Schnitzel and Spaetzle

 Matt and I went to Hermann, MO for our Anniversary and had schnitzel and spaetzle at this little German restaurant.  Ever since then, we have been wanting to try making it ourselves.  It snowed this weekend, so we decided to have a German filled day.  We brewed beer, listed to German Folk Music, and made Schnitzel and Spaetzle!  



Pork Schnitzel

4 boneless pork loin chops
1 1/2 cups flour
salt and pepper
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
4 cups plain dried bread crumbs (I used Italian seasoned bread crumbs)
2 Tbsp olive oil
lemon wedges

Begin by placing each pork chop between two sheets of plastic wrap and gently pound them out with the flat side of a meat tenderizer until they are 1/4 inch thick.

Put the flour in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper.  Whisk the eggs and milk in another shallow dish and season with salt and pepper.  Put the bread crumbs in a third dish and again season with salt and pepper.  

Lightly dredge each piece of pork in flour, then in the egg, and finally into the bread crumbs, pressing the bread crumbs onto the pork gently so they have a nice even coating.

Lay the breaded pork in a single layer on a plate lined with parchment and refrigerate, uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes to allow the coating to dry out a little and adhere to the pork. 

Heat oil and butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Gently lay the cutlets into the pan and cook until golden brown and crispy, about 3 minutes per side.  Remove to paper towels to drain.  Season with salt and transfer to a serving platter while still hot.  Garnish with lemon wedges.

We did not have a meat tenderizer so we used a hammer wrapped in a towel :)  There was also a lot of left over flour and bread crumbs-I will definitely use less of them next time.  

Spaetzle

1 cup flour
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 pinch pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 gallon hot water 
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Mix together flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Beat eggs well.  Add milk and eggs to dry ingredients.  Mix until smooth.

Press dough through a spaetzle maker or a large holed sieve.  

Drop the spaetzle dumplings in simmering liquid.  Cook 5 to 8 minutes.  Drain well.

Saute cooked spaetzle in butter.  Sprinkle chopped parsley on top and serve.

We did not have a spaetzle maker or a holed sieve... so after a mini breakdown, we decided to come up with an alternative method of making little dumplings.  I ended up just using two spoons and scooping little pieces of the dough into the water.  It was more work, but it still tasted great.  I'm thinking I might have to ask for a spaetzle maker for Christmas. 

We also made a sauce from olive oil, butter, and lemon... yum!  This meal was delicious, we both loved it!  No left overs at our house :)

Schnitzel recipe from Food Network and Spaetzle recipe from Allrecipes.com

Beer Mac and Cheese

Beer and Mac 'n' Cheese are two of Matt's favorite food items... so when I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it!  

16 oz box of pasta

3 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp flour

1 cup German Beer

1 cup cream

4 oz cream cheese

8 oz shredded cheddar cheese

8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

First cook and drain the pasta.

While your pasta is cooking, melt the butter and add the flour.  Mix until it turns into a thick paste.

Next pour in the beer and mix. I used Warsteiner Dunkel.

Then add and mix the cream too.

Bring the mixture to a low boil, then add in the cream cheese.  Stir and heat until it's melted.

Next add the cheese

Heat and stir until everything is melted.

Finally mix the sauce with the pasta

And then serve.. with your favorite German beer of course!

Prost!  

Recipe from Wanderlust in the City Blog.

Pork Tenderloin and Twice Baked Potatoes

Twice Baked Potatoes

4 baked potatoes
splash of milk
shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream
salt, pepper
olive oil
bacon

Poke holes in the baked potato and cover with olive oil and cracked salt.  Bake in oven for an hour, turning once.  While in the oven, cook bacon and let cool.  Remove from oven and let cool a little.  Cut open lengthwise and scoop out the inside of the potato into a big bowl.  Add sour cream, cheese, milk, and small pieces of bacon to the bowl.  Stir together- add salt and pepper to taste.  Scoop the mixture back into the potato skins and put back in oven for 20-40 minutes... depends on how hot your oven is and how done you like your twice baked potatoes.

Matt loves these.. I usually make up a bunch and freeze some.

Pork Tenderloin

Pork tenderloin or pork chops
balsalmic vinegar
salt, pepper
olive oil
minced garlic

Sometimes I add some brown sugar or soy sauce to my mixture too.

Combine ingredients and put in large bag- marinate for a few hours or overnight.  Sear pork tenderloin on all sides.  Then, wrap pork and left over marinade in foil.  Wrap twice in foil to prevent the marinate from leaking out.  Put in 400 degree oven for a half hour or until the internal temperature is at least 160.  Remove from oven and let rest.  Slice pork and serve with twice bakes potatoes and a salad with a light vinaigrette.  Yum!!

I made this when my in-laws came over for dinner the other night and it was a success!  The apple crisp with ice cream I served for dessert was a big hit as well!  Great fall meal :)

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

I felt like baking and wanted to make something pumpkiny, so I found this recipe for a chocolate chip pumpkin bread.  I love baking, but this was my first attempt at making bread.  It was an easy recipe to follow and turned out great!!  Matt and I both loved it... so much that I had a little slice for breakfast this morning :)  It is great served warm!

Recipe from Sallys Baking Addiction Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 1 and 3/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup  sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 and 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Lowering the oven rack prevents the top of your bread from browning too much too soon. Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt together until combined. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until combined. Whisk in the pumpkin, oil, and orange juice. Pour these wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently mix together using a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon. There will be a few lumps. Do not overmix. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 60-65 minutes, making sure to loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil halfway through to prevent the top from getting too brown. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with only a few small moist crumbs. This may be before or after 60-65 minutes depending on your oven, so begin checking every 5 minutes at the 55 minute mark or so.

Allow the bread to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before removing and slicing. The bread will stay fresh in an airtight container (it tastes better on day 2!) at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. But it won't last that long.

FREEZING: Baked bread may be frozen up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Blueberry Cobbler

I love all berries- strawberries, blueberries, raspberries!  I had a bit of a sweet tooth over the weekend and decided to make a blueberry cobbler and topped it with vanilla bean ice cream.  YUM!

Blueberry Cobbler
Preheat oven to 375 degrees

3-4 cups of fresh blueberries- I just used a big box of blueberries and did not measure.
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp lemon juice

Mix well and place in greased 2 qt casserole dish

Mix together:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup oats
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Mix until crumbly and add 3 Tbsp softened butter or margarine.  Mix well and then use as topping- cover all blueberries.
Bake at 375 for 25 minutes or until topping is golden brown.

It wasn't enough topping for me- I will add more oats next time.  We served the cobbler with vanilla bean ice cream.. yum!

Healthy Lunches

I've been trying to plan healthy lunches to bring to work, but I am tired of eating the same old things every day.  Here are a couple new lunch ideas I tried this week:

Hummus, kalamata olives, feta cheese, and spring greens in a pita pocket.  Strawberries and pineapple.

Carrots, peppers and hummus.  Strawberries with nonfat greek yogurt.  Grilled chicken over spring greens.
I found these individual hummus packs at Sams Club- they are great to grab on the go! Over the weekend we barbecued and had left over chicken-- perfect to add to a salad for lunch during the week!  I had a bigger lunch today because i'm going to take a cycling class after work today :)

Paleo Week Four

Another week of Paleo.  My weight loss has slowed, but I feel great!  This week I worked on experimenting with new side recipes.

Asparagus with Roasted Red Peppers and Capers

I love Leftovers Weight Watchers Cookbook

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb asparagus
1/2 cup thinly sliced roasted red peppers
1 Tbsp capers
1 garlic clove minced
1/8 tsp black pepper

1. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.

2. Add 1 lb asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces, and cook, stirring often, until crisp-tender for about 5 minutes

3. Add roasted red peppers, capers, garlic, and black pepper.  Cook stirring constantly until heated through about 1 minute

2 WW points per serving

Summer Salad

It's starting to feel like summer out there and I made a yummy healthy salad.

Lettuce
Avocado
Strawberries
Grilled chicken
Light olive oil/vinegar

The weather is beautiful with a high in the 70s this week-- i'm going to try to get outside and exercise and garden :)  I need to work on my window boxes. Can't wait to put my winter coats away for good!

Paleo Week Three

This week was a little more difficult- I had cravings for chocolate and carbs!!! I was hungry this week and ate too much- didn't loose or gain anything this week. I'm finding that I do ok without dairy, but really miss carbs.  So this week, I decided to experiment with baking.

Blueberry Muffins

From The Gluten Free Home Maker- found on Pinterest

1 cup coconut flour

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

6 large eggs

1/2 cup melted coconut oil

1/2 cup honey

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup fresh or thawed frozen blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 12 cup muffin tin

2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, salt, and baking soda

3. In a smaller bowl, beat together with a fork the eggs, coconut oil, honey, and vanilla

4. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with a hand mixer on medium speed for about one minute or until well combined.

5. Stir in the blueberries

6.  Spoon the batter evenly into the muffin cups.  Bake for 20-25 minutes 

7. Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack or plate to cool completely.

Makes 12 muffins

Approximately 64 total WW points- 5 WW points per muffin.

These were very easy to make and I will definitely make them again!  The batter was thicker than I had thought, but they turned out great!  The blueberry muffins were moist and delicious :)  

Subway Chopped Salad

I was also getting tired of my packed lunches and decided to go out to lunch on Friday.  I went to Subway and tried the Ham and Turkey Chopped Salad- it was so good!  I loaded it up with veggies and just got a little oil/vinegar and salt and pepper on top.  Yum Yum.

Paleo Week Two

This week we went to Chicago to visit college friends and I did not eat 100% Paleo, but I got right back on track when I got home.  I did make healthy options while in Chicago and we walked a lot.  Surprisingly I still lost weight!  I'm feeling great this week and can tell my clothes are fitting looser! :)

New Paleo recipes I tried this week--experimented with cauliflower :)

Cauliflower Hummus

From Everday Paleo Family Cookbook by Sarah Fragoso

4 cups steamed cauliflower ( I used one head of cauliflower)

2 Tbsp almond butter

1/4 cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp sea salt

1. Cut a head of cauliflower  into florets and steam in a large pot for approximately 6 minutes or until fork-tender

2. Remove florets immediately and let them cool

3. Once the cauliflower is cool, place the steamed florets into a food processor along with the remaining ingredients and process until completely smooth.  Serve with raw veggies, olives, and even slices of cooked chicken breast for dipping.  Makes approximately 3 or 4 cups hummus.

Total of 20 WW points.  Mine made 3 cups- approximately 1 WW point per 2 Tbsp of hummus. Next time I will split recipe in half and make two batches because it was too much for my food processor to handle.  I will also experiment with different seasonings.  I just love hummus and have really missed it! While this doesn't taste exactly like hummus, it is a nice dip for carrots, peppers, and celery. 

Riced Cauliflower

From Everday Paleo Family Cookbook by Sarah Fragoso

1 head of cauliflower

3 Tbsp coconut oil

3 green onions, diced- I didn't have so I left these out

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 egg, whisked

1 tsp coconut aminos or Bragg Liquid Aminos

1 Tbsp sesame oil

Black pepper

1. Rinse and dry the cauliflower and cut into florets

2. Place the florets into a food processor and process until they are finely minced, looking like rice!

3. In a large skillet, melt the coconut oil over medium heat

4. Add the cauliflower and saute for 5-6 minutes

5. Add the green onions and garlic and saute with the cauliflower for another 2-3 minutes.

6. Push the cauliflower mixture to the side of the pan and pour the whisked egg onto the empty side of the pan and cook until the egg begins to firm.

7. Mix the egg into the cauliflower mixture and add the coconut aminos, the sesame oil, and black pepper

8. Taste your riced cauliflower and add more aminos or sesame oil if desired.  I cooked longer until it was warm and soft all the way through.

Makes 5 servings- a total of 15 WW points.  Each serving is approximately 1 cup and 3 WW points.  It isn't rice, but tastes good- I will definitely make this again.  This meal was filling and delicious.  I have left over meat that i'm going to add to a salad with avocado for tomorrows lunch!  And while my husband is supportive of my Paleo diet, he is not a big fan of cauliflower.  I made some twice baked potatoes last night and served him one with dinner... he was very appreciative!

