Cinnamon Pumpkin Donuts

Another great recipe that the whole family is loving for breakfasts.  Super easy and usually makes enough for 2-3 breakfasts (and can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and reheated in the microwave, or eaten cold).  I originally found this recipe here, but have changed it slightly as I didn't have the pumpkin pie spice.

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted creamy almond butter (which I buy in bulk at Costco)

4 eggs

1/3 cup pureed pumpkin

1/3 cup honey

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

3 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Beat almond butter, eggs, pumpkin, honey and vanilla until well combined.

Add salt, baking soda and cinnamon and mix well.

Pour batter into well greased donut pan.  Bake 13-15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool.  Enjoy!

This recipe usually makes about 12-15 donuts.

Chicken Roll-Ups

I wanted to blog this recipe because of how amazing it was when I made it the other night.  I received inspiration for this dish from Eat Like a Dinosaur and it is a total winner and I will be making this weekly.  It's also perfect when you have left over chicken.  When I made this dish, I followed this recipe but will have to double or triple this next time I make it as it only made enough for two people (and we both could have eaten more).

Ingredients:

2 cups of cooked chicken, shredded

2 carrots, shredded

1/4 cup dried cranberries

3 Tbsp mayo

4 slices of bacon, crumbled (although, you can always add more!)

1 Tbsp maple syrup

Romaine lettuce leaves

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in mixing bowl, except lettuce.  Scoop mixture onto romaine lettuce leaves.  Roll lettuce and enjoy!

Chicken Stock

So I've been a huge fan of cooking chicken lately.  Chicken legs, chicken thighs and whole chickens have been awesome...and SO easy!  I have never made homemade chicken stock ever in my life, but that changed as of last week.  I made my first batch of chicken stock and it was a winner!  What I usually do is bake a whole chicken in the oven with some melted butter brushed on and then sprinkling it with different spices and stuffing it with lemon, carrots and garlic.  We eat only the legs that first night.  I take off the wings for the hubby's lunch for the next day and refrigerate the rest.  In the morning, I pick off the rest of the meat until I'm left with the carcass and refrigerate the meat for later use.  In the post below, I will note how I make the chicken stock.  Making it again today for another soup, which is beyond easy!  If I have any meat left, then I will be making a chicken salad.  One chicken = three meals!  If the soup turns out well, I will post it later on.

Chicken Stock Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 chicken carcass

4 carrots, broken in half

4 celery sticks, broken in half

1 onion, quartered

2 bay leaves

Garlic

1 Tbsp whole peppercorn

1 Tbsp salt

1 tsp yellow mustard seeds

A splash of vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar as that's what I had on hand)

8 cups water (or enough to cover the chicken)

Directions:

Throw everything into crock pot and cook on low for 6-7 hours.  Strain.  Immediately use for soup or store in the refrigerator or freezer.

Picture is of the stock cooking.  The smell is heavenly.

Paleo/Gluten-Free

My husband and I both agreed about a month or so ago to get healthier and try the Paleo lifestyle again.  We had tried (half-heartedly) earlier last year but was a huge fail since not everyone was on board at the time and because I didn't have much recipes to work with.  So when we made the decision to try again, I immediately sought out friends who have been doing this for years for advice.  Many suggested a couple of cookbooks, which I immediately bought.  The two biggest books that they recommended was Eat Like a Dinosaur by The Paleo Parents.  It has so many great ideas for people who have young children and have found some keepers so far in that book.  The other one was Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo and she has a TON of recipes (huge book!).  Practical Paleo also has lists of foods to eat for whatever ails you, what to have in the pantry and a basic list of paleo-friendly foods and what to avoid.  I also bought Everyday Paleo by Sarah Fragoso and it also has some good recipes, but not as many as the first two.  Of course, we have only been doing this not even a week yet, so I haven't been able to cook everything in all the books, but have cooked quite a bit in the last 5 days.

The gist of the Paleo diet is to go as naturally and whole with food as possible.  Nothing boxed.  Nothing artificial.  No gluten, dairy, legumes, processed foods.  So what can you eat?  Meat - preferably organic, grass-fed meats, but since that can be pricey, I have just been buying bulk meat from Costco.  Eggs - also preferably organic, cage-free, but again I just buy regular eggs in bulk.  Fruits, vegetables and nuts (peanuts are not a nut but a kind of legume, so beware).

