Soup Week! Dinner #2: Slow Cooker Lemony Chicken Noodle Soup

Yes, I've already posted this soup before. But it's so good and so easy I just wanted to remind you about it. You're welcome :)
And I'm glad I had it on the menu for today because Leyna was sick and it was one of the 2 things she actually felt like eating. The other was peanut butter toast, if you're interested.
So I'm not gong to re-post the recipe but I am going to update it a bit and tell you that the last few times we've had it we've been "topping" it and it's WONDERFUL. Usually you think of topping chili but probably not chicken noodle soup. Well, you should try it!

I usually put out pepper, Parmesan cheese, cilantro, lemon wedges, red pepper flakes, and crackers (not pictured). That's my bowl above. I went heavy on the lemon, cilantro, and red pepper flakes since I'm coming down with a cold. Leyna usually likes Parmesan and extra lemon but tonight she didn't opt for any toppings. Cora ate 2 crackers and I fed her about 5 noodles before she said she was done. I swear I don't know how that girls survives!

Soup Week! Dinner #1: Broccoli Cheese Soup

Since Leyna loves soup so much I thought I'd do another Soup Week in her honor. OF COURSE, tonight she told me she didn't want soup. I can't win. Oh, and Cora told me she doesn't like soup. At all. Ever. So even though they both love all of the ingredients that go into this soup, they were in no mood to try a bowl of green goodness tonight. Thankfully Leyna eventually put on her brave face and tried it and liked it. She even asked for seconds. Cora ate the cheese off of hers and I bribed her to eat about 3 bites total. Oh well. She might starve this week if she doesn't change her stance on soup!
Anyway, this soup is REALLY GOOD. Put on your big kid pants and try it!!!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

1 1/2 lbs frozen broccoli, thawed
2 C water
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 C onion, chopped
2 T butter
2 T flour
2 1/2 C chicken broth
1/2 t salt
pinch of nutmeg
1 1/2 C cheese (I used 1/2 C gruyere & 1 C sharp cheddar)
1/2 C heavy cream
extra cheese & chives for topping, if desired

In a large pot bring the water to a boil and add the broccoli, celery, and onion. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Do not drain!
Carefully add the mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
Rinse pot and place back on stove. Add butter and melt over medium heat. Whisk in flour and continue stirring until mixture is smooth and bubbly.
Whisk in broth, bring to a boil, and continue boiling for one minute.
Stir in broccoli mixture, salt, and nutmeg. Heat through but do not boil.
Finally, add cream and cheese and stir until smooth.
Ladle into bowls and top with cheese and chives if desired. Sometimes I serve this in bread bowls which is extra delicious!

Orange Rolls

We were at the store the other day and Leyna saw a package of cinnamon rolls in the bakery section. "Can we get these???" she begged. "How about if I make you some for breakfast tomorrow?" I asked her. Who knows what was in those packaged ones. I'd rather make them myself!
Luckily I found this recipe for orange rolls that looked delicious AND I already had all of the ingredients on hand. So I set to work that afternoon making the dough and getting the rolls ready so I could throw them in the oven the next morning.
I've never, ever attempted any kind of cinnamon or other yeast rolls before because they always seemed so difficult. Now that I've done it I realize it's not too bad and I'll definitely be trying them again! I liked this recipe but wanted it to be a little more orangey and the rolls to be a little more puffy. So, I'm just going to link to the recipe and will post the full details next time after I tweak things a bit.
The girls however were VERY happy with their breakfast and I was told I was the "best Mommy in the whole world." Now that's worth any amount of work it takes to make something :)

Outstanding Orange Rolls from Food.com

My dough was really sticky. Next time I think I'll refrigerate the logs before I slice them so they come out a little more even. This made two entire pans so we sent one over to our neighbors with baking instructions and glaze on the side. They were happy for the "room service." ;)

Moon Cookies

We love our library books and last week we got the cutest one that was complete with a recipe! It's called "The Moon Might Be Milk" and it's written by Lisa Shulman and Will Hillenbrand.
Basically it goes through the story of a little girl wondering what the moon is made of. Each animal she talks to says the moon is made of something different: an egg, milk, flour, sugar, butter... it goes on and on. At the end they decide  to ask the little girl's grandmother. When the get to her house on her counter are all of the ingredients the animals have named. They combine them and make Moon Cookies. Love this!
The girls and I sat down and read the book and then rolled up our sleeves and made the recipe together. It was a perfect morning activity that led to a tasty morning snack! I need to find more books like this! Please leave a comment if you know of any!

