BLT (or BLTA) Sandwiches

10 strips of Bacon (2 per person)

10 slices of bread per person (2 per person)

1 head of Lettuce (I like Romaine)

2 Tomatoes, sliced

1 Avocado (optional)

Mayo, mustard and anything else you like on your sandwich

My favorite way to cook bacon is to bake it in the oven.  So much easier, turns out perfect and easy to clean up. (from http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/breakfastcookery/ht/bacon.htm)

1-Line a baking sheet with foil. This will make cleanup easier later.

2-Arrange the bacon slices on the foil and place the baking sheet on the center rack of a cold oven. (Try not to stretch the slices out. Just gently drape the bacon across the pan.) Close the oven door. Turn the oven on to 400°F. Walk away.

3- Come back 17 to 20 minutes later. As soon as the bacon is golden brown, but not excessively crisp, it's done. The exact time will depend on the thickness of the bacon slices, and also on how quickly your oven reaches the target temperature.

4- Remove the pan from the oven. Transfer the bacon to another sheet pan lined with paper towels to absorb any excess fat.

Have everyone build their sandwich however they like it.  I serve this with salad.

Beef Stroganoff (in the crock pot)

Ingredients:

1 lb of beef stew meat, cubed, frozen or not (usually package at the store all cut up like this)

1 can of cream of mushroom soup (10.75 oz)

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1/4 cup water

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

4 oz. (1/2 a bar) of cream cheese or ½ cup sour cream

Egg noodles, or any kind of pasta noodles or rice

1-Put everything BUT the cream cheese or sour cream  and egg noodles into the Crock Pot.  You do not even have to brown the stew meat!

2-Mix together.  

3-Cook on High for 5 hours or on Low for 8 hours.

4-When you are close to serving dinner, prepare about a half bag of noodles according to the package directions.  Mix in the cream cheese or sour cream about 20 minutes before serving.

5-Top the noodles with the beef stroganoff and enjoy.  We love this with peas or broccoli on the side.

Adapted from: http://www.thefrugalfoodiemama.com/2013/01/slow-cooker-beer-stroganoff.html#.U4ZI9PldUSF

BBQ Chicken and Potatoes

This one is so easy and basic it doesn't really require a recipe but I've been requested to put it on the blog so readers can keep track of the groceries needed for this meal for their monthly meal plan.

5 chicken thighs, boneless skinless (can be frozen or not, can use any chicken)

½ cup Bottled BBQ sauce (I like Sweet Baby Ray’s)

5 potatoes

1-Wash the potatoes, poke them with a fork and set them on the middle rack in the oven.  Turn the oven to 350 degrees.

2-Place the chicken in a 9x13” pan and pour the BBQ sauce over the top.  Place the pan next to the potatoes in the oven.

3-Bake for 30 minutes if chicken is not frozen and potatoes are smaller, or up to 60 minutes if chicken is frozen and potatoes are larger. (If you’re doing larger potatoes with non frozen chicken you can microwave the potatoes for 3-6 minutes and then put them in the oven to finish baking.)

Sweet and Sour Apricot Chicken-SO easy!

1 cup Apricot or Apricot-Pineapple Jam (Peach works too)

1 cup Catalina Salad Dressing (or Russian or  French)

1 envelope dry onion soup mix (like Lipton)

3-5 lbs chicken (breasts, bone-in/boneless, thighs, tenders etc. frozen or not)

*The amount of chicken you use is very flexible.  If you use less, you’ll just have lots of sauce, and if you use more- you’ll have less sauce to spoon over rice, but there’s plenty to cook that much chicken.

1-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

2-Place the chicken in a 9x13”  pan.

3-Put the jam, Catalina dressing, cider vinegar, and  the onion soup packet in a bowl and stir to combine and pour over the chicken.

4-Bake for 45 minutes (if not frozen and 60 minutes if frozen.) Eat over rice.

This is a great, super easy, yummy recipe. I'm working on a "real food"/unprocessed version that I'll be posting on the website soon.

3 minute oatmeal

1 cup of oats (Old Fashioned or quick)

2 cups of water (I do a little less)

1-Put in a microwave safe mixing bowl and stir a little.

2-Microwave for 2 to 3 minutes.  

3-Enjoy with milk, fruit, a little honey-whatever you like!

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

Makes about 2 quarts (about 8 servings)

• 2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
• 1 cup finely diced celery
• 1 cup finely diced carrots
• 1 cup finely diced onions
• 1 tsp dried oregano or 1 T fresh oregano
• 1 T dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil
• 4 cups chicken broth
• ½ bay leaf
• ½ cup flour
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese
• ½ cup butter
• 2 cups half and half, warmed (or skim milk if you’re trying to cut some calories)
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper

1.  Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, oregano, basil, and bay leaf to a large slow cooker.

