I Apologize for the Delay

I know some of you are counting on me to post my Summer Week 2 Challenge Recipes and Shopping List information.  However, due to a family death, week 2 has been pushed off a week, but expect to see the information soon! Food is essential.

In the interim, I will again encourage everyone to look into a local co-op, such as The Neighborhood Garden.  Salad and fruit are always easy, and that is what we have had a lot of this week and I didn't even have to think twice about what to buy or anything.  With the co-op, I knew I had a bag of produce coming that would be AMAZING, and this past week, that is exactly what I needed.

Week 1 Recipes and Shopping List

Week 1

Below is the first week’s shopping list and the recipes  - some of the ingredients you may have on hand, and others you may not, so I am listing them all.  Sorry I’m a little late in posting it!

Shopping List:

2 boxes Rice Chex

Wooden Skewers

Bread Flour

Baking Powder

Vegetable Oil

Yeast

Chocolate Chips

All-Purpose Flour

Sugar

Shortening

1 14 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 14 oz can pureed tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
vegetable stock

2 small bags or one large bag chocolate chips

2 dozen corn husks
1 bag frozen corn
1 large package corn tortillas 

2 Sweet Potatoes
Baking Potatoes
Broccoli

Ingredients for Salad or Salad Kits from the grocery store. I use the items I get from The Neighborhood Garden  Co-op and buy any desired additional items, such as green onions, carrots, etc. and usually one salad kit

Apples

Garlic – 2 bulbs

Baby carrots

2 Onions

1 jalepeno

Stew Vegetables (carrots, potatoes, onion, celery)

Blueberries

Skim Milk 2 gallons

1 lb. Mozarella Cheese

Heavy Whipping Cream

Eggs

Ricotta Cheese

1 package cream cheese

American Cheese for grilled cheese

Monterey Jack Cheese

Provolone Cheese

Parmesan Cheese

Cheddar  Cheese 2 lbs

Pepper Jack Cheese (if desired)

Vanilla Greek Yogurt (1 per 4 blueberry skewers)

Greek Yogurt (Chobani?)

Pinto beans
Refried Beans
corn tortillas

Long-grain white rice

Pre-packaged Lasagna Noodles, or make them yourself (we do, and we love them!)

Raisins

Olive Oil or Canola Oil  or both – we usually use Canola Oil

Butter (Unsalted)

Table salt

Pepper

Cinnamon Powder

Dark Brown Sugar

Ketchup

Corn Starch

Baking Soda

Xanthum gum

lard

chili powder

kosher salt

paprika

smoked paprika

garlic powder

onion powder

cayenne pepper

black pepper grinder

cumin seed

Vegetale Oil

Italian Seasoning

Poultry seasoning

1 can green chiles (can purchase at most WalMarts or order online ahead of time!)

1 can cream of chicken soup

Honey

2 lbs beef

2 packages chicken (3 boneless skinless breasts)

1 Bottom Round Roast

1 pound Boston Butt Meet

Steak
Your favorite ice cream

Recipes:

Cereal & Milk is self explanatory as is yogurt, ½ apple, cheese (I normally try for 1 ounce portions), baby carrots (I normally eat about 10 per snack), raisins (I used individually packaged raisins), steak, baked potatoes (just add your favorite toppings like butter, chives, sour cream, cheese, bacon bits, etc. – just make sure if you are counting calories to watch how much you add…) and last but not least ice cream.  In other words, anything that isn’t listed below should be easy enough for you prepare – if you need a recipe, please feel free to message me.

Bread:

Ingredients:

1 cup water

2 tbsps olive oil

3  cups bread flour (I normally use 1 ½ cups whole wheat bread flour and 1 ½ cups white bread flour or 3 cups White Whole Wheat.  My favorite brand of flour is King Arthur, but Pillsbury works great as well and is usually less expensive).

2 tsps sugar

½ tsp salt

1 pkg active dry yeast (or equivalent – I buy bigger container since we use it ever week)

Cornmeal

Directions:

Heat water to approximately 100 degrees.  It should feel warm to the touch, but not hot.  Add sugar to water, and stir.  Then add yeast to water. 

While yeast is becoming nice and active, measure flour (*tip, spoon flour into measuring cup and don’t pack in, and you won’t have to worry about measuring sifted flour).  Combine the flour and salt.  Add the oil and yeast mixture to the flour and knead dough until smooth on a lightly floured surface. 

