This Week's Menu

M- Chicken and Wild Rice in the Crockpot
   This was FANTASTIC!!!!  We happily have lots of leftovers!

T- German Apple Pancake
W- Ribs and Baked Potatoes
Th- Pizza
F- Christmas Eve!

Nutrition and Fitness Plan

Just checking in to report that I have lost 24 lbs in 11 weeks!  Things are going great.  It isn't always easy but it isn't super hard either.  I feel really great all around and hope to make it through the next week without any disasters...  :)

Last Week's Menu

This week I made our Southwestern Beef Roast so we had tacos, baked potatoes and taquitos with that.  The only new recipe I made was a Macaroni and Cheese w/Ham that I am currently looking for online.  It was in the new issue of Taste of Home.  Check back for an updated link!

Catching Up...

Alright... time to play catch up again... My only excuse is that it is December and we're busy... it's a good busy, though so I'm not complaining!

In my last post I mentioned the Buffalo Wings.... Britt reports that they were REALLY great.  She actually repeated that very statement many times that night...  She said they were better than she's had at many restaurants.  This is a keeper!

I've also made several batches of the Molasses Cookies.  Perfection, simply put. 

I have also made these Sea Salt Chocolate Caramels which are WONDERFUL.  And I've made a ton of Cookie Cups and Pretzel Candy Thingys.  I've made several variations of both of these... many different candy combinations...Yum! 

This Week's Menu

M- Taco Soup
This is a family favorite.... and I think I posted it already but I couldn't find it.  Quick, easy and good...

T-  SICK  Grilled Cheese Night

W- German Apple Pancake
This was perfection!  I have made these before, but always in a skillet and it never seemed to make enough for our family.  This was PLENTY and we had leftovers!  SOOOOOOO good.

Th- Baked Buffalo Wings
Britt loves buffalo wings so I thought I'd find a healthier version...the comments on these are great so keep your fingers crossed!!

F- Rocco's Nachos

Holiday Treats

I've made a list of things I'd like to make this month for our holiday treats around the house...

Peppermint Patties
I've already made these and they were AWESOME!!!  Unfortunately they were the last thing I ate before getting sick, so I can't say I'll be making them again before Christmas, which is sad because I really wanted to show these off...  :(

Molasses Cookies
I plan to substitute butter for the shortening like some of the comments suggested.  I kinda have a rule against using shortening.  :)


Hot Cocoa Cookies

I love this blog... everything about it.  Take some time to browse!

I think I'm gonna try NOT making puppy chow this Christmas.  I love it so much, but I just can't control myself around it!  We'll see how I feel closer to Christmas...

Last Week's Menu

Oh boy... So I'm behind for lots of reasons, but one of them is that I had a horrible stomach flu yesterday.. I'm talking awful...  It's going around here and I don't wish it on anyone!

M- Southwestern Pork Soup
This was a really great soup!  Pork is the one meat that we agree on in this family... Britt prefers beef and I like chicken... but pork is a win all around...so this pork soup was perfect!  The avocado on the top just made it even better!

T- Lahvosh Pizza
This was good...but I think we like our lahvosh with just havarti on it best!  Thankfully I made that kind, too and everyone was happy...

The rest of the week was "out" or a repeat...

If Memory Serves Me...

Dang.  This week was busy.  I can hardly remember what I made for suppers!

M-Beef and Bean Chili Verde

T- Bacon Pierogi Bake
   I thought this was really good.  Britt and my friend Danny both said that eating this reminded them they weren't big "pierogi" people...  Everyone liked the sauce and the tomatoes... so...I guess, if you want to dress pierogis up a bit, this might be the recipe for you!

W- Baked Potatoes with leftover Chili

Th- Thanksgiving at Mom and Dad's
  I made Pumpkin Cinnamon Bun Cake and Crockpot Irish Coffee.  Both delish!
F- Wedding

Yummy Whole Grain Cookies!!

I tried these Whole Grain Peanut Butter M&M Cookies this week and I am in LOVE.  This will be my new "monster cookie" recipe for sure!  I left M&Ms out of half of them for Britt and they were still great!  I also could probably put less M&Ms in my half than what is called for (imagine) because there were tons...

I will be making another batch of these this weekend!

One Year Plan Check-In

I am proud to report that my Nutrition and Exercise program is going very well.  I have just completed my 5th week following Beck's Diet Solution (which is cognitive behavior therapy based) and I have lost 15 lbs during those 5 weeks!

I have to admit that I am getting impatient.  I want it to go faster. I also am reaching a weight that has been very hard for me to push past in my several attempts at weight loss, so I am a bit nervous about that.  BUT, if I just keep doing what I'm doing I should be fine.

Here are a few main parts of this program that are really helping me:

• Trying to be patient.  Think more about how I will feel a year from now rather than getting disappointed (and throwing in the towel) when results start to slow down.
• Don't make any changes that I can't live with forever.  This has been a big one and really useful.  I don't feel like I'm on a "diet" at all.
• Remember that hunger is not an emergency for me.  I almost always have access to food. I just need to decide if I need anything before my next planned meal.
• Preplan my meals.

I really feel great and I don't foresee me having any problem moving forward with this program... but I'm sure it won't be struggle-free throughout.  For now I'll just keep on keeping on!

This Week's Menu

Ha!  I'm going to get this posted right away this week!  (Actually, I am ignoring the dishes, laundry and floor mopping that is awaiting me.)