2.  Cover and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.

3.  About 30 minutes before serving prepare a roux. Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for 5-7 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth. Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add the Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper.  Add additional basil and oregano if needed (the slow cooker does a number on spices and they get bland over time, so don’t be afraid to always season to taste at the end).

4.  Cover and cook on LOW for another 30 minutes or so until ready to serve.

Stove-Top Version

• 3 cups diced tomatoes with juice (you can use canned)
• 1 cup finely diced celery
• 1 cup finely diced carrots
• 1 Tbsp fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup finely diced onions
• 4 Tbsp fresh basil or 1 Tbsp dried
• 1/2 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cups half and half, warmed (if you want you can use whole milk, evaporated milk instead…or even skim if you want to skinny it up)
• 1 tsp salt

1.  Heat oil in 4 quart soup pot.  Add celery, onions and carrots.  Saute 5 minutes.  Add basil, oregano, bay leaf, tomatoes, and chicken broth.  Bring it to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until carrots are tender (15 minutes).

2.  While soup simmers, prepare a roux.  Melt butter over low heat, add flour and cook, stirring constantly, 5-7 minutes.  Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup.  Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth.  Add back into soup pot.

3.  Simmer, stirring constantly, until soup begins to thicken.  Add Parmesan cheese and whisk to blend.  Stir warmed half and half, salt and pepper.  Simmer over low heat 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

from http://utah.todaysmama.com/2012/03/20/tomato-basil-parmesan-soup-in-the-slow-cooker-or-on-the-stove-top/

Oven Baked Chicken Fajitas

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or other meat cut into strips

2 Tbsp oil

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp salt

1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 sm can green chilies

1 medium onion, sliced

1 large bell pepper, seeded and sliced (I use half a green and half a red)

12 flour tortillas

Toppings such as cheese, sour cream, and guacamole - if desired

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken strips in a greased 13×9 baking dish.

2. In a small bowl combine the oil, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, dried oregano, and salt

3. Drizzle the spice mixture over the chicken and stir to coat.

4. Next add the tomatoes, peppers, and onions to the dish and stir to combine.

5. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Serve on tortillas with desired toppings.

(Recipe adapted from Real Mom Kitchen at http://realmomkitchen.com/9318/oven-baked-chicken-fajitas/)

Pork or Beef Soft Tacos

Ingredients

1 (2.5 lb) pork roast (can use beef roast too)

1 3/4 cups beef broth

Juice of 1 lime

1 1/2 Tbsp chili powder

1/2 Tbsp cumin

1/2 Tbsp onion powder or dried onions

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Place roast in a slow cooker along with beef broth.

2. Squeeze lime juice over roast.

3. In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.

4. Sprinkle spices over roast.

5. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

6. In the crock pot use two forks or kitchen shears to shred removing any fat.

7. Return meat to crock pot and cook for 30 minutes more.

8. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, remove beef from slow cooker and serve in your favorite Mexican dish.

Recipe by Real Mom Kitchen at http://realmomkitchen.com/10379/mexican-shredded-beef/

Angel Chicken Pasta (crock pot or oven)

-6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs (I use frozen) -1/4 cup butter 1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad                   dressing mix 1 cup apple juice (water works in a pinch) 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed GOLDEN MUSHROOM soup (not cream of mushroom!) 4 ounces cream cheese 1 pound angel hair pasta or any pasta you like

Crock Pot directions

1-Place the chicken in crock pot.

2-Add butter, Italian salad dressing mix, can of soup, & apple juice (or water) Not the cream cheese yet over the chicken.

3-Cook on low in the crock pot for 4-5 hours.

4- Add the cream cheese and cook it for another 30 minutes to let the cream cheese melt and stir it all together.

4-Eat over cooked angel hair pasta or other noodles or rice.

Oven directions

1-Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

2-In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in the package of dressing mix. Blend in apple juice and golden mushroom soup. Mix in cream cheese, and stir until smooth. Heat through, but do not boil.  3-Arrange chicken in a single layer in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour sauce over.

4-Bake for 60 minutes in the preheated oven. 5-Twenty minutes before the chicken is done, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Cook pasta until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain. Serve chicken and sauce over pasta.

Healthy No Bake Cookies (no sugar/sweetened with honey)

This is one of our favorite recipes and we usually end up making these at least once a week.  Since they are whole grain, don't have any sugar and have good protein we eat them for snacks, dessert or even for breakfast sometimes!  Since I have blood sugar issues (hypoglycemia, dysautonomia) I need to eat something every few hours that has protein in it so I always have something in my purse and these work great.  (I also always keep a little container of almonds in my purse for the same reason so if you're ever hungry, come find me and I'll always have a little snack!)

Both of my girls are allergic to peanuts so I developed this recipe with almond butter (I'll post the recipe for that soon!) but peanut butter, and really any nut butter, will work. Just be aware that peanut butter has more oil than almond butter so you may need to add a little more coconut or oats to get the right consistency.



No Bake Cookies

Ingredients
3/4 Cup Honey
3 Tbs baking cocoa (unsweetened)
1/3 Cup butter
2 Cups Oats (old fashioned, quick..any oats work)
1/3 Cup Coconut, unsweetened, dried, shredded (you can replace this with more oats if needed)
1/3 Cup Almond Butter (or any nut butter or sun butter)


 1-Put the first 3 ingredients in a sauce pan over medium high heat, stirring often until they are completed melted and mixed well together.

2-Turn off the heat and stir in the oats and then the almond butter.

3-Stir in the coconut until everything is well mixed.
4-Let the mixture cool in the pan for 10 minutes or so (you can move right on to the next step but this makes things easier if you can wait.)
5-Scoop small amounts of the mixture on wax paper or aluminum foil and let the cool.  (I use my measuring  tablespoon to scoop and it works great.)

*You can freeze or refrigerate the cookies in an airtight container and then take them out one at a time as you like.  I think I actually like them best chilled. I put them in layers with a piece of aluminum foil or wax paper in between.

Simple Tip for baking and cooking-Spray measuring cup with oil

OK, several of the people who have attended my meal planning classes have requested that I put the baking tips and tricks I share in the class on this website so I thought I would start adding those.  These are basically things that help making things faster, healthier and of course, more simple.
The one I'm going to share today is something that  wished I would have known years ago!  When cooking or baking with sticky things such as honey or peanut butter or molasses, spray the inside of the measuring cup with cooking spray before you measure your sticky ingredient. (I use olive oil in my Misto since it saves a ton of money, doesn't have any preservatives or chemicals like the cooking sprays in aerosol cans and keeps your shopping list shorter since you most likely already have olive oil on your list.)

It's like magic when the honey just slips right out!  Yay! (OK, maybe I get over excited about these kinds of things but I always appreciate a good life hack to keep things more simple!)

No more wasting half of your molasses while trying to get it from the bottle to your cookie batter and then wonder how accurate that measurement actually was!

Hawaiian Haystacks or "Stack 'ems" 2 ways (crock pot and stove top)

Crock Pot version

Ingredients for homemade cream of chicken soup:

• 2 cup milk
• 2 Tbs. butter
• ¼ cup. cornstarch
• 2 tsp “Better than Bouillon” chicken
• 1/4 tsp. ground pepper

(or 2 cans (10 3/4 oz. each) cream of chicken soup)

2 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs

1 t paprika (optional)

1 cup of milk (maybe a little more or less)

½ c sour cream (or cream cheese)

And any toppings you want from this list: cheddar cheese, pineapple tidbits, sliced olives, diced green onion, chopped celery, shredded coconut, slice almonds, diced fresh mushrooms, Chow mien noodles, diced tomatoes, peas or mandarin oranges

Instructions

1-Put all 5 ingredients for the “homemade cream of chicken soup” into a medium sauce pan, turn the heat to medium and whisk constantly until there are no lumps and the soup thickens. (This will take several minutes of constant whisking.)  

2- Take the soup of the burner and set aside.

3-Place chicken breasts in crock pot and cover with soup & paprika. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

4-Shred or dice the chicken in the crock pot with kitchen shears.

5-Add sour cream and enough milk and stir to make the consistency of gravy.

6-Serve the sauce over individual plates of cooked rice.

7-Let everyone top their “haystack” with any of the toppings you choose.

Quick Stove Top Version

Ingredients for homemade cream of chicken soup:

• 2 cup milk
• 2 Tbs. butter
• ¼ cup. cornstarch
• 2 tsp “Better than Bouillon” chicken
• 1/4 tsp. ground pepper

(or 2 cans (10 3/4 oz. each) cream of chicken soup)

Cooked chicken (canned chicken or rotisserie chicken work really well for this)

1 t paprika (optional)

1 cup of milk (maybe a little more or less)

½ c sour cream (or cream cheese)

And any toppings you want from this list:

cheddar cheese, pineapple tidbits, sliced olives, diced green onion, chopped celery, shredded coconut, slice almonds, diced fresh mushrooms, Chow mien noodles, diced tomatoes, peas or mandarin oranges

1-Put all 5 ingredients for the “homemade cream of chicken soup” into a medium sauce pan, turn the heat to medium and whisk constantly until there are no lumps and the soup thickens. (This will take several minutes of constant whisking.)  

2-Add cooked chicken shredded or cubed ( to the soup.

3-Take the soup of the burner and set aside.

4-Add sour cream and enough milk and stir to make the consistency of gravy.

5-Serve the sauce over individual plates of cooked rice.

6-Let everyone top their “haystack” with any of the toppings.

Note: I found it quite funny that when these were served at a party while I was living in Hawaii, most of the Hawaiians had never heard of this dish and the one who had called them "Stack 'ems" so this recipe is dedicated to you, Bro. Ho!