Meat loaf

Josh says he does not like meatloaf or meatballs. Since I have met hime he has never tried either. I just recently got him to eat meatballs and now he likes them (or at least tells me he does). So I am going to try and prove him wrong that yes in fact he does like meat loaf! :) Funny what you can do when you're the one who makes the meals! Sorry babe! Oh and he said he liked :)

This recipe came from: http://www.superhealthykids.com/

Set oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. In a skillet over medium heat add olive oil in mushrooms, onion, red bell pepper, garlic (minced) and thyme; saute for about 6 minutes, then transfer to a large bowl. Add in all remaining ingredients; using clean hands mix thoroughly. Place mixture into the prepared pan, then place on a baking sheet to catch any spills.Bake for 50-60 minutes. Let rest 5-7 minutes before slicing.

1 cup, pieces or slices	Mushrooms, white, raw
1 medium (2-1/2" dia)	Onion
3 cloves	Garlic
1 medium (approx 2-3/4" long, 2-1/2 dia.)	Red Bell Pepper
1 tsp, leaves	Spices, thyme, dried
1 1/2 loaf ( yield from 1 lb raw meat )	Beef, Ground 90% Lean
1 1/4 cup	Bread crumbs, dry, grated, plain
2 oz	Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup (8 fl oz)	Yogurt, Low Fat Plain
1 large	Egg
1/4 cup	Catsup
1 tbsp	Sauce, worcestershire
1/2 cup, shredded	Cheese, cheddar
1 tsp	Salt
1 tsp, ground	Black Pepper

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Dip

I have really been on a roll with the pumpkin this year! Home made puree, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin bars, now pumpkin dip and later this week pumpkin sauce for a pasta dish! I'm not tired of it yet!!

I'm still following the meal plan and this was part of it for our snack today.  Use apples or another favorite fruit to dip!

The recipe comes form http://www.superhealthykids.com

Ingredients

1/2 cup	Cream Cheese
1/2 cup	Pumpkin, canned
1 1/2 tbsp	Honey
1/4 tsp	Cinnamon
1/8 tsp	Nutmeg
1/8 tsp	Cloves
2 medium (3" dia)	Apples

1. Let cream cheese warm to room temperature.
2. Mix all ingredients together.
3. Serve with apple slices.

I didn't end up using cloves because I don't have any but otherwise this was yummy!

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

I had a mom's night potluck the other day and I thought why not bring something that I think of when I think of America and Fall. I had some pumpkin puree (click for the recipe) left so I decided to bring Pumpkin Bars.  They were a big hit!  I didn't have any left to take home, so luckily I saved us a few to eat :)

 

Ingredients:

Bars

·         4 eggs

·         1 2/3 cups sugar

·         1 cup canola oil

·         1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin

·         2 cups all-purpose flour

·         2 teaspoons baking powder

·         2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         1 teaspoon baking soda

Frosting

·         1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

·         1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

·         3-4 cups confectioners' sugar

·         1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 baking dish.

Mix the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin with a mixer until light and fluffy.

Pour flour, powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda into another bowl and mix.

Pour flour mixture into pumpkin mixture and mix until incorporated and smooth.

Pour the batter into the baking dish and level out the batter.

Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool before removing from the dish or frosting.

      Frost the bars when they have cooled -- To make the frosting: Combine cream cheese and butter in a bowl and mix until smooth. Add the sugar slowly until you reach the desired consistency. Stir in the vanilla.

 

      I can't remember where I got this recipe so sorry about that!  For the frosting, I literally only used half of it and the frosting was still just dripping off! I think next time I will make half as much!

 

 

 

Pumpkin Puree

Well I can't believe it's been 2 months since I last posted, I guess we have been busy! Lately I have been embracing fall and making tons of things with pumpkin puree. The only problem here is that you can't find pumpkin puree in a can like you can back in the states. So I became resourceful and found a recipe to make my own. It was so simple, I like to think that I will continue to make it myself when we're back home next fall.... stay tuned to see if I do!

I looked through a bunch of recipes and the general consensus was to take a couple of medium size pumpkins. Cut the tops off, dig out the seeds and guts of the pumpkin.

I then cut them into quarters. Covered each with a piece of tin foil.  Baked in the oven at 350 for about 1 hour or until I could easily stick a fork into the flesh of the pumpkin. 

Next, you can scoop out the flesh, it should be fairly easy if the pumpkin is well cooked.  Place into a food processor or blender and there you have it. Your very own home made pumpkin puree.

