Apple Chips

I am always trying to think of good snack ideas for my kids, things to give them for lunch or easy and portable breakfast ideas.  Thanks to my husband by kids also love chips.  So, that brought me to apple chips and I figured they couldn't be too hard to make, right?

So, a quick google search and I landed on this recipe.  It stood out to me because of the sugar water soak.  Any other recipe I read about just seemed like the chips would kinda be leathery, like dried fruit and not all that  sweet.  I'm not usually a fan of added sugar but I also want to make something that they will EAT and something that the baby can (physically) eat and fruit leather isn't going to be easy for him.

In true me fashion I used what I had on hand, which happened to be granny smith apples.  I figured they have a nice bite to them, bake well and the sugar soak should counter their tartness, I was right.  

I simply sliced the apples however I could manage, as thin as I could manage, but a mandoline would work much, much better and they would be prettier.

First make a batch of sugar water for the soak dissolving 1 1/2 cups of sugar into 2 cups of water on the stove top. 

Then, slice 2-4 apples paper thin and squeeze lemon juice on them as you go to prevent browning and drop them into your sugar water.  

Soak your apple slices in the sugar water overnight.

The next day pat them all dry and then lay them out on parchment paper on a cookie sheet and bake in your oven at 200 degrees for an hour to an hour and a half.  The apples will be CRUNCHY like chips and oh so wonderful.  I also sprinkled a little cinnamon sugar on half of my batch and that was equally as yummy. 

Five minute ice-cream

What is the best dinner to feed a poor, sick child?  Ice-cream, of course.  I mean what would make a child happier than ice-cream for dinner?  And, as a parent, all you want to do is make that poor miserable child laying on the couch with rosy red cheeks do is... smile.  Just a teeny one.  And saying "Do you want some chocolate ice-cream for dinner?" will do it.



And this ice-cream is healthy, and easy on the tummy.

This is about the best idea ever.   I couldn't even wait to blog about it.  I read about it on Use Real Butter, thank you fellow Coloradoan!

What'll you'll need:

4 banana's, sliced and frozen
2 tablespoons of natural creamy peanut butter (optional)
1 tablespoon of cocoa powder (optional)


Put the frozen banana's in your food processor and blend until nice and creamy.   And, as a note I happened to have whole frozen banana's in my freezer, I do that when they go brown so I can use them later for banana bread.  I just peeled them, sliced them frozen and put them in the chopper - it worked fine.


Add the peanut butter and cocoa powder.


Done.


For added smiles, add sprinkles.


You could change this recipe up in so many ways too.  Nutella came to mind first.  Oh Nutella.  Or how about some strawberry preserves.  Apple pie filling.  Chocolate syrup drizzled over banana ice-cream.  Raspberries.  Chunks of chocolate.  


Dude, it's healthy ice-cream.  Healthy enough to feed to a sick kid.  For realz.

Chicken dinner.

I mentioned before that I love seasoning packets.  I peruse the spice aisle almost every time I go to the grocery store to see if there are any flavors that speak to me.  I use them on all kinds of meat but chicken is my favorite.  Today I chose a sweet bbq seasoning packet that is made for roasting a whole chicken in the oven but I buck the system and always do it in the slow cooker.

So, toss in however many chicken breasts your family will eat.  I throw them in frozen so they don't dry out (my dinner is typically going for 10 hours or so by the time we're all home)  Then add 1-2 packets of the seasoning packet of your choice.  Then, pour in some water - about 1" deep is what I do.

Turn it on low and you're done prepping dinner!


When you get home you can steam or roast some veggies, add a salad and dinner is ready.   I mean really, 5 minutes.  And real minutes too, not those 20 minute meals on TV where everything was already prepped ahead of time.  I mean, can't ANYONE make a meal in 20 minutes if everything they need is laid out in tiny little bowls all measured and chopped for them.  

Do you use seasoning packets to your advantage?  What are some of your quick recipes using them?

Chicken and Couscous Salad

I made this up on the fly, trying to use up some couscous and chicken that I had on hand and it was wonderful! Let me see if I can list the ingredients correctly :)




First, you need 2 chicken breasts that have been marinated in the lemon and garlic marinade from this post. Then, roast the chicken breasts at 425 for about 1/2 hour. Cut into bite sized pieces.

You also need:

1 medium zuchinni
1 small red onion
1 portabella mushroom
1 cup tri color couscous
1 cup water
1 tomato

While your chicken is roasting: Sprinkle salt and pepper on your mushroom (you don't have to use portabella, but it's what I had) and saute it in a pan of olive oil for about 5-6 minutes per side. Toss in sliced zucchini and diced onion and saute at the same time. When the mushroom is cooked cut it in to bite sized pieces. Add 1 cup of water to the veggie mixture and bring to a boil. Stir in couscous, remove from heat and cover. Let stand 5 minutes and prepare dressing.


Dressing:

• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced

Combine chicken and veggie mixture in a bowl and toss with dressing. Serve with tomato slices.

Spanish Rice

This is my made up, on the fly Spanish rice. And, I use it to make a lot of different meals, which I will post about.

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked rice
• 1 medium onion, chopped (I like onions so I used a large one)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 small green bell pepper, chopped
  
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 can black beans
  

Directions

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add rice, green pepper, garlic and onion and cook (about 5-10 minutes) stirring occasionally, until rice is golden brown and onion is tender. Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until rice is tender.


So... what can you do with this rice?

Well, you can use it as a side dish obviously and make Fajita's

Or, you can make a really simple and easy casserole. I use the leftovers to make a southwest chicken skillet casserole. I've never written down exactly what I do so I don't think a new entry is in order but basically...

Southwest Chicken Casserole

Take your left over rice and add 1/2 a cup to 1 cup of sour cream. Mix it up in a skillet. This isn't an exact science just mix it up to taste. Then add a can of corn to the mix. Then add some chicken. I usually use leftover chicken from another recipe but you could just grill some up real quick too and season it with taco or fajita seasoning or whatever you want. Then I warm it all up in a skillet and serve. It's pretty darn good.

Stuffed Peppers

Another thing you can do is mix the leftover rice with hamburger meat, a can of tomatoes and a can of corn. Stuff some bell peppers with the mix. Mix up some tomato sauce with a bit of brown sugar and pour that over the top of the peppers. Bake them in the oven at about 350 until tender.

Burritos
Obviously you can also make burritos with the rice. I just mix the rice with refried beans and cheese and heat. Roll mixture into tortillas and top with sour cream and diced tomatoes.

Chicken and Spanish Rice Soup

Any other favorites for using up leftover Spanish rice? Share them in the comments!

Chicken and Spanish Rice Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. cooked chicken, shredded
• 4 cups leftover Spanish rice
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 15.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes, with juices
• 1 15.5 oz. can chickpeas
• 2 cups corn
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 1 tbsp cumin.
• 1 tbsp chili powder
  
• 1 tbsp sweet paprika
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• Water, to cover
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

In a large stockpot over medium-low heat, cook carrots in olive oil until tender (about 10 minutes). Add onions and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.

Add tomato paste, tomatoes and rice. Pour enough water or stock over rice to cover (add more if you prefer a thinner soup.) Add remaining ingredients and stir to Simmer 15 minutes.

Serve piping hot with some tortilla chips on the side.

Courtesy of Cooking by the Seat of my Pants

Oatmeal Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Does your toddler love pancakes? Would you rather they have a more well rounded breakfast of oatmeal, cottage cheese, eggs and fruit?

Trick them!!!! Oh, and these are faster to prepare than regular pancakes, for an added bonus.

These do taste pretty good, but don't go in expecting buttermilk pancakes. They are more eggy than regular pancakes, but just as fluffy and moist and easily fooled my toddler. My husband knew there was something different and would have preferred regular pancakes, but he still ate them :) I served with syrup and some fruit on the side for a well rounded breakfast.

1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 egg whites OR 2 eggs

Mix everything in a blender (or use a hand blender)

Cook like regular pancakes.

Omelet in a bag

I heard about this genius idea a few weeks ago and just got around to trying it. The recipe is simple.

Crack 2 eggs in a heavy duty zip loc bag. Seal it up and mush the eggs inside the bag with your hands. Then, add whatever you want in your omelet. I used some left over veggies I had chopped up. I would have used ham or sausage, but I didn't have any on hand so we went veggie.

