Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

This is my Brother-in-laws favorite part of Thanksgiving.  I have to say, it is one of my favorites!  I love cranberry sauce.  Years ago I started making it.. and I will never buy canned junk again!


Ingredients
12 oz bag of fresh cranberries
apple (or orange) juice
1 1/2 cup sugar
ground cinnamon
ground cloves
ground ginger



I double my recipe, but a good rule of thumb is for every 12oz bag of cranberries, use 1.5 cups of sugar.

Place fresh (or frozen) berries in a pot.  Pour liquid (water, apple, or orange juice) until it is almost to the top of the berries.  You can always add more if you need it, but can't take it out.  Add sugar and spices.  I change my spices up from year to year.  This year I added about 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 3 'dashes' of cloves and 2 pinches of ginger.  Sometimes I only do sugar.  It isn't rocket 'surgery'  :)



Bring berries to boil, they will start to pop.  Stir every few minutes and keep an eye on them.  They will boil over as soon as you look away and wheeeeew- what a mess that is to clean up!


When the berries pop they break down and magically dissolve into a big pot of yummy goodness.  Once the mix is mostly liquid, and the berries have cooked down, turn it off.  Allow to cool for a few minutes.  Take a little taste.  This is where you can play with the flavor.  It is a good point to add more sugar if you'd like, but make sure the mix heats back up so it dissolves.


Place in fridge and Enjoy! I make mine the day before!  :)

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

The yummiest Cheesecake ever.

My gf Ashley and her hubs invited us over for an amazing dinner, and this was my contribution to the meal.  I've been meaning to post this for a while now.  No pics, but I promise it is AMAZING!

*no water bath needed for this recipe*


Crust Ingredients
2 cups Graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup softened butter
1/3 cup sugar

Blend thoroughly and press firmly against bottom and sides of a 8 or 9 inch spring form pan.  Bake at 350° for 10 min.


Filling Ingredients
4 packages (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Beat cream cheese until fluffy.  Add sugar and mix thoroughly.  Add eggs one at a time, blending completely.  Add lemon juice and vanilla.  Spread mixture into pan and bake in preheated 325° for 45 minutes.  After 45 minutes, turn oven off and let the cheesecake sit in a closed oven for 30 minutes.  Then, cool completely and refrigerate.  Top with pie filling or other topping.  It is fabulous plain as well!

Monday, October 14, 2013

Gluten-Free black-eyed pea cakes

'Meatless Monday' is totally doable with this recipe!  It is a healthy alternative to a hoe cake or hushpuppy, but just as yummy!

Ingredients
1 can black eyed peas, strained
2 tbsp corn meal
2 tbsp egg beaters
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Place strained black-eyed peas in a bowl.  Sprinkle corn meal, sugar, salt and pepper and stir well.  Add egg beaters and mix well.  The batter should be like lumpy cake batter.



Heat olive oil in a skillet and using a small scoop, scoop batter into 8 equal cakes.  Brown on each side, and serve.


And shame on me, I didn't take any after pictures because my children devoured them before I remembered! It is a good problem to have!

Serving size 2 cakes
Calories- 130
Total Fat- 4g
Total Carbs- 21g
Protein-4g


Wednesday, October 9, 2013

A healthy alternative

You know what makes tomato soup so yummy?  HEAVY CREAM!  While heavy cream is super tasty... it is also 800 calories per CUP!

My gf Alicia is a part of my Focus T25 challenge group.  When she asked me to give her a tomato soup recipe, I knew it had to be healthy!  My challenge group is working so hard to take care of their bodies and get in shape, I wasn't going to offer a recipe with 800 unnecessary calories.



1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic
1 box of natural chicken stock
1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
a couple of fresh thyme sprigs
5 fresh basil leaves
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste.




Saute garlic and onion in olive oil.  Add chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Add chopped carrot, potato, herbs and tomatoes.  Once the potatoes and carrots are soft, blend with an immersion blender.  I added a splash of soymilk to mine, but it is not necessary.  Enjoy!



Saturday, September 14, 2013

Goodie bags...

When you leave a kids birthday party, there is usually a little something for a take home as a 'thanks for coming.'  A goodie bag.  Well... a few years back I began doing these instead of a candy and trinket filled bag.  What do you think? 


