Roasted Chicken Legs with Bacon Veggies

I’m trying something a little different for this post. Lots of pictures which means it took twice as long to actually make this meal but it also means that you don’t have to read 3 paragraphs of our family’s antics before getting to the good stuff. Hit me up in the comments and let me know what you think!

We are firm believers in the theory that “Bacon makes everything taste good”. I’ve made roasted chicken and veggies before but it’s been bland. Bacon to the rescue!! This meal is very easy on the primal pocket book…total cost was under $20 (including a sauteed swiss chard on the side) to feed a family of 7. If you’re not a family of 7 then you’ll have plenty of leftovers!

First, cut the carrots into even pieces and then slice them lengthwise. If you love carrots, feel free to add a few extras in there. 

Halve the onion and slice it into even strips. If you’re lucky enough to get a juicy onion like me, keep the tissues handy. *sniff sniff*

Use a garlic press to crush the garlic. Check out the size of this garlic that I found at the farmers market! I had to halve them just to get them into the garlic press! And boy, were they strong smelling fellas!

Cut the cauliflower into large pieces. If you cut them too small, you will end up with mushy cauliflower. Mushy cauliflower is only delicious when it’s supposed to be mushy. 

Ahhh…the money shot…BACON! Cut the bacon into pieces. I considered frying it before putting it into the dish but there’s no physical way for me to resist cooked bacon. 

Toss all of the vegetables and sweet, sweet bacon into a large roasting pan. My roasting pan is capable of holding a gigantic turkey (just to give you an idea as to how big a pan you’ll need). Pour the olive oil over top and sprinkle the seasoning over top. Mix it up well.

Lay the chicken legs over the vegetables and sprinkle with the remaining seasonings. Those legs are ready to hit the oven! Stick them into the 400 degree oven and do your thing.

50-60 minutes later…delicious browned chicken legs with veggies that taste like bacon! I should warn you that there may not be leftovers. 

Roasted Chicken Legs with Bacon Veggies


Ingredients


5 large carrots, sliced into sticks
1 large onion, halved and sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 head cauliflower, cut into large chunks
1/2 pound bacon, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 teaspoon pepper, divided
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, divided
5 large chicken legs

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Slice the carrots into evenly sized sticks. Halve and slice the onion. Using a garlic press, crush the garlic cloves. Cut the cauliflower into large chunks. Combine all vegetables into a large roasting pan. Mix in chopped bacon. Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the mixture and top with 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning. Mix well.

Lay the chicken legs on top of the vegetables. Sprinkle the chicken with remaining 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning. Cover and roast for 50-60 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.

Coleslaw

There is at least one person in your life whose life appears absolutely perfect. Perfect house, perfect family, perfect life… They manage to juggle it all flawlessly and you can’t imagine them EVER having a bad day.

I’m here to tell you… that is not me. I’ve been called Super Mom enough times that I considered having it embroidered on a shirt but it isn’t my reality. My house has a lot of clutter, my laundry can go days without being put away, my kids can be unruly brats, and I yell FAR too much to be considered a super mom.

From the outside, it appears that I juggle a lot flawlessly but the stress and guilt I feel over not being able to do more eats at me. I push deadlines to the very bitter end and then rush to get things finished. I’m an ideas person, not a ‘getting $h*t done’ person. The reason I appear to be super is because I married someone who truly IS super. My husband works full time, has no problem taking all 5 kids to Costco by himself, does a tremendous amount of housework (yes, I am THAT lucky!), and he helps cook a lot of our suppers. 

There you have it..this Super Mom is married to a Super Dad and I could never make it through my crazy days without him. 

Coleslaw


Ingredients


4 cups shredded green cabbage
2 cups shredded purple cabbage
2 large carrots, shredded
1 apple, shredded (we used Gala)

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon celery seed

Directions


In a large bowl, mix together green cabbage, purple cabbage, carrots, and apple. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together apple cider vinegar and coconut milk. While whisking, pouring in olive oil in a steady stream and continue whisking until it’s combined well. Season with salt and pepper. Pour dressing over the cabbage and mix well. Top the coleslaw with the celery seed and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Mini Meatballs

Today was hot…too hot for soup so it’s a good thing I made this a couple of weeks ago when we were getting some cooler weather. We got up early to head down to the farmer’s market, much to the delight of my 3 year old. Our plan was to pick up our vegetables for next week and then walk down to Cool Beans Bus for a morning coffee for the adults/smoothie for the little people. Anya was most excited about this morning’s plans…yelling “Cool Beans Bus! I am SO EXCITED!”.

Being able to focus more one on one with them (or two on three…) has been cool. Gavin has been enthusiastic about everything..stating how he’s having his best day ever. Oh wait, he seriously dislikes riding bikes with me but that’s easily fixed by playing Webkinz with him. Tomorrow we are going to take them to the mountains and it could, very easily, be the best day ever for him.

