Don'tcha Want Some Matcha

I am a mother of four, and as such, I am usually lacking in the area of mental focus and energy. This leaves me longing for a shot of caffeine, which couldn't be worse for my health. I do take multi-vitamins and drink Shakeology, but it doesn't always cut through the fog. Therefore, I am a huge fan of the antioxidants found in green tea powder. Now, the problem comes from me being Latter-Day Saint and not drinking fermented drinks! So, how do I get the benefits from all natural green tea, without the fermented process? Two words ... Matcha Powder

Matcha, pronounced MA-cha, is from Camellia sinensis and it has not been through the fermented process. When it is ground into a fine powder, it can be added to any recipe for a natural boost to the metabolism, increased focus, and fight against the aging process.

I was given a package of Organic Matcha from Kiss Me Organics and urged to try it with several recipes. This product is ONLY available on Amazon. I am putting a link up here, and then down at the bottom of my page for easier ordering!



The first thing I noticed in their shake recipes was they only use 2 tsp of Matcha. The don't have Shakeology on there, so I made my own. I used one scoop of Strawberry Shakeology (regular), 2 tsp Matcha, 1 cup milk, and 1/2 cup of ice. Put it all in the blender and mixed until smoothe. I must say, it was mighty tasty!

After that, I decided to try a few more recipes. I made the orange cocktail, butter cookies, and honey butter (extraordinary yummy) to go on some homemade biscuits!

Orange Matcha Cocktail

So, what's my verdict?

Matcha is completely worth the investment. A little goes a LONG way so make sure you don't scoop with a heavy hand. I have enjoyed the benefits that come with the green tea, without having to sacrifice my beliefs with fermented beverages. I also love that I can have the health benefits of green tea, without consuming green tea!

Note, the daily dose of Organic Matcha is 1/2 to 1 tsp a day. The powder has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not designed to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or disorder. Please consult with a physician if you are taking any medication or have a health condition. While I saw results with the product, results may vary. However, it is 100% guaranteed for the first 30-days!

Awesomely easy crockpot "candied" yams

I have no shame in admitting that I am a lazy cook. I abhor standing over the stove getting steam burns on my hands, stirring the gravy until the cows come home. I also dislike waiting for hard winter vegetables and yams to soften. What is worse, I LOVE the foods! So, what do I do?

Two Words ... CROCK POT

Yes, people. I admit. I am a FIRM believer in the crock pot. In fact, that is one of the BIGGEST reasons I follow Stacey Makes Cents. I have a secret girl crush on her ability to turn simple ingredients into amazing food.

Tonight's meal: Pork Loin served with candied yams and creamed corn

So, pork loin was cooked earlier because my dear husband is a rock star and cooks the meat the day he buys it. Divides it all up, puts it in freezer bags and vacuumed bags (depending on when the meal will be), and calls it good. Knocks a whopping 20 minutes off of meal time (score).

Yams - I love sweet potatoes. I really do. I didn't used to. My mom (and grandmother) will tell you that it was a fight to get me to eat a couple bites of the sweet potatoes when I was younger. I have no idea when that changed, but the smell and taste of sweet potatoes now gets my mouth watering. Okay, moving on. So ... yam usually take forever to soften. Read above, dislike waiting. Here is my tried and true recipe for crock pot "candied" yams. (if you don't want them candied, reduce the sugar and add apple juice - nom nom nom - will have to post that recipe later)

4-5 medium to large yams (I only had small yams so we used 8)
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon (do.not.skip)
3 TBS flour
4 oz butter

Peel the yams and then cut them into chunks. Place them in the bottom of the crock pot. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together (you can throw in some salt if you want but my pork and the creamed corn had plenty of salt). Sprinkle over the yams. Cut the butter up into "dots" and place around on top of the yams and sugar. Put lid on top. Cook on High for 2 hours and then Low for 2 hours (you can also do Low for 7 hours, but I am at home and can reset the cooking level).

When it is done cooking ... drizzle the flour over the yams, take a hand mixer (or a potato masher) and blend. DONE, eat ... let your taste buds dance.

Perfect Butterscotch Toffee Cookies

Many people have seen this pin (I have seen it on Facebook AND Pinterest:

Handle the Heat

I went to Handle the Heat's Ultimate Guide to the Chocolate Chip Cookie and decided that I was going to test out some of the experiments for myself. Tessa (owner of Handle the Heat) changed up the Nestle Toll House Cookie recipe by changing the amounts of baking soda, baking powder, sugar types and flour. You really should read her entire post about it.



