{Healthier} Crockpot Sloppy Joes

One go-to meal we enjoy during the summer is crockpot sloppy joes!  We love having these sandwiches simmering in the crockpot all day, ready to enjoy whenever we decide to come indoors.  Our favorite recipe is one from Frog Prince's Grandmother, but this time, we added a few additional veggies to fill out the sandwich.

There are 2 C of finely chopped carrots and a whole green pepper "hidden" in this dish, and we greatly enjoyed the addition!

Healthier Crockpot Sloppy Joes


2 C finely chopped carrots
1 lb. ground turkey
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium green pepper, finely diced
1 T minced onion flakes
1 1/2 C ketchup {more or less, to taste}
1 T dried mustard
2 T vinegar
2 T brown sugar


Brown the ground turkey in a large skillet until no longer pink.  Season turkey with salt and pepper while it cooks, if desired.

Place the ground turkey into the crockpot.  Top with carrots, green pepper garlic and onion. Stir.

Add the ketchup and other seasoning - stir to mix well.

Heat on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for ~4.

Serve on your favorite whole wheat hamburger bun.

Mexican Bake

If you've been a long time reader of Finding Joy in My Kitchen, you know that we don't eat very many Mexican recipes.  I love south-of-the-boarder dishes, but, Frog prince isn't a big fan.  I decided to give this dish a try because it was covered in cheese.  Frog Prince can't resist cheese!  

The original recipe is freezer-friendly and can easily be made in bulk.  I paired down the recipe to serve two, and also reduced the amount of meat in the dish.  We often reduce the meat in a recipe, allowing us to stretch our meat across more than one meal.  And, honestly, we didn't miss the extra half-pound of ground beef in the recipe.  It was a great recipe we both enjoyed.      

Mexican Bake - Adapted from Ecomomical Me

1/2 pound ground beef
1 T minced onion
1 (15-16 oz) tomato sauce
1 (16 oz) jar of salsa {spiciness of your choosing}
1 (14.5 oz) whole wheat rotini pasta
6 oz. cheddar jack cheese
~1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. coriander
1/4 tsp. oregano
salt, to taste

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the rotini until done.  Drain.

Meanwhile, brown the ground beef in a large skillet; as you do - season with salt, pepper and minced onion.  Drain excess grease, if necessary.

Add in the tomato sauce and salsa to the ground beef.  Simmer for ~5 minutes.

Add in the seasoning, and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Then, add in the pasta and stir to combine.

Pour the pasta mixture into a lightly greased 9x9 glass baking dish.

Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes until warmed throughout and cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

Linked to: Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Totally Tasty Tuesday, Kitchen Tip Tuesday, What's On Your Plate? Works for Me Wednesday, Your Recipe, My Kitchen

Smokehouse Maple Fajitas

With all this wonderful weather, we're breaking in the grill!

These fajitas were delightful -- especially with the smokehouse maple seasoning.  Oh. My.

Smokehouse Maple Fajitas

Ingredients
4 chicken breasts
~3 tsp. Smokehouse Maple Seasoning (from McCormick)
1 sweet vadallia onion, separated
3 colored bell peppers
1 green bell pepper
1 tsp. olive oil
4-6 whole wheat tortillas
Shredded cheddar cheese, if desired

Directions

Season the uncooked {but thawed} chicken breasts with smokehouse maple.  Then, place the chicken breasts on the grill.

Grill on each side for ~10 minutes.  Check the internal temperature of the chicken breast, and continue cooking until internal temperature reaches 180 degrees.

Meanwhile, slice up the onion and bell peppers into long strips.  Toss with olive oil.

Place the veggies in a grill basket.  Place on the grill and roast the veggies for 10-15 minutes, tossing the veggies every 4-5 minutes.

{Don't mind the zucchini slices in here... we often serve grilled zucchini as a side.}

When the chicken and veggies are done, remove them from the grill and cover to keep warm.

Slice the chicken breast and lay the chicken slices in the center of a whole wheat tortilla.

Top with peppers and onions.

If desired, add the cheddar cheese.  Place the tortillas then into the grill basket and set on the grill (that is now cooling down).  Close the lid to melt the cheese.

Enjoy!

Linked to: Full Plate Thursday, Strut Your Stuff, It's a Keeper, Tutorial Tuesday, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Mangia Monday, Totally Tasty Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Ingredient Spotlight

Macaroni Salad

Do you need a quick and delicious salad for tomorrow's Memorial Day BBQ?

