Being the first of September, you know that Autumn is on it's way. I've been switching my lunch salads for soups, and iced lattes for warmer coffees every so often. Even my makeup has begun it's transitional phase. I just cannot get over Autumn. Hands down it is my favorite season. I'm stuck in between holding on to these precious last days of Summer (you all know when it's 15 degrees I'll be begging for summer!), and pining for the crisp air, the crunchy leaves, and everything-pumpkin-flavored season.
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I've had a few personal friends ask for recipes for some of the foods I have touched upon recently. Pizza Soup was a very popular one! I also have a few that I have discussed previously that I think you all will enjoy. I don't have calorie, carb, fat, etc., counts because I don't count anything. I eat when I'm hungry, and I stop when I'm satisfied. I try to eat foods in a generally whole state. Lately, I have been hungry every 2 hours on the dot and I have still been losing steadily. Sometimes, I'll go through phases where I'll eat every 4 or 5 hours because I realize I haven't eaten since the last meal. Listen to your body. It knows what it's doing.
I'll start with one of the most popular ones: Pizza Soup! Totally easy, totally filling, and totally delicious.
You will need:
1 can of Tomato Soup (with tomato season being in full swing, this would work perfectly with fresh tomato soup)
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 Hefty Pinch of Mozzarella Cheese
Any Pizza Toppings You Like!
Add the italian seasoning to the can of soup, and heat it up, either in the microwave or on the stove top.
After the soup is warm, add your mozzarella cheese and your pizza toppings (make sure everything is precooked! Your soup won't cook raw sausage, bacon, etc).
Eat up!
Serves 2
I almost feel like I am insulting your intelligence posting that recipe. It is too easy.
This next recipe has a few more steps, but it is still quick and easy. You don't even have to cook anything!
Chicken Salad Boats
These boats are perfect for a light meal or a snack. The mix of fat, protein, and carbs keep you full. Feel free to add a couple of sides if you're making these for a meal.
You will need:
1 can Premium Chunk Chicken, or any kind of cooked chicken you have
Mayonnaise or Greek Yogurt, enough to moisten the chicken
About 2 Tablespoons Diced Onions
About 1 Stalk Celery, chopped
About 2 Tablespoons Dried Cranberries
6 Snack-size Bell peppers, washed and sliced in half lengthwise
Drain and shred the chunk chicken with a fork. Add enough of your mayonnaise or Greek Yogurt to moisten the chicken and keep the rest of the ingredients together, but you don't want to drown the chicken. Add the onions, celery, and dried cranberries to complete the chicken salad.
After carefully slicing and de-seeding the peppers, fill them with your chicken salad mixture.
Serves 2
I usually have 6 halves and some sort of salad, a piece of fruit, and something sweet when I make mine a meal.
This is the "hardest" recipe I'm going to post today. The only reason it is "hard" is because you have to use your oven. It is similar to the chicken salad boats, and yet completely different at the same time. This is definitely the most savory of them all and likely contains the most fat. However, if you watch your portions, you can eat these, and whatever else you want, to!
I adapted this recipe from Leann at Cut The Wheat to suit my needs. That's the beauty of cooking: you can totally do that! Make sure you stop by Leann's page to check out the original! After all, she went through the trouble of putting this together.
Hot Sausage Stuffed Banana Peppers
You will need:
2 Banana Peppers
2 Hot Sausage Links (feel free to use any kind of sausage you would like)
2 Tablespoons Brown Rice Flour
2 Tablespoons Flax Seeds
Italian Seasoning, to taste
1 Jar Spaghetti Sauce
1 cup? (I didn't measure, I eyeballed it) Italian Blend or Mozzarella Cheese
Pre-heat the oven to 400 Farenheit.
Wash, slice in half lengthwise, and de-seed the banana peppers.
In a small bowl, combine the Italian seasoning, Flax Seeds, and Brown Rice Flour. Squeeze the sausage links out of their casings and mix thoroughly with your hands until everything is incorporated evenly.
Quarter the sausage mixture, and gently fill each pepper half.
Place in a lightly-greased oven-safe dish (I use a pie pan), and pour the spaghetti sauce on top.
Sprinkle with cheese
Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until the sausage is cooked thoroughly.
Serves between 2 and 4, depending on your appetite.
For these, you can use any kind of binder you would like, if you don't have brown rice flour on hand. Bread crumbs would work very nicely in this dish, but I use brown rice flour in place of bread crumbs in most recipes.
I hope you enjoy these recipes! They're savory enough to fill you up, but are still on the lighter side for those days when you aren't quite ready for the filling comfort foods of fall.
If you like these, let me know in the comments below!
Xoxo,
Rachel