I didn't want chocolate chip cookies though, I wanted Butterscotch Toffee cookies. SO, I took the recipe and made these alterations to it.

Butterscotch Toffee Cookies

2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large egg
1 8oz bag of toffee chips
1 11oz bag of butterscotch chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Line baking sheets with nonstick baking mats or parchment paper.
In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.
In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla, beating well to combine. Gradually beat in the flour mixture. Stir in the chips.

Yummy cookie dough

Scoop 1 1/2 tablespoon-sized balls and place onto prepared baking sheets.
Bake for  8 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

 

YUMMY (very hard not to eat them all at once)

So, what was my thoughts on the cookie experiment? With a gas stove the cookies spread a lot thinner with the 1/2 and 1/2 mix on the baking soda, I plan to do a touch more baking powder next time. Other than that, they were PERFECT! Thank you, Tessa!!

New Week ... Sorta on Vacation!

It's Monday which means it is a fresh week to get stuff done. I am technically on vacation until January, except I will still be writing. I'm bummed because I will miss the kids I watch but they have assured me I am to come over so they can play with the baby. *laugh*


I felt super productive yesterday morning. I got the house cleaned back up, dishes caught up, made breakfast AND dinner! Now I have the drive to get some things done this week. I think. =)

Tonight's meal will be Ham & Potato Soup using the Plan To Eat meal planner. I am in LOVE with this planner! It is SO simple. You can even import recipes from online so you don't have to type them up. You drop the meal into the planner and it will give you a shopping list. Heck YES! Thanks to Stacy Makes Cents for showing me this menu planner. It has made my life SUPER easy.

The only downside for today ... is it is SUPER hard to stay in the holiday spirit when it is 70 degrees outside! I am sure there are a few people *cough, cough, Candy* who are not complaining in the least. ;)

Delicious Ham and Potato Soup

Source: allrecipes.com

Course: Soup

Prep Time: 20 Min
Cook Time: 25 Min
Total Time: 45 Min

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
• 1/3 cup diced celery
• 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
• 3/4 cup diced cooked ham
• 3 1/4 cups water
• 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk

Directions

1. Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.
2. In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 195
Fat: 10.5g
Cholesterol: 30mg
Sodium: 394mg
Sugar: 3.8g
Carbohydrate: 19.5g
Fiber: 1.9g
Protein: 6.1g

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Eventful Day

I'm proud to say that today was not a mundane Monday! While I am still in pain, my doctor called to change my prescription so I am hopeful for healing in the near future!


I get to make the official announcement today, and I'm all giddy inside. I have never been ashamed to show my geeky side. I get a rush of being able to fix my own computer, know the ins and outs of my phones (previously PDAs), be able to work in command line, and have the ability to write up to 82 words per minute. Why am I not ashamed? Because that is how my father raised me. Computers and technology has been in my life since I was very young and I am SO thankful of that. I am SO thankful that I was able to work at Computing & Network Services at KSU for a few years. Finally, I am SO thankful that I have a husband who is more geeky than I so I continue to strive to learn more. So where does that leave me? It leaves me as one of the authors for an up and coming tech blog!!! I am SO stinking excited I can hardly contain myself! I will be submitting about two articles a week, but it is unclear what order they will be posted as there are other authors. You can find my blogs in the mobile and family tech areas! Check it out at The High Tech Society!

In other news, I was able to get some granola bars made for my family. The recipe I used was from Savoring the Thyme, but I am going to be tweaking it. So, here is my tweaked recipe!

5 Ingredient Peanut Butter Granola Bars (Yield 12-16 granola squares)
3 1/2cups rolled oats
1/2 cup unsalted peanuts, chopped
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter, melted
1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter, melted
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup karo syrup

1 cup of add ins!
chocolate chips
wheat germ
flaxseed
dried fruit
other nuts
seeds
coconut

In a large bowl, combine oats, chia seeds and peanuts. Add brown rice syrup (or honey) and mix to combine. Add melted peanut butter and mix until moistened. This works as a perfect, simple granola bar, but you can also throw in any add-ins at this time. Fold them into the dough. You may need to get in there with your hands and work the granola dough! If dough is still too dry (this can depend on your ingredients) add more peanut butter or syrup (or honey) 1 tablespoon at a time until moistened.
Press dough in a greased (non-stick spray) 9 x 13 baking dish and refrigerate for 60 minutes.

