Spaghetti Sauce from Scratch

Spaghetti Sauce from Scratch 

Slightly adapted from Lauren Allen on tastesbetterfromscratch.com

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef (or 1/2 lb ground beef, 1/2 lb Italian sausage)
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
15 oz tomato sauce
6 oz tomato paste
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tbsp dried parsley flakes
1 tsp garlic powder 
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 c water
1/4 c fresh basil leaves (optional)
spaghetti noodles (gluten free for gluten free meal)

Directions:

• Season meat with salt and pepper
• In a large skillet, brown the meat and chopped onion. Drain excess grease.
• Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, parsley, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, Worcestershire, and sugar to the skillet. Stir well to combine. Bring to a simmer. 
• Add water and stir well.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add chopped basil before serving, if desired.

Boys rating: 2 thumbs up

Husband rating: 4.5 stars

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

 

from my aunt Jeanne

2 cups all purpose flour (or gluten free flour)

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

8 tbsp=1/2 cup=1 stick of butter or 1/2 cup of coconut oil

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tbsp lemon zest (from about 2 medium lemons)

1 large egg (room temp)

1 large egg yolk (room temp)

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 tsp lemon extract

In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a separate bowl, whip together butter (or coconut oil), sugar, and lemon zest until pale and fluffy. Mix in egg then blend in egg yolk. Add lemon juice, vanilla and lemon extracts and mix until well combined. Slowly add dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Using a cookie scoop, place balls of dough on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Space dough 2 inches apart. Bake in preheated oven for 10-13 minutes. Cool on baking sheet several minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Boys rating: 2 thumbs up

Pumpkin Spice Energy Bites

 

from the Healthline Editorial Team found on healthline.com 

6 pitted dates

3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

2 tbsp flax meal

1 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp protein powder

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

3/4 cup almond butter

1/2 tbsp coconut oil

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blitz until well combined. (Add a little extra coconut oil if very crumbly.) Place mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes. 

Form batter into 1-inch balls. Store in sealed container in fridge. 

I used my blender (instead of a food processor) and it worked fine.

African Peanut Soup

adapted from a recipe given to me by my sister-in-law, Joy

African Peanut Soup

2 Tbsp olive oil

3 large onions, diced

6 garlic cloves, minced

3 c chicken broth

¾ c natural peanut butter (peanuts and salt only)

2 c cooked chopped or shredded chicken

2 (15 oz) cans of coconut milk

3 large sweet potatoes, chopped

1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes

2 tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

1 tbsp soy sauce or coconut aminos

1 tbsp Berbere spice (this is the one I bought on Amazon: https://a.co/d/0UEtsP0)

3 c washed chopped kale

Cooked rice, if desired

Stove-Top Instructions
Pour 2 tbsp olive oil into a large stock pot. Sauté diced onions on medium-high for 3 minutes. Add minced garlic and sauté for 2 more minutes.

Add chicken broth. Whisk in peanut butter.

Stir in remaining ingredients (except kale and rice). Simmer on low for 1-2 hours, until potatoes are soft.

Serve on kale (and rice, if desired).

Slow-Cooker Instructions

If using a crockpot, sauté the onions and garlic in a saucepan. Put cooked onions/garlic into the crockpot. Add chicken and peanut butter. Stir in remaining ingredients except for the kale or rice. Cook on low 4-5 hours or high 2-3 hours. 

My sister-in-law made this for a family gathering and everyone loved it. It makes a lot of soup so use your largest pot. This is a healthy, hearty soup. Enjoy!

Chicken Zucchini Pasta

Chicken Zucchini Pasta

1 package of linguine noodles (gluten free if needed)

1 45oz jar of Prego Traditional spaghetti sauce

2 chicken breasts, cut into small pieces

1/2 sweet onion, chopped

1 tsp chopped garlic

1 zucchini, quartered and sliced

1. Chop the chicken, onion and zucchini.

2. Heat a skillet with a little olive oil. Cook the chicken until no longer pink in the middle. Remove the chicken from the pan, draining any liquid. 

3. Add a 1/2 tbsp olive oil to the skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, zucchini and garlic. Stir frequently until the onion is translucent and the zucchini has softened. Put the chicken in this pan. Pour the jar of spaghetti sauce into the pan as well. Stir. Cover pan. Cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are ready. 

