What's for Dinner. . .

The BIG dilemma around here is always "What's for Dinner?". It's not always easy coming up with something quick, easy, and YUMMY on school nights. And, I attempt to make it healthy or semi-healthy. I also have a hard time pleasing a VERY picky husband and picky children. Then there are times that I make something that was a "HIT" with us, and then I forget about it and forget to make it again. So, I decided to start keeping a weekly blog of what we have for dinner in our house. Here are our dinners from last week. I can't believe we didn't eat out once! What did you have for dinner last week?

SUNDAY - Turkey Chili Dogs (very quick and easy - I used Turkey Chili in a can.) The sodium is not the greatest, but we had just come back from a trip.

MONDAY - Taco Cheeseburger Macaroni - I use whole wheat pasta / lean ground beef or turkey / cheese sauce is made with a little Velveeta, mild taco seasoning, and chicken broth

TUESDAY - Chicken Stir Fry with Rice - I brown chicken with onions and make a sauce with soy sauce and broth. I then throw in whatever frozen vegetables I have on hand and serve with rice.

WEDNESDAY - King Ranch Chicken and Black Beans made with this recipe

THURSDAY - Breakfast for Dinner (Eggs & Toast)

FRIDAY - Leftovers

SATURDAY - Grilled Fajitas and Bean Salad - We grilled at my parent's house, and I made this yummy salad (see recipe here).

Yummy Bean Salad

I found a similar recipe at MckMamma's blog. I changed a few things to suit my taste and for things I had on hand.

1 can of garbanzo beans, drained
1 can of pinto beans, drained
1 can of black beans, drained
1 can of yellow corn, drained

1 can of shoepeg white corn, drained
2 cans Rotel Mexican flavored with cilantro and lime
6 green onions, chopped finely
2 Tablespoons Zesty Italian Dressing
dashes of chili powder, cumin and garlic powder
Juice from 1 fresh lime
fresh cilantro* (optional)
salt to taste

Drain all the cans of beans and corn and dump into a LARGE bowl. Add the 2 cans of Rotel (juice and all). Add the green onions, dressing, seasonings, lime juice, and cilantro*. Blend together and refrigerate. The recipe said to refrigerate overnight and then serve. I ate mine right after I made it, and it was delicious. It is very yummy with Multigrain tortilla chips or Fritos. It does make a LOT. This would be great for a picnic or potluck.

*I read or heard somewhere that only 1/3 of the population likes the flavor of cilantro. It is not my favorite thing, although the last couple of years, I started using a small amount in cooking. A little goes a LONG way. I don't seem to mind a little bit, but I can't stand it when it overtakes the entire dish. I put a very tiny amount in this dish.

Berry Crisp

I bought some raspberries and blackberries, but they were a bit too sour. So, I decided to make this Berry Crisp. I changed a recipe I found in a cookbook. It was delicious! I ate way too much of it, but I keep trying to tell my self it was healthy. It has oatmeal in it! Maybe the oatmeal cancels out the butter?

1 cup fresh blackberries (you could also use blueberries)
1 cup fresh raspberries
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 cup flour
1 cup oatmeal
3/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cups butter


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, gently toss together blackberries and raspberries with white sugar. Allow to sit while you are making the crisp.
In a separate large bowl, combine flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in butter until crumbly. Press half of mixture in the bottom of a 9x9" pan. Cover with berries. Sprinkle remaining crumble mixture over the berries.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until fruit is bubbly and topping is golden brown.

Sneaky Chef Monkey Bars

I haven't posted a recipe in a while. . .I just haven't made anything that I was really excited enough to post about. But, I decided to go ahead and post these. I made this recipe from Parents.com. Now that we have baby food in the house, I thought it was worth a try. It was pretty good, and definately healthy. The kids liked it, too. It is like a very dense banana bread to me, but I always think that anytime you put bananas in something, the banana flavor takes over.


