Sloppy Joes

Jana here with a quick weeknight dinner you can make in under 30 minutes. It's a great recipes for children to help with also. My 8 year old son made this, with minor supervision from me. We found a recipe for Sloppy Joes in our Better Homes and Garden cookbook, and modified it to make this recipe. Sloppy Joes are traditionally served with a bun or bread, but I think serving it over quinoa or cauliflower rice would be good as well!

Sloppy Joes

1 pound ground beef, venison, or turkey

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped sweet pepper (any variety)

1 can tomato sauce (8 ounce)

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt (or 1/2 teaspoon salt + 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)

1. In a large skillet, cook ground beef, onion, and peppers until meat is browned and vegetables are tender. Drain off any fat.

2. Stir in tomato sauce, water, chili powder, and garlic salt.

3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Enjoy!

{Instant Pot} Spaghetti Squash

Jana here with another easy, healthy Instant Pot recipe!  If you aren't familiar with what an Instant Pot is, we have a basic tutorial here. I was SO happy with how the spaghetti squash turned out. The one I cooked was about 4 pounds, and the cook time may vary a few minutes if the squash you are cooking is larger or smaller. The squash easily came out in these 'noodles' with a fork once it was done. We prefer to eat spaghetti squash slightly al dente (with a small amount of crunch), so if you want yours to be completely soft, you might increase the cook time by a few minutes. There are many options for what to eat with this. You can do spaghetti sauce, or pesto. I made a homemade pesto (recipe coming soon!), and we added mushrooms and smoked brisket. A healthy, delicious dinner that we all enjoyed!


{Instant Pot} Spaghetti Squash

1 spaghetti squash (3.5 to 4 pounds*)
1 cup water or broth

1. Pour 1 cup of water in the Instant Pot, then place the trivet in.

2. If the spaghetti squash you have will fit whole, you can poke a few holes in one side of the squash, and place the whole squash on the trivet to cook. If it is too big (or just as another option), you can cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds/inside, and place both halves on the trivet.

3. Close the lid, and cook on Manual mode for 15 minutes. Use QR (quick release - release the steam and open) once it has finished cooking. Check the squash to make sure it easily flakes out with a fork. If you aren't satisfied with this, you can let it cook for another 2-3 minutes on Manual mode.
Enjoy!

*If your squash is smaller than 3.5-4 pounds, I would suggest decreasing the cook time to 10 minutes. Squash can become watery and mushy if it is overcooked.

{Dairy Free} Peach (or any fruit) Cobbler

Becca here with a few modifications to one of my favorite recipes our family makes, and that I have posted on the blog, Peach (or any fruit) Cobbler.  It is one I have made with a variety of fruits, both fresh and frozen, and is my go-to dessert for when we have guests from different countries over for dinner, as cobbler seems quite "American" to me.  Some members of our family are dairy free, and as a family we try to make grains and dairy not the main building blocks of our diet.  We were all excited when we found one last frozen quart bag of peaches from the local orchard we buy from in the summer months, and were able to have one last peach cobbler this year!

{Dairy Free} Peach (or any fruit) Cobbler

4 Tablespoons coconut oil
3/4 cup sprouted whole wheat
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup almond or coconut milk
4 cups fresh or frozen (defrosted) fruit, in bite sized pieces.

Place coconut oil into a 9x13 oven safe pan, in the cold oven.  Set oven to preheat to 350, to let the coconut oil melt, while you prepare the other cobbler ingredients.  When coconut oil is melted, remove pan from the oven.

In a small bowl, combine sprouted whole wheat flour, coconut sugar, baking soda, salt, and almond or coconut milk to make a smooth batter.  Pour into the pan with the melted coconut oil in it.

Bake 30-40 minutes, or until batter has risen to the top to form a nice golden brown crust, and fruit is bubbly.  Please note that due to the coconut sugar, and sprouted whole wheat, the cobbler will be a darker color than you are typically used to, like the photo above.