4. Fill a pot with water. Turn on the heat. Once the water is boiling, add 1 tsp of salt to the water. Add the noodles. Drain once cooked through. 

5. Fill a plate with noodles and top them with the sauce. Enjoy! 

Husband Rating: 4 stars

Boys say: thumbs up

Seasoned Rice

 

from africanbites.com, lightly adapted

Ingredients

• 2 cups (277.5 g) uncooked long grain white rice
• 1 tablespoon (14 g) onion powder
• 1 tablespoon (14 g) garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon (2 g) paprika
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon (5 g) salt
• ½ teaspoon (1 g) freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons (4 g) bouillon
• 1 tablespoon (4 g) dried parsley
• 4 tablespoons (56 g) butter or coconut oil
• 4 cups chicken broth, plus 4 tbsp water

Instructions

• In a large pan (that has a lid), combine the rice, onion & garlic powder, paprika, dried thyme, salt, bouillon, ground black pepper, dried parsley, butter or coconut oil, and chicken broth/water. Stir to combine.
• Place on the stove and bring to a boil over high heat.
• As soon as it starts to bubble, cover and reduce to low heat.
• Simmer for about 20 minutes.
• Turn off the heat. Do no lift the lid! Let rice rest for 10 minutes. 
• Stir and serve.

Notes

1. Do not open the lid while simmering the rice because the rice will not cook through.
2. The 10 minutes rest time is essential. The rice will stick to the bottom of the pan if you don't follow the 10 minutes resting time.
3. Use a different container when storing the rice. Do not use the one where you let it cool.

Honey Garlic Chicken

Honey Garlic Chicken

from: therecipecritic.com

Ingredients:

• 6-7 Boneless Chicken Thighs
• 3/4 cup Honey
• 3/4 cup soy sauce (or coconut aminos for a gluten free recipe)
• 2 tbsp hoisen sauce 
• 2 cloves garlic crushed I used 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger root I used 1 tsp dry ginger
• 1 tsp seseame oil
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 cup water

Instructions:

• In a 5 quart slow cooker add the chicken thighs. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, hoisen sauce, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
• Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred. Whisk together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Whisk it into the sauce in the slow cooker. Return the shredded chicken back to the slow cooker and let cook for another 15 minutes to let the sauce thicken. Serve over rice with roasted broccoli or cooked green beans for a healthy, easy and inexpensive meal. 

Boys say: thumbs up

Husband rating: 4.5 stars

Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salsa

lightly adapted from thecookierookie.com

Ingredients:

2-3 lbs salmon (cut into portions if you're going to grill)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp black pepper

Avocado Salsa:

2 avocados, cubed

1/3-1/2 red onion, diced (depending on your raw onion tolerance)

2 limes, juiced

1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions:

1. Mix the salt, chili powder, cumin, paprika, onion and black pepper together. Rub the salmon with olive oil and this seasoning mix.

2. Refrigerate the salmon for at least 30 minutes. If you're going to bake the salmon, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

3. Chop the avocado, onion, cilantro and juice the limes. Chill until serving time.

4. Pre-heat the grill or stove top grill pan. Grill the salmon to desired doneness. Or, bake the salmon for about 20 minutes (until it flakes easily with a fork). 

5. Top with avocado salsa and enjoy!

We like putting this in small flour tortillas. The boys requested I add mango next time to the salsa. Sounds like a great idea to me. 

This recipe is easy, fresh and healthy. I hope you love it as much as we do. 

Boys: thumbs up

Pumpkin Muffins

 

adapted from cookieandkate.com recipe

muffin ingredients:

1/3 c melted coconut oil

1/2 c maple syrup

2 eggs, room temperature

1 c pumpkin puree

1/4 c almond milk

2 tsp pumpkin spice blend

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

1 3/4 c gluten free flour (or whole wheat flour if you're okay with gluten)

1/3 c old-fashioned oats

topping ingredients:

2 tsp turbinado (raw) sugar

2 tsp finely chopped pecans

2 tsp oats

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Put parchment paper cups in muffin tin.

2. In a large bowl beat the oil and maple syrup. Add the eggs and beat well. Add the pumpkin puree, milk, pumpkin spice blend, baking soda, vanilla extract and salt. Stir.