I find that we are not 100% paleo, but more gluten-free than anything.  The basic reasons we decided to try again is because our daughter has had eczema from the time she was an infant and it has only gotten worse.  We've tried every cream/prescription and nothing seems to work.  She scratches while she sleeps and constantly has scabs from itching it raw.  I also have asthma that has just gotten worse over the years, along with other health issues and my husband also has been experiencing health issues.  Since most of our research suggested taking gluten out of the diet to see if anything changes, that was our first step.  However, I have some friends who have gone Paleo and have seen so many positive changes in regards to health and have read that most health issues can be helped by going Paleo.  Makes sense, seeing as most of the foods that are okay to eat are whole, un-messed with foods.  So, we've decided to give this a 3-4 month trial and if we see any improvements, then we will stick with it.

So far, I have been feeling so much better.  I have more energy and have already lost 3 pounds in the last 5 days.  I've been craving more healthy foods instead of junk and as a result just feel a little more healthier.

I highly suggest getting these books regardless, because there are so many great recipes and most are very yummy to reheat for lunch the next day.  I may try to post some of the recipes later on and will let everyone know how everything turns out in a couple of months.

Easy Cajun Tilapia

I love this recipe!  It is so simple and quick for those hectic days and tastes great.  Another winner in my husband's book.


Easy Cajun Tilapia

Ingredients:

6 Tilapia fillets, thawed

1/2 stick of butter, melted

Cajun seasoning

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place fillets on foil covered baking sheet.

Pour melted butter over fillets and sprinkle with seasoning (the heavier the seasoning, the spicier).

Bake at 400 degrees 15-20 minutes or until you can flake the fillets with a fork.

Crescent Pepperoni Roll-Ups

I make this every so often for lunch and both my 2 year old daughter and husband enjoy it.  It's so easy and quick.


Crescent Pepperoni Roll-Ups


Ingredients:


1 can refrigerated crescent rolls

40 slices pepperoni (or turkey pepperoni)

4 pieces of mozzarella string cheese, cut in half

garlic powder

pizza sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Unroll crescent rolls and separate into 8 triangles.  Place 5 slices of pepperoni on each roll and top with string cheese.  Roll up.  Sprinkle rolls with garlic powder and place on baking sheet.  Bake for 12-15 mins (until lightly browned).  Serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping.

Manicotti Marinara

I have been making this dish for a few years now and my husband always raves about it and even goes so far to say that it is better than most restaurants versions of the dish.  Since I cannot remember where I found this recipe, I do not have a link to it - sorry.  I also love this as it is a basic version, but you can add in extras (spinach, chicken, veggies, etc).

Manicotti Marinara

Ingredients:

Manicotti Shells (I usually use about 6-8 shells so there are leftovers for lunch the next day)

1 jar Emerils Home Style Marinara sauce or your favorite marinara sauce (about 24 oz)

2 large eggs

15 oz ricotta cheese

16 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 Tbsp parsley

Cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain.

Spray baking dish with cooking spray.  Spread half of sauce over bottom of dish.

Beat eggs in large bowl.  Stir in ricotta, 3 cups mozzarella, 3/4 cup Parmesan and parsley.  Fill each cooked shell with mixture (I tear the shell length-wise to get it flat so I can spread mixture evenly, then roll it up and place the shell seam-side down in baking dish).

Arrange filled shells in baking dish over sauce.  Top with remaining sauce, 1 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan.  Cover and bake 45 minutes.  Uncover and continue baking 5 minutes more.  Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Cake Batter Pancakes

Cake Batter Pancakes


Found this recipe on Pinterest just in time for my daughter's 2nd birthday and she loved them (and so did we)!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2/3 cups yellow cake mix

1 Tbsp sugar

3/4 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1  1/2 cups milk

assorted sprinkles (which is perfect for any holiday/theme)

Directions:

Combine flour, cake mix, baking powder, sugar and salt in bowl and mix.  Add milk, eggs and vanilla extract and stir until smooth.  Add more milk if batter is too thick or add more flour if batter is to thin.

Preheat skillet on medium heat or preheat griddle.  Fold desired amount of sprinkles into batter.  Pour batter in 1/4 cup measurements onto skillet/griddle and let cook (I added a pinch more sprinkles on the uncooked side to give it some more coloring).  Cook about 2-3 minutes or until slightly browned.  Flip and cook for 1 minute more.

