Well, if Wednesday was "Veggie Day," Thursday turned out to be "Carb day" (and who could complain with THAT?? Sorry Dr. AtkinsJ) And since it was my best friend/'fellow holiday lovers' birthday yesterday, we figured what better way to celebrate than a "holiday preview" lunch courtesy of Trader Joe's!
First up was the main star of the show: Turkey breast WITH home style cornbread stuffing (YUMMMM!)
From the picture on the Fearless Flyer, I thought this was going to be a "TV dinner" of sorts, so I was surprised when I picked it up and it was quite a big pan! J
I was even more surprised to find a full out turkey breast! It was a good thing I let it sit overnight in the fridge, because I STILL had to defrost it for about 40 minutes in the microwave. Lean Cuisine this was NOTJ
After it's little spin in the 'wave, I popped it in the toaster over for 30 minutes to finish off the cooking and crisp up the skin...
It was really damn good for a 'heat & eat' little bird! But as with most Thanksgiving dinners, the stuffing STOLE THE SHOW! We could NOT keep our forks out of the pan for thirds seconds!
Along with our bird, we had some Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes...
I can't say I loved these. They were pretty dry compared to the gooey, maple-y picture on the box. Not bad, but I wouldn't buy them again.
And to round out our celebration lunch...there HAD to be cake. And even though I flirted with the idea of Pumpkin Spice & Cinnamon Coffee Cake, I just couldn't help myself from tossing in a kiss of CHRISTMAS to our mealJ
Oooooo...this was SOOOOOOOOO warm & super Spicy!! A perfect preview for things to comeJ
And dinner brought one more carb in the mix for the dayJ
Food Network magazine had this insert in their October issue and I'm surprised it's taken me this long to try out one of these babies...
We tossed around a couple ideas, but Scott just could not resist the call of...
PIZZA POTATOES!
Not only were these quick and SUPER SIMPLE, but you probably have all of the ingredients already in your house...
The only thing I had to get was pepperoni and I was so excited when I found these at Shop Rite:
Perfect 'potato size', huh???
Best of all: Turkey pepperoni has ALL of the flavor of regular pepperoni but with HALF the calories (70 vs. 140) and 70% LESS FAT (3 vs. 13!) It's one WELL WORTH IT swap.
To assemble the potatoes, bake or microwave until soft. Once they are ready, scoop out the potato flesh and mash...
Add the:
- Marinara sauce
- Crushed garlic
- Pepperoni
- Parmesan cheese
- Oregano
Mix everything together and add back to the potato shells. Top with mozzarella cheese & a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and broil for 7-10 minutes until the cheese is melted.
Scott took one bite and said "DAMN!" Possibly could have been the heaping teaspoon of crushed garlic we put in the 'taters, but we both loved the combo of tangy sauce, gooey cheese, spicy pepperoni & creamy potatoes. Sooo good! Can't wait to try out the other 49 stuffed potato combosJ hahahahaha...
As a side, we had something that we haven't had in FAR too long: Roasted broccoli with garlic. I tossed the broccoli crowns with olive oil, a minced garlic clove, salt & some pepper and popped them in the oven for 25 minutes at 400 degrees, flipping half way through....
...until they are niccceeee and toasty!
The oven just makes the broccoli *magic*! I said "WHY IS THE BROCCOLI SO GOOD?" with every bite. Just delicious! If you think you're not a broccoli fan, try it out this way and get back to meJ
And another bonus to this simple, pretty healthy and delicious dinner? With the help of a couple foil wrapped cookie sheets, the only dishes we had left to really wash were our standard 2, a bowl & a potato masher. Sounds even BETTER now, doesn't it??
Sooooo, it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas Thanksgiving around Jersey! We started the week in the 70's and are ending it in the 40's! Wohoooooooooooooo...I can smell the logs on the fire for a cozy Thanksgiving afternoon alreadyJ hahahahahhahaa...hope you guys have a great (and brisk) weekend!
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