Salmon Burgers

Take one 6 oz can, add one egg, 1 tsp dijon mustard, approx 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup chopped onion, and some lemon juice.

Mix all together, form two patties about 1/2 in thick. Cook in pan with a little bit of oil for 4-5 minutes per side.

Finally good salmon burgers! The recipe can be played with a lot in terms of spices...

Butternut Squash Muffins

I have tried to get my family to eat butternut squash, I think it is delicious, they do not. They loved these muffins though. I wish I had pictures, but we ate the entire batch in less than 24 hours.
When making the muffins be sure to note the comments, 1/2 pound of puree=1 cup. I roasted the squash in the oven along with a yam while we were eating dinner. It was much easier than peeling and chopping and I *think* it maintains more nutritional value.

Menu Plan this week (11/30) Reinspired

I have not posted a menu plan in a long time. I have been menu planning, but mostly in my head and by the end of the week I forget Thursday and Friday's menu and we end up getting take out or eating spaghetti.

So in the interest of eating healthy and being frugal, I am back on the menu planning wagon:

Sunday: We had Tilapia with a lime/olive oil marinade, yam fries (loosely based on this recipe, I cut mine lots thinner and used paprika) & green beans
Monday: a new slow cooker vegetarian chili recipe, it was great! (recipe to follow later this week) & corn bread muffins
Tuesday: easy enchiladas
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Salmon burgers (either canned salmon patties, I need a good recipe please! or frozen Salmon burgers that we have) and more sweet potato fries & green beans
Friday: Homemade pizza

So sweet potatoes were on sale last week for 19 cents/pound, which is a great deal. I bought a few pounds. The produce guy showed me the difference between yams (red and skinny) and sweet potatoes. Apparently yams are naturally sweeter. I bought mostly yams and they were delicious in the "french fry" recipe last night. I was planning on freezing the leftovers but there were none!

For lots of ideas and inspiration, check out more menu plans here at Organizing Junkie

Sweet Potato Burritos

I made these last night, they were very good. A little bland (I think I would mix up the middle of the burrito more and maybe add salsa?)

I used tortillas from Costco where you heat them up.

Menu Plan for this week (9/20)

Sunday: Oven Fried Fish & Potatoes with salad, recipe found here
Monday: Lentil & Rice Burritos, new recipe from stolen moments cooking found here
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Slow cooker lasagna, recipe found here
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Homemade pizza (probably)

For more menu plans go to Menu Plan Monday at Organizing Junkie.

Mexican Pizza

I made this tonight and it was a HUGE hit. My 2 year old loved helping me too.

I used frozen pizza dough (half whole wheat) for a 12 in crust

I added: 3/4 can vegetarian refried beans, topped with a small can of mild rotel, sliced onions, a sprinkle of cumin, a sprinkle of oregano and topped with shredded cheese, the Mexican blend. I baked at 450 for about 10 minutes. I baked it too long and the crust was too crunchy.

It was really tasty and super filling, we had it with edamame and peas.

Meals This Week

Monday: Baked Potatoes with leftover Taco Soup & Cheese as toppings
Tuesday: Salmon Burgers from the grill (marinade made with 1 tbsp honey,1 tsp fresh grated ginger, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1/4 tsp sesame oil & 1 tbsp sesame seeds), corn on the cob & asparagus (sauted with butter, soy sauce, bread crumbs & balsamic vinegar), I am basing it on this recipe.
Wednesday: Tofu & Udon Noodles, recipe here. This is a new recipe, so I'll see how this turns out. I could not find Udon noodles at my grocery store, so I will look at Whole Foods or the Asian grocery store.
Thursday: Zucchini & Penne Pasta with Vodka Sauce.
Friday: Mexican Pizza, homemade pizza dough, with re-fried beans, tomato & chilis & topped with cheddar cheese, this is an experiment, we'll see how it turns out!

See more great menus at Organizing Junkie.

Vegetarian Taco Soup for the slow cooker

I searched and searched for a vegetarian taco soup recipe and found a few, but none were for the slow cooker. I also could not find any that were very quick and easy to prepare.

I finally took this recipe and made it without the ground beef. About an hour before the recipe was done I added 1/3 cup of re-hydrated TVP (textured vegetable protein). I think you could also make this recipe with frozen vegetarian crumbles as well.

It was really good! I served it over some fritos with some low-fat shredded cheese & avocado on top.

Chickpea Patties Review

The recipe (found here) was bland and way more work and clean up then it was worth. A falafel mix would be a lot tastier. I will not be repeating this recipe!

"Yummy Lemon Salmon Burgers" Review

Here is the link again. Overall the recipe was good, the flavor was nice, I added dill as suggested by some reviewers.

