Back to School Tip

I thought I'd share this time saving tip with you guys. I'm sure none of you are as busy as me right? Okay, so I'm going to preach nutrition for a minute. We've all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day right? Well, it really is, that's why it's called breakfast. "Breaking" the "fast" from the energy you burn during your sleep. It's especially important for all these kids going back to school. Here is a great recipe for pancakes that have protien to keep their energy up until lunch. Here's the tip to make our mornings easier. Make a batch (or 3) and freeze them. On those crazy mornings, just take them out, pop them in the microwave and you have breakfast in seconds. We made a batch last week and we've had them almost every morning since. They freeze great! Here they are:

Peanut Butter Pancakes
1 1/4 cup flour (I used half wheat, half white)
2 T. sugar
2 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 1/4 cup milk ( you can add a little more to make the batter thinner)
1/3 cup peanut butter
3 T. melted butter
1 egg
Combine the dry ingredients and set aside. Beat the egg and then add the milk and peanut butter until well moistened. Butter a pan or griddle, heated to medium high. Spoon by quarter cupfuls onto your griddle. Makes about 20 regular size pancakes.

Citrus Toss Salad

Citrus Toss Salad

I have seen this salad on two websites and it looked so good I had to try for myself. I have to say it has to be one of my favs.......YUMMY! Okay, enough posts from me for a while :)

Romaine or spring mix
1 red onion, sliced
1 large orange, peeled and sliced
1 pt. strawberries, cut up
2 kiwis
2 avocados, cut up
sugared pecans

Dressing:
1/3 - 1/2 cup oil (I thought 1/3) was enough
2 limes zest and juice
juice and zest from 1 orange
2 T sugar

Carribean Tacos : courtesy of Shari Goodman

This has been our favorite recipe this summer! Try it even if you don't want to add all the extra stuff. It's a keeper for sure!

4 T. Honey

3 T. Fresh Lime Juice

1 T. Oil

2 tsp. Chili Powder (I only use 1 tsp)

1/4 tsp. Garlic powder

1 - 1 1/2 pounds shredded and cooked chicken

Toppings:

little flour tortillas (Neighborhood Walmart has them fresh daily in the deli)

Shredded green cabbage
diced avocado

cilantro

Salsa

diced mangoes (or you can use the mango salsa)

diced tomatoes

Shred chicken and toss into chili powder, garlic powder, oil, honey, and lime mixture.

Whole Wheat Blender Waffles with Coconut Syrup

I got this recipe off the internet recently and I've made it already a few times. These are sooo good and a great way to use up some of that wheat in your food storage. I know the syrup sounds interesting, but I'm telling you the waffles are amazing with it! I didn't have any buttermilk one time, so we just put jam on the waffles and they are good without the coconut, but not nearly as much as an indulgence. Try these, I don't think you'll be disappointed.


Whole Wheat Blender Waffles
1 cup plus 1 Tbsp whole wheat berries (these are just the wheat kernels you get)
1 cup milk
2 eggs
4 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp sugar (or honey)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Blend wheat berries and milk on high for 4-5 minutes, until batter is smooth. Add remaining ingredients and blend on low for a minute or until incorporated. Cook on hot waffle iron. (stir batter before pouring into waffle iron, because the heavier wheat particles will settle at the bottom) makes about 10 waffles. (to make pancakes instead of waffles, use 1 cup wheat berries and 2 Tbsp oil)

Coconut Syrup
7-8 Tbsp butter
4/3 cup buttermilk
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp coconut extract

Place butter, buttermilk and sugar in a pot. Then turn stove on medium and stir until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and boil one minute. Remove from heat and add soda and flavoring. It will bubble up; just continue to stir and give it a few minutes for the 'fizz' to reduce before serving.

Homemade Clif Bars

These power bars are great and We made seven batches ( I know sounds crazy huh?) this past week so I thought I'd share! I love love love these and they are no bake! If you are going to make them double it and put into a 9x13 pan. We made one batch with chocolate chips and one batch with craisins, raisins and almonds.
Enjoy girls!


Courtesy of Enlightened Cooking:
There is plenty of room for variation.

1 and 1/4 cups crisp rice cereal (e.g., Rice Krispies)
1 cup uncooked quick-cooking oats
3 tablespoons ground flaxseed (flaxseed meal)
1/4 cup finely chopped dried fruit (e.g., raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries, etc.)
1/4 cup finely chopped nuts (preferably roasted or toasted)
1/4 cup brown rice syrup (or honey, maple syrup, or light molasses)
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/3 cup nut butter (e.g., peanut, almond, cashew, soynut)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional: 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine the rice cereal, oats, flaxseed meal, dried fruit, and nuts in a large bowl.

Bring the syrup and brown sugar to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Stir in nut butter and vanilla until blended.

Pour nut butter mixture over cereal mixture, stirring until coated (mixture will be stiff). Press mixture firmly into an 8-inch square pan (sprayed with nonstick cooking spray) using a large square of wax paper. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 12 bars. (Wrap bars tightly in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator).

Variations:
Chocolate Chip Cookie
Replace the dried fruit with an equal amount of semisweet miniature chocolate chips (or carob chips). Combine the cereal mixture with the syrup mixture, then let the combined mixture stand 10 minutes before adding the chips.

Peanut Butter Cookie
Use chopped dates for the dried fruit and dry roasted peanuts for the nuts. Use honey, or half honey-half molasses for the syrup and peanut butter for the nut butter.

Will You Cherry Me?
Use chopped dried tart cherries for the fruit and lightly salted roasted almonds for the nuts. Use any nut butter (almond butter is great, but I know, very expensive, and add 1/4 teaspoon almond extract.

Apple Pie
Use chopped dried apples for the fruit and rice syrup or honey for the syrup. Be sure to add the cinnamon option, and use toasted walnuts or pecans for the nuts.

Watchamacallits

1 c. Karo syrup (found with other syrups)

1 c. sugar

1 c. peanut butter

3 c. Rice Krispies

1/2 pkg. chocolate chips

1/2 pkg. butterscotch chips

Stir together Karo syrup, sugar, and peanut butter in a large pan. Cook on med heat until mixture is creamy. Add 3 cups of Rice Krispies (I use a big enough pan and add it right into the creamy mixture) . Spread into a greased 9" x 13" pan. Combine chocolate chips (on bottom) and butterscotch chips in a bowl and microwave for a minute until smooth. Spread over krispie mixture. Cool in the refrigerator. Remove and cut into 1-inch squares.

Happy 4th of July!

Okay, I'm going to start things off. Hope everyone had a great holiday. I printed this off the Kraft website a few years ago, but I've never done it. My mother-in-law asked me to bring a Jello salad to the BBQ and I thought it was a easy, cute and patriotic way to celebrate the fourth. You can use it on top of anything that has cool whip or frosting I'm sure. I just have Jello under my cool whip, but I have two other versions... one's a cheesecake and one is a pound cake. Great way to spice up the traditional Jello !