Menu Plan–May 6

Here we are at the beginning of May… and yummy spring eats are here!

If you haven’t menu planned before, give it a try!  Simply scope out your food (what’s in the pantry, fridge & freezer) and pick a few recipes that you can make with these ingredients.  It’s OK if you just plan 1-2 meals this week.  Give it a try and see how your week goes… I know for us, the dinner hour is a lot less stressful & we end up eating a lot better if I plan it ahead of time.  Here’s what we hope to eat this week:

Sunday
Berry Baked Oatmeal
Grilled Cheese & Veggie Cheddar Soup {leftovers}

Monday
Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes
Crockpot Chicken, sweet potatoes, green beans

Tuesday
Leftover pancakes
Chicken Noodle Soup {w/homemade noodles & broth}

Wednesday
Potato Pepper & Egg Breakfast Wrap
Chicken & Broccoli Hotdish {my favorite!!}
Bible study: Rhubarb Cake

Thursday
Honey & Olive Oil Granola, dried fruit
Leftovers

Friday
Rhubarb Baked Oatmeal {new}
Garden Veggie Shells

Saturday
Berry Stuffed French Toast, OJ
Smokehouse Maple Fajitas, sweet potato fries

Find more great menus at OrgJunkie’s Menu Plan Monday!

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Apple and Oats Smoothie

An Apple a day, keeps the doctor away.  I'm not here to do any research on this statement but to share a very simple recipe with apples.  Suddenly I realized that I have more than 2 dozens of apples leftover in my refrigerator, with outside temperature 40 degree Celsius, I don't even want to think about apple pie, strudels or crumbles.

 So all I dream about is just something cool and soothing like juice, milkshake or smoothie. When I think about smoothies or milkshakes with apples, the immediate thing which came to my mind was Nithya's Apple and Oats Smoothie.  After a quick glance at her blog for the recipe, I found that, Nithya has got this recipe from Priya's Blog.  So hats off to both Priya and Nithya for this yummy drink.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients:
Apples- 2 ( peeled and chopped )
Milk- 300 ml
Oats- 1 tbsp
Sugar/ Honey- according to your taste.
Few ice cubes ( optional ).
Nuts for topping ( optional )

Method:
Add all the ingredients in a blender except nuts.  Blend it until nice and smooth.  Pour it in individual serving glasses, top it up with nuts.  Serve immediately. 

Note:
Do not store this smoothie, the colour of the smoothie will start changing due to apples which might be unappealing and not good either.

Linking this recipe with Healthy Morsels- Baby and Toddler Food, Kids Delight- Fruits,  Let's Cook With Fruits, Summer Spirits, Cool Summer Sips, Jump and Jive.

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Healthy Morsels- Baby and Toddler Foods

The excitement, the careful planning, amidst the underlying fear when you introduce the first morsel to your toothless baby, is an unforgettable developmental milestone of the still fresh parents. The joy and the enthusiasm with which this ceremony began slowly starts to fade when your fast growing tiny tot gets pricky about eating and you have less control over his/her eating habits. It is quite a common scenario that the kiddo reluctantly takes in the food, takes 10 minutes to swallow down that morsel, starts spitting just because he/she is not in a mood to eat or throws away the food, being hooked up with a new toy lying around, messes up the floor with those grains or half eaten vegetables and your dinner table suddenly becomes a battle ground, a rather sweet tender one!

An ancient tamil poet Thiruvalluvar has beautifully captured this scenario in two lines

அமிழ்தினும் ஆற்ற இனிதேதம் மக்கள்

சிறுகை அளாவிய கூழ்.

meaning, the food that has been messed up and scattered by the tiny hands of a child is sweeter than nectar.

It is a sweet challenge and a huge responsibility for every mother to feed the baby healthy, for it is the first three years of life that are very important in the development of a child. Nourishing the baby with the essential nutrients, slowly planning the introduction of every type of food, checking against possible allergies are all very critical.

