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Food: DIY Meal Ideas for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Food: Meal Planning 101

I really want to get organized with our schedules. I am hoping to get organized on Sunday by organizing all clothes for the week, making all lunches the night before, dinner preparation in the freezer, homework, bedtime and then hit REPEAT!!!

Shopping for Groceries

FoodGroceryShoppingOnline

I have organized in my mind that freezing meals will save money and prevent weekly trips to the grocery store. Also I am going to try grocery delivery to save time and preserve my weekend. The Giant supermarket offers PEAPOD, which allows you to order online and schedule delivery time and day. I tried them about 3 years ago and the I was very pleased with the service. The delivery was on time, driver was professional and I was very impressed with the quality of the food.

  1. Grocery delivery through PEAPOD, easy you shop online, schedule delivery and driver shows and unloads. If you have a shopper card you can automatically link to your account. The site is set up where you can save and can come back to finish your order.
  2. Freezing meals to cover Sunday to Thursday, Friday and Saturday is potluck

I am all about budgeting and buying their lunch is allowed one day a week. After having my 8 year old buy lunch for 2 weeks what started out as $15.00 per week actually cost me $40.00 for two weeks.

The kids were tasked with writing down their lunch preferences so I know what to include on the grocery list and they are more likely to be happy or at least I hope. I also told them they are to pick and prepare if possible dinner for Friday and Saturday night.

Breakfast Menu

A few breakfast ideas

  1. Breakfast burritos (eggs, bacon(or turkey sausage), potatoes, whole wheat tortillas)-freezable
  2. Petite Quiches(eggs, bacon(or turkey sausage), cheese, freezable
  3. Frittata (spinach, tomatoes, cheese) -slice and freeze
  4. Plain oatmeal with fruit, cinnamon, brown sugar
  5. Drinkable yogurts
  6. Frozen waffles/french toast sticks

FoodBreakfastQuiches

FoodBreakfastWraps

 

Lunch Menu

I have a few challenges with lunch as I no longer buy cold cuts and the kids have no access to heat up their lunch. A thermos was never successful for me when my daughter took food in it. How many days can anyone eat a PB&J? I found the more buy-in the kids have with any meal planning the less likely they are to be unhappy. I’m finally going to buy a Pack-It lunch tote for my 8-year-old and the teen will brown bag it for high school. I asked the kids to come up with a lunch menu to make planning a little easier. The teen came up with fruits, vegetables, snacks and a sandwich. Just typical of the teen to not give details. The biggest challenge is my 3rd grader, she wants a variety however her palette is limited. She is not willing to try new things.

Here is one of the links I found on Pinterest. It is a great resource for ideas on building a lunch menu even for picky eaters.

 

Freezable Dinners

Some ideas which will plan out for a few weeks worth of meals for dinner

  1. Tacos, Ground Turkey
  2. Salmon Croquettes
  3. Lasagna with ground turkey(I can sauté spinach and hide in the filling)
  4. Turkey Meatballs in marinara sauce
  5. Turkey Sliders
  6. Sloppy Joes with ground turkey(The Neely’s recipes is my favorite, Spenser’s Sloppy Joes)

I plan to use frozen veggies and a quick starch side dish to balance out every meal. My fingers are crossed that this will shave off a nice chunk of time from our evening and alleviate the stress of having a healthy dinner. Friday and Saturday will be the potluck and the kids get to plan those meals.

 

Dinner: Importance of Home Cooked Meals

Dinner

Before school started I was on a mission to get our dinner meal planning organized.    My preference is to cook at home, however, our time in the evenings is very limited.    Also, meal planning prevents excess spending on take out.    I found this recipe on Food Network and after trying one time I was sold.  These were hands down the BEST SLOPPY JOES.   I will never buy anything in a can.   I also use ground turkey instead of ground beef.  This is the recipe I used from Food Network.

Sloppy Joes

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Ground Turkey Sliders with Alexia Sweet Potato Waffle Fries

I take 2 packs of 4 ground turkey patties and make 8 sliders.  My kids love, love sliders.    The key to my recipe is to season the ground turkey with ground cumin, minced garlic, onion powder and chili powder.

