Moroccan Chickpea Stew

A delicious and exotic stew made with chickpeas, sweet potato, red peppers and cabbage served on a bed of couscous.

Printable Recipe

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 large sweet potato, peel and chopped
2 cups of cabbage, shredded
1 red pepper, diced
1 can chickpeas
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup raisins
couscous

In a large pot, heat oil and add onions, garlic and sweet potato. Cook until tender, then add cabbage, red pepper, chickpeas, tomatoes, and spices. Cook for another 5 minutes. Add broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 20 minutes. Add raisins and simmer for another 5 minutes. Serve on top of cooked couscous.

Since I liked Harira so much, I decided to try another Moroccan dish. I mostly made this for myself to enjoy, not really caring if anyone else liked it. I'm the cook so I get to decide. I couldn't get over how amazing this smelled when I was cooking it. Luckily it tasted just as good, and the rest of the family really liked it too. Even though Tony doesn't care much for the couscous he said he liked it with this dish. And even though the boys don't usually like sweet potatoes they didn't seem to mind them at all this time. I was really happy with my concoction, so it's a good thing I have this blog to record my creations or I would have totally forgotten what I did to make it.

Jean's Hot Cross Buns

This is a recipe for hot cross buns from my godmother, Jean, who passed it on to my mom, who has passed it on to me. Every year at Easter time my mom makes these buns and we would usually eat the entire batch in one day. They're just so good you can't stop eating them!

Printable Recipe

1 pkg of yeast (2 and 1/4 teaspoons)
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup lukewarm water
3/4 cup of milk
1/4 cup white sugar
3 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
3 cups flour (plus another 2-3 cups to add later)
1 egg beaten
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup citrus peel

Mix 1 pkg of yeast, 1 tsp of sugar and 1/2 cup of lukewarm water in measuring cup and set aside. Place milk in bowl and microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes (it has to be hot enough to melt butter and dissolve sugar). Add butter and sugar until butter melted. In separate bowl mix together salt, spices, flour, raisins and peel. Once milk mixture is lukewarm to touch, mix in yeast and beaten egg. Add flour/spice mixture to wet ingredients and mix with a spoon. Slowly add extra flour 1/4 to 1/2 cup at a time until the batter becomes too thick to mix. Flour your counter top and place dough on flour. Knead the dough adding extra flour as necessary until it no longer sticks to you hands. Knead the dough for 10 minutes in total to ensure that the buns will be tender.

Place dough in a bowl. Cover with a clean tea cloth and set aside for one hour. ( I put it in the oven and turn the light on. This way it is out of draughts and the warmth of the light helps the rising process.)

Punch the dough down. Form buns with approximately 1/3 cup portions of dough.(Remember they double in size so make them smaller or larger as you wish). Place on a greased cookie sheet giving room for them to expand. ( you should be able to get the whole batch on one large cookie sheet) Cut an X in the top of each bun with a sharp knife if you wish to do so.

Set aside and let rise one hour. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 min.
 
 

 
Once cool, mix 1/2 cup icing sugar with 1 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of milk. Place icing in a ziploc bag and cut a tiny hole in the corner. Squeeze icing onto buns to form a cross. Yum!
 
 

 
This was my first time making these on my own without my mom around and I was surprised that it wasn't as hard as it looks from the recipe. I'm sure you could make these by using a bread machine on the dough setting, but there's something therapeutic about kneading dough yourself. It's a great stress-reliever. 
You should have seen Cole's face when he came home to find these buns waiting for him on the kitchen counter. He was so excited and told me they were 'very special.' Bennett also loved them, but he kept eating the tops off with the icing and leaving the rest. Tony enjoyed them too and ate several of them. As it was with my family as a kid, these buns were all gone by the next morning.

Linking to Comfy Cuisine's Easter Blog Hop

Berry Applesauce

A smooth and tangy applesauce made in the crockpot. It's a great healthy snack for kids and it makes wonderful baby food too.

Printable Recipe

6 large apples (I used Royal Gala apples), peeled and sliced

1 cup strawberries, sliced

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

1/4 cup unsweetened applejuice

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Place ingredients in a crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. After cooking, blend with an immersion blender, or simply mash them for a chunkier sauce.

My plan was to make a batch of this and freeze it in little containers to use for the kids' lunches instead of buying Fruitsation cups all the time. Well so much for that because I served it to the kids for a bedtime snack and before I knew it the entire batch of applesauce was gone!  I couldn't get over how much they ate, and I didn't mind because it's a good way to get fruit in them. Next time I'm going to have to make a bigger batch. The only thing I might do differently is add less juice because I found it was a little thinner than I like. The kids didn't seem to care though. 

Lazy Cabbage Rolls

This casserole tastes just as good as (if not better than) cabbage rolls without the hassle.

Printable Recipe

1 1/2 lb ground beef
2 medium onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 14 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 can water
1 can condensed mushroom soup
1/2 cup uncooked long grain rice
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp worchestershire sauce
4 cups cabbage, shredded

Brown beef, onions, garlic. Add crushed tomatoes, water, and soup and bring to boil. Add rice, salt, pepper, nutmeg and worchestershire sauce. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Place half of shredded cabbage in a greased baking dish. Cover with half the rice mixture. Repeat layers. Cover and bake at 350 for an hour.

