Homemade Pancakes

Hey ladies,
I've been looking at how to decrease the monthly grocery bill. I know Alice makes her own pancake batter so I looked up a few recipes. We tried this one this morning. It turned out so yummy!

You can also add a few variations (bananas, pumpkin, applesauce) to it to spice it up a bit! We added cinnamon - mmmm.....good! We also serve it with applesauce instead of syrup (sometimes!). Kaitlyn gets the applesauce!

Ingredients:

1 cup Flour

2 Tbsp. Sugar

1 Tbsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 Egg

1 cup Milk

2 Tbsp. Oil

Directions

MIX flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

BEAT egg with milk and oil in medium bowl with wire whisk until well blended. Add flour mixture; beat until well blended and smooth.

LADLE batter onto hot griddle or into hot skillet, using 1/4 cup of the batter for each pancake; cook until bubbles form on top, then turn to brown other sides. Serve with syrup.

Recipe from Kraft foods

Turkey meatballs in tomato sauce

Just wanted to add a great recipe that I made tonight and that Kris LOVES! You make your own tomato sauce, so you know everything that is in it and you can tweak it to your family's tastes. Lauren loved the meatballs too.

Turkey Meatballs:

¼ c plain dried bread crumbs

¼ c chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 large eggs, slightly beaten

2 T whole milk

¾ c grated Romano cheese

¾ t salt

¾ t freshly ground black pepper

1 lb. ground turkey

5 c Marinara sauce (recipe to follow)

Preheat oven to 350 F

Combine all ingredients and shape into meatballs. Place in greased 13 X 9 baking dish and bake for a/b 45minutes or until done

Add to marinara sauce and simmer until ready to serve…or at least a/b 10 minutes.

Marinara Sauce:

½ c extra-virgin olive oil

2 small onions, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped

½ t salt, plus more to taste

½ t freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

2-3(32 oz) cans crushed tomatoes

2 dried bay leaves

In a large pot, heat the oil over med-high flame. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until onions are translucent…a/b 10 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, and salt and pepper. Sauté until veggies are soft. Add tomatoes and bay leaves and simmer uncovered over low heat until sauce thickens, a/b 1 hr. Remove bay leaves. Season w/ salt and pepper to taste.

A Kano 10 Day Menu

Hi Everyone! I've been telling Crystal forever that I would post a sample menu I would use for meal planning. I save a ton of money by writing a menu before a shopping list. I plan them usually in 10 day increments and since I have everything on hand for each meal, I let Bryan "pick" what we are having for dinner so he feels like he has a bit of control over what he is eating (which saves a few tantrums).
Breakfast:
-Homemade Banana Bread (x3)
-Cheerios with a fruit of their choice (x3)
-Whole Wheat Pancakes (I love the Trader Joe's brand) (x2)
- Eggs, toast and fruit of their choice (x2)
Snacks
-Apples or Pita Chips with homemade hummus
-Letter Cookies with Raisins (again, usually Trader Joe's brand)
-Cheese Sticks
-Grapes
Lunch
-Quesadillas (x2)
-Peanut Butter and Jellies (x3)
-Mac n Cheese (x2)
-Chicken Nuggets with Applesauce (x3)
Dinner
-Lasagna Roll-ups
-Hot Dogs with Sweet Peas
-Spaghetti and Meatballs with Corn
-Raisin Carrot Curry Chicken with Couscous
-Meat Loaf Sandwiches with Cinnamon Carrots
-Ribs, Grilled Vegetables and Pasta Salad (we had guests)
-Mild Chili with Rice
-Leftovers (x3)

Greek Orzo Salad

I have been meaning to post this recipe for a LONG time, but with moving into my aunt's house, not having access to my recipes, moving again, and then not having internet, it has taken me FOREVER (sorry Caitlyn)! So here it is:

Salad:
1 1/4 c. uncooked Orzo pasta (4 cups cooked)
2 c. peeled, seeded, & quartered cucumbers
1 1/2 c. quartered cherry tomatoes
1 c. crumbled Feta
1/2 c. chopped red onion
1/4 c. chopped green onion
1 small can sliced olives
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground pepper

Dressing:
1/3 c. olive oil
1/3 c. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Prepare and mix salad ingredients together. Prepare dressing and mix into salad before serving.

In Yuma, I could only find the orzo at Fry's.

Deceptively Delicious

During this pregnancy all I want is fruits and vegetables. Surprisingly I don't even crave sweets (I know very unlike me). I figured if we can have some muffins, dinners, or desserts with more nutrients why not. I decided why not try to add some more to our daily diet. Kohl's had the book "Deceptively Delicious" on sale the other day. I've always wanted this cookbook. I picked up and dove right in to making purees and recipes (those are to follow.


Essentially making the purees is just like making your own baby food. If you've done this in the past then you know what it entails. All you do is either steam or bake the fruit or vegetables, puree, and store. It just takes a bit of time, but you can make a ton and store in your freezer for future use. Here is a list of what I bought, the cost, and how much it made:
-2 heads of cauliflower made 13 half cup servings
-1 small bag carrots made 5 half cup servings
-3 sweet potatoes made 7 half cup servings
-1 spaghetti squash made 5 half cup servings
-1 butternut squash made 7 half cup servings
-1 head broccoli made 5 half cup servings
-1 box spinach made 3 half cup servings

Total cost: $15.00

We've already tried several of their recipes. I won't lie I am pleasantly surprised at how yummy they taste. We made their donuts, brownies, and carrot cake muffins. Unfortunately I don't have a picture of the tasty creations because we ate them before I realized I hadn't taken a picture.

Creamy Spinach Ravioli

1 package (8 oz.) mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup diced red pepper (can omit)
2 packages refrigerated cheese filled ravioli
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1/4 tsp. black pepper
3 ounces cream cheese (fat free or reduced fat)
1/3 cup evaporated milk (fat free)
1 package frozen creamed spinach (can use regular spinach), thawed

Directions:
1. Cook ravioli according to package directions. Drain and return to a casserole; cover and keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, heat large skillet over medium heat. Lightly spray skillet with nonstick cooking spray; add mushrooms, onion, bell pepper, garlic, and black pepper. Cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
3. Reduce heat to low; add cream cheese and evaporated milk. Stir until cream cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. Sit in creamed spinach. Simmer over low 1-2 minutes or until heated through. Pour vegetables over ravioli; stir gently. Serve immediately.

Taco Avocado Wraps

1 package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can chopped green chilies, drained
1 tbsp. chili seasoning
4 flour tortillas
2 medium ripe avocados, peeled and sliced
2 plum tomatoes, sliced
5 green onions, sliced
1 can olives, drained

1. In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, chilies, and taco seasoning.
2. Spread about 1/2 cup over each tortilla. Top with the avocados, tomatoes, onions, and olives; roll up.

Sausage Italian Stew

2 lbs. turkey Italian sausage link, casings removed
1 cup chopped onion
¾ cup chopped green pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (15 ounces) Italian seasoned tomato sauce
½ pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 cup water
½ cup beef broth
½ cup red wine or additional beef broth
1 ½ cups uncooked spiral pasta
½ mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1. Crumble sausage into a large non stick saucepan coated with cooking spray. Add the onion, green pepper and garlic. Cook over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Drain.
2. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, mushrooms, water, broth, and wine. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour.
3. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package; drain. Stir into stew; heat through. Top each serving with 1 tbsp. cheese.

Monday - Chicken Nuggets, Macaroni and Cheese, Apple Slices (I had a wives' meeting to go to...AKA margaritas to drink:))
Tuesday - Walmart's Pre-Seasoned Mahi Mahi (really good!), Rice, Salad
Wednesday - Macaroni Grill Box: Creamy Basil Parmesan Chicken and Pasta (also really good!), Crescent Rolls, Salad
Thursday - Pizza Night
Friday - Big Salads with Grilled Chicken on top, Breadsticks
Saturday - Out or Take-Out
Sunday - Peanut Butter, Popcorn, Apple Slices

As you can see, I usually only cook two or three times a week, and I don't like to do anything that uses too many dishes or takes longer than 30 minutes or so:)

Meal Plan and Ideas

Monday: Trader Joe's Orange Chicken, stir fry, and rice
Tuesday: Bertoli Chicken penne pasta with vegetables (Scott working late)
Wednesday: Frozen pizza, sweet potato fries, broccoli (scott working late)
Thursday: Creamy Spinach Ravioli
Friday: Sausage Italian Stew with biscuits
Saturday: Pepper Steak, whole wheat egg noodles, salad
Sunday: Homemade macaroni and cheese, carrots, peas, and corn

I listed a day even though they might not go with that date. I will add the recipes in a bit.

Meal Plan...

Sunday - pulled pork bbq sandwiches, sweet potato fries
Monday - tacos
Tuesday - chicken nuggets, chips, melon (Joel's gone)
Wednesday - Chile-Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Thursday - Super loaded salad, baked beans with steak/ham
Friday - hamburgers, sweet potato fries, melon

These might be slightly out of order, I had trouble remembering...

Still need ideas. :)