I picked up a London Broil the other day on sale at Publix.  I wanted to treat my husband to a good steak dinner….since that is his favorite…and since I’m watching my calories, I compromised by picking up a leaner cut of beef like this one so I wouldn’t feel too guilty eating it with him.  I love how economical London Broil is…it’s often on sale and you can get several meals from one good sized steak.

Like this easy London Broil recipe? Pin it here!

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This post was last published in November, 2015. It is still one of my favorite soups that can be made with lean ground beef and all the veggies in your fridge (specifically zucchini, green beans and carrots). Although we are still experiencing 90+ degree weather in Florida, I crave this light, yet hearty, soup all the time. It’s perfect for light lunches and dinners – it’s nice to make ahead so that you have something to quickly reheat when you are short on time.

Click here to PIN this Italian Vegetable Beef Soup recipe!

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Are you all turkey’ed out or what? I know I am. I had a few good leftover turkey recipes swirling in my head over the weekend (my daughter wanted me to make a turkey pasta salad, mmm), but honestly, I just didn’t get around to any creative leftover creations. We had a lot of turkey paninis and just straight up Thanksgiving plate reruns. It’s all good.

Moving on from turkey…I’m bringing up this Italian Vegetable Beef recipe from the archives. I originally posted this recipe back in December of 2009. Crazy how long ago that was! I remember I made this soup to take to my daughter’s preschool teacher who had just had surgery. When she got back to school, she told me her and her daughters loved the soup so much and wanted more. Yea, a compliment like that pretty much always makes my day. 🙂 Since then, I have made this soup quite a few times. It’s a great change from my typical chicken based soups, the lean beef (or bison) makes it a little extra hearty but still easy on the calories.

I’m sure most of you will agree that a bowl of good homemade soup is total comfort.  Soup has a way of warming up the body while nourishing it with so many health benefits at the same time.  I’m more of a broth base soup person, so I’m not really referring to the heavier creamy soups…not that those are bad, but they just don’t make me feel the same as a soup filled with lots of herbs and vegetables in broth.

Whenever I find that I have lots of vegetables in the veggie drawer that need to be used up, I usually make soup.  This particular day I had a nice variety of veggies….zucchini, squash, carrots and green beans. 

Add some dried herbs, lean ground beef and chicken broth and you’ve got Italian Vegetable Beef Soup.

Healthy Italian Vegetable Soup

1. In large stock pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat and add zucchini, squash, carrots, garlic and onions. Cook for about 8 minutes until vegetables start to soften.
2. Add seasonings, tomatoes and chicken broth to pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer.
3. Add green beans and cooked ground beef.
4. Simmer soup for about 20 minutes.
5. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve with Parmesan cheese and cooked pasta if you like.

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Italian Vegetable Beef Soup

• Author: Aggies Kitchen
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings
• Category: Soup
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Italian

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Break out the vegetables for this light and savory Italian Vegetable Beef Soup recipe. It’s loaded with great vegetables like zucchini, squash and carrots. Healthy (and easy) comfort food!

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Ingredients

• 2 tb olive oil
• 2 zucchinis, quarter chopped
• 2 squash, quarter chopped
• 2–3 carrots, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1–2 cups green beans, cut in 1 inch pieces
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• good pinch of salt and pepper
• 1 32oz can of Italian diced tomatoes, with juices
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 – 1.25  lb lean ground beef or bison, cooked and crumbled
• Parmesan cheese, optional

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Instructions

1. In large stock pot, heat 2 tb olive oil and add zucchini, squash, carrots, garlic and onions. Cook for about 8 minutes until starting to soften. Add seasonings, tomatoes and chicken broth to pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Add green beans and cooked ground beef. Simmer soup for about 20 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve with Parmesan cheese and cooked pasta if you like.

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Notes

Note:  amounts of vegetables can be varied.  Use what you have on hand.

Healthy Soup Recipes

Soup is one of my go to meals when I’m trying to trim some pounds or just generally feel healthier. Some soups I tend to make often are  Slow Cooker Italian Sausage and Kale Soup with Sweet Potatoes, Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup, Italian Tomato and Lentil Soup and Healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup. I’m ready to try this Beef Taco Quinoa Soup and Fall Vegetable Quinoa Soup!

Follow Aggie’s Kitchen’s board Soup, Stew and Chili Recipes on Pinterest.

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Click here to pin this healthy Bison Burger recipe!

My husband has been on a health kick lately. I love it. He’s really making an effort to cut back on calories, make better food choices and squeezing in exercise throughout the day. He’s taking walks around his building during restroom breaks, and trying to get a two mile walk around the neighborhood in the evenings as well as getting to the gym to hit the elliptical or play basketball with our son on the weekends. It all adds up!

