Reed Family Plan 12-14 to 12-20 with Calzone Recipe :)

This week is going to be busy, but fun as we wind down to winter break!  This coming weekend is our annual Christmas with the Reeds.  We celebrate Christmas with most of Nick's brothers and his parents the Saturday before Christmas.  This year, each family is bringing something to contribute to the meal and we are bringing calzone.  The recipe is at the end :)

Monday: chicken and rice enchiladas
Tuesday: turkey tenderloin and mashed potatoes
Wednesday: chicken and vegetable fried rice
Thursday: meatballs, spinach, pasta
Friday: breakfast
Saturday: dinner at Nick's parents, we're bringing sausage and cheese calzone!

Sunday: dinner at my parents :)

Calzone:
Pizza dough (store bought or homemade, I've used both and they work equally well)
Pizza or Marinara Sauce
Mozzarella Cheese
Toppings: Almost any pizza toppings will work, but I'd stay away from pineapple.  And I would not over do it with the toppings, either.

Preheat oven to 350*F and lightly grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
Sprinkle flour over work surface and roll out your dough to big rectangle.  I use a large cutting board as my surface so I can easily remove the calzone at the end.
Assemble as if making a regular pizza (sauce, cheese, and toppings).
Fold each side over about half an inch so you have a crust of sorts.
Starting on the long side of the rectangle, begin rolling the dough tucking in the sides that you folded earlier.
Roll all the way and carefully pinch dough together.
Roll the whole calzone off of your work surface and onto a cookie sheet.
Bake until the pizza dough has a nice golden color.  This can take up to 45 minutes, but check the calzone often to ensure it doesn't burn.
Let cool, slice as if slicing bread, and enjoy!

Banana Bread Recipe

Here is our favorite banana bread recipe:

Banana Bread (Recipe by Eva Lynn Marshall Ewing, my great grandmother)

Cream together: 1 c. sugar
                           1/2 c. butter

Add: 1 egg and beat.

Add 1 c. mashed banana (the riper the better) and beat.

Add: 1 3/4 c. flour
         1/2 t. soda
         1/2 t. b. powder
         1/2 t. salt
         1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Pour into greased and floured loaf pan. Bake at 375 degrees 40-45 minutes or until toothpick in center comes out clean. Use a knife to loosen edges from pan. Remove from pan to cool.

Note: This recipe makes one loaf, but I always double the recipe and freeze one loaf. Also delicious with mini chocolate chips. 

Farm Fresh Food

Hi all,

I just thought I would post this here, in case anyone is interested . . . I buy a lot of my meat in bulk from a "coop" of farmers.  (I have a freezer in the basement.)  I will tell you now that it is expensive, but it is grass-fed meat straight from the farm, so the quality is exceptional.  If anyone is interested, check out the website (sevensons.net) and let me know if you would like to ever "go in" on an order with me.  There are "packages" that you can order that make it much cheaper.  So, for example, we could order a 10 or 20 pack of chickens or ground beef (everything is frozen and vacuum-sealed) and then split them up.  I usually use the Libertyville pick-up location, and I have no problem being the "pick-up person".  (As a disclaimer, I will say again THIS IS NOT CHEAP.  So I am not offering a way to save money on groceries . . . just a way to possibly buy some really high quality food! We "severely ration" our meat in our house . . . otherwise we'd be broke, well, more than we are now, ha!)  :)

Anyway, I just ordered a load for pick-up next weekend, so I will not be ordering again for a couple months . . . but I thought I would mention it just to see if there is any interest for next time.  :)

Oh, in addition to meat, there are also other things . . . their eggs are really good and A LOT cheaper than buying comparable eggs in the store.  And I LOVE their drinkable yogurt.

