Turkey and Barley Casserole #WeekdaySupper #ChooseDreams

Turkey Barley Casserole

This week Sunday Supper and American Family Insurance salute fit, healthy lifestyles.

Weekday suppers can be a scramble sometimes. Casseroles are a quick fix to have dinner ready fast. Many you can even make the day before and quickly reheat. My version of Turkey and Barley Casserole is actually a skillet meal. You can make it as a traditional baked meal which would taste great but the skillet style is fast and easy.

Ground turkey replaces fatter meats like sausage often used in this dish. Barley has been found to help maintain healthy cholesterol levels, lower glucose and digests slowly to keep you satisfied longer. Another way to keep the calories down and flavor up is how you cook it.

You can do away with the need for heavy sauces by flavoring your grains and pasta from the inside. Cook your rice and barley in vegetable or chicken broth. This technique also works well with small pasta like orzo and acini di pepe.

American Family Insurance knows how important eating right is in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Healthy food. Healthy habits. Healthy you.
AmFam Choose Dreams Logo

American Family Insurance believes in the power of dreams and they are fully committed to helping you discover yours. Follow the Family Healthy Fit Lifestyle #ChooseDreams Pinterest board (link to come)for more great recipes to help you stay fit and healthy.

Stay in touch with American Family Insurance for their latest news and events.
Website: http://www.amfam.com
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/company/american-family-insurance
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amfam/custom
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Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/amfaminsurance/

Turkey Barley Casserole (550x550)

Turkey and Barley Casserole
 
Prep time
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Ingredients
  • ½ pound lean ground turkey
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup quick cook barley
  • 3 cups chicken broth divided
  • ¼ cup diced celery
  • ¼ cup diced onion
  • ½ cup fresh spinach
  • ½ cup fresh arugula
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 Tablespoon basil, thinly sliced
Instructions
  1. Brown turkey, celery and onion in oil in a large skillet. Add the last ½ cup broth, spinach and arugula. Simmer.
  2. While turkey cooks, prepare barley. Bring 2½ cups broth to a boil. Add barley reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes.Salt and pepper to taste. Add cooked barley to the skillet. Heat thoroughly and plate. Sprinkle with fresh basil.

 

Sunday Supper Movement

Visit us all week for great quick and healthy Weekday Supper ideas!

Monday – Turkey and Barley Casserole by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Tuesday – Warm Shrimp and Avocado Salad by Family Foodie
Wednesday – Caprese Chicken Panzanella Salad by Peanut Butter and Peppers
Thursday – Pizza Margherita by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Friday – Chicken and Broccoli Pesto Pitas by Curious Cuisiniere

Visit our #WeekdaySupper Pinterest board for wonderful weekday menu suggestions all month long!

This post is sponsored by American Family Insurance. All opinions are my own.

Posted in #WeekdaySupper, barley, casserole, ground turkey, healthy, skillet, turkey, What's For Dinner? | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

Chicken and Mushroom Stuffed Peppers #SundaySupper #ChooseDreams

Chicken Mushroom Stuffed Peppers (550x413)

Chicken and Mushroom Stuffed Peppers might sound a bit odd to you. Where’s the rice, you ask? Don’t worry you’ll never miss it.

This week Sunday Supper is teaming up with American Family Insurance to bring you recipes and tips to fuel a healthy, fit lifestyle. Staying active is important. What we eat can make all the difference.

Lean chicken and sautéed mushrooms can satisfy the hungriest appetite without the bloated feeling you can get from rice. Don’t get me wrong, I love rice. But after a meal of regular stuffed peppers I’m more inclined to chill out than work out.

Another reason this meal works is that bell peppers are plentiful this time of year so they’re easy on the budget. People are more likely to choose to prepare healthy meals if the ingredients are inexpensive and readily available.

I used canned tomato puree without added salt. Why not use fresh tomatoes? You certainly can substitute fresh tomatoes and allow them to cook down into a sauce if you have the time. In reality canned tomatoes have the same nutrition to use in cooking as fresh tomatoes. Plus canned are actually cheaper pound for pound. Save the fresh ones for your salads!

American Family Insurance knows how important eating right is in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Healthy food. Healthy habits. Healthy you.

AmFam Choose Dreams Logo

American Family Insurance believes in the power of dreams and they are fully committed to helping you discover yours. Follow the Family Healthy Fit Lifestyle #ChooseDreams Pinterest board for more great recipes to help you stay fit and healthy.

Stay in touch with American Family Insurance for their latest news and events.
Website: http://www.amfam.com
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/company/american-family-insurance
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amfam/custom
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+amfam/posts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/amfam
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amfam
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/amfaminsurance/

Lightly sautéed mushrooms, celery and onion in a little butter add depth to cooked chicken. I thinned the tomato puree with a little chicken stock for added flavor.

chicken mushroom peppers1

chicken mushroom peppers 2
Chicken Mushroom Stuffed Peppers (550x550)

Chicken and Mushroom Stuffed Peppers
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Recipe can be easily doubled as needed.
Ingredients
  • 1 large bell pepper, halved and cleaned
  • 1 cup cooked chicken
  • 1 cup chopped mushrooms
  • ¼ cup diced celery
  • ¼ cup diced onion
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, divided
  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 1 cup tomato puree
  • ¼ cup chicken stock
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Blanch pepper halves in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and place in casserole dish.
  2. Sauté mushrooms, celery, onion and half the thyme in butter.Add chicken and stir.
  3. Stuff peppers with mixture. Mix together tomato puree, chicken broth and the rest of the thyme. Salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Pour over peppers and bake at 350 for approximately 20 minutes until thoroughly heated.

Here are more recipes and tips from the Sunday Supper team for helping you to eat healthy as part of a healthy, active lifestyle.

Get Up and Go Power Breakfasts

Salads and Healthy Snacks

Healthy Fit Lifestyle Dinners

Healthy Desserts

Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET.  Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

This post is sponsored by American Family Insurance. All opinions are my own.

Posted in #ChooseDreams, #SundaySupper, chicken, fresh ingredients, healthy, peppers, What's For Dinner? | Tagged , , , , | 35 Comments

Foodie Friends Linky Party 105

Welcome to another fun Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party! This week we’re looking for your favorite recipes, crafts and DIYS!
Before we start let’s congratulate last week’s winners!
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10457853_10204572133168492_7042735939083733831_n

HOST FAVORITES

Now On To The Party!
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Posted in What's For Dinner? | 1 Comment

Coffee Liqueur Cake with Chocolate Liqueur Frosting #RecipeReDux

Coffee Liqueur Cake with Godiva liqueur Frosting
Mocha is one of my favorite flavors. Coffee and chocolate blend so well together in desserts. I make so many chocolate based cakes that add coffee so I decided to switch it up for this month’s Recipe ReDux challenge: Show us how you like to cook, bake or mix-it-up with spirits, extracts and other alcohols.
I used 3 spirited items: coffee liqueur, chocolate liqueur and pure vanilla extract.

recipe redux

Looking at the recipe you must be saying, how can those cakes be considered healthier eating? I look at it as first, everything in moderation. One of the best solutions to stop yourself from binge eating is to allow yourself a little treat once in a while. Also seek out butter produced from grass-fed cows. This butter contains higher amounts of Vitamin K. Some studies show that butter is actually better for you than processed margarine. Butter contains many nutrients that protect against heart disease including vitamins A, D, K2, and E, lecithin, iodine and selenium. Nutrients obtained from fatty acids are more readily absorbed by the body.
If you are concerned about your saturated fat intake, here’s the breakdown. One cupcake with the frosting is 172 calories, 5.1 total fat of which 2.84 grams is saturated fat. Without the frosting, 134 calories 12 calories from fat of which .41 is saturated fat. These cakes are delicious either way!

Coffee Liqueur Cake with Chocolate Liqueur Frosting #RecipeReDux
 
Prep time
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Serves: 12 cupcakes
Ingredients
Cake
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 5 Tablespoons black coffee
  • 1 teaspoon coffee liqueur
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup cake flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
Frosting
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter slightly softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon chocolate liqueur (I used Godiva)
Instructions
Cake
  1. Beat eggs on medium speed until thick and lemon colored.
  2. Slowly add sugar a little at a time until mixed.
  3. Add coffee and liqueurs.
  4. In a separate bowl, blend flour, baking powder and salt.
  5. Slowly add into the wet mixture.
  6. Fill each lined cupcake tin with ¼ cup batter. Bake at 350 on center rack for 10 to 12 minutes until inserted pick comes out clean.
Frosting
  1. Beat butter on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in sugar and liqueur.
  2. Store frosted cupcakes in the refrigerator.

Enjoy these spirited creations from the Recipe ReDux!

Posted in #RecipeReDux, cake, chocolate, coffee, What's For Dinner? | Tagged , , , , | 14 Comments