Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Crock Pot....Easy Peasy!!

If you have not checked this out on Facebook, you must!! Crock Pot Girls share recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, etc. YUMMO! I have chicken and dumplings in the crock pot right now. The recipe came from their site. It smells delicious!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

French Toast Nuggets


Once I get used to the whole getting up early school routine, I am definitely going to try this. I found this in the Macaroni Kid newsletter.

 

Back to School Recipe


French Toast Nuggets
By: By: Gena Morgan, Evansville, IN Macaorni Kid
top image
Gena Morgan
Looking for something new for breakfast?  Try this easy kid size version of an old favorite!

French Toast Nuggets

Ingredients:

2 cups bread (white or wheat) cut into 1 inch cubes
6 eggs

2 teasooon vanilla

2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup milk

Directions:
To make even quicker, I normally cut my bread cubes the night before!
Using a whisk, beat eggs, vanilla, cinnamon and milk together.

Soak bread cubes in egg mixture, turning to coat evenly.

Preheat skillet to med heat and coat/spray pan with oil.

Shake off excess and put in pan.  Be sure to put in an even layer to allow to become golden.

Turn once remove when both sides are golden brown.

Serve with syrup, fruit, or powdered sugar. Just as you would with regular size french toast!  ENJOY!

Monday, August 22, 2011

Pork with Asian Peanut Slaw

Don't you just love going into the grocery store to get your weekly shopping done and getting stopped by all of the people passing out samples?! Even better, the ones where they are actually cooking the meals and give you the recipes for it! LOVE IT!

This is a recipe that was DELICIOUS!!! My kids even liked it, although the slaw was a little too spicy for them. We made it last night for dinner....YUMMO!

Pork with Asian Peanut Slaw
Prep time: 15 mins     Cook Time: 6-8 mins    Serves 4

1 lb. boneless center cut pork chops, cut 1/2" thick (we used a pork tenderloin grilled on the grill)
3 Tbs. vegetable or grape seed oil
2 Tbs. each fresh squeezed lime juice, soy sauce, & sugar
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 bag Fresh Express 3 color Cole Slaw
1/2 C. very thin sliced red bell pepper
1/2 C. roasted peanuts
1/4 C. chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 C. chopped green onions (or more), including green tops

  1. Whisk oil, lime juice, soy sauce, sugar & red pepper flakes together in a small bowl. Remove 2 Tbsps. of dressing mixture and set aside. Toss remaining dressing mixture with coleslaw, cilantro, bell pepper, green onions and peanuts. Season to taste. Set aside or chill untill ready to serve.
  2. Brush reserved dressing mixture over pork chops. Cook pork 3-4 minutes per side in heated grill pan, broiler or on the grill; pork should be done (150 degrees when tested with a thermometer) but still pink in the center.
  3. Let stand 2-3 mins; slice into strips and serve pork over slaw.
You could also just serve the slaw as a side dish with another meat.

Enjoy!!

Friday, August 12, 2011

Easy Breakfast Ideas

I don't know about you, but I am always looking for new breakfast ideas. I feel like I fix the same things all of the time.....waffles, pancakes, cereal. etc. Breakfast is my least favorite meal of the day, unless it is the full coarse meal....eggs, bacon, grits, biscuts. You know...one that you have to actually COOK! Who has time (or wants to do that!) for that early in the morning.

This morning, McKenna New BraunFit gym (a local gym here) posted this on Facebook. I thought I would share because these are things that would actually be easy...and good!

It's almost back to school time which means mornings are about to get hectic for parents and kids... Don't skip breakfast in your hurry to get out the door! Check out these kid-friendly breakfast ideas from Carey (Registered Dietitian, Personal Trainer and Busy Mom) for busy families on the go...

- Toast two whole wheat toaster waffles and add a tablespoon of peanut butter and ½ a banana... Stick waffles together for portability! Whole grain pancakes work well, too!

- Toast one whole-grain English muffin and add a tablespoon of peanut butter and a little honey.

- Grab string cheese with 6 whole wheat crackers and a banana.

- Mix together a small carton of low-fat yogurt with ½ cup light cottage cheese and ½ cup berries.

- Grab a high quality breakfast bar: Nutrigrain or Nature’s Valley Trail Mix Bars are excellent choices.

