Ground Turkey Casserole {recipe}

Yesterday I had a pound of lean ground turkey in my fridge and I wanted to make something different other than the usual meatloaf, meatballs, tacos or chili.  So I took to twitter and asked a few friends for suggestions.  And boy, did I get what I asked for.  This is why I love twitter – the people in my stream are so helpful!  I was going to go with one of the ideas I received, but then I saw a recipe for Ground Turkey Casserole on allrecipes.com that was right up my alley.  It had three of my favorite things: Cream Cheese, Tomato Sauce and Cheddar.  Sold!

cThis is my altered (healthier) version of the recipe I found.  If you want to see the orginal version, click the link above.  It was a big hit, so I wanted to share.

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 (22 ounce) jar of tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon white sugar there’s enough sugar in the tomato sauce above
• 1 (8 ounce) container fat free sour cream
• 1 (8 ounce) package reduced fat cream cheese
• 1 (16 ounce) package no yolk noodles
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (I used 2%)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute the ground turkey for 5 to 10 minutes, or until browned. Drain the turkey, stir in the tomato sauce, and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the sour cream and cream cheese. Mix well and set aside.
3. Cook noodles according to package directions. Place them into a 9x13-inch baking dish, then layer the turkey mixture over the noodles. Then layer the sour cream mixture over the turkey, and top with cheese.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 to 35 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter - Grilling Kit Giveaway (Includes Crate & Barrel Tool Set!)

Contest Closed – Congrats sue14625!

Between the tour of the Unilever Test Kitchen last April and the Penthouse party I attended during BlogHer, I have learned so many different ways to use I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter.  My use was limited to spreads on bread in the past, but I now know how to bake, sauté and grill with the products and I’m always amazed at the results.  Last night I used the I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! Original Spray on my popcorn and I couldn’t believe how yummy it was, and without all of the extra fat and guilt.  Hallelujah!

Grilling is in season, but since we had such an unusually humid summer, we didn’t get outside very often.  So we’ll most likely be grilling into fall when we can bear to exist outside in the time it takes to grill dinner.  If you’re thinking the same way, here are some ideas on how you can use the I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! Original Spray when grilling.

For a savory seafood appetizer, grill clams until they open and arrange in a serving bowl. Generously spray the clams with I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! Original Spray and sprinkle with chopped fresh herbs.  Serve with crusty toasted bread slices topped with Spray.

For easy seasoned kabobs, just before grilling your favorite chicken, beef, seafood or veggie kabobs, spray with I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! Original Spray, then sprinkle with garlic powder and your favorite herbs.  

For a delicious buttery flavor, spray I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! Original Spray onto hot corn-on-the cob just off the grill and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Spice it up by splashing on a little red or green hot pepper sauce!

For a super-easy “Blackened” Steak or Chicken, spray I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! Original Spray onto steak or boneless, skinless chicken breasts, then sprinkle with chili powder, dried herbs and black pepper and rub into the meat. Grill until the meat reaches desired doneness.

I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! Spray adds such great butter flavor and texture to meals with 0 calories, 0g fat, and 0g trans fat per serving.  What’s not to love?  I was so excited when I unwrapped this special I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! grilling kit!

The Crate & Barrel tool set is especially beautiful and high quality, but what makes it even better is that it’s portable.  It’s perfect for camping, packing up for a beach vacation or for anywhere else you like to grill.  And I can’t wait to use my grilling basket to try my hand at grilling some of the delicious recipes that I had the opportunity to try at the Penthouse party.  Grilling baskets are great for cooking seafood and veggies.

GIVEAWAY!
One lucky reader will receive an I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! Grilling Kit including:
1) I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! Spray
2) I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!® Spray Premium Non-Stick Grilling Basket
3) Crate & Barrel Portable 4-piece Grill Tool Set with Carrying Case
4) 8 Better For You BBQ Recipe cards
5) Better For You BBQ Newsletter with recipes and tips

Mandatory Entry: Tell me your favorite way to use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! products.

EXTRA ENTRIES: Must leave a comment for each entry.  If two entries are taken, leave two comments.
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+1 Entry per day for tweeting this message, and leave the link to your tweet.
Win a grilling kit from @ICBINotButter which includes a grilling basket and Crate & Barrel Grill set! http://bit.ly/aFa5ox @girlgonemom
+1 Entry if you are a public follower of this blog.
+2 Entries if you are an email subscriber (must activate).  Leave email address.
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+1 Entry if you leave a meaningful comment on a non-giveaway post.