DinnerMakeAheadSliders

 

Make Ahead Lasagna

Barilla Oven Ready Lasagna, freeze and thaw 24 hours before you prepare.   I would suggest baking at least 1 1/2 to 2 hours.   For some reason, parts of the noodles did not bake.  This is was a little disappointing.   The recipe is so easy I will just make a day before I plan to bake.

DinnerMakeAheadLasagnaFreezer

 

WHY ARE HOME-COOKED MEALS IMPORTANT?

As a full-time working parent, I know how hectic the evenings can be with trying to prepare dinner, homework, winding down and getting ready for bed.

The article  from Fix.com outlines key reasons on why we should have more home-cooked meals!

I learned how important home-cooked meals are in terms of:

  1. Improving health and longevity
  2. Strengthening family dynamics
  3. Encouraging clean eating
  4. Living green helps the environment by reducing carbon footprint

I
Source: Fix.com

Baking: Cake Donuts

I found this donut pan @HomeGoods

BakingMiniDonutBakingPan

 

My love of baking has extended to a donut recipe.  After months of telling my donut fan, we would bake donuts I finally found a great pan and decided to do it over spring break.  My go to place for all recipes is usually Pinterest.     For all new recipes, I check the cabinet shelves to make sure I have all the ingredients.   The only missing item I needed was buttermilk.   After going to Target over the weekend of course I forgot the buttermilk.    If this happens to you don’t worry!   As a substitute for buttermilk,I added 2 TBSP of vinegar to 1 cup of my whole milk and let it set for about five minutes.

I also had to make my own pastry bag using a storage bag and snipping one corner of the bag.

Baking  : Old Fashioned Baked Cake Donuts

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon

You can find the recipe on the link below.

Recipe credit:  The Busy Baker

The recipes yields 2 dozen mini donuts.  *One tweak I made was reducing my oven temperature for the second batch.   I found my first batch burned on the bottom at the recipe temperature.

BakingStep1BakedDonut

 

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BakingStep3BakedDonuts

Before,  I rolled in cinnamon sugar.

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Recipes for Easy Kids Meals for the Junior Chefs in Your Kitchen

Recipes for Easy Kids Meals

My full-time work schedule leaves our evenings a bit crunched for time with after school activities, homework, and dinner.   I have tried meal prep, however, it was very short lived as I can no longer commit every Sunday. One of the biggest challenges at mealtime is finding good recipes my kids will love.  Here are a few recipes I am willing to try for my picky eaters.  These look easy enough for the kids to prepare by themselves which is a time saver for me to get some other evening tasks completed.  I really love the combination of ingredients that delivers a balanced dish.

Turkey Taco Skillet

Turkey and Cucumber Salad Wraps

Grilled Cheese

 

Granola Yogurt Parfait

Single Mom Chronicles: DIY Indoor BBQ-July 4th Family Dinner

July4thMealJuly2015

One thing I miss from having my home is my WEBER grill.   Unfortunately there is no outside space for grilling on our apartment building property.    My solution : Bring the BBQ indoors!   My brother suggested buying the George Forman indoor/outdoor grill but I was against spending an extra money beyond the food.

Since I have discovered a love for cumin after trying a recipe for Spicy Chicken Thighs I decided this recipe was perfect for chicken with a grilled taste.

I am always in search of new and delicious recipes which has made MyRecipes.com my all time favorite site for recipes.

My patience will not allow for preparing any meal the day of so I am all about prepping food the day and night before.    It saves time,  allows all the flavors to infuse in each dish and keeps me sane to entertain.

Menu: BBQ chicken thighs and legs, BBQ baby back ribs, Spinach salad with tomatoes, cucumber, strawberries and shredded cheese, homemade potato salad, corn on the cob, baked beans (I use Bush’s vegetarian beans), Wegmans creamy cole slaw.

For BBQ chicken:

I used the first 6 ingredients of the recipe to season chicken overnight!!! Instead of thighs  I used thighs and legs for our bbq.    Also baked the chicken for an 1 1/2- 2 hours on 350F vs. broiling only.

