Podcast 95: Recipe Rescue – Ham & Broccoli Hash Brown Casserole

by The Meal Makeover Moms on March 3rd, 2010

Casseroles often get a bad rap … and for good reason. They’re typically made with butter, cream of something-or-other soup, and lots of full-fat cheese. So when Shayna, a loyal Facebook fan, posted a recipe for a cheesy hash brown casserole with ham and asked us to give it a healthy makeover, we accepted the challenge. Shayna found the recipe on one of the many food blogs she follows, and to be perfectly honest, it looked mighty good. But when we crunched the nutrition numbers, we knew it needed some serious rehab. Given the recipe’s 1 stick of butter, 1 pound of ham, and the sour cream and cream of chicken soup, each gooey serving had 16 grams of the bad saturated fat and over 1,000 milligrams of sodium.

Okay, enough complaining. The new recipe that we presented to Shayna, her husband Dave, and her teenage son, Aaron was considerably leaner than the original thanks to a few key ingredients: reduced-fat Cheddar cheese, light sour cream, and Campbell’s Healthy Request soup. The sodium was a whole lot lower too thanks to the soup and a lower sodium deli ham. And no Recipe Rescue by The Meal Makeover Moms would be complete without the addition of at least one super-nutritious ingredient, which is why we added a 10-ounce box of frozen chopped broccoli. Given all the potassium-packed potatoes in the dish, the broccoli was a nice subtle addition — plus, it added a lot of vitamin C!

Ham & Broccoli Hash Brown Casserole

Makes 8 Servings

  • One 30-ounce bag frozen hash browns shredded potatoes, thawed
  • 1 ½ cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (6 ounces), divided
  • One 10-ounce box frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
  • One 10 ¾-ounce can condensed cream of mushroom soup (we like Campbell’s Healthy Request)
  • One 8-ounce container light sour cream
  • 8 ounces ham, cut into ½-inch cubes or pieces (about 2 cups) (we like Boar’s Head Lower Sodium Ham)
  • 1/2 small onion, finely diced (about 1/2 cup)
  • 1 garlic clove, minced

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter or coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

2. In a very large bowl, stir together the hash browns, 1 cup cheese, broccoli, soup, sour cream, ham, onion, and garlic until well combined.

3. Place the hash brown mixture into the prepared baking dish, using a rubber spatula to spread evenly, top with the remaining cheese, and bake until heated through and golden brown on the top, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool for about 10 minutes, slice, and serve.

Nutrition Information per Serving: 230 calories, 7g fat (4g saturated), 590mg sodium, 29g carbohydrates, 4g fiber, 15g protein, 15% vitamin A, 45% vitamin C, 25% calcium

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Shayna and her family really liked the new recipe. In fact, when we spoke to Aaron, he said, “it tasted pretty good!” Shayna also told us that the reason the hash brown casserole first caught her attention was because she just so happened to have A LOT of hash brown potatoes in her freezer. “Dave and I saw an add on Craig’s List for 100 pounds of potatoes and 50 pounds of onions from a farmer in Idaho. So we stocked up. With the potatoes, I made hash browns. I grated, blanched, and flash froze them, and then cut them into bricks.” You should see Shayna’s freezer! She also makes her own cream of mushroom soup, a recipe she found on A Year of Slow Cooking. So suffice it to say, she had plenty of ingredients on hand for our potato casserole.

Shayna and Dave have three boys between them. Two are in college and Aaron is home, so when they’re all together they eat a lot of filling foods — things like pasta and casseroles. “I’m in a Biggest Loser competition at work and Dave has high blood pressure and cholesterol so we’re trying to pay closer attention to the foods we eat,” Shayna told us.  “We try to avoid a lot of red meat, we have one meatless meal per week, and we avoid fast food, fried food, and junk food. Recently, we’ve also changed over to brown rice and whole wheat bread and pasta.”

We certainly hope our light and nutritious hash brown potato casserole helps to keep Shayna’s family healthy and well fed in the future … and we hope you all like it too.

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3 Comments | Filed Under Dinner, Podcast, Potatoes, RecipeRescue 

Recipe Rescue: Creamy Fish Chowder gets a Makeover

by The Meal Makeover Moms on October 16th, 2009

Even though we’re dietitians, we don’t typically freak out too much when we see a little bit of butter or cream in a recipe. But when a dish calls for three cups of light cream and eight tablespoons of butter, we tend to do a double take. Here’s why: One cup of light cream has 46 grams of fat and 29 grams of saturated fat while a tablespoon of butter has 12 grams of fat and about 7 grams saturated fat. (The healthy upper limit for saturated fat intake is 20 grams per day).

