February 20-26th, 2011

Planned and actual may be different but we eat!

Sunday-  Waffles (pulled from the freezer) with fruit and spinach smoothies
Monday-Tortellini with veggies and rosemary bread
Tuesday- Tuna casserole with veggies
Wednesday- Apple puff pancake
Thursday- Potato Skins with salad
Friday-Calzones or pizza
Saturday- Tacos (soft with lots of veggies)

Yea, food!  I better get making dinner!

Granola

First we have far too few pictures on this blog!  I don't take good food pictures but we're all friends here and you won't judge me for the messy kitchen etc that you may see!

So I've been on a homemade granola kick for a while now.  I wanted to make some that was more affordable and without the preservatives and additives.  And NO corn syrup in the granola bars.  Yeah.  I have been collecting recipes and finally bit the bullet and have been experimenting for the past month.  I'm not actually sure of the cost.  I don't know that it's less, in fact it might be more but that's okay because they taste awesome!!!

This is the granola.  The recipe is from 3191.visualblogging.com.  They loosely based it on How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman.  It calls for brown rice syrup which kept me away for along time but I bought some (about $7/20 oz.)  Kind of tastes like, well not much.  It is a little sweet and very mild.  I added 1/2 cup honey to 1/4 cup brown rice syrup and the sweetness is just right for me.  I also added cinnamon and ginger and that is tasty.  I would love to add candied ginger but the kids protest! This recipe makes about three quarts.   Scott added Craisins to his morning bowl of granola.  We also like it in yogurt with homemade raspberry sauce.

 

Granola bars up next.  The recipe does call for dried fruit and not chocolate!  But....I added about 1/4 cup of dark chocolate chips which melted and turned into chocolaty goodness.  Yum.  I also bake it at 325 instead of 350 and I used a 7'x11" pan for thinner bars.  Thank you Alton Brown for another fabulous recipe.

What else?  Have fun and experiment!

Granola Bars

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2005

Prep Time: 20 min

Inactive Prep Time: --

Cook Time: 40 min

Level: Easy

Serves: 16 (2-inch) squares

Ingredients

• 8 ounces old-fashioned rolled oats, approximately 2 cups

• 1 1/2 ounces raw sunflower seeds, approximately 1/2 cup

• 3 ounces sliced almonds, approximately 1 cup

• 1 1/2 ounces wheat germ, approximately 1/2 cup

• 6 ounces honey, approximately 1/2 cup

• 1 3/4 ounces dark brown sugar, approximately 1/4 cup packed

• 1-ounce unsalted butter, plus extra for pan

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 6 1/2 ounces chopped dried fruit, any combination of apricots, cherries or blueberries

Directions

Butter a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread the oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, and wheat germ onto a half-sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, extract and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.

Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. Immediately add the oat mixture to the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit, and stir to combine. Turn mixture out into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Stand-by Family Granola

inspired by/adapted from Crunchy Granola in How to Cook Everything

This recipe is super loosey-goosey with lots of options. You're making granola, people, so embrace your inner hippy and just go with the flow. Also, it makes a lot. It's easy to halve it.

6 cups rolled oats

2 cups mixed nuts and seeds (That batch above has sliced almonds and hazelnuts. Sesame seeds are great. I usually throw in some ground flax too.)

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (Coconut hater? Leave it out. We love it at our house)

1 teaspoon cinnamon (You could also use ground ginger, or a combination of the two)

1/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup brown rice syrup (I've also used maple syrup or honey—we like the rice syrup best. You could also omit the sugar and use one full cup of the unrefined stuff.)

Dash Kosher salt (I use a couple dashes, but I like salty with my sweet)

 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Place a baking pan (at least 9 x13—I actually use our big roasting pan) over medium heat on the stove top. Add the oats and toast, stirring for a few minutes. Add the coconut, nuts and seeds and spices and continue to toast for a few minutes more until everything begins to brown and become fragrant.

Warm the brown sugar and rice syrup in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Pour over oats mixture and stir to thoroughly combine. Sprinkle with salt.

Bake for approximately 20 minutes (it depends on the size of the granola batch and the size of the pan). Check every 5-10 minutes or so and give it a good stir. Allow to cool and store in an air-tight jar.

Enjoy!

