Author Archives: Naturally Minimalist

CrockPot Turkey Pasta with Spinach and Mushrooms

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When I made the original recipe in January, I followed the author’s version pretty closely (the only substitutions I made were using ground turkey instead of beef and rice pasta instead of regular).

This version tastes much better. The major changes I made were adding more veggies (spinach and mushrooms) and decreasing the amount of pasta (I thought there was way too much in the first version; I didn’t want the pasta to overwhelm everything else).

When I make this in the future, I’ll try a combination of ground turkey and ground sausage — I bet that would be pretty delicious. I would have done so this time except I didn’t have any sausage available.

CrockPot Turkey Pasta with Spinach and Mushrooms

CrockPot Turkey Pasta with Spinach and Mushrooms

(Adapted from Add a Pinch)

  • 1.5-2 lbs ground turkey
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 8-oz package button mushrooms, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 10-oz package frozen spinach, unthawed and thoroughly drained
  • 1 24-oz jar marinara sauce (I used an organic brand with very little sugar)
  • 2 cups pasta (I used brown rice penne)
  • 1 15-oz container ricotta cheese
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
  • 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated (you could also use Parmesan)

Brown ground turkey in a medium skillet. Drain and set aside. Add the onion, mushrooms, garlic, and oregano to the skillet. Cook until veggies are tender, about 10 minutes.

Add ground turkey and marinara sauce to the cooked veggie mixture. Fill the marinara jar about halfway with water (make sure to shake it around to get all the remaining sauce) and add it to the ground beef mixture.

Spray slow cooker with cooking spray. Spoon 1/2 of the turkey and marinara mixture into the bottom of the crock. Pour in all of the noodles and stir.

Spread the container of ricotta on top and sprinkle with 1/2 of the mozzarella and Monterey Jack cheeses (1/2 cup of each).

Spoon remainder of turkey and marinara over the cheeses and cook for 5 hours on low.

Before eating, remove lid from slow cooker and add remaining cheeses. Return lid and allow cheese to melt for about 5 minutes.

Weekly Meal Plan: Feb 25 – Mar 3, 2013

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I brought back CrockPot meals this week since I haven’t been making as many lately. I like the extra time when I get home from work.

Monday: CrockPot Indian Butter Chicken

It had been a few months since I made this; always tasty and highly recommended.

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: CrockPot Red Curry Pork with Pickles

I added two cups of chopped pickles to the original recipe. (Yum! I love this dish, too.)

CrockPot Red Curry Pork with Pickles

Thursday: Chicken Pasta

Ehh. I was looking for a recipe to use up some already-cooked shredded chicken, but I didn’t love this. I’m really not a fan of pasta dishes which call for the pasta to be tossed directly with the ingredients — I like to control my pasta separately from the sauce (but when there’s not a lot of sauce, like this dish, you really have to add them together).

Paul enjoyed it, and all of the leftovers were consumed, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to make this again. I have better strategies for using leftover chicken (example: Saturday’s dinner).

Friday: CrockPot Creamy Red Shrimp & Tomato Curry

I had made this once before and decided to make it again. I actually think I liked it better this time, although I’m not sure why. I added two cups of chopped carrots this time around (they’re optional), but I’m not sure if that’s what made the recipe different. It’s very good, and I liked that there’s a lot of veggies in it.

I followed the recipe as written, except I didn’t add the cup of chopped green onions.

CrockPot Creamy Red Shrimp and Tomato Curry

Saturday: Baked Chicken Taquitos

Paul loves homemade taquitos, so whenever I have leftover cooked/shredded chicken I use some of it to make these. So good! And easier than you might expect, too.

Baked Chicken Taquitos

Sunday: CrockPot Turkey Pasta with Spinach and Mushrooms

I adapted the recipe from the original, so my version (and photo) will follow in a few days. [Edited to add: The recipe is now active at the link above.]

Weekly Meal Plan: Feb 18-24, 2013

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This meal plan post is a little late. I recently switched Naturally Minimalist’s hosting from WordPress.com to Dreamhost (I wanted to be self-hosted), so there’s been some down-time during the transition. (Thanks to Jim at BlogWranglers for his help!)

You guys know I’m a big fan of meal planning — I wrote a post called How I Make a Meal Plan last March — so I enjoyed reading Sassymonkey’s series on how she does it (even though her methods are a bit different than mine). Check out her three posts on meal planning: Why I Make Them, How I Make Them, and What I Cook.

Monday: Pork Chops in Creamy Turmeric Sauce

My sister Elissa will be happy to know I used the Christmas present she gave me — a cast iron stovetop grill — to make this dish.

Changes: 1) Used regular white rice instead of making cauliflower “rice;” 2) Didn’t add the shallot or jalapeno; 3) Used a few Tbsp freeze-dried cilantro instead of fresh.

