Fruit and Nut Energy Bars

This is a recipe that I found in the Family Fun Magazine.  We have tried two of the four combinations and they were both delish.  The Peanut Butter Snaps could easily pass as dessert in our house! They would also be great for sending as part of a school lunch.

APPLE PECAN BARS
2/3 Cup Pecans
2/3 Cup Pitted Dates
2/3 Cup Dried Apples
Cinnamon

Grind the pecans in a food processor fitted with a steal blade. 

Transfer the nuts to a small bowl, then process the dates and apples. 

Add the nuts back into the dried fruit with a dash of cinnamon and then process until the mixture holds together when squeezed.  Divide into 6-8 portions and mold into a bar.  Individually wrap in plastic wrap and store in an air tight container in the fridge.


APRICOT MUFFIN:
dates, dried apricots and almonds

CHERRY TART:
dates, dried cherries, and walnuts

PEANUT BUTTER SNAPS:
dates (1 1/3 Cups), peanuts, 1/2 tsp vanilla, and pinch salt.

Fried Rice

Had I only known how easy fried rice was to make ....

This is another amazing and easy recipe from my neighbor Jamie's blog, Dinner's Ready.  Next time I will double it though...my kids finished one dish off by themselves.

1 1/4 cups cooked rice (you can cook the rice the night before and leaves it in the fridge over night so that it's not so sticky)
2 eggs
1 Tb chopped onion
½ cup frozen peas (I use pea and carrot mix)
Salt, pepper and garlic salt
2 Tb soy sauce
6 Tb vegetable oil (or desired amount)

Beat egg, then cook in wok or large skillet in 2 Tb oil on high. Cook fast then remove from pan and sauté onion in same pan, using remaining vegetable oil, then add rice. Stir in peas, eggs, 4 Tb vegetable oil, then desired amount of soy sauce, salt, pepper and garlic salt.

Maple Salmon

The first time I made this was for Father's day and it was a HUGE hit, especially with my kids.  Of course I had been sick for two weeks and my kids had been surviving on dry cereal, mac 'n cheese, and pizza so I wasn't sure if they really loved it or if they were just excited to have real food.  Well my question was answered....they absolutely L-O-V-E! this salmon.  I made it again the other night for Justin and I after I had already feed the kids one of their favorite meals.  As soon as Justin sat down, the kids swarmed him and gobbled up his dinner.  And when they finished his plate they begged for more "pink chicken"!  Gotta love that!

1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons soy sauce (tamari)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound salmon
In a small bowl, mix the maple syrup, soy sauce, garlic, garlic salt, and pepper.  Place salmon in a shallow glass baking dish, and coat with the maple syrup mixture. Cover the dish, and marinate salmon in the refrigerator 30 minutes, turning once. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place the baking dish in the preheated oven, and bake salmon uncovered 20 minutes, or until easily flaked with a fork. 

Recipe from Allrecipes

Tuna Melt Flowers

Okay this is not a fancy "recipe" but is sure a great way to get your kids to eat tuna.  Sometimes looks ARE everything!

I mixed one can of tuna fish (drained) with a little ranch dressing and put one scoop in the center of each slice of bread.  Cover with a slice of cheese and put in the oven until melted.  Use a flower cookie cutter to trim the sandwich and garish with a carrot slice and celery stem.

Zucchini Banana Bread

 I made this yummy bread to take on our trip to Bison Ranch this past weekend. I served it with whipped cinnamon honey butter...mmmm!  It was a huge hit with the kids and adults.

3 eggs

3/4 C vegetable oil ( I used apple sauce)

2/3 C packed brown sugar

3/4 C white sugar

2 C grated zucchini

3 very ripe bananas, mashed

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 1/2 C all-purpose flour ( I used 2 cups all purpose flour, 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour)

1 T. ground cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/2 C dried cranberries (I omitted these)

1/2 C chopped walnuts (also omitted)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 C). Grease and flour two 8x4 inch bread loaf pans.

2. In a large bowl, beat eggs until light yellow and frothy. Add oil, brown sugar, white sugar, grated zucchini, bananas, and vanilla. Blend together until well combined. Stir in the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix in the cranberries and nuts. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared loaf pans.

3. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Allow to cool in the loaf pans on a wire rack before removing and serving.

Whipped Cinnamon Honey Butter:

3/4 cup butter, room temperature

1/4 cup honey
Cinnamon or vanilla

In a small bowl mix butter, honey, and cinnamon on high speed until smooth ( about 5 minutes).  Store, covered, in the refrigerator.

Spaghetti and Meatball "Stoup"

This is a Rachel Ray recipe that I have modified to fit our family.  It is one of her 30 minutes meals...of course it takes me a little longer that but is still an easy weeknight meal.  The name "stoup" is because it is thicker than soup, but thinner than stew.  It is hearty, full of flavor and makes enough for leftovers.