M- Bacon-Wrapped Corn Dogs (Don't judge me.) 
  OK. So I decided that this week I wanted to have one meal that was a no-brainer...so I went to the Kraft Foods website and looked under "kid-friendly" and came across this.  I knew Britt would like it...  but wasn't really counting on how much I would like them.  Eek!  I used refrigerated breadsticks because I couldn't find the cornbread twists....and we didn't bother with the popcicle sticks.  We were so full after these...  and I made them completely in line with my diet.  I gotta say, if you ever want/need something that makes you feel like you are really pigging out...give these a try!

T- Leftover Stew from Sunday
  On Sunday I made beef stew in the crockpot.  I had been craving it for awhile.....so I found a basic guideline online and then added what we had and what we liked.  I used potatoes, onions, carrots, beef, beef broth and red wine....and I think that's it.  You really can't go wrong with stew... I would've liked a more gravy like sauce (this was more broth-like)....but it was still really good.

W- Pop Up Pancakes
   Old favorite.

Th- Clam Chowder

F- Pizza

Mom's Meatball Recipe

My mom got this recipe from a nutritionist she saw awhile back.  It's a standard in our family and I will definitely be making it more often!


2 lbs extra lean ground beef or ground turkey
1/2 cup egg substitute
1 Tbs dried parsley
1 cup oatmeal, cracker meal or oat bran (I use oatmeal)
1 cup skim milk
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
2 tsp onion powder

Preheat oven to 425.   Mix all ingredients and shape into 1 1/2 inch balls.  Arrange on two baking sheets that have been sprayed with non-stick coating.  Bake for 12 minutes or until done.

Makes about 48 meatballs.  This lasted us several meals!

Last Week's Menu

Not again!  I'm a week behind...how does that happen??  I totally have to try to find my grocery list from last week to remember what we had...


M- French Onion Soup
  This was okay.  I should have cooked the onions for a bit on the stove before adding them to the crockpot.  Britt really liked it, though...and I didn't mind it.  It just wasn't super great.

T- Oatmeal Pancakes
   Our old favorite once again.

W-Meatballs, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy (Mom's recipe!)
   Super yummy!  I will post this recipe in a separate post!

Th- Leftovers

F- Salmon, Rice and Vegetables
  I wanted just a quick guideline for adding some flavor to our salmon fillets.  This was PERFECT.
   

Treats:  Scotcheroo Cookies   Super good.

Cheerio M&M Bars

I noticed this past weekend that we had 3 full boxes of Cheerios in the pantry!  How did this happen??  Well... Britt likes to mix Cheerios and Lucky Charms for breakfast... and whenever I see the Lucky Charms box run out I get both, assuming they disappear at the same time.  APPARENTLY, Brittney puts a little more Lucky Charms in her ratio of cereals  :)

So, I searched for a recipe to use up some of them...One that the kids would enjoy...and this one was really good!!  I loved them, too...  :)



Cheerios Treats

Pumpkin Pie Chex Mix

I came across this recipe about a week ago and immediately sent it to my sister...I thought it was SO something her family would love...and I was right.  I think she's made it a couple of times already...and my Mom made it today...and I have had a taste and it is SO yummy.  A great snack for this time of year and for gifting!

Pumpkin Pie Chex Mix

Last Week's Menu

Can you tell that my Little Ones are keeping me hopping?!?!  OK...before posting this coming week's menu I thought I better post LAST week's menu!

M-  Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole-  This was delicious...and seemed kind of fancy.  I did buy the expensive cheese (Gruyere) but you can also use swiss.  This would be something you could take to a brunch potluck and really impress people  :)  We loved it!

T- Quick and Easy Crockpot Chili-  This was a recipe in our local newspaper that I thought I'd try.  It was a good chili, but not our favorite of the ones I've made in the last couple of weeks.  (I seem to be having my own personal chili cook-off this fall!).  It makes a lot so this would be a good one to feed a crowd... (the link includes 2 other chili recipes you might enjoy, too...)

W- I cannot for the life of me remember what we had this night.  I will edit this post when I think of it!

Th- Baked Potatoes and Leftover Chili

F-  At my parent's house!

Treats and Miscellaneous

Last week we ran out of the Clif Kids bars that I usually give the kids for snack (and I buy them at Sam's and knew I wouldn't get there until the end of the week) so I tried to find a "healthy" cookie to have around the house... and this one fit the bill!

Oatmeal Cookies   I made these with dried blueberries for the first batch because it was what I had.... and they were very popular with Britt and Duncan so I made another batch at the end of the week with raisins.  This is the kind of cookie I can have around the house during the week and I don't overdo it.  I like them but they aren't a trigger food like anything with chocolate  :)

Raspberry Sauce  was another experimental recipe.... and it turned out SO GREAT!!!  We will be using this on top of pancakes, waffles, ice cream, yogurt...whatever!  This is a fun website to browse if you have young kids and are looking for some new low sugar snacks and healthy meals.

And lastly I made an absolutely wonderful Pumpkin Dump Cake.  Once a week I allow myself to make something a bit decadent... and have been choosing to stay away from chocolate since I seem to have problems limiting myself with it... This was DELICIOUS.  I left out the cloves because I tend to not like "spicy" pumpkin things...

Week of Repeats and Leftovers

This week none of our supper recipes were new...but I did make some tasty snacks and treats which I will report in the next post!

