Our Favorite Breakfast Muffins

Muffins are the go-to breakfast when we need a break from oatmeal or oatbran. These are great - full of fiber, vegan (which means allergy-friendly), and oh so tasty!

In a bowl, mix...
1 1/2 cups oat bran
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flax meal
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Separately, mix...
1 can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup almond milk
2 tablespoons oil

Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir to combine. Pour into prepared muffin tin and bake at 400 for about 15-20 minutes. Makes 1 dozen.

Enjoy!

Some Allergy Friendly Desserts

These are some egg-free, dairy-free desserts I have tried and been satisfied with. Note that they are not all vegan, but wherever milk is listed as an ingredient I use almond milk, I use coconut oil instead of butter, and my "egg" of choice is 1 Tablespoon of flax meal plus 3 Tablespoons of water (mix together and let sit for 5 minutes).

No Bake Walnut Cookie Bars - These are pretty rich but they do taste good.

Eggless Vanilla Cupcakes - I made these for AK's birthday last year so C could have some too. I made the following substitutions: subbed coconut oil for the butter, almond milk for regular milk, honey for the sugar, and used regular whole wheat flour instead of cake flour. Baked at 325 for longer than recommended (maybe about 20 minutes) and they turned out great!

Strawberry Beet Cupcakes - I know. But you must try them before you judge. I made them for C's birthday and they were a hit with everyone there. And yes, there were lots of people there.

Pumpkin Bars - I doubled the recipe and had to cook longer than it says, but they turned out really well.

Cauliflower Soup with Dumplings

WHAT???? I know. Because everything is better with dumplin's.

For the soup...

3-4 strips bacon, diced
1 onion, diced
3-4 carrots, diced
2 heads cauliflower, chopped
1/4 cup flour
4 cups chicken broth

Brown the diced bacon in a large pot or dutch oven. Add onion and carrots and cook until tender.
Stir in flour, and then slowly stir in chicken broth. Simmer for 3-5 minutes to thicken, and then add cauliflower. Cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 15-20 minutes.

At this point I took about a third of the mixture and pureed it in the food processor, then stirred it back in. I think you could get away with skipping this step, but the soup wouldn't be as creamy.

For the dumplings...

1 cup flour (whole wheat is fine)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
4 T coconut oil or butter
1/2 cup milk (really a little shy of 1/2 cup works best for me)

Mix flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl. Cut in the fat with a pastry cutter or 2 knives. Stir in the milk. This is just your basic biscuit dough. Form the dough into mini balls and drop into the simmering soup. Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Taste-test a sweet little dumplin' to make sure it is done.

We didn't have a drop of leftovers from this meal. If that's not an endorsement, I don't know what is.

Enjoy!

Sausage, Lentil and Rice Casserole

Another scrumptious way to enjoy our favorite little lentil friends...

1 cup brown rice, uncooked
1 1/2 cups lentils, uncooked
6 cups chicken broth (or combination of chicken broth and water, depending on what you have on hand)
1 pound sausage
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves minced garlic
Salt, pepper, cumin, and italian seasoning to taste

Place rice and lentils in a large casserole dish and cover with the broth/water.
Brown sausage in a pan, then add onion and cook until onion starts to brown. Add garlic and stir for just a minute. Add mixture to rice/lentils and stir.
Add seasonings to taste, and then place in 300 oven for 2 hours or until liquid is absorbed and everything is tender.

This one was a hit in our house! Enjoy!

Beef and Barley Stew

This warm, comforting meal is super simple. Brown one pound of ground beef or venison. Add one sweet onion, 3-4 carrots, and 3-4 ribs of celery, all chopped, and cook for 5-10 minutes. Add 1/2 pound sliced mushrooms, 2/3 cup pearled barley, 1 can fire roasted tomatoes, 4 cups beef broth, and 1 cup water, as well as salt, pepper, and any italian herbs on hand. Cover and simmer for at least an hour. Serve with fresh cornbread and enjoy!

Mexican Hashbrown Casserole

This idea came from Six Sisters Stuff.

Brown one pound of ground beef or venison. Once the meat is cooked, add one diced sweet onion and one diced bell pepper (I used orange). Cook until the onion is translucent, and then stir in one can of stewed tomatoes, one small can of chopped green chiles, and one bag of refrigerated hashbrowns. Spice it up with cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Add as much or as little cheese as you like (remember you can always add cheese later, when you serve it). Pour into a casserole dish, cover, and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Spinach Macaroni

One of my favorite moments in life is seeing the first little pie pumpkins out at the grocery stores each fall. As always, I couldn't resist grabbing a few, and after cooking them (cut them in half, clean them out, and bake at 400 for 45 minutes, face-down on a baking sheet) and scooping out the pumpkin-y goodness, here is my first pumpkin recipe of the season...