A few weeks back, Kristin from Manic Mommies posted a recipe for Pam’s Fish Chowder, one of her family’s favorites. Made with the three cups of cream and eight tablespoons of butter that we just mentioned, we decided that an intervention was in order!  We”re huge fans of the Manic Mommies’ blog and podcast, and we contribute a recipe to their blog each week — so it’s not like we just randomly offered to give someone’s recipe a “rescue” out of the clear blue sky.

Kristin was psyched when we got in touch with our Recipe Rescue proposition. “I recently renovated my kitchen and now I want to cook more. My kids have a great palate and they like vegetables, so I want to expose them to new foods. They love this chowder, though I don’t make it often because of all the cream,” Kristin said.

For our Rescue, we lightened things up quite a bit. We cut back on the butter and replaced some of it with olive oil. We also nixed the cream entirely and used a mix of 1% lowfat milk and all-natural chicken broth instead. To thicken the milk/broth combo, we used a roux. For added nutrition, we tossed in some diced carrots.  “I liked the carrots more than I expected, and I might even add some peas for my husband Steve the next time I make it,” Kristin told us.

This past weekend, we got in the car and drove to Kristin’s house to cook up our new, skinny version of her chowder.  Her 4-year old daughter, Sophie and fellow Manic Mommy Erin joined in the fun.   While we were there we recorded their weekly (and zany) podcast with them.  There were lots of laughs to go around!

Skinny Fish Chowder
Makes 6 Servings

  • 1 ¼ pounds white fish such as cod, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 pound yellow or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch dice (that’s about 2 large potatoes or 3 cups diced)
  • 1 small onion, finely diced
  • 12 ounces to 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice (2 to 2 ½ generous cups diced)
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons sherry wine or ¼ cup white wine
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried dill
  • 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1 ounce pancetta ham or 2 slices all-natural bacon, finely diced
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups 1% lowfat milk
  • 2 cups all-natural chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream, optional
  • Oyster crackers, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. Place the fish, potatoes, onion, carrots, olive oil, sherry wine, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, salt, pepper, dill, and celery seed in a Dutch oven, and gently stir to combine.

3. Cover and bake until the fish is cooked and the vegetables are tender, 1 hour.  Remove from oven and set aside.  About 15 minutes before the fish is done, prepare your “cream” sauce.

4. Sauté the pancetta in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until crispy, about 5 minutes. Add the butter and heat until melted.  Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly (it may look lumpy at first, but keep whisking until smooth).

5. Whisk the milk and broth slowly into the flour mixture. Raise the heat and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.  Reduce the heat and continue to simmer and stir gently until the mixture thickens, about 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat, and whisk in the sour cream as desired.  Add the sauce to the fish mixture and stir gently to combine. Remove the bay leaf.  Serve in individual bowls and top with oyster crackers as desired.

Tip: When cooking for a crowd (or if you want leftovers), double the recipe.

Nutrition Information per Serving (1 generous cup):  320 calories, 13g fat (4g saturated, 0.2g omega-3), 400mg sodium, 27g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, 23g protein, 180% vitamin A, 25% vitamin C, 15% calcium

The original recipe had 470 calories, 28g fat, and 18g saturated fat per 1 generous cup serving.

mmm-kitchen-fish-chowder-testing

Of course, the proof is always in the pudding. Since Sophie was on hand to help, we asked her what she thought of her mom’s  new recipe. She told us it was yummy” and gave it two-thumbs up. As for Kristin, “I can now make it more often since it’s so much lighter.”

We plan to make this recipe too (thanks Kristin)! It’s one of those hearty soups that really sticks to your ribs. And since all of our kids liked it, we suspect it will become a regular dinner dish this winter.

Check out our Flickr page for more photos of our kitchen adventures with the Manic Mommies.

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6 Comments | Filed Under CulinaryAdventures, Dinner, Potatoes, RecipeRescue, Seafood, Soups/Stews 

How do YOU Save Time & Money in the Kitchen?

by The Meal Makeover Moms on June 13th, 2009

Two weeks ago, we announced a giveaway for a $100.00 Visa gift card and lots of other cool stuff — a reusable grocery tote, potato peeler, and kitchen timer — courtesy of the US Potato Board. To enter, we asked you for your best-ever tips for saving time and money in the kitchen. We received over 100 amazing comments filled with clever ideas.  We listed a bunch below so read on!

But before we get to that, we’d like to congratulate our winner, Alison C. from Burlington, VT, mother of 6-year-old Davin, who told us she goes in with either her sister, parents, or friends to buy in bulk, share, and save money.  Alison has recently lost some weight, due to eating healthier and finally exercising regularly (she just ran her first half marathon!), so she’ll be using the gift card for new clothes that she desperately needs.  Well done Alison!

