this week's menu.

sunday:
crockpot bbq chicken
baked mac & cheese
green beans
yogurt cake (will post recipe below)

monday:
potato soup
wheat bread
salad
fhe treat: fro yo sundaes

tuesday:
del taco night (gotta love it)

wednesday:
meatless spaghetti
garlic bread
salad

thursday:
cafe rio salads

friday:
out

saturday:
homemade pizza
salad

yogurt cake

white cake mix
2 containers of yogurt (we did blueberry)
8 oz. cool whip

1. make white cake mix according to box directions.
2. mix in 1 container of yogurt.
3. bake.
4. mix cool whip with other container of yogurt.
5. frost.

easy, yummy, and healthy...right?:)

recipes we love (lately)

oh, you will not be disappointed.

sweet n sour meatballs

To make the meatballs, you’ll need:

1 lb. ground beef
1 egg
1 TBSP cornstarch
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. chopped onion (I prefer red onion but it doesn’t really matter)
dash of pepper

Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together with your hand. It will be somewhat sticky. Form into balls and brown in a small amount of oil.

Drain all but 1 TBSP oil. Pour the meatballs and 1 TBSP oil in a dish and set aside.

For sauce:

1 can pineapple tidbits (tidbits AND juice)
3 TBSP cornstarch
1 TBSP soy sauce
3 TBSP vinegar
6 TBSP water
1/2 cup sugar

In your frying pan, mix the above ingredients until it thickens. I usually mix the water and cornstarch seperately and then put it in the frying pan so it doesn’t make dumplings! Put meatballs back in sauce and heat through. Serve over rice and thoroughly enjoy!

we had these with rice and yummy frozen green beans (the petite long ones) fried in oil, butter, and garlic. mmmm!

got it at www.sugardoodle.net/melsrecipes/

tomato and basil pasta

1/2 lb. whole grain angel hair pasta (I like Barilla)

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoons minced fresh garlic

1 tablespoon dried or 1/2 chopped cup fresh basil

pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

2 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese (plus more for passing)

Bring large pot of water to boil. Add pasta and cook until dente. Drain pasta in colander and let it rest there for now. To the same cooking pot, add butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add dried basil (add fresh basil at the end), crushed red pepper flakes, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Stir in tomatoes with juices. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes. (Add fresh basil now if using.) Add pasta back to pot and toss to coat. Stir in parmesan. Pass more parmesan at the table.

I used spaghetti instead of angelhair (just don't like the texture) and dried basil instead of fresh (just couldn't find it at the store). I made a good salad and homemade garlic bread. it's a keeper. it also makes a TON. we still have leftovers after eating it for lunch the next day.:)

got it at prudencepennywise.blogspot.com

I did it!

I organized my recipes.

I'm embarrassed to admit (but what the heck? it's just the www;)), but for the past...7 years I've been keeping my recipes stuffed in this little gummy bear tin and loose in a byu creamery plastic bag. aughhh! so every time I wanted to make something, I'd have to pull them all out (they were really stuffed) and sort through them. luckily I knew what color post-its some of them were on.;)

so my sweet hub went to kmart today and got me a huge binder and sheet protectors (high class, I know). someday I'll alphabetize 'em or recopy them, but for now they're just in sheet protectors. but hello, major improvement. so now if anyone wants a recipe of mine, it'll be pretty quick to find. yay. feeling a little more quality.:)

a hypothetical.

some days I post twice!:)

so, I have this idea. I'm a freezer cooking girl. I love anything you can make and then freeze. totally simplifies my life.

you know those break n bake cookies? they're pretty good, really. but kind of expensive and let's be honest--you can make a better cookie than that, right?:)

there are 3 of us now, but only 2 of us eat normal food, and because of that, big batches of things totally go to waste. I can't tell you how many perfectly good cookies I've thrown away once they get a little too hard to be yummy.

SO. while I'm sure you could bake cookies and then freeze them, I am going to attempt my own break n bakes. because MMM. wouldn't it be awesome to be able to have fresh baked cookies (YOUR cookies) without having to mix up the dough everytime?

I'm going to try it. I'll let you know.:)

sporadic...

sorry! with a new baby, some days...I don't post.:)

anyway! I tried the popcorn and it was great! I'd half the batch unless you're making it for an army, though. luckily my father-in-law was in town and helped us out.:) haven't made the cupcakes yet...let me know if you do!

I haven't posted in so long I don't even know where to start! I guess I'll pass on some of my favorite food blogs. man, people are totally talented in the kitchen! be sure to check some of them out. they're where I get almost all of my "dying to try"s!

1. prudence pennywise
this mom's trying to cook GREAT food on a budget (aren't we all?). she's super creative around holiday time, especially.

2. pioneer woman
her recipes always make me want to get to the grocery store FAST. and she's funny.:)

3. picky palate
a mom of picky kids. she has some awesome recipes. she's actually been on the food network!

4. this week for dinner
this gal posts weekly menus and invites others to do the same. she also has lots of recipes and tips for cooking.

5. jadi's recipes
this is a new find. super mom, I tell you (check out her homemaking blog--she has some kind of preschool and has TONS of craft ideas!). I'm dying to try her chocolate zucchini bread.:)

I find other recipes on random blogs. I'm kind of a blog surfer.:) I also love the food network for recipes for something I know I want to make (chicken parm, twice baked potatoes, etc.). they usually have LOTS of options and you can pick what looks best to you.