Couple of Snacks/Treats

I made  Hot Cinnamon Apple Bars and some Whole Wheat Snickerdoodles last week.  Both were keepers!

This Week's Menu

So, last week's menu got switched around quite a bit and I never got around to the Mini Fritattas...  Bummer.  Thursday nights are going to turn into leftover or fend night because Britt isn't home all day...so I won't be planning much for those days..

Su- 4 Packet Roast with Carrots and Mashed Potatoes
M- Spicy Shrimp Wraps  (recipe from my sister...I'll try to find it online)
T- French Dip made w/leftover roast
W- Breakfast for Supper (haven't decided what just yet)
Th- Leftovers/Fend
F- Homemade Pizza

OH...and last Saturday I made these Honey Lime Drumsticks (along with Baked Buffalo wings for Britt) and they were a big hit with Odin!!

This Week's Menu

This coming week we were going to have a Summer Theme...but it is so DANG cold here that we didn't really feel in the mood anymore... so... we'll just continue with the stickin' to your ribs type of food...

Su- Ham in the Crockpot, Mashed Potatoes, Mixed Veggies
M- Popcorn Shrimp, Oven Fries, Broccoli 
T-Ham and Cheese Sliders, Chips, Fruit of some sort
W- Oatmeal Pancakes
Th- Ham and Cheese Mini Frittatas
F- Homemade Pizza

Tagging

I am going to do my best to try to make my site a little more user-friendly.  I get frustrated looking for a recipe I posted any more than a month ago so I can imagine it might be annoying to others, too!  I will try tagging my posts and having a menu to choose from...

Please don't "time me" on this  :)  I'm not sure how long it'll take and how much time I'll have to do it!

Updates

True to the menu I made Chicken Corn Chowder with Sweet Potatoes on Tuesday and I really liked it...but I was alone.  Britt didn't even finish hers and the kids weren't crazy about it either...and it made A LOT.   I ended up freezing half of it and trying it on the kids later in the week (it didn't take).  I thought it was a wonderful warm bowl of goodness... the sweet potatoes were sooo yummy.  But, alas... it might be the last time I make that for awhile...

My big cooking news is that I finally made a homemade pizza crust that was SO GOOD!!  We like our pizza thin and crispy around these parts and for some reason it's been a goal of mine to make it at home...and I DID IT!!  It was a recipe from a cookbook I got for Christmas from my Mom:  America's Test Kitchen:  Healthy Family Cookbook.  I can't seem to find the recipe posted anywhere online but I'll keep looking!  (I don't like to post recipes from newly published cookbooks unless I can find them online somewhere... it's just me.)

And, finally...I made the Apple Bars that I posted quite awhile back... I actually have made 2 pans of them this weekend because the first was gone in a snap.  Definitely a family favorite!  (Again... I double the apples and half the topping on this one!)

31 lbs!

As of Monday I have lost 31 lbs (in 15 weeks) on my One Year Plan.  I think I will start calling it My Life Plan, though...Because I hope and plan on continuing this forever!  I have been really happy with my results and I am following the philosophy that I don't change anything I can't live with forever. 

Nutritionally there is a lot of places that I can tune up...but I am not going to change much since I haven't had a gain in the entire 15 weeks.  As far as exercise I've really hit a rhythm and am feeling stronger.

My goal is to lose about 40 more... and sometimes it is hard for me not to get frustrated with how long that is going to take...but if I keep going as I have been I'll be fine!

Upcoming Recipes...

I'm not sure how this week's menu is going to fall into place yet...but here are the recipes I'm making:

Southern Baked Beans and Z'Tejas Cornbread   I made this tonight.  WOW.  Lots of flavor and VERY filling...it has made my tummy full and warm on this very cold night in ND!


Chicken Corn Chowder with Sweet Potatoes  and popovers

I think the week will round out with a 'breakfast for supper option' (maybe French Toast?) and leftovers and pizza.  We also may have a hot dog night... Britt loves them so I give in from time to time.  :)

Ice Cream Cake Roll

Britt requested an Ice Cream Cake Roll for her birthday...  I'd never made one so was anxious to give it a shot!  I have to say that the rolling part was a challenge and we ended up rolling it up and smushing it together and wrapping it in foil and tossing it in the freezer...

and Voila...it came out beautifully!  Who knew...?!

This tasted really good but we did miss having frosting...so...we just spread some on before eating!

Ice Cream Cake Roll

Heaven, I mean, Pie in a Jar

I saw this on a blog I follow and thought they looked like a fun idea so I made a couple yesterday and LOVED IT!!  Such a great idea to have on hand for guests or to give as gifts...  This time around I just used store bought crust and filling... and I'll probably continue to use the crust but will switch to my own filling.... 

Single Serve Pie in a Jar

Reviews from the Week...