I didn't think I really liked cabbage that much, but wow! I changed my mind about that once I tasted this. It was surprisingly yummy. Everybody ate it up and asked for more, even Cole. I put it in the boys' lunches the next day for daycare and the dishes came back completely empty. Cole proudly told me he ate all his lunch, which doesn't happen often. It takes a while to cook, so it's not a really great weekday meal if you're working, but nice for weekends when there's more time before dinner.

Apple and Yam Muffins

Yams, apples and raisins provide the sweetness for these delicious and moist sugar-free muffins.

Printable Recipe

1 1/2 cups cooked mashed yams (or orange sweet potatoes)

1 apple, grated

2 cups flour

1 tbsp flaxseed meal

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup raisins

2 eggs

3/4 cup unsweetened apple juice

Preheat oven to 400. Spray 12 muffin cups with cooking oil and set aside. In a large bowl, combine  dry ingredients. In another bowl, combine eggs, juice and yams. Add to dry ingredients and stir until combined. Fill muffin cup evenly with batter. Bake for about 15 minutes, until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean.

The first time I made these I used the yellow coloured sweet potatoes, apple chunks, and milk not juice.  Cole declared that they were yucky. They just weren't sweet enough. I put jam on them and then he really liked them, but that sort of negates the purpose of making a recipe without sugar. So this time I used the sweeter variety of sweet potato, the orange ones. I know them as yams but I recently found out that you can't actually get yams in Canada. Apparently they are mislabelled as yams in the grocery store and are actually another variety of sweet potato. I don't really care though, I'm still calling them yams because that's what the grocery store says. It's a west-coast thing. So back to the muffins.  I shredded the apple so it dispersed the sweetness more evenly and used juice instead of milk. This added to the sweetness and I thought it worked pretty well. The kids ate them up and so did I. Tony didn't seem too interested in them though, I'm not sure why. I kept mentioning the muffins were there in case he didn't realize it but he just passed them by. He doesn't seem to be a big fan of baked goods. Anyway, I liked how moist these muffins were. They're not overly sweet, so if you like your muffins sweeter I'm sure you could add in some sugar, I won't judge.

Maple Quinoa Pudding with Ricotta

This is a lot like rice pudding, but more sophisticated.  The quinoa and ricotta make this pudding a great source of protein and nutrients. It's a nice dessert or even breakfast.

Printable Recipe

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa

1 cup low-fat ricotta
1 cup vanilla yogurt
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 handfuls of chopped dates (or any dried fruit of your choice)
In a large pot, bring 2 cups of water to a boil over medium heat. Be ready with the lid, then add the quinoa, reduce the heat to low and cover. Allow the quinoa to cook for about 20 minutes until it's soft and no water is remaining.
In the meantime, whisk together the ricotta and yogurt and maple syrup until smooth. Then stir in the cooked quinoa and fold in the dates. Serve warm or chilled.


The boys didn't really love this pudding, they prefer just good old vanilla yogurt. Tony and I both really liked it though. We had some while it was still warm right after I made it. I ended up finishing off the rest of it for breakfast and I have to say it was even more delicious when it was cold.  I'm glad the kids didn't like it much because that meant more for me!

-Recipe adapted from Cooking Books blog.

Buttermilk Chicken Fingers

Homemade baked chicken fingers marinated in buttermilk and covered with crispy crushed cornflakes and breadcrumbs. They're great for dipping in honey mustard sauce or ranch dressing.

Printable Recipe

1 lb chicken breast, sliced into thin strips

1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk (or 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 tbsp lemon juice)
1/2 cup crushed corn flakes
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a medium glass or plastic bowl, combine chicken breast and buttermilk.
Cover and put in refrigerator for 10-15 minutes, or longer if you have time.
Combine corn flakes, breadcrumbs, flaxseed, garlic powder, oregano, and black pepper in large ziploc bag.
After chicken is chilled, drain off liquid and add to ziploc bag, shaking to coat.
Add olive oil to shallow baking pan.
Place chicken in pan.
Bake for approximately 6 minutes on each side, or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

I served these with noodles, mixed veggies and dipping sauce. Cole asked for ketchup for dipping too and that also worked very well. Tony thought they tasted way better than the frozen chicken fingers I usually get. I totally agree. The boys really liked these and gobbled them all up. Yes, even Cole. You won't believe it but he actually said they were 'better than lollipops'. Better than lollipops!! I'm still in shock.

-Recipe adapted from Recipezaar

Kale Chips

Crunchy, tasty chips that are actually good for you- it's a miracle!

Printable Recipe

1 bunch kale

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp seasoning salt

Preheat oven to 350. Wash kale and remove stems by folding the kale in half and cutting the stem out. Cut kale leaves into bite-sized pieces. In a large bowl, combine kale with olive oil and seasoning salt. Spray a baking sheet with cooking oil and lay out the kale. Bake for about 15 minutes, until crispy.