Green onion
Chopped onion
Salsa
Shredded cheddar cheese.

Add everything to the bag and mix well. Squeeze all the air out of the bag and seal. It is important that you get the air out, or you'll end up making egg drop soup instead of omelets.

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add your omelet bags and cook for 13 minutes. The omelet should slide right out of the bag and onto your plate when it's done.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Sandwich

Tired of serving your tot waffles for breakfast? Try something new that they just might like :) And, you might like it too.

• 1 tablespoon(s) reduced-fat cream cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) honey
• 1/8 teaspoon(s) freshly grated orange zest
• 2 slice(s) very thin whole-wheat bread
  
• 2 medium strawberries

Combine cream cheese, honey and orange zest in a bowl. Spread bread with the cheese mixture. Place sliced strawberries on 1 piece of bread, top with the other. You could serve it with a side of yogurt too.

Healthy & Amazingly Simple Cupcake/Muffins

I might be the last person on earth to learn this awesome trick for making muffins and cupcakes but just in case I'm not, I'm going to share it with all of you.

Buy 1 box of spice cake mix or devils food cake mix if you want chocolate.

Mix the box of cake mix, and nothing else, with 1 can of plain pureed pumpkin. NOT pumpkin pie filling.

Drop into greased cupcake tin and bake for abour 20-25 minutes at 350.

That's it!!!

Low fat & SUPER moist. You can frost them, but they don't need it. You can't taste the pumpkin when it's mixed with the devils food cake, just yummy chocolate.

And, bonus, it's a good way to sneak some veggies into your kids :) Add some shredded carrots or raisins to the spice cake mix for more flavor and nutrition.

Black Bean Nacho Pizza

This was DELISH! And, ironically enough I found it on delish.com.

I didn't follow the grilling part though, I put it on my own pizza crust and just use the general ingredients:

• 1 cup(s) canned black beans, rinsed
• 1/2 cup(s) chopped jarred roasted red peppers
• 1 garlic, quartered
• 1 tablespoon(s) chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
• Yellow cornmeal, for dusting
• 1 cup(s) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 2 medium plum tomatoes, diced
• 4 medium scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup(s) chopped pitted ripe black olives
• 2 tablespoon(s) chopped pickled jalapeños

First, prepare your pizza dough for proofing, this is a thinner crust recipe.

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/2-1 tablespoon olive oil
• cornmeal

Put a little sugar in your warm water and add the yeast. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and knead until no longer sticky, adding flour if needed. Place in a greased bowl and cover with a warm cloth and set aside to proof for 1/2 hour. I usually stick mine in the oven with the light on.

Then, put your black beans and roasted red pepper in the food processor and pulse for a few minutes. Mix your bean mixture with the garlic, chili powder and salt.

When the dough is ready roll it onto a pizza pan sprayed with olive oil or Pam. It will either make 2 small pizza's or one large one. You can pre-cook the pizza crust now if you want, but you don't have to. Bake it at 425 for 10 minutes.

Sprinkle with cornmeal. Spread bean mixture down. Layer the rest of the ingredients and bake an additional 20 minutes, or until the crust starts to brown. Serve with sour cream if desired.

Oh, I also added some fresh cilantro :)

Black Bean Quesadilla's

Yet another black bean recipe... :)

7 ounces of mashed black beans (1/2 a can)
2/3 cup salsa
Flour tortillas cut in half
Chicken (optional)
Sour Cream

Place tortillas on un-greased cookie sheet.

Mix beans and salsa. Spread bean mixture on tortilla halves. Top with chicken if desired and Monteray jack cheese. Top with remaining tortilla halves.

Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.

Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Dressing

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Salad

• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup grilled fresh corn kernel or 1 can corn, drained
• 3/4 cup red onion, chopped
• 3/4 cup tomato, diced
• 1/2 cup sweet red pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh basil and/or parsley or basil, finely chopped
  

Combine salad ingredients and then whisk the dressing mixture and pour over the salad. Combine until mixed.

Slow Cooker Beef, Barley and Vegetable Stew

Perfect meal for a cold day and makes plenty so you can freeze a few batches too!

