Quick easy morning

This recipe is an easy quick to start your day off on the right foot!

Ingredients:
English muffin
1-slice of a tomato
1-sliced egg (hard boiled)
Cheese (I used white cheddar)
Salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Toast your English muffin
2. Put the tomato on muffin
3. Put egg on top of tomato
4. Top with cheese and s/p to taste
5. Broil for 3 min.

I served mine with apple sauce. Yum yum!

Tutus

I don't have little girls but if I did I would go crazy making tutus all the time. I did make one last night (actually 2) for a cousin's little girls 1st birthday. Let me know what you think?

Korean Salad

This my take on the Korean spring salad. Serves 3-4 people. I can eat this every day. I live it and it's simple enough to make on the fly.

Ingredients:
1 head of romaine lettuce
1 tbsp Korean red pepper flakes
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 garlic powder
1/4 minced ginger
1/2 tbsp of roasted sesame seeds

Directions:
1. Wash and chop up Romaine lettuce. Make sure you cut lettuce in smaller slices.
2. Mix together remaining ingredients and pour over lettuce.
3. Mix well and serve immediately.

Roasted Sesame Seeds

Where I live there is not a Korean market close. I would have to drive for hours to get to one. It's disappointing but it makes me think outside the box.. So I ran out to the store and picked up regular sesame seeds. Roasted sesame seeds are used in lots of Korean dishes. Plus when your making them they smell sooooooo good.

Ingredients:
1 bag of sesame seeds
Pinch of salt

Directions:
1. Place your sesame seeds in a frying pan. No oil! Just the pan.
2. Turn on low heat and stir.
3. Add a pinch of salt while stirring. Make sure seeds cook evenly.

Chicken and Dumpling in the crockpot

My grandma makes the best chicken and dumplings. You can eat them warm or cold. I use to go to her house when I was little and request that for dinner. Yum! So when I got older and learned how to cook (which I am still learning) I tried to make her dumplings. Not a success. It's just not the same. I have not eaten chicken and dumplings for 22 years until last night. I tried this recipe and liked it. Plus it's easy! Let me know you thoughts.

Slow cooker chicken and dumplings

Ingredients:
4 chicken (boneless/skinless)
2 cans cream of chicken
1 cup chicken broth (low sodium)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp black pepper
2 pkg pillsburry biscuits

Directions:
1. In a 4-5 quart slow cooker add chicken, soup, broth, garlic, black pepper, and parsley. Let cook on low for 6 hours.
2. Take chicken out and shred and place back into slow cooker. Do not drain liquid.
3. Open biscuits and cut into pieces and mix into slow cooker and bake 1 hour.
4. Stir and enjoy!

Chicken Bake Pasta

You can make this with or without chicken. You could even use beef or seafood but I prefer chicken. I also use Wacky Mac pasta because they make their noodles with veggies so it's a good way to get a little extra veggies in without my family knowing. Ha ha I fooled them. Don't tell them!

Ingredients:
1 bag (12oz) of Wacky Mac pasta
1 jar spaghetti sauce (32 oz)
1 onion (cubed)
2 garlic cloves (mashed)
1 cup chicken broth (I use low sodium)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tap salt
2 cups mozzarella
1 cup parmesan (fresh if possible worth it)
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cubed)

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
2. In a large skillet add a little vegetable oil and cook chicken.
3. Once chicken is cooked remove any liquid. Then add onion and garlic. Let cook for 5 minutes.
4. Add pasta sauce to chicken and set aside.
5. While cooking chicken cook pasta according to the package. Once pasta is cooked and water is drained out add chicken to pasta and mix together.
6. In a small sauce pan bring chicken broth, salt, and pepper to boil. Mix in with pasta once to a boil.
7. In a 13 x 9 pan add half the pasta mix.
8. Top pasta with 1 cup of mozzarella and 1/2 cup Parmesan.
9. Top cheese with remainder of the pasta.
10. Top pasta with remainder of mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover and make in oven for 20 minutes.
11. Take tin foil off after 20 minutes and bake for 5 minutes. Enjoy!

Weekly Meal Plan

Hey everyone or anyone who reads this. I am a freak for organization, trying to keep this clean, saving money, and many more. So for the past 2 months now I have been making a weekly meal plan. I try to stick to this as best as possible and have found several plus sides. First I save money because I am not randomly purchasing ingredients that I don't know what to do with and not running to the store to get extra item that I didn't get the first time. Second, the convenience of knowing every night when I get home of what to make instead of opening the fridge and thinking "What to make? There is no food in here, let's just go out". that is what happened with our family. Last, we cut out most of the junk. My kids are eating healthy home cooked meals every night. Love it!

I have had several friends of mine on Facebook have asked me what and how I do it? Simple enough. It takes me about 10 minutes to look up recipes and get my grocery list together. I tend to try to get recipes that I can buy in season or meat in bulk. We also have decided to do meatless Monday's to help with cost and it's good for us. My family is a meat family though so its hard. Lol! Once I get my recipes and grocery list together I go to the store and pick up most of the items but leave the produce to get through out the week. I prefer fresh produce.

If you have 10 minutes that you can spare a week, try it. See what you think.

Beautiful day for soccer

Today was suppose to be a nasty day here. It was suppose to have nasty thunderstorms. Plus it was the first game of the soccer season. It turned out to be amazing. Low 70's sunny and on top of the beautiful weather our team rocked it. 12-1. My oldest has started training for goalie this year. He played goalie for the first half and did not let a single goal in. Second half he played forward and scored 5 goals. He worked his butt off and I am so proud. Way to go honey.

