Lasagna Soup

Wanna know something funny? I actually use my own blog when making my meal plan each week and writing up my grocery list! So YES...this is really how we eat all the time!! I hadn't even really noticed I do this until Jay caught me the other day...we both had a good laugh over it.

On that note...remember the challenge I put out there back in January to eat better...plan better...and save a few bucks each month? How are you doing at that? I know in our house it's made a huge difference! I now shop intentionally for groceries by planning all meals, and only buying at the store what is on my list. I've found we can sometimes even go 8 or 9 days with out stopping in at the store again. And by making the list, I don't forget anything! Those quick stops to pick up the one thing I was missing...like eggs or cilantro, two or three times a week...would quickly add up to an additional $10 or $20 a stop because I would be swayed by things on sale, or easy snacks that looked tasty! I've for sure saved about $20-$30 a WEEK this year by planning our meals.

I still often feel that it's pricey to feed our family of four. We were talking about it on the weekend though and decided to break it down per person, per day. We buy everything organic or all-natural, we value that. For our family, it came to about $6-$7 per person, per DAY. That's NOT bad if you saw how amazing we eat!! Not bad when you consider that's the price of a daily venti fancy Starbucks, which we don't buy...the price of a husband grabbing a quick sandwich to-go for lunch, which Jay doesn't do...the price of a magazine at the til in the grocery store (for the record I would LOVE to always buy a food/cooking magazine at the til, but am too cheap to pay the price)! So, we've cut out some luxuries so our kids will grow healthy and strong...worth every penny:)

Alright...on to the soup! This one is SOOO yummy...our boys love it too! Ripped this recipe out of a magazine once...I believe it was Rachael Ray?...and pulled it out of my recipe stash one day to try...I've made it many times since. Pretty quick to whip together...about 30 minutes. This batch makes enough for two meals for us...and actually tastes better the second time around:) ENJOY!




Lasagna Soup

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb ground beef - we use grass-fed
Salt and pepper
1 onion, finely chopped
4 carrots, finely chopped or grated
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 or 5 handfuls of fresh spinach, finely chopped
4 cups chicken broth
One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 lb lasagna noodles, broken into jagged pieces - I use brown rice lasagna
1 cup basil leaves, torn
1 cup ricotta

Directions

In a soup pot, heat the olive over medium heat. Add the beef, season with pepper and cook until browned, 3 to 4 minutes.

Stir in the onion, carrots and garlic and cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the spinach and let cook-down for a minute or two with the lid on.

Stir in 2 cups water, the chicken broth and tomatoes...cover and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 15 minutes. Stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper.

Serve the soup in bowls with a spoonful of ricotta on top.

*We love to sprinkle ours with fresh parmesan too!

Green Enchiladas

One of my favourite things to do on my iphone is search food blogs!! Most people hop on Facebook or Twitter with their spare moments throughout the day...but I read food blogs! You should see the lists of recipes that I've bookmarked...all with hopes of one day trying them!! I stumbled upon this blog a month or so ago and these enchiladas immediately caught my eye. We are HUGE Mexican food fans in this house...all four of us...so these were a must:) They are incredibly FRESH tasting, and super simple & quick to make...especially if your chicken is left over from dinner the night before. These are possibly one of the best things we've ever tasted...no lie.

Here's the recipe...altered a bit from the original blog. I only used half the amount of recommended cream cheese...and we loved it...but I will advise that the cream cheese is what tames down the heat in this sauce...so if you aren't fans of spice then include the full 8oz. The flavour in these will knock your socks off...even before the heat does!! I didn't feel the need to sprinkle cheese on the top...but go ahead if you think it needs it. The cream cheese on it's own already does a good job of creating that bubbly crusty edging. For a baked meal you will not believe how 'fresh' these guys taste...SO good!!

I gave myself a good 45 minutes to prep these, but was THRILLED that they took me less than 10 minutes to throw together (with my chicken already pre-cooked).

I'm curious to try these with some grass-fed beef...but to be honest...I think the chicken compliments them best.

Green Enchiladas

1 bunch Cilantro
2 cups salsa verde (jarred green salsa...available in most stores)
1 onion
1 jalapeno (with seeds if you like the heat)
2 cloves garlic
1 8 oz cream cheese (I only used 4 oz)
8 whole wheat tortillas
4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
2 cups monteray jack cheese, shredded (I skipped this step)

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350°.

Place the first five ingredients into your food processor or blender. Pulse until all mixed and chopped!

Stir in cream cheese. Reserve about half of the sauce...add the shredded chicken to the other half.

Dribble some green sauce into the bottom of your favourite casserole dish. This prevents the rolled tortillas from sticking or burning. Place about 1/2 cup of the green chicken mixture into each tortilla. Roll them and place close together in your dish.

Pour remaining green sauce over the rolled tortillas.

Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the green enchiladas are heated throughout and a little bubbly around the edges. If using the cheese...sprinkle on top and bake an additional 5 minutes.

