Easy Zucchini, Bean, and Rice Bake

Happy Saturday! I hope everyone is enjoying the weekend. I'm learning how to balance a full-time job with a part-time job on my weekends. It's tricky to say the least, but hey, I can't complain since I'm the one that wants to make some extra money. Anyway... just because I'm working a lot and have less time to cook real meals doesn't mean that I can't eat wholesome food. It just means that I have to get creative with what I'm cooking.

I'm all about simple food. I love dinners that can come together in no time at all and meals that can be prepped ahead of time. This healthy rice bake has just a few ingredients and will be on the table before you know it!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice
3 medium to large zucchinis, sliced and quartered
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
2 cans blacked beans, rinsed and drained
1 to 1 1/2 cups reduced-fat shredded cheese, divided
Salt and pepper, to taste
Cooking spray

Directions:

Cook brown rice as directed on package. This can be cooked ahead of time.

Preheat the oven to 350* F and spray a baking dish with nonstick spray.

In a heated pan sprayed with nonstick spray, cook the zucchini and onion for about 5 minutes.

In a medium size mixing bowl, combine rice, beans, zucchini, onion, salt and pepper, and cheese.

Pour mixture into the baking dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and zucchini cooked to your desired tenderness.


Enjoy!

A Day Off + Easy Tamale Pie Recipe

Hey, folks! I hope you are all having a lovely week so far. After teaching a high intensity circuit training class yesterday morning, I had the entire day free from any obligations. It was truly amazing! I was able to get three loads of laundry washed and dried, I read more of Wild, and I sat down and watched a movie; yes, I watched a full movie in the middle of the day!

Throughout the day, I made three loaves of bread (two to give away and one to keep) with my bread machine I bought with graduation money. If I remember correctly, I've made 10 loaves of bread so far. Each loaf has turned out great and the machine itself still works like a charm (thank goodness!).

My favorite thing about being home in the evening is being able to make dinner. I love the taste of Mexican food, but I'm not always in the mood to "pretty-up" and go out for dinner... So, when the craving hit me today, I made a super simple dish: Tamale Pie. If you're unfamiliar with Tamale Pie, it's a Mexican-style dish made of a meat mixture baked with cornbread on top. The recipe that inspired me was meant to be cooked in a slow cooker, but I didn't want it to be an all-day process; I just wanted to cook it and be done with it! It tasted great (a million times better than the photo looks!) and it definitely satisfied my craving for Mexican food.

Ingredients:

1.25 lbs ground meat (I used 93% lean ground beef)
1/2 small onion, peeled and diced
1 can black beans (15 ounces), rinsed and drained
1 can whole kernel corn (11 ounces), drained
1 can diced tomatoes with green peppers (14.5 ounces), drained
1 can (10 ounces) enchilada sauce
1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 package (8.5 ounces) corn bread/muffin mix (I used Jiffy brand)
2 eggs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350* F and spray a 13" x 9" baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook beef and onions together until the meat is cooked through. Drain the mixture and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, cheese, cilantro, salt, chili powder, pepper, and cumin. Mix until well incorporated. Pour the mixture into the baking dish and bake for about 15 minutes.

While the mixture is baking, beat the eggs in a small mixing bowl. Add the cornbread/muffin mix and mix well. Spoon the mixture over the meat mixture and continue baking for about 20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

 

Skinny Baked Broccoli Macaroni and Cheese

I hope you all are enjoying your weekend. We've got a lot going on today, as it's my dad's 55th birthday! Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Today, I’m going to share a lighter version of Baked Broccoli Macaroni and Cheese.  It’s just as good as the full fat and full calorie versions out there, but it doesn’t have all that extra guilt.

This recipe was adapted from Six Sisters’ Stuff.

Ingredients:

12 oz. whole wheat/whole grain elbow pasta

2 tablespoons margarine or light butter
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup onion, finely chopped
2 cups skim milk
1 cup fat-free/low-sodium chicken broth
8 oz. (2 cups) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar
Salt and pepper to taste
12 oz. broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)
1/8 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
Nonstick cooking spray

Directions:

Boil a large pot of salted water and cook the pasta and broccoli together, according to the directions on the pasta package. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and preheat the oven to 350*.

In a large heavy skillet, melt the butter. Add the onion, cooking on low heat for about 2 minutes. Add the flour and cook for another minute, until well combined. Add the milk and broth, whisking to combine. Increase the temperature to medium-high. Allow the mixture to come to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce becomes smooth and thick.

Once the sauce thickens, remove the skillet from the heat. Add the cheddar cheese and stir well, until the cheese is melted. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the cooked macaroni and broccoli and mix well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and top with the grated Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs.

Bake for 15 minutes covered with foil and an additional 10 minutes without the foil. If you want to brown the breadcrumbs, broil the dish for a few minutes until golden.
 

Creamy Chicken Broccoli Casserole

First of all, I want to apologize to you for all the chicken recipes. It never occurred to me that normal people don't like to eat chicken almost every night of the week. Oops. I guess I'm just not much of a beef or pork eater. However, I will try to add some variety; keyword: try.

I found this recipe over at Six Sisters' Stuff and thought I'd give it a try. It reminds me of chicken Alfredo, but it's a bit thicker and a bit more rich. If you're a fan of cream cheese, you will like this!

