Comfort Foods

My boss gave me the day off yesterday and looking back I should have taken a nap. However, I wouldn't have gotten a ton of things done. I can also add this recipe to my list of accomplishments: Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup

Boy, howdy, was it tasty!

I didn't know if the kid would like it so I also made some corn on the cob and sliced up apples. The kid devoured everything. :)

Hello, It's Me

New recipes I've tried from Pinterest:

Crockpot Beef and Broccoli - This was pretty tasty. I think this might be on an every now and again rotation in my house.

Two Ingredient Lemon Bars - This wasn't bad. It was tastier to me than the angel food cake with pineapples recipe. I could see making this again. My bars did not look like the photo in the link. My bars deflated and ended up being a sticky mess when you tried to cut them. Not a big deal since I wasn't serving it to anyone other than ourselves. The bars were also sweet enough to do without the powdered sugar, I think. Also, lemon pie filling...who needs a cake mix really...I could just dip a spoon over and over again into the jarred lemon pie filling.

Weekend:

I got to bowl this weekend! I haven't bowled in ages. The last time I bowled I was pregnant. I must admit bowling while pregnant for me gave me a huge advantage (no pun intended). I think the large belly gave me some sort of super balance that allowed me to bowl wicked strikes continually. I even got my first Turkey, which is three strikes in a row! This time, though, I didn't do so hot. I got a 92 and only one strike, which happened to be my very last roll. I guess I needed an almost two hour game to finally warm up for one measly strike. Heh.

Overall:

I have been busy with mommy stuff. I have been busy at work. When it comes to me, overall, I have been stagnant. I need to do something other than mommy stuff. However, it's hard to find the time. When there is time I get mighty lazy. I need to get around the laziness.

It's so easy to lose myself behind the tv screen or even my iPhone screen. What happened to the days when I could waste time playing video games? Those days seem so long ago.

New Recipes

Last night I tried out a recipe for homemade Spaghettios. K and I enjoyed it more than the little one. My friend reminded me adults tend to like homemade as little ones usually go for boxed or canned.

I think that is true especially when you start them out on boxed or canned. I guess I started O out on a bad  palette for a tomato based pasta.

I guess all I can hope is if I keep making it she'll eventually get used to it. I hate buying the canned Spaghettios because I can taste the metal from the can.

Here's the recipe I found and used:DIY Homemade Spaghettios

Another recipe I tried out that K and I like but little O does not: Pineapple Angel Food Cake
The only thing I didn't do is add the whipped cream. I bet if I had done a layer of whipped cream on top she might have liked it a bit more or perhaps just licked off all the cream. :)

Extended 4th of July Weekend

I had a nice long weekend: Wednesday through Sunday.
It sure was hard coming back on Monday.

Highlights of my long weekend:

-Spending extra time with O.
-Buying a new dining room set.
-Spending 4th of July with family and friends.
-Several days of swimming with little one.
-Playing in bounce houses at a place that allows parents to enter with their kids.
-Watching "Magic Mike" with my girlfriend, Sarah, who is back in Nac again!

Only lows is visiting my friend, M, in the ER and seeing her so sad and sick.

New recipes I've tried:

Chocolate Chili - I made this for the 4th of July and took it over to the Aunt and Uncle's house.
Mango Lime Fruit Leather - O wasn't into this. *sigh* She wouldn't even bite it. I guess she wasn't too into the texture before giving it a taste test.
Mediterranean Pasta with Artichokes, Olives, and Tomatoes - This was quite delicious to me

New Recipes

Some things I have made in the past several days:

Slow Cooker Hawaiian Meatballs
I get a lot of recipes from Six Sisters' site. This one, I think, is a keeper. It's not Paleo but it was somewhat healthy. Next time I won't use as much brown sugar or I'll use agave nectar instead. I chose turkey meatballs and they were delicious. I also did not use the crock pot. It's only a 4-5 hour slow cooked meal and for work days I would need for it to be a 8-9 hr slow cooked meal. I made the dish on the stove and it took 25 minutes.