Kathy

Booher Plan

Whew!  We have had a very busy week, culminated by one of the busiest Saturday's we've had yet AND a 4-day visit from the in-laws.  Everything was great, but I am enjoying taking a deep breath after getting the grandparents on the road this morning. (I am also tired of feeding everyone 18-million times a day.  I think we'll have cereal for lunch, and dinner too . . . )

We're in the middle of our weekly plan right now, as this month's "week" is Wed to Wed . . .

Wed:  Salmon, mashed sweet potatoes, roasted cauliflower
Thurs: Hamburgers, oven fries, veggies and ranch dip**
Fri:  Chicken and broccoli Alfredo
Sat:  Lasagna, salad, monkey bread
Sun:  Tortellini soup, Irish soda bread (ha ha.  We'll see.  See aforementioned comment about cereal . . . )
Mon:  Leftovers and/or homemade pizza
Tues: breakfast for dinner  

**I have finally "perfected" an easy homemade ranch dip that we all love: mix equal parts plain yogurt, mayo, and sour cream with salt, garlic powder, pepper, and dill to taste.  Easy to mix up on the spur of the moment and very good!  If you want to use it as a salad dressing, just shake it in a jar with a little buttermilk (or plain milk with a dash of vinegar) until it is pour-able.

I hope you all are in the middle of a great weekend!  :)

Kathy

How many more bites?

Sound familiar?

I've found a small answer to a seemingly endless question. Let me set the stage: The adults have finished their meals and the kids are still staring and a full plate of food. All of the taupe- and yellow-colored foods have been nibbled away from the rest of the rainbow. And then the question, "Can I be done?" is answered with a patient but firm, "No, you need to eat more." The child asks forlornly, "How many more bites?" 

I know that kids feel comfortable with routine, but this nightly routine is one that gets old more quickly than peas get cold.

Never fear! I have found a working solution! And, it is great on many levels. It provides a flexible "out" for parents, as they see the kids are legitimately struggling, and gives kids a lesson in nutrition and in adding money. No, I'm not paying my kids to eat. I know you were thinking that. And, you were considering it too, weren't you? I knew it!

Here's my new system. When the meal isn't a favorite, and things seem to be going downhill, the question is inevitably posed, "How many more bites?" My response has become, "You need to save up a dollar," (or whatever monetary figure fits your child's addition skill level). 

I tell my kids they are like piggy banks and the food is money. They can "save up" by eating.  (We had been to the bank earlier that day.) Each type of food, or size of bite, is worth different amounts. For example, a small bite of grain such as rice is only worth a few pennies, while a bite of protein like egg or ground beef is worth much more. It's a great chance to explain how different foods keep you fuller, longer. I was surprised that my kids seemed to have no concept of this because I had been explaining it at least twice a week during challenging meals! We have had fun adding up the cents on paper (we're working on double digit addition right now) in between bites. 

The only drawback of this system is that it requires a lot of monitoring by the parents. I try to teach my kids be as independent as possible, but this system works so well, it's totally worth the hand-holding, in my opinion. Plus, when they're tired and low on energy, it seems loving (and helpful) to give a little extra TLC at mealtime. 

Tonight, my kids both ate most of a meal that is historically a struggle. My little guy just wanted to get to the dollar mark as soon as possible, so he ate five huge bites and nearly cleaned his plate. My daughter was being very finicky, but right away, she saw how slowly her bites of rice were adding up so she started to add spinach into every bite. 

This could be one of those things that doesn't work for every family, but it was such a success that I just had to share. Hope it helps! 

Wamsley Meal Plan 11/6-11/13

I think maybe it was the change in the weather, or that my kids were begging me to go to the grocery store because, "We have NO food."  Either way I was inspired yesterday to meal plan before I went to the store, (this may be common sense to most of you, but normally I do the reverse and shop what looks  good or is on sale in the moment and then try to make meals with it the rest of the week.)  Okay so now  you all have a peek into what my life is really like... :)

Also I tend to shop on the weekend so we have a good variety of lunch box foods for Monday when we have to pack lunches, so this menu is Saturday to Friday.

