Hangry

Recipes from a hungry busy mom

[meghanjorg]

Homemade Sweet & Spicy BBQ sauce (clean eating)! Just wisk it all together in a sauce pan and simmer for 10 minutes, yields about 5 cups. Yummy!!!

[meghanjorg]

Simple Pizza Dough

This is such an easy pizza dough to make! You just need a few ingredients and a KitchenAid mixer.

1 cup warm water

1 tbsp yeast

2 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp+ olive oil

2 1/2 cup flour

cornmeal

In your mixer - add the warm water and the yeast and let sit for about 5 minutes.

Add 1 1/2 cup flour and mix (with the dough hook) for about a minute. Add the remaining cup of flour, the garlic salt and olive oil and mix for about 5 minutes.

With floured hands, take it out of the bowl and set out (to rise a little) while you prepare pizza toppings.

Preheat your oven to 425 and prepare your pizza pan. Oil the pizza pan and sprinkle with cornmeal. Then spread the dough out onto the pan, and its ready for toppings! After you add sauce and toppings, then bake 15-20 minutes.

[meghanjorg]

Easy Bake Chicken Fajitas

These fajitas are super easy to make and you won't get hot over the stove top! You will need a few things:

4 lbs + boneless skinless chicken breast

4+ bell peppers (mixed color)

1 onion ( I used red onion)

1 tbsp taco seasoning

1 cup hot water

1 cube tomato-chicken buillion

1 tsp olive oil (or veg oil)

1 tbsp garlic powder (not garlic salt)

1 tsp red wine vinegar (or lemon juice or citrus juice)

black pepper

First, slice up the bell peppers and onions and put them in a casserole dish.

Then, get a glass measuring cup or bowl ready and dissolve the tomato-chicken bullion cube in the cup of hot water. Add the garlic powder, the taco seasoning, the oil, and the vinegar - and mix it up. 

Then, cut up the chicken into small strips. I used meat scissors, it was really quick that way. Add it to the casserole dish. 

Pour the seasoning mixture over the top.

Mix it up well. Then sprinkle black pepper on top (to your liking).

Bake on the Broil setting (525 degrees) for 25 - 30 mins.

Take out of the oven and let cool. 

Its ready to serve! It will make great tacos, burritos or salad topping. -And leftovers! Enjoy!

[meghanjorg]

BBQ Turkey Meatloaf

This meatloaf is the best! Its simple to make and super flavorful!  You’ll need a few things:

1 lb ground turkey

2 small bell peppers (I used red and orange)

1/4 red onion 

2 cloves garlic

2 cups plain panko breadcrumbs

1 tsp chicken buillion

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

pinch of ground red pepper

pinch of Italian seasoning

2 tsp bbq sauce + more for topping (I used Sweet Baby Rays)

1 egg

First, finely chop the bell peppers, onion and garlic. Use a food processor to chop if you have one. 

Then mix up the ground turkey with the chopped veggies, the egg, the seasonings, and the 2 tsp bbq sauce. Mix well.

 Let it “marinate” for as long as possible by covering in a bowl in the fridge. I prepped mine early in the day, so I was able to marinate it for several hours. The longer you can let it set, the better the flavor.

After its marinated, then add the 2 cups of breadcrumbs and form into a loaf and put in a greased bread pan. 

Generously cover it in bbq sauce. Use a spoon to help cover it evenly.

Bake for 45 mins at 400 degrees.

After it has baked for about 30 minutes, take it out of the oven for another layer of bbq sauce and put back in the oven for the remaining time.

It’s done! Let it cool before you serve. It serves about 4 people. It is great served with veggies and is so flavorful and moist - there is no gravy necessary! 

[meghanjorg]

Ham & Pineapple Kabobs

These kabobs are so yummy and so easy to make! This would be great to make with leftover holiday ham. You’ll need a few things:

Sliced ham (I used 8 slices of Applegate naturals ham)

Fresh pineapple chunks (about half of a pineapple)

1 bell pepper

Thick sliced mushrooms

Teriyaki sauce homemade (see recipe in my blog)

Kabob sticks (mine are metal)

First, cut the bell pepper, the pineapple and mushrooms. The ham I used was thinly sliced, so I folded it up. Then put everything onto the kabob sticks. Put them onto a greased pan. I covered my pan in foil for easier cleanup.

Then drizzle a lot of teriyaki sauce over the top. The recipe for the teriyaki sauce is also in my blog, and its really easy and fast to make. 

Bake in the oven on the Broil setting (525 degrees) for about 15 minutes or longer if you like it a little charred.

It’s ready to eat! Enjoy! These are great to eat just like this or with a side of rice. 2 large kabobs was the perfect amount for my husband and me. 

[meghanjorg]

Spunky Chicken

This chicken turned out great! It was sort of a hodgepodge crockpot, I used a little bit of everything that I had on hand. I started this early in the morning before 8am, so that it would be ready at dinnertime.

