V O L U M E T H R E Epresents:

to healthy, delicious and affordable meals by Chef Laura Lea

Y O U R S T E P - B Y - S T E P G U I D E

J U N E 2 0 2 0

M E A L S

Beef & Shells with CreamyTomato Sauce

(approximately 4-6 servings)

Cream of Chicken & BroccoliBread Pudding

(approximately 8 servings)

Chicken & Pineapple LettuceCups

(approximately 4-6 servings)

Mini Cheesy Meatloaves withSimple Salad

(approximately 4 servings)

ingredients list

S H O P

other ingredients

special equipmentCrockpot or Instant Pot13x9x2 baking dish

3 pounds chicken boneless skinless thighs (mine was closer to 2.6 lbs)1 pounds pasta shells1 yellow onion1 loaf sourdough bread 2 12-ounce bags frozen broccoli8 ounces Gouda cheese (sub whatever you like)2 pounds ground beef6 large eggs (you can buy 1 dozen if you think you’ll use the rest, as it’susually a better deal)1 15-ounce can tomato purée16 ounce half and half (sub 2 cans full-fat coconut milk)1 20 -ounce can pineapple tidbits in 100% juice1 head iceberg lettuceOptional: Carrot sticks, celery or bell pepper strips to serve with the Beef& Shells

All-purpose flour or gluten-free all-purpose flourSaltPepperLite Soy Sauce or TamariDried basil or oreganoGarlic powderOnion Powder Ketchup Dijon mustardLemon juice or white wine vinegar/apple cider vinegar/whitevinegar/balsamic vinegarHoney (sub sweetener of choice)Avocado Oil (sub whatever oil you have)

before you cook...P R E P

1) Cook your chicken thighs in the Instant Pot or a crockpot. Workbackwards for when you want to prep the rest of the recipes, dependingon which method you choose:

a) Instant Pot*: add chicken, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper and 1½ cups water. Stir to incorporate. Secure lid and set to ‘Manual’ 20minutes. After cooking, allow to sit until it comes to pressure naturallyor up to 20 minutes. The valve will ‘pop’ up when it’s ready. Open lidand shred chicken with two forks. Drain and set stock aside for thefuture recipes.b) Crockpot: add chicken, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper and 1 ½cups water. Stir to incorporate. Secure lid and set to ‘low’. Cook for 6-8hours, or until chicken can be easily shredded with a fork. Repeatinstructions for any leftover stock.

2) Make Cream of Chicken while chicken thighs are cooling: Combine 1 ¼cups chicken stock (from step 1) and ½ cup half and half in a medium-sized pot (approximately 4 quarts) and bring to a simmer (watch carefullyso it doesn’t boil over). In a mixing bowl, whisk together ¾ cup half andhalf, ½ cup flour and ¼ teaspoon each onion powder, garlic powder, salt,pepper and dried basil or oregano (or both). Slowly pour this mixture intothe pot with the stock, stirring constantly, then simmer another 5-7minutes until noticeably thickened: it should coat the back of a spoonwithout running off. Continue stirring every 30 seconds or so during thistime. Set aside to cool.

3) In a large pot (at least 8 quarts), cook pasta shells al dente, according topackage directions (usually 1-2 minutes less than the lowestrecommended time on the box; you want them to still be a little firm asthey’ll continue cooking in the sauce). I like to add about a teaspoon of saltto the cooking water. Drizzle / toss with oil. *TIP: take a look at the prepbelow and see if you can take care of any steps while the water is comingto boil. 4) Dice onion into ¼” pieces. 5) Add 2 slices of your sourdough (pull from the middle of the loaf) to abowl and soak in lukewarm water for 5 minutes, then squeeze out excessliquid. Dice the rest of the loaf into 1” cubes. 6) Grate half of your cheese and dice the rest into 12 approximately ¾”cubes.

before you cook...P R E P C O N T ' D

7) Thaw frozen broccoli, squeeze out excess liquid then roughly chop (Ithaw in the microwave according to package directions). 8) Slice the base off of your lettuce and remove any brown or wilted leaves.Pull off 8 whole large leaves, then thinly slice the rest into approximately¼” thick strips. NOTE: Depending on the size of the whole leaves, youmight want to slice them in half when you serve; it’s really personalpreference! You can rinse the lettuce and pat it dry if it looks dirty; mineare usually pretty clean. Refrigerate both ‘sets’ of leaves.