Jr Iron Chef Competition!

SO ... I didn't get this blogged immediately after the event, actually it is just over a week after the event. However, I am now getting it all done and posted for you. Sorry about the delay.
Peanut caught wind about a cooking competition when I was talking to a few friends about the possibility of it occurring. Peanut was pumped and once we got the green light, we immediately took to finding a team! I asked our 4-H Club and our home school group. The home school group was VERY quick at the bite and we formed a team in just about a day. Due to Jeremy's anxiety attack, Peanut missed the first meeting where they formed a recipe (however, us moms had been tossing ideas around on Facebook) but she was quick to make up lost time. The kids decided on quesadillas but we later decided to omit the cheese because we wanted it lactose-intolerant friendly. This meant we needed to change the name of the dish ... the kids and parents came up with Chickadillas with Summer Salsa-Slaw! The recipe will be posted at the end of the blog.

We made the kids make the dish MANY times to make sure they knew their jobs, that they could do it without our help, and get the feel of working with others.

We held several practices so they would know what to do

While working with the children, we learned they had very special talents. One of our boys is an aspiring baker and loves to pipe. With that knowledge, we decided to scrap putting the sour cream on the dish. We tweaked the final design for the competition to be minimal but unique design.

The original design!

The day of the competition, she learned so much. They had fun, they were interviewed by KMBC television news reporter, Kelly Eckerman, they learned to work together and ask question, they all learned how to use new utensils, and how to handle loss gracefully!

Making new friends

Learning NOT to touch our glasses with our hands that we touch food with!

So You Think You Can Cook team

Our little chef!

Cooking is SO much fun!

She learned how to use new tools!

Participated in many elements of making the dish

Helping make the dish pretty

Chickadillas with Summer Salsa-Slaw

So from all the support group of So You Think You Can Cook ... thanks for supporting us behind the scenes, offering words of encouragement, and making sure all family members who wanted to come (and were available) got to the competition safely!

Competitors, Staff, and supporters!

Oh, and we were on television! You can check it out by following this link!

http://www.kmbc.com/news/kansas-city/Young-people-compete-in-Junior-Iron-Chef-challenge/-/11664182/15156214/-/s2dbit/-/index.html

My Green Smoothies

The newest addiction in this house are green smoothies. I make them when I am running low on energy because it is the fastest way to get fruits and veggies into my system. I USED to make them one at a time and made enough for two, but it was hard because sometimes it would make enough for three or four. Then, along came my wonderful and smart older sister. You could say she is practically perfect in every way. She blogged, here, about how she makes green smoothies and puts the extra in a muffin pan. Then she freezes them and uses one each time she wants a smoothie and adds a cup of coconut water. I also enjoy adding a little more fruit, say a banana or a Honey Crisp Apple.


When I made the recipe last, I made a few changes due to foods I had on hand. I am going to post the recipe that I used but remember that green smoothies are what you make them to be. *smile*

Green Smoothies

• 2 cups coconut water (I used plain coconut water for this part)


• 1/3 cup almonds


• 2 cups spinach


• 1 medium cucumber, chopped


• 1/4 cup fresh mint


• 1 Clementine Orange


• 1 tablespoon honey


• 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder


• 2 cups frozen mango cubes

1. Place in blender in order the ingredients are listed. Blend until smooth.

Well, what would you have done?!

Today, today being yesterday since I am writing this after midnight making today really my tomorrow ... I digress, today did NOT go as I had originally planned. See, I woke this morning having this wonderful plan all worked out in my mind. I would go run a few errands, which I did and got done early. Then I would do some schooling, which we did and the kids went outside to play in this beautiful weather. Then I would take a 15 minute phone call ... sccrreeeccchhhh.

Yup, you guessed it, the first snag. That 15 minute phone call was anything but. There was WAY too much information that needed to be gone over and then of course we had the Monkey squawking in the background because SHE was tired. An hour later, I got off the phone, ran to the library to meet a friend and then back home. It was SIX PM. YIKES. I was expecting to have dinner done, Family Home Evening Started, and the smell of dough rising in the background. Totally didn't happen. And I was upset. I was upset with myself for thinking I could get everything done that I needed to without much prep work, upset with my family for not pitching in and helping make it work, just upset. Tempers flair, I nearly get burned by exploding food on the stove because I forgot to clean the stove after the kids made lunch, and I threw a container of roast beef and some bread on the freezer and said "have at it." Yup, like I said ... upset. So, hubby did the smart thing and just went to bed without saying anything to me (I say this is smart because NOTHING he would have said could have diffused the situation at all - just listen to Jeff Foxworthy or Bill Engvall if you disagree). I sent the kids to bed 30 minutes early for failure to do their chores, and a few other things. And then put Monkey to sleep. I was still super upset and was crying off and on about all of this and finally decided that I needed to do something. I got up and went into the kitchen. I was avoiding the fridge at all costs because bad things lurk in that fridge after 7pm, they are called CALORIES! Then I remember that my dear friend brought over some tea, herbal tea .... ROOBIOS tea. I put the pot on the stove and grabbed a couple bags for my tea, KNOWING that would just calm me down. Then it hit me, *I* promised to make two dozen cookies last month at a meeting for church for this month. That meeting would be .... tomorrow night. Awesome. I can't make cookies tomorrow because my day is already jammed packed with home school activities. So, now I am up at midnight making cookies. I grabbed 2 sticks of butter and while those were softening, I grabbed my tea and sat to do some work. Got a resume done, wound down, and am already feeling LOADS better. Now off to make cookies.

I can't make cookies without grabbing grandma's cookbook. Her famous Chocolate Chip Cookies are in there! I made these cookies over Christmas but I haven't had a chance to blog about them. Better late than never.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 c shortening (I used butter the past 2 times - Yummy!)
3/4 c white sugar
3/4 c brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/2 c white flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
12 oz pkg chocolate chips (I have done these with milk, semi-sweet, dark, and mint - all yummy)

1. Cream shortening, sugars and vanilla until light and fluffy. I USUALLY use our pastry blender but the past two times I have been rushed. I can tell you the KitchenAid does NOT replicate good ol' fashioned cookies.
2. Add eggs and beat well. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to creamed mixture. Finally, stir in chocolate chips.

3. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned

Had to stop halfway through blogging because I realized the timer hadn't gone off ... yeah, those cookies are NOT pictured here!

This recipe makes about 5 dozen ... unless you eat the cookie dough.

So, to recap. Had a productive day ... with a crappy ending ... and I STILL didn't avoid those calories. BUT, my house smells delightful now AND I have those promised cookies for church tomorrow! =)

Emotional Day

I am not going to lie, today I have really struggled. I am struggling with very limited sleep, I am struggling with 2 children who really need me to listen as much as I used to with less time, I am struggling with a little girl who is growing up but is still a child, and I am struggling with a baby who is very colicky. I ended the day in tears. I have everyone in bed but I am not sure how long the peace and silence in this house is going to last, so I will try to type fast. Monkey is almost 100% refusing formula but she doesn't seem to be completely satisfied on breastmilk, at least with nursing, right now. I am going to try to tackle that problem with a phone call to the lactation consultant tomorrow. I have a manual pump so I will plan on pumping right before I go to sleep tonight so I have some milk in the fridge when Monkey wakes during the night. I am hoping with how much she was awake and crying today that she will sleep a LONG time tonight!


Bullfrog got to hang with his Sunday School teacher this afternoon and they made cookies so it was nice for him to be completely the center of attention for a few hours. I, of course, drowned my sorrows in homemade cookies this evening before bed.

Peanut walked home for the second time today ... however, she didn't make it home. Poor girl got turned around and turned right instead of left. She ended up a good distance from the house but was smart and asked for help from a couple who wanted to help her cross a VERY busy intersection. They stayed with her after calling the police to help her out. The police called us and she got to ride in a cop car home. She was SO upset that she had gotten turned around and was so worried that we would miss her and not know what to do. I got concerned at 4pm when she wasn't home, cause that is what time she should have gotten home, but that was the time the police arrived. We informed Peanut that we would spend the next few days driving the route, again so that she will become more familiar and we will write out the directions along with some markers to know she is going the right way. We are also going to put a simple phone on our plan that she can keep in her backpack turned off, JUST in case she needs to call us. After we went over everything and she had time to calm down, she and Bullfrog were back outside to play. I am secretly hoping she realizes that walking home with her bff is just as cool as walking by herself. :)

Outside of the screaming, the scare, the whines, and the clutter ... I got to cook. Normally dinner de-stresses me but unfortunately, Peanut wouldn't allow me that treasure today. BUT dinner was YUMMY none-the-less. I turned to my Taste of Home 2009 Annual Recipes again and made their Orange Chicken with Sweet Potatoes. Yes, grandma, the person who DESPISED yams now LOVES them. We used bone-in chicken thighs instead of boneless chicken breasts because that is what we had easily on hand. I liked how the orange flavor was VERY faint but helped accent all other flavors. Here is the recipe.