Also, the most important change: I put all the ingredients for the sauce together like I was supposed to — and mixed them in the blender — but I completely forgot to boil it! Usually I’m a stickler for reading (and re-reading) recipe instructions, so I was surprised I forgot this step. In my defense, Paul and I were sitting down to watch an episode of The Walking Dead, so I was hurrying a bit more than usual. We ate the sauce anyway. It was good, but I’m sure the sauce would have been better if it had been boiled like the recipe called for.

Grilled Pork Chops in Creamy Turmeric Sauce

Tuesday: Cuban Picadillo

Wednesday: Weeknight Bolognese

Thursday: Fend-for-yourself

Friday: Baked Salmon

I used the last of my homemade pesto to top the salmon (I added the pesto after it was finished cooking). I served couscous on the side for Paul.

Saturday: Dinner with friends

Sunday: Paleo Rogan Josh

This was good, and also easy to make, but I would go easier on the seasoning next time. It called for 2 tbsp of seasoning per pound of beef, and I ended up cooking a 3-lb top round roast (cut into bite-sized pieces before cooking). I used 6 Tbsp of Rogan Josh seasoning, but I found the end result a bit too spicy (although that didn’t stop us from eating it!). In hindsight, I could have easily gone with 4-5 tbsp instead of 6.

(Per the recipe’s author: “Rogan Josh is a curry dish from Kashmir and is popular in India, Pakistan, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.”)

Rather than show you a photo of an uninteresting mix of beef in brown sauce, here’s a photo of my dinner salad instead: mixed greens, mushrooms, cucumber, and edamame.

Asian Salad

Weekly Meal Plan: Feb 11-17, 2013

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I made two new dishes this week.

Monday: Spicy Sausage Pasta

New dish #1. I’d put this in the “I would make it again” category.

Changes: 1) Used sweet Italian ground sausage instead of smoked sausage; 2) Used a 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes instead of Ro-Tel; 3) Used half-and-half instead of heavy cream; 4) Didn’t add scallions (I didn’t have any); 5) Added the sauce to the pasta separately instead of mixing the pasta directly into the sauce.

Spicy Sausage Pasta

Tuesday: Country Captain Chicken

An old standby. Delicious, quick, and easy.

Wednesday: Fish Stew

I had planned to make something else for dinner since I just made this dish a few weeks ago, but I forgot that Wednesday was the beginning of Lent (which meant Paul wouldn’t be eating red meat or poultry, but he could have fish).

As usual, I replaced the fennel bulb with 1 Tbsp fennel seed and served it over rice instead of polenta. I used tilapia for the fish.

Thursday: Chicken with Artichokes in Creamy Mustard Sauce

New dish #2. It was okay, but it didn’t wow me — I prefer stronger flavors.

Changes: 1) Didn’t add grape tomatoes; 2) Used a few teaspoons of bottled lemon juice instead of lemon zest.

Chicken with Artichokes in Creamy Mustard Sauce

Friday: Dinner at Cafe Asia

Paul and I went to dinner after work on Friday before walking to the Warner Theatre to see Nick Offerman perform (you may know him as the Ron Swanson character on Parks and Recreation). He was very entertaining.

Saturday: Richmond

Paul and I spent all day Saturday and Sunday morning in Richmond with my family. Elissa made a fabulous shrimp stir-fry for lunch on Saturday that I need to replicate soon.

Sunday: Sausage and Pumpkin Pasta

I hadn’t made this in over two months; it was a good way to use up a container of pureed pumpkin I had in the fridge. We ate it with rice pasta.

Sausage and Pumpkin Pasta

Sausage, Artichokes, and Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

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I was a little wary of how this would turn out, but once all the ingredients were together it was divine. Paul and I devoured it; there were no leftovers.

Sausage, Artichokes, and Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

Sausage, Artichokes, and Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta
(Adapted from Food Network)

Serves 4

  • 1 lb sweet Italian ground sausage
  • 1 14.5-oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped into bite-sized pieces
  • 2 large cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 cups chicken broth (I used homemade)
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 12-15 sun-dried tomatoes, sliced (I used the kind that are completely dried, not packed in oil — alternatively, you could use 3/4 cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes)
  • 8-16 oz pasta (I used 8 oz brown rice penne for two people)
  • 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack or Parmesan (I used Monterey Jack because that’s all I had)
  • 1 tsp dried basil (or 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped — I used dried)
  • 1 tsp dried parsley (or 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped — I used dried)
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 2 oz mozzarella, sliced and cubed (optional)
  • 1/4 c half & half (optional)

Brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat into small pieces as it cooks. Drain. Transfer the sausage to a bowl.

