The Cheapest 5-minute Meal: Ham, Bean and Potato Soup

5:46 PM |

Here's family favorite of mine that we'd make in the winter when we were too tired to cook anything. Surprisingly simple and filling, although you need to watch the cholesterol content.

Ham, Bean and Potato Soup

I'm betting you could guess the three ingredients for this recipe very easily, but here are the numbers:
2 cups smoked ham, cubed.
1 can (39 oz) of green beans and whole potatoes in ham stock (I used HANOVER brand)
1-2 cups warm water (taste to see how salty it is, add more water to dilute the ham stock)
Black pepper to taste

Directions:
Pace ingredients in a small pot on high heat. When ham lightens, remove from the heat and enjoy.

Recipe Notes

I bought the ingredients at Wal-Mart, so the prices listed below are reflecting that receipt. I bought an eight-pound, smoked ham for $1.38/lb, which is significantly cheaper (half or less the cost) of a boneless ham. Just cut off the fat and removed the bone. The can of beans and potatoes was $1.78 for 39 ounces. I bought several cans of vegetables so I can use this ham several times. Fifteen dollars or so could feed me for easily a week, if I just ate this for dinner every night. That boils down to $3 a meal.

If you were to make this meal on a rainy day in the summer, I would definitely recommend using fresh green beans and potatoes. I always loved snacking on fresh green beans in the kitchen when I was cooking. To do this instead of canned vegetables, you'll need to steam the raw beans and boil the potatoes separately before adding them to the ham. I'd also recommend leaving some of the fat on the ham and boiling it to create ham stock for the soup (only if you're using fresh vegetables).

Serves 2. This dinner pairs well with red wine, sake or whiskey.

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Posted by Anonymous

BBQ Portobello Quesadillas

11:00 AM | Labels: , , , , , , , , ,

Here is my latest installment into the Normal Meal Time recipe blog!

 I must warn you, there is no meat in this at all. <gasp>

 If you are under the delusion that eating a vegetarian meal cannot possibly be filling and delicious, this is the recipe for you. I was incredibly skeptical about not eating meat and being full at the same time. I called my co-worker while I was at the grocery store and double-checked: "Are you sure this is going to be filling? There's nothing in it!"

 That night, I can say I was quite satisfied after two quesadillas. wolfed it all down and went back for seconds...and made it again the next night.

 A coworker of mine gave me this recipe upon my request for "something manly and delicious. Oh yeah, and healthy." She delivered. Not only did this recipe blow my mind with how flavorful it was, but it was cheap to make!

Barbecue Portabella Quesadillas

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 4 (or 2 Brandon-size meals)
*Brandon's Hotness Rating: 2/5

 1/2 c. BBQ sauce
1 Tb cider vinegar
1 Tb tomato paste
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce (or 1/4 tsp chipotle ground pepper)
1 Tb canola oil
1 lb diced Portabella mushroom caps (no stems)
1 medium onion
Four 8-or 10-inch whole wheat tortillas
3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

 1. Dice the chile and add in medium bowl with BBQ sauce, tomato paste and vinegar.
2. Heat 1 Tb oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and stir occasionally until brown.
3. Dice onion and add to mushrooms, stirring until caramelized (about 5 minutes).
4. Transfer vegetables to bowl with sauce and mix together thoroughly.
5. Wipe out the pan. Spray pan with canola oil. Retain medium heat.
6. Place tortillas on counter, and spread 3 Tb cheese on half. Pour about 1/2 cup of vegetables/sauce over the cheese. Fold tortillas in half, covering the filling.
7. Add two stuffed tortillas at a time to the hot skillet. Heat until golden brown.
8. When finished, transfer cooked quesadillas to a cutting board. Use a foil tent to keep warm. Cut into wedges to serve.

Recipe Notes

Eating Well's website has the following nutritional information per serving:
311 calories; 13 g fat ( 5 g sat , 6 g mono ); 19 mg cholesterol; 43 g carbohydrates; 11 gprotein; 5 g fiber; 710 mg sodium; 771 mg potassium.

Next time I make this recipe, which might be sooner rather than later, I am going to toss in some red peppers and a hotter jalapeños. The adobo chile is a smoked jalapeños  but was not that spicy, so adding two might not be a terrible idea.

