Slow Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Posted on October 3, 2016 by amyhindererfeltus

I have a couple versions of this soup, depending on if I have leftover cooked chicken to use, or am cooking from scratch that day!

Ingredients:

  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 4-5 stalks celery, thinly sliced
  • 4-5 carrots, sliced
  • 2 TB tomato paste
  • 2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 lb of cooked chicken breast, shredded or cut into bite sized pieces OR 1.25 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, raw
  • 1/2 c white wine (or chicken broth)
  • 8 c chicken broth
  • 1 c of a brown and wild rice medley, like this one from Trader Joe’s
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Juice of one lemon
  • Fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

  1. Heat olive oil over medium heat, saute onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes.  Add carrots and celery and cook for 2-3 more minutes.  Add tomato paste and thyme and stir, cook for 2-3 more minutes. Add wine (or 1/2 c broth), stir, scrape up any browned bits, transfer mixture to slow cooker.
  2. If using already cooked chicken: add chicken, rice and chicken broth to slow cooker and cook on high 3-4 hours, or until rice is done.
  3. If using raw chicken: add chicken and chicken broth to slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours.  Add rice and cook for an addition 1-2 hours until rice is done.  Remove chicken, shred, and return to pot.
  4. Immediately before serving, add lemon juice and parsley and stir.
  5. Makes 8 servings.

 

 

 

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Crockpot Chicken For Tacos, Taco Salads, Nachos and more!

Posted on October 3, 2016 by amyhindererfeltus

I’m not even sure if this really counts as a recipe – because it’s more of a throw it all in and ignore it until it’s done kind of thing – and you can really mix it up and change amounts to your own preferences!

Ingredients:

2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken thighs (or, if you prefer, breasts)

2 c. of the salsa of your choice (we do red sometimes, pico de gallo sometimes, salsa verde sometimes – whatever sounds good for your tacos)

2-3 TB of taco seasoning

Optional: 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained, 1 c. of frozen corn, defrosted

Directions:

Place all ingredients in crockpot, stir.  Cook on high for 4 hours.

When done, remove chicken, shred, and return to pot – mixing with other ingredients.

Serving:

Serve “build your own style” with the fixings of your choice.  We do tortillas, taco shells, tortilla chips, lettuce, tomato, bell peppers, olives, cheese, sour cream and more.  Easy week night dinner that is sure to please anyone.

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Denver Omelet Egg Muffins

Posted on October 3, 2016 by amyhindererfeltus

This one of my favorite make-ahead breakfasts.  I make these on a Sunday or Monday and eat them all week.  They also freeze, defrost and reheat very well.  A serving is 2 muffins, so this makes 6 servings. Reheat and eat as they are, or put them inside a whole grain english muffin for breakfast on the go!

Ingredients:

  • 6 large eggs
  • 1 c of egg whites
  • 2 diced bell peppers
  • 4 oz of diced lean ham or Canadian bacon
  • 3 oz of shredded cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Beat eggs and egg whites together.

3. Divide evenly among 12 muffin tin cups (sprayed with cooking spray or lightly oiled).

4. Divide peppers and ham or canadian bacon between the 12 cups.

5. If desired, top each with cheese.

6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until set and lightly browned on top.

7. Immediately upon removing from the oven, run a butter life around each muffin to release it from the pan. After cooling, store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. These can also be frozen for later use!

Egg Muffin Freemium

 

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Weekly Meal Plan – September 18, 2016

Posted on September 19, 2016 by amyhindererfeltus

So here’s plan from the Plan Prep Pour household last week.  And I’m going to put a large emphasis on the word plan this week.  You know how sometimes you do everything you can to make a week successful?  You plan.  You prep.  You’re organized.  You’ve got this.

Right up until when you don’t.  Things got out of hand at our house last week.  Football practice started.  Soccer started.  Suddenly there was a Lego robotics club meeting.  Oh, and that appointment after school Thursday…..getting the picture?  So I hope my plan helps, but I also wanted you to know I didn’t follow most of it. Because sometimes, even with the best laid plans, it doesn’t work that way.

