Carrot Cheese Crackers

Oh my goodness has it been a long time since I blogged! My computer was having some crazy issues and then I just got more and more behind. I am missing so many recipes I have made in the past few months and sadly, I will not be able to blog about them. When I don't blog a recipe shortly after making it, I forget all my specifications and notes to myself. How sad!

Well, today I made some crackers. They're supposed to be comparable to Cheez-Its and I think they are close enough. My husband said they taste like "under-cooked noodles, but that's a good thing! I liked them!" so...who knows.

I found the recipe here but I didn't exactly follow it.

For the carrots, a long time ago I had tried to make a carrot puree for my toddlers to enjoy in a pouch that was much too watery and chunky to be considered a puree. I froze it all in ice cube trays anyway and have been using it up slowly in sauces, burgers, casseroles, etc. I thawed about 15 ice cubes worth for the carrot part of these crackers.

So I put my carrot stuff in a bowl, added 2 eggs, and a big handful of cheese (and then my toddler added a handful of cheese--just for good measure!) and stirred it all up. I didn't use a mixer or food processor at all. I added the flour (I used white, not whole wheat) 1/4 cup at a time. The last 1/4 cup I should've added the whole thing but for some reason I thought my dough was thick enough. It was so sticky though so I had a really hard time getting cracker shapes out of a lot of it. So I made about 40 crackers and then a big pile of mush.

I would definitely make these again. Both of my toddlers loved them (even after knowing there were carrots in there!). Next time, I'll try not to forget to sprinkle on salt before they go in the oven but it actually wasn't as big of a deal as I thought it was going to be. Now I have a better use for my weird carrot ice cubes!

Kielbasa, Potato, Green Bean Dinner

At Ruby's Pantry this past month, we were given a 24 serving can of green beans. The can is one of those ones you find in the bulk aisle at Walmart. It's crazy big. We were also given a few purple potatoes and beef broth.

Tonight, I decided to combine 1 pound of kielbasa (not from Ruby's), about 1/4 of the can of beans, a couple handfuls of the purple potatoes, and 2 ish cups of beef broth in a slow cooker. I put it on low for 8 hours and it turned out wonderful, if not a little salty. (The beans were even reduced sodium but that is still a lot of sodium for a dinner!)

We were all surprised that the purple potatoes turned yellow-ish brown, like a regular potato!

I love slow cooker dinners, especially on busy nights. Dinner is already ready for you! There is little prep work to this one so it was even do-able with little kids. When I explained to my two and a half year old at breakfast time that I needed to make dinner, she looked at me like I was nuts and called me silly. But she gladly helped anyway. I don't know that she's actively seen me use the slow cooker before though because she thought it was going to be loud (like a blender) and was really confused when it wasn't! Several times throughout the day, she asked me if it was time to eat yet--probably because slow cookers make the house smell so good!

I will definitely be making this again. I would somehow find a way to reduce the salt and maybe I'd add an onion but it really doesn't need much in terms of seasonings without being bland! This dinner was easy and awesome!

Sweet Potato BBQ Chicken Pizza

I'm behind in my blogging (again) so I actually made this pizza a few weeks ago. We were nervous how it would turn out because it sounded healthy (ha!) and nobody but me really likes sweet potatoes.

I did take the crust out of the oven a couple minutes early because it was browning and I didn't want it to burn.

I also cooked the spinach (when I cooked the onions) because it had previously been frozen and I wasn't sure how it would turn out. I don't know that it matters if it's cooked or uncooked, regardless of being frozen. I will also mention that I didn't measure the sauces. I simply each one out separately on the crust until it looked good. This could've been close to a half cup but it did leave a lot of tomato sauce in the jar so be ready to have spaghetti the next night!

This pizza turned out great! Being cheeseless, I'm not sure I would eat it because I was craving pizza and trying to be healthier but I would eat it again. It's just not a good replacement for the real thing. Even David liked it. My toddler hates sweet potatoes too so she wasn't impressed, but she did like the toppings.  My mom was in town and thought it was really good also!

I would definitely make it again!

Chocolate Tofu Pudding

At Ruby's, we were given 6 blocks of nigari tofu. I asked my vegan, tofu-loving sister what nigari is and she wasn't entirely sure but said that it is really soft and would be best used in desserts or miso soup. When I pinterested for ideas for silken tofu, I was given lots of recipes!

My current recipe refuses to link up but it's from yummyhealthyeasy.com. It's very simple and takes less than 5 minute to make (and that even includes gathering your ingredients!)

