Blueberry Buttermilk Bread (Use it/Lose it day 2)

Breakfast: "fried" egg, cottage cheese patties, milk, and toast with butter

Lunch: Blueberry Buttermilk Bread (recipe follows), cheddar cheese cubes, and kiwi

Dinner: cheese ravioli in a light Parmesan white sauce, green beans

Snack: apple wedges

This bread is hearty, with a nice biting texture to it. It's not as soft as many blueberry breads, making it ideal for a nontraditional lunch feature...or perfect for brunch. The oats and oat flour add to the texture, and the buttermilk gives it a delicious flavor. Also, most quick bread recipe serving sizes are dismally small. Not this one. I calculated the Points Plus value based on eight servings...a wonderful slice size for this loaf.

Blueberry Buttermilk Bread - 4 Points Plus value
Serves 8

What You Need:

• 1 cup frozen blueberries (or fresh...I had frozen on hand) tossed with 1 Tbsp flour
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup rolled oats, plus 1/4 cup oat flour (process oats into a flour and then measure it)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk (you can use 1 Tbsp lemon juice or vinegar in a cup of milk, if you prefer)
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

How it's Done:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray an 8x4" loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, oat flour, salt, and baking powder.
3. Add the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Stir only until combined.
4. Gently fold in the blueberries.
5. Pour into the loaf pan. Bake 55 to 60 minutes, until pick inserted near center comes out mostly clean (a few crumbs or blueberry can be expected)
6. Cool completely. If you can help yourself, don't eat the loaf until the next day. Quick breads are always better on day two, after they've had a chance to age.

Getting Back to Business

Thank you for all of your support in this difficult time. I'm getting to a place where my medications are levelling out in my system and I feel pretty good. I've been so sick of being out of commission! It was really nice to get back in the kitchen and create a meal today. I hope you enjoy it! ...and expect more, because I'm ready to get back to cooking!

Spanish tortilla is a potato and egg dish, not a tortilla like we use in Mexican cuisine. Don't worry about all the olive oil you use making it. Once you drain it off, it ends up only being 1/4 of a cup for six servings.

Spanish Tortilla
Serves 6 (5 Points Plus value per serving)

What You Need:

• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 lb peeled and thinly sliced potatoes
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 8 large eggs, beaten
• salt and pepper to taste

How it's Done:

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it glistens. After a few minutes, add the potatoes and onions, turning them over with a spatula to coat evenly. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cook the potatoes and onions, turning every few minutes so as not to allow them to brown. You want the potatoes to soften so that they are easily pierced with a fork.
• Meanwhile, beat the eggs and season them with salt and pepper. Heat your oven to 350 degrees (this is the easiest way to finish cooking the tortilla).
• Once the potatoes are fork tender, drain them in a colander over a bowl, reserving the oil.
• Pour about two tablespoons of the reserved oil back into the skillet and return the potatoes and onions to the skillet. Place over medium heat.
• Pour the beaten eggs over the potatoes. Cook, undisturbed, about eight to ten minutes at medium-low, until the edges are set.
• Slide your spatula around the edges and under the tortilla to loosen it from the skillet.
• Move the skillet to the preheated oven and finish cooking (about ten minutes).
• Slice and serve.

Breakfast for Dinner

A really great way to stretch your grocery budget AND to make your family think they're getting a great treat is to serve breakfast for dinner. I do it once a week now. I was afraid that when I started Weight Watchers, I'd have to give up my breakfast for dinner routine. As a matter of fact, I thought I'd have to give up a lot of things.

As it turns out, I gave up nothing, except for 35 pounds so far (since mid-September). I still eat everything I used to eat. I just watch my portion sizes. I have never, not once, felt deprived, or "on a diet" since beginning with Weight Watchers. And that's key to sticking to a weight loss plan, isn't it? Feeling satisfied!

Last night, we had pumpkin waffles (two waffles each, for just 5 points!) and baked apples. It was delicious, satisfying, and belly-warming on that cold winter night. I want to share with you the recipe for baked apples. I modified it slightly from the original Weight Watchers recipe, but the Points Plus value remains the same.

