I’ve made something similar to this awhile back with fresh baby spinach, Spinach Ricotta Roll, but here’s what I did today. . .

• 1/2 Pound Pizza Dough (1/2 package of Trader Joes works great or you can make your own)
• 1 10 oz frozen pack of spinach defrosted
• 1/2 cup fat free Ricotta cheese (124 g)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/8 tsp kosher salt
• 2 oz mozzarella cheese
• Sauce for dipping – I used leftover homemade

Preheat oven to 425 Degrees

Separate the dough into 2 even 4 oz balls. Stretch and roll out the dough.

Drain any excess water from the spinach and mix it with Ricotta, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and mozzarella.

Half the spinach-cheese mixture on place each half on one side of rolled out dough. Fold over the dough, flatten a bit, seal the edges and pierce the top with a knife a few times.

Place calzones on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil and sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake on the middle rack for about 20 minutes until crust is firm to the touch and the spinach is warmed through.

Serve with dipping sauce and enjoy!

Come on. . . I can’t be the only one that does this now and then. It’s a life saver and so much better then hitting a drive-thru for the family. I made a batch of creamy mashed potatoes and heated some frozen Brussel Sprouts in the microwave and Taaa daaaa! a home cooked family meal… sort of. ;)

After dinner I decided not to just through away the carcass of the chicken but make some stock. As I established in my Turkey Stock, Broth, Soup, Whatever! post awhile back I don’t know the difference between broth or stock and frankly, I don’t care. I do my own thing to make a flavorful soup that I like and if I break some "rules" along the way, oh well. :)

Here’s what I did and the results was delicious!

• Carcass of 3-4 pound chicken with some meat still attached
• About 25 cups of water
• 1 sweet onion halved with skin
• 1 garlic bulb halved with skin
• 1 tsp dried fennel seeds
• 1 tsp Thyme
• 1 tsp Rosemary
• 1 tsp Peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp whole cloves
• 1 tbsp kosher salt

Put all the ingredients in a large stock pot.

Cover and cook on medium high for about an hour. It should boil in about 20 minutes.

After the hour lower to a simmer and cook overnight. That’s right, overnight. I simply put the burner on the lowest setting and woke up to this. . .

It was at least 8 hours.

The next morning I shut off the heat and got my filtration system in order. I use a large strainer and the top of a cake keeper (like this one)

Simply pour the entire content of the stock pot into the strainer and get your hands dirty. You need to fish through the "stuff" to find all the good pieces of chicken for the soup.

You could separate some of the broth to freeze for later use but I simply put the chicken I plucked out of the strainer back into the stock pot and added all the broth.

At this point you can do anything you want with this broth and chicken. I decided to add some bulgur and carrots, all I really had in the house on a Saturday morning before I grocery shopped for the week. :) Again.. here’s what I did..

• about 10 carrots cut in large chunks
• 1.5 cups of uncooked bulgur

Add both ingredients to the stock pot and bring to a boil. Cover and lower to a simmer. Cook for at least a half an hour and you get. . .

I then separate them into serving sizes and froze some for work lunches. :)

(Side Note: Notice the boxes in the background? FitBloggin’ has taken over my house! 1 more week until the conference! Whoo Hooo!)

So there you have it my Overnight Chicken Broth Turned Bulgur Soup. I love that I got the most out of a store bought cooked chicken that I could and although making your own broth/stock sounds hard and time consuming it’s really not. Especially when you can make it while you sleep. :)

Anybody want to share their own tips and tricks when making broth/stock? What other ingredients do you add to make it more flavorful?

Oh! and as for Nutritional Info.. it’s going to vary based on so many factors so I don’t feel comfortable post but for my fellow Weight Watchers fan I’d count 2 cups of this (what I put in each individual container) as 4 points but that’s just my estimate.

Here’s what I did but this is the kind of meal I’d change slightly every time I make it.

• Thick slice of sweet onion chopped
• 2 small to medium bell peppers chopped (I used 1 red and 1 green)
• 1 small can (8.5oz) corn undrained
• 1 can (15oz) kidney beans drained and rinsed
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp dried cilantro
• 1-2 tsp hot sauce (to taste)
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 1/2 cup (80g) uncooked bulgur
• 1 cup water

Spray a a medium to large pot with non-stick cooking spray and heat over medium high heat. Add the onion, sprinkle with a bit of kosher salt and cook until just browning.

Add the peppers, stir i cooking for about a minute. Then add all the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil then cover and lower to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes without lifting the lid!