Chicken and Cheese Lasagna Roll-Ups

Chicken and Cheese Lasagna Roll-Ups


Ingredients:

3 cups chopped cooked chicken

1 cup ricotta cheese

1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1/4 cup milk

8 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained

2 cups of your favorite spaghetti sause

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In medium bowl, combine chicken, ricotta cheese, feta cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and milk.  Spread 1 cup sauce in baking dish.  Spread mixture on each lasagna noodle, roll jelly-roll fashion.  Arrange lasagna rolls, seam-side down in sauce in baking dish.  Top with remaining sauce.  Cover.  Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.  Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (if desired).  

Baked Ziti, Summer Veggies and Sausage

So I have been really bad about not updating this thing.  So I am updating with a few new recipes (Sorry, don't have pictures for them, but will add links to where I found the original recipe).

Baked Ziti and Summer Veggies

Ingredients:

6 oz uncooked ziti

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 cups chopped yellow squash

1 cup chopped zucchini

1/2 cup chopped onion (I omitted this as we are not onion eaters)

2 cups chopped tomato

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil (I used 1 Tbsp dried basil)

2 tsp chopped fresh oregano (1 tsp dried oregano)

3/4 tsp salt, divided

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper (although I think you could use a little more if you like spice)

1/4 cup ricotta cheese

1 large egg, lightly beaten

5 oz mild to spicy (depending on how spicy you want the dish) turkey sausage or regular sausage (to save time I used Jimmy Dean fully cooked sausage crumbles)

Cooking Spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Coat baking dish with cooking spray.

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt.  Drain.

While pasta is cooking, heat large skillet over med-high heat and add oil.  Add squash, zucchini and onion and saute 5 mins.  Add tomato and garlic and saute for 3 mins.  Remove from heat, stir in cooked pasta, 1/2 cup mozzarella, herbs, 1/2 tsp salt, crushed red pepper and sausage.

Combine ricotta, 1/4 tsp salt and egg.  Stir into pasta mixture.  Spoon into baking dish coated with cooking spray and sprinkle with 1/2 cup mozzarella.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 mins.

This was an excellent dish and one I will most definitely make again.

Crock Pot Lasagna

I'm pretty sure I found this recipe via pintrest. Thank you! For the past month, I have been cooking different versions of lasagna. This is by far the easiest and very tasty.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

29 oz can tomato sauce (although I would either had in a couple more ounces of water or maybe 32 oz can tomato sauce as the first time I made this it seemed a little dry).

8 oz lasagna noodles, uncooked (I used the noodles that are meant to be cooked through boiling water as the recipe originally said not to use the oven ready noodles)

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

4 cups Mozzarella cheese

15 oz ricotta cheese

Directions:

Spray inside of crock pot with cooking spray.

Brown ground beef.

Stir in tomato sauce with cooked beef.

Spread 1/4 meat mix into crock pot.

Arrange 1/2 uncooked noodles over sauce. I broke them up so they would fit nicely.

Combine cheeses in bowl.

Spoon 1/3 cheese mix over noodles.

Repeat layers with meat mix, noodles and cheese.

Top with remaining 1/4 meat mix.

Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.

Let lasagna stand in crock pot with lid off for about 10 mins before serving.

Buffalo Chicken Bites and Blue Cheese Dip

It has been a long time since my last post. But I have a new one for y'all. I ripped it out of my All You Feb 2012 magazine and it was a huge hit at the Super Bowl party last night. I doubled the recipe, thinking the original amount wasn't going to be enough and I'm glad I did. And for the dip, I also made Ranch as well and just bought a packet of dry mix and mixed it with 16 oz sour cream.

For the Blue Cheese Dip:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups reduced-fat sour cream

2/3 cup light mayo

8 oz blue cheese, crumbled

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp red wine vinegar

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

In a medium bowl mix together sour cream, mayo, Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar. Mix well. Stir in blue cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover and chill until ready to serve (can be refrigerated up to 2 days).

