Healthy Mediterranean Pita Pizza

Our family has been working on a healthier diet. We have also been mindful of trying new things and being creative with what we make for meals. Today, I scoured the refrigerator and the pantry for ideas for lunch. It needed to be quick as the boys were "Starving!". For the past month or so, we have been huge spinach eaters. As a family, we always are, but lately it has been a daily food option. I have also been on a feta kick- sprinkling it in just about anything. With these things in mind, and a couple other finds in the fridge, the Mediterranean Pita Pizza was born!

I chose the name as all the ingredients originated in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Pita bread is from Syria, hummus is from Egypt, spinach came from Persia, and feta cheese is from Greece. That's it. Those are all the ingredients for this delicious, healthy snack. Sound easy? Well, it is. Not only are there few ingredients, but there are only three steps to whipping up this yummy dish.

Here's how to make it:

1. Spread a hummus of your choosing (there are many, many flavor options) on top of the pita bread.

2. Add a layer of spinach on top of the hummus

3. Sprinkle with feta cheese

Done!

Enjoy!

Next time, I might try baking the pita bread a bit, just to give it a bit of crunch.

This is so yummy that my boys gobbled it up, and it was so easy that I just might add it to my packed-lunch rotation.

No Bake Lactation and Energy Bites

I have tried many recipes for lactation cookies throughout my nursing years. Some I loved, some were okay, others were just plain yucky. When three friends had babies all within months of one another, I decided I should take a chance on making my own recipe. I had struggled to find brewers yeast in the past and have searched for recipes that taste good and work as a lactation treat without it. This was super difficult to do as brewers yeast is one of the ingredients that helps mother's produce milk, however, this recipe has several other supply-helpers which have worked just as well.

Ingredients:

1 cup dry oatmeal
1 cup Wild Friends Honey Sunflower Butter
1/2 cup whole ground flaxseed meal
1/4 cup milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup white chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix all the ingredients together, then put into the fridge for 10-20 minutes to help them set a bit. This makes it easier to roll them into balls. Once they have hardened a bit, roll balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and put back into the refrigerator for another 10-20 minutes to set completely. This recipe will make about a dozen good-sized bites.

I love this recipe mainly because it is so versatile and many ingredients can be switched out for others if desired. Although this recipe does not call for brewers yeast you could definitely add a couple of tablespoons if you would like. It also does not contain nuts (this was a concern for one of the mamas as her toddler is allergic), but once again, you could substitute sunflower butter with good old peanut butter as well. The chocolate chip mixture could be different as well. Use any chip flavor you like.


I eat these as energy bites (even though I do not have a nursing child) and my kiddos love them too. They make for a yummy, easy to make, healthy snack for everyone as well as a wonderful gift for any nursing mama!

Pinterest Food Challenge Day Four: Pretzel Dogs

I will start by saying, our weekend got away from us and we weren't able to stick to our challenge. We were having way too much fun to think about cooking. Tonight, we were back at it. We have rearranged our schedule, but will still make all of the dishes listed in the first challenge post. This time, Pretzel Dogs!!

I was a bit intimidated by the idea initially, but they turned out amazing! I thought that I would ruin this recipe for sure, but it was much easier that I thought. I read one of the comments, which said something along the lines of "to get a true pretzel flavor, do this....and this...". So I wasn't expecting a wonderful pretzel flavor, but boy was it there. The bread tasted exactly like a soft-baked pretzel and paired nicely with the hot dogs. I ended up with a bit extra dough, so I made some extra pretzels to send in Liam's lunch box this week.

Again, both boys really enjoyed the meal. Liam ate an entire pretzel dog (which were quite large) and an extra pretzel. Both smothered in ketchup and mustard. Joe was pretty excited that there were only two left, because then there is not enough for another dinner, meaning.........he gets to take the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

If you are interested in the recipe, click this link: Pretzel Dogs

Pinterest Food Challenge Day Three: Pork Schnitzels and Mashed Potato Pancakes

Due to my head cold, we took yesterday off from our food challenge. My poor kiddos had to eat boxed macaroni......again. We will move the recipe that we should have done today to Monday, so stay tuned!

As for today, both recipes were quite yummy. As with every dinner in our house, one boy likes one thing on his plate and the other one likes something else. This evening was no different. Liam loved the pork and Nolan loved the potatoes. Joe and I like both. I do have to say that I would not pair these items again. They tasted great together, but it was too much fried food in one meal.

As with the other two recipes, everything took longer than suggested. The one change though is that the actual cook time (for both recipes) needed to be longer. Both the pork and the potato pancakes needed to be flipped about 5 minutes in rather than the 2-4 minutes listed on the recipes.

If you are interested in giving either of these recipes, the links are right here!