5 lb bone-in chicken (I used 5 leg quarters)

1 lemon sliced

2 serrano peppers

1 cup fresh chopped pineapple

1 tbsp tahini ( you could substitute with peanut butter)

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

5 cloves fresh chopped garlic (more or less - to your liking)

fresh ginger root (2 slices about an inch thick)

2 chicken buillion cubes (or 2 cans of chicken broth)

black pepper

Add everything into the crockpot and add enough water to cover the chicken.

Cook on high for 6 hours, and stir occasionally.

Let cool for a few hours, then pour it into a colander to drain in the sink.

Pick out the bones, skin, fruit and peppers. This will take about 10 mins.

Its ready to serve! It is a great topping for salads or anything!

[meghanjorg]

Sausage & Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole

This is such a simple breakfast casserole to make! I make it for my husband, and he eats it for breakfast all week. It would make for a great weekend breakfast for a family. I make it in different variations, depending on whatever I have on hand - sometimes I add bell peppers, mushrooms, hot peppers or more cheese. I mix eggs and egg whites in this, just to lower the cholesterol. You’ll need a few things:

1 dozen eggs

1 carton egg whites

1 bag of frozen tater tots 

1 lb breakfast sausage

cheese (I use a handful of pepper jack)

1/3 cup milk

seasonings (garlic salt, pepper, onion powder)

Start by cooking the tater tots. I usually just put them on a foil lined pan (for easy clean up) and bake them on the broil setting until I see them getting crispy. 

Then cook the sausage in a frying pan, and transfer it to a casserole dish. Then mix it around in the pan - as to grease the pan so you don't have to add any oil.

In a big bowl, crack the dozen eggs and add the carton of egg-whites. (Or you could just add 6 eggs instead of the egg-whites). 

Mix it up and add the milk and seasonings you like (I added some garlic salt, pepper and onion powder).

Add the egg mixture and tater tots to the sausage in the casserole dish and mix 

Bake for about 45 mins at 375. 

Add a handful or two of jack cheese (or any type of cheese you like).

Put back in the oven for about 5 mins to get the cheese crispy.

Let it cool down before you cut it. I usually like to make this dish the night before. Serve and enjoy!

[meghanjorg]

Lemon Chili Chicken Tacos (Crockpot)

These shredded chicken tacos are awesome! I scored big time at the market and found a 10 pound bag of chicken (leg quarters) for $3.99! I always find great bargains at my local Fry’s market, they discount their meat and produce a few days before the expiration date. A few of my friends have lemon trees, so I also have tons of lemons right now - and I used 4 lemons in this recipe. This recipe is best to start early in the morning (I started at 8am) so it will be ready at dinnertime. You’ll need a few things:

4 pounds of chicken with bone (4 chicken leg quarters)

4 lemons

4 cloves of fresh garlic

1 slice of onion

1 half bell pepper

1+  hot pepper -optional (I used a serrano pepper)

1 Tbsp+ olive oil (I use olive oil blend)

4 Tbsp taco seasoning + 1 teaspoon

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

corn tortillas

taco toppings: tomato, avocado, lettuce, salsa

First, get the crockpot ready by turning the crockpot on and add about a Tbsp of oil. Then peel and smash the garlic, chop up the onion, bell pepper and hot pepper. Add these in with the oil. Add the juice from 2 lemons and 4 tablespoons of taco seasoning. (My taco seasoning recipe is also on my blog, or you could use 2 packets of taco seasoning). The hot pepper doesn't really make this spicy, it just adds more flavor in the crockpot.

Add the chicken and mix it up well, so the seasonings are well-coated. Then add water, enough to just cover the chicken.

Cook on high in crockpot for 6 hours. Stir occasionally, maybe once or twice.

Then turn the crockpot off and let it cool for a few hours before you de-bone it. It will be so tender, the bones and skin will fall right off. Then pour into a colander to drain and help you sort through and de-bone. 

Sort the chicken by hand, it will take about 10 mins to pick the bones and skin out. Then turn the crockpot back on to the warm setting. Add the chicken, the juice from 2 lemons, about a teaspoon of oil, 1 teaspoon taco seasoning, 1 teaspoon garlic salt, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, and mix it up. 

Let it warm up and “marinate” on the warm setting for about half an hour, then stir it with a spoon to shred it.

Make your tacos and add whatever toppings you like! I added lettuce, tomato, avocado, and green salsa.

Enjoy! These tacos are so tasty! This recipe feeds about 4 people. If you need to multiply, just figure 1 pound (of bone-in chicken) per person. If you wanted to save some time, you could also make this recipe with boneless/skinless chicken, but it doesn't taste as good and comes out a little drier.

