Ranch Dip for Veggies

I'm not the type of person who eats ranch dressing on salad, but I love to dip a cold, crunchy cucumber or piece of celery into it before taking a bite. I found a recipe online using sour cream and mayo, so I figured I could use Greek yogurt and olive oil mayo (one of my favorite inventions, as I, embarrassingly, LOVE mayo). I mixed one part olive oil mayo with two parts Greek yogurt, added a bunch of seasonings, and blended it up quickly with a spoon. It's super quick, and super delicious. And the best part--I don't feel guilty eating it! :)

Ingredients:

1 cup Greek yogurt

1/2 cup olive oil mayo

1 T dried chives

1 T dried dill

1 t garlic powder

1 t onion powder

1 t dried parsley

few grinds of salt

few grinds of black pepper

Turkey Stroganoff

I found this recipe for "Poor Man's Stroganoff":

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2011/02/poor-mans-stroganoff.html

I changed it up a bit to make it slightly healthier, as well as gluten free, although it was almost gluten free without having to do much. I changed the following things:

ground turkey instead of beef

low fat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream

organic (no HFCS!) ketchup instead of tomato paste (only because I was out of tomato paste)

regular bacon instead of turkey (it's what I had on hand)

rice flour instead of flour

I doubled the garlic, as usual :-)

I served it to my kids (and myself) over egg noodles, and served it over rice pasta to my husband, who is trying a gluten free diet. It was absolutely heavenly all around. And an added bonus, the house smells like bacon and garlic. Two of my favorite things. Yum.

Chicken Cordon Bleu (my version)

This dish was quick, easy, and made the house smell delicious. Oh, and it tasted good. :)

Ingredients:

*Four chicken breasts, cut in half to make 8 thin breasts (or you can pound the four breasts flat, but that takes work)

*salt and pepper

*Canadian bacon (one slice per chicken breast)

*One fresh mozzarella ball, sliced

*1 T butter

*1 cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease a glass baking dish.

Grind salt and pepper lightly on each side of each chicken breast.

Place a slice of Canadian bacon on each breast, then top with a slice of mozzarella.

Fold the breast in half, then secure with a toothpick.

Place a small amount of butter on the top of each breast, then place baking dish in oven for 2-3 minutes, or until butter is completely melted.

Remove dish from oven, sprinkle panko crumbs over the chicken, the place back in the oven for 35-40 minutes.

Check to make sure chicken is no longer pink, and serve immediately.

I served it with brown rice and a summer salad. (Mostly) healthy and simple! :)

Refreshing White Corn Salad

I found this recipe online, and it is simple and perfect for a summer dinner or get together. http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/fresh-corn-salad-10000001176261/

Ingredients:

7 ears of white corn, boiled and cut from the cobs

1 medium red pepper, diced

1 medium red onion, diced

1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

Boil the corn for about four minutes, then immediately place it in ice water to stop the cooking process. Cut the corn from the cobs, and add the red pepper, onion, and parsley.

In a separate bowl, mix the olive oil, sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper. Add the veggies to the oil mixture and combine. Chill for at least two hours and serve. Simple, healthy, perfect.

Whole Wheat Spinach Feta Quiche

I haven't made quiche in quite a while, and had a ton of eggs to use up this week. About a dozen boiled eggs later, I decided quiche was the way to go to finish off the eggs. Here is a link to my last quiche post from about 17 months ago:

http://mommysmuffins.blogspot.com/search/label/quiche

This time, I used whole wheat flour for the crust, and used six whole eggs mixed with milk for the filling. I also used the following:

1/2 of a fresh mozzarella ball, sliced

2/3 cup frozen chopped spinach, defrosted on the counter for about 30 minutes

5 chopped up Trader Joe's frozen pre-cooked turkey meatballs

1 small chopped up tomato

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

After baking the crust for the initial 20 minutes covered loosely in foil, I topped it with the tomatoes and spinach, then added the feta and mozzarella before pouring the egg mixture over top. I baked it for another 35 minutes, uncovered, and knew it was time to remove it from the oven when the top of the mozzarella slices were slightly golden brown. I let it sit on the counter to cool for about an hour, and it sliced perfectly for lunch. Healthy and delicious!

Simple Homemade Whipped Cream

For dessert tonight I used some fresh berries from the farmer's market, along with a store-bought angel food cake (I'm enjoying the lazy days of summer a tad early!), and added some homemade whipped cream. Just like the recipe says, it took five minutes and couldn't have been easier. See ya later, Cool Whip!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Easy-Whipped-Cream/Detail.aspx

Salad Season is Here!

