Lemon & Oregano Roasted Whole Chicken

What do you do when the oregano in your herb garden is growing completely out of control? (in a good way) You Google, 'what to do with an over-abundance of oregano', you find several ideas for a simple oven roasted oregano whole chicken, and you get to work! Did you know roasting a chicken is super easy?  Give it a whirl!

Servings: Dependent on size of whole chicken
Serving Size: 3 oz
Points Plus: The number of pp will depend on what part of the chicken you eat.  Generally, chicken is about 1pp per oz.  Please contact me with questions.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Level of Difficulty: Easy


Ingredients
1 whole organic chicken, about 3-4 lbs, cleaned and ready to roast
1 cup fresh oregano, chopped up
Juice and zest of two medium sized lemons
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Put your chicken right into a roasting pan or Dutch oven. Mix together the oregano, lemon juice, zest, olive oil, salt and pepper. Working in batches, rub that oregano mixture all over your chicken, including in its cavity. Lay the chicken on one side, and bake it for about 20 minutes. Flip the chicken to it's other side and bake 20 more minutes. Finally flip the chicken onto its back and bake for about 20 more minutes. You will know chicken is done when juices run clear. Remove the chicken from your oven and cover it with a little tent of tin foil.  Let it rest for about 10 minutes until cutting and serving!

Tip
Curious how to go about breaking down a whole chicken? Check out this video!

XOXO - Katie

Meatball Nirvana - Your Old Standby Meatball

Let's talk about meatballs. What could be better than an old standby meatball recipe that could be used in a ton of different ways??  My friend Jessie has made these meatballs for me several times. And after the last time, when she paired them with spaghetti and a delish red sauce, I knew I needed the recipe!  My husband is a hunter, and we have a freezer full of venison that I don't exactly know what to do with.  With these meatballs I decided to sub half of the ground beef for ground venison, which not only put a dent in our freezer stock, but lightened up the recipe just a tad more. Use these meatballs in your favorite Italian pasta, throw them on a sub with a fresh mozzarella for a tasty sandwich or make them teeny tiny and toss them in a soup!

Servings: 18 meatballs
Serving Size: 1 meatball
Points Plus: 1pp
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients 
1/2 lb extra lean ground beef
1/2 lb venison
1 small onion, diced
1/2 t garlic salt
1 1/2 t Italian seasoning
3/4 t dried oregano
3/ t crushed red pepper flakes
1 dash tog sauce, more if you like things spicy!
1 1/2 T Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup skim milk
1/4 cup grated Paremesan cheese
1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

Directions
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Jessie taught me that it is SUPER easy to make meatballs in your kitchen aid mixer (if you have one). Simply put all of the above ingredients in your mixing bowl with the paddle attachment and mix until everything is incorporated! If you don't have a kitchen aid, don't fear!  Simply put all the ingredients up to the Worcestershire sauce into a bowl and mix with your hands.  Slowly incorporate the milk, parmesan and breadcrumbs and mix some more until everything is mixed - haha.

Form your tasty meat mixture into 1 1/2 inch meatballs.  Place balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in your prepared oven for 20-25 minutes.

Tip
An easy way to make uniform sized meatballs is to use a cookie scoop!

XOXO - Katie

Jessie's recipe is adapted from this one.

Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

Okay, you might be thinking mac and cheese??  Are they crazy? How can that be healthy?  Well... this is the perfect recipe to play on others for an April Fool's Day joke! :)

Seriously, here is a lightened up version of delicious mac & cheese!  Similar to Katie's version of Cauliflower Mac & Cheese a few weeks ago... disguise some veggies into the mac and cheese to make a healthier, lightened up version of this traditional comfort food.  Butternut squash is a creamy, perfect add to a cheese sauce for this dish! I found this recipe on the Two Peas and Their Pod blog.  My husband said he couldn't even taste the squash in this recipe.  Sooo this would be the perfect meal to try and fool your husband/wife or kids with.  Don't tell them about the butternut squash and see if they notice!

Servings:  8

Size:  1/8 of the baking dish

Points Plus: 8pp

Level of Difficulty:  Medium

Prep Time: 30-40 minutes

Bake Time: 25-30 minutes

Ingredient List:

1/2 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 lb. elbow macaroni
2 1/2 cups skim milk, divided
2 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
1 cup aged white cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded and reduced-fat
1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°. On a large baking sheet, mix the cubed butternut squash with 1 Tbsp. olive oil and a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper.  Roast the squash for 20-30 minutes or until the pieces are soft and tender.  You will want to stir one or twice during the roasting time to make sure all pieces evenly roast.  Cook the macaroni according to the package directions, drain once your pasta is al dente. In a food processor, place the roasted butternut squash and 1/2 cup of skim milk.  Pulse until the squash is pureed and smooth.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat; add the butter. Wait for the butter to melt and add in the flour and nutmeg, while you whisk constantly.  Slowly add the remaining 2 cups of milk and keep whisking until the mixture is smooth (about 2-4 minutes).  Increase the heat to high and bring the sauce to a boil (keep whisking constantly!).  Your sauce will begin to thicken. Once it is thick, add in the butternut squash mixture and fresh rosemary and whisk until well combined.  Place the cooked macaroni in a large bowl and pour the butternut sauce over the noodles, stir until everything is well coated.  Sprinkle in some additional salt and pepper for seasoning.  In a 9x13 casserole dish (coated with cooking spray), dish out 1/2 of the macaroni mixture.  Top with 1/2 cup aged white cheddar and 1/2 cup of sharp cheddar cheese.  Repeat with the remaining noodles and remaining shredded cheese.  Finally, sprinkle the 1/2 cup breadcrumbs over the top of the mac & cheese.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top begins to brown.  Serve immediately!

Tip:

Since mac & cheese is already high in carbs, serve this with a veggie side!  You could even roast the other half of the butternut squash with a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper.  Or, throw in some Brussels sprouts to roast with the squash.

XOXO Megan

Tuscan Chicken Soup

Today is the last day of the SOUPER BOWL!  We hope you choose one recipes we posted this week to make for the real live Super Bowl on Sunday. There is nothing better than having a pot of soup simmering on the stove all day long (or in the crock). Click appetizer’s on the right sidebar for a few of foodlove’s favorites, to help really get the party started!

This is one of my favorite restaurant copies – Tuscan Chicken Soup.  Originally from D’Amico & Son’s in MN, this is one of their signature soups.  It is full of veggies and flavors, when I tried it for the first time I knew I had to try and recreate it.  But before I got all creative in the kitchen, I just Googled the recipe, and lo and behold there it was online!  The original person who posted this recipe claims to be the granddaughter of the women who originally started serving it at the restaurant.  I gave it a try and it is really close – and delish.  Half & half is optional in this recipe but I totally recommend it, as it gives your bowl a creamy boost in flavor (and half & half is low in pp in my opinion, when used in moderation.

Servings: 8

Serving Size: 1 cup

Points Plus: 4pp

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: About 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 T. olive oil

1 chicken breast, cut into small pieces

1 medium yellow onion, diced

4 medium carrots, diced

4 stalks of celery, diced

1 zucchini, diced

1 yellow squash, diced

3 cloves fresh garlic, chopped finely

1 t. dried oregano

1t. dried basil

28 oz can crushed tomatoes

4 cups low sodium chicken stock

Kosher salt + ground pepper to taste

1 cups small pasta, small shells, that ‘O’ shaped pasta, pearl couscous…as examples

16 T half & half

Instructions

Get out your large Dutch oven again (we hope after this week you invest in a large, cast iron Dutch oven, because they really do make life easier).  Warm your olive oil and then add the diced carrots to your pan.  Let cook about 4 minutes, and then add onion, celery, zucchini, squash and diced chicken.  Sauté the mixture about 4 more minutes.  Then add garlic and sauté about one minute more. Add chicken stock, tomatoes, basil and oregano. And bring to a boil.  Let soup simmer for 20-30 minutes, and then add pasta. Let soup simmer until pasta is cooked according to package directions.  Next, season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve this soup up, and add 2 T. half & half per bowl.  Enjoy with a glass of bottomless wine, just like you are at D’Amico & Sons!

Tip

We have made this in our household twice.  The first time, I followed the recipe and the second time I sort of added whatever was in the fridge.  Needless to say, the second time the proportions were off, so I recommend following this recipe with the recommended amounts of veggies. 

XOXO - Katie

Veggie Pot Pie

When I think of chicken pot pie I think of an unhealthy dinner.  Traditionally it is heavy meaty mixture placed inside of a buttery pie crust or underneath a biscuit topping.  I am a firm believer that any food can be lightened up, so after some online research I came up with the below recipe.  Do people always eat pot pie in a bowl?  The flavor of this dish was A-mazing, but it for sure didn't turn out firm.  And maybe it isn't supposed to, but I would eat this pot pie for every meal if I could!  After making it I thought the portion size for pp was so-so, so....serve it with a side salad and fruit and you are good to go!

Servings: 6
Serving Size: 1/6 of pot pie, or about 1 cup
Point Plus: 6pp
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Rating: 5 - Excellent

Ingredients
1 Pillsbury pie crust

Filling
1 T. olive oil
1 cup carrot, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
1 cup potato, chopped into small cubes
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup frozen petite peas
1.5 ounces (about 1/3 cup) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup water
3 cups, lower sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 t. fresh thyme, chopped
Rosemary
Cooking spray

Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°. To prepare filling, add olive oil to a Dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat. Add carrot, onion, celery, thyme & Rosemary; cook 8 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Add broth and potato & mushrooms; bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Combine flour and 1/3 cup water in a small bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth. Return potato mixture to a boil. Slowly drizzle flour mixture into potato mixture, stirring constantly. Cook 1 minute or until mixture thickens. Stir in peas, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Spoon chicken mixture into an 11 x 7-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Place dough on top of chicken mixture, pressing to edge of dish. Cut 4 slits in top of crust to allow steam to escape. Gently brush crust with milk. Bake at 400° for 50 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes.

Tip
I didn't make this into a chicken pot pie because I didn't have any chicken!  You could easily add chicken, or a different assortment of veggies, depending on what you have on hand!

XOXO Katie

Spiced Cherry Cheese Ball

This might be my favorite holiday appetizer of all time!!!  Every time I make it people are SO impressed too – it definitely gets awesome reviews!  Check it out and impress your next party guests with this holiday favorite.

I know what you are thinking… a CHEESE BALL is a healthy appetizer??  Well, Katie and I both believe that you can’t completely ignore holiday foods, especially your favorites.  If you do they will continue to call your name from across the room at your holiday party… ‘Eat me… eat me...”!  Instead, we believe it’s important to give in a little, but with moderation!  I’ve slimmed down this original recipe found here with 1/3 less fat cream cheese and reduced-fat cheddar.  Also, serve with veggies for a lower pp option!

Servings:  24

Size:  2 Tbsp. + 5 Ritz crackers

Points Plus: 4pp 

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 10 minutes (+ 2 hours of time in the fridge)

Cook Time: n/a

Rating: 4 stars – Very Good

  

Ingredient List:

1 8 oz. package cream cheese, 1/3 less fat

1 8 oz. package shredded white cheddar cheese, reduced-fat

½ cup dried cherries, chopped

¼ tsp. pumpkin pie spice

½ cup pecans, finely chopped

Directions:

In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese and shredded cheese until thoroughly combined.  Add in the cherries and pumpkin pie spice. Shape into a ball and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Throw into the fridge and let sit for 2+ hours.  Just before serving, remove the cheese ball from the fridge and roll in pecans.  You might need to gently press the pecans in to make sure they stick.  Serve with crackers.

Tip:

One easy way to cut back on pp value with this app is to serve your cheese ball with veggies instead of crackers!!  This cuts down the serving to be only 2 pp for the cheese spread and 0 pp for the veggies! Cucumber slices and carrot sticks (or carrot chips) would work well since they would provide a firm enough base to spread the cheese onto.

XOXO Megan

Pumpkin Cheese Fondue

Pumpkin fondue?!?  What a delicious combination of spices, cheeses and of course PUMPKIN!  Fondue is a very fun appetizer to serve when entertaining!  This recipe has a new twist on the tradtional cheese fondue by incorporating pumpkin into it.  Check it out and see what you think.

Servings:  16

Size: 3 Tbsp. (total recipe makes about 3 cups) 

Points Plus: 2pp

Level of Difficulty:  Medium

Prep Time: 10 minutes (if you need to grate the cheese)

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Rating: 4 stars - Very Good

Ingredient List:

1 clove garlic, smashed

1 ¾ cup hard apple cider

¾ cup pumpkin puree

¼ tsp. dry mustard powder

¼ tsp. ground cayenne pepper

¼ tsp. homemade pumpkin pie spice

½ tsp. sea salt

2 Tbsp. flour

2 oz. grated cheddar cheese

1 oz. grated Gruyere cheese

3 oz. Brie cheese (remove the rind)

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Combine all ingredients listed above through the sea salt in a medium saucepan.  Whisk the mixture until well combined; cook over medium heat brining it just to a boil.  Immediately reduce the heat to low.  While the saucepan mixture is heating up, combine the flour with the three cheeses, tossing to coat evenly.  Add the cheeses to the pumpkin mixture in three separate batches, whisking constantly until the cheese in melted before you add the next batch.  Finally, whisk in the lemon juice and pour into a fondue pot that has already been warmed.

Serve the pumpkin cheese fondue with apple slices, cubed multi-grain bread or veggies.

Tip:

In order to stay in control, it would be best to serve this fondue with only apples and veggies and forgo the bread cubes so you are only using points for the fondue and not the dipping pieces.  Although bread is delicious, you can save points for other foods OR eat another serving of the fondue! :)

XOXO Megan

We're Baaaaaaaaaaaack! + Stuffed Pork Chops

We're baaaaaaaack!  Eat ME is BACK (and better than ever??) Thank you for being patient as Megan and I took a short break from our blog so we could focus on other life events.  Things have settled down a bit and we are back and ready to cook - just in time for the holidays! In my opinion this is the BEST time of year for food.  Besides holiday cooking, baking and treats there are things like squash and root veggies and pumpkin!  It is also an important time to stay focused, so you can enter 2014 with a bang, and not 10+ lbs heavier.  So stay tuned for some delish recipes and motivational tidbits to help you stay on track this holiday season, while not missing out on any of your holiday favs! So without further adieu...

Anyone who knows anything about eating healthy will tell you to avoid anything stuffed! But sometimes you just, you know, NEED something stuffed.  Stuffed doesn't always have to come with a lot of fat and cheese. Check out these easy and delish stuffed pork chops that are easy, tasty and filling.  I barely ever eat meat, and consequently am not super good at preparing it.  But I am going to change that, starting with this recipe.  This recipe was adapted a bit from this Weight Watchers one.  Also - I needed breadcrumbs for this recipe but didn't have any, so I made my own! Enjoy!

Servings: 2

Size: 1 chop

Points Plus: 8pp

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Rating: 4 stars - Very Good

Ingredients:

Two 5oz pork chops

1 piece of bread

Cooking spray

Garlic salt

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1/2 white onion, chopped

1 T. dried sage

1 T. dried rosemary

1 egg

Kosher salt + pepper

Tin foil

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Cut bread into small cubes and lay them on a rimed cookie sheet.  Spray them with cooking spray and give them a sprinkle of garlic salt, salt and pepper.  Throw them in the oven and bake about 4 minutes, or until crunchy.