I messed up by only buying a 5 oz can of canned salmon instead of the 16 oz can called for by the recipe, I halved the recipe but I think the consistency of the burger was still a little bit off. One broke up while I was pan-frying it.

My husband ate it all and said it was "okay", I unfortunately did not have enough for my two year old so she had veggie hot dogs and leftover peas and tomatoes for dinner.

I will probably make it again, but chop up the parsley and onion ahead of time, it would make the whole process a lot quicker.

Menu Plan this week (6/22)

I am slacking on cooking because it is so hot!!!

This week's menu plan:

Monday: Salmon Burgers + Green Salad + Sweet Potato Fries
Tuesday: Eggplant Artichoke Parm in Slow Cooker w/Spaghetti (recipe from Southern Living) plus salad and maybe green beans.
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Middle Eastern night: Chick Pea patties (recipe here) + Tabouli and maybe hummus, I don't think I'll make the salad listed in the link. I will use leftover buns that I bought using Target coupons last week instead of pita bread. I am trying to throw away less food.
Friday: not sure, we have family in town starting Friday a.m., so we may go out.

I have not tried the recipes for the salmon burgers or the chick pea patties before, so I'll post later on how they are.

See more menu ideas & menu plans over at Organizing Junkie.

Monkey Bars from the Sneaky Chef

This recipe was in my most recent Parenting Magazine. I thought it sounded good, the taste was good but the texture was way too moist. My 2 year old did like them, but I am going to add more flour next time. I also did half whole wheat flour to try and make them healthier.

Makes one dozen 3” bars • 5 tablespoons butter • ½ cup brown sugar, packed • ½ teaspoon salt • ¼ cup Beech-Nut sweet potatoes (stage 1 or 2) • ¼ cup Beech-Nut carrots (stage 1 or 2) • 2 large bananas, mashed with the back of a fork (about 1 cup) • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract • 2 egg yolks • ½ cup rolled oats, old-fashioned, not quick cooking

• 1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour (ideally “whole wheat pastry flour”) Optional Decoration: • ½ cup white chocolate chips, melted in microwave Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter or spray only the bottom, not the sides, of an 11-by- 7-inch or 9-inch square baking pan. In a saucepan over medium low heat, melt the butter, sugar, and salt. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool a bit. Once cool, whisk in the baby food, bananas, vanilla, and egg yolks. Add the oats and flour and mix until just combined. Pour the entire mixture into the prepared baking pan and bake for 40 to 43 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in pan before cutting the bars. If desired, dust with powdered sugar when cool, or drizzle melted white chocolate in a striped pattern across the tops of the bars. Keeps for a week in the refrigerator, covered tightly.

Easy Enchiladas

Ingredients:
12 small tortillas
1 tomato
1/2 onion
1 can black beans rinsed and drained
2 cups lowfat shredded mexican blend cheeses (can use cheddar or Monterrey jack too)
1 can prepared enchilada sauce (can make your own too, I just never seem to have time)

Pre-heat oven to 375.
Chop onion and tomato, add them to large bowl with black beans, stir in 1 cup of cheese and about 1/2 of the can of enchilada sauce.
Heat tortillas in paper towel in microwave.
Grease a 9 x 12 baking dish with cooking spray, I use my Misto filled with olive oil.
Pour a little bit of sauce on the bottom of the dish (maybe one tablespoon), spread it around to coat bottom.
Put a large spoonful of mixture in each tortilla, roll up tortilla and place seam side down in dish. When finished you can add extra mixture on top of tortillas. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over tortillas and top with remaining cheese. Bake approx 20 min. until cheese is bubbly.

These enchiladas can also be made a few hours ahead and then baked.

Meals This Week

I am on a baking kick this week. I know that it is soon going to be unbearably hot and I won't be able to stand having my oven on, so my goal is to make extra treats to freeze for quick breakfasts in the hotter months (May-September). This week I made zucchini bread (recipe from Better Homes and Gardens cookbook). I also made blondies.
Here is what we have eaten for dinner this week:

Sunday: Baked Fish + baked potatoes + fresh peas from our garden. We were out in the garden most of the afternoon Sunday so I didn't make anything elaborate.
Monday: Homemade Marinara Sauce + Spaghetti, the marinara sauce I got from my Better Homes & Gardens cookbook (here is the one I have). The sauce was easy and really tasty. We had quite a bit leftover that I froze for another pasta day. I served it with salad and frozen garlic bread (not healthy I know, but yummy).
Tuesday: Easy Enchiladas with brown rice (cooked with salsa for flavor), this is a recipe I have created that changes almost every time I make it.

Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Taco Salad (layer rice, beans, lettuce, tomatoes, plain yogurt, salsa, etc)
Friday: we are invited to a friend's house
Saturday: Pizza!

