Mandys Box of Recipes

Instant Oatmeal (Big Batch)

2015-08-26T12:57:00.000-04:00

I have been making a big batch of "Instant Oatmeal" for the kids. I keep it in a tupperware container, they can just scoop out 3/4 - 1 cup of oats and add some milk or water (typically almond milk) and pop in microwave. Then they cut half a banana in it and viola! Breakfast is served! Easy peasy.

I'm getting ready to mix up a few batches, one for the container and one for the freezer, so once container is empty, the next one is ready to go!

Since this lil babe is giving us a run for our money by taking his/her time coming, I have more time to do a few more meals for freezer and get this batch made up! :)

This is REALLY easy to make and you can omit raisins and just keep it plain and then add whatever toppings you want. You can add more or less sugar as well. Or keep it sugar free. I do add a little bit to this big batch, still WAY healthier than the store bought packages... Cheaper too. ;)

Using dry (container) Vita-Mix to grind up the oats into oat flour

Ground up oats... :)

Add oats...

Cinnamon, raisins and brown sugar

All mixed up and ready to eat! :)

Instant Oatmeal Big Batch

6 cups oats ground into oat flour
6 cups oats (I use the quick cooking)
1 cup brown sugar
dump cinnamon in (atleast 4 tablespoons for this batch)
dump raisins to how many ever you like- or omit and then just add whatever topping you want once you make it!

Stir to combine in big bowl and place in large tupperware. Scoop out 3/4 to 1 cup per serving, add just enough almond milk (or liquid of your choice) and pop in microwave for 2 minutes. (I put two bowls in at a time for 2 minutes and it's usually right now, but adjust to your microwave)
Top with sliced bananas- or if you have no raisins in your batch, add whatever toppings you wish! I'll sometimes add some sunflower seeds after it has been cooked, or peanuts/walnuts/almonds...

You can make this into a smaller batch if you need too... But this batch lasts my 6 kids 3 servings, so 3 days of breakfast... And that is with the 3/4 to 1 cup per serving per each time they make it.

Updated Laundry Soap

2015-08-12T10:59:00.000-04:00

I've been making our laundry soap for over 6 years now! LOVE IT!!! And it has saved my family some money! I've tweaked it a bit these last few months... Added an ingredient..

Why make your own? Well, you only need 1-2 TEASPOONS per load! It doesn't cost that much to make... I think I have about $20 total- maybe... But it lasts FOREVER! I have 3 boys and 3 girls and another baby on the way... We do a TON of laundry in this house. I love that it makes our clothes clean, and it lasts a really long time for even us!

I use white vinegar for the fabric softener! Ew you are thinking right? Nope. It does NOT make your clothes smell like vinegar! I PROMISE!!! If you know me, and have been around me or my kids, you know we don't smell like vinegar! ;)

Here is my updated version of the laundry soap... It is powder, and yes it is safe to use in HE washers! You could omit the oxy clean, but I like adding it...

1 box borax
1 box washing soda
3 bars feels naptha soap (grated)
2 large boxes baking soda or 4 small boxes (check prices, do whatever is cheaper... When living in Maryland it was cheaper for me to get the 2 large boxes, but now I buy the big bag from SAM's club and just dump!)
1 large box oxy clean (I get the largest box which is usually around $10)

I dump everything in a large 5 gallon bucket and stir with a large wooden spoon. Then dump it all into a tupperware container with a lid. Keep a plastic spoon in there and use 1-2 teaspoons per load. Towels and heavy jeans I will usually use 2 tsps. Everything else is just one tsp.

Super easy and lasts! My kids are usually involved in making this! I usually let them grate the bars of soap.. ;) Aren't I a nice mommy? heehee They really do enjoy helping me make this! :)

Mango Peach Crock pot Chicken

2015-08-10T21:26:00.000-04:00

I actually made something in the crockpot BEFORE church started and it was ready to eat once we got home!!! :) I have been just making sandwiches and then a nicer supper, but this week decided to try this recipe out... As soon as I opened the door, you could just smell this, so.good.

Again, I really didn't measure, I just kinda dumped, but have some aprox amounts... ;)

I did put this on high, and it was cooking by 8 and was done by 1:30.

Mango Peach Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas

-Chicken Breasts (as much as you need for your family- I also have been using chicken tenders instead of the full size chicken breasts. They seem to cook so much easier and faster.)
-2 mangos diced
-1 peach peeled and diced
-1 onion diced
-6 cloves of garlic minced
-pinch of red pepper flakes
-1/2 tsp chili powder
-3 tsp honey
-4-5 TBSP rice vinegar (i had the garlic flavor one, so that's what I used)
-handful of sugar
-1 red bell pepper diced

Dump in all ingredients, give it a stir and cook on low or high till done. On high it took about 5 hours, but I bet it was done at 4, just wasn't home to check it! :)

You could add some rice to this (cook in separate pot, but if adding to this, you will need a little more liquid depending on how much rice you put in crock pot), put a little bit of rice in tortilla and then this yummy chicken goodness! I seriously wish this was scratch and sniff because this smelled soooo good!

We just put a spoonful on tortilla, added a little bit of sour cream and cheese and viola!

I'm also sure you could put this in the freezer and then pull out when ready to cook! I only had 2 mangos or I would've made one for freezer and just placed in gallon size freezer bag. If frozen, keep in mind that it will take a little longer to cook in crock pot.

You could also cook this in the skillet, just cut the chicken and cook that first, then add everything else. You may not need as much vinegar either.

Hope you enjoy this as much as my family and I did! Def gonna make this again!

Before it was cooked.... )

After- so very good!!!! The chicken was perfect and just fell apart and shredded!

ENJOY!!!!!