Makes 1 dozen.
•Cooking spray
•5 Tbsp butter
•1/2 cup (packed) brown sugar
•1/2 tsp salt
•1/4 cup sweet-potato baby food (stage 1 or 2)
•1/4 cup carrot baby food (stage 1 or 2)
•2 large bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
•1 tsp pure vanilla extract
•2 egg yolks
•1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking) I did use quick cooking oats.
•1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
•1/2 cup white-chocolate chips (optional)
Note: Carrot and sweet-potato baby food can be used interchangeably; use one or the other, or both, as long as it totals 1/2 cup.

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray the bottom, not the sides, of an 11 by 7-inch or a 9-inch-square pan.

2. In a saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter, sugar, and salt. Remove from heat, and allow mixture to cool about 5 minutes.

3. Whisk in the baby food, bananas, vanilla, and egg yolks. Add the oats and flour, and mix until just combined. Pour the entire mixture into the prepared baking pan, and bake for 40 to 43 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

4. Allow to cool completely in pan before cutting. If desired, melt the white-chocolate chips in the microwave (on high for 15-second intervals), then drizzle across the bars.

Pop Up Pancakes

I tried the following Pop Up Pancake Recipe – I found the recipe at Makes and Takes.

1 cup milk
1 cup flour
6 eggs
1/4 cup melted butter
dash salt

Preheat oven at 400
Makes 24 in a muffin pan or 9" x 13" pan - greased.

Mix all ingredients in a blender. You definitely need to use a blender. I first tried to whisk the ingredients together, but the batter was very lumpy. Also, the blender makes it easy to pour right into the muffin tins.

Bake them for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. They should pop right out.

I will say they are very eggy. One of my kids liked them, and the other did not. I'm a big time pancake girl, and these are by no means a traditional pancake. I still prefer regular pancakes over these, but it's a cute idea. We topped ours with powdered sugar and syrup. They definitely need some sweetness.

Caramel Oatmeal Bars

I found this recipe for Caramel Bars on According to Kelly. They are yummy, but just a little too sweet for me. I think I'm going to try them without the caramel next time.

ingredients:
2 sticks melted butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 cups flour
2 cups oatmeal
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 bag of chocolate chips
1 jar of caramel topping (think smucker's)

1. preheat oven to 325 degrees, & grease a 9x13" baking pan.
2. combine the brown sugar, flour, oatmeal, baking soda & salt. add melted butter & mix until "crumbly".
3. press HALF of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan, & bake for about 15 minutes.
4. remove from oven & spread the ENTIRE bottle of caramel topping on top, followed by the the ENTIRE bag of chocolate chips, & then finally sprinkle the remaining prepared dough mixture over the top.
5. continue baking for an additional 15 minutes or so, until it's a light golden brown.
6. once you've removed the caramel bars from the oven you need to let them cool & chill until the chocolate is set.... then it's time to cut them & start feasting.

Sopa de Frijoles

I love to make beans from scratch or from the dry state, but sometimes I'm in a hurry and don't have time to soak them. So, I created this recipe. They are just as yummy.

1 tablespoon olive oil or to coat bottom of pan
4 slices of turkey bacon chopped
1 small white onion chopped or 1/2 of a larger one
2-15 oz. cans black beans drained and rinsed
2-15 oz. cans pinto beans drained and rinsed
10 oz. can Rotel (I use Mild, but you could make it spicier)
32 oz. carton of chicken broth
2 Tablespoons of Fiesta brand Pinto Bean Seasoning*

Coat bottom of large stockpot with olive oil. Add chopped turkey bacon. Stir and saute bacon until well cooked and almost crispy. Add onion and saute until just starting to carmelize. Add rinsed beans, entire can of Rotel (juice, too), and carton of chicken broth. You can add more water or chicken broth if you want to make it more soupy.

Since this is my recipe, I'm not sure on the number of servings. It does make a lot. We usually have leftovers.

*Note: If you are unable to find the Fiesta brand Pinto Bean Seasoning, you could season with Garlic, Onion Powder, Chili Pepper, and salt. I'm not sure on the measurements (I guess 1/2 to 1 tsp. each), you would have to season to your taste.

Variations: You can change up the beans. Sometimes I use small red beans with black beans, or whatever I have on hand. Or, if you want all black beans, you could do that, too.