Spinach Pizza

I recently played around with creating a healthy pizza, and absolutely loved the results... so much so that I made the dish again less than a week later.  This is almost like a salad which has been served on a pizza crust.  You can recreate the pizza I made, or just have fun making one of your own.  

Ingredients:

~prepared pizza crust (I used Meijer Organics)

~olive oil

~garlic powder

~organic spinach 

~feta cheese

~organic mild cheddar cheese (shredded, again Meijer Organics brand)

~chopped walnuts

~organic cranberries (love that Meijer Organics brand!)

~grilled chicken (lightly seasoned with pepper and seasoned salt)

Method:

I started with a prepared pizza crust... how easy is that!  I mixed a bit of olive oil (maybe 1-2 tablespoons) with garlic powder and brushed the mixture all over the crust.  Bake the crust for 4 minutes at 450 degrees.  During this time, I grilled my seasoned chicken pieces using my George Foreman grill.  Layer the toppings on the crust however you please, or as mentioned above, use toppings of your choosing.  Bake for an additional 7-8 minutes, until the spinach is wilted.

The pizza was served hot from the oven, and it was delicious!  I also enjoyed the leftovers cold.  I'm happy to report that even my kiddos enjoyed this meal.  Even though my son felt it necessary to tell me he would prefer pepperoni... he still ate this version!

I plan to keep experimenting with new and healthy ways to prepare pizza.  How 'bout you?  Do you have a favorite way to change up pizza in your kitchen?

~nikki

Oven-Fried Chicken...In the Crockpot

Today's recipe is an alternative to conventional fried chicken, which I prepared in the crockpot.  You could make yours in the oven if you preferred.

Ingredients:

~chicken legs & thighs, skin removed
~1 cup organic flour
~4 tablespoons flax seeds
~3 teaspoons paprika
~2 tablespoons seasoned salt
~2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
~2 teaspoons minced onion
~1 teaspoon pepper
~1/2 stick organic butter, melted

Directions:

Spray the inside of the crockpot with cooking spray.  Combine flour, flax seeds, and all spices in a large zippered bag.  Drop a couple of pieces of chicken at a time into the bag, reseal and shake to coat pieces.  Layer the coated pieces in the crockpot, then drizzle melted butter over all.  Cook on high 3-4 hours.  (Alternatively, you could bake this dish at 425 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes.)

Enjoy!
~nikki

Avocado Basil Pasta

It's been a while since I posted!  That does not mean I haven't done any cooking...rest assured we are all still eating.  I just haven't found the time to post any new recipes, but I have a great one to share today.

I originally found this recipe on Pinterest and it comes from Better Homes & Gardens by way of Dear Crissy.  Now that I've given credit where credit is due... here's how I made it:

Avocado Basil Pasta

Ingredients:

8 ounces pasta

2-3 medium avocados, chopped

6 slices cooked turkey bacon, crumbled

1 pint grape tomatoes

2/3 cup chopped fresh basil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

salt & pepper to taste

½ cup shaved Parmesan or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions:

Cook the pasta according to package directions.  Drain.  In a large bowl combine the olive oil and lemon juice.  Add minced garlic, basil, and salt and pepper.  Add the pasta, avocados, tomatoes, and crumbled bacon and combine.  Sprinkle with cheese. 

This is a dish that tastes great hot but also does well cold the next day.  Enjoy!

~nikki

From My Mom's Kitchen: Swedish Breakfast Puffs

This morning, my mom and I worked side by side in her kitchen.  I was actually working on our dinner (which was my make-ahead French Toast), but she was working on what can only be described as a family tradition...her Swedish Breakfast Puffs.

Now, don't let the name fool you.  This is not a breakfast food.  This is more like dessert for the morning time.  In fact, we always eat these after we've already eaten a "proper" breakfast.  (Well, maybe not my dad, but certainly the rest of us!)

For as long as I can remember, my mom has been making this delicious treat.  I especially remember that after I had grown up and moved out of my parents' home, whenever I would come to visit I would ask beg my mom to make puffs.  I would feel so happy when I would hear the sounds of my mom whipping these up in the kitchen.

Now, it's my kids who ask beg Nana to make her puffs.  And, as any good Nana would, she gives in.

Swedish Breakfast Puffs

Mom's directions:

"Mix together 1/3 cup shortening, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 egg.  (You can cream together the shortening and sugar first, and then add the egg.  Be sure the mixture is smooth... Mom says no lumps!)  Sift together 1 1/2 cups sifted flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg.  Stir in alternatively with 1/2 cup milk.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes in muffin tins (grease first with cooking spray).  Immediately roll in 1 1/4 sticks melted butter, then in 1 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon mixed together."