Uncover, stir, scoop out a cup and top with a bit of shredded cheese and cilantro. I packed up the other 3 servings for lunches. This one will freeze well.

Well Saturday I was determined NOT to eat out again. So in the afternoon I pulled out the trusty crock pot and made up this quick meal. To my surprise the husband LOVED it. I was shocked as he normally hates slow cooker meals AND I tried a completely different spice combo, for us anyways.

Here’s what I did…

• 1 small sweet onion chopped
• 1 cup brown rice (180g)
• 1 15oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 15 oz can of chicken broth
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp all spice
• Pork Loin (We used 2 about a pound each)

Put all ingredients in the crock pot.

Turn on high.

Wait 3 hours.

Eat.

Seriously, that was it. the rice was perfect. If it cooked any longer I think it would have been glue but the 3 hour mark was ideal.

If you want to make this on a day you will be away longer then 3 hours, I’d use a timer. I’m not sure of the time on low or how the rice would turn out. You Crock-pot veterans out there will have to chime in.

Here’s a little before and after cooking shot.

No nutritional info on this one. It will depend on your pork loin size. I got around 6 servings from it and enjoyed the leftovers at lunch today. :)

Oh and I have to add that the next day I made homeamde sauce and meatballs and today I have lean burgers cooking on the George Foreman. I’m on a roll! ;)

The recipe is for 1 serving but you can easily double, triple or whatever for your situation. As you can see I made it only for me. Between the kid hating fish (I think it’s a texture thing) and the husband not into the greens, I didn’t even bother presenting this as a family dinner. Although I hope to maybe one day get them there. In the meantime I’ll hide the kale in family favorites like stuffed peppers. ;)

Here’s what I did.

• 1 tsp (5g) sesame oil
• 1 thick slice of a sweet onion chopped
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 cup kale cleaned and ripped into chunks
• about 1/2 inch chunk of fresh ginger root (can replace with about 1/4 tsp ground ginger)
• 1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• about 1 tbsp wasabi powder
• 1 4 oz salmon fillet

Heat the sesame oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Sauté the onion and garlic until just turning brown. Add the kale right on top and grate the ginger root on top of the kale. Add the 1/4 of water and tsp of soy sauce. Mix everything together and cover. Keep an eye on it as soon as the water looks like it all evaporated (about 1-2 minutes) remove the kale from the skillet. If you like your kale more cooked more simple add additional water and cover until desired doneness is reached. Then remove.

Spray the same skillet with a bit of non-stick spray and return to the medium-high. Sprinkle both sides of the salmon fillet with the wasabi powder and place in the hot skillet. This is what my wasabi powder looked like. . .

Cook about 2-3 minutes a side depending on the thickness of your fillet. A good indicator of when to flip in the whiteness you’ll see on the edge. Shown in the picture.

Once the salmon is done, place on top of the kale and viola! Wasabi Salmon with Asian Kale for One! :)

I don’t dare call these "toasted" as I really just simply warm them in a skillet but let me tell you they totally hit the spot. If you are looking for a more traditional Roasted Chickpeas recipe click here for Kalyn’s. Mine are a dumb down version of hers with less spices and not as much crunch. I like them both ways this one works for me in a pinch.

• 1 15oz can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans) drained and rinsed
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• non-cookong spray

Mix all the dry spices together.

Spray a non-stick skillet with the non stick cooking spray. Add the beans and place over medium high heat. Cook them untouched for 1-2 minutes. Then sprinkle half the spice mixture over top tossing the skillet to coat.

Cook untouched for another 1-2 minutes (they may start popping on you) and then sprinkle the remaining spice mixture on top. Toss around in the pan and cook for another 1-2 minutes until the beans are nice and warm and the spices are toasted.

Don’t do what I did and eat half of the before they were done. I looked up and caught a reflection of myself in the microwave. I had to snap a pic.

Split into two servings immediately so you don’t go nuts. I almost ate the whole batch. :)

Hit her pantry, of course!

I whipped up this crowd pleaser tonight using only 6 ingredients with nothing defrosted or planned in about 20 minutes. Take that tempting drive-thru. Take THAT!

Both husband and child ate with NO complaints. I got a 4 year old "It’s Good! I like the chicken*" and a "This is delicious." from the husband.

*Note: The little guy still hasn’t left the "It’s all just chicken to me" stage. ;~)

Here’s what I did…

• 6 oz of whole wheat noodles
• About 2/3 of a pound of top sirloin (that’s just what I had in my freezer)
• 1 tbsp whole wheat flour
• 1 can of French Onion Soup (like Progresso 18.5 oz)
• 1 8oz can of mushrooms
• About 3 cups of frozen peas

Here’s all the ingredients

Bring a pot of water to a boil and prepare the noodles according to package.

