Recipe: Ribollita

While traveling in Europe over the Summer we had some AMAZING food. Really we didn't have a bad meal but out of all the food we ate in all the cities we went the Florentine cuisine in Italy was to die for!  Literally every dish was mouth watering.  The steak and potatoes were simple yet fantastic.  Florence is known for its cuisine that is unlike any other parts of Italy.  It is very down home and the famous Florentine soups didn't disappoint.  My favorite Florentine soup was ribollita.  It's a bread soup made with all the remains at the end of the week.  Although it does sort of have a set recipe the theory is that most of these things are items all households have.  Bread that is going stale is set to use and vegetables that maybe aren't as fresh make a great stew base.  This would make a great vegetarian only dish and is a great way to waste NOTHING!  I have craved this since leaving Florence a couple months ago and as soon as I had it I made sure the waiter told me the name and how to spell is so I could find a recipe and make once home.  I looked at several different recipes on different websites before setting out to make my own.  I didn't go by any set recipe I just used what ingredients spoke to me through my research of ribollita.  The main thing that makes ribollita is the bread, tomatoes, white beans, cabbage, and kale in my opinion.  I hope you love this recipe as much as I do!

What you'll need:

1/4 pound bacon or pancetta (I used bacon)

2 jugs of chicken stock equal to about 6 cups

1 large onion

4 stalks of celery

1/2 of a large cabbage or about 4 cups

2 cups carrots

Garlic

1 28 oz can of tomatoes

3 cans of great Northern beans

3 stalks of kale

Basil

Red pepper

Black pepper

Fresh bread

What to do:

Steps 1 - 4

Chop bacon into small pieces and process onion in food process.  Start the sauce/cooking process in a large stock post.  I used my Dutch oven.  When the onion and bacon started sticking I added a cup of stock and the garlic.  I gradually added the stock a cup at a time to allow the vegetables to cook through and release their flavor.   I cooked the bacon, onions, and garlic well before adding more vegetables.  Next add the celery, carrots, chopped cabbage, and roughly chopped kale.  I used my food processor for the celery and the carrots to get a finer cut. 

Steps 5 - 8

Drain 1 1/2 cans of the white beans and puree.  Add puree to pot.  Drain remaining beans and keep all the juice.  Add drained whole beans.  With juice add chicken stock to make a total of 8 cups of liquid.  I had already used about 4 cups of broth in the cooking process and I had about 1 cup of bean juice so added an additional 3 cups of broth.  Mix well and continue to cook on medium.

Steps 9 - 12

Add 1 large can of tomatoes and juice from can.  Mix well and continue to cook.  While the mixture is simmering chop your bread into medium to small squares.  I used the whole wheat homemade bread that had dried out and other recipes that I saw called for sourdough but the whole point of ribollita is using fresh bread that is losing its freshness so really I feel like any fresh bread will work.  The whole wheat bread did give the soup a different taste but it wasn't a bad taste.  I will try to do a whiter bread in the future. Add chopped bread into pot and stir well.  At this point I turned my burner off and covered by pot and just let the soup sit for a bit to allow the bread to soak up the juices and break down a bit. 

Serve while hot!  I know this dish will be a leftover winner as well since the bread will soak up more and gain more flavor as it sits and is reheated like chili. 

What are your favorite dishes from your travels?

Recipe: Stuff Mushroom Caps

I don't know about you but if you are a woman that cooks you know the old saying....I want to cook something different.  We get stuck cooking the same things and it seems like I'm always trying to find new and improved recipes to liven up my week night meals.  While at Sam's in October I saw these big luscious mushroom caps and thought I'm buying those and going to come up with an awesome new recipe with them!  

Later that week after searching Pinterest for the perfect stuffed mushroom cap recipe...that I never found I put together my own ingredients and hoped for success.  

What you'll need:

• Spinach leaf
• Cream cheese
• Italian sausage
• Lipton soup mix in the herb flavor
• Mushroom caps
• Sliced cheese...flavor of your choice

What to do:

Brown your sausage and once fully cooked add in Lipton soup mix and a mix of water to get it coated on the sausage evenly.

In a large mixing bowl mix cream cheese, cooked sausage, and spinach leaf.