Here was our menu from the week:

M:  Baked Potatoes and leftover Beef and Bean Chili Verde on top

T:  Pop Up Pancakes
We really nailed this recipe this time!  We've always loved it but they always stuck to the muffin tin....This time we made them in a mini muffin tin and they didn't stick at all and they ended up a little more dense and were even better than usual.... which we never imagined!

W:  Rocco's Loaded Nachos

Th:  Bubble Pizza

F:  Out!

One Year Plan Check-In

I am now about 3 weeks into a new program based on the following book.  I have found it very helpful and would recommend it to anyone who has had lots of ups and downs with trying to get a handle on nutrition...

The Beck Diet Solution is Cognitive Therapy based and I am enjoying the tools I am picking up along the way.

Catching Up...

Woah.  Where did this week go???  This week has been mostly "repeats" ...

M- Pumpkin Oatmeal Pancakes
   This was a very healthy recipe...and it kinda showed.  I really liked them... but Britt and the boys weren't as impressed.  Britt actually said that she "couldn't choke another one down even though she was hungry."  Yikes! 

T- Chicken Fried Steak

W- Chicken and Barley Soup

Th-  Leftovers for some...and a favorite lunch for Ode and I!
    Have you seen those new Bagel Thins?  They are awesome!  I buy the Everything Bagel Thins...toast them...and top with ham or turkey and cheese and tomato,,,and YUMMO!!! 

F-  Pizza

I also plan to make this pumpkin cake tomorrow... It is fantastic!!!  Frosted Pumpkin Cake from Cooking Light.

All Winners!!!

This week's recipes were all MAJOR winners in our house!!!

First up was the Beef and Bean Chili Verde which was excellent and EASY.  The reviews hinted that it might be really spicy but we didn't think so at all...  The taste of the salsa verde really makes this a little different from regular chili and we loved it.  Next time I will probably double it so we have leftovers for over baked potatoes or tacos or whatever...

Next I made the Toasted Ravioli... this will be made in our house OFTEN... probably for lunch, too.  It was quick and easy and was a fun finger food for the kids.  I used frozen ravioli and it worked great!  For some reason the broccoli we had on the side tasted SO good with this...

On Wednesday I made Chicken and Barley Stew...  Again...this will be another standard in our house.  It was SO quick and easy...I had a kid hanging on my leg the entire time I made it! I'd love to cook up a huge batch and freeze it.  This isn't really a stew.... more like a soup... a good hearty comforting soup.  After reading some of the reviews I decided to double the chicken which I'll probably do again.  Britt recommended doubling the broth, too so I'll give that a try, too.  You can also make this soup with noodles or rice instead of barley.  A great base recipe!!!

And tonight I made Straw and Hay Alfredo with Roasted Asparagus.  Super yummy and super rich!!!  My only recommendation is to double or tripe the roasted asparagus.  We love asparagus and thought it could use a lot more!

Tomorrow night it is Papa Murphy's for us....!

This Week's Menu

The end of last week we did a lot of "fending" as things got so busy!  I kept thinking I hadn't posted a recipe for a while...and there's a reason...  I didn't make anything!  This week I've got a couple new ones I'm excited about...

M- Beef and Bean Chili Verde

T- Toasted Ravioli (didn't get to this last week!)

W- Straw and Hay Alfredo with Roasted Asparagus

Th- Chicken and Barley Stew

F- Pizza

Pumpkin Pie French Toast

After last night's (sorta) disaster I REALLY didn't want to have hot dogs...and I hadn't thawed the ravioli for that recipe...SO...I decided to make something unplanned that I'd had my eye on this week...and it was DELICIOUS!!!

Pumpkin Pie French Toast....  Oh my...  We all liked this... I couldn't find the kinds of bread they recommended so I just grabbed any thicker bakery style bread.  Not only is this yummy but it also adds some nutrients to the deal...  !

Sweet and Sour Beef Cabbage Soup

Well, I'm not sure if I can recommend this one....  Britt didn't like it at all and wouldn't even eat it...but she doesn't like tomato-based soups at all so I think that was her main issue.  I liked it okay... the apples were a little weird for me, though.  I loved the idea of a soup with apples in it, but each bite with them seemed kinda weird.

With all of that said, I plan to eat the leftovers for lunch and it was NOT awful.  Also, the reviews on the website were very positive, so it may just be my family's tastes (or lack thereof!)  :)

Sweet and Sour Beef Cabbage Soup

Bubble Pizza

I think I may rename this Miracle Pizza.  This recipe has been around awhile and it's been made in many households with kids for many years, but I had never made it.  All three of my kids gobbled it up and begged for more!  This NEVER happens.  I was "inspired" to make this while looking for something to make with refrigerator biscuits.  You see, we have MANY refrigerator biscuits left after the weenie roast because our Campfire Pies did not go over well.  :)  We are in need of a good "recipe" for them.  We were clueless, I guess.

Anyways, back to the Bubble Pizza!  I made this using mushrooms, onions, black olives and turkey pepperoni (and the hamburger)....which makes it another miracle.  All three kiddos liked it ALL.  This also made plenty for leftovers. All five of us ate quite a bit and there's still half of it left.

Yay for BUBBLE PIZZA!!! 

This Week's Menu

M- Bubble Pizza

T- Sweet and Sour Cabbage Soup

W- Toasted Ravioli

Th- Hot Dogs (We have TONS leftover from last weekend.)

F- Pizza

Updates...