Breakfasts for the week – this was easy, and I actually ate them every day!  I bought some fresh pico de gallo at the grocery store (Safeway) and each morning I scrambled two eggs, added the pico until heated through, and served with some diced avocado.

Lunches – those largely went as planned for me too.  I’d cooked up enough chicken breast for the whole week.  A couple days I had it just shredded on top of a bagged salad blend of greens (thank you Trader Joe’s and Safeway for having a bunch of these that make my life easier) and bottled dressing.  But for 2 lunches I really enjoyed this new (to me) mason jar salad recipe for Cobb Salad in a Jar with Buttermilk Ranch from Skinnytaste.  In fact, they were so good, I’m making more for this week!

Here’s where things got a little crazy.  Dinners.  Which apparently we have to have every day?

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Monday – so as you can see, the plan for Monday was a lentil soup with chicken made in the pressure cooker.  But that didn’t happen.  Instead we had some leftovers from the week before.  I can’t even remember at this point why it didn’t happen.

Tuesday – I made the soup.  And thank goodness, because it had to serve as leftovers later in the week too.  And it was amazing.  Even my pickiest most discerning child ate it and asked for seconds.  This too is a skinnytaste recipes.  Pressure Cooker Lentil and Chicken Soup – I made it exactly as written and it was perfection (with a little hot sauce added to the adult servings).  I will say this, the recipe doesn’t warn you that pressure cookers also take time to come to the right temperature.  So it’s not done in the 30 minutes specified.  Mine took between 15-20 to get there.  So it was done in 45-50 minutes, not 30.  But it couldn’t have been easier to throw together, and it allowed me to help with homework while it cooked. One other thing, though, if you are a calorie counter/tracker.  I think that hers are off on this one, as she says it’s 8 servings at 129 calories each.  But my lentils alone had more calories than that…I commented on the blog, but it’s remained “subject to moderation” for over a week.  At 8 servings I clocked it at closer to 250/275 calories (still totally reasonable), but you’ll want to check it yourself if that matters to you.

Wednesday – No turkey meatball soup was ever made.  But that was the plan, and I’m sure it is delicious.  Here’s a link in case you want to try it:  Turkey Meatball Tortellini Soup.  You see Wednesday it turned out we had football from 5:15 – 6:15.  So instead I decided to pack the kids “dinner boxes.”  These yumboxes are my favorite thing for packing kids lunches or other meals on the go.  We ate PB&J, carrots and ranch, strawberries, and yogurt at the park and in the car.  The feral animals My adorable children were still hungry when we got home, but I was able to appease them with some apples and peanut butter during homework time.

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Thursday – I was really looking forward to creating a new original recipe for black bean soup, but it will have to wait.  Legos and appointments and unplanned Target trips prevented cooking.  I let the heathens the children have lunchables from Target for dinner.  They thought I was the BEST MOM EVER.   For five minutes anyway.  We’ll try black bean soup again soon.

Friday – They ate their planned takeout and I went out with some girlfriends.

Saturday – friends took pity on us, and invited us for football and dinner.

Sunday – as I type this, I’m ready to prepare this pasta casserole (which I have made before and is delicious).  I love it, because you don’t have to cook the noodles ahead of time.  Chicken Sausage and Peppers Macaroni Casserole – I leave the mushrooms out because the rest of my household is ridiculously picky has such discerning palates.

Have a great week – I hope this plan provides you with more guidance than it did me!

Cheers.

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Italian Seasoned Stuffed Peppers

Posted on September 13, 2016 by amyhindererfeltus

These easy stuffed peppers can be made for dinner tonight, or prepped ahead and finished in the oven or crockpot.  With few ingredients, paired with a simple side of cut up fruit, this meal comes together easily. Bonus in my household: all 3 children eat at least the stuffing  – one refuses to eat the actual pepper….