My goal

My goal is for us to eat out and/or get take-out only one night per week. I am not quite there. We usually get pizza Friday night and go out to somewhere very kid-friendly Saturday night.
I need to find more recipes that are delicious yet still easy enough that I can make them on a bad day.

Vegetarian Chili Recipes

I have three chili recipes for the crockpot.
This one is our current favorite:


Veggie Chili (Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook)

makes 6 servings

2 qts. whole or diced tomatoes, undrained (USE diced only)

6 oz. can tomato paste

1/2 cup chopped onions

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped green peppers

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

3 tbsp. brown sugar

15 oz. can of garbanzo beans

(I also added a can of black beans too!)

1. Combine all ingredients except beans in slow cooker.

2. Cook on Low 6-8 hours or High 3-4 hours. Add beans one hour before serving.

Variation:

If you prefer a less tomatoey taste, substitute 2 vegetable bouillon cubes and 1 cup water for tomato paste.

Here is another recipe. It is also good, but much thicker and the flavor is not as good.

A friend just emailed me another recipe that we will try in the next few weeks. I will post it soon.

Last Week's Meals

We were all sick for a few weeks so I fell behind on posting.

Here are our meals from last week:

Sunday: Stir Fry (Frozen Veggies + Tofu in wok with soy sauce served over steamed brown rice). This is a quick and healthy meal when I can't think of anything else to cook.
Monday: Oven baked fish & spinach rice casserole (made with brown rice), the recipe is here. The casserole was okay, not as great as I had hoped.
Tuesday: Slowcooker Veggie Chili (from the Fix it and Forget it Book) I served it with cornbread and some Fritos I found on sale at Randalls.
Wednesday: Leftover chili
Thursday: Veggie Burger night. I tried this un-fried french fries recipe here. It was a disaster. I was tired and put too many slices on the tray and they never got crispy. My two year old had a great time helping me sort through the potatoes though.
Friday: I don't remember, I think we may have gone to Jason's Deli, healthy and affordable.

Quick Dinner

Tonight I could not figure out what to make because I did not make a good menu plan this weekend. So I decided to make veggie burgers, with frozen french fries & fresh steamed broccoli. I melted one slice of cheese on each veggie burger and served it with ketchup. My toddler actually ate some.

I called my husband on his way home from work to give him fair warning. He hates veggie burgers, so he picked up McDonald's.

Eggplant-Artichoke Parmesean

I made this recipe yesterday in the slow cooker. I found it in my Southern Living Ultimate Quick and Easy Cookbook, this is a great book even for vegetarians.

I don't have time to re-type the recipe but it was basically layering one sliced eggplant with artichoke hearts and 1 cup of mozzarella and 1 jar of marinara, sprinkle fresh parsley and oregano on top. You then cook it all on slow for 5-6 hours.

I used frozen eggplant b/c it's not in season. I cut up the artichoke hearts even though the recipe does not specify.

It was really good! I served it with spaghetti and everyone liked it. There is not much leftover which left me scrambling for dinner tonight.

Sunday Night's Recipe

Tonight I made Tomato-Edamame Grilled Cheese from the BHG website. The recipe can be found here.

It was not bad but not good either. I will not make it again. My husband ate half, my toddler took one bite and ran from the table. That could have been because she was over-tired, but this recipe was definitely not a winner.

Some yummy baked goods

I found & tried this pumpkin bread recipe on Savory Seasonings. Overall I like it. I use 1/2 whole wheat flour and also add some wheat germ. I like that it uses the whole can of pumpkin puree and that you get two loaves at once.

Make sure to modify the cloves amount. Cloves are very strong and 1 tsp is way too overwhelming. I used 1/4 tsp, but 1/2 tsp would probably work too. I also made it using pumpkin pie spice as a substitute for the all spice, nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger.

This is my favorite banana muffin recipe. I am a serious choco-a-holic.

Baked Ziti

This is a great recipe for children (adults like it too). I modify it by not putting sausage in at all. Sometimes I put veggie sausage in. I also don't add the green bell pepper as I really don't like bell peppers.

I served this Wednesday night with some garlic bread and salad.

Slow Cooker Meal: Hearty Fish Chowder

I found this recipe on Yum Sugar. I cooked it for dinner Monday night. It was easy to assemble in my crockpot and did not take up too much time. My two year old was awake when I did it and grouchy as she is on a nap strike.

I liked it, my husband liked it and my toddler even ate one small bowl.

We had leftovers tonight and it was still good! I left out the powdered milk because my husband could not find it at the store. I will definitely make it again. I also used Tilapia instead of Cod, because it is more readily available where I live.