- Crush cold cereal in a baggie, add a peeled banana, and coat with the cereal. Pair with a low fat cheese stick.

- Add 1-2 tablespoons of peanut butter to a package of low-sugar oatmeal.

- Create a “breakfast” taco by shredding 2% cheddar cheese on a 6” tortilla and popping it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.

- Toast a whole wheat English muffin and cover each half with cheese.

Hey Parents: In case you need more evidence that eating breakfast is the way to go, kids who don't eat breakfast are less able to learn at school, get less iron in their diets and are more likely to have a higher body mass index (BMI), which is a sign they may be overweight.
On the other hand, kids who eat breakfast do better in school, are more likely to participate in physical activities and tend to eat healthier overall.
So tomorrow morning, don't run out the door on an empty stomach. Fuel up with a healthy breakfast!

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Sopapilla Cheesecake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish.
This is DELICIOUS, but oh so not good for you! Which is usually how it works right? A friend posted this on Facebook this morning so I thought I would share it, as well as keep a record of it for myself. :)
 
I have had this at MOPS, Sunday School, & brunches.
 
Sopapilla Cheesecake
2 cans crescent dinner roll
1 stick butter (melted)
1 tsp cinnamon (use 2)
3 blocks cream cheese (softened)
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
 

In a large bowl, mix together all 3 pkgs of cream cheese, 1 ½ cups sugar and 1 tsp vanilla.

Set aside – this is the filling.

Roll out one can of crescent dough as a sheet into the bottom of 9 x 13 baking dish. Press together any gaps so that the dough does not come apart at the seams.

Spread filling out evenly on top of the bottom layer of dough.

Roll out second can of crescent roll as a sheet and carefully lay on top of the filling. Again, press together any gaps at the seams so the filling does not ooze out.

Pour 1 stick of melted butter over the top. Spread with pastry brush.

Mix ½ cup sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon. Sprinkle this mixture evenly across the top.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Enjoy warm, cold or reheated in microwave (for few minutes).

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Famous Pork Chops and Spinach Casserole

My kids even love this!!

Famous Pork Chops

Ingredients:
1 C. crushed Ritz crackers
garlic salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
3 eggs, beaten
4 pork chops (not the thick ones. i tried that one time and it did not work well. split them in half lengthwise if you have the thick ones)
1/2 C. butter

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a shallow bowl combine crushed crackers, garlic salt and pepper; mix well. In a seperate bowl beat eggs.
3. Dip your pork chops in the egg batter and then in the cracker mixture. Place the pork chops in a casserole dish. Place chunks of the butter around the pork chops. Cover and bake for 45 mins.

Spinach Casserole

Ingredients:
2 8 oz. frozen chopped spinach
1/2 stick of butter
1 block of cream cheese
salt & pepper
1 C. crushed Ritz crackers
parmesan cheese (shredded)

Directions:
Thaw and drain spinach. Melt butter & cream cheese & mix w/ rest of ingredients. Put in dish. Sprinkle parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees 30-40 mins.

life is hard.....how can i make it easier?

oh if only life could be easier! but if it was, what would we be? how would we learn? how would we grow? God puts trials in our lives to draw us closer to him, to mold & shape us....all to bring himself glory. i want to be the woman that He wants me to be....even though it may be difficult to become that person. i long to become the proverbs 31 wife. oh my do i have a long way to go! get up while it is still night! make bed coverings and linens and sell them! ( i can not sew...although, i am working on it!) clothed with strength and dignity! her children arise and call her blessed! ok, this list is getting long...i've gotta stop. the point is, i have a long way to go.

i am going to start with v. 15 "She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants." now, coming from a girl who LOVES her sleep. this is going to be real hard! providing food for my family is even hard. i mean i can easily go through the drive thru or take my family out to eat at a restaurant, but it literally makes me sick to go back and look at our expenses at the end of the month and see how much we spent on eating out! do you know what i could have done with that money. don't get me started! not only the expenses of it, but the health part of it too. it is just nasty BAD for you!

so, that is why i am starting this blog. to help me START to become the proverbs 31 wife that i should be...at least verse 15...getting up early and providing (healthier) food for my family. well, that and my friend Anna gave me the idea. :)

i plan to post my favorite recipes so that i can keep up with them and to share them with others. feel free to share yours and link them up!