Pumpkin Bars

 

 

Up until Thanksgiving I had been without refined sugar for 4 weeks! I was going to definitely have some dessert on Thanksgiving... and turns out, the day after too (I'm weak!). But today that ends, until Christmas! These little beauties are sort of legal because they don't have refined sugar, they have sucanat! It's still sugar, yes, so you should enjoy in moderation. I have quite a bit left from Thanksgiving (I made two pans!), so I'm putting what I have left in the freezer for the boys for treats (and maybe I'll have something when I'm craving something sweet). I thought they were great and the boys really liked them! I made them to take to both Thanksgiving meals and I'm wondering if anyone knew they were made with whole wheat flour and sucanat. If so, no one told me! You of course can make them with all regular ingredients.

Pumpkin Bars
(adapted from this recipe)

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sucanat (If using regular sugar, I would use half brown sugar to give it a deeper taste. Oh and when I make them again for us, I'm going to lower the sugar amount some. It's just what I do. I like to see how low I can get!)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking dish. In a large bowl cream butter and sugar together. Add spices and salt and mix. Next, add eggs and pumpkin puree and mix well. Last, add flour and mix just until combined. Fold in pecans. The batter will be thick. Spread batter into pan evenly and bake for 30-35 minutes. They should start to brown slightly on top and the edges should start to pull away from the pan. Let cool and cut into bars.

 

 

 

Dutch Pancake with Sauteed Apples

A while back I posted that I was trying to get away from my kids eating cereal every day for breakfast. While I choose healthier cereal options, I wanted to try some new things to get away from that box! So, here is one of our newest, easiest breakfast options. I came across this dutch pancake when I was going through my cookbooks. I found a Sesame Street cookbook that I had received from WIC last year. It actually has some really good recipes in it! I changed the recipe up a bit to avoid bad oils, low fat milk and white flour. It turned out really well and the boys loved it! The boys even helped me mix it up and enjoyed watching it puff up in the oven.

 

 

Dutch Pancake with Sauteed Cinnamon Apples

2 eggs
1 tablespoon butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup whole wheat flour*
2 tablespoons of sugar (I used sucanat, and did a scant 2 TBS)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 tablespoon butter
2 large apples, peeled and sliced

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease an 8 or 9 in cake pan (I used 8 inch). Mix together eggs, melted butter and milk. Add flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Stir until smooth. Pour batter into cake pan. Bake the pancake for 10 minutes and then reduce the heat to 350. Bake another 5-8 minutes. I actually baked mine another 10 minutes. The smaller pan and whole wheat is more than likely what caused it to need extra time baking. I took it out and tested it with a knife to make sure it was cooked through! While the pancake is baking, add butter to a large skillet. Add apples and cinnamon (I didn't measure, just sprinkled) to pan and stir. Cook until apples are lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Slice pancake like a pie and serve apples on top! Easy and delicious!

*Here's a tip that I've probably said before but I always sift my whole wheat flour before measuring. WW flour is heavier than white flour so I whisk it in the bag before measuring it. It seems to help make things come out better. In the past I've used King Arthur White Whole Wheat but I recently have been using Hodgson Mill because it's GMO free. It's heavier than the white wheat but it's working!

Beef Tips and Gravy Over Rice

 

I try to always plan my menu's but on tight budget weeks sometimes it's just whatever I can come up with! This past week was one of those! I had some chopped stew meat in my freezer. Typically I make beef stew with this but I didn't have any potatoes. A quick search on the internet landed me at a crock pot beef tip recipe. Well, I didn't have time to use my crock pot at this point and was missing some ingredients but it gave me enough motivation to come up with something! The recipe turned out so good! Eli cleaned his plate and that rarely happens! It's easy and very frugal since stew meat is one of the cheapest meats you can buy!

Beef Tips and Gravy Over Rice, Serves 4

1-1.5 lb stew meat
1 onion, sliced thin
3-4 TBS soy sauce*
3-4 cups of water*
1/3 cup flour, plus 3/4 cup water
1 tsp parsley flakes
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Oil for cooking (I used refined coconut oil)
Salt and pepper
Cooked Rice (I used brown)

Heat oil in stock pot. Add beef stew meat with the sliced onions and brown (I peppered them lightly, be careful with the salt though, especially if you are using beef broth or full sodium soy sauce. I didn't salt mine at all until the end!). Once the tips are browned add 3 cups of water, plus 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, scraping any bits off the bottom of the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook on low for 1.5-2 hours or until tender. I added one more cup of water with soy sauce at about the 1.5 hour mark, so just watch your liquid. It wasn't absolutely necessary but it made more gravy, which we like! :) Mine took right around 2 hours. Once the beef tips are tender, add in your parsley and garlic powder and turn the heat up to a low boil. Make a slurry with the 1/3 cup of flour, plus 3/4 cup of water. What this means is to mix your flour and water together with a fork until the flour is incorporated. Once your beef mixture is at a low boil, add in your slurry stirring constantly. Continue stirring until you get the thickness you desire and to cook out the flour taste (about 5 minutes). You may have to add more slurry if you want a thicker gravy. Taste to season, add salt and pepper as needed. Serve over cooked rice.

The Hubs doesn't like rice so I made these whole wheat drop biscuits for him to have with his! They were really yummy, too! I'm sure the first part of this recipe could be made in the crock pot and then thickened right before dinner. I haven't tried it yet but will soon!

*Soy sauce sounds weird but I read a tip somewhere that if you don't have beef broth (and I rarely do!) you can use 1 cup of water and 1 TBS of soy sauce. It doesn't taste like soy sauce, but gives it that deep flavor. You can certainly use beef broth if you'd like. I use MSG free, low sodium soy sauce!

Let me know if you try it!

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Taco Bake

This past weekend was "what's in the freezer and pantry that I can cook?" I could have made nachos... but well, I just wanted something different. And this is not really different at all. It's basically upside down nachos. But hey, anything to shake things up right? Here is the recipe:

Taco Bake

1 lb hamburger meat
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBS taco seasoning mix
1 cup salsa
1 cup cheese
1 can black beans, drained (or any other type beans)
tortilla chips
black olives, jalepenos, sour cream

Cook hamburger meat, onions, and garlic together. Drain and add back to pan. Add taco seasoning, salsa and beans and heat through. Lay tortilla chips into 9x13 casserole and press down to break chips up a bit. Pour beef mixture over chips. Add olives or jalapenos if desired and then top with cheese. (we all know I added more than 1 c of cheese) Bake at 350 for about 20-30 minutes. Serve with sour cream!

I used a can of white beans because that's what I had. I'm using up all of my canned beans and have bought several bags of dried beans. My plan is to have a "bean cooking day" and then freeze them in 2 cup increments. I've already done this once with white beans and pintos before. They are really easy to defrost! When cooking soup or chili you can just plop the whole 'brick' of frozen beans into the pot! If you're planning on eating them plain just add them to a saucepan with a little water and heat on low until they are defrosted, then turn up the heat and season. I did this a while back with pintos for bean and cheese burritoes. It's frugal, you know what you're putting in your beans and you're avoiding the BPA lining that is in canned goods!

FYI, Ziploc brand freezer bags are BPA free! 

Sausage Balls (no Bisquick!)

Over the next few weeks I'm going to be experimenting with some of our favorite holiday foods by making them healthier. And by healthy, I don't mean low fat or low calorie. I mean I'm going to be making these foods with real food ingredients. For the game Saturday night, my hubby asked for sausage balls. The last time I made sausage balls was a while ago and it was made using Bisquick, which is premade with white flour and partially hydrogenated oils. So, I found a recipe online to try! They turned out great! Not only are these great party food but they are great for quick breakfasts! And though I haven't tried it, I'm sure they freeze well! I'll let you know because I'm freezing some of these!

Sausage Balls

3 cups whole wheat flour (I use King Arthur's White Wheat Flour, which I can only find at Winn Dixie)

1 1/2 TBS baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1 lb sausage*

8 oz cheddar cheese, grated (we like sharp cheddar)

water

Combine dry ingredients and mix well. Add cheddar and sausage and mix well with hands, it will be dry (and messy). At the end of mixing add in a few tablespoons of water to form a dough (you still want it to be fairly dry, not wet, just enough to form a ball). Form into 1 inch balls and bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

*I used local pork sausage but you could also use turkey sausage. Click here for a great recipe that I've used many times. If you choose to use turkey sausage, I would add some fat to the recipe. One website I found said to cut in 4 TBS of butter into the dry ingredients before you add the turkey sausage and cheese. Don't forget, butter is good for you! I used child mild sausage and it was VERY mild. I would prefer something with a little more spice. So next time, if I have to get child mild (it was all they had), I'll add some other spices.

What is one of your favorite holiday snacks?

Ranch Parmesan Chicken

(I didn't have time for any fancy photo because dinner was running late. Someone might have forgotten to turn the oven on. Food typically cooks better in an oven that has been turned on. Oh and something weird happened when I uploaded the pictures and this is underlined along with some other weird issues that obviously have to do with html. I don't know how to fix that kind of stuff!!)

This was a hit with the family! Well, minus Luke who doesn't like anything I cook unless it comes in the form of a baked good. I asked him several times what he didn't like about it and he couldn't give me an answer. I think he just chooses not to like it whether or not he likes it... does that make sense? I will definitely be making these again and again! I'm thinking about trying them as nuggets and I might could get Luke to eat them!

I used chicken tenderloins for this but you could also use chicken breast. Don't you love a good picture of raw chicken? Marinate chicken in dressing (have you tried making your own?) for at least 1/2 hour. I let mine go for about an hour.

Mix your breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and seasonings. I like to use my pie plate for things like this. It makes it easy to dredge! For my breadcrumbs, I used 4 slices of whole wheat bread that I toasted for about 5 minutes in the oven, then put in my little chopper thingy... you know what that is right?

Lay all of your chicken into a lightly greased 9 x 13 pan. Try not to let them touch, though that's not easy as you can see in my picture! The little bit of space between them helps them to get crispy on the bottom! Oh and don't forget to soak your hands in clorox and then scour them under hot water since you were handling raw chicken... and then clorox every surface of your kitchen! Just kidding....

Sort of.

Pop them into the oven and cook for about 25 minutes. They come out nice and crispy! So easy!

Ranch Parmesan Chicken (adapted from The Baking Beauties)

10-12 chicken tenderloins (or 4 chicken breast)

1 cup ranch dressing

1 and 1/4 cups bread crumbs

1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp seasoning salt (I use Lowry's)

1/2 tsp pepper

Marinate chicken in ranch dressing for at least 1/2 hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and lightly grease a 9 x 13 in baking dish. Mix bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and seasonings together. Coat chicken in breadcrumb mixture, letting excess dressing drip off before dredging. Lay chicken down in a single layer, trying not to let the chicken touch. Bake at 400 for 25-35 minutes or until chicken is done (this will depend on whether or not you use tenders or breast).

Recipe Review: Tomato Bacon Egg Strata

On days when my hubby is off I love to make hot, healthy breakfast for us! Egg based casseroles are one of our favorite and I tried a new one today from The Hour That Matters Most by Les and Leslie Parrott. (You can read my review on the book here)

I love trying new recipes and this was no exception! Of course I did change the recipe up a bit by substituting some of what we had on hand (and used more real foods). That is what is so great about this recipe, you can interchange some basics and have a whole new taste! So here is the recipe with my substitutions in parenthesis.

