Turning leftovers into lunch/dinner makeovers creates 'happy plates'

Mediterranean Turkey Skillet

Did your mom ever call your clean plate a happy plate? My mom did. This recipe is sure to create some especially after that Thanksgiving dinner is memory.

The Recipe:
1 T Olive Oil

1/2c diced onion
1/2c diced red pepper

1 1/3 garlic cloves, minced

1c frozen artichoke hearts, thawed, or canned

2T sliced ripe olives (we deleted this ingredient)

1 1/2 c chicken broth

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 t paprika

1/2 t thyme

1 1/2 c cooked turkey breast, chopped

1/2 c frozen green peas.

Heat olive oil in skillet over med. heat. Add onion, pepper, and garlic. Cook til onion is translucent. Add artichoke hearts and olives, cooking 2 min. Add broth, salt and pepper, thyme and paprika and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer about 15 min. Stir in turkey and peas and heat about 3 min. then serve.

The Response:

8 enthusiastic thumbs up! We all really loved this recipe. I served it over rice but she suggests serving it over a bed of fresh raw spinach.

The cost:

Under a buck a person. hardly can beat it!

The source, yet again:

Saving Dinner the Low Carb Way by Leanne Ely.

Crock Pots bring happiness.

Who woulda thought that something so simple would point the way towards contentment? Sounds crazy, right? Since before Dan and I married, it was our custom to go out to lunch and 'continue the fellowship' over a meal made by someone else (preferably by someone who'd also clean it up). Now that things have become tighter, this is just not a reality.

Now, I could pine after my lunches out and disdain the simpler fare that would be available in minutes at my house--cold sandwiches, ramen noodles, frozen pizza, microwave meals, but sersiously, am I gonna rush home for any of those things? NAH not hardly. Cold sandwiches on Sunday is like going to the fair but not getting to ride any rides or better yet, to go and NOT get a hot crispy corn dog slathered with mustard paired with an ice cold Coca Cola. But then, there is this wonderful gift we were given when we got married--the crock pot. It's happy to slave away whilst we're worshipping with the body of Christ, filling my house with heavenly aromas. I cannot remember who gave us the crock pot, but will say that it's probably the most used item we've got. For now I can say with utmost confidence, I look forward to Sunday lunch. I'm grateful to have a hot meal waiting on me when I get home. The little things do matter.

And now for the analysis:


The Dish: No Hurry Crock Curry

The Goods:
1lb lean beef, cut into 1" cubes
salt and pepper to taste
1 med onion chopped
1 sm. red bell pepper chopped
1 T olive oil
4 cloves garlic, pressed (I like to mince since the pickier folks in the house like that)
1/4 c tomato puree
2 t curry
2 t paprika
2 t ginger root, grated

garnish:
1 c plain yogurt
1/4 c cilantro, chopped

Place beef, oil, salt, and pepper, curry powder in ziptop bag and mush around. (marinate overnite for best results, or for at least one hour prior to cooking) Brown meat in skillet, dump in crock pot, add a little oil to skillet and saute onions and peppers. add to pot. Deglaze pan with 1/2 c. water. Add ginger root, tomato puree, and paprika. Cook on high 4-6 hours, low 7-8 (ours cooks fast so it was ready after 4.5 hours on low). Garnish with yogurt and cilantro. Serve over Basmati rice (indian rice).

The result:
Didn't really give it to the younglings because curry is such a pungent spice. They ate homemade mac and cheese because I could fix it quickly, get them fed, and in the bed (the goal for sun. afternoon). This dish was a two thumbs up, and two other thumbs enthusiastically way up. I'll let you guess which was which.

The cost:
Under $2/person including rice. YUM

The source:
Saving Dinner the Low Carb Way by Leanne Ely

A side trip, but recurring theme.

Out of necessity as much as principle, I made a commitment last month to cook more at home rather than go after the restaurant fare. I'm using the book Saving Dinner the Low Carb Way written by Leanne Ely of Flylady fame. We've enjoyed so many of the recipes, I thought it would be fun to catalog those that we cooked and the family response to them as well as the cost per serving. So here goes:

Tonight we had Roasted and Chicken with Peppers. First of all, I'll give the disclaimer. This is NOT cosmetic food and I'm not a photog. Additionally, I'll say that this recipe was easy and quick.

The goods:

4 breast of chicken (i used boneless, skinless, but the recipe calls for split or on the bone breasts)

2 T olive oil

1 T lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

1 t rosemary, crushed

1 medium red onion

1 red pepper cut into strips

The process:

chuck all the ingredients into a large ziptop bag (if u do it the nite before, all the better)

set your oven to 500 degrees. Dump ingredients onto roasting pan and roast (b/s chick for total of about 15min turning once. chicken on the bone gets 10 min each side.) Serve with veg piled on top of chicken. DELISH!

The response:

The adults like it though both thought that the rosemary was a little much. Both recommend scraping some of it off before eating. The kids both ate it without a fuss.

The cost: (roughly, that is)

under $2/a person including sides. (take THAT Chili's!)