Even before we started eating real food I always thought that homemade chicken nuggets tasted much better than what you can get at most restaurants and grocery stores. And the best part is…you can freeze the leftovers! So if you are in a rush simply pull a few pre-made nuggets out of the freezer and …
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Easy Slow Cooker Refried Beans
I think I might be a little late getting on this bandwagon, but refried beans with melted cheese on a warm homemade whole-wheat tortilla is the bomb! Oh and don’t forget to top it with a little sour cream. I seriously cannot believe I am just figuring out how good this combination is. The reason …
Honey Whole-Wheat Sandwich Bread (for bread machine)
It is no secret that I’ve been working to perfect a honey whole wheat sandwich bread recipe for months now. I was not only looking for a recipe that was reliable and tasted good of course, but that also didn’t contain any “unusual” ingredients like dried milk powder or wheat gluten. We absolutely LOVE the …
Honey Whole-Wheat Sandwich Bread (for bread machine)Continue Reading →
Whole-Wheat Tortillas
Have you ever tried homemade flour tortillas before? Let me just say that the taste and texture is far superior to those that come in a plastic bag at the grocery store. Those at the store honestly don’t even deserve to be called tortillas compared to the real thing. And luckily, the tastiness of homemade …
Lime-Cilantro Quinoa Salad
I used to think quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) was a rather strange ingredient. And I vowed to never post recipes on this blog that call for strange ingredients. But it seems as though quinoa is becoming more commonplace, and I am certain some of you have a bag of it sitting in your pantry and don’t …
Whole-Wheat Banana Bread
I think it’s a little crazy when I see banana bread recipes that call for an entire cup of sugar. Ripe bananas are so naturally sweet I actually use them as the sweetener in some recipes like smoothies and pancakes. Maybe it is my new and improved palate, but I cannot imagine needing a full …
The Best Whole Wheat Biscuits
There are so many reasons why I love these homemade biscuits. First of all, they are super easy to make and no special equipment (like a rolling pin or biscuit cutter) is needed. It takes no more than 15 or 20 minutes to make them from mixing the dough to pulling them out of the …
Creamy (Whole-Wheat) Mac and Cheese
Making macaroni and cheese from scratch is almost as easy as the boxed stuff. In fact, I had a reader tell me that she and her husband decided to race against each other - one making homemade mac and cheese and the other making it out of a box - and it took them the same amount of time! And as an added bonus…
Vegetable Pancakes
This is another one of those recipes where you can throw in whatever veggies you have on hand (and need to eat!). That is my favorite kind of recipe because I love it when you can still make a dish even if you don’t have all the “exact” ingredients. Plus if you don’t like a …
Easy Cheesy Crackers
A few readers have shared a homemade “goldfish” crackers recipe with me. I decided to try the recipe (with several modifications) and while the outcome tasted good the process of rolling out the dough took some time and made a huge mess. As a busy mom I am a big fan of shortcuts so the goldfish recipe inspired me …
Overnight Chicken Stock in the Crock Pot
I’ve shared this recipe on the blog before, but to be honest it’s kind of buried in the intro paragraph of another recipe, which basically means it’s hard to find. And now that I’ve realized how incredibly popular this slow cooker “overnight chicken stock” recipe is I’ve decided it deserves a page all of its …
Creamy Mushroom Vegetable Soup (with barley)
How about warming yourself up on this cold winter day with some hearty, rich mushroom vegetable soup? There are three reasons I love this recipe. (1) If you buy fresh mushrooms already sliced, it's as "easy as pie" to make. (2) The pearl barley that's added turns this soup into a filling, one dish meal that you can eat for dinner without having to…
Creamy Mushroom Vegetable Soup (with barley)Continue Reading →
Broccoli Cheese Soup (with bacon!)
If you are looking for creative ways to serve up vegetables, then this right here is your answer! Please do me a favor though and don't lie to your reluctant eaters about the veggies in this dish. If you want to wait until after they gobble it up, that is fine, but please make it known that the deliciousness in this soup is broccoli…
Tasty Smoothies
Yet another tasty, healthy, flexible, and easy recipe to add to your files (no expensive juicer required)! These smoothies are a great addition to any breakfast or lunch, and leftovers stored in the fridge are surprisingly good the next day. The best thing about this recipe (probably thanks to the fact that a smoothie looks …
Tomato Bisque
I absolutely love ordering Tomato Bisque when out at restaurants and was pleasantly surprised at how tasty the outcome can be at home too. We are at the very tail end of tomato season here in N.C. (thanks to the warm fall weather we’ve been having) so we did use fresh tomatoes, but this recipe …
Berry Sauce
You might be thinking…what in the world is berry sauce? Well, it is a simple invention that makes homemade flavored yogurt, strawberry milk, and berry ice cream a piece of cake! All you have to do is mix a few teaspoons of the finished sauce into whatever your heart desires, although I do recommend sieving …
Deviled Eggs
Both my kids like hard boiled eggs, but it never fails—they just won't eat the yolk (and it's kind of hard to blame them). That is, unless I make egg salad or deviled eggs with them. Then magically, nothing goes to waste! Here’s a real food version of deviled eggs (i.e. sans highly processed store bought mayo) that would be perfect for school lunches…
Homemade Whole-Wheat Pizza
I got this recipe from a friend of a friend and it turned out great! Making the dough ourselves took a little extra time, but my daughters loved helping me and once it was done everyone scarfed it down (including me).
