Chocolate Chip Hummus (or How To Get Protein in Your Picky Kid)

I've mentioned before that Elise pretty much avoids meat - occasionally a hot dog or chicken nugget, maybe some ham or bacon - but for the most part we have to look for other ways to get protein in her. We are fortunate that she likes eggs, cheese, yogurt, and almonds, but that can get boring for a kid.

This Chocolate Chip Hummus is her favorite - she will eat it with apples or just by the spoonful. And she loves to help me make it! Do not read the recipe and turn your nose up at the beans in it, I promise that you cannot taste them at all. They combine with the almond butter and oats for a great protein packed snack or breakfast. In my opinion it tastes just like chocolate chip cookie dough, with no raw egg worries (though let's be honest if you could really die from eating raw cookie dough, the Rev would be long gone!).

I like to eat it warmed just a little so the chocolate gets melty! Let me know if you try it!

Egg Roll in a Bowl

Sometimes I have a habit of pinning recipes and never trying them. But this is definitely one of those that I am glad that I actually got around to trying.

This is one of our favorite low carb, quick go-to dinners! I can seriously have it on the table in less than 15 minutes, start to finish. And ground pork (we use plain pork and add our own spices, since traditional sausage has a tendency to have tons of unnecessary sugars in it) is super cheap at our grocery store (I can usually get it for about $1/lb.), so this Sausage Egg Roll in a Bowl is also very budget friendly. We serve it over a little quinoa, but you could just as easily eat it by itself.

Do you have a favorite quick dinner?

DCB Recipe #48: Hummus Chicken with Vegetables

This one is quick, easy, and healthy - all requirements for meals at our home. Serve with a sweet potato on the side and you have a complete meal ready in minutes.

Hummus Chicken with Vegetables

1lb. chicken breasts or tenders
Frozen mixed vegetables of your choice (I used a California blend)
Hummus (any brand, any flavor)
Salt
Pepper
Paprika

Place vegetables in the bottom of the deep covered baker. Salt and pepper them really good.

Top with chicken breasts or tenders, which you have seasoned on both sides with salt and pepper.

Spread hummus over the top of the chicken breasts or tenders to cover. Sprinkle with paprika.

Microwave, covered, for 12-18 minutes, until chicken is cooked through (this will vary based on the thickness of your chicken).

Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Casserole: The Best One

If you were fortunate enough to know my MeeMaw, you know that she had a love for all things sweet. This Sweet Potato Casserole, which she made for every Thanksgiving and every Christmas, is my absolute favorite for the holidays. It is my not-a-holiday-without-it recipe. You will eat it and not be quite sure if it is a side dish or a dessert, and after about 3 bites, you will just give up trying to figure it out and EAT it! My guess is that she loved it so much because it was really a vegetable disguised as a dessert!

A funny story: One of the last Thanksgivings that she was with us, she asked me to make it and bring to our dinner. She handed me a recipe card, I took it and followed it exactly. I remember when I was making it that something seemed odd - the recipe called for crushed cereal in the topping and I didn't remember ever noticing that when I ate it. It looked right, so I took it on over to dinner and mentioned that the cereal confused me. That was when we realized that she gave me the wrong recipe card, she had saved the recipe for the "best one" in a different part of her crammed full recipe box and overlooked it!

I'm excited to get to make it for our family meal tomorrow, it won't be as good as hers, because she added a special kind of love. If you try it, let me know what you think!

DCB Recipe #47: Spaghetti Squash

We are trying to get creative so that we can increase the amount of veggies that we eat. Now, I have to be up front and warn you that this is by no means a twin to regular spaghetti. It is not going to fool anyone into thinking that it is pasta, but it was very good and even the Rev didn't mind it - I had mine with sautéed mushrooms and marinara sauce, while he mixed his with a half serving of pasta and topped his the same. Bonus: Elise loves squash and zucchini, so no kid battle!

Spaghetti Squash

1 spaghetti squash
Seasoning of your choice ( I used salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder)

Cut squash in half and remove seeds and pulp.

Place cut side up in your deep covered baker and season.

Cover and microwave for 9 minutes or until fork tender.

Using a fork, scrape the "spaghetti" strands out of the shell.

Eat as is or top with marinara sauce.

Enjoy!

