Real World Wednesday - Meatloaf

I know that everyone has their own special family recipe for meatloaf, but this is mine. It's simple, straightforward, fast, and relatively likeable due to it's use of barbecue sauce instead of ketchup and it's lack of vegetables. I personally don't like veggies in my meatloaf, it's like having veggies in a hamburger. Yuck. If you are looking for ways to sneak veggies in, I think substituting some sort of pureed veggie for the ketchup would do the trick.

Ingredients

1 lb ground meat (I used turkey)

1 egg

3/4 c breadcrumbs

1/4 c ketchup

1/2 c barbecue sauce

Directions

Mix all ingredients together except barbecue sauce, put in a loaf pan, and cover with barbecue sauce. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, or until cooked through. To make it more kid friendly, set apart a small amount and cut shapes using cookie cutters. Bake these on a baking sheet for about 15-20 minutes.

So Good They Taste Like They're Deep Fried Oven Fries

Whew! Yes that's a long title, but it is completely accurate. Every time I've made oven fries before they have been just ok. They're always a little mushy and they taste nothing like the deep fried sticks of artery clogging yumminess that you get at fast food joints. Not these. I followed this recipe and they came out perfectly golden and slightly crispy. These were a hit with the entire family!

Ingredients
russet potatoes, peeled and cut into fries or wedges
olive oil
cooking spray
salt and pepper

Directions
Soak potatoes in hot water for 10-30 minutes. Meanwhile spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Drain the potatoes and pat dry with paper towels. Toss with a small amount of olive oil and place on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover tightly with foil and bake in a 475 degree oven for 5 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 15-20 minutes. Flip the fries over and bake another 5-10 minutes until golden and crisp. When finished, place on a paper towel to drain any additional grease and serve.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

I decided to try my hand at homemade chicken nuggets for Michaela's birthday dinner. I've seen this on several different blogs, but my recipe is most like this one from Itty Bitty Bistro. It's rare that I make a meal that everyone in the family likes, so I was super happy when Michaela munched these down and Philip said they were as good as McDonalds. :)

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts

1 egg

3/4 cup panko bread crumbs

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal

3 tablespoons parmesan cheese, finely grated

Directions

Cut off all visible fat from chicken and cut into strips. Place chicken in food processor and grind until the texture is that of ground meat. Meanwhile, mix the bread crumbs, flaxseed, and parmesan in a bowl. Put the egg in a seperate bowl and whisk. Roll the ground chicken into balls, dip them in the egg, and then in the breadcrumb mix. Place on a baking sheet that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 20 minutes in a 425 degree oven.

Chocolate Banana Oatmeal Cups

My little one turned two yesterday, so in honor of her birthday, I made her these oatmeal cups for breakfast. They were a big hit! Don't expect these to be a muffin like consistency. It's basically baked oatmeal, but it is a really really yummy breakfast, and the chocolate chips just makes you feel like you are eating dessert for breakfast. This would be a great snack too!

Ingredients
3 over ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup chocolate soy milk
2 eggs
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 cups old fashioned or rolled oats
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons mini chocolate chips

Directions
Mix all the ingredients together and put in lightly sprayed or lined muffin cups. Bake for 20-30 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Cool on wire racks. Makes 12-15 cups.

Real World Wednesday - Breakfast Casserole

Every once in a while I like to make breakfast for dinner. It's usually less work than dinner, and is something I always know my family will like. I adapted this recipe from one given to me by a friend's mom. She had made this for a brunch baby shower and I instantly fell in love!

Ingredients

15 oz frozen country style hash browns (or fresh grated)

1 lb sausage, cooked and crumbled

8 eggs

1 cup milk

salt and pepper

10 oz cheese, grated & divided (I use cheddar and either Monterrey or Pepper jack)

1/2 cup green chile, roasted, peeled & chopped (optional)

Directions

Mix all ingredients together, except 5 oz of cheese. Pour into an 8 x 8 casserole dish that has lightly been sprayed with cooking spray. Top with remaining cheese and cook in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Notes

• I always have leftovers, and that's OK! Spend an extra couple minutes after dinner putting together burritos with the leftovers and you'll have breakfast for the rest of the week!
• I love making this meal for new moms. Take this, along with some fresh fruit and cinnamon rolls for dessert and this is the perfect meal!

Thinking Outside of the...Orange?

This isn't really a recipe post. I just wanted to show how sometimes when you are trying to get food into a toddler, you have to think a little bit outside of the box.

Michaela regularly eats yogurt for a snack, so I decided to punch it up a little and make this Banana Avocado Mousse for her snack yesterday. I was too lazy to actually blend it, so it didn't look quite as appetizing as I was expecting. After taking one look at it, I knew I would have to be creative in getting her to eat it. Luckily, I had just juiced an orange for her to drink, so I scooped a little bit into a used orange cup and served it to her with a spoon.

It worked! After staring at it for a few minutes in interest, she finally took a bite.

"Num num owange mama!"

"No baby, it's in an orange cup, but it's banana and avocado."

*Looking at me in confusion*

"Num num banana mama! Num num owange!"

This post is participating in the Big Words, Little Foodies meme. Head on over to Food with Kid Appeal to hear more funny stories of what kids say when trying new foods.

Thin Mint Cupcakes

I have an unhealthy obsession with Girl Scout cookies. Given the chance, I would eat en entire box of Thin Mints in one sitting. I can eat half a container of Samoa ice cream before I finally force myself to stop and save some for later. So you can see how when I saw this recipe for Thin Mint cupcakes, I had no chance. I had to make them. These were quite good. I made the mistake of forgetting to add the crumbled cookies to the batter until it was already in the cupcake liners. I did my best adding them in, but I think this would have a much more consistent taste if I had done it from the beginning.

Ingredients

3/4 unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

3/4 teaspoon warm water

3/4 cup buttermilk

3 tablespoons safflower oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 sleeve Thin Mint cookies or 1/2 package Keebler Grasshopper cookies, crushed

Directions

Sift together dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and mix together until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the crushed cookies and scrape down the sides of the bowl until all batter is well mixed. Fill lined muffin cups 2/3 full and bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until tops spring back when touched. Let cool completely on a wire rack before frosting. Makes 20-26.

Notes

• In the original post, there is a recipe for mint frosting. I just used half a container of store-bought cream cheese frosting and added 1 tablespoon of peppermint extract.
• I think you could achieve a similar taste by adding crushed Thin Mints to a boxed chocolate cake mix.

*Sorry for the previous messed up entries in your feed reader. Blogger was freaking out on me!