Stuffed Cornbread

My Mother is out of town this week and since I'm keeping her teenager she told me to go raid her fridge, pantry, and freezer to help feed the extra hungry mouth. I found a TON of fresh veggies and it's been a challenge to figure out what to do with them all. I searched all over the web tonight for a recipe that could use more than 1 of the vegetables I had on hand. I was disappointed at the results, so I decided to use the creative cook in me and create a recipe to use a majority of these fresh veggies. I won't lie, at first I was worried about this concoction I was making and I'm sure you will be too when you see the ingredient list and start cooking. Trust me though, by the time you actually start putting it together, your mouth will be watering and you will be counting down the seconds for it to come out of the oven. I've made something a little similar to this before, and I'm sure you can search the web or Pinterest for "Taco Cornbread" and come up with 5,000 recipes. My original recipe came from my best friend though and tonight I just stole the concept of having a cornbread crust, taco meat, black olives, and cheese. The rest of this recipe is my invention :)

Stuffed Cornbread


2 Yellow Squash, sliced and diced
2 Potatoes, sliced and diced
1 Red onion, chopped
1 cup Carrots, chopped
1 lb Ground Beef
1 Package Taco Seasoning
1 Cornbread batter recipe
3/4 C Water
2 Tomatos, sliced and diced
1/4 C Black olives, sliced
1 Can Rotel (Mine had Habanero peppers which gave an extra kick)
1 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 Cup Cheddar (I actually had to mix Cheddar and Mozzarella because I had very little Cheddar cheese).
1 Cup Fresh Spinach, torn
1 Tsp Oregano

Fry veggies in 2 TBSP oil until all veggies are soft and cooked to your desired consistency (Think about fried potatoes). Add garlic powder.

Brown ground beef in a separate pan, drain fat.

Add beef to fried veggies with taco seasoning and water; Cook until well mixed.

Spray 9x13 pan with Pam, pour in half the cornbread batter and spread around. Layer like this: Meat/veggies, tomatoes, Rotel, Black Olives, Spinach, Cheese, cornbread batter.

I Sprinkled Oregano on top of the cheese for extra flavor!

Bake @400 for 25 minutes. Makes 12 servings.

So this week as I'm frantically studying for my OSAT test, I have challenged myself to spend as little time in the kitchen cooking, yet still have fantastic dinners ready for the hubby when he comes home from work. Luckily, I'm already addicted to using my Slow Cooker and so the real challenge is to find 6 days worth of recipes to use with groceries I already have (Keep in mind I have not gone grocery shopping since July 1st). Monday's recipe was a version of my Mother's famous Vegetable Beef Stew with tons of fresh/frozen veggies, and tonight we had Steak burrito's. I <3 my slow cooker!! Since I'm super busy studying I forgot to take pictures...OOPS!


Slow Cooker Vegetable Beef Stew


3 Pound Roast (Whatever's on sale)
3-4 Potatoes, diced
1 cup Brussel Sprouts
3 Carrots, peeled and sliced
1 bag Great Value Asparagus stir fry (Frozen veggies)
Shredded cucumber (YUM!)
1 Green bell pepper sliced
1 can beef broth
1 small can tomato sauce
Dash of salt
Ground black pepper
Garlic powder
***Fresh grated nutmeg***(This adds so much flavor!!!)
2 Tbsp cornstarch
Water


Prepare all veggies and place in the slow cooker, place roast on top. Add seasoning's and cover with beef broth, tomato sauce and water. Cook for 6-7 on low. Pull one cup of broth out and whisk with cornstarch. Pour the broth back in the slow cooker and cook for 1 more hour on low. It taste's yummy with corn bread :)


Slow Cooker Steak Burrito's


1.25 pound thin T-Bone steak, thawed
1 4oz can green chili's
3 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 Package taco seasoning
1 package Knorr Rice Sides Steak Fajita flavor
2 Cup water
Burrito size flour tortilla's
1 large tomato
Sour cream
cheddar cheese


Spray the slow cooker with pam. Rub the steak with the taco seasoning and place in the slow cooker. Add the green chili's, worcestershire, vinegar, Knorr Rice sides, and water. Cook on low for about 4 hours or until steak is tender. Shred the steak and stir the rice.


Heat 4-5 Burrito size flour tortilla's in the microwave for 25 seconds, fill with steak mixture, diced tomato, cheddar cheese, and sour cream. Fold like a burrito and toast in a skillet for 30 seconds on each side (Or until lightly browned).
Enjoy your super yummy, easy, quick dinner!!

Weeknights = simple meals...But now that I've added healthy to my diet it seems to take more effort (You know, chopping all the healthy veggies). One of my main goals when cooking is to use ingredients that I already have without having to run to the grocery (Aka. Dollar General since I live in the b.f.e.), So tonight I had to think creatively of what I could make besides the usual spaghetti, taco salad, etc.

Then it dawned on me...Chicken Alfredo! I LOVE Chicken Alfredo!

Then I remembered these things called calories...and fat...So I decided to create my own healthy version of Chicken & Spinach Alfredo. Note: I already have a plan on how to make this healthier, and will post newer version if it turns out :)

So here goes...

Step 1: Boil 1 1/2 pound boneless skinless breast & shred.

Step 2: Chop 1 onion and 1 green bell pepper. Place in a stainless steel pot with 1 tbsp evoo and saute for about 3 minutes.

Step 3: Add 1 tbsp butter to Peppers and onion, stir until melted. Then add 1 tbsp flour and mix, let it cook for about 30 seconds.

Step 4: Add 1 cup chicken broth (I saved the broth when I cooked my chicken), stir and let thicken.

Step 5: Add 1/2 cup white wine, stir and thicken.

Step 6: Add 1 1/2 cup milk (I used 2%, but plan to use 1% next time to cut fat and calories), stir and thicken.

Step 7: Add 2 cups fresh spinach, cook for 3-4 minutes.

Step 8: Grate 2 cloves fresh garlic, and add 1 tsp italian seasoning, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground pepper. Next grate 1/2 of a whole nutmeg (That's right! Grate it, you will love it!! I always grate fresh nutmeg anytime I cook with dark, leafy green veggies!).

Step 9: Add chicken, cook for another 2 minutes or until chicken is warmed through again.

Step 10: Add 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese to you pasta (I used spaghetti).

Step 11: Then add your chicken mixture and use your spaghetti slotted spoon and toss together.

Step 12: Enjoy!!! I swear all the boys thought it was yummy and would never have known it was a healthy version if I had not have told them.