No compensation was received for this post. I received a complimentary grilling kit from the company in order to facilitate my candid review. Contest is open to US residents 18 and older with a street address (no P.O. box or APO) and closes at Midnight EST on September 13th.  The winner will be selected using Random.org. See giveaway rules before entering. GOOD LUCK!

My Mom’s Night Out with Aquafina FlavorSplash

Last Thursday, I was juggling housework, blogging and my daughter all while trying to fix myself up until my husband finally arrived home from work.  It was our 5-year wedding anniversary, but I wasn’t gearing up for that, I was primping for the Aquafina FlavorSplash event located at Morimoto in Philadelphia.  Meh, we’d celebrate on the weekend, anyway.  This was more important!

Surprisingly, I arrived right on time.  Thankfully the traffic goes in the opposite direction (out of Philly), at this time of day.  That’s not to say that there were no maniacs on the road.  (Do you ever feel like you’re in a game of paperboy when you’re on the road?)

Mom Central put together this amazing Mom’s Night Out event for Aquafina, and I was so pleased to have been invited.  The reason for the event was to educate local mom bloggers about Aquafina’s latest and greatest product, FlavorSplash.  Held in the swanky downtown Philadelphia restaurant, Morimoto, this was sure to be a good time.  

There were no more than twenty bloggers present, which made for an intimate gathering in a private loft overlooking the dining room.  We all had the opportunity to try the six FlavorSplash flavored waters by Aquafina, including Grape, Wild Berry, Strawberry Kiwi, Raspberry, Lemon and Peach Mango.  I buy their spring water regularly and when I tried these flavored versions with zero calories, I was hooked.  My favorites?  Strawberry Kiwi and Wild Berry, hands down.

The Japanese cuisine was great, as were the cocktails.  My lychee martini, minus the lychee, is pictured above.  I had the best time mingling with familiar faces, meeting new friends and talking with the Mom Central and Aquafina representatives. 

Jo-Lynne, Me, Michelle (Mom Central), Mel, and Sarah.

We all received complementary goody bags containing Aquafina product samples and coupons.  A great big ‘thank you’ to MomCentral and Aquafina for putting together a fabulous event.  I don’t know about the other ladies, but I sure needed the ‘time out’.

I wrote this post after attending an event sponsored by Aquafina FlavorSplash and Mom Central. I received FlavorSplash goodies and a gift card as a thank you for posting.

One-dish Turkey Kielbasa and Vegetable Casserole

Yesterday, we had friends over for an early Sunday dinner.  I always stress over what to make for guests, but I knew these particular friends like to eat healthfully like we do, so that was a start.  I had just picked up the kielbasa the other day and wanted to make a nice one-dish meal out of that. 

After seeing this recipe online, I decided to try it.  That’s right-I threw caution to the wind and made a brand new recipe for our friends.  I figured if it’s a disaster, there’s always the pizza guy!

Thankfully, it turned out great.  I was so happy with it that I wanted to share it with you all.  I made my own personal variations, so my recipe is below.  If you want to see the original, click the link above.

- 2 packages (24 oz) turkey kielbasa, cut into thick slices
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium zucchini, unpeeled and diced
- 1 medium sweet red pepper, diced
- 1 medium green pepper, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper (adjust to taste)
- 2 cups cooked rice
-19 ounces canned black beans, rinsed and drained

Prepare rice and set aside.

In large skillet, cook sliced kielbasa over high heat until browned, stirring often to avoid burning.

Remove from pan and add oil, onions, zucchini, peppers, garlic, and dry seasonings. Cook for 7 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently.

Add cooked rice, beans and sausage, continuing to cook until all ingredients are hot.   Enjoy!

This was such a delicious, healthy meal.  I omitted jalapeno peppers from the original recipe because I didn’t know how hot our guests like their food, and I thought Emma might try it.  I was out of cumin, so I replaced that with chili powder.  I used extra virgin olive oil in place of canola oil. The last change I made was instead of adding canned corn, I served corn on the cob on the side.

I made this using the Hillshire Farm Turkey Kielbasa.  If you want to enter to win a one-year supply of Hillshire Farm meats, enter my giveaway here.