Apple Cider Floats

There's nothing like some apple cider in the fall! Unfortunately, Florida weather calls for a little twist! Here's a little pinterest find that's the perfect mix of north and south!

Ingredients;

• Apple Cider
• Vanilla Ice Cream
• Caramel Sauce
• Cinnamon
• Whipped Cream

Directions:

1. Scoop some ice cream in a cup and drizzle caramel sauce on top
2. Pour chilled apple cider over ice cream, leaving room for whipped cream
3. Sprinkle a little ground cinnamon over cider, and top with some whipped cream

That's it! Super simple, and super yummy!

Caramel Apple Muffins

Happy Back to School Season! Here's a delicious treat for a teacher, a yummy first day breakfast, or a perfect after school snack!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour (I use 1 cup ww, 1 cup white)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 2 1/2 T cinnamon
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 t vanilla
• 1 apple, peeled and diced
• 12 caramels unwrapped

Directions:

1. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon
2. In another bowl, combine egg, milk, butter, and vanilla
3. Incorporate flour mixture, do not over mix
4. Fold in apple chunks
5. Pour batter into lined muffin cups
6. Push one caramel into the center of each 
7. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes
8. Serve warm or caramels will harden

*Recipe modified from original in Goosbury Patch: Comfort Foods

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls

UM...yeah, I'm letting you in on our family secret here! I've been making these for a couple of years, and thought one day "hey, why not use fresh flour instead" and thus, the fresh milled cinnamon roll was born. Amen.

This would be the PERFECT first day of school breakfast, just make the dough at night, place in pan, and stick in fridge. In the morning, bring it out and let rise in a warm place for about an hour before baking.

Ingredients

Dough:

• 1 1/4 cup warm milk
• 1/2 stick melted butter
• 2 eggs
• 3 cups whole wheat flour (fresh milled or King Arthur White Whole Wheat)
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tablespoon yeast (I use commercial yeast)

Filling;

• 1/2 stick melted butter
• Brown Sugar and Cinnamon (your preference on amount)

Icing:

• 1/2 stick softened butter
• 1/2 block softened cream cheese
• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions;

1. Melt butter with milk on medium in saucepan
2. Mix together ALL dough ingredients, kneading for about 4 minutes
3. Let dough rest for ten minutes (IF YOU USE REGULAR YEAST, allow a 30 minute rise, punch down, and continue)
4. Roll dough out into rectangle (about 18 inches long) and spread with melted butter and brown sugar/cinnamon)
5. Roll up and cut into 12 pieces, placing each into a greased 9x13 pan, cover, and let rise 30 minutes (it will continue to rise in oven)
6. Bake at 400 for 16 minutes
7. While rolls are in oven, beat together icing ingredients, while rolls are still hot, spread icing and serve

Just a note: These are a little more "dense" than cinnamon rolls made with all white flour, but nothing that my kids notice. My husband and I LOVE these, whole wheat or not. Because whole wheat flour is a little heavier than white flour, the rise won't look like a normal doubling. 

Here's the dough fresh in the pan

This is after 30 minutes right before sticking in oven

And this is straight out of the oven

Happy Monday!!!

Lunchbox Ideas: Fiesta Chicken with Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Another Monday in August, another packed lunch idea. This week: fiesta chicken with black bean and corn salsa. Bonus: this is good warm or chilled - lets do this, Monday!

Ingredients (makes 8 lunches):

• 4 boneless chicken breasts
• 2 cans organic black beans
• 2 cans organic corn kernels
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• cilantro
• 4 limes
• cumin
• chili powder
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. season chicken with salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder and grill or bake until internal temp is 165
2. while chicken is cooking, chop onion and tomatoes, drain and rinse beans and corn, and chop cilantro
3. combine beans, corn, onion, tomatoes, cilantro, and the juice of two limes to make salsa
4. scoop salsa into container, lay sliced chicken breasts over, garnish with more cilantro and a lime wedge

Lunchbox Ideas: GF Turkey & Kale Meatballs

With school right around the corner, I am trying to get back into the habit of packing lunches. We really lucked out - one of our neighbors is the cafeteria manager at the school down the road, and throughout the summer we could just throw a coverup over our suits and walk down there for lunch when I didn't want to cook. I've done a post on our packed lunches before (click here) but have recently started packing them for my husband and I, too. It really buys us a lot of weeknight time to already have that out of the way. I still pack the night ahead for the kids so its fun and fresh every day, but my husband and I will be eating the same thing all week.

