Healthy Breakfast Muffins

Ok so I know I don't blog very often, but I promise I have been cooking nearly every day. One day I'll get on and blog all of my favorite recipes that I have been making (I have some VERY yummy ones!)

So this recipe is my very own, I'm pretty darn excited about it (thats why its getting blogged). I got the idea from a pin on pinterest and just created from there. I love this recipe because it is yummy but it is also healthy. The hubs absolutely loved it, he loved it even more when I told him that it was healthy no sugar, no flour. Sorry, the picture isn't the greatest but I finally got one up!

Oatmeal Banana Apple Muffins
by. Chantal McRae

2 1/2 cups oatmeal (Old Fashioned kind not instant)
2 eggs
1 cup (or single serving container) Yogurt (Greek or regular)
1 cup (or single serving container) Apple Sauce (we like the unsweetened kind)
2 bananas
1 apple
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
milk to consistency

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Blend oatmeal in blender or food processor until fine flour like consistency, put in separate bowl. Blend rest of ingredients together in blender. (You can mix everything in your blender or food processor if you have a good one, mine sucks so its best for me to set the oatmeal aside.) Mix in oatmeal, pour into sprayed muffin pan. Bake for 20-25 min or until toothpick comes out clean.

That's it! Super easy and super yummy! Hope you love them as much as my family does!

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

I know I know I know, its been FOREVER since my last post. I got a little discouraged and my... aversion to cooking, well it won out. Several months after I quit blogging SURPRISE, I got pregnant with baby number 2! A bouncing baby boy due December 22nd 2012. The first 17 weeks of my pregnancy I was so sick. And during my first trimester, if I cook it... I cant eat it. So needless to say, blogging wasn't going to happen any time soon. BUT I'm BACK and feeling much better. I figured I'll try this again, but this time I'm going to take it slow, and not post every day. (I think that's what wore me out the most, that and the lack of feedback I was getting). But I realized, I am doing this for me, not for readers, the blog is just a fun place to post recipes where I can come back to them time and time again. 
SO here goes! Since my last post I made a wonderful discovery (that I'm pretty sure I was the last to discover) Pinterest! Oh how I love Pinterest! You can follow me here, if interested (though I may not be the most interesting person to follow). This recipe was a combination of a Pinterest/ Campbells 123 cookbook discovery. 

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

1 cup  cut up cooked chicken
1 2/3 cup mixed frozen vegetables 
1 can cream of chicken condensed soup 
1 cup bisquick 
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
(for cornbread crust add 3 table spoons of corn meal) 

Heat oven to 400*F 
Mix chicken, vegetables and soup in un-greased pie plate  
Stir together remaining ingredients (in separate bowl).
Pour into pie plate, bake for 30 min or until golden brown. 


Yep that is really it, that is the recipe! It seriously takes two minutes to throw together and is so good! I made it for the first time a few weeks ago as a last minute Sunday dinner, the hubs was pleasantly surprised! I've made it twice since, once for my parents and once with a cornbread crust. What I love about this recipe is you virtually can do anything with it. 

Now here are my variations. 
       I used pre-cooked/cubed chicken that we normally use on salads (I keep a few bags in my freezer for lazy days). But when I made it at my parents house my mom had canned chicken, and honestly that was awesome too! Super easy, great for food storage and really good. Who would have thought of using canned chicken! I sure didn't! You can also honestly use any form of creamed condensed soup. I've used cream of chicken, but I've also used cream of mushroom. It honestly doesn't make a bit of a difference. And the hubs (who hates mushrooms) had not idea what he was eating, I just didnt tell him it was cream of mushroom soup. I also double the amount of chicken and veggies the recipe calls for. I like to stock the pie full! But dont double the bisquick part unless you double the time, I made that mistake and the result was a soggy uncooked middle and over done sides.
     When I made the pie a few nights ago I did a cornbread crust, it was SOOO good! For the veggies I used frozen broccoli and canned corn. Honestly it doesn't matter if the veggies are frozen or canned, it all tastes the same. So whatever you have will work. My mom also suggested using canned tuna in place of chicken, I haven't tried that because the hubs really isn't a tuna fan but if someone does try it let me know how it works! I also figured you could use left overs from a roast, that would probably be pretty good!

Let me know what you guys think and any variations you make! The pictures below are of the cornbread crust pie I made a few nights ago.

Step 1 mix ingredients

pre oven

post oven

yum!

 Hope you guys enjoy it as much as my family does!

