Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls

Here's another recipe that I love from I Heart Naptime. You can find it here. These are tasty. 

I have made them with regular peanut butter and with Adam's All Natural Peanut butter.

I have also substituted the cocoa powder for another scoop of protein powder. 

I have made them with and without the vanilla and haven't really noticed a difference.

I have made them with milk chocolate and dark chocolate chips. Both are good.

I always add in two tablespoons of chia seeds and two tablespoons of flaxseeds.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER PROTEIN BALLS

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup quick oats
• 3/4 cup old fashioned oats
• 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 serving chocolate protein powder
• 1 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
• splash of vanilla
• 1-2 Tablespoons chia seeds , optional
• 1-2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed , optional

INSTRUCTIONS

• Stir together the oats, cocoa powder and protein powder in a large bowl. Next stir in the peanut butter, honey, chocolate chips and vanilla. Add chia seeds and flaxseed with the wet ingredients if desired. Stir until smooth.
• Line a small baking sheet with parchment or wax paper. Using a small cookie scoop (2 teaspoons), scoop out 40 balls. Place in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes, or until ready to eat. If you'd like to store in the freezer, place pan in freezer for 10-20 minutes and then transfer to a zip top bag or freezer container. Taste best when slightly thawed from freezer or from the refrigerator.

Chicken Gnocchi Soup

I first made this recipe last November for Sean's half birthday. I have made it several times since. Every time I go to Olive Garden I order their Chicken Gnocchi Soup. I love it.

I am happy to say that I love this recipe just as much and it's not hard to make!

I found it here. 

FYI, I love all the recipes I've found on this website.

EASY CHICKEN GNOCCHI SOUP

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 onion (diced)
• 1 cup carrots (sliced or shredded)
• 1 cup celery (chopped)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 3 chicken breasts cooked and shredded (or use rotisserie chicken)
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 pint heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 16 ounces mini potato gnocchi (1 package)
• 1-2 cups spinach (chopped)

INSTRUCTIONS

• Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Add the chicken, chicken stock, whipping cream, salt, pepper and thyme. Heat to boiling and then add the gnocchi. Gently boil for 4 minutes, then turn down and simmer for 10 minutes, or until it has reached desired thickness.
• Add spinach and cook for another 1-2 minutes, or until the spinach has wilted. Salt and pepper to taste.
• Enjoy chicken gnocchi soup while warm!

New Snickerdoodle Recipe

I found this recipe from Six Sister's Stuff. It was an instant hit. Snickerdoodles are Sean's favorite cookie and he approves of this recipe. It's a keeper.

DISNEYLAND'S SNICKERDOODLE COOKIES

Ingredients

Dough:
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 cup butter (2 sticks), room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
Topping:
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, milk and vanilla. Mix well. Add the wet ingredients in with the dry ingredients and mix until everything is incorporated.
4. In another small bowl, mix together cinnamon and sugar for the topping.
5. Form the dough into 1 inch balls and roll in the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Place dough ball on a greased baking sheet and flatten (I used the bottom of a glass to lightly flatten my cookies).
6. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with additional cinnamon/sugar mixture, then bake for 7-8 minutes. Do not overbake these.
7. Remove from oven and let cool on the cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool.

This Week's Menu

Friday 16th - Chicken Noodle Soup

Saturday 17th - Stromboli (My kids ask to eat this every week!)

Sunday 18th - Mashed potatoes with gravy, topped with ground turkey and peas. And Jello.
                       (Mashed potatoes and Jello have turned into Sunday traditions in our house.)

Monday 19th - Sean's Favorite Crockpot Potato Soup with rolls

Tuesday 20th - Homemade Refried Bean burritos with rice

                       (Also that day I'll be baking Gingerbread Houses.)

Wednesday 21st - Chicken Alfredo... maybe... unless I can think of something else

Thursday 22nd - Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Tomato Soup
                         (Make and decorate Sugar Cookies)

Friday 23rd Breakfast - Biscuits and Gravy

Here's the Gravy Recipe:

-1 (9.6 ounce) package Jimmy Dean Orginial Hearty Pork Sausage Crumbles

-1/4 cup flour

-2 1/2 cups milk

-Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat for 5-6 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently. Stir in flour. Gradually add milk; cook until mixture comes to a boil and thickens, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium low; simmer 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cut the biscuits in half. Place two halves on each plate and top with about 1/3 cup gravy.