Saturday: Potluck at church Mexican foods theme -- Taco soup
Sunday: Grilled sandwiches and fruit
Monday: Leftover Taco soup (I think I can get away with this because my kids will have other options  at the potluck and may not eat the soup.)
Tuesday: Pasta (Spaghetti squash), meatballs and sauce.  Homemade bread
Wednesday: Balsamic/onion pot roast in crockpot
Thursday: Roasted Veggies and Salmon
Friday: Huddle dinner potluck -- Buster bar (We have families that we get together for each week for a potluck dinner.  I am bringing dessert this week)

Bing Family Menu for the Week of 11/1

What a great blog!  Thanks for inviting me Kathy!!  Here was/is our meal plan for this week:

Monday:  White Chicken Chili- This is a little spicy but shockingly not one of my kids complained.  I always double this recipe.  It is quick and easy to make.  

Tuesday:  Spaghetti and Meatballs with a salad.  My mom is 100 percent Italian.  There is no actual written recipe, but one of these days I will pay close attention when I make it and write it all down.

Wednesday:  Chicken Fajitas with homemade flour tortillas.  Making your own tortillas adds an extra 20 minutes to your meal prep, but it's worth it.  You can make the tortillas without a tortilla press, but the press makes it go a lot faster.  I got mine off Amazon for around 30 dollars.  The recipe calls for whole wheat flour and coconut oil but I substitute regular white flour and I use vegetable oil instead.

Thursday:  Grilled Pork Tenderloin, Mashed Potatoes and Grilled Asparagus

Friday:  Pizza

Have a good weekend,
Christen

Halverson Weekly Menu

I'm feeling so inspired by this blog- I'm posting a week in advance. For those of you who know me, this is nothing short of miraculous, on many levels!

Monday: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and peas
Tuesday: leftovers, if there are any or Apple Butternut squash soup and fresh bread
Wednesday: Daddy Dinner (Mom's night out)
Thursday: Rice Lasagna (thank you Reading Rainbow for this recipe) and garden salad
Friday: Eggs, bacon, and biscuits
Saturday: Wild card...
Sunday: Homemade pizza (and Sunday night movie The Gruffalo)

Here's the Rice Lasagna recipe we found on Reading Rainbow. It's from episode 14: How to make an apple pie and see the world. Gotta love LeVar! The amounts are vague, but pretty straight forward. I think it would be hard to mess this up. I baked it at 350 until the cheese was golden on top (around 30-40 minutes)

Marinara
3 onions, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped (boil for 10-15 sec and cool in ice bath to make peeling easier)
fresh basil leaves
rosemary sprigs
garlic

Simmer in a large pot.

Lasagna
canola oil
cooked brown rice
spinach, wilted
mozzarella cheese
marinara sauce (see above)

Spread a thin layer of oil in a casserole dish. Pack a layer of rice in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle a layer of spinach over the rice. Cover the spinach with cheese. Cover the cheese with the marinara sauce. Layer 2-3 more times until the dish is full. End on a layer of cheese.

Bread! And some introductions . . .

• At the request of my neighbor, Hillary, who stuck her head in my back door yesterday and smelled baking bread, (which is not unusual because I always realize I am out of bread and I hate the grocery store with a passion and refuse to go more then once a week),  I am posting a couple of bread recipes here.  I am always on the hunt for good homemade bread recipes, because, let's face it, homemade bread is just awesome.  :) Before I do that, though, I thought I would do some quick introductions . . . though all of you from SGS know each other.
• 
  
• Hillary is my backyard neighbor and good friend who has a 6-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy.  Our kids are outside playing together nearly every day, and Hillary and I can be found intervening when needed and commiserating about what we are each making for dinner.  This blog came from those conversations that centered around "oh, can I have that recipe?" and "please tell me you have an idea of what he heck I should do about dinner". Yes, there have been times we have been standing at the trampoline chatting while our kids jumped, only to eventually realize that our kids are nowhere to be found.  Unfortunately, they always seem to find their way back . . . 

