Free Coloring Sheets and Recipes

Here's a link from Taste of Home to some cute cooking coloring sheets for kids with recipes that are fun to make with your kids.

Instant Pancake Mix

I've struggled for a long time on deciding what I want to do for pancakes...I want them healthy, I want my husband to like them (and not make jokes about them), I want them to be easy, and I don't want them to cost a fortune. Is that asking too much?

I've done the box mix that I love but it's pricey and sometimes the tops flip off....long story but that's where the jokes come in....
I've done the fully from scratch- good, but a lot of work when I'm wanting something quicker....
I've done the whole wheat flour- turns out like a...mmm, how do I describe it???
I've done the whole wheat pastry flour- turns out good but have to make it from scratch
I've done the white flour, but it's not a whole grain...
I've done the healthy blender versions (even gluten free with brown rice)...not so much my thing

So, I've finally decided on making my own dry mix (nice and fast in the morning) that is healthy (uses whole wheat pastry flour) and is cheaper to make (saves me money) and it taste great (made from scratch)!

for the dry mix:
6 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp baking powder
1 tbs salt
2 tbs sugar

Mix the dry mix together and store in your pantry up to 3 months. Be sure you are using fresh baking powder. (Baking powder has an open shelf life of 6 months.)

When you are ready to make pancakes, take out your mix from the pantry and add to 1 cup of mix:
1 egg
1 c buttermilk (or milk)

Whisk it well and let it rest for about 5 minutes while you prep the griddle. You can also make a double batch if desired using 2 cups of mix, 2 eggs, and 2 cups buttermilk (or milk).

I'm going to try doing 1 cup of ground oats with 5 cups flour for the mix next time but for now, this turned out wonderful. If you don't have buttermilk on hand, mix 1 part milk to 1 part lemon juice or just use milk.

Kitchen Tip- apple containers

This is really a Christmas tip....
I buy some of my organic apples at Costco in those nifty plastic containers that are a huge trash waste. But, here is a way to recycle them. I use them to store my Christmas tree ornaments. They are wonderful for this and protect them without any paper or packing. I've done this for years! If you like this idea, start saving them now instead of tossing them and next year when you take down your tree you can fill the containers with your glass ornaments.

I'm trying to come up with other ways to use these containers...
-transporting popcorn balls to a party
-transporting caramel dipped apples
-storing baseballs?
-storing round candles
-they would make great craft trays for art projects
-store styrofoam balls in for crafts

Anyone have any other ideas for recycling these?

Kitchen Tips - Grocery Lists

Making a grocery list WITH your meal planning all on one page can be an organizational life saver....




Here are some Grocery List that you can click and print for free. The first one is the one I made for myself and used years ago. I would list out our meals and then circle what I needed at the store to make our meals.


















This second one I made with blanks so you can fill in your own grocery list items by category. There is room to list breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner items on the right side for one week.



















I also made a blank one that has room to fill in breakfast, lunch, dinners, and snacks for two weeks!

Trader Joe's

Want a Trader Joe's in your area but don't have one? Fill out this form regularly to request that they come to your area!

Onion Roast

A timeless favorite, but I hadn't made it in years. I've learned that slow cooked meat is easiest to digest and so I've been doing a lot more in my crock-pot since I'm all for good digestion. This is the first roast my mom taught me to make and I had forgotten just how good it is.

1 chuck roast (or other tough cut)
1 envelope onion soup mix

Sprinkle onion soup mix over roast in crock-pot. Cook on low till tender with a fork. Crock-pots vary so anywhere from 6-10 hours. Don't forget to throw some Idaho bakers wrapped in foil on top of your roast.

This meat makes a nice BBQ shredded beef sandwich for leftovers.

Pepperoni Pizza Grilled Cheese and Soup

This amazing combo has a pepperoni pizza flavor...by adding pepperoni to the timeless grilled cheese and tomato soup combo.

sourdough bread
mozzarella cheese
turkey pepperoni slices
tomato soup

While heating the tomato soup, make a grilled cheese sandwich with the cheese, bread and turkey pepperoni slices. Dip the sandwich in the tomato soup (the sauce on the pizza) for the complete taste of pepperoni pizza.

Warning- kids are inclined to like this

Finger Prints On My Cookie Jar

This is basically my cookie jar and I love that it always has these little hand prints all over it. =0) Although it's rarely filled with cookies....but rather homemade granola bars and healthy muffins.

Favorite Gadget Thing- Olive Oil Bottle

This handy little bottle sits on the counter right next to my stove that way I can grab and swirl olive oil in a seconds notice instead of going to the pantry and searching for it. It also makes it easy to grab and take to the table with us. We substitute olive oil for butter often on our veggies, rice, potatoes, etc. This handy bottle makes it accessible to us quickly. The cork top allows air to enter the bottle making it easy to pour. There are many types of olive oil decanters or cruets as they are also known. Find a fun shape that you like and fill it with your very best organic first cold pressed olive oil and enjoy good health!

