My son's 2nd Birthday was on April 1st and his favorite meal seems to be spaghetti so I made extra special sauce in the crock pot all day long. To a regular jar of sauce, I added 1 lb lean ground turkey, 1 C chopped baby carrots, 1 C baby spinach, and 1 C chopped mushrooms. Just before serving, I used my immersion blender to better disguise all of those veggies :).
With this, we had garlic toast and birthday cake for dessert...but no salad because that was practically in the sauce!
Showing posts with label eating on a budget. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eating on a budget. Show all posts
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Breaking the rules breakfast for dinner
Tonight was scheduled to be pork tenderloin with delicious sides...be patient, it is coming. Instead, I made breakfast for dinner because, quite frankly, it was easier and more desired by the youngens. So, while the raw pork tenderloin sat thawing all day, I decided to give it another reprieve. Even though it was simple, I do have a recipe for you.
For Christmas, I made up a bunch of gifts with my son's friends for their parents and this pancake mix was one of the jars that was shared with friends. It is called "Christmas Morning Pancakes" but it obviously can be eaten any time of the year. The following is the recipe for the mix and then the recipe for making the pancakes from the mix which will make many, many batches. So, this is really an investment in future easy breakfast, brunches, and dinners! I served these up with the rest of those turkey sausage links that I had and some tangerine segments. The kids really loved them (my almost-two year old ate two pancakes and three sausage links along with his tangerines!)
Christmas Morning Pancake Mix
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Scoop into a quart jar, shaking down to fit it all in.
Attach the following recipe to a gift tag:
Christmas Morning Pancakes
Makes 12 medium pancakes.
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/3 cups Christmas Morning Pancake Mix
Heat a lightly greased griddle.
In a medium bowl, combine the milk, egg, and oil. Add 1- /3 cups pancake mix, and stir just until moistened. It should still be somewhat lumpy. Cook on the heated griddle or in a waffle iron.
Best if used within 6 months.
For Christmas, I made up a bunch of gifts with my son's friends for their parents and this pancake mix was one of the jars that was shared with friends. It is called "Christmas Morning Pancakes" but it obviously can be eaten any time of the year. The following is the recipe for the mix and then the recipe for making the pancakes from the mix which will make many, many batches. So, this is really an investment in future easy breakfast, brunches, and dinners! I served these up with the rest of those turkey sausage links that I had and some tangerine segments. The kids really loved them (my almost-two year old ate two pancakes and three sausage links along with his tangerines!)
Christmas Morning Pancake Mix
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Scoop into a quart jar, shaking down to fit it all in.
Attach the following recipe to a gift tag:
Christmas Morning Pancakes
Makes 12 medium pancakes.
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/3 cups Christmas Morning Pancake Mix
Heat a lightly greased griddle.
In a medium bowl, combine the milk, egg, and oil. Add 1- /3 cups pancake mix, and stir just until moistened. It should still be somewhat lumpy. Cook on the heated griddle or in a waffle iron.
Best if used within 6 months.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Pantry and Refrigerator Soup (starring leftover Chicken Stroganoff)
Since I haven't made it to the store for this pay period, I decided to use the items that I had on hand to put together some Pantry and Refrigerator Soup.
I always have a large resealable container of Chicken Stock on hand and try to keep at least one packet of generic soup mix. Today, my only option was Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup. I buy these types of things when they are one sale or being discontinued. They last for a long time and are a big help when it comes to making a meal without going to the store. Alas, today I am using my last container of stock and my last packet of soup mix. You will see these items on my shopping list tomorrow! Finally, my pantry always flows forth with a variety of rices. Today, I am adding Brown Basmati to the Wild Rice already in the mix.
As for the refrigerator/freezer: my best friend was visiting last week and she made a delicious Crockpot full of Chicken Stroganoff (you will see this recipe sometime in the future). It was yummy with chicken bits, chicken gravy, delicious flavorings and aromatics, and cream cheese and made for a great item to add to my Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup. I also keep a bag of frozen peas and a bag of frozen corn on hand for additions to soups and casseroles and to be eaten as side dishes too.
Please don't restrict yourself to this recipe, though it is delicious and may reappear one week in the future after a meal of Chicken Stroganoff. I want you to see what I did with what I had on hand and translate this to what you have in your pantry. If all you have in your pantry is a can of pumpkin puree and some chicken stock you will still be able to make soup (think: pumpkin puree, chicken stock, minced onion, and some milk, add some mashed potatoes if you have them to thicken it up and serve in a bread bowl - yum). I am not sure I can help if you only have cherry pie filling, though.
SO, here you go; Tonight's Pantry and Refrigerator Soup: Chicken and Rice Chowder
Ingredients:
1 32oz container of Chicken Broth.
3 Cups Water
1 packet of Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup Mix
1.5 Cups Leftover Chicken Stroganoff
.5 Cup Brown Basmati Rice
1 Cup Frozen Corn
1 Cup Frozen Peas
Instructions:
Add all ingredients to a stock pot and simmer on low for 2 hours. Serve with grilled cheese on bread or inside tortillas (a.k.a. cheese quesadillas)
Note from the Mom:
My children still aren't interested in eating soup, stews, chili, or chowder despite my attempts to get them to drink with a straw or eat with fun spoons. As a result, I hold aside the peas and corn and serve them as a side to thier grilled cheese sandwiches. My little guy gets the lactose free cheese on his sandwich.
I always have a large resealable container of Chicken Stock on hand and try to keep at least one packet of generic soup mix. Today, my only option was Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup. I buy these types of things when they are one sale or being discontinued. They last for a long time and are a big help when it comes to making a meal without going to the store. Alas, today I am using my last container of stock and my last packet of soup mix. You will see these items on my shopping list tomorrow! Finally, my pantry always flows forth with a variety of rices. Today, I am adding Brown Basmati to the Wild Rice already in the mix.
As for the refrigerator/freezer: my best friend was visiting last week and she made a delicious Crockpot full of Chicken Stroganoff (you will see this recipe sometime in the future). It was yummy with chicken bits, chicken gravy, delicious flavorings and aromatics, and cream cheese and made for a great item to add to my Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup. I also keep a bag of frozen peas and a bag of frozen corn on hand for additions to soups and casseroles and to be eaten as side dishes too.
Please don't restrict yourself to this recipe, though it is delicious and may reappear one week in the future after a meal of Chicken Stroganoff. I want you to see what I did with what I had on hand and translate this to what you have in your pantry. If all you have in your pantry is a can of pumpkin puree and some chicken stock you will still be able to make soup (think: pumpkin puree, chicken stock, minced onion, and some milk, add some mashed potatoes if you have them to thicken it up and serve in a bread bowl - yum). I am not sure I can help if you only have cherry pie filling, though.
SO, here you go; Tonight's Pantry and Refrigerator Soup: Chicken and Rice Chowder
Ingredients:
1 32oz container of Chicken Broth.
3 Cups Water
1 packet of Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup Mix
1.5 Cups Leftover Chicken Stroganoff
.5 Cup Brown Basmati Rice
1 Cup Frozen Corn
1 Cup Frozen Peas
Instructions:
Add all ingredients to a stock pot and simmer on low for 2 hours. Serve with grilled cheese on bread or inside tortillas (a.k.a. cheese quesadillas)
Note from the Mom:
My children still aren't interested in eating soup, stews, chili, or chowder despite my attempts to get them to drink with a straw or eat with fun spoons. As a result, I hold aside the peas and corn and serve them as a side to thier grilled cheese sandwiches. My little guy gets the lactose free cheese on his sandwich.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)