Tracey is my "sideyard" neighbor ;) and good friend who has 4 boys (11, 9, 5, 2) and one 7-year-old girl. (Maybe now is a good time to mention that the kids' ages are approximate, and my best guess!). Her kids are also always playing outside and yes, we have lost several of them as well.  (The most famous incident involved finding them in the locked car, in the driveway, while we ran frantically all over the neighborhood  . . . ) We have traded off pregnancies for the entire time I've lived here.  Yes, she is ahead by one, and I intend to leave it that way!!  Tracey is a homeschooling mom, which translates to:  "I have no idea how she does it".  She appears to be completely sane!

Christen and Clare have kids in all my kids classes, and were my running buddies this summer during MWTHFFWLFWLTR.  Christen has 3 girls (8, 6, and 4) . . . And a 2-year-old boy named Luke.  Christen is not yet on this blog because she has her hands too full to set up a google account, (haha) but I have every confidence that she will see the light.  She is also a part time 4th grade teacher. Clare or Amanda, please let her know that I have called her out on the blog . . . 

Clare has a basketball team very similar to Tracey's . . . 4 boys (10, 8, 6, and 4) and a 2-year-old girl.  I heard that she loves Big Macs more than life. (Just kidding!). :) It is my life mission to turn her into a morning person as well as a coffee drinker.  Time will tell.  

Amanda has an 8-year-old girl and 2 boys (6 and 3(?)).  She routinely puts up with Katie at Girl Scouts (as does Christen), for which they both deserve medals.  She is a fitness instructor in her spare time.

I would LOVE to expand this blog to more people, so please invite anyone you think might be interested.  :)

Without further ado, this first bread recipe is easy and pretty quick . . . no kneading required.  I have had trouble with it staying together when sliced, but I attribute that to the fact I have never had stoneground whole wheat flour, and have only used white whole wheat flour.  We still manage to eat the whole loaf in one sitting . . .

IRISH BROWN BREAD

• 3 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour, preferably stoneground
• 1/2 cup white flour (all-purpose or bread flour)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• generous 1/2 cup, plus 1 1/2 cups tepid water - scant 2 cups total
• 1 tablespoon dark molasses 
• 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast 

1. Mix the flours with the salt in a medium bowl.

2. Pour 1/2 cup of water into a small bowl and stir in the molasses, then add the yeast, stirring a couple of times. Let stand until it starts to foam on top, about 10 minutes.

3. Pour the yeast mixture and the remaining 1 1/2 cups water into the flour and stir until a batter is formed, which will have the consistency of oatmeal. (If using standard whole-wheat flour, the dough will be sticky, and rather wet.) Let stand 10 minutes.

4. Spray a nonstick 9-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray and cut a piece of parchment or wax paper to line the bottom of the pan. Scrape the dough into the prepared pan, smooth the top with a spatula or if it’s sticky, dampen your hand and use that then drape a kitchen towel over the top (so it’s not pressing down on the dough, but just lightly over the top) and let rise in a warm place until the dough reaches the top of the pan, about 20 minutes – although it can vary so just keep an eye on it.

5. Before the dough has almost reached the top of the pan, preheat the oven to 450ºF. When the dough has reached the top of the pan, bake the bread for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, decrease the heat to 400ºF. Run a knife around the outside of the bread to release it from the pan, tip the loaf out of the pan, remove the parchment paper, and place the loaf upside down directly on the baking rack and let bake another 15 minutes, or until done. The bread is ready when you tap the bottom and it sounds hollow. If using an instant-read thermometer, the temperature should read 190ºF. Let the bread cool on a wire rack before slicing.

BREAD MACHINE HALF-WHOLE WHEAT BREAD
(This is my go-to bread machine recipe when making bread overnight, which we do all the time.  It doesn't have any perishable ingredients, and it takes about 3 minutes to throw together after dinner.  It is really good the first day, but like all other homemade whole wheat breads I've made, it gets dry after that.  So if we don't finish the loaf we usually turn it into french toast or breadcrumbs.)

1 1/2 cups water
2 2/3 cups bread flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp active dry yeast

Put them in the machine and use the whole wheat setting.  Its that simple!

I would LOVE a homemade bread recipe, with at least SOME whole wheat flour, that doesn't get dry after Day 1.  So if you have one, please share.  Thanks!

Kathy

We survived!

I am happy to report that the Booher family made it through Liam's Dad's wedding weekend without any major catastrophes.  I personally feel like I have been gone for a month, eaten nothing but junk food for the entire time, and need about 30 more hours of sleep.  Let me tell you, I was glad to put the kids on the bus this morning so that I could tackle "getting our lives back in order" without the kids underfoot.  I hope their teachers don't hold their lovely moods against me!!  :)

I can pretty much sum up our weekend food intake by telling you that we stopped at Five Guys for burgers on the way home . . . and as I was eating this huge, dripping, fast food burger, my thought was "Ahhh.  Thank goodness we're finally getting a square meal."  REALLY??!!  Soooo, my plan for this week, food-wise, is 1.) to eat vegetables and 2.) to eat actual meals!!  I am going to roast several big trays of assorted veggies this afternoon to use throughout the week.  (I really love to eat a bowl of leftover veggies for breakfast with an over-easy egg or two on top.)  Then we'll have fresh roasted veggies with tonight's dinner, some in our omelets, and some on top of our Friday pizza.

Tues: Chicken pitas with tzatziki sauce, roasted veggies, the last garden beans if they can be salvaged
Wed: Omelets, fruit
Thurs: Baked pasta with broccoli rabe and sausage
Fri: homemade pizza
Sat: Shrimp with white beans and kale, bread and cheese
Sun: Pot roast with onions and carrots, mashed potatoes and gravy, peas, salad

I hope you all had a great weekend and are well into a good week.  GO CUBBIES!!

Kathy

Creamy Root Vegetable Stew with Gruyere Crostini

I found this stew in Cooking Light. It's very hearty and mild yet full of flavor. 

1 T. olive oil

Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Cindy Barr
from Cookinglight.com

1 c. chopped onion
3 T. chopped garlic
1 T. fresh chopped rosemary, divided

peel and 3/4" dice the following:
2 1/2 c. Yukon gold potatoes
2 1/4 c. rutabaga
2 c. turnip
1 1/4 c. parsnip

2 c. organic vegetable broth
2 c. water
2 T. heavy whipping cream
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 t. salt

8- 1/8" slices French baguette
1/2 c. shredded Gruyere cheese

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion; cook 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and 2 t. rosemary; cook 1 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in potato, rutabaga, turnip, parsnip, vegetable broth, and water. Bring to a simmer. Cook, covered 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

2. Place 3 c. vegetable mixture in a blender. Remove center of lid to allow steam to escape and cover opening with a towel to prevent splatters. Blend until smooth. Repeat until entire stew is blended. Return stew to pan. Stir in cream, pepper, and salt.

3. Preheat broiler.

4. Arrange bread slices on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle each piece with cheese and sprinkle remaining rosemary evenly on top. Broil 1 minute or until cheese is melted.

Serves 6-8.

Notes:
A. You can prepare this stew up to three days ahead.
B. I like this recipe more like a hearty soup so I used an immersion blender to puree the entire mixture.
C. I usually serve this with homemade Cheesy Buttermilk Bread and butter.

Super Easy Crock Pot Applesauce

The 1st graders did an apple unit at school recently and brought home this tasty recipe. We have a handy dandy apple peeler/slicer/corer mechanism, which makes the apple prep very fast. If your family eats a lot of applesauce, it might be worth investing in one.