 

Chicken/Turkey Parmesan Meatloaf

Ok so this post is REALLY old but the recipe was so good that I just had to publish it

Bren and I aren't huge meatloaf fans but when I saw this recipe I thought hey I'll give it a try. The picture made it look really good too, so that helps :)


BEST MEATLOAF EVER! Let me tell you! Bren was really sceptic when I told him it was meatloaf. He started asking questions like "it doesnt have big onions in it" or "how much garlic is in there". But being the trooper he is ate it and love it! He told me this is the BEST meatloaf he has ever had! You can imagine how happy that made me!! This recipe will DEFINITELY be making more appearances on my table! I got the recipe from a blog I came across on stumbleupon.com here is the link to the blog!

Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf
original Joelen recipe

1 lb ground chicken (ground turkey can be substituted)

1 egg

1/4 breadcrumbs

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 small onion, grated

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup pasta sauce (homemade or store bought)

1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese blend

minced parsley for garnish


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a loaf pan with cooking spray, set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, egg, breadcrumbs, thyme, oregano, basil, garlic, onion, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese. To not over handle the mixture otherwise it will get tough. Place the mixture in the greased loaf pan and form into a loaf. Top the meatloaf with pasta sauce.
Place filled loaf pan on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and sprinkle the top with the remaining shredded cheese. Place the meatloaf back in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted.

Remove the meatloaf from the oven and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving/slicing. Garnish with parsley if desired.


I have a new phone so the picture I took is not with me right now but here is the picture from the blog, true talk, it looks that good in real life! 

Ok so I know I have been on a month long hiatus but I'm coming back and will be starting strong! Seriously guys, words of encouragement will keep me going! 

Easy Chili Rellenos Caserole and Skillet Fiesta Chicken & Rice

Ok so I know I have been slacking for the past few days but I'm back and more encouraged :) 

I will only be doing two recipes tonight (dinner from tonight and Sunday) full menus will begin appearing on Sunday again.

Sunday's meal was the Skillet Fiesta Chicken & Rice from my Campbells 1-2-3 Dinners, yes this was the night I sliced my finger. =/ 

I love this recipe I've made it multiple times and it is easy and good!!! 

The Recipe:  Skillet Fiesta Chicken & Rice

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about one pound)
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's Tomato Soup
1 3/4 Cup water
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 1/2 cups uncooked instant rice
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (1 ounce)

1. In medium skillet over medium high heat, heat oil. Add chicken and cook 10 minutes or until browned. Set Chicken aside. Pour off fat.

2. Add soup, water and chili powder. Heat to a boil

3. Stir in rice. Place chicken on rice mixture. Sprinkle chicken with additional chili powder and cheese. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 5 minutes or until chicken and rice are done. Stir rice mixture.

So I do make some changes to this recipe. I dont have chili powder so I use a very small amount of cayenne pepper. (or i did before the baby started eating food). Now we just sprinkle red pepper flakes on top of our plates but there is no spice for the baby. I either cook the chicken in butter or olive oil. I also use the birdseye steam in bag rice. I just throw the frozen rice into the mixture and it comes out perfect every time!! 

Tonight's dinner was the chili rellenos casserole I got this recipe from my step mom way back when Bren and I first got married. Bren and I posted it on my sister in law's recipe blog shortly after we had it for the first time :) its a good one! 

The Recipe: Easy Chili Rellenos Casserole

2 (7 ounce) cans whole green chili peppers, drained.
8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded.
8 ounces Longhorn or Cheddar cheese, shredded
2 eggs beaten
1 (5 ounce) can evaporated milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce.

Preheat oven to 350º F (175ºC). Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Lay half the chilies evenly in the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle with half of the Jack and Cheddar cheeses, and cover with remaining chilies. In a bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, and flour, and pour over the top of the chilies.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, pour tomato sauce evenly over the top, and continue baking for another 15 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining Jack and Cheddar cheese, and serve.

This one is SUPER easy, the only changes I made were- I used diced green chilies because walmart had run out of the whole kind. I bout three cans of those (though I wish I would have bought 4). I honestly think I liked it better with the diced green chilies. I dunno why :). I also changed the all purpose flour for whole wheat. But thats about it :) 

Pictures of dinner tonight below :)  

Thanks again for checking back and sticking with me!! I have a few new recipes I am excited to try out this week! 

Until tomorrow!

Date Night!!!

So we had a last minute date night :) Bren had to go to the aquarium for extra credit so we made a family/date night out of it :) Fish and Food!! We went to McGraths Fish House and had yummy clam chowder and all you can eat shrimp! It was delicious and delectable! Now back to the real world. No menu today (because I still havent decided on one. So lame I know I'm a slacker). This week/ last weekend was kinda a crazy/sad weekend.