To see Gavin now, you would never know how difficult it was to get him to eat a couple of years ago. It was a constant battle to convince him to eat a couple of bites and he was painfully thin. Now, he’ll eat anything and has been known to finish meals first. He is the one that doesn’t cringe when we tell him what’s in the food we’ve made and will actually ask for things that have been deemed ‘gross’ by his brothers. 

Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Mini Meatballs

Ingredients

4 large red peppers

3 large tomatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion

2 carrots

3 teaspoons garlic

6 cups beef broth

pinch red pepper flakes

1 pound ground beef

1/4 onion, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/4 cup almond meal

1 egg

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Preheat broiler and raise rack to top 1/3 of the oven. Place red peppers and tomatoes, whole, onto a baking sheet and broil for 10 minutes. Flip and broil for another 10-15 minutes, until the peppers are blackened and the tomato skin comes off easily. Remove from oven and cool until you can handle them.

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high. Saute onions, garlic, and carrots until onions are softened, 5-7 minutes. Stir in beef broth and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15-20 minutes. The carrots should be very tender.

Remove peel and seeds from red peppers and tomatoes. Chop into bite sized pieces and stir into the pot. Using an immersion blender (or food processor), puree the soup until it is nearly smooth. Continue to simmer while you prepare the meatballs.

In a medium sized bowl, combine ground beef, finely chopped onion, smoked paprika, almond meal, egg, salt, and pepper. Roll into 48 teaspoon sized meatballs. With the soup simmering, drop the meatballs, one at a time, into the pot. Allow to simmer, without stirring, until the meatballs are cooked through. (7-10 minutes) 

Serve topped with a sprinkle of smoked paprika.

Veggie Loaded Turkey Burgers

We finally had the chance to get to the farmer’s market here. The kids had swimming lessons Saturday mornings and then we had other things going on but I was almost desperate to get down there. To say I was like a kid in a candy store would be an understatement because by the time we left the market, I couldn’t remember what we had bought!

While we were at the market, I remembered the conversation I had with Adam yesterday while we were on our bike ride. He asked why poison ivy makes you itchy and we talked about how some plants, like animals, have natural defence mechanisms to keep their prey away. Somehow we got talking about venus fly traps and Adam, in absolute amazement, said “Those are real??”. I told him that venus fly traps are carnivores and they eat small insects. He thought it would be cool if we had a venus fly trap and it ate Gavin..*sigh*..somewhere, deep inside, he loves his brother.

My kids are not 100% primal eaters but every day we get a little closer. (seriously, as I type this my oldest asked if we could have pizza for supper) Supper is typically our grain-free meal of the day and it also happens to be my favourite meal to plan. I like taking regular recipes and making them grain-free.. the challenge excites me and the result is usually a meal that not only tastes great but often tastes better than the original! 

Veggie Loaded Turkey Burgers

Makes 12

Ingredients

2 pounds ground turkey

1 zucchini, shredded

2 medium carrots, shredded

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 egg

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/4 cup almond meal

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions

Preheat grill to medium heat.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. (Do not overwork the meat.) Form into 1/2 cup patties. Grill 5-7 minutes per side, until cooked through. Serve with all of your favourite fixins.

Beef Stew

1 more day until the hockey season is over! It’s been a ridiculously long season and we’ve watched every game or updates from every game the entire year. I could walk into the living room and have no clue who we were supposed to be cheering for… do we really need to watch a Capitals versus Rangers game? REALLY??? (side note: if these 2 teams have never played each other, feel free to correct me) Currently we are watching the PVR’d Canucks at Bruins game from last night. And apparently we are analyzing an almost goal. 

I realize it’s almost summer (or definitely summer, depending on where you live) and stew isn’t a summer food but our weather here as been so screwy. The forecast has been for rain almost every day and nothing tastes better on a cold/rainy day than something warm and filling. This stew earns extra points for having bacon in it… Bacon makes everything delicious. 

Beef Stew


Ingredients


2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 1/2 pounds stewing beef, cut into bite sized pieces
salt and pepper
1 litre beef broth
28 ounces canned tomatoes
2 bay leaves

1/2 pound bacon
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
3 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
4 large carrots, coarsely chopped
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
1/2 pound green beans, 1″ pieces
3 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons dried oregano
salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups beef broth (more or less..depending on your taste)
2-3 tablespoons tapioca flour

Directions


Season the stewing beef liberally with salt and pepper. In a large pot, heat butter or olive oil. Brown beef on all sides. Pour in 1 litre of beef broth, canned tomatoes, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours; until meat is very tender.