Homemade Almond Granola

I'm making this today and I updated the recipe a little so I wanted to re-post it for you.

This is really good and my family loves it. It's usually gone in about two days. It's great served as cereal, sprinkled on yogurt, or as a plain snack. You can also mix it into your own trail mix if you'd like to.

4 cups old-fashioned oats

1 1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup saffola or olive oil

1/2 cup honey

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

optional 1 1/2 cups total of any dried fruit

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 F. In a bowl mix the oats, almonds, salt and cinnamon. In a saucepan warm the oil and honey. Whisk in vanilla. Carefully pour the liquid over the oat mixture. Stir gently with a wooden spoon; finish mixing by hand. Spread granola cookie sheet. Bake 40 minutes, stirring carefully every 10 minutes. I like ours a to be clumpy so I don't stir it until after it's cooled completely. Let it cool complete. It will have hardened so now you can scrap it with a spoon. Stir in dried fruit. Seal

granola in an airtight container or self-sealing plastic bag. Store at room temperature for 1 week or in the freezer for 3 months.

Variations ~
-try adding 1 tsp almond extract for an extra almond taste
-use different types of nuts
-use raisins, cranberries, blueberries, etc.

Homemade Noodles (fun with kids)

Making noodles with your kids can be a fun and healthy project. By making my own noodles I can also use all organic products and save a bit of money in the process. Noodles can be made for immediate use or frozen in batches for later use. I've had this recipe in my archives for over a year now and finally got around to making it!

You will need:
1 cup flour
1 egg
1 tablespoon of water

Mound flour on a work surface and make a deep "volcano".
Break the egg into the volcano and add water.
Beat the egg and water lightly with a fork, being careful not to break down the volcano walls.
Begin to draw in flour from the inner sides of the volcano.
Continue to blend in flour until the dough becomes stiff. Eventually using your hands, knead the dough until smooth and stiff. You will not use all of the flour most likely so spread the excess flour around on your counter for rolling the dough out.

Refrigerate for about 1 hour to make dough easier to work with.

To shape the dough, either use a pasta maker or roll out with a rolling pin until very thin. Roll the dough out as thin as you can for thin noodles or roll them a little thicker for country style thick noodles. Keep in mind that the dough will thicken upon cooking though. Don't worry about the shape of the rolled out dough unless you are going for perfection. =0) The key to rolling out noodles is to use plenty of flour under the dough and on top of the dough.

I like to roll my dough into a log and then cut with a knife pressing straight down to make little wheels of dough. It's important to keep the top of the dough well floured before rolling so that the dough doesn't stick together when you unroll it.


Then, have kids with floured hands begin unrolling the dough to make long noodles. You can also make short noodles by first cutting the wheels in half. If you prefer to cut the noodles without rolling the dough, you can use a pizza cutter for easy cutting of strips. You can make the noodles as skinny or wide as you like.

I usually make these noodles up fresh while a pot of soup is on the stove simmering. Just add the noodles to the soup and let them cook for a few minute. Excess uncooked pasta dough can be refrigerated in an airtight bag for up to 4 days and frozen for a month.

For extra fun shapes, let your kids use mini cookie cutters to make shaped noodles.

The noodles in the picture were rolled very thin and left very long. We call them "ribbon noodles".

Variations- you can use whole wheat if you'd like to but I do not recommend whole wheat pastry flour as it leaves a grainy texture to the noodle. They work with the whole wheat pastry flour but they just aren't as good as white flour. =0)

The chicken soup pictured was:
1 diced medium onion
2 cooked chopped boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 carrots sliced
2 celery stalks
1 box chicken broth
6 cups water
salt and pepper to taste
a pinch of rosemary
1 minced garlic clove
1 tbsp olive oil
1 batch homemade noodles

Saute onion, carrots, celery in olive oil till tender. Add remaining ingredients other than noodles. Simmer for 45 min. Add noodles and cook for 5-10 more minutes. Serve.

NOTE- Yes, you can make the dough in a food processor using these measurements: 3/4 c flour, 1 egg, 1 tsp ice water. Use more flour or water as needed to make a dough ball that you can roll out. =0) This method is quicker and a lot less messy.

What's Cooking Cookbooks

I'm currently working on making What's Cooking blog into downloadable (ebooks) cookbooks for purchase. Please take a moment and vote on my polls on the left to give me more information about what you'd want in the form of a cookbook. Thank you!

Crock-pot Brown Rice Breakfast

4 cups water
1 cup brown rice

Cook on low over night.
Serve with your choice of butter, brown sugar, raisins, maple syrup, milk, etc.