Got to love a handwritten recipe card...
Mom told me to change the quantities on the
melted butter and cinnamon & sugar mixture.
Also, giving credit where credit is due,
Mom says this recipe originally came from
her Sister-in-law, my Aunt Betty.

Enjoy!

~nikki

Crockpot Pork Chops

So happy together... my two crockpots.

Crockpot on the right has our roasted new potatoes and carrots, which are just delicious.  On the left was a new recipe for pork chops I was trying for the first time today.  I found this recipe on Pinterest, and you can view the original at Kristi's Recipe Box.  I made a couple of minor adjustments, and here's my result.

Crockpot Pork Chops

Ingredients:

~4-6 thin boneless pork chops
~1/4 cup olive oil
~1 cup chicken broth
~2 cloves garlic, minced
~1 tablespoon paprika
~1 tablespoon seasoned salt
~1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
~1/2 teaspoon salt
~1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Place pork chops in crockpot.  Mix together chicken broth and olive oil; add garlic and other spices and stir well.  Pour mixture over chops.  Cover and cook on low for about 3 hours.

Between the pork chops and the potatoes & carrots cooking this afternoon, the house smelled really good!  All of us enjoyed this meal, most especially my husband!  It is actually quite easy to make, and the spices could be varied depending on what you have on hand or what you're in the mood for.

~nikki

Browned Butter Gnocchi

Yum!

I shared a recipe on Pinterest a while back which I found in my February issue of Cooking Light magazine.  You can view the original recipe here.

I was excited to try something new, as we have never eaten gnocchi before.  I'm happy to say that we all really enjoyed this dish.  It was simple enough to make, too.  The husband went back for a big plate of seconds, and even the kids seemed to like it.  My daughter called it "Gnocchi, gnocchi!"

I made a couple of minor adjustments to the recipe, and here's what I did:

Browned Butter Gnocchi

Ingredients:

~2 (16 ounce) packages gnocchi
~12 ounce package frozen chopped broccoli
~4 tablespoons butter
~2 tablespoons olive oil (don't know for sure that that's the amount I used...I didn't measure)
~black pepper
~pine nuts (about 1/2 to 1 tablespoon per serving)
~shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (a sprinkling to taste on each serving)

Directions:

Cook gnocchi in a large Dutch oven according to package directions (mine needed to boil only for about 3-4 minutes).  Add broccoli during last minute of cooking; cook 1 minute and drain.  (Since I was using frozen broccoli, I did partially cook it in the microwave first for 3 minutes.)  Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add butter and oil; cook until butter browns.  (The original recipe said to cook for 7 minutes or until butter browns... well, my butter browned very quickly!  I definitely didn't come anywhere near 7 minutes.)  Add pepper to taste; add gnocchi mixture to pan and stir to coat.  Sprinkle each serving with pine nuts and cheese.

From skillet...

...to plate.  Enjoy!

This recipe will definitely be featured in my monthly meal plan next month.  Success!

~nikki

just for fun AND how I stay organized in the kitchen

So, let's just tell the truth about cooking...

Sometimes the food I serve my family for dinner does not require a recipe.  Or any effort for that matter!

The other day was just such a day in my kitchen, and my daughter even pitched in to place some frozen food on a cookie sheet for baking.  Gotta love that!!

And I really loved how she used her hot pad (play version from her kitchen set).  She told me the reason she was using her hot pad was because the food was so cold!

Sometimes we have a super easy, absolutely-no-effort-needed type of meal like this one (which, by the way, was some frozen food from Market Day--Alaskan cod and mozzarella bites, which is what Hope was in charge of).  And sometimes we have something that requires a little work, or a lot of work, or remembering to prepare the meal ahead of time.  But, regardless of the type of meal we're having, here's what is almost always the same:

(1)  Our family eats together, at the same time, seated at our dinner table.

and 

(2)  The meal was listed on my monthly meal plan

That's right... a monthly meal plan!  Over the years, I have tried lots of different ways to approach dinner planning.  I've tried using index cards, and I've tried listing out a week's worth of meals (either assigned or not assigned to specific days), but what is currently working really well for me is the use of a monthly calendar where I record the dinners I will be serving my family (even planning for those super easy ones, or the nights when I don't plan to cook at all--going out or getting pizza...whatever!).  