Friday, August 30, 2013

GF Oatmeal Cookies

*My secret to super yummy GF treats is almond flour.  It adds great flavor that you lose with rice flour.  I don't ever use almond by itself because it is quite pricey and we would use a ton of it. Typically, I use about 1/3 of the flour amount in a recipe as almond and then use either rice or buckwheat as the remaining amount.


Enjoy!!

Ingredients

  • 2 sticks Salted Butter
  • 2 cups Brown Sugar
  • 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup GF Buckwheat Flour
  • 1/2 cup Almond Flour
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 3 cups Quick Oats

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of an electric mixer (or using a hand mixer) beat together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping after each one.
Mix together the buckwheat flour, almond flour, salt, and baking soda. Add it in 2 to 3 batches, mixing it until just combined. Mix in the oats until just combined.

Use a teaspoon scoop to drop dough onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 12-13 minutes or until dark and chewy. 

Let cool slight on the pan after removing from the oven, then transfer the cookies onto a plate for serving.


Monday, August 12, 2013

Balsamic vinegarette

Hear my heart:  When I started blogging a few months back, I really wanted to share my recipes with my girlfriends.  People always ask my for recipes, and I my goal has been to share more recipes.  I cook a lot.  I make pretty much everything from scratch, with very little processed ingredients.  This is how I cook for my family.  For me, cooking is easy and I enjoy it.  I pray my easy recipes will bless you and your family.

This one, is for my GF Aimee.  :)


You know what I NEVER buy?  Salad dressing.  It is one of the easiest things to make, and the bottled stuff is just gross.  Plus, who knows how long it has been sitting on the shelf?!  This is my basic vinegarette recipe.  I will preface with you need a good aged balsamic.  I keep some on hand as it is also fabulous with homemade bread and olive oil.  The Alessi 20-Year Balsamic Vinegar is my personal favorite.


Ingredients
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup light oil blend
1 tbls sugar
2 pinches of salt
a pinch of pepper

Whisk all ingredients  in a small bowl until thickened.



Monday, June 3, 2013

Gluten free pumpkin bread

This is the most amazing pumpkin bread I've ever tasted.  I would have sworn it was regular flour, if I hadn't milled the rice myself.  :)

Ingredients
4 eggs
2/3 c. water
1 c. vegetable oil
15-oz. can pumpkin
2 1/3 c. rice flour
1 c. almond flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
3 c. sugar

Beat eggs. Add oil, water and pumpkin and mix well.

Sift flour together with sugar, soda, salt and spices. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well.

Turn into 3 well-greased loaf pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.


Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Gluten-free breaskfast bars-round 2 (Peanut Butter)


Homemade breakfast bars have really been working out well for my family.  My kids really need something quick and easy in the mornings, and this has been such a great alternative to boxed granola bars.  Plus, no preservatives and very inexpensive!  Score!


Ingredients
2 mashed ripe bananas
1 cup quick oats
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup flax meal
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1 tsp vanilla

Scoop into 12 muffin tins and bake 350° for 25 minutes

Monday, April 15, 2013

Gluten-Free breakfast bars


Ingredients
1 1/2       cups quick rolled oats
1             cup unsweetened coconut flakes 
3             tablespoons flaxmeal
1/2          teaspoon salt
3/4          cups coarsely chopped pecans
1/2          cup dried chopped dried plums
3             ripe bananas, mashed
1/4          cup melted butter
1             tablespoon agave nectar
1             teaspoon vanilla extract
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine oats, coconut, flaxmeal, salt, pecans, and dried plums. Stir in bananas, butter, agave nectar and vanilla until well combined.

Press 2 tablespoons of mixture into a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Continue with remaining mixture.

Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until fragrant and golden. Cool on pan.
Yield: about 15 cookies.


*I had a revelation after I made these.  Why not use a muffin tin?  :)

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Variety and veggies...

My GF Brandi told me about this company last summer.  They are an Organic Co-op, local to Jacksonville, that offers fruit and vegetable bags weekly.  I have to admit, I was skeptical at first.  I have been a part of an organic co-op before and when I got my items, they were super ripe.  We had to eat them immediately or toss them.  It was expensive and wasteful.

