It’s hard to believe that January is almost over! I hope everyone has a great week, and our menu inspires you.

Monday: Slow Cooked Chili Steak Fajita’s, Chips & Homemade Salsa, with Sopapilla Cheesecake for Heather’s birthday

Tuesday: Grilled Turkey and Swiss Cheese Sandwiches with Fruit

Wednesday: Chicken Fried Steak with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy for Eric’s birthday

Thursday: Corn and Kielbasa Chowder

Friday: Glazed Mini Meatloaves

Saturday: Leftovers

Sunday: Creamy One Pot Pasta with Quick and Easy Breadsticks

Stuffed Pepper Soup

Source: adapted from Stick a Fork in it

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

2 large green peppers, diced

1/2 onion, diced

29 oz can tomato sauce

28 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 cup long grain brown rice, uncooked

32 oz beef broth

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Brown ground beef in a large stockpot, drain. Finely chop onion and green pepper, and add to ground beef. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the peppers are tender and the rice is cooked. Top with shredded cheddar cheese if desired.

We thought the baked egg rolls were pretty good! I was surprised at how crispy they became in the oven. My husband thought they were missing a little something, but I told him I forgot to buy sweet and sour sauce for dipping. He thought that would have made the difference. I loved just buying the bag of coleslaw mix, I thought that was genius. In the past, when I have helped my mom make her egg rolls we had to shred the cabbage and carrots ourselves. This is a great time-saver that I will be sure and pass on to her.

Crispy Baked Egg Rolls

Source: Prevention RD, originally from Branny Boils Over

1 lb. coleslaw mix with cabbage and carrots

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

pinch of ground ginger

1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce

12 egg roll wrappers

1 tablespoon flour + 1 1/2 tablespoons water

cooking spray

sweet and sour sauce for dipping

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large skillet or wok, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add coleslaw mix and garlic. Saute 4-5 minutes until cabbage is soft, but not soggy. Add the ginger and soy sauce, stir.

In a small dish, combine flour and water to make a thin paste.

Spoon 3 tablespoons of cabbage mixture into the middle of each of the 12 egg roll wrappers. Working at a diagonal, use a finger to smear some of the paste on each of the 3 corners of the wrapper. Roll from the side not smeared, tucking in the sides, and seal each wrapper into a log. (If you need to, look at the photo directions on Prevention RD’s site, or on the back of the egg roll package). Place each egg roll on the baking sheet.

Bake egg rolls for 12-14 minutes or until beginning to brown. For added crispness, put the egg rolls under the broiler for 1-2 minutes, checking every 20-30 seconds. Remove and let cool for several moments. Serve with sweet and sour sauce.

Nutritional info per serving (2 egg rolls): 160 calories, 2.3 grams fat, 7 mg cholesterol, 390 mg sodium, 28.5 grams carbs, 2.3 grams fiber, 5.8 grams protein.

Double Chocolate Muffins

Source: Mel’s Kitchen Cafe, adapted from Allrecipes

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup cocoa

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

3 eggs

1 cup light sour cream

1/2 cup plum juice or water

1/2 cup lowfat milk

1/2 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips. Toss to combine.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, plum juice (or water), milk, oil, and vanilla extract.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients, stirring just until moistened.

Line 24 (I had 27)  muffins cups with paper liners and fill cups 1/2 to 2/3 full. Bake for 16-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove the muffins to a wire rack to let cool.

I haven’t been meal planning in quite some time. I thought it was time to start planning again, and get back into the kitchen!

Monday: Crockpot Taco Soup

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Stuffed Pepper Soup

Thursday: Hamburger Fried Rice with Crispy Baked Egg Rolls

Friday: BLT Wraps

Saturday: Out

Sunday: Grilled Steaks

My husband and I made this pizza together. I made the crust from scratch, from a recipe that I adore. This homemade pizza dough makes a thinner crust. I recommend this Wilton pizza pan. My husband grilled the chicken, and chopped up the toppings for me. This pizza requires some effort, but it is so worth it! We will be making this again, and again for sure.

Grilled Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza

Source: adapted from Pennies on a Platter, originally from Sargento

1 prepared pizza dough

1/4 cup ranch dressing

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 grilled chicken breast (we seasoned ours with Penzey’s pork chop seasoning and McCormick mesquite seasoning), cut into bite sized pieces

7 slices Oscar Mayer bacon, cooked crisp, and crumbled

1 large Roma tomato, diced into small pieces

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

If you are using the pizza dough I recommended, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place pizza dough on greased pizza pan, and spread to edges, forming a crust at the edges. Poke holes with a fork all over the bottom of the pizza dough, to prevent bubbles from forming in dough while baking.

Spread 1/4 cup of ranch dressing over the pizza crust, leaving a 1 inch border for the outer crust. Sprinkle with mozzarella and cheddar cheese, then layer the chicken, bacon, and tomatoes. Bake for 20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

I was assigned The Imitation Chef, and I immediately found several recipes to bookmark. I picked out pumpkin cream pie, blueberry crumb cake, and mediterranean couscous. I decided to go with the pumpkin cream pie, as I had stocked up on canned pumpkin during Thanksgiving. I plan on trying the other recipes out in the future.

I lightened up this recipe quite a bit, and was pleased with the results. It was really easy to assemble, and I loved how creamy it was. The original recipe called for pumpkin pie spice, but I forgot to add it when I was making the pie. I thought it tasted good without it, but I might try adding it next time!

Pumpkin Cream Pie

Source: Adapted from Imitation Chef

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 cup light cool whip

2 small packages of sugar- free, fat-free vanilla pudding

1 1/2 cups skim milk

graham cracker crust

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, cool whip, dry pudding mixes, and milk. Beat on low for 2 minutes. Pour pumpkin cream pie filling into graham cracker crust. Refrigerate for 3 hours before serving.

I made chicken fajita’s last night for dinner and they turned out wonderful! Once again, I will never have to buy the premade fajita packets again. I actually enjoy the flavor more of the homemade seasoning. Just like the taco seasoning, I mixed up a batch and stored it in an airtight container for future use. I highly recommend this recipe!

Homemade Fajita Seasoning

Source: Prevention RD, adapted from Busy Cooks

3 tbl. cornstarch

2 tbl. chili powder

2 tsp. salt

1 tbl. paprika

1 tbl. sugar

3 crushed chicken bouillon cubes

1 1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. cumin

Combine all ingredients in an airtight container and mix well. This makes the equivalent of 3 fajita packets.

Prevention RD Fajita’s

1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 red bell peppers, cut into strips
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, cut into strips
1 large onion, sliced
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 “packet” of fajita seasoning (recipe above)

Heat a wok or large pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken, 1/2 “packet” or fajita seasoning (about 1 1/2 tablespoons) + 2-3 tablespoons of water. Cook chicken until nearly cooked through. Add veggies and add remaining fajita seasoning and additional water, if needed. Cook until veggies are tender. Yield: 4 servings (about 2 fajitas)

Nutrition Information (per serving): 246 calories; 4.5 g. fat; 128 mg. cholesterol; 679 mg. sodium; 16 g. carbohydrate; 3.8 g. fiber; 4.3 g. sugar; 40 g. protein

I thought this recipe sounded alot like taco soup, so I thought I would change up the ingredients and share a recipe for taco soup instead. I have been making this recipe for years, and I never seem to make it the same way twice. Just like the tortilla soup recipe, you can use chicken in the taco soup. I have even used ground turkey, but I prefer lean ground beef the best. A lady I worked with made this taco soup for us one time, and I have been making it ever since.

Taco Soup

Source: adapted from Chris Morey

1 pound lean ground beef

2 (80z) cans tomato sauce

1 packet dry ranch dressing

1 packet taco seasoning

1 (15 oz) can corn, undrained

1 (15 oz) can hominy, undrained

1 (15 oz) can ranch style beans

1 (15 oz) can chili beans

1 (10 oz) can rotel, undrained

1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 medium onion, diced

Toppings:

tortilla chips (I love to use Tostito’s Scoops)

shredded cheddar cheese

sour cream

Brown ground beef and onion in a large skillet. In a large crockpot, combine all ingredients, except for toppings. Cook on low 8-10 hours. Serve with tortilla chips, shredded cheddar, and sour cream.

**Note** You can use any combination of beans in this soup. I usually just throw in what I have in the pantry.

It’s recipe swap time again, this time the theme is Pumpkin or Apple. Thank goodness for the recipe swaps, or I might not ever update my blog A big thank you to A Taste of Home Cooking for once again organizing the swaps.

I was really excited about this months theme. I love pumpkin and apple flavored desserts, so I submitted a recipe for spiced pumpkin dip, and received this one. I have seen this recipe before and thought it looked delicious, so I couldn’t wait to try it. We loved these muffins! They have just the right combo of pumpkin and fall spices…..and I love the sweet tasting cream cheese filling.

As I was making the recipe, I found out that I was out of pumpkin pie spice, so I whipped up a batch of homemade pie spice. I found that recipe last fall, and it has sure come in handy!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Source: Seven Ate Nine Bakes,  from Annie’s Eats, adapted originally from Bakespace

For the filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar

For the muffins:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups pumpkin puree
1¼ cups vegetable oil

For the topping:
½ cup sugar
5 tbsp. flour
1½ tsp. ground cinnamon
4 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl and mix well until blended and smooth.  Transfer the mixture to a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a log about 1½-inches in diameter.  Smooth the plastic wrap tightly around the log, and reinforce with a piece of foil.  Transfer to the freezer and chill until at least slightly firm, at least 2 hours.

To make the muffins, preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line muffin pans with paper liners.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda; whisk to blend.  In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree and oil.  Mix on medium-low speed until blended.  With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.

To make the topping, combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl; whisk to blend.  Add in the butter pieces and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or two forks until the mixture is coarse and crumbly.  Transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use.

To assemble the muffins, fill each muffin well with a small amount of batter, just enough to cover the bottom of the liner (1-2 tablespoons).  Slice the log of cream cheese filling into 24 equal pieces.  Place a slice of the cream cheese mixture into each muffin well.  Divide the remaining batter among the muffin cups, placing on top of the cream cheese to cover completely.  Sprinkle a small amount of the topping mixture over each of the muffin wells.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving.