Don't Quiche and Tell - Meatless Monday: Week Five

For some reason over the past year or two I've developed quite the affinity for quiche. I thought it would be the perfect addition for Meatless Monday and although Tim & I both agreed it was good we thought it would be really good with bacon. So here is what we did for the meatless variety.

I rolled out a pre-made pie crust into a pic dish while Tim sauteed onions & spinach (although you can use whatever meats & vegetables you personally like). I went ahead and mixed up 3 eggs, about 3/4 c of cream and 1 1/2 c of shredded cheddar cheese. I also added in 1/4 tsp of salt and 1/3 tsp of black pepper, 1/4 tsp of paprika and 1/2 tsp of garlic salt.

We layered in the vegetables at the bottom of the crust and placed the mixture on top before baking on 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the top puffs up and turns slightly brown. You're supposed to let it sit for about 10 minutes first but it was pretty late and we were hungry so we dug in for a slice. It was the most successful Meatless Monday we've had thus far. Glad to finally be 2 for 2!

Meatless Monday: Week Four

Today we were pretty lame, it had something to do with not really feeling like going to the grocery store and something else having to do with just being lazy today.

So dinner was spaghetti, just noodles and some bottled sauce. For what it lacked it originality it made up for in deliciousness. Don't be jealous you too can have this delicacy. Just run to your local grocery store grab some noodles a can of sauce and be on your way. Boil up some water cook those noodles, heat up the sauce mix it all together and dinner is served. Success!

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Success! Meatless Monday: Week Three

Tomato, Tomahto. Doesn't really matter how you say it, Tim finally liked something for Meatless Monday. This week I tried Stuffed Tomatos. I didn't really use any recipes I just looked a lot of them and pulled what I liked from each one to get what I'd like to call my masterpiece.

First I started cooking the rice because that was what would take the longest amount of time. As it was cooking up I went ahead and sliced a little piece off of the bottom of the tomatoes (so they'd have a platform to stand up straight on) chopped off the top (wide enough that I could easily get a spoon in there) and scooped out the insides. Then I put some salt and some pepper in there (I'm learning my lesson about underseasoning things and placed them in a baking dish.

After the rice had done its thing (I started with 1c of uncooked rice so whatever that equates out to once cooked) I mixed it with a small can of tomato paste and got to work on the other ingredients.

I sauteed one chopped onion and added about 3c of spinach in just until it was wilted before mixing it in with the rice and paste. I also chopped up a small can of mushrooms into very small pieces (to try to keep Tim from realizing they were there) and mixed them in as well. Finally I mixed about 1/4c of mozzarella cheese in and was ready to start stuffing.

I just used a spoon and stuffed the tomatoes until they were overflowing (I had enough that I could've stuffed 2 more the same way) and added some mozzarella on the top before sticking it in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes.

While they were cooking up I sauteed some brussels sprouts the same way I did the other night and actually took a picture of them once they were completed. Tim was not a fan but ate them "because they are green" so at least he was able to get them down.

Everything turned out great and I even got a high-five from Tim for the success of the dish. Neither of us could finish our tomatoes because we were too full (although it could've had something to do with us both going after spoonfuls of the leftover stuffing while these were cooking). These could easily be edited to switch out the rice for actual stuffing, add it in with the rice or add in some meat as well. You could also add whatever veggies you like or even substitute out the tomatoes for peppers, squash or maybe even a pumpkin although you'd have to adjust the cooking times.

Just another Meatless Monday: Week Two

I and our friends John & Christy who joined us considered this week's Meatless Monday to be a success, Tim on the other hand was not so impressed. I went with a recipe from The Nest Magazine called Baked Portobello Parmigiana (image from here).

First I scraped the gills from the bottom of the mushroom just because Tim does not like mushrooms and I thought it would help to remove a little of the strong taste. I then mixed up about 2c of Panko bread crumbs with about 1/2c of grated parmesan. I also scrambled 2 eggs in a different bowl and put some flour in a 3rd. I dipped the caps into the eggs, then the flour and finally the panko and parmesan mixture.

I placed the breaded caps into a casserole dish and topped them with 2 large spoonfuls of marinara sauce and about 1/2c of shredded mozzarella. I baked them for about 20 min at 375 and served them with spaghetti. Everyone (with the exception of Tim) really seemed to enjoy their meal and I was excited to have a successful Meatless Monday!

Update: This also works with chicken.

Meatless Mondays

So in order to save some money and to get a little healthier I suggested to Tim that we start doing "Meatless Mondays." He begrudgingly has acquiesced to my request and I started planning.

We've been working on changing our eating habits ever since Tim was diagnosed with colon cancer. Our diets that once consisted of frozen pizzas, chicken nuggets, Spaghetti Os (ok, that was me) and Easy Mac have been deleted. We rarely (if ever) get processed food anymore, Tim's oncologist told us to stick to the perimeter of the grocery store in order to avoid processed foods. We still have to get into the center aisles for some juices, sauces and even sometimes (ok, frequently) cookies & ice cream but for the most part have incorporated fresh fruits, vegetables and meats that we used to rarely ever use.

We also learned that there is a possibility of a link between red meat and colon cancer. That was quite the wake up call, between tacos, meatloaf and burgers plus roast beef sandwiches and the like we were eating red meat for an average of 4-5 meals a week. That is way more than the recommended 18oz per week. As with everything balance is key so we have already cut way back on that and are currently working on cutting back our consumption of meat in general.

I also figured out that we could save $30-$40 a month just buy avoiding buying meat for one day a week. Sold! I think we are going to start next Monday so I'll fill you in on how it goes.