Ouch

Cut my finger pretty good. Bren finised cooking dinner for me. Sweet guy! Typing hurts sooo I will do my Sunday post tomorrow. Soo sorry =(

When All Else Fails... Make Up A New Recipe

 EPIC FAIL =(

Not gonna lie... I'm pretty bummed right now. I was SUPER excited for my first Sweet Saturday and found an AMAZING recipe that I couldn't wait to try out! I came across this awesome website, Stumble Upon and I LOVE it! I have already printed of a few recipes that I cant wait to try out! This was one of them...

The plan was to make Samoas, you know, the girl scout cookie that everyone loves! I was so excited when I found the recipe! If you dont know about StumbleUpon.com you need to check it out, it basically goes off of your interests and directs you to different websites and blogs.
 The Recipe is from Once Upon A Plate: This is the actual recipe in whole from the blog-

Please NOTE:  

I don't want you to be disappointed.

If you are of the 'slice and bake' cookie mind, making these cookies might not be for you.   

This type of cookie does take time and a bit of effort.  Some may call them tedious to make ... I call them WORTH it. 

But that's just me.   :)  

You decide.

Cookies ~ Homemade Samoas

(also known as Caramel de-Lites)

Makes about 3 1/2 to 4 dozen

The cookies involve four steps: 

1. Make the cookie Base

2. Top with Caramel-Coconut mixture

3. Dip bottom of cookies in melted chocolate

4. Drizzle tops with melted chocolate

The Cookie (base):

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

up to 2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, next, the vanilla and milk, adding in the milk only as needed to make the dough come together without being sticky (you may not need any at all). The dough should come together into a soft, pliable ball. Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough seems sticky.

It's easiest to roll the dough out in 2 or 3 batches (between pieces of wax (or parchment) paper to about 1/4-inch thickness (or a little thinner) using a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter to make rounds. Place on a parchment lined (or on silicone mat) baking sheet and make a hole in the center. I used the small end of a large round piping tip. Nicole comments that you can use a knife, or the end of a wide straw, to cut a smaller center hole. Repeat until the dough is used up (it's okay to re-roll, this dough is shortbread-like and very forgiving.)

Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are very lightly golden brown around the edges.

Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, to allow them to firm up slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Topping:

3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)

12-ounces good-quality chewy caramels

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons milk

8 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips will do)

(If you prefer milk chocolate, by all means use that.)

My notes: The caramel-coconut mixture is quite sweet, so I used Bittersweet chocolate to balance the sweetness bit.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (F)

Spread coconut evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Watch carefully, especially near the end of toasting time; the coconut toasts very quickly once it begins to become golden.

Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.

Using the spatula or a small offset spatula, spread topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 teaspoons per cookie. Reheat caramel for a few seconds in the microwave if it begins to firm up, to make it soft and spreadable once again.

While topping sets up, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. (I melted mine stovetop using double boiler method.) Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper (I used silicone baking mats instead). Transfer all remaining chocolate into a piping bag or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate. (Melt a bit of additional chocolate, if there is not quite enough for each cookie.)

Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

I printed of the recipe, went to the store to buy all of the ingredients, and got home and started. It started off so easy! The cookies are a breeze to make. The trouble started and ended with the caramel. I burnt it. Sadly I didn't have enough caramel to try again so that part was hosed. 
 Picture of my beautiful (insert sarcasm here) caramel coconut mix below. 

 

Looks pretty doesnt it! ... OR more like someone took a crap in my mixing bowl.

So here I have 2 dozen naked shortbread style cookies and no topping for them. Then LIGHT BULB I realized hey I still have the chocolate and most of my toasted coconut. So I decided rather then waste money and a TON of time spent I would just dip the cookies in the chocolate and sprinkle the coconut on top of half of them (in case any of my primary kids have a coconut allergy.) I bought two different types of chocolate chips, semi-sweet and dark chocolate. So I dipped them in the semi-sweet, and pipped the dark on top.. Not sure if it made any difference. Honestly I'm not sure if they're any good. They're still cooling right now and I'm just too tired and too bummed to try them out. Hopefully my primary kids like them.

Pictures of my new Fail Cookies... Yeah... thats a good name for them :)

with coconut

without coconut

Will I try it again? Probably, but for now I will probably stick to easier recipes until I get the hang of being in the kitchen.

Soo needless to say dinner tonight didn't happen. My sweet (and starving by that time) husband offered to run to Costa Vida to get some dinner. He brought back my favorite dish Mango Chicken Salad (one day I will get that mango salsa recipe). Such a sweet husband.

Thanks again for checking back! I'll let you know tomorrow how my primary kids liked them. Don't forget tomorrow is Sneak Peak Sunday! (or Sunday Sample... Which sounds better to you?) But honestly guys, I'm feeling pretty darn discouraged right now... I dont like to fail at things... This is why surfing doesn't happen for me. I need some words of encouragement.

Until Tomorrow