Oatmeal Packets

2015-08-07T21:29:00.000-04:00

I usually let my kids help put these together, but today when I was ready and had the energy to do it, they were working on school work and then had 2 others were making my laundry soap... So I just did it. Here is the basic that I used this time:

3/4 cup oats (they are the quick cooking, I bought a big 50 lb bag at the Amish Store in Maryland before leaving...)
1 teaspoon oat bran (you can also use wheat germ)
1/2 teaspoon chia seeds
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon hemp seeds (I had some that were whole and some that were ground, so I used whole in some bags and ground in others)

I wanted to add flax seeds but I was too tired to get my Vita Mix out to grind them! HAHA... I also figured with the hemp and chia seeds, there was enough for now!
You can also add sunflower seeds or ground peanuts...

Here are some of the extras I added:

*Freeze dried strawberries and dried bananas
*Chocolate Powder Peanut butter and dried bananas
*Powder Peanut butter and dark chocolate chips
*Dried marshmallows and chocolate chips (I usually add some broken graham crackers, but didn't have any)
*Dried blueberries
*Dried mixed berries

I think that's all I made this time..??? ;) I'm going to mix up a big batch of cinnamon raisin oatmeal tomorrow that I store in a tupperware. The kids just scoop some out and then add hot water or put the oats in bowl and add milk and heat in microwave. Easy peasy... Healthy and good as well... :)

All these bags of oats are the snack size baggie. You can add less oats, but my kids eat. A lot. Pretty soon I'll have to go up a size and use the sandwich baggies size! Haha!! You can also store in glass jars with lids and just add hot water, sir and sit and eat... Or even tupperware containers. But I wanted to mix up enough to last for atleast a week if they ate these everyday for a week... But have some other ideas up my sleeve for them for breakfasts! :)

Enjoy!!!

Chinese beans and Meat

2015-08-07T20:41:00.001-04:00

FINALLY got some meal planning done... Only about a week and half worths, but still it's something! I even went to the grocery store and got the stuff I needed, AND I made 4 freezer meals! Woot! But man was I pooped that evening!!! Haha!! :)
Actually 5 meals if you count this one as well.... I quadrupled the batch so I would have leftovers for the freezer. I found this recipe on Pinterest, but I didn't fully follow it because I didn't have all the ingredients, and I don't ever fully follow a recipe. Let's face it, I wing it. ;)

Heres what I did:

*Ground beef (you could also use turkey, whatever you prefer) I had about 3 pounds here
*2 onions diced
*2 full garlic (seriously drawing a blank on what it's called! It's not just a clove, but the whole thing.. Sorry... pregnant brain... ;))
*1 small can tomato sauce
*ground ginger
*soy sauce
*frozen green beans (I had bought the huge bag from SAM's Club, and there are 4 smaller bags inside, so I used 2 small bags... You could also use fresh)
*Garlic seasoned rice vinegar (plain would also work just fine, but I had garlic, so I used that)

Brown the beef, onions and minced garlic. Drain if it needs it, mine didn't. Add the tomato sauce, ground ginger, and soy sauce to the beef mixture. Cook for a few minutes, add the green beans. Cook until the beans are to desired tenderness. Then add the rice vinegar. Cook for one more minute and then serve over rice.

It is really easy. I don't have exact measurements for the ginger, soy sauce, or rice vinegar... I just dumped. It's really what you prefer. Start small and add more if needed. Same thing with the meat and beans, if you want more or less, go for what fits your family! :)

This is pretty filling with the rice. You could also use quinoa if you don't eat rice, and also the cauliflower trick... But with the price of cauliflower and how many I need to make it into rice, we don't do that very often! :)

Hope you enjoy and let me know if you have any questions or if it doesn't make any sense!

Oh, I just took the other half we didn't eat, put in gallon size freezer baggie, labeled it and threw in freezer. All I will have to do is cook some rice and re-heat this mixture! Super easy!

Homemade Foaming Handsoap

2014-12-19T12:57:00.001-05:00

I finally got an empty bottle to make my own foaming Handsoap! Have been wanting to make it, but never went to look for the right kind of bottle...

I had put a bottle of foaming Handsoap that my mom had gotten for me from bath and body. Then it very quickly got empty because my kids prefer the foaming soap! :)

I've seen recipes for this, but, ahem, I didn't fully follow it. ;)

Here's what I did:

Cleaned out empty bottle of foaming Handsoap...

Added about 3 tablespoons Bronners castile liquid (non-smelling) soap

2 teaspoons coconut oil

20 drops of thieves essential oil

Add water, but not too full because you sill need to add the top!

Add top and shake gently. Viola. So easy!

I decided to use thieves this time since we are dealing with cold season and already have had the snotty runny noses and coughs.

You can use other oils as well.

Super easy! Give it a try!

Homemade Toothpaste

2014-12-17T23:38:00.001-05:00

Yes that's right.

You read it right.

No, you don't need your eyes checked.

It says homemade toothpaste.

I did it.

I've made my own deodorant, laundry soap, dishwasher soap...

I've always wanted to try toothpaste, but wasn't sure I was fully ready for it.

Well, when you completely run out and have squeezed EVERY last possible drop from the tube, and you really don't want to drive into town for a tube of toothpaste... You FINALLY bite the bullet and make it! :)

I now have the right kind of oils to make it, the ones that are safe to swallow. I had NO excuse.

So I looked up a few different DIY recipes and found one that I liked.

I may go back and add a bit of xylitol. It's a sweetner. A lot of recipes call for stevia or this xylitol. From what I've read, the xylitol would be better for your toothpaste.

The only reason I would get the stevia, is becasue I can say stevia.

I want to be able to say all the ingredients in my toothpaste. ;)

I had two medium sized empty baby food jars that I used. But had an idea. You know those squeeze bottles they use for melting chocolate and putting into molds? That would be way cheaper than a squeeze bottle from Amazon.. I think I'm gonna get two of those and put it in that. You would still be able to squeeze it to mix it up...