1 cup riced cauliflower

4 oz flank steak

Salad

Total of 9 WW points

Avocado Slicer

My new favorite kitchen gadget- a 3 in 1 avocado slicer.  We purchased this at Crate and Barrel in Chicago.  I have been eating a lot of avocados since starting the Paleo diet and this tool is amazing!  My favorite part is how easy it makes removing the core.

Paleo Week One

First week on the Paleo diet went great!  I am not starving on this diet which is surprising to me.  Drinking a lot of water helps and i'm eating foods that are filling and stay with me longer.  I have noticed that my stomach has shrunk and i'm down 3.6 lbs!!  I'm loving Paleo and loving the results so far!

New Paleo recipes I tried this week--experimented with sweet potatoes :)

Poblano Roasted Sweet Potato

From Everyday Paleo Family Cookbook by Sarah Fragoso

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cumin

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp black pepper

5 cups peeled and diced sweet potatoes

1 poblano pepper, seeds removed and diced

4-5 garlic cloves minced

1. Preheat your oven to 400F

2. Melt the coconut oil and in a small bowl whisk the spices and oil together

3. In a large mixing bowl add the diced sweet potatoes, minced poblano pepper, and minced garlic

4. Pour the oil and spice mixture over the potatoes and stir well until all the sweet potatoes are coated

5. Pour the sweet potatoes into a large glass baking dish and roast for 25-30 minutes or until the potatoes start to brown and are soft all the way through, stirring halfway through the cooking time.

Makes 5 servings- 28 total WW points

I served mine with garlic balsamic pork chops and a salad.

This was delicious and I will definitely be making this again!

Pork chop- 3.5 oz

Sweet potatoes

Salad 

Total of 11 WW points

I also made sweet potato pancakes and used them instead of a bun with a burger.

Sweet Potato Pancakes

From Practical Paleo Cookbook by Diane Sanfilippo

Coconut oil to pan-fry in

3 eggs

2 tsp coconut flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 cups shredded sweet potatoes (using a food processor with a shredding disc is ideal)

1. Beat the eggs with the coconut flour and spices.  Mix in the shredded sweet potatoes until well combined

2. Using a skillet over medium heat with coconut oil coating the pan and filling it up about 1/8" for shallow pan frying

3. Spoon the mixture into the pan in desired sized "cakes"  I made mine roughly 4' in diameter and cooked them two at a time but you can make smaller ones and load up a pan with 4 at a time.

4. Serve warm or at room temperature- along or with bacon and eggs- or use as a bun with a hamburger patty.  Yum

Sweet potato pancakes- 2

Jalapeno burger

Salad

Total of ~17 WW points

These sweet potato pancakes had great flavors!  They look very strange when you first put them in the pan, but hold together better than I thought.  Next time I will make them flatter and use less oil- this will cut down on the WW points for each pancake.  I liked them so much, I had one for breakfast the next morning :)

Try Paleo, it works!  I feel great and am so glad I started eating a Paleo diet.

Turkey Meatballs

I found these Rosina turkey meatballs and love them!  

Pasta: 2 oz= 5 WW points

Sauce: 1/2 cup= 2 WW points

Meatballs: 3= 3 WW points

We love pasta, but it can be hard to eat healthy and eat pasta.  It's about making good choices and watching your portions-I wanted pasta, but knew I could live without garlic bread.  Matt had garlic bread with his pasta while I had green beans and a salad.  Remember that you do not have to eat exactly what your husband eats!

Juicing

I've been juicing recently- I love how it gives me a burst of energy! When I started juicing a few months ago, I would follow recipes and buy the ingredients.  Now I just make the recipes up with fruits or veggies that I like or have around the house.  Here is one of my recent favorites.   A tip- using ginger or lemons make the juices taste better.

