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Posts from the ‘Recipe’ Category

Oct 25

1 Comment

Healthy Snacks For Kids – Baked Mozzarella Sticks Recipe

Do buy cheese sticks for your kids lunches?  Has the thrill of having cheese sticks in their lunches worn off?  Well here is a cool recipe for an after school snack {or movie night at your house}, that’s not only easy to make, but super nutritious as well.

Ingredients

8 cheese sticks, cut in half
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, shredded
Marinara sauce for dipping

Directions

Unwrap cheese sticks, cut in half and place on a lined cookie sheet.  Place cheese sticks on lined cookie sheet and freeze.  Once the cheese sticks are frozen, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Grab 3 cereal bowls.

In bowl #1 crack egg, discard shells, whisk egg and set aside.

In bowl #2 place 2 tablespoons flour in bowl and set aside.

In bowl #3 mix together Panko bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and set aside.

One at a time, roll cheese sticks in flour, than egg mixture and finally Panko mixture.  Placed coated mozzarella sticks on a lined cookie sheet or silpat and baked at 400 degrees for 5 minutes on each side.

Special Note – Cheese sticks MUST BE FROZEN for this to work.  If your cheese is not frozen, it will just melt into a gooey mess in your oven.

Free Kindle Download - Smart School Time recipes – By Alisa Marie Fleming

Within you will discover 125 healthy recipes and over 100 full color photos for quick breakfasts, on-the-go snacks, and portable lunch items. And of course, the recipes are kid-friendly (and adult-friendly!), easy, and delicious. Available on Amazon.com.

*Amazon prices can change at anytime

Oct 25

7 Comments

Recipe – How to Make Kale Powder

Tired of eating kale everyday? Well if you have boatloads of kale STILL growing in your backyard like I do, turning a couple of batches of fresh kale into kale powder is a snap!  Yep, kale powder is pretty much my new best friend.  Just don’t tell my kids I’m sneaking it in their dinners and desserts!

How to Make Kale Powder

  • Grab a bunch of fresh kale from you garden
  • Rise kale {or not, I mean, bugs are just extra protein right?}
  • Place whole kale leaves on food dehydrator trays
  • Dehydrate kale until crisp
  • Toss dried kale in blender, Blendtec*, or a food processor
  • Hit the pulse button a couple of times until kale has turned into a powder
  • Place kale powder in an airtight container and store cool dark place place
  • Add a few tablespoons of kale into your next recipe and sneak those veggies in

Why didn’t I think of this sooner?

Peace Out Girl Scouts, I’m off to {happily} pick more kale!

♥ Mavis


Power Foods: 150 Delicious Recipes with the 38 Healthiest Ingredients 

*Direct link to Amazon product

Oct 24

3 Comments

Easy Halloween Dessert Ideas- Spooky Ghost Cakes

When my neighbor Mrs. Hillbilly picked up a new {to her} bread maker at the thrift store a few weeks ago, she also scored a copy of the popular cookbook Deceptively Delicious* for 2 bucks.

Mrs. Hillbilly and I have been bartering like crazy because of all the excess tomatoes and squash in my garden, and a few days ago she called me over to her house.  She was SUPER excited to share her new recipe for Spooky Ghost cakes {which happen to be made with spaghetti squash}.  But shhh… Don’t tell her kids.  They have NO IDEA she is slowing trying to incorporate more vegetables into their lives.  Ha!  Way to go Mrs. H.B.

You can do this!  One vegetable at a time.  I’m rooting for you!

Ingredients {for cake}

1/2 cup softened butter
1 1/4 cups pureed spaghetti squash 
5 eggs
1 cup milk {Mrs. H.B. used 1%}
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups whole  wheat flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips {softened}

Ingredients {for icing}

3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons softened butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 kids = 4 thumbs up

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium sized bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, set aside. In a large mixing bowl combine the butter, spaghetti squash puree, eggs, milk and vanilla extra and mix until smooth.  Add flour mixture and combine well, fold in softened chocolate mixture.

Pour cake batter into greased ghost pans** and bake for 18- 20 minutes until done.  Let cakes cool completely.

To prepare the icing simply blend everything together with a whisk or mixer until nice and smooth.  Carefully pour icing over cakes until are covered and let set.  Use a black icing pen to make the eyes and mouth.  Add orange sprinkles for eyes.

Thanks Mrs. Hillbilly!  Monkey Boy and the Girl thought these sweet treats we super yummy!