Right now I have two plastic knives on top of each jar.

Here's my recipe:

3 tablespoons baking soda

3 tablespoons coconut oil

15 drops young living essential oil (now you don't have to use young living, it's just what I use, and LOVE it! Just make sure the essential oil you are using is safe to be taken internally. If you need some YL oils, let me know and I can order it for you! ;) ) you can also start testing at 8 drops to see if it's right. I like 15. :) I wouldn't do more than 15 for one recipe.

I used orange for one and peppermint for the other. Some kids wanted orange and others wanted peppermint. Why not try both?

Just mix it up and use right away or put lid on til ready to use. :)

I'm going to make another one once I get my new bottle of theives and make a theives one! :)

How did it taste? Honestly, salty. A little more than I was expecting. But it wasn't horrible. Half of the kids wrinkled up their noses and hurried through their brushing, but they liked the flavor of the oil. They also said their teeth felt cleaner than before! (WIN!!!) pretty awesome when your KID notices that their teeth feels cleaner!

I will check the prices on xylitol and stevia and will prob add a bit to help the saltiness....

I think though after a few brushings, we would all get used to it...

Mine was a bit runny right after making it and then having two more showers from keeping it in bathroom... But it has thickened up tonight. It really only takes a very small amount to brush.

I'm excited about this because I can say everything that's in it! :) and it's realllly cheap to make! And easy!

Let me know if you have any questions or need some essential oils! :)

Let me know if you try it and how you like it!

*note: even after eating all day and not brushed my teeth yet before bed, they still have a nice clean feeling. :) I've read that using YL Orange oil helps whiten teeth...

Enjoy!!!

Strawberry "Cheese" Cake Bites

2014-04-15T17:26:00.001-04:00

Oh yum! These are soooo good! Hubs even liked them! Def make again here! I didn't take pics as I went, just of the final product... But it is pretty easy!

You will need a super high powered blender or food processor for these! I have a vitamix thanks to my momma 5 yrs ago... LOVE that thing! It is soooo awesome!!!! Yes it is expensive, but you totally get your money out of them!

Here's what I did:

Strawberry "Cheese" Cake Bites

Crust:
3/4 - 1 cup almonds
3/4 cup pitted dates
juice from half a lemon

Filling:
2 1/2 cups raw cashews
juice from one and a half lemons
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla

Topping:
9 medium strawberries
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 tsp honey
mini chocolate chips are optional... But I really like a few on top! ;)

I made this in my mini muffin pan... So it made 24. :)

Place all of the ingredients for the crust in a food processor/blender. Process until you have a sticky dough consistency.
Take a small amount of crust and roll it into a ball. Then place it on the bottom of your muffin tin and press down firmly so it holds together.
Clean your food processor/blender (the only annoying part of this process) and place all the ingredients for the filling inside. Process until you have a smooth cheesecake filling consistency
Layer the filling on top of the crust, leaving just a little bit of room for the topping.
Place all of the strawberry topping ingredients into the food processor/blender and blend until you have a sauce like consistency.
Add the topping on top of each mini cheesecake. Add a few mini chocolate chips to the tops...
Place in the freezer for about an hour or until they are set.
Enjoy!

Everyone in my family LOVED these! Soooooo good!!!! :)

Let me know if you made these and how you liked them! Add anything, take away anything? :)

Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

2014-03-18T13:02:00.001-04:00

Man were these good! They are also filling. :)

The kids and hubs gobbled them up! :)

They really weren't super hard to make...

Bake sweet potatoes and scoop out some in the middle....

Cook quinoa (I used a combo red and white) and sauteed onions, black beans, corn and cilantro and spices...

Stuff the sweet potato

MMMMmmmm....

Add some shredded cheese on top and broil til done!

I got a little goofy with dinner.... The potato is the hair and blackberries, eyes, banana, nose, and cantaloupe is the mouth. :)

I can't find pic of them right out of the oven...

Qunioa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

As many sweet potatoes as you need, I used 10 and had enough filling for all of them, with a bit leftover.

2 cup uncooked quinoa
2 1/2- 2 3/4 cup water
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
5 cloves garlic
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground paprika
3 1/2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
3 1/2 Tbsp honey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch, or half a bunch of chopped cilantro
2 oz shredded Monterey Jack cheese (1/2 cup)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and bake in preheated oven until tender, about 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring quinoa and water to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover and simmer 15 minutes, or until fluffy.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add onion and saute until tender, about 4 minutes, adding in garlic during last 30 seconds of sauting. Add onion mixture to cooked quinoa, along with black beans, corn, cumin, paprika, coriander, cayenne, lime juice and honey, chopped cilantro and toss mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Cut cooked sweet potatoes in half and scoop out some of the sweet potato flesh to create a bowl shape, while leaving about 1/3 to 1/2-inch of sweet potato intact (reserve scooped out potato in refrigerator for another use). Fill sweet potatoes with quinoa mixture, then sprinkle tops evenly with cheese. Transfer to oven and broil until cheese has melted. Serve warm.

Let me know if you try this and if you like it! It really is easy to make!

You can use your mashed sweet potatoes with the leftover filling and mix it all together for lunch the next day! :)

Enjoy!

Quinoa Enchilada Casserole

2014-03-04T19:21:00.001-05:00

Kinda on a quinoa kick again... Soooo good, and soooo good for you!!! :)

Last week I made a quinoa and cheese, it's basically Mac and cheese without the Mac. :) The kids gobbled that down!! No leftovers!! Will try and post that recipe as soon as I can. I'm so behind, sorry!! :/

The kids really liked this as well! You can add some guac, sour cream, lettuce, and more cheese on top if you want. You could even crush some tortilla chips on top, or layer some on the bottom and then put your casserole on top! :)

I also made the enchie sauce. A few reasons... I never ever have the canned stuff on hand, and homemade is healthier! :) it really was easy too! I'll include that recipe after the casserole recipe.