Here's this past week's meal - GF turkey kale meatballs, brown rice pasta, roast brussels sprouts, pineapple/grapes, and various organic granola bars for an afternoon pick-me-up. All ingredients (including granola, excluding spices that I had on hand) came out to less than $25 - considering that we each spend about $10-$15 every time we buy lunch out, that is a huge savings, plus this is a completely "clean" meal. 

Here's the meatball recipe:

Ingredients

• 2.5 lbs lean ground turkey
• 1 cup gluten free oats, ground. (I try to eat flour free for the most part, but this also adds extra protein to meatball)
• 1 cup kale, finely chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• small chopped onion
• 1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon each salt, pepper, and oregano
• 2 eggs

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients by hand, mixing very well.
2. Form into 1 1/2 inch meatballs (should end up with around 50)
3. Place on greased baking sheets, bake at 350 for 30 minutes

I have a sauce recipe that I love and keep in the fridge for pizza nights, quick pastas, etc. but you could totally use any type of pasta sauce with these, OR just eat them plain.

And here's the link for the lunch containers we use:

Happy Monday!

Easy Chicken Kabobs

OK, so this is more of an idea starter than an actual recipe because it can be done SO many different ways. Here's how we "kabob" here in my house!

Ingredients:
2 lb chicken breast, cut into 2 inch cubes
2 sweet vidalia onions, cut in half, then each half quartered
20-25 sweet mini peppers, whole
2 lb potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes
Seasoning of choice (we use Everglades Poultry Seasoning! SOOOO GOOD!)
salt/pepper

Directions:
Heat grill to medium/high heat
Toss chicken with seasoning (we use about 1 tsp/pound)
Salt/pepper potatoes
Layer on kabob sticks, we do chicken, onion, potato, pepper, repeat
Grill 10-15 minutes, rotating at least twice

That's it! SO easy, perfect for a Monday, and a complete meal on a stick! My kids will eat anything if it's "fun" - this is one of their favorites!

Happy Monday!

"Cowboy Baked Beans"

Hope you all had an amazing holiday weekend! This little dish was the hit of our many barbecues and is just TOO easy not to share - in fact, this recipe came from my mother-in-law, and has been on our summer barbecue menu since the first time I tried it! 

Ingredients

• 3 cans Busch's beans (do not drain)
• 3 cans assorted beans - I use black, garbanzo, and kidney(rinsed)
• 1/2 lb sausage, cooked
• small bottle of BBQ sauce of choice
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350, spray 9x13 pan
2. In large bowl. combine all cans of beans. 
3. Mix in cooked sausage, BBQ sauce, and brown sugar
4. Pour into pan and bake for 1 hr

See how easy it is?! Enjoy - and never tell anyone it's basically a bowl full of sugar, hehe!

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Happy Monday! I've got a grab and go breakfast for ya this week:

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup honey or brown sugar
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 2 eggs 
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 large mashed banana (1 cup)
• 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1 tsp baking soda dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips or peanut butter chips

Directions:

1. Mix honey, applesauce, eggs, vanilla, and banana until blended
2. Slowly add in flour, salt, and peanut butter
3. Incorporate baking soda
4. Fold in chips
5. Pour into greased loaf pan
6. Bake at 325 for 45-55 minutes
7. Allow to cool for 30 minutes before slicing

Cast Iron Fajitas

This is one of our summertime favorites, and it is our go-to for at home date nights! 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken tenderloins
• 2-3 bell peppers, sliced
• 1 red onion, sliced
• tortillas 
• cumin
• chili powder
• salt and pepper
• high smoke point oil (anything other than peanut or olive oil)
• Toppings of choice (cheese, sour cream, salsa, etc.)

Directions:

1. Heat a cast iron skillet on high heat for two minutes, add 1 Tbsp oil, and allow to heat one minute longer
2. Meanwhile, season chicken with salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder. I usually use about 1 teaspoon of each
3. Place chicken in skillet and cook about 3-4 minutes per side, remove, and let rest in tinfoil
4. Chop veggies and add to skillet, cook about 4 minutes, until they start to blacken
5. Slice chicken and add back to skillet, Serve with warm tortillas*

*We use Tortilla Land tortillas which require cooking in a skillet for one minute. They are SO good, and only have 5 ingredients. Once you try them, it will ruin all other tortillas forever! 

