Finger Food Lunch!

We've been cooped up in the house a lot this past week with highs around 30 degrees. So I decided to try and make lunch a little more fun today. I put an assortment of finger food out (carrots, apples, oranges, bananas, cheese, meat, almonds, pickles) and let the boys fill their own personal muffin tins. Both boys were thrilled and, in comparison to other meals, it sure was easy to get GG to eat! :)

Lemon Velvet Yogurt Drink

Tasty beverage for those 107 degree* days!!!!!! (*On the evening news they said it's hotter here than in Las Vegas or Phoenix. Yikes.)

Lemon Velvet

8oz lemon yogurt
6oz orange juice concentrate
2 1/2 c. milk
1 t. vanilla

Blend until frothy. 6 servings.

If you'd like, freeze into lemonsicles.

Pumpkin or Butternut Squash Muffins (gluten/casein free)

During the past WEEK of illness, I've made several batches of these muffins for the sickies. They've been very appreciative! I found the original recipe in Dr. Sears' Parenting Newsletter, but I can't locate the recipe on-line and I've changed it a LOT. So blame my experimentation if you hate it! ;)

Pumpkin Muffins*

(*gluten & casein free...assumes you will buy ingredients that contain no gluten or milk products)

Makes: 24 regular or 48 mini muffins (they freeze well for snacks/breakfast)

Mix together dry ingredients:

3 c. brown rice flour
2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
2 t. sea salt (or regular)
4 t. baking soda
1/4 c. brown sugar


Mix together wet ingredients:

4 beaten eggs
3/4 c. thawed orange juice concentrate
1/4 c. water
1/2 c. 100% maple syrup
2 T. agave nectar or honey
4 t. vanilla
2 c. cooked, mashed butternut squash or pumpkin

Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Add 1-2 cups of chocolate chips (gf/cf) or raisins.

Put batter into greased muffin tins and bake at 350. About 15 minutes for mini muffins, about 20 minutes for regular...but watch them so they don't overbake.

P.S. I would never, ever guess these were gluten free muffins. They taste like the real thing! :)

Day 32, PB Popcorn Snack! (93...Free!)

We don't eat a lot of dessert around here. Neither do we buy many snacks. But this delicious recipe from More-With-Less is one that we pull out occasionally for our traditional Sunday popcorn "dinner". Enjoy!

Peanut-Butter Popcorn
-from More-With-Less

Pop enough corn to make 2 quarts.
Cook to a rolling boil:

1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. light corn syrup* or honey

Remove from heat and add:

1/2 c. chunky peanut butter
1/2 t. vanilla

Pour over popcorn, stirring to coat.

*I don't like using corn syrup. This is the only recipe I use it for. And, actually, I ran out of the stuff about a year ago and have found that honey works fine.

P.S. This would be a great, inexpensive Christmas treat. Yummers! ;)

Day 21, Family-Friendly, Frugal FRIES! (93...Free!)

One of my best sources for yummy, frugal, kid-friendly recipes is my mother-in-law. My husband grew up in a family of six who survived some pretty tight economic times. The following recipe for french fries is one that my kids ask for...and there are never any leftovers! Tonight, I'm using potatoes that my dad grew (THANKS, Dad!) and the kids helped him to dig, so our cost is pennies.

Crispy Potato Wedges
-from my mother-in-law

3 large potatoes, washed, peeled and cut into fries
2 T. olive oil
1 T. grated Parmesan cheese (opt.)
1/2 to 1 t. paprika (I generally sprinkle til it looks good)
3/4 or less t. garlic salt
1/2 t. dried thyme, crushed
1/4 t. pepper
salt to taste

Place cut fries in a bowl. Toss with olive oil and sprinkle with other ingredients while stirring. Spread fries out on a cookie sheet. Bake uncovered in a 375 oven for 45-55 minutes or until fries are tender. Serve with ketchup.

Note: My mother-in-law makes wedges by cutting each potato lengthwise into 8 wedges.

Succulent SMOOTHIES!

Want a quick, nutritious way to "healthy up" your kiddos? Think SMOOTHIES! We eat/drink (depending on how thick they are! :) smoothies several times a week. I use whatever is on hand. Fruits of all kinds--frozen, leftovers, bananas that have had better days. Juices--concentrates and regular. Various milk substitutes. And when I'm feeling really sneaky, I throw in some ground flax seed for an even more nutritious punch. No one has ever noticed or complained.

Here's a list of ingredients I frequently use. The main requirement is a balance of liquid and fruit...you need to have enough liquid to get the fruit to blend. (At least you do in my old blender! :)

Fruits

• Any kind of berry: strawberry, blackberry, marionberry, raspberry, blueberry (a mainstay!)--usually frozen

• peaches--canned or frozen

• bananas or pineapple (though I try to avoid buying an abundance of "tropical" fruit because it has to be shipped such a long distance and therefore isn't very easy on the environment)
  

Liquids

• Juice--orange (w/ calcium), pineapple (if I've saved from the squash recipe I posted), apple, grape

• Any liquid from a canned fruit...I can peaches with a VERY light sugar syrup...when the peaches are gone I save the juice to add to smoothies. I don't use any other sweetener.

• Vanilla or regular rice milk (since 'LilDude is dairy intolerant, I avoid milk products though they are great in smoothies!)
  

• Orange juice concentrate

EXTRA nutrition

• ground flax seed

We eat smoothies for breakfast or snacks. The other day my kiddos were drinking the latest smoothie, saying "this is better than what we get at _____!" (Famous smoothie restaurant...where each smoothie is about $4!)