If you make this, please let me know and how you liked it! Also if you added anything! :)

Sauté onions, green peppers and garlic

Add some frozen corn and sauté for few minutes

Mmm.... Cilantro!! I add a whole bunch of it! I just use my kitchen shears and chop the whole bunch! Stir and turn off heat.

Take your cooked quinoa and 2 cans black beans and stir in big bowl.

Add your sautéed goodness to quinoa/bean mixture. Stir to combine.

Then add your enchie sauce!!

Add 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, stir to combine.

Place in greased 9x13 pan.

Add the rest of the shredded cheddar cheese to top. Cover and bake.

Not only did it smell so good, it tasted fantastic!!! :)

I added a bit too much of my enchie sauce, so it wasn't as firm as it could've been... But it was still really good! :)

Quinoa Enchilada Casserole

2 cups uncooked quinoa

4 cups water

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

coconut oil (for sauteing)

1 onion, diced

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 green pepper

(add any colored peppers as well, I just didn't have any, but next time I make this, I will be adding those colored peppers to this dish!)

1/2 bag of frozen corn

1 bunch of cilantro

Enchilada Sauce (recipe below)

2 cups sharp shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Rinse quinoa with cold water, place in pan of water. Bring to boil, turn down heat to simmer and cover for about 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed.

In large skillet, add coconut oil (or olive oil), onions, garlic and peppers. Saute til soft, then add corn. Stir to mix and cook for about 5 minutes. Then cut cilantro with kitchen shears, or knife (or break up into pieces with your hands... ;)) and add that to onion mixture. Turn off heat and stir.

In big bowl, combine 2 cans of black beans and cooked quinoa. Stir to combine. Add onion and pepper mixture, stir again. Then add enchilada sauce, you may or may not want to use the whole thing. It's up to you. I did. :) Then add 1 cup shredded cheese, stir. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and then add remaining 1 cup cheese one top. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Uncover after 20 minutes and cook uncovered for another 10 minutes, or until cheese is nice and bubbly.

Take out and put toppings on top if you wish, or eat it as is. You could also place this inside a tortilla. :) ENJOY!!! :D

Enchilada Sauce

1 tablespoons coconut oil

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 3/4 cup water

1 small can tomato sauce

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Blend all ingredients in Vita Mix, or blender til mix thoroughly. Add to quinoa casserole. :)

*If you want spice, add some cayenne pepper.. My kids aren't huge fans of super spicy, so I didn't add any, but if that's what you like, add some! I may add a teeny tiny pinch next time...??? :)

Eat Smart Recipe Book

2014-02-04T15:56:00.000-05:00

I can't talk enough about this new cookbook I got! Well, I got it a month ago and absolutely LOVE it!

I needed a good, easy cookbook to help me get rid of all wheats and pastas from our diet, and this is the book that helped me do it!

I love and support Trinity Fitness as much as I can! They are GREAT and AWESOME people that work there, the owner is a Christian, and has scriptures all over their walls and awesome inspirational quotes! Ones that help you keep going when you want to give up!

They are getting ready to do another challenge, it starts the 7th and goes to the end of the month. It is 100 kettle bell swings AND 100 squat thrust jumps! Anyone wanna join me? ;)

Ok, back to the cookbook. My hubs has LOVED each and everyone of the recipes I made! Plus since we don't have a ton of "snacky" foods, I've been making him the protein cookie recipe. He loves it!

I planned 3 weeks of recipes using this cookbook and each one was a hit with the hubs and kids! BONUS!!! Everyone loved them! Not only are good and healthy, they are EASY!

I've been doing something new, and each night one of my kids helps me cook dinner. All the recipes are easy enough that my kids can help me like I want them too. It is also teaching them about health, so we usually have a talk about the foods we eat when we are cooking. It is a little harder with my 2 kids who are deaf, so trying to sign and cut the food can be a challenge, but instilling in them now about healthy foods. :) It's also our health class this semester! Hands on! :)

There are a few ways you can get this awesome book!

PDF version is $9.99 and go to website to order:

eatsmartprogram.com/books

Their acutal book is $24.99, let me know if you want one and I can get it for you, or you can call them at (240) 776-4135 to see a good time to go pick one up! :)

I was not asked by them to talk about this cookbook, I just LOVE it and want everyone to know about it!

Peanut Butter Bars

2014-02-03T11:33:00.001-05:00

Oh yum!!!! What a treat!!

I put a little bit of melted chocolate on top of these, but you cold omit that if you want it even healthier. I'm really watching what I fix for my family and this is a special treat! :)

Peanut Butter Bars

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup cottage cheese

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup water

1 cup natural peanut butter (crunchy or smooth- whatever you like)

1/2 cup oat flour, or quick cooking oats (bet you could use almond flour if you want it gluten free... or just get the gluten free oats...)

Chocolate chips- optional

Add honey, vanilla, cottage cheese, cinnamon and water to blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Pour into bowl and add peanut butter, sir to combine. Add the oar flour or quick cooking oats and stir to combine.

Put a piece of Saran wrap into a 9x9 baking dish. Make sure the edges of saran wrap are hanging over a little bit. Pour your peanut butter goodness into pan and spread all over. Use hands to make flat and even all over and pushing into corners.

If adding chocolate over top, melt about 1/2 cups chocolate chips of our choice and pour over the top. Put in frig to set and once set break or cut into pieces and place in covered container. Keep in freezer or frig!

