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i’ve marked these meals in my new recipe book on pinterest and i’m sharing this post at the following parties.
pinning it down
pinterest to real life
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Shepard’s Pie
It could have gone bad. Dad was gone all day with Rose and Baby G kept me busy. We spent the day celebrating Our Lady of Guadalupe. The girls had another ice indoor-soccer game.
I’ve been here before, it was once a typical pizza night. I prayed for the graces to fight the urge to order a take-n-bake pizza. I decided just to make some ground beef. I figured I’d be inspired once I started to cook. Sure enough, I planned on making lettuce roll tacos. I checked the fridge and saw the potato soup (made with coconut milk and carrots) that I had made on Friday. (It was a splurge for us. In hindsight, I should have made sweet potato soup—next time.) The potato soup lead me to recall the Shepard’s Pie recipe that I found here. I modified the recipe and put together the dish before dad got home and we dashed out the door for soccer.
I popped the already assembled dish into the oven when we returned home. Everyone showered and got into warm jammies while dinner baked. It was perfect timing. So long pizza night!
The dish was a warm and soothing meal on such a cold night. Everyone enjoyed it. Papi had seconds.
Here is the original recipe from Wellness Mama with my alterations.
Ingredients for Healthy Shepard/Cottage Pie:
- 2 (or more) pounds of ground beef,
turkey or other meat 2-3 heads of cauliflower or 3-4 bags of frozen cauliflower3 cups of left over soup- 1 bag of frozen mixed veggies (no corn! It’s not a veggie!) – 3 cups of Kirkland Normady Style Veggie Blend
1-2 onionsI was too lazy to add the onions.- 1 egg
- Seasonings to taste
(I used natural beef bouillon, basil, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano and a little cayenne)garlic and all the spices that I could reach - 3-4 Tablespoons of butter
4 ounces of cream cheese (optional)2 ounces to thicken up the left over soupCheese to top (optional)
How to Make Healthy Shepard/Cottage Pie:
- Brown meat in large skillet and season to taste when cooked. Set aside.
Saute diced onion in skillet until somewhat soft. Set aside with meat.- Pour mixed veggies in the skillet to heat on low heat and in the meantime…
In large pot, boil several cups of water. Add cauliflower, cover, and cook until soft enough to mash.Remove the pot from the heat, pour off the water, and add butter and cream cheese to the pot.Add spices and mash. (I use a hand blender to make it really smooth)- Mixed veggies should be cooked by now.
- Mix the meat,
onionsmixed veggies, raw egg and any additional seasonings and put in bottom of 9×13 baking dish. - Spread
mashed cauliflowersoup mixture over it until smooth. - Bake at 350 for approximately 30 minutes.
Add cheese and bake 5 additional minutes (optional).- Serve warm (ore reheat later)
Healthy Options for Thanksgiving
We celebrated Thanksgiving at my sis’s house. She is very supportive of our new lifestyle change and was very diligent to be certain that we would have options come dinner time. We brought some of our own dishes to help us with our choices.
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Garlic and Herb Mashed Cauliflower
This was a delicious dish once we got the cauliflower to the right consistency. Rose ended up using the hand-held emulsion blender. We never missed the mashed potatoes.
Slightly Sweet Cranberry Sauce
Dad can’t go without homemade cranberry sauce. This definitely topped his traditional recipe that was loaded with sugar. Those who like cranberry sauce, loved this recipe. I could have used some honey for more sweetness but overall, I enjoyed it.
Garlic Roasted Sweet Potatoes
This was my favorite side. It was good hot or cold. This would be a great snack to have handy in the fridge.
Stuffed Mushrooms
This is a family favorite and it was one of our splurges. Maybe, one day, I’ll be able to find a suitable substitute. I did eliminate the Worchester Sauce.
Grain Free Carrot Cake
Yummmmmmmmmmmmm!!! I’m sure there was a time when I would gawk at the idea of a healthy dessert option, this dessert did away with all my past hang-ups. We have been eating it non-stop since Thanksgiving Day. Dragonfly has even led the troops in eating it for breakfast.
Papa’s Turkey
This was the star of the show.
Our New Italian Dish
O.k., so this dish isn’t really an Italian dish but it is the closest we’ll come to a pasta dish these days.
It reminded me of a veggie lasagna. Dad had to acquire a taste for it since I overcooked the zucchini and they were a bit mushy. My four year old son and six year old daughter, loved it. In fact, she is still talking about it. (Two of my girls were out the evening we had this dish.)
The meat sauce was divine.
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