We enjoy it best served warm.  Enjoy!!

Printable Version

Sauteed Bacon & Fresh Spinach

Becca here with one of my family's favorite side dishes.  In fact, when I made this again a few nights ago, I had almost everyone asking for seconds, and it was all gone, even though I had used a full pound of fresh spinach!  I really think even two pounds of fresh spinach wouldn't have had any leftovers either!  This is a super quick and simple recipe, with just two ingredients, bacon and spinach.  It really is delicious though, and a great way to get a lot of veggies in really easily.  Don't let the two full packs of bacon in the photo scare you away, I just use half of one pack, but wanted to picture my two favorite bacons.  I always use either the Oscar Mayer "Natural" one without nitrates, or Farmland Naturally Hickory Smoked "Double Smoked" (my very favorite, but it does have nitrates, etc., and the Oscar Mayer is almost as good, though more expensive).  I like to go ahead and cut up, and then freeze, the other half of the package of bacon, so that it's ready to go next time I have a full tub of spinach to use!

Sauteed Bacon & Fresh Spinach

1/2 of a 12-16 ounce package of your favorite bacon
16 ounce package of spinach (I always use this Taylor Farms Organic Baby Spinach from Sam's Club)

I use kitchen shears to quickly cut several slices of bacon at once into small, bite sized pieces.  Add them to a large pot.

Stirring occasionally, cook the bacon on medium-high (I usually do 6.0 on my stovetop that has a range from 1-10) until it is browned and crispy.

Immediately start adding big handfuls of the spinach, until all 16 ounces have been added.  It will seem like a ton of spinach, but will quickly cook down.

Cook for an additional five minutes, gently stirring occasionally, until the spinach is bright green, and wilted.  Serve immediately.

Be careful not to overcook, you don't want it to be dark green and mushy!!

{Instant Pot} Super Tender, Chuck Roast

Becca here with an easy and pretty foolproof way to make a roast that is incredibly tender.  It literally is falling apart, and can be cut with a spoon!  One of the best parts is that I started with a completely frozen solid chuck roast mid-afternoon, and it was ready and waiting for us at dinner time.  I also like to add my own seasonings, because it is a lot less expensive than the seasoning packets I see a lot of recipes calling for, and also avoids a lot of the yucky additives we try to avoid.  My roast here was from Aldi, I try to go once a month or so to stock-up on some items that I can buy for significantly less there, chuck roast being one of them, at $2.99 a pound.  I use (and love) Walmart Grocery Pickup, and Sam's Club Pickup for most of my main shopping.  We do try to eat organic as much as possible, but grass fed, organic beef is not a good, feasible option for our family.  Let me know how your family liked this recipe!  My husband said that it was "better than candy", and all of my kids ate it well, even the one with some texture/sensory issues that can make meats tricky!

{Instant Pot} Super Tender, Chuck Roast - From Frozen!!!

1 Frozen Chuck Roast, about 3 pounds
1 Tablespoon coconut or olive oil
1 cup water
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons granulated garlic powder
3 teaspoons Pink Himalayan or "Real Salt" Salt

Turn Instant Pot to the Saute setting, and add the Tablespoon of oil.

Add the frozen chuck roast.  Try to get it to rest flat on the bottom.  If it won't, do the best you can.  Mine was at an angle at first, as you can see.  Rotate the roast a few times, until you have as much of it browned as you can get, about 10-15 minutes total saute time.

Pour in the 1 cup of water.

Add the seasonings (black pepper, onion powder, granulated garlic powder, and salt), sprinkling each one evenly onto the top of the roast.

Add the Instant Pot lid (make sure saute is turned off!), and push the meat button, then the + button I'm pointing to in the bottom right photo, until the pressure time reaches 90 minutes. The Instant Pot will automatically switch to the warm setting and keep the roast nice and warm and tender, so it's ready when you are ready to eat!

I have also made gravy using the liquid remaining in the Instant Pot, and it was really flavorful and delicious!