Tomato Bacon Egg Strata

4 cups cubed sourdough bread with crust

1/2 cup minced sun-dried tomatoes

1 cup diced tomatoes

1 tsp dried basil

2 Tbsp dried parsley

1 tsp chopped garlic (used 1 clove)

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 cup cooked bacon crumbles (used local sausage)

2 cups shredded Swiss or mozzarella cheese (mozzarella)

1 cup nonfat liquid egg product (4 large eggs)

2 cups non fat milk (2% milk)

Spray (I buttered) a 9x13 baking dish with non stick cooking spray. Layer first 10 ingredients in the order given. Pour egg and milk over the top and cover (I beat my eggs and mixed them with my milk and then poured). Refrigerate over night or freeze to use later.

If you've frozen the dish, thaw completely. Preheat oven to 350. Bake covered for 35 minutes; then remove cover and bake another 30-45 minutes until golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

*As you see I used sausage but it would be great with bacon or even ham as well. I also used real eggs and did not use skim milk.

This recipe would work well with a variety of vegetables. I think adding sauteed onions would be great! And to get in some green veggies a couple of handfuls of spinach would work well!

The flavor was great! My only downside was the egg/milk mixture. I feel like I needed more eggs, less milk. I like a more egg-y, dense base. The ratio of milk/egg in the recipe leaves the casserole more custard-y and I'm not a big fan of that texture. I think I would rather have maybe 6-8 eggs and 1 cup milk. I will definitely try that next time! It really is just a personal preference! All in all it's a great recipe to have and is great for weekend family meals! I will let you know if I try any other recipes from the book!

Banana Peanut Butter Oatmeal Muffins

Ok, you get it... we like muffins. I like making lots of different kinds because I get tired of the same ol' thing! The boys really liked this one!

I found this recipe and adapted it to make it a little healthier. This muffin was really yummy and very filling! Perfect breakfast or snack!

Banana Peanut Butter Oatmeal Muffins

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup quick cooking oatmeal (I used 2 pkgs of instant oatmeal with flax seeds)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 TBS melted butter

3/4 cup sugar (I used sucanat)

2 eggs

2 medium size bananas, mashed

1 cup buttermilk

6 TBS creamy peanut butter

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease 12 cup muffin tin (I made mini's). In a large bowl mix all dry ingredients together. In medium size bowl mix the wet ingredients well. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix until no flour streaks remain.

Divide batter evenly into muffin tin, filling almost to the top. Bake 16-20 minutes until toothpick stuck in center comes out clean.
Cool a few minutes before moving to wire cooking rack.

Spiced Pear Muffins

We were given some yummy pears a week ago and I thought they would go great in some muffins! We love muffins! So here is the recipe I came up with! The boys weren't crazy about these (they aren't big on nuts so if I make some more I'll do half without)... but I thought they were great! Perfect for these cooler mornings we're getting!

Spiced Pear Muffins

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup sucanat (or sugar)

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 egg

1/2 cup oil (I used coconut)

1/2 tsp vanilla

1-2 cups chopped pears*

1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking soda salt and spices together. In a smaller bowl mix eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Fold in pears and pecans. Line muffin tin with paper baking cups. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely so that muffin doesn't stick to paper cups.

*I used 2 full cups of chopped pears and it was A LOT. They were good but you could definitely use less and they would still be good!

Taco Soup

This recipe comes from a combination of several recipes I've looked at over the past few years. I really have a thing for soups. Sadly, my family doesn't like them much. The Hubs tolerates them but I think he'd rather eat something else. Anyway, when the fall hits, I'll be making a lot of soup (even if I'm the only one to eat it!) and taco soup is one of my favorites. Most recipes call for ranch dressing packets and taco seasoning packets and I don't use those because of the MSG and outrageous sodium content. Not to mention mixing up your own ranch mix and taco mix is healthier, super easy and frugal! So, here is the crazy, simple recipe that I love to use!

Taco Soup, serves 6-8

1 lb ground beef or turkey

1 large onion, chopped

16 oz can diced tomatoes, (can use rotel or Mexican style)

16 oz can black beans, drained

16 oz can red beans, drained

16 oz can kidney beans, drained

16 oz jar picante sauce

2 cups frozen corn

2-3 TBS taco seasoning mix

water

In skillet brown hamburger meat and cook onions. Drain meat. Combine all ingredients except corn and bring to a boil. I rinse the picante sauce jar out with water and add it to the soup. That would be about 2 cups of water added. After the soup comes to a boil add frozen corn and bring back to a boil. Stir and reduce heat to a simmer and let simmer for about 30 minutes. You can also combine in a slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Serve with shredded cheese and tortilla chips.

*Add more or less taco seasoning mix to taste. You can also adjust the heat depending on what type of picante sauce you use. You could also use drained, canned corn in place of the frozen. I'm trying to get away from canned goods and corn is one of the easier things to find frozen. Maybe this winter I'll try to cook more beans and keep them in the freezer for soups! Anyway, this is a very versitile recipe that you can change to suit your tastes.

Can I also encourage you once more to make your own taco seasoning mix!? And as you can see you don't even have to buy an extra jar, just wash out an old pickle jar! Please try it!!! It's so easy and healthy!

Easy Potatoes and Onions with Dill

I love the combination of potatoes and onions. Nothing could be simpler or more delicious! Simple and delicious... two of my favorite words when it comes to cooking! This is a great side dish to grilled chicken, pork or beef!

Easy Potatoes and Onions with Dill

4 baking potatoes or about 8-10 red potatoes(I used red)

1 large onion, sliced

Oil (Olive oil and butter together is great!)

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp dried dill

Salt and pepper

Heat oil in pan. Slice potatoes about 1/4 inch thick. Add potatoes and onion to pan and toss to coat with oil.

Cover and cook for about 10-15 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in salt and pepper, dill and garlic.

Cook uncovered on medium for another 5-10 minutes, stirring every few, until potatoes are tender and starting to brown. Taste and season accordingly! Yum!

These are also great the next day for breakfast with a scrambled egg!

Chocolate Banana Muffin

We love muffins around here! They are quick to put together and a good double batch will make us a few breakfasts and snacks! I had a few bananas that needed to be used but I really wanted something a little different than banana muffins/bread. So, I decided to use my Double Chocolate Cherry Muffin recipe and alter it a bit. Here is the yummy result!

Chocolate Banana Muffins

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sucanat (unrefined sugar)
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup coconut oil (or melted butter)
2-3 smashed overripe bananas

Preheat oven to 375. Grease tins or line with paper liners. In a medium bowl whisk buttermilk, eggs and vanilla together. In a large bowl whisk together flour, rapadura, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. With a spatula fold in wet ingredients and bananas until barely combined. Next mix in coconut oil. Spoon mixture into muffin tin and bake for 18-20 minutes. Toothpick in center should come out pretty clean with a few crumbs! These were super moist!

When I make this recipe, I make 12 regular muffins and 24 mini muffins! You could halve it easily and just make a dozen regular! They do freeze well so it's worth it to make the extra to me!

Summer Pasta Salad

I made this pasta salad for the Fourth. I'm not sure about everyone else but I loved it! I came up with dressing on my own in attempt to avoid unhealthy oils (soybean, vegetable, canola) that are in most pre made salad dressings. It would be a great addition to any summer cookout!

Pasta Salad

2 cups spiral pasta, uncooked
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cucumber, diced
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
2.5 oz can sliced black olives
1 cup feta cheese

Dressing

6 TBS olive oil
4 TBS red wine vinegar
2 TBS lemon juice
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Boil pasta. While pasta is cooking, mix dressing ingredients together with a whisk and set aside. Be sure to whisk enough to dissolve salt and sugar. When pasta is cooked, drain and rinse in cold water. Drain well. In a large bowl add pasta, vegetables, cheese and olives. Pour dressing over pasta and toss well to coat. Refrigerate at least 1-2 hours before serving.

A great addition to this salad would be marinated artichokes!

Let me know if you try it! What is your favorite summer side dish?

Check out Janelle at Comfy In The Kitchen! She shares lots of great recipes and today is link up day where others are sharing their yummy recipes too!