Recipes & Kitchen Tips

Mommy Chef: a Balancing Act

March 26, 2012

The job of a homemaker in the kitchen requires juggling. We must balance the often competing claims of health, budget & taste while bouncing a baby or judging sibling rivalry.

The task can be daunting. Few of us have unlimited grocery budgets or endless time to spend in the kitchen.

These are a few ways I seek to provide my family with healthy meals while maintaining my sanity and a strict grocery budget.

photo credit

Follow me over to Little Natural Cottage to read the rest. For many more ideas and a healthy menu *on a budget*, check out Kristy’s new book Cottage Mama Plans Her Menu!

Linked up with: Handful of Heart, Better Mom, Straightened Path, Raising Arrows, Teach Me Tuesdays, Titus 2sdays, Encourage One Another & Women Living Well

Recipe: Savory Lentil, Rice Casserole

March 24, 2012

Esau sold his birthright for a pot of lentils! (Gen 25) I’ve yet to come across a lentil recipe that is that good.

We do like this lentil dish though. It’s cheap, healthy, filling and tasty.

The most important thing about this recipe is to make sure you bake it fully! Last time I made it, the lentils were still a bit hard and it doesn’t taste nearly as good! It takes a couple hours to bake (unless you cook it on the stove) so I like to make it on bread-making days when the oven is already on.

Savory Lentil Rice Casserole

Ingredients:

3 cups beef broth/water (I usually use about half broth and half water)
3/4 cup lentils
1/2 cup rice
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
dash of Worchestershire sauce, optional
salt to taste (how much depends on whether or not broth was salted!)
cheese, optional

Instructions:

Rinse lentils and rice thoroughly and drain.
Place in 8×8 pan and add remaining ingredients.
Cover and bake at 300 for 2-2 1/2 hours or until very tender OR to speed it up, cook on the stove for 30-45 minutes and then just bake for 15 minutes to get the nice baked texture.

Linked up at Hearth and Soul, Tasty Tuesday, Feasting in Fellowship, URS & Grocery Cart Challenge

Tagged with: healthy living • recipes • thriftiness

Recipe: Nourishing Energy Bites

February 24, 2012

Looking for a snack that is easy, healthy, filling and delicious? And much cheaper than packaged snacks?

Energy Bites fit the bill, at least for me. They are filled with healthy, satisfying ingredients and are one of my favorite snacks.

I was inspired by Food Doodles All-Natural, No-Bake Energy Bites, but what fun is cooking if you don’t change the recipe?

Energy Bites Recipe:

Ingredients:

(Part of the fun of this recipe is just how easily you can change ingredients! We don’t like ours overwhelmingly sweet and I added coconut oil make it more filling. )

1 cup smooth peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup honey, preferably raw
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
dash of salt
~2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
~1/2 cup chocolate chips, raisins or other add-ins (optional)

Instructions

Cream peanut butter, oil and honey
Add coconut, flaxseed and salt
Add chocolate chips and enough oatmeal to make a nice, moist cookie dough texture
Refrigerate for 15-30 minutes or until you can easily shape. Roll into balls.
Freeze or refrigerate.

Linked up at The Becoming Kitchen, Tasty Tuesday, Feasting in Fellowship & Grocery Cart Challenge

(Full Disclosure: Links to products in this post are my referral links)

Tagged with: healthy living • recipes • snacks

Recipe: Whole Wheat Applesauce Muffins

February 18, 2012

Muffins make a filling, frugal and healthy breakfast or snack. I’ve been keeping a stock of freezer-friendly muffins for Joshua to grab on workday mornings or for us to enjoy with a bowl of homemade yogurt.

These muffins are some of our family’s favorite—and they taste almost as good frozen and thawed as they do fresh.

The recipe makes two dozen but I usually do one dozen regular-sized (in muffin tins) and two dozen mini-muffins.

Whole Wheat Applesauce Muffins Recipe

(Makes two dozen)

Ingredients:

3 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar or other sweetener (more if you want a sweet muffin!)
1 heaping Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup oil
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 cup applesauce
cinnamon sugar to sprinkle on top, optional

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350F and grease two muffin tins (or line with cupcake holders!)
Combine dry ingredients
In separate bowl combine wet ingredients, then add to dry and mix well
Spoon into muffin tins.
Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, if desired.
Bake at 350F for 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Serve warm with milk, fruit or homemade yogurt.

linked up at Tasty Tuesday, Feasting in Fellowship & Grocery Cart Challenge

Tagged with: breakfast foods • freezer friendly • healthy living • recipes

Recipe: Health[ier] Red Lobster Biscuit Clone

February 11, 2012

On the incredibly rare instances when we’ve gone to Red Lobster for dinner, my favorite part is always the biscuits. I was thrilled when my sister-in-law pulled a pan of these clones out of the oven one day when we were visiting. They were even better than I remembered, for a fraction of the cost of going out for dinner!

While this recipe still won’t win any prize for healthiness, I have tweaked it to make it as healthy as possible, without entirely compromising the taste.

[Healthified] Red Lobster Biscuits Clone

Ingredients:

2 cups flour (I use 2/3-1 cup freshly ground wheat flour)
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp. baking powder
3 T powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter
up to 2/3 cup milk
1/2-1 cup of grated cheddar cheese (or whatever cheese you have on hand)

Coating:

1/4 cup butter (more if you want the biscuits dipped, not drizzled)
1 tsp parsley flakes
1/2 tsp garlic powder (or, for health benefits, one clove of minced garlic, lightly sautéed.)

Instructions:

Combine dry ingredients. Cut in butter. Add just enough milk to help it form dough. Lightly mix in cheese. Shape into 12-18 balls. Place on pan and bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden.

Meanwhile, melt butter and add spices. Drizzle over the biscuits. Serve fresh and hot.

What’s your favorite biscuit recipe?

linked up at Tasty Tuesday, Feasting in Fellowship & Grocery Cart Challenge

Tagged with: freezer friendly • recipes

Mommy Chef: a Balancing Act