{Dairy Free} Chai Latte

Becca here with a recipe I'm excited to share; it has become my favorite afternoon drink lately.  While we were driving back home from celebrating Christmas with family that live about four hours away from us, it was getting bitterly cold, so we stopped at Starbucks and I used a gift card I had received for my birthday to order an Oprah Chai Tea, with no sugar or syrups, add honey and almond milk.  It was really delicious, so I have been experimenting to make a similar substitute here at home, and am really happy with the recipe I'm going to share today!  Because it's caffeine free, I am able to drink it as my after lunch, quiet time treat.  What is your favorite hot tea "recipe"?

{Dairy Free} Chai Latte
Makes 32 ounces

2 bags Celestial Seasonings "Bengal Spice" tea, or Good Earth "sweet & spicy" (I use caffeine free)
3/4 cup UNsweetened almond milk (my favorites are 365 Organic from Whole Foods, or Califia Farms I can get at Walmart)
2 - 4 Tablespoons honey, to taste
About 25 ounces of boiling water (we love our electric kettle!)
32 ounce container to make it in (I use my Ozark Trail "Yeti" style cup)

Combine the boiling water and two teabags in your heat safe container.  Leave it for ten minutes.

Remove the tea bags, add in the almond milk and honey, and stir well.  (Don't try to skip a step and not stir well, the honey clumps up at the bottom, and almond milk doesn't mix evenly if you don't!)

Enjoy!

{Instant Pot} "Baked" Sweet Potatoes

Becca here, with a quick "Instant Pot" pressure cooker recipe/tutorial.  I have been an avid Instant Pot user for seven years now, and am actually on my second Instant Pot, after an unfortunate incident with the lid being left too close to our gas stove, and melting.  When we had a major water leak at our home, requiring my family of myself, my husband, and our five kids, to live in a hotel for exactly sixty nights, my Instant Pot is the one kitchen thing I brought with me, and enabled us to eat somewhat normally some of the time, while living in a hotel!  I'm super excited that they have become really popular lately, and recipes are showing up all over, so I thought I would add some of my favorites to the mix now that it's something many more people have in their kitchens!

One thing that I commonly use mine for is to make perfect "baked" sweet potatoes.  To get great results, with non-mushy sweet potatoes, you'll want to get out the steam rack that came with your instant pot.  It looks like this, once placed into the bottom of the stainless steel pot insert (which I have two of, and often use each of them every day!).  You want to make sure that it is feet side down.  Pour in 1 cup of water.  The water will not be touching the bottom of the steam rack.

Insert sweet potatoes.  It is okay to stack them up, as long as the lid will fit on without touching them.  I can generally fit about five pounds of sweet potatoes in mine at one time.   I have a larger than typical family, so this is two meals worth for us.  We usually eat them 'baked' the first meal, and then I put the leftover ones into a square casserole dish with a bit of maple syrup, cinnamon, and sprinkled with pecans and coconut oil on top, for an oven-ready side dish for another meal.

You want to cook the potatoes for 30 minutes at high pressure.  You may do that by pushing either one of two buttons.  Either the Bean/Chili button I'm pointing to here, OR

the "Soup" button I'm pointing to here.  You could also manually set the pot to high pressure for 30 minutes, but I'm not sure when you would go to the extra trouble when either of these buttons work perfectly with preset settings!

The Instant Pot will pause for a moment, and then switch to the screen reading "On".  This means that it is heating up, and building up pressure.  This will take several minutes.

When the Instant Pot has reached the correct temperature and pressure settings, it will start counting down the remaining time "at pressure".  I think this is confusing to people sometimes, because a 30 minute setting actually takes quite a bit longer, allowing for the Instant Pot to heat up and reach pressure, and then naturally release pressure, unless you're in a hurry, and to a quick pressure release.  These are often abbreviated in Instant Pot Recipes/Groups as NRP (natural release pressure) and QPR (quick pressure release).  Natural pressure release simply means that you don't do anything at the end of the cooking time, and let the Instant Pot automatically switch to the "warm" setting, and open the pot to eat when you're ready.  Quick pressure release means that you move the valve on the top of the pot, to "open" to let the big burst of heat and pressure out, so that you can then safely remove the lid and eat, before the pot has naturally and slowly let the steam and pressure out itself.