Once the mixture is well blended divide evenly among your large mushroom caps.  You will really have to mound it up to use entire mixture. 

Lay sliced cheese over the top of now stuffed mushrooms.  I used two slices per cap to fully cover.  

Bake at 350 to fully melt and slightly toast cheese.  

Serve hot!

Now this recipe is completely made up by me and this is the only time I have made it.  I would definitely make it again but make 1 major change.  I won't use sausage because it is heavily salted and made the entire dish really salty...almost too salty and I love salt.  Next time I will use lean ground beef.  This isn't a dish that is for all the time as with all the cheese it is very rich but it is a nice recipe to have in your cookbook to switch up the regular.  

If you try it let me know what adaptations you make and how it turns out!

Recipe: Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

I made this recipe a couple months back with grilled cheese sandwiches and it is the first tomato soup that Hendrik approved of and that didn't call for a ton of weird ingredients and also didn't take all day to make.  I love tomato soup so this recipe has been sitting in my notes and I thought DUHHHH I need to blog about this so I have it archived and can revisit it many times through the Fall and Winter months.  

I found THIS RECIPE after hunting a lot through Pinterest and decided on this one.  I didn't buy any extra ingredients so I adapted this recipe for what I had handy in my pantry.  

What you'll need:

• 3 pounds of ripe tomatoes- I had beef steak tomatoes from a neighbor's garden
• 1/4 cup plus a little extra olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cups onions I had to mince mine and cook down to nothing for Hendrik
• 6 cloves of minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper or to taste
• 28 ounces of canned tomatoes- I had canned tomatoes in my pantry that had some roasted garlic or basil added in I went ahead and used those
• Dried basil to taste
• Dried thyme to taste
• (on both of these herbs the recipe called for fresh but like I said above....I just used what I had on hand and the soup turned out GREAT)
• 1 quart of chicken stock or water

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees toss together the tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes.

In an 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the butter, and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock. Add the oven-roasted tomatoes, including the liquid on the baking sheet. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Pass through a food mill fitted with the coarsest blade. Taste for seasonings. Serve hot or cold.

Meal Planning & Grocery Haul

It has been a while since I did a meal planning and grocery haul post and since I'm getting back on my meal prep game I thought this month was the perfect month to start back the monthly posts on this topic.  Not only do I like to give my few readers organization, planning, and meal tips/tricks it is also a way for me to look back on past meal plans and recipes that I haven't made in a while.  

I always plan out my meals in my Plum Paper planner for the month.  This way I know what days I need to schedule something quick and easy/fast or eat leftovers like Tuesday and Thursday which are my late gym nights.  I also try to schedule one day a week for leftovers just so we don't waste and then at the end of the month when groceries are slim I do what I call a pantry dump...which usually is a meal thrown together and concocted with whatever meat/veg/extras that I have in freezer, frig, and pantry.  In the side column of my planner I map out my weekly lunch meal prep and snack options. (not done in the above pic) 

This was last week's lunch meal prep= 1/2 cup cook long grain brown rice, 4 oz lean ground turkey, and 1 cup of steamed garden fresh green beans.  I prep my lunch meals on Sunday all at once as well as any cooked or bagged snacks like rice cakes divided or boiled and peeled eggs.  Prepping lunch and snacks for the week prior to Monday morning helps me hit my dietary and fitness goals.  If I have it prepped there's no way I'm going to let it go to waste so I can load my food into My Fitness Pal app to ensure that I'm hitting my targeted macros each day.  Dinner isn't usually prepped weekly but I do measure and make healthy choices and substitutes when cooking classics or every day recipes.  

When planning the month ahead I turn to past meal plans in my planner and here on the blog as well as trusty ole Pinterest!  I don't know how many times I heard growing up from my Mom, listening to friends, or telling Hendrik myself...."I'm sick of cooking the SAME THING OVER and OVER!"  Thank you Pinterest now I have no excuse! LOL  For this reason alone is why each month when I break out my new month and notebook paper to jot down ideas I pull up Pinterest and go through my Get in My Belly board to get recipe ideas.  If I haven't pinned anything new that looks appetizing then I will search and pin new recipes that look good.

Here are a few recipes that I've pinned that are in this month's meal plan that I'm excited to try!

One pot beef stroganoff

Easy Garlic chicken

Baked Honey Cilantro Lime Salmon

These are only ideas and if the recipe has butter or other unhealthy ingredients I try to cut down if not out and replace them with healthier options when possible.  Once I plan my month I make a list of what we will need from the grocery store. I always keep staples like wheat pasta, brown rice, salmon, lean beef and turkey, chicken and bananas on hand at all times but other ingredients that might go along with these new recipes I try to get as well such as fresh limes for the salmon recipe above.  To get a good list and make sure I don't waste time going to the store every day I go through each day and think or go through my pantry to ensure that I have enough of or those specific ingredients.  We try to make one big Sam's haul a month and 1 or 2 smaller trips to Brookshire's our local grocery store for fresh ingredients as we need them.  

I hope you got some new ideas and tips for meal prep and planning your meals for your family no matter the size.  You can never be TOO organized or prepared in my opinion.  July's haul and planning will be up in a few weeks so stay tuned.  

Check out the links above for my Pinterest board, getting your own Plum Paper planner, and the tasty recipes!

Blue Apron Trial

A couple months ago I listened to an awesome podcast called S Town.  If you haven't listened then check it out HERE!  It is completely fascinating and binge worthy!  So in the end of the credits there's a plug for Blue Apron and they give you a web address to go to to get a discount on Blue Apron.  I made a note in my phone to check it out.  I love cooking...or used to a lot more than I have time for now so can't see the use of these services...not to mention I gather they can be quiet expensive.  When we got back from our honeymoon I was going through my notes and found my Blue Apron note.  I went to check it out and signed up to receive 3 meals for $29.95 or something right around that which is half the full price.  Without a discount you would be paying around $60 for 3 uncooked meals delivered to your door.  I thought since I was only out $30 sure I would give it a try for something different and fun.  I know several people have tried Blue Apron on occasion and a few others who use other services like this.  I received my package of food on Tuesday May 16th and cooked two out of 3 meals on Wednesday and then Friday of the same week.  

The box came neatly packed with cold packs and every ingredient you needed of your recipes.  It also had large recipe cards of each of the three recipes that we received on our menu that week.  I closed the box back up and put it in the frig until the next day.  

I never got around to making the chicken and sweet pepper tostadas recipe but I did use the ingredients for a little mash up of my own.  I sort of got unmotivated by the end of the week and had several different items laid out so I didn't waist the ingredients I just didn't follow their recipe either.  

The first recipe that I made was the shrimp and squid ink spaghetti dish.  All the ingredients were in the box except the cloves of garlic.   I was a little annoyed since all the recipes called for the garlic and it wasn't in the box.  I had garlic on hand but I felt like the point of the services was FULL service but whatever....  Everything else was there.  I laid out my ingredient and my recipe card and started reading. It took me a bit longer than the time shown on the recipe card simply because I had to stop, read the next step, and so forth and not being familiar with their set up it took me a bit of time.  

The recipe turned out just like the card shown and it was really good.  I messed it up a bit by adding too much sea salt to my noodle water so my pasta was REALLY salty.  That took away a bit of the flavor I think but overall it was a different and fun dish that we had never had before.  Also after making it once I could see myself grabbing these quick and easy ingredients and cooking this meal at other times.  It wasn't a difficult task just new and different. 

On that same week Friday I made mozzarella and arugula paninis with a zucchini and arugula salad.  I loved this dish but Hendrik didn't.  The arugula ruined it for him but I thought it was light, clean, and easy.  I could see myself eating this again on a weekend or a night when Hendrik would be working late.  

Again my finished product looked just like the picture which makes you feel good once its complete.  

So that was my Blue Apron trial menu that I got for half price.  My opinion...I'm glad I got a discount because there is no way in hell that I would pay $60 for the food that I got.  I mean I guess you are really paying for the convenience of not going to the grocery store and not using your brain to think what to make for dinner because you still have to make the food and it is quick and fast stuff.  Yeah it looks gourmet and it is different than your Wednesday night spaghetti or Tuesday night tacos or Friday night leftovers but I can't see and won't be subscribing more to this service.  It was fun and different to see what it is all about but definitely not worth the hefty price tag.  I would like to keep an open mind and if I get discounts at the other sites that do this I would give them a try as well...not because I want to do this permanently to feed our household but just to try new things and compare the services to each other.  I'm sure there is one out there that would actually be worth it but to me Blue Apron isn't it.  Fun and different but not a permanent fixture for my household or my checkbook.  