I keep seeing recipes for kale chips floating around the internet, so I finally decided to give them a try. Not bad! I'm not a big fan of salty snacks so they didn't do much for me, but I was totally surprised that my boys devoured them. Actually, they practically inhaled them. I really expected them to take one look at these green leafy things and turn their noses up at them, but when I set them out on the coffee table while they were watching a movie the next thing I know the entire bowl is empty. Bennett couldn't stuff them in his mouth fast enough. He had way too much in his mouth so I had to get him to spit some of it out, but he sure wouldn't give it up very easily. Cole said they were very tasty and that he liked them a lot. I'll have to make more so Tony can try them. He wasn't fast enough this time!

Apple Pineapple Crisp

Here's a healthy fruit crisp recipe with no added sugar, flour, or fat. It's like a warm fruit salad with oatmeal topping, perfect for breakfast or a light dessert.

Printable Recipe

3 medium apples

1 can of pineapple tidbits, drained
1/2 cup quick oats
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 mashed banana

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8X8 square baking dish with cooking spray. Peel, core, and slice the apples. Put them in the pan. Add the pineapple and mix it all together. In a small bowl, add the oatmeal, cinnamon and nutmeg and stir well. Add mashed banana to the oatmeal. Put the oatmeal mixture on top of the apples. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the topping is starting to brown.
Serve warm or cold.

I served this with vanilla yogurt on top for dessert one night and the kids really loved it. I had the rest for breakfast the next morning and it was very nice. I think it needed more of the oatmeal topping though, there just wasn't quite enough of it. Next time I'm going to double the ingredients for the topping and I think it'll be even nicer.

- Recipe adapted from Recipezaar

My Favourite Sandwiches

Here are a couple of sandwiches I really like. They're easy to make and taste so good!

Grilled ham, cheese and guacamole sandwich:

Pretty straighforward directions: place slices of cheese and ham on bread. Spread guacamole onto another slice of bread and place on top. Grill it like you would a grilled cheese sandwich (I use an indoor grill).

Tuna Melt

Mix together a can of tuna (or salmon), 2 tbsps of ranch (or caesar) dressing, then top with grated cheese and green onions. Broil until cheese melts.

Sometimes I like to add mashed avocado to the tuna as well.

My kids aren't big sandwich fans, unless it's peanut-butter and jelly. Cole doesn't like the ham one, but he will usually eat the tuna melt. He likes the slices closed together though, it's less messy for him that way. I love both of these sandwiches! They make great fast and healthy (not to mention yummy) lunches, or even dinners when paired with soup or salad. 

Mujadara

A Middle Eastern dish with lentils, rice and carmelized onions.

1 cup lentils (I used 1/2 cup red and 1/2 cup brown lentils)
2 large onions, or 4 small ones
3-½ cups water or vegetable broth
1 cup white rice
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoons pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Slice the onions lengthwise. Heat 1 table­spoon of veg­etable oil and half an onion over medium heat in a large pot. Cook until onion is caramelized.
Add lentils, water, salt and pep­per. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and sim­mer covered for 20 minutes.
After 20 min­utes, add rice and cumin. Simmer covered for another 20 minutes.
In a frying pan over medium heat, add the remain­ing 1 table­spoon of veg­etable oil and the remain­ing onions and cook until caramelized.
Recipe adapted from The Confused Homemaker



Bennett liked this a lot; I was surprised how much he liked it actually. He kept asking for more and more! Cole barely touched the stuff though. I managed to get him to swallow a few bites but it was clear he really didn't care for it. I thought it was kind of bland, especially for a Middle Eastern dish, which I tend to expect to be full of spices and flavour. On the plus side, it was really easy and fast, and it's made with ingredients I usually have on hand. It's also very good for you. I recommend using vegetable broth instead of water to give it flavour, and though it seems like a lot of onions you definitely want a lot in this case. Also, I would double the cumin next time and add some other spices. I've seen recipes for this meal that use cinnamon and allspice, and I think that would be a nice touch.

Fruity Granola Bars

These homemade granola bars are low in sugar and fat, and high in fruit and fibre. They're perfect for lunch-boxes as an alternative to the sugary store-bought granola bars.

Printable Recipe

2 1/2 cups Rogers porridge oats***
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup whole wheat  flour
1 cup of dried fruit (I used 1/2 cup raisins and 1/2 cup chopped dried apricot)
1/2 cup honey
1 egg, beaten
1 banana, mashed
2 tbsp canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

***This is a mixture of oats, wheat bran, oat bran and flax seed. If you can't find this stuff, use 1 1/4 cups of rolled oats, and 1/4 cup each of wheat bran, oat bran and flax seed.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9 x 13 baking pan. In large bowl, mix together the porridge oats, cinnamon, flour, and fruit. Make a well in the centre, pour in the honey, egg, banana, oil and vanilla. Mix well. Pat the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for about 30 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars or squares. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting or they will be too hard to cut.

These were a big hit at our house! All of us enjoyed them a lot. We took them to the park to have as a snack and Cole shared them with some friends there and they liked them too. Bennett kept saying num, num, num when he was eating them so I guess that means he likes them.  I think I'll be making these instead of buying granola bars from now on.

Update: here's a variation I just tried and they were even better than the original. Use maple syrup instead of honey and add 1/4 cup of peanutbutter. Yum!