For the Buffalo Chicken Bites:

Ingredients:

1 stick (8 Tbsp) unsalted butter

1 cup hot wing sauce

2 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp white vinegar

2 Tbsp cayenne

2 tsp pepper

4 tsp salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/2 cup vegetable oil, divided

Directions:

Stir butter, hot wing sauce, sugar and vinegar in a pan over medium-low heat until butter has melted. Remove from heat. In a large plastic bag, mix cayenne, 2 tsp pepper, 4 tsp salt and flour. Had half of chicken and toss until well coated (about 1-2 minutes).

In a large skillet, warm half of oil over med-high heat. Remove chicken from bag and shake excess coating. Add half of coated chicken into skillet (if you have a huge skillet, you might be able to fit all of coated chicken into it) and cook, turning on all sides, until chicken is no longer pink in the middle, about 6-8 minutes. Cool on plate, then transfer into large bowl. Wipe out skillet. Toss remaining chicken into the large plastic bag and coat well. Add remaining oil to skillet and cook chicken until cooked through. Cool on plate then transfer to bowl.

Rewarm sauce mixture over med-low heat. Pour sauce over chicken. Mix well.

Serve with Blue Cheese Dip and Ranch Dip.

Wish I had taken a picture of the finished product, but since I was short on time I did not. However, a lot of friends were surprised I had made this from scratch. And it tasted amazing. :-)

Need Recipes

So I haven't found any outstanding recipes recently.

Lately, I have been trying out crock pot recipes, but a certain someone (my husband) hasn't liked any of them. I'm giving the last one a shot tonight and praying we like it, since it is so much easier to prepare dinner during the morning and letting it cook throughout the day, then trying to do a million things at once at 5 p.m.

So if anyone wants to post their favorite recipe, please do! I always love cooking up new dishes.

Peach Upside Down Cake

Just made this for my family this evening and it turned out amazing and it was super easy. I found the original recipe on Joyful Homemaking, but made a few changes.

Ingredients:

1 Box of yellow or white cake mix

21 oz can of peach pie filling

3 peaches, cut into bite-sized pieces and a couple of tablespoons of apple juice and another couple of tablespoons of water (original recipe called for a 19 oz can sliced peaches using the juice from can)

2/3 cup butter

*Original recipe also called for 1/2-1 cup chopped pecans but we omitted this for our little one

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a greased 9x13 pan, place cut-up peaches and pour juice/water over them.

Spread pie filling over the top of the peaches.

Spread out the dry cake mix over the peaches/peach pie filling.

IF using pecans, sprinkle them over the top of cake mix.

Spread butter over top.

Bake for 50 minutes.

Enjoy!

Chicken Scaloppine

Made this dish last night for dinner and it was a huge hit. My husband raved about it and actually was sad that the left-overs went towards our daughter's lunch. Haha! I cooked this along with some rice and cooked carrots, it was a super easy dinner (the picture doesn't do the meal justice).

Ingredients:

About 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1-1/2 Tbsp canola oil

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 Tbsp lime juice

2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

Between pieces of plastic wrap, place chicken breast; pound with flat side of meat mallet until about 1/4 inch thick. Repeat with remaining chicken. Cut chicken in half, if desired.

In shallow dish, mix flour, cumin and salt. Coat chicken with flour mixture. Reserve 1 tsp flour mixture.

In 12 inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken; cook 3-5 minutes on both sides until golden brown and no longer pick in the center. Remove chicken from skillet and cover to keep warm.

In small bowl, stir reserved 1 tsp flour mixture into broth. Gradually stir broth mixture into skillet. Heat to boiling; stir in lime juice and cilantro (it will smell amazing!). Serve sauce over chicken. Also is great over rice as well.

White Chocolate Strawberry Pie

I had seen this on another blog site and decided to make it for a party I went to this evening. Not only was it easy, but was a huge hit too.

Ingredients:

1 pie crust

4 oz bar white chocolate (I used Bakers white chocolate and used 6 blocks for the filling and 2 to drizzle)

2 Tbsp milk (I actually forgot to put this in, but it turned out perfectly fine without it)

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp grated orange peel

1 cup whipped cream (I just used Cool Whip)

About 2 cups sliced strawberries

Directions:

Prepare and bake pie crust according to package directions, or own recipe. Cool.

Microwave 6 blocks of white chocolate with or without the milk until completely melted, about 1 minute. Cool to room temperature.

Beat cream cheese, orange peel, and powdered sugar in small bowl until well mixed. Stir in chocolate mixture. Stir in whipped cream.