Have you tried any of these food services and if so what are your thoughts?

Recipe: Roasted Garlic Potato Soup

I adapted my recipe from THIS recipe I found on Pinterest.  I made it a couple Saturdays ago when it was Winter in Texas for the weekend.  The entire weekend I never left the house and it was glorious.  Saturday after getting the house cleaned and the laundry done I whipped up this recipe and had it ready for dinner that that.  We had just enough left over for Hendrik to snack on the next day.  It will for sure be a staple in our cold weather pantry from now on.  It was so comforting  and not TOO unhealthy.  I made a couple unhealthy choices when I made it (bacon) but they can definitely be left out and/or substituted.  

What you'll need:

• Red potatoes
• Whole cloves of garlic
• Chicken stock/broth
• Celery- I didn't have celery on hand so the closest thing I had was celery salt...it worked
• Cream of chicken soup
• Cream of mushroom soup
• Whole kernel corn
• Parsley
• Black pepper
• Onion powder- I have to use onion power rather than REAL onion due to my finance's "allergy"  but real onion would be BEST
• Bacon

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 400 and then prep the 3 cloves of garlic to be roasted. (watch and remove when roasted to your liking)

2. While garlic roasts slice and boil your potatoes.

3. Once potatoes are finished drain excess water and slightly mash with a hand masher

4. After draining using the same pot add in broth, cream of chicken, and cream mushroom soup to your boiled potatoes.

5. Add in celery salt

6. Add in all remaining spices and can of corn

7. Mix well- don't over mix because you want a chunky style soup

8. Cook bacon and add it to soup- Note: I separated my bacon into 2 batches.  The first batch I cooked but left soft and added that into my soup.  The next batch I made extra crispy to add more flavor and a crunchy element to my soup.

9. Once your garlic is roasted and removed from oven remove from outside wrappers and mash well in a bowl using a fork. Once mashed add it to your soup.

10. Stir well to ensure all ingredients are mixed in and simmer for 10 minutes or so. Stir often to makes sure nothing sticks to the bottom.  More broth may need to be added.

11. Remove from heat and serve or let sit.

 I made my soup early in the day and so I covered and let it sit.  It was still warm when we ate and it ate great being reheated as well.  I didn't get any finished pictures since we ate later on that day... I forgot.  When we at our soup we added grated cheddar cheese to our individual bowls to taste.

This soup was EXCELLENT and like I said in the beginning I can't wait to make it again.  This is only my variation and if you look in the Pinterest recipe it didn't even call for corn but I threw some in anyways just for added elements and flavor.  You can really take the meat of this and run in any direction you like really making it your own.

I hope you try this amazing recipe and love it as much as we did!

Recipe: Easy 5 Ingredient Cajun Dirty Rice

I made up this recipe several years ago and we have it at least once a month.  It is an easy go to on a night where I know the following day is going to be really busy.  It grows in size as you stir, it seems, so there is always plenty to have leftovers the next night.  I always keep/ have the ingredients on hand and you can substitute to fit your taste, make healthier, or whatever!

Max patiently waiting on his portion of the sausage

What you'll need:

• Rice- I currently have a huge bag of jasmine rice but I usually use brown rice.  Quinoa would also be a great substitute that I would love to use but Hendrik isn't all that keen on it.
• Sausage- I use the skinless sausage and depending on my mood sometimes I will add ground beef or even chicken.  Turkey would make a great healthy addition.
• Beans- I used to use red beans but as my healthy lifestyle grew so did my pantry and now I use mainly black beans and sometimes I will throw in a can of chickpeas to add some different texture.  Mix it up and have fun!
• Stock/Broth- again any that you have an hand will do I usually run out of beef faster so go to the chicken.  I like using broth or stock over water to add extra flavor.  Try to get the organic and low sodium broth.
• Cajun seasoning- I buy this in a big container from Sams but any grocery store has a premixed container in the seasoning isle.