Frog Prince requested his mom's macaroni salad; he listed off the ingredients and I set to work. While the traditional macaroni salad has celery, we used green pepper in its place and I loved that switch.

This salad is easily made in 30 minutes and keeps well in the refrigerator. You might find that you'll need to add a bit more mayo the next day because the noodles will absorb the mayo as the salad sits - but the flavors mix wonderfully!

Macaroni Salad

14.5 oz box of macaroni (we used Ronzoni Smart Taste)
1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 C baby carrots, sliced
1 T minced onion
4 oz. frozen peas
1 C mayo (we used mayo made with olive oil)
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1 T cider vinegar
paprika
parsley
sea salt
black pepper

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions; be sure not to over cook the pasta so that the noodles become overly soft.

Add the frozen peas in the last minute of cooking. Then, drain.

While the pasta is cooking, chop up the veggies.

Allow the pasta and peas to cool down and then place in a large bowl.  As the pasta cools down, stir every few minutes to prevent the noodles from clumping together as they dry.

Add the chopped up veggies.

Stir to combine.

Add the minced onion, and stir these veggies in too. Alternatively, you can use fresh onion here.

Stir together the mayo, sugar, dry mustard, and cider vinegar until smooth and creamy.

Pour the mayo mixture over the pasta.  Do this in small batches.  Add a little, stir it in well and repeat.  This way, the creamy sauce gets all over the pasta and you can stir it in well.

Stir in the mayo mixture until the pasta and veggies are coated.

Then, season, to taste with parsley, paprika, salt and pepper.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.  If desired, you can also add tuna fish or chicken (either canned or grilled chicken breast).

Enjoy!

Linked to: Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Tasty Tuesday, This Week's Craving, URS(2). 

Breakfast Pockets

Frog Prince and I have been on a quest to have breakfasts that are not pancakes/waffles/muffins at least one morning each week.  

This recipe is a hybrid -- it brings together our beloved carbs, and mixes it with yummy veggies, scrambled eggs, and of course, a little cheese.  

We made a big batch of these up over the weekend, and unlike my pizza pockets, these actually made it into the freezer!  So, we have a quick breakfast pocket in the freezer just waiting for growling tummies in the morning.

Breakfast Pockets

{makes ~10 pockets}

Dough

1 C really warm water

1 tsp. honey

1 T yeast

1 tsp. salt

1 T olive oil

1 1/2 C whole wheat flour

1 C white whole wheat flour

Filling

~1 C shredded cheddar cheese

8 oz. mushrooms

1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped

1 C broccoli, chopped

4 eggs

1/4 C milk

salt and pepper, as desired

4-6 slices of bacon, cooked 

Begin by preparing the dough.  Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in the bottom of a large bowl (or mixing bowl if you are using your stand mixer).  Allow the yeast and water to sit for about 1 minute.  Then, add in the honey, salt and olive oil.  Stir in the flour.  You can either do this by hand, or with your mixer.  Knead the dough for about 5 minutes until smooth.  Allow the dough to sit, covered for 5 minutes while you prepare your filling.  

Add the sliced veggies to a skillet with a few drops of olive oil.  Saute the veggies until crisp tender.  

While the veggies are cooking, whisk together the 4 eggs and the 1/4 C milk.  Scramble the eggs in a lightly greased skillet until eggs are set.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  

Combine the veggie mixture together with the eggs.  Then, crumble up the cooked bacon strips and mix them into the egg veggie filling.  

Now, divide the dough into 10 small balls.  Flatten and roll out those dough balls into dough circles.  Place the dough circles on a lightly greased cookie sheet.  Now is also the time to preheat the oven to 400.  

Divide the topping mixture into proportions equal to the number of pockets you have to fill.  For us, that equated to about 1/2-3/4 C mixture per pocket.  Place the filling on half of the dough pocket.  

Sprinkle each pocket with shredded cheddar cheese.  

Using a pastry brush, spread water around the edges of the dough.  

Fold the dough over the filling and press to seal.  Use a fork to seal the edges tightly.  

If desired, sprinkle the top of the pockets with Italian seasoning, or chives.  

Bake at 400 for 12-14 minutes until pockets are lightly browned and sound hollow when tapped.  

Serve warm.  

If desired, cool the pockets completely.  Then, freeze in plastic freezer bags.  To cook, remove the breakfast pocket from the freezer and microwave for 1-3 minutes (depending on your microwave) until warmed.  

Linked to: What's Cooking Thursday, Full Plate Thursday, Recipe Swap, Mangia Monday, Tasty Tuesday, These Chicks Cook