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.