Some Random Favorite Links...

You have probably noticed that the POH authors are taking a little break from writing this summer...  we are all quite busy with our families and summer plans.  We might post every once in a while if we find something that we think might be encouraging to you, but we are not going to try to schedule posts every week.  We hope you are having a wonderful summer and are making lots of special memories with loved ones!

Here are some articles/ links/ recipes I have enjoyed lately:

The "littleness" of motherhood -- another convicting and encouraging article by one of my favorite writers

Chicken Lazone is our absolute favorite recipe right now.  We probably have it at least once every other week.  It is so quick and easy and delicious over a bed of quinoa.  I leave off the seasonings for my girls' chicken so it won't be too spicy for them and their pieces absorb just enough of the spices from ours that it is delicious to them.

A great website for downloading free audio books that I have used greatly in finding stories for my girls for rest time.

This article was very helpful to me in understanding the developmental grasp of a child and helping me to chill out about the way Karlie holds her pencil.

These questions are really fun to ask the kids about any family member.  I printed out the answers on a pretty piece of paper to give to the grandparents for Mother's Day and Father's Day.

Here is an inspiring note to moms of littles.

Natural tick prevention and treatment

My new favorite granola recipe!  She gives a gluten-free option which I now need because my 3-year old needs to eat GF.  I absolutely love the texture and crunch of the toasted buckwheat added to the normal deliciousness of granola!

A great reminder about the "bulk effect" in parenting

We went to The Twisted Fork Restaurant and I fell in love with their Tia Maria Cake -- a friend gave me this recipe that I would really like to try out!

The Long-Term View

Hospitality at our house (Part 2)

In my previous post, I explained how my family began a weekly routine of having others to dinner each week. Today I thought I would share a couple tips for preparing dinner for a crowd (with 3 littles running around) and some of our guests' favorite recipes.

-- Without a doubt, my biggest piece of advice is to do as much as possible ahead of time! If I have to spend an hour fixing dinner right before our company comes, my sweet little ones will inevitably choose that hour to make a big mess, get in an argument, and/or have a random accident and require Mommy's attention. It never fails. So I almost always choose meals that I can prepare ahead of time. And most of the time, I have prepped the meat a couple of weeks ago and can just pull it from the freezer. I usually get around 6 pounds of ground beef at the Farmer's market at one time. The next day I brown it all at once and season it according to my monthly meal plan. I usually make around 2 pounds of taco meat, 2 pounds of sloppy joe meat, and 2 pounds of seasoned ground beef all ready to use in my recipes. Last week we had taco night for our company and all I had to do was warm up the meat and tortillas! So easy! Our guests had offered to bring the toppings and we ended up with a fun and delicious meal that was not the least bit stressful for me.

-- Don't be afraid to ask guests to bring something. It helps with the cost of having people over each week and usually our friends truly want to do something to help. I often end up with favorite new recipes as well! Last week my friend Mandie made this awesome black bean salsa that I can't wait incorporate into our regular meal plan. Even the single college guys that I cook for often pick up things at the store that we need like buns for sloppy joes or sour cream for tacos.

My favorite recipes for feeding a crowd:

Lime Chicken Tacos -- this is hands down my favorite recipe that never fails to please! I think it originally came from this blog, but I've changed it slightly. The recipe is very forgiving and I just add more beans, corn, salsa, etc to feed more people.

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts

3 Tbs lime juice

1 Tbs. chili powder

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup chunky salsa (we love mango salsa the best!)

1 can diced pineapples, drained

1 can black beans

12 flour tortillas, warmed

sour cream, lettuce, shredded cheese, avocado, cilantro and any other toppings you like

Place the chicken in a 3-qt. slow cooker. Combine lime juice and chili powder; pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until chicken is tender.

Remove chicken; cool slightly. Shred and return to the slow cooker. Stir in corn, beans, pineapple tidbits, and salsa. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes or until heated through.

Serve in tortillas with toppings

The Best Sloppy Joes Ever -- This recipe comes from my friend Beth. Each time I make these I get rave reviews and people ask what is different about them... the cinnamon totally kicks it up a notch!