At the end of the cooking time, the Instant Pot automatically switches to a "warm" setting, where the screen looks like this, and it counts up the warming minutes, or hours, if applicable, and slowly starts lowering the pressure.  Because it is an airtight and sealed environment, I have found that even something like rice can stay on the warm function for several hours without any loss of quality at all.

What are your Instant Pot questions or recipe requests?  Or favorite tips?  Let us know in the comments here, or on our Facebook Page!!

Honey Cranberry Upside Down Cake

Becca here, with a recipe that caught my eye while flipping through the December Food Network Magazine.  It was actually on an advertisement for Garnier Hair Products; I tried to track down the recipe online to give credit for my inspiration to someone, but couldn't find it.  I modified the original recipe quite a bit, to make it both more nutritious, and safe for everyone in our family to eat, since all dairy and corn products are an issue for one of our children.

I'm not a huge dessert person typically, but I LOVE this cake.  It has a different taste than I've had before, but one that is absolutely delicious.  It has the complex sweetness of the honey, and the tartness of the cranberries combined, as well as the different textures in the cake and topping. Just one quick note - make sure that you don't leave it in the cake pan more than the 20 minutes specified!  Also, mine sunk a bit in the middle here because I placed it on a regular sloping dinner plate; for a great presentation, it would do best on a completely flat platter.

Honey-Cranberry Upside Down Cake

Topping:
3 Tablespoons coconut oil, plus some for the pan (or coconut oil spray)
1/2 cup honey
1 pinch salt
3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
the zest of one orange

Cake:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I use King Arthur, or grind at home from wheat berries)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoons coconut oil, soft or melted
1/4 cup granulated coconut sugar
2 large eggs
2/3 cup honey
3 teaspoons real vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 F.  Grease bottom and sides of a 9" circle cake pan with coconut oil, or coconut spray.

In a medium saucepan, place first 3 topping ingredients (coconut oil, honey, and salt).  Bring to a boil, on medium high, stirring occasionally.  Boil for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the cranberries & orange zest & turn the heat off.

In a large bowl, combine dry cake ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt).

In a separate bowl, whisk coconut oil and coconut sugar until thoroughly combined.  Whisk in eggs, and then honey and vanilla extract.

Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, gently, until combined.

Pour warm topping into cake pan, spread evenly.  Pour cake batter on top, and gently spread evenly.

Bake at 325 F for 35-40 minutes.  Let cool in the pan 20 minutes.  Then, gently run a butter knife around the edges of the cake, place a plate or platter on top, and flip it over to remove the cake.

Serve warm, or at room temperature, with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.  Enjoy!

German Lentils with Sausage

Becca here with a recipe (no photo, sorry, we ate it before I got a picture!) that my family really enjoyed.  I recently did a big freezer cooking session, and adapted this recipe to be both freezer and Instant Pot (electric pressure cooker) ready.  I have used an Instant Pot for many years; I'm actually on my second one, after the first had had an unfortunate incident with the plastic part of the lid coming in contact with the hot stove-top and melting.  When we had to leave our home last year and stay in a hotel for 60 nights, because of a water leak, my Instant Pot was the one thing from our kitchen I took with me to the hotel.  I love the popularity they have gained in the past few years; my newer model Instant Pot has several great features that my original one did not, one of them being the "saute" button.  This was my first time using saute, and I'm wondering why I haven't before.  I was able to brown the sausage, and then cook the meal all quickly, and in the same stainless steel (no toxic chemical non-stick finishes!) pot.  My family all really enjoyed this recipe, and our youngest son that is a new eater even had seconds, as did most of the kids!  The seasonings were delicious, and had just enough of a distinctly different taste, to make the recipe unique.

The recipe makes a generous portion; my family of seven, with several large appetites in the bunch, ate it for a meal once, and had enough to accompany lunch the next day, with the five kids and I each having a small portion.  I will include the directions for making up a double batch to keep in the freezer, as I did, below the recipe.


German Lentils with Sausage

1 pound dried brown lentils
Orrington Farms Chicken Base or 'Better Than Bouillon' (use package instructions, see amount needed for 10 cups of water)
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 bay leaf
2 Tablespoons dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

10 cups water

4 cups grated carrots
2 Tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
21 ounces Kielbasa Sausage or Ham, diced

Place diced Kielbasa Sausage (or Ham) into the instant pot.  Stir on 'saute' setting until browned.

Add remaining ingredients, stir, and cook on meat/stew setting.

Enjoy! -Becca


To make ahead and freeze:
Multiply all ingredients times the number of meals you want to freeze.
Put top ingredient section (lentils, chicken base, and spices) into a quart bag, and label with recipe name.
In order, place the grated carrots, worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, and then diced sausage into a gallon bag, and label with recipe name.
To prepare the dish, follow the recipe above (the sausage needs to be on top of the freezer bag, so it can be browned first, before adding the other ingredients!)

Dairy Free "Buttercream" Icing

 Photo Credit, Sister Sara :)

As I shared in my post earlier this week, a recipe for Dairy Free, 100% Whole Wheat, Chocolate Cake, my youngest son has had some significant health issues that have impacted his eating, so until a few months ago, he was still on formula exclusively, without any safe foods.  For his 1st Birthday, we weren't able to have any kind of cake, I froze his formula into a popsicle shape, because that's all he could have.  So, now that he has a lot of safe foods, we were super excited (ecstatic may be a better word!) to make him his 1st Birthday Cake, for his 2nd Birthday.  I followed this recipe fairly closely, and was happy with the outcome.  The frosting tasted good, and the texture was similar to a buttercream.  I will note, I made the cakes the night before, let them cool, frosted them, and refrigerated them overnight.  I removed them from the fridge a couple of hours before serving, but the coconut oil base, meant that the frosting was a bit more solid than I would have preferred; next time I would take the cakes out of the refrigerator earlier, although no one complained about the icing :)


Dairy Free "Buttercream" Icing

1/2 cup coconut oil, at room temperature (liquid form)
1/2 cup Earth Balance, soy-free, dairy-free butter substitute, softened (in a square tub near the margarine, I purchase at Walmart)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar (most mainstream brands have cornstarch, look at a health food type store if corn is an issue!)

In a mixer bowl, whip the coconut oil and butter substitute until smooth and creamy, with no lumps remaining.

Add the vanilla extract.

One cup at a time, blending after each addition, add the powdered sugar.

For best results, use immediately.  It may be store in the refrigerator, but will need to be brought to room temperature before icing.  Do not microwave!

Enjoy! Becca

Dairy Free, 100% Whole Wheat, Chocolate Cake

Photo credit Sister Sara :)

Becca here, with a recipe that I was super excited to experiment with, and make.  My youngest son has had some significant health issues that impacted his eating, so until a few months ago, he was still on formula exclusively, without any safe foods.  For his 1st Birthday, we weren't able to have any kind of cake, I froze his formula into a popsicle shape, because that's all he could have.  So, now that he has a lot of safe foods, we were super excited (ecstatic may be a better word!) to make him his 1st Birthday Cake, for his 2nd Birthday.  I did a lot of research on cake recipes, since it was important to me that it tasted good, I wanted him to be able to eat the same cake as everyone else, that it was dairy and corn free, and 100% whole wheat.  I settled on a variation of a Crazy Cake, a depression era cake that doesn't use eggs, butter, or milk.  I was really pleased with the way the cake turned out, and several party guests without dietary restrictions commented on how much they enjoyed it also.  I definitely don't think it tasted "healthy" or "dairy free"; it was very moist, and had a great flavor.  An unexpected bonus, was that you actually mix the cake up in the 9x13 pan, so there isn't a mixing bowl to wash also!!