I've been using a monthly calendar for quite a while now, but something I've recently added is making my life a lot easier.  I simply expanded the calendar grid by adding extra rows, so that each week is represented by two rows on the calendar.  The first of the two rows lists what dinner we'll be having.  The second row is where I'm listing out the ingredients I'll need to make that dinner.  Then when it's time to create my weekly shopping list, it's super easy to take a look through my kitchen and see what is needed for the week's dinners.  I've also started using a free grocery list app on my iPhone, so really the process is becoming quite efficient for me.

Here's a look at my February calendar (please note the photos are not the best... I do let my 4 year old color on the calendar picture and it gets a little wrinkled as a result):

Red = dinners, Purple = ingredients needed

How do you plan your family's meals?

Happy Cooking and Happy Planning!

~nikki

Crockpot Potato Soup

A couple of months ago, I was on the hunt for a crockpot recipe for potato soup.  I certainly found a lot of versions of this dish, but my husband was pretty particular about what he did and did not want with this soup.  Any recipes that were overly cheesy were out, as were recipes that included broccoli (how dare we include broccoli!?!).  I found a simple enough recipe that I thought he (and the rest of us) would enjoy, via Pinterest.  (Here's my pin)  The original recipe comes from Life on Mars and can be found here.

This is how my hubby wanted his...
with cheese and crumbled bacon pieces
(Cute that he didn't want a recipe that
was too cheesy, but then he covered
his soup with chesse...)

Crockpot Potato Soup

Ingredients:

~5 pounds of potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
~4-5 cups of chicken broth
~1 stick of melted butter
~1 cup of half-and-half
~salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

For toppings:

~shredded cheese and crumbled bacon pieces (that's what we use, but you could certainly add other toppings to suit your tastes)

Directions:

Place the chopped potatoes in the slow cooker.  Pour in the chicken broth until the potatoes are just covered.  I cook this on high for about 4 hours (you want the potatoes to be really soft).  Since I don't have an immersion blender, I use a potato masher to blend the potatoes to the consistency that we like (really smooth...but you could leave it chunkier if that's what you like).  Add in the half-and-half, melted butter, salt, pepper, and garlic powder and stir until combined.  Cook uncovered for 20-30 minutes to let it thicken up.  Serve with toppings of your choice.

~nikki

Crockpot Mac & Cheese

One of the meals my family seems to really love in particular is my variation on mac & cheese, of course, prepared in my crockpot.  I looked for a crockpot mac & cheese recipe for a bit (there are lots) and tried one that turned out kind of pasty.  I've played around a bit and have found what works for me that we all enjoy eating.

Crockpot Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:

~2 cups milk
~1/2 stick melted butter or margarine
~1 can evaporated milk
~2 eggs
~salt & pepper
~3 cups shredded cheese (I use cheddar blends like cheddar jack, or one called gourmet blend)
~1/2 box elbow macaroni
~1/2 cup to 1 cup grated Parmesan
~1 additional cup of shredded cheddar blend cheese

Directions:

Grease crockpot with cooking spray.  Combine milk, melted butter, evaporated milk, eggs, and salt and pepper and whisk until smooth.  Add 3 cups shredded cheese and the macaroni.  Stir gently to coat evenly.  Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top and add 1 cup shredded cheddar blend cheese.  Do not stir.  Cover and cook on low for about 3 hours.

You can see in the above photo (which was taken after dishing up my kids' portions) what might happen along the edges.  Even though I cook this on low and only for about 3 hours, the edges can really brown.  What I try to do is sort of scrape away the macaroni from this almost-burned edge while the dish is cooking. I haven't really figured out any way around this happening, and what is left in the middle is plenty for us, believe me!  So I don't worry about it...

With all that cheese, it's also not the most healthy dish I make...and that's okay, too.  I use skim milk, low fat evaporated milk, and sometimes the reduced fat cheeses (made from 2% milk).  So, while it is a bit calorie-high I'm okay with that.

~nikki

Make-Ahead Meal: Overnight French Toast

I just love a Monday.  Well, let me be more specific.  I just love a Monday when I already made dinner ahead the night before.  Make-ahead meals make me happy in much the same way that crockpot meals make me happy.  I can make them at a time that is more convenient for me, but my family sits down to eat them at dinner time.  I normally prepare crockpot meals after lunch or in the early afternoon, or I may prepare them in the morning, but keep them ready in the fridge to begin cooking later in the day.  Make-ahead meals I usually do the night before (and yes, that might mean making two dinners in one day, but the bonus comes when you don't have to do anything but put the food in the oven the following evening.  In this case, my husband took me out for dinner last night and the babysitter did dinner for my kids, so I only had to make the one meal.)