Super Easy Crock Pot Applesauce

8 apples
1 c. water
1 t cinnamon
1/2 c. sugar (or less/none)

Peel, core and cut up apples. Put all of the ingredients in the crock pot for 6-8 hours, stirring every once in awhile.
Cool, eat, and enjoy!
Double, triple, or quadruple the recipe for more apples.



Here's the apple slicer I have:

Chia Balls

I've really struggled with the idea of snack time. I guess this is because when I was growing up, the idea of an afternoon snack was thought of as dinner sabotage in my mother's eyes. Well, the apple  apparently doesn't fall from the tree (don't even think about nibbling on that fallen apple of you'll spoil your dinner).  Just kidding, of course. I have resisted the idea of morning and afternoon snacks, but the picture can get pretty ugly! So, I have done a 180 on snacks, but I'm very picky about what the snack is. My kids have are active and just eat all of the time- and they still manage to eat faiirlywell at dinner, most of the time.

Here's one of our favorite energy packed snacks. If anyone has a better name, Please! I'm open to suggestions. This name is trumped only by an appetizer at Lovely Thai in Grayslake. The appetizer is delicious, but it's called "Lovely Balls." Whoa...

Chia Balls

3/4 c. oats
7 pitted dates
3 T. chia seeds
1/2 c. raisins
1/4 t. vanilla
1/4 t. cinammon
1/4 c. peanut butter

1. Pulse oats in food processor until coarsely chopped.
2. Add dates. Pulse until chopped.
3. Add remaining ingredients. Pulse until mixed.
4. Roll into 18 balls.
5. Keep in fridge.

Booher Family plan and Grandma's broccoli soup

Hello all!

Here was our plan from the past week or so, with a bonus recipe . . . my very favorite broccoli soup recipe from my Grandma.  One of my favorite memories of her is the fact that she always had a little broccoli soup in the freezer that she would defrost and heat up for me whenever I came over for lunch.  She knew I loved it, and she saved it just for me!  :)  Now, whenever I make this soup, I think of her.  The soup is amazingly easy . . . even easier if you have an immersion blender.  (And most of my kids love it too, amazing!)  I hope you enjoy!

Wed: Fish and Greek pasta salad
Thurs: Chicken and broccoli casserole, rolls, salad
Fri:  Homemade pizza
Sat: Baked pork chops with mushroom gravy, baked potatoes, sauteed kale, peas
Sun: Broccoli soup, Irish brown bread
Mon: Mussels over angel hair pasta, leftover bread, salad
Tues: TACO TUESDAY!
Wed: Breakfast for dinner
Thurs: Ham, sweet potato casserole, corn (*I am a bit disturbed by how much my kids LOVE ham)
Fri: Chicken and Noodles (a family favorite), beans, salad
SAT/SUN: We were in South Bend for the Notre Dame - Navy game . . . GO IRISH!!
Mon: leftovers
Tues: Fish, fried rice, broccoli
Wed: breakfast for dinner

This Thursday we leave for a long extravaganza weekend in Cincinnati for Liam's Dad's wedding.

And without further ado, here is the soup recipe.  You should make it immediately!  :)

GRANDMA'S BROCCOLI SOUP
*I usually double the recipe . . . if there are leftovers, it freezes very well*

2 TBSP of butter
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cups of chicken broth (Amanda - you could easily sub veggie broth for a vegetarian version!)
1 large potato, peeled and chopped
1 large bunch of broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup half and half
1-2 TBSP fresh lemon juice

Saute onion in butter and then add chicken broth. Bring to a boil.  Add potato and broccoli and cook 15-20 minutes until tender.  Puree in blender or with immersion blender.  Add cream, salt and pepper (don't skimp on these!), and lemon juice.  Heat thoroughly, but don't boil once cream is added.  Enjoy!  

