Oven-Roasted Balsamic Brussel Sprouts

We had a wonderfully healthy dinner tonight. Pat was busy painting the basement all day, while I ran errands. It was great to sit down and enjoy a nice dinner together. We made steak, southwestern potatoes, and balsamic brussel sprouts. It was so nice to eat a healthy meal, especially since this baby has me eating a lot of random foods these days. I got this recipe from Our Best Bites, I must say they were wonderful! I am not a brussel sprout lover by any means, but this recipe sounded tasty, so I decided to chance it. I am glad we did, they were delicious and oh so easy to make.

Oven-Roasted Balsamic Brussels Sprouts

Recipe by Our Best Bites

1 lb. fresh Brussels sprouts

1 1/2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

2 1/2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar, divided

3-4 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. Kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling before serving

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.

Rinse sprouts in cool water and then chop off the tough ends. Pull any straggly leaves off the sprouts and then chop each sprout in half. Place in a medium bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together oil, 1 1/2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, 1/2 tsp. salt, and the freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle it over the chopped sprouts and then toss to combine. Spread the sprouts out evenly over the baking sheet and roast for 20-25 minutes or until the sprouts are tender-crisp.

Remove from oven, transfer to a serving dish, drizzle with the reserved tablespoon of vinegar, and sprinkle with kosher salt to taste. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Weight Watchers Plus Points (per serving): 3

Sloppy Joes and Baked Zucchini Fries

My new favorite site, Our Best Bites, posted a recipe for Zucchini Fries and I just had to try it. I am so glad that I did, they were delicious! I paired them with sloppy joes and we were all happy! The picture isn't the best, but I promise, the taste is amazing! Give these a try, you won't be disappointed.

Baked Zucchini Fries

Our Best Bites

About 1 lb. zucchini
**1/2 c. Italian-seasoned panko bread crumbs  (I used regular panko, see the note below)
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese (the crumbly stuff, not shreds)
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

If you have regular Panko, you can make it Italian by doing the following: just add 1/2 tablespoon of Italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt, and 1/4 tsp. onion powder to 1/2 c. plain panko bread crumbs and you'll be good to go. Either way, mix the bread crumbs with the parmesan cheese and set them aside.

Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Set aside.

Whisk 2 eggs together in a shallow pie plate and set aside.

Cut the ends off the zucchini and then cut the zucchini in half so you have two short, stubby pieces. Set one piece on its end and cut it in half lengthwise. Cut that half in half, making 2 planks. Repeat with the remaining halves (so you'll get 16 planks per zucchini).

Stack 2 planks on top of each other and cut into strips. Thicker strips will yield "meatier" fries with more zucchini flavor while thin strips will be crispy and taste virtually nothing like zucchini. When all the fries are cut, blot the pieces with a paper towel.

Working with a small handful at a time, dip the zucchini sticks in the egg, shake them to remove any excess, and then roll them in about 2-3 tablespoons of bread crumbs at a time, adding more as needed; you just don't want to work with all the bread crumbs at once because they'll soak up moisture from the egg and won't stick to the zucchini. Place the coated strips on the prepared baking sheet and repeat until all the zucchini strips have been coated. Bake for 10-12 minutes in the prepared oven then remove from oven, flip the fries, and bake for another 10-12 minutes or until the zucchini is not soggy and the coating is crisp and golden brown. Serve immediately with Pizza Sauce or Buttermilk Ranch Dressing. Serves 6-8 as a side dish.

Weight Watchers Points:
2 (for 8 servings) or 3 (for 6 servings)

 

Sloppy Joes

All Recipes

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 3 teaspoons brown sugar
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, onion, and green pepper; drain off liquids.
2. Stir in the garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, and brown sugar; mix thoroughly. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Acorn Squash

The one thing I love about fall is it is squash time! Our good friend Nikki brought over some squash from her grandparent's farm. Yum! I decided to make myself some acorn squash for a snack yesterday. It was so easy! You can make it in the oven or in the microwave, I chose to use the microwave because I didn't want to wait. 

Acorn Squash in the Microwave

1 acorn squash

1 T. butter

1 T. brown sugar

*Pierce the squash with a knife several times. Cook in the microwave for 5-8 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes after cooking. Cut in half, scoop out the seeds, place butter and brown sugar in the middle. Eat and enjoy! YUM!

It was the perfect weather for chili! Sadly, fall is here and I am slowly losing my motivation to do anything after work that doesn't include laying on the couch under a blanket....Pathetic. Here is my mom's recipe for chili and a cornbread recipe that I got off the cornmeal container, both were delicious!

Basic Chili
1 lb. ground beef browned and drained
1 cup onion (chopped and browned with meat)
1 can kidney beans
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can whole tomatoes (cut into fourths)-We used ones that we canned from our garden

Chili Seasoning Packet (McCormicks)

Brown the meat and onions, drain. Add all ingredients in a crockpot and cook all day. Your house will smell delicious and your stomach will thank you. I served ours with sour cream, cheese, cornbread, and fresh bread.


Cornbread

1 1/4 c. all purpose flour
3/4 c. Quaker or Aunt Jemima Enriched Cornmeal
1/4 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt; optional
1 c. skim milk
1/4 c. oil
2 egg whites or 1 egg, beaten

**I added honey to the batter and drizzled more on top. I also melted butter and added some honey to it to make a honey butter.**

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 8-9 inch baking pan. Combine dry ingredients. Stir in milk, oil, and egg; mixing just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Pecans, Dried Cherries, and Blue Cheese

Another great recipe from the Trader Joe's cookbook, a delicious fall side dish. I could just eat this for a meal and I did the next day. It is really easy to make and the flavors are incredible. This is a great vegetarian, gluten-free recipe.The picture does not do it justice, this was the morning after leftovers. YUM!

1 lb. butternut squash, cubes

1 red onion, sliced

pinch of dried sage

about 1 T. olive oil

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup dried cherries

1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400. Arrange the squash cubes and sliced red onions in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Season with salt, pepper, and sage, drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 15 minutes. Scatter pecans over the top and roast for another 5 minutes. Remove squash from oven and toss with dried cherries and blue cheese. Adjust seasoning to taste.