What to do:

1. I start my rice off either on the stove or in a rice cooker

2. As your rice is cooking prepare the meat and beans.  In a large pot or dutch oven cook your meats.

3. Once your meat is cooked add in your beans of choice along with broth.

4. Once your meat/bean mixture has cooked together for a few minutes I add the cajun seasoning to taste and more broth to make the mixture a stew consistency. 

5. Cook the mixture without rice until boiling and let the meat and beans soak up the seasoning.

6. After the meat/bean mixture has boiled and simmered for a bit add in the cooked rice.  

7. Let entire mix cook on low together for several minutes to soak in flavor.  More broth may need to be added as the rice usually soaks up a good bit.

8. Serve on a plate or bowl.

This recipe should take no more than 30 minutes the longest part is making sure the rice is finished.  I like the recipe even more the following day as the flavor really stands out more after it is reheated!  I love it and is the perfect meal for a quick dinner.  I hope you try it and like it as much as we do.

Recipe: Homemade BCAA Jello

One of my favorite subscriptions on Youtube, Buff Bunny, made BCAA jello gummies a long time ago and after watching the video I bought unflavored gelatin to try out my hand at some BCAA jello. Last week I came across the gelatin in the pantry so I whipped up some watermelon jello real quick.  

This "recipe" is so easy and yummy.  I have been eating quite a bit of sugar free jello lately so this is why I all of sudden decided to try this.

What you'll need:

• 1 package of unflavored gelatin mix. The box I got from our local grocery store had 4 individual packages of gelatin and I used all 4 packages
• 4 cups of water
• large pool or casserole dish
• BCAA's of your liking.  I had several flavors to choose from and decided on the watermelon

What to do:

1. Pour 3 cups of water in a pot and set to boil
2. With the remaining 1 cup of water put in your dish and add all packets of unflavored gelatin.
3. Use a spoon and mix lightly and let sit as your water boils

4. Once water boils add to the gelatin and water mixture

5. Add in no more than 6 scoops of BCAA's.  I really like my watermelon flavor so I used all 6 scoops.  If you are using a smaller bowl or dish then I wouldn't use the maximum amount of scoops.

6.  With a spoon or whisk mix well until all powders are dissolved

7. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours until molded into JELLO

8. Enjoy!

See I told you this little recipe is so easy and a great tool to recovery after those hard afternoon workouts.  I will for sure remember this recipe once that Texas heat sets in this summer.  I will be so refreshing, low calorie, and a great way to take in your supplements. 

January Meal Planning

I got my 2016 planner a few days into the new year so my meal planning took place about a week later than normal but I got it done and I'm excited to start the first month of 2016 on the right foot being organized.  I got another Plum Paper planner this year.  I just love the price and the functionality of their planners.  

Although it's been a few months since I posted on my meal planning I haven't stopped planning.  Not only do I plan my monthly suppers but I plan out our weekly lunches and snack options just to keep them on my mind so I make healthy choices.

See past monthly meal plans HERE!

For this month I really just skimmed through my entire year of meals plans in my 2015 planner and compiled a list that way.  Next month I want to get busy on Pinterest and find some new recipes and ideas.

Lunch Meal Prep that happens on Sunday:

• Chicken burrito bowl
• Beef patty with quinoa and cauliflower
• Salmon, brown rice, and broccoli
• Grilled chicken breast with sweet potato

Dinner Menu:

• Cajun dirty rice
• Chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, and corn
• Date night
• Hamburger and sweet potato fries
• Dutch tomato soup with fancy grilled cheeses
• Fish, rice, veggie
• Chicken strips, potatoes, baked beans
• Homemade pizza
• Chili
• Cajun chicken pasta
• Steak, baked potato, and salad
• Chicken and dumplings
• Dutch stompot and meatballs
• Beans and cornbread
• Stuffed bell peppers
• Lentils, sausage, and cornbread
• Hamburgers and sweet potato fries
• Roast, carrots, and potatoes
• Leftover roast bbq sandwiches
• Tacos
• Beef stir fry
• Pantry dump
• Honey Sriracha chicken over rice
• Steak, baked potato, salad

I have a few leftover days and date nights the I know we will end up taking so here's to another full month of healthy eating and planning that not only keeps us from making bad choices but also helps us stay on budget and save money!