Korean Beef

Servings: 4 (next time i may need to double the recipe!)

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients: 

1 pound super lean ground beef
1/4 - 1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce (I use low-sodium)
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1/4 - 1 teaspoon crushed red peppers (to desired spiciness - i used the low end)
salt and pepper
1 bunch green onions, diced (don't skip this!)

Directions: 

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and brown hamburger with garlic in the sesame oil. Drain most of the fat (my 94/6 meat didn't haven't any fat to drain) and add brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, salt and pepper and red peppers. Simmer for a few minutes to blend the flavors. Serve over steamed rice and top with green onions

Verdict: 

The was super yummy and a huge hit in our house. Bonus it's really fast to make and I already had everything but the green onions in the house. Isaac ate 3 servings of this. Plus both kids loved those crinkle cut frozen carrots I served it with. Note to self to buy more of those! This will definitely be made again. And again. 

Shrimp Tostadas

source: skinny taste dot com

Servings: 4
Time: 30 minutes or less

Ingredients: 
24 peel raw shrimp
1 garlic clove, minced
2 T prepared salsa verde
6 tostada shells
1 can canned refried black beans
shredded lettuce
store-made guacamole (HEB's made in store guac is amazing!)
shredded cheese or queso blanco for topping

Directions: 
If cooking shrimp on outside grill, soak skewers for 30 minutes.

Season shrimp with salt, then mix in garlic and salsa verde. Thread shrimp onto skewers.

Grill on hot grill for 2-4 minutes, turning once while cooking. Set aside.

To prepare tostadas, heat up the beans in the microwave until warm. Cover each tostada with beans, then lettuce, then guacamole, then top with shrimp and cheese.

Serve!

Verdict:
Dave and I really liked these. The kids ate the shrimp and the leftover plane tostada shells. These were pretty easy to pull together so I'll most likely try them again to see if they kids eat them better next time.

Crock Pot Creamy Tomato Soup

Source: skinny taste

Time: 10 minute prep the night before, 10 minute prep the morning of, 6+ hours cook time, 20 minutes prep after cooking
Servings: Makes about 10 cups, ~ 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup finely diced celery
• 1 cup finely diced carrots
• 1 cup finely diced onions
• 28 oz can whole plum tomatoes, with juice
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1/4 cup fresh basil
• 3 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
• Parmesan or Romano cheese rind
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• 1 3/4 cups reduced fat (2%) milk, warmed
• salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste

Directions: 

1. Heat large skillet over medium heat, add oil, celery, carrots and onions. Cook 5 minutes until golden. Add to slow cooker. 

2. Pour juice of tomatoes into the slow cooker, then roughly crush the tomatoes with your hands (be careful of splatter!), add to slow cooker. Then add broth, cheese rind, thyme, basil and bay leaf. 

3. Cook on LOW for at least 6 hours. Mine cooked for about 7 hours, then stayed on warm for an additional 3-4 hours maybe. 

4. After cooking, remove cheese rind and bay leaf. Using an immersion blender or blender, blend the soup until smooth. If using a blender be sure to do this in SMALL batches, otherwise you'll have soup on your cabinets and floors. 

5. Melt butter over low heat and add flour. Stir constantly with whisk for 4-5 minutes. Slowly whisk in about 1 cup of the hot soup, then add the warm milk and stir until smooth. 

6. Pour back butter, flour, milk mixture into the slow cooker with soup and stir. Add grated pecorino cheese and season liberally with salt and pepper. 

7. Cover and cook on low 30 more minutes or until warm. 

Verdict: 

This soup was really good. It tasted very creamy and richer than it actually is. Allison really enjoyed it as well. Bonus is it's pretty healthy. Isaac didn't touch it, but he didn't touch any of his other dinner that night either, so his vote doesn't really count. 

Servings: 6 • Size: 1-1/2 cups
Calories: 177 • Fat: 10 g • Carb: 17 g • Fiber: 3 g • Protein: 8 g • Sugar: 8 g
Sodium: 600 mg • Cholest: 21 mg

Pasta Caprese Salad

Source: food network

Time: about 30 minutes

Servings: a ton as stated in the recipe, the photo above is with the recipe halfed

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 pounds mixed heirloom tomatoes, cored, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 pound pasta, such as campanelle, penne or fusilli
• 12 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch pieces or buy the pearl mozzarella 
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Directions: 

Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, sugar, shallot and garlic in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add tomatoes and gently toss. Marinate at room temperature about 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook at the label directs. Drain and rinse with cold water. 

Add pasta and mozzarella to tomato mixture and toss. Stir in basil and lemon zest and season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until serving. 

Verdict: 

This pasta salad is great, easy to make and easy to transport and leave out at a cookout. The kids love it too. They sometimes pick out the tomatoes, but the eat the noodles and cheese and then ask for more!