Monday, November 5th, 2012

So here is their after school "snack" - chicken fries, diced apples, tostidos, cookies. Yes, my kids are STARVING after school and Yes, I make them a mini meal for their after school snack (Yes, I think I only cook and clean and drive some days!)
So on Mondays, here is our schedule:
          3:00     School's out
          3:30 - 4:00     Eva's private swimming lesson
          4:00 - 4:30     Triplet's private swimming lesson
          5:00 - 6:00     Eddie - basketball
          4:30 - 6:30     Ella and Joey in Kids Club
          5:30 - 6:30     Eva - Swim Club
So now you see why they get a mini meal after school. And still, Eddie and Eva get a Zone Bar and a bottle of water!  And you can also see why dinner needs to be ready and servable as soon as we get home!

          Well, the picture isn't very pretty, but it was tasty!! I did the chicken in the slow cooker. Here's where I got the idea for the Paprika Chicken Stew with Potato Pierogies.   The kids loved it, but hey, we're a pierogies with bacon kind of family! I didn't make the stew because my kids won't eat carrots, but I think the next time I will try the stew (without the carrots!)

Wednesday, Nov 10, 2010

Today we ate:
Breakfast: Cheerios with bananas
Lunch: Beef Ravioli's
Dinner: Garlic Parmesan Chicken with rice and green beans
Eva's Snack: Strawberry Go-gurt, celery with peanut butter, whole wheat Ritz crackers.
In case you're wondering, Eva eats in a rut. Trust me, this is the girl who HATES all breakfast food and it was near impossible to get her to eat breakfast, until the 2nd week of school this year when I said yes, she could have a bean burrito for breakfast (because I was sooo tired of fighting!) And she's been eating one every morning since! (and has been doing really good in school, too!) And since she doesn't drink milk, I give her her favorite (hfcs free) yogurt and a piece of string cheese. She wants goldfish and Ritz crackers and I make sure they're whole wheat or whole grain. I can't be too adventurous with her or she won't eat, sigh. So yeah, they can be boring, but it reminds me of what worked, what didn't, and what I did yesterday, lol.

I changed lunch because I was out of mac & cheese, but thankfully had beef ravioli's! Then hubby called to say he got paid today, since tomorrow is a bank holiday. Yeah! Because I didn't have enough chicken for tonight's dinner (thought I did, but when I went to get it out, I didn't!) So I went to the grocery store to get those (and they were on sale, whew!) and some panko bread crumbs, which were also on sale. Got the chicken, but not the panko, since they were out. And this ended up being a good thing. I toasted 6 pieces of whole wheat bread, then processed them in the food processor. I stopped before they became dust. I also put the breaded chicken on a cooling rack in the 13x9" pan, because I HATE it when the bottom's are soggy and the top is crisp!! Well let's just say, they were AWESOME!! I did 7 breasts and should have done 14 because EVERYONE wanted more, including Miss Picky!! Joey and Ella, who don't eat a lot, ate a whole breast and wanted more! I am definitely keeping this recipe!
(By the way, I made brown rice and I don't know how you make it, but my kids love the way I make it. For the 6 of us: 2 cups brown rice, 4 1/2 cups water, 2 teaspoons chicken broth granules, 2 tablespoons olive oil. Put in a microwave rice cooker and cook for 30 minutes.)

Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken
Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes Ready In: 45 Minutes Servings: 6

"A wonderful baked chicken recipe that's quick and easy! Using just a few handy ingredients, create a delicious main dish, that also makes great leftovers - if there are any! Serve with a salad and rice for a quick, scrumptious dinner."

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 slices whole wheat bread
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish, then place a cooling rack in the pan and spray with non-stick spray.
2. Toast bread. Place toast in food processor and process until it’s large size bread crumbs (you don’t want dust).
3. In a bowl, pour the olive oil. In a separate bowl, mix the bread crumbs, garlic powder, Parmesan cheese, basil, and pepper. Dip each chicken breast in the oil mixture, then in the bread crumb mixture. (I pressed down on each side to make sure I had a good even coating).
4. Arrange the coated chicken breasts in the prepared baking dish, and top with any remaining bread crumb mixture. Spray with non-stick spray, then gently turn over and spray that side.
5. Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Tuesday, Oct 26th, 2010

Breakfast: Pancakes with breakfast links
Lunch: hot dogs and chips
Dinner: Easy Sesame Beef

Eva's Snack: Teddy Grahms with Candy corn, strawberry go-gurt, pears

Dinner was so easy to make! I got the idea from Hillbilly Housewife, but I can't refer back to the recipe since it was a paid recipe. But I did things a little differently and I added a sauce. If you're going to have noodles, gotta have sauce, right

Easy Sesame Beef (click for printable recipe)

1lb boneless beef sirloin steaks
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup chopped green onions (about 3)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (or 2 tablespoons prechopped)
2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1 pkg frozen broccoli, cooked until al dente

2 cups hot cooked vermicelli

Sauce:
1/4 cup cold water
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups beef broth

Cut beef diagonally across grain into 1/8” slices.

Mix sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper, green onions and garlic in glass or plastic bowl. Stir in beef until well coated. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Sauce: Mix cornstarch into the cold water, mix until combined, then add to beef broth.

Heat oils in pan. When oils start to shimmer, add beef and marinade. Then add sesame seeds. Stir until beef is brown, about 5 minutes, then add broccoli. Add sauce and stir until sauce starts to bubble and thicken.

Serve over cooked vermicelli.

Monday, Octber 25th, 2010

Breakfast: Cheerios with bananas
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: German Apple Pancakes with hashbrowns
Eva has a half day of school today and tomorrow because of Parent/Teacher Conferences. So I still had to pack her a snack, which was peaches, strawberry go-gurt, and a few vanilla wafers.


German Apple Pancakes (click for a printable copy)
1 cup milk
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons butter
2 medium cooking apples, cored and cut into 1/4” slices
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375 F.
1. Peel, core, and cut up apples.
2. In a large heavy ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the apples, cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes or until the apples are softened slightly.
3. While the apples are cooking, in a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, flour, and 2 tablespoons sugar.
4. Remove the pan from heat. Pour the batter over the apples in the pan. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the pancake is lightly browned and puffy.
5. Remove the pan from the oven and cut the pancake into wedges. Transfer the wedges to warmed serving plates, dust with confectioners’ sugar, and serve.
Serves about 6

From: The Best of Waffles and Pancakes cookbook

Directions for Skookie Pans:
1. Place pans in oven while it’s preheating.
2. Cut butter stick into 1 tablespoon tabs, then add a tab to each pan.
3. While the butter is melting, cook apples in large pan, then distribute to the littler pans.
4. Make the batter, adding an extra egg.
5. Add batter to the pans, 1/4 cup at a time. It takes a little over 1/2 cup per pan for 6 pans.
6. Cook in the oven for 15 to 25 mins, or until the pancake is lightly browned and puffy. 7. Take out of the oven with it’s hot pad. Sprinkle powder sugar on top and serve.