You can use cheddar cheese instead of Monterey Jack, but I believe cheddar is often fattier

*Brandon's Hotness Rating

This is based on a 1-5 scale, with one being "flavorfully warm" at all and five being "prepare to sweat and possibly feel this tomorrow." I know some people are sensitive to heat levels, so I try to be very accurate about this representation.

Healthy Eating Tip #3

When attempting to meet your water quota for the day, remember that drinking isn't the only way to do it. Raw fruits and vegetables are almost entirely made of water. Other non-carbonated beverages such as tea, milk and orange juice are excellent sources of water as well (just be sure to watch the sugar intake). Here are some healthy foods to help you stay hydrated throughout the day recommended by WebMD and Shape Magazine, Men's Health and ABC News:
Fruits: watermelon, cantaloupe, apples/applesauce, plums, peaches, grapefruit, pears, pineapple, mango, oranges, berries, red seedless grapes, kiwi, tomatoes/tomato sauce
Vegetables: radishes, cucumbers, carrots, celery, broccoli, bell peppers, romaine lettuce, spinach
Other: chicken noodle soup, popsicles, gelatin dessert (Jell-O)

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Posted by Anonymous

Meal Replacing Smoothies

9:43 AM | Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

There are three times a day I am the most tired: just when I wake up (obviously), 2:00 in the afternoon, and when I get home after working out.

Eggs in the morning occasionally make me nauseated, which is actually quite common, so trying to find a quick, energy-boosting alternative can be critical. I have bad acid reflux if I drink too much coffee on an empty stomach, not including getting jittery and occasionally sweaty. Therefore, finding a fast alternative to cooking and brewing can be critical for my starting my day out right.

If I do get a good breakfast in with a bold, dark coffee, I often push lunch back and hit a wall around one or two in the afternoon. I need a pick me up without imbibing coffee, high-sugar protein bars or soda. I’ve been staring at a computer monitor for about six hours straight. At this point, I start feeling drained and unfocused.

After a solid hour-long swim or a fitness class, I feel pretty worn out by about 6:00 p.m. sometimes I’m so pooped I can’t lift a spatula to save my life, which is odd because the television remote is heavier and I still use that. Maybe I’m just lazy and don’t feel like cooking.

No matter what meal you’re looking at replacing, I have some cost-effective alternatives for you that taste amazing. Why would I give you a recipe for something that tastes bad?

Directions:
For the sake of your blender, and to get a smoother beverage, add the ingredients in the order listed.

Notes on Ingredients:
  • I use frozen fruits and berries because it gives the smoothie more body and keeps it cold. That, and it's WAY cheaper. I typically get my frozen fruit at Giant. To use fresh fruit, you can pour the mix over ice or blend ice in first.
  • In every recipe, the protein powder is optional. I have made and enjoyed each of these recipes with and without various protein shake mixes. However, protein mix makes the smoothie much more filling.
  • Milk can be substituted for soy or almond milk, but I have not tried rice milk yet. Let me know if you do and how it tastes.
  • I try not to have smoothies with blueberries before/during work, because the blueberry skin gets easily caught in my teeth.
  • If you experience rancid gas after one of these smoothies, you may be adding too much protein powder. Cut it back to half a scoop if you're feeling like Pumba, clearing the savanna after every meal. Adversely, you can add more than one scoop for after an intensive workout.

"The Classic" Meal Replacer

Servings: This gives me good 24 ounces of smoothie. For a lunch replacement, it’s perfect. For dinner, it’s a bit much at times. To reduce the serving size, decrease the yogurt to ½ cup and the milk to ¾ cup.
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
  • 1 cup low-fat strawberry yogurt
  • 1 banana
  • 1 cup frozen strawberries
  • ½ cup frozen blueberries

Morning Glory

Servings: This makes about a 20-ounce drink.
  • ½ cup milk
  • ½ cup orange juice
  • 1 scoop of vanilla or chocolate protein powder
  • 1 cup plain or vanilla low-fat yogurt
  • 1 banana
  • ½ cup frozen pineapple
  • ½ cup frozen mango

Afternoon Energizer1

Servings: This makes about a 16-ounce beverage. For more substance, toss in a banana.
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup plain or vanilla low-fat yogurt
  • 1 cup of frozen mixed berries - strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries
  • ⅓ cup frozen pineapple
  • ⅓ cup frozen mango

Eye Twitcher

Servings: This makes about a 20-ounce drink. This is obviously the least healthy beverage of my recipes. It makes for a good weekend dessert and a fantastic hangover cure. Just drink plenty of water with this if you're using it for the latter.
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2  shots of cold espresso2 or 1 cup cold coffee
  • 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
  • 1 cup frozen strawberries
  • 2 scoops chocolate ice cream (optional)

Notes:
1 You can add 1 scoop of vanilla protein mix to Afternoon Energizer to make a different flavored Classic smoothie.
2 For espresso, I use the espresso shots you can pick up for free at Rutters and WaWa.