Cut the beef into thin slices. My meat wasn’t defrosted so I just popped it into the microwave for a minute and it was super easy to cut.

Mix the flour into the can of onion soup. This will help thicken a bit to make the "gravy."

Heat a skillet over medium high heat and brown the beef.

Add the can of onion soup.

Add the can of mushrooms.

Bring to a boil then lower to medium and cook until the "gravy" thickens. About 5 minutes.

Now.. I’d add the peas to the pot and cook for another minute before serving…

BUT the husband isn’t a all mixed up kind of guy. So I through them in a bowl and popped them in the microwave instead. Sometimes you just need to compromise. :)

For some reason I was having trouble calculating the nutritional information on this one so if anyone wants to double check me I’d appreciate it. I split the meal into 3 BIG servings to be realistic but you couldn’t certainly feed 4 just by bumping up the amount of beef or noodles slightly. Or leave them the same and have a lighter meal.

Now let me warn you. Normally I write up and post a recipe immediately after I make it but this one has been sitting in the old noggin for a few days. I whipped it up on Friday after coming home form work early due to the SNOW! Sorry, to keep mentioning it but it’s totally crazy. We are in the middle of our second record breaking snow fall this week! But I digress. :)

So I whipped this up after work and to my surprise BOTH the child AND the husband ate it without complaints. No bargaining had to happen. No whining. No faces or dirty looks. Nothing!

Not only that but the husband actually said they "were good" unsolicited! This is a HUGE win considering the major ingredients were kale, mushrooms and bulgur. They didn’t even question the "green stuff"!

• 1/4 cup dry bulgur (I wanted to use 1/2 cup but this was all I had)
• 1/2 of a sweet onion diced
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 8oz package of baby bella mushrooms chopped up small or diced
• 12oz lean ground turkey
• About 2 cups Kale chopped (~130g)
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 5-6 medium sized bell peppers
• 1 cup tomato sauce (canned, jarred or homemade will work)
• Kosher Salt and Pepper

Prepare the bulgur according to the package. The formula is twice as much liquid as bulgur. Bring both to a boil and then cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. So I used 1/4 cup of bulgur and 1/2 cup water.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Cup the tops of the peppers off. You can blanch but I don’t. We like ours to stay crunchy. :) I also dice up any good pepper parts of the tops and use it in the filling. You know, the stuff around the stem.

Spray a large skillet with non-stick cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic with a little salt and pepper. Add the mushrooms and cook until they reduce a bit. The liquid will come out of them. Add the turkey and brown, breaking it up as it cooks.

Once the turkey is all brown (gray) add the chopped up kale, cooked bulgur, and oregano. I also added the diced peppers I got from the tops. Continue cooking for a few minutes until the kale wilts and all the flavors merge.

Fill the peppers with the stuffing. I only had 5 peppers that I could have overstuffed but I added a red pepper and stuffed them modestly. The red one was huge so you should have more then enough for 6 average sized green peppers.

Top each pepper with some tomato sauce and sprinkle with some dried herbs. Bake for about 20 minutes until the peppers just start to scorch on the ends but still hold a crunch.

Here’s an inside shot…

And my boys EATING them. :)

Two peppers make a good serving but I’ll do nutritional info per pepper in case you want to serve with something else. Plus it’s easier to double the nutritional info then half it. At least it my brain. :)

Anyway I used Vitalicious’s Deep Chocolate Vita Muffin Mix. I’m a fan of these mixes. Their ingredient lists aren’t perfect but they are one of the few whole wheat mixes I can find.

Instead of making muffins, the little guy and I made a loaf. Like a chocolate bread. But of course we couldn’t leave it alone. We added some simple ingredients to jazz it up a bit.

Both the little guy and I LOVED it. Actually you should see it now. He’s been picking at it all day. I had to yell at him to stop stealing bites. The husband tried it. Said he liked it and will never have another bite again. If it doesn’t come out of a box he’s simply uninterested. Don’t get me started. lol

Anyway, here’s what we did.

• 1/4 cup raw almonds (30g)
• 1/4 cup dried cherries (40g)
• 3 egg whites
• 1 and 1/4 cups of water
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 package of Vitalicious Deep Chocolate VitaMuffin mix
• non-stick spray and a bit of flour

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Spray a loaf pan with non stick spray and coat with a thin layer of flour. We want to avoid sticking.