Orange Juice (yields 6)

18 carrots

6 stalks of celery

2 cucumbers (I peel the skin off)

2 lemons (cut skin of lemon off)

6 apples  (cored with no seeds)

Sometimes I add kale to this recipe, but decided to make baked kale chips instead :)

I like to clean and cut up all the ingredients and put into two bowls before juicing.  Each bowl will make 3 juices.  I clean out the pulp from the juicer in between each juicing,

I have a Breville juicer and love it!

When I started juicing, I used plastic bottles but found that they were hard to keep clean and the juice only lasted two days.   I like to use Ball jars to store my juices- they keep the juice fresh longer. 

Looks like i'm ready for the week! Some weeks I will make two different juices to mix it up, but decided to keep it simple this week.  I'm going to have one juice each day this week.  

~Kelly

Jambalaya and Cornbread

We made jambalaya last night with turkey sausage to make it a little healthier.  Along with corn bread and green beans, it was delicious!  Perfect dinner for a cold winter night.

Cut turkey sausage into bit size pieces and cook on stovetop

Add Jambalaya Mix and cook according to the instructions

We each had two large portions, so enough for two meals - 10 WW points per serving (41 total points)

I also made cornbread muffins- 4 WW points per muffin. 

Nothing home made about this recipe, but I had all of the ingredients and it was an easy dinner to throw together.  Delicious dinner for 14 WW points :) These left overs won't last long at our house!

~Kelly

Easy Pad Thai

My husband enjoys any Asian food so I have been searching for easy/ creative/ healthy Asian food. We had success! 

We slightly cheated and bought the Pad Thai for Two. This was great portion control for me. The box contained rice noodles & sauce. 

Also Needed: 

Pork, Chicken, or Shrimp (we used pork) 

Egg 

4 Scallions 

Chopped peanuts 1/4 cup 

The rice noodles soaked for 30 minutes and it took about 6 to mix everything together in the wok. A serving is half of the box which was amazing! Here are the nutrition facts: 

Pad Thai For Two

Nutrition Facts SERVING SIZE: 1/2 package (127.5g) SERVINGS: 2 per container

Amount Per Serving Calories: 391 Calories from Fat: 15

%Daily Value* Total Fat: 3 g 3 % Saturated Fat 0 g 0 % Trans Fat 0 g 0 % Cholesterol 0 mg 0 % Sodium 433 mg 14 % Total Carbohydrates 85 g 26 % Dietary Fiber 0 g 12 % Sugars 16 g Protein 5 g Vitamin A 0 % Vitamin C 4 % Calcium 2 % Iron 2 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

PRESERVATIVE FREE | TRANS FAT FREE GLUTEN FREE

Ingredients: Rice Noodles: rice flour, water, modified tapioca starch. Pad Thai Sauce: palm sugar, tamarind juice (tamarind and water), water, shallot, sweet radish, garlic, soybean oil, potassium chloride, maltodextrin, miso (soybean, rice, salt), salt, hydrolyzed vegetable protein (soybean, corn, maltodextrin), yeast extract, paprika oleoresin, citric acid, alpha-tocopherol, chili oleoresin. Allergens:Contains soy.

Refrigerate Unused Portions ~Allison

Healthy Mexican Casserole

Ingredients: 

12-6 inch corn tortillas 

1 chicken breast cubed

1 red bell pepper chopped 

A dash of chili powder 

1/2 can refried beans 

1 can Progresso light southwestern style vegetable soup 

1/2 cup quick brown rice 

4 ounces cream cheese 

1/2 cup reduced fat shredded cheese * I didn't use that much 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees 

2. In a skillet on medium/ high heat cook chicken, peppers, & the chili powder until the chicken is done. 

3. Add the can of soup bring to a boil then add the rice reduce to simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. 

While it's simmering prepare tortillas 

4. In a 9x13 casserole dish but 1 tablespoon of refried beans on the bottom layers of tortillas. I was able to get 6 on the bottom. 

5. Mix in cream cheese to the skillet mixture and spread over the bottom layer of tortillas. 

6. Top with tortillas and cheese. 

Cook for 20-25 minutes. 

Makes about 4 servings (really it depends how many corn tortillas are used) 

WW Points 5 

Calories: 275 per serving 

~Allison