Ingredients:

• 1 small onion, diced
• 1-2 carrots, peeled and diced/shredded
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1-32oz carton beef broth (may also use chicken broth, tomato juice or a combination to achieve your ideal flavor)
• 1 can rotel tomatoes (substitute regular can tomatoes for less spice)
• 1 large can pinto beans
• 1 bag of frozen soup veggies (any variety)
• 1 bag frozen Steamfresh Roasted Red Potatoes
• Leftover meat from Italian Meatloaf (see recipe), cut into bite sized pieces
• freshly grated parmesan cheese, opional

Heat oil in skillet until hot, but not smoking.  Add onion and carrots. Saute for 2-3 minutes, adding garlic for the last minute.  Once the veggies are tender, add your liquids, followed by the tomatoes, beans,frozen veggies, and Italian meat.  Bring to a slow boil, then turn down heat and let simmer for 30 minutes before serving.  Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese and fresh bread. Leftover soup may be frozen.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 Egg, beaten
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 1/2 cups Italian bread crumbs
• 2 Tbsp minced garlic (oil-packed)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 jar prepared gravy (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 11′ x 17′ baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.

In a small dish, mix milk, egg, thyme, salt and pepper with a fork.  Set aside.  Place the beef, pork, bread crumbs, and garlic in the pan and mix with hands.  Gradually drizzle in the milk mixture while still mixing with the other hand until all the liquid is absorbed.  Shape the mixture into 2 loaves, about 9″x 5″, parallel with the shorter side of the pan, about 5 inches apart.  Drizzle 1 tsp of the oil over each loaf.

Bake for about 50 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the center reads 160 degrees.  Let stand 15 minutes before slicing. Serve with prepared gravy if desired.

Note: You may cut off 3/4 of one loaf and set aside for another dish later in the week (either added to a pasta dish or  Italian Vegetable Soup, see recipe). Allow to completely cool before packaging and refrigerating up to 3 days.

Meatballs:
3 lbs hamburger
1 lg can evaporated milk
2 c. Quick cook oatmeal
2 eggs
1 c. Onion chopped
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp. Garlic powder
2 tsp. Chili powder
Salt and pepper as desired

Sauce
1 c. Ketchup
1 c. Barbecue sauce
1 1/2 c. Brown sugar
1/2 tsp. Garlic powder
1/2 c. Chopped onions
Heat to dissolve and pour over meatballs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Form golf-ball-sized meatballs and place on a foil-lined pan.  Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.  Freeze as much (or as little) as you’d like!

Let’s face it, America has a huge problem with portion control. And when I say America, I mean me! When’s the last time you went out to dinner and was actually served the proper amount of food? I would venture to guess that if you ordered steak, pork, or chicken, the portion was way more than the size of your fist (which is the easiest way to measure. Unless you carry a scale with you, then it’s 4-6oz). And I have never seen a pasta dish that wasn’t the size of a flying saucer! So, when we eat out and the food is grossly over-proportioned, what do we do? WE EAT! Because most of us have that little voice in our head (insert your Mom’s/Dad’s voice here), “You are not leaving this table until you have finished your dinner!”. Well, times have changed! Take back control of your dinner plate. Decide prior to going out if you and your spouse/friend/relative would like to split a meal or if you’re going to have half of it boxed up for the next day’s meal. These practices will help you manage a healthy balance with your digestion, weight and sets a great example for our children.

If you’re like our family and tend to eat at home more often, you have a little more control over how much food you prepare. After last week’s blog about leftovers, I received a few comments from friends about not every having anything leftover. You can control that, too! Here’s an idea — let’s say you’re preparing a roast. Before you serve your dinner, cut and set aside the amount that you are planning to “makeover” later in the week. You can even dice it before you store it in the fridge as a time-saver for the next meal. If you intentionally don’t want anything leftover, make sure you’re preparing the ideal portions for your family. You can help smaller children by plating their meal for them. I’ve always found that placing the food in the middle of table, encourages the “eating til it’s gone” mentality. So many nights I’ve actually said to my husband, “I’m so stuffed, but I’m just eating to be eating.” Control — wish I had more of it!

Another item that can get OUT of control quickly is the grocery bill! Whether you go to the store multiple times a week or just a few times a month, it can add up and bust your budget! And with the cost of dairy, produce, and meat increasing, it’s only going to get worse! So, here are some tips that I’ve learned (and continue to learn) on my path to “eating my budget”. First, my good friend, Lauren, has a fantastic website iamthatlady.com She describes how to coupon, grab great online deals, provides weekly match-ups for your area stores, and many more money saving tips. Her site is full of ways that you can take control of your meal-planning and grocery budget. Plus, she offers Facebook, Twitter, and email updates so you never have to look for deals — they come to you! Secondly, I found another site that I love! supercook.com This site allows you to add the ingredients that you have in your kitchen and provides you with all the recipes using those ingredients. It will even show you recipes that you can make if you have one or two additional ingredients (usually a spice). This has been a wonderful tool for my meal planning, which makes my food go a long way. It’s allowed me to stretch my food budget without those “extra” trips to the store to grab one or two things!

Now, this doesn’t sound too terrible, does it?! Control doesn’t have to mean padlocking your cabinets or starving yourself. Remember ‘control’ and ‘controlling’ are two different things (and I’ll keep reminding myself until it sticks!) It’s good for all of us to be reminded that a little self-control is the best nourishment for our bodies!

And for those of you who might still be searching for your inner “Janet Jackson” — here’s a little treat from me to you! “Control, ooh, ooh!”

Disclaimer – Mairecipes cannot be help responsible if this song gets stuck in your head or if you start bustin’ a groove every time you hear the word, “control”.

Until that perfect dinner of my dreams arrives, we have to deal with leftovers! My challenge this week, as I tackled cooking from my deep freeze, was that the fridge began filling up. We don’t throw food away – unless it’s no longer recognizable as food. I think it’s this special gene I inherited from my mom. But I don’t like growing science experiments in my fridge, either. So, how do I reinvent my leftovers to prevent waste (which costs money) and also appeal to the Mai Clan?

First of all, I think there needs to be a national movement to change the word ‘leftover’ to ‘makeover’. Maybe it’s just the girly side of me, but when I hear ‘makeover’ I think of getting fixed up and the end result is a newer, fresher YOU! Exciting, isn’t it? Well, I think the same can be said for a dinner makeover. Think of it like twice baked potatoes: it’s a two step process to produce a very tasty end result, or in this case, two tasty results. This week I had my first date with my ‘makeover’.

I created a twist to my standard crock pot pork roast, by adding teriyaki sauce instead of BBQ sauce. I served my Teriyaki Pork on a bun with sliced pineapple and steamed veggies on the side. Then, later in the week, I sauteed fresh veggies in the wok, warmed the Teriyaki Pork, and served over rice for an Asian feast. My first dinner ‘makeover’ was a success and I’m looking forward to cooking up something special with my leftovers again this week!

Is there such a thing as “loving leftovers”? Maybe not, but one thing is for sure: if I want to really be successful in my goal to save on my food budget, I better learn to accept and appreciate leftovers. Like any love affair, I see a bright future for those leftovers and me…as long as we can spice it up with a makeover once in awhile!

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 small zucchini
• ½ cup quartered mushroom
• 1/2 cup fresh broccoli, cut
• 1/4 cup carrots, cut, diced or shredded
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 cup salsa

Directions:

1. Cut the chicken breast pieces into 2 or 3 fingers.
2. Trim the ends from the zucchini, and cut them in quarters lengthwise.
3. Clean and cut the mushrooms, broccoli, and carrots.
4. Saute the chicken in the oil until lightly browned on both sides, then add the zucchini, broccoli and carrots.  Saute until lightly browned on all sides.
5. Add the mushrooms, cook a minute or two more until they are softened.
6. Add the salsa and heat through.
7. As you are cooking the vegetables, keep turning the chicken in the pan to ensure it too is cooked through.

Note:

To make it to the table even faster, use leftover grilled chicken or Tyson Grilled & Ready cut chicken breasts.  May be served over rice or couscous or with a side of roasted potatoes.  So tasty!

Hello Loyal Friends and Fellow Foodies!

As the calendar pages turn over once again signifying another new month in another new year, we are consistently reminded to stick to our New Year’s resolutions. And even if you don’t believe in resolutions, we are made to believe that EVERYONE is exercising, eating better, and living healthier. I’m all for it, but then my gut clenches, my palms start sweating and I immediately think I’m going to starve! Yes, I love food that much! I think every article I’ve read screams that eating right is more important than exercise. Hmmm, so much for my personal theory of exercising so I can eat whatever I want. I think that theory went down the toilet with my metabolism! Let’s face it – we all do what we can, when we can. Sometimes we just need a little motivation.

My motivation this year came from a very unexpected place…my deep freezer. Now, along with trimming our holiday pounds, my husband and I are also trimming our budget. Oh yes — much like our waist-lines, our budget can go from trim n fit to bulging overnight, it seems. So, this year we’re trying to set ourselves up for success by adding discipline to our budget routine! Now THIS is something I can sink my teeth into! I love saving money just as much as I love to eat! It’s like a game for me, because the more I save, the more money I have left over. The ultimate instant gratification! As part of our budget-trimming exercise, we tackled the FOOD budget.

Now, we are a family of five (but when we talk about food we only count four because my extremely picky 3 year old doesn’t eat. Another story for another time.) I coupon, shop at my favorite money-saving grocery store, Aldi, and pick up steals and deals constantly. So, how can we save even more money? I’ll be honest, I lost some sleep over this dilemma: how do we spend less without making it feel like we’re “starving” ourselves? Then, it hit me in the face (literally) as I opened my upright deep freeze to shove more bargain deals into the packed space and an entire shelf of packaged chicken fell out. Smiling, as I gingerly stacked and packed everything back in, I knew I was in heaven. We are going to EAT OUR BUDGET!