Related Links: Cutting Carbs

Healthy Eating Tip #2

Caffeine after 2:00 p.m. can interfere with your sleeping habits. According to to a study done by The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a 12oz coffee has up to five times the amount of caffeine as the same amount of soda. Crazy! Another related link: Effects of Caffeine.

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Posted by Anonymous

Sweet and Spicy Pineapple Asain Chicken

10:03 AM | Labels: , , , , , , , , ,

Hey all! This is my first post in a trial blog of mine called Normal Meal Time. I love the YouTube series Epic Meal Time. However, I feel constrained by not getting Type 2 Diabetes with compounding interest after every meal, regardless of how delicious anything wrapped in bacon is.

This blog is hopefully going to be dedicated to healthy living and delicious eating. I get a lot of recipe ideas from All Recipes, then typically modify them to my personal taste. Additionally, this site will feature a lot of canned and frozen fruits and vegetables to help those on a budget and those who don't like wasting time slicing up vegetables.

Anyways, here is my first meal, which should take about 15 minutes to cook. Cooking terms for noobs are  here.

Sweet and Spicy Pineapple Chicken

Brandon's Hotness Rating:* 1/5
Brandon Servings: I made three full meals out of this one


Ingredients:
  • 3 large chicken breasts (cubed)
  • 1 can diced pineapple (strain out the juice)
  • 1 package of frozen oriental mix vegetables - contains onions, red peppers, broccoli, water chestnuts, green beans
  • 2 cups minute brown rice
  • 2 packets of soy sauce (about 2 tsp)
  • 1 Tbsp brown sugar
  • Red pepper flakes (to taste)
  • Black pepper (to taste)
Kitchen Utensils: (we all hate doing dishes)
  • Two medium-sized skillets
  • One small pot
  • Cooking spoons

 Directions:
1. Cook the rice according to specified instructions on the box. This should take about 1-3/4 cups of water and 5 minutes. Continue to step two while cooking the rice.

 2. Heat up a skillet to medium heat. Dice chicken into cubes and cook covered for about 5 minutes (until white with a little pink).

 3. Before the chicken is cooked all the way through, strain and add the pineapple, brown sugar and red pepper. Turn the heat up to high. At this point, there will be a good deal of liquid in the pan. The chicken will absorb the residual juices from the pineapple, since the fruit is so watery.

 4. At this point, your rice is probably done. Go ahead and take that off the stove and add another medium-sized pan on medium heat. Keep an eye on the chicken and pineapple. Do not constantly stir it. We actually want the pineapple to slightly burn on each side, basically caramelizing it. Don't worry - the juice from the pineapple will keep the chicken moist.

 5. Toss the bag of frozen vegetables on your second skillet. You may not need to spray the pan if there is a decent amount of ice in with the vegetables. When the vegetables appear to be nearly done (the broccoli should look limp-ish), add the soy sauce and black pepper.

 6. When the pineapple is caramelized, turn off the stove. Hopefully, we timed all of this right and your vegetables and rice are all done. Serve the rice in the bottom of the bowl, followed by a layer of the veggies and topped with the pineapple chicken. My preference, anyways.

 I hope you enjoy this recipe. Share it with your friends and family, and be sure to comment if you tried it.

Healthy Eating Tip #1:

Find out when a certain type of vegetable is on sale at your local grocery store, prep and freeze them. For instance, I bought six red peppers, washed them, and cut them into strips. This makes for an easy saute experience down the road, saves money on vegetables, and allows you to eat fresher-tasting vegetables when you cook.

*Brandon's Hotness Rating

This is based on a 1-5 scale, with one being "flavorfully warm" at all and five being "prepare to sweat and possibly feel this tomorrow." I know some people are sensitive to heat levels, so I try to be very accurate about this representation. 

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Posted by Anonymous
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