I will be sharing the dairy-free "buttercream" recipe on the blog soon as well.


Dairy-Free, 100% Whole Wheat, Chocolate Cake

3 cups whole wheat flour (I recommend King Arthur brand, or grinding your own, the results are significantly better I think!)
2 cups sugar (I use unbleached, cane sugar)
1 teaspoon salt (I use "Real Salt" or Pink Himalayan)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I like a dark or dutch cocoa powder, and fair trade is important to our family as well)
3/4 olive oil
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (we make our own in large batches).
2 cups tap water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder together in an ungreased, 9x13 glass baking pan.

Make three wells.  Pour oil into one, vinegar into the second, and vanilla into the third.

Pour cold water over everything, and stir well with a fork.  Be sure to scrape the edges and bottom, and make sure it is thorougly mixed.

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Store, covered, in the refrigerator.  We thought it tasted just as good, or maybe even better, the second day.

Falafel aka: chick pea patties

Becca here with a recipe that is a great quick and easy weeknight recipe that my kids love.  I know that chick pea patties sound a bit strange, but I don't think you would ever, ever guess that a bean is the main ingredient.  They have a great light, almost fluffy texture, with a savory flavor.  We love them with guacamole or diced avocado on the side, or just plain.  My child that can be slightly particular lately likes them with ketchup.  But all four of my kids really like these "bean patties" as they call them, and I feel great about the protein and other nutrients they're getting in a super quick and easy meal.  I grind chick peas (also known as garbanzo beans, of hummus fame!) in my mill, but you can buy garbanzo bean flour also.  Bob's Red Mill sells it nationwide; this (admittedly nontraditional) falafel recipe adaption that I've made is based on one on their website. 

2 cups garbanzo bean flour

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda 
1 tsp. granulated garlic
1 tsp. onion powder
4 tsp. lemon juice
1 cup hot water


Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Add the lemon juice and hot water to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes.


Meanwhile, on a large frying pan or griddle, heat a small amount of oil on medium-high heat until hot (I use about a Tablespoon of butter or coconut oil). Add the falafel batter by the tablespoon and flatten slightly. Cook on both sides until golden brown.  Enjoy warm or at room temperature.

Tomato Corn Salad

Becca here with a yummy dish that can be served a number of ways - as a side dish, dip for chips, or main dish.  I saw the idea to get the creaminess by blending some of the corn from this book and thought it was a great one.  It has some similar ingredients to the Black Bean Salsa our Grandma is famous for, but a slightly different taste.  They would be great to serve side by side at a party!  The salad does well keeping overnight in the fridge also. 

4 cups of corn
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 Tablespoon mayonnaise
salt & pepper, to taste
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered, depending on size
1 whole purple onion
1 Tablespoon dried basil

Combine 1/2 cup corn, lemon juice, and mayonnaise in food processor or blender, and pulse until creamy and smooth.  Add in olive oil, salt, and pepper while blender or processor is running.

In a medium bowl, toss together remaining ingredients (corn, tomatoes, onion, and dried basil).  Gently stir in dressing and enjoy!

Honey Oat Granola Bars

Jana here with a new snack recipe that your family will love!  My husband and I like to work on new recipes together sometimes, and enjoy making things together in the kitchen. (such as Slow Cooker Applesauce and baking your own pumpkin!)  Once in awhile, he will get an idea of a food he would like to make, and he starts a 'kitchen experiment'!  His creations are always yummy, and I'm so glad he likes to create in the kitchen too!  This recipe will make approximately 30 bars, and they freeze well!  If you cut them into 30 bars, each bar will be approximately 115 calories.  If you have frozen the granola bars, and want to pull them out to eat soon after, I recommend putting them in the microwave for a few seconds to quickly soften them.