• 1 (3 pound) beef chuck roast - or any other cut of beef you'd like to use
  
• 1 cup barley
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 carrots, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cans corn
  
• 4 cups water
• 4 cubes beef bouillon cubes
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
  
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

If you want you can add a few diced potatoes to this too, or some cabbage. You can also use up whatever veggies you have on hand if you need to. Just think about what you'd like in your stew!

Put everything but the barley in your slow cooker and put on low for about 8 hours. Then, stir everything up and cut the meat into bite sized pieces if you need to. Add the barley and cook an additional hour on low. Serve with some warm crusty bread and enjoy!

Makes about 8 hearty servings.

Split Pea Soup

What's the perfect way to get use out of that leftover ham bone from Easter? Make split pea soup! I make mine in the crockpot, so we have a nice hot meal when we come home from work.

1 (16 0z) package dried split peas - rinsed
1 ham bone
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk celery including leafy parts, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper
6-8 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth or water)

Layer everything in the crock pot, then pour the liquid over the top. Don't stir. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Remove bay leaves, ham bone and any large chunks of ham. If you want a smooth soup, remove and puree 1/3 of the soup and add it back in. Cut up large chunks of ham and add them back into the soup. Serve and enjoy!

Chicken Noodle Soup

The PERFECT lunch on a cold day. You'll have to bear with me though because I didn't follow a recipe, I just put it together on the fly :)

Last night I put 1 can of chicken broth and 4 - 5 cans of water (enough to cover everything) into the crock pot. I then put 3 large whole chicken pieces (bone in) into that. You could use boneless chicken breasts too, if you prefer.

Then add:

1 large chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrot
1/2 to 1 teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon parsley
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning (I actually had some rotisserie seasoning I used)
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
1/4 cup sliced mushrooms
2 bay leaves
1/2 lb wide egg noodles (more or less depending on how many you like in your soup)
salt and pepper

Put everything in the crock pot except the salt, pepper and egg noodles and turn it on low. Cook for about 8-10 hours. I did it overnight so we'd have it for lunch today.

Take the chicken pieces out making sure to get all the bones out too. Remove the bay leaves and toss. Cut the chicken up with a fork and toss the bones. While you are doing this the broth should have settled and you can skim any fat off the top with a spoon. Add the chicken back in. If it doesn't seem like you have enough liquid, you can add a bit more water. Put the egg noodles in and cook another 45 minutes or so on low, until the egg noodles are done. Serve and season to taste with salt and pepper.


This is an easy recipe to alter. Just leave things out you don't like. You can also add things like parsnips, potato, leak, dill...

Katie's version of Black Eyed Peas

Tonight I decided to make stuffed pork chops and while rummaging through my freezer for a side I found a bag of black eyed peas. I think I bought them once with the notion that they would be a good healthy finger food for my son Dillon and never made them for him. So, there they were, still sitting in my freezer. I thought hey, they need to be eaten...

I cooked them and then decided they needed a kick, so I added an onion and a green pepper. Then a can of rotel tomatoes. I also threw a pinch of garlic, salt, basil and a bay leaf in. No method to my madness. Then I realized I should just throw some ham in, and hey, I had some leftover ham! But, by then it was no longer a side, it was a meal! So, needless to say, dinner is done for tomorrow and I still don't have a side for tonight and my chops have 1/2 hour to go.

It is good though!

If I had to guess the recipe, here is what it would be:

1lb bag of frozen black eyed peas
Cook beans according to bag directions along with diced onion and diced pepper. Drain about 1/2 the liquid off.

Add:
1 can of rotel tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1/2 pound or so of cubed or diced or chunked cooked ham - whatever you have.


Season to taste with:

Salt, Pepper, Basil and Oregano

Simmer for 1/2 hour or so.

"Buttered" Noodles

Now, this isn't something I'd personally want to eat on a regular basis but when you have a picky toddler it may very well be something you find yourself making on a daily basis. My 20 month old son, like many toddlers, is on a carb and dairy diet. He will eat waffles, pancakes, bread, noodles, milk, yogurt and cheese. And blueberries. Oh, and sometimes a banana. He used to be a banana freak but lately hasn't been eating them too often. He used to be GREAT about eating his veggies. Green beans, carrots, peas, broccoli and even spinach but one day he just stopped. I HAVE to get some veggies into him. "Buttered" noodles are one way.