Bring a pot of water to a boil to cook whole wheat elbow pasta while preparing the sauce. For the sauce: Heat 2 Tablespoons of coconut oil (or butter) in a separate large saucepan. Add a couple spoonfuls of flour and cook out for a minute. Stir in 2 cups chicken broth and 1 cup milk (I used almond milk). Simmer for a few minutes, then stir in 1 cup fresh or canned pumpkin and 8 oz frozen chopped spinach. Cook for 5 minutes. Stir in 2 cups grated cheese (I used pecorino romano) and drained macaroni.

Top with extra cheese and serve with fresh, warm bread...

Enjoy!

Chicken and Gnocci Soup

So, I found this whole wheat gnocchi the other day at Trader Joe's, and I was pretty excited. I love gnocchi. I have made it before, but it is pretty time consuming so I was thrilled to find some good quality stuff in a package. Plus, I adore the Olive Garden's chicken and gnocchi soup, so I was excited for an excuse to try to copy their recipe! I found the basic recipe here.

In a large pot or dutch oven, heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil and add...

1 onion, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced

Cook for five minutes and then add some boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed. I only used one because we like to streeeeetttcch our meat around here, but some (aka my Dad) might like more meat.
Cook until meat is no longer pink.

Then stir in...

4 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk (I used almond milk)
Salt
Pepper
A few generous pinches of "herbs de provence" (or thyme, savory, basil, etc.)

Bring to a boil, and then add...

2 lbs whole wheat gnocchi
A big handful of spinach leaves, torn

Bring back to a boil, and then cut it back to simmer for at least 20 minutes. After that you can serve it or let it sit up till supper, heating it back up right before serving.

Enjoy!

Best Potato Soup

Shout-out to my sweet friend Ellen for introducing me to this creamy dish.

In a large pot or dutch oven, heat a drizzle of olive oil and then add...
1 sweet onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped

Saute until tender. Add to the pot...
4 cups red potatoes, cut into small cubes
2 1/2  cups chicken broth

Bring to a boil and simmer 20 minutes. Take a potato masher and gently mash the soup. The idea is to have some "mashed" potatoes but some still left in chunks. Then stir in...
1 1/2 cups almond milk
3 T butter
2 T Mrs Dash original blend (or just season to taste)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Bring back up to a boil, and then simmer for at least 10 minutes or until ready to eat.
It's soup-er good!
Enjoy!

Taco Chili

Here's one I don't want to forget, although I didn't take a picture. This one will be good in the fall, aka "chili season" at our house, but with the taco flavoring it has a nice summer feel to it as well.

Original recipe from here.

In a large pot, dutch oven, or crock-pot, combine the following:

2 cups cooked, shredded pork or chicken
1 onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 bag frozen corn
1 can tomato sauce
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes
Homemade taco seasoning (as follows)

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

I cooked it in the crockpot on low for 8 hours. And it was a winner! Enjoy!

Chicken n Biscuits Pot Pie

This is a meal that I used lots of prepped food that I did at the beginning of the week. For example, I cooked lots and lots of chickpeas and then froze them in 2-cup portions; I cooked lots of chicken, shredded it and froze it, and made chicken broth with the leftover bones and random vegetables (I keep a bag in the freezer and put the ends of carrots, pieces of onion, ends of asparagus spears, etc., in it to use when I make broth). So, that's where some of these ingredients came from.

Start with a Tablespoon of butter. Melt over medium heat and stir in 1 to 2 Tablespoons flour. Whisk in 2 cups chicken broth. Add diced carrots, green beans, and frozen corn (the kernels, not the cobs. A corn cob would not be pleasant to bite into while eating chicken pot pie).When the veggies begin to get tender, add some cooked, shredded chicken.

Meanwhile, place 2 cups chickpeas, 2-3 cloves minced garlic, a teaspoon of cumin, and some salt into the food processor. Whiz it together, adding enough chicken broth to make it creamy. Stir into the chicken and vegetable mixture. Transfer to an oven-safe dish and top with...

Biscuit dough.

Mmmmmmmmm.

Mix 2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp sugar in a bowl. Cut in 3 Tablespoons of something fatty...coconut oil works GREAT and is a good alternative to butter. I have also used canola oil or any combination of oil/butter. Stir in 3/4 cups milk (I use almond milk). Knead to make it all come together.