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Who doesn't love pancakes? Who doesn't live cinnamon rolls? Combine them together and you have very happy family or at least I did. Pair it with some OJ and your good.

 

Ingredients:
1 stick of butter (cut in half)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 ounces cream cheese (best is at room temp.)
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Hungry Jack Pancake mix (or whatever brand you want to use)

 

Directions:

1. Pre-heat your griddle. Prepare your pancake mix and set aside.
2. Make the cream cheese frosting. Take a small pan and melt half the butter 4tbsp) in pan.
3. Take off heat and add cream cheese and vanilla to the butter and whisk together.
4. Once your cream cheese is almost smooth add your powder sugar and mix until smooth. Set aside.
5. Make the cinnamon filling. In a small bowl melt remainder (4 tbsp) butter.
6. Add brown sugar and cinnamon.
7. Scoop pancake onto griddle.
8. In a circular motion starting from the center make the pancake swirl with the cinnamon mixture.    Make sure you don't get to close to the edge or the cinnamon will fall off the side and burn.
9. Once you see the edges are cooked flip over for a few minutes. Not as long as the first side or else your cinnamon will burn your pancake. I estimate 1.5 minutes. Just enough to cook the top of the pancake.
10. Take of the cinnamon roll pancake off and drizzle with frosting. Enjoy!

This is what happens when you get to close to the edges....OOOPS!

Two thumbs up!! Way to go Mom.

Cinnamon Roll Pancake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Established in....

Found a cute picture frame the other day at Hobby Lobby and wanted to do something with it. Plus is was 50% off. Score so I made a established in sign. That is what I am calling them! See below.

Interchangeable Art Station

So if your anything like our family you have a million art projects, doodles, paintings, notes, etc that come home from daycare and school. Your house would be covered from wall to ceiling with framed artwork. To solve that problem we have an interchangeable art wall at our house. Super simple to do but every piece of art work gets full glory.

Materials:
Picture frames
Nails
Paper clips
Artwork

Directions:

1. Take as many frames as you want and take the glass and cardboard out.
2. Arrange them on the wall and hang them.
3. Take a small nail and at the top middle of the fame nail in the nail leaving a little to stick out.
4. Place your medium paper clip on nail and hang your masterpieces.

Chore Cards

I just made up some chore cards for my boys to use. Saw this idea on pinterest.

Sausage, green pepper, egg muffin

I made it for my kiddos and husband thus morning for breakfast. Yes, mornings are busy at our house too but honestly this only take 20 minutes and then your family is not eating processed food constantly. You can make it with tons or fresh veggies, no veggies, meat, no meat, and so on. Sausage and green peppers is what I had close on hand so those were my choices this morning.

I make a new recipe and ask the entire family if it should be a repeat meal or tossed and never spoken of again. The ones that I post has received the Malone stamp of approval. :)


Ingredients:

6 sausage patties (I use Jones dairy farm)
1/2 cup of chopped green pepper
8 large eggs
1/4 cup of milk (any will work but I used 1%)
1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp baking powder
Salt & Pepper to taste
Shredded cheese (any kind you have)

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 375 F.
2. Microwave your sausage for 2 minutes and cut into small piece and mix together with green peppers.
3. Whisk together eggs, milk, vegetable oil, baking powder, and s&p.
4. Spray your cupcake pan. Be sure to get the sides but don't over do it. Just lightly.
5. Scoop in sausage and green pepper fixture into each cupcake section.
6. Pour egg mixture on top.
7. Sprinkle cheese on top. As much or as little as you want.
8. Put into oven and bake for 15-17 minutes.
9. Enjoy and eat!

Groovy cookies

Tonight for a quick treat the boys and I sugar cookies. Feeling a little groovy we decided to make them tie dyed. Super fun and easy to do.

Ingredients:
Sugar cookie mix
Food coloring

Directions:
Make your sugar cookies according to your package. Then divide them into 4 separate dishes. Add your colors and mix well. Next you combine the colors and roll cookie dough into a log or straight line. Use a knife to cut the cookies (1 inch apart). Place on cookies on baking sheet and bake according to package.

Taco Pizza

Ever been to Happy Joes pizza? If not you need to try it. Their taco pizza is the best and they have a taco supreme that's to die for. This is my take on their taco pizza and I have to quote my sister and husband "this is much better the ordered pizza because it's fresh and the flavors are perfect" and "best pizza I have ever had".

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef (use the leanest one you can get)
1 pillsbury pizza dough
Refried beans
Colby jack cheese
Mozzarella cheese
Taco sauce
Taco seasoning
Pizza sauce
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Taco Doritos

Directions:
Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
Then brown your ground beef. Once your ground beef is browned drain out any fat. Then add taco seasoning and half the amount of water that is on packet. Mix into beef and take off heat. Set aside.

Mix half can of the Refried beans, 1/2 cup pizza sauce, and 1/4 cup taco sauce. Blend well together.

Roll out pizza dough on baking sheet (or stone). Spread bean sauce all over the pizza dough. Top with mozzarella cheese. Once cover with cheese too that with ground beef and then Colby cheese on too of ground beef.

Place into over for 12 minutes or until cheese and crust are golden brown. Once cooked take out. Set aside so cheese can set. Cut after cheese is set.

Top pizza with lettuce, then tomatoes, and last taco chips. Serve with taco sauce. Enjoy!