Meat & Veggie Spaghetti Sauce

You can use this recipe for any Italian dish... very easy, very yummy!

Meat & Veggie Spaghetti Sauce (can be used for lasagna or any Italian Dish)

1 lb ground turkey or beef

1 large can crushed tomatoes

1 large can diced tomatoes

1 medium onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped (optional)

1/2 cup chopped mushrooms (I love to use portabella)

--you can add chopped zucchini or celery and it tastes good too... just make sure they cook well enough to soften them

1 Tb Olive Oil

1 tsp Lemon Juice

Seasonings:

1 Tb Oregano

1 Tb Basil

1 Tb Marjoram

1 tsp garlic powder or 1 clove of garlic

(If you want the meat to taste more sausage like - add 1 tsp fennel seed, but only on the meat)

1/2 tsp salt, to taste

1/2 tsp pepper, to taste

     1. You'll add seasonings twice... once on the meat and once in the sauce

     2. Brown Meat... near the end, add onion, pepper, mushrooms, other veggies and first round of seasonings. Cook until veggies are slightly tender

     3. Add canned tomatoes and second round of seasonings. Simmer 20 minutes or more

     4. Serve over pasta (my favorite brand is Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta)

Variations:

~you can add the pasta shortly after adding the tomatoes, and cook the pasta in the tomato sauce rather than in a separate pot on the stove. Add just a little extra water (maybe 1/4 cup).

~Try different kinds of pasta... spaghetti, shells, elbow noodles, penne, lasagna, whatever you'd like!

~Add your favorite cheese on top (sharp cheddar, mozzarella, monterey jack, ricotta, parmesan, etc.)

~If you want to bake it, after browning the meat and cooking the veggies, mix together with tomatoes, second round of seasonings, cheese, and pasta OR layer in a casserole dish for lasagna (place uncooked pasta near the tomatoes... tomatoes, pasta, tomatoes, meat, cheese, pasta, tomatoes, meat, cheese, etc.). Place in 350˚ oven for about 45 minutes or until the sauce is a little bubbly and the pasta is cooked.

Fresh Fruit Salad

Lovely fresh fruit, great for any meal!

Fresh Fruit Salad

Choose three or four of your favorite fruits, chopped

1/2 tsp Lemon Juice to prevent browning (if you use pineapple, then you don't need the lemon juice)

Favorite combinations:

banana, strawberry, blueberry, 

banana, strawberry, blueberry, pineapple

banana, strawberry, apple, orange, 

banana, strawberry, apple, grape

apple, orange, grape

apple, orange, blueberry

... also try adding peaches or pears or other berries when in season

     1. Combine chopped fruit and lemon juice

     2. Eat! (Let sit for 10-20 minutes to let the flavors soak in together)

Freezer Meals

In today's busy world, there's not always time to make a scrumptious meal for yourself or family. Instead of always turning to pre-packaged, processed food, make a plan to stock your freezer with precooked meals. Some ladies I know spend an entire day making freezer meals, but I've never had that kind of time or energy. Here's a few ideas I've found manageable:

~Pull out an extra pound of meat (beef, turkey, chicken, pork, whatever) when preparing a meal... cook and season all the meat, setting aside half to cool and freeze. With hardly any extra effort, you now have a pound of already cooked meat ready for a future meal. Tip: Write what seasoning you used and the date cooked so you'll remember!


~Making meat loaf or a casserole? Why not make two?! This may take an extra 10-20 minutes, depending upon the meal, but you can eat one and freeze the other. Tip: You can either bake both meals that day or put the uncooked meal directly into


~Don't like left overs? Place them in single serving sized plastic freezer bags or containers and store them in the freezer for a rainy day!

Chicken Curry Stir Fry

Colorful and beyond yummy! The trick with this meal is a fairly hot pan, stirring often, and having all chicken and veggies chopped before beginning to cook. I lay out my veggies on a cookie tray in the order I'll be cooking them. Be careful not to overcook veggies or they'll become too soft... they should have a little crunch to them.

Chicken Curry Stir Fry

1 lb chopped Chicken (I usually use breast, but thighs or tenders are great too) - keep chicken chunks fairly small

2-3 Tb oil (grapeseed, sesame seed, coconut, or peanut oil - whatever I'm in the mood for... just not olive oil!)