Friday 23rd Dinner - ??? I can't decide ???
               (If I feel like it we'll make Ginger Cookies)

Saturday 24th - Ham, Funeral Potatoes, rolls, red and green jello and a veggie side

My New Favorite Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

Becky’s Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

1/3 yellow onion, diced

½ of 1 lb of carrots, peeled and sliced

½ of one celery, rinsed a sliced

Chicken broth, I think I used 2 – 2 ½ cartons

½ meat from one rotisserie chicken

Egg noodles

Garlic salt, a little to taste

Black pepper, a little to taste

Parsley flakes, sometimes I sprinkle in a little to make me feel like I tried to be fancy

Directions:

Add yellow onion, carrots, and celery to chicken broth and bring to a boil (you can always add more chicken broth as time goes on). Add a few dashes of garlic salt and black pepper. When carrots are getting tender, I add in the chicken and egg noodles, and cook until done. I pretty much eyeball the amount of noodles and broth until I have whatever amount I want (it’s good to have some extra broth left in the fridge for leftovers because the noodles will continue to soak it up).

New Recipes

I recently checked out a cookbook from the library it was by Six Sister's Stuff.

I've been in a recipe rut and needed some new ideas.

Here are some of the ones that Sean and I really liked.

I can't say my kids like all of them but they have lousy taste.

Ruby however ate great.

...

I typed up the recipes that I liked and put them in my recipe binder.

I just copied and pasted them into this post so the format is a little strange.

...

 

 

Korean Beef and Rice

(Six Sisters’ Stuff)

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 pound lean ground beef

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup light brown sugar

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

Salt and pepper, to taste

½ to 1 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you like it)

2 to 3 cups cooked white rice

1 bunch green onions, diced

 

Directions:

Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. And ground beef and minced garlic and brown until no more pink remains. Drain off most of the fat and add brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Simmer for a few minutes to blend the flavors. Serve over steamed rice and top with green onions.

Makes 6 servings.

Honey BBQ Meatloaf

(Six Sisters’ Stuff)

Ingredients:

1 ½ pounds ground beef

1 cup quick-cooking oats

2 eggs

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoons spicy brown mustard

½ cup barbecue sauce

1 tablespoon honey

Salt and pepper, to taste

Toppings:

¼ cup barbecue sauce

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together with your hand ground beef, oats, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, barbecue sauce, honey, salt and pepper. When completely combined, mold meat into a large mound and place in a loaf pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

In a small bowl, whisk together topping ingredients and spread half on top of the meatloaf. Reserve the other half for serving. Bake 50 to 60 minutes, until internal temperature registers 160 degrees on a meat thermometer. Remove from oven and let cool 5 to 10 minutes. Slice and drizzle with remaining sauce on top.

Makes 6 servings.

Crispy Onion Chicken

(Six Sisters’ Stuff)

 

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

¾ cup honey mustard

2 cups French’s French Fried Onions, crushed

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a casserole dish with foil and coat with cooking spray.

Dip each chicken breast in honey mustard and coat in crushed onions.

Place in prepared dish and bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until internal temperature registers 156 degrees.

Makes 4 servings.

Creamy Chicken Lasagna

(Six Sisters’ Stuff)

 

Ingredients:

6 uncooked lasagna noodles

3 cups cooked, shredded chicken

1 cube chicken bouillon, dissolved in ¼ cup hot water

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1 (26 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce

Italian seasoning, to taste

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions; drain, rinse in cold water, and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine shredded chicken, bouillon water, cream cheese, and 1 cup mozzarella cheese.

Spread 1/3 of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Cover with ½ of the chicken mixture and top with 3 lasagna noodles.

Repeat layers.

Top with remaining sauce and mozzarella cheese.

Sprinkle on Italian seasoning, to taste.