Raspberry Peach Smoothie

Another one of my favorite smoothies!!! I really liked this one and Jackson kept asking for mooee!
Recipe from: http://myhealthymealplans.com/

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
• 2 cups fresh or frozen peaches
• 1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
• 1 cup low-fat milk
• 1 banana, frozen (optional)
• Ice

Instructions

1. Blend all ingredients together until smooth.

Notes

Calories: 166; Fat: 3g; Carbs: 30g; Fiber: 5g; Protein: 8g

BBQ Chicken Pizza

 

Pizza pre oven

 

It's never a good feeling when you're making something to think "I'm going to be the only one who is going to eat this."  While I was making it though Jackson was chowing down on some red pepper so maybe I would be happily surpised!

 

Recipe from: http://myhealthymealplans.com/

 

Ingredients

• 1 (12 inch) pre-baked pizza crust
• 1 cup barbeque sauce
• 2 skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and cubed
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 cup sliced sweet bell peppers
• 1 cup chopped red onion
• 2 cups shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place pizza crust on a medium baking sheet. Spread the crust with barbeque sauce. Top with chicken, cilantro, bell peppers, onion, and cheese.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly

Notes

Calories: 386; Fat: 16g; Carbs: 37g; Fiber: 2g; Protein: 24g

Well I was happily surprised by Josh, he liked it!  I thought it was great, Jackson not so much.  Pizza just isn't Jackson's favorite thing yet, but we keep trying!!! It was really easy and I loved all the flavors together!!

Zucchini Bites

These were delicious, I made them for a 3 moms and 3 kids and they were a hit with everyone I think!! The meal plan has it for a snack but we made extra and had them as lunch!  Great way for kids to get in their veggies!

Recipe from: http://myhealthymealplans.com/

Ingredients

• 1 zucchini
• 1/8 cup Marinara sauce
• 3 ounces mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 8 black olives, sliced

Instructions

1. Cut zucchini into diagonals, about 1/4 inch thick.
2. Arrange slices on a baking sheet.
3. Top with marinara sauce, cheeses, and olives.
4. Broil in oven, on high for 2-4 minutes. Watch carefully- they cook fast!

Beef Stroganoff

I don't have a crockpot here in the Netherlands so I just made this on the stove, it turned out great and was a big hit with everyone in our family!!! The only way to make it better is to have good ole Iowa beef :)

Recipe from: http://myhealthymealplans.com

Ingredients

• 1 lb. beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 cup fresh mushrooms, halved
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 Tbsp. flour
• 1/2 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
• 8 ounces egg noodles, uncooked
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Place meat, mushrooms, onions and garlic in slow cooker. Add broth, paprika and salt. Cover with lid. Cook on low 7 to 8 hours or on High for 5 hours.
2. Mix yogurt, flour and mustard. Stir into ingredients in slow cooker until well blended. Cook, covered, on low 15 min. Meanwhile, cook noodles as directed on package.
3. Drain noodles; place in large serving bowl. Add meat mixture; mix lightly. Sprinkle with parsley. 

Spidey Snacks

• 4 mini Babybel cheese rounds
• 16 small pretzel sticks
• 8 raisins

Instructions

1. Unwrap a mini cheese round and take the wax off.
2. Break 4 small pretzel sticks ("spider legs") in half and insert at an angle into the underside of the cheese, arranging 4 on each side.
3. Add 2 raisins for eyes. You can use a pretzel to poke a hole first and then stick the raisin in.

I thought the were really fun!  Jackson thought they were fun to look at, he only ate the pretzels though!

Recipe from:

http://myhealthymealplans.com

Peach French Toast Bake

Pre-Oven

Post oven

Like I was just saying, breakfast is just so tough for me to make, well this was great.  You get to make it ahead of time and just pop it in the oven.  Key is: get up earlier than Jackson to have it ready for when he wakes up! We will see how that goes!!!

Recipe from http://myhealthymealplans.com/

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 1 whole-wheat baguette
• 4 eggs
• 4 egg whites
• 1 cup low-fat milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 5 cups sliced peaches
• 2 Tbsp firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1-1/2 cups plain yogurt
• 3/4 cup pure maple syrup

Instructions

1. Coat a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Cut the baguette into 1/2-inch-thick slices and arrange them in a single layer in the pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg whites, milk, and vanilla. Pour the egg mixture over the bread in the pan. Scatter the peach slices evenly over the bread. Sprinkle with the brown sugar and cinnamon. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Uncover and bake until it is slightly puffed and the bread is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Top with yogurt and drizzle with maple syrup, if desired.