In a large stock pot, fry bacon until cooked through. Remove from the pot with slotted spoon, leaving the bacon fat in the pot. Chop the bacon into bite sized chunks. Saute the onion, celery, and carrots in the bacon fat over medium-high heat until softened; 5-7 minutes. Scrape up browned bits in the bottom of the pot as the vegetables cook. Stir in mushrooms, green beans, garlic, and chopped bacon; cooking for 5 more minutes.

Stir in stewed beef mixture, oregano, and salt and pepper. Add 2 more cups of beef broth; the vegetables/meat should be just covered with liquid. Taste and add more seasoning if desired. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer (covered) for 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk tapioca flour with a bit of water until there are no lumps. Pour into the stew and simmer until the stew thickens slightly.

Beefy Mac & Cheese Soup

My kids weren’t always good eaters. I can recall several meals that Logan sat in front of for a couple of hours, refusing to even try a bite. One meal would be the cause of tears even before it was served….chili. Try as we might, he would not even take a bite. The times we did convince him to take a bite, he would gag it down. 

I wasn’t sure what to do… stop making chili and end the fight or keep making the chili and hope he would eventually like it. I chose the latter option. We kept making chili and we started including him in the preparation. Sure enough, he began eating it and then he even started requesting it! 

I’ve been asked how to deal with fussy kids and there doesn’t seem to be one simple answer. My advice is to keep trying. Just because your child doesn’t like something today, doesn’t mean they won’t like it tomorrow or next week. Also, incorporate new foods into something they already like. Put some chopped veggies into spaghetti sauce if that’s how they’ll eat it. I put spinach in a lot because it is so healthy and it shrinks to almost nothing. It doesn’t change the way something tastes either…when the kids eat it, I feel a little victorious.

Beefy Mac & Cheese Soup


Ingredients


1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 celery stalks, diced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
8 cups chicken broth
28 ounce can tomatoes
6 ounces uncooked whole wheat macaroni
11 ounces spinach, chopped
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions


In a large pot, brown ground beef with onion, carrots, celery, and garlic until vegetables are softened and beef is cooked through; 5-6 minutes. Drain fat from beef and return to pot. Season with cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper; cook for 1 more minute.

Stir in chicken broth and canned tomatoes. Bring to a boil and add macaroni; cook for 5 minutes. Add spinach. Reduce heat and simmer until the spinach is wilted.

In the meantime, melt butter in a pot over medium heat. Whisk in flour and continue to cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk until combined. Stir frequently until it thickens. Remove from heat and stir in cheeses.

Pour cheese mixture into the large pot and stir until it’s mixed thoroughly. Serve hot.

Italian Wedding Soup

In some countries, prisons use sleep deprivation as a form of torture. In my house, sleep deprivation is a very real thing. Last week I realized, after my shower, that I hadn’t even conditioned my hair or washed! I spent much of the last couple of weeks in a semi-conscious state…I remember very little of what went on and now I’m in that semi-paranoid state. You know, where I’m pretty sure I made an appointment and I didn’t write it down because I couldn’t bring myself to search for a pen? Yeah, what stage of sleep deprivation is that?

The reason I’m so sleep deprived is, of course, the kids. I’m pretty sure they are plotting against me. Before you laugh, hear me out…. The toddler and the baby wait until I ‘just’ fall asleep to wake up screaming. The older children wait until I have to use toothpicks as eyelid support to have a nightmare. And they all wait until I am so exhausted that I can’t even formulate a proper sentence to pick up a stomach bug. They know.

I should play a little game of ‘Guess what Tara forgot to put in this soup’. Nah, I’ll just tell you….I forgot the spinach. I was excited about the spinach and I forgot it. The worst part is that I didn’t even realize I forgot it until lunch time the day after! At least it still tasted great!

Italian Wedding Soup

Ingredients

Meatballs:

1 pound ground turkey

1/2 pound turkey sausage, casings removed

2/3 cup fresh bread crumbs

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan

3 tablespoons milk

1 large egg, lightly beaten

salt and pepper

Soup:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup minced onion

3 medium carrots, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

10 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup dried orzo

1 tablespoon dried dillweed

12 ounces baby spinach, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. 

Making the meatballs: Place ground turkey, turkey sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, milk, egg, salt, and pepper into a large bowl and combine gently. Drop into 1 inch meatballs on a baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray. You should have around 40 meatballs. Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through. Set aside.

Making the soup: Heat olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery; saute for 5-6 minutes. Add the chicken stock and white wine; bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 6 minutes, until pasta is just tender. Stir in the dill and turkey meatballs. Season with additional salt and pepper if desire. Add the spinach and cook until spinach is wilted. Serve topped with grated parmesan.

Recipe from Made In Mel’s Kitchen.

