To my surprise… it was a complete hit! Everyone like it and I got tons of compliments. I guess people could have just been being polite but I think these pictures say it all…

Before party…

After Party…

They devoured it!

I love when this happens. It makes me feel good to feed good healthy food to people. Sure I could have bought fatty ground beef and simply mixed it according to the manwich package but that’s no fun. ;) Why not veg it out? It stretches the meat, adds vitamins and volume while making it lighter and more flavorful. It’s a win-win in my book!

• About 1.25 lbs (20oz) lean ground beef (at least 90%)
• About 1.25 lbs (20oz) lean ground turkey (at least 90%)
• 1 large Vidalia Onion diced
• 3 stalks of celery diced
• 1 medium zucchini diced
• 2 green peppers diced
• 1/2 bag baby spinach chopped
• 1 15.5 can Manwich
• 1 15oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 6oz can tomato paste

Brown the meats with the onion and all the veggies. I started with the meats and onion in a large stock pot and then cut the veggies in order adding them and stirring them in the pot.

Transfer the browned meat and veggies to my slow cooker, add the manwich, tomatoes, and paste. Cook on High for at least an hour and then lower to low for the party.

You could add the manwich, tomatoes and paste directly in the stock pot and heat through. Then just keep it on simmer until ready to serve.

I served with a variety of rolls. Some people were even eating it straight up!

I’m not going to do Nutritional Info because honestly I have no idea how many servings it is. I fed about 13 people but everyone took varying amounts. For my fellow Weight Watcher friends I’d count a half of cup as 2 points but that’s just based on "Roni Math" it’s not scientific at all.

Now I’m not going to claim I know anything about Moroccan food. I’m not even sure I could find Morocco on a map! All I know is the flavors of that recipe intrigued me. So I used what I had on hand and whipped this up in about 10 minutes. I’m not kidding, from pot to bowl in 10 and it was tasty! Different. But tasty all the same!

Toddler and husband wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole. However, little man was quite obsessed with my oranges.

So at least I got that in is belly while preparing the dish. Hey… every little bit counts. :)

• 8oz extra lean ground beef
• 1 small sweet onion chopped
• 3 gloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp dried cumin
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 2 cans (15oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 orange peeled and chopped (keep any juices)
• 2oz Whole Wheat Couscous
  (56g)
• 1 can Butter Beans (Large Lima Beans) drained and rinsed

In a medium-large pot brown the ground beef with the onion and garlic. Add the cumin, oregano and cinnamon. Coat everything and let the flavors merge.

Add the 2 cans of diced tomatoes (with juices) into the pot. Bring to a boil while peeling and chopping the orange.

Add the orange pieces. Bring back to a boil.

Stir in the couscous. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the Butter Beans and stir. Cook for another 5 minutes until ready to serve.

I’ve been wanting to post about our Taco Night forever! It’s my go to, fun, easy dinner and takes no time at all. Plus it (can be) super healthy! You can build a complete hand held meal with lean beef or ground turkey, fresh veggies, whole wheat tortillas and beans. All good stuff!

The toddler is a bit young to take advantage of the build your own taco bar I create so I normally make him a quick quesadilla using the meat and cheese and he gets pepper strips on the side.

Here’s the our spread from last night (notice the laundry piling up in the background, we are having a hard time keeping up-it should have been done over the weekend! ;~P).

Normally I make Spicy Black Beans and Zucchini on the side and mix some of the beans into the meat but I was feeling a little lazy yesterday so I went with some leftover corn on the cob.

Taco Meat

• 8oz lean ground turkey or lean ground beef
• Taco Seasoning
• 1tbsp of salsa (optional, I use for the 99% lean turkey to help with dryness)

Brown the meat over medium high heat with spices add the salsa at the end to help with dryness.

The Tortilla Shells

I like soft tacos, so we use whole grain, low carb tortillas. I have two favorites one from Trader Joe’s (Trader Joe’s Reduced Carb Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas) and the other is a local brand called Canyon River Low Carb as far as I know they are only available at a local store called Weis. Both are 1 point a shell.

The Fixin’s

Anything you want!

I use…

• shredded lettuce mixed with baby spinach because the husband “doesn’t like spinach” yet when it’s mixed in with the lettuce he doesn’t seem to mind it as much (interesting)
• diced tomatoes
• diced peppers
• salsa
• cheese (I weigh out my oz so I know how much I use).

The best part, I have leftovers for really cool lunches!

The nutritional information is hard for this one. At least it is for me. I can get make anywhere from 7-10 tacos per 8oz of meat. If I add beans even more. My philosophy on taco night is light on the meat and heavy on the veggies. Normally I eat 3 on my favorite Trader Joe’s Low Carb Tortillas (50 cals per). So that is (and this is for my WW readers) 1 point per tortilla, 2-3 for the meat, 2 for the cheese and everything else is free. A 6 point taco night ain’t to shabby!

Update: Click here to watch me make taco night on video

This one was the product of leftover spaghetti squash and some fresh ground beef I was separating and storing from my weekly grocery trip. I just got this vision of a Mexican inspired comfort meal.  

The flavors were dead on but there was just nothing to hold every thing together. Which is all right by me but you may be expecting a more traditional ooey gooey type of casserole.