Ingredients:

6 large bell peppers (or 7-8 if they are small), tops and seeds removed, with a small slice carved off the bottom so they stand up in the baking dish or crockpot – or if using the oven method, you can also cut them in half lengthwise (use the tops and slices in the filling after dicing, if desired)

1 lb of 90% lean ground beef

1 tsp minced garlic

1 TB italian herb seasoning blend (like this one from Penzey’s, which is my favorite spice/seasoning store)

1/4-1/2 tsp of dried red pepper flakes (optional)

2 c of cooked brown rice (I like to use the frozen rice that cooks in the microwave in 3 minutes!  You can also use white rice if you prefer)

1 15 oz can of tomato sauce

1 14.5 oz can of petite diced tomatoes (undrained)

Salt and pepper

4-6 oz Italian blend shredded cheese

Instructions:

  1. If preparing peppers to eat immediately, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Brown ground beef, garlic, and if desired, diced tops and bottoms of peppers in a large pan until beef is cooked through, stirring and breaking up frequently with a wooden spoon.
  3. Add Italian seasoning blend and, if using, red pepper flakes, and stir to mix evenly.
  4. Add cooked rice, tomatoes and tomato sauce.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Check seasoning and adjust as necessary.  Adding salt and pepper if desired and/or more Italian blend.
  5. Fill peppers or pepper halves with beef mixture (packing tightly) and place in baking dish.
  6. If cooking immediately, top with cheese and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until peppers are tender and cheese is melted and slightly browned.
  7. If preparing ahead, cover tightly and refrigerate.  When ready to serve, allow to come to room temperature as oven is pre-heating.  Bake covered for 30-35 minutes or until peppers and mixture are heated through.  Top with cheese and bake an additional 15-20 minutes until it is melted and slightly browned.  You can also prepare through step 5 and use your slow cooker to finish the peppers (use whole peppers, not halved for this method).  Add peppers to slow cooker and cook on high for 2-3 hours.  30 minutes before serving, uncover and top with cheese.

 

 

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September 11 – Weekly Meal Plan

Posted on September 10, 2016 by amyhindererfeltus

 

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You may have noticed….the meal plans I give you, they are what we did the week before.  Usually the recipes are up here on the site, but the plan I don’t put up until we’ve done it.  That way, I’m not putting it up here until we’ve eaten all or at least most of it (and I’m 100% certain it didn’t totally suck).  So this was our plan for September 5 through September 12, but hopefully it helps you this week or in the future.

Breakfasts:

Cherry Chocolate Overnight/Refrigerator Oats and a hard boiled egg.  I boiled the eggs ahead and made my oats for 4 days.  On the 3 other days, I mixed my boiled egg with avocado and had it over a slice of whole grain toast.

Lunches:

Last week I came up with a new Asian Salad in a Jar for my lunches.  These salads feature a homemade peanut dressing, and no lettuce – so not your typical salad.  I made 4 of these, and ate leftovers from dinners the other days.

Dinners:

Monday

We had a cookout with family – ribs on the grill, deli salads etc., since this was our Labor Day plan.

Tuesday

This recipe for Zucchini Ravioli kept coming across my Facebook feed all week, and it looked good, so I decided to give it a try – but with my own spin, I browned some lean, organic ground beef and simmered that with the marinara before adding it to the dish.  I frequently make my own marinara and other pasta sauces, but not when temps are still above 100 in Phoenix, so this time I used this Organic Tomato Basil Marinara from Trader Joe’s that is my go to in the summer!  We had a simple veggie tray with Greek yogurt dip on the side.

Wednesday

Leftovers.

Thursday

Chicken stir fry with veggies and brown rice.  I don’t follow a recipe for stir fry, just generally throw it together with what I have – but here are some great stir fry tips and sauces.

Friday

Leftovers!

Saturday

This is a use up leftovers and go to a baseball game night for us.

Sunday

Crockpot Drip Italian Beef, mashed potatoes and green beans.  What’s great about this meal, is we can use the leftovers for sandwiches on hard rolls with peppers, onions and provolone in a couple days!  I don’t make this exactly the same every time, but I loosely follow this recipe – always the crockpot/slow cooker version.  One big exception – I use flank steak.  I am just not a fan of the fattier cuts of beef roast.  I’ve tried it multiple ways.  A lot of people don’t think flank steak should be cooked in the crockpot, but I love it.  It shreds/pulls apart beautifully.  Also, you don’t have to do the refrigerate overnight remove the fat part…..

Hope you have a great week, and that maybe my plan makes it easier!

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No Lettuce Mason Jar Salad with (a little bit) Spicy Peanut Dressing

Posted on September 6, 2016 by amyhindererfeltus

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Sometimes I like a salad without lettuce – just tons of veggies and dressing.  For one thing, less chopping.  But also, they just feel a little heartier sometimes, and it’s always nice to mix things up.  I came up with this dressing and salad by trial and error – just ask my husband how many versions of the dressing he was delighted forced to taste.

Makes 4 entree sized salads.

Dressing Ingredients:

  • 1 TB sunflower (or olive, or or canola, or whatever oil you feel like….) oil
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp ginger, finely chopped (or buy the minced stuff in a jar, as far as I can tell it tastes just as good, I just happened to have fresh on hand)
  • 4 TB rice wine vinegar
  • Juice of 1/2 a lime
  • 1/4 tsp wasabi paste (it comes in a little tube in the Asian aisle at most mainstream grocery stores)
  • 1/8 tsp minced garlic
  • 3 tsp creamy peanut butter (I used natural, so no ingredients other than peanuts)
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • Sea salt to taste

Salad ingredients:

  • 2 c cooked, shelled edamame (a full package in most freezer sections, defrosted if starting from frozen
  • 2 red bell peppers, diced
  • 9 oz bag of shredded cabbage and carrot mix
  • 8 green onions, white and light green parts, sliced
  • 1/2 of a 9 oz package of fresh snow peas, trimmed, sliced
  • 1/2 a 12 oz package (around 2.5 c) of broccoli slaw
  • 8 oz of leftover cooked chicken breast, chopped or shredded (optional)

Directions:

  1. Place all dressing ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until mixed thoroughly.  Divide dressing among 4 quart mason jars.  These are what I use.
  2. Layer salad ingredients in the following order (bottom to top):
  • Edamame
  • Bell peppers
  • Shredded cabbage & carrot mix
  • Green onions
  • Snow peas
  • Broccoli Slaw
  • Chicken (if desired – this salad packs a great protein punch with out it, but if you are someone who needs an animal product to feel like you’ve had a meal – and here I’m looking at my husband – top it with some leftover chicken)

3.  Seal jars tightly (I use these lids) and store in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Prior to serving, give the jar a shake, and dump it on a plate.  Or, if you’re busy like I sometimes am, and maybe even not somewhere with plates, just shake it up good and eat it out of the jar.

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Cherry Chocolate Overnight/Refrigerator Oats

Posted on September 6, 2016 by amyhindererfeltus

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Overnight oats make for a great grab and go breakfast, and you can eat them chilled, or heat them up if you prefer.  I love using frozen fruit right out of the freezer for these – it seems to flavor the oats better without added sweetener.  I make these in wide-mouthed, pint sized mason jars, but you can make them in any container that can be sealed in the fridge (I love these lids).

Ingredients for 4 servings:

  • 1 1/3 c almond milk
  • 1 1/3 c greek yogurt
  • 1 1/3 c old fashioned oats
  • 4 TB raw cacao powder
  • 8 tsp of chia seeds, or chia, flax etc. blend (I am currently using the Super Seed and Ancient Grain Blend  from Trader Joe’s)
  • 2 c frozen, pitted cherries (or the other fruit of your choice)
  • honey to taste (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Place 1/4 of each of the almond milk, greek yogurt, chia seed blend, cacao powder and oats in container of your choice that seals. Mix well (with the jars, I put the lid on and shake!). Top with the cherries and a drizzle of honey (if desired), cover and refrigerator overnight (or up to 5 days).
  2. When ready to serve, remove from fridge, stir, enjoy! Or, if you prefer, heat and enjoy.

 

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September 4th – Weekly Meal Plan

Posted on September 3, 2016 by amyhindererfeltus

What’s a meal plan week look like at Prep Plan Pour?  Here it is!  I planned on Saturday, and did my prep on Sunday morning, and now I can pour a glass of wine and relax.

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Each week I plan one breakfast and one lunch and then make enough for each day of the week. I find that I really like the consistency of the menu and it is particularly helpful if you are counting calories, macros, etc.

Breakfasts

For breakfast this week, I’m eating my Sweet Potato and Egg Veggie Breakfast Hash. I’m all prepped so, I just have to saute the veggies and cook the eggs on top.

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Lunches

Lunches are a new recipe I came up with this week – hoping it’s delicious.  Caprese Mason Jar Salads with Broiled Chicken.  I have four of those, so one day I’ll eat some leftovers from dinner.

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Dinners

While breakfast and lunches are consistent every day, I do plan a different dinner for each night. I use a combination of recipes I find on other food blogs and my own creations. They are a combination of premade, pre prepped and slow cooker meals so that it’s less work to have a home cooked dinner. I plan out each meal based on our schedules – slow cooker or premade meals when we’re gone all day, pre prepped for when we have some time in the afternoon.

Monday

Add A Pinch Balsamic Pork Roast Recipe.  Any time I’ve tried a recipe from this site, it’s been great.  This pork roast especially is a crowd pleaser in my household!  It’s also incredibly simple, and done in the crockpot.  Who could ask for easier for a Monday night?  We serve it over mashed sweet potatoes with a green veggie on the side.

Tuesday

Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas.  Fajitas are one of those great meals that make everyone happy, because everyone can customize their own.  I make the meat and veggies together in one pan, which makes for quicker clean up.  Black bean and corn salad on the side, as well as some fruit.

Wednesday

Leftover day!

Thursday

Trying a new recipe from Skinnytaste.com this week.  I actually avoided this cooking and recipe blog for a long time, because I figured with the name it would have recipes that included artificial sweeteners and overly processed fat removed type ingredients and the like, but in fact, it’s the opposite.  Real food.  Great recipes.  Just lightened up.  This recipe for Chilled Italian Shrimp Tortellini Pasta Salad caught my eye this week, so we’re trying it with a veggie tray on the side.

Friday and Saturday

We’ll eat up any leftovers and maybe grab some takeout or eat out one night as a reward for surviving another week of work and school.

Sunday

I’m planning on getting a jump on the next week by making a roast chicken meal for the family.  Chicken roasted with lemons, onions and potatoes, seasoned with rosemary and thyme.  We’ll do some more veggies on the side – hopefully there will be leftovers for lunches, and perhaps to make broth and then a pot of soup!

 

 

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Caprese Mason Jar Salads with Broiled Chicken

Posted on September 1, 2016 by amyhindererfeltus

Make ahead these salads for lunch all week – this recipe makes 4, or make 1 or 2 at a time.  They will keep for 4-5 days in the fridge.

Chicken:

1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces

1 TB of lemon infused olive oil (I used this great Meyer Lemon Oil from Queen Creek Olive Mill) or 1 TB of olive oil and 1-2 TB of fresh lemon juice

2 TB red wine vinegar

2 tsp of dried oregano

Fresh cracked pepper and sea salt

Dressing:

4 TB balsamic vinegar

2 TB olive oil

Fresh cracked pepper and sea salt

Salad:

10 oz container of cherry tomatoes, halved (grape work well too)

1 green pepper, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

5 oz of fresh whole milk mozzarella, I like to use ciliegine (small balls) like this one from Trader Joe’s, cut into bite sized pieces or slices (I cut each ball into 4 slices)

1-2 oz of fresh basil leaves (a big handful), chopped

2 hearts of romaine lettuce, sliced thinly or shredded

Directions:

  1.  Mix together lemon olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano and salt and pepper.  Toss chicken in mixture and allow to marinate/sit for 15 minutes.  Broil chicken for 8-10 minutes or until cooked through.  Set aside to cool.
  2. Mix together dressing ingredients and divide among 4 quart sized mason jars.
  3. Layer salad ingredients in jar bottom to top as follows:
  • Tomatoes
  • Green pepper
  • Red pepper
  • Mozzarella
  • Basil
  • Lettuce
  • Chicken (cooled!)

Seal jars securely and store in refrigerator until ready to serve.  When ready to serve, shake jar vigorously, then pour on a plate or into a bowl.  Enjoy!

 

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