Notes

Calories: 254; Fat: 6g; Carbs: 40g; Fiber: 5g; Protein: 12.5g

Well I got up SOOO early to make this and I thought Josh would get to eat it before work but I was about 5 minutes too late :( Jackson got to eat it though when he woke up.  It seemed like he liked it for a few bites and then was done and it was going on the floor to the dog.  I thought it was really good, loved that I could make it the night before and just pop it in the oven.

Sweet Potato Tots

Well I had lots of mixed emotions on this one, I thought I was going to hate and and Jackson would love it, turned out Jackson hated it and I loved it!  The meal plan says to have this with a dipping sauce, I chose ranch dressing and that made it great (but really doesn't ranch make everything great).  The recipe was a little time consuming for me but I was also making it with a toddler helping :) or trying to help. 

Jackson never really had sweet potatoes when he was starting baby food and that could have been our problem. I'm sure if you're kids had sweet potatoes they will love this!!! The meal plan said to serve with watermelon for lunch.

I used just cracker crumbs for my breadcrumbs because, well, we're in the Netherlands and I haven't seen any sort of breadcrumbs yet!

Ingredients

• 2 large sweet potatoes (about 1 lb), cut into 2 inch cubes
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 egg, whisked
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• Cooking Spray

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Peel the potatoes and then boil in salted water in a pot for 12-15 minutes or until fork tender.
3. Drain off all the water and cool the potatoes.
4. Using the side of a box grater, grate all of the potatoes into a bowl.
5. Place the flour, whisked egg and breadcrumbs in THREE separate bowls.
6. Take about 1 tbsp of the potato mixture and shape into “tots”.
7. Roll the tots into the flour, followed by the egg, then the panko bread crumbs, coating lightly.
8. Place onto a sprayed baking sheet and coat evenly with cooking spray.
9. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden.
10. Cool and serve.

Notes

Calories: 199; Fat: 2g; Carbs: 38g; Fiber: 3g; Protein: 6g

Recipe from: http://myhealthymealplans.com/

Rainbow Fruit Tray

So I have seen this on Pinterest a million times and always thought I should make it but haven't really had that many people to feed here. I decided with the toddler group coming over, today was the day!  It was really simple to do and fun to look at. I did cut up everything the night before which I was a little nervous about but everything seemed fine! No real recipe here just different colored fruits for the different colors of the rainbow.  I used this fruit dip recipe as my "cloud" under the rainbow!

Blueberry Muffins

We had a baby play group at our house with over 30 people.  This is a brunch/ light lunch so for breakfast I made muffins since I wasn't sure what else to make to feed that many people and not spending days in the kitchen.  This recipe turned out great!!

1/2 cup butter or 1/2 cup margarine, at room temp
1 cup granulated sugar 
2 large eggs 
1 teaspoon vanilla 
2 teaspoons baking powder 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
2 cups all-purpose flour 
1/2 cup milk 
2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries or 2 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
For Topping
1 tablespoon granulated sugar, mixed with 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 

Directions
1.Heat oven to 375°.
2. Grease 18 regular-size muffin cups (or 12 large size muffins).
3. In bowl, mix butter until creamy. Add sugar and beat until pale and fluffy. 
 4. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each. 
5. Beat in vanilla, baking powder and salt. 
6. With spoon, fold in half of flour then half of milk into batter; repeat. 
7. Fold in blueberries. 
8. Spoon into muffin cups and sprinkle topping onto each muffin.
9. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and springy to touch.

No Bake Power Oat Cookies

This is an amazing snack that tastes like it is terrible for you!! Not too bad though.  I don't know what flaxseed is in Dutch or where to find it, so I left that out, and also we're not feeding Jackson nuts yet so I left out the dried fruit/nuts. I only make half a batch but I really could have made the full batch! Yum, it tastes like cookie dough. I love it!!!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup any combination of nuts and soft dried fruit

Instructions

1. In a stand mixer or by hand, combine peanut butter and honey until smooth. Gradually add oats and ground flaxseed.
2. Add chocolate chips and desired nut and fruit combination and mix gently in.
3. Roll dough into golf ball size cookies. You can serve immediately, but they are less sticky if refrigerated for a bit.