This meal is another idea I found on Pinterest (here's my pin).  You can view the original recipe here at Rach's Blog if you are interested.  I made only a few minor adjustments in my version.  The original recipe does call for using Texas toast, but I simply used cinnamon swirl bread (2 layers of 6 pieces each=12 pieces of bread total).

Overnight French Toast

Ingredients:
~1 cup melted butter (2 sticks)
~2 cups brown sugar (additional brown sugar to sprinkle between layers)
~12 pieces cinnamon swirl bread
~4 eggs
~1 1/2 cups milk
~2 teaspoons vanilla
~cinnamon
~turbinado sugar

Directions:

Melt butter in microwave and add brown sugar.  Stir until mixed and spread into bottom of 9 x 13 pan.  Beat eggs, milk, and vanilla.  Lay single layer of cinnamon bread in pan.

Spoon 1/2 of egg mixture on bread layer.  Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon before next layer of bread.

Add second layer of cinnamon bread.  Spoon on rest of egg mixture.

I put a pat of butter onto each slice of bread and then sprinkled all with turbinado sugar and more cinnamon.

Cover and chill in fridge overnight.  Uncover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  We do not eat this with any syrup as it is certainly sweet enough on its own.  I did place each serving on the plate upside down so the brown sugar/butter mixture is right on top.  Yum is really the only word for it.

~nikki

Two Crockpot Meals: Fruit-Stuffed Pork Chops and Roasted New Potatoes and Carrots

Well, it's another two crockpot day here at my house.  All afternoon, my husband has been happily basking in the scents coming out of my kitchen.  I'm pleased to say that he thoroughly enjoyed the taste of the meal as well!  (The kids even liked it, too.)

Fruit-Stuffed Pork Chops

Ingredients:
~1 boneless pork loin roast
~1 cup dried fruits (I used cranberries and cherries)
~1 tablespoon minced onion
~1 teaspoon salt
~1 teaspoon thyme
~1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
~1/2 teaspoon black pepper
~2 tablespoons olive oil
~1 cup apple cider

Directions:

Cut pork horizontally (think hot dog bun).

Layer dried fruit and minced onion in opening.

Bring halves of pork together and tie at 1-inch intervals with kitchen twine.  In a small bowl, combine remaining dry ingredients and rub into roast.

Place roast in skillet with oil and brown roast on all sides.  Spray slow cooker with cooking spray and add the roast.  Pour in the apple cider.  Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours.

Roasted New Potatoes and Carrots

Ingredients:
~1 1/2 pounds new potatoes, unpeeled
~1/2 pound carrots (I took the very-easy route and used bagged carrot chips)
~1/2 cup butter, melted
~1 tablespoon dried parsley
~1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
~1/2 teaspoon salt
~1/2 teaspoon black pepper
~1/2 teaspoon paprika

Directions:

Spray inside of crockpot with cooking spray.  Add potatoes and carrots.  Mix melted butter and spices.  Pour mixture over potatoes and carrots and stir.  Cover and cook on high for about 3-4 hours.

~nikki

Baked Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken

A while back, I found an interesting recipe by way of Pinterest.  I printed out the recipe and didn't really look too closely at it until today when I was getting ready to prepare the meal.  I was pretty surprised to read directions instructing me to cook the chicken at 500 degrees!  After checking the original source (here) I confirmed that the recipe did indeed say 500 degrees.

I was also surprised to read in the comments section the number of people who actually followed that instruction, though they seemed to know it wasn't a good idea going in.  I think there's a larger lesson here that has little to do with cooking, and more to do with life.  Listen to your own instincts.  You don't have to be a Follower.

I'm happy to say that my version turned out perfectly.  Everyone in the family enjoyed it, and that is always a plus for me.  The original recipe called for boneless skinless chicken breasts, but I preferred to use boneless skinless chicken tenderloins.

Baked Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken

Ingredients:
~9-10 boneless skinless chicken breast tenderloins (or 4-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts)
~4 garlic cloves, minced
~4-6 tablespoons brown sugar
~olive oil (I didn't measure... original calls for 3 teaspoons, but I definitely used more...probably a couple tablespoons)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray casserole dish with cooking spray.  Saute garlic in the olive oil until tender.  Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar.  Place chicken the the casserole dish and cover with the garlic and brown sugar mixture.  Bake uncovered for 25 minutes.

