Beef Stew

When my husband and I were first married I was on a quest to find a great recipe for Beef Stew.  After trying several recipes, I finally came up with one on my own that we still love!

Ingredients

1 lb stew meat

Pan searing flour

5 cups water

1 packet McCormick Beef Stew seasoning

1-2 beef bouillon cubes

1 cup sliced carrots

1 cup frozen peas

3-4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

Directions:

Trim fat from stew meat and coat with pan searing flour.  Brown meat in a frying pan with about 1 tbsp oil.  In a large pot, combine the water, beef stew mix and bouillon cubes. Bring water and seasonings to a boil, then add meat.  Cover and simmer.  While the meat simmers, prepare vegetables, then add to the pot.  Simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15-20 minutes.  Enjoy!

*You can also make this in the crockpot.  I put everything in around lunchtime and it's perfect by the time my husband gets home from work.  I've also used leftover roast rather then stew meat, and both are equally tender.  

Chicken Noodle Soup

A friend of mine brought this soup to me when I was sick and it was just what I needed. I'm not sure how she knew I'd been craving homemade chicken noodle soup, but she did and it came at just the right time. It was so delicious I had to ask for the recipe. Here it is for you to enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups wide egg noodles
1 tsp olive oil
12 cups chicken broth (3 cartons)
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup water
3 cups diced, cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken)

Directions:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add egg noodles and olive oil, and boil until tender. Drain, rinse under cool running water.

In a large pot (5 qt size), combine broth, salt and poultry seasoning. Bring to a boil then stir in onion, celery and carrots. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and water together until cornstarch is dissolved. Gradually add to the soup, stirring constantly until slightly thickened. Stir in chicken and heat through.

To serve, spoon a serving of noodles into each bowl and then add the soup.

*I don't like to add the noodles to the soup while cooking because if I have leftovers the noodles will soak up the extra broth, so I just cook them separately.


serves 12

Veggie Meatball Soup

My 5 year old loves meatballs, so I definitely had to try this recipe. We weren't disappointed - it's excellent and surprisingly low in fat!

Ingredients:

3 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
2 cans Italian diced tomatoes
18 frozen meatballs {give or take a few :D }
2-3 bay leaves
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup uncooked spiral pasta

Directions:

In a slow cooker, combine the first 6 ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until heated through. Stir in pasta; cover and cook 20-30 minutes longer or until pasta is tender. Discard bay leaves before serving.


*The original recipe called for stewed tomatoes, but I used the Italian diced tomatoes to give it more flavor.


Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 cup) equals 125 calories, 1 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 2 mg cholesterol, 574 mg sodium, 24 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 5 g protein.


Weight Watchers points: 2

Chicken Corn Chili

Mmmm...this is so yummy! In fact, it's on my menu for this weekend. Can't wait!

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 jar salsa– we love Sam’s Choice Black Bean and White Corn
2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp chili powder

Salt and pepper to taste

1 can Mexican-style corn

1 can pinto beans

Directions:

Place chicken and salsa in the crock pot the night before you want to eat this chili. In the morning, season the chicken and salsa mixture with garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. About 2-3 hours before you want to eat, shred the chicken with two forks then place back in the slow cooker. Add the corn and pinto beans, continue cooking. Simmer until ready to serve. We like it with sour cream and shredded cheese on top and we eat it with tortilla chips. You can add all kinds of toppings to this – be creative. It’s fantastic anytime of the year!

Cheesy Potato and Broccoli Soup

I got this recipe from a friend at work probably 4 or 5 years ago. It's one of my favorite soups to make - so much in fact, that I have to be careful how much I make it. My poor husband asked me to stop making it for awhile because I was making it so often - oops! I never get tired of food - what's his deal? :)

I've changed the original recipe; the major change being that I added broccoli. You can make it with or without the broccoli. My 5 year old prefers it without. The other day he asked what was for dinner and when I told him I was making this soup he said, "Sounds good. But I don't need the broccoli. You and Dad can have broccoli though." Hmm...didn't expect that response. Although, I can't really blame him. I hated broccoli as a kid :)

Ingredients

3 cups water

3 chicken bouillon cubes

5 cups diced potatotes

1/2 medium onion chopped

1 t. salt

3/4 t. pepper

8 0z broccoli (I prefer to use fresh, but frozen will work)

1/2 cup margarine

3/4 cup flour

1 quart fat-free half and half

16 oz light Cheese Whiz

Directions

In a large pot, dissolve the bouillon in water. Add potates, onion, salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat until potatoes are mostly done, then add broccoli. (Be careful not to stir too much while cooking or the broccoli will break up and become mushy.) In a saucepan, melt margarine, then remove from heat and add flour a little at a time until a thick, smooth paste is formed. Stir in the half and half a little at a time; heat through. While that (the white sauce) is heating, add the Cheese Whiz to the potato and broccoli mixture - but allow it to melt before stirring. After stirring in the cheese, add the white sauce to the soup and stir carefully until mixed.

My favorite way to serve this is in bread bowls, but sometimes those can be hard to find. Either way, it's delicious!

8-10 servings

*This makes a ton of soup, but it freezes well so you can always save some for next week :)

Turkey Pasta Soup

This is something that we have fairly often. It’s a little spicy – once I substituted turkey sausage instead of ground turkey, and let me tell you – that was hot! I don’t recommend it! 

Here's one tip - I cook my pasta, but don't add it to the soup. When I dish it up, I put the amount of pasta I want in each bowl and then add the soup. That way I can refrigerate the leftovers without the pasta soaking up all of the broth.This makes quite a bit of soup, so sometimes we freeze the leftovers and then it's quick to heat up for another meal. I also like to sprinkle some shredded Parmesan on top just before serving.

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked small pasta shells
• 1 pound lean ground turkey
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cans (15 ounces each) white kidney or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) Italian stewed tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large stock pot, cook the turkey, onions and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the broth, beans, tomatoes and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Drain pasta and add to the soup. Cook 5 minutes longer or until heated through.

Yield: 10 servings