Notes

Calories: 138; Fat: 7g; Carbs: 18g; Fiber: 2g; Protein: 4g

Watermelon Popsicles

My popsicle boys :)

This recipe is exactly the same at the watermelon smoothies, you just freeze any extra you have and enjoy on a warm afternoon!!  I know we all did!

Muffin Tin Eggs

Breakfast is always the hardest meal for me to make!  Jackson wakes up HUNGRY and is not at all patient enough for me to make him breakfast!  He wants me to hold him until he is fed, which makes it even more difficult to get him fed.  I wish he would understand this, maybe some day!!

These eggs were really easy to make! I could almost do it one handed!!!

 The recipe once again came from http://myhealthymealplans.com

Ingredients

• 4 each eggs
• 1/2 cup baby spinach leaves, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese
• Cooking Spray

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray.
3. Crack an egg into each spray muffin cup.
4. Sprinkle with spinach and cheese.
5. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until egg is done to desired consistency.

Notes

Calories: 132; Fat: 10g; Carbs: 1g; Fiber: trace; Protein: 10g

Peach Mango smoothie

I have yet to be disappointed with a smoothie recipe I have made from http://myhealthymealplans.com/ It has been really warm lately and these are great for breakfast or an afternoon snack!

Ingredients

• 2 peaches, sliced
• 2 mangoes, peeled and diced
• 1 cup low-fat milk
• 1 cup orange juice
• Big handful of ice

Instructions

1. Place the peaches, mangoes, milk, orange juice and ice into a blender.
2. Puree until smooth.

Notes

Calories: 105; Fat: 1g; Carbs: 22g; Fiber: 2g; Protein: 2.5g

Toad in a Hole

I know it sounds kind of odd, but I think fun names are great for kids or things that looks fun and different!  They are curious and want to try it!!! I thought this would be kind of difficult to make or that the egg wouldn't stay in the bread, but it worked perfectly!  I don't like over easy eggs so I cooked it all the way through.  I imagine if you like over easy eggs this would be even better for dipping your bread!

Here is the recipe from http://myhealthymealplans.com/

Ingredients

• 1 slice whole wheat bread
• 1 egg
• Circle cutter (or drinking glass)
• Spray butter or butter spread

Instructions

1. Spray (or spread butter lightly) on both sides of bread.
2. Cut a hole in the middle with circle cookie cutter, or top of a glass.
3. Heat a pan on medium-high on the stove.
4. Place bread with hole and the circle piece of the bread in the pan.
5. Crack egg in the hole. When the egg is set, flip the entire thing over.
6. Cook to desired doneness of egg. Dip circle bread into the egg

Serving size: 1 each Calories: 143 Fat: 6g Carbohydrates: 13gr Fiber: 2g Protein: 9g

Summer pasta salad

I wasn't too sure I was going to like this pasta salad recipe with the uncooked zucchini in it, but I was happily surprised.  No one in my family is a feta cheese fan so I substituted that for a shredded Parmesan.  I think feta would have been great, just the right flavor, I just can't convince anyone to eat it! The recipe was super easy and actually really quick. I didn't have time for refrigerating it, I just ran the pasta under cold water for a few minutes and then we ate it right up.  I did add chicken to it that we had eaten the night before and that was yummy!

Jackson even took a few minutes out of his busy schedule of running around outside to eat a bunch!

Here is the recipe that came from http://myhealthymealplans.com/

Ingredients

• 6 ounces Bowtie Pasta
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Lemon
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 small Zucchini, diced
• 2 cups grape tomatoes, cut in half
• 1/4 cup Minced Fresh Parsley
• 1/2 cup Feta cheese, crumbled

Instructions

1. Cook pasta until done. Drain and rinse in cold water until completely cool.
2. Add olive oil and lemon juice, then add salt and pepper to taste. Toss to combine.
3. Add zucchini, tomatoes, parsley, and feta, and toss to combine.
4. If it seems to dry, Squeeze in a little more lemon juice/drizzle more olive oil.
5. Cover in plastic wrap for at least a couple of hours. If you don't have time to do this before you eat, it isn't a big deal. It will still taste delicious - the flavors just marinate together the longer it sits in the fridge.