When my GF personally recommended The Neighborhood Garden, I was excited!

I typically get 2-3 bags a month.  I find that for us, every week is a little too much.  I typically cook dinner 3 nights a week and several meals on the weekends.  Both of my children also bring their lunch everyday.

I pick up my organic local produce on Monday.  It lasts us a little longer than a week and offers our family a great variety.  The company allows you 2 substitutions per bag.  They also offer all fruit and juicing bags.  The cost for a full bag of produce is $33.  This has cut down my grocery bill tremendously.  Also, we eat less junk, and I like that.  I am blessed with children that will eat just about anything, especially my daughter.  What one child won't eat, the other one will.
My Sunday trip to the grocery is pretty much just for meat, dairy and a few 'center of the store' items.

Below is a sample list of this weeks produce. Check out their website for a location close to you.  They also deliver to your home for a small fee.

Oh, and tell them I sent you!  :)


Weekly Organic Produce
Monday, March 18th
2-3 Plums
4-5 Braeburn Apples
2-3 Tangerines
Bananas
2-3 Kiwi
Spring Mix
1lb. Carrots
Cremini Mushrooms
1-2 Cucumber
Lacinato Kale
1-2 Yellow Onions
2-3 Roma Tomatoes

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Homemade French Bread

French bread is so fancy.  In my mind, I always thought it was difficult to make.  I was looking for an amazing french bread recipe, when the SIL of one of my GF's sent me this.  I'm in LOVE!!!!  Thanks Cammi!  :)

Ingredients
1 cup water
2 3/4 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons corn meal

Directions
1. Place 1 cup water, bread flour, sugar, salt, oil and yeast into bread machine pan in the order recommended by manufacturer. Select Dough cycle, and press Start. (My machine allows the dough to rise once. If yours doesn’t, turn dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover and allow to rise until doubled in size, about an hour). 
2. Punch down dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll into a 16×12 inch rectangle. Cut dough in half, creating two 8×12 inch rectangles. Roll up each half of dough tightly, beginning at 12 inch side, pounding out any air bubbles as you go. Roll gently back and forth to taper end. Place 3 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet, sprinkled with cornmeal. Make deep diagonal slashes across loaves every 2 inches, or make one lengthwise slash on each loaf. Cover, and let rise in a warm place for 30 to 40 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Mix egg white with 1 tablespoon water; brush over tops of loaves.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

Granny's Lemon Pound Cake

This recipe was passed down from my hubby's Granny.  She has made it at every dinner or Thanksgiving I've ever been to and it is hands down my husband's favorite cake, ever.  :)

Ingredients
Duncan Hines Yellow Cake
2/3 cup oil
1 cup water
1 small box vanilla instant pudding
4 eggs

Icing
powdered sugar
lemon juice

Bake 325° for 55-60 minutes This is a dump and make type of recipe. When making the icing, I don't measure. I'm notorious for not measuring, but I find it works well in this situation. Start with about 2 cups of powdered sugar. Then add lemon juice, a little at a time, whisking constantly until you get the desired thickness.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Chocolate Pie


This is a favorite of my family.  This recipe is fabulous for milk-free families.  Be sure to check your chocolate chip ingredients.  They typically have milk in them however, dairy-free chocolate chips are readily available. 

Ingredients
2 cups soy milk
3 yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Pinch salt
1 ready to use shortbread pie crust



Directions
In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk together the milk, yolks and vanilla. Stir in the sugar, cornstarch, chocolate and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Boil for 1 minute, then immediately remove from heat. Mixture should be very thick!  Pour the pudding into the crust. Cover and chill for 3 hours, until set.

Top with a dollop of whipped cream (or dairy-free topping) and enjoy!

Monday, February 18, 2013

Cinnamon Baked Apples


Ingredients
4 apples, cored
3 tbls brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbls butter (cut into 4’s)


In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon.  Place apples into an oven safe dish.  Place a piece of the butter in the hole of each, then fill the holes evenly with the cinnamon sugar mixture.



Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

When you remove the apples from the oven, spoon the cinnamon 'sauce' over the apples.





