Simple Pierogies with my pantry fancies

Tonight, I had no clue what we were going to have, but decided on a box of frozen periogies. I then realized, they could use some "fancy" added to them. In the sake of time, I looked to my pantry and found a few simple ingredients. So here is what the outcome was: Periogies with red onions, sweet roasted red peppers, and artichoke hearts.

Ingredients:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Red onion chopped into thin strips
1 can of artichoke hearts
1/2 small jar of sweet roasted red peppers which i diced up
1 tablespoon of fresh cilantro
1 frozen box of potatoe and cheese periogies
Paprika
I used my leftover chicken broth in the fridge, but if you don't have any left over, simply open a new can.
Salt & pepper

sour cream: optional

Boil the periogies in a combination of chicken broth and water until they start to float and immediately take them out of the water.

While the boiling is going on, I used my large wok to sautee the onions in a 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. After they were nice and soft, I sprinkled them with salt, pepper, and paprika. Add the artichoke hearts for aproximatley 2 minutes. Add the periogies. Sautee until the periogies get light brown in color. Add your diced up sweet roasted pepper and cilantro. Serve with a side of sour cream.

Easy to do and I aproximate this meal for 3 people cost me less than $8.00 total.

Low Calorie Muffin's

Jiffy Blueberry Muffins

1 box of Jiffy Blue Berry Muffin Mix 160 cal
1/4 cup of cinnamon applesauce 50 cal
1/4 cup of 2% milk 75 cal
Total Calories 285
Spray muffin tins.
Mix well and put in small muffin tins.
Bake per directions on box.

Makes 11 small muffins Aprox. 26 Calories Ea.

Also, you may order a FREE receipe book. http://www.jiffymix.com/bookorder.php

Trying to Eat Healthier

In an effort to try and eat better and shed a few holiday pounds, I made a healthy dinner last night that was easy to split into two meals. One healthier version for hubby and myself & one more kid friendly version. In addition, it was easy, cheap, and quick to prepare.
What I used:
1 bag of the steamfresh Cheese Ravioli
1 box of frozen spinach
2 tablespoons of crushed red pepper (in the jar, some call it hoagie spread)
1 tablespoon of crushed garlic
salt & pepper
fresh grated parmesan cheese (or shakeable if you prefer)
bag of frozen broccoli
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of olive oil
I also had about a cup of left over ground turkey from taco's the day before (optional)

Steam up your ravioli as per directions on your bag
In the microwave I nuked the block, of frozen spinach for 1 minute to get it kick started
In a hot sautee pan I put in the olive oil, turkey meat, crushed garlic, and red pepper
-let that cook for just a minute stirring to break up the meat thoroughly
Add your spinach which should be just frozen in the middle and break it up into the pan


Meanwhile, boil your broccoli until tender in another pot & take your butter and melt in the microwave.


After your spinach and turkey meat appears to be hot and done, add salt & pepper to taste. If you can't use salt due to dietary restrictions, you can substitute about a tspn of paprika instead. Tip: If your mixture looks a little dry, simply add a tablespoon or two or water and mix throughly.

In a separate bowl, empty out your ravioli which should be cooked by now. Drizzle very lightly with aprox. 1 tspn of olive oil and mix to coat each ravioli to prevent sticking.

For the kiddo's -> plate the raviolis and broccoli, drizzle the melted butter, top with shredded parmesan cheese, & salt & pepper. (my kids' will eat broccoli, but not the spinach mixture)

For the adults -> spread the spinach mixture on each plate, top with raviolis & aprox. 1 tablespoon of parmesan cheese.

By my own calculations on my products I used, this dinner for the adults ended up being about 450 calories.

Tip: I try to use regular olive oil or "light" olive oil instead of EVOO because of the caloric content.

What's for Dinner tonight?

My daughter and I like to do a lot of cooking together. She loves to pretend she is on a food network show, hosting it of course! So the question is what is for dinner tonight?


Well, tonight we are having a healthy dinner with moderate calorie count. Here is what is on the menu:

Fresh locally caught flounder (2 fillet's for a family of 4 is enough)
Fresh Brussels sprouts (yes, one of my kids will actually eat these!)
Left over asparagus & parmesan cheese risotto from yesterday's lunch
Hawaiian Dinner Rolls (the kids love these!)

I'm keeping it simple because I had to work today!

The plan for the flounder is to lightly sauté the filet's in a mixture of the following:
- Approximately 1 tblspn of olive oil (the extra virgin is more calories, use regular olive oil)
- Approximately 2 tblspn of lemon juice (don't bother buying fresh, use RealLemon in a bottle)
- Salt & Pepper to taste or as a salt alternative feel free to use Mrs. Dash I often do!
- Add Fresh parsley when it's done for extra flavor and color

The plan for the Brussels sprouts is even more easier! Simply put them in your steamer. If you don't have a steamer, you can use boiling water. Cook until tender and serve with freshly squeezed lemon juice from the bottle or my favorite, a light sprinkling of apple cider vinegar.

My left over's will be microwaved and the dinner rolls will be popped into a toaster oven for convenience then served lightly toasted.

The kiddo's can participate in this meal in several ways:
Measure out the lemon juice
Measure out the olive oil
Add the parsley
Add the salt&pepper
Put the rolls in the oven & when warmed, put them in a nice basket with a linen napkin.
Wash the brussells sprouts


The important part is that my daughter and I get to spend quality time together doing something we both love!