Notes

Calories: 181; Fat: 6g; Carbs: 27g; Fiber: 2g; Protein: 7g

Strawberry Applesauce

I am a huge fan of applesauce, I guess it takes me back to the days of being a little kid where I would dump half a pound of cinnamon and sugar on top of it. mmmmm yummy!!! Now that I'm an adult, I don't put any thing extra on my applesauce because I don't want Jackson to either!!

I loved this applesauce but it was maybe a little too tart for Jackson's taste buds. He did his famous stick out his tongue, wrinkle his nose and did a quick shiver!  Funny!

I had it when it was still warm and I thought I could have eaten the whole thing!

Here is the recipe from:
http://myhealthymealplans.com/

Ingredients

• 4 cups apples, peeled, seeded and sliced, any variety
• 1-½ to 2 cups strawberries, hulled

Instructions

1. Place fruit in a saucepan with a couple of tablespoons of water to keep it from sticking.
2. Let it cook over medium heat until the apples soften and the berries start to break apart, about 15 minutes.
3. Use an immersion blender or regular blender to puree the fruit.
4. If you like your applesauce a little more chunky, don't blend very long.
5. Let cool and enjoy!

Notes

Calories: 82; Fat: 1g; Carbs: 21g; Fiber: 3g; Protein: 1g;

Blueberry Scones

About 3 weeks ago, I never made ANYTHING for breakfast, unless it was toast, a bowl of cereal, or the occasional eggs.  Now pretty much every day I make something and I love it!  Everything I have made has been so simple!  I never thought I would be making scones, ever, but here I am making them and they turned out great!!  Some of my other favorites have been the watermelon smoothie and pb, granola, banana, and strawberry in a tortilla shell! Delicious!

Here is the recipe from www.myhealthymealplans.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 3 Tbsp Sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 5 Tbsp cold unsalted butter
• zest of one lemon
• 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1/2 cup plain low fat Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup low fat milk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Combine flours, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl and whisk together.
3. Slice butter and drop into dry ingredients. If you have a pastry cutter, use it to cut the butter into the flour. If you don’t have a pastry cutter, use a fork to cut the butter into tiny pieces and mix it into the flour.
4. Add blueberries and lemon zest and gently stir. You can use frozen blueberries, no thawing necessary.
5. Gently mix in milk and yogurt. Eventually you’ll need to use your hands to knead the last of the flour into the dough.
6. Form dough into a circle about that’s about an inch deep all around. Cut the circle into 8 slices.
7. Separate slices and place on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper or foil.
8. Sprinkle the tops of the scones with a bit of sugar.
9. Bake for 15 minutes or until light brown.

Notes

Calories: 211; Fat: 7g; Carbs: 32g; Fiber: 3g; Protein: 4g

Makes 8 scones

Watermelon Smoothies

I guess I am a little new to smoothies.  I have always liked them when other people have made them, but I have never been one to make them myself.  Let me tell you this was my very favorite smoothie I have ever had!!! Nothing but fruit and ice in this one!  So simple and we all loved it.  My only complaint is, if it is just the only thing I am eating for breakfast then I need about 4 of them!  I was hungry after about an hour. I think it would make a great snack though!

Ingredients

• 4 cups watermelon, cubed
• 2 kiwi, peeled
• 2 oranges, peeled
• 2 bananas, frozen and slightly thawed
• 12 ice cubes

Instructions

1. Blend all ingredients together until smooth.

recipe from: www.myhealthymealplans.com

Chicken and Vegetables

The prep work for this meal is really simple.  I would say it is a good weekend meal when you have plenty of time in the afternoon to throw it in the oven.  The chicken turned out perfectly, however the vegetables seemed to have needed a little more time in the oven and could have used a little more flavor. Or maybe we don't love cooked carrots and celery...blame the recipe right? Jackon ate up the potatoes and some of the carrots and devoured the chicken!! So a great kid friendly recipe!! We have plenty leftovers too, always a bonus.

recipe from: www.myhealthymealplans.com

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken (~ 3 pounds)
• 6 medium carrots
• 4 medium stalks celery
• 3 large baking potatoes (russet or Idaho), about 8 oz each
• 3 medium onions
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh Thyme

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Fold the wings of the chicken across the back so tips are touching. There may be a little resistance, but once they are in this position, they will stay. Tie the legs to the tail with string or use skewers; if the tail is missing, tie the legs together.
2. In a shallow roasting pan, place the chicken with the breast side up. Roast chicken uncovered for 45 minutes.
3. While the chicken is roasting, peel the carrots and potatoes and cut them and the celery into 1-inch pieces. Peel the onions, and cut into wedges.
4. Remove the chicken from the oven. Spread the carrots, celery, potatoes and onions around the chicken. In a 1-quart saucepan, heat the butter over low heat just until melted. Stir the thyme into the butter, then drizzle over the chicken and vegetables.
5. Cover the chicken and vegetables with foil; roast 45 to 60 minutes longer until the vegetables are tender when pierced with a fork.
6. Carve chicken and serve with the vegetables.

