Affordable, Nutritional Winter Warmer Meals

Hola, Peeps! It is winter and the mountains are covered with snow making it absolutely f…f..f..frreeeeezing cold.

While we support our Children with Cancer and their Families by supplying them with warm blankets, winter clothing, and food where possible, we understand that eating well is vital in the fight against cancer.

It is still difficult for most of these families to feed their child with cancer nutritional food that will warm them and build up their immune system due to financial as well as time constraints, so here are some recipes to help make it a bit easier.

Hearty Beef Soup

Ingredients

• 150 grams beef round roast (thawed and chopped)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 cups water
• 2 cups winter squash (chopped, or 2 cups cabbage, finely chopped)
• 1⁄2 cup onions (chopped)
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 teaspoon garlic (finely chopped)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon parsley (chopped, optional)
• 1⁄4 cup macaroni (dry)
• 1 tomato (large, chopped, or 1 can, about 15 ounces, low-sodium diced tomatoes)
• 1⁄2 cup green pepper (finely chopped)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. In a large pot, brown beef in oil over medium to high heat for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain fat.
2. Add water, squash, onion, celery, garlic, and oregano. If using parsley, add that too. Mix well.
3. Bring pot to a boil. Lower heat and cook for 20 minutes.
4. Add macaroni, tomatoes, green pepper, salt, and pepper.
5. Keep cooking over low heat for 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Chicken Spaghetti

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil spray
• 4 ounces spaghetti, whole wheat uncooked
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, medium (thinly sliced)
• 1 green bell pepper, medium (thinly sliced)
• 1 onion, medium (chopped)
• 2 cups cooked chicken breast, skinless and diced (cooked without salt, about 8 ounces)
• 1 can tomatoes, diced undrained
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1⁄2 cup cheddar cheese, reduced fat shredded
• 1⁄4 cup Parmesan cheese (shredded or grated)
• 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray an 8-inch square baking dish with vegetable oil spray.
   2. Prepare the spaghetti using the package directions, omitting the salt and oil. Drain well in a colander.
   3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat, swirling to coat the bottom. Cook the bell peppers and onion for 4 to 5 minutes, or until tender, stirring occasionally.
   4. Pour into a large bowl. Stir in the remaining ingredients, except the spaghetti. Pour into a baking dish.
   5. Bake, covered, for 20 minutes. Bake, uncovered for 10 minutes, or until the mixture is warmed through and light golden brown on top.

Beef Goulash

Ingredients

• 450 grams Beef round, roast or steak, fresh or frozen, lean, 1/2″ cubed
• 2 1⁄8 cups Onions, fresh, 1/4″ diced
• 2 cloves Garlic, fresh, minced (1 clove is about 1/2 teaspoon minced)
• 1⁄4 cup Ketchup
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon Brown sugar, unpacked
• 1⁄2 teaspoon Salt, table
• 1 teaspoon Paprika
• 1 teaspoon Mustard, yellow, prepared
• 1⁄4 cup Warm water
• 2 tablespoons Flour, all purpose, enriched, unbleached
• 2 1⁄4 cups Whole grain-rich egg noodles, dry or other whole grain-rich pasta

Directions

1. Place beef, onions, minced garlic, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, salt, paprika, and mustard into a slow cooker and stir well.
2. Cover and cook for 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low
3. Combine warm water and flour, mix well using a whisk or fork to form a thin paste- add to the slow cooker, cover, and cook for 15 minutes or until goulash has thickened. Heat to 80 °C or higher for at least 15 seconds.
4. Fill a large pot with water. Bring water to a rolling boil. Slowly add noodles. Stir constantly, until water returns to a boil. Cook uncovered for about 8 minutes or until tender. Do not overcook. Drain well.
5. Serve 1/2 cup goulash over 1/4 cup of cooked noodles.

Squish Squash Lasagne

Ingredients

• 1⁄4 teaspoon canola oil
• 3⁄4 cup Fresh onions, peeled, diced
• 2 teaspoons Fresh garlic, minced
• 1 1⁄2 cups Canned low-sodium diced tomatoes
• 1⁄4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1⁄4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1⁄4 teaspoon dried basil
• 8 Whole-wheat lasagne sheets, no boil, 3 1/2″ x 7″ sheets
• 1 1⁄4 cups Fresh spinach, julienne cut “shoestring strips” 1/8″
• 1 Fresh medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, sliced 1/4″ (1 medium)
• 3⁄4 cup Low-fat mozzarella cheese, low moisture, part skim, shredded (3 oz)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 °F.
2. Heat canola oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until tender. Add tomatoes, oregano, thyme, and basil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add ½ cup water. Mix well.
3. Divide sauce into 3 equal parts (about ¾ cup each) and set aside for step 6.
4. Place pasta sheets in a bowl filled with hot water for 5 minutes. Remove sheets as needed to assemble lasagne.
5. Spray bottom and sides of an 8” x 8” nonstick baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
6. To Assemble:
   • Place 4 lasagne sheets overlapping, covering the bottom of the pan
   • Cover evenly with about ¾ cup tomato sauce
   • Spread half of the spinach (about ¾ cup) evenly over sauce
   • Place 11 slices of squash on top of spinach, slightly overlapping
   • Repeat layering steps a-d
   • Cover with remaining sauce (about ¾ cup)Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 350 °F for 50 minutes or until squash is fork-tender.

7. Remove lasagne from oven. Sprinkle cheese evenly over top.
8. Bake uncovered for 5 minutes or until cheese melts and browns slightly.
9. Remove lasagne from oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes before serving.
10. Cut into 6 even pieces. Serve hot.

Notes

The Squish Squash Lasagne recipe was developed by a team from Liberty Elementary School,  Powell, Ohio. They wanted to create a tasty recipe that would be enjoyed by kids so sent survey questions to students in 4th and 5th grades. With feedback from students, they developed Squish Squash Lasagne. After sampling the Squish Squash Lasagne recipe, many students returned for second helpings. That’s when the team knew that the Squish Squash Lasagne recipe was a hit.