Chicken Meatballs

This has been a favorite dish in our house since we were newlyweds. Now, even Peanut likes them! They're quick, easy, healthy and full of flavor. The leftovers reheat very well so sometimes I'll make a double batch. They're also great for the freezer.

Chicken meatballs are on regular rotation in our household so we switch up the way they're served to keep from getting bored. Put them on sub rolls with pizza or BBQ sauce. Toss them into your favorite spaghetti sauce (I usually make the meatballs smaller or cut them into fourths for this.) and serve over pasta.  Put them atop a salad. They're even great as an appetizer for parties. Football, anyone? :)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup plain, dry breadcrumbs
1 pound lean ground chicken
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
3 large egg whites
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I use reduced fat.)
1 Tablespoon onion powder
1 Tablespoon garlic powder

 Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly spray a medium baking sheet with non-stick spray.

2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Let stand until the milk softens the crumbs, 2 to 3 minutes. With your hands, mix well.

3. Split the mixture into 16 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball.

4. Place the meatballs at least 1/4 inch apart on the baking sheet. Bake until no longer pink inside, about 12 to 15 minutes.

I'm linking this post up at the following parties:

Homemade Taco Seasoning

A few months ago, my father-in-law's doctor told him that he needed to drastically reduce his sodium intake. One of the recipes my mother-in-law found and shared with me was for homemade taco seasoning with much less salt than store-bought.

I made my first batch a few weeks ago, tweaking the recipe just a bit to fit our family's taste. It's earned rave reviews used with both chicken and ground beef. Next time I'm going to try it with ground turkey.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup chili powder

3 tablespoons dried minced onion

1 tablespoon garlic powder

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (more or less to suit your taste)

1 teaspoon ground coriander 

Combine all ingridients. Store in a cool dry place in an airtight container (I used an empty bulk seasoning container, washed and dried first.). Will keep for up to 1 year.

Use 1/4 cup of seasoning mix to 1 pound of meat.

It's better for you, costs much less than the pre-packaged stuff and (in our opinion) tastes better. Win-Win-Win.

I'm linking up with the following fabulous parties:

Easy Pumpkin Muffins

And when I say easy I mean really, really easy. :D
You only need two ingredients:

-a box of cake mix, any variety
-15oz. can of pure pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

Preheat your oven according to the cake package directions for cupcakes.

Line your muffin tin(s) with cupcake liners. (This recipe can make 12-24 muffins depending on the size you want. That's up to you. I like doing 18.)

Dump cake mix and pumpkin both into a large mixing bowl.

Stir the ingredients until well combined. The mixture is dense so use some elbow grease! The result will look like this:

Divide the mixture evenly amonst your muffin tins.

Bake according to the cake package directions. Muffins are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let the muffins cool completely, then wrap individually in clear plastic wrap for a quick grab-and-go treat. They're not the prettiest things to look at, but they are sooo delicious! You can also top them with a little cream cheese frosting if you're so inclined.

I'm linking this post up to FUNtastic Friday over at Inside BruCrew Life.

Menu Plan Monday: 10/11 - 10/17

Week 1 of meal swap with my mom's group at church was a HUGE success. My husband and I liked all three meals we were given: stromboli, enchiladas (The Pioneer Woman recipe) & curry chicken. The pork chops I made were a hit with everyone, too. My friend's 4-year-old told her, "They're yummy in my tummy" while eating dinner and then asked for more the next day at lunch. Even one of the husbands (who's a pretty picky eater) approached me before church service on Sunday to tell me they were good.

Here's what we're eating this week! I'm excited to try all of it.

Monday: Mexican Black Bean Soup with Sausage (made by J)

Tuesday: Chicken & Noodles (made by H)

Wednesday: Chicken Tacos (made by E)

Thursday: Sweet & Sour Chicken (made by me)

Friday: cheeseburgers & homemade potato skins

Saturday: wedding

Sunday: leftovers

My contribution to the meal swap this week was Sweet & Sour Chicken. I doubled this recipe from The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook. Just one modification on my part. It's quick, easy and one of our favorites. My husband isn't a big fan of Chinese food, but he loves this one and requests it on a regular basis. I hope the other families like it as much as we do!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper, to taste
1 pound trimmed boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized cubes
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 medium onion, cut into 1/2" wide strips
1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1/2" wide strips (any color bell pepper works, really)
2 tablespoons freshly minced garlic (reduce to 1 Tablespoon if using jarred)
1/4 cup bottled sweet & sour sauce (I use Kroger brand)

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine cornstarch, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and mix well. Add the chicken and toss until thoroughly coated.