Place dough in lightly greased bowl; cover with plastic wrap and then put a towel over it, place in microwave or someplace warm and let rise for 30 –  40 minutes.

Next, sprinkle a cookie sheet or piece of stoneware if you have one with some cornmeal.  Punch the dough down and cover with the bowl you just had it in and leave on counter for 15 minutes. 

Finally, shape the dough into a loaf.  Cover it with the towel you used earlier and let it rise for 30 – 40 more minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, make a large deep slit diagonally in three places evenly spaced across the width of the loaf.  Sprinkle with a little bit of water (wet your fingers and flick water over the top 2 or three times) then bake for 25 – 35 minutes.     

Note – if going to use later in the week or need multiple loaves – be sure to make the bread and freeze it.  It preserves the freshness!

Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Ingredients: 

2 ¼ cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup shortening

¾ cups granulated sugar

¾ cups packed brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat eggs well.  Add remaining wet ingredients to bowl of eggs.  Add dry ingredients until mixed well.  Spoon cookies on cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.  (Makes 2 – 3 dozen).

Pot Roast with Stew Vegetables:

Put Roast, one can French Onion Soup, and stew vegetables in a crock pot (I normally quarter an onion, chop up the celery and carrots and use small red potatoes and leave them whole) in the Crockpot. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

**Vegetarian Option** Set aside some vegetables and either prepare them in a separate Crockpot (I have a couple) or put them in the microwave for 10 minutes while you are preparing everyone else’s dinner plates.  I chop them up and drizzle the veggies with a little olive oil, minced garlic, butter, salt, dried thyme and pepper!   If you cook them in the crock pot, add a little vegetable stock to make sure they don’t dry out or burn up!

Brownies:

My favorite brownie recipe is the Toll House brownie recipe.  It is so easy and VERY delicious.  Follow this link for the recipe. 

Spanish Rice:

Ingredients:

2 TBSPs canola oil or olive oil (I usually use garlic infused Canola Oil)

1 onion, chopped fine

1 garlic clove, minced

2 cups of medium or long-grain white rice

3 cups vegetable stock

2 TBSPs tomato paste

1/2 cup of diced fresh tomatoes cooked and strained (usually 1 decent sized roma tomato)

¼ tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp salt

½ tsp garlic salt

Directions:

In a large skillet brown rice in olive oil, medium/high heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook onion rice mixture, stirring frequently, until onions are softened.
In a sauce pan bring stock to a boil.  Immediately reduce heat to a simmer, add tomato sauce, oregano, and salt. Add rice to broth. Cover and simmer 15-20 minutes.

Tamales: 

My favorite Tamale Recipe is Alton Brown’s – follow this link to view and use his recipe (that man is AMAZING!).  I usually halve his recipe and sometimes even quarter it. 

Frozen Blueberry Yogurt Skewer:

Place blueberries on wooden skewer (I use the longer ones).  Place Vanilla Yogurt (I use Chobani Greek Yogurt) on a plate.  Roll each skewer of blueberries to coat the blueberries.  Place the skewer on parchment paper and then place the skewers on the parchment paper in the freezer.  Let freeze for 2+ hours.  I usually let freeze and then place them in a Ziploc bag to use throughout the week.

Lasagna:

First, I always start off by making a homemade sauce.

Sauce:

1 large (28 oz) can of tomato sauce, 1 can of tomato paste and then season to taste.  I add about 4 cloves fresh minced garlic, ¼ tsp black pepper, 1 tsp Italian Seasoning, ¼ tsp garlic salt and 1 ½ tsp onion powder.  I let the sauce cook while I then prepare what I call the Lasagna Guts

Guts:

Mix together 1 large package Ricotta cheese, ½ lb. Freshly Shredded Mozzarella Cheese[i] and 1 cup bread crumbs (the best bread crumbs are the ones you make yourself – to make bread crumbs, use stale bread or toast fresh bread in the oven on 350 until slightly crunchy, put in the food processor and process until desired crumb size – I like fine!). 

If you desire a meat filling, my husband loves to use sliced Italian meatballs, and I highly recommend this. 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Line the bottom of your lasagna pan with a little sauce.  Cook your noodles and place a layer on the bottom.  Next, layer in some sauce and “guts”.  Repeat until your dish is almost full, then top with remaining sauce and ½ pound shredded mozzarella cheese.   

