Whole Wheat Pancakes...

I got this recipe from the WS.

1 large egg
1 C white whole wheat flour
1 C kefir or buttermilk
1 T pure maple syrup
3 T canola oil, melted butter or olive oil
1 T baking powder
1/4 t salt

Beat egg. Combine all ingredients. Heat gridle or electric skillet to about 375 and grease well. Ladle batter on pan and flip when the edges are cooked. Cook until golden brown.

I usually make double the recipe and freeze the leftovers, putting a piece of wax paper in between so they don't stick together.

Oriental Meatballs...

Tonight we're having Oriental Meatballs using meatballs I made and froze last month.

Here's the meatball recipe from Taste of Home's Quick Cooking magazine:

4 eggs
2 cups dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
4 pounds lean ground beef

In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add the next five ingredients. Add beef; mix well. Shape into 1 inch balls, about 12 dozen. Place in single layers in ungreased 15 x 10 x 1 inch baking pans. Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes until no longer pink, turning often; drain. Cool. Pace about 30 meatballs each into freezer containers. May be frozen for up to 3 months.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

1 can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks
1/3 cup water
3 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 batch of 30 meatballs
1 large green pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces

Hot cooked rice

Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Set pineapple aside. Add water to juice if needed to measure 1 cup; pour into a large skillet. Add 1/3 cup water, vinegar, soy sauce brown sugar and cornstarch. Stir until smooth. Cook over medium heat until thick, stirring constantly. Add pineapple, meatballs and green pepper. (I usually add red bell pepper as well.) Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until heated through. Serve over rice.

You can also add these meatballs to spaghetti sauce, or toss them with barbeque sauce and make meatball sandwiches.

A fast and a new recipe...

J went on a 10 day fast called the Daniel Fast. I was supposed to support him by eating a whole foods diet, but after that first morning I felt sick as a dog and rushed off to Burger King for a Whopper Jr., fries and Coke, lol.

Even though I failed miserably, the experience was wonderful for our family. As a result of the fast, I prayed daily for my husband's success, gave my children more fruits and veggies, and tried new whole foods products. Who knew the kids would love organic brown rice cakes w/honey? I am so thankful for my husband's godly leadership!

Anyway, here's Tam's famous Crockpot Granola recipe. I made some Wednesday, and we're having it for breakfast this morning.

5 cups of oats (not quick cooking)
1/2 cup of oil
1/2 cup of honey
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup coconut

Cook on low for 5 hours or until brown, stiring occasionally. The more you stir, the finer the consistency. ***Make sure you keep the cover cracked on the crockpot.***

You can serve it with milk, yogurt, fruit, etc. I usually sprinkle a few chocolate chips on mine. You can also make granola bars.

Granola Bars

Preheat oven to 350. Combine 2 beaten eggs wih 2 cups of crockpot granola. You can also add dried fruit and nuts (or some chocolate chips) in the 2 cup count.

Place in lightly greased 8x8 pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Cut into bars. Cool.

Ice Cream Sandwiches...

Last night we made ice cream sandwiches. They were yummy so we made some more this morning.

Here's the recipe:

1 quart vanilla ice cream

1 dozen fresh baked or store bought cookies

1 package candy sprinkles

Let cookies cool before beginning. Let ice cream sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes to soften. Place a scoop of ice cream on 6 cookies. Place second cookie on top creating a sandwich. Roll sides of ice cream sandwiches in candy sprinkles. Wrap each sandwich in waxed or parchment paper and return to the freezer for 1-2 hours to harden. Serves 6.

Here's what they look like before freezing:

These were a little too sweet for my taste, but the kids loved them and they were fun (and easy) to make.

Got bananas???

I had some bananas that were about to go bad. So today I made Banana Muffins to freeze. I get my muffin recipes from The Muffin Lady cookbook.

For breakfast I made Baked Banana Oatmeal. I got the recipe from JamieM at RGT. Here's the recipe:

3 cups old-fashioned oats
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 mashed banana
1/2 cup melted butter or oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup honey or pure maple syrup

Combine milk and oats. Soak overnight. Eight to twelve hours later, add the rest of the ingredients. Bake at 350 until lightly browned, about 30-45 minutes.