Ingredients:

 

4-5 chicken breasts (I used boneless and skinless)

1 bag of frozen broccoli (I used the kind that steams in the microwave)

2 (8 oz.) boxes of fat-free cream cheese (My grocery store doesn't sell it; I used Neufchatel)

2 cups skim milk

2 teaspoons garlic powder

3/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Whole Wheat Ritz cracker crumbs for topping (I used half of a sleeve of crackers)

1 box of your favorite whole wheat/whole grain pasta (I used thin spaghetti)

 

Directions:

 

Cook the chicken (I boiled mine). Once the internal temperature reaches 165*, cut the chicken into small bite-size pieces and set aside.

 

Cook the broccoli according to the directions on the package. Place the broccoli in the bottom of a 13x9 greased casserole dish.

 

In a saucepan, heat the milk, cream cheese, garlic salt, and Parmesan cheese over medium-low heat, stirring until smooth. Pour 1 cup of the sauce over the broccoli.

 

Add the chicken to the casserole dish and pour the remaining sauce over the chicken, spreading evenly.

 

Top with the cracker crumbs and cook for 25 minutes at 350*.

 

While the casserole is in the oven, cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.

 

Serve the casserole over the pasta.



Easy Fiesta Chicken Casserole

It can be pretty difficult to put together a decent dinner when you are crunched for time. I often go to the gym in the evenings and want to eat something right away after a hard workout; it’s a pain when I have no time for cooking up a wholesome meal.

Enter “Fiesta Chicken Casserole”. This is so easy to make and I didn’t even need to make a trip to the grocery store. It's packed with whole grains, protein, and fiber and tastes delicious. It's a much healthier alternative to many of the dishes you can order at your local Mexican restaurant. This dish can be prepped the night before or the morning before and tossed into the oven for a quick meal.

Easy Fiesta Chicken Casserole

(Adapted from Six Sisters' Stuff)

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups brown rice, cooked

1 cup prepared salsa
1 can diced tomatoes (I used one with peppers and onion)
1 can corn, drained (I used the no salt added kind)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
4 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed/shredded (I boiled mine, but feel free to use rotisserie chicken)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
8 ounces of sliced or shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
Cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350*F and lightly coat a 13” X 9” baking dish with cooking spray. Combine cooked brown rice, salsa, diced tomatoes, corn, black beans, chicken breast pieces, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a mixing bowl. Cook for 15 minutes covered. Remove casserole from oven and top with cheese. Continue baking for 15 more minutes or until heated throughout.

Although this dish is great as-is, a dollop of fat-free sour cream or guacamole would be dreamy!

Enjoy!

Merry Christmas! + Breakfast Casserole Recipe

We didn't have a white Christmas, but the weather was beautiful here at the beach. It was the perfect temperature and we even felt some sunshine. Our group exchanged presents in the late morning and enjoyed each other's company throughout the day, taking time to visit with extended family. Even though this year didn't quite feel as "Christmasey" as it should have, I feel so blessed to have those who mean the most to me, especially my beau and my parents. I have a ton to be thankful for. 

 



Kitty was especially thrilled with her loot from Santa!

As per usual, my mom was in charge of the dinner meal, so I took care of breakfast for everyone. I chose to make a hash brown breakfast casserole and a baked french toast casserole. Both were so easy to make (I actually prepped them Christmas Eve evening and cooked them this morning) and both were so delicious.

The baked french toast was actually a recipe from Ree Drummond, aka The Pioneer Woman. I won't go into any length about the particulars, but it was SO YUMMY! I will definitely use this recipe for future breakfasts and get-togethers. You can find her recipe here.

Pioneer Woman also takes prettier pictures of her creations!

 

The hash brown breakfast casserole was also pretty tasty. Cooking breakfast for everyone was much easier than preparing any Christmas dinner; the prep for this one took less than 15 minutes. Although I thought it tasted great as is, next time I might add some mushrooms or peppers.

Ingredients:

1 lb. pre-cooked turkey sausage, crumbled
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 1/2 cups frozen hash browns
5 large eggs, lightly beaten
8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar
1 3/4 cups milk
1 cup baking mix (pancake mix is just fine)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

In a heated pan on medium-high heat, cook onion and hash browns with a few tablespoons of oil (I used extra virgin olive oil), until the hash browns are slightly browned.

Spoon the mixture into a lightly greased 13 x 9- inch baking dish (stoneware is always my favorite for these sorts of recipes).

Stir together the lightly beaten eggs, cheese, milk, baking mix, salt, and pepper. Pour evenly over the sausage/hash brown mixture. Cover and chill for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Bake covered with foil at 350* F for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes.

Optional toppings: sour cream, hot sauce, ketchup, salsa, parsley, etc.

 

My little Ikea trees decorated.

Before I started to pack away any decorations, I wanted to share a photo of my little trees. Though they aren't in an ideal location (ughhh, not having a place of my own), I decided to throw on some ornaments, even though I didn't plan to ever decorate them. They make my room looks much more festive and cheerful.

I hope you all had a magical Merry Christmas, spending your day with the people you love, eating the things you love, and doing the things you love.