Bake covered for 45 minutes, then uncover and bake for 15 more minutes. 

Flan:

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups sugar

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 eggs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Pour 1 cup sugar in warm pan over medium heat. Constantly stir sugar until it browns and becomes caramel. Quickly pour approximately into a baking dish, I use a large round corning ware piece, tilting it to swirl the caramel around the sides. 

Scald cream in a saucepan.  While waiting on the cream to get warm, whisk the 3 eggs and ¼ cup of sugar together.  When the milk scalds, remove from heat immediately and stir in vanilla.  Then add it slowly to the egg mixture.  Blend till smooth and then pour into baking dish. 

Cook for 45 minutes then check to see if done every 3 minutes after, to ensure you do not over bake.  It should take no longer than 60 minutes it takes me only 50 on average. 

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas:

The Sauce:

In the food processor, place 1 onion and 28 oz. or 2 cups worth of green chiles (you can buy them online direct for Hatch) in and blend until smooth.  Dump into a saucepan, add 1 cup vegetable stock, ¼ tsp ground cumin, ¼ tsp coriander, ¼ tsp dried oregano and 2 cloves garlic minced.  Bring to a boil and then simmer while you prepare chicken. 

Chicken:

In a 13x9 pan place 2 cups of chicken broth and a pinch of poultry seasoning, stir, then place and 3 breasts of chicken in the pan.  Place in oven and bake on 350 for about 30 to 45 minutes.  Remove from oven and shred the chicken. 

Place the shredded chicken in a skillet with ½ a block of cream cheese cut up into cubes and ½ a can of cream of chicken soup.  Mix well until creamy and well blended.

The Whole Enchilada:

Next, put some vegetable oil in the bottom of a pan.  Heat to medium heat.  Get out a 13 x 9 pan (I usually rinse and reuse the one I just cooked the chicken in).  Fry corn tortillas on each side until they just bubble up in the middle (you just want them soft  - you are not trying to make them crispy at all).  Remove from oil, spoon some chicken mixture in and roll tightly. Repeat.

**Vegetarian Option** replace the chicken with cubes of pepper jack and cheddar cheese.

Final Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cover the enchiladas with green chile sauce then top with shredded cheddar cheese.  Bake covered for 20 minutes and then bake uncovered for 15 more minutes. 

Sopapillas:

There are many easy recipes out there for sopapillas.  They are all very similar and I have yet to find one that tastes bad.  I frequently use All Recipes to find recipes and try a few.  The sopapilla recipe I use most often can be found on their directly website using this link, but feel free to experiment with what you like best. I serve this dessert with honey. 

Pizza:

The Dough:

Okay, it’s confession time – I’m in love with Alton Brown.  He is a mad genius in the kitchen!  I use his pizza dough recipe.  Follow this link to find the most fabulous pizza dough recipe so you can later be transported to a slice of heaven.   I normally follow the recipe but divide the dough into individual sized pizzas.  You can make this fresh on the day of or make earlier in the week and freeze until ready to use later. 

The Sauce:

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 TBSP olive oil

1 14 oz can tomato puree

1 14 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 TBSP sugar

2 tsps Italian Seasoning

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp dried basil

¼ tsp garlic salt

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

In a large sauce pan, saute garlic in olive oil.  Then add remaining ingredients.  Bring to boil, reduce to simmer while you gather your toppings and round up the family. 

Putting it all together:

Have everyone make pizzas and put whatever toppings they want on them.  This is fun, although sometimes messy!

Apple Pie:

The crust:

For the crust follow this link for a great recipe or use your own.  My adaptation of this recipe calls for 1 cup bread flour and 1 cup all purpose flour.

The Filling:

I have found that I really like the filling in this recipe.  I don’t always use granny smith apples, but regardless it always turns out and is super delicious!  I also always add 1 tsp of Cinnamon Powder to this recipe.

Meatloaf:

Meatloaf in my house is really like an oversized hamburger.  The recipe is so simple.