Revolutionary Mac & Cheese
I made this dish for O last night and it was delicious! Cooking two cups of pasta in two cups of milk without having to use a colander was interesting. The mac and cheese turned out super creamy from the milk getting so thick near the end. I added just a smidge of the dijon mustard and the flavor added a nice tang to the dish. I will be making this again and again. We buy Annie's mac and cheese for O and it's supposedly better than Kraft, but this recipe is more healthy just because I'm not giving her a prepackaged food.

Man Pleasing Chicken
The title of the recipe cracks me up. I made this dish on Sunday night to prepare chicken breasts for our work week of lunches. I would make this again. It has a great flavor. It definitely has a honey mustard feel to it.

Gluten Free & Grain Free Chocolate Granola
I made this the other night and K and I had a bowl of it this morning with our green smoothies. I must say this had a great taste and it was a great substitute for cereal. I would definitely make this again. K requests a sugary cinnamon flavor for next time. I accept the challenge!

Weekend Review

We had a great weekend and were sad to see it go.

It was filled with friends, crafting, baking, and a tiny bit of productivity.

Friends: Our friends Matt and Sarah were in town and we got to see them and catch up for a bit on Saturday afternoon. Saturday evening we were invited over for dinner to L & J's home. O had two girls to play with so she was super happy.

Crafting: Y'all saw the hair bow I created. I made like maybe three and I only had one that was picture worthy. I will continue to practice this until I am able to make one that is super frilly for O. When I say super frilly I'm really jesting but at the same time I'm not. What can I say? The kid likes hair bows right now. So, all I can do is try to make some decent ones for her.

This one turned out to be my best attempt, which is still pretty wimpy:

Baking: I made a nice little Paleo dessert to take over to L & J's house. They actually made Paleo pizzas for dinner, so it was a Paleo night through and through.

You can find the recipe at this provided link: Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies

The recipe is so simple and it was pretty yummy! Even though this is listed as baking, there was no baking involved with this little chocolatey pb morsels of yum. Sorry, I have not photographic evidence of these cookies. They were eaten too quickly. :)

I also made a blackberry cobbler this weekend. O and I collected blackberries from a friend's yard. O ate all she picked so it was up to me to work for two people. :) Luckily, our host, Donna, helped me pick a full bucket of berries.

I followed this recipe she provided to me: Dewberry and Blackberry Cobbler

Mine came out looking like this:

Now, I'm just impatiently waiting for a whole brand new weekend again.

Sunday Recipe and More

I had a pretty full weekend and enjoyed myself.

Friday night, we got a babysitter and enjoyed an event down town thrown by a good friend and her college of Human Sciences. Another good friend got us in for free, which was awesome since it was $50 per person. K and I actually dressed up. Whoa! Stop the press! :)

Saturday, I attended a baby shower for D & F. It was small and nice. The food was just right and hit the spot for an 11 o'clock affair. Afterward, I followed Franzi back to her new home! Very nice place in a somewhat richy rich spot. They are moving on up and such. :)

That evening I made two veggie pot pies. One for D & F and one for us. This had K and I cheating on our Paleo diets, but cheating on occasion is a-okay and that pot pie was damn good.

Sunday, K made a Paleo-Pizza Crust dish for our dinner. The flavor was good and I enjoyed it. The outer crust even had a crunch to it. However, the middle of the crust where all the goodness sits it was too soggy. The sogginess of the crust took away from the dish. I want to try to figure out how to make this again and make it to where the crust is more like crust.

I did find a new favorite, though, and it's Aidell's Chicken and Apple sausage. Oh boy, this sausage was delicious and it even had O requesting more bites.

I also tried my hand at making Coconut Flour Bread. Instead of getting a sweet bread by using apple sauce (because I didn't have any on hand), I went the savory route by using pureed onion. I couldn't place what it tasted like to me, but when K said it reminded him of hush puppies he totally called it.

Over the weekend, I also bought crafting supplies to make hair bows. Lord, help me.

Sunday Recipe

We've been trying different recipes with being on this Paleo diet. There have been hit and miss recipes. The one I am going to share was a definite hit and will become a regular visitor on our dinner table.