Reed Dinner Plan October 5 - 11

Here's what is on the menu this week for us, plus some links to recipes :)

Monday: Garlic Butter Chicken, sautéed spinach & arugula, and leftover pasta
Tuesday: Turkey Italian Sausage and cheddar biscuits (I use a box mix, but this is a good recipe, too)
Wednesday: Chicken and fried rice & pea pods
Thursday: Grilled Cheese and salad
Friday: Blueberry Pancakes and Breakfast Sausage (This is the recipe I use, but I replace the eggs with 1 1/2 Tablespoons water, 1 1/2 Tablespoons oil, and 1/2 Teaspoon of baking powder and add 1 Teaspoon of vanilla)
Saturday & Sunday: We keep weekends pretty simple, but I rarely plan them out because we never know what's going to happen! :)

Hope you have a good week!

Lunchbox Idea

I thought I would post a recipe I found recently for a pretty healthy zucchini bread . . . I have been putting it in the kids' lunches spread with cream cheese and calling it a "sandwich".  Yes, I am grasping at straws, but I'll take whatever I can get!! :)

GREEK YOGURT ZUCCHINI BREAD
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (the recipe called for vanilla, I used plain.  Vanilla adds a lot of sugar and this bread was delicious with the plain)
1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (I added a bit more to make up for the yogurt)
1 large egg
1/3 cup coconut oil
2 TBSP honey
3 TBSP mashed very ripe banana
1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar (I admit to using less) :)
1/2 cup oat flour (blended oats)
1 cup whole wheat or white whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon (I use more)
1 cup grated zucchini
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips or chopped nuts, optional

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Lightly grease and flour one bread pan.

In a bowl, stir together yogurt, vanilla, egg, coconut oil (measure when melted), and honey.

Mash the banana really well and stir in banana and brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, stir together the oat flour (measured AFTER blending), whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

Mix together dry and wet.  Do not over mix.  Stir in zucchini and optional ingredients.

Pour into orepared pan and bake for 40-50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean and the bread begins to pull away from the side of the pan.

Booher plan

Well, here's to another week of pulling teeth to come up with a menu plan!  Thanks for your ideas . . . They definitely helped fill my list.

Weds: grilled fish, roasted smashed potatoes, broccoli, Tom-eggplant-basil-mozzarella-salad

Thurs: lasagna, green salad

Fri: hamburgers, oven fries, green beans

Sat: OUT TO DINNER, YEEHAW! Kids get mad and cheese and peas

Sun: Build your own salad night (note: my kids will not eat a "put together" salad.  However, if you put all the ingredients in little bowls across the counter and let them build it themselves, they think it is the coolest thing ever.  Go figure!!)

Mon: chicken scampi

Tues: crock pot potato soup, fresh bread, leftover salad

Have a great week! 

Kathy

Creamy Chicken Soup

This is a quick recipe that I modified from here.  Here is the basic recipe:

Chicken pieces from one rotisserie chicken
4 cups of water
1/2 of one bouillon cube
4 cups of milk
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
Pasta of choice (I originally used broken up lasagna noodles, but this week I plan on using small circle pastas)
Veggies of choice

Nick took the chicken off one rotisserie chicken and I boiled it with four cups of water and half of one vegetable broth bouillon cube. (We have big bouillon cubes and the chicken already has seasonings, that is why I used only half) I added four cups of milk, one quarter cup butter and one quarter cup flour, and mixed it all up. Once that boiled, I added an entire package of broken up oven-ready lasagna noodles. I cooked everything until the noodles were soft. You could add any vegetables you want to this soup: potatoes, carrots, broccoli, peas, you name it.  The vegetarian version is sticking with only vegetables :)

Reed Meal Plan September 21st - 27th

Like Kathy, I like to plan our meals a week in advance.  Due to our crazy schedule, I may mix around the days to suit our time.  Because I am the only vegetarian in our family, all our meals are what I call "pull apart" meals.  Basically, this means I take a recipe or meal and pull it apart to make the meat separately.  I also have a protein replacer instead of the meat.