Now you can either spoon the dough over the pie like dumplin's (What??? There's supposed to be a "g" on the end of dumplin? I don't believe you.) Or you could roll the dough out to roughly the size of your baking dish and make it like a little roof. A little biscuit roof. That sounds lovely.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Shepherd's Pie

Mmmm mmmm. I dare you to name one thing that is better than tender vegetables and meat cushioned in a creamy sauce and topped with mashed potatoes..

Go ahead. I double dog dare you.

The great thing about this meal is that you can follow the basic recipe but fill it with whatever meat and veggies that you have on hand. Here's what I did:

Cut up about 4-5 russet potatoes into chunks. Oh, I suppose you could peel them first, but that takes way too much effort for me. Cover the potatoes in water and bring to a boil. Cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and return to pot; use a potato masher to...well...to mash them. Add milk to make them creamy (just start with 1/4 cup or so, and keep adding until you like the consistency). I also seasoned mine with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.

Brown one pound of ground beef (or less works fine...this is a great meal to use a smaller amount of meat to make it stretch) in a large pot (I used a Dutch oven so I could make the whole meal in the same pot and not have to wash a casserole dish later on). Add your veggies and cook them until they start to get tender...carrots, onion, green beans, zucchini, and squash filled up our pie. Add a dash of hot sauce and a little Worcestershire for good measure. Sprinkle a couple of Tablespoons of flour into the mix  and cook for one minute; then stir in a cup of beef broth. If you need to, transfer everything to a casserole, or if you are using an oven safe pot, then go ahead and top it with the mashed potatoes. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Menu Planning

I typically plan for 5 dinners per week, leaving 2 nights open for leftovers. I keep an extra bag of frozen veggies and either pasta or rice for a quick stir-fry in case we don't have enough leftovers. I plan our meals based on what produce and meats are on sale at the grocery store, and I try to include a variety of meal types (pasta, mexican, meatless, etc.) I typically buy meats when they are on sale and freeze them, so often my shopping list doesn't include meat b/c I use what I have in the freezer.

Here is my menu plan from last week...
Chef Salad
Sweet Potato Pizza
Pasta Delight
Venison Gyros
Fish Tacos


I usually make at least 2 batches of homemade cereal per week, 1-2 loaves of bread, and some other snack type food like granola bars or muffins. For breakfast I keep oatmeal and oat bran on hand. We typically try to have 2-3 different types of fruits on hand to snack on, depending upon what is on sale, and of course veggies like carrots and cucumbers are always good to have on hand as well. For lunch we eat leftovers, sandwiches, or whatever we can find in the house :) When all is said and done, my grocery bill typically runs between $60 and $70 per week - probably closer to $70 on average because my monthly budget for food is $280. This may seem high to some and low to others, but for us $280 is doable but definitely not extravagant. My goal is to feed my family a variety of nutrients at every meal, with as little processed food as possible.

The next 5 posts are the meals from last week's plan...

Chef Salad

How much more simple can you get?

Spinach
Orange Bell Pepper
Cucumber
Tomato
Olives
Craisins
Walnuts
Turkey Bacon
Pecorino (or Parmesan) Cheese

Soooooo good. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Pizza

Don't knock it till you've tried it. That's all I'm sayin.

Start by dicing up 2 or 3 sweet medium to large sweet potatoes. Spread on a baking sheet, drizzle with oil, and roast in a 425 degree oven until tender (about 20-30 minutes, stirring once).

Pizza Dough:
In a bowl, pour 1 cup warm water and 2 Tablespoons of oil, and sprinkle 1 Tablespoon yeast over it. Stir to combine.
In a second bowl, mix 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, 1 tsp sugar, and 1 tsp salt.
Add dry ingredients to wet; mix and knead until smooth.

Roll out the dough and top with tomato sauce, italian seasoning, cheese (we use pecorino b/c of allergies but mozzarella would be fine, of course), and your roasted sweet potatoes. Bake in a 500 degree oven until crust is done and cheese is bubbly, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Trust me. We eat this pizza at least 2-3 times a month. Just try it. And enjoy!

Pasta Delight

This one was a big hit and looked a lot more sophisticated than it actually was.

Brown your choice of sausage/ground meat (I used a combination of venison sausage and venison burger) in a skillet and set aside. Thinly slice 2 red or orange bell peppers until tender; add sliced mushrooms, a couple of handfuls of fresh spinach, and some sliced olives to the mix and continue to cook. Add meat back into the pan and stir to combine.