Oven Baked Cheeseburger Sliders

The kick off to Gamecocks football season means game day food! We first made these sliders for Elise's birthday party last year and I could not believe how easy the process was...I am not a burger flipper and this method totally eliminates the need for that, plus you make them in the oven, so no need to slave over a hot grill. You can also make quite a few in the oven at one time, if you are having a big crowd and they reheat perfectly, as well.

Oven Baked Cheeseburger Sliders (adapted from here)

1 1/2lbs. lean ground beef (I used 93%)
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. seasoning blend of your choice (we use this one on EVERYTHING!)
1-2 tbsp. dried minced onion
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
6 cheese slices
12 ct. King's Hawaiian rolls

Mix your beef, bread crumbs, onion, seasoning and Worcestershire sauce together well.

Pat into a 9x13 pan, in an even layer.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. The meat will shrink a good bit, don't panic!

Remove from oven, drain grease from pan. Top with cheese and bake for an additional 2 minutes.

Cut into 12 even sized patties and place on rolls.

Add toppings of your choice and enjoy!

P.S. The Gamecock win made these go down extra easy!

DCB Recipe #46: Hawaiian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

We have been big fans of lettuce wraps since the first time that we had them at P.F Changs. And since we have made dramatic changes in the way that we eat at our house, I like to try out different ways to cut carbs and calories and use lettuce as a vehicle to get food in our bellies as often as we can. These were yummy! I love that you get protein, fruit and vegetables in each wrap. I served it with a side of Coconut Lime Rice.

 

Hawaiian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

1lb. chicken breasts
BBQ seasoning of your choice
1 can corn, drained
1 can pineapple chunks, drained
1/3 cup BBQ sauce of your choice
Lettuce cups

Season chicken with BBQ seasoning, place in deep covered baker, and microwave, covered, for 8 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Shred or chop chicken.

Add, corn, pineapple, and BBQ sauce to chicken in the baker. Stir to combine.

Microwave, uncovered, for 2 minutes.

Serve with lettuce cups.

Strawberry Mousse Cake

Are you sitting down? We had a chocolate option this month with the Cake Slice Bakers and I didn't choose that recipe. I was tempted but in the end I decided that the Strawberry Mousse Cake would be perfect for our church barbecue yesterday. I halved the recipe since it makes a 4 layer cake! The super sweet frosting is nicely complemented by the sight tartness of the mousse. This would be a perfect cake for summer picnics or baby/wedding showers. A few steps, but nothing complicated! Another winner from The Southern Cake Book!

An InLinkz Link-up

Cinderella Cheesecake



I have no clue why my choice for this month's Cake Slice Baker's selection is called Cinderella Cheesecake, but I saw peanut butter and chocolate and I was in! Slightly more involved than my few past bakes from the book, but so worth it. I baked it for a work potluck luncheon today, so I've only tasted all of the elements separately, but they were enough to convince me that I am a new fan of brownie crust filled with peanut butter cheesecake. And appropriate, since Elise got to meet Cinderella at the local movie theater last week!

 

Mississippi Mud Cake

Our new baking selection, The Southern Cake Book, has really been hitting it out of the park. I chose to bake the Mississippi Mud Cake this month in cupcake form. The cupcakes were really dense and brownie like and are covered in marshmallows, chocolate drizzle and pecans. Bonus: the frosting makes extra and would be awesome drizzled over warm pound cake or ice cream. The recipe with the cupcake adaptation can be found here.

     
   

    http://new.inlinkz.com/luwpview.php?id=497482" title="click to view in an external page.">An InLinkz Link-up

   

DCB Recipe #45: Honey Mustard Chicken

Quick, easy, and full of flavor! It doesn't hurt that it had sauce to dip in - that seems to be a major meal requirement for 2 year olds! Make this one in your deep covered baker in the microwave in minutes (or bake in your oven for 30-40 minutes in a 9x13 baking dish if you don't have a baker), add a few sides and dinner is done!

Honey Mustard Chicken

1lb. boneless, skinless chicken tenders
1/2 c. mustard

1/2 c. honey

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. paprika

salt and pepper to taste

 

Sprinkle salt and pepper over chicken and set aside. 

 

In a bowl combine honey, mustard, basil, and paprika. 

 

Pour 1/3 of the sauce into the bottom of the baker and top with the chicken. Top with an additional 1/3 of the sauce.

 

Microwave, covered, for 8-10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

 

Serve with remaining sauce.

Swoon Worthy (and Toddler Approved!)

This month for my Cake Slice Baker's selection I opted for Swoon Pies, a homemade version of Moon Pies. These are only half dipped in chocolate and it is a good thing because I would have had to hose my taste tester off if they had been completely dipped in chocolate....

 

Elise was a fan and so was everyone else that we shared them with. No crazy ingredients or kitchen tools needed and a relatively quick bake. I would definitely make these again!

An InLinkz Link-up

Easy Peasy Yogurt Bark

Elise is a bit of a grazer and is always wanting a snack, so I need healthy options for her. This is not so much a recipe as it is a method that you can customize as you like.

Easy Peasy Yogurt Bark

1 container of Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon honey
toppings of your choice (we used chocolate chips, craisins and granola)

Combine yogurt and honey.

Spread on a wax paper lined baking sheet.

Sprinkle with toppings.

Freeze.

Break into bite sized pieces.

Store in freezer.

Caramel Apple Coffee Cake

It's a new year in the Cake Slice Bakers and that means that we are baking from a new book. This year we will bake our way through The Southern Cake Book.

I selected the Caramel Apple Coffee Cake and man, it is good! Apples, cinnamon, butter, pecans and brown sugar make it hard to go wrong! The recipe is available online here and would make a great Thanksgiving breakfast treat.

DCB Recipe #44: Teriyaki Turkey Lettuce Wraps

We are working on getting healthy and limiting carb intake, so lettuce wraps are a perfect fit for us. We used ground turkey since it is less expensive than beef and better for you, but you could also easily substitute chicken breast (just adjust your cooking time to ensure that is cooked through). I think that next time I will add some water chestnuts, shredded carrots, and broccoli. You could also add some crushed red pepper to spice it up. Very quick and super yummy!

 

 

Teriyaki Turkey Lettuce Wraps

 

1lb. ground turkey

1 small can crushed pineapple

1/2 cup teriyaki sauce

 

Place turkey in DCB, cover, and microwave 5 minutes. Crumble.

 

Add pineapple, sauce, and any other cooked veggies that you want to add, and stir.

 

Microwave, covered, 2 minutes or until warmed through.

 

Serve with lettuce cups.



Avalanche!

We had a church bake sale this past weekend and I was determined to go all no bake, since I am right in the middle of planning for Elise's birthday party this weekend.

I made this Sugar Cookie Chex Mix and these Avalanche Bars. I love peanut butter and white chocolate and these were so good, like a crispier rice krispy treat, since you don't actually melt the marshmallows.

Give them a try! What's on your fall "To Bake" (or no bake!) list?

Blueberry Crumb Squares

Another month of baking with the Cake Slice Bakers is complete! I selected Blueberry Crumb Squares this month since I had all ingredients on hand, except for the canned blueberries. I baked them to take to my Book Club, and then nobody showed up, so I ended up taking them to work to share. They pretty much licked the pan clean! This was a very easy bake and was mixed by hand, so you don't even have to pull the mixer out! The recipe can be found in Carole Walter's Great Cakes.

Quality Kitchen Time

I am in serious need of some therapeutic kitchen time! Here is what is on my cooking/baking wish list right now:

Caramelized Baked Chicken Wings

Grilled Ginger Sesame Chicken Salad

Cheesecake Nutella Twists

Apple Pie Bubble Up

What's on your "To Cook/Bake" list?

Golden Peach Cake

I have been so swamped with my new position at work that there has not been much baking going on around here as of late. I based my selection for the Cake Slice Baker's this month on the fact that I had everything required to make Golden Peach Cake, except the peaches...I took it to the new office and judging by the crumbs left on the plate, it was a hit. I must say that it smelled insanely good while it was baking. You can find the recipe in Carole Walter's Great Cakes.Be sure to check out the great cakes tha the rest of the bakers whipped up this month!

Cheddar Squash Biscuits

You know in the movie "Doc Hollywood," how Michael J. Fox gets paid with a pig? Well, in the summer church members pay us in produce. OK, we don't really work for veggies, but we sure do get a ton of fresh produce from the green thumbs in our congregation.

Some we freeze, some we can, others I try to sneak into bread and cake so that the Rev will eat it. He knew that squash was in these Yellow Squash Cheddar Biscuits so he wasn't having any of it, but they were really tasty. The squash is almost undetectable, but it makes the biscuits very moist. Elise hasn't figured out hidden veggies yet, so there is hope for at least one of them.....