Ever since I've had kids, since kid #1 has always been particularly picky regarding the entrees we serve, I've been perfecting the skill of hiding veggies in food.
For the most part, zucchini has always been my favorite. Shredded, the stuff can be put in most anything and not be detected. If the green bits from the peel give it away, then peel the zucchini before grating it up. Zucchini bread, brownies, pancakes, oatmeal, cookies, muffins, meatloaf and pasta sauce all hide zucchini well. No taste difference at all.
Grated carrots and fresh spinach leaves that have been frozen and crumbled (grab a handful of frozen spinach leaves and crumble into anything you are making) are other favorites. Cauliflower that has been pureed or chopped finely works good since it's white.
BUT. I can't believe I've overlooked one of the most versatile veggies all these years. My oldest child is 11 and 1/2, so that's a lot of years. CABBAGE. Yes, cabbage, folks. Cabbage is inexpensive as well. Use some of the head to make cole slaw if your family likes that. The rest can be shredded or chopped and added to recipes. I added some to Rice-a-Roni fried rice flavor and my kids didn't even notice it was there. Dh liked it better with the cabbage than without. Add it to soups, casseroles, and stir-frys. You can buy the already shredded coleslaw mix if you wish, but I just buy a whole head. It will last for a while. Cabbage is fairly easy to chop, or it can be grated in the food processor and stored in a Ziploc bag.
Yes, Cabbage Works For Me.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Quick Garlic Bread Sticks
This recipe I used directly from Hillbilly Housewife, so I am going to direct you over there to get the recipe. My 3yo especially liked these dipped in spaghetti sauce.
Carrot Raisin Salad
This salad wasn't terribly liked by my kids, only slightly tolerated. I'm posting it here anyhow because it is one of my favorites. Oh, I am craving it right now! I think that most kids would actually like it since it is sweet.
3 cups shredded carrots
1 cup raisins
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 T. lemon juice
2 T. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
I shred the carrots in the food processor. If you don't have one, use a cheese grater. Put the carrots and raisins in a bowl. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a cup to make the dressing. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix. If you want your raisins to be softer, soak them in some water for a few minutes and drain before adding them to the salad. Oh, how I love this salad!
3 cups shredded carrots
1 cup raisins
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 T. lemon juice
2 T. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
I shred the carrots in the food processor. If you don't have one, use a cheese grater. Put the carrots and raisins in a bowl. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a cup to make the dressing. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix. If you want your raisins to be softer, soak them in some water for a few minutes and drain before adding them to the salad. Oh, how I love this salad!
Creamed Peas
2 T. margarine
2 T. flour
1 c. milk (I use reconstituted dry milk)
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. frozen peas
Melt margarine in saucepan over medium heat. Stir the flour into the melted margarine until it is smooth. Stir in the milk, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil. After a minute or so add the peas. Cover the pan and let it simmer for 5 minutes or so. The "cream" will thicken up a bit after you remove the pan from the heat. Enjoy!
2 T. flour
1 c. milk (I use reconstituted dry milk)
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. frozen peas
Melt margarine in saucepan over medium heat. Stir the flour into the melted margarine until it is smooth. Stir in the milk, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil. After a minute or so add the peas. Cover the pan and let it simmer for 5 minutes or so. The "cream" will thicken up a bit after you remove the pan from the heat. Enjoy!
Meat Loaf
My kids all liked this meat loaf.
2 to 2.5 lbs. ground beef
2 c. dry bread crumbs
2 eggs
8 oz. tomato sauce
2 c. shredded or finely chopped veggies (onions, carrots, celery, broccoli, raw spinach leaves, zucchini, etc., whatever you have but don't leave out the onions)
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. season salt (or regular salt if that's all you have)
You can use a blender or food processor to grind up the bread crumbs. I usually throw the stale heels of bread that my family doesn't eat into a freezer bag and save for recipes like this. Throw all the ingredients into a big bowl and mix up with your hands (this is the easiest way). When it's all mixed up, divide and press into two loaf pans (or whatever shape pan you like, it really doesn't matter). Bake at 350 for an hour. I like to use my meat thermometer to check for doneness.
2 to 2.5 lbs. ground beef
2 c. dry bread crumbs
2 eggs
8 oz. tomato sauce
2 c. shredded or finely chopped veggies (onions, carrots, celery, broccoli, raw spinach leaves, zucchini, etc., whatever you have but don't leave out the onions)
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. season salt (or regular salt if that's all you have)
You can use a blender or food processor to grind up the bread crumbs. I usually throw the stale heels of bread that my family doesn't eat into a freezer bag and save for recipes like this. Throw all the ingredients into a big bowl and mix up with your hands (this is the easiest way). When it's all mixed up, divide and press into two loaf pans (or whatever shape pan you like, it really doesn't matter). Bake at 350 for an hour. I like to use my meat thermometer to check for doneness.
Chicken Tetrazzini
This stuff is soooooooo good, you have to give it a try. Again, inspiration for this recipe came from Hillbilly Housewife.
1/2 c. margarine
1 onion finely chopped
sliced mushrooms (however many you like, fresh or canned)
frozen broccoli (however much you like, or you can leave out if you wish)
garlic (minced or powder, whatever you have, about 1 clove or 1 tsp.)
1/3 c. flour
1 and 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 and 1/2 cups milk
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
salt to taste
pepper to taste
8 oz. pasta (spaghetti, linguine, corkscrew, bowtie, or penne work well)
parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top
Melt the margarine with the onion, mushrooms, and garlic in a saucepan. Start cooking pasta as per directions. Saute onion/mushroom/garlic mixture until onions are tender. Add the flour to the onion mixture and stir until well combined. Add the chicken broth and the milk. Bring to boiling and boil for one minute. Add the chicken, broccoli, salt, and pepper to taste. Cook and stir until heated through. Add the cooked and drained pasta and mix well. Dump all of it into an oiled 9x13 dish. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for half and hour or so.
1/2 c. margarine
1 onion finely chopped
sliced mushrooms (however many you like, fresh or canned)
frozen broccoli (however much you like, or you can leave out if you wish)
garlic (minced or powder, whatever you have, about 1 clove or 1 tsp.)
1/3 c. flour
1 and 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 and 1/2 cups milk
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
salt to taste
pepper to taste
8 oz. pasta (spaghetti, linguine, corkscrew, bowtie, or penne work well)
parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top
Melt the margarine with the onion, mushrooms, and garlic in a saucepan. Start cooking pasta as per directions. Saute onion/mushroom/garlic mixture until onions are tender. Add the flour to the onion mixture and stir until well combined. Add the chicken broth and the milk. Bring to boiling and boil for one minute. Add the chicken, broccoli, salt, and pepper to taste. Cook and stir until heated through. Add the cooked and drained pasta and mix well. Dump all of it into an oiled 9x13 dish. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for half and hour or so.
Hamburger Gravy
The inspiration for this recipe came from the Hillbilly Housewife, but I tweaked it.
1 Pound Ground Beef
1/2 Cup Flour
1 tsp. Salt
Pepper to Taste
1/2 T. Onion Powder
1-2 T. Beef Boullion
4 Cups Water
1 Cup Dry Milk Powder
Brown the hamburger over medium heat. When it is cooked through, add the flour. Stir the flour and the hamburger until it is well mixed. Add the spices. Add the water and the milk powder. Stir until the milk powder is mixed in and dissolved. Boil for a couple of minutes, then turn heat to low. The gravy will be ready when you are! Serve over mashed potatoes, rice, noodles, or biscuits.
1 Pound Ground Beef
1/2 Cup Flour
1 tsp. Salt
Pepper to Taste
1/2 T. Onion Powder
1-2 T. Beef Boullion
4 Cups Water
1 Cup Dry Milk Powder
Brown the hamburger over medium heat. When it is cooked through, add the flour. Stir the flour and the hamburger until it is well mixed. Add the spices. Add the water and the milk powder. Stir until the milk powder is mixed in and dissolved. Boil for a couple of minutes, then turn heat to low. The gravy will be ready when you are! Serve over mashed potatoes, rice, noodles, or biscuits.
Menu Plan Monday (dinners only - with new recipe results!)
For the most part, last week's experimental menu went great. One night we weren't home, and another night dh made something that wasn't on the plan, so there are a couple of things I have moved to this weeks menu.
Here are the items most of us enjoyed from last week. Of course, I thought all the recipes below were to die for. I can't wait to make them again! My inspiration for nearly all of the recipes came from Hillbilly Housewife.
Butter beans
Chicken Tetrazzini
Carrot Raisin Salad
Hamburger Gravy
Quick Garlic Bread Sticks
Meatloaf
Creamed Peas
Other recipes that we tried were hoe cakes and corn fritters. These were good, but my kids weren't very fond of them so we probably won't make them again.
Here's this week's menu.