It is no surprise to anyone that I enjoy food, but I wasn't always a huge fan of salads as meals. I've always loved a nice salad as a side, but the idea of only eating a salad as my entire meal always seemed like a horrible idea. I thought I would be hungry an hour later. What about the meat? The carbs? The protein? It turns out, those are what make a delicious salad delicious. The avocado, the cheese, the nuts, the dressing, the fruit, and of course the vegetables. :-)

I've gotten more into salads over the last year, and I came across the following recipe online. I've made it two nights in a row now, each time doing it a little different. I doctored it up a bit, and it turned out to be a very filling, satisfying, delectable meal. As the weather warms up, summer produce begins to sprout, and I crave more light, heart-healthy foods, I plan to make a version of this salad weekly.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Harvest-Salad/Detail.aspx

Changes I made:

I left out the red onion and tomato, because I didn't have any on hand.

I added cucumbers, strawberries (hooray for delicious organic strawberries!), and slivered almonds (toasted for about 3 minutes in the toaster oven).

I added about a cup of shredded rotisserie chicken (picked up the cooked chicken at Whole Foods, and this is the second meal in which I've used it)

I also used a blend of organic mixed greens instead of just spinach.

Last night I made the dressing using raspberry preserves, as it calls for, and tonight I used strawberry preserves. I slightly preferred the raspberry, though both were pretty yummy.

Who doesn't love a super healthy meal you can make in 10 minutes?!? And the best part (for me, anyway), was that I could just chop up some avocado and chicken super fine for my 9 month old, and she gobbled it up. :-)

Chewy Oat Bars

My friend JoAnna sent me this delicious recipe:

http://tammysrecipes.com/oatmeal_chocolate_chip_cookie_bars

I made the following changes:

I used 1 cup of whole wheat flour, and 1/2 cup white flour

Took out 1/2 of a stick of butter (so I used 3/4 of the butter it called for)

Took out half of the chocolate chips

Added 1/4 cup of ground flax seed

Added 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Added 3/4 cup sliced almonds

Instead of a 9x13 inch pan, I scooped the dough into two greased 8x8 glass dishes. I was holding my 9 month old while I made them, and she refused to let me put her down. My 9x13 inch pan was too high for me to reach while holding her, so I used the ones that were more accessible. If you don't have kids, you now think I'm ridiculous. If you have kids, you probably understand. :)

These came out so so so good, and were pretty simple to make. They were delicious straight out of the oven, all warm and gooey, but they will make a great snack later when they firm up a bit as well. And the best part, they are fairly healthy! :)

Crockpot Chicken Nachos

These are heavenly, scrumptious, delicious, and amazing. I only have one picture from the entire (simple, but lengthly) process because I was so excited to plop down on the couch and eat them, I forgot that I might want to blog about them.

These are perfect as a meal, an appetizer, or a snack. And don't be scared by "lengthy." The only reason they take a while is because the crockpot is involved. Actual hands-on time is almost nothing.

Ingredients
Two frozen (or thawed) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Two cups of your favorite salsa (I LOVE Margaritaville salsa from BJ's, and Trader Joe's medium salsa as well)
One cup of water
One can of corn, drained
One cup shredded cheddar
A pile of tortilla chips (I used Wegman's organic yellow corn tortilla chips)

Put the chicken breasts in the crockpot, pour salsa, water and corn over chicken, place lid on crockpot, and cook on high for 5 hours. (I'm sure cooking on low for 10 hours would do the same thing).

Place a single layer of tortilla chips on a nonstick foil lined baking sheet, and sprinkle half of the cheese onto the chips. Top with a thin layer of the chicken mixture (shredded), then top with remaining cheese. Bake for about five minutes, or until cheese is melted.

The last step is very important. Add a small pile of tortilla chips on the side, so you have some slightly baked/soft chips, and some crunchy non-baked ones as well. The combo of textures is delightful.

Enjoy with a glass of red wine, while your children sleep, your husband is out of town, and you are catching up on DVR'd Kardsashian episodes. Or, if you don't want to admit to all of that, just enjoy. ;)

Savory Split-Pea Soup

And you thought pureed veggies were only for babies. This soup is scrumptious and extremely healthy, and you will want a second bowl, I promise!

I was wandering through the bulk section at Whole Foods last week, and decided to fill up a bag with French split peas. I didn't know what I would do with them, but I figured I could make something yummy and full of vitamins.

I googled split pea soup recipes, but every recipe I found would have required another trip to the store. So, I took some tips from allrecipes.com, and came up with my own recipe using ingredients from my fridge. It didn't take long at all, and we will be having leftovers tomorrow night. YUMMY! (and I'm not a huge fan of soup in general).

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups split peas (soak them in a big pot of water overnight first, so this is 1 1/2 cups SOAKED peas)

2 or 3 T olive oil

1 cup of organic celery, finely chopped

1 cup of organic red and green peppers, finely chopped

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 cup frozen chopped spinach

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 container (four cups) of organic beef broth

1 T Herbes de Provence

A few grinds of black pepper

A few grinds of salt

Put the veggies (celery, onion, and peppers) into a food processor and pulse a few times (or chop by hand).

Drizzle olive oil into a large pot on the stove over medium/high heat, and then add chopped veggies and garlic. Saute for a few minutes, then add Herbes de Provence and stir.

***Keep toddler entertained with a few bowls, cups, spoons, and the extra peas.***

Pour beef broth into the veggie mixture and continue to stir. Add peas and spinach, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low, and cook for about an hour and a half, stirring every 10 minutes or so. After an hour, turn off the heat, and let soup sit for 30 minutes with the lid on the pot.

Pour soup into a food processor, and turn it on for about 10-15 seconds. That's it. Now enjoy with some crusty French bread. Mmmmm...

Meatloaf Muffins with Garlicky Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

*I need to preface this by saying that my toddler deleted a few of the photos I took earlier this evening, so the ones I am left with won't do this yummy meal justice.*

I had a freezer of ground beef to work with, along with a bag of potatoes. I decided to make meatloaf for dinner since it sounded like the perfect antidote to this frigid weather. I remember hearing someone talk about making them as "muffins", so I thought I would give it a try.

I used:

2 lbs grass fed organic ground beef

2 organic eggs

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup organic ketchup (not the high fructose corn syrup stuff)

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 tspn salt

1 tspn ground black pepper

1 tspn onion powder

1 tspn garlic powder

I put everything into my large food processor and did an initial blend, then decided it would be better to transfer everything to a large ziplock bag and mix it that way. You can skip the food processor and just go for the ziplock. As long as I don't have to directly touch the meat with my fingers, I'm good. :) (I used my mini-food processor for the onion. I hate chopping veggies by hand.)

Grease a muffin tin, and add an even amount of the mixture to each spot (I can't think of the name of it, but the hole where you stick the muffin mix is what I'm referring to). :)

Place the muffin tin in a 450 degree oven, and bake for about 20-25 minutes. Then switch the oven to broil, and broil them for 3-4 minutes to get a crispy top.

That's it! They are so easy to make, and so delicious; my favorite combination! Enjoy them with...

Garlicky Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

I used:

4 large baking potatoes, each cut into about 8-10 chunks (leave about half of the skin on)

2/3 cup Greek yogurt

1 stick of butter

1/2 cup milk

2/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 T garlic powder

1 tspn salt

1 tspn ground black pepper

Boil the potatoes for about 25 minutes. Add the cheese and butter first so they melt a little, then mix everything else in, blend together with a hand mixer, and enjoy!

White Chicken Chili

First off, YUM. Seriously, this is so good, and soooo easy. You must make it. You won't be sorry.

We went to the gym after Audrey woke up from her nap this afternoon (her third nap this week, we're on a roll!!!), and hit Trader Joe's afterward when it was super busy with after-work people. I literally tossed a few ingredients into the cart and headed home with both babies.

It's such an easy concoction that I was able to make it in about 15 minutes, while simultaneously feeding an early dinner to my toddler, making a bottle for my six month old, unloading groceries, and catching up with my husband who had just returned home from work.

This is what I used:

shredded chicken (I used TJ's canned chicken. Don't judge. I have never even thought of using it before, but it called out to me from the shelf when it knew how late we were running for dinner/bedtime. Because I used it in chili, you can't even tell.)

