for 8.  Sprinkle with fresh or dried rosemary.
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BBQ Cranberry Chicken (found on Six Sisters' Stuff)
Ingredients
2 lbs chicken breasts
1/4 cup dried minced onion
1 (16 oz.) can whole cranberry sauce
1 cup barbeque sauce

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a resealable gallon size Ziploc bag and zip closed, air tight and freeze.
When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours.  Cook in the crockpot on High for 3-4 hours or Low for 6-7 hours.
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Honey Lime Chicken (found on Claire's Healthy Home)
Ingredients
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
6 chicken breasts

Directions
When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge overnight.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
Can be served with baked sweet potatoes and vegetables.
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Creamy Ranch Pork Chops and Potatoes (found on Six Sisters' Stuff)
Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs pork chops, boneless (about 4-6, thick sliced)
6-8 medium potatoes, chopped into large pieces
2 (10.75 oz each) cans Cream of Chicken soup
2 (1 oz each) dry Ranch dressing mix
1 cup milk (I used Almond milk)
Dried parsley to sprinkle on top (optional)

Directions
In a bowl mix together soups, milk and ranch dressing mixes and pour into a resealable gallon Ziploc bag. Combine all ingredients and zip closed.
When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook in the crockpot on High for 3-4 hours or Low for 6-7 hours.
Use the extra sauce in the crockpot as a gravy for the potatoes and pork chops. Sprinkle with dried parsley if you want.
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Pineapple Glazed Ham (found on Six Sisters' Stuff)
Ingredients
4 thick slices of ham, fully cooked
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple (do not drain)
2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard (optional)

Directions
Mix together brown sugar, pineapple and mustard in a resealable gallon-sized Ziploc bag.  Place ham slices inside bag and zip closed.
When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook in the Crockpot on High for 3 hours or Low for 5-6 hours.

Ziploc Bag Preparation (remember to write cooking instructions on each bag)

 

A little action shot of preparation

 

 

 

Meals prepped and ready to be stored in the freezer!

Eliminate a lot of stress about what's for dinner by setting aside a few hours on the weekend to get things ready for the weeks ahead!  Happy Meal Planning!

Chile and Lime Roasted Salmon

Salmon! I love it, it is so easy to make and healthy for you in a number of ways. I keep a big bag of frozen salmon in the freezer and that way I can take a few fillets out in the morning and whip up a seasoning before putting it in the oven for a little bit. 

So, my most recent salmon recipe try was  Chile and Lime Roasted Salmon served with Blueberry Corn and Basil Salsa, yum! I was originally directed to this recipe from Sweet Little Bluebird's blog (can we pause and just say how this blog was meant for me?!?!) On Sweet Little Bluebird, she mentioned this entire receipt combo and directed me to Heather Christo's blog for the recipes! Before I dive into the recipes let me just say, this was so easy to put together and delicious.  I played around with the ingredients a bit since my salmon fillets weren't quite as big as Heather's portions. Below are the recipes for the Chile and Lime Roasted Salmon and Blueberry Corn and Basil Salsa, recipes are as is, not with my modifications!  Enjoy!


Chile and Lime Roasted Salmon (originally from Heather Christo's blog)

Ingredients

• 1 side of salmon, about 3.5 pounds (I used a couple of fillets)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 limes, zested
• 1 jalapeno
• kosher salt to taste

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.

2. Place salmon on baking sheet.

3. Drizzle salmon with 2 tablespoons of olive oil then sprinkle with lime zest.  Finely grate the jalapeno over the salmon. Squeeze the juice of one lime over the fish and season with kosher salt.

4. Once the oven is hot, place the salmon in the oven and roast for 10 minutes. 

5. Serve salmon hot with the Blueberry Corn Salsa.

 

Blueberry Corn and Basil Salsa (also from Heather Christo's blog)

 

Ingredients

• 1 ear fresh raw corn, cut off the cob
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1/2 red onion, finely diced
• 1 red chili, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup basil, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 lime zested and juiced
• kosher salt to taste

Steps

1. In a Medium bowl, toss together the corn, blueberries, onion, chili and basil.  Drizzle with olive oil and add the lime zest and juice.  Salt to taste.   

 

Chili and Lime Roasted Salmon with Blueberry Corn and Basil Salsa

 

 

 

I served with a side salad and loved it. Happy Cooking!