Him being on a health kick gives me more motivation to put together healthier meals for us to eat together. We are trying to lighten things up wherever we can and using bison in place of our regular ground beef is one way we can lighten up our burgers on the grill. Since bison is pricier than ground beef, this is a treat for us that we look forward to whenever we can.

Where to buy ground bison for this recipe?

I have been buying bison meat from Costco regularly, but have seen it at my local grocery store (although in much smaller packages) as well as Fresh Market and Whole Foods.

Healthy Bison Burger Ingredients

I like to keep my burger seasonings pretty simple so that you really enjoy the flavor of the beef you are cooking with.

• ground bison
• onion powder
• garlic powder
• coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• your favorite barbecue sauce, for basting

The toppings though, that is where you can have fun. I love adding caramelized onions to my burgers and of course cheese!

How To Cook Bison Burgers On The Grill

1. In a large mixing bowl, gently combine ground bison with onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Divide meat mixture into 5 even sections and form into patties. When forming, gently press down your thumb in center to help keep it’s shape and avoid turning into a meatball on the grill.
2. Pre-heat your grill to medium high heat. Place burgers on grill. Cook for 6-7 minutes on each side (for medium well – well done burgers) or 4-5 minutes for juicier, medium burgers. After first flip, brush cooked side liberally with your favorite barbecue sauce. Once burger is cooked through, quickly flip and brush other side before taking off the grill. Transfer to top rack of grill (or plate) and place a slice of pepper jack cheese on each burger.
3. For serving: Place each burger with cheese on your hamburger bun. Top with extra barbecue sauce (if desired), caramelized onions and shredded lettuce. Dig in.

Along with the extra exercise, packed lunches and a little extra involvement with meal planning and creating recipes are part of this health kick too. That’s where this burger comes in. I know ground buffalo (bison) has been around for a while, but it’s not something I’ve ever cooked with at home. My husband has enjoyed a healthy bison burger at a local restaurant a few times and asked if we could grill some up at home. Buffalo is a leaner type of ground beef and a great alternative when looking to indulge in a hamburger.

Burger Recipes To Try:

Smoky BBQ Turkey Burger Sliders

Bruschetta Patty Melts

East Meets West Burger

Sanford Burgers

Love cooking with bison like I do? Try these recipes using bison:

Sweet Potato Bison Shepherd’s Pie

Bison Black Bean Chili

Bison and Brown Rice Stuffed Peppers

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Grilled Barbecue Bison Burger

• Author: Aggies Kitchen
• Yield: 4-5 burgers
• Category: Burger
• Method: Grill
• Cuisine: American

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Try a lean Grilled Barbecue Bison Burger for a healthier alternative to your traditional hamburger – they are juicy and flavorful with less guilt!

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Ingredients

• 1.5 lb ground bison (or buffalo) meat
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• good pinch coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• your favorite barbecue sauce, for basting

For serving:

• 5 slices of pepper jack cheese
• hamburger buns
• shredded lettuce
• caramelized onions (see this post for instructions on how to caramelize onions)
• barbecue sauce

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Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, gently combine ground bison with onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Divide meat mixture into 5 even sections and form into patties. When forming, gently press down your thumb in center to help keep it’s shape and avoid turning into a meatball on the grill.
2. Pre-heat your grill to medium high heat. Place burgers on grill. Cook for 6-7 minutes on each side (for medium well – well done burgers). After first flip, brush cooked side liberally with your favorite barbecue sauce. Once burger is cooked through, quickly flip and brush other side before taking off the grill. Transfer to top rack of grill (or plate) and place a slice of pepper jack cheese on each burger.
3. For serving: Place each burger with cheese on your hamburger bun. Top with extra barbecue sauce (if desired), caramelized onions and shredded lettuce. Dig in.

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Click here to Pin this Recipe!

I am desperately trying to change up the easy weeknight dinner game these last few weeks. I’m looking through cookbooks and magazines for ideas and something new to try. My friend Robyn of the popular blog Add A Pinch just released her new cookbook and it couldn’t have arrived at my doorstep at a better time.

Robyn is one of those friends I’ve known since my very early days of blogging, yet have never met in person. I think we have to change that this year Robyn!!! Her cookbook, the Add A Pinch Cookbook is one of the most beautiful cookbooks I’ve seen, filled with gorgeous photos of recipes that have a Southern flair using fresh, seasonal ingredients. I’m all about those fresh seasonal ingredients, as you know.

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Click here to pin this delicious one-pot meal!

We are into the second of week of school in these parts and are finally starting to settle in our new routine that entails 3 kids in 3 different schools. That is, until next week when I start my fall classes at our local community college (for those that don’t know, I’m back in school working towards my second Bachelors degree, this one is in Nutrition and Dietetics). I’m so excited about getting back to class, but next week will be the true test of my sanity!

Like every year during the back to school season, I’m feeling refreshed, excited and determined to send my kids off to start a successful and fun new school year.

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Click here to pin this Beef and Spinach Stuffed Peppers recipe!

I grew up eating Italian style stuffed peppers like these I posted waaaaay back in 2008. That is my standard family recipe that my grandfather always made and still makes to this day (well, my version at least). Those do take a little more time to cook since I typically stuff the whole pepper, time that I haven’t wanted to invest in cooking a meal lately. The last year or so I finally caught on and started making stuffed pepper “halves” and hello, they cook up so much faster!

I have made these simple Beef and Spinach Stuffed Peppers a few times now and I love how quickly they come together, making them a weekly meal plan regular.

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I don’t always crave heavy meat and potato meals like this one but recently I picked up a package of short ribs from Costco and wanted to treat my husband with something a little different than what we usually have for dinner. He loves short ribs and it’s something he would typically order out. My friend Julie has posted some pretty amazing looking short rib recipes over the years and I’ve always wanted to try making them myself. These Slow Cooker Barbecue Short Ribs turned out absolutely amazing – I was pretty proud of myself considering how inexperienced I am with cooking cuts of beef like this. Let’s be honest though, it’s hard to mess up tender beef like short ribs in the slow cooker.

I quickly browned the short ribs before setting them to cook in the slow cooker for several hours. If you are in the market for a new slow cooker I highly recommend this Crock-Pot Slow Cooker with Stovetop Browning, I’ve been using it for the past year and it has been so awesome to skip the whole brown in a skillet step when it comes to slow cooker recipes!! Seriously, a game changer. Love it.

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Click here to pin this Beef and Egg Tortilla Skillet recipe!

Breakfast for dinner is always a treat, especially for me because it comes together so quick and easy. Needless to say, this Beef and Egg Tortilla Skillet is perfect as we are adjusting to back to school and busy weeknight mode.

One thing I’m learning as far as getting dinner on the table quickly is to prep as much as possible ahead of time. For instance, if you have the opportunity to brown some lean ground meat or chop some veggies while you are cooking another meal it truly saves so many precious minutes on the days you need them the most. When I am on my A-game I like to have a few bagfuls of browned ground beef or turkey measured out and stored in Ziplocs in the freezer for easy tacos, tostadas or meat sauce (I measure them out into 2 cups per bag usually). These bags of pre-cooked meat come in especially handy on nights you don’t have a meal planned or are just short on time and are looking to wing it with what you have on hand.

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The best part of grilling up a nice flank steak, like this Grilled Flank Steak with Brown Sugar Rub I grilled up a couple of weeks ago, is the leftovers. Throw a few thin slices on a salad like this Steak Spinach Salad with Grilled Peaches and Red Onion and you won’t hear anyone complain about leftovers for dinner, that’s for sure. You can use leftovers from this London Broil marinade recipe I love to make too.

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It’s a happy day for my husband when he finds out I came home with a steak from the grocery store. For whatever reason, we (I) don’t eat a lot of red meat, I think it may stem from my family not eating a lot of it in general when I was growing up. I have nothing against it, I just don’t have a natural desire to cook or eat it regularly…but the other day I did get a craving for a nicely grilled flank steak.

Flank steak is probably my favorite cut of steak, it’s lean and absolutely delicious grilled, like this Grilled Flank Steak with Brown Sugar rub I’m sharing today. Any other flank steak fans out there?

Summer has officially kicked off in our household (yay!!) – school ended earlier this week and I have to say, I am so happy to breathe easy again. This last month of school has been ridiculously busy with projects, book reports and school functions…as it is every year. I forget what May is like until I’m a week in and then I’m like…Ohhhhh myyyyy, where is summer????

Well, summer is here for us, and we are all smiles in these parts. I’m a little extra smiley this week because not only did school end, but a big house project I had been planning ended too. When we moved into our new house a year and a half ago I had a list of a million things I wanted to do, reality is you need a lot of money and time to get all those things done so I’m pacing myself. 🙂

My big spring/summer project was to get my outdoor space cleaned up and functional. We had pavers added to a couple of areas off our driveway and pool area and turned the space into a beautiful outdoor seating area and place to grill. I have always loved using my grill and considered it an extension of my kitchen. With my new outdoor space, my grill is back in business and I’m about to turn into a grilling machine – this is my favorite time of year to use the grill, not only because of the weather (it’s actually NOT ideal grilling weather in Florida ha ha), but because of all the amazing produce in season. Grilled veggies are the best!

Here’s a peek at one of my new happy spaces…our new grilling area and my herb container garden (right off our kitchen and family room):

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