Sloppy Joe Recipe

Our kids LOVE this. They love anything that makes them messy.

1 chopped onion
2lbs ground meat (beef is better if you are going to freeze some)
10-16 oz of ketchup depending on how saucy you want it ketchup
½ cup water
¼ cup celery
1T lemon juice
1T brown sugar
1 ½ t Worchester
1 1/2t salt
1t vinegar (I used cider vinegar, but I think white would work good too)
¼ t dry mustard

Brown meat, drain, and rinse. Put meat aside. Sautee onions and celery until tender. Add all ingredients back into the pot (including meat, ketchup, and spices). Let simmer for an hour or so. I add ½ cup of wheat germ, 2-3 chopped carrots, and a bag of chopped, defrosted and drained spinach also to give extra vitamins. I sauté the spinach and carrots with the celery and onions.

My best minestrone soup

I got a recipe and then tweeked it to make it mine. I love it because you can add or take out anything you like. This is especially great to make in the summer when the veggies are plentiful (and cheap if you go to the Farmer's Mkt).

INGREDIENTS
extra virgin olive oil
4 Italian turkey sausages, in small pieces (omit if you are vegetarian or vegan)
half of a tiny can of tomato paste
1 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 bag of frozen peas and carrots
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 of the very big cans chopped canned tomatoes (28oz maybe)
2 boxes of chicken stock (or veggie if you are vegetarian or vegan)
1 can Cannellini Beans, with liquid
1 can Red Kidney Beans, drained
A few zucchini washed and cut into pieces
A few yellow squash washed and cut into pieces
2 cups baby spinach
1 box of elbow macaroni (I use Barilla Plus Elbow Mac)
2 tablespoons pre-packaged basil pesto
grated Parmesan cheese

First, I cook the sausage, put it aside, and then sauteed the tomato paste, onion, squash, and zucchini for a couple of minutes. Then, I added two boxes of chicken stock and the sausage to a giant pot (this makes a lot of soup). I add all of the veggies including the beans and tomatoes-and the seasoning. Once it comes to a boil, I add the dry pasta and let it cook in the liquid. I stir in the spinach at the end and just let it wilt. When serving, I put the basil pesto on top and some parm cheese (def not freshly grated but freshly shaken out of the plastic thing).

October Menu

Monday: Fish tacos, black beans, corn, and fresh tomato salsa
Tuesday: Steak quesadillas, peppers, onions, black beans, corn, and fresh tomato salsa
Wednesday: Minestrone Soup-Recipe posted
Thursday: Chicken pot pie, mashed potatoes, and green beans
Friday: Sloppy Joes-Recipe Posted and sweet potato fries
Saturday: Tuna noodle casserole
Sunday: Chicken and dumplings, peas and carrots

Monday: Sweet/hot salmon, brown rice, and garden veggies (onion, zucchini, and squash)
Tuesday: Spiral Ham, mashed potatoes, carrots, mac and cheese, and green beans
Wednesday: Mac and cheese with ground meat and tomatoes, carrots, green beans
Thursday: Ham leftovers and baked sweet potatoes
Friday: Fire burgers (plain for kids), baked potatoes, and carrots
Saturday: Baked fish, brown rice, and garden veggies
Sunday: Chicken Parmesan, spaghetti, and broccoli

Monday: Chicken Parm Subs, baked potatoes, and broccoli
Tuesday: Chicken Alfredo-Jessica’s way with left over veggies
Wednesday: Roast, mashed potatoes, carrots, and corn
Thursday: Roast beef Panini’s with baked sweet potatoes
Friday: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn, and carrots
Saturday: Salmon, brown rice, garden veggies
Sunday: Stuffed peppers, brown rice, and broccoli

Monday: Slow cooker pepper pork chops, egg noodles, and green beans
Tuesday: Oven fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans
Wednesday: Spaghetti with meatballs
Thursday: Meatball subs, carrots, and corn
Friday: Chicken rollatini, brown rice, and broccoli
Saturday: Baked fish, brown rice, and baked sweet potatoes
Sunday: Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, and carrots

Many of my meals build off of each other. For instance, I make 3 times the amount of chicken for the chicken parmesan so that I can use it again for the subs and again for the chicken alfredo. We also give the kids fresh veggies with every meal. Easton tells us that he doesn't like cooked veggies so we always try to have some fresh ones cut up and ready. Their favorite fresh veggies include peppers, cucumbers, and tomatoes.

We also have left overs-LOTS! Most of the meals last us two nights. I make a list that has a new meal every night so that I know that I buy enough at the store. We try to eat fish twice a week but it's an ongoing effort. Some weeks we get the two in, sometimes we don't.

How did this all begin?

I (Julie) was raised to love a good vegetable. We ate lots of salads as kids and my grandparents raised a huge garden every year. My grandma loved to tell me the story of how, when I was a child, I loved to eat canned green beans out of the fridge. I learned lots about nutrition in high school and running cross country. I ate very little meat and got my protein from other sources. Did I mention I ate a million pretzels (because I worked at The Pretzel Twister and they were free and OH SO GOOD)? In college, I ate whatever-Papa John's was a favorite. I rarely remember cooking until I lived with my friend Cindy. Poor Cindy, I was the cook and she was the tester. Sometimes were good-sometimes were not so good. Once I started trying to cook, I found a love for it. When my daddy got diagnosed with cancer, the doctors told him to eat fish and chicken. He called me one night, so proud, because he had eaten Long John Silver's fish and chicken. God love his heart-he just didn't understand that fried food was killing him.

When my grandma died and it became my job to cook for myself and my sisters, I wanted to make sure they ate healthy. Now, might be a good time to add, I have an irrational fear that I (or my sisters and kids) am going to die at age 32 from coronary artery disease like my biological mother. I found little ways to add things to our food to make it healthier (spinach is my all time favorite if I think you need a little vitamin boost). I forced my sisters to eat their veggies long before the "Sneaky Chef" was around. When Adam and I got married, we got a blender and 2 food processors for wedding gifts. It was fabulous! I made spaghetti sauces with all kinds of veggies snuck inside. My sisters (and usually Adam) never really knew all of the goodness they were eating.

When Easton was born, I wanted to know he was eating healthy. We zipped through all of the typical Gerber foods and went into foods that weren't found in a jar-like avocado. Now, some people say it is a nut and you shouldn't give nuts to kids (call the parenting police). I say, he liked it, it was good for his brain, and he didn't have any reaction. I also did lots of different fruits that weren't found in a jar-like papaya, mango, and raspberries (do NOT suggest doing because straining takes forever). With each child, I have gotten a lot braver at what I have given them.

From the beginning, our kids have had an insatiable love of fruit. Even when I am pregnant, fresh fruits and veggies are some of the few things that don't make me sick.

We want them to learn to love new foods. We always let them eat off of our plates in restaurants. Once Easton and Weston were old enough, they split an adult plate (do you know how high kid’s meal prices are-not to mention our kids usually don't even want what the kid’s meals offer).

We have a fabulous Pediatrician, Dr. Pugh, who told suggested we try out the philosophy, "You either eat what is in front of you, or go hungry". Pat (a dear friend), agreed and said that no child will let themselves go hungry.

So, I want to share this all with you all. We are not perfect but we certainly try, as hard as we can, to get our kids to eat a well balanced diet and yes, they eat their veggies.