let's get started...C O O K

1) BEEF & SHELLS WITH CREAMY TOMATO SAUCE: Heat the large pot you usedto boil your shells to medium and add 1 pound ground beef. Cook, using a woodenspoon or firm spatula to break it up as you go, until it has golden-brown edges withno pink remaining, approximately 5-7 minutes. Turn heat to low, add beef to a heat-proof bowl (Optional: drain excess fat if you like). To the pan add ⅓ cup water,scraping the bottom to un-stick any brown bits (keep them in there!). Add all of yourdiced onion and cook, stirring, until softened and translucent, approximately 5-7minutes. Scrape half of the onions in a heatproof bowl to use in meatloaf recipe. Addbeef back to pan, along with tomato puree, 1 cup leftover stock from cooking yourchicken, 2 tablespoons ketchup, ¼ teaspoon each salt, pepper and garlic powder and½ teaspoon dried basil or oregano (or both). Simmer 3 minutes, then stir in 1 cup halfand half and shells. Cook, stirring every minute or so, until liquid has thickened andcoats the shells, approximately 6-8 minutes. Taste and add seasoning accordingly. 2) CREAM OF CHICKEN & BROCCOLI BREAD PUDDING: NOTE: you can bake thisat the same time as the meatloaves. Just make sure oven racks are close to themiddle. Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 13x9x2 baking dish. In a LARGE mixingbowl, whisk together 4 large eggs. Stir in half of your cooked shredded chickenthighs, half of your diced broccoli, all of your cream of chicken, whatever is left ofyour cooked chicken stock, 1 tablespoon dijon mustard, all of your grated cheese andpinches of salt and pepper (approximately ⅛ teaspoon). Add sourdough cubes anduse clean hands to incorporate, letting the bread soak up the liquid, then spreadmixture into baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 30 minutes, thenremove foil and bake another 15, or until golden brown around the edges.

cooking continued...C O O K

3) MINI CHEESY MEATLOAVES WITH SIMPLE SALAD: Line a baking sheet withaluminum foil, going both directions to catch running juices. Grease foil. In a largemixing bowl, combine remaining cooked onion, remaining pound of ground beef, 2remaining large eggs, 1 tablespoon ketchup, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, ¼ teaspooneach salt and pepper, ½ teaspoon each of onion powder and garlic powder, and 1teaspoon dried basil or oregano (or both). Add soaked bread slices. Use clean handsto mix evenly. Scoop mixture into 4 even-sized ‘blobs’ on the baking sheet,approximately ¾ cup. Use your thumb to make a 2”x2” dent in each, then press 3cheese cubes into each dent. Pinch mixture around the cheese to seal it up, thenform rough ‘football shapes’ from each ball, approximately 5”x3”. Bake mini loavesfor 20 minutes. While they’re baking, make a glaze by whisking together ½ cupketchup, 1 tablespoon honey, 2 teaspoons white vinegar (or any of the acids listedabove) and 2 teaspoons soy sauce or tamari. Remove loaves after 20 minutes (feel freeto drain excess fat), then spoon a generous amount of glaze over each and bakeanother 15 minutes.

a. Make a quick salad dressing by whisking together 3 tablespoons lemon juice orvinegar of choice, 1 ½ teaspoons dijon mustard, 2 teaspoons honey (sub sweetenerof choice), ½ teaspoon soy sauce or tamari, pinches pepper and garlic powder.Slowly pour in ⅓ cup oil, whisking constantly as you pour. 4) CHICKEN AND PINEAPPLE LETTUCE CUPS: Open canned pineapple anddrain juice into a small mixing bowl. Whisk in 3 tablespoons honey (or othersweetener of choice), 3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari, ½ cup water and a pinchof garlic powder. Heat a large skillet to medium heat and add the pineapplemixture. Bring to a simmer and simmer until slightly thickened in consistency,approximately 8 minutes. Add remaining cooked chicken, pineapple tidbits andremaining diced broccoli, then stir to evenly incorporate. Simmer mixtureanother 5-7 minutes, until there’s no runny sauce in the bottom of the pan. Tasteand add more soy sauce or honey, as you like.

A S S E M B L Y

putting it all together...1. BEEF & SHELLS WITH CREAMY TOMATO SAUCE: If you have parmesan cheesein your fridge, this is fabulous sprinkled on top. I reheat in the microwave, but youcan also reheat in a saucepan with a splash of water. Leftovers will keep tightlysealed in the fridge up to 5 days or frozen 3 months. If you bought a fresh veggie likecarrots or celery, I like to mix a few tablespoons dijon mustard with a few teaspoonshoney and use it as a dipping sauce. 2. CREAM OF CHICKEN & BROCCOLI BREAD PUDDING: Reheat in the oven at350 until warmed through or in the microwave. Leftovers will keep tightly sealed inthe fridge up to 5 days or frozen 4 months. 3.MINI CHEESY MEATLOAVES WITH SIMPLE SALAD: Drizzle shredded lettucewith your homemade salad dressing and serve alongside meatloaves (see toppingsideas below!). Reheat loaves at 350 until warmed through or in the microwave.Leftovers will keep tightly sealed in the fridge up to 5 days or frozen 4 months.

4.CHICKEN AND PINEAPPLE LETTUCE CUPS: Scoop a generous amount ofchicken mixture into lettuce cups and enjoy! I like to add an extra splash of soysauce or tamari. If you have toasted sesame oil in your pantry, a little drizzle on topis also wonderful. Leftover chicken mixture will keep tightly sealed in the fridge upto 5 days or frozen 3 months.

*This recipe is written for the original Instant Pot model, not the Duo. If usingthe Duo, you may need even more liquid to prevent burning.You can always fresh minced garlic for garlic powder. I would use 1 medium-sized clove, minced, in place of ¼ teaspoon garlic powder.You can certainly doctor up your iceberg lettuce salad with more veggies ortoppings. I personally love adding slivered almonds, dried cranberries, athinly sliced green apple and a little feta or goat cheese.Remember that you can always switch up the spices in these recipes towhatever works for you based on your tastes/what’s in your pantry.

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a few tips for you...N O T E S

ENJOY!xx, laura lea