We love these because they are healthy and have just a bit of chocolate. Sometimes you need a little bit of chocolate! ;)

Hope y enjoy these!! :)

Granola Bars

2014-01-29T09:23:00.001-05:00

Love me some granola bars, esp after a workout! Need to fill your body back up with some calories that you just burned off! ;)

I have a batch of these, or some other homemade granola bar, always in my frig! Not only are they healthy, they are easy to make and kids can help make and eat as well!! :)

Granola Bars

3 cups oats

1/2 cup cranberries (can also use raisins)@

1/2 cup almond meal

1/3 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup honey

1/4 shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients together in mixing bowl and stir until incorporated. Lightly coat a 9x9 baking dish, pour it mixture into pan. Press down into corners and all over until flat with your hands. Bake anywhere from 12-20 minutes depending if you like crunchy or chewy bars. Cool. Cut into squares and store in frig.

See, super easy and healthy! My kids love these!!

If you aren't into coconut, use almond milk and then se chopped peanuts or sunflower seed instead of the shredded coconut. :)

Enjoy!!!

Below is a pic of the granola bar.. It was my "snack" after my workout! ;)

Mandarin Orange Fish

2014-01-28T10:28:00.000-05:00

If you know me, you know I dislike fish. With a passion. I won't tell you that I've never had a "fresh" crab... Yes I live in Maryland and have never had one. People tell me I will love it. I'll try it... ;)

My hubs and kids all LOVE fish, so I fix it for them and I'll eat the veggie sides or chicken if I have leftovers! ;)

This is so simple but yet all my family love the taste of this! I love the simpleness of it! :)

Easy and healthy, that's what I like! ;)

Mandarin Orange Fish

Tilapia (depending on many you are serving depends on how many you fillets you need)

Can of mandarin oranges, keep in juice, don't drain

Preheat oven to 350. Place your fish fillets in bottom of 9x13 baking dish and just dump the can of oranges over the top.

If fixing alot you may need more than one can. I usually have about 9 fillets and 2 cans of mandarin oranges. I buy my oranges from Alids.

Place in oven uncovered for aprox 20-30 minutes. Every oven will vary on time.

Don't over cook your fish or it will be rubbery and no one will want to eat it! ;)

If you want even easier clean up, sometimes I'll place a piece of foil on bottom of pan... :)

Sweet Potato and Squash Soup

2014-01-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

This is super easy and doesn't take much time at all!

Bake your squash and your sweet potatoes after lunch... Then it will be ready for dinner time! :)

For our family of 8, I cooked 2 squash, and 4 sweet potatoes. But I only used half, and put the other half in a baggie in the freezer. Then all I need to do is thaw out that part for another batch! :)

Sweet Potato and Squash Soup

1 butternut squash, cooked
2 sweet potatoes, cooked
1 onion
5-6 cloves of garlic (less if you want, but we LOVE garlic!)
1 (or 2) big carrots (ya know, not the baby ones...)
milk
sea salt
pepper
caradom

I sauteed the chopped and diced onion in some coconut oil. Then add the diced garlic and grated carrot and saute until done, slightly soft.
Add milk (I used 2%, but you could use coconut milk, or whole milk...), as much as you want. I filled my pot half way full. Then I added my cooked squash and 2 cooked sweet potatoes. I stirred it up, and then gradual add your soup mixture to blender and blend til all the onions and garlic are chopped and everything is thoroughly mixed up. :)

Dump it all together back in your pot and simmer until ready to eat! Super easy and good! You could eveb double the amounts and it would be an even thicker soup. All the kids and hubs loved it and gobbled it down! There was just enough leftovers for a bowl for lunch for me the next day! :)

Banana Chocolate Oatmeal Pudding

2013-12-10T15:37:00.000-05:00

Seriously, banana, chocolate, and pudding all in one and for BREAKFAST??? Who doesn't love that? What kid wouldn't love that?

SUPER easy to make! You can make this gluten free if you use gluten free oats.

I don't have exact measurements, I just like to dump. And if you have leftovers, bonus, you don't have to cook breakfast tomorrow morning! :D

I use a red pot for my oatmeal, so I fill it half way up with oats.

Then I added almond milk (mine is flavored vanilla) til its just over the oats.

A splash of vanilla, and cinnamon ( a good teaspoon to 2 for cinnamon) and add 4 mushy brown bananas. The cool thing here is you don't have to fully mash them because you will be putting this mixture in the blender!

Cook that until its soft and consistency you want it.

Here comes the fun part!

Pour about 1/2 cup milk in your blender. Add half of the oatmeal in your blender and top with a handful of chocolate chips. You can add more if you want, but that's all I added. Turn it on (after lid is on of course...!!!) and blend til desired consistency. You may need to add more milk or oat mixture to blender depending on consistency. Like I said, I don't measure because I know how much I use and how much my kiddos eat. :) But seriously this recipe wouldn't be all that bad to have leftovers in!

Pour into a bowl and top with chopped peanuts and dry oats.

This has a wonderful flavor of bananas, chocolate, and peanuts! Thinking you could add some peanut butter to this, or sunflower or nut butter depending on allergies.

I don't give my kids chocolate for breakfast, so it's a rare treat! I also figure, a few chocolate chips is better than a huge bowl of coco puffs, and if you give that to your kids, TOTALLY NOT judging! I just chose not to give my kids that kind of cereal. You do what is best for YOU and your family! :)

This completely filled them up while only using about 1/4 cup of chocolate chips. The only sugar in this recipe is the chocolate chips and whatever is in bananas.

My kids def loved this and want it again!

Oats and banana and almond milk

In my Vitamix, but you can use any blender! :)

Yum!!!

My kids were so excited to eat this that as soon as I said it's ready! Come and get it, the. RAN into kitchen and lined up! As you can see my youngest couldn't wait to get his hands on his breakfast! ;)

Pancake Puff

2013-12-06T10:24:00.001-05:00

Wanted something a bit different, but yet still very easy, for my kids.

This fits what I wanted.

Bonus, kids LOVED it!

I mean you can't get much easier than this....

It will puff up too. So don't flip out when it starts getting puffy! :) My daughter came to me running saying that it was over flowing! Well, not quite.... ;)

I made a blueberry sauce to go over the top, I know at first it sounds really odd, but trust me, it's so good! :)

Pancake Puff

2 tablespoons butter

3 eggs

3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup flour

2 teaspoons sugar

Place the butter in your pan (I used a Pampered Chef pie pan and a cast iron skillet-both work GREAT!) (a 10 inch pan, round is prob easier) and place in oven for 2-3 minutes or until melted.

Place rest of the ingredients in a blender and blend until mixed smooth and no lumps. You can mix with whisk by hand, but putting it in blender is much better. :)

Pour egg/flour mixture into your pan of melted butter. Place in 425 oven for 16-18 minutes or until puffed and browned.

You can either dust with confectioners sugar, or put a fruit sauce on top. We have used strawberry and blueberry homemade sauce. Just pour how much ever fruit you want with a bit of sugar to make it a little sweet and cook until berries are soft. (add some cornstarch if you want it a bit thicker... Just take some sauce from the pan and whisk in some cornstarch. Bring to boil and it will thicken up.)

Cut your pancake puff and pour some yummy fruit syrup/sauce over top, and enjoy!

Easy peasy and delish! :)

Pizza Soup

2013-11-22T08:46:00.000-05:00

Love that this can be either made 30-45 minutes before you need to eat, or slow cook in crockpot alllll day!

I wish I rememebered to put this in crockpot so I could smell is cooking all day, but I didn't. Like I've done for a whole week now... Forget to put supper in crockpot... I'm awesome. Haha!!! :)

Anyways, this is a super easy recipe and really doesn't take much work!!! I was able to put this together and help my youngest with his schoolwork!

You could really put any ingredients you want in here, anything you want on your pizza! I just put in what I had! Feel free to add or take away anything you want, or don't like.

Pizza Soup

1 pound bulk sausage

1 green pepper

1 onion

1 jar of spaghetti sauce (I NEVER have pizza sauce! Never! I always use spaghetti sauce unless I'm making my cheeseburger pizza or BBQ chicken pizza... Then I make my own sauce...)

One big can of diced tomatoes (I buy these at Target b/c they have the petite diced tomatoes- perfect!)

1 pound mushrooms

Pepperoni

Olives

Basil

Oregano

Brown the sausage and pepper and onion in skillet (or if not doing crock pot, use a pot, I'm a one pot kind of girl, esp now that I don't have a working dishwasher... Just the kids and I!!!)

Add the tomatoes, (rinse can out with water and add that) jar of spaghetti sauce (do the same, add water, about 1/3 - 3/4 jar full of water, rinse and dump in your pot.) Now add your mushrooms, olives, pepperoni, and spices to taste to your desire!

Add anything else you want. Anything you like on your pizza, add! :)

You could do a veggie pizza soup too!

Let it cook til all flavors meld together, and if you added mushrooms, till they are soft. From start to finish, my soup was ready in 45 minutes. (Including browsing my sausage...)

Put soup in bowls and add a bit of shredded cheese on top. I only had cheddar, but a cheddar/mozerrella combo would be good as well!

This was a hit! The kids gobbled it down!

Add more water, or more sauce to make it as full as you want. Same with ingredients. If you need it to serve more, then just keep adding til your pot is as full as you want it! :)

Enjoy!!!

Brown the sausage, peppers and onions til completely browned...

All ingredients in pot, just need to add more liquid!

Done and super yummy and easy!!! :)

Oatmeal Chia Pudding

2013-02-05T15:09:00.001-05:00

Wow!! This is really good!!! I dislike oatmeal, with a passion, I've said that before, I know. ;) But this, this is really yummy and super bummed I only got ONE bite!!! :/ I mixed this up last night for the kids and was just hoping they would like it, not knowing how it would turn out. But knew they like cold oatmeal so this isn't that different, just added some chia seeds to make it kinda it thick!

Chia pudding is pretty good by itself, but these added ingredients just make it that much better! :D Let me know if you try it, add anything and how you like it! :)

I mixed this up in the Pampered Chef batter bowl...

Oatmeal Chia Pudding

2 cups oats (not instant)
6-8 tablespoons chia seeds (my measurements were used by a soup spoon which is a tablespoon ;))
3 soup laddles of homemade yogurt (or 3 small containers of vanilla yogurt)
Vanilla almond milk (I used Aldis brand)

Put all ingredients in bowl except for milk and stir to combine... I didn't measure the milk but I added it up to the 6 cup line. (I have half a gallon container and I used half of it!)
Stir to combine, cover and place in frig overnight!
Serve with fresh fruit or frozen berries...

You could totally added some cinnamon, cocoa powder (make sure to add pure maple syrup or honey to sweeten it a bit), chocolate chips...

You can really add anything and everything to this! The kids literally gobbled this down and they all were asking for more after they had seconds!! :) will make a bigger batch next time!! I really want to make it again tomorrow but we have to be out of the house by 6 am to head to Children's Hospital in DC to get 2 of my kids hearing aides checked... Maybe Thursday...? ;)

(I cooked each kid an egg to go with...)

Let me know what you think and how you like it! Let me know if you added anything! :)
I didn't add any sugar to this! :)

Crunch Wraps

2012-11-14T20:48:00.001-05:00

I found this recipe on pinterest, and I am not sure of the link...
We all love tacos or anything that resembles tacos around here! Thankful the new additions love them as well! Thankful they eat everything I put in front of them! :)

Pretty simple ingredients and pretty easy assemble. I don't have measurements, and I've also used black beans... Will explain that way at the bottom so it makes sense! :)

Here's how I made these and they loved them!!!

I used the large size of the Mission brand tacos for this.