Spread mixture onto bottom of pie crust. Arrange strawberries on top of filling. Melt remaining white chocolate and drizzle over strawberries.

Refrigerate for at least an hour or until ready to serve.

Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

Decided to make more muffins since the last batch was gone in less than 48 hours! Super easy and very tasty.

Ingredients:

1-2/3 cups quick-cooking oats

2/3 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1-1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk

1/4 cup canola oil

2 tsp grated lemon rind

2 large eggs

2 cups frozen blueberries

2 Tbsp all purpose flour

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

Cooking Spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place oats in a food processor; pulse 5-6 times until oats resemble coarse meal. Place in a large bowl. Combine oats, flours, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt; stir well with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture.

Combine buttermilk, canola oil, grated lemon rind and eggs in a small bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Toss berries with 2 Tbsp flour and gently fold into batter.

Spoon batter into muffin cups coated with cooking spray; sprinkle 2 Tbsp granulated sugar evenly over batter.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove from pans immediately; and cool.

Makes about 16 muffins, or 32 mini muffins.

Mini Whole Wheat Apricot Muffins

I just finished baking these and there are very yummy! I had recently bought a cookbook for toddlers and found this recipe and decided to bake them for my one year old for snack time today. It's Cooking Light First Foods and am loving this book so far! Another great recipe for freezing and defrosting as needed.

*To ensure that the apricots are soft enough for baby, soak them in hot water for 10 minutes; drain them well before chopping them.

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour

1/3 Cup Whole Wheat Flour

1/4 Cup Sugar

3/4 tsp Grated Orange Rind

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1/8 tsp Salt

1/2 Cup Buttermilk

2 Tbsp butter, melted

1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 Large Egg White

1/2 cup Finely Chopped Dried Apricots (I used canned apricots)

Cooking Spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flours, sugar, orange rind, baking soda and salt in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine buttermilk, butter, vanilla extract and egg white in a bowl; stir with a whisk. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture; stir until just moist. Fold in apricots. Spoon batter into 24 mini muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Cool.

Lasagna

This is my mom's recipe and is always a good one. Makes a ton too. I usually make two batches with the amount of ingredients that are used. And this recipe is great if you want to add vegetables.

Ingredients:

1 Box Oven Ready Lasagna Noodles

1 Large Jar Spaghetti Sauce (about 4 lbs)

1/2 lb Sweet Italian Sausage

1 lb Ground Beef

1, 32 oz Tub Ricotta Cheese

3-4 Bags Shredded Italian Cheese

1 Cup Burgundy Wine

Cooking Spray

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In medium pot, brown ground beef and sausage together. Drain. Add spaghetti sauce and wine. Heat on low. Spray bottom of baking dishes with cooking spray and place a layer of lasagna noodles down. Spread ricotta cheese over noodles. Pour some spaghetti sauce/meat mixture over ricotta and sprinkle Italian cheese over sauce. Repeat until dishes are full, starting with lasagna noodles and ending with Italian cheese. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Can freeze left overs.

First Attempt Making Baby Food

It has been so long since my last post. I have been making new dishes, all of them busts. That along with being sick for what seems like a couple of months, is the reason for the lack of posts.

I recently became intrigued with making baby food. My daughter is 10 months old and is a very adventurous eater but has become tired of the store bought foods. I recently received an American Baby magazine and found a ton of recipes for baby, so I figured why not.

I made my first batch of Strawberry-Banana-Pineapple Soup and am very surprised at how easy it was (and how wonderful it smells). My daughter hasn't had it yet, but will at some point today so I'll post pictures of how that goes.

Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 fresh or frozen strawberries (I used frozen, already sliced strawberries)

3 bananas

1/4 pineapple (I used an 8 oz can of pineapple chunks)

1 cup water

Directions:

Remove strawberry stems and then wash the berries. Slice each banana into 4-6 pieces. Cut the pineapple into berry-size chunks.

Put everything into a 4 quart pot and cook, covered, on high for about 6 minutes, stirring once. Carefully pour the mixture from the pot into a strainer with a bowl underneath to save the juice.

Pour the cooked fruit into a blender. Puree until smooth using 1/4 to 1/2 cup juice to adjust consistency.

Pour into two ice cube trays, and cool. Once frozen, place them into freezer safe bags and defrost cubes as needed.

Here's the picture of the frozen cubes.