Ingredients:
1 block (14 oz) tofu (the site says firm but I used my nigari and it came out just fine. Next time, I would drain it a little first. Ours was frozen so I'm not sure if that made a difference or not)

1 cup chocolate chips, melted

1 tsp Truvia sweetener (I just happened to have this exact amount in a sample packet in my pantry!)

1/4 cup milk

splash of vanilla extract

dash of cinnamon

Put it all in a blender until smooth and you're done! This turns out so creamy and delicious! Be sure to put your leftovers (if they are any!) in the fridge.

You would never guess there's tofu in there. My toddler loved it and didn't even realize it wasn't her regular, from a box pudding!

Eggplant Lasagna Roll Ups

In the past, I have made lasagna roll ups with great results. I do a noodle outside with a ricotta cheese/spinach mixture on the inside. I had seen people do something similar with a zucchini outside (instead of the noodle). I have been intrigued to try this but it's not zucchini season yet so I did it with an eggplant!

I had pinterested about it and found a recipe (that for some reason refuses to open so I am unable to give credit) but I had to make some changes.

Ingredients:

• 1 large eggplant, cut length wise in slices (about 12 slices for 1 eggplant)
• about 1/2 cup sour cream
• about 1 cup ricotta cheese
• basil
• shredded parmesan cheese (I would've used mozzarella if I had it)
• pasta sauce of your choosing

Directions:

They talk about purging the eggplant. This is a process that gets rid of its bitter juices. I will probably not do this next time because I found my sink dry after doing it and even after rinsing, it make the eggplant really salty. If you are interested, you rub salt on your eggplant slices and let sit in a colander in the sink. Then rinse after about an hour. (Maybe I'm missing a step and that's why mine didn't work? I'm not sure).

Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add in as many eggplant slices that fit. Cook a couple minutes on each side, until browned. Repeat until all slices are cooked. 

Mix up the sour cream, ricotta cheese, basil, and some of the cheese in a bowl. Spread on each slice of eggplant and roll up. Put in a baking dish and cover with pasta sauce (I used about half a jar) and the remaining cheese. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes (just enough to heat everything through. The original recipe doesn't call for the oven at all. You wrap your eggplant with the cold cheese mixture and serve. Eww!). This also assures that your eggplant is cooked all the way.

This recipe was a HIT! I think David and I both rate this an 8+ out of 10! He says he would still prefer noodles but I almost don't notice a difference. The eggplant flavor is really mild and it cuts easily with your fork. With 3 roll ups a person, this serves about 4 people. Compared with a regular lasagna noodle and a serving of 3 roll ups, the eggplant saves you over 200 calories! Incredible! 

I love healthy recipes and substitutions that actually taste good! Now, this recipe is definitely not healthy but by swapping the noodles for eggplant, I believe it helps! 

Parmesan Ham Noodle Dinner

I tend to make noodle dishes on Mondays. I'm not entirely sure why that is but seeing as today is Monday, we had noodles! Tonight's was based very loosely on several recipes so I will post what I specifically did.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of cooked ham, cubed
• 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 package (4 oz) of button mushrooms, chopped
• 2 cups frozen peas, thawed
• oregano
• basil
• parsley
• garlic powder
• 2/3 of a 16 oz box of shell noodles, uncooked
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
• 2 cups milk
• 3 cups water
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup sour cream

Directions:

1. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in mushrooms, onions, and ham. Cook until the veggies are cooked. 

2. Add in seasonings and cook another minute.

3. Stir in milk, water, flour, and noodles. (You can use the entire box if it fits in your skillet but mine did not). Cook for 10 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally.

4. Add in peas. Cook for another minute or two. 

5. Stir in cheese and sour cream. Continue cooking until heated through.

This came together very quickly, especially after the veggies were chopped (I am very slow at prep work). David rated this an 8 out of 10 but wasn't sure what would make it better. I rate it about an 8.5. There was an unusual flavor to it and I'm not sure if it was the Parmesan cheese or the sour cream. I added in both because mine was still too liquidy with just a couple minutes of cook time left. Plus, I always seem to have sour cream I'm trying to use up. It is a very good dish though and I would definitely make it again (or something similar, depending on what I have on hand). You could easily adapt the veggies, cheese, or even the meat choice. The possibilities of this are endless! I love dishes like that! 

Avocado Chocolate Chip Cookies

My grocery store frequently has deals on produce like "buy 2, get 3 free". If you see a sign like that, you gotta buy it! That's better than 50% off! One of the items this past time was avocados. I do not like avocados but I want to like avocados. Actually, nobody in my family likes them. They're just an odd texture, odd flavor, odd appearance. I bought them anyway. We'd have to eat them if I buy them, right?

So we decide to cut one up to see if my toddler or 8 month old like them. My 2 year old said no without even trying it. Then she tried it but still didn't like it (but points for trying it!). My 8 month old made a face. Now, he makes faces at lots of things but then will gesture that he wants more. Not this time. We tried to give him more and he definitely said no. We left it on his tray (it was a slice) and he didn't touch it. My husband choked down a slice and said no more so that left me. I ate the rest of it mixed with our dinner. It was tolerable.

Then I pinterested about it (because really, where else do I look for recipes?) and I found something amazing. Avocado Chocolate Chip Cookies. They say that you can't taste the avocado in them at all! I decided to make them. Then, life got in the way so I actually convinced my husband to make them for me. He did things a little differently than the recipe so I'll write it out.

• 2 avocados
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg (the only non-vegan ingredient in these and easily replaceable!)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole wheat flour (he used as much whole wheat flour we had but it was almost gone so he substituted the rest for regular flour)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 2 T coconut oil
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Line cookie sheet with silicone mat (or parchment paper). Scoop out your avocados and place into the bowl of your stand mixer. Add coconut oil and sugar and mix for about 5 minutes, or until avocados have broken down (chunks are okay.) Add the egg and vanilla. Mix until well combined. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir until just combined. Mix in the chocolate chips. Spoon out dough into cookie-sized balls and put onto baking sheet. Bake for 10-11 minutes and remove from oven. Allow to cool slightly on baking sheet and then move to cooling rack.

And it turned out true! You get the health benefits of the avocado WITHOUT tasting them at all!! I was amazed. My toddler loved these cookies, as well as my husband and I. We stored them in the fridge because avocados go bad so quickly. This made them taste even better. There is nothing better than cold chocolate chip cookies. I would say eat them up in a few days before they can go bad but you probably don't have to try very hard because they're so delicious! I rate this a 10/10. 

I will add that they do turn out green. This can be a little off-putting if you are trying to hide the veggies in there but I liked the original poster's suggestion of making them at Christmas time and everyone assumes it's food dye! 

The Easiest Way to Make Hard Cooked Eggs

We have a lot of hard cooked eggs in this house. My toddler can't get enough of them so last weekend when we dyed some for Easter, she ate them all before Easter even got here! We decided to make some more but we obviously needed to do a big batch.

I usually do the method where you put them in a big pot of cold water, boil, then take off heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Then, dump in ice cold water for 10 minutes. It's not an exact science and if you choose the wrong boiling point to take them off the heat, you either have undercooked or overcooked eggs.

The best way to make them is to preheat your oven to 325 degrees (a lot of places out there say 350 but I feel that that is too high and will automatically overcook your eggs). Then you put your eggs in a muffin tin (to keep them from rolling around too much). Put the muffin tin (with the eggs) in your preheated oven and cook for 25-30 minutes. Then, put them in ice cold water for 10 minutes and you're done!

I don't know how you are supposed to know to leave them in for 25 minutes vs. 30 minutes but I guess you just make a judgment call the first time and adjust appropriately for your specific oven the next time.

This method is so simple, my husband even agreed to do it! We will probably make our hard cooked eggs like this from now on. It takes all the guess work out of it.

Spinach and Sweet Potato Turkey Burgers

We all know that turkey is healthier for us than ground beef. However, due to its lower fat content, it can be harder to make taste good because it has a tendency to come out dry. This is when you have to get creative. Luckily for me, someone else did all the work with coming up with this recipe for turkey burgers.

The recipe is really simple. Mix 1 1/2 cups of sweet potato puree with 1 pound ground turkey. Add in a handful of spinach (no need to precook, unless it already is precooked), garlic, and onion powder. Form patties and cook on medium-high heat, 3-4 minutes per side.

Mine came out a little crumbly and after the fact, I noticed in the comments that some people did have this problem. The solution is to either add an egg or chill in the fridge for about 15 minutes before cooking. They still tasted good crumbled. We ate them in tortilla shells instead of a bun then. I also served these with chips and salsa and I'm not entirely sure what a better side would have been. Maybe fries or potatoes of some sort? Or you could chop them up (or eat them crumbled) on top of a salad for extra veggies!

You can barely taste the sweet potato or spinach so this recipe is perfect for people who don't really like veggies. I actually used a blend of spinach, kale, and swiss chard and I don't think it altered the flavor too much (especially since you can barely taste it anyway!). I could also see adding cheese, chopped bell peppers, carrots, or seasonings (other than garlic and onion) and having them still turn out good. They seem very versatile and are easy. They're also quick! I will definitely make these again and I rate them an 8/10!