Serves 6-8, hot or cold, with our without milk.

Buttermilk Biscuits....

Last night for dinner I made ham, hash browns and broccoli. So today for breakfast we had ham and broccoli quiche, fruit and buttermilk biscuits.

Here's the biscuit recipe:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup shortening

2/3 cup buttermilk

In a bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tarter and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in margarine till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in center of dry mixture, then add milk all at once. Using a fork, stir until just moistened.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Quickly knead the dough by gently folding and pressing for 10 to 12 strokes or until dough is nearly smooth. Pat or lightly roll dough to 1/2 in ch thickness. Cut dough with floured biscuit cutter, dipping the cutter into flour between cuts. Place biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until done. Serve hot.

Learning how to use leftovers...

I've been trying to learn how to use up all our leftovers instead of throwing good food down the drain.

This week we had 5 leftover tortillas, leftover spaghetti sauce, and english muffins were on sale. I also had a 1 and 1/2 packages of sausage that had been on sale the week before.

Monday the kids and I made english muffin pizzas. We spread the leftover spaghetti sauce on the english muffins, sprinkled them with mozzerella cheese and baked them for 15 minutes.

Tuesday I made 9 breakfast sandwiches (english muffins, sausage, egg), wrapped them in foil and froze them for J to grab and eat for breakfast. I also made breakfast burritos with the leftover tortillas (flour tortilla, scrambled egg, sausage and a little salsa).

This is a great way to use leftovers and a great way to please your husband by keeping his tummy full!

Apple Crisp...

Thursday night we had friends over to eat Apple Crisp.

Here's the recipe:

sliced tart apples
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon

Cover bottom of baking dish with siced tart apples. Add water, then cover with blended butter, sugar, flour and cinnamon. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes. May be served hot or cold, with or without cream.

We serve it with ice cream.

Here's Jazzy using the apple peeler/corer/slicer:

Still trying to use the apples...

Friday I made Apple Bread.

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup nuts, diced (we omit these)
2 cups apples, diced
Sugar and cinnamon

Cream sugar & shortening. Add eggs. Sift together all dry ingredients except sugar & cinnamon and add to sugar and shortenig mixture. Blend. Add apples, nuts & vanilla. Place in a loaf pan. Sprinkle with sugar & cinnamon. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

We ate 1 loaf and I froze one for later.

Chicken Fajitas...

Today I made mashed potatoes and chicken fajitas to freeze. The fajita recipe is from a meal preparation place I used to go to stock my freezer. I tried to figure out the recipe with the help of a friend, but in the end I called and they were kind enough to give it to me.

Here's the recipe:

4 chicken breasts
1 cup sliced onions
1 cup sliced bell pepper
1/8 cup oil (I used olive oil)
1 Tbsp fajita seasoning
1 Tbsp lime juice

Put all ingredients in a freezer ziplock bag, seal, label and place in freezer. Unthaw and cook on the stovetop when you're ready to use. Serve with tortillas and toppings of your choice. Very easy (and good)!

Basic Quiche and Spinach Salad

Last night for dinner we had quiche using this recipe from Eyes of Wonder.

It was sooooo good!

I used to spend $200 on groceries and come home still complaining about having nothing to eat, but now that I am learning to cook from scratch using basic ingredients, I always have something I can whip up at home. That means no more midnight runs to the store for brownie mix!

It is funny that the more I cook, the more I enjoy cooking and trying new recipies. Did I just say I enjoy cooking?

We had french bread and spinach salad with dinner. Baby spinach greens tossed with mandarin oranges, sliced strawberries and kiwi. You can also add walnuts, but we didn't because Drew is allergic.

Another version is spinach greens, rasberries, blue cheese crumbles and walnuts.

Top with dressing of your choice.

Enchilada Casserole...

This morning we're making two pans of Enchilada Casserole. One will go in the fridge for tonight and the other will go in the freezer for later.

Here's the recipe:

1 med onion, chopped
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
4 cups shredded, cooked chicken
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (14.5 oz) whole peeled tmatoes, undrained and cut up
1 pkg (1.25 oz) taco seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder w/parsley
1 dozen medium corn tortillas
2 cans (2.5 oz each) sliced ripe olives, drained
3 cups (12 oz) grated Monterey Jack cheese

In a large skillet, saute onion in oil. Add chicken, tomato sauce, tomatoes,, taco seasoning and garlic powder; blend well. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer uncovered, 15 minutes.