Amidst this, making the toddler eat is a very big challenge. What not she does to make the food more interesting? From selecting the child's favorite food, cutting it in more interesting shapes and forms to presenting it on his plate colorful and attractive!! Apart from these, there needs to be stories told, songs sung and birds or animals shown!! It indeed takes a lot of patience, time and creativity to handle a child. Especially, if there is more than one child at home, then it adds up to her thought process of providing all the essential nutrients to satisfy everyones palates. The joy when your "mission" is accomplished is indescribable!

With this theme in mind, we, Healthy Morsels, are embarking on our next series "Baby and Toddler Foods". So, let's share our experiences, tips, advices and knowledge especially with all those new mothers who are new to this challenge and let's get benefitted from each others life experiences! Maybe your own child would some day love to hear about the fuss and foodie pranks he/she created and how, not the baby but rather you, managed to win this battle with the food! We love to hear all about your experiences.

The rules for sending your entries have been consolidated here:

• Food items (breakfast ideas, mid-meals snacks, soups, purees, etc.) that can be given to babies and toddlers until the age of 3 years can be sent.
• Vegetarian and non-vegetarian entries are allowed.
• Bloggers are requested to link your entries through the linky tool given below.
• Non-bloggers are requested to link your entries to our FB Healthy Morsels group page or send per e-mail to: healthymorsels at gmail dot com
• Your recipes must be linked back to either one of our announcement pages.
• We highly appreciate the use of our logo, so as to spread the word.
• Archived posts should be updated with the link back to the event announcement.
• Strictly avoid linking recipes which include pork, alcohol and gelatin.
• Last date for sending in entries: June 20th, 2012.

Rush in your entries, share with us your experiences with your little prince or princess and make this series as exciting as the previous one.

Healthy Morsels Team

Taste of Pearl City
SchmetterlingWords
Lecker and Yummy Recipes

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Cinco de Mayo!

While Frog Prince isn’t big into spicy Mexican food, we do have a few recipes that might be fun for your family to eat today in celebration of Cinco de Mayo!

Breakfast Quesadillas
{Serve with Salsa}

Spanish Tortilla
{serve with salsa, or top with tomatoes}

Garlic Chicken Quesadillas
{avocado makes a great addition to these quesadillas}

Mexican Pasta Bake
{yes, it’s pasta-based, but SOOOOO good!}

Baked Chicken Tortilla Roll-Ups
{This is a childhood favorite recipe for me!}

Mexican Chicken Hotdish
{This is a classic potluck dish; super easy because you make it ahead!}

Smokehouse Fajitas
{Or, Steak Fajitas}

The Best Ever Taco Dip
{trust me on this one!!!}

Homemade Tortillas
{If you haven’t made your own before, today’s the day!}

What’s your favorite thing to eat on Cinco de Mayo?

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Friday Favorite Finds #107

I’m so excited to share these finds with you today – they have me drooling!  {All images are from the original recipe source, and linked through Pinterest}

Cheesecake Brownies
{Brownie bottom, cheesecake middle, chocolate frosting. You bet!}

Source: lacreativitedelafille.blogspot.com via Finding Joy In My Kitchen on Pinterest

 

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bread
{My friend Liz has been on a quest to find a great bread – this recipe from her grandmother sure looks like a winner to me!}

Source: carpeseason.com via Finding Joy In My Kitchen on Pinterest

 

Twice Baked Sweet Potato Skins
{Love me some sweet ‘taters}

Source: pinchofyum.com via Finding Joy In My Kitchen on Pinterest

 

Rhubarb Ricotta Crisp
{An unusual combo, but one that I’m itching to try!}

Source: completelydelicious.com via Finding Joy In My Kitchen on Pinterest

 

Noodles & Co Wisconsin Mac & Cheese
{This has to be one of my favorite mac & cheese dishes –
can’t wait to give this copy-cat version a try!}

Source: savoryreviews.com via Finding Joy In My Kitchen on Pinterest

As a reminder, if you like these recipes, either re-pin my original pin, or pin the source of the recipe NOT my blog!  The talented chefs that came up with these recipes deserve the credit and traffic, so, please, please pin the source!