ENJOY!!...we DID!!!

We ate these as a meal on their own...but they would be great served with some rice and re-fried beans if you're entertaining!

This is the only recipe of Maria's I've tried...but I look forward to testing more!!

Starbucks "Christmas" Gingerbread Loaf

Yikes! It's been nearly a month since I've blogged...not good! So in celebration of red cups returning to Starbucks yesterday...I'm re-blogging my favourite post from last Christmas...read here:) My goal for this season is to actually add a photo to the post!!ENJOY! I can't wait to make this with my homemade applesauce....mmm:)

Harvest Cake with Vanilla Cashew Cream Icing

It was an extra special day in the Wiebe house yesterday! Levi turned TWO!! He lights up this house...we love him. I bookmarked this recipe a few weeks back thinking it would make a yummy birthday cake for our Levi...gotta love a flavourful fall recipe!! What I REALLY loved about this BIRTHDAY cake was that I knew every single bite contained something that was actually BENEFITING our boys' bodies!! Now that's almost an oxymoron! I appreciate the 'homemade' appeal to this cake...that's kinda what birthday's should be all about:) We gladly gave Levi a 2nd piece!!

I could tell from the beginning steps of making this cake, based on the smell that filled our house, that it was a good one! Will definitely make this cake again. The kids AND adults loved it...especially the 'icing'! Made the recipe pretty much 'as-is'. Although I used fresh pressed apple juice out of our juicer...so I found the icing a but thick to blend so I added a bit of lemon juice and coconut oil. That's it! Garnished with raw almonds and dark chocolate chips...which left this two-year olds birthday cake practically a nutritional supplement! It was awesome...and FILLING! All those nuts in there make the cake go far.

ENJOY!! Would compliment any Thanksgiving dinner wonderfully this weekend!

Here's a few photos of the birthday boy in action:) Love our Levi!

Sweet Potato & Ground Turkey Shepard's Pie - No Crust

Turkey Dinner Anytime!!! That's what I call this meal! Started making this dish about 2 years ago...and it's always a crowd-pleaser! Saw an episode of Rachael Ray way back when and she made something similar...relatively simple to whip up...and a meal in itself...gotta love that! No photos of this dish...YET...as I always forget to take one!! I plan on making this for dinner tonight though...so hold on for a photo to be added asap!



First things first...can you believe our little turkey...Levi...is going to be TWO tomorrow!! This was taken by the lovely and talented Daniela Sitar when Levi was just 5 days old...at 10lbs 4 oz he was already pouring over the edges of the turkey platter! I thought it might be cute to re-create this photo this Thanksgiving...but decided that our 'little' 36lb turkey (a.k.a. Levi) might now require additional supports under the dining room table! Oh what a cute little turkey he would be though:)

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!

Sweet Potato & Ground Turkey Shepard's Pie - No Crust

INGREDIENTS

5 medium sized sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1-2 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
2 lbs ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
4 carrots, finely chopped
5 stalks of celery, chopped
2 tsp poultry seasoning
salt & pepper
4 TBSP butter
2 TBSP flour
2 cups turkey, chicken or vegetable broth
Few dashes Worcestershire sauce
2 cups frozen peas

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Boil or steam sweet potatoes in a large pot until soft, about 15 minutes.

In a deep skillet or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil. Add the turkey and cook, breaking up with a spoon. Stir in the onion, carrots, celery and poultry seasoning. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 7 minutes...until the veggies are all softened.

In a small pot, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Whisk in the flour for 1 minute, then whisk in the broth and the Worcestershire sauce. Simmer for a few minutes until thickened, then stir into the turkey mixture. Stir in the peas and remove from the heat.

Drain the sweet potatoes and mash until nice and creamy...add butter if desired!

Take out your favourite casserole dish and pour the turkey mixture into it. Top it off with the mashed sweet potatoes.

Place in preheated oven for about 15 minutes...just so the flavours all have time to set and mix together.

ENJOY

ps...pumpkin pie is ALWAYS a great follow-up to this dinner!

pss...freezes great...or make ahead earlier in the day and set in fridge...then reheat in oven until hot throughout!

Wiebe Style Cereal

The boys in this house are lovers of cereal! Let me clarify what cereal means to them...anything granola type with lots of nuts and seeds and fruit. They would likely explode with excitement if they were ever shown what a real cereal isle looks like!! For now...I keep them in the dark:)

We try to steer clear of processed cereals, no matter how healthy they are, they still contain unnecessary things. However, there are times when we buy it, like in the summer, for mornings we don't feel like having smoothies. Earlier this summer I was thinking that I could probably try to recreate some of their favourite ones that I have bought in the past...and this is what I came up with. Definitely about a third of the price of buying it from a health food store...and it seems to be a hit in our house! You'll notice all the variations listed at the bottom because I have basically never made it the same way twice. The first shot was literally all the odds and ends I had in my pantry, where now I go to the bulk store to buy ingredients to make this recipe. This one batch lasts our family almost a week...and that's even with Levi having two bowls most mornings! I figure it costs about $7 to make...so that's pretty good for a week of breakfasts! We like ours with unsweetened almond milk...but any milk or yogurt would taste great with it! We loved putting fresh blueberries on top when our massive order arrived! Another great bonus to this cereal is that it holds you through til lunch...gotta love it when a breakfast does that! Jay and I can even confess to having this for supper a few times this summer after a long day out with the boys:)

Hope your family enjoys it too! I let Noah help me when making cereal...likely part of the reason he likes it so much!!