Another update: Try them with chocolate chips, they're amazing! Chocolate makes everything better.

-Adapted from http://www.quietfish.com/notebook/?p=1642

Sushi Night!

Making sushi at home isn't as hard as you might think. Try these yam rolls and California rolls.

Printable Recipe

Making Sushi Rice:

3 cups sushi rice
1/3 cup rice vengar
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt

Wash rice in a large bowl with cold water and drain. Combine rice and 3 cups of water in a saucepan. Cover and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until water is absorbed (check your sushi rice package for cooking times as they seem to vary). Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Mix together rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small saucepan and heat until sugar has dissolved. Place rice into a large non-metallic bowl and mix in vinegar mixture with a wooden spoon. Let it sit and cool to room temperature while you prepare the rest of the roll ingredients.

Preparing sushi rolls:

1 large yam
1 small pkg of imitation crab
1 avocado
1 cucumber
mayonnaise
Dried seaweed sheets
soya sauce
wasabi paste
pickled ginger

Wash and peel the yam. Cut lengthwise into long sticks. Steam for 20 minutes or until soft (you can do this at the same time that you're cooking the rice).
Cut imitation crab, avocado and cucumber lengthwise into long sticks.
Lay out a bamboo mat and cover with plastic wrap. Lay out sushi seaweed and spread rice on top. The rice will be very sticky, so have a bowl of water handy to dip your spoon and your hands in so they don't stick to the rice as much.

For yam rolls, place yams on top of the rice on one end. Squirt on some mayonnaise if you'd like.

Then begin rolling by lifting mat and pressing yams in with fingers. Roll up carefully (you should use two hands for rolling, but I had one hand on the camera for this photo. You get the idea anyway!). Don't roll the mat and plastic wrap into the roll, keep them on top to guide the roll along and help keep it's shape.

Remove from mat and plastic wrap.

Cut the roll crosswise into 6-8 equal slices.

For California rolls, use cucumber, avocado and crabmeat slices, and a squirt of mayonnaise.
Serve with soya sauce with a little wasabi mixed into it, and ginger slices.

I used to do this a lot before we had kids, but since then we haven't had sushi as much because I figured the kids wouldn't like it. I decided it was time to give it a try. They had fun with it. Cole liked learning how to use chopsticks. They both just unwrapped the rolls and ate the centre parts, because the seaweed was a bit too chewy for them to handle. I cut it up into bite-sized pieces for Bennett and he ate it up. Cole would touch the seaweed or rice but he did eat quite a bit of the California roll fillings. Neither one of them liked the yams. I just don't get that. Anyway, Tony was very impressed and he really enjoyed it. It was nice to pull out our chopsticks and sushi dishes. It was time-consuming though, so it's not something I would do very often, but it is a nice fun treat.

Strawberry and Cheese Turnover

A not-too-sweet turnover made with fresh strawberries and cottage cheese, lightly drizzled with maple syrup.

Printable Recipe

1 can of refrigerated crescent roll dough

1 cup of sliced strawberries

1/2 cup cottage cheese

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tbsp sugar

Lay out the crescent roll dough onto a baking sheet. On on side of the dough place cottage cheese, then strawberries, then drizzle maple syrup over berries. Fold the other side of dough over top and pinch the edges closed.  Sprinkle lightly with sugar. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until tops are golden.

My measurements are approximate, I wasn't really paying attention. I liked the combination of sweet fruit and savory cheese, but I think instead of strawberries I would have preferred apples and cinnamon, or maybe blueberries. I was trying to be creative by using strawberries but they just weren't quite doing it for me. I'm sure I'll be trying these again to experiment a little more.

Wifesaver Breakfast Casserole

Prepare this casserole the night before, then bake it the next morning for breakfast or brunch. It's like a cross between a ham and cheese sandwich and an omelet.

Printable Recipe

16 slices bread (I used Dempster's Smart bread), crusts removed

16 slices Canadian back bacon or ham
16 slices sharp cheddar cheese
6 eggs
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2-1 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 cup minced green onion
1/4 cup finely chopped red pepper
1-2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
3 cups milk
1/2 cup butter
crushed Corn Flakes

Set 8 pieces of bread into a 9" x 13" (23 x 33 cm) buttered, glass baking dish. Cover bread with slices of back bacon. Lay slices of cheddar cheese on top of bacon and then cover with remaining slices of bread to make it like a sandwich. In a bowl, beat eggs and pepper. To the egg mixture add dry mustard, onion, red pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and milk. Pour over the sandwiches, cover and let stand in fridge overnight. In morning, melt butter, pour over top. Cover with Special K or crushed Corn Flakes. Bake, uncovered, 1 hour at 350 deg.F (180 deg.C). Let sit 10 minutes before serving.


We had friends over for brunch and a playdate, and this meal worked perfectly. It was nice not to have to fuss much with preparing food in the morning. I served it with fresh fruit, and jello for dessert. The kids weren't that thrilled with it (they did however love the jello) but the adults seemed to enjoy it. It's usually known as a 'Christmas Wifesaver' because you make it for christmas morning. I think using the red peppers and green onions made it even more festive looking. I might try this for christmas!

-Adapted from Best of Bridge
The Best of Bridge: Royal Treats for Entertaining (Best Selling Series)

Perogie Casserole

Here's a great way to enjoy perogies in an easy one-dish meal.

Printable Recipe

1 package of your favourite frozen perogies (I used Cheemo Feta and Spinach perogies)

1 can mushroom soup

1 can diced tomatoes

1 cup diced turkey kielbasa (Ukrainian sausage)

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Place frozen perogies in a casserole dish. Top with mushroom soup, diced tomatoes, and kielbasa. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered in oven at 350 for 35 minutes, until cheese is golden and bubbly.

I usually fry up my perogies with kielbasa and serve with some kind of vegetables, but it really appealed to me to have everything in one casserole that you can just throw in the oven until it's done. Bennett ate it up, Cole required some coaxing but once he tried it he ate it too. It turned out really well. Although I still like my perogies fried, this is a great alternative when I don't have the energy for it.

Green Chocolate Chip Cookies

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day: green cookies! And not just any green cookies. They're made from special green ingredients that will keep everyone guessing.

Printable Recipe

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 ripe avocado

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 pkg of pistachio pudding mix

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup chocolate chips

Cream together butter and avocado and sugars until smooth. Stir in eggs and vanilla. In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda and dry pudding mix. Add to avocado mixture and mix until blended. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop rounded spoonfuls onto lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, until edges are golden.

Well, no one has tried these yet but me. Tony's working tonight and the boys are in bed, but I'm impatient to post this because they're so yummy that I have to share them right now!
Just look at this beautiful green cookie dough:

The green colour faded a bit when they baked but they're still obviously green, which is what I was going for. The avocado and pistachio pudding are what gives it this colour. I know it sounds weird, but trust me! The avocado allows you to cut down on the butter and it has such a mild flavour that you can't taste it at all. They just taste like amazingly good chocolate chip cookies.

Southwestern Crockpot Chicken

You won't believe how easy this chicken crockpot recipe is. It's really tasty too!

Printable Recipe

4 chicken breasts (can be frozen or fresh)

1 can black beans, rinsed

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

1 cup salsa

1 cup corn

4 oz cream cheese

Place chicken in bottom of crockpot. Top with black beans, tomatoes, salsa and corn. Cook on low for 6 hours. In the last 20 minutes of cooking, top with cream cheese and turn on high, then cover again  Shred the chicken by pulling it apart with two forks. Serve on rice or wrap in soft tortillas.

**Tip: If you like it spicy, omit the tomatoes and add another cup of salsa.

Bennett loved this meal, he ate several helpings. Cole didn't love it but he didn't hate it either. I served it over rice for dinner, then Tony and I had it for lunch the next day wrapped in tortillas. I really enjoyed that lunch, it was delicious! I think this recipe's a keeper.

Chocolate Bran Muffins

Indulge in a chocolate treat without feeling quite so guilty. These muffins are combine the great taste of chocolate with nutritious bran and apple juice.

Printable Recipe

2/3 cup milk

2/3 cup unsweetened apple juice

1/3 cup oil

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup bran

1 1/2 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

2 tsp baking soda

In a bowl combine milk, juice, oil and eggs. Add bran and let soak while combining the remaining dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Then add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Stir gently until combined. Pour into greased muffin tins. Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes (for regular muffins) or 400 for 10 minutes (mini muffins).

I used mini muffins because the kids prefer them, and it's good for me because I feel like I totally pigged out by eating 3 mini muffins, when really that's only equal to one normal muffin.

Cole had been bugging me to make chocolate muffins for the longest time. I don't know where he got the idea from, but he was determined that I was going to make them for him. So finally I caved and whipped up  these muffins. I tried to make them somewhat nutritious by using bran and cut down on the refined sugar by using apple juice. They tasted alright, but a little boring. Chocolate chips probably would have helped but I didn't have any. So Cole suggested chocolate on top of them. I happened to have a bar of dark chocolate, so I microwaved a few squares and spread it on top of the muffins. Then they looked like this:

Thank you Cole, you're a smart kid.

Messy, but still smart.

Cheesy Pesto Loaf

This bread is a great accompaniment to pasta, soup or stew.  It's a nice change from the usual garlic bread.

Printable Recipe

1 round sourdough loaf

1/2 cup mayonaise

1 tbsp basil pesto

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Cut loat into 8 wedges, leaving attached at the very bottom. Mix mayo, pesto and cheese. Spread pesto mixture in spaces between wedges of bread. cover in tin foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes.

We had this with spaghetti and salad one night. The only problem was the boys just wanted to eat the bread and nothing else. I had to put it aside until they ate the main part of their dinner first.Tony and I both scraped off some of the spread and just left a very thin layer. We do the same thing with garlic bread, we're weird that way. I guess we tend to like the actual bread more than what goes on it. A little goes a long way.

Shredded Chicken Quesadillas

A simple and tasty quesadilla made with shredded chicken and cheese.

Printable Recipe

2 chicken breasts

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

6 medium flour tortillas

Cook chicken on an indoor grill or frying pan until no longer pink inside. Place chicken in a large bowl and pull it apart using 2 forks to shred it.  Add spices and mix until combined. Spoon onto tortillas; sprinkle with cheese. Top each with another tortilla. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Cut quesadillas into wedges and serve with sour cream, salsa, and guacamole.