As we read through your comments, a lot of you told us how you like to set aside a day to plan your weekly menu and then shop just once for only those items.  Other ideas included buying produce from small, local farms or farmers markets, planting a backyard vegetable garden, using the slow cooker to cut food prep time, and doubling or tripling favorite recipes and then freezing the leftovers for later use.

Below are additional tips from YOU!

Jennifer:  I get together with 5 other friends and we cook several freezable meals in 4 hours. Last time I spent $60 and got about 12 meals for our family. The other great part is now I just have to pull something out of the freezer on busy days.

Pam from It’s Time for More Coffee:  I save time and money by buying ground beef in bulk. I brown a whole bunch at one time and freeze it in one pound portions. The frozen, cooked beef is a snap to add to pasta sauce, soups, or casseroles!

Jane:  I double or triple recipes that I like and freeze some meals. I have an extra freezer in the laundry room. Recently, I determined that I was wasting some of this food because I forget all I had in the freezer, so I bought a magnetic white board that I keep on the laundry room freezer. When I store a meal in there (or even when I buy frozen meals from Costco), I list it with the date on the white board. Then when I am meal planning for the week, I can also check the freezer door to see what I already have and what needs to get eaten. Once I take it out of the freezer, I mark it off the white board. This also helps me plan when it is time to restock.

Cindy: I love new red potatoes. For a summertime shortcut, I’ll boil up a large pot of red potatoes. Some will be tossed with butter and parsley and served right away. Some will be turned into potato salad. Some will be saved for a later meal – fried potatoes served with scrambled eggs for brunch or a potato/sausage dinner. Yum!

Ashley:  Create a price book. List what you normally buy and what it costs. Record sales prices and dates. Stock up when you find a good buy! Then, prep the food and get it in the freezer.

Stephanie from Clear Shining After Rain:  My best time and money-saving tip is to try to use up everything you buy. I play a game:  Can I make dinner with what I have on hand? EX: I was going to make English muffin pizzas recently. I had everything but pepperoni. It was too late to go to the store. So I scrounged around until I came up with Canadian bacon. Voila! I chopped it up and it made a great pepperoni substitute. The idea is to save money by using what you already have on hand. Be creative!

Alayna from Zady Ball: I’ve started saving a TON of money by doing couponing. It is a little overwhelming at first, but by using the tools on the Internet, it is really a piece of cake! My favorite couponing website is Pinching our Pennies - SO much good stuff and great ways to save lots on your groceries!

Laura from I’m an Organizing Junkie: Well just this past week I made my very first pie from scratch. I had avoided doing this because I thought it would be hard but it wasn’t at all and I’m thrilled with the $$ I saved not having to buy store bought crust. Yay!

To read all the terrific ideas we received, check out our May 29th post. On a final note, feel free to download some of our free time-saving tools on MealMakeoverMoms.com.  We have a 7-Day Menu Planner and a really cool Supermarket Shopping List.  Enjoy!

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1 Comment | Filed Under Giveaways, Potatoes 

Giveaway: $100 Visa Gift Card & Other Great Stuff!

by The Meal Makeover Moms on May 29th, 2009

reusable-tote-bag

This month, we’re giving away what busy home cooks dream of:  easy ways to save time and money in the kitchen. Thanks to our friends at the U.S. Potato Board, one lucky blog reader will win a $100.00 Visa gift card (perfect for slashing your next grocery bill or buying 400 medium-size potatoes … LOL) along with the following super-cool prize pack:

  • Reusable grocery tote
  • Potato recipe booklet
  • Potato peeler
  • Grocery list stationery
  • Apron
  • Kitchen timer
  • Bag clip

To Enter our super saver extravaganza, all you have to do is leave us a comment and share your best-ever tip(s) for saving time and/or money in the kitchen.

We Will Enter You into the Giveaway Multiple Times if you do any or all of the following (just be sure to leave us a new comment every time you do one of these things):

> Tweet about our giveaway on Twitter or tell your Facebook friends about it with a link back to this blog post.

> Listen to our weekly radio podcast, Cooking with the Moms, and then head over to iTunes to subscribe and post a review (you can click through to iTunes from our podcast page).

> Add one of our buttons/widgets to your blog or website. They are located in the upper left sidebar of our blog. We have three to choose from: Our blog post widget, our Recipe badge, and our Meal Makeover Moms’ Kitchen badge.

> Subscribe to Meal Makeover Moms’ Kitchen or sign up for our Meal Makeover Moms’ e-newsletter.

Our giveaway ends on Friday, June 12 at noon.  As always, we’ll use Random.org to choose the winner.  Good luck!

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122 Comments | Filed Under Giveaways, Potatoes 
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