So here's what's on the menu this week :)

Monday: Chicken Tacos

Tuesday: Cream of chicken / cream of potato soup (I'll post the recipe this week)

Wednesday: Stuffed peppers / tomatoes with cheesy rice and turkey italian sausage

Thursday: Chicken and mac & cheese

Friday: Meatloaf and mashed potatoes

Saturday: Breakfast

Sunday: Nick's choice (I'm going to be gone all day so Nick gets to pick :) )

Have a good week! 

-Amanda

Chicken Scampi

This is one of my favorite go-to meals.  A friend of mine shared it on her blog a few years back and it has stuck.  I like it because it is quick easy and mainly made of pantry staples as well as whatever veggies I have in the fridge.

~
CHICKEN SCAMPI
Ingredients:
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 t. parsley
- 1/8 c. lemon juice
- 1/4 c. white wine (or chicken broth)
- 1/2 c. olive oil
- 1/2 t. salt
- 1 t. garlic powder
- 2 t. oregano
- 1/4 c. chili sauce
- 2 to 3 boneless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
- Romano cheese, grated
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients. Bake at 450 degress for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve over angel hair pasta with grated romano cheese. Serves 2 to 3 people.
**Also try adding fresh broccoli and/or mushrooms for variety.

Note: I have personally never made it with mushrooms, but I have used red and green peppers, asparagus, grape tomatoes and broccoli, all great!

--Tracey

Homemade Pizza

I thought I would also get the ball rolling with our tried and true pizza recipe.

CRUST:
In food processor or by hand mix:
1 1/2 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
While machine is running, add (at the same time):
1 cup lukewarm water
1-2 TBSP of olive oil

Run machine or knead until dough is elastic . . . 2-3 minutes.  Put in an olive oil-greased bowl. Turn dough over so both surfaces are coated.  Top with plastic wrap.  Let rise til doubled.

SAUCE:
Combine:
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 clove garlic, minced
2 TBSP red wine vinegar
1 tsp dried or 2 TBSP fresh chopped basil
1 tsp dried or 1 TBSP fresh chopped oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 475.  Sprinkle cornmeal on a rimmed tray.  Dump dough out of bowl directly into pan and spread out with your hands.  Pre-bake crust for 7 minutes.  Add sauce and all desired toppings and cheese.  Bake for another 7 minutes.

Enjoy!

Booher Dinner Menu Plan Sept 16 - 22

Welcome!

I thought I would get the ball rolling by posting our meal plan for the week.  First . . . A disclaimer!!  I am totally a planner and list-maker, so I plan all our meals a week in advance.  That doesn't mean I follow it to a T.  Believe me, some nights the meal plan is just not going to work, and we do whatever it takes.  I realize that not everyone is as um, "detail oriented",  (ahem) as me . . . So do NOT be intimidated and think you need to post a plan like this.

Anyway, anything at all you want to post would be great!  There is nothing "too much or too little".

Without further ado . . . .

Wed: Glazed salmon and rice bowl with snow peas
Thurs: Flank steak, broccolini, roasted butternut squash
Fri:  Spiced chicken thighs over polenta, pear and arugula salad
Sat: Parish PIG-nic  :)
Sun: Black bean tostadas (sooooooo easy)  DESSERT NIGHT: Baked Alaska!  (Not kidding, my mom was joking about it . . . I had no idea what it was and had to google it . . . now I am thinking of making it!  If I don't, we will probably hit the Tastee Freeze if the weather is nice.)
Mon: Breakfast for Dinner
Tues: Pesto Pasta ala Fridge  (ie, pasta, pesto, and whatever I have sitting around)

P.S.  You will be able to tell from my meal plans when Liam is out of town . . . Lots of breakfast for dinner and easy pasta stuff those nights! :)

Have a great week,
Kathy