Mexican Lasagna and Organizing on my Staycation

I am using my week very wisely, taking advantage of having both kids in school for 3 of the 9 days. I cleaned and organized my refrigerator. I did not post of picture of that because it really wouldn't do it justice without a "before". I cleaned and organized my pantry.


My nicely organized Pantry. Allowing for more efficient meal plans.

We have also instituted a weekly meal planning calendar that has an included shopping list by store area. We have incorporated the kids in selecting a meal one night of the week, as well as dad. Mom fills in the blanks. I take that and sit online, printing what coupons I can and head to the store. This week, I saved $50.00 in coupons and Kroger savings.

In part of the organizing and planning I realized I needed to use up some of the items I had in the freezer, pantry and fridge. What I ended up with was a mexican lasagna. Be patient with me - I didn't write down an exact recipe but its close enough. I'll get more diligent, I promise.

Non stick spray
1 TBS olive oil
1 medium onion - diced
8 button mushrooms - chopped
1 lb lean ground turkey
Homemade Taco Seasoning
1 can of vegetarian or fat free refried beans
1/2 container of Weight Watchers whipped cream cheese
9 corn tortillas
1 12 or 16 oz can of sliced stewed tomatoes - drained

Saute' onions until they are translucent in the olive oil with a little dash of salt.
add mushrooms and saute for 3 minutes.
Add turkey mixture with taco seasoning and turn until well broken and fully done over medium heat.
Reduce heat once the turkey is fully cooked. ( I did not drain )

Spray the inside of the casserole dish with the non stick spray
Layer bottom of the dish with three tortillas, covering as much ground as you can.
On top of the tortillas, spread about 1/3 of the can of beans all over.
Add a large spoonful of the turkey mixture.
Add 3 teaspoons of cream cheese mixture, placing them in an evenly spaced triangle points.
Add 3-4 of the tomato slices.
Repeat this two more times.
At the end, you should see cream cheese and the final tomatoes over the meat mixture.

Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes until the center is well warmed.

At the end, Sprinkle lightly with finely grated 2% cheese - flavor of your choice.
I didn't have any so I cut up one of the kids cheese sticks and sprinkled them on the top.

Replace in oven for another 5-10 minutes being sure not to burn the top.

Let sit for 10 minutes to allow for easier slicing. We got 8-9 servings and everyone loved.

Enjoy!

Chicken Tortilla Soup in honor of my Knife Skills Class at Central Market

I feel really crappy about not posting anything in a month. Really crappy. The last post was the fruit salad that I made before leaving on a week long business/personal trip to the East coast. I came home Feb 13th and its been non stop ever since. Things are starting to normalize a little. I was able to go to a Central Market Cooking School class Monday night and the topic was "Knife Skills" and of course, taught by non other than chef Dean Liesenfelt.

During the class we learned the anatomy (snicker) of a knife, how to hold said anatomy in our hands (giggle) and how to make sweet knife love with our vegetables, herbs and fruit.

We cut, sliced and diced avacados, cilantro, onions, tomatos, carrots, celery, bell peppers, romaine and oranges. We tossed them together in to a lovely, delicious, fantastic, stud muffin, Fabio bowl of scrumptious guacamole; a magnificent, warming and comforting pot of chicken tortilla soup; a rainbow of goodness of a salad with Dean's "on hand refrigerator ingredients" dressing and a juicy orange for dessert.

So long story short - I made chicken tortilla soup today.

6 cups of chicken stock (I had homemade in the freezer) - if you guys use canned, scale back the salt and taste taste taste before you had too much.

1 1/2 cups of chicken peices (I had leftover roast chicken in the fridge)

3 fresh button mushrooms, stems removed - sliced

10 baby carrots, sliced in to round pieces

1/4 of a medium onion diced

1 cup of tortilla chips, hand crushed and tossed in to the broth (before you add salt below - taste first - chips = salt!)
about 1 TBSP of chili powder
about 1 TBSP of cumin
1/2 - 1 tsp of granulated garlic
1-2 tsp of salt (see above)
1 cup of fresh spinach
2 TBSP chopped cilantro

Simmer and taste - adjust seasoning as necessary. Enjoy!