Recipe: Easy Quinoa

For Alexa

• Bring 1 and 1/4 cups liquid (water or broth) to a boil.
• Add 1 cup rinsed Quinoa and give it a good stir.
• Let Boil for about a min, then cover and reduce heat to simmer.
• Let simmer for about 20 min or until water is gone.
• Then add a little butter and fluff with a fork.

Recipe: Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf

Earlier this week I made this meatloaf.

Only being me, I just used it as a jumping off place and changed it to suit our families tastes and they ingredients we had on hand. So here's what we did.

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup whole wheat Saltine crackers ground fine
  
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
  
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup finely grated carrots
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
  
• 6 ounces shredded Colby Jack cheese
• 2 slices of bread
  
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 Tablespoons barbecue sauce
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. In a bowl, mix the milk, cracker crumbs, seasoning, pepper, carrots, onions, garlic and eggs.
   
3. Fold the ground turkey and shredded cheese into the mixture
4. Place bread on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Top the bread with the turkey mixture and shape into a loaf.
   
5. In a small bowl mix ketchup, barbecue sauce and brown sugar. Top the loaf with mixture.
   
6. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven or to an internal temperature of 170 degrees.
7. Cover with foil and let rest for 5 to 10 min.

It went over well. Greyson in particular loved it! He ate a slice and a half.

Recipe: Spinach and Pepperoni Pizza

While I was searching the inter-webs for dinner ideas I came across this: http://blog.superhealthykids.com/giveaways/2010/12/17/spinach-pizza-and-no-whine-with-dinner-giveaway/

It sounded great and I'm always looking for a way to get more spinach into my family so I gave it a try. I made some tweaks based on what I had on hand, and instead of a stuffed pizza I just made it as a regular pizza.

It was so yummy and beautiful to boot! Too bad I didn't take a photo of it!

• 1 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 1 TBL extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 packages of Jiffy pizza crust mix (which I then prepared)
  
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• About 10 slices deli pepperoni (they were large slices) cut into thin strips
  
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
  
• Freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425°. Drain the spinach in a colander. Press with the back of a large spoon and pat with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Set aside.
2. Prepare the Pizza Crust as directed on the box.
   
3. Place 2 tsps. of the oil in the center of pizza pan. Roll the dough until it’s completely coated. Use your fingers to gently stretch the dough (or unroll it) until it covers the entire baking sheet. Pre-bake for 3 min.
   
4. In a bowl, stir together the spinach, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, pepperoni, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and a few cranks of pepper until well combined.
5. Spread the spinach mixture evenly over the wider bottom half of the crust, leaving a 1/2 inch boarder.
   
6. Bake until the crust is golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Serve with Pizza Sauce for dipping!

(Greyson LOVED this and ate nearly 2 slices!)

Recipe: Banana Bread

Greyson and I LOVE this bread. The first time I made it we ate a whole loaf in one afternoon. By the next morning both loaves were gone. YUM!

Ingredients

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
  
• 1/2 cup cinnamon applesauce
  
• 3 very ripe mashed bananas
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup cane sugar (I did 1/2 white sugar and 1/2 organic cane)
  
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Spray one 9x5 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray coating.
2. Blend together the eggs, yogurt, applesauce and bananas.
3. Sift together the sugars, flour, baking soda and salt. Add to banana mixture. Mix well.
4. Pour into prepared loaf pan and sprinkle chocolate chips over the top.
5. Bake 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Recipe: Crock Pot Chicken Tagine

I loved this dish - the balance of sweet and heat was great!
I used this recipie as my jumping off place: http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/chicken-tagine/Detail.aspx

But in true little m fashion I did not really follow the recipe. Here's what I ended up doing

• 3 small chicken breasts
• 1 container of plain yogurt
• 3 TBS Patak's Mild Curry Paste
• 1 chicken bullion packet
  
• 1/2 cup cherry or grape tomatoes (I used a mix of red and yellow)
• 6 dried apricots cuts into strips
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1 large sweet potato cut into bite sized pieces
• 3 carrots diced into coins
  
