Mild Enchilada Sauce Recipe
An easy mild enchilada sauce recipe that the whole family will love.
Corn Dog Muffins
I think this may officially go down as the very best kid food item I have ever made. I have always loved corn dogs, and my kids love them too. I love the idea of making them at home, but I don't have a deep fryer, and I have no intention of getting one. So when I came across this idea of making corn dog muffins I just knew we had to have it. It's super easy - basically just good homemade cornbread with a piece of hot dog. Cooking in the oven as muffins means no mess from frying, and I loved that I could make different size options using different size muffin pans and cutting the hot dogs.
5 minute whole wheat drop biscuits
With simple ingredients and the use of a handy kitchen appliance, you can have fresh biscuits out of your oven in a half hour from start to finish - and in the oven in just 5 minutes from when you start. These are my current go-to when I am making a big pot of soup or stew and we want a little something to go with it. They are absolutely perfect for soaking up gravy and broth, and they are amazing just piping hot with a little butter. They are also perfect for my couple of picky kids, because even if they don't eat the soup or stew that I'm serving for dinner, they are at least getting something made with whole grain and the protein of yogurt, milk, and egg.
Homemade Ranch Dip & Dressing
Ranch dip and ranch dressing have become classic flavors that a lot of us could not picture life without But do you really need to buy it in a bottle? I don't think so. It's so easy to make from just ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry & fridge, there's really no need to ever buy it again!
This is a light and tangy sour cream & yogurt based Ranch Dressing recipe. A lot of ranch recipes call for mayonnaise. Now don't get me wrong - I LOVE mayo. But not in ranch. I want my ranch dip to be light and tangy. And by light I don't mean low fat - you'll notice that I'm using full fat sour cream, yogurt, and milk - but I mean not oily, not heavy, not that richer flavor that comes with mayo. I just prefer it this way. But honestly you could take this basic blend of seasonings and add it to whatever combination of cream/yogurt/mayo/milk/etc. that you like. It will taste great.
Homemade Honey Lemonade Recipe. And a Cocktail - Because You Earned It.
Easy recipe for homemade lemonade - fresh squeezed and sweetened with sugar. Plus a bonus recipe for an adult lemonade cocktail.
Weeknight Lemon Dijon Chicken Thighs
This is my favorite weeknight chicken recipe. I've made this for years without a recipe, but the last time I made it I finally took the time to scribble down what I put in it, and take a few pictures for you. It's so easy, once you've made it you don't really need a recipe.
Swiss Muesli: an easy overnight oats recipe that the whole family will love
Do you want a breakfast that's easy, hearty, and healthy, and the whole family will love? Well this might just be it.
Have you seen all the buzz lately about these overnight refrigerator oats recipes? Seems like some new way to make oats? Nope, not new. The Swiss have been doing it this way for over 100 years. They call it Muesli, or Swiss Muesli, or Bircher Muesli (named from the doctor that created the recipe for the health benefits of his patients). This is not the "muesli" that you've seen in a cereal box. That is a granola like cereal that has some oats and dried fruit and somebody decided to give it the name because some of the ingredients are similar. No, this is a totally different thing - it's a way of preparing oats that's like nothing you've probably ever tasted. I love it, it's one of my favorite breakfasts. I first learned about Swiss Muesli almost 30 years ago, when my older sister came home from being an exchange student in Switzerland. She introduced us to the way the Swiss do oats, and I've loved it ever since. In the summer I like to make up a huge bowl and eat it for breakfast all week long. It's cool and refreshing, but hearty and filling. And you can dress it up however you like.
Easy Quick Bread and Muffin Recipe
A master recipe for making all kids of quick and easy muffins or breads! This recipe is made with whole wheat flour, whole fruits and veggies, and no refined sugar (or very little, if you decide to add some). It is sweetened with just a little honey and the natural flavors of fruit. Best of all - it's made all in the blender, and takes less than 5 minutes from start until it's in the oven. It is so fast and easy, you are just not even going to believe it. This is not your grandma's banana bread - there is no need to let your butter or eggs come to room temperature, there is no creaming of butter and sugar. You aren't washing multiple bowls.
Banana Chocolate Chip Blender Muffins
I think I need to just bow out while I'm ahead with this one - I will never try another muffin recipe again. My children have declared these to be the best muffins they've ever had. And if you knew my kids, you'd know that they are pretty tough little food critics (my fault, I'm sure).
I've made a couple batches of these over the last week, and they are inhaling them as fast as I can bake them. But it's totally ok, because these are super easy to make, and relatively healthy, as far as things containing chocolate chips go. We're talking from starting to in the oven in like 5 minutes.
How to Make Almond Milk
Do you want to know how to make your own almond milk? Please say yes - you won't regret it - because this is too easy, and it tastes so good!
I've been making my own almond milk for a while now. I love having it in my morning coffee - it gives the milkiness I like from putting milk in my coffee, and just the right amount of sweetness, but somehow seems lighter on the stomach. I also love using it in my kid's smoothies.
When I made it the first time I was completely blown away at how easy it was. I couldn't believe I'd been holding off on making nut milk, for some reason thinking it would be too much work. So wrong!
Quick and Easy Homemade Peanut Butter
I really had no intention to make peanut butter. Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of homemade nut butters. I've done sunbutter before, and it was great. But I try to prioritize my time and making all my nut butters at home has never really made it to the top of my list of things I should be doing.
But I love peanuts. I mean, I love roasted, salted peanuts. A quick handful or two is an awesome snack - it satisfies my need for crunchy and salty, and gives me a little protein. I bought some peanuts a couple weeks ago, thinking I was buying roasted and salted peanuts. Only to get home and realize that what I had grabbed was roasted and NOT salted. (That's what happens when you're trying to squeeze in a quick grocery trip in between pickups and dropoffs.) As far as I'm concerned, there is no place in my life for snacking on nuts that aren't salted. I know you raw nut lovers can disagree, but I love my salt.
Free Christmas Printables
A couple of quick printables I made for my kids for holiday fun - one is a wish list and the other is a sort of holiday bingo.
Gold Rush Cocktail
The perfect summer cocktail - it’s like summer’s version of the Hot Toddy.
Easy and Healthy "You Choose" Lunch Platter
Here's the thing about kids: just when you think you've got them figured out, they surprise you.
Do you think your kids would totally turn their noses up at real, healthy foods for lunch or snacks? Are you convinced that they would refuse to eat unless you give them a plate full of processed food? Give them a little more credit, you might be surprised.
My kids are no different than most other kids - if I put out a big bowl of goldfish crackers they will devour them in no time and then ask for more. But you know what happens when I put out a big plate of healthier stuff instead? They devour it in no time and ask for more. And most of the time it never even occurs to them to ask for some crackers to go with it.
Homemade "instant" oatmeal
It totally kills me that my kids prefer those instant oatmeal packets over real cooked oats. But lately I'm really trying to focus on choosing my battles, and trying to force people to learn to like oatmeal with some texture over the creamy, mushy stuff, just seems like a fight that's not worth fighting at this stage, especially on an already manic school day morning. But instant oatmeal packets have all kinds of strikes against them, and I just can't bring myself to buy them any more. The artificial flavorings in so many of the mainstream brands, the amount of sugar, and the cost - with 4 kids eating two packets each, we would use whole box at one meal. I have bought some organic ones before, which are a little better, but they still have so much sugar and are even more expensive. I had seen several mentions on various food blogs and pinterest boards about making your own, so I thought I'd give it a try.