Bake for 45 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

 

Baked Crispy Chicken Parmesan

(Six Sisters’ Stuff)

 

Ingredients:

2 cups croutons (Garlic flavor)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 egg, beaten

1 cup marinara sauce, heated

¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray baking sheet with vegetable cooking spray. Place croutons in resalable bag, pressing most of the air out. Close and crush with rolling pin to form crumbs.

Dip chicken into egg and then coat with crumbs. Place chicken on prepared baking sheet. Spray chicken with vegetable spray. Bake 20 to 30 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Spoon heated marinara sauce over chicken and sprinkle with cheese.

Makes 4 servings.



Applesauce Muffins

I'm on a blogging roll today! It feels great to be getting caught up.
(It's amazing what I can get done while Avery and Lexi are at school,
Ruby is sleeping and Eli is playing with his cars.)

This blog is my journal so it's really important to me that I record as much as I can.

Anyway, a while back my sister-in-law, Michelle,

and I were talking about how we need to share more recipes with each other.

It's easy to get stuck in a recipe rut. I'm always looking for new things to make for my family.

I recently discovered some muffins that all my kids LOVE.

This recipe makes 15-18 muffins that they are always gone in a day.

So I had to share it. I hope your kids like them too Michelle.

I found this recipe on The Farm Girls Blog.

 

Applesauce Muffins

 

Ingredients:

 

2/3 c. sugar

1/3 c. butter

1 egg

1/4 c. honey

1/2 c. milk

2 c. all purpose flour

1 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

1 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. cloves

1 c. applesauce

 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a muffin pan with liners, set aside.  In a medium bowl, cream sugar and butter.  Add egg and mix well.  Add honey, milk, and all dry ingredients and mix until well blended.  Stir in applesauce, just until blended.  Fill each muffin cup 2/3 full.  Bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Let sit a few minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

 

Note:

 I don't use muffin liners. I just spray my pan with Pam.

I made these use half whole wheat flour and half white flour and we didn't notice a difference.

 

New Recipes

Someone in our complex gave us a ton of zucchini from their dad's garden.

So I've been experimenting with zucchini recipes.

I made some brownies that were just okay. So I'm still on the look out for a zucchini brownie recipe.

But I made some zucchini bread and zucchini chocolate muffins that we loved.

I will be making them again soon.

I've also been craving muffins. I made some oatmeal blueberry muffins that I loved.

And I have several more muffin recipes that I plan on trying soon.

If they turn out good, I'll share those too.
(Sorry the formatting is weird. I copied these recipes from Word documents.
Whenever I find a recipe I like, I copy it into word and print it out and put it in my recipe binder.)

 

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

 Ingredients:

2-1/3 cups flour

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp baking powder

3 cups grated zucchini

3 eggs

1 cup oil

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups chocolate chips

1/2 cup nuts, optional

 Directions:

Combine dry ingredients including nuts, if desired. 

In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, oil, vanilla and zucchini; then add to the dry ingredients and mix well.  Stir in chocolate chips. 

Pour into 24 muffin cups or 2 medium-sized, greased and floured loaf pans. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes for muffins or 50-55 minutes (or until toothpick comes out clean) for bread.  This recipe will also make 8 mini-loaves (bake 30 minutes.)

Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

3 cups of flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

3 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1 tbsp vanilla extract

2 cups grated zucchini

 Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the flour, baking soda, salt, backing powder and cinnamon in a bowl.

Combine the eggs, sugar, vegetable oil and vanilla in another mixing bowl, blend well.

Add the dry ingredients and zucchini to the creamed mixture, blend well.

Pour them into two greased and floured loaf pans.

Bake for 1 hour and there you have yummy, moist zucchini bread!

 

 

Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

 

Ingredients:

1 1/4 c, whole wheat flour

1 1/4 c. quick cooking oats

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 c. unsweetened applesauce

1/2 c. low-fat buttermilk

1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar

2 Tbsp. canola oil

1 large egg, lightly beaten

3/4 c. blueberries, fresh or frozen

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 °F.  Line a muffin pan with paper liners.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  In another bowl combine the applesauce, buttermilk, brown sugar, oil and egg.  Make a well in the dry ingredients and add in the applesauce mixture.  Stir together just until all dry ingredients are incorporated.  Gently fold in the blueberries with a rubber spatula.

2.  Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups.  Bake for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!