Tidbits

It has been almost two weeks since I last posted here. Sorry, things have been a little crazy around here. I have been having drama with my eye which culminated in me wearing an eye patch (ARRRGH Matey) for the last 24 hours, so, needless to say that staring at a computer screen for any amount of time was not fun. Just because I haven't been blogging does not mean that I haven't been cooking. 'Cause I have and LOTS.

This past weekend my husband was out of town and my mom came to visit which was a huge help in getting re-stocked on some of my sneaky supplies that I was getting low on. I made whole wheat bread crumbs out of all my old, leftover loaves of bread; ground almonds and made bags of better breading to keep in the freezer; SAM's had fresh chicken breasts and chicken tenders for an incredible price this weekend, $1.97/pound and $2.17/pound, so I stocked up and made lots of chicken tenders to freeze; I also got tons of fruit at SAM's including cherries which my wonderful mother pitted and I then turned into cherry puree, individual bags of frozen cherries and Seth finished off the rest. Monday night, my friend Ashley came over and we made puree, TONS of puree. In case you are curious how much a ton of puree is, about 168 1/4 cup bags of white, orange, purple and green puree. We had a some good girl time, made healthy stuff for our families and got to know each other better.













MODIFICATIONS: I have a couple of modifications that I will include here as I discovered during my cooking craze this past week. In making the blueberry oatmeal bars I discovered (*gasp*) that I was out of purple puree (thus sparking the fire for the puree party). But, I did have some spinach and made a quick puree out of that to use in the bars. It was actually better with the plain spinach puree. So, my next mission is to make some plain spinach puree to use for this favorite recipe. After that, I want to try it with blackberry preserves.

Also, I have had great success in making the Grab-n-Go Granola Bars stick together for my last two batches. So, here is what I did different. I used a 9x7 inch pan lined with foil. One attempt, I added a smidge more honey and the other I did not and it did not affect the outcome. So, add a little more honey if your tastes allow. I did make sure that I thoroughly mixed the dry ingredients with the wet before placing (smooshing them really good) in pan. Once I baked the bars, I let them cool completely (as in I covered them with foil and left them overnight on the kitchen counter). The next morning I was able to cut the bars beautifully. What a feeling of accomplishment!!!!

Finally, I am going to include a new recipe. It is for bolognese sauce. I have experimented with several sneaky recipes for a pasta sauce and had a hard time finding the right combination of sneaky ingredients and spices to get good flavor. But, this recipe passed the test. It even passed the picky husband test. It has lots and lots and lots of sneaky ingredients which is even more exciting. I used it over pasta and then froze some. Later, I used it to create a baked pasta dish. Hope you enjoy and modify as you and your family will enjoy.

Any red sauce is a great place to hide purees. Just start with a small amount and gradually add more for the health of your unsuspecting family. Orange, green or white purees hide especially well. I also sneak in some purees when I make chili in the winter.

I have been spinning a lot of sneaky ideas around lately including hosting a puree party to help other moms stock their kitchen with purees and have a good time while doing it.

Anyone interested?

Must Blog Quickly!

I wanted to post a couple of new recipes while Seth was napping today, but spent too much time reading other blogs and now he is up and at 'em. Soooo, here you go - both of these recipes can use the purple puree as made by the Sneaky Chef.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pancakes

These pancakes are super easy and Seth loves them. I have to admit that they are a little too rich for my taste buds. I usually make a double batch so that I can freeze them and have a quick breakfast. These are also tasty treats or snacks for a lunch box. Just put the frozen pancake in and when it is time to eat they should be thawed.

Blueberry Oatmeal Bars

I love, love, love this recipe. I adapted it from the cookbook Deceptively Delicious. I really like this as a snack on the go. I have made this recipe before travelling. I cut them into bars and place in snack bags and then it is ready to eat in portion sized servings. These are also great to share-I have made these for a friend who just had her second child and one who is pregnant with her fourth boy as a healthy and filling snack that they can grab and know they are getting a filling and nutritious boost. I love to have these for lunch with a carton of yogurt. Yummy!

FRENCH FRIES!!

Who loves french fries? I DO! I DO!

Here are a couple of recipes for yummy french fries. One is made with white potatoes and the other with sweet potatoes. Both are delicious!!

The white potato recipe is basically a twist on steak fries. We enjoyed them with seasoned salt, but I also think they would be tasty with kosher salt and cracked black pepper or maybe with greek seasoning.

My friend Ashley forwarded me the sweet potato recipe that her kids and husband all loved. We tried them last week and they magically disappeared! My mother-in-law recommended leaving the skin on them so that they will stick together better. I think I would like them even better if they were a little crispy. Any suggestions? I'll let you know what I figure out!

Also, when you coat the potatoes, place them in a large ziploc bag for easier clean-up!

Tasty Chicken Tenders

Do your kids like chicken tenders? Mine certainly does and so do I, honestly, and so does my husband. It's chicken, right? Gotta be nutritious. Well, if you are buying the store brands it may be chicken and it is probably not that nutritious. I combined a Sneaky Chef and Deceptively Delicious (shhhh, don't tell anyone!) recipe to get these delicious and nutritious chicken tenders that we ALL love!!!!

I use an orange puree to dredge these in, but you good use green as well. They are breaded with Better Breading: wheat germ, whole wheat bread crumbs and ground almonds (add more wheat germ if you have a nut allergy in your home).

What I really like about this recipe is that if you start with FRESH chicken tenders not frozen, then you can lay these out on waxed paper and freeze before you bake them. Then wrap in waxed paper and place in freezer safe container or bag until you are ready to cook. Then just cook as directed. My friend Karyn baked hers in the oven after they were frozen and enjoyed them this way as well.

I have a confession . . .

I have a confession. I don't really like munching on fresh fruit and vegetables as a snack or with a meal. What I mean is that those yummy, healthy items are not what I naturally think of when I am hungry. I want some chips or peanut butter or ice cream or cheese or more chips or cookies or well, you get the idea. I did not grow up with these healthy choices and therefore they are not the options that I readily go to in my mind when I need/want something to eat.

As a grown-up I have learned to eat yogurt, salad, bagels (by now you are probably wondering what I actually did eat as a child - I told you that I was picky!) and yes, I have learned to eat yummy things like celery, carrots, red peppers, sugar snap peas, but, and here's the kicker, I need some ranch dressing to truly enjoy these veggies. I know, I know then I am just adding lots of fat to something that is super healthy and good for me. Sooooo, I made my own ranch dip this weekend that was delicious and better (I am not going to say good) for me.

It's all about making better choices, right? So, if I can make a better dip and actually enjoy my veggies then that has got to be a good thing. Please let me know if you have any dips or suggestions for ways that you enjoy your veggies.

Gotta go cut up the veggies I just bought because if I don't have them cut and ready to eat they won't get eaten!

Happy dipping!

I did some investigating!

I did some investigating today while I was at Schnuck's (here in Evansville) about prices and locations of wheat germ. In an earlier post I showed you pictures to find wheat germ, well evidently there is another location in the store in the cereal isle near the oatmeal. The picture I showed is Bob's Red Mill which was 16 ounces for $2.99. In the cereal isle, you can find Kretzschmer's "toasted" wheat germ which was 12 ounces for $4.97. Also in the cereal isle, Hodgson Mill makes an untoasted wheat germ which was 12 ounces for $2.09.

What's the difference between toasted and untoasted wheat germ? Toasted wheat germ is just that and it has a nuttier, richer flavor than untoasted wheat germ.

So, shop wisely and informed!

More Favorite Recipes!

I talked with several friends this week and these recipes kept coming up as my favorites, so I figured that I would go ahead and post them.

Easy Chicken and Dumplings

This recipe is so easy and fast! My husband was sick this week and I made this for him (OK, and me, too!) and I think it was instrumental in his road to recovery. There is nothing sneaky in this recipe as it is relatively healthy on its own (just don't pay attention to the yummy dumplings).

Turkey Burgers

I got this recipe from the Sneaky Chef cookbook, How to Cheat on Your Man in the Kitchen. It was a little bland so I added some spices to it. My husband loves these and that says a lot if you know my husband!

Meatloaf

Another Sneaky Chef recipe that requires no modification. It is delicious as is and another one that my husband loves! I usually quadruple the recipe when I make it and freeze several meatloaves for later use. To freeze, place the shaped meatloaf on a tray (cutting board, cookie sheet) lined with wax paper and freeze. Then wrap frozen meatloaf in plastic wrap and place in freezer bag. Then just cook as directed.

I hope you enjoy these recipes!