Recipe Update (Feb. 21)
So, I made this recipe again today, this time using chicken breasts instead of tenderloins.  I also discovered that my garlic was bad, so I substituted minced garlic from my spice collection.  Not only did the recipe taste great (we didn't notice the absence of fresh garlic at all) but it was easier prep for me.  (I may never go back...)

~nikki

Make Ahead Meal: Apple-Stuffed Strata

Tomorrow night for dinner we will be enjoying another breakfast meal.  I love having breakfast for dinner!  This is a recipe I have made before, and everyone in my family enjoyed it.  It is a meal that you have to make ahead, which to me is really great.  I made it tonight after my daughter was already in bed.  Now it is fully prepared, just waiting to be cooked tomorrow.

Last fall, I gave myself the gift of a magazine subscription (got to love those school fundraisers) to Cooking Light.  This recipe comes from their December 2012 issue, and you can view the original here.

Apple-Stuffed Strata

Ingredients:

~2 teaspoons butter (okay... well, I know this comes from Cooking Light, but I definitely used more than 2 teaspoons... use your own judgment/preference here)
~4 cups sliced peeled apple (recipe called for Golden Delicious, which I used last time... this time I only had Fuji on hand, so Fuji it is)
~6 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
~cooking spray
~12 sliced cinnamon swirl bread, cut in half diagonally (I used Pepperidge Farm)
~3/4 cup chopped pecans, divided
~1 1/2 cups 1% low-fat milk (again, I didn't have 1% milk this time, so I actually used half skim, and half 2%)
~1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (seriously... only 1/2 teaspoon?  I just couldn't do that... I used about 1 tablespoon, but that's my own preference.)
~5 eggs
~1 tablespoon turbinado sugar (this is also called sugar in the raw, but you can use regular granulated sugar if you want... it's just not quite the same, but that's just me)

Directions:
1. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add apple and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar to pan; saute 8 minutes or until apple is tender and lightly browned.  Remove from heat; cool 5 minutes.

2. Coat an 11 x 7-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.  Arrange half of bread in dish.  Top with apple mixture; top with 1/2 cup pecans.  Arrange remaining bread over pecans.

3. Combine the remaining 5 tablespoons granulated sugar, milk, cinnamon, and eggs in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk.  Pour milk mixture over bread, pressing down to submerge.  Cover and chill overnight.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
5. Uncover dish.  Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup pecans and turbinado sugar evenly over bread.  Bake for 48 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Full nutrition facts can be found on the magazine's website.  But the basics are that they say it serves 8, with 337 calories per serving.

So I'm a happy Momma tonight, because my family's Monday night dinner is already done!  All I have to do is add the rest of the pecans and my turbinado sugar, and bake this dish.  I'll also be serving some bacon with this, but that will be super easy.

~nikki

Crockpot Creamy Italian Chicken and Crockpot Cinnamon Carrots

Yes, that's right... It's a 2 crockpot day here in my kitchen.  Because sometimes one just isn't enough!

So, here's what's cooking:

Crockpot Creamy Italian Chicken

Ingredients:

~4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
~1 package Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix
~1/2 cup water
~Fat free cream cheese, 1 (8 oz) block, cubed
~1 can cream of chicken soup, 98% fat free

Directions:

Spray crockpot with nonstick spray.  Place chicken in crockpot, mix Italian dressing mix and water, pour over chicken.  Spread cream cheese cubes out over chicken.  Pour can of soup over all.  Cover.  (I cook this on low for about 4 hours.)

(Giving credit where credit is due, I found this recipe on my SparkRecipes free iPhone/iPod app.  You can find the web version here.)

Crockpot Cinnamon Carrots

Ingredients:

~2 (16 oz) pkg carrots (I used the crinkle cut slices, but you could use baby carrots instead)
~3/4 cup packed brown sugar
~1/4 cup honey
~1/2 cup orange juice
~2 1/2 tablespoons (1/3 stick) butter, melted
~3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Spray crockpot with  nonstick spray.  Add carrots.  Combine in a bowl: brown sugar, honey, OJ, butter, and cinnamon.  Pour mixture over carrots.  Cover and cook on low about 3 hours or so.  (Stir twice during cooking.)  About 20 minutes before serving, transfer carrots (with slotted spoon) to serving dish and cover to keep warm.  Pour liquid from crockpot into a saucepan; boil for several minutes until reduced by half.  Spoon over carrots in serving dish.

(Just a note, this recipe makes a lot, so I froze half of it to use again another time.  You also could prepare just half.)

~nikki