Gardening

Well thanks to us moving into our own home last year this year we're accomplishing one of our long term goals: planting a garden.  This is a dream/goal of ours for years and we're finally getting to work on it.  So far we've planted a few fruit tress and have one garden box of raspberries and strawberries planted.  In the next few weeks and months we'll be planting more things in the garden.  For this blog that will mean that I'll be adding more healthy recipes as well as very possibly some of our favorite canning recipes this fall.  So while I do have some recipes to post here soon that we love, there will be some changes coming to this throughout the year.

Crockpot Honey Sesame Chicken

We love this one.  It has been made so many times in the house.  It is like many others one I found on pintrest.  The original recipie comes from here: http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/01/slow-cooker-honey-sesame-chicken-recipe.html

Ingredients:4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (thighs would be fine too)
Salt and pepper
1 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (could also use olive oil or canola oil)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional - doesn't really add heat, just adds more flavor)
4 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 6 Tablespoons water
Sesame seeds

Directions:
Season both sides of chicken with lightly with salt and pepper, put into crock pot. In a small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic and pepper flakes. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high 1 1/2 – 2 1/2 hours, or just until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from crock pot, leave sauce. Dissolve 4 teaspoons of cornstarch in 6 tablespoons of water and pour into crock pot. Stir to combine with sauce. Replace lid and cook sauce on high for ten more minutes or until slightly thickened. Cut chicken into bite size pieces, then return to pot and toss with sauce before serving. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve over rice or noodles.

Note: I didn't put in the garlic or red pepper flakes due to diatary needs at this time, but it still came out great! 

Mini German Pancakes

This is a huge hit in our house for breakfast right now.  http://realmomkitchen.com/489/mini-german-pancakes/

We top them with fresh fruit and the kids just eat them up.

1 cup milk
6 eggs
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. orange zest (optional)
1/4 cup butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Blend first six ingredients (milk thru orange zest) in a blender. Be careful to see that any flour clumps get well-blended.
2. Blend in butter a little at a time in order to temper the eggs.
3. Grease muffin tins well and distribute batter evenly between 24 tins (I did more like 18. Gimme Some Oven’s tins were slightly less than half-full. I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup and filled it almost full.) Bake for 15 minutes, or until puffy and golden on top.
4. Served with your favorite toppings.

Jay just makes his own recipie, but the link gives one that is similar to what he uses.

Taco Cupcakes

This one is also from pintrest and a huge hit with my kids.  We almost never have leftovers when I make it.

I use my Crockpot Chicken Tacos recipie for the chicken, tried hamburger but it was too spicy for the kids, and it just inhances the flavor of the meal.

This one comes from: http://bricelife-gabrielle.blogspot.com/2012/01/taco-cupcakes.html  and has been modified for what my kids will eat.

Wonton wrappers
5 T + 1t of queso dip or salsa con queso (I never measured it really)
1 c chunky salsa (just never measured it)
cheese
shredded chicken

First, pre-heat the oven to 375. Lightly mist 8 cups in a muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside.

 Push a wonton wrapper into the bottom of each of the eight sprayed cups in the muffin tin. Spoon a teaspoon of queso dip into each wonton wrapper and spread across the bottom.

Put in some shredded chicken followed by some salsa.  Top with cheese.   Now put on another wonton wrapper and press down before doing the exact same process of cheese sauce, chicken, slasa and cheese.

Bake 18-20 min or until golden brown.  Let cool for 5 min before serving.

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

Another great one from pintrest!  This one is a huge hit in the house and we use the chicken for several other recipies as well.

http://mychocolatetherapy.blogspot.com/2012/01/crockpot-chicken-tacos.html

Chicken
1 jar of large salsa
Taco seasoning

Put the chicken in the crockpot, add salsa and taco seasoning.  Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 6-8 hours.  Shred and enjoy with your favorite taco toppings. 

Note: I just recently did this using a whole chicken due to family being in town for a visit and cooked it on low for 24 hours.  Tasted fantastic in the recipies I've used the chicken for.

Oven Baked Fajitas

Pintrest has become a huge hit for me in finding new recipies for us to try out.  This is one of our absolute favorites to have that I found from that site.  This one came from here: http://realmomkitchen.com/9318/oven-baked-chicken-fajitas/

I've modified it to fit what my kids will eat and it still turned out great!

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 packet of McCormic Fajita Seasonings

1 medium onion, sliced

1 large bell pepper, seeded and sliced (I use half a green and half a red)

Flour tortilla shells

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken strips in a greased 13×9 baking dish.
2. In a small bowl combine the oil, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, dried oregano, and salt
3. Drizzle the spice mixture over the chicken and stir to coat.
4. Next add the tomatoes, peppers, and onions to the dish and stir to combine.
5. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Serve on tortillas with desired toppings.

Shepherds Pie

This has come from several different recipies over the years and melded into one that everyone in the family loves, as well as makes a great leftover for lunch.

1 lb Hamburger
2 cans tomato soup
1/2 bag frozen veggies
4-6 potatoes (size depending)
milk
cheese
butter
worchershire sauce
1 onion chopped up

Brown the hamburger with chopped onion and worchershire sauce.  Drain the fat.  While working on this take and peel the potatoes and cube so that they can be made into mashed potatoes.  Throw in with the meat and onion the soup and veggies.  Simmer until warm then place in a casserole dish.  Make the mashed potaotes using milk and butter and top over the meat mixture.  Top with cheese if desired.  Bake at 350 for 25-30 min until top of potatoes are golden in color.  Serve and enjoy.

Updates to come

We have tried quite a few really yummy dishes recently that I'll be putting on here in the next few weeks.  Right now my main focus is on packing up the house for the big move into our new home which you can find out all about via the family blog.  So once I'm unpacked and have a moment I'll post all the great new recipies we've been trying lately. 

Mini Pizza's

This is a favoirte in our house, especially with the kids.  Sorry, I don't have any pictures of this one, but the next time we make it I'll take some.

Grands Biscuts (2 packages)
Pizza sauce
toppings of your choice
cheese

Take and seperate the grands biscuts and then flatten to look like mini pizza dough.  Put pizza sauce, toppings and chese.  Place on cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 13 min, or until cheese is melted.  3 mini pizzas is perfect for an adult and the kids each eat one a piece.

No-Fuss Sunrise Smoothie

I hate breakfast.  I normally don't eat it which doesn't help with losing weight.  Well I pulled out one of my many cookbooks and found this recipie for a breakfast smoothie.  It comes from a Dr Phil cookbook and it was super good.  It is easy and filling. 

Frozen Fruit mixture:
2 cups blackberries (fresh or frozen)
2 cups raspberries (fresh or frozen)
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
2 large bannanas, thinly sliced
(we also added 2 cups of blueberries)

Individual smoothies:
1 cup of apple juice
1/4 teaspoon vanillia

Combine the berries and bananas in a large ziplock bag and freeze.  This will keep for up to 4 months.

To make the smoothie, scoop 1 cup of fruit mixture into a blender.  Add the juice and vanilla and blend until smooth.

I had this and a granola bar for a very filling breakfast that is also healthy.

Red Potatoes

This is a favorite dish of our family that my mom made for us when she was out visiting recently.  This is super easy and great to add as a side to any dish.

½ bag of red potatoes

Olive oil

¼ cup butter

Italian seasoning

Oregano

Salt and pepper

Garlic

Onion powder

Melt butter and a few table spoons of olive oil in 9x13 pan at 350.  While that melts clean and cut into quarters the red potatoes.  Once butter is melted pour potatoes into dish and mix in seasionings until potatoes are coated.  Cover and bake at 350 for 45 min to an hour.

Pork Chop Stuffing Bake

This is a variation on a family recipie that I tried out and we loved it. 

2-4 Pork Chops
2 TBSP chicken bullion base
2 cups hot water
2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
1 box of Pork Stuffing (6oz) and 2 cups of additional stuffing
1/2 cup melted butter

Brown pork chops for 4 min per side.  While they brown take the bullion base and hot water and mix together.  Add to the soups and heat on stove.  Melt butter and mix with the stuffing.  Place 1/2 the stuffing on the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan.  Add the pork chops and then soup mixture to that.  Add the remianing stuffing to the top and bake in the over for 45 min at 350 degrees. 

You can add mashed potatoes and veggies to the side to make it a complete meal.

Chicken Potato Casserole: Crockpot Style

I used to make this in the oven and after several times of it boiling over and not cooking properly I decided to try it in the crockpot.  It turned out perfectly.  This one is super easy and quick to put together.

3-4 Chicken breasts, thawed
3 cans of Cream of chicken Soup
5-6 potaotes, peeled and cut into quarters
1 medium onion, cut into chunks
1 package of Lipton Onion soup mix

Place chicken, potatoes and onion in crockpot.  Add the soups and 1/2 can of water.  Cook for 6-8 hours.  Can add cheese at the end, if so desired.  Enjoy!

Easy Parmesan chicken

This is a crockpot dish we tried earlier this week and just loved.  My kids asked for seconds which is always a sign that they will have it again.

1 medium onion, cut into thin wedges

1 TBSP olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 grated parmesan cheese
Cooked pasta
Place onion in crockpot.

Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat until hot. Lightly brown chicken on both sides. Place Chicken in crockpot. Pour pasta sauce over chicken, add basil, oregano and bay leaf. Cook on Low for 6-7 hours or on high 3-4, or until chicken is tender (I did it for 6 and the chicken just fell apart) Remove lid and discard bay leaf.
Sprinkle chicken with cheeses. Cook, uncovered on low for 15-30 minutes or until cheesse have melted. Serve over spaghetti.

Crockpot Mexican Rice Casserole

This is a favorite in our home, and makes for a great easy meal with great leftovers.


1 lb hamburger
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
8oz can of tomato sauce
1/4 cup water
1 package of taco seasoning
1 TBSP chili powder
1 cup instant rice, uncooked
1 cup shredded cheese


Brown the hamburger and onions in a pan. While that cooks chop up the bell pepper and prepare the kidney beans and tomatoes. Combine all ingredients in crockpot, except rice and cheese. Cook on Low for 8 hours. Stir in rice, cover and cook until tender (about 20-30 minutes). Sprinkle cheese on top. Can be served with tortilla chips or eaten alone.

Turkey strogonoff

This was one of those throw together meals that I tried out for lunch.  It turned out super yummy and full of flavor.  Annabelle even loved it which is always a plus.

leftover turkey (I did a few pieces) cut up into small chunks
1/2 cup of frozen peas and carrots
1 can cream of chicken soup
pasta (I did it with egg shell noodles)
worchershire sauce

While the pasta cooks throw the turkey and veggies into a seperate pan and begin to heat up.  After a few minutes add the soup and some water until it starts to boil.  Add a little bit of worchershire sauce to it and stir.  Once the pasta is cooked fully dran and plate.  Top with the turkey soup mixture and serve.   Total cook time was about 15 min from start to finish.

Homemade Beef Stew

This is a dish that we love to make all the time.  Its super easy at the crockpot does most of the work.

2 pounds of beef stew meat

3 large cooking potatoes

6-8 carrots

1 onion

3 cans of tomato soup

seasonings: we use curry powder, worchershire sauce, itialian seasioning, season salt, and pepper

Start off with browning the meat on the stove while you peel and cut the potatoes into quarters or eigths.  Place the potatoes into the crockpot.  Then chop the onion to size desired and add to the crockpot.  We like big chunks of onion so that is usually what size I chop it to.  Peel and cut carrots into rounds and add to crock pot.  Once the meat is browned add it and all juices from the pan to the crockpot and stir everything together.  Add 2 cans of tomato soup and 1 can of water then seasionings to your liking.  Turn on the crockpot and let it cook for 6 hours.  While it cooks stir occasionally and if need be add water to prevent it from buring.  About an hour before its done add the 3rd can of soup and taste to see if it needs more seasonings. 

Once its cooked for 6 hours dish and serve with some rolls or bread and butter on the side.  The leftovers are super yummy and best if reheated on the stove. 

 The chopped potatoes

 Browning the meat, I usually add some worchershire sauce here so that my meat is super tender later.

 The chopped up onion with potatoes

 The carrots with everything else.

The meat topped before mixing it all together.

 My favorite seasonings to use while making this.

With 2 of the 3 cans of soup.  I forgot to take a picture of the dish completely cooked, but will take one when I re-heat some later on today for our lunch.  This meal gives us several days of lunches after having it for dinner which is a great way to save on money and groceries.

Tips on Gardening and Food Storage

Today at church there was a site given for great tips on how to do a good food storage as well as gardening tips.  The site is http://www.providentliving.org/  It is run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and since they have been doing both for over 100 years I know that the knowledge and resourses are incredible for what we can do.  Just even for us, we can do a garden in a planterbox, which will make Jay thrilled to be able to do something like that.  The tips on food storage are very informative and something that we can use to improve our own food storage here at home.

Honey Teriyaki Chicken

This is something new we tried tonight for dinner.  Just kind of threw it together and it turned out great.  Even the kids ate it.

Chicken Breasts (as many as you need)
Honey (about 1-2 Tablespoons)
Teriyaki Sauce (we do the Kikiolmon Lower Sodium Teriyaki sauce)

Thaw the chicken breasts and place in a dish.  Pour over chicken the teriyaki sauce to your liking then top with honey.  Let sit for 30 min - 1 hour turning over once and doing the same thing to that side with the teriyaki sauce and honey.  Grill chicken and when fully cooked pour honey over it.  Serve with white rice and steamed veggies.

Chicken Taco's

2 grilled chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1 box of Rice a Roni's Spanish Rice
Grated cheese
Lettus
Onions
Salsa
soft shell flour tortilla shells

Season 2 chicken breasts and then grill them.  Make a box of Rice a Roni's Spanish rice.  Prep the side ingredients as needed.  Once the chicken is cooked throughly cut into small chunks.  Layer chicken, cheese, lettus, onions, salsa, and rice in the taco shell.  Enjoy. 

Total cook/prep time: 30 min

My kids will eat them this way and love them.  They are a super quick and cheep meal for those nights when you are limited on time.