Beer Can Chicken

One of my favorite things about the weekend is seeing my husband pull out his smoker! Thankfully he is willing to share his recipe here! Ahh...only 4 more days until Friday!

Ingredients:

• 5-6 lb young chicken
• 12 oz can beer (any beer will do)
• Everglades poultry seasoning or Old Bay seasoning
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• Hickory chunks
• Charcoal
• Olive oil

Directions:

1. Light charcoal and wait until coals are white
2. Fill water pan 3/4 full and add 2 Tbsp seasoning to water
3. Empty 2/3 of beer, leaving 1/3 in the can, add minced garlic to can
4. Remove neck and giblets from chicken, rub with olive oil, and coat under skin, in cavity, and outside with seasoning. Place beer can in cavity, and set upright on rack in smoker.
5. Add 3-4 chunks of hickory (overwhelming flavor, so don't add too much) every 30-45 minutes until done, Chicken is done when internal temperature of breast is 165 degrees, approximately 3-5 hours, depending on size of chicken.
6. Let rest, and enjoy!

Funnel Cake!

No, seriously, because have I got a recipe for you this Monday!

This is SO easy, it's three ingredients IF you include water! May I add that these are "ingredients" I never expected to use in my home? Don't judge me! Sometimes, you need a little fair food in your life!

Ingredients:

• Pancake mix (the "just add water" kind)
• Vegetable oil
• Water

Directions:

1. In a cast iron skillet, heat about 2 inches of oil over medium high heat
2. While oil is heating, mix 2 cups of pancake mix with just over 1 1/2 cups water. Continue adding water until mixture is slightly thinner than pancake batter (it should create a ribbon on top when you drizzle with a spoon)
3. In a piping bag OR a ziploc with the tip cut off, slowly drizzle batter in circular motion over hot oil, let cook for about 45 seconds.
4. CAREFULLY flip using tongs, and continue cooking another 30-45 seconds.
5. Place on a plate lined with a paper towel, sprinkle powdered sugar or toppings of choice, and serve! 

Angel Food Sheet Cake

Confession: I do NOT like cake. It's pie for my birthday, and chocolates for a treat. I could pass right by a cake any day, but angel food cake is an entirely different story! Light fluffy cake, cool whip icing, and fresh fruit. Sounds like summer...and a second piece!

Ingredients:

• 12 large egg whites
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• pinch of salt
• cool whip
• fresh berries

Directions:

1. In a stand mixer (or with electric whisk) beat egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form, add in vanilla and lemon
2. In a separate bowl, sift together sugar, flour, and salt
3. Gently fold in flour mixture to egg white mixture, 1/2 cup at a time
4. Line 9x13 glass dish with foil - using pam or spray oil will form a crust on this cake!
5. Pour batter in pan. It will be completely full.
6. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes, and flip pan onto cooling rack immediately
7. Leave pan on top of inverted cake for one hour while cooling to avoid crusting
8. Frost with cool whip when completely cooled, add fresh berries, and refrigerate until serving! 

Pico De Gallo

Memorial Weekend kicks off summer for most of America, so why not celebrate with my favorite easy potluck-worthy dish:

There are many variations of this recipe, but my husband's favorite goes as follows:

Combine the following ingredients, chill for a few hours, and serve with tortilla chips

• 3 medium tomatoes
• 1/2 red onion
• one jalapeno seeded and diced (small pieces!)
• about 3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
• Juice of two limes

That's it! Couldn't be easier! 

Summer Lunch Ideas

Lunch is such a dreaded meal for me! When the kids are in the house with me, they want something cooked, and usually by lunchtime I still haven't done breakfast dishes. In an effort to make lunch more fun a few years ago (wow, time flies) we purchased some compartment storage containers, fun cookie cutters, toothpics, etc., and after our favorite ziploc containers were discontinued, we invested in these:




During the "school year" we do lunch out on Wednesdays and Fridays, since we are already out in town for the day. We have a lot of great local restaurants, and over the years they have gotten to know the kids and I so well that unless we are doing something different, we don't even have to "place" our order, they know what we like! On the other days, we try to eat in an out of the box style. Picnics on the floor, eating at the swingset, bringing lunch to Gram's house, basically anything that keeps me from having to wash a table and cookware. On those days, and on ALL summer days, I pack a fun lunch the night before, and we are good to go to the beach, pool, park, anywhere!
Here are some of the meals we have eaten in the past few weeks, and yes, we eat it cold, and they have never complained:
Whole wheat crackers, cheese slice, salt and vinegar green beans, and a PB apple sandwich

 Leftover whole wheat pizza, fruit, tortilla chips, and homemade guacamole

2 PB and apple sandwiches, a larabar (their favorite), cheese, and greenwise crackers 

Leftover pulled chicken, a mini cornbread muffin, and veggie dippers and homemade ranch 

Whole wheat waffle PB&J, hard boiled egg, and frozen berries 

Clif granola bar, pizza roll ups (ww tortilla, sauce, cheese, microwave 10 seconds, roll, and cut), veggies, and pretzels/m&ms dessert 

Ham and cheese skewers , fruit, annies bunnies/goldfish 

Cheese, leftover whole wheat alfredo and peas, red bell pepper (one of the only veggies that doesn't require bribery to eat), ranch to dip

Hope this helps bring some fresh inspiration to some of you! I would LOVE some new ideas from all of you! I'm already in the summer rut and it has barely begun!

Cinco De Mayo Menu

It's Monday! 

Today's meal is a repeat. Since tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo ON TACO TUESDAY nobody has an excuse :) Here's what we're eating tomorrow:

Refried beans in a can are far from "real" - for example, the ingredient list includes "Lard (Partially Hydrogenated Lard With BHA And BHT Added To Help Protect Flavor)" and don't taste very authentic. Here's a simple fix for that - 

Homemade Re fried Beans:

• 2 cans Organic Pinto or Black Beans (one drained, one undrained)
• 3 Cloves Minced Garlic 
• 2 Teaspoons Chili Powder
• 2 Teaspoons Cumin
• Salt to taste
• 2T olive oil 
• Lime Juice to taste

Directions:

1. Sautee garlic in olive oil over medium heat. 
2. Add in the cans of pinto beans (one drained, one undrained) and the spices and allow to heat for two minutes
3. Turn heat down and let some liquid cook off  while spices blend (move the beans around here and there to prevent sticking) for about ten minutes
4. Mash with a potato masher, adjust spices as desired, and top with some lime juice! Yum!

Tostada Recipe:

On a typical night, I would pop some corn tortillas in the oven at 425 for about ten minutes to create a baked tostada shell. On this night? We went authentic, baby :)

What I love about this recipe - options! My kids do so much better with OPTIONS. While I require that they choose some toppings, they choose how much, what colors, and "decorate" their own tostada shells. 



To match the amount of beans in the recipe, you will need:

• 10 corn tortillas, plus oil of your choice for frying* 
• Bean recipe, listed above, or 1 can refried beans
• 1/3 block monterey-jack cheese**
• cilantro
• Various toppings of your choice (we use avocado, tomato, sour cream, lime wedges, onions, etc.)

Directions:

1. Over medium high heat, fry each tortilla about 30-45 seconds per side in 1/4 inch of oil. Oil should SIZZLE when your drop tortilla, and tortilla should bubble. Remove and let drain on paper towels.
2. Line tostada shells on a baking sheet and spread with beans
3. Grate some fresh cheese on top of each 
4. place in your oven broiler 30 seconds/1 minute - watch CLOSELY! 
5. Pop on some cilantro, top as desired, and serve immediately

*Why don't I buy store bought tostada shells? One of the most common homes of GMO's is in cooking oils. I try to fry with my own oil. And just so there's no confusion: I am not above the fryer! 

**Why not use shredded cheese? Cellulose, the anti-caking agent used in bags of shredded cheese, is made from wood pulp. And though it is declared a "safe" ingredient for consumption, I try to avoid added, um...agents...when it's just as simple to make it myself.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

We are a rushed in the morning, rushed in the evening type of family, and sometimes, you just have to put something in the microwave! Here's my freezer pancake recipe I use in place of the store bought version!

