Beef Stew

Who doesn't love a big bowl of beef stew? Well, my husband, but he doesn't count. So I was on my own for dinner this week, again, and had some beef cubes in the freezer, so I figured it was about time to make the stew.

1 package beef cubes

1/2 bag potatoes, peeled, cut into large chunks

1 small bag baby carrots

1 can of baby peas

beef broth

salt & pepper to taste

cornstarch for thickening

1. Place potatoes, beef cubes and carrots into crockpot.

2. Cover with beef broth.

3. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

4. Thicken with cornstarch and add peas.

5. Season with salt and pepper - a little onion powder is also good.

Nothing special, but always good, and I like it with a few splashes of hot sauce and soft buttered bread. I use fake butter of course.

CHICKEN PAPRIKASH

I swear I didn't make up the name! I found this recipe in my most recent Woman's Day magazine. As soon as I saw it I knew I had to try it as my husband and I really do like paprika. Before I post the recipe, I will warn you that even though we are paprika fans, we felt the recipe called for too much paprika, for our tastes anyway. So, here it is!

CHICKEN PAPRIKASH

Source: Woman's Day Magazine

4 each skinless chicken drumsticks and thighs

1 can low-sodium cream of mushroom soup

2 Tbsp paprika (I would definitely use only 1 Tbsp)

1/2 nonfat sour cream

1. Place chicken in bottom of crockpot. Stir soup and paprika in small bowl until blended. Spoon soup mixture over chicken to cover.

2. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours. Remove chicken with slotted spoon. Whisk sour cream into the cooking liquid. Serve sauce over chicken.

Makes 4 servings

297 calories

35 g protein

12 g carbs

2 g fiber

12 g fat

(does not include noodles)

We served this over whole wheat egg noodles. It was good, but we definitely would have enjoyed it more with less paprika. Also, I'm a breast kind of gal - I will definitely be using regular boneless, skinless chicken breasts next time.