Ingredients:

2 lbs beef

1 egg

½ cup bread crumbs

2 TBSPs ketchup

Pepper

Garlic salt

Onion Powder

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Then just take two pounds of beef, 1 egg, ½ cup of bread crumbs, 2 TBSPs ketchup and mix it up then sprinkle the top with pepper, garlic salt, onion powder and then mix it up again.  Form into a loaf and baked for 30 – 45 minutes.

Chicken Nuggets:

Cut the chicken breasts into nuggets.  In a mixing bowl, stir-up the following ingredients:

¾ cup corn starch

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

¼ tsp paprika

¼ tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp xanthum gum

½ cup  milk

2 TBSPs Parmesan Cheese

Dip chicken nuggets in the mixture.  Bake on 350 for 20 minutes.  Take out and flip them over, then bake for another 20 minutes.

Sweet Potato Fries:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Peel 1 or 2 large sweet potatoes. 

Cut ½ in. to ¾ in. fries from the potato.

Drizzle with Olive Oil or Canola Oil

Sprinkle with Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Place on a baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes.

---

[i] Did you know that shredded cheese, even organic shredded cheese, is packaged with preservatives?  Yuck!  Be sure to use fresh cheese and shred it yourself (and ensure your fresh cheese is preservative free too!) as often as possible – which for me is ALWAYS!    

Meals From Scratch: Meals From Scratch Summer Challenge Meal Plan Week...

Meals From Scratch: Meals From Scratch Summer Challenge Meal Plan Week...: Week 1 Below is the first week’s meal plan.  

Meals From Scratch Summer Challenge Meal Plan Week 1 Preview

Week 1

Below is the first week’s meal plan.  Since this is the kids’ last week of school for us, I am letting them buy their lunch this week. So, if your kids are already out for the summer or you prefer to prep their lunches, you will have to make their lunches this week too.  

On a side note, as I mentioned in an earlier blog post, I made the switch to vegetarian, so I will post my vegetarian alternatives (which usually just includes a larger portion of vegetables and elimination of the meats).  Also, we believe there are some gluten sensitivities in our family as well.  So, I will note the gluten free options as we progress as well.  For example, cookies can easily be replaced with baby carrots, raisins and water for the Snack for the whole week (I do this for myself anyway), or you can follow a gluten free recipe.  Apple pie can be replaced with baked cinnamon apples, ice cream or sorbet, etc.  Last but not least, Marcus is lactose intolerant, so I replace his cheese with Veggies Shreds, if appropriate, or leave it out or replace it (for example, I give him a whole apple instead of the cheese).  So, as you can tell, everything here is flexible…and since my snacks change from week to week, you shouldn’t get too bored with things either, even if you are making substitutions.

Monday - June 4, 2012

Breakfast:           Cereal with milk (Marcus and I use Rice or Soy Milk)

Snack 1:              Chocolate Chip Cookies and water

Lunch:                 Kids = School Lunch         Adults = Salad

Snack 2:              1/2 apple, cheese, water

Dinner:                 Pot Roast with Stew Vegetables

Dessert:               Brownies

Tuesday - June 5, 2012

Breakfast:           Yogurt

Snack 1:              baby carrots, raisins, water

Lunch:                 Kids = School Lunch         Adults = Salad

Snack 2:              Frozen Blueberry Yogurt Skewer

Dinner:                Tamales, pinto beans, spanish rice

Dessert:               Flan

Wednesday – June 6, 2012

Breakfast:           Cereal with milk (Marcus and I use Rice or Soy Milk)

Snack 1:              Chocolate Chip Cookies and water

Lunch:                 Kids = School Lunch         Adults = Salad

Snack 2:              1/2 apple, cheese, water

Dinner:                 Lasagna

Dessert:               Flan

Thursday – June 7, 2012

Breakfast:             Yogurt

Snack 1:                baby carrots, raisins, water

Lunch:                   Kids = Sandwich, Fruit, Milk        Adults = Salad

Snack 2:                Frozen Blueberry Yogurt Skewer

Dinner:                 Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas, Refried Beans

Dessert:               Sopapilla with Honey

Friday – June 8, 2012

Breakfast:           Cereal with milk (Marcus and I use Rice or Soy Milk)

Snack 1:              Chocolate Chip Cookies and water

Lunch:                 Kids = Sandwich, Fruit, Milk        Adults = Salad

Snack 2:              1/2 apple, cheese, water

Dinner:                Pizza

Dessert:               Ice Cream (Marcus and I eat Sorbet)

Saturday  - June 9, 2012

Breakfast:           Yogurt

Snack 1:             baby carrots, raisins, water

Lunch:                 Grilled tomato and cheese sandwiches, fruit, kids mik and adults water

Snack 2:              Frozen Blueberry Yogurt Skewer

Dinner:                Steak, baked potatoes, broccolli

Dessert:               Apple Pie

Sunday June 10, 2012

Breakfast:           Cereal with milk (Marcus and I use Rice or Soy Milk)

Snack 1:              Chocolate Chip Cookies and water

Lunch:                 Chicken Nuggets, sweet potato fries, kids milk, adults water

Snack 2:              1/2 apple, cheese, water

Dinner:                Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn

Dessert:               Apple Pie

Meals From Scratch Meal Planning - June 2012

One of the most gruelling tasks for me following a from scratch lifestyle has actually been the meal planning.  I mean, it takes considerable effort sometimes to plan the meals out in which we are going to eat. After that, I have to create my shopping list, and then I have to buy the groceries and find time to cook everything.  In my house, we eat 6 times a day which while good for you makes planning and shopping time consuming at times! 

Pinterest has become my friend as of late, because it has given me fresh new ideas for summer and reminded me of some old recipes that I know. 

I am clearing out my stock of some things that I have in my pantry and I have planned out my meals for June.  I challenge everyone to do the same and to start a from scratch lifestyle this summer.  I will post my meal plan, weekly shopping list, recipes, etc., and the bulk of the work will be done for you.  All you have to do is go to the grocery store to buy the groceries (something you have to do anyway) and make the meals (making everything from scratch might be a little more time consuming, but I am planning meals which mostly you can prepare and cook in one day and then freeze/refrigerate and reheat for the week).  If this seems like a lot of work, grab a neighbor or friend.  It makes the time go by faster and the extra hand in the kitchen is always a plus. 

I will be grabbing my neighbor and good friend Angie this summer.  We are going to try and bake our bread, make and prepare our snacks and meals for the week on Mondays - which I have also conveniently dubbed crockpot day! 

So, clean out your kitchen this week, and get ready for a from scratch summer with me!  I promise you will feel better if you do it!  I will post in the next couple of days the 1st weeks' meal plan, shopping list and recipes. 

5 Minute Homemade Salsa: Secret Ingredient - Hungarian Wax Pepper

The Hungarian Wax Pepper, is a wonderful pepper.  Although it looks a lot like a Banana Pepper, it is hardly the same.  The to easiest way to tell a Banana Pepper from a Hungarian Wax Pepper, other than tasting it, is the tip of the pepper.  The Hungarian Wax Pepper is rounded.  As far as flavor goes, it is considered a mild-hot pepper, not a sweet pepper like the Banana Pepper.  This guy, about 6 inches in length, is the secret ingredient to my homemade salsa (recipe below).  

Salsa:

3 cans petite diced tomatoes OR 4 cups diced Roma tomatoes
1 Hungarian Wax Pepper
3 jalapenos
1/2 Yellow Onion
6 leaves fresh Cilantro
3-4 cloves garlic
garlic salt, to taste

Dice the peppers, onion and cilantro.  Mince the garlic.  Add all the ingredients to the tomato, then add garlic salt to taste.  

The Magical Fruit - Beans

I can bake and cook a lot of things, but beans has never been one of them.  Thanks to my WONDERFUL neighbor, Angie, I now know how to prepare beans.  Her recipe, below, was a big hit...

2 bags of beans (or a couple cans)
1 onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can tomato sauce (or make your own - I use Roma tomatoes to make my own)
1 bunch cilantro
Water

Brown the chopped onion and garlic.  Remove from heat and put in blender with Cilantro.  Blend until smooth.  Place blended mixture, tomato sauce and beans in crockpot and add just enough water to cover.  Cook on low heat for 8 - 9 hours.

I made this, froze what I thought I wasn't going to use this week and had to go get more out!  My boys ate them up after I informed them that beans make them fart.  They think farting is was the best thing ever, so they kept asking for more!  Gotta love boys - well, at least I do, because I have 4 of them now, sigh! ;) 

Things to take from this week - neighbors and friends are always a great source of information and if you inform your young male children their vegetables will make them fart, they will eat them!  LOL!!!