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
2 T. chopped onion
2 T. green pepper
2 T. celery
¼ tsp. garlic salt
½ cup ketchup
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2-3 T. lemon juice
1 T. vinegar
2-3 T. Italian dressing
2-3 T. brown sugar
sprinkled cinnamon

Directions: In a medium skillet, combine beef, onion, green pepper, celery, and garlic salt; Cook and stir until meat is brown and veggies are tender. Drain fat. Stir together rest of ingredients – Spread over meat and cook until heated through.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos -- the sauce on these taquitos is utterly delicious and the mixture can easily be made the day before! I often double the sauce because I love i t so much and pair them with this quinoa and black beans recipe.

3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup green salsa
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice (juice from half a lime)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp sliced green onions
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup shredded Mexican flavored cheese
small flour or corn tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray

Preheat your oven to 425˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, ground cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic. Once combined, stir in the cilantro and green onions. Add the chicken and cheese; mix thoroughly.

(If you decided to prep this in advance, refrigerate the mixture at this point until ready to continue.)

Working with a few tortillas at a time, heat them in the microwave between two paper towels until they are soft enough to roll (about 20 – 30 seconds).

Spoon 2-3 Tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto the lower third of a tortilla. Roll the tortilla as tightly as you can.

Place the rolled tortilla seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas until the mixture is gone. Make sure the taquitos are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until crisp and golden.

Serve with salsa, sour cream or guacamole.

**To freeze: Before baking, chill the taquitos on the baking sheet in the fridge. Once completely cooled, wrap each taquito individually with plastic wrap. Place in a labeled freezer bag and freeze. To bake a frozen taquito (no need to thaw first): Preheat oven to 425˚F and bake for 20 minutes.

Easy Cheddar Potato Chowder -- my favorite delicious but frugal meal for the fall!

2 cups diced potatoes

½ to 1 cup diced carrots

½ cup chopped celery

½ cup chopped onion

1 ½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

¼ cup margarine

¼ cup flour
2 cups milk

2 cups cheddar cheese

½ lb. Bacon, cooked and crumbled

Directions: Boil two cups of water; add to potatoes, celery, carrots, onion, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Do not drain.Make a white sauce using margarine, flour, and milk. Cook until thickened. Add grated cheddar. Stir until smooth. Add bacon and the undrained vegetables. Simmer (do not boil) until heated through.

Breakfast for dinner! The college guys I cook for always get so excited when I make this egg sausage casserole and french toast casserole.

What do you like to make for company? I'd love to have your favorite recipes!

Easter recipes

I grew up cooking with my Mom, and even though food really has nothing to do with the reasons behind most holidays, I tend to associate holidays with cooking traditions! Here are a few Easter recipes that can help reiterate the true meaning behind the holiday with your kids:

Resurrection Cookies -- each ingredient corresponds to a scripture that tells the Easter Story.

Resurrection Rolls -- These rolls turn out hollow just as the grave was on Easter when Jesus arose.

Hot Cross Buns -- traditional Good Friday roll with a cross on top as a reminder of the price Jesus paid for our sins

Easy Valentine's Day Treats

Oreo Bon-bons
1 package Oreos
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
Chocolate candy coating, or chocolate chips

After opening Oreo package and eating several...


Place the remaining Oreos in ziploc bag and crush into small pieces. You can also use a food processor, but it is fun to 'beat up' the Oreos (I used my mini chopper after I let the kids mash the Oreos so the crumbs would be finer).



Dump the Oreo crumbs into a bowl with the softened cream cheese. Mix the two ingredients together. Easiest way to do that is with your hands! It makes your fingernails filthy, but it gets the job done.



Once throughly mixed, roll the mixture into balls. I used my 1/2 Tbs. measuring spoon to scoop up the mixture and keep the size more uniform. Put the Oreos balls in the refrigerator to firm up and set.


Melt the chocolate coating according to the directions (or the chocolate chips slowly in the microwave). If using chocolate chips, you may want to add a little bit of shortening to thin it out. Once the chocolate is melted, dip the Oreo balls into the chocolate and place on wax paper. Return to the refrigerator to help the chocolate harden. I sprinkled red sugar on the bon-bons for a Valentine's Day touch, but you can also drizzle white or dark chocolate over them for an elegant touch. Once completely cool, place in cute bags or containers to give as gifts!




And just for fun, here are two more recipes:

Peanut Butter Truffles (from Southern Living Magazine)

1 (12 oz.) package semisweet chocolate morsels
1/2 cup whipping cream
3 Tbsp creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup finely chopped, lightly salted roasted peanuts
Wax paper

Microwave first three ingredients in a medium-size microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring at 30 second intervals. Let cool 10 minutes. Beat chocolate mixture at medium speed with an electric mixture 1 to 2 minutes or until whipped and smooth. Cover and chill 2 hour or until firm. Shape chocolate mixture into 1 inch balls, using a small ice cream scoop. Roll in chopped peanuts. If mixture becomes too soft to shape, refrigerate until firm. Place on wax paper lined baking sheets. Chill 1 hour before serving. store truffles in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 5 days.


Cheerio Treats
1 bag (or more!) jumbo marshmallows
2-3 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
5 cups Cheerios cereal
1 cup M&Ms or raisins

Butter a 9x13 glass pan and set aside. Microwave first three ingredients in microwave safe bowl until marshmallows are melted, stirring occasionally (you can also melt them on the stove as well, if you prefer). Add Cheerios cereal and stir to coat completely. Add M&Ms last, and turn the mixture out into buttered pan. Using your hands or a buttered flat spatula, press the Cheerios mixture into the pan. You may sprinkle extra M&Ms over the top, or drizzle melted chocolate over it. Refrigerate the pan to cool. After it has cooled, cut into bars and enjoy!

Care calendar and some recipes

I just wanted to let you know that I absolutely LOVE these online meal organizers! My favorite part about them is the e-mail reminder that they send to the person bringing the meal. My first experience with planning meals was horrible, because I felt badly about calling to remind people. (Like I was insulting their intelligence or something.... I thought that if they signed up for a date, obviously they would take a meal on that day!) Our church usually offers to bring meals M/W/F for a month after a new baby, so by the end of the month, people were forgetting and my poor friend was left scrambling for food at the last moment.

The next time I planned meals for a friend, I used Care Calendar (very similar to the other meal-planning websites mentioned) and it worked beautifully! The calendar was filled up almost by the end of the first week and I could tell that my friend was getting a delicious variety of food. Being able to see what everyone else is bringing is probably my second favorite thing about these online meal organizers :)

Here are some of my favorite recipes for taking to new Moms. I've also included some muffin and breakfast bread recipes because it is always nice to take that along with a dinner so they can have something easy for breakfast! Feel free to leave comments about some of your favorite recipes for taking to friends -- I love to try out new recipes!!!

Freezer friendly options:
Lasagna
Mannicotti
Cheesy Chicken Strips
Chicken Cordon Blue
Harvest Loaf
Zucchini Bread

Other Favorites to share with friends:
Poppyseed Chicken
Potato Soup
Pizza with Home-made crust
Ham Biscuits
Hawaiian Chicken Pile Up
Cranberry Chicken
Chicken Divane
Chicken Parmesan
Baked Ziti
Oatmeal Cranberry Muffins
Healthy Breakfast "cake"
Chocolate Breakfast Cake
Pumpkin Muffins

Three great recipes for families with new babies

Below are links to three of my favorite meals to take to families who need meals (often it is new babies, but sometimes it is surgery/illness/death in the family as well). Each of these can be frozen in advance, which is also a great benefit to both the family preparing (you can double a recipe and freeze half) and the family receiving (they can freeze the meal and save it for later). Please forgive my laziness in not typing out each of these recipes--I thought the links would easier.
Creamy Slow Cooker Chicken *The Finn family just calls this Chicken Yum Yum, and everyone loves it. It is not a one dish meal, but you can prepare the chicken ahead and easily make rice and veggies for a side.
Pronto-Stuffed Shells *This recipe makes two 8x8 pans of stuffed shells, so it is perfect of freezing half for a small family.
Baked Ziti *My baked ziti recipe can feed a large family, or be divided in half for two small families. And like most Italian meals, it tastes even better as leftovers!

What are some of your 'go-to' meals for friends in need? Please share in the comments.

DeLong Dinners

Krista asked me to share my monthly meal options with you, so here it is:

For breakfast, we usually have some kind of eggs and fruit and often some kind of grain (pancakes, waffles, toast, muffins, quinoa, oatmeal, etc.) I know you might think breakfast takes forever if I'm always cooking eggs, but it really only takes a minute to fry or scramble some eggs. And they are just so good for us! Eggs contain every nutrient your body needs except Vitamin C! Needless to say, my little family goes through 3 dozen eggs a week :) We have recently started grinding our own grain so I've been trying to make it all from scratch since its so much healthier. But I always make extra pancakes, waffles, muffins, etc, and freeze them so I really only cook such things once or twice a week. We do not usually does not eat store-bought cereal for breakfast because its processed and not really that good for us. Instead, I make my own cereal and granola to have on hand for quick breakfasts. HERE is a list of our favorite breakfasts.

I don't plan lunches because we usually just eat leftovers or a simple sandwich. We LOVE coconut oil and it is sooooo incredibly good for us! We use it instead of mayonnaise or Ranch or other spreads on our sandwiches. It is sweet, so I've found that we no longer even need jam with our peanut butter sandwiches or syrup on our pancakes. And it makes the best greasy, healthy grilled cheese sandwich ever :)

Snacks are pretty consistent. We usually has plain, unsweetened, home-made yogurt or unsweetened applesauce with homemade granola, or we eat some fruit and cheese and almonds or pecans. And I make healthy homemade butter crackers and graham crackers that my girls ask for throughout the day when they want to munch. I'm still working on getting my husband to give up his chips and Kudos bars for snacks, but he's slowly giving in to more healthy snacks :) HERE is a list of some of our favorite snacks.

I plan my weekly dinners from an excel spreadsheet that I've made of all our favorite meals. We have over 70 options so that I'm not making the same thing in the same month. However, I usually double the recipe whenever possible and freeze a meal for a busy day, so my family definitely receives some repetition. I also LOVE to try new recipes, so I deviate from my list every so often. But its worth it, because I'm constantly finding new favorites. My goal is to have the following each week: two dinners from the freezer that I made previously, two simple, healthy meals with fresh ingredients, try out one new recipe, CORN night (clean out the refrigerator night) and cook at least one recipe that doubles and freezes well to keep my freezer stocked. Some weeks I manage this and some weeks are crazy :) I have an ongoing list on my fridge that shows what meals I have already made in the freezer so that I don't forget about them. I also have an ongoing word document on my laptop filled with recipes that I want to try. When I am planning my menu for the week, I have all three of my lists before me so its quite simple to make a plan. HERE is a list of my recipes that freeze well.

Some of these meals are more expensive than others, so we definitely don't have them as often as the others. Not all of these meals are super healthy, but I am trying to gradually change them to use more whole foods and natural ingredients. This has been a gradual process for me due to lack of funds and time and not all of these meals have been converted to the healthy version yet :) We do try to have fruit with every meal and veggies at least at dinner.

Meg's Dinner Options
Baked Spaghetti
Baked Turkey and Gravy
Baked Ziti
Barbeque Chicken (on rice/Sand/or w/ bacon and cheese)
BarBQ beef cups
Beef Tenderloin (only on special occasions :)
Beefaroni
Bierocks
Breakfast Casserole
Brian's Chicken Casserole
Broccoli Chowder with Monte Cristo Sandwiches
Burgers
Cheesy Chicken Nuggets
Chicken Alfredo
Chicken Canelloni
Chicken Cordon Blue
Chicken Cordon Blue Casserole
Chicken Divane Soup
Chicken Parmesan
Chicken Salad
Chicken Mexican Crockpot Dinner
Chicken Taquitos
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Chicken Divane
Chicken-Apple-Cheese Bake
Chili -- over spaghetti, chips, or potatoes
Corn Chowder with grilled ham and cheese sand.
Cranberry Chicken
Creamy Chicken Spinach Pasta
Crockpot Roast with veggies
Enchiladas (Thanks, Leah!!)
Grilled Chicken Salad with strawberries/grapes/almonds/whatever in fridge :)
Fried Tacos
Feta Salmon
Grilled Cheese (The Best Ever!)
Ham Biscuits
Hawaiian Chicken Pile Up
Homemade Pizza
Italian Chicken with cream sauce
Italian Cream Cheese Chicken Casserole
Lasagna
Lime Chicken Tacos
Mandarin Chicken Salad
Mango Salsa Crockpot Chicken
Manicotti
Meatballs (barbq, Sweetn-Sour, or Swedish over rice/quinoa
Meatball Subs
Meatloaf
Pizza with Home-made crust
Pizza Pasta
Pesto Chicken
Poppyseed Chicken
Potato Soup and grilled cheese
Pumpkin Chili
Pumpkin Soup and turkey, apple, cheese panini
Quesadillas -- taco, pizza, chicken-bacon-ranch, turkey and cheese, etc
Quinoa, Beans, and chicken
Sausage-Tomato Cream Pasta
Salmon Pesto Pasta
Salmon Cream Pasta
Sloppy Joes
Stirfry w/ onions, peppers, and other veggies-- chicken or beef
Spaghetti Squash Casserole
Smothered Cheesy Roasted Club Sandwich
Stromboli
Stuffed Mexican Peppers
Sweet Chicken Tacos or over quinoa or rice
Taco Bake
Taco Salad
Taco Soup