Guacamole:

1 avocado

1 tsp lime juice

1 tsp southwest chipotle seasoning (Mrs Dash)

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp salt

While the quesadillas are baking, mash up avocado in a bowl. Stir in lime juice, seasoning, garlic salt and salt. Serve with quesadillas.

As I've mention before, my kids love to dip their food. So I put little piles of guacamole, salsa and sour cream on their plates so they could dip the wedges of quesadilla into whatever they want. Tony and I spread everything onto the inside of our quesadillas. Bennett was obsessed with the guacamole! I got up from the table to get a drink and I come back to find him stealing guacamole off my plate. He's pretty cute though so I didn't mind so much. Everyone, including myself, enjoyed this meal. The shredded chicken works so much better in the quesadillas than chopped chicken because it sits flatter and you can spread it more evenly over the tortilla.  

Berry Yogurt Flan

A cheesecake-type dessert made with low-fat yogurt and berries.

Printable Recipe

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup soft margarine

2 eggwhites

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups berries (I used a mixture of blueberries, rasberries and blackberries), fresh or frozen (not thawed)

3 tbsp flour

3 tbsp sugar

Topping:

1/3 cup flour

2 cups low-fat plain yogurt

1 egg, lightly beaten

2/3 cups sugar

2 tsp grated lemon or orage rind

1 tsp vanilla

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, margarine, egg whites and vanilla; mix well. Press into bottom of 10"/3L square cake pan, springform or flan pan; sprinkle with berries.

In a small bowl, combine 3 tbsp of sugar and 3 tbsp of flour. Sprinkle on top of the berries.

Topping: In bowl, sprinkle flour over yogurt. Add egg, sugar, rind and vanilla; mix until smooth. Pour over berries.

Bake in 350F oven for 60-70 minutes or until golden. Serve warm or cold.

All of my guys are huge yogurt fans. Seriously, it's ridiculous. We go through a tub of yogurt pretty much every day. So they all really liked this dessert. I loved the yogurt and berry topping, it was so rich and creamy. You'd never know it's low in fat. Cole and I both agreed though that the crust was a little hard. It's probably because I baked it a little too long. I was worried I wasn't baking it long enough because the top seemed kind of soft, but it firmed up nicely as it cooled. So next time I won't bake it quite so long. I think 60 minutes is probably plenty. I'd also like to try this with a graham cracker crust, I bet it would be really good. Then it would be more like a cheesecake instead of a fruit flan.

-Adapted from The Lighthearted Cookbook

Creamy Mushroom Meatballs

This is a crockpot meal made with meatballs and mushrooms in a creamy sauce. Nutmeg and allspice give the meatballs that little something extra.

Printable Recipe

1 tbsp vegetable oil

6 cups sliced mushrooms

1 tsp dried dillweed

1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper

1 cup beef broth

1 can 2% evaporated milk

3 tbsp flour

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp chopped parsley

Meatballs:

1 egg

1 small onion, grated

1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

1/2 tsp each salt and pepper

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1/4 tsp grated nutmeg

2 lb lean ground beef

Meatballs: In a large bowl, beat egg; mix in 1/4 cup water, onion, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, allspice and nutmeg; mix in beef. Roll by rounded tablespoonfuls into 1" balls. Bake on greased rimmed baking sheet in 400F oven until firm, 10-15 minutes. Transfer to crockpot.

Meanwhile in large skillet heat oil over medium-high heat; saute mushrooms, dill, salt, pepper until no liquid remains, about 10 minutes. Scrape into crockpot

Add broth to skillet; bring to boil, scraping any brown bits from skillet, crape into crockpot with evaporated milk; stir gently to combine ingredients around meatballs.

Cover and cook on low until sauce is bubble and coat the meatballs and mushrooms nicely, about 4 hours.

Move meatballs to one side of crockpot. Whisk flour with 1/3 cup water; whisk into liquid in crockpot. Stir to redistribute meatballs. Cover and cook on high until sauce has thickened, about 20 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. Serve over cooked egg noodles, and sprinkle with parsely.

I ended up cooking this for more like 8 hours because we had a change of plans and went out for dinner. We ate it the following night instead. The meatballs were a bit soft but tasted good, or at least I thought so. The boys didn't really like it, and Tony was working nights and i don't think he grabbed any for leftovers because it sat in the fridge for a while. I tried using it in hamburger buns, kind of like a sloppy joe, but the kids didn't fall for that either. It really wasn't a bad meal but I guess it just wasn't to my family's liking. My parents, however, really like this! They agreed that the nutmeg and allspice were a nice and unexpected touch that made this dish special.

-Recipe from Canadian Living: The Slow Cooker Collection (yes I know, AGAIN! Clearly I'm obsessed with this cookbook).

Yam Gnocchi

Since the Ricotta and Spinach Gnocchi I made was such a big hit with my family, I decided to try this yam version, topped with a creamy pesto sauce.