How To Make The Perfect Salad
It recently dawned on me that almost all the salads I like these days have a combination of toppings from three specific categories: fruit (or dried fruit), nuts (or seeds), and cheese. It's no secret how much I love cheese.
How to Make and Freeze Homemade “Uncrustables” (plus 3 uses for the crust!)
Let's face it - even if your kids don't mind the "crust" of the bread...eating a sandwich without the crust is sometimes just a little more fun. My kids do currently eat the crust at our house so homemade "Uncrustables" are not something I plan on doing every day, but will I do it on occasion just to switch things up? Absolutely. One complaint…
How to Make and Freeze Homemade “Uncrustables” (plus 3 uses for the crust!)Continue Reading →
Sour Cream and Onion Chicken Salad
I've tried making chicken salad all different ways (even using the dreaded processed store bought mayo), and my older daughter has always claimed that she "doesn't like chicken salad." Well, that girl changed her mind super fast when one day I introduced this combination: Sour Cream and Onion Chicken Salad! This stuff is good with crackers, veggies, pretzels, and even just by itself. Trust…
Tomato, Corn & Black Bean Side Salad (or dip if you want it to be)
This is a perfect dish for all of those fresh tomatoes and cobs of corn that are now in season. One word of caution though, freshly harvested corn does not have to be cooked long at all. I used to buy corn from the grocery store and boil it for 10 – 12 minutes, which …
Tomato, Corn & Black Bean Side Salad (or dip if you want it to be)Continue Reading →
Potato and Cauliflower Chowder
I've got a yummy and hearty new soup recipe for you that's SO easy to make! And the best part is that this Potato and Cauliflower Chowder recipe makes enough for leftovers (unless you're cooking for an extra big family, of course).
Butternut Squash Soup
This recipe has been a favorite of ours for over a decade. Both of our kids love it too, which is always a bonus, and fall is of course the perfect time of year to cook with winter squash since it’s currently so fresh and readily available (at least here in North Carolina). I am …
PB&J Smoothie (yes, you read that right!)
This PB&J smoothie is the best invention for kids since the original PB&J!! Get ready to hear them slurping up every last drop through their straws.
Traditional Hummus
Hummus is an incredibly versatile dish that can be used as a spread on crackers, in a wrap, on a sandwich, or as a dip for veggies and pretzels. I am so thankful that both of my girls like it because it is the perfect way for me to ensure they’re getting protein at lunchtime. …
How to Make an Apple Sandwich
In case you’ve seen these apple sandwiches around, but have no idea how to make them…this is for you! First, you’ll need… Required Supplies: An apple (of course!) Some nut or seed butter like peanut butter, almond butter, or sunflower seed butter Large knife, small table knife, and cutting board Small round cookie cutter (I got …
Chicken Marsala Pasta
This is another recipe that’s been a family favorite of ours for years. In fact, we like the sauce so much we now make enough to go over an entire pasta dish instead of just pouring it over chicken (how Marsala sauce is traditionally served). And this dish is also versatile so feel free to …
Easy Kale, Sausage and White Bean Soup
I've got a "one dish" meal for you today that can be ready in no time at all! So warm up with this flavorful kale, sausage and white bean soup before the spring weather is here to stay.
BLT Chicken Lettuce Cups
I've got a new recipe for you that is so easy and so good, AND it's a great way to get a reluctant family member to eat their lettuce. :) My family scarfed down these BLT Chicken Lettuce Cups, and I loved how it took no time to make (or clean up).
Whole-Wheat Macaroni and Cheese
This recipe truly doesn’t take much more time than it would to make the highly processed macaroni out of a blue box. Don’t expect the same flavor as the factory made stuff though because it actually tastes SOOO much better. And of course this recipe is also much better for you with only a few …
Chicken and Cheese Tostadas
This dish is super easy to throw together, and it's definitely a crowd pleaser. Who doesn't love Mexican food? I don't think it's a secret that our family is a BIG fan and almost once a week we are sure to enjoy some south of the border fare like homemade refried beans, taco salad, pork carnitas, flank steak fajitas, vegetable quesadillas, homemade tortillas, or…
Curry Chicken Salad
Inspired by my friend Amy Bishop with Greenbrier Farms (an organically run farm in S.C.), I am excited to share this tasty curry chicken salad recipe with you today. Chicken salad is traditionally made with mayo and unfortunately mayonnaise isn't exactly a real food. The store bought versions are typically made with refined oils and also contain more than 5 ingredients. The homemade versions…
Cobb Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing
We had this Cobb Salad for dinner tonight, and it was absolutely delicious...and, to top things off, my two daughters (ages 3 and 6) ate it for dinner too!
Grilled Pimento Cheese Sandwich
All I have to say about this sandwich is OMG! It is so incredibly good that my husband and I almost could not believe it. I was momentarily in shock that my kids didn’t like it, but then I said oh well – more for us! It certainly would be more convenient if they liked …
Tzatziki Sauce
This Greek yogurt-based sauce is incredibly simple to make and versatile. It is traditionally served with souvlaki and gyros, but we think there are many more possibilities beyond these dishes. Tzatziki can be used as a dip for veggies and whole-wheat pretzels (instead of bottled ranch dressing) or as sauce to pour over chicken. It’s …
