Leftover Breakfast Shepherd's Pie

 

 

 

 

I literally just devoured that piece. I'm comfortably full and feel great! The taste was amazing! Could've used some fresh cracked pepper in it though. What is it, you ask? Well, it's leftover tossed together and baked for my breakfast. I have this new Paleo type diet going on. It's low carb/high fat. So I don't have much to work with in my high carb home. Or so I thought! What I made fits in a 9 x 13 dish and is 8 servings. You can make this for a group, or for yourself to have breakfast (or lunch/dinner, who am I to say what meal it is?!). It's already made, it's healthy, you know what's in it, and it's delicious and filling.

 

Ingredients (seriously, take your leftovers, or whatever you have to put in this, it's a recipe that you decide what goes in it as you're cooking!):

 

- 1/2lb ground pork sausage

- leftover roasted chicken (whole breast and thigh is what we had left)

- butter (I have no clue how much I used, let's just say 4 or 5 Tbsp)

- 12 eggs (more or less depending on how egg-y you want it, what I used it's pretty equal amounts of everything)

- 1 C. leftover mashed potatoes ( I only had about a cup. It didn't look like enough at first, but was plenty.

- full fat sour cream (remember, this is high fat diet), I used the FUD brand Mexican crema

- 1 C. peas (or any other veggies you want: cauliflower, broccoli, onions, etc...or mix a bunch in there!)

- 1/3 - 1/2lb cheese

 



 

 

1) Brown the ground pork sausage, set in large bowl when finished. 

 

2)Shred leftover chicken (I had about 2 cups or so with our leftover roasted chicken).

 

3) Melt 2 Tbsp butter in pan (I used the same pan as pork, it was cooked and it's all getting mixed anyways). Then add your chicken and just warm it up. Place it in bowl with sausage.

 

4) Add the dozen eggs to chicken and sausage. You can add seasonings if you want. I didn't, just in case, but it could've definitely used a bit of pepper. Really didn't need anything else, for me. And I like things highly seasoned.

 

5) I just wiped my skillet out and added another 2 or 3 Tbsp butter.

 

6) Then tossed in my leftover mashed potatoes. It acutally looks like a lot in this picture, but it's about a cup, MAYBE a cup and a quarter.

 



 

7) Add sour cream (I think it was about 3Tbsp). Mix until combined and creamy. Then set aside.

 

8) Add peas (or whatever veggies you're using) to the meat/egg mixture.

 

9) Spray 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray, then pour in the egg mixture.

 

10) Add mashed potatoes a little at a time over the mixture. Carefully even it out, it doesn't need to be perfect.

 

11) Add shredded cheese.

 

 12) Ok, the baking. I'm clueless. I had it at 350*F for an hour and a half. I was just waiting to see fluffy middle from underneath. It just wasn't happening. So I'm thinking, maybe 375 or 400 for about 40 -50 minutes would be fine. Mine wasn't overdone by any means, but it was torture for this pregnant mama to wait for breakfast!

 

This is what my piece looked like after sitting for about 5 minutes. I cut it lengthwise down the middle and then into 4 pieces. As soon as it's cool enough, it will be going into the fridge in individual pieces to reheat for breakfast this week. There is plenty for my husband and the kids to share (they'd probably share a piece) for the next 3-4 days.

Play around with the ingredients. If you don't have chicken, throw in some bacon, or ground beef or diced up pork chop. It really doesn't matter what goes in this recipe, make it your own! Shepherd's Pie is about not having much, and using up the little you do have. So we had leftovers from dinner, why not find a fun way to use them instead of rubbery reheated roasted chicken? Let me know what you put in yours and how it turned out!

If you want to know a couple of the nutritional items, they per serving (1/8 of this recipe):
Calories  341
Carbs  8g
Fat  27g (remember, high fat diet)
Protein  29g
Fiber  1g
Sugar  2g

Recycling For the Dogs



I was looking around for the dogs rope chew toy and realized I'll have to turn the place upside down in order to find it. I had just had a long weekend with a sinus infection and horrendous 3 week long allergy attack, so there was no "turning the place upside down"! Then I remembered I had two pairs of pants ready for the trash! The house was freshly cleaned, chores were done, and it was nearly bed time...what better time to do some sort of crafting?!


