I moved...and the blog starved

Pioneer Woman suggests that blogs must be fostered and posted in daily. This one has truly been neglected and "wilted" in my care. I better start posting more.... Here are today's efforts in posting. I will even attempt posting something from my new kitchen when I cook later!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Spaghetti Sauce: (160 mg. of salt)

Olive Oil

1- Small onion diced

½ - green pepper diced

2 cloves of fresh garlic sliced or minced

16 oz. No Salt Added tomato sauce

2 1/2 tsp. white sugar

6-8 oz. fresh mushrooms diced

½ tsp. oregano

Fresh basil snipped- I use one “branch”

1/8 tsp. of garlic salt (160 mg. salt)

1 can No Salt Added diced tomatoes

Sauté onion and green pepper in olive oil until tender. Add garlic. Pour in 16 oz. of tomato sauce. Stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer on low while preparing the rest.

Meatballs -1360 mg. sodium:

1 lb. ground beef (as lean as you can get)

1 packet brown gravy

MIX!

Makes 20 1 ½ tsp. meatballs. (68 mg salt per meatball)

Cook wheat pasta. Less than 1% sodium.

Serve with salad!

Low Sodium Beef Stroganoff

Serves a small army of 6 at approximately 190-200 mg. sodium each.

Kitchen Items:
Colander/strainer
1 spatula/scraper
Spoon(s)
Knife
measuring cup
Cutting surface/board
Large skillet (13” is what I used!)
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Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb. sirloin sliced into small pieces
¼ onion- diced
4-5 small cloves of garlic minced (I use a garlic press)
1 can Campbell’s lower sodium condensed cream of mushroom soup (1025 mg. sodium)
1 c. Her*box Sodium Free Beef Bouillon prepared
4-8 oz. mushrooms diced (I used about 6)
½ c. white wine (cause I like the taste, but not the alcohol, bleah!)
½ c. fat free sour cream (100 mg. sodium)
12 oz. No Yolk egg noodles (1% = 25 mg. sodium)
Corn starch
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Directions:
1.Brown meat in oil with onion in your favorite LARGE sauce pan. Use a nice silicon scraper/spatula. I have a 13” T-Fal pan I’m in love with. My husband has been given strict washing instructions and it looks brand new after 1 year. FANTASTIC! Remember to place knife, cutting board, and garlic press (or whatever you used to cut up the garlic) into the dish washer.
2. Add garlic sauté for a few minutes, or until garlic turns golden brown. Reduce heat.
3. Add the condensed mushroom soup. Pour the prepared bouillon mixture into the can and stir to clean out the leftover soup. This prevents you from ruining your spatula scraper by trying to cram it into a small can. It also ensures you don’t lose any precious soup! Pour bouillon into the pan. Simmer for a few while you dice mushrooms.
4. Add diced mushrooms. After 5 minutes or so add ½ c. white wine. (Meaning, however long it took me to find the white wine and sour cream, and measure it out or however long I was distracted by reality—dog, TV, husband, etc. if I actually got the ingredients out BEFORE cooking.) Stir in sour cream after the wine.
5. Simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, while you make the egg noodles. Make sure to inhale the aroma periodically while stirring…it’s good for you.
Remember you can wander off to accomplish other things. Watching noodles boil is boring. Don’t wander TOO far, we don’t want to forget kitchen safety. Maybe across the kitchen to peer into another room and watch TV or to load the dish washer/wash the dishes you have used. Pack tomorrow’s lunch if you aren’t going to eat leftovers from tonight’s dinner. Or to check your email. I usually call my hubby in to let me take the dog out. I also go in hunt of my strainer. Where I did I put it in my crazy kitchen? At this point, your noodles should be nearly done. Strain them when done!
6.Check your Stroganoff mixture. Is it thick enough for your liking? If not you can add some flour or corn starch. I used 1 tsp. corn starch to make it a little thicker.

Serve it up! If you want some extra veggie products, I think that broccoli and water chestnuts would be pretty good added to the recipe after steaming.

Sorry for the images. My mom says my food tastes great, but looks like vomit.