Baked Apples
serves 6 (5 points each)

What You Need:

• 6 apples (I used red delicious, because they were on sale!)
• 12 Tbsp raisins
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 cup apple cider
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1/4 cup fat-free vanilla yogurt
• 2 Tbsp chopped toasted pecans

How it's Done:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut a small slice off the bottom of each apple, so that it stands up straight in your baking dish.
3. Scoop out the core with a knife and spoon or a melon baller, but leave the bottom intact.
4. Fill each apple with 2 Tbsp raisins. Sprinkle them with the cinnamon.

5. Combine the cider and maple syrup. Pour this around the apples.
6. Bake, uncovered, for about an hour. Baste the apples with the syrup/juice mixture every ten minutes.
7. Top each apple with 1 Tbsp yogurt and 1 tsp chopped pecans. Serve immediately.

Some of my favorite non-recipe breakfasts

Lately, I'm been busy.

I mean, super, crazy, insane, taking on too much responsibility, need to learn to say no sometimes, busy.

So I haven't been cooking much at all. And I feel like I'm neglecting my blog and my blogger friends.

It occurred to me this morning as I was making my breakfast that not everything needs a recipe, and maybe I could just share some of my favorite non-recipe meal ideas with you all.

You know, in case you need inspiration for your busy days.

Because I know I can't be the ONLY one out there that has no time for kitchen detail.

Or am I?

Anyway, here are some of my favorites. Please leave a comment and tell me yours. I'm always looking for fresh ideas around here, too.

Breakfasts in a Hurry

• 1 cup Greek yogurt, mixed with a sliced banana and topped with 1/2 cup granola (store-bought or homemade)
• Banana, sliced in half the long way. Spread peanut butter on one of the cut sides. Top with the other half of the banana and press together gently to get the peanut butter to smoosh out the sides. Roll in chopped nuts.
• Toasted waffles (can be retoasted from homemade or store-bought) topped with almond butter and fruit spread, folded together for a PB&J wafflewitch
• Heat up some pork & beans and serve over toast.
• Instant oatmeal: If you pulse old fashioned oats in your food processor for a few seconds, you turn them into instant oats that can be prepared simply by adding hot water or milk. You can make up individual packages of these and flavor them as desired. Some ideas include brown sugar-cinnamon, vanilla (scrape a vanilla bean for this), peanut butter (look for dehydrated PB2 at your grocery store), and apple-cinnamon (using dried apple bits).
• fruit & yogurt: Serve fruit with vanilla yogurt to dip. Add some crushed cereal for topping.
• "Baked" apple: Core an apple. Fill the center with chopped nuts, a bit of cinnamon and sugar. Bake in the microwave until soft. Drizzle with vanilla yogurt for a quick sauce.
• Bagel with tomato and cheese. Toast a bagel. Add a slice of mozzarella and a slice of tomato. Fresh basil is delicious here.
• Pizza. One of the easiest breakfasts ever. Reheat a slice of pizza. Or, eat it cold.
• Leftover rice with milk and honey
• Smoothies. Blend yogurt with fruit, milk, and ice. No sweeteners needed!

What are your quick breakfast ideas?

Eggs Benedict (Arnold). Also, some questions posed to me.

Eggs Benedict is a classic breakfast dish, common on buffet lines, that combines an English muffin half, a poached egg, some Canadian bacon, and some hollandaise sauce.

Benedict Arnold was an officer in the American Revolutionary War. He defected to the British Army. He was a traitor.

So why do I call this dish Eggs Benedict Arnold? Because this dish is, in fact, a traitor. An impostor. A fake. The eggs aren't poached. The meat is ham, not Canadian bacon. And there's cheese. Plus, it's so perfectly fitting, seeing as how we're using an English muffin, and Arnold defected to the English. Ahh, duplicity. Good for traitors and recipe names alike.

Oh, and it's delicious.

Eggs Benedict Arnold

What You Need:

for each serving:

• 1 toasted English muffin (top and bottom)
• 2 scrambled eggs (cooked, scrambled in butter)
• 1 slice of uncured deli ham, heated
• 2 Tbsp prepared hollandaise sauce
• 1 Tbsp shredded cheddar cheese

How it's Done:

1. This is simple once you have all of your ingredients prepared.
2. On the bottom half of your English muffin, place the scrambled eggs. Top with ham, then hollandaise sauce, then cheese.
3. Cover with top half of the English muffin and serve. We had these lovelies with bacon and hash browns: breakfast for dinner.