Notes

Calories: 340; Fat: 6g; Carbs: 24g; Fiber: 5g; Protein: 45g

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours, 20 minutes

Pesto Tortellini Soup

Soup in the summer?!?! Why not!
Recipe from: http://myhealthymealplans.com/

Ingredients

• 1 small onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 5 cups vegetable broth (you can use chicken if you want)
• 1- 9 oz package tortellini
• 2 cups frozen mixed veggies (I like the baby California blend)
• 1/4 cup prepared pesto (or make your own)

Instructions

1. In a large soup pan, heat olive oil and saute onion and garlic until soft and clear.
2. Add the broth and the tortellini to the pan.
3. Boil until tortellini is done.
4. Add the frozen veggies.
5. Simmer until veggies are heated through.
6. Add the pesto, and stir until combined.
7. Garnish with Parmesan cheese if desired.

This an ok meal, we all ate it and had no issues with it, we just weren't blown away by it. The soup may be better in the winter when we are all cold and needing a little pick me up! 

Cinnamon Peach Muffins

Until now I have always been a just add water kind of baker, but it really is pretty simple and so much better for you to just make things from scratch!!! Tomorrow's breakfast is cinnamon peach muffins so I decided to make them ahead of time and we could have them for our snack today too if we wanted!

I tried to follow the recipe but I forgot to add the vanilla! Whoops!! The 1 1/2 cups of peaches took pretty much exactly 2 peaches for us.  I have to say even without the vanilla these are good!!! Lets hope the rest of my family think so too!

This recipe came from:
http://myhealthymealplans.com/

ngredients

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup vanilla greek yogurt
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups chopped, peaches (fresh, canned or frozen)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place muffin cups in muffin tins.
2. Mix sugar, applesauce, yogurt and egg until creamy. Add vanilla.
3. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir until completely smooth. Fold in peaches. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins. Top with course sugar (optional)
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until toothpick poked in center muffin comes out clean.

Chocolate Banana Smoothie

Anything that tastes like dessert but is considered to be breakfast is a winner in this house!!! Jackson of course loved it because it tastes like ice cream!!! I didn't follow the recipe exactly because I didn't have cocoa powder so instead I used a tablespoon of Nutella and left out the honey.  Really this tasted like ice cream and was delicious!!

Here is the recipe from http://myhealthymealplans.com

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 2 mins

Total time: 7 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 8 ounces soy milk, or low fat milk.
• 1 TBL honey
• 2 bananas (frozen)
• 1 TBL cocoa powder.

Instructions

1. Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Serving size: 1/2 cup Calories: 92 Fat: 2 Carbohydrates: 20gr Fiber: 3 Protein: 2

 

Raspberry Oatmeal

Well I'm not typically an oatmeal person, generally I am gagging on the texture by the end but I thought I make Jackson eat it all the time I can try it too. So I was quite surprised when I actually liked it!!!

Here is the recipe:
 Ingredients

• 2 1/3 cups water
• 1 1/3 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup raspberries, rinsed
• 2/3 cup almonds, chopped or sliced
• 2 Tbsp Honey

Instructions

1. Place water, and oats into a pot. Turn on medium heat until water begins to boil.
2. When water boils, simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Fold in raspberries, almonds, and honey.

Notes

Calories: 290; Fat: 15g; Carbs: 34g; Fiber: 5g; Protein: 10g

I didn't add any almonds because we're still not giving Jackson nuts, but I think it would have made it even better added a little crunch to the mush! :) Jackson is not a huge raspberry fan, too tart I think, so he thought this was pretty tart as well. I think I would add a little more honey for him next time!

recipe from : http://myhealthymealplans.com/

Alabama Chicken

Last night we had this chicken!  It was delicious! It says to serve over rice which we did but we thought you could serve over pasta too!  Josh and I were talking about when you make a home made sauce that normally you don't get enough flavor like those store bought kinds, but this was not the case here!! We all loved it and for the first time ever Jackson ate the rice instead of spitting rice back out at me!  I would say it was a huge success! Leftovers for dinner tonight :)

