Roasted Veggie Soup...mutated! Yum!!!

    So, week 4 is down, only 2 more weeks to go!  Yay!  Getting food down is much more of a task these days, even his favorite, chicken noodle soup is not so easy.  Here is a recipe for Roasted Veggie Soup I made and it was delicious!!!  I must have eaten 4 bowls of it throughout the afternoon.  So good for you and soooo good!

• I would like to add before I go on any further that I am terrible with actual measurements.  When I cook I just wing it so I'm not exact.  You should know how much to use depending on how many people you are cooking for.  I will usually put what I made and I'll make sure I start telling how many people it will serve at the bottom.  I'm NO chef (even though I'd like to think of myself as "One good chef" I'm no where near, therefore, my directions, I'm sure, are horrible.  If you can cook I figure you get the idea....Just wanted to clarify that so that you don't blame me for a recipe that turned out terrible! :)  Now...Happy Cooking!

Ingredients:
Carrots (1-2 cups of baby carrots or 2-3 carrots chopped 1-2 inch cubes)
1  Yellow Squash (1-2 inch cubes)
1/2 Butternut Squash (Cubed)
1 Zucchini (Cubed)
1 Sweet Potatoe (Cubed)
1/2 - 1 Sweet Onion Sliced
Dill Weed (Few pinches or however much you desire)  I used 2 little twigs.
Olive Oil (1 TBS)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Can of Cream of Onion
1 Can of Cream of Asparagus
1 Box of Beef Stock
1/2 Box of Chicken Stock
1/2 Can of  Veggie Stock

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Chop all veggies and toss them into a bowl with the olive oil and salt/pepper and toss to coat. 
3. Spread them out on a baking sheet and roast for about 30 minutes or longer until soft and a little roasted.  (You don't want to burn or char them...Turn your oven down to 400 if it's just too hot and they are getting black before they get soft.  Depends on how big you chopped them, too.)
4. Warm broth in pot while veggies are roasting.  (Don't turn the heat to high...you don't want the broth to turn to condensation.
5. When veggies are done put them into the blender/food processor half way filled with broth and blend it to a soup conisitency.
6. Add the mixture to the rest of the stock in a pot and then mix the other cans of cream soups and all of the broth...stir and cook until you are ready to eat it.
7. Adding salt/pepper and any other spices you like while warming.

***If you would like it a little creamer you could always add in heavy whipping cream.  I would do about 1/2 cup depending on how much soup your making.

This recipe makes about 8 servings.

KFC, Chicken Noodle & Chocolate Avocado "Puddin"...yay, puddin mutated!

    Last day of Week 3:

 Well, he requested KFC yesterday!  I know, KFC, what?  So, I had to run get it...anything he'll eat at this point is gotten.  He ate half so that's always a good thing.  Still, chicken noodle soup is his favorite!

     But, I did make that Chocolate Avocado Puddin - yes, "Puddin"...that's how we southerner's say it!  :)  It's in the fridge chilling now but I did try it and so did he and he likes it.  Yay!!  Mine isn't as dark at the one I posted the other day and I did tweak it a little but I think it's pretty good.  I can taste the avocado but maybe if I didn't know it was made with avocado's I wouldn't know???  After I made it I thought about maybe next time adding a banana.  Banana is always a good  way to add a natural sweeetner.

Directions:
In a blender or mixer add 3 avocado's, 1/2 cup of cocoa powder, 2 oz dark chocolate (I used Hershey's dark chocolate candy bar), 1 TBS of vanilla extract, 2 TBS of honey, Almond milk (just add until you get the consistency you like but do it slow while blending), and I used 1 packet of sweet n low because it was till bitter.  Blend and chill.  ***I say tweak it until you get the taste you like.  It's pretty good, though, and definitely healthy!!!

Campbell's Won Tonight...no mutating here!

     Well, there's no fun in tonight's dinner.  (Or lunch for that matter!)  Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup won the battle of lunch and dinner today!  Oh, and jello.  I hope he continues to let me mutate food to his liking!!!  I welcome suggestions!  Especially ones that are high calorie.

Today's Winners:

 

BORING!!!

Chocolate Avocado Pudding...Yum!!!

http://www.howsweeteats.com/2013/02/chocolate-avocado-pudding-yep-its-a-thing/

     Ok...I totally can't take credit for this or for the picture but I had to share it.  I found it on Pinterest but you can click on the link to get the recipe.  I just took a look at her blog and I love it!  I'll be checking her out regularly to see what she's cooking up. 
      I'm definitely going to the store later to get the ingredients for this.  I think I can get Warren to eat this one.   I'm so excited to make this!  I'll let y'all know how it turns out.

The Green Drink...mutated

The Green Drink...packed with tons of nutrients!!!

 

I'm not going to lie and say that this is delicious!  I tasted it before I gave it to my husband.  It's not terrible but it's not deicious by any means.  It's packed with nutrients, though!!!  My husband has wanted me to start juicing for him and we've debated over usuing a real juicer vs our Vitamix (which I love).  I've read that the Vitamix is better because you get all of the fiber from the skins and pulp instead of discarding that part of the fruit and veggies.  Anyhow, all of the skin and pulp did make it thicker than just juice alone but it wasn't as thick as a smoothie.

***Remember to wash all fruits and veggies really good before using them.  Since we are dealing with all raw ingredients we want to make sure we are washing all of the possible chemicals off if you haven't bought all organic. (Even if it says pre-washed I would wash it still.  I've read that celery is one of the veggies that has the highest levels of chemicals/pesticides.)

Ingredients:
1/2 Carrot
1/2 Celery Stalk
1/4 Cucumber
1 Green Apple
1/2 cup of Pineapple
A few pinches of Parsley
1/2 stalk of Kale
1 TBS of fresh Ginger (I just cut a chunk that looks about the size of 1 TBS)
*A couple of cubes of ice if you want or you can pour it over ice to chill it a bit.

***You can add lemon to take the edge off of the bitterness from the green veggies. (If the person you are making this for has sores in their mouth from radiation we learned the hard way to stay away from the lemon or anything citrus.)

Directions:  Put all of the ingredients in the blender or juicer and blend.

I would say enjoy but it's not super enjoyable but you can rest assure you're getting a nutrient packed drink!!!

Spinach Parmesean Pasta Shells...mutated



Spinach Parmesean Pasta Shells
This was a little tough for him to eat.  He suggested I use angel
hair pasta next time but I'm not sure that will work, either.
 

Ingredients: 
Lean Ground Meat
Pasta Shells (Or your favorite pasta)...I thought the small shells would be softer when cooked.
Spinach Parmesean Pasta Sauce (This came from Target but you can choose any sauce you like.)
1/3 Chopped Onion (very small)
Peas (canned or frozen)  I used 1/2 of a can of Baby Lesueur Peas. (They were left overs.)
1/3 Cup of Heavy Whipping Cream
1 TBS of Butter
Olive Oil
Any cheese of your choice. (I used Smoke Gouda.)

Directions:
Cook meat in a skillet with onion.
While that's cooking cook the pasta. (Add a dash of olive oil and salt to the water.)  You may want to cook past a few minutes longer to make it softer than al dente.
When that's all cooked mix it together in a pot with the butter, then peas, past sauce, shredded or chopped cheese and heavy whipping cream.  (You can omit the cream is it's creamy enough.)  Heat until it hot enough and enjoy! 

***Note*** I usually use left overs and puree them, chop them, saute them or do whatever I can to add them to whatever it is I'm cooking the next day or night so they don't go to waste. You would be surprised at how you can use everything. Try it! It usually adds great flavor and is a good way to add extra nutrients if it's veggies.

• If you are cooking for a cancer patient who's throat is sore from treatments this may not be soft enough unless it's in the begining of the treatment.  My husband is in his 3rd week and he struggled to eat this.

Broccoli Cheese Chicken Soup...mutated

Broccoli Cheese Chicken Soup...Lots of Protein!

 

Ingredients:
Broccoli (1-2 bunches)
Cauliflower (1/2 - 1 bunch)...I had leftovers from the night before.
Onion 1/3 of an onion chopped
Parsley (handful of fresh) ...this is optional
1 Carrot chopped
1 Celery Stalk chopped
1-2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (You could use rottiserie chicken to be easier.)
1 Box of Chicken Stock
1 Can of Cambells Cheddar Cheese
Salt/Pepper to taste

Directions:
In a pot cover the chicken with the chicken stock (only enough to cover the chicken) and add all of the ingredients except the Cambells Cheddar Cheese (and leave most of the stock to the side for later).  Cook on medium heat until the chicken is cooked and the vegetables are soft.  (Usually about 30 minutes depending on the temperature.)  Stirring occassionally so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot.  When the veggies are soft remove half of the broccoli/cauliflower and put into a large bowl.  Remove one of the chicken breasts and lay to the side.  Put the remaing veggies and 1 of the chicken breasts (or 1/2 of 1 if you only used 1 chicken breast) in a blender.  Blend that smooth and add back to the pot with the broth.  Shred or chop the remaing chicken and add back to the pot and mash the brocolli/cauliflower with a potato masher and add back to the pot with the remaining chicken stock (or to the consistency you like).  Add the can of Cambells Cheddar Cheese and stir.  Cook all ingredients until hot and everything is mixed together.  You can add other cheese if you like.  I added 1/2 cup of smoked gouda cheese because that's what I had.  Enjoy!  The purpose here is to blend it to a consistency that's easy to swallow.  If you don't need it smooth you don't have to blend any of these ingredients, I would just chop them really small so they cook down for a soup.