Indulging...

I decided to

indulge

on some Nutella...

YUMMMM-O is all I can say!Well....Simon saw me and decided to

partake in mommy's indulgence...

How can I say NO,

when my spoon was filled with this ooey-gooey yumminess?!

So....

we BOTH enjoyed a treat,

giggled at each other...

and took another lick!

Yummm!

YUMMY Breakfast Casserole for New Year's Day!

I made this for Christmas morning for

both sets of granparents and...

YUM-O is all I can say!

Breakfast Quiche

2 zuchinni sliced
1 french loaf of bread sliced in 1" pieces
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons (or more) of basil
6 ounces of chedder/jack cheese, shredded
8 large eggs
2 cups of skim milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp Dijon mustard
3-4 large tomatoes (depends on the size)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Precook (stirfry) zuchinni and onion for 5-7 minutes.
3. Placed sliced bread in greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
Spread zuchinni, onion, and basil evenly over the bread.
4. In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, pepper and mustard;
pour over vegetables. Arange tomatoes evenly over on top,
covering entire area.
5. Bake for 70 minutes, or until lightly browned. This dish can be refrigerated
overnight and baked in the morning. Makes 10 servings.

5 Minute, $5 Meal for Two

I HAD to share this SPEEDY recipe with you!!!

Get a can of Enchilada Sauce,

black beans,

roasted peppers from Trader Joes,

shredded jack cheese,

and tortillas.

Next, get an 8" x 8" pyrex dish,

put PAM in it and get all your supplies ready.

Put your tortillas down first.

Layer with black beans,

one or two roasted bell pepper,

wrap up and repeat.

You can get four or five enchiladas in this sized pan.

Then, pour over enchilada sauce,

sprinkle on some cheese,

and cook on 350 degrees for 35 minutes or

until golden and bubbling on top.

It is SUPER YUMMY...
less than $5 for TWO people to eat,
and takes literally 5 minutes to prep.
TRY IT!!!

Chow for now!

Making Muffins with My Little Man

Simon and I have a FAVORITE muffin mix that we make together!

Seriously...these are the BEST muffins ever!

Very healthy,

you can sneek in veggies and fruits,

and they are satisfying to eat & fill your tummy up!

The recipe is at the bottom.

You can exchange the carrots for zuchinni,

the apples for bananas,

or whatever you choose.

Hope you try it!

Bran Flax Muffins
1 1/2 Cups Rice Flour (or white flour)

3/4 cups Bob's Red Mill Flaxseed Meal

3/4 cup Oat Bran or Almond Meal

1 cup Brown Sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 1/2 cups finely shredded carrots

2 peeled & shredded apples

1/2 raisens (optional)

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

3/4 cup Milk

2 beaten eggs

1 tsp. Vanilla

Mix together all dry ingredients.

STIR in carrots, apples, raisens, & nuts.

COMBINE milk, eggs, and vanilla.

POUR liquid ingredients into dry ingredients.

STIR until ingredients are moistened.

Fill muffin cups 3/4 full.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Check with a toothpick before taking out of oven.

Enjoy!

Happy 4th of July!

I LOVE Trader Joes!!!

We had a traditional July 4th BBQ with some friends,

and it was the easiest and yummiest menu...

ALL from Trader Joes!

Good 'ol corn, watermelon, chips, salsa,

hot dogs, and baked beans...

wrapping it up with a frozen chocolate covered banana!

Cheap, easy, and delicious!

Enjoy the holiday everyone and...

take time to be THANKFUL that we are in

a country that has FREEDOM,

unlike so many other countries in the world!

We are a blessed Nation...

don't forget it!

Blessings to all of you and yours!!

Divine Cookie Recipe

I had to share an awesome recipe

that Simon and his sweetie, Naomi, made.It's out of the Costco Cookbook

that they give away FREE

the day after Thanksgiving!

I have 4 of them...

one from each year.

You should seriously go and pick one up

next year after Turkey Day!

Recipes are

SIMPLE,
FAST,

and most ingredients come from Costco.

The kids made these entirely by themsleves...

well, almost;)

Best Ever Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Cookies
2 cups of oats
2 cups flout
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup butter
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
(1 12-ounce pkg of semi-chocolate chips- optional)

Cream together butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla.
Separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.
Combine ALL ingredients together. Stir well (or use a mixer).
Bake at 350 degrees for 13 minutes.
Makes 6 dozen.
**HINT: Make a dozen, or however much you need.
Then FREEZE the rest for another night.
That way the cookie dough is already to bake and you have
FRESH cookies for your guests!

ENJOY!

(thanks Naomi!!)

Hiding healthy foods

I'm sure all of you have seen this book,

"Deceptively Delicious."

It's AWESOME!

Many of the recipes require a few more hours in the kitchen

to prepare the foods,

but it is worth it...

IF you want your kiddo to eat veggies and fruits.These don't look very appetizing,

but these Rice Balls were a HUGE hit with Simon!

I had to share her recipe

(that I modified for Simon's sake).

Rice Balls

1/2cup brown rice

3 tbsp olive oil

1/4 lb. chicken

1 1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/2 cup (your choice of steamed veggie)...I used cauliflower

1/4 shredded chedder cheese

1/4 cup lowfat buttermilk

1 large egg

1/2 cup spinach or broccoli puree

1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs

HERE'S HOW I MADE THEM:

Blended cubed, cooked, chicken

and steamed veggie in "Magic Bullet"

(or blender of your choice).

Combined puree with brown rice and seasoning.

I didn't add the dairy because Simon has

food allergies. But they still turned out super yummy!

I stirred ingredients together and

formed balls. Dip the balls in a bowl

with the beaten egg.

Place in pan over medium heat

with olive oil at the bottom.

Let brown on one side,

then flip. Cook thoroughly...

maybe takes 5-7 minutes.

The Rice Balls should be warm, browned,

and crisp on both sides.

Simon devoured them!

Sometimes I have to spend a couple hours in the kitchen preparing

healthy, yummy foods in bulk.

It takes up a lot of time,

but it is worth it!

You can always freeze the left overs

and use them for another day

when you just don't have a thing to eat

in the house!

Enjoy!

Yummy Recipe!

I don't even have a picture for this one

because I ate the muffins so fast!

But I had to share a quick and easy recipe that

your guests will be sure to enjoy...

The recipe is easy to make

and cheap on the budget and

DELICIOUS!

Cranberry Orange Muffins

(Makes 12 muffins)

1 cup fresh cranberries (but I used dried, because that's all I had)

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. grated orange peel

1 3/4 cups flour

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

1 egg

1/4 cup prange juice (I squeezed and orange in there because I didn't have juice)

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup cooking oil

Mix dry ingredients first.

Add wet ingredients.

Mix well.

Use Pam on the muffin tin

and fill 2/3 high.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

ENJOY!!