Weigh out the almonds and cherries

Chop them to make smaller pieces so everyone gets a bite.

In a large bowl whisk the water, egg whites and extract until bubbles form.

Add the bag of mix and combine well.

Pour the batter in the loaf pan and enjoy a few licks off the spoon. :)

Bake for about 60 minutes until the center is solid to the touch.

Let it cool in the pan for a few minutes and then run a knife along the sides before popping out.

Here’s close up. I was a little picture happy. Can you tell? :)

oh heck. Here’s a few more. :)

If you are interested you can order VitaMixes online by clicking here. Be sure to use the Code RonisWeigh for 10%. Vitalicious sponsors Roni’s Weigh and sends me products to review now and then.

Oh! and if you are a VitaTop fan they are having a contest. Enter to win a year supply!

Well, come home early from work and cook, of course. :)

I decided to fill the crock pot and not worry about dinner. While it was cooking we played trouble, soccer, watched The Incredibles and had fun. Seriously… is the crock pot NOT one of the best inventions of the century?!

Anyway, I decided to use Top Sirloin for this because it is one of the leanest cuts of beef AND it was on sale. I got a big cut (like this) for 9 bucks and simply cut it in half for this recipe.

I’m glad I have the other half as the husband actually liked this meal. He’s not a stew fan so having a crock pot semi-stewish type of dinner handy that the family actually likes is a bonus for a mid week dinner.

Here’s how I made it. . . Oh! and I should warn you, there isn’t a lot of liquid in this. you may want to increase for your family. I kept it on the dryer side for the stew hating husband. :)

• 1lb Top Sirloin with visible fat removed
• 1/2 sweet onion chopped
• About 1/2 lb baby cut carrots
• 1 large russet potato cut into large chunks
• 1 large sweet potato cut into large chunks
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp fennel seeds
• fresh ground black pepper

Put the onion, carrots, and potatoes in the slow cooker. Lay the meat on top.

In a small bowl whisk the remaining ingredients and pour over the meat and vegetables.

Cover and cook on high about 3 hours.

Here’s a little before and after shot. . .

When it’s done cut it thin and serve with the potatoes, carrots and a drizzle of the liquid.

This makes 4 servings, but I didn’t measure anything post cooking. I simply seperated it into 4 equal servings. Bogus, I know. :)

It.was.WONDERFUL!

No dirty looks. No questions. No arguing. No dealing. I simply cooked what I wanted and enjoy a pretty, healthy, vegetable filled meal.

Is it sad that I like to cook for myself? I mean, I’d love a family that was more adventurous but since they aren’t I look for opportunities like tonight to experiment. It makes me happy. :)

• 1/2 sweet onion diced
• 2 carrots diced
• 2 celery stalks (with leaves) diced
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric (You can skip if you don’t have it)
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa (84g)
• About 2 cups baby spinach loosely chopped
• 2 bell peppers (I used yellow)
• kosher salt

Preheat oven to 425 Degrees

Heat a pot medium pot over medium-high heat. Spray with non-stick cooking spray and saute the onion, carrots and celery with a pinch or two of salt. Continue cooking and stirring for a few minutes until the onion softens and look a little transparent.

Add the curry and turmeric. Stir to coat everything. Then add the water and quinoa. Bring to a boil then cover and lower to a simmer. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed.

Meanwhile. Half the peppers longways and remove the seeds. Place in a casserole dish and sprinkle with a bit of salt.

When the quinoa is done, mix in the spinach. It should start to wilt immediately. Then stuff the peppers sprinkle with a little more salt and pop in the oven for about 10 minutes.

Here’s a few more pics because they are so darn pretty!

And even though the little guy didn’t eat them he was fascinated by the photo taking. :)

Instead, I took an old time favorite, tomato soup and made it into a satisfying meal by adding a few additional ingredients and spices.

Speaking of… Did you see my A Super Seven Spice Giveaway! :)

• 1 10 3/4 oz condensed tomato soup (preferably low sodium or healthy request)
• 1 tomato soup can of water
• 1 15oz can of diced tomatoes (with green chillies would be tasty!)
• 1 15oz can of pinto beans drained and rinsed
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp dried cilantro
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• About 2 cups baby spinach loosely chopped

Mix all ingredients except the spinach in a pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes allowing all the flavors to mix.

Turn off the heat. Add the baby spinach and remove from heat. Stir in the spinach and it should wilt in a few seconds.

Serve!