3. Mix in the flour and oats, just until combined.

4. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with topping mix. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.

5. Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack to cool. These muffins are delicate until they cool down. 

Muffins keep at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. In a freezer-safe bag in the freezer you can keep these for up to 3 months.

Boys say: thumbs up

Chocolate Zucchini Treats

My mother has a great chocolate zucchini cake recipe. I played around with it to make it gluten free and dairy free. I will include both recipes here. I wasn't sure whether to call my version of this recipe muffins or cupcakes (no frosting so not a cupcake, right?!) so I have called them treats!

1/2 c coconut oil
1/2 c applesauce
1 3/4 c granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c almond milk
2 1/2 c oat flour (put 3 cups oatmeal in your blender and blend until you have a fine powder)
4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
2 c grated zucchini
turbinado cane sugar (to sprinkle on muffins)
1/4 c semisweet chocolate pieces (optional)
1/4 c chopped walnuts (optional)

Put cupcake liners into cupcake tin. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream coconut oil, applesauce and sugar together. Add eggs, vanilla and almond milk. Blend thoroughly. Mix together flour, cocoa, soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Blend with creamed mixture. Stir in zucchini (and chocolate chips or nuts, if using). Spoon into cupcake tins. Fill about 2/3 full. Sprinkle with turbinado cane sugar.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Original Chocolate Zucchini Cake Recipe:

1/2 c butter, softened
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 3/4 c granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 buttermilk
2 1/2 c all purpose flour
4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
2 c grated zucchini
1/4 c semisweet chocolate chips (optional)
1/4 c chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour 9x13 pan.

Cream butter, oil and sugar together. Add eggs, vanilla and buttermilk. Blend thoroughly. Sift together flour, cocoa, soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Blend with creamed mixture. Stir in zucchini. Spoon into greased and floured 9x13 pan. Sprinkle chocolate pieces and nuts. Bake in a preheated oven for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cool cake completely. Cover with frosting.

Frosting recipe:
1/4 c butter
6 oz cream cheese
1 3/4 c powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 c chopped walnuts

Beat butter and cream cheese. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and nuts.

Cowboy Caviar

Last week I decided to minimize my cookbooks. I went through all of them, kept the recipes I still wanted to try and gave away (or recycled) the rest. It felt great! In that process I found this recipe. It was the perfect timing too because I wanted a tasty side dish to go with the meat we grilled on the 4th of July. Yum!

1 cup black eyed peas

1 cup black beans

1 cup sweet corn

3 avocados, chopped

3 roma tomatoes, chopped

juice from 1 lime

5 green onions, tops only, chopped

1 package Italian Good Seasonings Mix

1 bunch of cilantro, chopped

Mix ingredients together and serve with tortilla chips or your favorite crackers.

Seafood Tacos

lightly adapted from spendwithpennies.com

8 tilapia fillets 

Rub:

1 tbsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp oregano

Sauce:

2 tbsp mayonnaise

3 tbsp sour cream

1/2 lime, juiced

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp sriracha 

Tacos:

corn or flour tortillas

avocado, sliced

coleslaw mix

lime slices

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl. If you have a plastic container used for sauces (for example, one you would put ketchup or a dressing in so you can squeeze the topping onto the food) put it in container now and set aside.

Put tilapia fillets onto a foil lined cookie sheet. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil lightly over the fish. Sprinkle the spice mix onto the fish. Rub in, if desired. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

When the fish is cooked transfer the fillets to a large bowl. Using forks, break the fish into pieces. 

Build your tacos and enjoy!

Husband rating: 4 stars

Boys say: thumbs up (even my picky eater!)

Pumpkin Smoothie

12 oz almond milk

1 serving vanilla protein powder
1/3 c pumpkin puree
1 banana
1 tbsp ground flaxseed
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 c ice cubes

handful of kale

Put all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth.

If there is a shortage of canned pumpkin at your local store, I'm sorry. I can't help myself at this time of year. We've had iced pumpkin cookies, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin pancakes and plenty of these yummy pumpkin smoothies this month. I love fall!

