Chicken in Spaghetti Sauce

1 lb. chicken (I used frozen chicken breasts)

1 can diced tomatoes (15 oz)

1 can tomato paste (6 oz)

1/4 c. chopped onion

1 rib celery chopped

1/2 carrots, grated or thinly sliced

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Add all ingredients to the crockpot and cook on Low for 6 hours or High for 3 hours. Remove the chicken and use an immersible blender and blend well. Serve over spaghetti.

Vegan Buckwheat Pancakes (Gluten Free)

Buckwheat is actually gluten free despite its name. I cannot tell you how many gluten free pancake recipes I've tried and how gross they all are. This is the first recipe I've used that I thought "okay this can pass as a pancake" I found the recipe online.

1 1/4 cups rice milk
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. oil
1 T. maple syrup
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup rice flour (If you don't need to be GF you can just use all-purpose flour)
1/2 tsp.

Mix together the wet ingredients in a large bowl. Then mix dry ingredients in a small bowl and add the the wet ingredients. Don't over mix. Cook for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes then flip and cook 1 more minute. I served mine with strawberries and maple syrup.

The original recipe has you add cut up bananas after you put some batter on the griddle. I thought it was okay but not my favorite. I think it was a lot better with one banana pancake stacked with two or three normal ones. It was way too much with bananas on every pancake.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

This is my Grandpa's whole wheat pancake recipe. They are delicious and my kids LOVE them! I even converted Marc to whole wheat pancakes. :)

1 1/2 cups whole wheat
3 T. sugar
1 T. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 egg
3 T. oil
1 1/2 cups milk

Mix dry ingredients together then add the egg, oil, and milk. Cook on a preheated griddle.

I buy Wheat Montana Bronze Chief whole wheat flour. (The pancakes pictured were made with Wheat Montana Prairie Gold but Marc prefers the Bronze Chief so that's usually what I buy)

Chicken Tacos

I made some really easy chicken tacos the other night. I got the chicken recipe from this blog. I made this yummy Mexican rice but it's still a work in progress because the recipe I use calls for white rice and I am determined to tweak the recipe so I can use brown rice and still have it turn out great. I'm getting closer, this last time it tasted great but was a little too mushy. Then we just opened a can of black beans and served it with salsa and guacamole on corn tortillas. The kids loved them, it's always great to have a dinner that all my kids will eat.

Crock pot Salsa Chicken

1 to 1 1/2 lbs. chicken (I used frozen chicken breasts)
1/2 cup salsa
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients in your crock pot (I used my small 2 qt.) Cook on Low for 8 hours or High for 4 hours. Shred the chicken.

Thai Coconut Chicken

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes (see below for vegetarian substitution)
1 TBSP olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
1 tsp curry powder
1 14 oz can light or regular coconut milk
Zest and juice of 1/2 lime (use a 1/4 lime zest and hand squeeze half a lime, otherwise it's too limey)
1/4 cup green onion, chopped (optional)
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

Directions:
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken, garlic, and onion and cook chicken until golden brown on all sides, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the curry powder and cook, stirring for 1 minute, until it is fragrant. Add the coconut milk, lime juice and zest, bring to a simmer, and simmer until the chicken is just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat, stir in the green onions and cilantro. Serve over rice.

For vegetarian/vegan, replace the chicken with the following:
10 baby golden yukon potatoes, cut in 1-inch cubes
12 baby carrots, sliced

Mexican Brown Rice Casserole

4 c cooked brown rice
1 ¼ c salsa
1 tsp ground cumin
15 oz canned refried beans
10 oz frozen corn kernels, thawed
4 oz mild green chili peppers, diced
1 tbsp chili powder
¾ c shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2 tbsp fresh cilantro (optional; for garnish)

Preheat oven to 375.

Coat a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine rice, salsa, and cumin. Spoon 2 cups of rice mixture into prepared baking dish and spread out to evenly cover bottom of dish.

In another large bowl, combine refried beans, corn, chili peppers, and chili powder. Using a rubber spatula, scrap bean mixture on top of rice layer and smooth out top.

Sprinkle on 6 tbsp of cheese.

