"Healthy" Peanut Butter Balls

Monday is my baking day.  This is when I make the food that I hope will last a week in our house.  Like snacks, granola and bread.

Our favorite snack recently has been peanut butter balls.  I'll include the recipe, but most of the time I just eyeball stuff and it turns out differently each time.

PB Balls
1 c. honey
1 1/4 c. peanut butter
1 c. powdered milk
3 c. oatmeal
1 T. wheat germ
1 T. flax seed (ground)

Beat all together.  Form into balls with hands. Then, I like to freeze them for about 10 minutes, seems to keep together better, and then put them into a bag in the fridge.

Optional add-ins: mini-chocolate chips, coconut, rice crispies, etc.

I think I figured out once that each ball has about 90 calories.  I like to think they're pretty healthy.  And cheaper than buying granola bars at the store.  Also, since I don't have to use my oven, these will be great this summer.

Enjoy.

Creamy Pizza Casserole

This is total comfort food for me.  Not super healthy.  When I looked on the internet for other pizza casseroles most of them had a tomato base.  This one uses a white sauce.  I got this recipe from my mother-in-law.  There's a chance that she made the recipe up.  She also was cooking for 8 children - including 5 teenage boys.  So I had to make the recipe a bit smaller.  And since I have stopped cooking with creamed soups, I subbed stuff in for that, too.  Anyway, here it is.

Make a white sauce:
5 T. butter
5 T. flour
2 1/2 c. milk
1 c. chicken broth
Melt butter.  Gradually stir in flour.  (I add in some of my spices before the liquid.)  Pour in liquid and stir until slightly thickened.

Add: 1/2 c. sour cream

Seasonings:
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt

Pizza mixture:
Cooked pasta (we like the bigger shells),
8 oz. mushrooms,
1 can olives (sliced)
1/2 lb. Italian sausage (cooked and drained)
Pepperoni (quartered)
2 c. mozzarella cheese, grated

Mix pizza mixture and white sauce together. (Mine was a bit soupy)  Put in large casserole.  Top with more mozzarella if desired.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until bubbly.

Orange Julius

I've tried several different variations of this and this recipe is my favorite.  It came from one of my kids school classes.

I'd like to find a way to cut down on the sugar or use some kind of substitute.  But, it tasted really good.

 Orange Julius
6oz frozen orange juice concentrate
1 tray of ice cubes (about 2 cups)
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. milk

Place call ingredients in blender.  Cover, blend on high until smooth and all ice is crushed.  Serve immediately.

I think it helps to have a blender that crushes ice easily.

Makes 4 servings
170 calories each serving

Total Fat (g)              2.4g
Cholesterol (mg)        9.9 mg
Sodium (mg)           64.9 mg
Potassium (mg)      256.1 mg
Total Carbs (g)        33.2 g
  Dietary Fiber (g)     N/A
  Sugars (g)              32.9 g
Protein (g)               4.0 g
Vitamin A                4.9%
Vitamin C                16.9%
Calcium                   15.1%
Iron                         N/A

Dinner

 Here are a few of my favorite dinner recipes.

My first recipe is an old one, but seriously a favorite.  My mom got it when she was going to College from one of her college room mates.  Best recipe EVER!

Swedish Meatballs

1&1/2 lbs Ground Beef
1 Egg & 1tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Bread Crumbs (rolled fine)  I buy them.
1 Small Onion (chopped fine)
1/4 tsp All Spice
1/2 Cup Cream
2 Cans Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 Pint Sour Cream

Beat the Egg, add all the Ingredients except the Soup and Sour Cream to the Ground Beef.  Mix well with your hands.  Form Meatballs, and brown in a small amount of Crisco, or I use Vegetable Oil.  Make sure the pan is not too hot.  Brown on both sides.  Then place the Meatballs in a deep casserole dish.  Add 2 Cans of Cream of Mushroom Soup to the drippings left in your pan and stir until smooth.  Then add the Sour Cream and blend thoroughly.  Pour this gravy over the meatballs, cover and bake at 325 for 45 minutes to an hour.

Serve over Mashed Potatoes, Noodles, or Rice


Sausage Rice Casserole

1lb Sausage
1/2 Onion chopped
1/2 Green Pepper chopped (Optional)
1 Cup Rice (not minute rice)
2 Envelopes (1box) Lipton Noodle Soup
2tbsp Margarine
4&1/2 Cups Water

In a deep Frying Pan brown your Sausage, with the Onion and Green Pepper.  Take it out of the pan and save it.  Then use the same pan to brown your 1 Cup of rice in the 2 Tbsp of butter.  Once the rice is browned, add the 2 Noodle Soup Pouches, and the 4&1/2 Cups of water.  Let that simmer for about 5 minutes.  Then add the Meat back into the Rice and Soup just to combine.  You can now pour it into a 9x13 Casserole dish.  It is very runny like soup at this point.  But when it is done, it will be a solid rice dish.  Cover and bake at 350 for 1&1/2 hours.


 Meatball Sandwiches

Seasoned Meatballs (Costco)
1 Jar of Spaghetti Sauce
Motz. Cheese (shredded)
Hoagie or other rolls

Put the Meatballs and Spaghetti Sauce in a sauce pan, and heat until hot.  Then slice your rolls, and fill with meatballs, and top with shredded Motz. Cheese.  Microwave for a few to 10 seconds.  It just makes them that much better to have the cheese a little melted, and the buns soft.  A world of difference.  Super easy.  That's it.

3 years later!!

I know that there are a million food blogs out there now.  But, I've decided to try and revive this one. 

As I was trying to put together my 2 week menu (again) I had a complete brain block.  And the site where I usually get a lot of my ideas just wasn't doing it for me.

My food ADD was really kicking in.

So I went through my accordion recipe file (it's all just filed alphabetically and I love it - thanks mom!) and decided to just write down any recipe that I haven't made for a while that I felt like making.

Well, 28 dinners and 36 (breads, snacks and desserts) later, I'm feeling like I have a lot to cook. 

(Tip: I think it's a good idea to plan menus while you're hungry but shop when you're full!)

Since I'm trying to cook with more natural ingredients some of the recipes I want to make are ones that I'll need to experiment with.

I hope that as I document some of my successes and failures everyone will give me feedback and suggestions.

Also, please post your own recipes that are working for you and your family.

Here we go again.  Let's hope this isn't the last post in another 3 years.

Cafe Rio Pork

This recipe is easier (simpler) than the other one....but not necessarily as authentic.
Still good though!

1 cup Pace salsa
1 cup brown sugar
3-4 lbs pork sirloin roast (very lean)

Mix salsa and brown sugar together and pour over a pork roast. Cook in a crockpot all day and shred right before serving.

Cafe Rio Chicken

1 8 oz bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
3 cloves garlic - minced
5 lbs chicken breast

Cook all together in a crock pot for 4 hours. Shred meat and cook 1 additional hour.