Oh SNAP!

It's 3pm and I forgot to take ANY meat out of the freezer?!?! WHAT IS A MAMA TO DO!?!

Oh! I know:)

1. Take a frozen roast and place it in a pan with some sort of covering
2. add a little oil (just a trace)
3. add seasonings (I used garlic and season salt)
4. toss in oil and seasonings
5. put in pan
6. cover pan
7. put in oven at 350*
8. and in about 2-3hrs you should have a nice plump roast!
9. serve with starch and veggies/fruit!

For the rest of this meal I chose to saute' fresh green beans, mash potatoes and enjoy the roast! But almost anything goes with roast! You could just grab a can of green beans and a can of peaches! Or toss a bag of salad and some garlic toast! Possibilities are endless!!

YOGURT!!

I just figured this out today (have been doing it for a while but just never officially noticed it:) I buy a large (4lbs) tub of plain non fat yogurt from Cost-Co for $4.00. It being plain and needing a little flavor I also purchase a 2 pack of strawberry jelly (all natural!) for about $6.00 for the pair. Mix it all together, about 1tsp($.03) of jelly 3/4($.40)cup of yogurt (its really thick!), and you have strawberry yogurt for $.43!! It's just awesome how satisfying thriftiness can be!! Its also being "green" since your only buying to containers, one plastic and one glass, BOTH recyclable! Yes, this is cheaper than making your own yogurt, unfortunately. Just in case your curious as to what on earth you will do with 4lbs of yogurt! Well let me enlighten you! You can use it as a substitute for oil in muffin's, breads, brownies, cakes etc... It can be used as a sour cream substitute (it is PLAIN yogurt after all:) Like today I used it to stretch out the last bit of the Classico- Sun-dried Tomato Alfredo sauce to pour over noodles, add some shredded cheese, seasoning and TA! DA! You have the worlds best mac'n cheese EVER!! Okay, maybe I'm biased but it was pretty good! The kids asked for more so... yum!!

more BUGS!?!? in my food

Another twist on an old favorite! just to add texture in a non threatening way, also other forms of protein.

BUGS in noodles

Mac N cheese (how ever your family prepares it)

Black beans

1.) make your macaroni and cheese 2.) add black beans to the macaroni and cheese 3.) Serve BUGS in noodles and let the kids "play" with the theme:)

IDEA!! Make a center piece out of bugs and plants! Have a magnifier at the table so they can investigate their food. Maybe put on "safari" hats and be bug hunters! If your kiddo is as "picky" as mine, playing at the dinner table (in a respectable fashion) is a much needed thing! B always had 2-3 "meal time buddies" to help him eat his food! (just make sure they are dishwasher safe!)

BUGS!!in my food?!?

Soo.... another picky eater recipe! Finding way's to shorten the eating time (from 2hrs to 45/1hr) kept me on the hunt and forced me to be a little creative with food. I am sure I am not the first person to blog about this, "cook" this, or even think of this but! I figured I'd share it and maybe it's helpful to one.

Ant's On a Log/Frogs on a lily pad

bread/leftover pancakes

banana's(frogs)

peanut(other nut) butter

cinnamon sugar/ sprinkles

raisins(bugs/ants)

carrots(log)

1.) prep carrots into thin sticks, wide enough to spread peanut butter on 2.) spread peanut butter onto bread and carrots 3.) adorn peanut buttered carrot(log) with raisins(bugs) 4.) cut bread into four equal parts 5.) cut banana into circles 6.) place one banana circle (frog) on each lily pad (bread/peanut butter) 7.) sprinkle frog with cinnamon sugar/sprinkles 8.) serve with milk and you have a complete meal!!

Picky Eaters!!

You know how you have this wonderful plan for your life and its just so wonderful that you tell God that about it. Of course after wiping tears of mirth, our loving Savior kindly reminds us HE is in charge!!(thank you Jesus! Because I would have made a really bad aristocrat's wife, schmoozing is NOT my thing:) In this wise wisdom I asked the Lord if he would be so kind to NOT give me a picky eater!! Because of all the frustrating characteristics children exemplify picky eater's were my Achilles heal! I have now grown a little more patient and a little more tolerant of the small children (and occasional adult) who is VERY particular about what they like and dislike to eat. I being a lover and enjoyer of food still find pickiness a baffling trait! I would like to thank my son for being God's instrument of change for me, I'm sure it wasn't easy because I am not one to change quickly:) Here is a recipe that came in my desperation to get my small child to EAT!!(he really just didn't like the actual act of eating, oddness to me?!?)

Veggie Pancakes

1 cup flour

1/2 scoop protein powder(3T)

3 T baking powder

1 egg

1 pureed steamed veggies

1/4 cup oil

Instructions: 1.) whisk all dry ingredients together 2.) whisk all wet ingredients together 3.) whisk ALL ingredients together (may need a little more milk to moisten) 4.) cook pancakes 5.) add butter and syrup 6.) serve! They'll never know they are eating vegetables!!

