Steakhouse Slow Cooker Roast

This was super yummy, easy and would make a great freezer crock pot meal.  To make a freezer crock pot meal, place all ingredients (uncooked) into a freezer bag.  To cook, thaw overnight and place in crock pot the next morning.  You may need to add to cooking time if it is still partially frozen.

Picture coming some time in the future....

Steakhouse Slow Cooker Roast
Ingredients
3 lb. boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 2 inch chunks

2 sweet onions, sliced or chopped
1 c beef broth
1 6 oz can tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, mashed
2 Tbps balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp Montreal Steak seasoning

Directions:
Place roast in slow cooker that has been lightly coated with cooking spray.  Top with onions.  Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl and pour over roast.  Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours.  If sauce is too thin at the end of the cooking time, it can be thickened with a little cornstarch.  Serve over buttered egg noodles.

Mexican Pizza 11 WW Pts +

As a mom with a new baby and a wild 3 year old, most nights require slow cooker meals, quick and easy meals or takeout.  This yummy Mexican Pizza falls into the quick and easy category.  The ingredients can even be prepped during naptime and assembled during the harried dinnertime rush when the little one is suddenly starving and the big one is entertaining himself by taste testing the playdough... 

I love that this recipe is light and healthy too because I've got a lot of pregnancy cheeseburgers and milkshakes to lose.  Unlike the Taco Bell version, nothing is fried and everything is as real, fresh and organic as you want it to be.  

Whole wheat tortillas, homemade taco seasoning, ground chicken, refried beans, jalepeno slices and olives would all be perfect additions to this double decker pizza.

Recipe
Serves 6 
12 tortillas, small
1 lb ground beef
1 pkg taco seasoning or your own seasoning
1/2 bottle taco sauce (I used Taco Bell brand.)
1 1/2 c Mexican cheese blend
1 tomato, seeded and diced
6 green onions, diced

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Prepare ground beef as directed on taco seasoning packet.
3. Heat skillet over medium heat.  Spray tortillas with butter flavored cooking spray.  Heat tortillas in skillet on both sides until crisp.  Place 6 on baking sheet and set the other six to the side.
4. Divide taco meat between the 6 tortillas on the baking sheet.   Sprinkle meat with half of the cheese or your can leave all of the cheese for the topping.
5. Top meat/cheese with second tortilla.  
6. Spread 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons taco sauce over top tortilla.
7. Top with tomatoes, cheese and green onions.
8. Bake 8-10 minutes or until hot and melty.
9. Cut into wedges and serve.

11 WW Pts.+

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15 Minute Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches

One of the things I love best about Pinterest is that is has led me to find great new blogs!  Recently, I discovered High Heels and Grills which has some really amazing recipes and fun, quirky writing.  I highly recommend it if you like "real people food."

We tried their Philly Cheese Steak recipe and let me just say, it makes the most amazing cheese steaks!  It's not that much different than the way I usually make them, but the addition of the garlic and little bit of butter make a huge difference.  Fresh garlic is a magical thing. 

I did leave out the mushrooms because the hubs is not a big fan, but check out the original recipe if you want to add them back in. 

Does anyone else have a hate/hate relationship with the broiler?  It's my biggest cooking challenge, but I'm determined not to let it beat me!  Sooo...my advice is to watch your bread carefully while it's in the oven because it quickly goes from almost ready to ready for the garbage can. 

The hubs enjoyed these Philly cheese steaks so much, he asked for them again a few days later.  Pin this gem and keep it in the arsenal for quick weeknight dinners.  You won't be disappointed.

Recipe
Adapted from High Heels and Grills
1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 white onion, cut into thin slices
1 clove garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 lb thinly sliced roast beef
salt and pepper, to taste
4 ciabata rolls, cut in half horizontally
4 slices provolone cheese

1. Preheat broiler to 450 degrees and place rack in the middle of the oven.  Lightly butter cut side of rolls and place them open, cut side up on a baking sheet. 
2. Melt butter over medium heat and add onions, garlic and green bell pepper.  Lightly salt and pepper them.  Saute 4-5 minutes or until softened.  Stir occasionally.  Turn down heat if they start to brown.
3. While onions and peppers are cooking, place rolls in oven and lightly brown (2-3 minutes).  You don't want to brown them too much because you are going to put the back in the oven again.  Watch carefully because they can go from pretty to pretty ugly in seconds.  Remove from oven and set aside.
4. Once onions and peppers are to your desired tenderness, add roast beef and stir until beef is heated though.  This only takes a minute or two.  
5. Divide meat and pepper mixture between rolls.  Top with cheese.  Leaving the sandwiches open, place them back under then broiler for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Watch carefully.

Sloppy Joes with Veggies {8 Points +}

Growing up we ate A LOT of sloppy joes.  They were quick, inexpensive, filling and fit for even the pickiest kid- the perfect combination.  Plus, the leftovers were fantastic on hotdogs.  Now that I'm feeding my own family, I've developed my own version. 

I've found through trial and lots of error that saucy foods are a great camouflage for veggies.  If you can shred or puree it, you can hide it in a sauce of some kind.  Sloppy Joes work well with zucchini, yellow squash and carrots to name a few.  I hope to try it with cauliflower in the near future.

I added an entire cup of zucchini that I grated with a microplane grater so it was super fine.  It blended in so well that the hubs had NO clue that it was in there- that was the true test.  That dude can sniff out a vegetable a mile away... {sigh}

Another bonus to adding veggies is that you get an extra a serving or two of sloppy joe without adding extra meat, saving calories and money. 

Please leave a comment and let me know how you like to hide veggies from your family or ways you've taught them to like veggies.  I'd love try some new ways.

Recipe
Adapted from: AllRecipes
1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped or 1/2 tsp onion powder
2-3 large cloves of garlic, minced or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 medium zucchini, shredded (about 1 cup)
1 c ketchup
1/4 c water
1 Tbsp brown sugar 
3 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp prepared mustard
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
6 whole wheat buns (around 120 calories each)

In a medium pan brown ground beef, onions and garlic.  Drain fat.  Add remaining ingredients except buns.  Bring to a simmer; cover and cook 20 - 30 minutes over medium low heat. 

Serves: 6

Nutritional Mumbo Jumbo:  Calories: 383  Fat: 5.2  Sat. Fat: 1.2  Carbs: 43.8  Fiber: 3.6  Protein: 19  Weight Watchers:  8 Points +

West Virginia Baked Steak {Almost Heaven}

Here's a super simple recipe that I grew up eating and now make for my family several times a year.  I'm calling it WV Baked Steak because West Virginia is where I grew up eating it. This inexpensive cut of meat is baked until super tender in a delicious mushroom gravy.
 

The key to making this steak dish as delectable as possible is to be sure you get cubed or tenderized steak.  (It should look like it's been given a few good whacks with a meat mallet.) Then you cook the steak low and slow in the oven.  It makes the meat so tender you won't need a knife.

The gravy is the perfect amount for 4- 1/4 pound steaks.  If you like tons of gravy, you might want to double that part of the recipe.  Personally, I love to serve the extra gravy over creamed potatoes or if I'm in a hurry, over baked potatoes.

I've lightened it up from the original version that is fried in shortening and covered with a full fat gravy.  You don't miss the extra fat.

Recipe
Ingredients
1 lb cubed or tenderized steaks (4)
1/3 c flour
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp kosher salt
olive oil
1 can 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup
1/2 soup can  low fat milk
1/2 envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  With cooking spray, lightly mist a 9x9 or 11x7 dish (or whatever size your steaks will fit into without overlapping much).
2.  In a bowl combine soup, milk and Lipton's Onion Soup Mix.  Spread about 1/2 cup of mixture over the bottom of your baking dish.  Set the rest aside.
3.  Mix flour, pepper and salt on a plate or in a shallow dish.  Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat, and lightly spray it with olive oil or swirl about 2 teaspoons of olive oil around the skillet.  Dredge each steak in flower mixture and place in skillet.  I like to lightly spray the top of the steaks with olive oil at this point.  (Some fat is necessary to brown the meat.)  Brown steaks on each side and place in baking dish.  The steaks don't have to be cooked through, just browned.
4.  Pour remaining soup mixture over steaks, spreading gravy to cover all of your meat.  Cover the pan with aluminum foil.
5.  Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees.  Turn oven down to 300 degrees and continue baking 1 hour. 

Printable Version

Mongolian Beef- Lighter Version

Recently the hubs and I got to go to P.F. Chang's for the first time.  We sat on the lovely heated patio on the Las Vegas strip next to the heater that refused to light in 50 degree weather.  :-/  Thankfully, the food and the company were enjoyable.

We loved the Mongolian Beef we had that night- a little sweet and a little salty with notes of ginger and garlic.  Even the hubs liked it and he's not a big fan of Asian food.  Sooo... of course I had to try and find a recipe for it since we live nowhere near a P.F. Changs.  Pinterest quickly led me to this recipe at Pink Bites.   The picture, instructions and description at Pink Bites are much better so definitely check it out as well as the many vegetarian recipes posted there.

The original recipe called for flank steak, but it's not always easy to find it around here so I used a thinly sliced top sirloin with visible fat removed.  It worked out great and yielded beautiful, thin strips of beef.  To lighten it up a little, I used olive oil cooking spray and Splenda's brown sugar blend.  The broccoli is optional, but I wanted to add more bulk to it without adding many more calories.  You could keep it even lighter by serving over spaghetti squash instead of rice!

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Recipe
Adapted from: Pink Bites

1 lb of flank steak, thinly sliced crosswise (I used a thin cut of top sirloin.)
1/4 cup of cornstarch
2-3 teaspoons of canola oil or cooking spray
1/2 teaspoon of grated ginger (about 1/2 inch piece)
1 tablespoon of chopped garlic (about 2 -3 large cloves)
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of soy sauce (I use low sodium)
1/4 cup Splenda brown sugar blend or 1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
1 head steamed broccoli, florets only
3 large green onions, sliced crosswise into thirds (I prefer diced onions.)

1.  In a small heat proof bowl combine water, soy sauce, brown sugar and red pepper flakes.
2.  In another bowl toss cornstarch with steak and let it sit for 10 minutes or so.
3.  Heat half of canola oil in a wok over medium heat.  (I just used a big frying pan and real olive oil cooking spray.)  Add ginger and garlic and saute for about 30 seconds and then pour in soy mixture.  Bring to a boil and allow to cook 2-3 minutes.  Pour back into bowl.
4.  Add the rest of the oil to the empty wok/skillet or spray with cooking more spray and brown the beef over medium-high heat.  Once the meat is browned pour the sauce back into the wok/skillet.  Continue to cook until the sauce is thickened to your liking.  I like it thick so I cooked it for several minutes.  Add onions and broccoli at the end so they will still be a little crunchy. Serve with rice.

Nutritional mumbo jumbo: Calories: 345  Fat: 11.5  Sat. Fat: 3.9  Fiber: 1.7  Protein:35.7   Weight Watchers Points +: 8 (without rice)

Cheeseburger Soup!

I'm a soup lover by nature who can be caught indulging in steamy bowls of vegetable, potato or Italian soups even in the middle of an August heatwave.  To me it is the ultimate comfort food.

I scrawled this Cheeseburger Soup recipe down several years ago out of one of my mom's old cookbooks.  The hubs loves cheeseburgers and I love potato soup so it was a win-win.

Since "we're" on a diet, I tried to lighten it up a little by using extra lean ground beef, low fat milk and 2% milk Velveeta.

OK, am I the only one surprised to find that even though it's processed cheese, it still has milk as the main ingredient?  o_O  Another reason to love the stuff.  I used regular Velveeta here, but I am going to try it with Mexican Velveeta next time.  Their new queso blanco flavor looks yummy too.

I don't have many tips for making this soup other than you'll cut your cooking time down by using thawed hash browns and thinly slicing your veggies.  We like to serve it with buttery croutons to get the full cheeseburger effect.  Other last minute stir-ins might be shredded lettuce or diced tomato. 

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

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Recipe
3/4 lb lean ground beef
3/4 c onion, finely diced
3/4 c carrots, finely diced
3/4 c celery, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp McCormick hamburger seasoning
4 c hash browns, thawed
3-4 c chicken broth
3 Tbsp butter
1/4 c flour
8 oz Velveeta, cubed
1 1/2 c milk
salt and pepper to taste
Optional toppings- buttered croutons, shredded lettuce, tomatoes

1.  Brown beef in large pot, drain and remove from skillet.  In the same skillet, add a tablespoon of olive oil and saute carrots, onions, celery, garlic, basil and parsley about 10 minutes or until tender.  (I prefer to saute my veggies in a little chicken broth instead of oil.)
2.  Once veggies are softened, add hamburger seasoning, hash browns, beef and enough broth to cover it all.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender (10-15 minutes).  Cooking times depend on veggie sizes.
3.  Meanwhile, in another pan over medium heat, melt butter.  Add flour and cook and stir until bubbly (about 5 minutes).  Whisk in milk and continue to cook and stir until thickened.  It will be a gravy like consistency.  Be careful not to let it boil.
4.  Add thickened milk and Velveeta to soup.  Once cheese has melted, taste and season with salt and pepper. 

Linked to: Gooseberry Patch Recipe Round-Up - 

Slow Cooker Pasta Fagioli

The other day I was browsing crockpot recipes online and came across a blog by Stephanie O'Dea which features 365 days of Slow Cooking!  There are other fun things on her site like organizational tips and giveaways, but I zeroed in on the slow cooker recipes.  They seriously all looked fabulous.  Another bonus is that she has adapted her recipes for a gluten free lifestyle.  If you have a gluten free family, I highly recommend this site.

To be honest, I have a love/hate relationship with the slow cooker.  I love the convenience, but I abhor food that has been cooked into near oblivion or tastes like a salt lick as so many crockpot recipes do.  However, coming across Stephanie's site inspired me because she had a variety of recipes and flavors that looked like real food and not just meat and gravy.

Somehow I narrowed my choices down to the recipe for Pasta Fagioli.  It looked super healthy- full of tomatoes, beans, carrots, celery and lean ground beef.  I followed the recipe to a "t" with the exception of tossing in a heaping teaspoon of minced garlic.  I just can't help myself with the garlic... It's a sickness.  You may want to adjust the Tabasco to your liking.  A tablespoon was a little hot at first, but mellowed out with the leftovers. Overall, the soup was amazing!  With parmesan cheese sprinkled on top, it tasted like liquid lasagne (in a good way).  Yumm...

I can't wait to cuddle up with a bowl of this on a cold night! 

Recipe
1 pound lean ground beef, browned and drained
1/2 large red onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes (and juice)
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed (I might leave out next time.)
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups beef broth
1 jar (16.5 oz) pasta sauce
2 tsp oregano
1 Tbsp Tabasco sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 c uncooked shell pasta (give or take)

1. Brown ground beef and drain. In a large slow cooker combine beef and remaining ingredients (except pasta).  Cook 4 hours on high or 8+ hours on low.
2. When veggies are tender you can add the desired amount of pasta.  If you're adding extra pasta, you may want to add a little more liquid to the soup.  Since we cannot eat all of this soup in one sitting, I cook my pasta separately until and add some to the individual servings.   If you try to refrigerate the leftovers with cooked pasta in them, the pasta will soak up the extra liquid resulting in dry soup and bloated pasta.
3. Sprinkle individual servings with parmesan cheese.  Serve with my Hot Italian Sandwiches.

Source: Stephanie O'Dea
Printable Recipe

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Tex-Mex Beefy Enchiladas

Have you ever looked at recipe and thought, "That looks too easy to be good?"  You see these people on tv dumping an endless number of ingredients into their dishes and think that delicious food must take a pantry full of strange and unusual ingredients.  That's what has kept me from making these Tex-Mex Beefy Enchiladas from Martha Stewart.  It seemed too simple yet the reviews were excellent so the tab stayed open on my computer for about a month as I debated.  Lol.  That sounded so dramatic!  :-P

But...today I took the plunge and made these incredible enchiladas!  They were so easy and clean, yet so flavorful.  Honestly, I felt like they were better than most of the beef enchiladas that I've had in restaurants and if you know they hubs, then you know we've eaten at a bazillion and one Tex-Mex restaurants! 

This was the first time I've ever made enchilada sauce and it was so worth taking the extra step!  The recipe calls for one small chile in adobo sauce, but the one that I used was on the larger side.  The result was pretty hot, as in I broke a little sweat, but not so hot that I had to chug a gallon of milk.  The hubs and I loved them, but I couldn't feed them to my one year old.  Next time, I'll stick with a smaller chile or remove the seeds because the little guy loves enchiladas and stared at us with those big, sad puppy dog eyes while we ate. :(

I'm not a big fan of corn tortillas because they always break apart, but I found some white corn ones from the Tortilla Factory (at Walmart) that also had wheat in them.  They were the best of both words- a subtle corny taste with the stability of a flour tortilla.  I will definitely be stocking up on these!

I served these with a cilantro lime rice.  Yummm!

Enjoy!

Recipe

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) reduced sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 small chipotle chile in adobo, minced, plus 1 tablespoon sauce (from a small can)
1 small onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound lean ground beef
1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper
8 corn tortillas (6-inch)
1 1/2 cups shredded 2% cheddar cheese (6 ounces)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1.  In a medium pan heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil.  Add flour, cook and stir 1 minute.  Whisk in broth, water, chile powder, chile and adobo sauce.  Bring to a boil, whisking constantly.  Reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened.
2. In a skilled heat remaining oil.  Add beef, onions, garlic, salt and pepper.  Brown and drain.
3. Wrap tortillas and bake for 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  Remove and raise temp to 450.
4. Spoon 1/4 sauce into a square baking dish.  Fill each tortilla with about 1/4 cup beef mixture and 2 tablespoons cheese.  Roll tightly and place seam side down in dish.  Mix remaining beef with sauce and pour over enchiladas.  Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
5. Bake 15-20 minutes or until hot, bubbly and heat through.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.  Garnish with cilantro.

Source: Martha Stewart 

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Simply Incredible Slow Cooker Pot Roast

The perfect pot roast recipe has always eluded me.  My roasts have always tasted like a salt lick or have been flavorless or despite drowning in a sea of liquid, have been dry as the Sahara...until now!

I've been in a race against time to write down what turned out to be the best roast I've ever made.  I have the unusual ability to make a recipe that is awesome the first time I use it, but is just "meh" when I try to recreate it later on.  That is a big part of why I started this blog.   I want to be able to serve meals to company with confidence instead of a series of unfortunate incidents.  ;)

Anyway, I loved this.  It was tender, the meat was juicy and the potatoes were tender.  I used quartered red potatoes and left the skins on.  Next time I'll add carrots as well.  If I was a working mom, I'd prep this at night, refrigerate it and plug 'er in the next morning for 8-10 hours.  I ended up cooking it 2 1/2 hours on high (because our mornings often get off to slow starts), followed by 3 hours on low and it was PERFECT.

If you are on a low sodium diet, use low sodium beef broth instead of the bullion/water and don't salt your meat.  You can always add salt later, but you can't take it out once it's in there.  Seriously, it's a true fact.  =P

I like meals that I can cook once and eat twice, so I thickened the juices with a little cornstarch mixed with water to make a gravy.  I added the leftover beef, heated and served over mashed potatoes.  You could use your leftovers to make a vegetable beef soup, cheesy/beefy subs or beef stroganoff!

Recipe
3-4 lb chuck roast (I used a chuck tender roast- not sure what that the difference is.)
1-2 tsp Montreal Steak Seasoning (or plain ole S & P)
2 c water
2 beef bullion cubes
1 pkt dry onion soup mix
1 tsp garlic powder
veggies of choice- potatoes, carrots, onions etc...

1. Season both sides of roast with 1-2 tsp Montreal Steak Seasoning.  Brown all sides in a large skilled over medium/high heat.  Place in crock pot.  Add veggies if desired.
2. Add water, bullion, soup mix and garlic powder to to skillet.  Cook and stir, loosening bits on the bottom of the skillet, until bullion dissolves.  Pour over meat and veggies.
3. Cook on low 8-10 hours or high 4-5 hours.  

Source:  Adapted from Allrecipes
Printable Recipe

Fabulous Steak Marinade

Someone once told me that a properly seasoned steak doesn't need steak sauce.  I thought they were just being smug.  Well, I did until I tried this super simple marinade.  It flavored our steak beautifully and needed no extra sauces, salt or pepper.  It was steakhouse perfection and this is coming from a girl who loves her A1.  

When I saw that this marinade was called "Best Steak Marinade in Existence", I had to try it.  Unfortunately, I can't comment on whether or not it was the best since unlike the author of this recipe, I have not tried every steak marinade in existence, but it was pretty tasty.  : P

Enjoy!

Recipe
1/3 c soy sauce
1/2 c olive oil
1/3 c lemon juice
1/4 c Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
3 Tbsp dried Italian Seasoning
1 1/2 Tbsp dried parsley flakes
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp ground pepper
a pinch of cayenne

Mix all ingredients in a resealable bag and add 6-8 medium sized steaks.  Squeeze out air and seal bag. Refrigerate up to 8 hours- the longer the better!  Grill as desired.

Source: AllRecipes.com

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Beefy Taco Soup

I know you're thinking, "It's June and a bazillion degrees outside.  Why is this crazy lady posting a soup recipe?"  Well, normally I wouldn't, but my family has been sick with the mother of all colds this week and soup just sounded good.  It's also helps clear out the ole sinuses a little.  (Not that you wanted to know that.)

If you have a garden, taco soup would be a great way to use up some of your fresh tomatoes, pepper and corn.  I can only imagine how yummy fresh, sweet corn would taste in this recipe.  You can make it now and freeze it for later!

One thing I've noticed about taco soup is that everybody and their brother has a recipe for it and somehow they are different.  It just shows you how versatile it is.  I like beans, but the hubs doesn't so we compromise by using only 1 can of beans and adding a can of hominy.  If you love beans, add more!

We like a little heat, but a lot of people don't, so I use mild Rotel.  Plus, in case you missed it earlier, it's a bazillion degrees outside, so I'll pass on the chili pepper hot flashes for now.  Use the regular or hot versions if you want to spice things up.  If you get it too hot, just add more water to dilute it.  Personally, I like it a little thinner, but the hubs thinks that all that liquid just gets in the way of the good stuff.  : P

Really, you can add whatever floats your boat.  That's the great thing about soup!

I hope your family enjoys this recipe, if not now, sometime in the future when there's a chill in the air and a football game on the big screen!

Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 15 oz can corn, drained
1 15 oz can white hominy, drained
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 10 oz can Rotel, mild
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 16 oz can pinto beans or bean of choice
2 c water
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 pkg ranch dressing mix

Directions:

1. Brown ground beef and onion in medium skillet.  Drain, rinse and pour into slow cooker.  Add remaining ingredients and stir.
2. Cook 8 hours on low.  Serve with tortilla chips and a dollop of sour cream.

Printable Version

Cocktail Meatballs- A Huge Time Saver!

This is one of those super simple recipes to keep in your arsenal for potlucks, dinner parties and times you need a kid friendly meat dish.  You only need 4 ingredients and a slow cooker.   They are so fast and easy to make that I often make them for potlucks when I know I'm going to be too busy to really cook something. 

Another time saving tip for this recipe is to make double what your family will eat and freeze the leftovers in the sauce for dinner another night.  I love anything that I can cook once and eat twice. 

The ingredients sound weird- jelly and chili sauce, but trust me, they work.  You can use any kind of jelly you have in your fridge.  I like grape, but my mom uses apple.  Orange marmalade might give it a more unique flavor as well. 

I used all Great Value ingredients except for the mustard.  I prefer the name brand Dijon because it just tastes better and I feel so fancy using it.  .  ;)  Increase the amount of mustard if you want a little more zing.  You'll also want to make sure you get the home style frozen meatballs because the Italian ones combined with the jelly and chili sauce taste all wrong.

Double the recipe for a potluck and you won't be disappointed.  I hope you enjoy these! 

Recipe:
1 small pkg frozen home style meatballs, thawed (I used Great Value)
1 12 oz bottle of chili sauce
3/4 c jelly of choice
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard or more to taste

1. Mix chili sauce, jelly and mustard in slow cooker.  Add thawed meatballs and stir to coat.
2. Cook 4 hours on low or until meatballs are heated through, stirring occasionally.
3. Serve with rice if desired.

Out of This World Vegetable Beef Soup

Growing up, I dreaded Grandma's vegetable beef soup, mainly because I was a kid and kids aren't supposed to like vegetables. :-P  Then fast forward 20 (eek) years when I had a newborn, very little sleep and even less time.  That's when I started craving something comforting and vegetable beef soup came to mind.

Not just any soup, my Grandma's vegetable beef soup.

Since all of Grandma's recipes have a little bit of this and a little bit of that, I decided to try and duplicate that flavor myself.  I cruised my favorite recipe site, Allrecipes.com and came across of plethora of vegetable soup recipes, but one caught my attention, Martha's Vegetable Beef Soup.   My Grandmother's name isn't Martha, but this recipe looked so easy and easy is what I needed.

I made several changes in both ingredients and preparation and I loved this soup.

Seriously, it was love.

This stuff is so simple, can be prepared in the slow cooker, is super healthy and can be frozen for future meals.  I like to make it and freeze it in individual size freezer bags for quick lunches.   You can also keep an extra batch in the freezer for the next time you need to take something to a sick friend or someone in need!

You can do this on the stove top or in the crock pot.  Add some pasta or beans near the end for a heartier meal.

Don't be tempted to leave out the sugar because it really does make a difference!

Recipe
1 lb beef stew meat (Cut into smaller pieces if needed.)
3/4 c chopped onion
1 10 oz bag mixed vegetables
2-3 red potatoes, cubed (3/4 inch cubes)
1 can tomatoes, diced or stewed
1 small can tomato sauce
3 cups low sodium beef broth (3/4 of a carton)
1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 heaping tsp of sugar

1. Place beef and onions in a hot skillet coated with olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.  Brown beef, drain and put in crock pot.
2. Add remaining ingredients to crock pot, stir, cover and cook on high for 1 hour.  
3. Adjust setting to low and cook 5-6 hours or until potatoes are cooked through and meat is tender. 
4. If freezing, place portions in freezer bags and cool in fridge.  Lay flat and freeze when cool.