Chicken and Broccoli Bake

This post should be alternately titled: "Praise the Lord, Cora ate something for dinner and it wasn't macaroni!!!"
Apparently this dish can work miracles. I'll be making it every other day from now on :)
I came up with this dish from a hodgepodge of other ideas I've seen here and there. My genius idea was to make the sauce a classic macaroni and cheese sauce so of course Cora was on board. Once in a while I still have enough brain power for a good idea :)

Chicken & Broccoli Bake

Ingredients:

2 C cooked broccoli (the girls only like the florets so that's what we use)
2 cooked chicken breasts, torn into bite-sized pieces (I used a rotisserie chicken)

2 cups shredded cheese (I used mild white cheddar)

Sauce Ingredients:
1/3 C butter
1/3 C white whole wheat flour
1/3 C chicken broth (I've been using "Better Than Bouillon" Organic Chicken Base lately - so inexpensive & easy to keep on hand!)

2 C milk (we use 2%)

1/4 t salt

1/4 t garlic powder
1 1/2 C of the above cheese

Topping Ingredients

1 sleeve Club crackers (I'm sure you could use almost any kind of crackers)
1/2  stick melted butter
2 t poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x13 pan with olive oil cooking spray and layer in the broccoli and chicken. Set aside.
For the sauce:
Melt the 1/3 C butter in saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and continue whisking for about one minute. Next whisk in the chicken broth, milk, salt and garlic powder. Mix well and continue stirring until sauce has thickened. Turn heat down to low and add 1 1/2 cups grated cheese. Stir until melted and smooth. Pour over the chicken and broccoli. Top with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.
For the topping:
Crush the crackers in large zip top bag. We let the girls do this with some large ladles and they loved it. While they're being destructive, melt the 1/2 stick of butter in a microwave safe bowl or glass measuring cup. Add the poppy seeds and stir well.  Add the butter and poppy seed mixture to the bag of crushed crackers, reseal the bag, and shake to combine everything. Sprinkle the buttery cracker crumbs over the top of the grated cheese in the casserole.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

I served this with brown rice and salad. It was a hit!

Our On-the-Go Snack

I just thought I'd share our go-to snack. I try to make sure I have these bags stashed in my purse for every trip to the store, Sunday morning at church, or play date. It's healthy, salty and sweet, and the girls never seem to get tired of it! And I like it too. I usually throw a few dates in for myself but the girls won't touch them :)

cranberries, pretzels, almonds, cashews, and wheat Chex (the Chex are not a staple item but I had it on hand so I threw it in there too)

What to eat before you go bowling...

Bowling ball and pin pancakes of course! We took the girls bowling for their first time ever today so of course we had to have a festive breakfast. I probably could have put a little more thought into the bowling pin pancake but the girls were roaming the kitchen and complaining about starving so I had to pour that batter fast!

Start Your Day Right Smoothies

I'm kind of obsessed with green smoothies right now. I just can't get over the idea of drinking my vegetables for breakfast. Love it! Here's the latest one we tried out, and all liked!

Start Your Day Right Smoothies
1 banana
1 C mango chunks
1 C 100% pineapple juice
1 C baby spinach leaves
1 C torn kale leaves

Blend and enjoy! Oh, and make sure you check your teeth for green specks before you leave the house!

Monkey Pancakes

If this breakfast doesn't make you smile I don't know what will! I found this idea on Pinterest and of course it was a huge hit with the girls. They thanked me several times :)

We used our usual pancake recipe and added a teaspoon of cocoa powder to about a cup of it to make the darker pancake. Mini chocolates chips and banana marshmallows are the finishing touches :)

I also have to note that apparently cold leftover pancakes straight from the fridge make a great bedtime snack for kids. Each of 2 nights this week Cora at THREE cold pancakes before bed! Good to know :)

Pizza Friday - Mini Calzones

Wow, between these and our favorite pizza rolls we may never make a traditional pizza again! I found this idea on Pinterest (of course!) and it is just too good to be true. Super toddler/preschooler friendly. Cora ate one. That is a huge deal. And Leyna ate 2! I was hoping to have some to freeze but between us and an extra dinner guest we pretty much polished them off. I'm sure the remaining 2 won't survive late night snacking ;)
Next time I will double the batch because these would be so handy to defrost and eat on go. Ooooh, that makes me think - Breakfast Mini Calzones! I promise to make some of those next and let you know how they turn out!

