What's for dinner?

Potato flake chicken!

This was a common dish growing up, but apparently all for all. It is a wing it kind of meal. You take chicken, dredge it in butter, coat it is seasoned potato flakes, and bake until cooked through. We had baked sweet potatoes and corn with it.

For dessert we had mug cake. Guy and I eat a lot of these.

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg, dont substitute flax!
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil, applesauce is a good substitute
3 tablespoons chocolate chips
a small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug

pinch salt

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour
in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract,
and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake
will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and
tip out onto a plate if desired.
EAT! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous). And why is this
the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of
the day or night!

Vinegar and Baking Soda

Tip of the day-Vinegar and Baking Soda!

Sounds like a science experiment, but really Windex is more of one. I prefer to clean everything with these two ingredients. They fit very well into my principle of buy less things that do a lot for you, like powdered milk. I know this may not be revolutionary to some but if you have been sucked into commercialism then you probably believe the only way to sanitize a counter is with bleach. But anything with a PH of 2.6 or lower will kill germs...vinegar! There are some things like mold that is it not wise or safe to clean with bleach. In truth, if you clean mold with bleach, it bleaches the color but does not kill it, releases toxic gases. Another pro is that Eva can help me clean and I dont have to freak out that she might get some on her hands or mouth, heck, I use the same thing in my food. A side affect of vinegar is that as it dries it deodorizes. So, I freshen up my couch, my mattress', shower curtain and so on with it. I keep a giant bottle in the laundry room as well. Washing diapers, throw a 1/2 cup in the rinse, a Downey ball will release it at the right time and you dont have to wait for it. I now do the same in loads of towels and sheets, they just come out fresher.

Here is what I have going on:

Green top spray bottle with full strength vinegar

Yellow top spray bottle with 4 cups water and 2 tablespoon vinegar

Baking soda in a shaker

I clean most everything with the green. I clean wood or the hard wood floors with the yellow. To clean my toilet or tub I shake baking soda around, spray it with vinegar, and scrub. To kill weeds in the crack of the sidewalk I spray with green top vinegar then sprinkle with salt. My homemade deodorant is made with baking soda, here is the recipe.

Missy's Deodorant

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup baking soda

10- 20 drops tree tree oil

Mix it up and put in a shaker. I usually shower every morning. When I am drying off I dont dry my pits, I powder them with my deodorant. I have friends who love my mix, some do natural deodorant sticks and then my stuff on top for days they feel they might need a little extra help in that department.

Things I want to do:

Use watered down baking soda and vinegar to wash my hair.

Use baking soda to brush my teeth.

I watched No Impact Man the other day. The things he started doing for his experiment to not harm the earth for one year, I have been doing for a long time. It took him living with out gas powered vehicles, electricity, and farmers market only food to change his ways. He had been using 'green' cleaning products, but then learn you can do all the same stuff with vinegar.

Detergent

Tip of the day- Detergent!

For about a month I have been using homemade detergent. I have a couple of friends who also use it and love it! Everybody seems to have their own spin on it. I made up two different kinds, one for diapers and one for everything else. Diapers need very little soap, surprising, I know. One tip is to grade your soap then let it sit out to dry. Then when you process it, it will get finer. Fels, washing soda, and borax are available at most Price Choppers (Roe and 63rd/Blue Ridge for sure). I get the glycerin at Whole Foods. Borax is available at Target. You can get Oxiclean at the dollar store.

Missy's Diaper Mix

1/2 cup unscented glycerin soap grated

1/2 cup washing soda

1/2 cup borax or Oxiclean, both are non chlorine bleaching agents

Mix it all up in a food processor, a double batch fits in a 32 oz cottage cheese container. When you are ready for wash'n put in 1 tbsp, fill up the machine, put in the diapers, and a 1/2 cup vinegar in a Downy ball.

Powdered Laundry Detergent

1 Fels-Naptha soap bar, grated and dried

1 cup Arm and Hammer super washing soda

1/2 cup borax

Grate soap and process in a food processor until powdered. Mix all ingredients. For light load, use 1 Tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 Tablespoons. Yields: 3 Cups detergent. (Approx. 40 loads)

What's for dinner?

Tonight we had chili and cornbread. The 55 degree had me a bit chilled so I wanted comfort food. The cornbread is so tender and yummy with butter and honey fresh from the oven.

Missy's all bean chili

Chili seasoning

1 can chili beans

2 cans kidney beans

1 can black beans

1 can corn

2 cans diced tomatos

Throw it in the crock pot all day

Cornbread from Allrecipes

1/2 c butter

2/3 c sugar

2 eggs

1 c milk

1 tbsp vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp soda

1 c whole wheat flour

1 c corn meal

Preheat oven to 375. Grease 8 inch pan. Mix milk and vinegar, set aside. Melt butter in pot on the stove. Remove from heat add ingredients in order. Bake 30 minutes.

What's for dinner?

Tonight I am trying a new recipe. I have all these ingredients in the house, so that is what we are having. I should add this to my meals on hand menu. The rice is already cooked from making a big batch for stir fry and porridge. We sure eat more brown rice if I just cook some every week.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cheesy-Beans-and-Rice/Detail.aspx?prop31=1

Substitutions

Tip of the day- Substitutions!

If I have said it once, I will say it a thousand times, the less you go to the store... the less you spend. Making what you have work for you takes a bit of thinking sometimes. The internet is a wealth of information on substitutions. Just google it. Here is an example.

I need cake flour for a recipe. Substitute 2 cups with 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour and 1/4 cup of cornstarch. Now I dont have one more ingredient in the house and I did not make a special trip.

Brown sugar is simply sugar with molasses. In pastry school we always made our own.

One more, this one will really come in handy for those of us making our own ranch dressing. For 1 cup buttermilk, use 1 cup of milk and 1 tablespoon lemon juice/white vinegar. Mix and let it sit a minute then add the rest of the ingredients

Brown Rice

Tip of the day- brown rice!

I love brown rice and it really is good for you. A major problem with it is in the amount of time it takes to cook it. There is also the energy it takes. Here is how I cook it that cuts down on both of these things. This method works for both short grain and long grain brown rice. I prefer long grain.

Combined the rice and water in a pot that has a lid. There should be 1 cup of rice to 1 1/2 cups of water. I make 3 or 4 cups of rice at a time (then I have dinner and rice for porridge ready). Set the heat to high and bring to a boil uncovered. Then place the lid on the pot and reduce the heat to low. Cook the rice for 20 minutes...no peeking. Then turn off the heat and let it set for 10 more minutes, longer is fine..no peeking.

That is it! Instructions that come with rice tell you to simmer for 50 minutes, that is too much. Enjoy!

What's for dinner?

On Sunday we had white enchiladas. These were requested by Guy and now they are gone. He wants more but not just yet. With this recipe I tried the cream of soup substitute. It did not get as thick so I added more cornstarch to the mix.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Enchiladas-II/Detail.aspx

We also had bean dip. I had to wing it with what I had. It still was very good.

Fat free refried beans (did you know that the normal refried beans have lard in it, gross!)

sour cream with taco seasoning

guacamole

cheddar cheese

Tonight we are having tilapia, sweet potatoes, and salad. Thursday used to be fish night but we fell out of that routine.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Broiled-Tilapia-Parmesan/Detail.aspx

Ranch

Tip of the day-Ranch!

So I have gotten a few people thinking more about what they are putting in their bodies. One friend, Heather, found that every ranch dressing has MSG in it. So, she tried a recipe to make it her self, then I tried it. It is good. A bit different but not bad. A few thoughts on the recipe. If you use powdered buttermilk you can control how thick or thin the final product is. This is important if you ever want to make dip for MSG free chips or veggies.

Heather's Ranch

1/2 c buttermilk

1/2 c mayo

1/2 c sour cream/yogurt

8 fresh chives

1/2 tsp dill

1/2 tsp garlic pwd

1/4 tsp onion pwd

1/4 tsp Mrs. Dash or grill seasoning

salt/pepper

Mix and enjoy : D

Porridge

Tip of the day-Porridge!

I know that Goldie Locks comes to mind, but dont go stealing it. I have been cooking up brown rice porridge for Eva and I for a couple of weeks, man it is good. Us American struggle to get whole grains in our diets and also choosing breakfast grains that are not high in sugar. Here is a recipe to try. I use frozen berries from Aldi instead of dried (more expensive :-D)

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Brown-Rice-Breakfast-Porridge/Detail.aspx

What's for dinner?

On Tuesdays I usually cook up a lot of food to get us through until Thursday. I work on Wednesday so I have to have enough til Thursday night dinner. Today I made supreme pizzas on the new whole grain wraps from Aldi. I have not eaten them yet but I will say that the wraps were not so great for quesadillas. I also whipped up a batch of runzas to celebrate that we know when to expect our newest addition. Come November I am going to be a lot busier.

If you dont know what a runza or bierock is, it is a yummy yeast dough that is filled with ground burger, onions, cabbage, and salt/pepper. It is quite a treat for our family because you need 2 pounds of burger, that is a month of meat for us.

LENTILS, oh the love

Tip of the day- Lentils!

If you know me, you should know some things about lentils. Some fact: though they are a bean you dont have to soak, they cook up in 20-25 minutes. 1 c. has 90% of the recommended amount of folic acid. Iron source when mixed with acidic foods. When mixed with grains you have complete protein. Soluble fiber in lentils acts as a scrub brush, cleaning the digestive system. This type of fiber also decreases serum glucose and cholesterol, and decreases insulin requirements for people with diabetes. They are cheap. At about a $1 per pound and you use 8oz dry to make 1 pound cooked.

Here are a few of my favorite recipes. I only use them in Mexican but need to expand past that.

Lentil Enchilada (I created this recipe and it is a favorite of Guy's)
8 oz lentils
2.5 c. water
1 tsp taco seasoning
Mix ingredients together over high heat until full boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 20 mins (They should be soft but still hold their shape). This can be done ahead of time if needed.

1/2 c. finely diced onion
Refried beans, small can fat free
1/4 c./ 1-package taco seasoning
1/4. c. water
tortillas
jar of salsa or enchilada sauce
2 c. cheddar cheese
Saute onions in a small amount of fat until translucent. Add cooked lentils (drained), beans, seasoning and water, mix well. Line the bottom of a 9*13 with a little salsa or sauce, put filled tortillas in the pan seam side down. Top with salsa or sauce and cheese. Cook at 350 until hot and bubbly.

Mexican Bubble Pizza
8 oz dried lentils
2.5 c water
1 package (1 oz) Old El Paso® taco seasoning mix
3/4 cup water
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed tomato soup
1 can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (8 oz)
2 cups shredded lettuce
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 cup Old El Paso® Thick 'n Chunky salsa
1 can (2 1/4 oz) sliced ripe olives, drained
1 container (8 oz) sour cream
3 green onions, sliced, if desired
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Boil lentils and water on high heat until full boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 20 mins (They should be soft but still hold their shape) ; drain. Put in skillet, add taco seasoning mix, water and soup; mix well. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. Separate dough into 8 biscuits. Cut each biscuit into 8 pieces. Add pieces to beef mixture; stir gently. Spoon mixture into ungreased 13x9-inch pan.
3. Bake 18 to 23 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and biscuits are golden brown. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 8 to 10 minutes longer or until cheese is bubbly.
4. To serve, cut pizza into 8 squares. Top each serving with remaining ingredients.

Lentil Tacos
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup salsa
12 taco shells
1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup chopped fresh tomato
1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
6 tablespoons fat free sour cream
In a large nonstick skillet, saute the onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add the lentils, chili powder, cumin and oregano; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Uncover; cook for 6-8 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Mash lentils slightly.
Stir in salsa. Spoon about 1/4 cup lentil mixture into each taco shell. Top with lettuce, tomato, cheese and sour cream.

South Dakota Taco Salad
8 oz dried lentils
2.5 c water
3/4 cup water
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed tomato soup
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 red onion, sliced
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 avocados - peeled, pitted, and cubed
8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
1 (16 ounce) package Doritos
1 (16 ounce) bottle Thousand Island salad dressing
Boil lentils and water on high heat until full boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 20 mins
(They should be soft but still hold their shape) ; drain. Put in skillet, add taco seasoning mix, water and soup; mix well.In a large bowl, combine the beef mixture, lettuce, red onion, green onion, pinto beans, kidney beans, tomatoes, avocado and cheese. Mix well. Have each person crunch a handful of doritos on their plate, put the salad over top, and then top with thousand island dressing.

Aluminum

Tip of the day- aluminum!

I have discussed the dangers of MSG in our food but another food additive that concerns me is aluminum. I drink from glass or a stainless steel bottle (Sigg bottles are aluminum and the older ones have BPA). I cook in cast iron or pyrex. What you will not find is aluminum pots or pans.

Another way that most Americans expose themselves to aluminum everyday in through deodorant. I switched to natural aluminum-free kinds but they did not work for me. So, I make my own! 1/2 C. cornstarch, 1/4 C. baking powder, and 10-20 drops of tea tree oil. Mix it up and put it in a shaker. I shower every morning so when I get out of the shower I dont dry my armpits, I powder them with deodorant. Some friends use a salt stick or natural deodorant and then the powder for extra protection.

I thought that by using the above listed items I was making good choices for my family in an aluminum free life. I am finding out I was wrong. Baking powder, not soda, has aluminum. So, I have pasted a list of foods we buy that contain it. Interesting note, the salt McDonald's uses on their fries has it too.You may wonder what is wrong with it or you may not believe there is an issue. I feel that if we can make changes to get back to pre 1970 food production, we can change a lot of things going wrong with our health. The two leading illnesses from aluminum is breast cancer and alzheimer's disease.

http://home.earthlink.net/~joannefstruve/_wsn/page2.html

Foods made with aluminized baking powder*, self-rising flour*, and salt. The following are some of these products:
Microwave popcorn
Salted snacks
Hot cocoa mixes
Coffee creamers
Pickles and relish
*Flour tortillas
*Pizza crust
*Muffins
*Doughnuts
*Cookies
*Pancakes
*Waffles
*Cupcakes
*Cakes
*Baking mixes
*Brownies
*Pastries
*Corn bread
*Banana bread
*Carrot bread
*Dipping batter for fried foods

Meals on Hand

Tip of the day-Meals on Hand!

Some time back I wanted a minimum stock list for the house. This way there was alway about 10 meals in the house that were not on the plan for the month. Here is my list of meals, stock list and the recipes.

https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AVYHAZtbQCz_ZGNjY3I4Mm1fMTQ1bTN2NjRocw&hl=en

Ground Turkey

After a very long wait ground turkey is $1 per pound at Price Chopper today through Sunday. Time to stock up!

Cont. Meal Plan

Continuing on the topic of planning out meals, which is key. If you dont know what you are going to cook, and dont have it on a list, you are simply throwing away your money at the store.

The choice of where to shop comes into play as well. I shop first at Aldi, then Price Chopper, and I watch the adds through the month for supper great deals at the other stores.

Decide what your goals are. I made a choice to budget $1 per day per person for groceries. I also made the choice to limit meat, 1-2 chicken meals and usually 1 burger meal per month. You may think we are being deprived but quite the contrary. Wait until next week's topic on lentils! I also decided that we need to eat fish. So, I made the choice that Thursday's is fish night. That way 4 meals a month are already done.

I plan 4-5 meals per week and make sure their are plenty of leftovers. I buy 6 heads of romain lettuce at that one trip a month to Aldi and I tell you what, they will stay good the whole month. I once did an experiment, I had 1 last 7 weeks in my crisper draw. This way we have salad through the month. Put on your plan what veggie is going with your meal or you will not eat them.

Beware of Costco. There are very few good deals there. Gas, milk, and a free lunch or snack of samples are they only constant winners. I am a cloth diapering, breastfeeding mom so I dont know about the stuff in the baby department.

What's for dinner?

Italian Spagetti Bake By Lesley Templeton

24 oz spaghetti or thin spaghetti 3.8 oz. can sliced olives, drained

1 ½ lbs. of ground beef ½ tsp. dried basil

1 large green pepper, chopped ½ tsp. dried oregano

1 medium onion, chopped ¼ tsp garlic salt

45 oz. tomato sauce ¼ tsp. pepper

8 oz. sliced pepperoni, quartered 3 C. mozzarella cheese

8 oz. can of mushrooms, drained ½ C. grated parmesan cheese

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook the beef, green pepper and onion over medium heat until meat is done, then drain. Stir in tomato sauce, pepperoni, mushrooms, olives and seasonings. Drain spaghetti.

Spoon 1 C. meat sauce into 2 13x9 pans. Split the noodles in half and put over sauce in pans. Split the rest of meat sauce between 2 pans. Cover with cheeses.

Bake uncovered @ 350 for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Meal Plan

Tip of the day-Meal Plan!

I plan my meals a month at a time. This works very well because the less you go to the store the

less you spend. You also get creative when you need an ingredient. A google search for substitu-

tions is how I discovered the flax seed for eggs. As I plan I look at my meal idea sheet to see what

sounds good, I might look at allrecipes for any new ideas, but most importantly I check my house

to see what still needs to be eaten. Also, we buy things like bell pepper but most of the time the

recipe calls for half. So, now you have a whole month to eat 2 recipes calling for 1/2 a bell pepper.

The beginning of the month is more fresh veggies and the end is more frozen. Same with fruit.

I buy 15 pounds of apples a month and they keep awesome in the fridge. Bananas spoil quickly

but you can freeze them and use them in smoothies at the end of the month with reconstituted

powdered milk.

Here is the spread sheet I use to plan, I have used it for over a year. The middle column is the ingredients I need for the meals the

far right is for all the things I have ran out of. I try to look ahead and plan for church pot lucks and family meals, that is the last

row. Happy planning!

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AlYHAZtbQCz_cDJXSkh3RkpZekxWZDc0YktXblJUYkE&hl=en

Busy Days

Thursay I locked Eva and I out of the house. Friday was Good Friday so family time, date afternoon, and family dinner. Saturday I worked.

The theme for this week is all about meal planning. Any question send them my way.

Dry Beans!

Tip of the day-Dry Beans! I know, I know, they give you gas. Well, the most economical way to buy beans to get dry. By doing so, you have the upper hand. Say you want refried beans with your tacos tomorrow night. Before you head to bed, put the desired amount of beans in a bowl covered by several inches of water. In the morning, throw out the soaking water, put the beans in the crock pot, and cover with another couple of inches of water. By throwing out the soaking water you have actually thrown out a lot of the gas producing enzyme.

Converting recipes that call for canned beans for dry is easy. I use 4oz of dry beans for every 1 can. If you dont have a kitchen scale then just remember that 1 lb is 16 oz!

Meal Ideas

Tip of the day-Meal Ideas!

Sometimes it can be hard to meal plan because nothing sounds good and you are rummaging through all your recipe card and books, to no avail. Also, how often have you thought, man I have not made in a long time. My sister Lesley came up with a great solution. She made a spreadsheet of all the meals she makes. Then she had it laminated. So, when it is time to meal plan she has one paper to look at. Here is mine, make it your own.

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AlYHAZtbQCz_cDJXSkh3RkpZekxYaklfYmJJVktkT3c&hl=en