• 1/2 onion chopped and slightly caramelized
  
• Squeeze lemon juice (maybe a TBS)
• 1 inch piece of fresh ginger diced
  

1. Marinade the chicken in the yogurt overnight or for at least 3 hours. (I just laid the chicken on a plate and topped it with the yogurt, covered it with plastic wrap and put in the fridge 1st thing in the morning)
2. Put carrots on the bottom of the crock pot and top with chicken (still coated in yogurt) and then add the onions, sweet potoates, apricots, cranberries and tomatoes.
3. Wisk the bullion, lemon juice, ginger and curry paste with one cup hot water and pour over everything.
4. Let cook on low for 6-7 hours or until the veggies are soft and the chicken shreds easily.
5. Serve over couscous.
   

Dinner Tonight: Beef Stir-Fry with Veggies over Quinoa

I love stir-fry, but sometimes it doesn't turn out right. The beef is tough, the sauce is weird, something is just "off". Luckily tonight it worked out and was yummy! Here's the recipe.

- 1.5lbs beef strips marinated for 5 hours
Marinade: (sorry no measurements) some soy sauce, some honey Dijon mustard, Worcester sauce, garlic powder and powdered ginger.
- 1/2 lb of asparagus cut into 4 inch pieces
- 3 carrots cut into matchsticks
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 2 tbs soy sauce
- 2 tbs balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbs orange juice
- 1 tbs brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp powdered ginger
- corn starch to thicken

1. Stir fry the beef strips until almost done then set aside on plate.
2. Drain off any liquid in pan and then added veggies and cook until tender-crisp.
3. Add the beef and the next 7 ingredients, toss to coat.
4. Push beef and veggies to the side of the pan and add corn starch to thicken the sauce.
5. Coat beef and veggies with sauce and serve over quinoa.

Recipe: Baked Veggie Wrap

I had some veggies that I needed to use as well as a container of crescent rolls that needed to be used so here's what I made. Much to my surprise everyone like it!

• 1 Large Sweet Potato
• 1 Baking Potato
• 1/2 Onion
• 2 Carrots
• 1 Cup Fresh Broccoli Florets
  
• 1/2 Cup of Ricotta Cheese
• 1/2 Cup Shredded Italian Cheese Mix
• 2 TBS Honey Dijon Mustard
• 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 container of Crescent Rolls

Dice up the veggies (except the broccoli) and saute them until tender crisp. In a large bowl mix all the ingredients together and place in the middle of the rolled out crescent roll. Pull the edges of the crescent roll over the veggie mix and seal. Spray with cooking spray and bake until browned. Slice and serve.

Recipe: Oatmeal Balls

I got the recipe from another mom on a messages board, but modified it for my little guy!

There are no measurements - It's all done by feel. Maybe next time I'll try to measure...maybe.

• Quick Cooking Oats
• Pureed Fruits or Veggies
• Black-strap Molasses
  
• Spices
• Ground Flax Seed or Baby Oatmeal
  

Pour the pureed fruits and veggies into a large mixing bowl. I used 1 container of babyfood squash and one of carrots plus about a 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce. Heat in microwave for 45-60 seconds until hot enough to "cook" the oats.

Start spooning in quick cooking oats and stirring until it becomes a sticky paste.

Add about 2 Tbs of molasses and spices. I used a good shake of Pumpkin Pie Spice. At this point I also added a few TBS of ground flax seed.

If it ever feels needed put the bowl back in the microwave for 30 sec to really get the oatmeal cooked. I did this a few times.

Then start rolling the mixture into balls and then rolling in ground flax seed, baby oatmeal or a mixture of both. The mixture will be VERY sticky, but the oatmeal/flax makes it better. I rolled them into tablespoon sized balls, but next time I will make them the size of gumballs, it might be easier for him to eat.

You can serve these raw or bake them for a few min at 350 to firm them up. We like them better baked.

These balls make a great snack and help get some whole grains, omega 3s, iron and some fruits and veggies into my toddler. I'm already thinking about all the variations I can make.