1/2 of a white onion, chopped

1 T olive oil

1 can of white kidney beans

1 can of pinto beans

1 can of corn

1/3 jar of salsa verde

1/4 jar of salsa (see picture for size of jar)

about 2/3 cup monterey jack cheese, cubed

about 1/3 cup pepper jack cheese (or jalapeno monterey jack cheese), cubed (to taste...use more pepper jack if you like spice, and use less pepper jack/more monterey jack if you like a more mild flavor)

2/3 cup water

Pour olive oil into a large pot on medium heat, and add the onions. After about a minute, add the chicken and stir. Add the water to the pot, followed by everything else. See, it's easy. :-) Just make sure you stir constantly so the cheese melts evenly and doesn't burn. Turn it down to low heat after the cheese cubes are melted, and let it cook for another 10 minutes or so. Stir every 2-3 minutes during that time. Spoon into bowls and enjoy! I served it with some french bread we had in the freezer. It would also be really good with corn bread or tortilla chips.

Let's Call These "Meat Squares" :)

I am really trying to "shop" from my pantry, fridge, and freezer this week, and came up with a quick and easy (and healthy!) meal for dinner last night. My husband and toddler enjoyed it, as did I, and there are leftovers for dinner this evening. Here is what I used:

1 lb ground beef (we split a cow with a few people and have quite the stash of grass-fed beef in our freezer)

1 package of puff pastry from TJ's

1/2 small onion

a few cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup frozen spinach

few dashes of Worcestershire sauce

1 T ground cumin

few grinds of salt

few grinds of black pepper

1 cup of goat cheese, crumbled

Take the puff pastry out of the freezer and let it sit on the counter while you work. Brown and drain the ground beef. Add the onions and garlic to the same pan and saute for about two minutes, then return the beef to the pan. Add spinach, cumin, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper, and stir while cooking on medium heat.

Lay out the two pastry sheets, and spoon beef mixture onto one of them. Top with crumbled goat cheese, and place second pastry sheet on top. Pinch edges together to make a large pocket. Bake on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes. Check on it occasionally to make sure it hasn't burned, and slice into it to make sure the dough is cooked through.

Cut into four squares and enjoy!

Audrey's 2nd Birthday Party

Now that I have two children, and they are growing up at lightening speed before my very eyes, you may notice that my blog is becoming a little more toddler/baby/child focused. I still plan to focus heavily on baking and cooking, but will also include some crafts and other fun things. I am NOT crafty, but I am working on it, and enjoying every step of the journey with my little munchkins. :-)

My first baby girl turned two years old on Saturday, and we had a Sesame Street themed party with family on her birthday, and a party with her friends on Monday. I'm really happy with how everything turned out, and wanted to share in case any other moms need some ideas.

Food

Mini meatballs (TJ's precooked frozen mini meatballs, slow cooked in amazing sauce... recipe below)

Pigs in a blanket (TJ's nitrate-free cocktail pups wrapped in Pillsbury crescent dough)

Mac 'n' Cheese Balls (TJ's)

Crab artichoke dip (Whole Foods)

Black bean hummus dip (Whole Foods; this dip is amazing and probably easy to DIY)

Veggie tray....sliced up red, yellow, and green peppers and carrot sticks

Meatball Sauce Recipe

*For 3 bags of mini meatballs, I combined three jars of Trader Joe's organic marinara sauce, 1 cup of packed brown sugar, and 1 cup of blackberry preserves (I used a mixture of blackberry and raspberry this time, but usually just use blackberry; whatever you have on hand will work). Blend well, cover meatballs in crockpot, and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Other:

Sesame Street Cupcakes (boxed yellow cake mix, vanilla icing mixed with various food coloring, Oreos for the mouths, marshmallows and m&ms for the eyes)

I used this website for inspiration: http://itsallabouto.blogspot.com/2009/04/sesame-street-birthday.html

I bought a Wilton icing bag set at Michael's for about $8, and purchased the "grass" tip separately for about $3. I have NEVER even been to that section of Michael's before, and knew absolutely nothing about icing cupcakes (except just using a spatula and going to town). If I can do it, you can too.

Elmo/Oscar/Cookie Monster/Big Bird Goodie Bags (I used my friend, Missy Mellen's photos from her son's birthday party for inspiration)

I purchased the bags, in groups of 13, at Michaels for about $3 a bunch. Then I cut eyes, noses, and mouths out of construction paper. It was kind of fun, and took maybe a little over an hour while my wonderful mother-in-law played with the girls. :)

I think both parties turned out well, and Audrey loved seeing her favorite characters throughout our house. We still have a few Sesame Street balloons floating around the house, that I'm sure won't be going away anytime soon. ;-)