Breakfast Burritos

From: A friend of mine mentioned the idea of making breakfast burritos ahead of time to freeze and I thought I'd try it.  Here's what I put in mine... It makes 9 burritos.

Ingredients:

9 tortillas
1 package of about 8 fully cooked turkey sausage
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 lb cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup of salsa
8 eggs
2 tbsp oil

How to: 

Start by finely chopping the turkey sausage. Set aside for a moment.  Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium heat for about a minute.  Then add the eggs and scramble on medium high heat, adding salt and pepper to your liking.  When the eggs are about halfway cooked, add the sausage and finish scrambling the eggs.  Now lay out the tortillas, egg and sausage mix, cheese, and salsa.  Assemble the burritos, wrapping each one in a paper towel.  Use a paper towel, which can be microwaved, not foil, plastic or wax paper.  Make sure to eat one while it's hot!  The rest of the wrapped breakfast burritos go into a freezer bag and into the freezer immediately to be warmed when you're ready to eat them.  I warm mine in the microwave for about a minute.  Now you've got a quick hearty breakfast that only take a minute to prepare!  Yummmm...

Side notes: Do you need a lactose or dairy-free option?  Use dairy-free cheese (click here for recipe) instead.  Do you have little ones in the house?  You can leave out the salsa and cut the burritos in half before wrapping in a paper towel.

Italian Chicken Soup

From: I started with this recipe from the Pioneer Woman and then tweaked it a bit to suit what I had in the kitchen and to make it a bit easier.

Ingredients:

1/2 box Rigatoni Pasta
About 1/4 cup Olive Oil
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 cups Chicken Broth
1/2 whole Medium Onion, diced
1 whole Green Bell Pepper, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 can (15-ounce) Can Diced Tomatoes
1 cups Heavy Cream (optional)
2 Tsp Oregano
Salt And Freshly Ground Pepper, To Taste
Parmesan Cheese Shavings, For Serving
1 Tbsp butter

How to: 

Cook pasta in a pot according to package directions, being sure not to overcook it. Drain and rinse in cold water to cool. Toss in 1 tablespoon olive oil and set aside.

Cook the chicken in a skillet. I added salt, pepper, oregano, parsley and basil to season. Then dice it up.

Place chicken in a large pot and cover in the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer chicken, while chopping and preparing the veggies.

In the same skillet you cooked the chicken, saute onion, green pepper, celery, and jalapenos, and oregano, salt and pepper in olive oil and butter over medium heat until tender and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add to the pot of chicken and chicken stock.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add cooked pasta, diced tomatoes and cream. Stir to combine. Turn off heat. Serve with lots of Parmesan sprinkled on the top--the more the better!

Side notes: For lactose intolerant guests, hold the cream and Parmesan cheese and serve on the side for those who want it.

Dairy Free Soft Cheese

From: A great friend of mine who also has a son who is lactose intolerant shared this recipe with me.  Thanks, Kendahl!

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups water
1 cup raw cashews
3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp keltic sea salt
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp l seasoning: Mexican, Italian, pizza, etc (I used Italian seasoning.)
1/3 cups Arrow Root Powder

I found nutritional yeast and arrow root powder difficult to find.  Nutritional yeast is different from regular yeast and can be found at stores like Whole Foods. Arrow root powder can also be found at Whole Foods.  Remember the cashews must be raw, not roasted.

How to:  In a blender, put 1 cup of water and the cashews.  Process nuts until completely dissolved.  Add  the rest of the water and all other ingredients except the arrow root powder. Blend until smooth.  Pour entire mixture into a cooking pot.  Add arrow root powder and mix with a spoon until smooth while heating over medium heat.  Stir continuously as mixture thickens.  Once it is quite thick, transfer to a Pyrex and refrigerate.  After setting for several hours, cheese will be similar to the consistency of cream cheese.

Side notes: For hard cheese, replace arrow root powder with 3 Tbsp agar.  I have not tried making hard cheese yet, but I'll update once I've tried it.

Turkey Ham & Scalloped Potatoes

From: My mom sent me this recipe.  She got it from a slow cooker recipe book she has had for 30 years.

Ingredients:

Turkey ham, cut into bite sized pieces
3-5 medium potatoes cut but not peeled
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
sprinkle with paprika
green chilies (optional)

How to: 

Put all the ingredients in the slower cooker and cook it on high for 3 hour or low for 6-8 hours.

Side notes:

For lactose intolerance, hold the cheese and add it on the side when serving.

Turkey Penne Pasta Salad

From: www.mckmama.com

Ingredients:  

cooked and drained whole wheat penne pasta
cooked turkey, shredded OR canned chicken
thinly sliced celery
cherry tomatoes, halved
one avocado, cut into hunks (optional)
bleu cheese crumbles
dried basil leaves, flaked
sea salt to taste
olive oil

How to:  Just click here.

Side Notes:  In the picture above, I used canned chicken instead of turkey (don't tell Mckmama about my unhealthy substitution - this recipe is one of the few really healthy ones on this blog), and omitted the avocado. I love avocado, but I actually like this recipe better without it.

For lactose intolerance, omit the bleu cheese and add Ranch dressing or balsamic vinegar instead. Raisins (for sweetness) and peanuts (for crunch) make good additions as well.