Nutrition Facts
  4 Servings
Amount Per Serving
  Calories 147.4
  Total Fat 3.1 g
     Saturated Fat 1.9 g
     Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2 g
     Monounsaturated Fat 0.8 g
  Cholesterol 7.8 mg
  Sodium 4.7 mg
  Potassium 198.5 mg
  Total Carbohydrate 35.4 g
     Dietary Fiber 4.1 g
     Sugars 27.6 g
  Protein 0.3 g



Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Spinach Cakes


I am always looking for ways to get more veggies into my kids.  Spinach is packed with Iron, Vit A, Vit C, Vit K, B vitamins, Antioxidants, and tons of minerals.  It's good stuff.  

Spinach Cakes are hands down my favorite veggie side dish.  They are super easy to make and so very good.  You have to try them!


Ingredients
2 boxes of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
½ onion
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup Italian Bread Crumbs
1 egg
salt and pepper

Sautรฉ Onion in olive oil. 


In a bowl, combine all in ingredients.  



Form ¼ cup sized patties with the mix.  Sautรฉ  on each side until browned, about 3 minutes each side.






Makes 8 Spinach Cakes.  (I made a couple small, so I ended up with 9)



Nutrition Facts
  8 Servings

Amount Per Serving


  Calories 70.9


  Total Fat 3.6 g


     Saturated Fat 1.0 g


     Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4 g


     Monounsaturated Fat 1.5 g


  Cholesterol 25.8 mg


  Sodium 151.6 mg


  Potassium 194.2 mg


  Total Carbohydrate 6.8 g


     Dietary Fiber 2.2 g


     Sugars 0.4 g


  Protein 4.3 g

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Chicken Sausage and White Bean 'get well' soup.

The flu hit our home this week so you know what that means.... SOUP!

Ingredients
1/2 Onion
1-2 stalks of celery
1 pack of Italian Chicken Sausage (I use greenwise)
2 cloves of garlic
32oz chicken broth
2 cans cannelloni beans
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
2 cups water

Soup is one of the easiest things to make.  Really, anyone can make it!  Saute Onion, celery, sausage, garlic on Medium-High heat.  Once full cooked, pull sausage out and let sit while you add the remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil.  Slice the sausage and add back to the pot.  Let simmer for 10 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  (Check prior to adding salt, it pulls quite a bit from the sausage)

Enjoy!

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Cinnamon rolls

My kids LOVE cinnamon rolls.  I don't make them that often, so it is an extra special treat!!!

I take the slightly easy route here.  I make the dough in my bread maker, on the dough setting.  I find this cuts out a lot of headache for me.  If you have it, why not use it?!!

In the order listed, place in the bread maker.  I will say, if you dump eggs into warm milk and melted butter, the eggs may scramble.  I whisk my eggs in a bowl, add a little warm milk at a time, then dump it all in the bread maker.

Ingredients
1 cup warm milk
2 eggs
1/3 cup butter, melted
4 1/2 cups fresh milled soft wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp yeast

I set my bread maker on the dough setting, it mixes and rises for about an hour and a half total.


Remove dough and turn out onto a floured surface.  Roll it into the closest thing to a rectangle you can get.  I trimmed mine (with a pizza cutter) into a 'neater rectangle' but I don't always do this.  I actually rarely do this.


(This part is where I eye ball it.)  Soften a 1/4 cup of butter, and spread a thin layer over the dough.  Mix a cup of brown sugar with 3 tablespoons of cinnamon.
I just generously spread brown sugar over the butter, then sprinkle the cinnamon down.


Start at one end, and roll into a log.  Slice every 2-3 inches.  Place into a baking dish.  I personally split mine into 2 batches.  I find that the rolls keep well unbaked and are much better fresh.  (versus cooking them all and reheating)



I place about 9 in a square dish.  They start out pretty far apart, but I promise they will rise again.


Cover with plastic wrap, and let them sit and rise for an hour.  I generally place a dish cloth over the plastic wrap and let them sit out for hours.


Bake 400ยบ for 15 minutes.

Icing
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

mix all ingredients until smooth, spread over warm rolls






Monday, January 28, 2013

A sweet (healthier) treat...


Ok, I wish I were kidding... but here goes.

A homemade brownie has around 325 calories.  And who eats just one?  I needed quick chocolate fix, and this is what I came up with.

In a microwaveable coffee mug mix:
1tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp whole wheat flour
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp non-fat plain greek yogurt
1 tbsp soy milk.


Microwave for 2 minutes.


Ta-da!



I will say that the plain greek yogurt is not sweet, so you have to add a little extra sugar.  I like using Greek Yogurt instead of regular Yogurt because of it's higher protein content.


Nutrition facts
Calories 155
Total fat 1.1g
Fiber 2.9g
Protein 5g

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Quinoa



Ever heard of it?  What is it?  How do you use it?

Quinoa is a grain-like crop grown primarily for it's edible seeds.  It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal or grain.

Below are the basic nutrition facts for 1 cup of cooked quinoa.




But do you know how to use it?  I personally LOVE quinoa.  It is higher in protein than rice, and super easy to cook.

Here is the low down;  I cook it 2:1 (water/stock to quinoa)  So, bring 1 cup uncooked quinoa with 2 cups water/chicken stock to boil and then let simmer for 18-20 min.



Last night I had a conversation with my son that went something like this:

H:What's for dinner?
Me:  Turkey and Quinoa stuffed peppers.
H:  I HATE quinoa.  It tastes like water.
Me:  Water?  Seriously?  Mine is amazing.
H:  I don't like it.


I made a thick homemade spaghetti sauce, with ground turkey.  I then added cooked quinoa a little at a time, until I got the "right mix."  It isn't exact... it rarely is with me.  I stuffed the quinoa/turkey mix into halved red bell peppers and baked for 30 min.  It was amazing.  As for Hayden, he ate 2 helpings so I guess it passed the test!


I plan on trying some new things with quinoa this week.  Stay tuned.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Slow Cooker SW Chicken Chili

School, dance, football, gymnastics, Church, work... the list goes on.  I really enjoy cooking.  But sometimes, it is nice to just have dinner done.  You know what is AMAZING for that?  A Crock-Pot!  I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Crock-Pot!  I literally use it all the time.

When making a meal in my Crock-Pot/slow cooker, I usually assemble it the night before and put it back in the fridge.  On the way out the door, I turn take it out and turn it on.  There is nothing like coming home to dinner that is waiting on me!

Slow Cooker SW Chicken Chili

Ingredients:
4 raw, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 (15oz) can pinto beans
1 (15oz) can black beans
1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 pound frozen corn
1 (12oz) jar salsa

Place chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Season lightly with Salt.


 Then, pour the salsa over it and dump everything else on top of that.  (Added about cup of chicken stock as well, mainly to pull that last little bit of salsa and tomatoes out of the cans!)



Cook on low 6-7 hours.  Stir and serve!



Bread box

At one point in my life, I really wanted a bread box.  I mean, I could place my bread in it and no one would see it.  You know the problem with that?  Mold.  I make fresh, preservative-free bread frequently and with that, it goes bad quickly.  But I'll take that over putting junk into my kids any day.
With that said, want to know what is in my bread box?  I personally think it is genius. 
Coffee.  We are totally addicted to coffee, and I like keeping it right next to the coffee pot.  So, I no longer have a bread box.  I have a coffee box.  A junky looking one at that.  :)

Monday, January 7, 2013

Rustic Loaf


I totally stole this from Pinterest.  But OH MY GOODNESS, you have to try this.  Anyone can make this, all you need is a little down time.  (like over night!)


Rustic Loaf
3 cups all purpose flour (I used 2 1/2 cups all purpose, 1/2 cup fresh milled hard wheat, it's just what I had on hand)
1 3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp yeast
1 1/2 cups water


Stir all ingredients together, place clear wrap over bowl and let sit on counter 12–18 hours.  Mine sat about 20 hours.




Pre-heat oven to 450° and place a pot in it.  I used a cast iron Dutch oven.  Turn dough out on a well floured surface and form into a ball.  Cover and let sit for 30 minutes.




Bake in pot, for 30 minutes with the lid on.  Remove lid, bake another 15 minutes.


I was pleasantly surprised at this recipe.  It definitely tasted like a lot of work when into it!  Shhh, my little secret!