Top with remaining rice mixture and smooth out top; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Place casserole on a large rimmed baking sheet to catch any spillage. Bake until heated through and cheese is browned and bubbling, about 30 min. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Salsa Chicken and Black Bean Soup

This is our absolute favorite soup! Another great recipe from Crockpot365

1 lb. frozen chicken
2 cans black beans
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup frozen corn
2 cups salsa
1 1/2 tsp. cumin

Add all the ingredients to the crock pot and cook on Low for 6 hours or High for 3-4 hours. After it's done, shred or cut up the chicken and use an immersible blender and blend to desired consistency. You can add sour cream if you like. Garnish with shredded cheese and sliced avocado.

Spinach Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

For dinner tonight we did a build your own salad bar. I had everything sliced and diced and set out on the table so everyone could create their salad just the way they like it. It's also nice for the kids because they don't like the spinach but they will eat everything else. I served it with these yummy rolls.

Fresh Spinach
Chicken (I marinated the chicken in Italian dressing and then cooked it and cut it up in bite size pieces)
Strawberries, sliced
Mandarin Oranges
Apple, diced
Cashews
Feta cheese (optional)

Poppy Seed Dressing
1/4 c. rice vinegar
1/4 c. honey
1 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 c. strawberries
1/3 c. oil
3/4 tsp. poppy seeds

Combine the vinegar, honey, garlic, salt, pepper, and strawberries in a blender and blend till smooth. Add oil while blending. Stir in poppy seeds.

My Mom's Rolls

This is my Mom's famous roll recipe. I can't eat these because they aren't gluten free but I still make them a lot because my kids love them! I usually half this recipe

6 cups flour
1/2 cup powdered milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 T. salt
1/2 cup warm water
2 T. (2 pkgs) yeast
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup oil
2 cups warm water
Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water, (add 1 tsp. sugar to water) Stir together flour, powdered milk, sugar, and salt. Form a hole in the center of flour mixture. Fill hole in flour with the beaten eggs, oil, warm water, and finally the dissolved yeast. Stir with a wooden spoon until well blended. Cover with a dish towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour. Stir down, knead a few times in a little flour until easy to handle. Divide dough in half and roll out in the shape of a circle. Using a pizza cutter cut into 16 sections and roll into crescent shape. Place on cookie sheet and cover. Let rise 20 minutes then bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes

Chicken and Spaghetti with Capers

I found this recipe in a magazine. It was delicious! (It tasted a lot better than the picture looks) The label for the recipe was pan-seared pork chops but seeing as how I don't really cook with pork, I don't think I've ever purchased pork in my 7 years of marriage. Anyhoo I figured I could just sub chicken and it turned out great. I didn't have any broccoli but next time I will make sure I do!

1 T. oil
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used frozen breasts)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 T. cornstarch
1 can chicken broth (14.5 oz)
2 T. capers
2 T. lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (I cheated and sprinkled some dry parsley on it)
1/2 pound whole wheat spaghetti, or gluten free spaghetti, or any pasta you like
1 large head of broccoli, cut and steamed

Heat oil in a large skilled over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Saute for 2 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate

Stir Cornstarch into the broth; add to skillet and simmer 1 minute until thickened. Add in capers, lemon juice, and chicken. Cover and simmer 7-9 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Stir in parsley.

Serve chicken with cooked spaghetti and steamed broccoli. Spoon Sauce over spaghetti.

Sugar Cookies

These are always a hit!

3 1/4 c. flour (sift before measuring)

1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. sour cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Sift together sifted flour, baking soda, and salt. In a mixing bowl cream together butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla with electric mixer. Beat 2 minutes. Add sour cream and 1/2 of the dry ingredients, beat until blended. Stir in remaining dry ingredients with a wooden spoon. Divide dough. Roll 1/4 inch thick.
Bake 8-10 minutes.

*tips: The first couple times I made this recipe I measured the dough after I rolled it out. 1/4 inch is thicker than I thought. Also don't over bake, you shouldn't see any browning on the cookies.

Strawberry Freezer Jam

Marc isn't too picky with food but after we got married I had to learn how to make strawberry freezer jam. He is a jam snob. I couldn't find the pectin I usually use (MCP) but my mom found this new pectin that says you can use it with your favorite jam recipe. I gave it a try and it turned out great!

3-1/4 cups prepared fruit (buy about 2 qt. fully ripe strawberries, I have also used the frozen strawberries from Costco. Thaw about 6 cups in the fridge the day before.)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice ( I use the bottled 100% lemon juice)

1 box MCP Pectin (It's 1.75 oz box, I measured the pectin on my kitchen scale, the bottle says about 5 T. = 2 oz. box)

1 cup corn syrup

4-1/2 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl

Crush strawberries thoroughly, one layer at a time. Measure exactly 3-1/4 cups crushed strawberries into large bowl. Stir in lemon juice. Stir in pectin; let stand 30 min., stirring every 5 min. Stir in corn syrup. Gradually add sugar, stirring until well blended. Stir an additional 3 min. or until sugar is completely dissolved and no longer grainy. (A few sugar crystals may remain.)

Fill all containers immediately to within 1/2 inch of tops. Wipe off top edges of containers; immediately cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. Jam is now ready to use. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks or freeze extra containers up to 1 year. Thaw in refrigerator before using.

Bourbon Chicken

My sister Alyx sent me this recipe. It is really good. I only use 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes so it isn't too spicy for my kids, then I shake more red pepper on my husband's chicken when it's done.

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 T. oil
Sauce:
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 tsp. ginger
1/8 - 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you want it)
2 T. apple juice
2 T. brown sugar (you can substitute coconut sugar, honey, or agave)
1 1/2 T. ketchup
1/2 T. apple cider vinegar
1/4 c. water
2 1/2 T. soy sauce

Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. Heat oil in your wok and fry chicken bits until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels and set aside. In a bowl combine all sauce ingredients. Pour into wok and bring to a boil. Add chicken bits back to the pan, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve over rice.

Chicken and Rice Soup

4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup brown rice
1/2 cup water
1 chicken breast
1 cup chopped veggies (I use carrots, broccoli, and celery. Sometimes I throw in some chopped onion too)
1/2 tsp. herbs de provence

Chop veggies in a food processor or blender. Add all ingredients to your crock pot and cook on low for as long as you can. I usually cook mine for 7 or 8 hours. Add salt and pepper to taste.

I got this recipe from Crockpot365 I love her recipe blog.

Allergy free Chex Muddy Buddies

3 cups rice Chex
1/3 cup chocolate*
3 T peanut butter
1 T coconut oil
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup powdered coconut sugar**

First make the chocolate by melting 2 T. coconut oil then add 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1 T. honey, 1/2 tsp. vanilla stir until smooth. Then microwave the 1 T. coconut oil and 3 T. peanut butter add the chocolate mixture and vanilla, pour over rice Chex and mix well. Add to a ziplock bag and pour powdered sugar over and shake. Refrigerate.
**To make powdered sugar add the sugar and 1/2 tsp. cornstarch or arrowroot starch to a food processor and pulse until very fine.

Shepherd's Pie

3 cups mashed potatoes (leftovers are best)
1 lb. ground turkey
2 cloves chopped garlic
2 cups vegetables ( I use frozen peas and fresh chopped carrots)
1 can green beans
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. paprika
1 cup tomato juice (I usually use a 6 oz. can of tomato juice and 2 oz. water)

Brown the meat with the onion and drain the fat. Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Add the spices and stir. Add the vegetables and tomato juice then press mashed potatoes on top. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours.

I love Shepherd's Pie, this recipe is so good! I adapted it from A Year of Slow Cooking
If you don't have food allergies you can add cheese in with the vegetables. If you don't have leftover mashed potatoes use about 6 medium potatoes to equal 3 cups.

Lemon Chicken with Potatoes

My sister Amy sent me this recipe and it is really good. Make sure you use waxy potatoes, I used russet potatoes once and it was not nearly as good.

4 waxy potatoes (red skinned or Yukon gold)
1 T. olive oil
8 cloves garlic, minced (I always use the minced garlic in a jar, it's 4 teaspoons if you use that)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1 cup water
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. thyme
4 chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice potatoes 1/2 inch thick. Boil for 8 minutes then drain. Cut chicken breasts in half. Mix remaining ingredients in a 9x13 dish. Place chicken in mixture and turn to coat. Add potatoes in between chicken. Cover baking dish with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove tin foil and bake for another 15 minutes.

I halved this recipe and baked it in an 8x8 dish.