It's that time of year!

It's that time of year again! Once the last week of December rolls around you start to think about what resolutions you would like to have for the upcoming year and how you would like your life to be made better. In 2011 I would like to focus on EATING more healthy. Hence the post in this particular blog.

I happen to have two other blogs, you can come check them out and follow them too :)

www.imawifeandmother.blogspot.com

www.onecreativemama.blogspot.com

So to jump start my healthy eating and I am going to quit my favorite sweets cold turkey. As weird as this may sound I actually feeling pretty stoked about this one. I'm definitely feeling up for the challenge, and that's exactly what it's going to be! One tough challenge, but I've heard that if you don't eat sweets for very long if you start eating them again they will make you sick, which is what I'm hoping for. (because i won't want to get sick so they won't be tempting!)

The 3 main things I'm giving up are:

ALL CANDY

(I crave it all, especially chocolate bars)

ALL COOKIES

(my biggest weakness ever are these frosted sugar cookies)

ALL SODA

(just all around not good for me)

Now, last year I made one major "New Years Resolution" for my over-all health and well-being (those of you that know me will know what that is, those of you that don't know me well, don't want to know) and I stuck w/ it all year long and am proud to say that I no longer participate in that nasty habit. So after sticking with that (as incredibly hard as it was) It gives me a little more confidence that I will be able to do another very hard thing this year, which is giving up all those sweets.

So once every couple of months I'm going to give an update on my progress and HOPEFULLY i'll be able to say that I stuck with this through the entire year and that I am several pounds lighter because of it!

So I would love some comments about what you would like to focus on in the new year and your ideas about anything else you'd like to share. Tell me about your New Years Resolutions and your plans on sticking with it!

If you'd like to join me in giving up these things as well, I welcome you to the challenge! We can do it! Keep in mind that quitting anything cold turkey is very hard which is why I have chosen not to get rid of all sweets entirely. I don't make baked goods very often, but when I do I get to choose what goes in them, (i.e. stevia/xyitol vs. white sugar & soy vs. dairy) so I can still have a slice of cake every now and then or a small brownie when I'm feeling weak. The key to all things is moderation and consistency.

The Easiest Pulled Pork You'll Ever Make

Ssooo... the other night I made pulled pork sandwiches for dinner and they were DELICIOUS! So I decided I wanted to share how I made them with all of you. They are the easiest pulled pork sandwiches you will ever make. Seriously, I'm NOT KIDDING.

All you need is:

*Beef Broth

*1 medium sized Pork Roast or 2 small Pork Roasts (which is what I used)

*2 containers your favorite BBQ sauce

*a Fork, a knife, and a Plate

*Your handy dandy Crock Pot

So in the morning before you go to school/work/gym/run errands throw the roast(s) in the crock pot with enough beef broth that it almost covers the top. I actually just added water to the crock pot and put a few tbsp beef granules in there and stirred it around. Turn it up to high. When I came home several hours later my house smelled amazing!

When you get home, 1 hour before you want to eat, check that your pork is cooked through using a fork. If it is (it should be after 6-7 hours) drain all the broth from the crock pot and put the pork on your plate. Using the fork and knife shred the beef as best as you can. Put it back in the crockpot after its all shredded and add all the BBQ sauce. Cook for one more hour on low, stirring occasionally, like every 15 mins or so.

I served these on toasted whole wheat buns w/ Baked Beans and Chips. (i just put one side of each bun in my toaster slots and let them lightly toast) Slather the pork on your buns and serve warm. You won't be sorry you cooked this! It's so yummy!!!

*This fed my family of 4 for the night (about 8 sandwiches) and has been in my husband's lunch the last 2 days on two sandwiches and we still have leftovers. I'm not a big leftover fan or it would be gone right now. My point is that this is a decent sized recipe and could feed a family of 6-8 really well :)

Strawberry Blueberry Smoothie

Most people make Strawberry Banana Smoothies, which are delicious, but my all time favorite smoothie is a "made at home" Strawberry Blueberry Smoothie. And yes, I do like them in the winter time! haha So grab your blender and get to blending because this is a healthy snack or dessert that will have you drinking strait from the blender itself! I love using frozen fruit because then I don't have to dilute the milk w/ water. (ice cubes) I don't like using ice, the sound of it in the blender hurts my ears :(

You will need:

About 10 Frozen Strawberries

A handful of Frozen Blueberries

Vanilla Soymilk (I use light soymilk) (no set amount, depends on what consistency you like)

1/2 pkt Truvia (a sweetener made from Stevia, it's wonderful)

Put about 1-1&1/2 cup of soymilk in your blender. Add 2-3 strawberries at a time and blend well till it starts to thicken. Add half the blueberries and blend. Add some more milk if it's getting too thick, you want all those blueberries in there!

*here's a fun fact about blueberries: Did you know that blueberries contain the most antioxidants out of all other fruits? Pretty cool, huh?

Just add and blend till everything is mixed in. Truvia goes in last bc you may or may not need it. It depends on your taste buds really. My husband prefers his smoothies just plain fruity, not too sweet. I feel the same way, but every once in a while I need something a little sweeter so this is how I sweeten it up. NEVER add sugar to a smoothie! It ruins the whole Idea of a healthy snack :P

Enjoy :)

The Yummiest Stuffed Pasta Shells

So, my husband LOVES these so much he told me last time I made them that in the 5 years of begin married to me that he has never loved anything I've cooked for him more than these stuffed shells. I LOVE hearing that, makes me feel so good. It feels so good to cook something you get compliments on right? Well this is one of those dishes!

It works well as main dish or as a side dish since it's got meat in it. You can also make it without meat in it and serve it with chicken or salmon. Here I am talking about this great dish and I haven't even told you what it is yet. Seven Words people: Jumbo Meat and Cheese Stuffed Pasta Shells. They are delicious, and the best part about this recipe is that people who are allergic to dairy can enjoy it as well with very little tweaking to the recipe! Awesome, right? Here it is...

You will need:

-20-30 Jumbo pasta shells, depending on how big your family is or wether you're making it a main course or a side dish

-1-8 oz container chive and onion cream cheese (you can buy this or make your own which is very easy. I've posted how below)

-1/2 lb ground turkey, seasoned however you like (unless you like it w/ taco seasoning, that would really not be good! lol I usually just use a few sprinkles each of Salt and Pepper)

-Parmesen Cheese, 1/2 a cup maybe? (or non-dairy imitation parmesan, health food stores sell this)

-1 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded (you can also use veggie shreds tofu cheese, motz flavor) and some for sprinkling

-Your favorite pasta or marinara sauce

Chive and Onion Cream Cheese:

In a bowl bigger than the container mix all the cream cheese (I use Toffuti brand non-dairy imitation cream cheese from the health food store. you'll never know the difference. I've made it both ways and I actually like using this better) with one heaping tsp of fine Onion powder and a healthy sprinkling of dried chives. It's that easy and saves you money, too!

Instructions:

Cook the shells according to the directions on the box or bag. Prep your casserole dish by pouring and spreading a thin layer of pasta sauce on the bottom. Preheat the oven to 325°

Soften your cream cheese in the microwave for about 30 seconds and dump into a bowl.

Add the 1 cup mozzarella and mix together. Sprinkle with Parmesan, add browned turkey burger, and mix again. Add another light sprinkling of parmesan. Make sure everything is mixed together really well.

When your shells are done cooking, drain them. Using a spoon stuff each shell with the cheese/meat mixture until they are full and set them side by side in the prepped casserole dish.

When your dish is full, cover the shells with more pasta sauce and top with a light sprinkling of mozzarella. Cover w/ tin foil or the lid if your dish has one.

Cook covered for 30-45 minutes then remove the foil/lid and sprinkle some more mozzarella. Cook uncovered an additional 10 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes and serve.

Super Easy Taco Soup

So I love this recipe bc when you're a mom and you're constantly on the go there's nothing a like a yummy meal you can throw in the crockpot and not worry about till 5:30. And that's exactly what this is! No prep work, just toss the ingredients in and go! So I hope you enjoy this, the recipe comes from the kitchen of my beautiful sister-in-laws Shalane & Shannon :)

You will need:

-1 can corn, drained

-1 can black beans, rinsed

-1 can green chilis (i actually thought I had some of these but turns out I didnt so I chopped up some green peppers instead. If you have the green chilis tho, definitely use them, way easier!)

-1 pkt taco seasoning or 1/4 cup

-32 oz (4 cups) of chicken broth

-4 frozen chicken breasts

-16 oz (2 cups) of your favorite salsa (I used Tostitos medium, my hubby's favorite)

Put all ingredients in crockpot, turn on high and let cook 4 hrs. Take chicken out and shred it w/ a fork and return it to crockpot and cook an additional hour.

*If you would like to use ground meat (such as hamburger or turkey burger) instead of chicken you would just cook the meat up (seasoned how you like it) and add it before you cook the additional hour at the end. I like the chicken tho, but turkey burger tastes great also :)

I like to serve this w/ rice, tortilla chips, tofu sour cream, and cheddar cheese. Enjoy!

Can you tell the difference?

I made burgers for dinner tonight! Each side is different, can you tell why?

You guessed it! On the left side are hamburgers and on the right are turkey burgers.

But what is the difference really? There's a slight difference in taste, beef is a little darker than turkey, but is there anything else? YES THERE IS!

As a mother my job is to help provide and care for my family, and one of the main things I do is feed everyone! I try to be pretty health conscious which is hard sometimes, but for the most part it's not really as bad as people make it out to be. Which is why choosing turkey over beef was an easy decision for me. Maybe after reading this information you'll agree with me.

Cost

I buy my turkey burger in 1 lb frozen rolls from Walmart or Smiths. (it depends on how far I want to drive that day) At Walmart it costs $1.86 per roll and at Smiths it costs $1.99 per roll. I've never been able to find the same amount in beef that costs under $2.00.

Nutrition

In one 16oz frozen roll of turkey burger there is 170 calories, 13g of fat, 110mg of cholesterol, and 19 grams of protein. (I took that strait off the label of a frozen roll in my freezer (turkey and natural seasonings), Jennie-O brand.) In 4oz of frozen ground beef there is 290 calories, 23g of fat, 75mg of cholesterol, and 21g of protein. So while beef has more protein, turkey is definitely the healthier option. (I also took this strait off the label of frozen ground beef patties in my freezer (all beef), Great Value brand.)

Cooking

As far as cooking goes, you can pretty much use both ground beef or turkey in any recipe that calls for ground meat. So there's really no difference there. In my personal opinion though, I prefer cooking w/ Turkey burger as there is less grease than with beef.

Taste

I've heard several people say that cooking with turkey instead of beef is sacrificing flavor, but I would have to disagree. I've also heard that you have to add more seasonings to turkey than to beef because it is more bland in flavor. Once again, I disagree. I season my turkey and beef the same way and altho I can tell a difference in the taste of the actual meat there is no "sacrificing of flavor" and once again, there is less grease in the turkey. So you may disagree, but I think turkey wins again!

I hope you enjoyed reading my blog! Feel free to stop by any time :)

This is also posted in another blog of mine. To view this and other posts in my life as a mother blog click here.

LeftOver Thanksgiving Turkey Pot Pie

I realize I'm posting this a little too late since Thanksgiving has been over for a while, but I figure there is more holiday turkeys in the future w/ Christmas coming up so you can try it out then if you'd like. Also, this recipe is non-dairy! So all of you out there that are allergic to dairy like my husband and daughters, or who are lactose intolerant can enjoy this as well. I hope you like it!!!!

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You will need:

-leftover turkey carcass

(you can do an easy prep on the turkey before hand-boil in large pot, all meat covered w/ water for 2 hrs. drain and let cool 30 mins and meat will pull right off very easily)

-2 pie crusts (dough, not precooked)

-1&3/4 cups water

-1 can select mixed veggies (carrots, potatoes, celery, green beans, and peas)

-1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk

-2 heaping tsp chicken bullion granules

-cornstarch

-salt & pepper

First you need to pull all the leftover turkey (dark and light meat) from the carcass and put it into a mixing bowl.

Leave one of your pie crusts in its pan and turn the other one over upside down on a foil lined cookie sheet to thaw.

Drain your veggies and mix them into your turkey w/ a few sprinkles each of salt and pepper. If you have fresh veggies (I didn't at the time) you should boil them in chicken broth to cook them before you mix them with your meat. Add them to the broth in order of how fast they will cook. I.E. potatoes and carrots will take longer to cook than peas and green beans, ect.

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Now for the filling:

In a sauce pan add all the soy milk and water and stir in your granules. Mix them well. In a small mug mix about 1/4 cup cold water with 4 heaping tbsp of cornstarch and mix well. Should be the consistency of cream, nice and thick. Add this a little at a time to your water/milk mixture until it begins to thicken. Sprinkle it with salt and continue stirring until you have a nice thick filling.

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Add your filling to your turkey/veggie mix and mix it all together well.

Throw your bottom pie crust in the oven and cook it according to the directions. While that's cooking you can shape your top crust. Yours may not fall apart, but mine had been frozen and it broke a lot on the sides so I wadded it up into a big ball of dough and rolled it out to the right size (just wider than the pie pan it came in, as you can see)

When the bottom crust finishes cooking, fill it right to the top w/ your filling mixture.

Carefully lay your top crust over the filled bottom one and press the edges down. You can cut off any excess top pie crust very easily w/ a butter knife or just press down a little harder around the outside w/ your finger and it will pull right off. You should also score the top so it can breathe. (you don't have to score it like I did, you can do it how ever you'd like)

Cook at about 350 until your pie crust begins to brown and it should look something like this when it comes out.

It was pretty tasty and it went fast! Except I got really thick pie crusts, I won't make that mistake again. Even my 19 month old daughter gobbled down a whole slice! For another good recipe on a Chicken Pot Pie from scratch click here and my friend The WannaBe Chef Chelsy will show you how to make a delicious one!! Follow her, she's a great cook! I hope you enjoy your dinner! Happy Cooking :)