Mission Accomplished!!! We made it through TEN days of real food! No sugar, no preservatives! I can't begin to describe how wonderful it feels. I was able to cook all meals at home with the exception of one meal, where I had to cheat a tiiiiny bit, but other than that, everything was great! Also, when I cheated, the food tasted gross and bland, like cardboard. It's really amazing how real food explodes on your tongue when you get used to not having preservatives and sugar in everything we eat. I've made homemade granola bars, homemade bread, spaghetti sauce, and everything else from scratch this week! Superdad has tons more energy, and superboy is doing wonderfully with the change.
Zucchini Frittata
2 cups sliced zucchini
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup sliced onion
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
4 eggs
2 egg whites
1/4 cup Parmesan
1/4 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
Saute onion and garlic in oil until onion is softened and turns yellow.
Add zucchini and saute until soft about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In a bowl mix together egg, whites, Parmesan and milk.
Pour egg mixture over the zucchini and lower heat. Cook until egg mixture is semi set. The edges will be browned and you should be able to lift them a bit with a spatula.
Place the pan in the broiler to cook the center about 5 minutes.
Top with some feta cheese and chopped parsley if desired.
Crock Pot Pork & Pears
4- 1/2 inch thick, boneless pork loin chops
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp.salt
1 tsp. butter
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
1/2 c. apple juice, no sugar added
1/2 c. onion, sliced
2 firm, ripe pears, skin off, sliced
Melt butter in a saute pan over medium heat until it melts.
Season both sides of pork chops with salt and pepper.
Add pork to saute pan and cook on each side until browned.
Pour apple juice and applesauce into the crock pot.
Place sliced onion over applesauce.
Add pork chops on top of onions.
Add sliced pears on top of the pork chops.
Cook on high for 3 hours.
I topped this with mango salsa [1 mango, 1 red onion, and one bunch of cilantro, chopped] and it was even better! Adam liked this one more than me, though, I must admit.
Real Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
2.5 cups uncooked brown rice
2 cups chicken, cooked and chopped
4 cups fresh broccoli florets
1 batch cream of mushroom soup (homemade)
1 batch cream of chicken soup (homemade)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Cook brown rice according to package instructions on the stove top or in a rice cooker. Meanwhile, in a large pot, steam broccoli florets until just tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, reserving .5 cup of shredded cheese. Mix well to combine. Divide casserole between two 8 x 8 greased baking pans or one larger pan. Sprinkle each with .25 cups shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until heated through and bubbly.
Spinach Pie
1 whole wheat pie crust
2 cups fresh or frozen, chopped spinach
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheese, divided in half ( I used Italian cheese blend of asiago, mozzarella, Parmesan)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon minced garlic
pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add salt, pepper, garlic, 1/2 cup shredded cheese and milk. Mix well.
Evenly distribute the chopped, cooked spinach into the pie crust.
Pour the egg mixture over the spinach then add the 1/2 cup of cheese on top.
Bake 40-60 minutes until the center is cooked. Let stand 15 minutes before slicing.
Crock Pot Lasagna
3 cans (14.4 ounces) crushed tomatoes
3 cloves garlic , finely chopped
2 Tbsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 containers (15 ounces each) fresh ricotta
2 cups (8 ounces) grated mozzarella
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
12 lasagna noodles (about three-quarters of a 1-pound box)
5 ounces (about 6 cups) baby spinach
In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, salt, red pepper and black pepper. In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella and Parmesan.
In the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, spread a thin layer of the sauce. Top with 3 of the noodles (breaking to fit as necessary). Spread about 1 cup of the sauce over the noodles and layer with 2 cups of the spinach and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese mixture. Repeat twice more with the noodles, sauce, spinach and cheese mixture. Top with the remaining 3 noodles, sauce and 1 cup mozzarella.
Cook on low, covered, until the noodles are tender—especially in the center of the lasagna—about 3 to 3 1/2 hours.
I found all of the above recipes on a couple of my new favorite blogs, www.sugarfreemom.com and www.100daysofrealfood.com, with the exception of the last recipe, which was given to me by my sweet friend Susan.
This is such a great change for our family.
With love,
Supermom
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