Posted in Tips and Tricks

Tips and Tricks Tuesdays: Equivalent Chart

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Prepared Vegetable Equivalent Chart

Bell pepper – 1 cup chopped

Cabbage – (1/2 small head) = 3 to 4 cups shredded

Carrot – 1 large = 1 cup chopped
Carrot – 10 lb bag = 16-17 cups chopped
Carrot – 1 pound (6-8 med) = 3 cup shredded

Celery – 1 large stalk = 1/3 cup chopped
Celery – 4-5 medium stalk = 1 cup chopped

Mushrooms – 1/2 pound = 2 cups sliced

Onion – 1 small/medium = 1 cup chopped
Onion – 1 large = 2 cups
Onion – 1 pound = 3 to 4 cups chopped

Spinach – 1 pound = 8 cups = uncooked 1 1/2 cup cooked

Sweet Potato – 1 pound = 1 1/2 cup cooked

Tomatoes – 1 pound = 1 1/2 cup peeled, seeded and diced

Zucchini – 1 pound = 3 1/2 cup sliced = 2 cups grated

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Dairy Equivalent Chart

Butter – 1 pound = 2 cups

Cheese – 1 pound (16 ounces) = 4 heaping cups grated
Cheese (Parmesan) 3 ounces = 1 cup grated

Cream Cheese – 3 ounces = 6 Tablespoons
Cream Cheese – 8 ounces = 1 cup

Heavy whipping cream – 1 cup = 2 cups whipped

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Dry Equivalent Chart

1 piece bread = 1/3 cup fine bread crumbs, prepared in food processor

3 lb chocolate chips = 8 cups
Chocolate Chips – 5 ounces = about 1 cup
Chocolate Chips – 12 ounce bag = 2 1/2 cups

Cocoa powder – 3 ounces = 1 cup

Coconut, flaked 1 (14-ounce) bag = 5 1/3 cups

Flour, all-purpose – 1 pound = 3 cups sifted = 3 1/2 -4 cups unsifted
Flour, cake – 1 pound = 4 1/2 cups sifted = 3 3/4 cups unsifted
Flour, whole wheat – 1 pound = 3 1/2 to 3 3/4 cups unsifted = 3 cups sifted

Rolled oats – 1 pound = 5 1/3 cups

Sugar, brown – 1 pound = 2 1/4 cups packed = 3 1/2 cups not packed
Sugar, granulated – 1 pound = 2 1/4 cups
Sugar, powdered – 1 pound = 4 1/2 cups sifted = 3 3/4 cups unsifted
Sugar, superfine – 1 pound = 2 cups

Posted in - Poultry, - Seafood/Fish, Meal Planning

Meal Planning Mondays: Recipes to Try This Week 1/28 – 2/3/13

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As you can see I have changed how I’m doing Meal Planning Mondays. I like trying new recipes. I have too many pins on Pinterest that are not being utilized. This week I committ to making these two recipes.

The main dish will continue to be made ahead time and frozen.

Cheese-It Chicken Tenders

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Adapted from Winners Dinners

Serves 6 – 3 tenders per servings

18 chicken tenders
12 oz. sour cream
4.5 cups Cheez-Its, crushed
3/4 cup butter, melted

Prep Day: Crush the Cheez-Its by placing them in a large ziploc bag and rolling over them with a rolling pin. Place crushed crackers in bag in a gallon freezer bag along with sour cream container and frozen chicken tenders. Zip close and freeze.

Note: Sour Cream can be frozen if you are using it in baking.

Serve Day: Thaw all ingredients. Preheat the oven to 375. To get lumps out of sour cream if need put in blender until pretty smooth. Put in shallow dish. Roll the chicken tenders in the sour cream and then in the Cheez-It crumbs. Place them in a baking dish. Drizzle with the melted butter. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes.

Salt & Vinegar Crusted Baked Fish

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Adapted from Savoring The Thyme

Serves 6

1/2 bag of salt & vinegar chips
24 oz. fillets (4 oz per person) cod fillets, 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick
Lemon Pepper, for seasoning
2 tsp reduced fat miracle whip (which can be frozen)

Prep Day: Place the pop chips in a gallon size plastic storage bag and gently crush the chips (we used our the heel of our hands). Combine the mayonnaise and a few dashes of pepper in a snack bag. Place both frozen wrapped fish into another gallon bag along with chip and mayo bags. Then freeze.

Serve Day: thaw all ingredients. Heat the oven to 400º. Line a baking sheet with a cooling rack and spray it lightly with cooking spray. Then spread it over the top of each fillets. Now gently but firmly press on the crushed chips, completely covering the top of each piece of fish and place them on the cooling rack. Bake the fillets until they are just cooked through, about 10-15 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish.

Enjoy! And let me know how they turned out for you.