The other night I made "The Best Ham Sandwiches Ever"... and they were fun and really good...but I think BEST might be stretching it.  :)  The hawaiian sweet rolls really were great...I don't think I've had them before and I will definitely use them again to make slider sandwiches...

Tonight I made the Thai Shrimp Curry and it was GREAT!  Next time I will use a lot more red curry paste because it didn't have much kick...  but this is a keeper!!  Lots of rich deep flavor and very healthful!

The rest of the week we've got repeats and pizza and eating out for Britt's birthday!!

Oatmeal in the Crockpot

I've been wanting to make this for a very long time...  and I'm glad I finally got around to it.  This was a GREAT weekend breakfast for everyone to wake up to...and I'll definitely be making this during the week, too.  We all like that it uses the very healthy steel cut oats in the recipe!


Oatmeal in the Crockpot

Chocolate Banana Snack Cake

I had some overripe bananas on the counter so I searched for a "banana and chocolate chip" recipe on Cooking Light and came across this one... YUM!  Just what I wanted this afternoon...

I made a few changes based on the reviews I read and I doubled the bananas and I added mini chocolate chips.  We ate this warm with ice cream for afternoon snack... This is a keeper!

Chocolate Banana Snack Cake

This Week's Menu

Su- Ham in the crockpot, Mashed Potatoes, Carrots
M- The Best Ham Sandwiches Ever, Chips
T- Shrimp Curry
W- Crumb Topped French Toast
Th- Pizza
F- Chicken Fried Steak (HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRITTNEY!)

I made the Ham in the crockpot today and it was SO GOOD.... very juicy and delicious...and sooo easy!  Mine was done really fast so was on "warm" most of the day  :)

Couple of Treats

Here's a couple of baked goods I've made this week.  Both are good... the Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars aren't all that healthy but sure were tasty!  The Pumpkin Muffins are a great healthy snack for all of us...

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins

Auntie Kate's Pea Soup

I have to say I NEVER thought I would like pea soup.  In fact, when Kate mentioned she had a "yummy" pea soup recipe I nearly gagged... but, since Britt really likes pea soup I thought I would give Kate's recipe a try...

AND OH MY GOSH.  It is SOOO GOOD.  Not only that but it is very healthy, low calorie and full of nutrients!!!  Thanks Kate!!!

Pea Soup Ingredients

	3 1/2 cup(s) fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth
	2 medium uncooked Yukon Gold potato(es), peeled, cut into 1/2-inch chunks (about 2 cups)
	1 1/2 medium leek(s), chopped, white and light green part(about 2 cups)
	2 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), peeled
	1 1/4 tsp table salt, divided, or more to taste
	1/4 tsp black pepper, divided
	10 oz frozen green peas, thawed (about 2 cups)
	1/2 cup(s) plain fat-free yogurt
	3 Tbsp dill, chopped, divided
	1/4 cup(s) tomato(es), diced

Instructions

• In a large saucepan, combine broth, potatoes, leeks, garlic, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until vegetables are almost tender, about 12 minutes.
  
• Add peas to saucepan, stir and cook until vegetables are tender, about 3 minutes; remove saucepan from heat and let cool about 5 minutes.
  
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, 2 tablespoons of dill, remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper until smooth; set aside.
  
• Puree soup in saucepan using an immersion blender or in batches in a blender (be careful not to splatter hot liquid); stir in remaining 1 tablespoon of dill.

This Week's Menu

M- Chili and Cornbread leftovers
T- Auntie Kate's Pea Soup
W- Fend
Th- Baked Potatoes and leftover Chili
F- Homemade Pizza

The BEST Cornbread Ever

I have never been a big fan of cornbread... I mean, it's alright but always seemed a little too dry for me.  Britt, however, loves to have cornbread with chili and I tended to just throw together whatever box mix we had around.

Yesterday I came across a recipe for cornbread that caught my eye...  Z'Tejas Cornbread.  Z'Tejas was our favorite restaurant when we lived in the Seattle area.  We miss it greatly and I actually do remember how good their cornbread was.  So, I gave it a go...

Oh my.  This is simply delicious.  I am now a cornbread lover.  We ate it with the Beef and Bean Chili Verde that I've made many times before.  PERFECTION.  We are already excited for our leftovers tomorrow night.  :)

Happy New Year!

The last couple weeks have been filled with holiday meals, leftovers and being stranded in a blizzard...so I haven't made very many new recipes.  One I did make was this Monkey Bread one on Christmas morning.  I actually had made it a week before and it totally BOMBED... but I figured out what I did wrong and gave it another try and it was great!

The secret to making this successfully is to NOT use the whole package of dinner rolls...I used around 18-20 and it still overflowed a bit.... You may also want to put a pan on the bottom rack to catch any drippings...