Archive for the ‘Recipes’ Category

Rhonda’s Garlic Corn

This is a super simple recipe that I threw together one day…and my family loved it so much that it is now the only way I make corn.  I do substitute olive oil in place of the butter many times.  If you want to use olive oil instead of butter, wait until you have turned off the heat and then add a little oil and mix.   Extra virgin olive oil is recommended.

16 oz. of frozen corn  (1/2 bag of 32 oz. frozen bag of corn)

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. dried parsley

2  TB of butter

Sprinkle lightly with a little salt

Cook on low heat & Stir occasionally until hot.

Don’t over cook.  Your veggies will taste better and you’ll preserve more nutrients the less you cook them.

*Double recipe if needed.

Her Best Mexican Rice

If you enjoy eating rice at Mexican restaurants, this can be a nice side dish to eat with your Mexican dinner at home.  I actually made it the main course by adding cooked chicken into it toward the end.

(Tip: It works out great to make this recipe after cooking a whole chicken and reserving the broth for this recipe.)

My recipe came out quite spicy because I used my own homemade salsa which is spicy…but I’ve also had much spicier!   I really think the outcome will depend on how hot your salsa is.  So if you want mild, use mild salsa, but if you’re wanting spicy, then use some hot salsa!

(Sorry, no pictures yet.  I’ll update this with pictures the next time I make this recipe.)

Ingredients:

2 cups of uncooked brown rice (or white)

1 TB brown gravy mix

1 TB cumin

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 TB seasoning salt (Lawry’s works great!)

Tip: Place all these dry ingredients together in a bowl ready to toss in.

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1 lg. onion (finely diced)

1/4 cup of  olive oil

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4 cups of chicken broth (can use water, but much tastier with broth)

1 – 8 oz. can of tomato sauce (for cooking brown rice, I add one 8 oz. can of water as well)

8 oz. of your favorite salsa (or a can of Rotel)

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1/3 cup chopped cilantro to add at the end. (optional)

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Instructions:

Saute diced onion in oil until tender.  Next, toss in rice & spices (1st 5 ingredients) and saute for about 1 min.

Next, add tomato sauce & salsa.  Stir.

Then, add your 4 cups of broth.  Bring to a boil.

Finally, lower heat to simmer, cover, cook until rice is done and sauce is very thick.   (About 20  minutes for white rice, and  40 min. for brown rice.)

Add cilantro when finished if desired.

Homemade Pizza in a Snap!

We usually have pizza on Fridays, but pizza can actually be enjoyed just about any night of the week. To make it healthier you can use less cheese, use extra tomato sauce and add your favorite veggies, etc.

Pizza Dough Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of flour

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For Yeast Liquid mixture:
1 cup very warm water
1 pk. of yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp. of jarred yeast)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp sugar

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2 tsp. olive oil (optional)

Instructions:

To make your yeast liquid mixture, use a measuring cup.   Measure 1 cup of very warm water.  Add your yeast, salt, and sugar and stir until well mixed.

Place flour in  a medium-sized bowl.  (I often use half whole wheat flour and half white flour.)  Next, pour in your yeast liquid mixture and knead it until it makes a nice soft dough.  If you prefer, add 2 tsp. of oil to dough to make it richer and easier to work with.  I usually just oil my hands for kneading the dough.

Set dough aside in a warm spot and cover with a towel for 30 min. or longer.

While the dough is setting, I usually prepare the meat and pizza sauce.

Tip: Watch for clearance meat.  I happen to buy some Jimmy Dean’s Turkey Sausage Links on clearance.  I quickly cooked these and cut them right up in the skillet.  My boys absolutely loved the outcome of this “meat lovers pizza” that I made.  Hmmm….I’m thinking how great it might be to have some “hot spicy links” on there!  lol

For the pizza sauce, you can quickly make your own.  Open a 15 oz. can of tomato sauce.  Sprinkle in some garlic powder or garlic salt,  Italian seasoning, oregano (I use lots of oregano because I love it so much), and any other seasonings you might really like.

Next, oil your hands and begin to spread the dough onto your greased pan.  You can also use a small round glass to spread it.  I find using the palms of my hands works well enough.