Honey Oat Granola Bars

4 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sunflower kernels (I prefer unsalted)
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
3/4 cup butter or coconut oil, melted
2/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*Variation options include 1/2 cup baking chips, or other nuts to supplement or replace sunflower seeds. (up to 1 cup nuts)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, sunflower kernels, and cinnamon.  Stir in the butter, honey, and vanilla until well combined.  (Mixture will be crumbly)  Press into a greased, parchment paper lined baking sheet. (approximately 15 in x 10 in x 1 in)

2. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until granola is becoming lightly browned and bubbly.  Cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack, then cut into bars. Cool completely before removing from pan.

Enjoy!

Homemade Chicken Nuggets {Dairy Free, Gluten Free}

Becca here with a recipe that I'm super excited to share!  I've tried several homemade chicken nugget recipes over the years, with mixed success, but nothing that I liked well enough to make again, and definitely nothing I liked well enough to share here.  However, after changing this recipe quite a bit, I finally have one that my family all loves, and is really easy to make also, which I appreciate, of course!  A bonus for those of you that have food restrictions is that it is both gluten and dairy free also!  One recipe makes three half-sheet sized pans (like pictured above) of large nuggets, so I've included freezing and reheating instructions at the end also.  I hope you'll give this recipe a try, it's a definite winner in my family!

Homemade Chicken Nuggets
{Dairy Free, Gluten Free}

8 cups of really tender cooked chicken, a mix of dark and white meat (I buy the hormone/antibiotic free 2 pack of chickens at Sam's Club and cook both of them together in my large slow cooker overnight on low, let it cool, and then remove the meat that is literally falling off of the bone.  See this post for more information on that and how to make chicken stock from the leftovers too!)
5 large eggs
1/2 - 1 cup mayonnaise (depending on what kind of chicken you've used, see recipe for further instructions)
1 Tablespoon salt
8 cups plain puffed rice cereal (this is unsweetened, just plain puffed brown rice, nothing else added.  A big bag is $1 at Walmart on the cereal aisle, with the more natural/organic cereals.  It makes a great first finger food for babies too, my original intent for buying it!)


Preheat oven to 400.

In a large bowl, combine chicken, eggs, mayonnaise (start with 1/2 cup) and salt.  Use a large fork (or pulse in a food processor if you have one) to shred chicken and stir to combine all ingredients.  Add more mayonnaise, up to 1/2 more, until mixture will easily stick together and form patties.

Place puffed rice in large zip top bag, and hit with a rolling pin until at least half are crushed (a great job for a child, my boys love doing this part!)

Form small nuggets or patties in desired size.  Dip into partially crushed puffed rice, flipping over to coat both sides, gently patting so that it sticks.

Place onto silicone mat or parchment paper lined baking sheet.  When full, bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes, flip all nuggets over, and bake an additional 8-10 minutes.  If you're serving immediately, the edges and rice on the outside should be a dark golden brown and crisp.  If you're going to be freezing them for later, remove them from the oven when they're just starting to get a slight golden color so they aren't dry when you reheat them later.

Serve plain, or with your favorite nugget dipping sauce!  Enjoy!

Freezing Instructions:  Place cooled-to-room temperature nuggets into airtight container or zip top bag, and freeze.  To reheat, defrost in refrigerator overnight.  Set out about 30 minutes before ready to bake.  Reheat in 400 preheated oven for 5 minutes, or until heated through and crisp on the outside.  I don't recommend reheating in the microwave, as the outside doesn't keep its' crispness that way.

3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies {gluten & dairy free}

Becca here with a recipe that I'm sure will become a regular in your family's treat rotation!  In fact, as I was making these the other day, I thought I'd double check and make sure that I had posted the recipe, and was shocked to see that I hadn't yet! 

By the way, if you haven't checked out our 'search' box, you're missing out!  It is just under the "About the Sisters" on the right sidebar, and you can search by ingredient, recipe title, keyword, etc., making it super convenient to find what you're looking for, it's my most-often-used feature of our website! 

