Cherry Wheat Germ Muffins

Cherry Wheat Germ Muffins

Review: Very Yummy! This one is a go for the bake sale.

Changes: I used white whole wheat flour in place of the all purpose flour, got to get those whole grains. The wheat germ I had was raw so I toasted it in a pan on the stove for 5 minutes or so over medium heat. I also didn't have any all spice and didn't feel like dirtying another spoon so I used 1/2 teaspoon of cinammon. Lazy I know, but it worked!

Menu Plan September 26-October 2

Well, I did cook last week. Just not too much. Nick and I had a nice candle light dinner on Friday since we had a babysitter. (First time in a long time, other than family.) We had halibut with peach salsa. I also made a shrimp bake.

For this week we will be having:
Crockpot BBQ Chicken
Skinny Baked Broccoli Macaroni
Pineapple Shrimp Fried Rice
Spaghetti Squash with homemade spaghetti sauce
Black Bean Enchilada - from the freezer

My MOPS group is having a bake sale fundraiser, so I'm thinking about making these:
Cherry Wheat Germ Muffins
Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Hope you have a wonderful week!

Meal Plan September 19-25

It's just me and Abigail for the first bit of the week, so we will be eating hummus, grilled cheese, peanut butter and jelly, and whatever else I can scrounge up. Once Nick gets home on Thursday, back to cooking!

Garlicky Baked Shrimp

Cream Cheese Crockpot Chicken

Pizza on the grill - thanks Amy!

Fabric Pumpkin

If you read this blog because you know me in real life, you know that I also enjoy doing crafty things. Only problem, I have a hard time finishing anything. I guess that's why cooking is good, we have to eat! (The clean up can wait for tomorrow ;)) It seems like forever but finally I have had some time to craft, Abigail is getting old enough that she can play for a few minutes and I can get something done!

So I saw these cute fabric pumpkins here and thought, I could do that and I can use stuff I already have! This is a wonderful tutorial, every step clearly laid out. Perfect. I've been wanting to bust out the sewing machine and this was a good excuse. I had a few hiccups along the way, like using the wrong stitch and seeing the thread when I started stuffing, and it was a bit difficult to sew on the stem. I also didn't have yarn or a big plastic needle, so I used some twine and just wrapped it around. Abigail won't be playing with this.

Well, here is the final product! I'm satisfied, it's not perfect, but I like it and it looks lovely on my dining room table with the clearance place mats I got from Walmart last week. Hope you enjoy and get inspired!

Linking up here: I Heart Nap Time

Spaghetti Sauce in a Crockpot

Here is what I found to try, Spaghetti Sauce in a Crockpot.

I only made half the recipe because I was afraid it wasn't going to fit in my crockpot. Looking back it probably would have. This was delicious on Eggplant Rollatini. I also have 2 bags of sauce in the freezer now. Yeah for freezer food!

Chicken Curry

Frozen for next time. Not all that pretty once cooked, but tasty!

Chicken Curry

Review: Tasty, easy once all is chopped. I think I may have misunderstood the directions. I used the amounts called for but split it between two bags. One bag just served 2.5. So next time I'll double it. I love that I can just throw it all in the crockpot next time.

Changes: Added a green pepper I needed to use. Also I can find the chicken stock I liked in Denver here in Pittsburg, so I used vegetable stock instead.

Served With: Nothing, its a whole meal in one pot! A simple salad would be nice though, with a mango dressing. Hmmm...

Meal Plan September 12-18

Well we again didn't get to one of the recipes from last week. So we shall have Chicken Curry this week. Not to make excuses, (but to make excuses) Walmart only had rotten mangos. So I had to make a trip to the regular grocery today when we ran out of milk and get the mango there at Giant Eagle.

Also Nick is going to be gone 2 nights this week and we will be out of town for 3. So I don't have much for this week. Or next for that matter, because again we will be out of town. But I will still try and post something every couple of days.

Chicken Curry in the Crockpot
Pizza
Grilled cheese
Omelets
Too much eating out...

Crock-pot Rotisserie Chicken

Crock-pot Rotisserie Chicken

Review: Delicious! Pretty easy, except deskinning the chicken.
Changes: I just eyeballed all the ingredients.
Served With: Homemade bread and mashed sweet potatoes.

Plenty of leftovers! I think I'll make some chicken salad and freeze some for another meal.

Sorry for the lack of pictures, the camera was in the basement hiding...

Chewy Granola Bars

Chewy Granola Bars

Review: Tasty. A little bit crumbly. I'm going to tweak them so they are a little easier to eat next time, but I'm definitely making these again.

Changes: I didn't use 2 cups of chocolate chips. I used 1/4 c mini chocolate chips, 1/2 c sunflower seeds, 1/2 c chopped peanuts, 1/2 c raisins. Hmm, seems like there was another 1/4 c of something...

Served With: A glass of milk would be nice.

Crockpot Orange Chicken

Crockpot Orange Chicken

Review: A little bit time consuming, cutting, breading, and cooking. First bite tasted like candy, a bit odd. But after that it was pretty tasty. Abigail really liked it.

Changes: I eyeballed the ingredients. There wasn't directions on how much meat, so I used 1.25 lbs. This should serve the 4-5.

Served With: Green salad and rice.

Next time I think I'll find some snap peas or something to add to the crockpot. I doubled the sauce and froze half for another meal.

Baked Mexican Fish

This must be the easiest fish every that doesn't include lemon. Not that there is anything wrong with a nice squirt of lemon...

Baked Mexican Fish
Fish fillets - we usually use a mild fish, because I'm not a fishy person
Salsa
Cheese
Crushed tortilla chips - Save the bottom of the bag chips for this!

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking dish large enough to hold your fish with cooking spray. Lay fish out in a single layer. Add as much salsa as you'd like on top. Sprinkle with cheese, again as much as you like. Bake as appropriate based on the size of your fish. Five minutes before it is done cooking, sprinkle tortilla chips on top. Continue cooking last 5 minutes to crisp up chips.

Meal Plan September 5-11

Chicken Curry in the Crockpot
Rotisserie Chicken in the Crockpot
Breakfast for dinner
Homemade Pizza
Baked fish with salsa and cheese

It is going to be really rainy this week and starting to cool off. Time to start up the oven! Goals for the week: make muffins, bread, and make a pasta sauce that isn't loaded with sodium.

What's on you agenda for the week?

Southwest Turkey Burgers

Southwest Turkey Burgers

Review: Pretty good.

Changes: I didn't want to splurge on bacon... of course it would have been better with bacon. I used dry herbs, since I used all my parsley last week on the stuffed shells. We served it on wheat buns but also didn't use the special relish.

Served With: Corn on the cob. Pickles, ketchup.

My mom is visiting for a couple days! I don't think she is going to like everything we eat, or the options we have in the house. But she was good with these burgers. They were a bit time consuming chopping things finely. But do a little bit at a time I guess, that's the only way I can get anything done! They were also a bit on the spicy side. I think it would be even better if you sautéed the onion and peppers before adding them to the meat.

Baked Oatmeal Snack Bars

Baked Oatmeal Snack Bars

Review: Seemed very runny as I added it to the pan. After tasting it, it needs some sugar! Also seems a little eggy.

Changes: I didn't have many sesame seeds, so I added a little more raisins. I'm not sure what oats would be best, but for this batch I used quick oats. If I make this again, I'll use at least some old fashion oats.

I'm sure you couldn't go wrong with adding a little chocolate chip to the mix. :)