Easy Baked Tilapia

from tasteofhome.com, lightly adapted

4 tilapia filets
3 tbsp butter, melted (or extra virgin olive oil to make this dairy free)
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp paprika

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place tilapia in an ungreased 9x13 baking dish. In a small bowl combine the butter (or oil), lemon juice, garlic powder and salt; pour over the fish. Sprinkle with oregano and paprika. Or you can live on the edge and do what I did: I sprinkled all the ingredients over the fish (eyeballing the amounts). 

Bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. We had this with rice pilaf and green beans. This was healthy, easy and inexpensive. 

Husband and boys liked this

Peach Slice Plus Twin

3/4 c almond milk (you could use coconut milk if you prefer that)
3/4 c guava juice
1 c frozen strawberries
1 c frozen peaches
1/2 tsp turbinado cane sugar (optional)
1/2 tsp ground flaxseed (optional)

Add ingredients to the blender. I always put the liquids in first. Blend until smooth.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Balls

adapted from blessthismessplease.com

2 ripe bananas (but not so ripe they are gross!)

2 cups dry old fashioned oats

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (I used 70% dark chocolate or semi sweet chips)

1/3 c organic creamy peanut butter 

In a medium bowl mash the peeled bananas. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Squish a small amount of the mixture in your hands to create a ball. 

Store the balls covered in the refrigerator for a day or two. I haven't tried freezing them yet because the boys always eat them before I'd need to freeze them!

The boys give this two thumbs up!

Oatmeal Cookie Energy Balls

from blessthismessplease.com (lightly adapted)

1 cup dry old fashioned oats
1/4 cup almond butter or peanut butter
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup raisins or craisins
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
dash of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a medium bowl stir all of the ingredients until combined well. The mixture should be a bit sticky. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Grab about a tablespoon of the mixture into your hand. Squish into a ball. Repeat with remaining mixture. This makes about 10-12 oatmeal energy balls.

Store the balls covered in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for much longer.

Brown Rice

In an effort to eat healthier, more nutrient rich food, we have traded white rice for brown rice in many recipes. But brown rice is tricky. It can turn out hard instead of soft and that's just not as fun to eat! I found this recipe and it has worked well for us.

from skinnytaste.com, lightly adapted

• 1 cup natural brown rice (I used long grain)
• 8 cups cold water
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1. Rinse the rice with cold water for 30 seconds.
2. Bring 8 cups water and salt to a boil over high heat in a large heavy pot with a tight fitting lid.
3. When the water is boiling add the rice, stir and partially cover (don’t cover complete or it will spill over) and cook on medium-high heat for 30 minutes.
4. Drain the rice by carefully holding the lid away from the rim of the pot just a touch so the water can run out but you don't lose the rice. Then cover the pot tightly for 20 minutes so the steam finishes cooking the rice. (You can also use a strainer and then put the rice back in the pot immediately and cover)
5. Uncover the rice and fluff with a fork.

The Jeffrey Smoothie

I made this smoothie for my son yesterday. I asked him what we should call it. He wanted it to be named after him so it is now the Jeffrey Smoothie!

3/4 c passionfruit juice

1/4 c water

1 c ice

1/2 cup frozen strawberries

1/2 c frozen pineapple

1 banana

Blend until smooth. 

Gallo Pinto

adapted from mytanfeet.com

1 tbsp olive oil

4 cups of cooked long grain rice 
1 can of black beans-do not drain
3 garlic cloves, minced (or 1.5 tsp of minced garlic)
1/2 cup of chopped white onion
1 chopped green pepper
3 tbsp (or more!) chopped cilantro
1/2 cup of salsa (not chunky salsa)

1. Coat a large deep pan with the oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic, pepper and onion to the pan. Sauté for a couple minutes.

2. Add beans with the broth and your salsa (or this homemade Salsa Lizano). 

3. Lower heat and add rice. Simmer on low for about 5-10 minutes, mixing occasionally until any excess liquid is absorbed. 

4. Stir in fresh cilantro and serve.

In our home we pile the eggs on top of the gallo pinto, sliced avocado on the eggs and then add a little salt. We like to have fresh pineapple with it on the side. 

You can also fill a tortilla with the rice/beans, eggs, avocado and put salsa or ketchup on top before you roll it up. That's how half our family likes to eat this. 

boys say: two thumbs up

husband rating: 4.5 stars