Place a taco on counter and add a layer of ground beef or turkey or black beans that have been seasoned with taco seasoning.
Then add some shredded cheddar cheese, or liquid cheese... Like the salsa queso (sp?) stuff. :)
Next you are going to add some crunched up tortilla chips, some sour cream and lettuce.
I didn't have any tomatoes or I would've added those. :)
Next you will fold a little of each side up over the goodies in the middle and go all the way around.
Heat up some coconut oil in the skillet and fry til golden brown on each side. I did folded side down first. Then flipped over.
They are sooooo good and so much healthier than the ones you buy at Taco Bell!! ;) it doesn't take too much work to put together either! ;)

Ingredients needed to make crunch wraps:

Big size flour tortillas
Seasoned beef, turkey or black beans
Cheese of your choice
Crunched tortilla chips
Chopped lettuce
Sour cream
Chopped tomatoes

It all depends on how many you want to make for how much meat, etc you will need. :)

Enjoy and let me know how you like them!!! :)

ps I think my pictures are out of order, again... Sorry... I make them in order and BAM, they are out of order.... :/

Sloppy Lentils

2012-11-13T16:05:00.001-05:00

If you are following my other blog you know I'm all about monthly menus and saving money!
I tried something new. We had a little extra money so I asked my hubs if he cared if I tried something new. Buying extra for the end of the month and doing some freezer meals.
Before we brought home 2 extra kids I would spend right at or under $100 a week on groceries which included toiletries. Now we are spending a bit more because well, they are kids and eat more than a younger child would! ;)
I tried to plan out a few meals but it was kinda hard and wasn't fully recovered from jet lag yet. So it didn't fully work... ;)
So this month I actually got going and planned everything out and was ready! I spent right about $350 for all the food and toiletries we needed. Now, almost 2 weeks later we are still fine with food and I still have extra stuff! I did buy about $25 worth of food bc I was low on eggs, bread, tortillas, etc...
I still have meat and food in my freezer for meals and I'm still preparing food for the freezer! Woot!!!
I didn't have time to prepare everything in one day, there just isn't time for me to do that yet. But hoping next time I can get my kids involved and helping bc I know they would LOVE to do that!

Ok, onto the recipe... I made a big recipe of this, I bought 2 bags of lentils and cooked them. I wanted to make sure I could get atleast 3 meals out of this! I was able to get 2 sloppy lentil meals and one where I'll take the lentils and reheat and add over rice!

I spent maybe $6 on all ingredients and will get 3 meals out of it for a family of eight! How sa-weeet is that??? I will need to buy 2 packs of buns for the one that is in the freezer, and will make sweet potato fries again.

Here's how I made it, but just remember, this is using 2 bags of lentils! ;)

Sloppy Lentils

2 bags of dried lentils (cooked, will explain how I did it)
7 8oz cans tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste
10 cloves garlic minced
1 green pepper finely chopped
Worcestershire sauce
Pure maple syrup
Pink Himalayan sea salt (you can use regular sea salt or salt..)
Pepper

Cover 2 bags of rinsed lentils with water and bring to boil. Once it reaches boil, turn heat down and simmer 45 minutes.
Drain and sauté the garlic and pepper in a little bit of coconut oil. Then dump the sauce and paste in pot and stir really good. Add Worcestershire sauce, maple syrup, salt and pepper to taste... Add lentils and stir to combine. Simmer for 30-45 minutes.
Serve on bun, in a tortilla or over rice.
I made roasted veggies and sweet potato fries to go with this!

I wanted to add an onion to this but I miscalculated how many onions I would need... ;)

Super healthy and soooo easy to make!!! :)

Vegan CHEEZZEE Sauce

2012-08-02T10:21:00.002-04:00

I have this REALLY awesome friend who is letting me borrow a REALLY COOL cookbook! She is vegan and we've talked a bit... She sent me a message asking if I would like to look at it and I was like uh yeah! :) I LOOOOVE this book!

Its called Vegan, on the Cheap by Robin Robertson

I'm not sold on soy, infact, we don't do any soy products, just b/c of everything with Skylar. She wasn't able to eat or drink any milk products, so being the mom that I was, didn't do much research, and went ahead and did what my doc told me to do... Give her soy... Gave me all kinds of papers how it was safe and no cause of estrogen, etc... Well... After a year of reading and research, I switched to Rice milk and took soy out completely! Now, to each his own and decisions... This is my decision and if you are ok with soy, then that's fine. I'm not judging, just my personal preference. After doing some different reading on the topic, and talking to friends on both sides of the fence on this topic, this is what I decided. :) Seriously, not judging anyone! :)

So... I wanted to make this the other night but didn't have any nutritional yeast, which I did have some and it was all gone! :( So the kids and I made a trip to Whole Foods and got some, along with some different rice and black quinoa! :)

I'm not goona lie, the night I wanted to make it, I was PUMPED and ready to try it... The next night, not so much... I was thinking, this is going to be disgusting, I can't do it. Even though all 4 of my kids were WOLFING it down like nobodies business! Then my oldest said, hey mom, this cheese tastes different.. I said oh yeah? Well, ok guys, it's isn't the "REAL" cheese you are used too.. This is a more healthy cheese, it's safe for people who can't have milk stuff to eat this. But it is good right? So then I took bite and swallowed and thought, wow, this is good! Of course I made sure I added the EXACT amount of salt and garlic, I don't normally measure my ingredients, but that, I made sure it was exact! ;)

I don't think I could eat it by the spoonful, but mixed with some homemade salsa, it would be REALLY good with chips... or over top rice and beans... ;)

I don't know if I will win my hubs with this, but in moderation I bet he will be ok with it and eat it with other stuff, like in tacos, etc.... ;)

Super easy to make...