Boil water and cook a box of whole wheat penne according to package directions. Drain and toss together with the meat and veggies. Top with grated parmesan or pecorino cheese.

Enjoy!

Venison Gyros

I looove flatbread, but it is so expensive! This week I was craving some kind of flatbread sandwich but I couldn't bring myself to spend over 3 dollars on a package of 6 sweet, beautiful pieces of flatbread.

So I made my own. And it was goooood.


For the filling:
Take 1 pound of cubed venison steak and cut into strips. Drop into an oiled cast iron skillet or dutch oven and brown; add a couple of Tablespoons of flour and then stir in some broth (enough to barely cover the meat), and a little bit of Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and balsamic vinegar. Cover and transfer to a 300 degree oven for 1 hour. When the meat is halfway done, saute a thinly sliced onion. Just before serving, add some sliced mushrooms to the pan with the onions and saute for 3-4 minutes. (I think sliced bell peppers, cooked along with the onions, would be delicious in this also.)

For the bread (recipe from here):
Mix 4 cups flour, 2 Tablespoons rapid rise yeast, 2 tsp salt, and 2 tsp sugar. Stir in 1 3/4 cup hot water and 2 tsp oil. Mix and knead until smooth; cover and let rise for 10 minutes. Divide the dough into  6 pieces and roll out into 8 inch circles. Brush each side with a little oil and then cook, one at a time, in a heated cast iron skillet for 3-4 minutes per side.

Fill the bread with meat, onions, mushrooms, and cheese...

 And enjoy!

Fish Tacos

Easy peasy.

Cook 1 cup of brown rice according to package directions.
Peel and roughly chop one avocado. Add to the food processor, along with 1/2 jar of your favorite salsa. Blend until smooth.
Drop 3-4 thawed fillets of white fish (I used flounder) into a hot oiled skillet. As the fish cooks, flake into smaller pieces with spatula. This will take less than 5 minutes. Once the fish is done, turn the heat off and stir in the salsa mixture and the rice. Serve in warm tortillas.

Enjoy!

Garden Linguini

Simple. Delicious. Quick. Easy. And yes, under $5.00 (depending upon produce sales).

On a baking sheet, place 2 large zucchini, chopped, and 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes. Toss with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast in oven at 425 for 25-30 minutes, until tomatoes burst.

Cook a package of whole wheat linguini according to package directions. Drain and toss with zucchini and tomatoes. Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese and easy homemade whole wheat bread (which comes in at around $0.50 a loaf).

BAM. I almost feel guilty, it's so simple.

Enjoy!

Ham Casserole over Biscuits

I was on a mission this week. My mission: to make every meal for my family under $5.00 in total cost. Assignment #1: Ham Casserole over Biscuits.

This mission was almost a fail before I even left the grocery store. Why? Because the deli counter at an unnamed grocery store that rhymes with Stroger cleverly pushed their store-brand deli meats to an inconspicuous corner while showcasing the premier deli meat, leading me to believe that the only ham I could buy was the high-class brand that will remain nameless but rhymes with Doar's Fed. Which means that the 2 slices of ham I budgeted at less than $2.00 rang up for $4.54. WHAT??? After deliberating for the rest of my shopping trip...should I hide the meat in the canned foods section? should I bite the bullet and buy it anyway, producing an epic fail in my $5.00 meals week?...I finally gathered my courage and went back to the sweet lady at the counter, returning my ham with chagrin. To which the lady responded, "Oh! Well, maybe you'd be interested in our store brand meat..." So the kind deli lady saved the day and my meal did in fact come in at under $5.00

In a large pot, melt 1 Tablespoon coconut oil or butter and then add 2 Tablespoons flour. Cook out for a minute and then stir in 1 cup chicken broth and 1 cup milk. Once the liquids start to simmer, add 1 bag frozen green beans and 1 bag frozen corn. Chop up 2 thick slices of deli ham and add to the pot; pour into a glass baking dish, top with crushed crackers or breadcrumbs and put in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

For the biscuits: Add 1 Tablespoon vinegar to 3/4 cup milk; set aside. In a large bowl, mix 2 cups whole wheat flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1 Tablespoon sugar. Cut in 3 Tablespoons coconut oil with 2 knives or a pastry cutter. Stir in the milk, flatten out dough and cut biscuits (I just use a measuring cup to do this.) Bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes.

Spoon ham casserole over biscuits...

And enjoy!