Now, Mary, the Food Floozie, has tagged me to play this eight questions game called Eight to the Eight to the Eight. I won't usually do these sort of posts, since my focus here is on food, but I'm up for a little fun this morning. If you're tagged, I'd love it if you'd participate, but fully understand if you opt not to do so.

The idea is that I'm supposed to answer Mary's eight questions, then pose eight of my own, and tag eight people to answer those. And so on and so on.

Here goes:

1. What is your favorite work of art?

The Creation of Adam - Michelangelo

2. What do you collect, if anything?

Nothing on purpose. I love to get rid of things, so I'd be a terrible collector.





3. What faith were you raised in? And do you still belong to that one, or have you found another, or ...?


I was raised Catholic. I am no longer Catholic. I consider myself Christian, no denomination required.





4. What is your favorite flavor of jelly/jam to use for a PB&J?




Grape all the way, but it has to be real grape, not that weird purple jelled substance that doesn't spread.









5. What song did or would you play for your first dance together at your wedding reception?


Didn't have a wedding reception. Didn't have a formal wedding. Don't dance. However, Keeper of the Stars is "our song."






6. What is your favorite charity?


The ASPCA: American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals




7. Nuts in brownies -- yea or nay?


I must be all grown up, because, yes, nuts belong in brownies. Especially walnuts. Yep, it's offical. I'm an adult now.



8. What is your favorite cookbook, the one you rely on time after time?

Cookbooks mostly bore me. They're so generic! I'm going to put one together one of these days, I hope, and I promise it won't be generic.

Now for my questions and my victims prey guests. I'm keeping a cooking bent.

Will you answer the call?

April at Angel Foods Kitchen

Keli at Feeding Four

SnoWhite at Finding Joy in my Kitchen

Michelle at Girl Gone Granola

Mandy at Mandy's Recipe Box

..and that's it. I'm a rule breaker.

Now for the questions:

1. Who inspires you in the kitchen? Why?

2. To sift or not to sift?

3. How do you feel about white chocolate?

4. How do you feel about Teflon?

5. What dish are you famous for?

6. What's the biggest cooking disaster you've ever experienced?

7. If you could cook with any one person, alive or deceased, real or fictional, who would it be and why?

8. What dish would you consider your pièce de résistance, and have you mastered it yet?

Hash Brown Casserole

I'm a fan of serving hot breakfast, especially to people who have to go out and work all day or go to school all day. I find that a hot breakfast keeps people fuller longer. Also, most of the time, serving a hot breakfast is more economical than milk & cereal. Eggs are certainly an example of that.

Today, it's hash brown casserole. Breakfast? Side dish? Dinner? Whatever you serve this as, it's tasty. Plus, the hands-on time is less than 15 minutes, freeing you up to get ready for your day while it bakes in the oven.

Hash Brown Casserole


What You Need:

• 1 lb hash brown shredded potatoes (homemade, frozen, or refrigerated, your choice)
• 1/2 lb bulk breakfast sausage
• 1/2 a large onion, diced
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• salt & pepper to taste

How it's Done:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 10" square baking dish.
2. Melt the butter in a skillet with high sides. Add onion and sausage and cook until the sausage is no longer pink.
3. Sprinkle the flour over the onion and sausage. Cook and stir until no flour is visible. Pour in the milk. Cook and stir until thick (should only take a couple of minutes). Remove from heat.
4. Stir in potatoes, sour cream, and cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Turn mixture into the prepared baking dish.
6. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until heated through and top is lightly browned.

Cookies -- I Mean, Pancakes -- For Breakfast

My children are not always eager to eat breakfast when they wake up each morning. They prefer to sit around and spend some time waking up. Unfortunately, the time they spend is valuable time that we need them to use getting ready for school. I've learned that if they wake up to the smell of something pleasant cooking, it whets their appetites and they come downstairs practically drooling and asking what's for breakfast. These pancakes let off the aroma of baking cookies and taste just as good.

Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes

What You Need:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp milk
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
• butter and/or maple syrup for serving

How it's Done:

1. Combine flour, oats, cinnamon, sugar, baking powder, and sea salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, beat eggs. Whisk in sour cream, then melted butter and milk. Stir in vanilla.
2. Add wet ingredients all at once to dry. Stir just until moistened.
3. Drop batter by 1/3 cupfuls onto griddle or skillet heated to medium to medium-high.
4. Sprinkle each pancake with a few raisins and a few chocolate chips. Let the pancake cook until bubbles break the surface, and then flip them and finish cooking, about 30 seconds longer.
5. Serve with butter and maple syrup, or just eat plain. They're really good that way, too.

Bites Around My House...then the Blogosphere

It's August! For us, that means back to school. School starts on Friday in my neck of the woods. We're getting ready: we finished school shopping, we organized closets and drawers; we labeled school supplies with names; we are going to bed early and waking up early in preparation for the Big Day. When does school start for your kids? How do you prepare?

Breakfast this morning is a recipe from the Taste of Home Cookbook. It's not often I cook other people's recipes, because the more of other people's recipes I cook, the less I can create my own. However, I wanted some inspiration from other people and places this week, so I'm starting with a very tasty breakfast recipe called the Chocolate Chip Dutch Baby.

Chocolate Chip Dutch Baby
from Taste of Home

What You Need:

• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup 1/2 & 1/2
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
• 3 Tbsp butter

How it's Done:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. While it's preheating, stick the butter in a 9" pie plate and leave it to melt in the oven.
2. Meanwhile, beat eggs, 1/2 & 1/2, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, combine sugar and chocolate chips.
4. Remove the pie plate from the oven and carefully pour the batter over the hot butter. Sprinkle the chocolate chip mixture over top. Bake for 15 minutes or so, until the edges are puffed up and browned.
5. Serve right away, with maple syrup if desired. It's definitely sweet enough without the syrup, though.

I'm also looking for a few guest bloggers. Interested? I'm looking for home cooks who cook from scratch and would like to share their recipe here at All Home Cooking. Email me at all_home_cooking at yahoo dot com -- I'm looking for several bloggers to guest post over the course of the month of August. Hope to hear from you!

Speaking of other people's recipes, here are some that sparked my interest and that I will definitely be making in the future:

Peppermint Biscotti at Beat Until Fluffy

Plum and Raspberry Upside-Down Cake at Meet Me in the Kitchen

Fava Bean & Brown Rice Salad at So Good & Tasty

Strawberry Vanilla Bean Jam at Sugar Crafter

Blueberry Pie at What Megan's Making

A Week of (Healthy) Bare-Bones Meals: Day Two

One of the key ingredients to make it through a food hardship is variety. I've seen many blogs and websites geared toward bare-bones recipes, but they all seem to focus on the same ingredients, with little variation from day to day. A big part of surviving hard times with your sanity intact is having variety and feeling like you have choices. You aren't going to be very happy eating Ramen-style noodles, oat porridge, and beans everyday, are you? You need variety. It will make you feel better, both physically and mentally.

Variety doesn't have to mean buying more ingredients. It can be as simple as changing the way you present them or the way you use them. Take flour, milk, and eggs, for example. You can turn them into egg noodles, muffins, breads, pancakes, or popovers. All different. All the same. See how that works? Take this new trick and make this delicious, pretty, fun to eat breakfast that costs very little to throw together.

Day Two

Breakfast: Popovers with Eggs & Cheese (recipe follows)
Lunch: Leftover Vegetable Fried Rice
Dinner: Roast chicken, rice, and carrots, yeast rolls with butter or margarine


Popovers Stuffed with Eggs & Cheese
serves 8

What You Need:

for the popovers:

• 3 eggs at room temperature
• 1 Tbsp melted butter or margarine (or cooking oil)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 tsp salt
• cooking oil for greasing pan

for the egg filling:

• 8 eggs
• splash of milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• butter, margarine, or cooking oil for the pan
• 1/4 cup cheddar cheese (shredded) & 1 green onion, chopped, for garnish

How it's Done:

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Stick your muffin tin(s) or popover pan(s) in the oven to warm up.
2. Mix all the ingredients except greasing oil in a blender. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
3. Remove pan(s) from the oven and oil them well. Pour batter into the pan(s) to 3/4 full.
4. Bake at 450 for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes.Popovers will be high, hollow, and golden brown when done.
5. After reducing the heat, beat the eggs with milk and salt and pepper for the filling. Cook in a hot skillet until done. Sprinkle with cheese and green onions.
6. Cut them open as soon as you remove them. This is to allow steam to escape. Cut the tops off almost all the way. Fill with the eggs, cheese, and green onions. You can add some cooked leftover vegetables if you have them for even more nutrition and variety.

Frugal Tip #2: Buy some things in bulk. Namely, cheese, eggs, and baking supplies. Buying cheese in large bricks, then slicing or shredding at home saves money and takes very little time. Always check unit cost, but bulk buying gives your money more power.

Breakfast for Dinner

Day 167.

Whew! It's been a busy day for me! I meant to cook beans and make flour tortillas, but with everything I've had going on, my time ran out and I had to improvise. (This is where a well-stocked pantry comes in handy. When you have extras for busy days, it's easy to deviate from your original plan. I'll go into that more on another day...when I have more time!)

What's quick, easy, inexpensive, and relies on foods I usually have in my kitchen? Anything made with eggs. We have breakfast for dinner at least a few times a month around here: scrambled eggs & biscuits, fried eggs with buttered toast, pancakes, waffles, omelets, crepes, and more! For dinner tonight: potato frittata.

Cheesy Potato Frittata

What You Need:

• 3 large baking potatoes, scrubbed clean, peeled if desired, and sliced into 1/4" thick slices
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 6 eggs
• splash of milk
• salt & pepper to taste
• green onion, chopped (green only)
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

How it's Done:

1. Heat an oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Add oil.
2. Cook potato slices in oil, turning to brown on both sides. Cook until tender, about five minutes. Arrange the potatoes so that they cover the bottom of the pan evenly. You will end up with several layers of potatoes.
3. Beat eggs with milk, salt, and pepper. Add eggs to the pan. Don't stir. Sprinkle on some green onion.
4. Cook the eggs until almost set. Lifting the very edges of the frittata with a spatula will help get some of the uncooked egg closer to the heat and speed up the process.
5. When the eggs are almost set, put the skillet under a broiler for a few minutes to set the top. Sprinkle cheese on top and broil until the cheese is melted.
6. Let the frittata sit undisturbed for about five minutes before serving.

Menu Plan Monday 6/14 - 6/20

Last week went well. I managed to pretty much stay on plan for my menu. Here are a couple of the things we enjoyed:

Cornell Bread

Soy Milk

S'Mores -- Homemade Marshmallows AND graham crackers!

This week's menu plan includes lots of fresh veggies. I haven't listed what my husband's eating (He's on Atkins) because we just play it by ear each day based on his appetite.

Monday:

Breakfast: Hand-held Omelets (recipe follows) & Orange Segments
Lunch: (Kids eat lunch @ school summer program) Lunch for me: Jaime Oliver's Cheesy Corn
Dinner: Burrito Packets, Seasoned Potato Wedges, and Fresh Veggies

Tuesday:

Breakfast: Toast with Blackberry Jam, Boiled Eggs, Orange Segments
Lunch: (Kids eat lunch @ school summer program) Lunch for me:  Vegetable Fried Rice
Dinner: Pinto Beans, Flour Tortillas, Rice, and Veggies

Wednesday:

Breakfast: Biscuits with Gravy, Orange Segments
Lunch: (Kids eat lunch @ school summer program) Lunch for me: Vegetable Fried Rice
Dinner: Beef Stroganoff & salad

Thursday:

Breakfast: Peanut Butter & Jelly French Toast & a big glass of milk
Lunch: (Kids eat lunch @ school summer program) Lunch for me: Veggie-Pasta Stir-Fry
Dinner: Veggie Scramble with Popovers

Friday:

Breakfast: Huevos Not Quite Rancheros
Lunch: (Kids eat lunch @ school summer program) Lunch for me: Vegetable Strudel
Dinner: Orange Chicken with Rice & Fortune Cookies

Saturday:

Breakfast: Bagels with Fresh Farmer's Cheese
Lunch: A Picnic at the Park!
Dinner: Some sort of baked chicken breast dish, Potato Salad, and Glazed Carrots (Possibly some dinner rolls)

Sunday:

Breakfast: Muffins & Juice
Lunch: Quinoa Garden Salad & Italian Bread sticks
Dinner: An Italian Feast!

Hand-held Omelets
Serves 6

Note: I am not known far and wide for my pie crusts, so feel free to use your own recipe. The one I've provided worked really well for this recipe, and tasted fabulous, but I'm well aware that my methods would elicit deep, dramatic gasps from true pastry chefs.

What You Need:

• 9 eggs
• a splash of milk
• salt and peppers to taste
• cheese, meats, and veggies as desired
• 1 2/3 cups flour
• 10 Tbsp butter, cut into cubes
• a dash of salt
• 3 to 4 Tbsp ice water

How it's Done:

• If you're using veggies or meats, cook them as desired. I only used egg and cheese in mine. I recommend cooking your veggies in a little butter in the skillet right before you add the eggs.
• Beat your eggs with milk, salt, and pepper. Add to hot, buttered skillet. Cook and stir until the eggs are firm and set. 
• Remove from heat. Let cool slightly while you prepare your pie crust dough.
• In a food processor (cue gasping here), pour flour and salt and butter cubes. Pulse 15 times or so, until butter is pea-sized. Turn the food processor on (more gasping...someone get that woman an oxygen mask!), and slowly add the water until the dough forms a ball. Turn off the food processor. 
• Move the dough onto a floured surface and roll out to 1/4" thickness. Using a 4" round cookie cutter, cut into 12 rounds. 
• Line a large cookie sheet with parchment, silpat, or nothing at all (I don't use Teflon and don't advise it) if you're brave. Move half of the rounds onto the cookie sheet.
• Mound the filling, about 3 Tbsp or so, onto each round. Cover the filling with the remaining rounds. 
• Press the edges together to seal completely. Using a fork, prick holes in the surface to vent.
• Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or so, until slightly browned. 

Oh, and my garden? Thriving. We're producing more than we can eat and I'm going to start freezing and drying some of what we're harvesting. Here are a few pictures of some of this week's progress:

Watermelon! I think that out of all of our garden, this is the thing I'm most excited about. We have somewhere between 15 and 20 melons growing on our plants.

Our big tomatoes -- the red ones

Our bell peppers are doing well!

One lone Mr. Stripey tomato growing on the vine

I post recipes daily, so please do come back throughout the week to see what's heatin' up my kitchen (or not, as the case may be!) Like what you see? Click Follow! :) For more menu plans, visit Org Junkie today.

Day 160.

My daughter got braces at the end of April. Everyone told us that she would be sore for days after they put on the braces. She needed Tylenol once, and then she was fine.

And then we had to go back so that the orthodontist could install her palate expander. And we came home. And she was sore.

Then night came. And it got worse. She couldn't chew. Couldn't open wide. I made her a Muscle Milk shake.

The next day, she was still very sore and couldn't eat much. More Muscle Milk. Poor kid.

It's day 3 now and she's still sore. This is expected and normal. Some folks have suggested I should take her in and demand that they remove the appliance. However, this is for her benefit and it's important that we carry on. She has teeth impacted because her mouth is so crowded. Braces and the "roof rack" as I call it are important to her oral health (which is important to her physical health) and her self-esteem as she grows up. Sometimes, we have to do things that aren't any fun. Sometimes, we have to do things that hurt.

But it hurts this mama that she can't make her little girl feel better. :( Since it's day three, and the soreness should start tapering off, I decided to make her some soft pancakes and see if she could tolerate them. She was able to eat, but it didn't feel good to do so. I'm making her some mashed potatoes later. Any ideas on how I could add nutrients to those?

Healthy Peanut Butter & Chocolate Pancakes (No, really. They're healthy!)

What You Need:

• 2 1/2 cups flour (I used equal amounts of whole wheat, white, and soy)
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 3 cups of milk (almond, soy, rice, cow, goat, you choose!)
• 2 eggs (I used Ener-G egg replacer though)
• 1/4 cup natural peanut butter melted with 2 Tbsp coconut oil

How it's Done:

1. Preheat your griddle or skillet.
2. Stir together the dry ingredients, then incorporate the wet ingredients.
3. Put melted peanut butter and coconut oil (mixture will be thick, like frosting) in a piping bag or a plastic baggie which you've snipped the corner off of.
4. Pour batter by 1/3 cupfuls onto griddle or skillet.
5. Make a design on each pancake using the piping bag.
6. Flip after 2 minutes, and cook another minute or so.
7. Serve with more peanut butter, maple syrup, or honey.

Welcome New Friends!

Day 155.

I'm participating in a few blog hops today to mingle with other bloggers. If you're here from one of them, welcome! If you're a regular reader, I appreciate you so very much! There's a new recipe at the bottom of this post for you.

New here? Hungry? Here are a few of my recent favorites for you to try...

Peach Sorbet

Dulce de Leche Brownies

Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Strawberry Lemonade

There's tons more here, so pull up a chair, make yourself at home, and find something good to eat. Thanks for stopping by!

Quinoa* Breakfast Cereal

What You Need:

• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 cup milk (I used almond milk)
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 2 Tbsp chopped dried fruit (I used figs)
• 2 Tbsp chopped nuts (I used walnuts)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup fresh fruit (I used blueberries)

How it's Done:

1. First, you'll need to prepare your quinoa. Rinse it well, then bring to a boil and simmer as package directs. One cup of quinoa and two cups of water will give you roughly 3 cups of cooked quinoa.
2. Next, combine cooked quinoa with the milk, honey, dried fruit, nuts, and cinnamon. Simmer until thickened, about ten minutes.
3. Remove from heat and stir in fresh fruit.

*Quinoa is a delicious grain that I would describe as nutty in flavor. It's very healthy and readily available online and in whole foods/health foods stores.

What's for Lunch Wednesday: Sweet Potato Pancakes

Day 153.

If you've been reading this blog for long, you know that I'm a proponent of healthy school lunches and that I am appalled at the lack of quality available to most American elementary school students in their cafeterias. Also, it's my goal to reduce the amount of garbage my family produces, so I've decided to make all of their school lunches no waste meals.

When I came across this bento-themed meme at What's for Lunch at Our House, I knew I would participate. So here's what's for lunch at our house.

Main compartment: Romaine lettuce, carrot curls, cucumbers cut into butterflies, strawberries and white cheddar cheese cut into bunnies, and a hard-boiled egg molded into a bunny shape.

Sides: strawberries cut to fit compartment; sweet potato pancakes in leaf and tree shapes.

Not pictured: salad dressing and honey-cinnamon butter

Time invested: 20 minutes (plus boiling time for eggs---pancakes were leftovers)

 The sweet potato pancakes I made were a healthy version of a Southern classic. I omitted the eggs and butter, replacing them with banana and applesauce, eliminated added sugar, and opted for almond milk instead of cow's milk.

Sweet Potato Pancakes with Honey-Cinnamon Butter

What You Need:

• 1 sweet potato, cooked, peeled, and mashed
• 1 large banana, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 2 cups milk (I used almond milk...feel free to use whatever milk you prefer)
• 1 2/3 cups flour (I used all unbleached white flour, but you can substitute whole wheat for even healthier pancakes)
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp baking powder
• non-stick cooking spray for the pan

 

How it's Done:

1. Preheat your griddle or skillet on medium heat.
2. In a food processor, or using a mixer, beat sweet potato with banana and applesauce. Add milk slowly and beat to combine.
3. In a separate, large mixing bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking powder.
4. Add liquid to dry ingredients, stirring only long enough to make sure all the dry ingredients are wet.
5. Drop by 1/3 cupfuls onto a greased skillet and cook 3 minutes on first side, flip, and cook until done (about 3 more minutes).
6. For the butter: In a food processor, combine 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter with 1/4 cup honey and 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon. Process until combined. Store in refrigerator.

Breakfast and Bites Around the Blogosphere

Day 150.

 

Yesterday, I got my very first fire ant bite since moving to Georgia almost a year ago. The little devil bit me on my Achilles tendon and it's been swelling, itching, and hurting ever since. Anyone have a home remedy for ant bites?

Here's a recipe for some yummy, healthier waffles to kick-start your Sunday. The cook up puffy, fluffy, and aromatic. Enjoy them with apple butter, honey, or maple syrup...or just by themselves.

Apple-Cinnamon Waffles

What You Need:

• 2 cups flour (use all-purpose, whole wheat, or a combination of the two)
• 2 Tbsp sugar (you can actually omit this entirely if you'd like!)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• dash of sea salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup apple sauce
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk

How it's Done:

1. Preheat your waffle iron.
2. Meanwhile, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices.
3. In a separate bowl, beat eggs with milk. Stir in applesauce.
4. Combine dry ingredients and wet ingredients.
5. Pour 1/3 cup batter onto a standard size waffle iron and cook as manufacturer suggests.

Bites Around the Blogosphere

A weekly segment in which I recommend delicious recipes and articles around the blogosphere.

1. Little Calf, Little Calf Bento Lunch at A Pocket Full of Buttons
2. Sweet and Spicy Shrimp at Andrea the Kitchen Witch
3. Homemade Ding Dongs at Beantown Baker
4. Fried Ice Cream at Christy
5. Thai Chicken Pizza at Confessions of a Bake-Aholic
6. Black Bean and Summer Squash Enchiladas at FatFree Vegan
7. Penne A la Vodka at Jenn's Food Journey
8. Broccoli with Bacon and Breadcrumb Topping at Mennonite Girls Can Cook
9. Blueberry and Cheese Rolls at Out of the Box Into the Kitchen
10. Jamie Oliver's Delicious Cheesy Corn at Snack Girl

Bites Around the Blogosphere...But First, Some Breakfast.

Breakfast. It's important. Filling up your tank after a long night's fast is important for your bodily functions. Breakfast helps you think clearer, be in a better mood, and work more efficiently. Find something you like and eat it this morning. It doesn't have to be a breakfast food. If grilled cheese and tomato soup call to you, have some. Try not to be called to the candy bars...but do eat something. Here's a little something to get you started:

Vanilla Scones

What You Need:

• 2 1/2 to 3 cups cups all-purpose (or use whole wheat, or half white, half wheat)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/3 cup chilled butter, cut into chunks
• 1 vanilla bean (just the scrapings)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup milk

for the icing:

• powdered sugar
• enough milk to make a pourable icing

How it's Done:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and lightly spray a large cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Combine flour (start with 2 1/2 cups), sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
3. Add cubes of butter. Cut them in until they're tiny bits smaller than peas. I like to pinch it in with my fingers so that I can properly judge how big they are.
4. In a separate bowl, beat egg. Add milk, vanilla scrapings, and vanilla extract. Pour into dry mixture and stir to combine.
5. The dough should begin to form a ball. If it's too wet still, add additional flour.
6. Knead a few times...maybe ten times total. Divide dough in half.
7. Pat each half into a circle 1" thick on the greased cookie sheet. Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut into wedges just like pizza. Don't separate them.
8. Bake 20 minutes or until just lightly golden on top.
9. Remove from oven and let cool five minutes before icing.
10. For the icing, combine powdered sugar with milk until the desired consistency is met. Pour onto scones. You can add some vanilla extract to the icing for even more vanilla flavor if you'd like.

And now, for some delicious bites around the blogosphere. These are some delectable tidbits I found this week:

• Vanilla Bean Cheesecake at Andrea the Kitchen Witch
• Slow Cooker Carnitas at Angel Foods Kitchen
• Zucchini Fritter Cakes at Anna Dishes
• 10 Ways to Eat Less Meat at Cheap Healthy Good
• Strawberry Yogurt Mask at Coupon Cookin'
• Gingerbread at Green Gourmet Giraffe
• Apple Cupcakes at Haniela's
• Steak Sauce at Jenn's Food Journey
• Chili Potato Dippers with Cheddar Jalapeno Dip at Lamp Unto My Feet
• Focaccia Hamburger Rolls at Out of the Box Into the Kitchen
• Chocolate Tim Tam Hedgehog at StoneSoup

Happy Cooking! See you throughout the week!