Paleo "Tortilla" Chips

I linked the recipe above and highly recommend you give it a try!

We didn't have parchment paper so K just dropped the mixture onto a foil covered cookie sheet and spread it as thin as he could. We only had a few of the spices that were listed. We probably only used cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder.

K had to bake the "chips" for longer than 10 minutes since they were pretty thick. The end product was so delicious! I'm drooling now thinking about them.

He also made guacamole to go with it and used only avocados, greek honey yogurt, and purple onions. OMG. I am definitely salivating now.

I want to eat this every day.

Green Pizza

Last night, I made a green pizza.

I must say it was quite delicious! I'm happy to have found a new meal to add to our nightly round up.

Here is a link to the recipe:

Green Pizza

Sunday Prep

Sunday, I spent a lot of time chopping up vegetables. I prepared two different meals to have four prepared meals to freeze. I will be a happy girly when these are waiting for me in my crock pot after a long day at work.

Sorry about the lousy photo. Sometimes, the iPhone just doesn't cut it but it's so darn convenient...just like these meals! :)

Wednesday's Dinner & Thursday's Leftover

This is a pasta dish that I make sometimes once a week. The foundation of the recipe stays the same: ranch, parmesan, garlic, butter. Every time I make the dish something new gets thrown in. For the dish last night, I threw in turkey bacon, tomatoes, green peas, and squash.

It is so delicious.

Tuesday's Dinner

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

I made these awesome pancakes for dinner last night. Here is the recipe below and above I linked the website where I found the recipe:

PANCAKES:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten

CINNAMON FILLING:
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

CREAM CHEESE GLAZE:
4 Tablespoons butter
2 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Prepare pancake batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk in milk, oil and egg, just until batter is moistened (a few small lumps are fine).
2. In a medium bowl, mix butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Scoop the filling into a small zip baggie and set aside. You don't want this to remain super-liquidy. It's best if it becomes a consistency similar to toothpaste.
3. In a medium, microwave-safe bowl- heat butter and cream cheese until melted. Whisk together until smooth; whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla extract; set aside.
4. Heat large skillet over medium-low heat. Spray with nonstick spray. Scoop about 3/4 cup batter onto the skillet. Snip the corner of your baggie of filling and squeeze a spiral of the filling onto the top of the pancake. When bubbles begin to appear on the surface, flip carefully with a thin spatula, and cook until browned on the underside, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a baking sheet or platter and keep in a warm oven until ready to serve.
5. When ready to serve, spoon warmed glaze onto the top of each pancake.

Tips:

*Keep the heat low or your pancakes might cook up too quickly. Don't flip them until you see those bubbles starting to pop on top. Flip them with a wide spatula so you can grasp the whole thing without batter and filling dripping all over the place!
*It's best if you pour the batter onto your skillet, wait a minute or so and then swirl the cinnamon onto the batter. That'll give it a chance to set a little before you add the swirl.
*If your baggie of filling begins to get too thick, just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it up again. On that same note, it shouldn't be too runny. The consistency of soft toothpaste is perfect. If it's melty and runny, it will tend to run all over your pancakes. Once you micro it, let it sit on the counter at room temp for a while until it thickens slightly.

Here are some photos of my pancakes:

Monday's Dinner

I tried out another new recipe but this one didn't require using the oven or stove!

Skinny Taco Dip

Skinny Taco Dip
Servings: 24 • Serving Size: 1/24th of dip • Old Points: 1.5 pts • Points+: 2 pts
Calories: 59.2 • Fat: 3.6 g • Protein: 2.2 g • Carb: 4.7 g • Fiber: 0.6 g 

• 8 oz 1/3 less fat Philadelphia cream cheese
• 8 oz reduced fat sour cream
• 16 oz jar mild salsa
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 2 cups iceberg lettuce, shredded
• 2 large tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
• 2.25 oz black olives,

In a large bowl combine cream cheese, sour cream, salsa and taco seasoning and mix well with an electric mixer. Spread on the bottom of a large shallow glass dish. Top with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese and black olives. Serve with baked tortilla chips.