Orange Chicken with Sweet Potatoes
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
2/3 c plus 3 TBS flour, divided
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 TBS butter
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
3/4 c unsweetened pineapple juice
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp grated orange peel
1/2 lb sliced fresh mushrooms (or more if you are mushroom crazy like us)
Hot cooked rice

1) Layer the sweet potatoes in a slow cooker. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine 2/3 c flour and the seasonings. Add the chicken, one piece at a time and shake to coat.
2) In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the chicken in butter for 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Arrange chicken over sweet potatoes.
3) Place remaining flour in a small bowl. Stir in soup, juice, sugar and peel until blended. Add mushrooms and pour over chicken.
4) Cover and cook on low for 3 1/2 to 4 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 170 degrees and potatoes are tender.
5) Place hot rice on a plate or in a bowl. Top with sweet potates and then the chicken. Ladle the "gravy" over all and enjoy.

Food & Growing Up

Well, I am going to combine two posts cause I didn't get around to blogging last night. I had such a bummer headache, I called it an early night. However, Monkey didn't think sleep was really needed last night as she woke every 2 hours. Eeek. It wore her out though cause she has been napping off and on today. Hopefully she will still sleep tonight. I finally have time to post as I have caught up on much of what has been put off the past few days.



Post 1:
Pot Roast Fans & Healthy Decisions
First - the pot roast because it is NOT part of the healthy decisions but it sure tasted good. We are huge pot roast fans but we like to try different pot roast meals instead of doing the simple beef roast, potatoes and carrots and a simple gravy. SO, I turned to my 2009 Taste of Home Annual Recipes book and got the following recipe.

Pot Roast with Gravy
1 beef bottom round roast
6 TBS balsamic vinegar, divided
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
2 TBS oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 bay leaves
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 tsp beef bouillon granules (I just used 1 beef bouillon cube)
1/2 c boiling water
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
4 TBS cornstarch
1/4 c cold water
1) Cut beef roast in half; rub with 2 TBS vinegar. Combine salt, garlic powder, and pepper and rub over meat. In large skillet, brown roast in oil on all sides. Transfer to large crock pot.
2) Place garlic, bay leaves, and onion on roast. In small bowl, dissolve bouillon in boiling water; stir soup and remaining vinegar. Slowly pour over roast. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until meat is of correct temperature.
3) Remove the roast; keep warm. Discard the leaves. Whisk cornstarch and cold water until smooth; stir into cooking juices. Cover and cook on high for 30 min or until gravy is thickened. Slice roast and return to slow cooker until heated through.

Things we will change next time - with the remaining 4 TBS of vinegar, use 2 TBS apple juice and 2 TBS vinegar because it was a bit strong for the kids. I thought it was great but I love vinegar.

Now for the healthy part of the day:
It may have been 90 degrees yesterday but I decided to walk to get Bullfrog from school and took along Johnny. I realized it is 1.7 miles TO the school, which makes it 10.2 miles driving to and from the school all day. I am trying to find ways to trim our budget up even more as I am done watching the extra child in 3 weeks and we will lose a good chunk of money, more specifically, we are losing the money that pays for my gas card! Well, I am going to try to walk to get Bullfrog unless the weather is just too hot for Monkey or it is raining. Then we are going to let Peanut walk home. I went to get her yesterday since ding-a-ling wore sweatpants. *note - I am SUPER sore today and it seems to get worse as the day goes on so I am thinking that I need to drink a LOT more water before and after!

Post #2
Peanut is a big girl
Well, today was the big day for Peanut. Yesterday when I picked her up, I drove the route I wanted her to walk home. I was very nervous about her walking by herself even though it is a heavily traveled route by kids and roads that are designed to slow traffic down. Luckily, her bff's dad has been walking to get his kids every day after school and was willing to let her walk with him. Jeremy dropped some Gatorade off for her when he got Bullfrog at 11am. I waited for her and in she popped about 45 minutes after school got out. She was beet red and super hot. She grabbed a damp towel and laid on the floor cooling down. After a cool shower, she started talking about how she wanted to walk home from then on. I have officially opened the door that can't be closed. *sigh* I am not ready to think of my baby girl being old enough for this but I am not surprised either. She would ALWAYS chose walking/running/biking over getting a ride anyway. She was super excited to learn we were doing fish and rice for dinner since it is healthier. We made Garlic Lime Tilapia from Eat at Home Cooks blog but we used Swaii. It was so good that EVERYONE got seconds. I am really the only huge fish eater but that is very slowly changing! Here is the recipe Garlic Lime Tilapia. I am really liking the fact we are doing more meals than just chicken or just ground beef. Oh, and this recipe was less than $10 for 6 servings, we even paired it with rice that I cooked in a rice cooker and put some lime juice and seasonings in the water to have the flavor mix through with the fish.