Spicy Chicken Thighs

Once the chicken was done I drained the fat and poured(I need a brush!) on the honey and vinegar to create a glaze.  Next I turned on the broiler and put the chicken in  for 1 minute on each side.  Just make sure you time the food once it is in broiler setting.   I love lots and lots of bbq sauce so I slathered the chicken with Sweet Baby Ray’s Sweet and Spicy BBQ sauce.  My days of making homemade bbq sauce are over!!!!

For oven BBQ baby back ribs,  I found a delicious recipe online with amazing pictures.  This recipe was my inspiration for the oven BBQ baby back ribs,   ForTheLoveofCooking.  I purchased one rack of baby back ribs from Wegmans. 

When I grilled ribs I would start in the oven and finish on the grill for that smoky flavor.   I did tweak the recipe slightly by using what was on my shelf for the rub.  I  created my  rub with Lawry’s seasoning salt, McCormick garlic powder, salt, McCormick black pepper and a dash of chili powder.  Next time I want to experiment with a little brown sugar.  Also I always buy the jarred minced garlic to make prep time a little faster and easier.   After putting garlic on each side of the rack of ribs, I pressed the rub in on both sides.

I tightly sealed the ribs in aluminum foil and baked for 1 1/2 -2 hours.   Another tweak on the recipe is that I used the honey and vinegar glaze from the chicken recipe.  Since the broiler was already on for the chicken I put the ribs in for 5 minutes.   Reminder: Watch the ribs once on the broiler setting.   After I let the ribs rest I cut them and slathered with Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce.

I grew up learning to cook without recipes.  My mother and grandmother called it cooking by rote.  For staple side dishes like baked macaroni and cheese, potato salad(I do use red potatoes, Hellmann’s mayo is a must according to my mother) and baked beans.   I learned to make the recipe my own by adding a little of this and a little of that!!!!!   A true confession on the baked beans.  I always use Bush’s vegetarian baked beans and I doctor up with brown sugar, regular sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and this time.  For Saturday’s dinner I added diced celery and onion.   Typically I add whatever produce I have at the time like diced red onions and green bell pepper.

Baking is another one of my fortes however I had my eyes on the double crust apple pie at Wegmans for weeks.   What is July 4th without apple pie even if it’s not from your oven!!!!   A la mode is even yummier!!!  Everyone was stuffed after dinner so the pie went home in doggie bag!!!! Wegmans never fails!!!!! The pie got rave reviews!!!!! even my kids ate it and they are picky eaters.

This was truly an impromptu dinner that I pulled together in 24hours.   I am determined to never waste food so everyone took home a doggie bag even the guests who were absent!!!

What is July 4th without fireworks?  Our after dinner activity…….

 

 

 

 

Cooking and Baking by Me: Coconut Raspberry Cake and Dinner Rolls

My grandmother passed away in March 2009 so I thought of baking one of her staple desserts would be a nice tribute to her love for cooking and baking. In light of her Southern cooking expertise, we have no written recipes so I tried to find a recipe that was very close to her cake. After talking to my mother, I found out that my
great-grandmother and grandmother sometimes used a raspberry filling for their coconut cake.

I thought this recipe was a good match Coconut Raspberry Cake. Here is my version of the recipe. To keep the recipe as close as possible I did not garnish with fresh raspberries and omitted the coconut in the batter.

 

phonto (43)

Coconut Raspberry Cake
Cake: Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook

4 egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
pinch of salt
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 ¾ cup sugar
1 1/3 cup buttermilk
½ cup sweetened flaked coconut
Lightly coat two 9″ round cake pans with cooking spray, paying close attention to the bottom. Allow the egg whites to come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes. This is important to create a light and tender cake.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sift the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a small bowl. Set aside. Measure the buttermilk in a liquid measuring cup and also set aside. Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla over medium speed until well combined. With the mixer still on medium speed, slowly add the egg whites one at a time until completely incorporated. Add the buttermilk and dry ingredients to the batter by alternating between each until the batter shiny and white. Fold the coconut into the batter. Be careful to not over mix.
Evenly divide the batter between the two cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes or until the center springs back when lightly pressed. Remove from the pans and allow to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting:Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook
(8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 ¼ tsp. vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
With the mixer on low, cream the butter, cream cheese and vanilla until well combined. Slowly add the powdered sugar until the frosting is light and fluffy. You may need to adjust the powdered sugar ratio depending on the thickness of the frosting. It should be light, airy and completely spreadable.