I cut the pants up the leg seams and separated those side and inner thigh seams from the strips of fabric. As I was tearing up the seam, it would cut into the fabric intead of follow the seam, hence the uneven pieces.

 

Next step was to put all 3 pieces on top of each other and tie a knot at one end. I cut each section of fabric into little tassle-type things for the end.

 

 

 

 

Now braid the 3 sections.

 

 

 

 

 For the larger ones, you can tie a knot in the middle of the rope and at each of the tassled ends as well for more chewability. I couldn't get a good picture of them since it's all black. But you can use pretty much any durable fabric. Try to vary it up, different types of fabric, colors, lengths. There really is no limit to what you can do with these. Pretty fun, I think!



Leftover Rice - Rice and Chicken Dutch Oven Bake

 

I talk about making food for the week, well this was leftover night. Let's try something new.

 

I took out 4 chicken breasts from the freezer and cut them in half because they were so thick.

I put them in my hot Dutch oven to sear the outside. I sprinkled garlic, chicken bouillon, chili powder, and fresh ground pepper over the chicken.

 

After the chicken breasts were seared, I took them out (not fully cooked) and put the leftover Spanish rice in the seasoning-coated Dutch over. I placed the chicken over the rice and topped with a little bit of cheese. Put the lid on, drop the heat to low and let cook, covered, for about 15 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to check the chicken. Then serve!

I took a picture of the rice with the seasoned side up. It's not burned at all, it's the seasonings from the chicken searing that come off and cook into the rice. The flavor was out of this world. Even my 4 year old, who hates rice, ate all of her dinner!

 

Homemade Pork 'n Beans - Canning Recipe Too

 

My husband LOVES pork and beans. But I don't think he has loved them as much as he has until I started making them myself! And it's pretty simple.

 

Start with the leftover ham bone from Christmas, or whenever you eat ham. (I freeze the bone until I'm ready to make this)

Soak the beans overnight. Honestly, I don't measure anything, I fly by the seat of my pants. It was about 1 - 1 1/2 cups of each: red, black, pinto, and cannelini (white kidney) beans.

Once those have soaked (add 2 Tbsp of baking soda to water to help with the "gassy" effect), drain and rinse the beans.

Put beans, ham bone, and just enough water to cover beans into pressure cooker. Add whatever seasonings you'd like.

Pressure cook with 10 pounds for 3 minutes.

Let pressure release.

 

The meat just falls off the bone at this point. Yum!

Now add the beans and chunks of ham to sterilized jars, place lid and ring on jars. Finger tighten.

Pressure can (splash of vinegar, remember!) for 75 minutes with 10 pounds pressure.

Let pressure cooker vent on its own. Place jars in draft free area to cool.

Canning Potatoes

 

Potatoes. 10 pounds for $.99. Sure, buy 4 bags! Get home, "crap, what do we do with all of these potatoes?!!"

CAN THEM!

First of all, I love canning, obviously. Second, we love potatoes. Now, how do you can them?

 

 

 

Start by washing potatoes. Honestly, I can't remember how many potatoes I used. I had jars sterilized that weren't filled, so I kept grabbing more to fill each jar. 10 pounds fill about 6 quart jars.

 

Wash and slice each potato. Make sure they'll fit through the mouth of the jar, so cut the slice in half if necessary. Or you can cube them. 

 

tightly pack potatoes in jar, add boiling water with a tsp of salt, then add lid and ring. Finger tighten. Do not over tighten!

Place in pressure cooker for 40 minutes with 10 pounds pressure.

Let the pressure cooker release the pressure on its own afterwards. Then remove jars carefully.  Let cool for 12 hours. There will be a thick white film inside, it's just because the potatoes are starchy.