Happy Mother's Day and More

Today was one of the best mother's days EVER. The kids made me a big poster and even traced Monkey's foot so she could be part of the gift. I love to cook so I made the mommy's day meal BUT the kids did the dishes and clean up so I thought it was a GREAT trade. Then dinner was at Chili's where we had some of the best service ever. I got sang to, I got gifts, I got a nap, and I got smiles from all 3 kids. I could NOT have asked for more!



Okay, now on to the "more" part. I have such awesome sisters and my older sister loves blogging and is good at it (unlike someone else in this family). Well, she has a 101 in 1001 where she completes 101 things in 1001 days (2 years, 9 months, and 1 day I believe). One of those items is to make a new recipe from every cookbook she owns. NOW, I have sat there and realized I have a few cookbooks .. I don't have many as I wrote many of my recipes that I liked into a book and then purged the extra. I don't have much room in my apartment but I have a few treasured cookbooks and I haven't used them much or not for a very long time. So the next two weeks, almost all of my recipes will come from 2 of my favorite cookbooks and one of my new ones. I am not a big fan of cookbooks as I like using food blogs, recipe sites (allrecipes.com, recipezaar.com, and food network to name a few), and my family recipe sheets. I would like to thank my sister as even though I have a very strict budget for my family, I am able to make it work! So, here is the menu for the next two weeks (and the recipe from today!)
~ Company Pork Chops
~ Manicotti
~ Tater Topped Casserole
~ Noodles Divan
~ Curly Roni Casserole
~ Casserole Italiano
~ Mexican Casserole
~ Chicken Cordon Bleu
~ Crab Stuffed Chicken Breasts
~ Pot Roast w/Gravy
~ Orange Chicken w/Sweet Potatoes
~ Garlic Lime Tilapia
~ Broiled Sweet & Tangy Tilapia

Then today I made Strawberry Mascarpone Crepes served with sausage (purchased on sale) and fresh cantaloupe.

Filling:
1 c Mascarpone cheese (normally I use reg. cream cheese but YUMMY)
2 TBS powdered sugar
3-4 tsp fresh basil (I didn't have fresh and it was yummy!)
1 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 c sliced fresh strawberries
Batter:
3 eggs
3/4 c plus 2 TBS milk
3/4 c flour
5 tsp melted butter
1 TBS sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Topping:
2 c sliced strawberries
1/2 c sugar
2 TBS orange juice
1 tsp strawberry or vanilla extract (I used vanilla)
dash of salt

Filling: In a small bowl, combine the cheese, sugar, basil, and juice. Gently fold in the berries. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Batter: In a blender, combine batter ingredients and cover. Process until smooth. Let stand for 30 minutes.
Topping: In a small bowl, combine the berries, sugar, orange juice, extract and salt. Let stand for 30 minutes (see a trend?)

Melt a little butter into center of skillet. Pour about 1/4 c batter into the center of skillet; lift and turn pan to cover bottom. Cook until lightly browned; flip and brown the other side. Remove to a wire rack (which I do not own ...). Repeat with remaining batter, adding butter as needed to prevent sticking. When cool, stack the crepes with waxed paper or paper towels in between.

When ready - spoon the filling over the crepes and roll up. Serve topped with strawberry mixture.

We are oatmeal LOVERS

Well, in this house, we LOVE oatmeal. I don't mean your instant oatmeal ... I mean your good ol' old fashioned, takes forever to cook, oatmeal!

