BBQ Base Lasagna

Comfort meals continue with this post so break out your elastic waist pants. Oh yes, I feel like a bear preparing for winter these days with the lbs I am packing on… too bad I canceled that gym membership, it looks like I could probably use it. Lasagna is one of those things that just takes time, boiling the noodles, browning the meat and then all that assembling and baking. I really like this one because I was able to do the prep work ahead of time and then just throw it in the oven before my guests came over for dinner. I really like the time saving no boil noodles but I will say that the top layer ends up a little crispy so if you don’t like your noodles Al dente I would suggest going with the old school noodles.

3 C of the BBQ base

1 jar of pasta sauce

2 C Ricotta cheese

1 egg

Chopped parsley

1 box frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry

1 box of no boil noodles (I used Delallo Whole Wheat noodles)

1 bag of mozzarella cheese

1 C grated Parmesan cheese

S&P

Mix ricotta, egg, parsley and spinach together in a bowl. In a baking dish layer sauce, pasta, ricotta mixture, meat mixture and then mozzarella and Parmesan mixture. Repeat layers until the dish is filled to the top. Layer sauce and a thick layer of Parmesan across the top layer of noodles and either refrigerate, covered, until you are ready to bake or bake immediately at 450 for 40 minutes.

Spinach Cornbread & BBQ Chili

I had this amazing spinach cornbread casserole thing at my friend Brooke’s baby shower the other weekend. It was simply delicious and totally reminded me of corn casserole but “healthier” because it was chock full of spinach! Of course I now need to know how it is made so I started digging up some recipes on line. The one I ended up making was nothing like the original, more like a cornbread with spinach, instead of spinach with cornbread topping. However, it was quite tasty, so I decided to share it anyway. I ended up pairing it with my quick BBQ chili because really, what goes better together than cornbread and chili??

This recipe is an adaptation of one from Taste of Home and is part of a series that started with this post.

1 package of jiffy cornbread mix

½ C grated Parmesan cheese

1/8 tsp garlic powder

2 eggs

½ C Greek yogurt

¼ C butter, melted

1 package (10 oz) frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

½ C shredded cheddar (plus more for topping)

½ C onion, diced

Combine the first three ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk eggs and stir in yogurt and butter. Stir in dry ingredients and then fold spinach, cheddar and onion.  Grease pan of choice (I used a pie pan and cut triangle slices) pour mixture into the pan and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Pull from the oven and top with additional cheddar and bake for 3-5 more minutes or until the cheese begins to crisp up.

BBQ Chili

So my dear friend Dana just had a beautiful little girl named Lauren. In an effort to help her through this transition a few of us put together another one of those meal chains through TakeThemAMeal.com. For my meal, the mommy dearest had made the request for the BBQ boats that I posted about a couple of weeks ago. I knew I was going to be browning meat and vegetable mixture already but I also hate to eat the same thing back to back so I decided to try and do some creative meal planning using the meat mixture for three nights worth of dinner in different ways

Night One: BBQ Boats

Night Two:  BBQ Chili (from the same meat base) and a spinach cornbread

Night Three: BBQ Base Lasagna

It worked out really well and I was really excited that I was able to stretch out two lbs of meat across three dinners for multiple people without eating the same ol' leftovers for three nights in a row.

When I was making the meat mixture for the boats this time I  used 2 lbs of ground meat which gave me enough for 15 boats (an adult serving is probably 2 boats per person and 1 per kid), 1 pot of chili that served 3 (plus leftovers for lunch) and a full tray lasagna that was dinner for 4 adults and 2 toddlers.

I pre-cooked the meat and veggie mixture the first night which made dinner preparations for the next two evenings a snap. 

I used one basic meat base for all three of these meals which was made of the following:

2 lbs of ground meat (I used 1 lb of chicken and 1 lb of beef)

½ onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, diced

1 bag of frozen spinach, thawed and strained

1 whole pepper, diced

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

S&P

I browned the meat, onions, garlic and spices in a pan until the meat was almost completely cooked through. Then I added the spinach and peppers and continued to cook until the peppers softened. I removed about 1/3 of the mixture from the skillet and placed it in an air tight container in the refrigerator for the lasagna. I added the remainder of the items used in the BBQ Boat sauce to the meat on the pan and continued to let it cook for another 5 minutes. After I had completed the boats I reserved the remainder of the bbq mixture (about 2-3 cups) in a container in the fridge for the chili.

I really enjoy a hint of sweetness in my chili which some people might think is weird. I find it complements the heat of the peppers and spices really well. My usual way to achieve sweetness (easily) in my chili is to add a small can of baked beans to the mix (seriously, its good) so I figured, how much different could it be to use bbq meat instead? This was a great way to achieve the same flavor profile in my chili while keeping me from eating the same old dreaded leftovers all week long. 

Since I have already shared my boats recipe here, Ill skip that portion and go right on to the chili.

I was short on time yesterday I made a really quick chili that wasn’t short on flavor since the already cooked meat was able to act as the base.

1 can kidney beans

1 C frozen corn

½ onion, diced

1 sweet pepper, diced

1 tbs chili powder

Remainder of the BBQ from the boats

Cook on medium for 20-30 minutes and serve. 

