Sadie's Birthday Meal; Poppy Seed Chicken with sides

Every year on Sadie's birthday, I make a special meal for our family. Although she is not here to enjoy it with us, it has become a part of our family's way of acknowledging and celebrating the short time we had with her. Learn more about Sadie at www.sadierosefoundation.org.

This year's meal was Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole, corn on the cob, tomato basil salad, fresh green beans and homemade spice cake with caramel frosting served with butter pecan ice cream.

Chicken Poppy Seed Casserole (prepared)

Ingredients

3 cups cooked brown rice (or white)

3-4 cups diced cooked chicken

1 batch homemade Cream of Chicken Soup (or 2 10.5 oz cans)

1 cup sour cream (I used half Greek Yogurt and half mayonnaise)

1 Tablespoon Poppy Seeds

1 teaspoon dill weed (or Wildtree’s Dill Dip Blend)

Topping: 1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed

¼ cup melted butter

Poppy Seed Chicken mixed up and ready for the pan

Method: Mix chicken soup (cans or homemade), sour cream, poppy seeds and dill weed together. Add chicken and rice and stir well. Pour into a greased 9X13 baking dish. Top with crushed Ritz crackers and pour melted butter over top. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

Tips: This is a great dish for company or potlucks. It also freezes well. I like to freeze it without the topping, thaw when I need it, and then put the Ritz crackers and butter on just before baking. 

 

Green Beans ready for "snapping"

I cooked the green beans with water, a little salt and Wildtree's Smoky Bacon Grapeseed Oil. Oh YUM!

Can't do much to improve corn on the cob =)

Ready to eat

Tomato Basil Salad

One of my summertime favorites. We have some form of fresh tomatoes for dinner almost all summer long. I just slice the fresh tomatoes and add some chopped basil from the garden. Sometimes I pour a "glug" of Wildtree's Mediterranean Balsamic Dipping Oil or Wildtree's Italian Dressing (mixed according to the jar) over the tomatoes and basil. To keep it interesting, sometimes I add fresh mozzarella or Feta cheese too.

Ground Beef Casserole (Keema)

This is a simple and very tasty Pakistani dish that we tried for the first time tonight. You can serve it over hot cooked brown rice or whole wheat couscous. We served it over couscous. It definitely made our "make it again soon" list. I didn't have the frozen peas, but think that would have made it even better and I didn't have crushed tomatoes so I used my canned/diced ones. I did add a little fresh parsley from my garden.

Ingredients

    1.5 lbs lean ground sirloin

    1 cup chopped onions

    2 cups canned crushed tomatoes

    1 cup frozen peas

    1 cup diced potatoes

    1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon, tumeric, ginger

    1 tbsp curry powder

    salt and pepper to taste

   

Directions

Brown ground sirloin in pan with onions until browned.

Add tomatoes, peas, potatoes and spices along with salt and pepper to taste.

Bring to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes.

Add water if it becomes too thick. It should have the consistency of chili.

Serve over brown rice or whole wheat couscous.

(Who out there recognizes bowls like the green one I ate my dinner in?) ;) This is the same set we used in my home growing up.

    Servings Per Recipe: 6, Amount Per Serving, Calories: 199.2 Total Fat: 7.0 g Cholesterol: 54.1 mg

    Sodium: 129.9 mg Total Carbs: 12.0 g Dietary Fiber: 2.7 g Protein: 22.5 g

Sweet Baked Chicken with Summer Veggie Saute and Whole Wheat Penne

3 recipes posted here ~ The chicken recipe was one of the freezer meals I had put together with my first Freezer Meal Workshop. I have really enjoyed pulling these pre-prepared meals out on busy days and knowing that dinner is taken care of. I also love the taste of fresh summer squash and zucchini so I sauteed them and served them over buttered garlic penne. (If you are interested in a Freezer Meal Workshop ~ let me know.)

So first off, here's the chicken recipe. It does call specifically for Wildtree ingredients and I would be happy to help you get your hands on those. We ALL loved this chicken, especially my husband.