Canning Chicken -Raw Pack

 

Chicken was on sale! A store by our house had boneless skinless chicken breasts for $1.57 per pound. So I bought over 20 pounds. Normally I leave the breasts whole or butterfly them if they're thick, then freeze them into 2 large portions. This time I decided to try canning them. 



 

Cut all the chicken into fairly equal pieces. It doesn't have to be cubed, it can be strips as well. 

 

Pack tightly into sterilized jar with 1tsp of salt (scrape around the edges to get air pockets and space out), then place lid and ring onto the jar. Tighten with just your fingers, it shouldn't be put on using force. 

 

Place into your pressure cooker (with a splash of vinegar to keep from getting cloudy) and cook for 90 minutes with 15 pounds pressure. Check your pressure cooker manual since it might be slightly different with your own. Remove them carefully after letting the pressure out on its own, let cool 12 hours and then store. The liquid that is in the jar after cooking is all natural, real chicken broth! I used quart jars. About 22 pounds made 8 quarts and 4 pints (so 10 quarts or 20 pints, I just wanted to get rid of a couple of extra pint jars). 

Spend Less Time Cooking

Are you someone who enjoys cooking? I am! I could cook all day long for no particular reason. In the hot Phoenix summer, that isn't an option. Plus, it uses a lot of gas and electricity. So how do you cut back?

Cook in large amounts! When I know that it's going to be a week with no company or just a laid back time, I make enough to last us the week (plus some extra for freezing or having company over on the weekend). For instance, I'll soak a few cups of beans overnight and then pressure cook them the following morning. I'll make enough rice to last the week. And I'll have enough chicken (shredded or chopped) or ground meat to last as well.

Freeze leftovers. If you have a feeling they won't get eaten, or you plan on making something different instead of having the same meal, freeze it! I have a Food Saver vacuum sealer that cuts out frost bite. Place the meal in the bag (baked chicken and rice, pork chops and potatoes, enchiladas with beans and rice, chicken soup, etc), vacuum seal it, label it, and use it when you're sick, or as a frozen dinner for work. It costs far less and you know what it's made with.

Eat fresh. For those that can eat fresh produce, always have a head of dark green lettuce, baby spinach, and various other veggies on hand. A simple salad is refreshing in any season! No cooking involved. (Psst, you can make your own dressing too...it's simple. I'll post a recipe.)

Cook outside! What?! What is this "cooking outside" you speak of?? Ok, so you know ovens and stoves haven't always been around. So how was food cooked? Well, over a campfire, underground, in a pit. Try it!
-I just bought my first Dutch oven recently and I cannot WAIT to get my charcoal chimney made (there will be a tutorial on that as well) so I can have meals  made outside, in the ground, without heating up my whole house!
-Try solar cooking. It's simple directions (ok, I have yet to try it, but there will be a post about that too!) and you use the sun that's already burning down on the Earth to cook. Sure, easy enough.
-Or just have a nice fire in your yard, or go camping, and cook over it!
-Grilling is a great option too. If you have natural gas at home, you can buy a conversion kit at Home Depot or Lowe's that allows you to hook the grill up to the gas line at your house. I suggest calling the gas company out to do the work since it is a bit dangerous. Explosions, fire, you know.


If you have suggestions or tips on other ways to cut back the cooking, feel free to comment!

Keeping Up With ALL That Cleaning

Between kids, a husband, a puppy, lots of company, and regular day-to-day life, how are you supposed to keep up? It just seems like it's neverending cleaning and cooking!

Well I have found my routine. Granted, it's not very "organized", but it cuts down the stress and keeps a presentable home.

Dust. Here in Phoenix, it's dusty. We bought a house with zero landscaping. So the dirt makes for an extra dusty home. I wipe down all surfaces (doors, door frames, tables, eletronics, light switches, baseboards, ceiling fans, etc) every other day with a damp cloth. It seems tedious, but I don't have to worry about our allergies becoming miserable.

Sweep daily. It makes a difference. I move couches and rugs (after vacuuming rugs first) out of the way and sweep under beds and tables. You wouldn't believe how quickly those things collect dust and dirt underneath. Obviously, as you're sweeping, you are getting along the baseboards, so just lift the broom a bit and sweep off the baseboards themselves. We have 1,333 sq feet of tile, it only takes me about 10 minutes to sweep (and vacuum rugs) back to front.

Mop at LEAST every other day. As with the sweeping, it all adds up so quickly! I have a regular mop and a Shark steam mop. For days I need to really get down and clean, I make sure to use the regular mop and then go over everything again with the steam mop. The amount of dust that ends up on the microfiber, even after sweeping and mopping, is amazing! Between sweeping and mopping, it takes 25 minutes tops. Not that much time!

Dishes. Oh the neverending pile of dishes! The easiest way to keep up? When you're finished with a meal, wash the dishes! If you keep up, it's only 5 minutes for a large family! If you leave them to pile up, it's only adding time, and letting the food set. Plus, you get to wake up to no dishes in the sink!

Laundry. Since I handwash laundry, I try to keep up with it every 2-3 days. I have carpal tunnel and horrible arthritis, so large loads aren't doable for me. When it comes time to wash the winter blankets and comforters, I use the 8 load washers at the laundrymat. I can fit everything we used in that one washer. The awful part: sort, fold, and put all of it away immediately. It only takes a few minutes, and although tedious and boring, it's better to just get it over with. (Can you tell this is my LEAST favorite chore?!) One thing with the kids (2 and 4). They like to change 50 times per day, so their clothes are mostly on the floor. They have the responsibility of picking everything up, sorting them into whose clothes are whose, folding them all, and putting them in the proper cubby. They tend to make a little less of a mess, and it save me 10 minutes from having to do it myself!

Bathrooms. I leave a tub of Clorox wipes under the sink at all times, along with Scrubbing Bubbles foaming spray, a roll of paper towels, and toilet cleaner. Strangely enough, my 4 year old LOVES cleaning the bathroom. When they come in all muddy and wash their hands (and feet most days too), it's a muddy mess in there. But they know to wipe down the mess. They either grab a small piece of paper towel (select-a-size) or a Clorox wipe and wipe everything down! Simple. Takes 60 seconds. Ok, 90 second for a 4 year old. In my eyes, the bathroom should be thoroughly cleaned no less than once per week. I'm talking wipe down the walls, shower, tub, tank of toilet, toilet inside, the sides and base of toilet, sink, mirrors, pictures/clocks, towel racks. And really, it only takes 5 minutes.

Windows. I wash my windows once per week. I start inside and work my way outside. I have a hose in the front yard and one in the back, so I wash the house off (and sidewalks/patios) and spray the windows down. Then I go through with a towel to get the excess water off. Vinegar is cheap and the best window cleaner! So I wash all the windows inside, remove the screens (hose them off too!), wash the outside of the windows and replace the screens. Total time for windows and outside of the house: 45 minutes.

Sorting. Mail, newspapers, magazines, bills, and miscellaneous papers get piled up before you realize it. Go through them at least once per week. Have a designated place for magazines you want to keep, file away important papers and bills, put everything else in their assigned places, and then recycle the other paper items. We have a file box under our printer desk that holds folders, printer paper, weekly grocery ads, and wires for the computer (iPod/iPhone, cameras, hard drive, etc).


Once you start keeping up, it's hard to sit back for a day or two and see it all crash down. My daily routine has me cleaning for an hour every morning. It really doesn't take long if you keep up. Then, when someone says, "Hey, can I come over right now?" You don't have to panic (of course I still do) because it's pretty much ready for entertaining!

If you have any cleaning tips, let me know! What are some things you do to keep up with your family?

So our home is about to look like a Richard Scarry book. I just wrote up the start of our sight words project.

My kids recognize letters, but not enough.

I think if we do that, it'll be a reminder to us, as parents, to go through these more often. Maybe even have a quiz before you can walk out of the door when we are leaving the house. Something simple like this can make all the difference in the world.