[meghanjorg]

Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

Love a Teriyaki Chicken Bowl? I sure do. Make your own restaurant style teriyaki sauce in 5 minutes and its really cheap to make! You’ll need a few things:

¼ cup soy sauce (the full flavor, not lite)

1 cup water

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 - ¼ teaspoon black pepper (to taste)

5 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons corn starch

¼ cup cool water (tap water is fine)

In a saucepan combine everything except the cornstarch and ¼ cup water and begin heating. In a bowl combine the cool water and cornstarch until well blended. Then add the mixture into saucepan and mix well. Continue heating (and stirring) for a few minutes until it reaches the thickness you like. Serve over your favorite rice or veggies and make your own authentic teriyaki bowl at home! Store the remaining teriyaki sauce in the fridge, it yields a little more than 1 ½ cups. Enjoy!!!

[meghanjorg]

Teriyaki Chickpea Stirfry

This is not your typical stirfry - but it is awesome! It was quick and easy to make  and has great flavor! This also makes for a great vegetarian/vegan option and is high in nutrients and fiber! You”ll need a few things:

can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

1 cup of baby lima beans (I used frozen)

1 large carrot

1 slice of red onion

1 bell pepper

cilantro for garnish

cooking oil (I used mediterranean blend)

teriyaki sauce (I made my own)

garlic salt, onion powder, black pepper

rice (I used calrose rice)

First, rinse your chickpeas, then marinate in about 2 tbsp of teriyaki sauce (for as long as possible). I marinated mine for about 2 hours since I thought about it earlier. I made my own teriyaki with soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic salt, pepper and oil.

Then get the rice started; I used a rice cooker and cooked 1 cup of rice - which yielded 3 cups. 

Then chop the onion and bell pepper. I used a potato peeler on the entire carrot to make “ribbons” since I didn't want chunky carrots. 

Then add a little oil (maybe a teaspoon) to the wok/skillet and stirfry until the edges get a little “charred”.

Add the chickpeas (including the sauce it marinated in) and baby lima beans.

Stirfry for about 5 minutes and the sauce will thicken up and seal in the flavor. Season to taste with garlic salt, onion powder and black pepper while you are stir-frying. 

Serve with rice, garnish with cilantro and enjoy! This recipe yields about 4 servings.

[meghanjorg]

Green (Spinach) Pizza Dough

This pizza dough is awesome and so easy to make (in a mixer)! I had about a pound of fresh spinach that needed to be used, so I added it to the pizza dough! I hate wasting food, so whenever I have produce on “its last day” I will find a way to use it! This makes a nice thick pizza dough - or you could make 2 thin crust pizzas. You’ll need a few things:

1 lb fresh spinach (not frozen or canned)

3 ½ cups flour + extra flour

1 Tbsp yeast

1 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 cup warm water

cornmeal

In a food processor, chop the fresh spinach until finely chopped.

In your mixer, add 3 ½ cups flour, yeast, sugar, oil, garlic salt and warm water and blend for maybe a minute. Then add 1 cup chopped spinach and mix for about 5 minutes, adding flour as needed. The dough will be a little sticky, but just add more flour as you take it out of the mixing bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover for 15-30 minutes to rise. 

Then shape into a pizza dough and put it on an oiled pan sprinkled with cornmeal. I used a round pizza pan with vent holes.

Now it is ready to add toppings! Add whatever you like and bake for 15-20 mins at 425. 

I added homemade marinara sauce and then made it custom because my husband and I like different pizza toppings. I also used up the rest of the chopped spinach as pizza toppings. I also shared my marinara recipe in my last blog.

YUM!

[meghanjorg]

Green (Spinach) Pizza Dough

This pizza dough is awesome and so easy to make (in a mixer)! I had about a pound of fresh spinach that needed to be used, so I added it to the pizza dough! I hate wasting food, so whenever I have produce on “its last day” I will find a way to use it! This makes a nice thick pizza dough - or you could make 2 thin crust pizzas. You’ll need a few things:

1 lb fresh spinach (not frozen or canned)

3 1/2 cups flour + extra flour

1 Tbsp yeast

1 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 cup warm water

cornmeal

In a food processor, chop the fresh spinach until finely chopped.

In your mixer, add 3 1/2 cups flour, yeast, sugar, oil, garlic salt and warm water and blend for maybe a minute. Then add 1 cup chopped spinach and mix for about 5 minutes, adding flour as needed. The dough will be a little sticky, but just add more flour as you take it out of the mixing bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover for 15-30 minutes to rise. 

Then shape into a pizza dough and put it on an oiled pan sprinkled with cornmeal. I used a round pizza pan with vent holes.

Now it is ready to add toppings! Add whatever you like and bake for 15-20 mins at 425. 

I added homemade marinara sauce and then made it custom because my husband and I like different pizza toppings. I also used up the rest of the chopped spinach as pizza toppings. I also shared my marinara recipe in my last blog.