I made this one just for me. It was an afternoon experiment. The husband wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole (he’s like that with all of the my spaghetti squash meals). The toddler had a few bites of the beans and corn but he’s not a fan of the squash texture either. As I always say, oh well, more for me! Now I have lunches for the week!

This is exactly how I made it, have fun!

• 8 oz lean ground beef (at least 90%)
• ½ of a sweet onion diced
• Taco Seasoning (entire recipe)
• 2 cups (310g) of prepared spaghetti squash
• 1 can (15oz) Black Beans drained and rinsed
• 1 can (15oz) sweet corn drained and rinsed
• 1 red pepper diced
• 1 green pepper diced
• ½ ounce tortilla chips crushed
• 2 oz fancy shredded Mexican cheese blend
• Non-stick cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Brown the beef over medium heat with the onion and taco seasoning. Set aside.

Spray a casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Spread the squash along the bottom of the dish, top with black beans, corn, cooked beef, diced peppers, tortilla chips and then cheese.

Bake for about 30 minutes. Serve!  

A soup I had a few weeks back at a little local place inspired this dish. They had a stuffed pepper soup that was just simply amazing. It was comfort in a bowl. Such a simple idea, take the flavors and ingredients of stuffed peppers and turn it into a soup!

So that’s what I did, my way of course. Yet again, the husband and the toddler weren’t feeling it. The husband at least tried it but it’s just not his type of meal. It has to be exceptional if I put everything in the same pot. He prefers his dinners separated in neat protein, veggie, starch sections. Whatever, I now have 6 homemade lunches so I’m happy!

• Medium onion diced
• Salt & Pepper
• 8oz lean ground beef (at least 90%)
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 3 bell peppers chopped (I used 1 each of red, green and yellow)
• 1 can stewed tomatoes (14.5 oz)
• 1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)
• 3 cups beef or chicken broth
• ½ (100g) uncooked brown rice
• Dried parsley for garnish
• Non-stick cooking spray

Spray a large pot with non-stick cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, sprinkle with salt & pepper and allow them to sweat for a few minutes. Add the ground beef and brown.

While the beef is browning, chop the peppers, and puree the stewed tomatoes in the blender.

Once the beef is brown, stir in the chopped peppers and the diced tomatoes. Let the flavors mix a bit.

Add the pureed stewed tomatoes and chicken broth. Add the rice and crank the heat up to high. Bring everything to a boil then cover and reduce to a simmer. Continue to simmer for about ½ hour.

Serve!

This is a staple in my house and one of the husband’s absolute favorites. Normally I make it with a can of French Onion Soup thickened a bit for the gravy but Friday I was all out. So I do what I do best, and hit the pantry. Staring me in the face was a can of Healthy Request (low fat) Cream of Mushroom Soup and it was a lucky find! I like this better then my original version.

I use cereal and oats instead of breadcrumbs in the meat mixture. This is similar to my weird fascination with breading things without breadcrumbs. I think it’s fun , plus it adds more fiber and nutrition. You should try it, no one will ever know. SHHhhhh It could be our little secret.

• 8 oz lean ground beef (at least 95% lean) or ground turkey
• ½ cup of fiber one or all bran cereal
• ½ cup oatmeal
• 2 egg whites
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (separated)
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• Non-stick cooking spray
• 1 10oz can of low fat cream of mushroom Soup or a can of french onion soup
• 6 oz whole wheat egg noodles (Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Whole Wheat Wide Noodles)

Ground the cereal in a blender or food processor.

Prepare the noodles according to package.

While boiling the water, combine the beef, ground cereal, quick oats, egg whites, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, and dried parsley.

Form the mixture into 4 patties, each a little more then 3 oz each.

Brown the patties in a large frying pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray over medium high heat about 3-4 minutes a side.

Whisk the soup, 3/4 can of water (the soup can) and the remaining tbsp of Worcestershire sauce. Pour soup mixture over patties. Lower the heat to simmer and cover. Cook for about 10 minutes.

Once the noodles are done, remove the patties from the skillet and set aside. Drain the noodles and add to the skillet. Stir to coat the noodles in the soup mixture.

Serve with a side of your favorite veggies!

Update:Watch me make this meal from beginning to end in 20 minutes on video!

You come home from work, no plans for dinner and your in the mood for comfort food. What do you do? What DO you DO??

This may solve the problem! It only takes a few minutes to prepare (especially if you have ground beef frozen in 8 oz packages) and, if you have a small family, leftovers are great for lunch!

• 8 oz whole wheat pasta
• 1 small sweet onion, diced (~150g)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, diced
• 8 oz lean ground beef
• 1 – 10.7 can condensed tomato soup
• 1 – 15oz can of peas (not drained) OR 8 oz frozen peas and ½ cup of water
• 1 – 15oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• ¼-½ tsp black pepper
• non-stick cooking spray

Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the pasta per instructions on the package.

While preparing the pasta add the onion and garlic to a non-stick frying pan sprayed with cooking spray. Cook until tender. Add the beef and cook until brown.

When the pasta is finished, drain and return to the pot. Add the tomato soup, peas (with liquid or water), cooked beef, and tomatoes. Stir. Add spices to taste and cook a few minutes on medium heat while stirring.

Serve!

Click here to see the toddler and I make Simple Beef-A-Roni with Peas in a video post