Comfort Chicken Casserole

This family favorite is a creamy chicken Mexican style casserole that I believe my mom invented. I've been tweaking it lately to make it healthier and a smaller amount.





3 cooked chicken breast cubed (for the crock-pot version I cook them alone from morning till afternoon and then remove them and chop them up and re-assemble everything in the crock to cook for a few more hours till dinner time)

1 package soft taco size flour tortillas
2 cups mexican style cheese
1 jar salsa (green or red)
1 small can green ortega chilis
1 16oz light sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 of a minced onion (or dried minced onion)

Cut tortillas into 2 inch strips. Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl till well combined and tortillas are well coated. If mixture is too dry and difficult to mix, add about 1/2 c milk to mixture. Pour mixture into a sprayed glass 9x13 pan or into a sprayed crock-pot. Sprinkle with extra cheese on top. Bake @ 350 for about 45 min. or until cooked through
or cook in crock-pot on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 4 hours or until heated through and onion is cooked.

Serve with sour cream, salsa, diced tomatoes, avocado, sliced olives, chopped cilantro....

Variations:
~use chopped turkey instead of chicken
~use shredded pork instead of chicken
~use lowfat or nonfat ingredients

Featured Product - Trader Joe's Bleu Cheese

I find that people either love bleu cheese salad dressing or they hate it. I happen to love it. My first love of the creamy bleu was Bob's Big Boy brand. Oh ya, that stuff was good and in S. Cal. I could get it at Costco. Gotta love that!

My second love was Lighthouse brand Chunky Bleu Cheese. Yum and with a lot less preservatives.

Now, I've been introduced to this pretty little bottle....oh my, this is totally different. I'd have to say that even some people who don't like bleu cheese dressing might actually like this! It almost has a ranch flavor to it with all the herbs that are in it. It's not tangy like some bleu cheese dressings...it's just, well, um, I'm speechless.

Bad news is, I don't have a Trader Joe's here, YET that is. I'm still working on getting one here. Yes, I've called the company headquarters and yes, I signed up on their website several times to request a store in our area...but still, nothing yet. Meantime, I rely on my mom to bring me TJ products anytime she travels near one. Thanks Mom!

But, if you live near a TJ and you're into Bleu Cheese Dressing and you shop organic, you might want to try out this little jar.

Tamales in the Crock-pot

Tamales in the crock-pot. Doesn't get easier than that. =0)

Place already cooked tamales (frozen or defrosted) into crock and cook till heated through on high or low. Only takes a few hours on high.

You can also put a small rack in the bottom and a little water to steam uncooked tamales in the crock-pot on high for a few hours.

New Cookbooks

I got these two cookbooks for Christmas and I'm greatly enjoying them. They are both for crock-pot cooking...something I'm addicted to lately.

I'll add them to my bookshelf list on the sidebar soon.

Grocery Budgets

I thought this chart about grocery budgets in the US was helpful as I'm always trying to keep our grocery budget down. I was pleased to see that I'm staying UNDER the THRIFTY plan! Very encouraging when at times I find that it is hard to buy QUALITY food, including organic, and keep the budget low. Surely the high end of this chart is from buying pre-made/packaged foods and eating out.

I hope it's helpful to you as well. Thanks Fishmama for sharing it on your site, Life As Mom, where I first saw it.

Edible Play Clay

My daughter begs me almost daily if she can bake something. She really just wants to mix dough and roll it out and cut it into shapes. AND nibble on the dough. This homemade play clay is not only incredibly fun and easy to make but it's edible (and HEALTHY) so your little ones can pretend bake and nibble away. You can store it in a container in the fridge for a few days and take it back out and let it sit at room temperature till softened.

This recipe provides hours of entertainment at our house.

1/2 c smooth peanut butter (I use Costco's organic PB)

1/4 c honey (I use Fit To Eat brand, non-pasteurized)

1/4 c unbleached flour plus a few tbsps extra as needed (I use white organic flour)

Mix together the above until crumbly like in picture adding 1 tbsp at a time of extra flour to get the right consistency. Then knead it till smooth.

Mashpotato Soup

I came up with this easy and healthier potato soup out of leftovers we had on hand. Instead of a creamy potato soup that is high in fat, this one uses no milk or cream at all (other than what is already in the mashed potatoes). And, you can make it in the crock-pot if you want to.

It's a broth based soup with lots of veggies and mashed potatoes to thicken it. My kids loved it and it's a keeper!

2 cups mashed potatoes
3 large carrots sliced
4 celery stalks sliced
1/2 - 1 diced onion
3-4 minced garlic cloves
3 tbsp olive oil
1 box chicken broth
1 diced potato
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper
2 cups water

Saute veggies in olive oil with garlic and onion until all are tender. Add broth, water, and all seasonings. Simmer for about 20 min. Add mashed potatoes and stir till blended and heated through.