YUM!

[meghanjorg]

Homemade Marinara Sauce

This marinara sauce tastes like so good - like restaurant style! It was so simple to make in the crockpot! I had a lot of veggies that were over-ripe and I wanted to use them up, so I made a huge batch of marinara that I have used for several meals (it’s great to store in the freezer also). This is a great way to clean out your fridge! You’ll need a few things:

6 large fresh tomatoes (I used heirloom variety)

Canned crushed or diced tomatoes (I used 3 large cans)

small can tomato paste

2 zucchini squash

1 onion

2 bell peppers any color (I used red and green)

5+ cloves fresh garlic

mushrooms (I used 2 or 3)

olive oil

Italian blend seasoning

garlic salt

onion powder

ground red pepper

black pepper

Get your crockpot ready and turn it on high, add about 1/4 cup of olive oil or just enough to cover the bottom of the pot. 

In a food processor, chop all the veggies up pretty small. Add those to the crockpot and let it cook in the olive oil for about 30 mins. Cut the skins off of the fresh tomatoes and cut them up (I left mine really chunky). Add to the crockpot along with the canned tomatoes, tomato paste and mix it up. Then add your seasonings, I started with about 1 teaspoon of italian blend seasoning, about 2 tablespoons onion powder, 1 tablespoon garlic salt, a little red pepper (maybe half a teaspoon), and a few shakes of black pepper. Add a little more olive oil, then mix it up real good and let it cook on high for 4 hours. Taste test it after it cooked and add more seasonings if needed. The italian seasoning goes a long way, so don't use too much or it won't taste good. Enjoy! I used this sauce on pasta and also on pizza and it turned out great! 

[meghanjorg]

Homemade Taco Seasoning! It's cheap to make and healthier than packets (without preservatives). This is my version, it's not very salty. I like to add salt after cooking (if necessary) to avoid using too much salt.

[meghanjorg]

Carne Asada Tacos

I love carne asada, it is definitely my steak of choice. These tacos were simple to make on the grill and made for a great outdoor dinner!

You’ll need a few things:

Carne Asada (1.5 pounds fed me and my hubby)

corn tortillas

red leaf lettuce

red bell pepper

corn on the cob (cook in the husk)

cilantro

Super easy! On the barbecue, grill up your carne, whole corn on the cob (with the husk), and a whole bell pepper. Then assemble your tacos! I used meat scissors to cut up my carne into thin strips, then I cut some corn off the cob and cut thick pieces of bell pepper. I topped everything in a corn tortilla and added a few sprigs of cilantro and a few pieces of red leaf lettuce. These make awesome fresh healthy tacos! They are a nice variation of my typical carne asada tacos, I normally like them loaded with fresh salsa and cilantro. 

[meghanjorg]

Spicy Bean & Potato Breakfast Burritos

YUM! These burritos are simple to make, and I used leftover beans (from yesterday’s blog). This recipe makes a dozen or more burritos. You’ll need a few things:

Spicy “refried” pintos (I used leftover from yesterday’s homemade batch) 12 tortillas 3 cooked potatoes ( I had leftover baked potatoes) 1 onion 1 green bell pepper avocado garlic salt black pepper olive oil

In a fry pan cook up some diced cooked potatoes, diced onion and diced bell pepper in olive oil. Cook on high stirring frequently. I like mine crispy, almost burned. Season with garlic salt and pepper to taste.

Lay out tortillas and add a few scoops of warm beans, the potato mixture and avocado chunks.

Then fold up and eat! I recommend using “authentic” tasting tortillas, they are so much better. I found this brand and love it!

[meghanjorg]

Spicy Refried Pintos (crockpot)

These crockpot "refried" beans are spicy and delicious! They are super easy to make in the crockpot and make excellent burritos! This 1 pound bag of beans yields 9 cups of refried beans. You'll need a few things:

1 lb bag pinto beans

3 serrano peppers (sliced)

half a small onion (chopped)

6 cloves of garlic

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp or more black pepper

1/2 tsp chili powder

2 (big cubes) chicken-tomato bullion cubes 

Start by soaking your beans overnight. Rinse the beans. Put the beans in the crockpot, add water so that it covers an inch over the layer of beans. Add the remainder of ingredients and cook on low 8 hours. 

Let the beans cool after they are done cooking. 

Reserve 1/4 cup of the liquid and drain the rest of the beans in a colander.

Put the beans in a food processor or high power blender along with 1/4 cup the bean liquid and 1/4 cup olive oil. My food processor holds 9 cups, this was the perfect size for this amount of beans. 

Blend until creamy. 

Warm and serve! They are delicious beans with a kick! I served some up and put the remainder in quart size bags in freezer for future meals. This is so much cheaper -and tastier- than the store bought canned beans.