MORE cube steak!!

Just what you always wanted! More cube steak:):) Or not really so another way to use it up is to put it in the spaghetti sauce:) I know its not really "spaghetti season" but if you have it use it right? or just freeze the (cooked) steak till your ready to have spaghetti:) I make my own sauce(cheaper and has no HFCS in it:) but there is no shame in buying the bottles and using that too:)

One of the dangers of me, I never cook the same way twice unless I write it down...doh! But this last time I made sauce (little too spicy for kiddos, but B ate it enjoyed it) I did write it down... approximately...

Ingredients: 3T Mrs. Dash Table blend(in that blend is onion powder, black pepper, chili pepper, parsley, celery seed, basil, bay leaf, marjoram, oregano, thyme, cayenne pepper(the spice so you can eliminate this if you wish not to have spice), coriander, cumin, mustard rosemary, garlic, orange peel/zest, lemon oil/zest), 16oz can of stewed tomatoes, 12oz can of garlic and olive oil tomatoes, about 1/4 cup brown sugar(to take away the acid of tomatoes:), 2T sea salt

Directions: 1.) Puree all ingredients 2.) dice meat 3.) put everything into a pot to simmer, add about 3T olive oil 4.) bring to boil, then simmer for about 30min (or less) depending on the taste your going for you may want more garlic:) 5.) Put on noodles and enjoy!!

Cube Steak

I never thought I would ever see the day that I could actually eat much less serve cube steak to my son?!?! I am still in shock and awe at the ease of this and that I can finally use the ENTIRE cow quarter we buy (okay so I give the liver and tongue away but.... close enough right?)

Ingredients: Cube steak( I had 4), 2c beef broth, 2.5T garlic(used powder), 3T parsley, salt, (pepper if you HAVE to;), celery, chives (or onions), 1/2c red wine vinigar

Directions: dump it all in the crock pot and cook it on high for 6.5 hrs or until it is tender enough to be cut by a fork(yes I know, cube steak, trust me!)

Now that its cooked to perfection you have a few options: 1.) make gravy with drippings&corn starch to be served over mashed potatoes 2.) Make it into BBQ beef, just drain most drippings leave 1/2c and add BBQ sauce, catchup, Worcestershire sauce 3.) make stir fry!!(we did, it was awesome!!) recipe TBPosted:)

Leftovers, leftovers, leftovers!

This assumes you have turkey/chicken& wild rice soup leftover to use up:)

Ingredients:

Leftover Turkey/chicken wild rice soup

1 Can -cream o mushroom soup

biscuit dough

Directions: 1.) mix the cream of mushroom soup with the leftovers 2.) pour into greased pan large enough to accommodate leftovers and biscuits on top 3.) pre heat oven to 450 4.) make biscuit dough 5.) roll dough into balls and place on top of soup mixture 6.) bake according to biscuit recipe 7.) cool, serve, enjoy!

Biscuit Recipe

2c flour

1tblspn baking powder

1/3 c butter

3/4 c milk (or water if need be)

Directions: 1.) measure out flour and baking powder into a bowl 2.) melt butter 3.)drizzle butter into flour mixture using a whisk/pastry cutter to "cut" into flour 4.) add milk mixing with wooden spoon (or hands) till its not sticky, barely 5.) Handling the dough as little as possible shape into balls and bake! @450

Easy Pasta Salad

For those nights when you just don't want to cook!

Suggested ingredients:

Meat(we used Italian sausage on the grill), noodles(angle hair or any family favorite), veggies (broccoli and canned diced green chili tomato's), oil & vinegar (I used Paul Newman's Balsamic light vinegaret), salt/pepper/garlic to taste if needed

Directions: 1) Boil noodles and Cool 2.) Cook/reheat meat 3.) Cook/prep veggies 4.) Toss noodles with vinegar and oil (possibly add salt and pepper if needed) 5.) add the rest of the ingredients 6.) plate and serve!

Spotted Turtle Bread

BEANS! BEANS! BEANS!! These legumes I used to abhor are now a large part of my diet, much to the chagrin of my family. Here is a great recipe for those who haven't quite crossed over to the "other side" the side of the BEANS!!

Spotted Turtle Bread

1T of yeast (prepare according to package directions)

1c warm water

3.5-4.5c of flour (I added garlic, oregino, thyme, salt, pepper)

3/4 c cooked, black beans

1.5T oil (more if using whole wheat flour)

1. Make yeast according to directions
2. combine water and 2c of flour in the mixer for 5min
3. Let it rest 10min
4. add yeast mixture and remaining ingredients alternately, adding only enough flour to make soft dough not sticky
5. Turn out dough onto floured board and knead 1-2 min
6. Shape into small/large "turtle" shaped rolls and place, sides touching, in oiled or buttered baking dish
7. cover and let rise until very light and, more than doubled in bulk 1hr or more
8. Bake at 400 for small turtles and 45 min for large turtles or until golden brown
9. Cool and serve!