Back to the recipe, I've been making it for many years, it's super convenient, and makes a perfect sized amount of cookies, an even dozen.  The cookies have a great texture, you would never guess that they are made with just 3 ingredients and are flourless.  It's also a great recipe to have kids help with, since there are only three ingredients that are easy to remember and measure, and even the youngest ones can help making the crisscross marks with a fork and sprinkling sugar on top!  I use organic no sugar added (100% peanuts only) peanut butter, so I think other nut or seed butters (such as almond or sunflower) would yield a good result also, as several readers have reported great results with these peanut-free substitutions in the always popular Breakfast Cookies and Powerballs.  Enjoy!

1 cup peanut butter (I use organic, 100% peanuts, no sugar added)
1 cup sugar (I use free trade organic)
1 large egg
Additional Sugar for sprinkling on top, optional

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, stir all ingredients well to combine thoroughly.

Drop by large spoonfuls onto silpat or parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  I usually make 12.

Use a fork to smash down in perpendicular directions to get the classic crisscross look and flatten the cookies a bit.

Sprinkle with sugar, if desired.

Bake at 350 for just 6-8 minutes, or until edges are just barely starting to turn a light golden brown.  You don't want to overbake or get an actual browning going, they get dry and crumbly that way. 

Enjoy!

Swimming Rama {Freezer Friendly, Makes 3 meals}

Becca here with a recipe I'm so excited to share with you!  Although it isn't really much to look at, my husband said that he likes it better than his favorite Thai Restaurant, and we had it three times in one week!  Yes, it really is just that tasty!  Plus, it has a short ingredient list, and is both gluten free and dairy free.  Like I said about another of my family's favorites, also freezer friendly, Chicken Curry, this is a great introduction to curry.  Not too spicy or 'weird' tasting, but definitely distinctive and delicious!  Side note, curry isn't an actual spice like cinnamon or basil, it is a mixture of spices that can range in color anywhere from a deep yellow, to orange, to a deep red color, depending on the region of the world that it is from.  Each obviously has a very distinct flavor, and most do have dried chilies, but "curry" can mean a very wide range of things.  As for the name Swimming Rama, I wasn't able to find an origin or meaning, other than it is a traditional Indian chicken dish, made with a red curry, peanut and coconut sauce.  This is a recipe I really hope you'll try, and not let the unique name or short ingredient list scare you off, for the price of one entrée at your local Indian Restaurant, you can have an entire dinner to feed your family, and it tastes just as good!  My inspiration recipe was from Fix, Freeze, Feast.  Enjoy!

Swimming Rama
{freezer friendly, make 3 meals}

8 cups cooked chicken
1 jar (4 ounces) Thai Kitchen red curry paste *see note below
3 cans coconut milk
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon salt (I use Real Salt)
1 1/2 cups peanuts, crushed (I put them into a zip top bag and hit them with a rolling pin)
9-12 cups cooked brown rice
For Serving:
1-2 cups of fresh spinach per family meal

Combine sauce ingredients (cooked chicken, red curry paste, coconut milk, honey, and salt) into large saucepan, and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to boil.  Remove from heat.

For serving immediately, layer cooked rice, a handful of spinach, and then chicken sauce to cover.  Top with crushed peanuts, and serve.

For freezing, let chicken sauce cool to room temperature, and divide into thirds in gallon zip top bags.  Add 3-4 cups cooked rice, if desired (I have frozen the ingredients together and separate, both work fine.  Freezing them separately makes a neater presentation, but it tastes great either way!).  Place a smaller bag of 1/2 cup of crushed peanuts with it (I like to staple the bags together through the top above the zipper).  Defrost in the refrigerator overnight, and follow above instructions to heat and serve.

*Note on red curry paste - Thai Kitchen is the most widely available red curry paste, carried by Walmart, etc. on the aisle with Asian foods.  However, it is a very mild curry paste.  If you're using another brand, I would start with 2 Tablespoons and taste the sauce before increasing the amount of red curry added.