Printable Recipe

3 medium yams
1/4 cup parmesan
1 egg
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 1/2 cups flour

Peel and chop yams, then steam them until soft. Mash yams in a large bowl, then combine them with parmesan, egg and nutmeg.  Slowly add flour until it reaches a doughy consistency and forms a ball. Lay out dough in small batches on a floured surface and roll into a long rope. Cut into 1 inch pieces. Boil in salted water until they float to the top, then remove after a few minutes. Serve with creamy pesto sauce.

Creamy Pesto Sauce:
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 tub of garlic and herb cream cheese
1/3 cup parmesan
1 tbsp pesto
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water

In a saucepan, bring to boil the milk, cream cheese, parmesan and pesto. Combine cornstarch and water, then add to boiling sauce. Stir until thickened, then remove from heat.

Well, I wasn't thrilled with how the gnocchi turned out, but it's totally my own fault. I didn't steam the yams long enough so they were a little chunky. Also after I was done making them I set them on a plate in the fridge. When I took them out to cook them they had become very sticky and were clumping together in a gooey mess. I had to spinkle them with more flour and pull them apart one by one, while the boys whined the whole time. I was sure that dinner was ruined, but it wasn't a total disaster. The sauce was very yummy so I think that helped. Tony actually loved  this meal! He said 'wow, these are really good!' and then went on to thank me for making so many great dinners. He said I was very creative with my cooking and he appreciated it. Aaaw. That makes it all worthwhile. The boys, on the other hand, would not eat my gnocchi, nor did they compliment my cooking. They were really tired and cranky so dinner was not exactly a pleasant event, unlike the last time we had gnocchi. Anyway, Cole did eventually eat it after his bath and he liked it! Oddly enough it was Bennett who refused to touch the stuff. He usually eats anything, but I've noticed that he really doesn't seem to like yams. When I made Channa Masala he had a similar reaction. I don't get it because yams were his favourite as a baby but I guess tastes change. So there you go, I tried to recreate our first gnocchi experience and failed miserably. I just have to learn from my mistakes and keep trying; that's what cooking is all about.

Tiramisu

A non-alcoholic version of this classic Italian dessert. It's heavenly!

Printable Recipe

4 eggs, separated

3/4 cup sugar

2-8oz packages of light cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup coffee

3 tbsp hot chocolate mix

1 pkg lady fingers

2 1oz squares semi-sweet chocolate, finely grated

Beat yolks in medium size bowl, adding sugar gradually until well mized. Add cream cheese and mix well. Beat egg whites in deep bowl until soft peaks form. Fold into cheese mixture. Spread 1/4 of cheese mixture into 12 cup large bowl. Combine coffee and hot chocolate mix. Dip lady fingers into coffee mixture and cover cheese layer. Repeat 3 times spinkling shaved chocolate on each layer and ending with cheese and chocolate. Refrigerate 6 hours or overnight. Serve chilled.

I wasn't quite sure what bowl to use so I grabbed the biggest mixing bowl I had. It was a little too wide and shallow, it should have been a deeper, narrower bowl. Not a big deal though, it still tasted delicious! I made this for dessert when we had guests for dinner one night and everyone was very impressed with homemade tiramisu. I was a little concerned about the kids eating something made with raw eggs, so I served it after the kids went to bed. This recipe makes a lot, so I have a ton left over. Tony and I are not big dessert eaters so it's still sitting in my fridge and will probably go bad before anyone eats it. Such a waste! It really was good though.

-Adapted from Best of Bridge (Grand Slam)

Cereal Crunchers

Here's an addictive snack that's sure to be a hit with kids and adults alike.

Printable Recipe

2 cups cheerios (can be regular, apple cinnamon or honey-nut)

1/4 cup honey

3/4 cup quick oats

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp flaxseed meal

1 tbsp bran

1 tbsp brown sugar

1/4 cup melted margarine or butter

Combine cheerios and honey in a bowl. In another bowl, combine oats, cinnamon, flax, bran, and sugar. Pour margarine into oat mixture and mix together. Pour honey-coated cheerios into the oat mixture and mix until coated, breaking up any cheerios that are sticking together (it may be easier for you to use your hands for this part). Scoop out the cheerios with a slotted spoon or spatula, sifting out the excess oats, and place on a greased cookie-sheet. Bake at 300 for 8 minutes, turning them over as best you can halfway through cooking time.

Variations:

Chocolate Crunchers: Omit cinnamon, add 2 tbsps of cocoa and add another tbsp of brown sugar to the oat mixture.

Peanutbutter Crunchers: Omit cinnamon, add 3 tbsp of peanutbutter to the honey and mix together before adding cheerios.

These were yummy! I used apple-cinnamon cheerios so since those are already pretty sweet I didn't bother with the sugar. I was trying to do something similar to the Quaker Granola Crunchers, and I think it worked pretty well. My kids liked these just as much!

Lunch Box Muffins

Savoury spinach, ham and cheese muffins that are perfect for packing in lunches, or if you don't have time for breakfast just grab one of these on the way out the door.

Printable Recipe
1 pkg frozen chopped spinach
1 1/2 cups chopped cooked ham
1 small onion, thinly sliced.
1/4 cup feta cheese
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
6 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Microwave spinach according to package directions, then drain excess water. In a large bowl, combine spinach, ham, onion and cheeses. In another bowl beat eggs until foamy, then blend in oil. Add the dry ingredients; beat until smooth. Stir in spinach mixture until just blended. Spoon into greased muffin tins. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned. May be served warm or cold.

