Introducing my very first guest blogger!

I am excited to host my very first guest blogger Shauna from  It's a Vinyl Thing!!!   Shauna's sister started It's a Vinyl Thing and Shauna "guest posts" there all the time! Don't forget to head on over and enter their Grand Re-opening contest.  Shauna is a busy Mom of 3 kids and offered to give me some wicked breakfast ideas!  So without any further ado........

Basic Morning Meal Plan by Shauna

My kids like to eat...a LOT! Fortunately, they got their dad’s metabolism to help them with that. Unfortunately, that means a lot of our monthly budget goes to feeding them! We used to go through a Costco size box of Cheerios in just 2-3 days feeding just 3 children. That’s insane, right? It was my life.

I decided last year that the kids could no longer have cereal during the week before school...cereal was eating us out of house and home. They could only have cereal on the weekends. After almost a year of this, the kids have gotten to the point where most of the time, even on weekends, cereal is wasted. They don’t like the taste or texture of it anymore. Two weeks ago, the middle child told me I should just stop buying it when I, yet again, had a fit over the bowls of soggy cereal left on the table. She said they would just continue with our other breakfast foods. Now, this does mean a little more work for me every day...but it is worth it to know that they are actually full when they leave the house in the morning.

It used to be that I would get up at 6:00 am and scramble around trying to find something to make. Do we have enough eggs? Is there anything to make muffins with? It seemed like I was only doing meal plans for supper, and, since cereal is no longer an option, I needed to change that. Thankfully, my kids are okay with routine breakfast plans so I created a weekly meal plan for breakfast as an outline to follow. The chart below shows how we roll in our house…some days have more than one choice and so we just choose one depending on the week. I love having a basic breakfast menu to follow; we add things like fruit and milk to drink to round things out.

Notes & Recipes:
German Pancakes: The recipe is really simple. Preheat oven to 400 degrees - this is really important. The oven has to be hot. Combine 9 eggs with 1.5 cups of flour, 1.5 cups of milk and 1 tsp salt in a blender. Whizz it all for about 2 minutes. Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper and melt the butter in the preheated oven. Swirl it over the parchment paper and then pour the batter into the pan. Pop it in the oven and bake it for 22-25 minutes. The pancake will puff up nicely. My kids like to fight over the bumps and lumps. We usually top this with a 100% fruit juice concentrate that we thicken into syrup.


Pancakes:
I like to make up 6 bags of mix at a time and store them in the fridge so it is easy to mix the pancakes up. I’m not a fan of store bought pancake mix...especially when it so easy to do it myself! Doing it this way, also lets me add some fresh ground whole wheat flour to the mix.

Into each gallon-sized Ziplock bag, add 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup white flour, dash of salt, 2 tbsp sugar & 2 tbsp baking powder. Seal and knead to mix together. Store in the fridge or freezer if using fresh whole wheat flour.

When mixing it, dump the contents of the bag into a bowl, add 2 cups of milk, 2 eggs, 4 tbsp oil and 1 tsp vanilla. Stir until just mixed but not until smooth. Cook on a preheated griddle over medium heat. This makes around 10-12 good sized pancakes.

We have also tried oatmeal pancakes, power pancakes, and pumpkin pancakes. We look forward to trying out other versions of pancakes as well. We alternate between maple syrup and fruit juice syrup too.

Muffins
I found this great site (Super Healthy Kids) that I love to read and she has a recipe for muffin mix. I tend to make up a bag of it and then use it to make blueberry muffins. (I use her recipe for raspberry muffins but substitute blueberries and I leave off the topping.) Using a mix saves a lot of time in the morning too. I keep a gallon size Ziplock in the fridge with this in it too.

We will alternate with any relatively healthy muffin recipe too. One of our favourites is Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins.

Blender Wheat Pancakes
This is another easy recipe. This one, also from Super Healthy Kids, is very similar to our recipe so I’ll just link up there. We like to top these with sliced fresh strawberries and real maple syrup. It’s a nice Sunday treat!

Thanks Meal Planning Mama for letting me share my breakfast plans here.


WOW great ideas!  Thank you Shauna!!!!!!

Can i just say....

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And please..."practice safe sipping"

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Another healthy snack!

So this crap-tastic weather has me wanting to bake.  A girlfriend of mine saw this recipe on "some cooking show" and sent me the recipe, so I have no idea where they really came from!  If anyone knows, please leave me a comment but for now I am calling them the Kitchen Sink Cookie....:)

Ingredients:

2eggs
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup liquid honey
1 cup( approx) grated carrots
1/2 cup (approx) chopped walnuts
1/2 cup EACH (approx) chopped, apricots, dates
1/4 cup EACH (approx) raisins, dried cranberries
1 cup flour
1 cup ROLLED oats
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1/4tsp salt
1 cup Cheerios
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.  In a large bowl, whisk eggs.  Add honey, carrot, walnut, apricot, dates, raisins, dried cranberries.  In another bowl combine flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, salt, Stir in 1 cup Cheerios
Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients.  Mix!  Scoop 1 tablespoon batter on to greased (or lined with parchment paper) cookie sheet.  Cook 13-15 minutes.

Enjoy!

WHAT?!?! No sugar?!?!?

I stumbled upon this recipe yesterday and thought is sounded DELICIOUS. Maybe it was the Starbucks mug in the background of the picture that made me want to try it but at any rate, I gave it a go.

I set out all my ingredients and noticed the absence of something that is a baking staple, or so I thought. This apple bread had NO SUGAR!!!!! No lies. No sugar. That said it did turn out a little flat tasting for my liking, like something was missing. I suggest adding any dried fruit, cranberries, dates, apricot or raisins and i think that would do the trick! I will absolutely make this again!

I made a few modifications to the original recipe, my mods are in red

Moist Apple Spice Bread

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground allspice I was out, Allspice would be wonderful in this recipe
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups shredded apples (about 2 apples) I ended up using 4 small
3/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped I did not have pecans in my baking stash

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and spices.
In a medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, eggs, milk and vanilla. Pour into flour mixture and stir until partially combined. Add in shredded apples and pecans and continue to mix until all ingredients are well-combined and no streaks of flour remain. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake for about 70-75 minutes, or until bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached.
Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn loaf out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container when cool; the bread will keep well for several days.

Enjoy this with a hot cup of coffee or tea to brighten these gloomy April days!

April Showers......

This Monday I am LOVING April Showers Blog Design for teaching me how to do this:



I feel so smart this morning....lol

Starving!!!!!

It's true I am presently famished.  My lil peanut has had a tummy bug since Friday, and maybe it's just me but it sure kills my appetite.  She is on the mend, and after deciding on this weeks menu, I need to eat.  

This week I am featuring recipes from some wonderful food bloggers!! Mary at One Perfect Bite always has beautiful dishes featured, and leaves me some really encouraging comments,  I will be trying her Salt and Pepper pork chops on Wednesday.  I also like to check out Our Recipe Box weekly.  The Probert Family often makes the chicken marinade I am going to try on Thursday.  And last but not least my tuna pasta salad was inspired by Beth at Budget Bytes I have made a few modifications on her recipe but linked y'all to the original.  Hey you have to give credit where credit is due!

And while you're here, leave me a comment to share what your menu this week looks like!



Monday - Ground Beef Stir-fry 

I cook the ground beef in oyster sauce, chinese 5 spice, diced onion and fresh ginger. I then chop and add whatever veggies are laying in the crisper.   When the veggies are still firm I add a half of a bag of stir fry noodles and 1/3 cup of water to soften the noodles, add a lil more sauce and done! lol

Tuesday - Broccoli & cheese tortellini in a creamy tomato sauce

Ingredients

1 pkg  frozen or fresh cheese or meat tortellini, from 3-1/2 to 5 cups before cooking
4 cups broccoli florets, about 2 stalks
2 cups spaghetti sauce, preferably spicy red-pepper flavoured
1/2  light cream cheese
2 fresh large plum tomatoes or 1 regular tomato 

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. When water is boiling, stir in pasta. Cook, uncovered, according to package directions until al dente, from 8 to 13 minutes. Two minutes before pasta is due to be drained, add broccoli. When pasta is cooked, drain along with broccoli in a large colander or sieve.
Meanwhile, heat sauce in a large saucepan set over medium heat. Cut cheese into cubes. Drop into sauce. Stir often until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth, about 5 minutes. Seed and coarsely chop tomatoes.
Toss hot cooked pasta mixture with sauce in a large heated bowl until coated. Stir in tomatoes. Serve in large warmed pasta bowls with a grinding of black pepper and a sprinkle of grated Romano or Parmesan cheese.
Wednesday - Salt and Pepper Pork Chops, 


Ingredients:
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 pounds boneless thin-cut pork loin chops
2 tablespoons vegetable oil


Directions:
Combine soy sauce, cornstarch, pepper, sugar and salt in bottom of 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking pan. Stir with a fork until all ingredients are combined and marinade is smooth. Add chops, turning to coat both sides. Cover dish with plastic wrap. Refrigerate, turning occasionally, for 1 to 24 hours.
Heat oil in a large frying pan set over medium high heat. Add pork, working in batches if necessary. Cook 1 to 2 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to serving plate or serve from pan. 


Thursday-   Choo's Marinated chicken , rice & green salad


Ingredients
3/4 c. olive oil
1/2 c. soy sauce
2 T. worshteshire sauce
1/2 t. salt
1 t. pepper
1/4 c. wine vinegar
1 t. parsley flakes
2 cloves garlic-mashed

Mix all ingredients together. Let your meat of choice marinade for 20-30 minutes or as long as 24 hours.

Friday - Tuna Pasta Salad 

Ingredients
12 oz. bow tie pasta
5 oz. can chunk light tuna in water
1 medium lemon, juiced
1/2 diced onion (yellow, purple or green)
1/2 tsp.salt
to taste fresh ground black pepper
3/4 cup light mayonnaise
1 tbsp dried dill
1 cup diced white cheddar
2 cups frozen sweet peas

Directions
Take two cups of peas out of the freezer and let thaw on the counter. Cook the bow tie pasta according to the package directions (boil 5-7 minutes). Drain in a colander and let cool.
As the pasta is draining and cooling, combine the rest of the ingredients (peas, tuna, mayonnaise, lemon juice, onions, salt and pepper). Adjust the lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
If your pasta is still hot when you are finished combining the rest of the ingredients, run cold water over it until it has cooled down. Make sure to drain the pasta well before combining it with the rest of the ingredients. Stir the pasta into the pea/mayo mixture until it is well coated. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve!


Saturday - Out


Sunday - Steak on the BBQ, caesar salad, sweet potato fries