Ingredients:

1. 4 cups whole wheat flour 
2. 1/4 cup honey
3. 4 tsp baking powder
4. 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
5. 1 tsp salt
6. 3-4 cups milk
7. 4 eggs
8. 1 stick butter, melted

Directions:

• Combine the dry ingredients with a whisk
• Incorporate wet ingredients, adding butter last. Start with 3 cups milk and add as needed.
• Cook on griddle over med heat until edges are bubbly, then flip
• To freeze: freeze in single layers on baking sheet, once frozen, transfer to gallon sized ziploc freezer bag. Reheat in microwave or oven.
• Recipe makes enough for a week's worth of breakfasts for our family of 5!

Dinner Tonight: Chili Cheese Dogs!

OK, OK, so this isn't a groundbreaking new inspiring recipe, but it IS darn delicious and simple enough after a nice long weekend enjoying the spring time weather! Have a happy (easy) Monday, friends! 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground turkey or beef
• 1 (12-14oz) Can tomato sauce
• 1 can ro-tel
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 Tablespoons chili powder
• 3 cans beans drained and rinsed (we alternate between pinto, black beans, kidney beans, and garbanzo beans)
• Hot dogs (we use Applegate Organic Beef, or Applegate Natural Turkey)
• Hot dog buns
• Shredded cheese
• ketchup/mustard

Directions:

1. Brown meat and stir in tomato sauce and ro-tel 
2. Add in salt, cumin, and chili powder, reduce to low and simmer 15 mins
3. stir in beans, let simmer 20 mins
4. grill or boil hotdogs, lay in buns, spoon chili and cheese on top, and serve! 

We love to serve this with a simple kale salad, sweet potato fries, or good 'ol fashioned potato chips! Yum!

Whole Wheat Brownies

I am constantly trying to find ways to substitute "my" flour (fresh milled) into recipes that call for white flour, and it's a struggle. Measurements are just different when working with whole wheat, and the truth is, most of what's out there considered "whole wheat" is a mixture of whole wheat flour and white flour in order to achieve a more "white" look and texture. While we generally swap out sugar for raw honey, that just doesn't work here. The MAIN ingredient is still sugar. These brownies, though, over time, have developed into the perfect little slice of heaven with a LITTLE less mommy guilt as my kids shovel them in,

Lets be real, I'm calling this a healthy breakfast.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup oil of choice (I used a mixture of 1/2 melted grassfed butter and 1/2 coconut oil)
• 1 1/2 cups (yes, seriously) organic sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
  (I used hard white wheat, similar to King Arthur White Whole Wheat)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350, grease 9x13 pan
2. Whisk oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla 
3. Slowly incorporate remaining dry ingredients (do not overmix, extra air in mix will make these brownies more "cake-like")
4. Spread mixture into pan and bake for 25-30 minutes (Pictured result is at 28 minutes, bake for less time for a more gooey brownie)

Carrot Cake Bars

People. You have to make these! Just 6 ingredients, and the kids can 100% make 'em (with supervision)! 

Ingredients:

• 1 box spice cake mix
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 4 eggs
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1 block cream cheese, softened
• 3 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Mix together cake mix, carrots, 2 eggs, and butter. Spread into greased 9x13 GLASS pan.
2. With an electric mixer, beat together 2 more eggs, cream cheese, and powdered sugar. Pour over cake mix. 
3. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. It will still look wobbly. Let cool for an hour, and then refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. 

Dinner Tonight: Ham and Cheese Sliders

This is the great pot luck dish, and the PERFECT addition to your Easter brunch menu. It is also a quick "I don't feel like being a fancy mom" dinner. I present...

Ingredients:

• 24 King's Hawaiian Rolls
• 1 pack Applegate Ham
• 6 slices swiss cheese
• 1 stick butter
• 1 Tablespoon honey mustard
• 1 Tablespoon dried minced onion

Directions:

1. Cut rolls in half and place (squish) in a 9x13 glass pan. I get 6 rows of 4.
2. Cut 8 slices of ham in thirds, and place a piece on each roll.
3. Lay one slice of cheese on top. One slice should cover four rolls.
4. Place roll top on top of cheese.
5. Melt butter and mix in onion and mustard. Pour over top of rolls.
6. Refrigerate for a few hours, then bake, covered, at 350 for 20 minutes.