Pretty much, I cook 8 ounces or so of some kind of toddler friendly pasta (bow tie, penne) and then mix in a tablespoon or two of margarine or butter along with 6 - 8 ounces of squash puree. Make sure it is VERY smooth so your kids can't tell it's there. You can buy jarred squash puree if you want to save time. Mix in some parmesan cheese as well.

I always serve veggies like broccoli or peas and carrots along side or mixed into the noddles (or mac and cheese below), but just in case he picks them out I know he got *some* veggies hidden in the noodles.

You can also mix squash puree into Kraft Mac and Cheese. Just skip the milk because this will add enough liquid.

Any bit helps!

Grilled-Salmon Salad

This is a wonderful, light and flavorful recipe. I don't get a chance to make fish often, because my husband hates it, but I started a lunch group at work and each week we prepare a new meal and each of us brings a few of the ingredients in. It's a way to have a nice, healthy gourmet meal at the office without the $$$ and work that goes into it. Plus, it's fun! The Pasta Fagioli was courtesy of our lunch group as well.

Yummy Grilled-Salmon Salad with pine nuts, goat cheese and Tomato Vinaigrette

You can prepare the dressing up to three hours in advance.

• 1 cup diced firm-ripe tomatoes (about 8 oz.)
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

In a bowl, combine tomatoes, vinegar, oil, shallot, mustard, salt, and pepper. Mix well. I actually doubled this recipe because I prefer more dressing on my salad.

Then, prepare the salmon and the salad:

• 1 1/2 pounds boned, skinned salmon fillet, cut into 4 equal pieces
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• About 1 teaspoon salt
• About 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 8 ounces salad mix, rinsed and crisped

Garnishes

• 4 ounces fresh chèvre (goat) cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 cup minced green onions (white and pale green parts only)
• 1/4 cup pine nuts

1. Rinse salmon and pat dry. In a bowl, mix brown sugar, cumin, chili powder, and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Place salmon in bowl and rub pieces all over with spice mixture. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.

2. Lay salmon on a barbecue grill over a solid bed of hot coals or high heat on a gas grill (you can hold your hand at grill level only 2 to 3 seconds); close lid on gas grill. Cook, turning once, until a thermometer inserted in center of thickest part reads 140°, 6 to 8 minutes total.

3. Meanwhile, divide salad mix equally among four plates. Place a piece of salmon on each mound of greens. Drizzle salads equally with tomato vinaigrette and sprinkle evenly with goat cheese, green onions, and pine nuts. Add salt and pepper to taste.

This recipe is from MyRecipes.

Crock Pot Pasta Fagioli - SOOOOOOO easy and yummy.

I got this from crockpot365.blogspot.com It is SOOO freaking good. Great with some crusty bread and salad and wonderful for a cold day.

--1 pound lean ground beef, browned and drained
--1/2 large red onion, chopped
--1 cup carrots, chopped
--2 celery stalks, sliced
--2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes (and juice)
--1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
--1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
--4 cups beef broth (check label for gluten!)
--1 jar (16.5 oz) pasta sauce
--2 tsp oregano
--1 T Tabasco sauce
--1/2 tsp salt
--1/4 tsp black pepper
--1/2 cup dry pasta, to add at end of cooking time

The Directions.

Use a 6 quart or larger crock pot, or cut the recipe in half. This makes a lot.

Brown the meat on the stove top, and drain well. Let it cool a bit.

Chop up the carrots, onion, and celery. Add it to the empty crock pot.
Drain and rinse the beans, and add them. Add the whole cans of tomatoes, and the pasta sauce. Add the beef broth. Add the salt, pepper, oregano, and Tabasco sauce. Stir in your meat.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4. When the vegetables are tender, stir in the 1/2 cup of dry pasta.

Cover and cook for another hour on low, or until the pasta is tender. It will swell quite a bit.

Serve with a bit of Parmesan cheese if you have it.