I garnish mine with Greek yogurt (instead of sour cream) and a bit of extra cheese! 

 

School Traditions

The first day of school is finally here!!! I still remember how excited I use to get every year on my first day and I want to instill that same excitement in my little guy. We have done all the “prep” work now, reading first day of school books, picking out a special outfit and even preparing his backpack for the first day! I am not going to lie, I thought a backpack was a bit ridiculous for a 2 year old but then my mom pulled out the LL Bean backpack that my sister, brother and I all used for preschool and I decided that B had to carry on the tradition. A little ribbon and stitch witchery later we a super cute personalized backpack that is just perfect for B’s extra diapers and clothes. I love that he is carrying on a tradition but also making it his own (since he got to pick out the dinosaur ribbon) so that got me thinking about other first day of school traditions and I thought I would put together a list of my top 5 favorites that I would consider incorporating into our family too.

11. The super cute first day pictures with a sign (they are on every parent’s Pinterest or Facebook wall)

2. Favorite meal- preparing a special meal (either breakfast or dinner) for your little ones first day. We did chicken nuggets and apples for lunch, B’s current favorites

33. Afternoon snack- Katie’s family is carrying on  her husband’s tradition of fresh baked cookies and milk at home after school

44. First day video- capturing what the first day of school was like from his own mouth.

5.  Special lunch treat- leaving a special surprise and note in his lunch box to help cheer him on.

We really did have an awesome first day of school and while I had a laundry list of things to accomplish on my “first day of freedom” I was super excited to be able to stick around and witness first hand all that he was experiencing. I was really excited to see that a lot of the songs and rhymes that his teacher used were the same ones that we have done in Music Together throughout the last two years. I really think it brought that level of familiarity to the experience for him and at one point he even said “Bee-anne sings that” (Breanne has been his Music Together teacher.)  I love that we got to create these memories together and I am super excited for what the next year has in store for us.

Coconut Curry Potato Crisps

We have been getting TONS of potatoes from our CSA the past few weeks so I have been on a potato frenzy. These coconut curry potato crisps were devised from my friend Sarah’s baked French fry recipe that I shared a few weeks back. I love how easy and versatile these are and that since they are sliced thinly they cook super quickly. I served these up with baked chicken one night and then with burgers the next and they complimented both meals perfectly. With another big bag of potatoes hitting our doorstep this week I have a feeling there will be plenty more of these in out future.

3-4 medium potatoes, sliced ½ inch or less thick

1 tbs coconut oil

Curry powder

Salt

Toss the sliced potatoes in coconut oil and lay them out on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt and curry powder and then bake at 400 for 20 minutes, flipping once. Serve!

Thai Curry Crock Pot

Months ago my dear friend Jason asked for a crock pot curry recipe and I began trying things out. It seems like it wouldn’t be that hard… a thick flavorful sauce, a protein and a mix of veggies to boot. The issue is that slow cooking can lead to overcooked meat and veggies which is just no good. I think I finally managed to get decent flavor and well cooked items by starting with frozen chicken which allows the long cooking time to also be used for defrosting, and by adding the veggies at the end to keep them crisp and tasty. 

So here we go…

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs

3 tbs coconut oil

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

3 tbs soy sauce

1 tsp salt

2 tbs of brown sugar

2 tst Thai curry paste (red or green)

1 C coconut milk

½ C Peanut butter (optional)

1 stick of lemongrass

1 fresh chili, minced (optional- I used a Serrano)

1 lime, zested, juiced

3 C fresh veggies of choice (beans, peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, squash)

1 C fresh cilantro, chopped

1 C fresh basil, chopped

1/2 C scallions, chopped

Add the first 11 ingredients to the crock pot and cook on low and cook for 8 hours (or high for 4). The only vegetables you should cook for the entire duration are potatoes because they will stand up to the heat. During the final ½ hour of cooking increase the heat to high and add the fresh veggies, chili pepper and lime stirring the curry so that the flavors will mix. I usually prep these ahead of time and store them in a plastic bag or container so I can dump them in when I come home right before dinner. While the veggies are cooking make a pot of rice to serve with the curry. Stir in fresh herbs right before serving and garnish with additional fresh lime wedges.

Preschool Play Dough

I know I can make a mean meal but cooking up play dough scares me. I just have visions of the whole thing turning into a rock and the kids just shaking their heads at me. Since I am scheduled to bring the play dough for the 2s class soon I figured I would give it a try today to make sure little B would approve my skills. Lucky for me I passed with flying colors and B had a great time rolling, smashing and cutting his dough to pieces.

This recipe took about 10 minutes from start to finish (including cleaning the pot) so it is definitely a super easy rainy day (or sick day) activity that will entertain way past the length of time it takes to set up. We pulled out a bunch of B’s kitchen items including childrens cookie cutters, shapes, spatulas etc. and really let him get creative. By the end of the afternoon he was making his own “pizzas” and “cookies.”

1 C flour

1 C water

1/2 C salt

1 Tbs oil

2 tsp cream of tarter

food coloring (I used 13  drops but keep adding until you get the right color)

Mix all the ingredients together over medium heat, constantly stirring until it forms a loose ball. Allow to cool and store in a zip lock bag for up to 2 weeks. 1 batch should make enough for 6-8 small "play dough" containers.