Categories
Healthy Recipes Recipes Sides

Best Beet Green Recipe

Why I eat Beet Greens and you should too

I have to credit my father-in-law for this delicious sauteed beet green recipe. He is quite the chef. I’ll probably have plenty more of his tasty recipes to share. This one is a delicious way to use a food many people throw away! Wasting food is terrible, but wasting delicious and nutritious food is even worse. According to Jo Robinson, author of Eating on the Wild Side, beet greens are more nutritious than the beets themselves.

My father-in-law was a child during world war II. Because if this he grew up learning to use all of the food that was provided. Some of his childhood stories make 2020 sound like a picnic. Next time your teens are complaining about wearing masks or giving up football have them read Stolen Childhood. This book is a story similar to what my father-in-law went through and a great explanation for why he has so many tips and tricks for using up left overs and scraps. Through him I learned that beet greens are not scraps!

Where to find Beet Greens

Back to the beets. First you will have to find beets with the greens still attached. Many chain grocery stores will remove them and throw them away! I know it’s really sad. You could grow them your self, find them at a farmers market or a good organic produce store. Don’t get discouraged. If you do manage to find beets with the greens attached, as an added bonus you will know you have found yourself a fresh beet. The beet roots will last a long time on the grocers shelf, but the greens will begin to wilt sooner, which is probably why they tend to remove them. Buy beets with the greens!

Sauteed Beet Greens Recipe

Now for the sauteed beet greens recipe. Start by removing the greens from the beets. Save the beets for later. I’ll share some great beet recipes soon.

Ingredients:

Stems and leaves form 3 beets

1 medium onion

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 cup sour cream

Directions:

Soak the beet greens and thoroughly wash them.

Chop the stems and leaves. Set aside Mince one onion. Sauté onion in a frying pan with the olive oil until softened. Add the chopped stems and leaves and continue to sauté until softened. Add the lemon juice and toss to coat.

Sauteed beet greens with onions and lemon juice

Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream.

Best Beet Green recipe
Prepared beet greens

Serve warm. This dish makes a delicious side for beef or chicken.

As an amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Follow us on Social Media!

Categories
Breakfast recipes Recipes

Prepare Ahead Breakfast Sandwiches

These easy prepare ahead breakfast sandwiches are delicious and they are sure to take some stress out of your morning routine. I like to prepare them on the weekend when I have some extra time. They can be frozen and used for hectic mornings during the week.

Recipe for make ahead breakfast sandwiches

Ingredients:

12 Eggs

12 English Muffins

3/4 cup half and half

1 finely chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1.5 pounds ground bulk breakfast sausage

12 slices of cheddar cheese

Directions:

Egg mixture ready for the oven
Egg mixture ready for the oven.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Crack 12 eggs into a mixing bowl. Add the half and half, onion, salt a pepper. Whisk until smooth. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 inch Pyrex Baking Dish. Bake uncovered until lightly browned, approximately 25 minutes. Allow to cool, then cut into 12 squares.

While the eggs are baking, toast the English muffins. I like to use my toaster oven for this. I just love my toaster oven because it is also a convection oven, and air fryer. It’s so handy we use it almost every day. If you don’t have a toaster oven, you could also place the muffins on a sheet pan and broil then for 5-10 minutes.

Sausage Patties in a Ballarini Parma Forged Aluminum Nonstick pan

Divide the 1.5 pounds of bulk breakfast sausage into 12 pieces and smash into patties. Fry on the stove top until cooked through. For easy clean up I recommend using the Ballarini Parma forged Aluminum Nonstick Pan pictured. Set the sausage aside on a paper towel lined plate to cool and drain.

Once the eggs, sausage, and English muffins have cooled you can assemble the sandwiches. Place one egg square, one sausage patty and one slice of cheese in each English muffin. I recommend breaking up the cheese slices so they do not hang over the edge of the muffin. If the cheese hangs over the edge it will make a mess when you reheat the sandwich.

How to prepare breakfast sandwiches for freezing

To Prepare the sandwiches for freezing you will need:

12 moist paper towels

12 10×10 inch pieces of parchment paper

12 zip lock sandwich bags

Wrap each sandwich first in a moist (not wet) paper towel, then wrap with parchment paper. Slide each wrapped sandwich into a zip lock sandwich bag. Pinch out the air and place in your freezer.

How to reheat frozen make ahead breakfast sandwiches

Remove the breakfast sandwich from the freezer. Take the sandwich out of the bag, and remove the parchment paper. Place the paper towel wrapped frozen sandwich on a plate and microwave for 2 minutes. Remove the paper towel and enjoy a delicious breakfast and stress free morning!

Check out my easy pack ahead salad ideas for another way to reduce your morning stress.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases.

Categories
Recipes Salads Save Money

Salads for packed Lunches – Save Time and Money

Salads are healthy

It’s that time of year again. Time to start packing some lunches. Are your kids getting tired of sandwiches? Maybe it’s time to switch things up and try something new. How about a packing a nice healthy and delicious salads for lunch? It’s good to get kids started early with a nice variety of veggies in their diet. Try these tasty salads for packed lunches.

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. I earn commission on qualified purchases at no additional cost to you.

Use your leftovers and save money

These tasty salads are also a really good way to use some of your meal leftovers. I love finding creative ways to use my leftovers. Approximately 30-40 percent of the American food supply is wasted.1 We should all do our part to use our leftovers. Teaching the next generation not to waste food is a huge part of that. Teach your kids to eat the leftover food! Eating your leftovers is also a huge cost savings, it’s estimated that on average, each American household wastes over $1800 of food each year!2 Using up your leftover food leads to having more money for other things and a happier less stressful life.3 Here are some salads my family enjoys:

Tasty Salads for packed Lunches

Caesar Salad

Caesar salad for packed lunch
Caesar salad for packed lunch

What can be easier than Caesar salad? Traditionally romaine lettuce is the base, although you could also add some baby spinach or other greens for variety. Croutons, Parmesan cheese and a good Caesar dressing is really all you need. I prefer to buy my Caesar dressing in the refrigerated section of the produce department. My favorite is Marzetti Supreme Caesar dressing. If you would prefer a heartier option add some sliced grilled chicken or fresh bacon bits. This salad is an excellent choice when you have some left over grilled chicken. I used a 2 compartment container, but a 3 compartment container would be ideal for packing because you could keep the dressing and croutons separated until you are read to eat lunch.

Waldorf Salad

This simple salad is made with leftover chicken, apples, celery, grapes and pecans. It’s so delicious! Sometimes I even eat it for breakfast. It can be served alone or on a bed of mixed greens or spinach. You can also serve it on a croissant.

waldorf salad

Chicken Fajita Salad

For this salad I used leftover Chicken form my sheet pan chicken fajita recipe, find that recipe here.

chicken fajita salad
Chicken fajita salad packed for lunch
Chicken fajita salad packed for lunch

Pasta Salads

Pasta salad is another family favorite. I usually use Organic Garofalo Tricolor Rotini as the base, but any leftover pasta will do. Just add your favorite veggies. I like to make this one after family pizza night. I add the unused pizza toppings like chopped red onion, black olives, salami strips and mini pepperonis. Other excellent options to mix in are sliced cucumber, mini baby mozzarella balls, and cherry tomatoes. I dress my pasta salad with Kraft Zesty Italian and McCormick Perfect Pinch Salad Supreme Seasoning . Once again I used a 2 compartment container for this salad. It works great this way because I can add some fruit on the side. A single compartment container would work well for this salad. I love Fit and Fresh Containers because the lids stay on well and the have an optional freezer pack you can use with them.

Pasta Salad packed for lunch
Pasta Salad packed for lunch.
Dill Pickle pasta salad

Taco Salad

Taco salad is the perfect salad to pack for lunch on Wednesday, following Taco Tuesday. I usually just pack up all of the leftover toppings I sliced for Tacos. Chopped lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. Top with cheese and some leftover taco meat. I mix up sour cream with salsa for the dressing and put it on the side to mix in when ready to eat. I used a two compartment container to pack this one, but once again a three compartment container would be better because you could add a side of tortilla chips!

Super-food Salad

I call this super food salad because it is dressed with poppy seed dressing which works well with so many super healthy foods. I used mixed greens with romaine, dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds on my salad. This salad also loves all types of nuts, seeds, berries, cabbage, broccoli, spinach, and Swiss cheese. Get creative with it. I buy my poppy seed dressing in the refrigerated section of produce. Marzetti has a great one. This salad works well, packed for lunch in a 2 compartment container but would also work well in a three compartment container if you want to keep your nuts or seeds crunchier you could separate them when packing and mix them in when ready to eat lunch.

Superfood Salad

Find the vanilla paste here.

Potato Salad

potato salad

Potato salad is a great way to use up leftover baked potatoes. It is filled with inexpensive ingredients that together make a tasty lunch. Try this amazing recipe.

  1. https://www.usda.gov/foodwaste/faqs
  2. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ajae.12036
  3. https://www.verywellmind.com/simple-ways-to-relieve-money-stress-3144552

As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Categories
Appetizers Recipes

Recipe for How to make the Best Jalapeno Poppers

When our neighbor brought over a large basket of home grown jalapenos, we knew we had to start using them soon. According to Healthline Jalapeno’s are packed with nutrients and have many health benefits. It would be a shame to let them go to waste. The best way to use up a lot of jalapenos quickly is to make some jalapeno poppers. You may be thinking that jalapeno popper would be way to spicy, but jalapeno peppers are only mild to moderate on the Scoville scale.1 The addition of cream cheese to the jalapeno pepper also helps to neutralize some of the heat.2 Here’s a recipe for how to make the best jalapeno poppers.

Best Jalapeno Popper Recipe

Ingredients:


11 Jalapenos
1 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
6 slices of bacon
1/2 onion minced
6 cloves of garlic minced
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1/8 teaspoon of pepper
1/4 cup Mexican blend shredded cheese

Directions:

Preheat Oven to 325 degrees F. Half and remove seeds 8 of the jalapenos, then dice the other 3. In a frying pan, and fry the bacon until crispy. Set aside the bacon to drain on a paper towel lined plate. Sauté the onion, garlic and 3 diced jalapenos until tender. Add salt and pepper. Remove from heat and add the cheeses. Crumble the bacon and add it to the mixture. Mix well. Stuff the 16 Jalapeno halves with the mixture. Place the Jalapeno halves, stuffed side up on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 10 min. or until lightly browned. Enjoy!

If you like jalapenos, then you should try my guacamole recipe.

If you need another appetizer, then you should check out my Easy Bean dip recipe.

Are Jalapeno poppers healthy?

They do have some very healthy ingredients. Jalapenos, onions, and garlic are all very healthy. However, it would be difficult to call any recipe with bacon healthy. Overall, Jalapeno poppers are not healthy and should only be enjoyed occasionally. They are great party food, but not great for every day consumption.

Are Jalapeno Poppers Gluten Free?

Yes! All of the ingredients are gluten free. However, you should shred your own cheese from a block, or make sure your pre-shredded cheese is gluten free. To make Mexican blend: shred half cheddar and half Monterey Jack.

Are Jalapeno Poppers Keto Friendly?

Absolutely! All of the ingredients are keto friendly. Enjoy!

Can you prepare Jalapeno Poppers Ahead of Time?

Yes, you can prepare your Jalapeno peppers the night before your party, just wait until your party time to bake them. Put them in the refrigerator overnight, and pull them out when you are ready to bake them.

Other Great Appetizers:

Plated Jalapeno Poppers
Delicious Jalapeno Poppers

References:

  1. https://www.pepperscale.com/jalapeno-peppers/
  2. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/packages/spicy-foods/mouth-on-fire-myths–what-really-cools-your-palate-

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Categories
Desserts Recipes Traeger Recipes

Peach Blueberry Pie on the Traeger

This pie is a family favorite. It is requested in place of birthday cake for two of my family members. It can also be baked in an oven, but peach season is in August, obviously a terrible time to heat up the house. I prefer to bake Peach Blueberry Pie on my Traeger Silverton 620 pellet grill.

How do you bake on a pellet grill?

Baking on a pellet grill is basically the same a baking in an oven, as long as your pellet grill has a bake feature and is able to maintain a consistent temperature. Just preheat the grill to the same temperature the recipe calls for in the oven. This peach blueberry pie is baked at 400 degrees, which is a little higher than most baked recipes. Pyrex is rated to 425 degrees, but I never go higher than 400 degrees when I use a Pyrex pie dish on my Traeger Silverton 620 because the temperature does fluctuate + or – 10 degrees.

Pellet Grill Cooking Methods Infographic.  How to bake, smoke, grill, roast and braise on a pellet grill.

Peach Blueberry Pie Recipe

Ingredients:

Best Pie Crust

5 Cups of peeled and thinly sliced peaches

2 Cups of fresh blueberries

1 cup of sugar

3 tablespoons of lemon juice

1/4 cup tapioca

1/8 teaspoon of salt

2 tablespoons of butter

Directions:

Prepare a pie crust. Find my Best Pie Crust recipe here.

Preheat the Traeger to 400 degrees F.

Peel and thinly slice peaches. Add peaches, blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, tapioca, and salt to a large mixing bowl. Mix well.

Peach Blueberry Pie filling
Peach Blueberry pie filling in bottom crust

Pour into a prepared Pyrex pie dish. Top with slices of butter. Cover with top crust. Pinch the edges together. I use the handle of a butter knife to make a decorative edge, and the blade to make a few slits.

Peach Blueberry Pie ready to bake
Peach Blueberry Pie ready to bake

Cover the pie edges with foil so the crust doesn’t brown too quickly, and place in the center of the grill.

Peach Blueberry pie with foil covering edges
Peach blueberry pie with foil covering edges on the Traeger grill

Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil.

Peach Blueberry Pie on the Traeger.

Continue to bake for another 20 minutes or until the crust is slightly browned.

Best Pie Crust
Peach Blueberry pie with Best Pie Crust

Alternate baking directions for the oven.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cover the edges of the crust with foil, so the crust doesn’t brown too quickly, and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Categories
Desserts Recipes

Best Pie Crust

I have been using this recipe for over 30 years. I have not tasted another crust I like better. It can be used for both sweet and savory pies. I love it so much that I have never even tried making a different one. It’s so easy, just 3 main ingredients and a dash of salt. I always get compliments on my crust, that’s how I know it is the best pie crust. Now I can just share this post when others ask me for my recipe.

Recipe

Ingredients:

2 Cups and 2 tablespoons of All Purpose Flour

1/3 Cup Milk

2/3 Cup Vegetable Oil

1/8 teaspoon of salt

Directions:

Mix all 4 ingredients in a mixing bowl until a dough ball forms. Divide the pie dough in half. Alternatively, you can make one dough ball slightly larger for the bottom crust.

Pie crust dough ready to be rolled out

How to roll it out

For the bottom crust, roll half of the dough out between 2 pieces of parchment paper or wax paper. This step is very important. You must roll this crust out between two pieces of parchment or wax paper.

pie crust rolled out between 2 pieces of parchment paper
Pie Crust rolled out between 2 pieces of parchment paper.

Remove the upper piece of paper and after that use the bottom piece to dump the rolled out crust into the Pyrex pie dish. This step is also very important. This crust is too fragile to transfer without using the paper for support.

bottom pie crust flipped into the pie dish
Bottom crust flipped into the pie dish using the bottom layer of the parchment paper.

Remove the paper from the bottom crust and pinch evenly into the pie dish.

pie crust ready for filling
Pie crust ready for filling.

Add your desired filling. I added peach blueberry filling, find it here.

pie crust with peach blueberry pie filling
Best Pie Crust filled with Peach Blueberry Pie Filling.

Repeat the process for the top crust. Pinch the edges shut.

pie crust ready to bake
Best Pie Crust Ready to bake.

I use the handle of a butter knife to make a nice edge, but you could also use a fork. Bake as directed for your favorite pie recipe.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases.

Categories
Casseroles Easy meals Recipes Traeger Recipes

Smoked Shepherd’s Pie on the Traeger Recipe

This Smoked Shepherd’s Pie on the Traeger recipe is a favorite at my house. It is actually modified from a recipe I got from my favorite chef Alton Brown. My daughter loves it so much that she will eat the leftovers for breakfast lunch and dinner until it’s gone. She even chooses it as her “birthday cake”. It can be baked in a regular oven, but in the Summer months I prefer not to heat up the house with my oven. This is why I started to bake Shepherd’s Pie on the Traeger pellet grill. I use a pyrex baking dish on my Traeger pellet grill for may recipes, including peach blueberry pie.

Smoked Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

Ingredients for the potatoes

4-5 pounds of potatoes
3/4 Cup half and half
1/4 Cup butter
1 teaspoon salt
3 Egg Yolks

Ingredients for the meat filling


1 large onion minced
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic power
1 Cup all-purpose flour
2 pounds ground beef or lamb
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 can chicken broth
1 can tomato sauce
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, peas, corn, beans)

Instructions for Shepherd’s Pie potatoes

Peel the potatoes, and slice into quarters. Place in a large pot and cover with cold water. Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, decrease the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until tender and easily crushed with tongs, approximately 15-20 min.

Drain the potatoes, add the salt and mash with the butter. In a small bowl mix the half and half with the egg yolks. Use a hand mixer to whip the potatoes, slowly add the egg mixture to the potatoes. Whip until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

Instructions for Shepherd’s Pie meat filling

Brown the beef or lamb. Set aside to drain on a paper towel lined plate. Pour the olive oil into the pan and sauté the onions until tender. Return the drained meat to the pan. Next, add the flour and mix to evenly coat the meat and onions. Slowly pour the can of chicken broth over the flour coated mixture, mix to coat. Now,  thoroughly mix in the tomato sauce. Season the mixture with the garlic powder, Italian seasoning and pepper. Finally, add the frozen mixed vegetables and stir until the vegetables are warm and slightly softened. Transfer the meat mixture to a large Pyrex deep baking dish 13x9x3″ (See the recommendation below) and spread evenly. Top with the potatoes and smooth with a rubber spatula.

Instructions for Smoked or baked Shepherd’s Pie

Preheat the Traeger to 375 degrees F. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Enjoy! 

If you would prefer to bake this in an oven, then preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.  Bake uncovered for 40 -50 minutes or until potatoes are lightly browned.

“As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.” 

Please Follow us on Social media!

x  Powerful Protection for WordPress, from Shield Security
This Site Is Protected By
Shield Security