Low-Sodium Marinated Sirloin Steak and Creamy Red Potatoes

Marinade (mixed in 1 lb. Ziploc):
2-4 cloves of garlic minced
2/3 cup of red wine (I had Merlot in the fridge)
1/3 Malt vinegar
1 tsp. peppercorn and garlic rub (Pampered Chef, you can use something similar)
½ - 1. Tsp onion powder

Soak 1 pound sirloin steak (with bone and fat removed) for minimum of 30 minutes. Hubby says he prefers me to marinate much longer...but I was in a hurry. Preheat the oven to 375. Pour contents of Ziploc into a baking dish. Place in oven for 15 minutes. Flip. Cook for 20 more minutes. I served with creamy red potatoes.


Creamy Red Potatoes (Low Sodium)
9-10 Red potatoes
1-2 cloves of garlic
4 ounces of fat free cream cheese
Splash of skim Milk
1 tablespoon butter
½ c. fat free sour cream
Parmesan for topping
Optional: Chives

Steamed veggies of choice or salad rounds out this low sodium dinner.

Seasoned Potatoes

Preheat oven to 350

2-4 tablespoon Olive Oil
1/2 tsp. each of the following:
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Cumin
1 tsp. cajun seasoning
Mix the above in a 1 lb. ziploc bag.

Dice 2-3 potatoes into 1 inch pieces. Throw in the ziploc and coat thoroughly. Remove and place on cookie sheet. Cook at 350 for 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Serve with Steak Sandwiches!

Steak Sandwiches

Needed Ingredients:
Sub Buns
1 lb. sirloin
1 tablespoon butter
1 small container fresh mushrooms
1 onion
Monterrey Jack shredded cheese
Pepperjack Cheese slices

Preheat your oven for broil.

Slice sirloin into thin strips. Chop up the fresh mushrooms. Slice or dice one whole onion. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and saute the above ingredients until sirloin is cooked completely.

Spoon the sirlion/mushroom/onion mix onto buns. Top with monterry jack cheese and a slice or two of pepperjack cheese. Broil until the bun tops are toasty. Eat. Eat. Eat.

Excellent with seasoned potatoes.

Lower Sodium Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce with Chicken and Penne Pasta

Lower Sodium Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce with Chicken and Penne Pasta
if following directions, the ENTIRE recipes contains less than 1000 mg of sodium, it serves 4-6 adults HUGE servings (about 2 cups each). Per serving, you are probably looking at about 500 mg. of sodium or less per serving….

1 box Active Lifestyle Multi-grain Penne Rigate pasta (less than 1% sodium)
1 lb. of sliced then diced chicken from butcher shop (not soaked in brine- this means only naturally occurring sodium! Substitutions will add some sodium content due to brine)

Puree for Sauce:
1 jar sun dried tomatoes soaked in oil (less than 1% sodium)
¼ large onion
3 cloves garlic (or more if you like garlic!)
1 cup chicken broth made from Wyler’s No Sodium broth mix. I add a little extra powder to make it stronger.
1/2 cup Chardonnay (or white wine of your choice)
1 pint heavy cream
1 cup freshly grated Kraft Parmesan cheese (about 800 mg. of sodium for 1 cup)
3 oz. fat-free cream cheese (150 mg.)

Puree ¼ onion, 3 cloves of garlic, and the oil soaked sun dried tomatoes in a food processor. Set aside.

In a large (13”) skillet cook 1 lb. of sliced chicken in remaining sun dried tomato oil , ½ cup Chardonnay and ½ cup of chicken broth in low heat. Allow the juices from the chicken to flow! Once chicken is cooked thoroughly, remove from “broth mixture” and place in a bowl/plate retaining any juices.

Start your pasta water and cook pasta while creating the sauce.

Add ½ pint heavy cream and the puree mixture of onion, garlic and sun dried tomatoes. Simmer for a few. Add 1 cup of Parmesan and melt the cheese. Simmer a bit more. As the cheese melts, add the other ½ cup of chicken broth. The sauce should be creamy. Add 4 oz. of fat-free cream cheese and melt. Then slowly add in the remaining heavy cream. Let simmer until it thickens again.

Take sliced chicken and dice into ¼” or smaller pieces. Add juices and diced chicken to the sauce. At this point, your pasta should be done cooking its 10-12 minutes. Drain. Stir in pasta sauce/chicken into the penne. Serve.

Optional: You may top with more fresh Parmesan, basil, or chives for a little more flavor. Also, if you want a little burn to your sauce, red pepper flakes are also delicious to add! If you don't want to add white wine, that is fine too. It will alter the flavor slightly.

Leftovers are microwaveable. Great for those nights when you "just don't feel like cooking."