Does an author come up with the title of their book and then start writing it, or is it the other way around? It depends, right?

Sometimes an author will start writing a book without knowing what the title of the book will be, trusting that it will come to them as they write.

In this case the “author” is me, and the “book” is this recipe.

I didn’t know what I was going to call this recipe until I took a bite, and then it hit me like a ton of bricks.

This easy weeknight dinner combines the flavor of maple syrup with the richness of sausage and heartiness of potato…and all I could think of was “LUMBERJACK!” So after the thought occurred to me, I had to ask myself… What does lumberjack even mean when it comes to a recipe, and why am I associating this recipe with a man who cuts down trees? (…deep thoughts…)

What do you think of when you hear “lumberjack”?

When I think of a lumberjack, I think of a burly man with lots of facial hair who wakes up early, puts on his flannel shirt and overalls, and sits down for a hearty meal before he goes out and does serious manual labor. You know, someone who likes camping, doesn’t mind hard work, and appreciates a hearty meal…someone who looks like this jovial fella:

(photo credit: Mike Mozart)

… except without that big grin on his face. I don’t usually imagine lumberjacks smiling that big. He must have just had a great meal!

Anyway, one thing I can pretty much be sure of…the man in this picture shares something very special in common with me. I can see it in his eyes…

We both LOVE to eat.

Okay, all joking (and stereotyping) aside, let’s talk about today’s hearty, fill-up-your-tummy recipe.

A 5-ingredient recipe that is perfect for the Fall and just 5 WW SP!

I intentionally kept this recipe super simple. Of course, you can always add and take away ingredients as you see fit. I considered adding carrots and mushrooms to this meal, but opted to leave them out. If you are looking for a quick and easy dinner that will warm you up when the weather begins to cool, this recipe is for you! Let’s talk about the five ingredients…

Hillshire Farm Turkey Smoked Sausage for the win!

Sausage is delicious (in my opinion), but it is also high in fat (not just an opinion…a fact). For this recipe, I chose to use Hillshire Farm Turkey Smoked Sausage. It has great flavor and is very low in fat compared to the traditional beef smoked sausage. Take a look at the picture below to see the difference in the nutrition facts between the Hillshire Farm Turkey Smoked Sausage and the Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage. The turkey sausage has almost half of the calories and 1/3 of the fat, and because you are getting less fat, you are actually getting more protein! WIN!

And look at all them vegetables!

In this recipe, I used chopped red bell pepper, green bell pepper, onion, and potatoes. I chopped the veggies large…about 1/2-inch to 1-inch pieces. Something like this, but you can do whatever suits your fancy:

I used lite syrup.

I know, I know, it’s not the real thing.

Sorry, but it’s what I like,
so it’s what I buy,
so it’s what was in our house,
so it’s what I used.

I knew you would understand.

Oh, wait! One more thing!

One of the most popular recipe posts on Meal Planning Mommies was down for a while. After lots of time (days) wasted trying to resolve the problem and failing, I finally just recreated the post – word for word – picture for picture. It was the Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup (pictured below) that is zero blue and purple points per serving. The recipe was originally shared a few years ago. If you have been trying to get to the recipe and couldn’t, I apologize. Now you can.

I still can’t tell you for sure why the link was going to an error page, so that is frustrating. But at least now you can get to the recipe when you need it, so that is NOT frustrating!

Plus, the Copycat Beefy 5-Layer Burrito recipe is back up, using the same method. Thanks so much for your patience with me as I detect these issues on the site and resolve to fix them. And thank you to those of you who brought them to my attention.

Okay, no more talking, let’s start cooking…

Here is what you need:

1 pound potatoes (approximately 2 medium potatoes), peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
Cooking spray
13 ounce smoked turkey sausage, sliced
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 onion, largely chopped
1/4 cup reduced calorie syrup
2 tablespoons water

Here is what you do:

Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring water to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and cook for 10 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Drain the potatoes.

While potatoes are cooking, spray a large stir fry skillet with cooking spray and set over medium heat. Add sausage to the skillet and cook the sausage 3-4 minutes on both sides. Transfer sausage to a bowl or plate and set aside.

Pour the oil into the same stir fry skillet you used to cook the sausage. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the bell peppers and onion. Sauté the vegetables for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the potatoes and sausage in with the peppers and onion. Toss the stir fry with the syrup and water, until all ingredients are coated with the syrup.

Makes 6 servings.
One serving is 1 cup.
One serving is 5 green, 5 blue, and 4 purple points.

Print Recipe

4.34 from 3 votes

Lumberjack Maple Sausage Stir Fry

One serving is 5 green, 5 blue, and 4 purple points.

Makes: 6 servings

Calories: 200

Author: Alisha Hughes

Ingredients

• 1 pound potatoes (approximately 2 medium potatoes), peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
• Cooking spray
• 13 ounce smoked turkey sausage, sliced
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 onion, largely chopped
• 1/4 cup reduced calorie syrup
• 2 tablespoons water

Instructions

• Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring water to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and cook for 10 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Drain the potatoes.
• While potatoes are cooking, spray a large stir fry skillet with cooking spray and set over medium heat. Add sausage to the skillet and cook the sausage 3-4 minutes on both sides. Transfer sausage to a bowl or plate and set aside.
• Pour the oil into the same stir fry skillet you used to cook the sausage. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the bell peppers and onion. Sauté the vegetables for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add the potatoes and sausage in with the peppers and onion. Toss the stir fry with the syrup and water, until all ingredients are coated with the syrup.