Mornings aren't always a GREAT thing in this house, but they ARE getting better. A few reasons is I have things ready to go so when kids get up it is boom, boom, boom and then they are awake enough to have competent conversations with them (as in I don't go insane trying to communicate what I need done and they don't get mad cause mom is frustrated). The only downside to mornings is yummy breakfasts take FOREVER to get done. I am NOT a fan of this unless it is a Saturday morning when we have a lot of time. The kids eat their good breakfasts at school because I would rather know they are getting a healthy breakfast over a bowl of cereal because I don't have time to do eggs, pancakes and fruit. One of the kids favorite breakfasts is oatmeal. We do it a lot during the summer and breaks because they enjoy it so much. I have NO idea how I got so lucky to have kids that have no problems with oatmeal. Maybe it is because I don't do plain oatmeal, but I also keep it healthy. We experiment with different fruits and different recipes. I was shown a recipe a few days ago that I decided I would HAVE to try this morning since kids didn't have school. It was a HUGE hit so I am sharing it with you ... of course it has been edited the way *I* like! Also, after price shopping, I learned it is MUCH cheaper to buy oats in bulk so I will need to buy another container so I can buy a few pounds a week until my supply is up there. The best part of this meal is the fact it is made in a crock-pot so you can start it right before bed and it is waiting for you in the morning ... as long as you have a crock-pot that has a keep warm function. For our family, this works because I stay up until midnight and then the kids are up around 7am.

Crock-Pot Oatmeal
2 c milk
1 c water
1/4 c brown sugar
1 TBS butter, melted
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 c steel cut oats (if you use old fashioned, then eliminate the water)
1 c peeled & chopped apple
1/2 c chopped dried fruit (we used cherries this morning)

Spray the inside of the crock-pot with anti-stick spray. Mix all ingredients in the crock-pot. Set crock-pot on low and cook for 7-9 hours. *note, do NOT use any quality of oats less than old fashioned as you will end with soup - blech*

Menu for 3/21 - 3/25

This week has basically been a blur with the kids home. Got a lot of cleaning done, kids did some roller skating and lots of playing outside. We missed a couple of the meals at night, which is exactly why I don't plan meals for the weekends. Turns out I ALWAYS have a meal change during the week OR we have tons of leftovers. I apologize for those who need 7 meals planned. So far, we have had HUGE successes with all our new meals and I tell ya, I am going to have to list my food blogs I religiously follow because I have YET to have a fall through with their dinners they post. Last night I did the country fried steaks from The Pioneer Woman. I would LOVE to meet Ree Drummond some day. She is my ideal housewife! Anyway, I digress ... here is our plans for this next week. I am going to only post our dinners since the kids go back to school on Tuesday so they will be eating breakfast and lunch at school.


Monday - Crockpot Steak Fajitas
Tuesday - Enchiladas (see below recipe but it is from my good friend Sheila!)
Wednesday - Asian Noodle Bowl (see below recipe but it is from a menu mailer)
Thursday - Calico Rice (see below recipe)
Friday - Lasagna

Enchiladas
1 1/2 lb ground beef
2 c water
1 can refried beans
2 c shredded cheese (calls for 1 c mozz and 1 c cheddar but we are using cheddar cause that is what I have)
1 can enchilada sauce
1 pkg taco seasoning (we are using fajita seasoning though)
1 pkg Lipton Spanish rice mix
12 soft tortillas
1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1. In a large saucepan, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in seasoning, water and rice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spread about 2 TBS of refried beans, 1/4 c beef mixture and 1 TBS of cheese down the center of each tortilla; roll up. Place seam side down in a greased 9x13" baking dish.
2. Combine enchilada sauce and soup; pour over enchiladas. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes.

Asian Noodle Bowl
3 boneless chicken breasts, cooked & chopped
4 3oz packages ramen noodles
3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced or chopped
16oz bag of frozen stir fry

1. Boil noodles and carrots in medium sauce pan according to package directions. When noodles are soft, discard half of the water (or more if desired). Stir in seasoning packages (I only use 1/2 the package to reduce sodium). Fold in chicken pieces.
2. Cook frozen stir fry according to package directions and serve with the noodle bowl.

Calico Rice
2 c cooked rice
1/2 lb ground hamburger, browned
1 c cheese
1/2 c sour cream
Seasoning as desired

Stir all ingredients together.

Weekly Menu & recipes

Well this is something new that I am going to attempt. A few of my friends have been asking me to post my menus for the week and then the recipes. So, here goes nothing! :D My smoothies will be different daily. I bought mixed berries, strawberries and I have frozen mango to put into the smoothies.