2. Place a large nonstick skillet or nonstick wok over high heat. When hot, add 1 teaspoon sesame oil, onion, green pepper, and garlic. Cook, stirring, until the garlic softens and the vegetables are crisp-tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Be careful not to overcook or the garlic may burn. Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl and cover to keep warm.

3. Return the pan to high heat and add another teaspoon oil and half the chicken in a single layer. Cook until the pieces are lightly brown on the bottom. Flip the pieces and continue cooking until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the cooked chicken the the bowl with the vegetables. Return the pan to high heat, add the remaining oil and cook the remaining chicken.

4. Return the vegetables and chicken to the pan to reheat if needed. Transfer to a medium bowl, add the sauce, and mix until well combined. Divide the stir-fry among 4 bowls, and serve.

Number of Servings: 4

Panko-Crusted Pork Chops with Creamy Herb Dressing

You may have noticed that I didn't include my contribution to the food swap on this week's Menu Plan Monday post. That's because I made batches for the other families, but not for ours. We just ate it a couple of weeks ago and I didn't want to repeat it so soon. I did want to share the recipe with you all. It was a hit with our family and I've gotten rave reviews from the two other church families who ate their meal swap portions for dinner last night.

I made the Creamy Herb Dressing first and popped it in the fridge so the flavors could marry.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup sour cream2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Directions: Put all the ingredients together in a non-reactive bowl. Stir until well blended. (NOTE: It may look runny when you first make it, but it will thicken up.)

Then it was on to the Panko-Crusted Pork Chops!

Ingredients

4 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon chilli powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons soy sauce

2 large egg whites

2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs (Japanese breadcrumbs)

4 boneless center-cut loin pork chops (4-ounces each, about 1/2 inch thick)

1 tablespoon canola oil (not pictured)

non-stick cooking spray (not pictured)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Combine the first 6 ingredients (flour through cayenne pepper) in a shallow dish. In a seperate dish, combine the egg whites and soy sauce. In a third shallow dish, spread the panko into an even layer.

3. Dredge pork in the flour mixture.

 4. Dip pork in the egg mixture.

5. Dredge pork chops in the panko breadcrumbs.

 

6. Heat oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork to pan and brown; about 3 minutes on each side.

 

 6. Spray baking sheet with non-stick spray. Place pork on the baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 minutes. Flip pork chops and bake for another 3 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

 7. Plate pork chops, top with creamy herb dressing and serve.

 

Sorry about the crappy photo lighting, but I think you get the picture. (Pun intended.)

This dish paired well with just a side salad. The pork chops were very filling and we didn't miss a the starchy side. If you did want one, a baked potato or baked sweet potato would probably be good choices.

Source of Original Recipe: Cooking Light

Recipe Notes: The original recipe made 2 pork chops so my amounts are doubled from that. The cooking times are also modified here because the pork did not reach a safe internal temperature following the original recipe.

Super Saver Sloppy Joes

When I was younger, Manwich was the go-to meal for my dad to fix whenever my mom wasn't home for supper. He cooked on a regular basis, but my mom really didn't like Manwich so he'd wait until she wasn't going to be around to fix it. He LOVED the stuff. 

I'm sort of 'meh' about the stuff. I don't hate it, but I'd never request it, ya know? My husband, on the other hand, is as big of a fan as my dad. I usually make up a big batch if I'm going to be away from home for a stretch so that he has an easy at-home meal to reheat rather than eating out.

That's where this whole thing started. I was planning to be out of town for a long weekend and promised him I'd make up a batch of Manwich and stick it in the fridge. No big deal, except that when I went to the pantry we were *gasp in horror* out of canned Manwich.

Instead of abandoning the project all together, I googled Sloppy Joe recipes and came upon this recipe on Allrecipes.com. I wasn't sure how it'd compare to the name-brand, but I gave it a go. The result was a hit. My husband raved about it for weeks and said he liked it waaaay better than the real Manwich. I shared the recipe with my dad and even he said he'll never buy the "real" stuff again.

I've made it several times and tweaked it each go-round to better suit our tastes. With these revisions, I can actually say I like the stuff. I never measure anything when I make it, but here are my (very rough) estimations for how I make it:

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• pinch of red pepper flakes (not pictured)
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Brown the ground beef with the onion. Stir in all remaining ingredients. Bring to a bubble. Reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes.

Ta da! Easy peasy, right? Not difficult to make, yummy and very, very inexpensive. If my calculations are correct, it's less than 25 cents per batch for the sauce. That's a considerable amount of savings over the canned variety. (This amount does not include the meat.)

I don't like juicy things like this on a sandwich because I cannot stand soggy bread. Instead, I serve mine over pasta. You can never go wrong with pasta. :)

I forgot to take a pic before we ate, but here's the closeup view of our leftovers.