That's Sweet!: Strawberry Yogurt Pops

Thanks to High 5 magazine for this tasty, healthy dessert!

Strawberry Yogurt Pops

1 1/2 cups frozen or fresh strawberries
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt

Put everything in a blender, puree, pour into small paper cups, stick in a craft stick, and freeze for 4 hours.

I used frozen strawberries and they were ready in 3 hours. Very yummy!

Tastes Like Chicken: Crispy Chicken Nuggets

Long before I made the rotating dinner menu, I had already designed a weekly lunch menu for our family. I did it because I felt like we were eating PB&J everyday and because I wanted our kids to eat more vegetables. So for example, every Monday we have "Mac & Cheese and Little Green Peas". Tuesday is Bagel Pizzas with cherry tomatoes (we - ok I - made up a song about bagel pizzas to go along with it), and Wednesday is chicken nuggets and corn.

I do not like processed chicken. So it only took one week of store bought chicken nuggets to motivate me to find a reliable chicken nugget recipe...and I have tried a lot! Here is the recipe I have finally settled on to be our usual chicken nuggets:

Leah's Chicken Nuggets (serves 1 adult and 2 very small children)

1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into small "nuggets"
2 tbsp corn starch
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup milk (or half&half or cream)
1/2 cup rice crispies, crushed

In a bowl, mix the corn starch, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Add the "nuggets" and toss to completely coat (make sure none are sticking together). Pour nuggets into a strainer and shake (over the sink) to remove all non-stuck-on cornstarch mixture. Put nuggets back in the bowl and pour on milk, stir to coat. Put nuggets into a bag with crushed rice crispies and shake to coat. Place on a greased sheet pan and bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes, depending on how big the nuggets are.

I know it doesn't sound like much, but one chicken breast, with the tender attached really makes a big pile of nuggets!

I am considering making a big batch to freeze before baking, but right now all my chicken is frozen, so that has to wait until the next stock making day.

Oh and the rest of the week:

Thursday is egg salad sandwiches and carrot sticks
Friday is fish sticks (storebought, Mrs. Pauls are pretty good) and tater tots
Saturday is chicken salad and green pepper
Sunday is PB&J day with chips and a pickle. Annalise loves the pickle!

Meal Plan Update

We have gone through one full cycle of the 3 week meal plan and this week is our first week of the 2nd one. I do think this saves extra money - not a lot of money, but a little. It makes it easier to stay within budget, whereas I had been having trouble staying in the $150 limit. Last week I spent about $70 and this week a little less than that. I may have to go back for something before next grocery day, but there is some left over, so that is ok.

I am buying more bulk items than I did before - I didn't like to before because I don't like to have things go to waste, but since the meal plan is limiting, I expect to use all of the bulk in the near future.

The best thing I see so far though is the amount of time it has saved me. I made a batch of dinner rolls and made them into knots - because I thought that would be cute. I picked out enough for dinner to bake and before allowing to proof, froze the rest on a baking sheet. Once they were rock hard, I put them in a container and can take them out as I need them. So tonight, we had homemade dinner rolls...and I didn't have to do a thing, but defrost, proof and bake!

In the Cookie Jar: Giant Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

Caleb helped me make these ENORMOUS cookies yesterday afternoon. They call for dried cherries and freshly grated orange peel. That is what I used, but I saw cherry flavored cranberries in the store and I think that they would have worked well in place of the cherries and peel combo.

The cookies are a little dry. They have a LOT of oatmeal in them, so I think they are more dunking cookies than anything else. I think they might work well as biscotti, but that is just a hypothesis.

Giant Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup Dark Brown Sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons apple pie spice
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups dried cherries, chopped
1/2 to 1 teaspoon grated orange peel

Directions:
In a large bowl, cream shortening, butter and sugars. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Combine the oats, flour, apple pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in cherries and orange peel.

Drop by 1/3 cupfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet. Press to form a 4-in. circle. Bake at 375° for 9-12 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 1 minute before removing to wire racks to cool. Yield: 1 dozen.

The Long Awaited Revolving Meal Plan

I have finally contented myself with a revolving meal plan that allows a little variety. I made it a 3 week revolving plan with the main dish's main ingredent repeating every week. I made up a master grocery list so I can stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. As it happens (today was grocery day), a few of the items I needed for this week were on sale, so I should start seeing the savings in about three weeks...if my hypothesis is correct.

Here is the meal plan:

T – Fish or Shrimp
Week 1 – Fried Rice with Shrimp (with Salad)
Week 2 – Broiled Fish or Shrimp (with Salad and dinner rolls)
Week 3 – Fried Catfish (with French fries, hush puppies and cole slaw)
W – Cooked, Shredded Chicken
Week 1 – Chicken Pot Pie
Week 2 – Chicken Taco Bake (with Salad)
Week 3 – Rotisserie Chicken Ragout (with Dinner Rolls)
R – Pork or Beef
Week 1 – Beef Stew
Week 2 – Chinese New Years Skillet (with egg rolls)
Week 3 – “Hay and Straw” (with Salad)
F – Bone In Chicken (with sweet potatoes, peas, and biscuits)
Week 1 – Paprika Chicken
Week 2 – 20 Cloves and a Chicken
Week 3 – Apple ‘n’ Onion Chicken
S – Beans
Week 1 – Black Bean Soup (with bread)
Week 2 – Ham and 15 Bean Soup (with corn muffins)
Week 3 – Great Northern Bean Stew (with corn)
U – Ground Beef/Ground Pork mix
Week 1 – Spaghetti (and garlic rolls and Salad)
Week 2 – Lasagna (and garlic rolls and salad)
Week 3 – Salisbury Steak for Two (with Mashed Potatoes and corn)
M – Whole Roast Chicken (with _____, carrots, and peas)
Week 1 – with Stuffing
Week 2 – with Biscuits
Week 3 – with Baked Potatoes

Although I like variety (a lot), these days are so busy - Annalise is really hitting a new stride with getting into mischief! I think it will simplify things to go with this plan without making it too mundane.