Day 518 | Chili Time

Another long, low key recovery day here. Unlike yesterday, though, we had a lovely evening spent with good friends and delicious chili. 

Interested in the yummy recipe that Chris has been honing over the last several years? You're in luck! He is willing to share it:

Chris's Chili

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 large red onion, diced
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15 oz can light kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15 oz can dark kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 15 oz cans of tomato sauce (or two big cans)
• 2 10 oz cans of diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1-2 cups of frozen corn   
• Chili powder, ground cumin, paprika to taste 

Directions

• Saute the onion in olive oil.  
• Add the turkey and minced garlic, sprinkle with chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper, and cook until browned. 
• Add the remaining ingredients and additional seasoning to taste.  Simmer on low until you are ready to eat (we usually cook for about two hours).

Serve with some shredded cheddar, noodles (Chris's preference), and cornbread (everyone's preference) and you've got the perfect fall meal. Enjoy!

Day 517 | Black and White Cookies

The no-plans, rainy day has dragged on and on (and on and on) today. Seriously, it's 5pm as I type this and I wouldn't be surprised if you told me it was 7pm. One of those days.

To add a little excitement to our afternoon, I offered to make cookies for Chase. I made the mistake of asking what kind I should make and after looking at several recipes/photos online, of course he settled on the slightly-too-complicated Black and White Cookies. They do look delicious, don't they? And they are one of my favorite cookies, but not when I have to muster up the motivation to make them. Instead, I opted for the much-simpler Cracked Sugar Cookie recipe and then added "black" (more like brown) and white frosting in hopes of tricking Chase into thinking they were the real cookie he requested. It worked! Maybe not the most honest version of myself but no one was complaining during snack time.

For the record, these are a very quick and delicious sugar cookie variation. Definitely recommended.

Day 482 | Lemon Blueberry Bread

Yep, it's just as delicious as it looks and sounds.

Here's the recipe.

Splurge. It's worth it.

Day 456 | Pasta

We had friends over tonight for a yummy pasta dinner. A tried and true recipe for Creamy Fettuccine with Corn and Arugula.

So nice to catch up with some lovely people after a few weeks away. 

Day 403 | Salsarita Pasta

Do you remember when Trader Joe's made real meals for their samples instead of just warming up one of their frozen products? I do. I miss those days.

This is one of the recipes I got during a shopping trip years ago. It's a goodie and so so simple. 

Salsarita Pasta

• 1.3 lbs (approx) chicken, cut into small chunks 
• Italian seasoning
• 1 large jar of salsa (on the runnier side, I use Pace Picante)
• Noodles of your choice (I use whole wheat penne)
• Parmesan cheese

Directions

• Coat chicken with Italian seasoning. 
• Sauté chicken with a little olive oil over medium heat until cooked through. 
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in a pot of boiling water. 
• After straining the pasta, stir in the salsa. 
• Add the cooked chicken to the pasta and stir. 
• Let the pasta/chicken cool. Serve room temperature with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. 

It was a crowd pleaser at our house tonight: Robbe had three servings. 

Day 395 | Oatmeal Cookies

Remember when I mentioned Chris's favorite cookies? Time to give my own top pick a shout out.

I'm a sucker for the oatmeal chocolate chip variety and think I just stumbled upon the perfect recipe. I know, I'm excited, too. They are super soft and are perfectly delicious (think texture and sweet/salty balance). You won't be disappointed, I swear!

Here's the original recipe, but you'll find the modified recipe that I used below.

Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

 Directions

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter, applesauce, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in the oats and chocolate chips. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. 
• Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

*I'd like to point out that I didn't substitute applesauce for butter to be healthier (note the amount of sugar in the recipe), so don't put me in that box. I had only softened one stick of butter and didn't want to fight with a cold stick trying to get it to the same consistency. And, I think the applesauce made the recipe. They are so much softer and fluffier than I've been able to get any other recipe. Yay for happy accidents!

Day 377 | Pork Carnitas

I think you realize by now how deep my love for the crock pot runs. If there's anything that makes me a *teeny bit* sad about cold weather disappearing, it's the fact that so many of my slow cooker recipes seem more suited to the fall and winter months.

However, I found this yummy pork carnitas (pork tacos) recipe that is a total summer dish.

Three notes before you try it out:

1. Use the full amount of chipotle peppers. I only used one because I'm a total spice wimp and really regretted it. The tacos need the extra flavor and I'm convinced it still wouldn't be anywhere close to too spicey. 

2. Add an onion to the crock to cook with the pork. The recipe calls for raw onion on the taco at the end but I find raw onion too overpowering. This way, I still got my onion but not only onion. 

3. Add shredded cabbage when you're fixing them to eat. The tacos need the extra texture and crunch. 

Enjoy!

Day 361 | Chicken-less Nuggets

I found the inspiration for this recipe when Chase was Robbe's age and have been making it sporadically (whenever I think of it) ever since. It does take a bit of extra prep time leading up to lunch so that's the main challenge for me. 

These are about the most simple chicken-less nugget imaginable. Two ingredients: tofu (I prefer the extra-firm organic variety in the square container) and whole wheat flour. Oh, and oil for the pan. 

Here's the scoop:

Cut the tofu into 1/2 by 1/2 inch strips. Once you have your strips,cut those into thirds (so they're about nugget-size).
Coat the tofu with the flour on all sides (you can add some seasoning, salt and pepper, if you prefer).
Heat oil in a pan on the stove over medium heat.
Cook until browned and turn as necessary.

There you go! Let 'em cool and feed them to the kiddos. Mine gobble them up. And I'll admit, with a little ketchup they do the trick for me, too.

Day 342 | The Great Snack Search

I'm always on the lookout for delicious, healthy, fairly-substantial, sugar-free snacks for my wee ones. The task is harder than it should be, in my opinion. And forget about finding something that fits the bill straight out of a box. 

I just remembered this yummy muffin recipe that I used to make for Chase when he was Robbe's age. These apple-banana-blueberry muffins check every box!

I had some big helpers for the baking adventure this morning. Chase continues to love to "dump" the ingredients and Robbe loves to "help" by emptying our cupboards.

Here's the recipe. For the record, I used whole wheat flour and water instead of apple juice, only because I didn't have any on hand. The muffins aren't all that sweet (even with all the fruit) but they are perfect for my little guys (and I think they're pretty satisfying, too).

Day 341 | Virgie's Chicken

One of my favorite comfort food recipes is, hands-down, Virgie's Chicken. My family has been making this chicken dish for as long as I can remember. I'm excited to report that my boys (all three of them) love this dish as much as I do. Chase even eats his stuffing before he finishes his fruit. That never happens.

Virgie's Chicken

• 6-8 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I prefer the thinner cutlets or smaller chicken breasts or will cut larger ones in half)
• Swiss cheese
• 1 can cream of chicken soup (I actually use cream of mushroom because the bits of chicken creep me out)
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1 package seasoned croutons 
• 1 stick margarine (I use butter...never have margarine on hand)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease bottom of 9x13 baking dish
• Place croutons on bottom of pan
• Mix milk, soup and margarine together and pour over croutons in pan. Stir to coat croutons.
• Lay chicken breasts on top of croutons and cover chicken with slices of cheese
• Bake one hour, cover during first half of baking

*Bonus: this dish takes fifteen minutes to prep and you can make the dish early and delay start the oven. My favorite types of recipes.

Day 307 | Snow Day

Why yes, Robbe is wearing plastic bags over his mittens and "boots." And yes, we're sledding on a cardboard box. When you don't know if DC is going to get snow, there's no need to invest in heavy snow gear. :)

What a lovely snow day. We ended up with about six inches of the fluffy white stuff (according to my eyeball estimation).

The day started out with yummy muffins, a latte, a fun play date, and some outdoor playtime. After lunch, the boys took nice naps (ahhh, peace and quiet) and I made some delicious black bean burgers for dinner while watching my three boys giggle and play. See? Lovely. 

Day 288 | Happy Valentine's Day

Happy heart day! I've been fully enjoying the love from my favorite three valentines today. 

*Special note: in case you're curious what the perfect glaze frosting is to go with my cookies from yesterday's post, here it is:

4 cups powdered sugar
6 Tbsp milk
6 Tbsp corn syrup
1 tsp almond extract (the most important ingredient!)
food coloring

Just mix everything together and then you can dip the cookies in and let the excess frosting drip off. I've been working for years to perfect this recipe for Chris's dream cookie. This is as close as we're going to get. Try it. I promise you'll love them. I promise. 

Day 287 | Cookie Cuties

*Photo credit to Susan. Such a precious moment.

Susan and Caroline came up to make cutout cookies with us today. Chase's attention span lasted about four-cookies worth but Caroline stuck with it for a long time. Don't worry, though, Chase's stamina for eating cookies was much more impressive.

It was so much more fun making my annual Valentines cookies for Chris with friends. This is going to be my new tradition, for sure. 

And the best recipe I've found? Right here. But good luck finding a cuter baker than the ones I got to work with. 

Recipe update:
Don't forget the frosting! Here's the glaze frosting I've landed on after years of searching for the perfect compliment to the perfect cookies:

4 cups powdered sugar
6 Tbsp milk
6 Tbsp corn syrup
1 tsp almond extract (the most important ingredient!)
food coloring

Day 281 | Morning Muffin

I can't believe I haven't posted my go-to whole wheat blueberry muffin recipe yet. Time to remedy that. 

Here's the recipe I use. 

I've tried taking out the sugar but, alas, it needs it. I did reduce it to a 1/2 cup, though. That's not terrible. Even Robbe got a delicious taste of this morning baked good. Lucky boy!

Day 257 | Meet My Friend, The Slow Cooker

Have you discovered the beauty of the slow cooker? I've had a long-term relationship with this small appliance but just recently started fully appreciating how perfectly magical it is to throw everything in a pot and ignore it for a few hours and then, ta-da!, dinner is ready. The best!

Interested in some of my favorite recipes at the moment? Here goes:

Braised Beef and Peppers

Chicken Taco Soup

Quinoa Tex Mex Casserole

French Onion Soup

Teriyaki Chicken

Sausage and Kale Stew with Mashed Potatoes

Vegetable Parmesan Quinoa


Happy slow-cooking!

Day 248 | Lentils Get a Bad Rap

When we were back in Wisconsin, just about everyone turned their nose up at the idea of me feeding Robbe lentils. Isn't it common knowledge that lentils are incredibly peppery and delicious? And that the smell of them cooking is nothing short of mouth-watering?

Give 'em a try. If I've sold two babies on the scrumptiousness of these little beans, there's a good chance you'll end up thanking me. 

Need a recipe? This lentil soup is a go-to for our family. Super easy and can be made ahead of time (a definite plus with our current lifestyle). 

Day 239 | Chris's Favorite Thing

After sharing the boys' favorite things a few posts ago, it's time to highlight Chris's favorite thing: the day after sandwich.

It includes all the fixings from the traditional Thanksgiving dinner (and Christmas dinner this year) all in one sandwich for lunch the next day. That means turkey, potatoes, stuffing, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and gravy all piled high. Not my idea of delicious but if it makes him happy, I'm happy. 

Day 224 | Homemade Baby Food

'Tis the season for over eating, right? The perfect time of year to share my eight tips for making homemade baby food for your wee one.

1.  Boil baby, boil: Boiling is the easiest way to turn raw or frozen veggies into pureed magic for your little one.Bring a large pot of water to boil and then add the veggies for just a few minutes until tender.
2. Economies of scale: Make several batches one right after the other. Use one big pot and keep the water boiling, use a strainer to fish out the food, and only wash the blender once (rinse out in between foods and wash at the end). Just remember to do any new food as the last batch in case the baby has a reaction (you don't want to taint the other batches).
3. Ice cube trays: The easiest way to portion-ize, freeze, and store your labor of love.
4. Keep food separate: As tempting as it might be to make peas+pears or mango+sweet potatoes, freeze the foods separate and mix them when you serve them. You'll have so many more options for combinations this way.
5. Multitask: It's definitely preferred to do several batches at once (see #2) but don't hesitate to throw on a pot of boiling water while you're preparing dinner or doing dishes to knock out one batch of green beans.
6. Make smart choices: Sometimes making the food is more trouble than its worth. Prunes, in my opinion, is one of those foods. Rehydrating before blending is not my idea of a time saver so I will continue to buy this yummy fruit. When you buy, though, keep an eye on the ingredient list. There are some good options on the shelves today without a lot of additives but there are some nasty ones, too (think tuna oil...yuck!), just be vigilant. Another good buy? Applesauce. Although making applesauce is super easy, you can buy organic, unsweetened, no additive applesauce for so cheap that it's not worth the energy (in my opinion) to make it. If it's too thick for your little one at the beginning (it was for mine), throw it in your blender to smooth it out a bit more. I didn't even need to add water.
7. Invest in good equipment: Chris and I rarely splurge on anything so when we do, it's been well-researched and vetted. One of our best splurges (and definitely the best when it comes to making baby food) has been the Vitamix. Expensive, but worth it. This thing can blend up anything: frozen fruit, raw oatmeal (you don't have to buy the boxed variety), and thick starches (think: sweet potatoes). Other good buys? These ice cube trays (they have covers) and a strainer like this.
8. The wonder of frozen fruit: Frozen fruit is the most economical, easiest way to make baby food. It's already cut, peeled, pitted, etc. Again, check the ingredient list, though. Sometimes there's added sugar (which never makes sense to me!). I just defrost the fruit on the counter for a few hours, throw it in the blender, and pour into ice cube trays. Ta da! Done.

Day 217 | The Taste of Christmas

I managed to squeeze in baking a batch of my favorite Christmas cookies into today's chaos (school for Chase, airport trip to pick up Dad, lots of cleaning, etc.). They are perfectly unique and festive for this time of year.

Here's the recipe but I use craisens and orange zest as a substitute for the cherries and lime. 

Highly, highly recommended. 

Day 184 | Pumpkin Bars

Just because Halloween has come and gone, it doesn't mean we have to stop eating delicious pumpkin treats, right?

We headed to a friends' house for dinner tonight and pumpkin bars were the perfect house warming gift. These are one of Chris's favorite desserts and are slowly making their way up to the top of Chase's list as well. Everyone got involved in the baking...even Chase and Grandma Mary. It's nice to have so much help.

You'll find the recipe below (and no, I didn't remove the sugar with these). A special thanks to my Aunt Karen for making these a special treat throughout my childhood. They are pretty amazing, but don't take my word for it...

Pumpkin Bars

• 4 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups pumpkin (one small can)
• 3/4 cup melted butter
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup nuts (optional)

Frosting:

• 6 Tbsp butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 8 ounces cream cheese

Directions

• Beat eggs lightly with a fork and add the sugar, butter, and pumpkin. Mix well. Add dry ingredients to this mixture.
• Pour into greased jelly roll pan. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
• Beat the frosting ingredients until smooth and put on cooled bars.