weightloss – The Meal Prep Princess

It’s getting warmer, veggies are starting to pop up everywhere! In my opinion it’s never too warm for soup! It’s packed full of fiber and lots of nutrition! Plus it’s super easy to make.

Minestrone soup

2tsp olive oil

2 onions chopped

3 cloves of garlic chopped

2 carrots diced

2 stalks of celery diced

1 can 28oz chopped tomatos (with juice)

4 cups water

4 cups plain tomato juice

1C small shell pasta (uncooked still)

1 cup fresh green beans, cut in half

2 zucchini chopped

1 bag spinach torn

1 can light red kidney beans drained

1 can dark red kidney beans drained

Salt and pepper to taste

Parmesan cheese for garnish (optinal)

1) cut everything up before you even start trust me it will make your life a hell of a lot easier!!!!

2) in a large pot sauté onion, garlic, carrot and celery until soft.

3) add water and tomato juice, season lightly and allow to simmer for 45 minutes.
4) add green beans, zucchini, and kidney beans. Simmer for 20 minutes.

5) Add pasta and torn spinach and cook for 15 minutes or until pasta is tender.

6) season to taste and serve, or cool, portion and freeze!

Seriously, this is like the ultimate good for you soup! Better then chicken noodle in my humble opinion, and it’s beautiful! Eat as much as you want and you don’t have to even feel guilty about it!

I would have taken a picture of the result….but I kind of ate it all already…. sorrry guys 💔

Happy slurping

TMPP

So I skipped prep and decided to just get the basics and make an apple pie, which I haven’t actually done in a pretty long time. Now this recipe utilizes the amazing and magical properties of CAST IRON! Cast iron is a beautiful way to cook and clean up is always a breeze, because all you do is rinse with hot water, dry, and wipe down with oil. It’s naturally non-stick, and adds a dash of iron into your food when you cook with it (ladies naturally need more iron in their diets), and it’s heavy enough to be used as a weapon during a breaking and entering. You can fry chicken, sear a steak, and make the best damn apple pie you will ever taste. Trust me.

The best cast iron apple pie ever

3 large Granny Smith apples peeled and sliced

3 large Braeburn apples peeled and sliced

3/4C. White sugar

Pinch of salt

1 tbsp. apple pie seasoning (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice)

3 tbsp flour

1 stick unsalted butter

1C. Brown sugar

1 pkg of 2 refrigerated pie crusts

1 egg white

2tsp water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Toss apples in white sugar and a pinch of salt, place in a colander over a bowl and allow to drain for 1 hour, save the liquid.

2. After apples are drained place liquid in a small saucepan and reduce by half 5-10 minutes, allow to cool.

3. Toss drained apples in flour and apple pie spice, drizzle cooled reduced apple pie liquid over apples and toss again.

4. Heat butter in cast iron skillet over medium heat, add brown sugar and cook for about 2 minutes stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

5. Lay first layer of pie crust over top the brown sugar mixture, then arrange the apples slightly overlapping around the bottom of the crust. Make sure to pour any liquid left in the bowl over top. Add second pie crust over top, cutting 4 slits in the top to allow steam to escape.

6. Whip egg white and water with a fork until foamy, brush over the entire crust to create a light glaze, then sprinkle with about 2 tsp. white sugar.

7. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, checking periodically for browning (you can cover with aluminum foil to prevent overbrowning as needed) I turn my pie at 35 minutes to ensure even browning.

8. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes (seriously, no touching! This is important! If you cut it hot, all that juice will run everywhere, if you let it cool that juice has a time to set and hold everything in nice slices)

As the old saying goes, “to make an apple pie from scratch you must first invent the universe” -Carl Sagan

The real MPP