Wiebe Style Cereal

6 cups oats & barley flakes...or any type of grain flake (rye, kamut, etc...)
1 cup chopped almonds...or any nut
1 cup quinoa flakes (great protein)
1 cup seeds (any variety...usually I use sunflower and pumpkin)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup cocoa powder (optional...sometimes I use it, sometimes I don't)
1/2 cup chia or flax seed
3/4 cup honey or maple syrup (honey will give you clumpy granola which is nice sometimes...I usually do half and half of each)
1/2 cup coconut oil...or oil of choice

Variations/Add-Ins:
1/2 cup coconut...I usually do this!
1/2 cup chocolate chips...once it's baked and cooled!
2 tsp toasted sesame oil...gives a great/unique flavour...just don't add too much!
Crystalized ginger, finely chopped

Options are endless...really! Make it your own:)

You will notice this recipe is extremely vague....it's so flexible...you can switch things around to your liking and it will always turn out. The only way to ruin it is to burn it!

That being said...mix all ingredients in a large bowl together. Spread out evenly on a cookie sheet and bake at 325 for 25ish minutes. I usually check on mine and stir it every 10 minutes or so. You want it baked until it all looks lightly toasted.

Remove from oven and let cool. Once cooled, feel free to add any dried fruit if you'd like! Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks...although ours has never lasted that long:)

Brown Rice Noodle Salad with "Best Ever" Cilantro Peanut Dressing

Well...truth be told we plan vacations around the nearest Chipotle and Cheesecake Factory. We go to the Cheesecake Factory to SHARE this amazing huge salad that has an amazing dressing on it...it's our favourite thing. We even order an extra dish of it to dip our bread into!! Obsessed? Maybe a tad:) We just know when something tastes good:)

I finally decided that it was time to replicate this dressing! This was my first shot at it...for company Friday night (always a risky thing to try something new for company!!)...but it was a success if I do say so myself! The salad complimented it well too, although I forgot to take a picture of the massive platter that I created the salad on!!...so I recreated a smaller version the next day and took a photo. This salad was our complete meal, with chicken skewers on the side. An amazing and affordable meal to entertain with...just be sure your guests like cilantro!!

As a side note...the salad we order this dressing with at Cheesecake Factory is nothing like this one, it's more of a Mexican tostada type salad...but it went REALLY well with this style of salad too!

The brown rice noodles I used are a healthier alternative to the white rice noodles often found in Thai food. They can be tricky to find, so white would totally work as well. In Kelowna, they are available at Choices, Superstore and Bulk Food Store (listed most $ to least $). I usually stock up when I find them:) They are great to keep on hand for a quick stir-fry dinner or whatever (soak dried noodles in hot water for 5 minutes...done!).

Brown Rice Noodle Salad

Layer any amount of the following things...options are endless...this is what I used:
Brown Rice Noodles (soaked and left to dry so wetness is gone)
Spinach/Lettuce
Chopped Carrots
Garden Fresh Peas
Sprouts of any kind...I used Alfalfa and Sunflower
Shredded Red Cabbage
Sliced Cucumbers
Chopped Cilantro..we are fans:)
Chopped Mango
Chopped Cashew Pieces

"Best Ever" Cilantro Peanut Dressing
(substitutions in bold italics make this dressing Whole30 friendly!)

3 whole big cloves of garlic
1 Tbsp fresh ginger
2 bunches cilantro, (rinsed well, most of stalk ends trimmed off)
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tsp wine/rice/apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp honey (brown rice syrup to make it a vegan dish) 1 softened date
1/2 cup olive/avocado oil
3-4 Tbsp peanut butter almond butter
1-2 Tbsp tamari (soy sauce) coconut aminos
Dashes of hot sauce...whatever your liking:)

Throw all ingredients into food processor, except olive oil. Once everything is pureed and blended, slowly stream olive oil in so that the dressing becomes emulsified:)

I now wish I would have tripled the amount of cilantro I grew this year...I will be making this dressing weekly!! If you're not fans of cilantro, you could try making it with parsley. Results would be similar, but likely not as good:)

Enjoy...invite company over for this one:) A great summer meal to enjoy on the patio with some Sangria...that's what we did!!

ps...notice a 'slight' improvement in the photo quality??!! I'm trying...and enjoying...