Sooo... last week we ended up not having any leftovers for Thursday night so we made the Pop Up Pancakes AGAIN!  It was a quick favorite in our house... However, I need to figure out how to make them not stick to the muffin tin.  I sprayed the tins with cooking spray like crazy from every angle and it didn't help.  Bummer. 

Over the weekend we had a Weenie Roast at our house and I served these WONDERFUL foil potato packets that I wanted to share.  It's from a blog that I LOVE so I hope you have some time to browse and be inspired. 

This Week's Menu

The week is once again getting away from me!  Here goes...

M- Baked Potato Soup
  This was pretty good... the consistency wasn't what I usually go for but it was a nice warm comforting bowl of goodness.

T- Pop Up Pancakes
   These were AWESOME!!!   Our family loved them and we'll be making them often...!!

W- Provolone and Mushroom Patty Melts
  These were good sandwiches.... I think I would do better the 2nd time around...  I didn't cook the patties thoroughly and the bread was a little burnt...  The mushroom and onion mixture was really great, though  :)

Th- Leftovers
 I don't believe we have any leftovers!  I better start thinking of something....  ;)

F-Pizza

One Year Plan Check-In

My One Year Plan is not going very well at all.  I seem to get off track very easily and it is hard for me to get back ON track. 

After Odin was born I lost all of the pregnancy weight, plus some.  Then when I started trying to get pregnant again I started putting on weight... and have been stuck in the same cycle since then....including being pregnant with twins during that time!  Nothing seems to "stick" for me.  I really feel it is the food-mind connection that is my problem and I am trying to get myself wrapped around it and get it figured out...  Plus I am tired of beating myself up over it all, too...

So... I hope that the next time I check-in I will have better news to report.  Until then...

Catching Up...

Many of you probably read my Family Blog and read that my Great Grandma passed away last week... since then I've been physically and emotionally drained from everything and have been trying to get on track all week... So, here I am...!

M- Orange Peel Beef
     After making the Mongolian Beef last week, Britt asked if I could find a recipe for Orange Beef which is one of her favorites.  I made this one and she thought it was just "okay"...  I really liked it... but I would have to say that the Mongolian Beef was better.  One thing that I would adjust if I made this again would be to make double the sauce.  There wasn't very much and I think Britt would've liked it better if there'd been more...

T- Salmon and Vegetables baked in foil
  This was delicious!  I served it with broccoli and long grain and wild rice.  YUM!!

W-  Sushi from 101 Sushi
   This was our first sushi from 101 Sushi and we thought it was very good...and it's very reasonably priced.  Every M, W and F you can get 2 rolls and a miso soup for $7.95.   They were also very friendly when I went to pick up the order... they invited Odin to the bar to watch them prepare the sushi.  It was great!  I highly recommend 101 Sushi in Fargo!

Th- Chicken Fried Steak
  Again.  This is Britt's all-time fave so it gets requested often.  :)

F- Papa Murphy's (I hope!!!)

Mongolian Beef

Oh wow.  I can still smell the aroma of this evening's dinner and it makes me happy...and proud.  I can't believe I made it.  Seriously.  It wasn't hard, either.  I would just suggest that you measure out everything before you start so that you can just dump when it is time.  I served ours over brown rice and with broccoli on the side.  (Britt requested white rice next time and I think I'll indulge her...but I'll stick to my brown.)

Mongolian Beef

Baja Tacos

On Monday night we ended up going out to eat and we did NOT go to Hu Hot..... we let Odin choose so it was Applebees....which I was okay with.  I had their Santa Fe Chicken Salad (or whatever it's called now) and it seemed to be a different recipe than the last time I've had it...It was yummy!

Last night I made the Baja Tacos and these were really good...(Britt said it was the best soft taco she'd ever had!  Even better than the beef. I was shocked.)  A great meal for a crowd, too... we had SO much I ended up taking half of the leftovers to my sister and we plan to make taquitos with it tomorrow night...

Baja Tacos (taken from Healthy Cooking magazine)

1 boneless pork sirloin roast (3 lbs)
5 cans (4 oz) chopped green chilies
2 Tbs reduced-sodium taco seasong
1 Tbs ground cumin

Cut roast in half and place in the crockpot.  In a small bowl combine the chilies, taco seasoning and cumin.  Pour over pork.  Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until meat is tender.

This recipe calls for mozzarella cheese which sounded interesting...and tasted good to me.  We also added shredded lettuce and guacamole and/or sour cream..oh and Britt squeezed some lime juice on hers!

This Week's Menu

I really like having this blog to stay accounted to... I have NO PLANS as of this moment of our menu for the coming week...So, tonight, as I watch a little football I will start perusing the internet and a few of my recipe files and pull something together!  We desperately need a grocery trip in the morning (out of milk!!) so hopefully I'll get us all set up for the week...

M- Mongolian Beef

T-  Out, I hope!  I really want to go to Hu Hot.

W- Baja Tacos

Th- Scrambled and Poached Eggs

F- Pizza

Survival Week

Wow.  Last week ended up being a Survival Week for us.  Britt has been working on a big project at work which is reaching it's peak this weekend...and we also had the first day of preschool AND a trip out of town to visit my Grandma.  Phew!  So, needless to say we didn't follow our menu all that closely!

We did make a new Homemade Pizza recipe... Well, the dough was new, toppings the same.  I followed this recipe for the dough...mostly because I was so doubtful that it would work!  And it didn't contain yeast which I'm always a little afraid of  :)  I made one substitution as I only used 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup olive oil. (I couldn't imagine using 2 sticks of butter!!!)