Our Local Co-op

Like most parents, I’m sure you too try to eat healthy and lead a healthy lifestyle and provide great healthy meals for your family, on a budget.  I've been talking to neighbors and friends lately about the co-op I belong to, because I love it so much.  As it turns out, few people know that we even have a local co-op, so I thought I'd dedicate a blog post to it (I know I've mentioned it in passing too, but it is more than worthy of an entire blog post).

The Neighborhood Garden doesn't have any sign-up fees (the "fee" is the donation of 2 reusable grocery bags), it's flexible - you don't have to order every week, it's inexpensive and there is always a great selection of ORGANIC produce!!  Oh, and if you can't make it to pick-up (I pick up at Durbin Creek Elementary on Monday at 5p), in some locations you can have it delivered for an extra $5 (I did this when I was working). 

This past Monday I received the following (a full-bag) for $33 (half bags are also available):

6oz Blueberries

2 Tangelos

3 Peaches

1 bunch Bananas (about 3 pounds)

2 Alexander Lucas Pears

Green Leaf Lettuce

5 Yukon Gold Potatoes

Green Peppers

Broccoli

1lb. Carrots

2 Roma Tomatoes

2 Yellow Onions

I also ordered the following:

3lb. bag Fuji Apples $5.50

Pineapple $4.50

We use the fruit for breakfast and snacks.  I am eating salads for lunch, and as you can see above, I have two vegetables for the week. 

This may be for you, and it may not, but I wanted to share.  Oh, and feel free to spread the word, because not only do I think it's a great deal (my grocery bill has decreased and I'm making healthier food choices, like salad) , but each week at least 3 families in need receive a free bag of fresh produce! 

If you're not one of my local friends, I strongly encourage seeing if you have a local co-op or even starting one of your own!  It's well worth it! 

Summer Veggies

It has been a little while since I last blogged.  As you all can tell from my "announcements" that I posted, I had a baby.  That left little time for blogging.  Mason is two months old now, so although we are still sleepless, we are falling into a little bit more of a normal routine.

Now that it's summer, there are so many WONDERFUL VEGGIES, which is great, because I've decided to go vegetarian.  As much as I love the taste of meat, I think I felt better not eating it.  I don't want to "torture" (that's what my husband calls it) the rest of my family by not including meat at dinner time, but I am determined to add more vegetables to everyone's diet - especially the kid's.

One of my favorite summer vegetables is yellow squash.  Thus far, I have breaded and fried them, but a healthier option is to make Squash Tots.  The best part about Squash Tots is they are kid approved.

This basically is a twist on my zucchini pancakes, and it compliments barbeque dishes very well.

Squash Tots

1 squash, grated
1 potato grated
1 egg
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste (I also add a little garlic and onion powder)

Preheat oven to 400F.  Grate the zucchini and potato then place in a dish towel to squeeze out the excess water.  In a bowl combine, the egg, onion, cheese, bread crumbs, zucchini, potato, salt and pepper. Grease a mini muffin pan.  Fill the muffin cups to the top. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the top is brown.

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Big Breakfast Sunday: The Importance of Eating Together as a Family

Many families don't have time to sit all together around a dinner table during the week. My family is no exception to this rule. When sports are in full swing, we find ourselves serving meals from the crockpot or preparing something later that's rather quick. Even then, it's rare that we can all sit down together at the same time.

To compensate for our lack of ability to eat together during the week, we have implemented a family tradition, "Big Breakfast Sunday." We go to the later worship service on Sunday so we can all sit down together on Sunday morning and eat breakfast together.

There are many research studies and overall opinions that suggest that sitting down and eating meals with your family (the more the better) has great benefits, and I personally agree! Why do I agree? My biggest proof is in my dining room floor. For a while my husband and I would sit down in the family room and eat dinner rather than at the dinner table with the kids. What we noticed was that whenever we weren't at the table with the kids, there was a HUGE mess. I believe children learn by example, so when we are at the table to demonstrate and enforce proper meal-time etiquette, they learn. Additionally, we are there and able to encourage them to eat all their food and try all the things we put on their plate.

Not only do I think that by sitting at the table with the kids we are teaching them things, I think we are also bonding with them. My husband and I try to talk with the kids and show that we are interested in their lives. Even though our children are all still very young (8, 6 and 3), I'm hoping that this habit/tradition will positively continue with them and demonstrate to them that we are truly interested in what is going on in their lives.

