Meat & Veggie "Meat Cheats"

Friday for lunch I threw this together and it was so good! I use 93/7 ground meat and it came out really juicy! I call them Meat Cheats because it's how I've cooked meatballs for years ;-) I think next time I'll do the same thing with mushrooms. I wonder what other veggies would be good in them...

MEAT & VEGGIE "MEAT CHEATS"

1 lb 93/7 ground beef
12 oz frozen green beans
Seasonings (I used my homemade Greek seasoning)

Cook green beans until almost desired tenderness. Drain if needed. Pulse in food processor until chopped very finely. Add meat and seasonings. Pulse just until mixed.

Pat into a rectangular glass baking dish (mine's approx 8x10). Microwave, covered, for 5 minutes at 50% power. Remove from microwave. Cut into 4 equal pieces in pan and flip each over. Resume cooking at 50% for 3-5 minutes or until cooked through. Let cool for a few minutes then cut as desired.

You can also make the meat mixture into patties and cook like a burger.

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas, everyone! Hope you have a blessed time with family and friends, but don't forget the Reason for the season!!! :-D

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH (adapted from Taste of Home Two-Tone Fudge Brownies)

1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
2 tbsp. sugar
3 tbsp. cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. oat flour
1 c. (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

In a small bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in cream and vanilla. Gradually add flour. Stir in chocolate chips.

*This is meant to be eaten as is! It will not bake into chocolate chip cookies. It is, however, safe and yummy to eat by the spoonful or to add to ice cream or top brownies or... :)

Two-Pepper Mexican Pasta

TWO-PEPPER MEXICAN PASTA

12-16 oz whole wheat pasta
4 c. Rice Dream
1/2 c. cornstarch
1 small can diced green chiles, pureed
1 1/2 bell peppers, pureed
Heavy cream
Cumin
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Salt
Tortilla chips

Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions.

While pasta is cooking, prepare sauce. Heat 3 c. Rice Dream over medium heat until hot. Mix remaining 1 c. RD with cornstarch until smooth. Slowly whisk mixture into hot RD. Cook over medium heat until thick. When mixture has thickened, add pureed vegetables, cream, and seasonings to taste. Simmer.

Drain pasta and return to pot. Mix in sauce. Adjust seasonings if needed. Top individual servings with crushed tortilla chips.

A Good Try...

... but I still can't get the taste of Mexican food I want without cheese :(

Breakfast - grapes
Lunch - chicken breast in usual salad; Ghirardelli square
Supper - Two-Pepper Mexican Pasta; chocolate chip cookie dough

I Have a Dream...

Off and on for years I've had these dreams where I'm running. Effortlessly. Almost like I'm flying. I had another one recently and a couple days later one of my friends posted something on Facebook about running shoes. I started looking around online at articles on shoes and running and looked at the C25k site. I REALLY want to work up to running! But again, it's a time issue.

I talked with Jesse about it and he's been wanting to train again - he did a half marathon a few years ago. We agreed that if he gets to have regular workouts, so do I ;-) We both need shoes and we need a watch that will time intervals.

I don't know how successful I'll be at running, but I want to at least give it a shot! And if running doesn't work out, I hopefully will have a consistent workout time to do SOMETHING!

Sunday

Breakfast - 1/2 cup coffee w/usual; apple later
Lunch - chicken breast in usual salad; Ghirardelli square
Supper - pumpkin waffles w/drizzle of syrup (1/2 maple, 1/2 cane)