—Stephanie

10 April 2010

3191.visualblogging.com

The plan for the week

I think the best part of this is that I actually take the time to think ahead, even if I don't always follow the plan. We have kind of a crazy week this week, my husband has YM Th, F, & S so I it has to be quick and easy so we can get him out the door. I also am going to try some new recipes from Eating Well, a healthy website that some friends introduced me to by bringing recipes to a USU get together last Friday.  I completely fell in love with the food so I am heading over there for more inspiration.   This is the plan.

M -Chilaquiles Casserole
T - Baked Potatoes (sweet & Regular) and chicken
W - Spaghetti & Meatballs
Th - Skillet Tuna Casserole
F - Leftovers
S - Personal pizzas (mine will be smoky corn & black bean pizza from eating well that was brought last week.  I can't stop thinking about how yummy it was)

2 Weeks down and 2 to go

Just another simple week where my main goal is to keep the kids fed and happy with the least amount of complaining...because it's just me right now.
M--fish and rice
Tues--spaghetti
Wed--teriyaki chicken
Th--barley and sausage dish (I'm combining 2 similar recipes...I'll let you know how it goes)
Fri--homemade pizza
Sat--black beans and rice

Eames Meals

This is what I am planning:

M-Vegetable Soup and Bread
T - Cream Cheese Pasta Bake with salad
W - Crockpot BBQ Chicken with Potato Logs and veggies
T - Gunge (rice, Ground turkey, and peas mixed together. serve with soy sauce, kids love it)
F - Tacos
S - Date Night

Rice Pilaf

I haven't made this recipe for years, and I forgot how easy it is and how delicious it is!

1/2 c chopped onion
1/2 c sliced fresh mushrooms (I used canned)
1/4 c chopped celery or green onion (I use celery)
1 clove minced garlic
1 Tbsp butter or margarine
3/4 c long grain rice
1 1/2 tsp chicken or beef bouillon granules (I use chicken)
1/8 tsp pepper
2 slices bacon, crisp-cooked, drained and crumbled

In a saucepan cook onion, mushrooms. celery or green pepper, and garlic in margarine or butter till tender but not brown. Stir in rice, bouillon, pepper and 1 1/2 c water. Bring to boiling then reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or till rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Stir in crumbled bacon & serve. Makes about 4 servings.

My husband can't eat rice, so I pulled out some of the vegetables and mixed up a separate pan with quinoa for him. I used 1/3 c quinoa, 2/3 c water and about 1/2 t bouillon in his. He said that it was almost as good as the rice!

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

I saw this recipe on a local daytime show the other day and knew that I had to try it.

It was amazing. It was SO easy, it made the house smell amazing, and it tasted wonderful.

If I made it again though, I would use the tomatoes that I bottle myself, and I would blend up the tomatoes so that my family will eat them with a little less complaining.

Enjoy!

Eames Meals

Last week I found this recipe for Fajita nachos that I really wanted to make.

 

Don't they look yummy!!

Anyway, since finding the recipe I am consumed with making them, but haven't been able to (forget to marinate for 24 hours, we are going to someone else's house for dinner, company is coming and I am not trying a new recipe on company and I don't have enough steak for more than our family, Brandon will be gone, etc.) so most of my recipe planning since finding the recipe has been coming up with something ELSE to eat.  Tonight, we are feeding the missionaries and Brandon will be gone tomorrow.  As such this is the current plan.

M - Leftover Veg Soup

T - Personal Pizzas (now to make the crusts for tonight- FYI - this is the best Gluten Free method for homemade pizza)

 W - Sandwiches and veggies
H - FAJITA NACHOS!!!!
F - Date Night
S - Tacos

I'm still alive

I really have been planning meals and being pretty good at sticking to it. It's just when I'm able to do a blog post, my list is down in the kitchen, it's late at night and I'm up in the bedroom...so it doesn't make it to the computer.
Phil left today for India and coincidently I've taken two of those international cooking classes on Indian food in the past two weeks. Very yummy. I like the chef that does the Indian ones the best. It's like cooking in your grandma's kitchen, only with completely different foods. The Chinese mother daughter pair was like a show. The Thai chef just liked to display her knowledge. But the Indian lady shared her knowledge, had you working with your hands, not just watching and then showed you if you were doing something wrong. I've learned how to make rice a different way, make a flat tortilla like bread but out of chick pea flour (Natalie you should check that stuff out) and lentil flour and learned how to make some very yummy not leaf salads. All good stuff I hope to share (when I'm down in the kitchen).
As for the menu, Phil's gone, the kids don't care, or maybe it's care too much so I make it easy on myself.
M-dinner at Costco (both Ethan and Jakob had glasses waiting--why can't good eyesite be the dominate trait????)
T-fish sticks
W-Teryaki chicken and rice
Th-baked potatoes
Fr-spaghetti
Sat-leftovers or fried noodles

The month

So I said in my last post that I had the whole quarter planned.  Well the idea is that you plan one month worth of meals and then start again at the first of each month.  It is working somewhat. I will say that sometimes we don't feel like what is planned or I just blow off cooking because it is so much work.  As much as I love cooking, I don't want to do it all day every day.  I've found that my fridge is really full and one night off and leftovers is a good plan.  I should also say that in our house "veggies" usually consist of variations with these: broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, zucchini, green beans (frozen).

I did make some awesome (if I do say so myself) Chinese food for the Chinese New Year last week.  We had:
Sweet and Sour chicken (diced chicken breast)
Rice
Vegetable Stir-fry featuring baby Bok Choy and bean sprouts
Egg Rolls (store bought)
We devoured all of it.  None of it was on the menu.  I will thank MLA for the idea and even though it wasn't served until 7pm (I was having a bad day) we had fun.  The table was decorated with Chinese lanterns that we had made earlier in the day.

Here is the whole Month because I don't seem to be able to blog ever!  The days are loosely based on themes (Sun-Sat as follows: Easy, New recipe or beans, Pasta, Eggs, Potato or soup, Quick, Rice)

Week 1:
Sunday--Chicken Noodle Soup
Monday--Chili with corn bread
Tuesday--Spaghetti
Wednesday--Eggs and Toast
Thursday--Falafel and Chicken Kebabs (this my not happen again but it was REALLY tasty)
Friday--Waffles
Saturday--Stir-fry

Week 2:
Sunday--Shepperds pie
Monday--
Tuesday--Pesto pasta
Wednesday--Frittata with toast and fruit
Thursday--Burritos (really more like tacos)
Friday--Left overs
Saturday--Pizza (made a rocking bbq pizza again with homemade sauce.  YUM)

Week 3:
Sunday--Lasagna with salad or veggies
Monday--Wild Rice Soup
Tuesday--Stroganoff with veggies (made with ground beef and lots of mushrooms, if I have them)
Wednesday--Omelets with fruit or smoothies and toast
Thursday--Baked potatoes and veggies
Friday--Mac and Cheese with veggies
Saturday--Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

Week 4:
Sunday--Three potato soup (Did I post this yet?  I'll get to it!)
Monday--
Tuesday--Tuna Casserole
Wednesday--Apple Puff Pancakes (german pancakes with apples in the bottom)
Thursday--Potato skins with salad and bread (recipe from BH&G)
Friday--Calzone (I have yet to make this.  I can't get the dough to work, but I got a pizza peal for Christmas so I'll try again.)
Saturday--Tacos

Week 5:
Sunday--Honey butter Chicken (I haven't made it yet but it looks really tasty)
Monday--Potato corn chowder
Tuesday--Salmon alfredo (though last month I just broiled the salmon with honey and lemon and garlic and oil then served it with rice and veggies)
Wednesday--Pancakes
Thursday--Noodles and sauce
Friday--
Saturday--Tortilla Pie with rice

Good eating.  The menu will change in April or with the seasons.  We have made several things not listed like the chinese dinner.  It would be fun to plan holiday meals to change it up or based on what is on sale.  I usually now have everything on hand to make what is on the menu for the week.

Nagel's Ideas

It's been a while, I know. It seems I can only do so many things in my day and blogging my menu has dropped down on my priority list as of late. BUT I've got my google calendar pulled up right now and I need some serious help filling in the days. (I have to laugh though because when I looked at the recent posts I see you all are eating the same things we're eating. *sigh* It's like we're all living parallel lives in different cities.)

Here's what we have going. Not very exciting. Not in any particular order.

1. Creamed Tuna

2. Jambalaya

3. Pizza

4. Burritos

5. Chicken Enchiladas

This Week's Meals

S - Chicken Enchiladas
M - leftovers
T - out
W - biscuits w sausage gravy & fried eggs
Th - Stroganoff
F - Sloppy Joes
S - Fettucini w pesto alfredo sauce & chicken