So, despite the fact that we are on-the-go during the week, we have started the tradition of at least having "Big Breakfast Sunday" (Saturday instead sometimes). I encourage everyone to sit-down and have as many meals as possible with their children!

Successful Recipes

Over time, I have taken recipes and perfected them to be just what I wanted them to be. This past week, I found that one of my recipes had gone missing (probably on the computer that crashed). I was so heartbroken!

Today, I thought I'd share with you some of my successful recipes from the past week with two motives in mind 1) To share my recipes with you 2) To keep this blog as an alternate storage method to just my home computer and binder. Enjoy!


Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup dry bread crumbs
2. 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3. 1/2 teaspoon paprika (I actually used smoked paprika)
4. 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
5. 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
6. 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
7. 1 egg well beaten
8. 3-4 pieces skinless boneless chicken breast; filleted in hal

Cooking Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, stir together breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, paprika, garlic salt, pepper and parsley. In a separate bowl beat the egg. Dip the chicken in the egg, and then roll in the crumb mixture.

Place coated pieces of chicken on a lightly oiled baking sheet (or a baking stone - which is my preference), arranging pieces so they don't touch (use two pans if needed).

Bake 40-45 minutes.

Homemade Breadcrumbs

Use whatever you have in the house for bread. Don't use stale bread though.

If the bread is too fresh or not very dry follow the directions below:

Place bread in oven on an ungreased baking sheet. Make sure they are stacked only one piece high and that there is breathing room between the pieces. Bake at 300 degrees for 10 - 16 minutes; about halfway through turn over so they dry evenly.

Tear dried bread into smaller pieces and place in your food processor (or blender). Process until desired coarseness.

Note: Coarser is better, because you can always make coarser crumbs finer later...

Beef & Bean Chili

Ingredients

1. 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2. 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
3. 4 cloves garlic, minced
4. 3 tablespoons chili powder
5. 4 teaspoons ground oregano
6. 2 teaspoons ground cumin
7. 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
8. 2 pounds (extra) lean ground beef
9. 2 jars tomato sauce
10. 1 cup water
11. 1 cup cooked kidney beans or one can kidney beans
12. 1 cup cooked black beans or one can black beans
13. Sea salt
14. 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Directions:

In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent.

Stir in chili powder, oregano, cumin and crushed red pepper and thoroughly mix. Add ground beef and stir until the meat is browned.

Next, add tomato sauce, water and beans. Season with salt to taste, then bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 25 - 30 minutes more, stirring often so flavors can meld together.

In the last 10 minutes, stir in cilantro.

Southern Homemade Cornbread

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup sifted flour
2. 1/2 cup sugar
3. 1/2 teaspoon salt
4. 4 teaspoon baking soda
5. 1 1/2 cups corn meal
6. 2 eggs
7. 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
8. 1 stick unsalted butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Sift together dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, add eggs and milk. Melt butter in skillet and swish around to grease well. Pour batter into mixture; mix well. Mixture should have bubbles but no dry lumps. Pour mixture back into skillet.

Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until top springs back.

Cool slightly, slice and serve.

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups sifted flour
2. 2 teaspoons baking powder
3. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4. 1/2 teaspoon salt
5. 1/4 cup butter
6. 1/2 cup sugar
7. 2 eggs
8. 3 medium ripe bananas
9. 1/2 cup butter milk or sour milk (to sour milk - had 1 teaspoon vinegar to milk)
   

Directions:

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.

Cream butter, sugar, eggs in a separate bowl. Mash the bananas into the mixture.

Alternately add milk and flour to the mixture.

When well blended pour into a greased bread pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Mission Hidden Veggies = Success!

So, last night for dinner, I serverd Paremsan Crusted chicken as our main dish. For a side, I decided to hide our vegetable, zucchini, in an ever so comforting starch (at least for my family), potatoes. The mission was a huge SUCCESS!

Below is our recipe for Zucchini Pancakes:

Ingredients

2 cups coarsely grated peeled potatoes
2 coarsely grated zucchini
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
3/4 teaspoons sea salt or kosher salt
Olive Oil

Directions

Wrap grated veggies in a large, clean dish towel and squeeze excess moisture from them. Combine grated veggies in a bowl with eggs, flour, onion, parmesan cheese, and salt. In a large skillet over medium high heat, heat enough vegetable oil to coat the pan. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture into the oil and flatten into pancakes. Fry until browned on the bottom, flip, and continue cooking until the other side is browned.