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 2 cups chicken broth, low-sodium
• 1 cup half and half, fat free
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
• Hot cooked rice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Coat chicken with mixture of flour, paprika, salt, and pepper.
3. Brown in 2 Tbsp olive oil. Set in a baking dish.
4. Saute onion in remaining olive oil for 5 minutes. Stir in excess flour from coating chicken.
5. Add chicken broth. Cook and stir until thickened. Add half and half and cook until smooth and thick. Add lemon juice; blend well.
6. Pour sauce over chicken. Bake 1 hour, uncovered, at 325 degrees F or until chicken is tender. Serve over rice.

Notes

Calories: 193; Fat: 12g; Carbs: 9g; Fiber: 1g; Protein: 18g

recipe from: http://myhealthymealplans.com/

Cheesy Spinach Frittata

Ingredients

• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 egg whites
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 6 cups (loosely packed) fresh spinach, torn into bite-size pieces
• 5-6 cherry tomatoes, sliced

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, mix beaten eggs and egg whites, cheese, garlic powder, basil, salt pepper and nutmeg; set aside.
2. In a nonstick skillet with sloping sides, heat oil over medium heat. Add spinach; cover and cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring once or twice and watching carefully to prevent burning, until spinach is slightly wilted.
3. Spread spinach evenly in skillet; top evenly with tomato slices. Pour egg mixture over top. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook 12-15 minutes or until egg mixture is set but still moist on top. Cut into wedges and serve.

Calories: 130 Fat: 8g Carbohydrates: 4gr Fiber: 2g Protein: 12g

 

This is yet another recipes from http://myhealthymealplans.com/  and no surprise here, it was delicious!! Both Josh and I really liked it.  I got to sleep in this morning so Jackson had already eaten breakfast so he had a bite but it came back out... who knows if he liked it or hated it. 

 

I had to use frozen spinach because for unknown reasons 2 days that I went to my little grocery store there were no bags AT ALL of fresh spinach, but it turned out just fine, I think I just added a little more than necessary!  I also left out the nutmeg because I didn't have any.  Those were my only alterations!  This could be an easy dinner recipe as well!!!

Strawberry Crepes

I am not really a person to make breakfast but this sounded delicious and I thought why not give it a shot!  It was another great recipe from http://myhealthymealplans.com/

Ingredients

CREPES
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup low-fat milk
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tablespoon Canola oil
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1 pinch salt
FILLING
• 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
• 1/2 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 cup whipped topping

Instructions

1. In a large bowl (or blender), beat together egg, milk, water and oil. Beat in flour, sugar and salt until smooth.
2. Heat a medium, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place a ladleful of crepe batter into center of pan, tilting to coat the bottom. Cook until golden brown on one side, turning once, 2 to 5 minutes. Continue with remaining batter.
3. In a small bowl, combine yogurt and whipped topping.
4. To assemble, place a line of overlapping strawberries down the center of the crepe, top with whipped topping mixture. Roll it up. Repeat with remaining crepes.

We all loved this, well Jackson loved the crepe and the strawberries, just not the yogurt sauce on it! Otherwise this was a great breakfast, fast and easy again! This makes 4 crepes

Peach Breakfast Smoothie

So I came across this amazing website that I fell in love with called http://myhealthymealplans.com/
It has tons of great recipes and if you want you can sign up for their meal plan and they have ideas for all meals and snacks for every day of the week!!! I am in LOVE! This is the second thing I have made from the meal plan and both things have been delicious!! The main goal is to have healthy meals and snacks for your kids without having all the added sugar, so we are going to try it out and see if we can follow along with the plan at least most of the time. You can expect to see some other ideas from this website at least for a while :)

Fresh Peach Smoothie

Author: My Healthy Meal Plans

Prep time: 5 mins

Total time: 5 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups low fat milk
• 2 cups fresh sliced peaches
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Handful of ice cubes

Instructions

1. In a blender, combine all ingredients. Blend until smooth.
2. Serve immediately.

Calories: 143 Fat: 4g #lblCarbs#: 23gr Fiber: 2g Protein: 5g

 

I cut the recipe in half because it was just Jackson and I for breakfast this morning.  It was awesome both he and I ate it all up!  I think Jackson even ate more than I did!  It was so simple, I say this was a winner and I plan to make it with other kinds of fruit too!