What did you find this week?

Please link up to a post containing your list of recipes to try -- do not link up individual recipes please, your links will be deleted.  Links that do not follow the guidelines will be deleted.  Be sure to leave a link back here to Finding Joy in My Kitchen.

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Healthy Sides: Broccoli & Red Pepper with Garlic & Herbs

Early in our marriage, Frog Prince and I relied heavily on Green Giant Veggie Sides to accompany our meals.  One of our favorites included carrots, broccoli, red peppers in an olive oil herb sauce.

Have you had that one? 

Anyway, now that we’re trying to make more and more things from scratch, I decided to give this side dish a try in our own kitchen. 

We loved the result {and of course, we added mushrooms} & I can see us serving this again and again over the summer months. 

Broccoli & Red Pepper with Garlic and Herbs

Ingredients

• 1 C baby carrots
• 1 medium red bell pepper, julienned
• 2 C broccoli florets
• 4-6 oz mushrooms, quartered baby bella preferred {optional}
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. basil
• 1 T olive oil

Directions

Begin by preparing the veggies.  Add 1 T olive oil to a large skillet, and toss in the bell peppers and mushrooms. 

Sauté 5-7 minutes until mushrooms have evaporated their liquid and peppers are crisp-tender. 

Meanwhile, steam the broccoli florets and the baby carrots until tender. 

Add the broccoli and carrots to the skillet and toss, sautéing for about 3-5 minutes. 

Stir in the garlic powder and basil, and toss to coat. 

Serve warm alongside your lunch or dinner. 

Enjoy!

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Blueberry Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast

Here’s a special breakfast to tuck away for your Mother’s Day brunch ideas --

A blueberry cream cheese stuffed French toast, to be exact!

You can use any bread, but I recommend this wheat buttermilk bread; the tart and tang along with the sweet fruit is a delicious combination. 

Don’t like blueberries? Use raspberries or strawberries or a mixed berry medley in the center of this one.  This recipe was a hit even with my non-cream cheese loving husband!

Blueberry Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast {serves 4}

Ingredients

• 8 slices of wheat buttermilk bread
• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 2 C fruit {we used blueberries} – fresh or frozen
• 1 T corn starch
• 1 T honey
• 1/4 C water
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 – 1/3 C milk
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions

Begin by preparing the berry filling.  To do so, combine frozen or fresh fruit (about 2 C) in a small saucepan, or a microwave safe bowl.  Toss the fruit with 1 T corn starch.  Add in 1 T honey and 1/4 C water. 

Either heat over medium-high heat, stirring often, until berries are cooked and sauce has thickened.  Or, microwave in 1 minute increments until the berries are cooked and sauce has thickened.  Stir during each interval. 

Meanwhile, slice up your bread.  And, stir up the cream cheese. 

Then, lightly beat three eggs together in a shallow, but wide bowl.  Add in the 1/4 – 1/3 C milk and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon.  Stir well. 

When the berries are prepared, combine 4 oz. cream cheese with 1/2 C of the prepared berry sauce. 

You may with to use more cream cheese and less berry sauce, or vice versa to suite your family’s tastes. 

Using a knife, spread the berry cream cheese mixture onto a piece of bread.  Go ahead and make the layer thick.  Top with a second piece of bread. 

Dip the fruit-filled bread slices into the egg mixture. 

Place the sandwich on a hot griddle, preheated to about 350 degrees.  If you normally grease your griddle, do so before placing the fruit-filled bread onto the griddle. 

Cook about 5-6 minutes on each side until the bread is cooked, nicely browned and the center is hot. 

Serve topped with additional fruit sauce. 

Enjoy!

Linked to: Ingredient Spotlight

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