In a 13x9x2 inch glass backing dish, place 4 corn tortillas. Pour 1/3 chicken mixture on tortillas, spreading evenly. Layer wit 1/3 of olives and 1/3 of cheese. Repeat layers 2 times, ending with cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until heated through and cheese melts. Makes 8-10 servings.

Mushroom Chicken...

I got this recipe from my 16 year old cousin. We had it last night and it is yummy!

Mushroom Chicken:
4 chicken breasts
1 cup mushrooms
¼ cup flour
6 tbsp butter, divided
½ cup chicken broth
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup sliced green onions (can use less)

Pound chicken to ¼ inch. Place flour in bag. Add chicken a few pieces at a time. Shake to coat. Melt 3 tbsp butter in pan. Brown chicken on both sides. Place in a greased 11x7 baking dish. Melt remaining butter in same pan. Sautee mushrooms. Add broth, salt and pepper and simmer 5 minutes or until liquid is reduced to half. Pour over chicken. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until juice runs clear. Sprinkle with cheese & green onion. Bake 5 more minutes until cheese is melted.

Crockpot pork loin...

This morning I put pork loin in the crock pot. Tonight we're having it w/mashed potatoes and veggies. Tomorrow we'll have it shredded on a bun for barbecue sandwiches. If there's any left after that it can be used in burritos or quesadillas.

Here's the recipe:

1 4-5 pound pork loin
3/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1. Place meat in slow cooker.
2. In a small bowl combine vinegar, brown sugar, salt, red pepper and black pepper. Pour over meat.
3. Cook on low heat for 10-12 hrs or on high heat for 5-6 hours.

U.S. Flag Cake...

Here's a picture of the U.S. flag cake we made today:


It's not technically accurate, but it gave us a chance to discuss the flag. It also looks much better when the strawberries in each row are about the same size and facing the same direction. But I had "help" this time and didn't want to be too nitpicky.

Anyway, it's simple to make:

Box of yellow cake mix cooked according to directions
Tub of white frosting, stirred and put on cake
Top w/blueberries and strawberries

Eating in...

J and I are Dave Ramsey fans and we're working hard to reduce expenses and pay off our van and home. One area we need to drastically reduce is eating out, thus my goal of eating home 6 nights a week. This will be my first month following our montly menu. A friend sent me the list of restaurants where kids eat free (thank you!) so I penciled in a few nights out as well.

Last night I made Noodle Salad: salad greens, cooked macaroni noodles, chopped tomatoes, chopped eggs, green peas, shredded cheese, chopped ham and shredded carrots all tossed together and topped with Ranch dressing. I served it with cheese bread.

Tonight we're having lasagna. The kids and I made 2 big pans this morning by following the recipie on the box of noodles and tweaking it a bit. One pan is in the fridge and will be cooked tonight. The other is in the freezer for next month's lasagna day.

This afternoon the Jazzy and I made Quesadillas: flour tortillas topped with shredded cheese and taco meat and folded in half. You can also fill them with black beans, refried beans, shredded beef, shredded pork, shredded chicken, fajita meat, anything you desire. It's a great way to use leftovers. Wrap them individually in foil, place in a big ziplock bag and stick in the freezer. Later, pull out the amount you want, unwrap, place on a baking pan and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes for a quick lunch or dinner.

A stocked freezer is a busy mom's best friend!

Sandwich Ring

Here's a picture of a sandwich ring that I learned how to make at a Pampered Chef party:


It's a little darker than I would have liked, but I took it to a church meeting last night and everyone said, "Oh this is good!" and "Where'd you buy that?"

To make:

• Buy two rolls of Pillsbury french bread loaf. (It's in the refridgerator section near the biscuits.)

• Place the rolls on a pan and pinch the ends together to make a circle. (I use a pizza stone.)

• Bake as directed.

• Cut the loaf in half and remove the top.

• Add the sandwich fillings. (I used ham, turkey, swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo and honey mustard.)

• Replace the top and you're done!