Oatmeal Bake

Oatmeal bake is like eating cake for breakfast. It's delicious, chewy, and baked in a cake-shape. Everyone in my family likes it, requests it, and asks for seconds. There are VERY few recipes for any type of meal that EVERYBODY actually likes!

The texture of baked oatmeal is kind of between a nutrigrain bar and a cake. It is chewy, cakey, crispy on the edges a little, just sweet-enough, and delicious. It is not mushy or runny like traditionally cooked oatmeal.

You could probably make this healthier by using honey or maple syrup to sweeten this. Or just leave out the sugar all together. The original recipe has quadruple the sugar that my modified recipe uses. But it was just too sweet for breakfast. Yikes!

Ingredients:
6 c oatmeal (I use regular oats, but quick cooking will work. Steel cut will not.)
1/2 c packed brown sugar (more sugar if you prefer very sweet. Joe likes it with 2 c)
1 Tablespoon baking powder
4 eggs
2 c milk
1 c applesauce
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan

Mix all ingredients together. (Yeah, it's really that hard.) Pour into the 9 x 13 pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the center is set.

Top with fruit, raisins, chocolate chips, etc. My kids usually eat this with milk or applesauce poured over it, and chocolate chips. (A bag of mini chocolate chips will last us months, because a teaspoon goes a LONG way on the top of this.) I usually top it with fruit (bananas are great.)

Some variations:
I have replaced the applesauce with pumpkin and the spices with pumpkin pie spice
I have used pureed banana instead of the applesauce
I have (accidentally) doubled the applesauce and halved the milk
I have used fresh apples, peeled and diced instead of some of the applesauce

This isn't a picky recipe. You could add fruit to the mix and bake it in, but some of my family would balk at the cooked fruit. You could probably use soy or almond milk or even water instead of the milk. It's pretty yummy no matter what!

German Pancakes (Joe style)

Joe's friends gave him this recipe when he was single. It is a yummy breakfast that isn't too fussy. The first time I had it, I was a little surprised that it wasn't cakey, but it is still delicious. Joe loves the custardy middle part, while the kids and I enjoy the puffy edges. The bonus is that if it is easy enough for a bachelor to make, it is easy enough for a sleep-deprived daddy to make (and he did!) Of course, I whipped the cream, so I can say I helped, right? 

This recipe is not in our regular rotation, but we eat it often enough that I HAVE made it with whole wheat flour and it turns out just as yummy, although not quite as fluffy. The kids and I don't mind, and Joe doesn't usually complain about what I cook. 

German Pancake with Strawberries and Whipped Cream

German Pancake: 

Preheat oven to 425-450 

Put a big old hunk (1-2 Tbs) of butter in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan

Place pan in oven to melt butter

6 eggs--beat the snot out of them

Add:

1 c flour

1 c milk

1 tsp salt 

Beat gently just until the flour is mixed in

Pour butter into (hot) buttered pan

Back 13-15 minutes until done (browned) but not burnt

Serve with favorite toppings

I  like fruit and whipped cream

Joe likes butter and real maple syrup 

Weekly Meal Plan

I've been a little under the weather the last couple of days, PLUS my daughter had two baby teeth pulled, the car has been in the shop, and I have been playing stay-at-home mom! Sheesh, that's hard work.

The puker

The toothless 

The crazy one

Anyway, I got another bountiful basket (2 of them in reality,,, which is probably excess, but I would rather have TOO MANY veggies, than not enough.)

This week we got: 2 clam-shells of strawberries 10 oranges, 2 grapefruit (I traded the rest of them to my sister for extra tomatoes), 3 clam-shells of baby tomatoes, 20 of the hugest carrots I have ever seen, a heap of both orange and red bell peppers (which I adore), 2 broccoli, a bag plus a few loose red potatoes, 2 big zucchini, 4 English cucumbers, and 4 beautiful big yellow onions,

Here's the breakdown of the menu:

Breakfasts:

cereal (my kids' favorite)

German pancakes with strawberries

Omelets (probably made in the waffle maker.)

2 extra large eggs with ham and peppers thrown in a Belgian Waffle maker turns out SUPER yummy (add cheese after!) 

baked oatmeal

leftover muffins and eggs

cereal

leftover oatmeal bake

Lunches:

Carrot Applesauce muffins (from http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/10/25/recipe-whole-wheat-carrot-applesauce-muffins/), with oranges and cut up veggies 

Leftovers/quick food after church

Finger Food (crackers, cheese, lunch meat, veggies, fruit)

Grilled Cheese and Salad

Cheese Soup (I will add this recipe later, but it's delicious and easy!)

Leftovers

Quesadillas

Dinners

Ham, Potato, and Corn Chowder (with added carrots!)--because with all the craziness of the week, I didn't make it yet, and everyone likes it a lot!  

Casserole @ my mom's house. We will take fruit salad and green salad

Cordon Bleu Casserole (chicken, rice, ham, and cheese, YUM!) with zuchinni

Stuffed peppers/meatballs with smashed red potatoes and broccoli

Finger Food

Grilled Cheese

Out to dinner!

I am super excited for all the yumminess going on this week. I will try to keep adding recipes as I cook, but no guarantees. 

Healthy Real Food Whole Wheat Waffles

I found a delicious, easy, and real-food waffle recipe. You mix it up in the evening, and then cook it the next day. It looks really weird for waffles, since it bubbles up because of the yeast. It truly bakes up super light and fluffy, and crispy on the inside. We had it with strawberries, whipped cream (from real cream!) and/or maple syrup. Again, no picture, because I was busy cooking waffles (in my deluxe, new, 2-waffle Belgian waffle maker), and the kids were too busy eating.

http://www.food.com/recipe/healthy-whole-wheat-waffles-346707

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 2/3 cups whole wheat flour
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 ounce active dry yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Basically, you heat the milk, water, butter, and honey until the butter melts. (120 degrees) and then mix everything together in the kitchen aid. Store in the fridge overnight and mix it down once in a while. Plop it into the heated waffle maker, and enjoy the deliciousness,  (I doubled the recipe and got 14 beautiful, whole waffles)

Bountiful Baskets 1/3 and Weekly Meal Plan

I got a bountiful basket today for the first time in over a year. I am very excited for the ;produce haul we got. (I actually get 2... we eat lots of produce) And many thanks to the volunteers at the site, who held our basket for a few extra minutes, since the alarm didn't wake Joe up, and the baby (actually) slept past 7 a.m.

Veggies: Lettuce, Rainbow chard, Spaghetti squash, Red potatoes, Broccoli, and Orange bell peppers
Fruit: Blueberries, Oranges, Grapefruit, Strawberries, and Pineapple

The only thing in  here I don't like/won't eat is the grapefruit. Not too bad!

So here's the weekly plan,

Saturday:

• Breakfast: Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins (just use whole wheat flour in the traditional recipe), sliced peppers, Orange slices, string cheese, yogurt
• Lunch: Pita pizza. Take pita bread, spread with sauce (tomato paste with one can water mixed in), shredded cheese, and toppings. the orange peppers will definitely be used here
• Dinner: leftovers/finger food... hubby has to work, and the kids love cheese, crackers, fruit, and cut up veggies. 

Sunday: 

• Breakfast: Waffles with strawberries. Church doesn't start until 11, and I can't fast when I am nursing. Anyone who does fast can have their waffles after church or on Monday. 
• Dinner: At my mom's house. Dad is cooking a roast. I am taking spaghetti squash (and if the youngest minion will allow it, homemade bread.)

Monday: 

• Breakfast: cold cereal (Let's face it, Monday's are hard enough without adding elaborate breakfasts!)
• Lunch: Ham and Potato Chowder http://slowjoelikestoeat.blogspot.com/2014/12/ham-potato-and-corn-chowder.html
• Dinner: Leftovers 

Tuesday: 

• Breakfast: Omelets with ham, peppers, and cheese (and toast)
• Lunch: box mac and cheese. (My son and husband love this. I think it's nasty)
• Dinner: Finger Food

Wednesday: 

• Breakfast: leftover waffles
• Lunch: Grilled Cheese (my son's favorite,,, I add peppers and lettuce to mine, and it is delish)
• Dinner: Grilled meat (pork chops, steak, chicken, whatever is on sale today), roasted potatoes (http://slowjoelikestoeat.blogspot.com/2015/01/roasted-potatoes.html), and swiss chard with orange (http://www.marthastewart.com/334381/sauteed-swiss-chard-with-orange)

Thursday:

• Breakfast: Oatmeal or leftover muffins (hopefully there are some leftover muffins if I freeze them right now!)
• Lunch: Quesadillas/wraps (Again, I load mine with veggies)
• Dinner: Spaghetti (or Spaghetti Squash) with meat sauce, broccoli, and pineapple

Friday: 

• Breakfast: cold cereal (my children's favorite!) 
• Lunch: Finger food (use up all the leftover fruits and veggies.)
• Dinner: Crockpot BBQ chicken, Spaghetti Squash, and some kind of starch (potatoes if there are any left, or pitas, or biscuits)

Also, I add salad to many meals. 

Lunches for the first-grader:

• Muffins, String Cheese, Orange Rounds, Sliced peppers
• Sunbutter and Jam on pita, carrots, apple slices
• Crackers, sliced cheese, lunchmeat, peppers, oranges
• Grilled ham and cheese (cold), apples, craisins, carrots
• Quesadilla (cold), strawberries or pineapple, carrots or peppers

Roasted Potatoes

No picture this time, because, well, we ate them too quickly. And I refuse to serve cold food because I was too busy taking photos. Go figure.

Anyway, these are super easy and delicious.

Preheat oven to 425
Cut 10 red potatoes into quarters (or smaller... I like steak fry size), then put them in a large bowl
Drizzle olive oil (about 2-3 T) over the potatoes
Sprinkle Lipton Onion Soup Mix over that. Stir (I put a lid on and shake) until coated
Dump into a sprayed 9 x 13 pan
Bake until browned and tender (45 min?)

Yum.

Ham, Potato, and Corn Chowder

Why yes, this was just about half gone (and it was my second bowl!) before I took a picture, 

I just had a baby 4 weeks ago. Therefore, I am no longer throwing up (wahoo), but I am interrupted every two to three hours to feed my offspring. Which means I cannot make intricate, time-consuming, or picky recipes. Because I never know when the baby's wail will pull me away from my culinary adventures. 

This recipe, therefore is perfect! It's deliciously creamy, easy, and oh-so-yummy on a cold winter evening. It used up some leftover ham (even better!) and potatoes. And EVERYONE in my family who has teeth ate it--most of them willingly. Even my son who was the unwilling participant in "eat your dinner with a smile" eventually ate it all and asked for more. 

Ingredients: 

2 T olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 t. garlic powder

1-2 cups of diced ham (I used leftovers)

4 c of water

2 T salt

5 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 cans of corn, drained (frozen would work)

2 c. milk (or half and half or cream)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Shredded cheese for topping

Saute onion in oil until translucent. Add garlic powder and ham, and saute for about a minute more. Add water, salt, cubed potatoes, and corn. Bring to a simmer. Let simmer until potatoes are tender (20-30 minutes). Add milk. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Serve with shredded cheese on top. Devour. 

This makes a lot of soup. It fed 2 hungry kids, and 2 adults each had two bowlfuls. There was enough left over for 3 lunch-sized portions. (Which were delicious). I would say that would probably be 8 normal adult servings. 

Changes I might make next time: I would like to add more veggies to this. I will probably saute some diced carrots in the oil with the onions next time, and possibly add frozen peas to the soup when I add the corn. Or maybe some chopped broccoli. It definitely needs some green.