Lessons Learned and Our Newest Ventures!

So far, everything has been going smoothly. We have run into a few bumps in the road though... One weekend, I was extremely busy, and another I was just not feeling well, so I didn't get all the baking done. Those weekends, I bought bread. What this has taught me is that I need to both plan ahead a little better, and plan for the unexpected.

So, how do you plan for the unexpected when it comes to baking? Simple, have some bread that you've made stored away in the freezer, and prep some extra cookie dough and do the same. That will eliminate the prep time (and in the case of the bread - all the baking time too) and make it even something the husband or kids can help out with.

Baking has been our primary change. The other has been a slight limit on the dinner meals. My husband is sort-of bored with the quick evening recipes. So, now part of my mission is to come up with 365 different recipes for dinner entrees, snacks, desserts, breakfast dishes and side dishes. Lunches are pretty consistent sandwiches for the kids and salads for the grown-ups, and I don't think I should add to much variation here, because that might otherwise overly complicate our on-the-go life.

We have however, recently decided to try out our local Organic Co-op, The Neighborhood Garden (www.jaxorganic.com) . I found one in the area that seems like it will be a perfect fit for us, as we are not obligated to purchase from them every week, and it isn't expensive at all. The goal of utilizing the co-op for us is to sort-of force us to incorporate more vegetables into our meals. The challenge will be getting the kids to eat their vegetables, but I plan on doing some research and experiments there (like Zucchini Pancakes). I of course, will post all of my experiments and their results here.

I will also post some of my recipe plans, including our weekly lunch salads based on the co-op's offerings. For example, this week, I plan on making an Italian Green Butter Leaf and Arugula Italian Salad. See Below:

Italian Green Butter Leaf and Arugula Salad

Ingredients:

• 1-2 heads green butter leaf lettuce, washed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces
• 1 bunch baby arugula, washed and dried
• 1/3 cup sliced raw almonds
• 4 ounces shaved or shredded Parmesan cheese
• 4 ounces Asiago cheese
• 3 ounces bacon bits (we of course will make our own)
• 2 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon (2 tablespoons)
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2-3 Roma Tomatoes
• 1 small red onion, sliced
• 4 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled and sliced

Directions:

Combine the lettuce, tomatoes, bacon bits, arugula, almonds and the 4 ounces of Asiago cheese in a large salad bowl; toss gently.

Drizzle enough oil over the salad (to taste) to thoroughly coat but not saturate the greens. Sprinkle the lemon juice over the salad, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss gently yet thoroughly.

Divide among individual plates and garnish with shavings of Parmesan cheese and slices of hard-boiled egg.

Another Baking Weekend

This past weekend was another successful weekend of baking. Cookies, muffins and bread keep me standing in the kitchen for 3-4 hours, but the end result is more than worth it! Last weekend it was bread, multi-berry muffins, oatmeal scotchies and chocolate chip cookies. This weekend it was bread, chocolate chip muffins and oatmeal raisin cookies.

As I've mentioned before, we are a family on-the-go, so we need quick out-the-door breakfasts. The muffins are perfect, and we can change it up weekly depending on what fruit is on sale, or just use chocolate chips for a treat, like I did this week.

Lunches consist of organic milk boxes for Michael, Almond Milk for Marcus (he's lactose intolerant) and water for me, a piece of fruit, a sandwich and cookies. For the sandwiches, I make the bread, and we use Hormel Natural Choice meat, because it is nitrate/nitrite free. Cheese goes on Michael's and my sandwich. We like provolone or swiss cheese. The hubby usually takes the dinner leftovers, or he enjoys a salad.

Dinners have a bit more of a challenge since we're always on-the-go, and last week our house was a construction zone and without a kitchen (redoing the floors after a flood). Monday night ended up being sandwiches. Tuesday we ate at the ball field. Wednesday, I took my crockpot over to my mothers and made a pot roast with potatoes. Thursday and Friday I still didn't have a kitchen, so these days were grab and go too. We'll have to see how dinners are this week! I will also post our recipes.