Deceptively Delicious* By Jessica Seinfeld ~ Available on Amazon.com

*Direct link to Amazon product.

** Ghost tins found at Target in the Halloween section

Oct 23

4 Comments

Recipe – How to Make Almond Milk

Have you ever tried making your own Almond Milk before?  When I was in Atlanta a few weeks ago, Headline News make-up artist Dentria gave me her Almond milk recipe. She said she’s been making it for years now and always has a pitcher of it on her refrigerator.

So the other day when I scored a bunch of free almonds from my neighbor Mrs. Hillbilly, I decided to give Denitra’s Almond Milk recipe a try.  And much to my surprise, I liked it, and so did the Handsome Husband. So if you are a fan of Almond Milk, give this recipe a try, it’s awesome.

Ingredients

1 cup almonds
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 dates
pinch of salt
water

Directions

Soak almonds overnight in 3 cups of water. Drain water, and place almonds in a heavy duty blender with 4 cups of water, vanilla and dates. Blend for about a minute and a half.

Pour Almond mixture through cheesecloth or a nut bag to strain.  Try and squeeze all of the moisture out of the cheesecloth, and reserve pulp in a small bowl.

Pour almond milk into a pitcher and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Denitra suggests using extra pulp in cookies and quick bread mixes for added protein.

Yield 1 Quart Almond Milk.

You can find cheesecloth on Amazon.com or at your local kitchen store.

Find More Recipes

Oct 22

1 Comment

Easy Kitchen Tips – Italian Seasoning Recipe

Ingredients
3 tablespoons dried parsley
3 tablespoons dried basil
2 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Mix all the spices together in a small bowl, then give them a whirl in your food processor*, or spice grinder* then store in an airtight container.

Be sure and check out my recipes for Allspice and Pumpkin Pie Spice as well.

Looking for a way to store your spices? Amazon has plenty of spice racks* in stock.

*Direct Amazon link

Learn how buying spices in bulk can save you money.

Oct 20

1 Comment

Easy Salad Recipes – Roasted Vegetable Salad with Avocado

I just pulled up a beet this morning from the garden and was reminded of this awesome recipe.  If you have not tried it yet, you should. It’s totally awesome!

When I spied this recipe on my friend JJ’s blog, I knew from second I saw the picture I’d be making it as soon as I got my hands on an avocado.

Well, yesterday was my lucky day.  Or rather, the Handsome Husbands lucky day, as he’s the one who had it last night for dinner.  Don’t get me wrong, I was planning on eating it, but by the time dinner rolled around, I had already scarfed down 5 bowls of Orzo salad and could barely move.  So I relunctanly handed him the plate instead.

Ingredients {adapted from Mama’s Minutia}

2 carrots, peeled and chopped into 2 inch pieces
3 beets, peeled and chopped into 2 inch pieces
2 small zucchinis, chopped into 2 inch pieces
1 avocado, peeled, pitted {duh} and chopped into 2 inch pieces
1/4 cup feta cheese crumbles
4 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

Fire up the oven to 375 degrees.

Toss the carrots and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a bowl.  Add salt and pepper.  In an artistic fashion, place carrots on a silpat or cookie sheet. Repeat with beets. Repeat with zucchini. Repeat with onion.

Side note - If you do not have OCD like me, you can just toss everything together in 1 bowl and throw them on a cookie sheet with wild abandon.

Cook for 20 minutes, turn veggies over and cook for an additional 20 minutes.  If your veggies start to brown, cover them with foil.

Once the vegetables have been cooked and have cooled, toss them with the sliced avocado and lemon juice. Sprinkle with feta. Serve immediately.

Need a Silpat? Amazon has them in stock.

Oct 18

6 Comments

Easy Side Dish Recipes – HomeStyle Scalloped Potatoes

The Girl Who Thinks She’s a Bird and some of her friends took a cooking class a while back, and scalloped potatoes were one of the dishes they learned to make from scratch.  After having to listen to The Girl rave about the side dish, we decided to try and make it at home from {her} memory.

We hit a home run.

Not only was this recipe for scalloped potatoes super delicious, but everyone in our house wanted seconds.

This recipe is a keeper, that’s for sure.

Ingredients

2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8-inch thick
1 onion, minced
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
2 bay leaves
4 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

In a large pot over medium heat, saute butter and onions until caramelized.

Add garlic and saute for a few seconds then add chicken broth, cream, sliced potatoes, bay leaves, thyme, and salt and pepper.