These muffins worked out great for packing with us when we were on the go. Tony and I both took them to work, and I packed them in the boys lunches for daycare. Cole was thrown off by the fact that the muffin wasn't sweet like normal muffins so he didn't really eat much of them. Bennett didn't seem to be bothered by it though, he ate them up. They freeze great too.

-Adapted from Best of Bridge (Aces)

Lord of the Breasts

Ok...that title sounds bad! This is recipe was originally called 'Lord of the Wings' but I'm using chicken breasts instead.

Recipe adapted from Eat, Shrink and Be Merry (Lord of the Wings)

Printable Recipe

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/3 cup BBQ sauce

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp dijon mustard

2 tbsp liquid honey

2 tbsp lemon or lime juice

2 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cornstarch

Preheat to 400F. Place chicken in a greased baking pan (I like to line it with tin foil for easy cleanup). Whisk together BBQ sauce, soy sauce, mustard, honey, lemon juice, garlic and chili powder. Pour evenly over the chicken. Bake, uncovered, for 35-40 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Set chicken aside and pour sauce into a saucepan. Mix cornstarch with 2 tsp water then add it to the sauce. Bring to a boil and whisk constantly until mixture has thickened. Pour it back over the chicken.

This is super easy to put together and it tastes amazing! I make this one on a regular basis and everyone likes it a lot. My boys like the sweet and tangy sauce, so I pour it over their vegetables to get them to eat those too.

Ukrainian Mac & Cheese

This meal isn't exactly Ukrainian, but it reminded me a lot of nalysnyky (Ukrainian crepes), so that's what I'm calling it. Like nalysnyky, this dish has cottage cheese, eggs, and sour cream. Unlike nalysnyky, this is very simple to make. Just toss everything in a crockpot and in a few hours you have a great dinner.

Printable Recipe

3 cups macaroni
2 eggs
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups light sour cream
1 1/2 cups diced ham
1 1/2 cups 2% cottage cheese
1 sweet red pepper, diced
2 tbsp parsley
1/4 tsp pepper

Cook macaroni in boiling water until tender but firm, about 8 minutes. Drain and add to crockpot.
In a large bowl, beat eggs, mix in 2 cups of cheese, sour cream, ham, cottage cheese, red pepper, parsley and pepper. Stir into macaroni; smooth top.
Cover and cook on low until bubbly and hot, about 4 hours. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover and cook until melted, about 5 minutes.


I made this when Tony and I went to an Olympic hockey game and we had a babysitter watching the boys. I made it in the afternoon while the boys were napping, and left it cooking in the crockpot so the sitter and the kids had something ready to eat for dinner. I didn't bother with the extra cup of cheddar on top because I wanted to make it as easy as possible for the sitter. I wasn't there obviously, and I forgot to ask the sitter what they thought of it, so I can't tell you about that. I did, however, enjoy the leftovers very much. Tony took some to work and mentioned to me later that he thought it was really good. The only thing was that the description in the cookbook stated that it's 'super creamy' and this wasn't the case at all. The cheese was more curdled than creamy. It's very possible it cooked too long, I don't know what time the sitter unplugged it. In any case, it was tasty, just don't get your heart set on a really creamy mac & cheese when you're making this. I was just thinking that next time I should try this with Kielbasa instead of ham to add to the 'Ukrainianess' of this dish.

-Recipe from Canadian Living: The Slow Cooker Collection

Tropical Mini-Muffins

Sweet and moist bite-sized muffins made with tropical fruits. You won't believe these have no added sugar or fat!

Printable Recipe

1 cup dried mango slices

1 1/2 cups unsweetened pineapple juice

2 ripe bananas

1 egg

1 cup flour

1/2 cup oat bran

1 tbsp flaxseed meal

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

coconut

Rip up mango slices into small pieces and place them in a blender with pineapple juice and bananas. Blend until smooth. Add egg and mix with a fork.

In a bowl combine flour, oat bran, flax, baking powder and baking soda. Pour the contents of the blender into the bowl and stir until combined. Place in greased mini-muffin tins and sprinkle with coconut. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes. If you prefer normal-sized muffins, use a regular muffin tin and bake for an extra 10 minutes or so.

After having gestational diabetes with both my pregnancies, it's been ingrained into me to stay away from refined sugars whenever possible. That's why I'm so intrigued by sweetening baked goods with fruit only. Yes, it's still sugar and you should consume it in moderation, but the good thing about fruit sugars is that they won't cause the huge spikes and crashes in your blood-sugar levels like refined sugars do. It's a much slower burning energy. Plus, fruits contain nutrients and fibre, which refined sugars lack. So there's my little lesson of the day for you. Now please go make these muffins.

These are the perfect size for little hands. Bennett liked to have one for each hand, that seemed to be very important to him. I made some regular-sized muffins too and Tony liked taking them to work. I made up this recipe in my head, and I was going to add oil or butter but totally forgot, only to discover that they really don't need any! The bananas make them nice and moist.