Pork Schnitzels

Cheesy Leftover Mashed Potato Pancakes

Pinterest Food Challenge Day Two: Enchilada Casserole

This post will be short and to the point. This recipe is awesome!! It earned two thumbs up for the two year old, and four (don't ask) from the five year old. My husband and I loved it as well. I'm hoping it is just as good the second time around, as we ended up with enough to have it again tomorrow night (barely, as I had to have two helpings tonight).

The only changes that I would make to the recipe are to, once again, change the prep time as this mom took far longer than the allotted 10 minutes. Also, I made our casserole in a 9x13 pan, which required four tortillas rather than the three which the recipe lists. I may try to make it in a smaller pan next time, so we end up with more, thicker layers of goodness.

Either way, this recipe was a hit!

Want to give it a shot? Here is the link: Enchilada Casserole

Pinterest Food Challenge Day One: Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs

Today was day one of our Pinterest Food Challenge. Throughout this week, our family will only eat my pinned dinner ideas. Today was Terikayi Turkey Meatballs with rice and egg rolls.

We chose this meal because it is a crockpot recipe, which we love to make on Sunday afternoons. I will start off by saying that we all loved the flavor of the meatballs and the Teriyaki sauce, even the boys! They were very flavorful, juicy, and easy to make. However, as with most recipes, the prep time of ten minutes was not at all at my "non-chef" speed. It was more like 30 minutes. Also, my meatballs didn't quite look like hers. My sauce was not as thick as I expected, although still very tasty.

The only modification we made to the recipe given was to not add the optional sesame seeds, otherwise we stuck to her instructions and ingredients. When I make these again, the only change I would make, is to bake them in the oven a bit longer. I like a crunchier texture to the outside of a meatball. The recipe made enough for two family dinners, so we packed up the leftovers and popped them in the freezer for another day (we will see how that goes).

My family would recommend this recipe to others, even the five and two year old! Give it a try!

Link to the recipe: Slow Cooker Teriyaki Meatballs

One Week Pinterest Food Challenge

I love Pinterest. I spend far too much time scouring pin after pin. I have pinned close to 3,000 things, all with the intention to use them in some way. I, like most "Pinners", rarely actually do anything with them. My Pinterest page has turned into a graveyard of all my good intentions and creative inspirations.

My husband and I are waiting to get my son's blood test results, which could shed a lot of light on some uncomfortable symptoms he has been dealing with. Obviously, I'm going crazy waiting. So the only sane thing to do is to give myself something else to obsess about.

Our family always struggles with what to make for dinner. We procrastinate, until we give up and make boxed macaroni.....again, or make a quick stop at Taco Bell. Our stomachs and our food budget are not feeling so hot.

Three issues, one solution: A One Week Pinterest Food Challenge!

For one week, our family will only eat dinners found on my Pinterest profile. We will use the recipes that I, apparently, thought looked delicious. We created the menu for the week, will shop for any needed ingredients tomorrow, and spend the next week trying new recipes. Each day I will post a review of the recipe made, including how the kids liked it, as well as a link to the website where the recipe can be found.

While narrowing down our long list of pinned recipes, I learned a couple of things about items found on Pinterest. 1. Many of the "easy" recipes are not, in fact, easy. 2. Many of the websites which the pin takes you to have nothing to do with what you pinned or the page is inaactive. 3. Every website associated with recipes comes complete with pop-up and ad, after pop-up and ad. So, this little project also helped me to clean out my food board.

Our Menu

Sunday- Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs, rice and egg rolls

Monday/Tuesday- Enchilada Casserole

Wednesday- Pork Schnitzels with Mashed Potato Pancakes

Thursday- Herb Crusted Chicken in a Basil Cream Sauce with Pasta

Friday- Pretzel Dogs and Extra Crispy Oven Baked French Fries

Saturday- Buffalo Chicken Garbage Bread

Sunday- Crisp Meat Burritos 

I'm very excited to have something silly to focus on, to put my hours for pinning to good use, and to find some new, yummy recipes to add to our families short list. Let the challenge begin!

Crockpot Korean Fusion Pulled Pork Tacos with Spicy Slaw

Our family has been working on a pretty tight budget for the past couple years. As part of our budget, I do the grocery shopping with special focus on coupons and sales. One item that tends to go on sale often and has coupons in the Sunday paper regularly, is the Campbell's Crockpot sauce. Since we are not fans of eating the same three dinners, over and over again, we try very hard to come up with creative recipes that will use the items we have already purchased (based on sales and coupons). 

This is one of my proudest recipes to date. It is healthy, delicious, inexpensive, easy, our whole family loves it (even the 4 year old and the 18 month old), it makes a ton of food, and it even better as leftovers, which is HUGE for me to say. I HATE leftovers! 

The delicious outcome

Ingredients:

Boneless Pork Shoulder

Korean BBQ Campbell's Crockpot Sauce

2 Cups Shredded Cabbage

1 Cup Red Onion

3/4 Cup Cilantro

Corn Tortillas

Sauce:

2 Tbls Soy Sauce

3 Tbls Vinegar

1 Tbls Sugar 

1/2 tsp Ginger

1/2 tsp Black Pepper

Optional (for spicy):

Diced Serrano Pepper or Diced Jalapeno Pepper to taste

1. Put the Pork shoulder into a crockpot with the Korean BBQ sauce as directed on the package  (until the meat falls apart easily) 

2. Shred the pork.

3. Make the sauce, adding the pepper(s) if wanted.

4. Mix all remaining ingredients to make the slaw, then mix in the sauce.

5. Put the tacos together, adding as much of the slaw as you would like.

6. ENJOY!!

*My husband and I love spice, so we split the slaw into two batches and only add the peppers to one of them. That way we can have spice, and out boys can enjoy their meal without a burning tongue and watering eyes.

We hope you love this recipe as much as we do!!! Please, give it a try and leave a comment about how it turned out. I would love to hear about variations and/or issues that you come across.

Pumpkin Pie Crepes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Filling

Every year, our family tries to find more yummy recipes that include pumpkin as a main ingredient. We all love it, and it brings Fall into our home. This year, I was determined to add to our Fall breakfast menu, and was on a hunt for something that the whole family would enjoy. Boy, did I find it! This recipe is quick, easy, and made (mostly) from things you will have in your pantry on a daily basis. Here it is!

Pumpkin Crepes:

Ingredients:
1 Cup Pumpkin
1 Cup Flour
1 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Warm Water
4 eggs
4 Tbs. Melted Butter
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp Ginger
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/3 Cup Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt

Use a whisk, and mix all the ingredients together, until smooth. Let sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Then cook in hot pan just as you cook pancakes. Crepes are ready to flip when the edges set, and lighten in color. To get the best flipping results, spray both the pan and the spatula EACH time you make a new crepe.

Filling:
6 oz Cream Cheese
1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
A sprinkle of Cinnamon
A squirt or two of canned Whipped Cream

Whip cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon until well mixed and creamy. Add whipped cream until the filling fluffs up a bit. *When I made the filling, it didn't look like there was enough, but I ended up with way more filling than we would eat. We put a very small amount on each crepe, so if you like yours packed, this should be a good amount. If making ahead, store in the fridge until ready to assemble.

Once the crepes and the filling are done, lay the crepe flat, add as much filling as you like, then roll up like a burrito. I added a sprinkle of powdered sugar, and a squirt of whipped cream to the top of the finished product. They are even delicious as left-overs, straight out of the refrigerator!

These are a new Fall Family Favorite!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

Fall is my favorite time of year. I love sweaters, pumpkin patch trips, brisk walks, football, comfort food, decorating, and the family memories that come with the season. But one of the biggest reasons for this is that, I love the taste of pumpkins! All year, I stockpile recipes that have pumpkin as a main ingredient in preparation for the season. Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins is one of my family's absolute favorites. Here is the super simple recipe:

Ingredients:
1 cup chocolate chips
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

Recipe:
1. Combine eggs, pumpkin, sugar, spices, salt, and oil. Beat well with a whisk.
2. Stir in chocolate chips, and set aside.
3. Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl, making a well in the center.
4. Pour in pumpkin mixture.
5. Spoon into a greased muffin pan, 2/3 of the way full.
6. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

These are so yummy, that I make them several times throughout the season. Enjoy!

Banana Cream Pie Cupcakes

My husband is not a huge cake-fan, but he LOVES banana cream pie. When planning a big surprise birthday party, I thought it would be much easier to supply everyone with cupcakes rather than make enough pies for everyone, so I created a recipe that I thought would be easy for guests, and still satisfy my hubby's picky sweet tooth. Here is my quick, easy recipe for banana cream cupcakes:

Cupcake with Banana Filling

Ingredients:
1 box of vanilla cake mix (and the ingredients listed on mix)
2 tsp of banana extract
1 box of instant banana pudding mix (and the ingredients listed to make)
whipped topping
graham crackers
bananas

Ingredients for the Topping

How to Make Them:
1. Make the cupcake batter per the directions on the box.
2. Add the banana extract to the batter before baking.
3. Bake per the instructions on the box.
4. While the cupcakes are baking, make the pudding.
5. When the cupcakes are completely cooled, fill them with pudding using a icing bag.
6. Frost the cupcakes with a small squirt of whipped topping, sprinkle with graham cracker dust, and top with a banana slice.
7. Refrigerate right away, and keep refrigerated until ready to eat.


*The whipped topping melted a bit, and the banana slices turned a little brown, but there are ways to prevent this, and I will try a couple of them next time.

The Finished Product!

These cupcakes were a hit with all the party guests, but my toughest critic, loved them most of all!