Then, spread on pizza sauce on and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Add all your toppings and pop into the oven.

Bake pizza at 400 degrees 15-20 min. until cheese melted.  Let cool 5 min. before cutting.

Enjoy.

Friday Freebie – 30 Easy Kids Recipes download (pdf)

Be a Super Star Mom Fixing Meals They’ll Love!

Well, this week I’ve been working on compiling my first freebie for my blog.  I hope all you moms out there will be able to use this recipe booklet which contains 30 easy-to-do recipes for kids.

Go ahead and share it with others.  Offer it as a freebie on your own blog!

Click here to download now (right click to save to your computer)

*Note: You will need the adobe reader to read all of our pdf downloads.  If you don’t have your copy yet, click here to view details about the download.

Simple Spinach Dip

1 10 oz pkg frozen spinach (thaw, squeeze out excess liquid and chop)
1 cup low fat sour cream
1 cup mayo (I use Kraft mayo with olive oil)
1 can water chestnuts – diced
3 green onions, finely chopped
1 pkg. Knorr Vegetable Soup Mix (dry)

Combine all ingredients and chill for an hour.

Note: I simply used some Lawry’s Seasoned Salt (containing no MSG) to add seasoning instead of the Knorr Vegetable Soup Mix .  You may also experiment with other seasoning mixes if you like.  I’ve seen other recipes include these for seasoning:  1 pkg. Ranch salad dressing mix or  1 pkg. Mrs. Grass homestyle vegetable dip and soup mix

The Recipe to Weaning Yourself  From Those Sweets

It can be rough after the holidays trying to get back to normal eating…those cravings for sweets seem to linger on and on.  I don’t know about you, but I keep thinking about chocolate fudge and brownies.  The good news is that there are some simple ways to help you start eliminating those sweets from your daily diet.

Here’s a few ideas to help you start weaning yourself from all those sweets…

1.  First, start by limiting your sweets to just the weekends or one particular day of the week.

2.  Next, mix smaller batches or portions so that there is only enough to enjoy for that day. (Even better, bake and then share half with a neighbor!)

3.  Start skipping the isle at the grocery store where all the sweets are located. (Don’t bring those goodies home that will tempt you!)

4.  Make a decision that you’re going to personally make all your treats to save money. (You’ll have more control over what ingredients are in your food and more than likely you’ll decide that it’s not so much worth your time to bake another batch of brownies.)

5.  When possible, use a natural sweetners such as Agave Nectar.

6.  Keep fresh fruits on hand.  (Make it even more special with a fruit salad…it can be refreshing anytime.)

7.  Try using simple recipes that include mainly healthy ingredients without a lot of additives. (So many additives and preservatives cause you to want to eat even more.)

8.  Keep reading healthy articles…they’ll inspire you to eat healthier and soon you’ll lose interest in junk food.

• For a really quick fix I like to make Dark Chocolate Walnut Clusters… as I don’t have to add extra flour, sugar or salt, etc.

Dark chocolate is quickly becoming known for it’s beneficial power and Walnuts are known as a super food!

Dark Chocolate Walnut Clusters

12 oz. of  Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate Chips

1  square of almond bark

1  and 1/2  to  2 cups of Walnuts (slightly chopped, leaving large pieces)

Preparation Instructions:

Melt Dark chocolate chips and almond bark together.  You can use a double boiler or simply use the microwave (usually takes about 3-4 min. in the microwave and you need to stir after the first 2 min.).

Melt until you can blend the two ingredients together thoroughly to create a smooth texture.

Next, add your walnuts.  Tons of them!

Finally, start dipping small spoonfuls on wax paper.  Afterward, if there’s more dark chocolate left, I add some more walnuts and stir again to make a few more clusters until all the chocolate has been used.

Chill thoroughly an hour or more until well set.  

*Also, keep these stored in the fridge as they will easily melt.

Makes around 24 small clusters.

Eating instructions:

Enjoy one or two yourself…but don’t hoard them for your hips…. share generously with hubby and kids and neighbors.  Store leftovers in fridge.