What could be more perfect for a girl like me: eating AND saving all at the same time?! So, I grabbed a pen and did an inventory of my upright deep-freeze, extra refrigerator, side-by-side fridge/freezer and pantry. Holy-Food-Hoarding-Batman! I kid you not — I have 2 1/2 notebook pages filled (front and back) of food. I could seriously run a food mart right out of my garage! But let’s not get too carried away. Here’s the real plan: In addition to donating food items to local charities and food pantries, I will be creating meal plans and adding new recipes to utilize what we already have in stock. I have vowed to my husband, my mother and now to you, my loyal friends, that I will only grocery shop for fresh ingredients, additional ingredients for new recipes and, of course, a limited amount of free and rock-bottom deals that can’t be overlooked!

Along the way, I will be sharing my new recipes, the money-savings and more than a few editorial comments. I do feel more than a little nervous thinking about the dwindling food stock that lays ahead of me. I’m hoping to uncover the reason for my obsession for having 13 bottles of salad dressing, 15 boxes of pasta, and countless cuts of chicken, seafood and beef. Have I bitten off more than I can chew? Will it be possible to trim down my food hoardings, my waist, and my budget all at once? I look forward to sharing my journey with you as I Eat My Budget!

Ingredients

• 1 (3 pound) boneless pork shoulder roast, trimmed
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 cup red onion, diced
• 1 1/2 cup Lawry’s Teriyaki Marinade with Pineapple Juice, divided
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 8 whole wheat hamburger buns, split
• Fresh pineapple slices or canned pineapple slices, draine

Directions

1. Trim excess fat from pork roast and place in a large crock pot. Add the onion, 3/4 cup teriyaki sauce with pineapple juice. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until meat is tender.
2. Remove roast; set aside. Skim any fat from the top of the cooking juices.  In a small bowl, combine the flour and remaining teriyaki sauce until smooth; stir into cooking juices. Cover and cook on high for 30-40 minutes or until thickened. Shred meat with two forks; return to the slow cooker and heat through. Spoon 1/2 cup onto each bun; top with a slice of pineapple.

Don’t knock it before you try it!  The natural sweetness of the butternut squash and saltiness of the bacon add a wonderful complement to the country herb seasonings in this very tasty dish!

Ingredients:

• 1 Whole Butternut Squash
• 3/4 tsp Sea Salt, divided
• 3/4 tsp of Country Herbs  (or 1/4 Parsley, 1/4 Italian Seasoning, 1/4 Thyme)
• 1/2 tsp Pepper
• 6 Hickory-Smoked Bacon slices
• 1 cup Onion, finely diced
• 3/4 tsp Minced Garlic
• 8 oz Whole Grain Penne Pasta, cooked
• 1/4 cup Flour
• 2 cups Milk
• 3/4 cup Provolone Cheese, shredded (may substitute Mozzarella)
• 1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, country herbs, and pepper. Cut squash in half and place on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with salt mixture. Bake at 425° for 45 minutes or until tender and lightly browned. Set aside , cool, and cut into cubes.  Increase oven temperature to 450°.
3. While squash is baking, cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 1/2 teaspoons drippings in pan; crumble bacon. Increase heat to medium-high. Add onions and garlic to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until tender. Combine squash mixture, bacon, and shallots; set aside.
4. Combine flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the skillet  over medium-high heat. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add provolone, stirring until cheese melts. Add pasta to cheese mixture, tossing well to combine. Spoon pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray; top with squash mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown.

Ingredients

• 2 Quarts Canola or Peanut Oil
• 2-3 Large Russet Potatoes, washed
• 2 Tbsp Sea Salt
• 1 Cup Red Seedless Grapes, sliced thin
• 1 Cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
• 2 Tbsp Chives, chopped fine

Dressing

• 1 Tbsp Mustard
• 1 tsp Shallot, minced
• 1 tsp Honey
• 1/8 Cup Rice Wine Vinegar
• 1/4 Cup Beer (flavor will change with different beers, experiment!)
• 1 Cup Canola Oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Heat 2 quarts of oil in a large dutch oven (or a deep fryer) on medium (275-300 degrees).

Slice potatoes very thin and soak in cold water.  Once all the potatoes are sliced, work in small batches. Remove from water, pat dry and fry in oil for 3-5 minutes.  Remove and drain.  Allow oil to reheat to medium temperature between each batch and repeat until all potatoes are cooked.  Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.

Combine grapes, gorgonzola cheese and chives and set aside.

Turn the heat up on the oil to 375 degrees.

Fry the cooled potatoes in batches until golden brown (about 3-5 minutes).  Drain well and hold in a 300 degree oven until ready to eat.

Dressing: Whisk mustard, shallots, honey, vinegar, beer in a bowl.  SLOWLY pour in oil until the vinaigrette comes together. Season with salt and pepper.

Place a handful of chips on a plate. Top with grape/cheese mixture and drizzle with beer vinaigrette.

NOTE: This is a great way to incorporate beer into your menu.  The combination of toppings and dressing is sensational!