2 Tbsp Olive Oil, two turns of the pan

2 Carrots, peeled and sliced thin

2 Stalks Celery, chopped

1 Medium Yellow Onion, chopped - I leave this out for JT

3+ Garlic Cloves, I always add extra cuz we LOVE it!

(Note: I chop all the veggies ahead of time to save me the headache when I am making dinner.)

1 Large Can of Tomato Sauce (3 cups, give or take)

4-5 C Chicken Stock

1 Lb Ground Turkey, or what ever meat you like

1/2 C Grated Parmesan

1/2 C Italian Breadcrumbs, I use Panko and just add about 1/8 C Italian seasoning.

1 Large Egg, lightly beaten

2 Tbsp Dried Parsley

1/2 Lbs Spaghetti, broken in half - I sometimes leave the noodles out...depending on my mood.

1/2 C Fresh Chopped Basil

Preheat a medium soup pot over medium heat.  Add oil and veggies and saute for 5 minutes or so.  Add tomato sauce and chicken stock and cover pot.  Turn up the heat and bring to a rapid boil.

While soup comes to a boil, mix meat, cheese, breadcrumbs, egg and parsley.  Roll into 2 inch balls.  Remove lid and slide meatballs into the stoup.  Bring back to a boil and add spaghetti noodles.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes more, until the noodles are tender and the meatballs are cooked through.  Stir in basil and remove stoup from the stove.  Serve with crusty garlic bread and side salad.  Yum-O!

Tortilla "Cigars"

I snagged this quick and tasty recipe from the Deceptively Delicious cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld. It was ready, from start to finish, in less than 30 minutes and was jam packed with flavor.  I know that you would never guess that from the picture.  Justin and I ate most of them but the kids liked them too.  The best part...they can be served cold so they would be great for school lunches!

1 C Sauteed or Roasted Chicken or Turkey, cubed (or pureed) - I used shredded rotisserie chicken
1/2 C Cheddar Cheese
1/2 C Yellow Squash Puree - I used squash and zucchini baby food
1/2 C Carrot Puree - Again I used baby food
4oz Cream Cheese
1/2 Tsp Garlic Salt
6 Large Whole Wheat Tortillas

Preheat oven to 350*.  In a large bowl, stir together chicken, cheese, squash, carrots, cream cheese, and garlic salt.  Cut tortillas in half and place straight edge facing you.  Spread about 2 Tbsp of the filling along the edge.  Starting at the flat edge, roll the tortilla into a cigar shape.  Place seam side down and bake for about 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool slightly, then enjoy!

Key Lime Chicken

This dish was prepared by my 6 year old Keaton, or at least the best part was, the marinade.  It took a little arm twisting to get him in the kitchen but once he was there he really enjoyed lending a helping hand.  As he watched Daddy grilling the chicken he keep commenting "Ooooh, that smells GOOD!"  and he was absolutely right.  It smelled great and tasted just as good.

(From the Gooseberry Patch Cookbook, In the Kitchen with Family and Friends)

3 Tbs Soy Sauce (I used Tamari)

1 Tbs Honey

1 Tbs Olive Oil

1 Medium Lime, juiced

3 Cloves Garlic ( I used a little more)

4 Chicken Breasts

Combine soy sauce, honey, olive oil, lime juice, and garlic in a small bowl.  Arrange chicken in a shallow baking dish and pour over the top.  Refrigerate for one hour.  (I let it marinate for a few hours and flip the chicken once.)  Grill and enjoy!

Homemade Oreos

All I have to say is YUM!  I am not a huge chocolate fan but I managed to scarf one down. (...okay maybe two!)  I found this one on The Sister's Cafe and it is definitely a fun, quick, easy and kid friendly recipe.  Oh yeah, and they super cute too!

For the Cookies:
1 Package Devil's Food Cake Mix
2 Eggs
1/2 C Oil

Cream Cheese Filling Recipe:
1/2 C Butter, softened
1 - (8 oz) Block of Cream Cheese
3-4 C Powdered Sugar (depending on desired consistency)
1 Tsp Vanilla

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Add oil and eggs to cake mix and blend together. Roll dough into balls (a little larger than a quarter). Place on cookie sheet and bake for 8 minutes or so. Remove from oven and let cool on sheet (until warm). Remove cookies from sheet and place on cooling rack.

To make the filling, cream butter and cream cheese and mix well, a good 5 minutes. Mix in vanilla. Add powdered sugar slowly until you reach your desired consistency.

To assemble the cookies, add about a tablespoon of filling into the center of one cookie. Place another cookie similar in size on top of the filling. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream.