Carrot Ginger Dressing (Japanese Steakhouse Style)

This Weight Watchers recipe tastes just like the dressing you get at your favorite Japanese restaurants.  It has a great ginger flavor, a thick texture, and is amazingly low fat.  At only 1 WW pt per 3 T serving, you will fall in love with this dressing!  Try it with your favorite salad, chicken, or rice dish for a lot of extra flavor without the extra calories.  Here's how Mama makes it:

Carrot Ginger Dressing

Ingredients:

- 1 c. baby carrots

- 1/2 c. water

- 2 T. fresh ginger root, minced

- 1 T. seasoned white rice vinegar

- 2 t. soy sauce

- 2 t. toasted sesame oil

- 1 t. honey

Toddler Meals: (Semi-Homemade) Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Rice Casserole

This little gem is a Mama's kitchen original, created out of the need for more make-ahead toddler meals.  As we've gotten away from making so many purees, we've really started to miss the ease of heating up a few ice cubes and seconds later having dinner ready.  I find myself seeking more and more creative ways to have delicious and nutritious make-ahead meals that can be easily reheated and served.  This one's different than some of my usual ones in that it uses a lot of shortcuts to make it quick, easy, and doable for this working mama's busy schedule.  It uses several pre-cooked and/or microwavable ingredients and the only kitchen appliance needed is the microwave - talk about simple!  Here's how Mama makes it (and fast!):

Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Rice Casserole

Ingredients:

- 1 (8.8 oz) package brown Ready Rice (or microwaveable frozen rice)

- 1 c. frozen broccoli, cooked and chopped

- 1/2 c. pre-cooked chicken, finely chopped

- 1 (10 3/4 oz) can broccoli cheese soup

- 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

- 1/2 - 3/4 c. milk, as needed to thin

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Here's a great salad recipe we had for dinner the other night.  As the weather gets warmer, I love cooking with fresh veggies!  This salad can be served warm or cold (I served it at room temp immediately after preparing it.  I ate it cold the next day as leftovers, but Michael heated it up... so do what feels right to ya).  It makes a great side dish, but can be a meal in itself (I added some shredded chicken and a glass of wine and called it a day!).  Here's how Mama makes it:

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

- 1 cup dry quinoa

- 2 cups water

- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

- 2 T. balsamic vinegar

- 1 T. minced garlic
- 1 T. dried dill weed

- 1 t. salt
- 1/2 t. black pepper

- 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 cup sliced grape tomatoes

- 1/2 cup spinach, chopped

- 1/2 cup sliced kalamata olives

- 1 medium cucumber, chopped (or half of a large English cucumber)

- 3 green onions, chopped (white & green parts)

- 4 ounces feta cheese (about a half cup)

- 1 c. shredded chicken, optional (again, rotisserie chicken works well here)



Toddler Meals: Avocado Chicken Cheese Spread

Here's one of Annalyn's latest favorites.  It's great for so many reasons!  First of all, it's super easy to whip up for lunch or a quick snack.  Peanut likes it best when spread on toast and cut into bite-sized pieces.  When she was younger, I fed it to her from a spoon like a puree.  It's also good with crackers/chips for older kids.  And on top of all that, it's well-rounded and healthy!  Gosh, what more can a mama ask for? Oh yea, and it lasts for more than one meal - usually like 4 or 5!  Here's how Mama makes it:

Avocado Chicken Cheese Spread



Ingredients:

- 1 ripe avocado

- 1/2 c. small curd cottage cheese

- 1/4 c. cooked chicken, finely chopped

- 1/4 t. garlic powder (because toddlers have taste buds, too!)

**serving suggestion:  toast, crackers, chips, tortillas

Peanut Post: Spring is (finally) Here!

Finally, Spring has made it's way up to Indiana!  And we are thrilled!!  After a fun weekend getaway to Nashville, TN, we enjoyed a 70 degree Sunday complete with morning flag football and Huddles frozen yogurt.  I haven't had time to get together a Nashville post, so in the meantime, here's a peak at our fun Indiana Spring day.

future QB

CCA flag football 2030

(she will be 18, we will be in our 40's...

perfect time for a midlife crisis comeback season!)

is there anything better than learning to use a spoon?

not if you're a 13-month old with ice cream!