Hollie's favs

The following recipe was an all-time favorite growing up in our home. And it still is! We LOVE this dish and my husband raves over it every time I make it.

Pinwheel Chicken:

• 2-3 Tbsp parsley (if you're using fresh, use more and chop very fine)
• 1 stick butter
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 cup bread crumbs (make them if you can)
• 1/3- 1/2 Parmesan cheese (preferably fresh)
• 1 lb of chicken tenders (or chicken breasts cut into strips)
• paprika
• 1 lemon or lime

1. Melt stick of butter completely in bowl
2.) Mix together dry ingredients in large bowl: bread crumbs, salt, pepper, parsley Parmesan cheese
3.) Make an assembly line in this order: raw chicken, melted butter, dry mixture, greased Pyrex or oven-safe pottery
4.) Designating your left hand for butter dipping, dip chicken strip into butter and drop into crumb mixture. With right hand only, fully cover the chicken by tossing around and roll it up like a pinwheel or a snail into the dish. It might take some time rolling it with one hand, but with a little practice, you'll be a pro. *By designating one hand for butter dipping and the other hand for dry ingredients, you eliminate a lot of moisture and clumps in your dry mixture; thus making it go farther.
5.) Continue placing each pinwheel into your Pyrex, touching one to the other, so keep them tightly rolled.
6.) Sprinkle lightly with paprika all over to add a little kick and color. Adds great flavor!
7.) Squeeze lemon all over the pinwheels (This is the secret ingredient and a MUST to this dish.)
8.) Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

*Check on them at 25 minutes, depending on your oven. The key here is not to dry them out/over bake them since they are very thin strips. Chicken should reach a temperature of no higher than 170 degrees, although some prefer 160 degrees to retain moisture. I prefer 160 degrees.


Crock Pot Italian Chicken:
6 skinless, boneless chicken halves
8 oz Italian salad dressing (preferably homemade dressing to avoid preservatives)
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup (haven't tried to make this, but I guess I could)
1 cup chicken broth (follow Krista's recipe for making healthy homemade broth)
8 oz cream cheese (room-temperature)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste


1.) In a slow cooker, combine the chicken breasts and Italian-style dressing.
2.) Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. (Mine crock pot cooks it in six hours)
3.) Drain off juices and shred chicken meat with two forks.
4.) In medium bowl, mix cream of chicken soup, broth, diced cream cheese, basil, thyme salt, & pepper.
5.) Pour mixture over chicken in slow cooker.
6.)Continue cooking on low for one hour (in order to melt cream cheese and mix thoroughly). Stir well.

*Pour over a bed of brown rice or egg noodles, green beans, spinach salad and of course, good o'l southern sweet tea (sweetened with agave nectar, 100% pure/natural maple syrup, or stevia powder.)


One-Crust Pie (9-inch)

I just made my first few pie crusts with coconut oil instead of Crisco. Coconut oil is so incredibly healthy for you. It's the healthy saturated fat your body NEEDS. You could use this for chicken pot pie or for a sweet, chocolaty pie.

1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour (you could make flour from pastry grain if you have a mill)
1/2 teaspoon salt (preferably sea salt)
1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp coconut oil (instead of shortening)
2 to 3 tablespoons cold water

1. Mix flour in medium bowl. Cut in coconut oil, using pastry blender or crisscrossing 2 knives, until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 Tbsp at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost leaves side of bowl.

2. Gather pastry into a ball. Shape into flattened round on lightly floured surface.

3. Roll pastry on lightly floured surface, using floured rolling pin, into circle 2 inches larger than upside-down pie plate, 9 x 1 1/4 inches. Fold pastry into fourths and place in pie plate; or roll pastry loosely around rolling pin and transfer to pie plate. Unfold or unroll pastry and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side and being careful not to stretch pastry, which will cause it to shrink when baked.

4.) For pies baked with a filling; fold pastry over pie plate and flute edges. Bake as directed in recipe.

5.) For pies baked completely before filling is added, such as coconut cream or lemon meringue pie, heat oven to 475. Prick bottom and side of pastry thoroughly with fork.

6.) Carefully line edge pastry with a foil ring until 15 minutes before you remove the pie from the oven.

No preservatives! No Trans fats! No hydrogenated oils! And to top that, the oil that is in the crust is a healthy, MUCH NEEDED oil! What more could you ask for?

Meal Ideas and Other Random Tips

Here are a few of our favorite meals! Most of these are very adaptable and I've been known to alter ingredients based on what we have on hand. I included some notes in red about changes I make.

Southwest Chicken Soup

6 cups of chicken broth

1 can black beans

1 can pinto beans

1 can Fiesta corn (or I use frozen corn and some chopped peppers)

2 cans Rotel tomatoes

2 6oz packages of Louis Rick Southwest grilled chicken breast strips (these are pretty pricey, so I use my own chicken breast and season it with some cajun and chili powder and cook it on the stove with some olive oil. You can also use any leftover chicken really...then you would just add the seasonings to the soup.)

1/2 cup uncooked rice (or 1 cup if you use minute rice)

fresh chopped cilantro (sometimes I leave this out if I don't have it)

Combine all ingredients in large pot (or crock pot!). Heat until rice is cooked, about 20-30 minutes. You can serve with crush corn chips or cheese! I usually just serve with cheese toast as we don't usually have corn chips!

Turkey Burritos

1lb ground turkey

1/2 cup chopped onions (did you know you can buy these in the frozen foods section?)

14.5 oz diced tomatoes (one can)

16 oz refried beans with green chiles

2.25 oz sliced olives, drained

1 packet taco seasoning (I use cajun and chili powders here too)

1/4 cup frozen corn

1/4 uncooked instant rice (minute rice)

flour tortillas (about 12)

Brown meat and onions in large saucepan, drain. Add next six ingredients and bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Return to a boil and add rice. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve with burrito sized tortillas.

Other Random Tips...

• Since several have mentioned oatmeal or steel oats, I thought I'd add that we like to add frozen berries to our oatmeal. (We buy plain oatmeal - haven't done steel oats yet. Although Will likes Irish Oatmeal too...any idea on the health content of Irish Oatmeal?) It's great because it helps to cool the oatmeal more quickly and my son loves to eat them. You can either buy the frozen bags of fruit (this is what I do out of season) or freeze some fresh.


• This may be a DUH for some, but is new to me! Since I've started milling our wheat for flour and trying it in recipes, I often find things too dry. Anytime a batter is too dry looking (which I've found to be common with the whole wheat flour) - I just add some applesauce. I know you can use it to replace oil, but this is in addition to the ingredients. It improved my muffins dramatically! I made strawberry muffins with the recipe from the Breadbecker's recipe collection. Just an easy quick fix I found.


• I'd also like to add a big AMEN to the idea of meal planning ALL meals (breakfast and lunch included!). This is so helpful and keeping the list for all to see on the refrigerator is even better. I also keep a running list of complete meals we have and not just what is on the schedule for that week. (So I don't forget what is in the freezer!)


• I also love to make a double batch of waffles or pancakes (usually on Saturday) morning and freeze the leftovers. Put the waffles in the toaster and pancakes in the microwave to reheat for the week! In lieu of syrup, we use honey and sometimes frozen or fresh fruit (berries usually). We love berries around our house, can ya tell??

Thanks everyone! Hope you all are having a great week!

Four Easy Freezer Meals from Leah

These meals are great to make one day when you have a little extra time. Just throw them in the freezer and then bring them down to thaw in your fridge when you're ready to cook them. I also like to give these meals to new parents - I split the recipe into 2 8x8 pans instead of 1 9x13 - I cook one and bring for them to eat right away, then leave the other uncooked for them to freeze for a later date.

Lasagna
1 box Barilla brand No Boil Lasagna Noodles
1 Egg
1 16 oz. container Ricotta Cheese
4 C. Mozzarella Cheese
½ C. Parmesan Cheese
1 pound Spicy Ground Sausage (or Beef)
2 jars Barilla brand Marinara Sauce

*Follow the directions on the lasagna noodle box. If you have a small family (like me), split the lasagna into two 8x8 pans so you can use them separately.

Crescent Chicken Casserole
3 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
1 T. Butter, softened
1 large can Chopped Chicken (or 2 C. cooked chicken breast, chopped)
1 T. Minced Onion
1/4 t. Salt
1/8 t. Pepper
2 T. Milk
1 (8 ounce) package Refrigerated Crescent Rolls
1 T. butter, melted
½ C. Seasoned Bread Crumbs

In a small bowl, combine Cream Cheese and Butter. Add Chicken, Onion, Salt, Pepper and Milk. Lay down 4 of the Crescent Rolls, flat, in greased 8x8 pan. Spoon mixture evenly over rolls. Top with remaining four Rolls, flat. Drizzle Melted Butter over top, then sprinkle with Bread Crumbs. Bake in a 350º oven for 25-30 minutes, thawed.

Chicken Enchiladas
1 large can Chopped Chicken (or 2 C. cooked chicken breast, chopped)
1 can Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
½ C. Sour Cream
1 8 oz. pkg. Shredded Cheese (I prefer Mexican, but whatever you like)
6 10”-12” Tortillas
1 ½ C. Salsa

Mix Chicken, Soup, Sour Cream, and 1 cup of Cheese until well blended. Mentally divide the mixture into 6 parts. Scoop into center of each Tortilla; roll up. Place, seam side down, in greased 9x13-inch baking dish. Top with the Salsa and remaining Cheese. Bake in a 350º oven for 25-30 minutes, thawed.

Individual Meatloaves
Meatloaves:
1 Egg
2 pounds Ground Beef
¾ C. Ketchup
1 C. Italian Style Bread Crumbs
2 T. Parsley
2 T. Minced Onion
1 t. Ground Mustard
½ t. Seasoning Salt
Topping:
½ t. Basil
½ t. Oregano
¼ C. Ketchup

Combine ingredients for Meatloaves. Shape into 8 small loaves and place in a greased 9x13 pan. Combine ingredients for Topping and spoon over loaves. Bake in a 375º oven for 35 minutes, thawed.

Meals for a Day

Cooking healthy meals does not have to be more work, but it does take planning. Here's a menu and recipes for a typical day in our house.

Breakfast: Oatmeal, poached eggs, and fresh juice

Lunch: Lentil Soup and Garden Salad (add things like sprouts and herbs for added nutrition!) (For Lydia, I chop up the veggies like cucumbers and tomatoes and give her these with some cheese, along with some soup)

Snack: Apple slices dipped in Tahina (Sesame Seed paste)

Dinner: Norwegian Meatballs with brown rice and steamed brocolli

Oatmeal

1 c. oats, rolled or cracked

1 c. warm water plus 2 T. whey*

1 c. water

For hightest benefits and best assimilation, oatmeal should be soaked overnight. Once soaked, oatmeal takes less than 5 minutes to cook - truly a fast food. Soak oats in 1 c. water and whey overnight. In morning, bring an additional cup of water to boil with oatmeal and simmer a couple minutes. Serve with fresh ground flax seed, butter, raw honey, cinnamon, real maple syrup, etc.

*Whey: Line a strainer with a coffee filter and place over bowl. Pour in whole milk plain yogurt, cover, and let stand at room temperature for several hours or overnight. The whey will run into the bowl and the milk solids will stay in the strainer. Store whey in a mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 6 months. The milk solids - known as "labna" in the Middle East - is very healthy and can be substituted for sour cream in recipes, used in dips, etc. We like to add seasonings to it and eat it with veggie sticks.

Lentil Soup

2 c. lentils - soaked in water and 2 T. whey for 7 hours; drain and rinse

chicken stock*

1 tomato

1 potato

1 carrot

1 onion

8 (or more!) pieces garlic

1 t. cumin

salt and pepper

lemon

Cover lentils and veggies (all coarsely chopped) with water or stock and bring to a boil. The lentils will produce a lot of foam so be sure to skim this off. Reduce heat and simmer about an hour. Puree soup with handheld blender. Thin with water to desired consistency. Reheat slightly and add pressed garlic and seasonings to taste.

*Chicken Stock: Take whole chicken (or bones) and feet if you have them. Cover with water and 2 T. vinegar. Add 1 large onion, 2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped, and 3 celery sticks, coarsely chopped. Let stand 30 minutes to 1 hour. Bring to a boil, and remove the scum that rises to the top. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 6-24 hours. The longer you cook the stock, the richer and more flavorful it will be. About 10 minutes before finishing the stock, add parsley. This will impart additional mineral ions to broth.

(I always keep beef and chicken stock on hand in the freezer. After making, I let it cool completely and freeze in Tupperware containers so I can defrost what I need for recipes. )

Norwegian Meatballs

1 lb hamburger meat

2 T. flour

2 T. chopped onion

1 egg

1/2 t. salt

1/8 t. pepper

Mix ingredients and make into meatballs. Brown meatballs in 2 T. butter. Remove from pan. Add 2 T. flour to 3-4 T. of drippings, after meatballs are removed. Add 1 1/4 c. beef broth (make like chicken stock only with beef bones; when making beef stock you can simmer it from 12 to 72 hours). Bring to boil. Add meatballs. Simmer 1 1/2 hours. Serve over brown rice.

Brown Rice

2 c. long-grain brown rice

2 T. butter

3 cardamom pods (seeds only)

4 c. chicken stock or water (or combination)

1/2 t. sea salt

Bring water (or stock), butter, cardamom, and salt to a boil. Add rice. Reduce flame to lowest heat, cover tightly and cook for at least 1 1/2 hours or as long as 3 hours. Do not remove lid during cooking. (This long, slow steaming neutralizes the phytic acid and allows for proper digestion.)

Gettin' Your Taste Buds Hoppin'

The POH moms hope to get your taste buds hopping this week with some of our favorite recipes! This is my week to kick-start the topic! I couldn't decide which recipes to share because there are many things that I used to cook in the states that I am unable to cook in Egypt. Cooking has become quite adventuresome since moving here! For a good laugh you can check out the "Rachael Ray of Egypt" on our personal family blog www.thedunavants.blogspot.com
Anyway, I decided to post two recipes...one that I can't do here that is SUPER easy and one that I can do here that is SUPER easy! I love these two because I don't ever have to get out my cookbook to remember them! LOL!

Ice-Cream Sandwich Layer Dessert

2 boxes of ice cream sandwiches
1 large cool whip
chocolate topping
caramel topping
1 Heath bar (frozen ahead of time)

Take ice cream sandwiches from freezer about 10 minutes before preparing dessert. Line bottom of 9 X 13 pan with ice cream sandwiches and press them down to half of their size with your hands. Add a layer of cool whip on top of sandwiches. Drizzle chocolate and caramel sauce over cool whip. Repeat sandwiches, cool whip and sauces. Break up Heath bar in package (hammer is good) and sprinkle on top of dessert. Cover and freeze for several hours. This recipe turns out beautiful when you cut it into pieces. It looks like you spent hours on it!:) My tummy is craving this dessert because I can't have it here...no ice cream sandwiches!! They just don't know what they are missing here! :)


Mexican Casserole

1 lb. ground beef
1 can rotel (or dice up fresh tomatoes, chilies and seasonings)
8 oz grated cheddar cheese
1 can cream of mushroom
1 bag of cheese doritoes..you will only need about 1/2 of the bag.

Brown ground beef and drain. Put back in skillet and add rotel, cheese, and cream of mushroom. Stir together until hot and well blended. Take several hand fulls of doritoes and crunch them together with your hands and then add to skillet. Stir together until doritoes become soft. I serve this with green beans, corn and french bread or my kids love the remaining doritoes on the side.