The crust was pretty good...definitely something I'd like to play around with.  Britt really liked it and Odin, too.  I like my crust to be a little more cracker-y and I'm wondering if this could ever achieve that.  I may try pre-baking the crust for a bit before adding toppings...and I may also try rolling it out thinner.

The only other meal I threw together was a Baked Potato night.... We baked the potatoes in the oven (the best!!) and took out all of our leftovers from the fridge and topped 'em off!  

Shredded Beef Enchiladas

On Sunday night I made our favorite shredded beef recipe...which I've mentioned on this blog before!   Last night I decided to use the leftovers for enchiladas.  I searched for a basic enchilada recipe online and then just tweaked it for us and here's what I came up with:

Cover bottom of a baking pan with enchilada sauce.  

Combine and melt 4 oz cream cheese and 1 cup salsa on the stove.  When well melted add the beef and warm completely.

 Fill corn tortillas with beef mixture, roll up and place in pan.  Drizzle enchilada sauce over the top and sprinkle with cheese.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for about 25 minutes!

These were DELICIOUS.  And we had enough leftover for another meal.  PLUS we still have enough beef for taquitos!  Talk about a meal that stretches... 

Weekly Menu

M- Shredded Beef Enchiladas

T- French Toast

W- Taquitos or leftover enchiladas

Th- Some sort of Salad.  Still searching!

F- Pizza

Apple Bars

Make these.  Gather all of the ingredients and make them.  Now.  You won't be sorry. 

As I may have mentioned in a previous post, the Fall weather inspires me in the kitchen...:)  and I was really wanting to make something with apple, but my apple crisp NEVER turns out like my Moms (and I use her recipe.)  So, I found this recipe and it was SO GOOD!!!!  I am also watching my calories pretty closely right now and one serving of these is only 119 cal.  SO worth it. 
 

Apple Squares

I read many of the reviews and made some adjustments to the recipe.  I doubled it with the following exceptions:  I used 2 cups of chopped apple...and I didn't double the topping (it was more than enough).  I baked it in a 13x9 in pan and it made 32 servings!

Wild Rice Soup

Another sign that Fall is here is that I start getting a strong urge to make soup!!  Last winter I started making a variety of soups homemade (mostly... you'll see). 

One of our favorites from last winter was Wild Rice Soup.  It's even better the 2nd day when it gets really thick!  I made this for the whole extended family and served with some bread from Breadsmith.  Yummy!!!

Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

One of my favorite Fall treats (and, well...anytime, really) is Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies!  I have made several different recipes over the years and have settled on this one for awhile...  My family seems to love anything with oatmeal in it, so these go over wonderfully...Since this week was feeling a little bit like Fall I decided it was TIME to make these  :)

Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Thai Beef Salad

This recipe I found on the Cooking Light Magazine website...and it was a BIG winner in our house!  On top of being very flavorful, one serving has just 217 calories!!!  I will say that I was a bit hungry sooner after this meal than most, but next time I will probably just add a little more meat and a lot more veggies...

Thai Beef Salad

Oh My!

Yikes!  It's Thursday already and I haven't posted anything this week!  Where has the time gone???  It's been a busy week...what can I say?

So, on Monday I made the Brown Sugar Chicken...and sadly, it was a total bust.  It ended up being very dry and I couldn't eat it (which says something because I can eat most anything).  I used chicken breasts which we thought might've been the reason for it being so dry (as opposed to thighs).  I also wondered if it got overcooked.  It was a real disappointment because the smell of it in the crockpot all day was AMAZING. 

The only other meal I have made as planned is the Buttermilk-Oatmeal Pancakes.  Again.  I made them for a crowd and we all were happy.  :)

My good friend Kate is in town and we had Five Guys Burgers last night.  YUM.

Weekly Menu

This is coming out late this week...Sorry!  I was just not feeling very motivated for some reason...and then felt busy... and then wondered if anyone reads this....so I put it off  :)

Monday- Crockpot Brown Sugar Chicken

Tuesday-Thai Beef Salad

Wednesday- Buttermilk-Oatmeal Pancakes

Thursday-  Grilled Cheese

Friday- Pizza

We LOVE our pancakes!!!

So, we've decided that Buttermilk-Oatmeal Pancakes will be a once/week meal around here... everyone LOVES them!!!  We did add some add-ins again (bananas, walnuts, chocolate chips) and I've gotta say these are my FAVORITE pancakes EVER... and I'm THRILLED that I make them!!!!  This time I added the cinnamon and they were equally good...

Parmesan Crusted Chicken Tenders

This recipe I could give or take... They were really good dipped in pizza sauce (but I like anything dipped in pizza sauce).  The Italian seasoning just didn't "work" for me with chicken tenders... but I do think I could play around with the spices and get something I like better.  I definitely like our Chicken Nuggets recipe much better...

Parmesan Crusted Chicken Tenders

Chicken-Fried Steak

Britt is from Texas.  She loves Chicken-Fried Steak.  When she orders it in a restaurant I can feel my own arteries clogging.  To me it is akin to deep fat frying an oreo.  Gross. 

With that said, I made it a mission of mine to make it at home...and healthier.  Not a task I thought I would spend much time on because I wasn't counting on success....   but I thought I'd give it a go.

I hit it out of the park.

Thank you Eating Well magazine!!!  Tonight was the second time I've made it.  The last time was a few weeks ago and it earned rave reviews... but I knew I could do better.  And tonight... I did! .I think Britt was astonished....and I felt SO proud.  My gravy was amazing...which I NEVER have luck with... I was giddy with happiness about this meal  :)

I never cared whether I ate this sort of dish ever in my life... but with this recipe I have discovered that it isn't all bad... and can be a healthy way to get a favorite comfort food!  To save time I serve ours with the pre-made mashed potatoes and a vegetable...

Chicken-Fried Steak


Enjoy!!

The Health Project

I am joining Kelly from the Rosie Radio Recap Blog in a year long attempt to get healthier!  It seems that I am ALWAYS attempting to get healthier (with very few positive outcomes in the last few years) and am hoping that being accountable to a group might help me be more successful.

So, I have read MANY books on overeating and weight management in the past few months and have decided to blend some ideas from each of them to tackle My Health Project.  The whole outline and organization of my plan is a different way to look at Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project.  I love her idea for monthly goals AND her way to chart her progress, so I decided to use it as my platform.

SO... for September my goals are:

1.  No Diet Coke.

2.  Record EVERYTHING I eat.

3.  Use the Idaho Plate Method while planning and preparing meals. (I'll explain this more in a later post!)

My actual goal is for compliance 80% of the time.  I will check in after a month to reflect on how these changes made me feel... Oh...and I've decided to start TOMORROW, August 23.  I've been in a downward spiral as far as nutrition lately so I don't want to put it off another week!

Menu Plan

M-  Chicken Fried Steak

T- Buttermilk-Oatmeal Pancakes (we loved them so much!)

W- Parmesan Crusted Chicken Tenders

Th-  OUT to Mexican Village for Monk's Birthday!!

F-  Pizza of some sort. 

"Crunchy French Toast"

This is the recipe that "reeled in" Britt over 6 years ago  :)  We LOVE US some Crunchy French Toast.  I have made this numerous times over the years... It is a recipe from Cooking Light magazine.  I tend to like all of their breakfast recipes! 

Crumb Topped French Toast

We splurge and serve bacon with this meal....Yummo!

Hamburger Buddy

Tonight's recipe is from Eating Well's website... Hamburger Buddy grabbed my attention because it has noodles and meat and chopped up veggies...something for everyone in our family!  And it went over very well!!!  The biggest shock was that Odin snarfed it down and said, "This sure is good, Mommy...can I have some more, please?"  I NEVER hear that.

Britt and I both agreed there was something bland about it...but we couldn't really figure out what it needed... but we both did really like it.  For the time being I will be making it "as is" since Odin likes it and we'll just add things to it at the table if we want to....but later I will do some experimenting  :)  Another note:  It says it makes 6 servings, however Britt, Odin and I all had what I would consider 2 servings and we still have over half of it left!  So, it makes a lot...

Another keeper:  Hamburger Buddy!

Rocco's Turkey Nachos

We LOVE this recipe.  In fact, this was the second time I have made it!  We do make a couple of adjustments, though...  Britt doesn't like black beans so much so I use a Red Bean Dip...  and we use the Baked Scoops (which is actually what Rocco suggests in the book)...

The next time I make these I will be adding black olives,  some sort of pepper..and anything else we can think of.  This will probably become our "Official Nacho Base Recipe" since we all love it...!

Enjoy!!



Rocco's Turkey Nachos

Menu

We're back...and here's the plan for the rest of the week...

Wednesday:  Rocco's Turkey Nachos

Thursday:  Crumb Topped French Toast

Friday:  "Hamburger Buddy"

A Mini Vacation

I am out of town for a few days enjoying the last days of summer so I'll be eating out through Tuesday night!!  You know what that means...no dishes!!!  And no meal planning...

If I get some spare moments I will post my menu for the week while I'm away...If not, I'll be back on Wednesday!

Book Review

This coming week I'll be making a recipe from the book Now Eat This by Rocco Dispirito.  When I started this blog I promised myself I would never take a recipe out of a book like above and simply post it online.  I thought that was very uncool, except if I adapted the recipe in some way.  Luckily I did an online search for the recipe I wanted to make this week and I found it... on Dr. Oz's website, no less!  There are also a few more of Rocco's recipes from this book on this website.

I really like this cookbook.  Sometimes I buy cookbooks and they include a lot of "fancy" recipes that my family just doesn't go crazy about... or else they include a ton of ingredients and some that are hard to find here in Fargo.  This cookbook wasn't like that.  It included all the "old favorites/comfort foods" that most families make often anyways... just with a healthier touch.

I became aware of Rocco during his work with the show The Biggest Loser.  He is all about making food healthy but with great flavor.  He has achieved that with all the recipes of his I have tried so far...

Another Mac n Cheese Fail

Last night I threw together my next attempt at Homemade Mac n Cheese...  The people who claim "it's better than the box" have never met my 4 year old.  I didn't add the red pepper flakes or hot sauce since I wanted the kiddos to eat it...so that left it too bland for me.  Of course, I ate it but I wouldn't make it again.  This is not to say this isn't a great recipe...it's just not a meal that our whole family will enjoy.

I asked Odin what he didn't like about this Mac n Cheese and he said, in the whiniest voice possible, "The holes are too big."  After digging a bit deeper I came to understand that it was the noodles that were different than his beloved Kraft... the "holes" in the noodles I used were "too big." 