Working Mama Meal: Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

Here's a spur of the moment true working mama meal from a busy Monday morning.  With about 15 minutes until I had to leave, I was inspired by the Reames noodles in my freezer to make this classic, belly-warming comfort food for my loves.  Using ingredients on hand, including frozen noodles and chicken breasts, I tossed together this delicious meal on a day when I couldn't be home to cook dinner. 

Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup



Ingredients:
- 1 lb. chicken breasts, can be frozen
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 c. diced carrots
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cartons (7-8 c.) chicken stock
- 1 T. Italian seasoning
- 1-2 t. salt, to taste
- 1/2 t. black pepper
- 1 (16 oz) package frozen noodles (not precooked)



Peanut Post: Pearberry Yogurt Smoothie

I love this smoothie because it combines some of Annalyn's favorite flavors, while giving her calcium, potassium, fiber, antioxidants, and all around goodness!  While the yogurt and banana can be constipating in large amounts, the pear and blueberry help offset that (fellow parents, you know how important the bowel regulation becomes - crazy how much I consider that when planning her meals!).

Pearberry Yogurt Smoothie

Ingredients:
- 1 medium ripe pear
- 1 medium ripe banana
- 1/2 c. blueberries
- 1/2 c. yogurt

- baby cereal as needed to achieve desired thickness

Directions:

1.  Begin by washing the fruit, peeling the banana, and peeling/coring the pear.  Cute the banana and pear in to large chunks, then place in a blender or food processor. 

2.  Blend slightly to mash, then add the blueberry and yogurt.  Give it another quick blend and you're done!  Add baby cereal as needed to adjust thickness.

printable recipe

Perfect treat for morning cartoons with Daddy! Love lazy hotel mornings :)

Baked Cinnamon Apple Chips

It's official, friends, I'm hooked.  For Christmas, I received this mandoline slicer and until about a week ago, had yet to try it out.  And then I did.  Now I'm hooked!  I just LOVE thinly sliced fruits/veggies, sprinkled with salt/sugar/cinnamon/spice and baked into chips.  I just can't stop slicing!  My favorites so far are the apples, so here's Mama's how-to on baked cinnamon apple chips.

Baked Cinnamon Apple Chips

Ingredients:

- 1 Granny Smith apple

- 1/4 c. brown sugar

- 1 T. cinnamon
(this makes 1 batch, or what will generally fit on two baking sheets - I decided to make a double, hence the extra apple!)



White Chicken & Artichoke Lasagna Roll Ups

After the amazing white chicken lasagna my sister, Emily, made for us last time we visited, I've been inspired to make my own version.  Since I was feeling creative and fancy, I decided to make lasagna roll ups instead of traditional lasagna (which you could absolutely make with this recipe, too!).  After some brainstorming, I came up with this delicious alternative.  It will probably blow your socks off.  Just like traditional lasagna, it makes for awesome leftovers, too! Here's how Mama makes it:

White Chicken & Artichoke Lasagna Roll Ups

Ingredients:
- 2 c. shredded rotisserie chicken
- 1 c. part-skim ricotta cheese
- 2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided (reserve 1 cup for topping)
- 1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
- 1 t. salt
- 1 t. black pepper
- 2 T. minced garlic
- 1 (14 oz.) can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
- 1/4 c. chopped sundried tomatoes
- 1/4 c. chopped fresh basil (about a handful, keep a couple of the smaller leaves for garnish)
- 8-10 lasagna noodles (only 8 will fit in a 9x13 pan, but it never hurts to make a couple extra in case one gets broken or dropped or licked by a dog or bitten by a baby or any other combination of animal/baby destruction!)
- 1 T. olive oil
- 2 c. alfredo sauce (store bought or homemade)



Mama's alfredo:
- 1/2 stick butter
- 1 1/2 c. whole milk (or cream)
- 1 c. grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 t. salt
- 1/4 t. pepper (black or white)
- pinch nutmeg



Peanut Post: My Other Birthday

 

Hi, everyone, it's me, Peanut!  Today is the anniversary of my baptism.  I don't exactly understand it yet, but Mama says it's like having another birthday.  A year ago today, I was surrounded by family, in the little white church in Malmo, NE that my Grandpa Mark grew up in (as well as my Great-Grandpa Barry & Great-Great-Grandma Hanke!).