Recipie: Turkey Pot Pie - The Easy Way

I love a good Pot-Pie. And given the time and ingredients I can make a real, from scratch Pot-Pie. Tonight, however, I did not have that kind of time - or ingredients. So instead I made a Turkey Pot Pie - The Easy Way!

• 2 cups (approx) cubed cooked turkey (Really what ever turkey/chicken you have leftover)
• 1 bag frozen frozen veggies (I used this one and pulled out the Snap Peas)
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 package Country Gravy (prepared)
• 1 pie crust (I only had one, but it would be better with two)

Heat oven to 350 combine all the ingredients in casserole dish and top with pie crust. If you have 2 crusts then place on the bottom as well as the top.
Bake until the crust is browned.

So easy, so yummy!

Recipe: Eggs in Sauce

Every time I make this we say "why don't we make this more often?" It's so good and easy!

• 2 cans tomato sauce (enough to cover the bottom of large saute pan about 3/4 inch)
  
• 4 eggs
• 2 Tbs Ricotta cheese
• Italian Seasoning

Pour tomato sauce into skillet, season and heat. Once heated through crack eggs into sauce, spaced around the saute pan so each egg has space to poach. Cover and cook until eggs are cooked through.

Serve eggs with sauce and a dollop of ricotta. Great with cheese toast!

Recipe: Pasta Bake

Pasta Bake is always a big hit here - I started out just using meat, sauce and pasta. Now I add veggies, because the more veggies I can get into my family the better!

• 1 jar pasta sauce (I use Prego Traditional)
• 1 box Piccolini Wagon Wheel Pasta
• 1 small yellow onion - diced
• 1 zucchini - grated on the large holes of a box grater
• 2 carrots - grated on the large holes of a box grater
• 1 cup shredded Italian cheese
• Italian Seasoning
• Parsley - finely chopped
• 2 pounds ground beef or 1 pound ground beef and 1 pound ground turkey

Put a little oil in a large skillet and add the onion then the beef. Cook until meat is browned then add sauce and shredded veggies. Stir to combine. At the same time cook the pasta according to directions on box.
Combine pasta and sauce mixture. Pour into 2 casserole dishes. Sprinkle cheese, Italian Seasoning and Parsley over top of both dishes.

Bake one at 350 until the cheese is melted and a little crispy. Cover the other and freeze for later!

Two meals at once!

Meal Review: Breakfast For Dinner!

We did breakfast for dinner tonight and it got rave reviews from Michael! I think it was the best received meal I've made in a long time.

Menu:
Sausage Quiche
Skillet Potatoes
Pioneer Women's Cinnamon Toast

Sausage Quiche
5 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded Swiss Cheese
6 Maple Sausage Links cut into 6ths
Salt and Pepper
Paprika
1 store bought pie crust

Cook sausage in skillet until cooked through. Mix everything together and pour into pie crust. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 min then turn down to 350 and cook for another 30 min.


Skillet Potatoes
6 BB sized Red Potatoes diced
1 TBS of oil
Salt and Pepper
Paprika
Dash of Chipotle Pepper
Sprig Rosemary

Heat oil in skillet over med-high heat. Add potatoes and spices. Stir and cook until done, about 30 min.

It was such a yummy meal, maybe not the healthiest but yummy none the less!

Five Stars! *****

Recipe: Crock Pot Sloppy Joes

I modified this Sloppy Joe Recipe today and really liked how it came out. It's an easy meal and went over really well with my 16 month old, who ate just as much of it as I did!

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1/2 yellow onion - diced
  
• 1/2 red bell pepper - diced
• 2 cloves of garlic - crushed and chopped
• 2/3 cup ketchup
  
• 1/3 cup barbecue sauce
• 1 tbs honey dijon mustard
• chili powder to taste (I used about 2 tsp.)
  
• shake of worcester sauce
• pepper to taste
• 2 tbs quick cooking oats
• 1/2 cup water
  

In a skillet with just a dash of olive oil (or Pam) brown the ground turkey, onion and pepper. When almost browned add garlic. Transfer turkey mix to crock pot and add all put the last two ingredients.