Monday - Leftovers, Rice-a-Roni
Tuesday - Orange Chicken and Rice, Broccoli, Birthday Cake (birthday dinner for ds)
Wednesday - Pizza (the frozen variety to eat after my son's birthday party)
Thursday - Hamburger Maccaroni Casserole, Coleslaw (moved from last week)
Friday - Impossible Broccoli Cheese Pie (moved from last week), Corn
Saturday - Tuna "casserole"(moved from last week), Fruit
Sunday - Black Pepper Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry (another experiment), Rice
Check out others' menus for the week over at Menu Plan Monday.
Here are the items most of us enjoyed from last week. Of course, I thought all the recipes below were to die for. I can't wait to make them again! My inspiration for nearly all of the recipes came from Hillbilly Housewife.
Butter beans
Chicken Tetrazzini
Carrot Raisin Salad
Hamburger Gravy
Quick Garlic Bread Sticks
Meatloaf
Creamed Peas
Other recipes that we tried were hoe cakes and corn fritters. These were good, but my kids weren't very fond of them so we probably won't make them again.
Here's this week's menu.
Monday - Leftovers, Rice-a-Roni
Tuesday - Orange Chicken and Rice, Broccoli, Birthday Cake (birthday dinner for ds)
Wednesday - Pizza (the frozen variety to eat after my son's birthday party)
Thursday - Hamburger Maccaroni Casserole, Coleslaw (moved from last week)
Friday - Impossible Broccoli Cheese Pie (moved from last week), Corn
Saturday - Tuna "casserole"(moved from last week), Fruit
Sunday - Black Pepper Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry (another experiment), Rice
Check out others' menus for the week over at Menu Plan Monday.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Butter Beans
As part of the experimental menu plan that I made for this past week, we tried the Butter Beans for dinner tonight. WOW! I mean, seriously, since my family doesn't really like beans that much I was expecting myself to be the only one eating these. While my 3yo didn't prefer them, everyone else ate them up! And not only did they eat them, they *liked* the Butter Beans. My dd normally dislikes lima beans, but she liked these. Anyway, here's the recipe.
Ingredients:
One bag dried lima beans, $1 (less at Walmart)
1/2 stick margarine, $.25
salt, $.05
pepper, $.o5
Total Cost: $1.35 (and this makes quite a lot, we have leftovers)
Soak the beans overnight, or you can do the quick soak according to the directions on the bag. Simmer over medium heat for an hour or so. Add the margarine, salt, and pepper. Continue to cook over medium heat until the beans are soft.
This recipe seems to be fairly foolproof. I soaked them for about 20 hours instead of just overnight. Then, I cooked them for an hour, put the whole pot in the fridge, left it there for a day, took it back out, added the margarine, salt, and pepper, and cooked until the beans were done. The were so delicious! Now, don't ask me why I went through all of that, but it just had to do with my busy schedule.
My inspiration for making this dish came from the Hillbilly Housewife.
Head on over to Saturday Stirrings at It Coulda' Been Worse to get many more yummy recipes.
Ingredients:
One bag dried lima beans, $1 (less at Walmart)
1/2 stick margarine, $.25
salt, $.05
pepper, $.o5
Total Cost: $1.35 (and this makes quite a lot, we have leftovers)
Soak the beans overnight, or you can do the quick soak according to the directions on the bag. Simmer over medium heat for an hour or so. Add the margarine, salt, and pepper. Continue to cook over medium heat until the beans are soft.
This recipe seems to be fairly foolproof. I soaked them for about 20 hours instead of just overnight. Then, I cooked them for an hour, put the whole pot in the fridge, left it there for a day, took it back out, added the margarine, salt, and pepper, and cooked until the beans were done. The were so delicious! Now, don't ask me why I went through all of that, but it just had to do with my busy schedule.
My inspiration for making this dish came from the Hillbilly Housewife.
Head on over to Saturday Stirrings at It Coulda' Been Worse to get many more yummy recipes.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Beans Anyone?
My family seems to have a difficult time with beans. And no, I don't mean with the digestion part, but that may be true as well. What I am talking about is my family rarely likes to eat them. Personally, I adore beans. Refried beans, baked beans, bean soup, white beans, black beans, red beans, kidney beans, etcetera, etcetera, I love me some beans. Beans are so healthy and so inexpensive that I would love to incorporate more of them into our diet. So, what I am asking is do you have a favorite bean recipe or dish? Will your family eat it?
Head on over to Works For Me Wednesday to help answer all the difficult questions in life.
Head on over to Works For Me Wednesday to help answer all the difficult questions in life.
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