I'm still learning on what is vegan and what's not, I think I am getting it confused with gluten, etc... ;) I'm also to tired to remember much right now! Been a CRAZY 3 weeks! ;)

But I made this cheese, and then used our new volcano rice, and had already mix up mashed pinto beans with olives, onions, cumin, and salt together, then had spinach and the cheezzee.
So it was hard taco shell, volcano rice (which I am so buying more!!! :))) The kids LOVED it and plus its fun to say, I had volcano rice! ;)), then the bean mixture, spinach and cheezzee! SOOO good! The kids all ate 3 tacos, well, except my little one... ;)

Ok, enough blabbering, here's the recipe....

Cheezzee Sauce

2/3 cup nutritional yeast
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/4 teaspoons salt (I used my pink sea salt)
1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 cups plain unsweetened soy milk or water
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon yellow mustard

In medium saucepan, combine the yeast, cornstarch, salt, and garlic powder. Turn heat to medium and whisk in milk or water. Cook, sitrring until the sauce thickens.
Remove from heat and add, oil, vinegar, lemon juice and mustard. It's now ready to use. If not using right away, refrigerate sauce in a container with tight-fitting lid, where it will keep for several days.

*I didn't measure my cornstarch, so it was much thicker after it cooled! Looked more like pudding! haha!! :)
I didn't have fresh lemon juice so I used my stuff from frig...
Also used my homemade apple cider vinegar...
And I used water... I thought about getting hemp milk or almond, but wasn't sure how that would taste with the cheezzee... I prob will get almond milk to try it next time!

I do have left overs and plan on using it today for lunch! With some veggies I think! :) Maybe mix in some salsa to go with some pretzels or chips? ;) Or on top of a rice cake!
The possibilities are endless! :)

I got my nutritional yeast for $8.99 a pound, but I only got 2 bucks worth, which was WAY more than the container sold for the same price! Um, let me do the math here folks! ;)
Let me know if you try it and how you like it, or what you eat it with! :)
I also recommend the volcano rice! ;)

Seriously though, get over the fact that it isn't real cheese, it really is good! And if you never had ever tasted cheese, you will never know! But really, I do like it! :) Again, prob not by itself... but def will be eating those leftovers! :)

Mandy's Lazy Ratatouille

2012-05-31T20:45:00.000-04:00

I was roasting some veggies for supper, and they are all what you would use for ratatouille.

I wanted to add something to these roasted veggies, mainly for the kids. They love veggies, but not a huge fan of eggplant. I was trying to think of a way to make it yummy for them!

So, I created... Mandy's Lazy Ratatouille! :)

You roast the veggie at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, until soft. Then just add some spaghetti sauce over the top and then some cheese. Place back in oven til cheese is melted! See, SUPER easy! :)

I got all but the eggplant at Farmer's Market. I haven't seen eggplant quite yet there, I expect it to show up soon! :)

This is what I cut up, I just sliced it up, not too thick or thin. But it really depends on you, how thick or thin you want it! :)

1 green zucchini
1 yellow squash/zucchini
1 medium sized eggplant
4-5 green onions
1 box mushrooms (I had gotten baby bellas at FM, it's about the same size as you would get in store)

Placed in a 9x13 pan and pour some garlic infused olive oil over the top, stirred it a bit, then place in oven at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

Again, it's up to you how "crunchy" you want your veggies for this! And how thick or thin you cut them!

Once they were done, I stirred it again, and just poured some spaghetti sauce over the top and grated some cheese for the top. Place back in oven for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Serve!

I roasted some green beans and poured some Italian dressing over the top. That was our supper. It was enough to feed me and the kids since hubs was away for the night. If I were to make this again, I would probably add one more green zucchini...

Try it! Let me know how you like it!
Or if you do anything different! :)
ENJOY!!!!

Egg and Bacon Bagel Sandwiches

2012-04-20T13:54:00.000-04:00

Yummy!!! :)

I had a friend who was moving and so I was supposed to raid their freezer and they had these small skinny bagels... I knew immediately what I was going to fix with them! THIS!! :)

I had leftover blueberry breakfast cookies and fixed these yummy breakfast sandwiches to go with it! :)

I fried up some bacon and then fried up some eggs in the bacon grease... yummy...

I just put the egg in the skillet and then took a fork to scramble it a bit, but not too much. Fried it til it was done, and put it on the bagel that had ketchup on both side! ;)

Pretty easy!

Toast bagel
Put ketchup on bagel
Fry bacon
Put bacon slices on bagel
Fry egg
Put egg on bagel on top of bacon
EAT!

I'm thinking you can use avocado instead of ketchup... MMMmmm...

You could make these the night before and wrap in saran wrap and then pop in microwave to heat really fast if you are in a hurry in the morning!

Keep it wrapped in saran wrap and you can even eat it in the car! :)

Enjoy!!!

Black Bean Tortilla Pizza

2012-04-19T21:04:00.001-04:00

I made this for lunch, and it was YUMMY!!! I wanted to add some frozen corn to it and totally forgot, next time! ;)

This was SUPER easy!!

I took a can of black beans, drained and rinsed them off, threw them in my small Pampered Chef batter bowl... I then added one tomato, half a green pepper, 2 minced garlic cloves, and then sprinkled on some lemon juice, and a little bit of our favorite hot sauce. Since it was mainly for the kids, I didn't add too much hot sauce. ;)

I didn't measure the lemon juice either, but it was just a tiny bit...

I mixed it all up and put on a tortilla and threw in oven at 350 degrees for no more than 15 minutes! It made the tortilla nice and crispy!

Like I said, I wanted to add corn, and I think jalapeno pepper and onions would be a good mix to add to it as well!

Oh, I shredded some Monterrey jack cheese on top too... not a ton, just enough to give off a bit of flavor.

The kids wolfed it down and I must admit, it was pretty yummy!

So give it a try, super easy, could work for supper or lunch! just add a few things to make it more filling for supper, or make sure you make enough! I only made enough for one for each of my kids... next time I'll make sure to make 2 for each!!! :) Easy and cheap, what more do you want? ;) Oh, and tasty! :)