Return the skillet to heat and deglaze the pan with the 1/2 cup of water. Add the oats and cook until soft. Pour the oats and water into crock pot. Stir well and let simmer on low for 3-4 hours.

Serve on whole wheat hamburger bun with 1/2 slice of provolone cheese.

Not only was this really good, but it makes for a budget friendly meal too!

Recipe: Easy and Yummy Granola Bars

We downed these bars! Even Greyson loves them. Little chewy, a little crunchy, all yummy! Plus, I can't eat store bought Granola Bars, so this is a great find.

3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (skim or fat-free works great)
1 tablespoons butter, melted
3 to 4 cups "mix-ins" (nuts, dried fruit, coconut, chocolate chips)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 9x13 inch pan with Parchment Paper. Put sealed can of sweetened condensed milk in dish of hot water while preparing everything else.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, warmed sweetened condensed milk, butter and "mix-ins" until well blended. Press flat into the prepared pan.

3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, depending on how crunchy you want them. Lightly browned just around the edges will give you moist, chewy bars. Let cool for 5 minutes, cut into squares then let cool completely before serving.

Recipe: Mini Meatball Subs

I was searching the net looking for a good meatball recipe and found this one. It looked good so I gave it a go - with some modifications.

• 1 pound Ground Beef
• 1/4 cup Diced Onion
• 1/4 cup Diced Red Pepper
• 1/4 cup Fresh Parsley
  
• 1/2 cup Bread Crumbs (5 Ritz crackers, the rest toast)
  
• 1 Egg
• 1 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce
• A good shake of garlic powder
• A few grinds of Sea Salt
• A few grinds of Pepper
• Jar Pasta Sauce
• 1/4 cup mixed Mozzarella and Parmesan Cheese
  
• 4 Hawaiian Sweet Rolls cut in half

Pre-heat oven to 350. Mix first 10 ingredients and form into meat balls. I got 12 balls from this recipe. Place in 9x13 baking dish and bake for 20 min. Heat pasta sauce in large skillet and stir meatballs to sauce. Cook for another 20 min. or until cooked through.

Push down in the center of both halves of the Sweet Rolls forming wells. Fill wells with a little sauce a sprinkle of cheese. Add Meatball to 1 side of each roll. Place rolls on baking dish and bake for 5 min. or until the cheese is melted. Place top of the roll on the meatball and press down. The Meatball is incased in the roll now.

This reheats great!

I took the rest of the sauce and meatballs an stirred them up to make meat sauce for the next day.

Recipe: Awesome Everything Sandwich

This is a favorite sandwich of mine. It does take a little time to make, but it is worth it. It is a little different every time because I base it on what ever we happen to have in the fridge. Here is what was on the sandwich today.

• A thinly sliced Apple, Pear and Carrot - I just use a veggie peeler and shaved off strips
• 1/2 Avocado for 2 sandwiches
  
• 1 slice Peppered Turkey Breast per sandwich
  
• 1 slice Brown Sugar Ham per sandwich
• 1 slice of Colby Jack Cheese per sandwich
  
• 1/2 slice Swiss Cheese per sandwich
  

Assemble all ingredients on whole wheat toast brushed with a little, tiny bit of olive oil.

No need for mayo or mustard because all the flavor is in the fruits and veggies. I try always to do avocado and apples. This was the first time I'd used pears and it turned out well. Sometimes I add lettuce, cucumber or tomato. It all depends on what is one hand. It's always a winner.

Recipe: Lightly Smushed Potatoes

This is a quick, easy and fairly healthy way to prepare potatoes. Plus with BB sized Potatoes on sale for 59 cents a pound they are really budget friendly.

• Bring a pot of lightly salted water to boil
• Wash 8 BB sized Potatoes. I do 4 each of reds and yellows
• Cut Potatoes into 4ths (leaving the skins on) and add to water
• Boil until fork tender
• Drain Water and return to stove
• Add 1 tbs Butter, a drizzle of Olive Oil and a few grinds of Sea Salt and Pepper
• Stir until the edges of the Potatoes are roughed up and serve

The hands on-time for these spuds are much less then the mashed variety and the final product is just as tasty.

Recipie: Sweet Tomatoes and Sauages

I watched Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution today and was inspired to check out some of his recipes. The only meat in the fridge today was Italian Sausages so I decided to make this: Jamie's Sweet Cherry Tomato and Sausage Bake.

I didn't really have all the ingredients so I made my own version, based on what I had on hand. So here is my "Sweet Tomatoes and Sausages" recipe:

• Preheat the oven to 375.
• In a small dish mix a few shakes of Thyme and Oregano, a few grinds of Sea Salt and Pepper and 2 cloves of minced Garlic.
• In a 8x8 baking dish lay out 3 Italian Sausages and pour a pint of grape tomatoes over them.
• Then drizzle with Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar, tossing to coat.
• Sprinkle Herb mixture over the Sausage and Tomatoes and bake in the oven for 30 min.
• Turn the Sausages over and give everything a good stir.
• Bake for another 20 min. then remove from oven.
• Remove Sausages from pan and put the Tomato mixture over the burner and cook while stirring until the juices thicken up to desired consistency.
• Pour the Tomato mixture over the Sausages and serve with Lightly Smushed Potatoes.

This was a seriously good recipe. I've never baked Sausages before, but they were great! I also used a different brand of Sausage and was pleased to find these weren't too greasy. The sweetness of the Tomatoes mixed with the Balsamic was the perfect accompaniment to the Sausages. Even Michael seemed to like it and it featured tomatoes not in Salsa form.

Recipe: Turkey Burgers

I want to start by fessing up. You may have noticed that Turkey Burgers make the meal plan often - but yesterday was the first time I've actually made them! It seems that about once a week we have one meal that gets kicked out of the rotation for one reason or another, lately it's been the turkey burgers. Probably because they are really best grilled and until this week it has been too cold to grill.

I started with this recipe from Martha Stewart. Then I changed it to fit our tastes and what I had on hand.


I started with about 1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese, 1lbs ground turkey breast (normally I'd do the plain ground turkey, but I had a coupon), 3 green onions chopped into coins, 2 cloves of garlic chopped up, Honey Dijon Mustard, Salt and Pepper. In the bowl is one hot dog bun crumbled up. I never have bread crumbs on hand, so I just made my own.


I just mixed all the ingredients together. I don't think I used anywhere near 1/4 cup of mustard, I just made a few squiggles of it over the rest of the mixture.


Next I made the patties. We have this patty maker that I adore. It makes every burger cook evenly and with turkey burgers it really helps them to keep their shape. This batch made 4 good sized burgers and 3 mini burgers for Greyson


I tossed them on the grill. I grill pretty much everything on the second rack. Make sure to oil the grates, it makes flipping them later much easier! Each sides get 3-4 min to cook, then the burgers are moved further from the flames for another 10ish min, until they reach 165 degrees.


I served them with sweet potato fries (from frozen this time, not homemade...) and a spinach salad.

I thought they turned out well. Flavorful and with a good consistency.

Morgan's Chicken Curry

I don't know if this qualifies as a "recipe" as I didn't measure anything, I don't have cooking times, etc. This is an entirely "by feel and temperament" process.

Here's how it goes:

Over the weekend I prepped this first step. So the chopped onion (about 1/4 of one since Michael doesn't like onions) and pepper (1/2 red bell pepper) were tossed into the skillet with a little oil. I sauteed them for a while and then added the bite sized pieces of chicken breast (also cut up over the weekend - approx one and a half large breasts).

Then I added 2 large spoonfuls of curry paste.

In my opinion this is the BEST curry paste out there. It's warm, but not too hot. You can taste all the spices along with a little tomato that really makes it pop. Unfortunately I can only find it at World Market these days. So I bought two jars this week just in case it get even harder to find.


Let simmer until the chicken is cooked through. Then add some coconut milk. I've done it with a whole can, but this time I used what was left in the can after 1 cup was used for the rice.


Then I added some chopped up carrots, a few sprigs of broccoli and a can of sliced water chestnuts and 1/4 cup water and simmered until the veggies were tender-crisp and the sauce was thickened.


Serve with Rice and enjoy!