2-3 Tb liquid aminos (you can use soy sauce for your own meal, but I use a gluten-free soy sauce which is Bragg's Liquid Aminos)

1/2 cup or so Chicken Broth (I usually use organic) - depends on how much sauce you want

Seasonings:

2 tsp Curry Powder

(sometimes I'll add about 1 tsp paprika and/or cumin for a change in flavor)

1 tsp Oregano

1/2 tsp minced Garlic 

1/2 tsp Ginger, powder or fresh ginger juice

1/2 tsp Salt

Veggie Order:

Chop veggies fairly thin and small for faster cooking... truly, you can use whatever veggies you have! Try different ones each time for different flavors and colors... here's the basic veggies plus additional ones you can try in parenthesis:

Carrots

Celery

(Zucchini or squash)

(Asparagus)

Red Pepper

Onion

(Water chestnuts)

Snow peas or snap peas

Leafy veggies:

small amounts of Cabbage or Spinach

Bok Choy (type of cabbage - really adds to the Asian flavor) - keep leafy part here, but place thicker stem near celery

     1. Heat wok or stir fry pan until hot (be careful, oil may pop), add enough oil to cover bottom - about 1 Tb or so

     2. Add chopped Chicken, stirring frequently

     3. Once outside of chicken is cooked, add 1-2 Tb liquid aminos and first round of seasonings - keep the chicken fairly moist

     4. When chicken is barely done (takes only 5-7 minutes or so), place on a separate plate and cover with tin foil to keep warm

     5. Heat pan once again, adding another 1-2 Tb of oil

     6. Begin adding veggies, one type of veggie at a time... Constantly stir, adding the next veggie after about 30 seconds... keep it moist by adding liquid aminos or a little chicken broth as you add in veggies

     7. Once all veggies but the leafy ones are added, add remaining chicken broth and seasonings... continue to stir for another 30-40 seconds

     8. Add cooked chicken and leafy veggies, cover, and turn off heat but keep pan on the stove... let sit for a minute or two while placing cooked rice on the table

     9. Serve over your favorite rice (jasmine, basmati, brown, wild, etc), spooning sauce over rice. 

Guacamole

Fresh, yummy, eat-the-whole-bowl-full, guacamole. Try both mashed and diced avocados for different effects.

Guacamole

2 avocados, mashed or diced (leave pit in bowl if not eating right away or storing some in the fridge for later)

1/2 medium onion, finely diced

1 tomato, diced

1/2 cucumber (sounds strange, but we like it)

1/2 red pepper (I always try to add in more veggies if I have them)

1/2 Sonora Pepper, diced, or Anaheim Pepper or canned green chilies or  1 tsp Chili Powder

Fresh Cilantro, chopped (optional... can also use oregano for a different flavor)

Lime Juice - about 1/4 of a lime squeezed or 1/2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp minced Garlic

1/2 tsp Kosher Salt, to taste

     1. Mash or dice, then mix together... avocados, onion, tomato, cucumber, red pepper, sonora pepper, cilantro, lime juice, garlic, and salt.

     2. Eat! (Let sit for 10-20 minutes to let the flavors soak in together... you can make while cooking dinner or earlier in the afternoon)

Mexi Dish

Yummy Chili, or use the seasoning combination for tacos, enchiladas, or fajitas. James and I don't like things really hot, so feel free to add additional Chili Powder or actual hot peppers to increase the kick!

Mexi Dish

1 lb ground turkey or beef

1 medium onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

--sometimes I add other veggies if I have them or I'll use frozen veggies (I've even used canned green beans or corn too)

1 large can crushed tomatoes (use only diced tomatoes when you want less sauce and more chunkiness!)

1 large can diced tomatoes (Furmano's has a yummy cilantro and lime diced canned tomato)

Seasonings:

2 tsp Chili Powder

1 Tb Cumin

1 tsp Mustard Powder

1 Tb Oregano

1 tsp Garlic

1/2 tsp Salt

Fresh Cilantro (optional)

Lime Juice - about 1/4 of a lime squeezed or 1/2 tsp lemon juice

Additional items for toppings:

8 oz cheese, shredded (we like sharp cheddar or monterey jack)

1 tsp sour cream per person

freshly made guacamole

fresh chopped veggies: lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers

open a can of salsa if you'd rather not make your own!

     1. Brown meat, add diced veggies, cooking until tender

     2. Add tomatoes and seasonings, letting them boil, then simmer for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally

     3. Eat with rice, tortilla chips, over tacos, in corn tortillas, etc.

     4. Top with cheese, sour cream, guacamole, and fresh chopped veggies like lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers