Tomato-Tortellini Soup

This recipe will not earn me any awards for culinary innovation or high marks in the nutrition department, but it was ready in 15 minutes and we all (even the little people!) loved it! AND it's meat free and Jeremiah did not turn up his nose and ask for a burger. Delish.. I can't wait to make it again! (And I will.. Jeremiah asked if I would put in on the "rotation". See! It was a hit!)

Tomato-Tortellini Soup

2 14oz cans reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1 9oz package refrigerated or frozen tortellini (more if your babies are pasta hogs!)

4oz chive and onion cream cheese

1 10.75 or 11oz can condensed tomato or tomato bisque soup

In a medium saucepan, bring broth to boiling. Add tortellini; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. In a bowl, whisk 1/3 cup of the hot broth into the cream cheese until smooth. Return all to saucepan along with tomato soup; heat through. Makes 4 servings.

Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens "Quick-Fix Family Favorites" - thanks Keek!

A treat for your tots.

Last week I got this recipe from Mo's pediatrician. She suggested it in place of "those cheesy crackers that are so bad for our babies." Yeah.. um.. my babies NEVER eat those ;)

I decided to whip up a batch when we got home to see if Moses really would love them. And, gasp, he does! I have made them both with the graham cracker and without and I like them much better without. If you do leave it out add more flax seed! If you want to take these out and about I would go ahead and add the graham crackers, they are a tiny bit sticky without it.

1/2 cup nut butter

1/3 cup powdered milk

1-2 T honey or agave nectar

1-2 T ground graham cracker

1-2 T ground flax seed

Combine all ingredients in a mixer and mix until combined. Then press into small balls with your fingers. Store in the refrigerator.

**I usually post recipes at chowcity.blogspot.com, but I wanted those of you that don't check in there to have this recipe!**

In pursuit of chai.

I will acknowledge that I tend to find something I LOVE and then eat, drink, do, wear (insert action here) ad nauseum. I will just consider it a quirk of mine and leave it at that. Some examples of this are: running, find a song I love and leaving it on repeat for days and days, Tetris (wish I was kidding), watching Pride and Prejudice (..over and over and over.. If Darcy wouldn't have done that thing with his hand and said that he loves Elizabeth Bennet "most ardently" it would be easier to quit this habit.) Anyway, the latest "quirk" is chai. I'm absolutely loving it. However, one venti, iced (easy ice, please), nonfat, four pump chai ("a defining sense of self") will run me $3.99 (and my first born child) at Starbucks. Crazy, eh? So I started investing in the Tazo chai concentrate which can be found at Walmart for $3.47 a box. That can still get a bit pricey so I am in pursuit of the perfect chai recipe. When I find a recipe I love I will post it over at chowcity, but while I'm looking I will post the update here and if anyone has any pointers feel free to help a sister out!

Attempt #1

6 bags of Awake black tea

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon whole cloves

1 chunk of fresh ginger, smashed

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

3 cups water

3 cups milk

I combined the above ingredients (minus the milk) and brought them to a boil. After a couple minutes I took out the tea bags and let the other ingredients simmer. I then added the milk and reheated, being careful not to boil. Once it had cooled a bit I strained it using a fine mesh strainer.

Consensus: I need to be careful to not let the tea steep too long and maybe next time I will boil the spices first? Also, I think more cloves and ginger are in order for the next attempt! I poured the chai in a pitcher and allowed it to chill overnight and it was much, much better in the morning!

Maybe I will have this perfected in time for fall.. and just in time to decide that I love latte's again :)

Stocking up...

Yesterday my mother in law and I cooked up a storm and stocked up the freezer. We literally have about 20 meals in there, ready to go! I am amazed because, all in all, it cost us less than $200. Whoa. Basically, that is enough meals for an entire month and I used less than half of our grocery budget! I am thinking I may try to do this more often, sounds like a money saver to me.
For anyone who is interested, here is what is on the lineup:

• Vegetarian stuffed shells (2-4 serving casseroles)
• Aunt Liz's Chicken Spaghetti Casserole (2-4 serving casseroles)
• Chicken Potato Casserole (8 servings)
• Green chile chicken enchiladas (2-5 serving casseroles)
• Meatball stew en casserole (8-10 servings)
• Turkey burgers & beef burgers (4 of each kind, 8 total - and these can be cooked from frozen right on the George Foreman Grill!)
• Baked Ziti (serves a small army)
• Burritos (8 total, great for an easy lunch!)
• Meatloaf
• Hebrew Nationals! (serves 4)
• Spaghetti and Meatballs (serves how ever many, and can be heated in the crock pot!)
• Chicken Soup (as much as we want to make)

I also have veggie steamers that can just be thrown in the microwave for a quick, healthy side dish.

Now all I need is the baby!!

Shepherd's Pie.

Mmmm, this was good! I have been trying to spice things up a bit and make something new a couple times a week. This one was a keeper. I changed it up a bit, if you want the original recipe click on the name of the recipe below.

Shepherds Pie

INGREDIENTS
2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
5 carrots, chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 c. celery
1 pound lean ground beef
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons ketchup
dash of Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup beef broth
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain and mash. Mix in butter, finely chopped onion and 1/4 cup shredded cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside. (Note from Susan: I spiced up the potatoes a bit more. Added milk, some sour cream, garlic powder...)
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add carrots and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, mash and set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C.)
Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add onion and celery and cook until clear. Add ground beef and cook until well browned. Pour off excess fat, then stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Add ketchup and beef broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Spread the ground beef in an even layer on the bottom of a 2 quart casserole dish. Next, spread a layer of mashed carrots. Top with the mashed potato mixture and sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

I served it with brown gravy, it was delish! Great leftovers, too.