Monday:
B - Smoothies & Cereal w/fruit
L - California Sushi Wraps w/orange slices
D - Loaded Nachos (chips topped with cheese, beef, refried beans, sour cream, guac, and salsa

Tuesday:
B - Smoothies & Cereal w/fruit
L - Mexican Grilled Cheese w/corn & Juice
D - Hamburgers & Baked Beans

Wednesday:
B - Smoothies & Cereal w/fruit
L - Grilled PB and Apple Sandwiches & Carrot Sticks
D - Country Fried Steaks & Baked Potatoes

Thursday:
B - Smoothies & Cereal w/fruit
L - Mac & Cheese w/hot dogs & peas served with canned fruit
D - Turkey and Potato Cheesy Casserole (see recipe below)

Friday:
B - Smoothies & Cereal w/fruit
L - Spaghetti & meatballs w/garlic toast & juice
D - Brinner (breakfast for dinner - omelets, waffles or pancakes, and bacon)



Turkey & Potato Cheesy Casserole
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 c shredded cheese
3 c cooked turkey (can use chicken if desired)
8 oz sour cream
28oz potatoes O'Brien

1) Lightly spray slow cooker with cooking spray
2) Combine all ingredients in slow cooker
3) Cook on low for 5-6 hours.
4) Top with croutons or French Fried onions if desired!

One VERY Snowy Day!

Well, they predicted it ... and it came. A HUGE snow storm. inches upon inches of snow and it is still falling. They say we could get anywhere from 6" to 11" depending on what area of the metro you are in. I ran ALL my errands this morning and even picked Peanut up a little early since it was starting to get slick. I don't normally do the trash but I did it today since Jeremy is still injured and there would be no way for him to get it out in the snow. So, what do you do on cold and snowy days? You make food that will warm you up! Tonight's meal was Creamy Chicken Enchiladas with Hot Cocoa Cupcakes as dessert. So, I have already started having requests for the recipes so I am putting it in my blog, with the picture of the final result! Please enjoy.



Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
Reynolds Wrap® Heavy Duty 18" Wide Foil
2 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream, divided
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
12 (6-inch) flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups salsa
PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Line a large baking pan with Reynolds Wrap® Heavy Duty 18" Wide Foil. Combine chicken and soup with half of sour cream, cheese and cilantro.
SPOON 1/4 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla; roll up. Place, seam-sides down, in foil-lined pan. Top with salsa and remaining cheese. Cover with foil.
BAKE 15 minutes; remove foil. Continue baking 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with cilantro and sour cream
Number of Servings: 6

Now, since we are olive fans, I added about a cup of sliced olives to the mix to put inside the enchiladas, and then topped the enchiladas with more olives. The picture is before the sour cream topping.

HOT CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

CUPCAKES:
1/2 cup milk
2 large eggs
6 tbs unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup flour
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
TOPPING:
3 candy canes
1 1/4 cups mini marshmallows
1/4 cup solid vegetable shortening
2 tbs + 2 tsp milk or water
2 cups powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line indents of a 12 cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. CUPCAKES---In a bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In a bowl, beat butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs and vanilla until fluffy, 1 min. Beat in flour mixture alternately with milk. Fill each cupcake liner 2/3 full. Bake 25 min. or until done. Remove cupcakes from pan to cool.
TOPPING---In a bowl, beat powdered sugar, shortening and milk until smooth. Spread over cupcakes. Top each cupcake with 9 marshmallows. Cut wrapped candy canes into 2" pieces. Unwrap and tuck a piece into each cupcake, then serve.
MAKES 12 CUPCAKES (mine only made 10)

The big kicker ... kids LOVED the dinner and really thought the cupcakes tasted like hot cocoa in solid form. Pretty awesome!

Yummo! Tried a new food today

I decided on Saturday that we would try eggplant. This may sound stupid, but those things scared me. I wasn't sure what they taste like or how to cook it. I went on the hunt, and this is the first meal we tried. I think we decided that it would be great with some bacon or chicken. I kinda liked it vegetarian style but I am fighting my spouse tooth and nail for more healthy eating, so I guess it is just baby steps right now.



Eggplant con Queso
1 eggplant, peeled & diced
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 c diced toasted bread, cubed
1/2 c heavy cream
1 TBS flour
1 tsp poultry seasoning

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees
2. Cook eggplants (the original recipe said to boil them but I decided to roast mine because my kids don't like squishy foods)
3. Mix in 1/2 c cheese and bread. Spoon into small casserole dish.
4. In a small bowl, mix together cream, flour, and seasoning. Pour over eggplant & bread mixture.
5. Top with remaining cheese.
6. Bake for 30 minutes.