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