But my kids LOVE creamed corn!?!?!?

     It has been a bit since I have posted something and tonight I made something new!  I was inspired by a recipe that I found in Family Circle.  I wanted to try something new so I went to the store to get a few things with no real plan in site.  Yesterday I bought a copy of Family Circle and didn’t get past the first 5 pages.  I decided to look at my new magazine at the store, I used one of their copies. I found a recipe for Creamy Corn and Shrimp.  I grabbed all the ingredients that I would need, and according to the recipe my list was corn, shrimp, chives, and yellow onion.  I had everything else at home. 

     I have NEVER been a fan of creamed corn.  I didn’t eat it growing up, it is just a texture thing for me. The kids however LOVE the canned stuff.  The kids didn’t really like it!  I thought it was delicious! Any recipe that begins with 5 strips of bacon is going to be good in my book! I didn’t make the shrimp since it was just skewered shrimp unseasoned and grilled. I did make a “yummy honey chicken” to go with it but I made that differently as well.  I am not so good at following recipes, they are more of a suggestion in my book ;) I baked the chicken in the oven because I didn’t want to go outside and turn on the grill.  I was being LAZY.

     I used the new corn cooking technique that I learned from my sister, Kim, on 4^th of July. So you take a whole fresh corn on the cob, you put it in the microwave still covered in husk and silk.  Cook it for 3-4 minutes for each cob.  I do them one at a time but you can toss them all in at once if you want.  Then take it out of the microwave and cut the “stem” end off.  Grab the other end of the husk and give it a good shake. The whole cob will fall out, nice and clean!!! It is so amazing! Here is the youtube video of it!

So I did ^^that^^ to get the corn cooked and cleaned for the recipe below, then I cut it off the cob.

     Here are the two recipes that I used tonight.  I may play with the Yummy Honey Chicken and see what I can do with it.  Or, maybe I should do it the way the recipe suggests and grill it. 

Yummy Honey Chicken

Ingredients

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes

2 cloves garlic

5 small onions, cut into 2 inch pieces

2 red bell peppers, cut into 2 inch pieces

skewers

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk together oil, honey, soy sauce, and pepper. Before adding chicken, reserve a small amount of marinade to brush onto kabobs while cooking. Place the chicken, garlic, onions and peppers in the bowl, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours (the longer the better).

Preheat the grill for high heat.

Drain marinade from the chicken and vegetables, and discard marinade. Thread chicken and vegetables alternately onto the skewers.

Lightly oil the grill grate. Place the skewers on the grill. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until chicken juices run clear. Turn and brush with reserved marinade frequently.

Creamy Corn and Shrimp

Makes: 4  servings

Prep:   20 mins 
Cook:   22 mins 
Grill:   4 mins 

Ingredients

·         5 slices bacon, diced

·         4 ears corn, kernels removed

·         1 medium yellow onion, diced

·         1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

·         1 cup 1% milk

·         1 tablespoon honey

·         3 tablespoons snipped fresh chives

·         1/2 teaspoon salt

·         1/4 teaspoon pepper

·         1 1/4 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined

Directions

1. Heat grill to medium-high. Cook bacon in a large saute pan over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon; set aside.

2. In the same pan, remove all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat (compensate with olive oil to reach 2 tablespoons, if necessary). Add corn and onion. Cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until softened. Add flour and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in milk. Bring to a simmer; cook 1 minute. Turn off heat. Stir in honey, 2 tablespoons of the chives, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper.

3. Meanwhile, skewer shrimp. Coat with nonstick cooking spray and season with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Grill 2 minutes per side or until cooked through. Serve shrimp skewers over corn. Distribute remaining 1 tablespoon chives over each serving.

nutrition facts

·         Servings Per Recipe 4

·         Calories(kcal)402

·         Protein(gm)38

·         Carbohydrate(gm)31

·         Fat, total(gm)15

·         Cholesterol(mg)233

·         Saturated fat(gm)4

·         Dietary Fiber, total(gm)3

·         Sodium(mg)721

·         Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Healthier Mac 'n Cheese

I checked out a book from the library that was about whole grains. It had some great recipes in it and I made this but "tweeked" it to make it my own.

The sodium level of this is kind of high, not sure what it is, because the site I entered the ingredients into only gives the fat, calories, carbs and protein.  However, based on the ingredients, it can have a lot.

The meat and veggies can be changed.  I think it would be good with chicken and broccoli or even some bacon!  The original recipe was fresh spinach and ham.  But the kids are not big fans of cooked spinach.
I used homemade chicken broth, I keep it in my freezer and strain all the fat off of it before I toss it in the freezer.

I also have a price breakdown on it too!
Sorry, I don't have a picture to add, It was gone in about 10 minutes!


Grocery  List:


Ham $0.94, got a huge chunk on sale for 2.99 a pound. We sliced some and used the rest for this!
Whole Wheat Macaroni $0.90
Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese $1.67
Broccoli $0.67 Costco= 3# of Fresh Broccoli Florets for $4ish
Corn Starch $0.05
Chicken Broth FREE
Water Free, kind of.
Total:  $4.68!!!


Ok, here is the recipe:

Mac 'n Cheese with Ham and Broccoli

2 cups Chicken Broth

2 1/2 Cups Water

9 oz Whole Wheat Elbow Macaroni

5 oz Diced Ham

8 ounces Shredded Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1 T Corn Starch, mixed with 1 T water

8 oz broccoli, steamed

Combine water and broth in a large pot. Bring to a boil.  Add pasta and cook 3 minutes less than the directions suggest.  DO NOT DRAIN.

Reduce heat to medium high. Stir in Ham and cheese.

Thicken with corn starch.

Stir in Broccoli. Serve.  Makes 4 servings

Cal 588, Carbs 62g, Fat 23g, Protein 37g