I think the next time I make something like this I am NOT going to call it Mac n Cheese... that might be a big part of the problem.  Ah, well...  hopefully the babies will eat the leftovers for lunch today.  :)

A Change in Our Plans...

Tonight was supposed to be Britt's night to grill burgers, but she didn't feel up to it... and the next meal on the docket was Stovetop Mac n Cheese...which didn't sound appealing to any of us since it is hotter than heck here!  A belly full of pasta just did not sound appetizing...

SO... we decided to go out to eat!  We let Odin pick and he chose Granite City...Good choice, Odin!  We persuaded Gaga to come with and all of us adults ate wonderful salads and the kiddos noshed on chicken fingers.  It was a nice meal out...(If you live near a Granite City kids eat free on Tuesdays and Sunday nights... and there are $6 pitchers on  Tuesdays, too so you could really have a great Tuesday night out sometime!)

My plans are to make the Stovetop Mac n Cheese for lunch tomorrow... the kids will eat Mac n Cheese anytime (and I hope that they like this recipe!)...

PS  We also had last night's pancake leftovers for breakfast today and they were still gobbled up frantically by the kiddos!  Yippee!!!

LOVIN' the Pancakes!!!

We just finished our Pancake Night meal and YUMMY!!!  Everyone in our family loved them... this will be a standard recipe in our house for awhile!!!  I did leave out the cinnamon since some of the comments on the recipe suggested that...and we did make a few with bananas and walnuts (Britt's favorite) and chocolate chips (mine and Odin's favorite).  BUT, they were fantastic without any additions, too!!!


Buttermilk-Oatmeal Pancakes

This recipe also introduces you to a website I have found very helpful while trying to cook and bake healthier.  Eating Well is a magazine that I subscribed to around Christmas through a special deal and I loved their approach to food.  Their first goal is to use WHOLE foods... and then it's nutrition....(in my words)  which are pretty closely related.

Whenever I have the urge to make one of my usual recipes I always go here to see if they have a healthier alternative...and in many cases they do.  You'll be seeing plenty of their recipes in posts to come!!!

Snack: Banana Chocolate Chip Bars

I made these this morning and they'll be gone by evening...  Good, but a little too good for me to have around...  Kids love 'em...

Banana Chocolate Chip Bars

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

This recipe has been one of my GREATEST finds while trying to get my family eating healthier.  After watching the documentary Food, Inc I swore I would never buy another Tyson product in my life.  The problem was that my kiddos LOVED chicken nuggets and they were such a quick go-to meal for them...

So, I started my search and I lucked out on the first attempt!  These are FANTASTIC.  We love them.  Of course, they do take longer than nuking Tyson nuggets, but they taste TONS better....

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

With this meal we like to have some Sweet Potato Fries and a salad.  I found a frozen Sweet Potato Fry brand that is healthful and yummy.  Check out Alexia's variety of products!

***  I didn't really mean to pick on only Tyson in this post... There are a few other meat processing companies that I'd rather not give my money to...  Tyson was just the one that we used to buy a lot...

This Week's Menu

Here we go again.... There are a couple of recipes I am excited to share this week!  What are your plans for the week???

M  Homemade Chicken Nuggets and Sweet Potato Fries
T   Buttermilk Oatmeal Pancakes
W  Britt's Secret Recipe Burgers
Th  Stovetop Mac n Cheese
F  Papa Murphy's

All my groceries are bought... Quite an accomplishment before starting the week. 

Weekends

On the weekends I like to do as little meal making as possible....especially lunches!  I don't know what it is, but I get so sick of putting together lunch each day...especially when we don't have any leftovers around...  My preference for weekend lunches are Extreme Pita, Subway, Jimmy John's, Taco Bell, etc.  This weekend we had lunch at home BOTH days.  Total Bummer.

I also like to shake up breakfast with something besides the usual toast, cereal and english muffins.  Didn't really accomplish that this weekend either.  Another Bummer.

I only made one thing...and it isn't for the health conscious.  (I am noticing that so far not many of my recipes have been healthful. )  This morning I made Donut Muffins.   They are nearly gone.  :)  Total YUM!!!  I DID use 1 cup whole wheat flour along with 1 cup white flour.  So, I gave some sort of effort, right????

Shout Out for Mac N Cheese Recipes

If there are any readers out there I am in GREAT need for the PERFECT Mac N Cheese recipe.  My kiddos love Kraft.  I don't want to serve them Kraft.  So far I have tried 3 recipes.  Two of them none of us really liked and one I really liked, but the kids didn't.

So, if you have any recipes that include fluorescent colored noodles that are not made by Kraft, please send them my way!!!

By the way, I do not pass judgment on any parents who choose to serve their kids Kraft Mac N Cheese!  I am still making it... and I completely understand the convenience and the love for it.  :)  I am just trying to change a few habits around here in hopes that none of my boys end up with some of my "issues" with food and weight management.  

My Journey

Anyone who has known me for a number of years knows that my weight has fluctuated many, many times since my days in elementary school.  I am either a fairly competitive athlete playing basketball or training for a marathon or triathlon...OR I am overweight and really mad at myself for being that way. Somewhere in the middle is where I want to be...and that, for me, is HARD.

This has been a life long struggle for me and it runs pretty deep.  It dominates my thoughts most of the time and it is just plain annoying.  During the past 6 months I've been really trying to dig deeper into why I struggle with this so much.  With the help of several books on a variety of overeating/mindless eating/emotional eating topics I have a fairly good handle on the WHY.