Thaw pork chops and cut a deep pocket in the with a sharp knife (I used a pairing knife and it worked super). Season them with a bit of salt and pepper. When breadcrumbs are cooked put them in a small bowl.  Add the celery, onion, sage and rosemary. Beat your egg and add about 2 T. egg to the breadcrumb mixture and mix to combine.  Add a pinch of salt and pepper.  Stuff each chop with the breadcrumb stuffing mixture.  Heat a skillet on the stove and add the porkchops, browning for about 3 minutes per side.  Put the chops on your cookie sheet and cover with foil.  Toss them in the oven and bake for 10 minutes covered, and then 10 minutes uncovered.  Remove from your oven and recover, letting stand about 5 minutes before eating!

Tip: 

Don't get me wrong, I love my food scale.  BUT, I also love Omaha Steaks. I have found, that when buying high quality meat, it many times comes with each piece individually portioned and wrapped.  This makes it easy to just thaw two chops that I know are 5 oz each without putting them on the scale.  It just makes things easy!

XOXO - Katie

Chicken Dumpling Soup

Did you know how easy making homemade chicken soup is?  Like, with a real whole chicken?!? (well it is) This is soup is filling and full of veggies (from our CSA no less!) I tried a new dumpling recipe this time around, and although it wan't as good as my grandma's recipe, it was pretty darn good! The perfect comfort food to help settle my nerves, as I start a new job today!

Servings: 8
Serving size: 1 cup + 4 large dumplings
Points Plus: 5pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour + 30 minutes
Rating: 4 stars - Very Good

Ingredient List:
SOUP
1 whole chicken, rinsed
1 onion
Salt and Pepper
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup white celery, diced
1 cup scallions, diced
1 can chicken stock
1 chicken bullion cube

DUMPLINGS
1 cup flour + more for rolling
1/4 t. baking powder
Pinch of kosher salt
1 T. butter
1/2 c. milk

Directions:
Put rinsed chicken in a dutch oven and cover 3/4 of the way with water. Add white onion, salt and pepper.  Bring to a slow boil and loosely cover and cook for 35 minutes, or until chicken falls off the bone. When cooked remove chicken from pot and let cool for 30 minutes. After chicken has cooled remove and shred 3 cups, place them back into the pot. Add carrots, scallions and celery, re-bring to a boil.

To make dumplings, mix flour, baking powder and salt.  Cut in butter with a pastry blender or fork.  Add milk and stir to combine.  The mixture will form a sticky ball.  Put flour on a cutting board, place dough on board.  Roll out thin, about 1/8 inch.  Using a knife or pasty cutter, cut into 32 small squares.  Add dumpling squares to your pot of soup, loosely cover and cook for 15 minutes.

Tip:
This recipe only calls for 3 cups of shredded chicken.  Save the rest of the chicken for sandwiches, salads, etc!

XOXO Katie

Egg Drop Soup

It is snowing in Minnesota.  Actually let me rephrase that, it is BLIZZARDING in Minnesota! (in mid-April) Anyways, to follow up on Megan’s Asian inspired post from yesterday, I wanted to share one of my favorite comfort food meals, egg drop soup.  This recipe is so easy, and in my opinion tastes just like the restaurant kind! (with less MSG)  

Servings:  2
Size:  Just over 4 cup
Points Plus: 3pp
Level of Difficulty:  Easy
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time:  10 minutes
Rating: 4 stars – Very good

Recipe above modified from this one.

Ingredient List:
4 cups chicken broth (canned, boxed of bouillon cubes work)
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 eggs
A drizzle of soy sauce if desired

Directions:
Reserve 3/4 cup of chicken broth, and pour the rest into a large saucepan. Stir the ginger and chives into the saucepan, and bring to a rolling boil. In a cup or small bowl, wisk together the remaining broth and cornstarch until smooth. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs together. Drizzle egg a little at a time from the fork into the boiling broth mixture. Egg should cook immediately. Once the eggs have been dropped, stir in the cornstarch mixture gradually until the soup is the desired consistency.

Tip:
Adding the cornstarch mixture at the end keeps the soup from boiling over.  After the mixture is added watch the soup very closely.  The longer it cooks the thicker it will get but I have had many overflow accidents with this one!

XOXO - Katie