To the skillet, add the chopped artichokes and garlic; saute over medium heat until the garlic is tender (1-2 minutes). Add the broth, wine, and sun-dried tomatoes. Boil the mixture until the sauce reduces slightly (about 8 minutes), stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain (make sure to rinse it if you’re using rice pasta).

Return the sausage to the pan and add the cheeses, half & half, basil, parsley, salt and pepper to the artichoke mixture. Stir well. Let it simmer for an additional 3-5 minutes for all ingredients to warm and cheese to melt.

Serve over pasta.

Weekly Meal Plan: Feb 4-10, 2013

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Three new recipes again this week! I’ve been on a roll for the past several weeks.

Monday: CrockPot Pineapple Coconut Chicken

New meal #1. This is the first time I’ve made a CrockPot meal with canned fruit — and it won’t make its way into regular rotation — but it turned out okay. (I discovered after the fact that Paul doesn’t care for pineapple, but since he ate two plates I assume it tasted all right!)

Changes I made to the original recipe: 1) Used 2 lbs chicken breasts; 2) Added 1 chopped red bell pepper (I already had it in the fridge and it ended up being a good addition, plus it added some color); 3) Didn’t add the coconut sugar or optional coconut flakes; 4) Cooked for 9 hours on low. (Also, the pineapple I used was a 20-oz can, packed in 100% pineapple juice, no sugar added.)

CrockPot Pineapple Coconut Chicken

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Bolognese

Mmm! Paul and I always love this sauce. He ate his with pasta and I had braised cabbage.

Thursday: Pumpkin Walnut Chicken Coconut Curry

New meal #2. This was very good, but quite spicy. While I enjoyed it, you could definitely tone down the amount of curry powder (I used 3 Tbsp) and cayenne pepper to suit individual tastes.

Changes: 1) Used one regular onion (chopped) instead of a sliced red onion; 2) Used a full can of coconut milk and doubled the amount of pureed pumpkin it called for (I like a lot of sauce); 3) Substituted chopped walnuts for cashews (I sprinkled them on top of my serving instead of mixing them in because Paul doesn’t care for walnuts).

Additional note: The original recipe includes directions for making coconut cauliflower “rice,” but I used regular rice instead.

Pumpkin Walnut Chicken Coconut Curry

Friday: Sausage, Artichokes, and Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

New meal #3. I used the recipe link above for inspiration but I changed it quite a bit — I’ll post my version later this week.

Saturday: Jojo’s Restaurant and Bar

My sister Elissa, her son Devin, and boyfriend Travis were visiting DC this weekend. Dinner was at Jojo’s on U Street. We’d never been there before; I really enjoyed the atmosphere. We learned that the live jazz doesn’t start until 10pm on Saturdays, which was a bit disappointing since we were there several hours before the music started.

Sunday: Tacos

I didn’t go grocery shopping like I normally do on Sundays because my nephew stayed with us overnight (and I hate-hate-hate grocery shopping on weekend afternoons). I made a simple taco dinner with the last package of ground turkey I had in the fridge. I’ll go shopping sometime after work this week instead (not ideal, but it’s been done before!).

Weekly Meal Plan: Jan 28 – Feb 3, 2013

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I’ve been on a new-dish kick lately — I made three new recipes last week and three more this week. (Also, I didn’t notice until I started putting this post together that my Wed/Thurs meals both include the word “spicy.” I swear it wasn’t on purpose! I guess I was just in the mood for lots of flavor this week.)

Monday: Slow Cooker Balsamic Beef

New dish #1. It was pretty tasty — the balsamic flavor was noticeable without being overpowering — but it didn’t blow me away. It’s unlikely that I’ll put it into regular rotation in future meal plans.

I made a number of changes to the original recipe: 1) Used 2 Tbsp coconut aminos instead of soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce; 2) Added 1 chopped onion (a proper beef-in-CrockPot recipe isn’t complete without an onion, if you ask me!); 3) Used homemade chicken stock instead of beef broth (it’s all I had).

CrockPot Balsamic Beef

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Spicy Creamed Steak

New dish #2. I’ve already published the recipe, located at the link above. (It was the first time I’ve posted a recipe in months! I really need to get better about that.)

Thursday: Spicy Coconut Chicken Casserole

New dish #3. I really enjoyed the creaminess of the chicken and rice contrasted with the crunchiness of the veggies (due to steaming the green beans and red bell peppers for the last 10 minutes of cooking time).

Changes I made to the original recipe: 1) Used 1.5 pounds of boneless/skinless chicken breast instead of chicken legs; 2) Used regular white rice instead of jasmine rice (didn’t have any); 3) Didn’t add lemon wedges (didn’t have any).

(This is a shot of the veggies steaming on top of the rest of the ingredients. Very colorful!)
Spicy Coconut Chicken Casserole

(Finished dish)
Spicy Coconut Chicken Casserole

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: Tacos

I made a late lunch of ground turkey tacos with homemade seasoning, so we ate various leftovers for dinner later in the evening.

Sunday: Super Bowl

Paul and I went to a small Super Bowl party where we consumed party fare for dinner. I didn’t feel like cooking so I purchased a container of brownie bites to contribute. I know…lame!

Spicy Creamed Steak

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Since I haven’t posted a recipe in a long time and I really enjoyed our meal a few nights ago, I wanted to share this one.

As you can see, it includes dill pickles! They seem to be a trend lately. Believe me — this dish is good.

Spicy Creamed Steak

Spicy Creamed Steak

Adapted From Add a Pinch
Serves: 8

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 8 oz package button mushrooms, chopped
  • 2 pounds top round sirloin steak, cut into bite-sized pieces (I used pre-cut steak strips)
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp dried parsley
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 tsp dried basil
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp ginger
  • 1 cup half & half
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
  • 2 cups chopped dill pickles (about 4 large)

Melt butter in large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat (I used a Dutch oven; it’s much easier to stir everything if you’re using a pan with tall sides). Brown onion and mushrooms until tender.

Add steak strips and sprinkle with salt. Cook until steak is cooked throughout, about 10 minutes.

Add all spices and stir.

Add half & half, cheese, and pickles. Reduce heat to simmer and cover.

Simmer 10-15 minutes, until reduced.

Serve over rice.

Weekly Meal Plan: Jan 21-27, 2013

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I ended up making three new recipes this week. I needed some variety!

Monday: Beef Bourguignon

This was the first new recipe. I don’t know how to pronounce the name of this dish (haha!), but I really liked it.

Paul and I were off work due to the MLK holiday, so I decided to make a recipe I’d discovered only a few days before that required several hours in the oven — perfect for an afternoon spent at home. It had a number of time-intensive steps (removing the fat from the meat, browning it, and taking the dish in/out of the oven a few times), but it wasn’t difficult. And the result was super-tender beef and a very flavorful sauce.

Beef Bourguignon

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Country Captain Chicken

We hadn’t had this since early December. I missed it.

Thursday: Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken

New dish #2 for the week. The intention was for Paul to eat this meat on sandwich buns, but I ended up adding too much liquid so the consistency was thinner than it should have been. We ate it over rice instead.

I thought it was okay, but even with the addition of Greek yogurt to tone down the heat it was definitely pretty hot (I like spicy food, but I generally don’t make things spicy-hot). I probably wouldn’t make it again unless I were trying a new recipe or editing this one.

CrockPot Buffalo Chicken

Friday: Fish Stew

This is my sister’s recipe; it always turns out great. As usual, I substituted one regular onion (chopped small) for the shallots and used 1 tbsp fennel seed instead of chopped fennel. We served it with rice.

Saturday: Banana Cafe

It had been a few weeks since Paul and I had dinner at a restaurant so we decided to indulge. This place serves Cuban/Puerto Rican food — very good.

Sunday: Slow Cooker Turkey Ziti

New dish #3…Ziti in a CrockPot! Craziness. (I called this Turkey Ziti instead of Beef Ziti because, well, that’s what I used.) It only needs five hours of cooking time so I wanted to try it on a day where I wouldn’t be at work for 9-10 hours. (Note: I used gluten-free rice pasta.)

Paul really liked it. I thought it was fine, but I would add more sauce if I make it again — I thought it was too dry. Other variations I thought of would be to use a mixture of half turkey/half ground sausage to increase the flavor, or adding a layer of spinach to increase the (currently nonexistent, unless you count the marinara sauce) veggie quotient.

Slow Cooker Turkey Ziti

Weekly Meal Plan: Jan 14-20, 2013

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Monday: CrockPot Red Curry Pork with Pickles

I added pickles to the mix like I did last time. Really, really good. I’ll likely never make this dish the original way again.

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Cuban Picadillo

Whole30, Day 29

Thursday: Holiday Party

Paul attended a staff-only (belated) holiday party after work, so I made myself a protein shake for dinner (I’d been snacking throughout the day so I didn’t want a large meal).

Friday: CrockPot Pork Ragu

Saturday: Baby shower

Paul and I attended a co-ed baby shower (the guys left for a few hours while the mother-to-be opened gifts and the ladies chatted, but they rejoined us later). Free party food!

Sunday: Penne with Sausage in Tomato Cream Sauce

I hadn’t made this since last September! That’s way too long. It’s incredibly delicious. Very easy to make, too.

Penne with Sausage in Tomato Cream Sauce