Ginger Beef

A couple of my friends have signed up for the 10K Melissa’s Road Race in September. One friend even signed up with her husband and she suggested I do the same. Ummm….me? I haven’t even run a 5K yet! (less than 7 weeks to go!) I haven’t even run a full mile without stopping yet! 

But I entertained the notion of signing my husband and I both up (in secret) and asking my Mom to come along to watch the kids. I even went to the registration site and was more than a little relieved to see that the race was already full. After that relief wore off, I realized that I actually wanted to run it. What is happening to me???? 

In case you are wondering, I’m on week 5, day 3 of the Couch to 5K program. Tonight I will run 20 minutes non-stop. *biting nails*

Ginger Beef

Ingredients

1 pound sirloin steak

1 egg, beaten

3/4 cup cornstarch

1/3 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons wine (red or white)

1 tablespoon sesame oil

pinch red pepper flakes

1/4 cup grated ginger root

4-5 garlic cloves, minced

canola oil (for cooking)

1 small red pepper, sliced

1 large carrot, coarsely grated

1 medium onion, sliced

Directions

Thinly slice the beef into strips (1/4″ wide). Toss with egg in a medium bowl. Stir together the corn starch and water (it will be very thick). Add to the beef and toss well to blend.

In a small bowl, stir together sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, wine, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes. Stir in half of the ginger and garlic. 

In a large, heavy pot, heat about an inch of oil over medium-high heat until it’s hot but not smoking. In batches, drop the strips of beef into the oil using a slotted spoon. Keep them from clumping by separating them with the spoon. Cook until golden and crisp and transfer them to a paper towel lined bowl. When the beef is all finished cooking, pour the oil out into a large jar.

In the same pot, saute the red pepper, carrots, onions, and remaining ginger and garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes then add the sauce over. Heat through. Put the beef into a shallow bowl, pour the sauce over top, and serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from Dinner With Julie.

Vegetarian Chili

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions… I feel like they are just promises to myself that I’m sure to break. Instead, I set goals. Is that the same thing? Maybe it is… but I set attainable goals. This year I was inspired by the photo 365 projects that some of my friends are doing but instead, I am doing a 365 mile project. In 2011 I will walk, run, bike 365 miles (on top of my regular exercise program). 

See? Attainable! 1 mile a day is all I need to do. My husband decided to get in on this as well, pushing me to complete my goal. We have a calender taped onto the treadmill and while I’m on the treadmill I add up my miles. (then I add up his and feel relief that I’m still ahead) 

Bulgur’s texture, once cooked, is almost identical to ground meat. The test, however, was to see if my kids could tell that there was no meat in their chili. My husband and I set out the bowl…with a mischievous smile, we asked if they knew what was missing. None of them noticed! I have hope that we could have one meatless meal a week without a lot of fuss.

Vegetarian Chili

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

3 medium carrots, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 large red belly pepper, chopped

2 jalapeno peppers, seeds removed, diced

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 tablespoons chili powder

28 oz can crushed tomatoes

14 oz can black beans

14 oz can kidney beans

1 cup corn kernels (thawed if using frozen)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

3 teaspoons dried basil

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup bulgur wheat

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Directions

Heat oil in a large pot. Add onions, carrots, and garlic; saute until onions are softened (about 5 minutes). Add red pepper, jalapenos, celery, and chili powder. Cook for another 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, beans, corn, salt, and spices. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer (covered) for 20 minutes. Stir in bulgur wheat. Cover and simmer for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add balsamic vinegar right before you serve the chili.

Recipe from Door Sixteen.

Tomato Soup

Kindergarten ends at 11:30 here which means I’m picking up, driving home, and scrambling to get lunch made. If it was up to Gavin, we would have grilled cheese sandwiches every…single…day… The days we don’t have grilled cheese sandwiches, he asks why we didn’t have them.

I tend to spend more time making lunch on days when Gavin doesn’t have school which makes me happy. Homemade tomato soup on a frigid, snowy day, loaded up with vegetables so it’s healthy as well. Truthfully, I cannot remember the last time we ate soup from a can and, if I had my way, we will never eat canned soup. Something about the ‘schloop’ noise coming out of the can makes it highly unappealing. 

The soup was hearty and delicious. But…Gavin would have preferred grilled cheese. *sigh*

Tomato Soup

Ingredients

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 medium onion, chopped

4 carrots, chopped

4 stalks of celery, chopped

2 28ounce cans chopped tomatoes

4 cups chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon dried basil

Directions

In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Saute garlic, onions, carrots, and celery until the onions are softened. Add tomatoes, chicken broth, salt, pepper, and basil. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer until carrots and celery are softened (15-20 minutes). Using a blender or food processor, puree the soup. (I was too lazy to bring out the food processor so I used a hand held blender) Serve hot, topped with cheese if desired. (or grilled cheese if you’re in the mood)