Mini Calzones
found on Pinterest, adapted from this site

1 batch of of whole wheat pizza dough
toppings of your choice (meat, peppers, spinach, broccoli, mushrooms... anything!)
sauce of your choice
ricotta
dried herb of your choice
mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375. Grease muffin tins (I made 11 calzones/muffins)
Divide your dough into golf ball sized pieces and then roll each ball into a disk about 5 inches in diameter. Place disks in muffin tin cups.
In each dough-lined cup, put 1 tablespoon marinara. Then place 2 tablespoons of toppings (I made some with salami and some with pepperoni), 1 tablespoon ricotta, a sprinkle of dried herbs, and 1 tablespoon of mozzarella cheese. Seal up the dough.
Spray or brush the top of the muffins with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until outside is golden brown. Serve with extra marinara for dipping if desired.

Strawberry Milkshakes!

What's the perfect afternoon snack on a random 60-degree day in January? Well, you read the title so I guess you already know :)

First add 3 scoops of ice cream, 8 strawberries, and 3/4 to 1 cup of milk to your blender and start your engines.

Next, watch your kids literally jump up and down with excitement while the blender does it's magic.

Last but not least - Pour, swig, and smile. Then use your new found energy to go outside and play!

What we ate for dinner...

Homemade whole wheat tortilla topped with melted cheese, lettuce, brown rice, seasoned black beans, salsa, orange bell peppers, avocado, tomatoes, & sour cream. I think we could eat this every night!

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothies

We have a new favorite breakfast and snack around here - Peanut Butter Banana Smoothies. They are miraculous. They're filling, they're healthy, and, most shockingly of all, we ALL like them. Even Cora. If she likes it I'm pretty sure anyone will. Try it!

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothies

Ingredients
1 ripe banana
1/2 C vanilla yogurt (we use Stonyfield Farm Low Fat French Vanilla)
1/2 C almond milk (we use Silk Original Flavor)
1 T organic creamy peanut butter

Directions
Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.
*tip - make sure you place the peanut butter near the blade as opposed to the side of the blender so it doesn't stick to the side and fail to incorporate.

What we had for breakfast...

whole wheat pancakes with blueberry sauce :)

Pizza Friday - Salami & Peppers

This evening I tried "white whole wheat flour" for the first time in this pizza crust. I like it! It did give the crust a smoother texture that was more like white flour. I'm excited to try it in some other recipes. I'm going to keep tweaking the crust recipe before I post it here. I think I can make it even better ;)

Salami with Peppers on White Whole Wheat Crust

Breakfast for Mommy

This morning my sweet Leyna decided she wanted to make me breakfast. I got a peanut butter sandwich! What a little angel :)

We added a little more peanut butter and some strawberry jam and shared it :)

Green Eggs and... Salami

Cora has been demanding that we read "Green Eggs and Ham" at least twice a day every day. She LOVES it! So this morning I surprised the girls with Green Eggs and Salami for breakfast. We didn't have ham :( But even if we didn't I wouldn't have dyed it green!
To make the eggs I pureed about a cup of baby spinach with some water and added it to 4 eggs. Then I beat them up and scrambled them on the stove. It was delish! Leyna had THREE helpings of everything! Cora, who doesn't like eggs, said she liked them (like in the book) but didn't eat them at all. Oh well, it was fun anyway!

Whole Wheat Tortillas

I am SO excited about this recipe! We are tortilla junkies in this house. We eat quesadillas, wraps, burritos, etc on a daily basis and probably spend about $5 a week on tortillas (about 2 packs). We were out of them this morning and I'm not scheduled to hit the grocery store until Friday so I thought I'd try my hand at making them. It was much easier than I thought it would be! Leyna helped me with the dough and it was a cinch. The rest is going to take some practice but it really wasn't difficult. I haven't perfected it by any means so I'm just going to link to the recipe and I'll post my own once I get it down to a science :)


Whole Wheat Tortillas @ 100 Days of Real Food