It is the next step that is a bitch.  The CHANGING of the behavior.  I have found some really great strategies that I feel could be the thing that "cures me" and they usually last about 2-4 weeks and then I fall back into old habits, get really mad at myself and then start searching again for the next "answer."

I write this here so that I have a place to be accountable to some of my efforts...  I also plan to share some of the resources I have found to be helpful.

The Journey continues...

Strawberry Cashew Salad

Oh. My.  This was good.


Strawberry Cashew Salad

When I first saw this recipe I thought of my sister.  Strawberries, candied nuts and chicken just screamed MONK.  Since I'd been wanting to take them a meal for quite some time I decided that I'd mix this up right away!  I was a little concerned about it being filling enough for a supper for the whole family...  but I think it was plenty filling.  I do know they loved it...!  The only issue Odin had with it was the "black things"  (poppy seeds).  He requested ranch on top of the original dressing.  I gagged and obliged and he ate a good portion of it.  :)

You'll notice there is quite a bit of sugar in the candied cashews and in the dressing.  I think the salad would be very good even with the cashews not candied...and the dressing can be made to taste with less sugar if you prefer.

Enjoy!  I have leftovers for lunch and couldn't be happier!!

Not Healthy

So, there comes a time once every few days when I jump ship and make something simply because it looks soooo good.  I came across this recipe and knew I had to give it a try.  I probably tried to fool myself for a moment that it was "healthy" because it has bananas in it.  Nice try.  :)

The recipe of which I speak, Banana Coffee Cake with Chocolate Streusel,  was found at the blog, Buns in My Oven...and Not the Baby Kind.  I just came across this the other day and I have found many things I will be trying!

So, when you are looking for something completely mouth-watering...and maybe want to impress some guests...make this.  It is wonderful!!!

Pita Pizzas

So I switch my meal plan around pretty often.  Tonight I had planned to make the Strawberry Cashew Salad...BUT the avocados I bought last night aren't ripe enough for my taste so I am going to throw together Pita Pizzas tonight instead.

This couldn't be easier...

Place pitas down on a pan.
Spread a layer of pizza sauce on the pita.  (Britt prefers salsa.)
Add toppings.  (We usually use turkey pepperoni, canadian bacon, cheese, onions and mushrooms)
Bake at 375 for 20 minutes for a crispy crust, 350 for 15 for a little softer crust.

Give an extra effort to having a side salad and some fruit with this!!

Snacks

As we move along this journey to getting healthier I am trying hard to cut down on our cracker-y and granola bar-y snacks.  We definitely don't want to bring in any high fructose corn syrup into our home...and it is pretty much in all the store bought snack foods...

With that said I am doing a lot of baking these days...and I am trying to bake things that have some sort of nutritional value (but not always!).  I like to sneak in some oats, pumpkin, banana or nuts whenever I can...

This week some snacks we have around are..

Homemade LaraBar fruit nut bars
  I am shocked that we like these.  Most of the varieties have dates in them.  Every year at Christmas Britt requests cookies with dates in them and I pretty much gag the whole time I am making them.  But in this case I thought I'd give them a try (since I'm trying to make changes) and I LOVE these!!!  They also take NO TIME to make...


Homemade Clif Bars
  I found this recipe on the same blog as above.  Mine turned out a little crumbly probably because I didn't tamp them down hard enough...but the kids eat 'em up!  (I made the chocolate chip variety.)

Clif Z Bars
  These are a store bought snack that passes the nutrition test on many counts.  We all love these.  Buy them at Costco or Sam's Club to keep the cost down.

Honey Wheat braided pretzels with Hummus

Unsweetened applesauce

Baked Taquitos

This has been one of the best discoveries for a meal idea for our family.  I found this taquito recipe after making the shredded beef tacos on the same site.  You can make any kind of taquito with leftover meat of any kind... Here are the Clif Notes:

-Take some corn tortillas
-Add some meat and cheese down the middle
-Wrap up and place on a pan folded side down
-Brush each with a little olive oil
-Sprinkle with kosher salt
-Cook at 425 and start checking them at around 10 minutes.  They should be crispy.

Check the recipe link above for more specifics.

We eat ours with guacamole and/or sour cream.  YUM!!!

This Week's Menu

I thought that this week would be a great week to start since there are some very simple ideas...plus one of my family's favorites!

Su-  Shredded Beef Tacos and Pinto Beans

M- Taquitos (made with leftover beef from above!)

T- Strawberry Cashew Salad

W- Pita Pizzas

Th- Breakfast for Supper:  Eggs, Toast and Fruit

F - Fast Food (Extreme Pita or Subway)

Sa-  Not sure yet!

Welcome!

Here we go!  My attempt at a 2nd blog.  "Why?" you may ask...

Well, I am a stay at home mom who is always looking for new family friendly recipes...Soooo...I thought I'd start posting my weekly menus in hopes that some of you would share yours as well!  Also, if I am expected to post my weekly menus then hopefully I WILL be planning accordingly and won't be stuck some nights wondering, "What's for supper?"

Another goal of this blog is to chronicle my attempts at getting my family to eat healthier...and my attempts to cook and prepare healthier foods.  I have been at it for a few months now and have made some wonderful discoveries...I can't wait to share!!

By the way, very few of the recipes I post will be originals of mine (I'm not that talented)... Most of them will be links to things I find online...