Raspberry Filling:Adapted from my brain 2/3 cup raspberry preserves 1 ½ tsp. water
Over a low flame, heat the preserves and water for 1 – 2 minutes until it becomes syrup. Cool slightly.

Assembly:Place the first cake layer face down in the center of a small platter. Evenly spoon the raspberry filling on top of the cake layer. Be careful to not let the filling ooze over the edge. Place the second cake layer; also face down, on top of the first. Frost the sides and top of both layers with the cream cheese frosting. Lightly pat the sides and top with up to 1 cup of sweetened coconut. Garnish with fresh raspberries on the top of the cake.

I also made my first attempt at making homemade rolls. The picture on the website was somewhat misleading in terms of my final rolls. Classic Dinner Rolls Here is my version of the recipe:

 

phonto (42)

2 to 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 envelope Fleischmann’s® RapidRise Yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons butter OR margarine Directions

COMBINE 3/4 cup flour, undissolved yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Heat milk, water and butter until very warm (120º to 130ºF). Add to flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Add 1/4 cup flour; beat 2 minutes at high speed. Stir in enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cover; let rest 10 minutes. *

DIVIDE dough into 12 equal pieces; shape into balls. Place in greased 8-inch round pan. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.**
BAKE in preheated 375ºF oven for 20 minutes or until done. Remove from pan; brush with additional melted butter, if desired. Serve warm.

*For rest period, it is not necessary for the dough to double in size

**For a higher roll, I suggest allowing the rolls to rise longer than 30 minutes(maybe 45-1hr) with a pan of boiled water underneath the pan. Do allow to overrise.

eMeals Back to School

Healthy-Snack-Guide

What does back to school mean at your house?   I know for me I need organization and some semblance of a schedules.   The start of the school year brings homework, projects, days off and evenings filled with hustle and bustle.    My last thought is what to make for dinner, how great would it be to have a weekly meal plan emailed with a shopping list and recipes?  Well with eMeals you can get this and be on your way to more organized meal planning.

If you sign up now for a new eMeals plan, you can receive a 15% discount using the code SCHOOL15.

Also you will receive a FREE 31 days of snacks calendar with any new eMeals plan.

As an added bonus, I have included two recipes for you to enjoy.  The pictures alone will have you running to pick up the ingredients.

Nutella-Grahams

Nutella Grahams: Dip graham crackers in chocolate hazelnut spread and sprinkle lightly with wheat germ. Serve with milk for a little calcium and extra dairy for the day!

snack_trkysandwich

Designer Turkey Sandwich: Create a unique turkey sandwich with cinnamon raisin bread, deli turkey slices, cream cheese and strawberry preserves.

Also attached is a Back to School file that includes back to school checklist, printable lunch notes and a 1 week free trial of an eMeals lunch plan.

Back-to-School-Survival-Kit

Yummy Sunday Morning Breakfast

I am a nut for comfort foods and one of my favorites for breakfast are pancakes( second place after cheese grits). Since I baked my coconut cake on Wednesday I had leftover buttermilk I needed to find some use for it. I found this recipe on AllRecipes.com and they are by far the best pancakes I have ever had at any diner. It is well worth the measuring and mixing and you may never go back to the box mix again. The nice thing about the recipes at AllRecipes.com is you can tweek the recipe according to your specific servings. I adjusted the recipe to 5 servings and I still get about 30 pancakes so there are plenty of leftovers. Truck Stop Buttermilk Pancakes. I also added a side of bacon, scrambled eggs, and fried apples(my little man’s favorite)…..Enjoy if you dare!
All this talk about Sunday morning had me thinking of this throwback: