Sneaking some nutrients into that box of brownie mix. Inspired by the book we have mentioned in our MOPS meetings lately, "The Sneaky Chef", I came up with my own version of brownies with some nutrients packed away. The family loved them so I thought I would share.
Click here for a recipe and pictures of some sneaky brownies you can make with your kids.
I just got this recipe from Jan Zurek today and I had to share...especially since I never got around to Food on Friday (on Friday). So, Jan, thanks for a great recipe. Here's what Jan says:
This recipe lets you make 2 casseroles; 1 for today and 1 to freeze. You could add a little more chicken and tortillas to stretch the servings even further and freeze 2-3 meals! I put the slow cooker on right before bed and assembled the dish the next morning. Easy breezy!
Yield: 2 Casseroles (2 servings each)
1 # boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used 1-1/2#)
2 15-oz cans of enchilada sauce
1 4-oz can of chopped green chilies
1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
8 6-in flour tortillas (I used 12)
1 cup (4 oz) shredded Mexican cheese blend
Sour cream, optional
1. In a 3-qt. slow cooker, combine the chicken, enchilada sauce and chilies. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 170 degrees.
2. Remove chicken and shred with two forks. Reserve 1-2/3 cups cooking juices. Pour the remaining cooking juices into a large bowl; add the beans and shredded chicken. Coat two freezer-safe 8-in square baking dishes with cooking spray; add ½ cup reserved juices to each (I didn't do the last step here)
3. Place about 1/3 cup chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in prepared dishes. Pour remaining reserved juices over top; sprinkle with cheese.
4. Cover and freeze one dish for up to 3 months. Cover and bake the second dish at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is lightly browned. Serve with sour cream if desired.
To use the frozen enchiladas: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake as directed.
Okay, mommas, here's one you can make a bunch of and freeze to use later. Waffles. If you have a waffle maker you can do this one. I think I got my waffle maker at Walgreens for like $5 or something, so mine is super cheap, but there are some really nice ones out there. Any waffle recipe will freeze well really, but I am supplying the one I made this morning for those of you who are interested. It uses whole-wheat flour, so you can feel good about it. ;) I doubled the recipe to make for several waffles, but if you go by these directions you might get 8-10 waffles. You could also triple or quadruple the recipe if you have enough room in your freezer.
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 Tbs. sugar
1 Tbs. baking powder
2 eggs
1 3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup oil or melted butter
1/4 cup applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl. Lightly beat together wet ingredients in another. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Pour batter onto lightly-oiled waffle iron and bake until done.
We served ours with sliced bananas, crushed walnuts, and syrup. Yummy!
To freeze, let them cool and then stick 5-6 in each freezer bag. To thaw, just pull them straight out of the freezer and heat in the microwave, in a toaster oven, or in the oven.
Better late than never, right? Thankfully I know that all of you can appreciate a busy mom who is forgetful from time to time. My excuse is "Spring Break Brain." I am enjoying a certain amount of laziness that's not a part of my normal routine and my brain decided to take a break as well. My apologies!!
Today's entry isn't a testimonial type-I have no idea if this would work for me on Wednesday or any other day of the week for that matter, but I'd love to give it a try!
As I listened to Alisha describe freezer meals and a food co-op at MOPS last week, the idea became very appealing to me. I wondered if anyone else out there might be interested. Just imagine . . . even if only 7 people swapped meals, there's the potential of no cooking for a week!! Or, spread it out and enjoy a night off for 7 weeks . . . the potential for a break is there. I'm wondering if anyone else is interested.
So, it's your turn! If you'd like to explore the possibility, leave a comment here. It won't commit you to the idea, but we can start to explore the idea and the options if a lot of you are interested.
One other item I'd like to leave you with is an excerpt from an e-mail that I received from MOPS International. Check it out. You can earn rewards and maybe even cash just for signing up!
Have a wonderful day, everyone!
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Due to lack of response, Mom's Night Out has been canceled for tonight. If you had been planning on attending, please contact Mindi.
Monday:March 23rd, 10am Barnes and Noble Disney Day - come dressed as your favorite Disney character. (sorry I am getting this on here after the fact, Hope you all had fun today!)
Tuesday, March 24th - Moms Night Out - El Saltos in Chesterton. Mindi has yet to hear from anyone on this so if you are planning on going let her know.
Friday March 27th, 10am - Westfield Mall (shopping, play, walking, eating... whatever you prefer)
If you were at MOPS this week you heard me talk a little about freezing meals and how that can save time, money, and energy. One mom questioned what kinds of foods freeze well and what kinds of foods don't. My friend answered this question today on mealplanningmommies.com, so if you are interested in reading up on that go here. Our meal for today is a meal that can be frozen and eaten later. Make a huge batch of this and fill up several bags and you'll have dinner for several nights. (not in a row) ;0)
Our freezer meal is called Cheesy Filled Shells and you can find the recipe with pictures here.
Works for Me Wednesday message: Instead of taking on something new, get caught up with the things you have been meaning to do since December. :) Remember a long long time ago when we ate that delicious breakfast together and everyone went on and on about the STUFFED FRENCH TOAST? That day we had mentioned that we would get that recipe up on the blog. Well, 3 months later...here we are. Thank you to the dear Moppets worker who reminded me to get this recipe up, because I had completely forgotten. Thank you also, to Stephanie for getting the recipe to me so quickly once I remembered to ask for it. ;)
Works for me Wednesday this week: get caught up on what should have been done a while back and then sigh a sigh of relief. It'll feel good. Alrighty mommas, here's the recipe you have all been waiting for:
STUFFED FRENCH TOAST
Recipe from: Stephanie Anderson
Ingredients:
Texas Toast or French Sour Dough Bread
2 tsp cinnamon
5 eggs
Salt (pinch)
1 ½ cups milk
½ cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1-8oz pkg cream cheese
1 ½ tsp vanilla
½ cup sugar
Layer 9x13 pan with bread.
Mix cream cheese, vanilla & sugar. Put tablespoon on center of each piece of bread.
Top with another layer of bread.
Melt butter and mix in cinnamon and brown sugar and pour over bread.
Beat eggs, salt & milk and our over everything.
Cover and let sit overnight refrigerated.
Bake at 350° for 45 minutes.
Enjoy.
Big time thank you to Mindi for planning fun MOPS activities outside of MOPS. Here are the ones for this next week coming up (March 15-21):
Monday, March 16: Playdate at Mindi's.
Please RSVP to 926-6219. I will not post her address online, but if you need to get directions you can ask Mindi when you call to RSVP.
Tuesday, March 17: Shamrock Shakes at McDonald's 11am
Will be at the McDonald's on Rt. 30 next to Wise Way. Kids can play in play place. Come enjoy a shake or for eat your lunch together.
Thursday, March 19: MOPS meeting at VNC 9-11 am (YOU BETTER BE THERE!)
Friday, March 20: Barnes and Noble 10 am
Barnes and Noble is next to Pier One and across from Target. They are featuring the book "Guess How Much I Love You" and Little Nutbrown Hare will be making an appearance.
This recipe is actually a Pampered Chef recipe. It reminded me of the White Castle cheeseburgers. My husband calls them sliders. He LOVES sliders. It's a different way of making the classic cheeseburger. It's easy, it's fun, and it's tasty. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 medium onion
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley (I did not use fresh)
1-1/2 lb. 90% lean ground beef
1 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tsp. salt
6 slices American cheese
8 hot dog buns
24 hamburger dill pickle slices (I ignored this part, since my family would not eat pickles)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Finely chop onion and parsley using food chopper. Combine beef, onion, parsley, garlic and salt in a medium sized bowl; mix well. Press beef mixture evenly over bottom of Large bar pan or 9x13 pan.
Bake 10-12 minutes or until beef is no longer pink.
2. Meanwhile, cut cheese into quarters; set aside. Slice buns apart neatly at seam (do not separate tops from bottoms). Trim about 1/4 in. from each bun end to square off ends. (discard trimmings). Cut buns into thirds for a total of 24 square mini buns; set aside.
3. Remove bar pan from oven. Pour off juices, if necessary, and place on cooling rack. Cut beef mixture into 24 squares, using pizza cutter. Top each burger with one pickle and one piece of cheese. Place one fun top onto each burger; top with one bun bottom.
Cover bar pan with aluminum foil and bake 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted and buns are warm.
4. To serve, place one burger with bun top onto one bun bottom using a mini serving spatula. Repeat with remaining burgers and bun bottoms. Serve immediately.