I decided to eat the dip wrapped into a whole wheat tortilla. It needed something more, since I wasn't eating it with chips. I guess since this is a "dip" I should have just eaten it with chips.

It was a good dip but you could tell it was a bit on the healthy side. :) Next time I'll eat with chips and also use something more substantial in it like black beans and corn.

Sunday's Dinner

Oven Fried Parmesan Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 beaten egg
• 3 tablespoons  milk
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• 1/2 cup  grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup  fine dry bread crumbs (I used Italian Style, just for a little more flavor)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2 to 2-1/2 pounds meaty chicken pieces (breasts, thighs, and drumsticks)
• 2 tablespoons margarine or butter, melted
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Directions:

 

Combine egg and milk in a small bowl. Combine Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, oregano, paprika, and pepper in a shallow dish.

 

Skin chicken if desired. Dip chicken pieces into egg mixture; coat with crumb mixture. Arrange chicken pieces in a greased 15x10x2-inch baking pan so pieces don't touch. Drizzle chicken pieces with the melted margarine or butter.

 

Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 45 to 55 minutes or until chicken is tender and no longer pink. Do not turn chicken pieces during baking. Immediately transfer chicken to a covered container; serve within 1 hour. Or cover and chill chicken; transport in an insulated container with ice packs. Makes 6 servings.

 

K and I enjoyed this dish and I'll definitely make it again some time. I doubt this will be on heavy rotation, but it'll appear here and there in our future meals.

I cooked this dish for 55 minutes. Next time, I will cook it for 40-45 minutes. I think the chicken was a tad on the dry side at 55 minutes.

Along with this dish, I made steamed zucchini, squash, and carrots. I also made some brown rice and white beans. We had enough to bring leftovers to work today.

Monday's Recipe

On Monday morning I found a prepared frozen meal in my freezer to dump into my crock pot.

I let the frozen contents sit out for about 30-45 minutes as we got ready for work and day care. I also started the rice cooker so the rice would be finished before we left for the day.

Before heading out the door:

I turned off the rice cooker since my steamed rice was finished cooking. I fluffed the rice up a bit and bid it adieu.

I turned the crock pot on to the low setting and patted it goodbye.

When we returned home we had a delicious meal ready for us. I love it when I'm prepared with a plan.

Recipe:

Healthy Mama Barbecue Chicken
3 medium unpeeled  sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 large green pepper, cut into strips
1 large red pepper, cut into strips
1 zucchini, chopped
1 medium onion, sliced
1 tablespoon quick cooking tapioca
2 pounds chicken thighs or drumsticks
1 8-ounce can of tomato sauce
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon yellow mustard (I wasn't sure if this meant actual mustard or the spice so I did a little of both)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt

Dump everything into two gallon freezer bags, shake it up, seal, label and put in the freezer.

**I rate this recipe to be a bit bland. I added bbq sauce, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes to add a bit more to the dish and it did. The only thing, though, is the addition of the bbq sauce gave the sweet potatoes a weird tangy flavor. Not bad, but also not good.

Smooth Sunday

 

When I got up this morning I felt energetic. When I rolled out of bed I literally started to put on clothes to take the dogs for a walk.

I parked on North Fredonia and took the dogs for a walk around TJR several times. When we got home the dogs dropped to the floor to cool off and I made myself a cup of coffee. While K went to the grocery store I started to pack up a few things and got the laundry started.

I had requested for K to make his awesome chicken salad so that I could take it over to C & S. When I took it over to them today I got to sit down for a little while and chat. I really enjoyed seeing the new mommy and daddy. Of course, little R was adorable and she has the cutest little nose with a teeny tiny point to it. :)

When I got back home I decided right away that I needed some ice cream and had some spoonfuls and then did more laundry.

At some point I guess I didn't want to eat something like ramen for dinner so I made my mom's bean sprout soup (Kongnamul-guk), which I've provided a picture of.

After dinner I'll be packing up some more boxes. I wish I had this type of energy every day.

**german: k found mung bean sprouts at kroger...it's in the little refrigerator section in the front of the produce where the bags of salad and dressings are.**