Stuffed Kielbasa

I love recipes that use leftover mashed potatoes. I usually end up making a big batch of homemade mashed potatoes and then we are eating them for a week. Plain, ordinary mashed potatoes get tiring after a day or two.

I came across this recipe and knew it would be perfect. It doesn't use a lot of mashed potatoes but enough. It also uses sauerkraut, which we always have an abundance of. In this house and in the reviews, there are people who do not like sauerkraut that do like it in this recipe so don't let the kraut turn you away! Of course, it is optional if you don't have any on hand.

I seasoned the potatoes once I stuffed them in the sausage. I'm not sure I would use cheese next time. Maybe I'd leave them plain for the oven and then add butter or sour cream once it's out of the oven. I know that adds more fat and calories to an already high fat dish but it sure sounds good, doesn't it?

I will also mention that I didn't warm up the kielbasa, sauerkraut, or mashed potatoes (all from the fridge) in any way before I put it in the oven. I just put them in the oven for 13 minutes instead of 10.

This recipe is definitely a keeper. We all rated it about a 7 or 8 out of 10. It's ordinary and simple but those can end up being the best recipes! It also comes together really quick for those busy weeknights!

French Onion Turkey Noodle Casserole

This recipe is in no way healthy but it got rave reviews in this house (9/10!). I know the original uses chicken but I had frozen leftover shredded turkey from Thanksgiving so I used that instead. I actually think chicken might taste better, especially with the cream of chicken soup but the turkey is great too.

I made my own French onion dip with 1 cup miracle whip, 1 cup sour cream, and a packet of French Onion Soup mix. (Those are the directions according to the box). I followed the casserole recipe according to the original recipe and it was really good. I do think it was a little too salty (from the onion soup mix and the french fried onions) and next time, I may use less than a full packet for the onion dip.

It held up great for leftovers too. I will definitely make it again but sparingly, given the nutritional content.

I would wonder if you could add any vegetables (peas, broccoli?) to make it slightly healthier but french onion is such a strong flavor, I'm not sure how well the vegetables would pair with it. I do think there's room for improvement and I didn't like it as much as my family did but I still think it was really good.

Mushroom Spinach Meatloaf

When I am at the grocery store, I always have good intentions of eating healthy for that upcoming week. I buy lots of fresh produce and not much meat or processed foods. Then I get home and realize that I'm not that healthy and I have to scramble to figure out how to use up all those vegetables! 

My latest buy was a lot of baby bella mushrooms and some spinach. I came across this recipe and knew it would be good! I love using mushrooms, especially portobella ones to make meat stretch a little farther. Most of the time, you don't even notice the difference. 

As always, I made a few modifications to the original recipe so here is what I did.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1 8oz package of baby bella mushrooms

1 cup spinach

1 egg

handful of breadcrumbs

1/4 cup ketchup

Directions:

In a small skillet, cook up spinach. Meanwhile, in a food chopper, finely chop up the mushrooms. When spinach is done, combine all ingredients in a bowl. Then put in a lightly greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

This recipe is so simple and quick to prep. It is also DELICIOUS! I do admit the spinach is a little odd in there but maybe if you chop it first it would blend in better. I would also think shredded or grated carrots could be good in it but I haven't tried it. As with any meatloaf recipe, I topped this one with extra ketchup. I don't think I would ever add ketchup to spinach or mushrooms but with the ground beef, it doesn't seem to be as weird as it sounds. 

I will definitely make this again but probably without the spinach (or smaller spinach pieces). 

Simple Banana Pancakes

I had a sad looking banana to use so I was looking for recipes that only use one banana. Most of what I found needed several, like for banana bread. I finally found a recipe for banana pancakes. They are super quick to throw together because there's hardly any measuring!

2 eggs
1 banana
1/2 cup oats (ground up, they say to use a magic bullet but I just used a food chopper thing)
1/4 cup applesauce
vanilla extract
cinnamon

As you can see, there's no flour or added sugar (although I do think my applesauce might have added sugar). I'm not necessarily calling these healthy but they are definitely healthier than some other pancake recipes I have made. They cook up pretty nicely too (but it does take a little bit to get the hang of it if you're new to pancakes. Usually, David does breakfast foods in our house so I still haven't mastered these).

They taste pretty good. The oats give them a weird texture but that's partially because I didn't grind them up as much as I could have. I definitely like regular pancakes better but if I wouldn't say no to these either. I'd probably give them a 7/10. David wouldn't try them but that's because of the bananas. My toddler LOVED them, even cold!

Simple Orange Chicken

We were given little jars of orange marmalade at Ruby's Pantry and I am not a fan. Those little pieces of orange zest suspended in the jelly just don't appeal to me. I didn't want it to go to waste though. I am really trying to not go grocery shopping unless I need to. We have a chest freezer and pantry full of food so ideally, I would only go to the store for produce and dairy.

So going along with that, I found a recipe for orange chicken. The recipe link claims that it is only 3 ingredients but that's not exactly true. It's 3 ingredients for the sauce but then you have to add in the chicken, flour, egg, and oil for cooking. I don't like when recipes to lie to me but I guess it's pretty close.

I will also mention that after reading through some of the comments on the recipe, I added in a few drops of sesame oil and some ground ginger. Apparently, I don't make recipes as written very often. I also took the original poster's suggestion and added in green pepper, after sauteing it first.

I used chicken thighs that David skinned and de-boned for me. This turned out just great. I never know how much it matters to use the part of the chicken that they ask for. I know the white meat vs. dark meat thing but especially when used for a recipe, I substitute in whatever part of the chicken I have.

This recipe really turned out great! David rated it a 9 out of 10 (but he isn't sure what he would change to make it a 10). The sauce made a nice coating for the rice, my chicken turned out crispy, and the peppers added a slight, nutritional crunch. It probably isn't but it actually did taste pretty authentic. I would make this instead of take out! It really is a simple recipe but I'm unsure about making it again because I don't see myself buying more marmalade.

I wonder if other flavors of jelly would taste good too or with other meats. Raspberry and pork might be yummy. I also used a pretty basic barbecue sauce so you could get a different flavor by altering that too. But don't get me wrong, nothing needs to change. I'm just always looking for alternatives.

Shepherd's Pie

So I know I titled this post shepherd's pie but in reality, this is going to be a recipe for cottage pie. However, when I'm searching through my recipes to make this one again, I will mostly likely call it a shepherd's pie. This is because it wasn't until very recently that I learned a shepherd's pie has to have lamb in it to be called that. The ground beef version that a lot of us making here in the US is really called a cottage pie.

This is the recipe I started with and I tweaked it a bit. I made this for David's birthday dinner (with a pound cake for dessert---talk about a heavy meal!) so I made it the night before and baked it day of (the original recipe says 25 minutes. I baked it for 40 minutes, probably because I didn't bring it back up to room temp before putting it in the oven).

We had a big bag of frozen mashed potatoes from Ruby's Pantry so I didn't bother making my own (and because I was trying to use up this bag, our casserole ended up more potato than anything but it turned out okay). I left out the celery and mushrooms. I used onion powder instead of onion (can you believe that I think we are out of onions??). I didn't use fat free beef broth. Instead, I used beef stock (from Ruby's again!). I also used dried spices instead of fresh. Then, I don't keep tomato paste on hand so I just used the equivalent amount of tomato sauce (mushroom flavored). We also don't have Worcestershire. I always substitute this with liquid smoke. And I didn't sprinkle it with paprika because I didn't know how the Ruby's potatoes were already seasoned.

This turned out SO good. David's family was over to celebrate and everyone gave it rave reviews! I do wish the ratio of potatoes to meat had been a little more equal but that was my doing, not the recipe's. Definitely definitely definitely going to make this again.

Parmesan Roasted Potatoes

Before the holidays, I had to pick up my brother from college because he was going to come home with me for Christmas. It's about a 45 minute drive (each way) to his campus so given the timing of it all, I had David make dinner. To be honest, I don't even remember what the main dish was but the side dish was Parmesan roasted potatoes.

I apologize I no longer have the link to the creator of the recipe. I always try to give credit where credit is due but in this case, I can't.

Ingredients:
5-6 medium sized potatoes, skins on, diced
3-4 tablespoons oil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. The spray may seem unnecessary given that we are using the foil but some of our potatoes stuck on and nobody likes eating foil. Put the potatoes on the pan.. Coat the potatoes with oil, making sure to stir them around a little. In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Sprinkle over the potatoes, again making sure all the potatoes are seasoned. Cook for 35-45 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes so that they are evenly cooked and don’t get burned on the bottom. 

This recipe was really great. My picky brother even had four helpings! We did use shredded Parmesan because that was what we had on hand but the grated stuff would work much better. A lot of potatoes didn't have any cheese at all because it mostly stuck to the pan. I will definitely be making these again!