Sweet Baked Chicken
  Provided by Nancy from Madison, WI

½ cup Wildtree Sweet Onion Spread 2 tablespoons Wildtree Natural Grapeseed Oil 1 tablespoon Wildtree Garlic Galore Seasoning Blend 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 2 pounds chicken thighs, boneless, and skinless

PREPARATION:

Place the first 4 ingredients into a zip lock bag, then add the chicken and massage until the meat is well coated. 

Place in freezer until needed. 

Thaw in refrigerator overnight. 

Place all ingredients in baking dish and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Halfway through baking, turn thighs and baste. Repeat just before serving. 

This could be prepared in the crock pot by cooking on low for 6 to 8 hours.

 Calories 274; Fat 15g; Saturated Fat 2g; Carbohydrates 2g; Fiber 0g; Protein 30g; Cholesterol 125mg; Sodium 147mg

Buttered Garlic Whole Wheat Penne

I just cooked the penne according to package directions then tossed a little butter in with two pressed garlic cloves. 

Summer Veggie Saute

I sliced two summer squash, to zucchini and tossed them into a skillet with Wildtree's Roasted Garlic Grapeseed Oil. I added two fresh chopped tomatoes and some whole Baby Portabella Mushrooms then squeezed the juice of one lemon over the mixture and seasoned with a dash of Wildtree's Rancher Steak Rub. (You could use whatever oil you have on hand and regular salt and pepper for seasoning.)   

The entire meal was incredibly SIMPLE, incredibly DELICIOUS and incredibly HEALTHY ~ all part of what makes it appealing to this busy mama! 

Millet-Stuffed Red Peppers

These made a great dinner, but were a little time-consuming so don't try to make them on a busy evening. I think this recipe would be great for a company meal if you know whether or not they like peppers and if they are prone to heartburn. They were so tasty, my family did not mind that there was no meat to be found in the meal. (Look for millet in the grains or natural foods section of your grocery store.)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup uncooked millet, rinsed and drained

1-1/2 cups vegetable broth (I use Wildtree's Vegetable Bouillon)

4 medium sweet red peppers (I used red, yellow and orange)

3/4 cup frozen corn thawed 

1 medium onion, finely chopped (I omitted this since it also calls for a green onion)

1/3 cup finely chopped celery

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1 green onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp chopped fresh mint or 1 tsp dried mint flakes

2 tsp shredded lemon peel

1-1/2 tsp fresh chopped oregano or 1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper (I use Wildtree Rancher Steak Rub in place of salt and pepper - great taste - greatly reduces sodium intake!)

2 tbsp olive oil - (I used Wildtree Roasted Garlic Grapeseed Oil)

In saucepan, bring millet and broth to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until millet is tender and broth is absorbed. About 30-35 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and set aside.

Meanwhile, cut tops off peppers and remove seeds. In large kettle, cook peppers in boiling water for 3-5 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water, set aside.

Fluff millet with fork. Add the corn, onion, celery, nuts, green onion, herbs and seasonings. Stir well.Spoon into sweet peppers. Drizzle with oil.

 Place in lightly greased baking dish. Cover (I totally forgot to cover them and they were still great.) and bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes or until tender.

ENJOY!

Nutrition Facts: 1 stuffed pepper equals 281 calories, 13 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 cholesterol, 684 g sodium, 37 g carbohydrates, 6 g fiber and 8 g protein.

Variation: Couscous stuffed peppers; Use 1-1/2 cups cooked couscous for the millet and vegetables and proceed with recipe as directed.

Dinner Tonight

I have a busy day today and have used up all the freezer meals I had put together last month so dinner tonight will have to be quick and easy. I had made fajitas a few nights ago and have some leftover sauteed onions, peppers and mushrooms so they will make for some fancy egg omelets tonight.

Time for another freezer meal workshop so I am set again. Let me know if you want to participate in one. They sure are handy.

What kind of meals do you come up with when you are short on time? I'd love to know.

Been Awhile

Well, its been awhile since I've updated this blog, but I'm ready again. Look for some quick and easy recipes coming up this week.