Reduce heat, cover, and simmer on low until the potatoes are tender. Discard the bay leaves, and pour potato mixture into a buttered 8″ or 9″ casserole dish.  Top with Parmesan cheese and bake in the oven for 15 – 20 minutes or until the cheese in all bubbly and lightly browned.

Cool slightly and serve warm.


Need a slicer?  Amazon has the Norpro Mandoline Slicer Grater with Guard on sale right now.

Oct 17

9 Comments

Chickpeas with Broccoli Raab and Bacon Recipe

2 years ago, I came across a recipe for Chickpeas with Broccoli Raab and Bacon in the March, 2010 issue of Cooking Light Magazine. The photo was beautiful, and I suddenly found myself wanting to make it. Which was odd, because I was not a fan of broccoli. But The Handsome Husband and The Girl were. So I decided to give it a try.

Fast forward 2 years, and not only am I growing broccoli raab in the backyard, but we had a great harvest this past spring, and are just a few weeks away from a nice juice fall harvest of this magical green vegetable.

If you have never tried broccoli raab, you should. Even if it means paying $2.49 for 1 bunch of the leafy greens at your local farmer’s market this fall. Trust me, it will be money well spent.

Oh, and did I forget to mention this recipe involves bacon?

So what are you waiting for? Go make it!

Ingredients  Recipe Credit {slightly adapted}
1 pound broccoli raab, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 slices bacon, chopped
1 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon fresh oregano
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
5 garlic cloves, sliced thin
1 {15-ounce} can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Cook broccoli raab in a large pot of boiling water 2 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain and set aside.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat {I used a stir fry pan}. Add oil, then bacon; sauté 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in onion, fresh oregano, and red pepper; sauté 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add chickpeas; sauté 1 minute. Stir in broccoli raab, salt, and black pepper; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated, tossing to combine. Serve with Parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top.

BACON shaped Adhesive Bandages ~ Amazon

Oct 17

9 Comments

Time Saving Tips – How to Freeze Cookie Dough

Bring it on Evil PTA Lady,

Just go ahead and call my house at 8pm the night before you need someone to bake 10 dozen cookies for your bake sale so you can buy some new pom poms for the cheerleaders.

I can take it.  And, I’ll also be showing up with a big fat grin on my face because I didn’t have to stay up all night baking cookies until the wee hours of the morning.

Nope.

I got my crap together woman.

So there.

Okay, here’s a total time saver.

Freezing cookie dough is not only super easy to do, freezing cookie dough is a total time saver as well.

The next time you feel like making cookies, make a double batch.  Bake 1 batch to eat, and the other batch to tuck away in the freezer.

How to Freeze Cookie Dough

  • Mix up a batch of your favorite cookies
  • Using a 1 Tablespoon cookie scoop,* scoop dough onto cookie sheets and freeze
  • Once dough is solid, pop cookie balls into a freezer bags.
  • Label, and store up to 3 months
  • When you are ready to bake cookies, simply add 1 minute to the baking time

Now go forth and make come dough.

Peace Out Girl Scouts,

Have a great day!

♥Mavis


Simply Sensational Cookies ~ Amazon.com

*Direct Amazon link

Oct 16

16 Comments

Easy Vegan Recipes – Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars

Okay, so don’t freak out because the word vegan is in the title.  My neighbor Francisco made these the other day and let me have a few to take home.  And guess what?  They were so stinkin’ good I had to whip up another batch.  These pumpkin chocolate chip bars were a HUGE hit at my house {and we are not even vegan.

I’m telling you, these pumpkin bars are da’ bomb!

Ingredients {slightly adapted from Frugal Vegan Mom}

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice mix
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup canola oil
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons water
1 cup canned  pumpkin {I used pureed of course}
1 1/2 cup {soy} semi-sweet chocolate chips {free from Vitacost}

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a 13 x 9 in. baking pan* with parchment paper {for easy removal}

In a medium sized bowl sift together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt.

In a mixing bowl combine the sugar, oil, vanilla, water and pumpkin. Once mixed gradually stir in flour mixture until smooth.  Fold in the chocolate chips and bake at 350 degrees for 28 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.  Cool 1 hour. Slice into 2 inch bites and store in an airtight container.

The Happy Herbivore Cookbook By Lindsay S. Nixon is filled with recipes that show eating a low fat vegan diet is not only healthy but delicious. Amazon currently has this book in stock and ready to ship.

*Direct link to Amazon product

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