1 pound bacon
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
¼ mayo
4 large flour tortillas
½ of a 4 pound cantalope peeled and very thinly sliced
¼ cup finly chopped red onion
1 head green leaf lettuce cut into ribbons
Pepper
1. In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp; drain, reserving 3 tablespoons of bacon fat in skillet. Whisk in the vinegar, sugar and mustard; season with pepper. Transfer into medium bowl. Finly chop the bacon.
2. Spread the mayo on tortillas. Layer the bacon, cantalope (placed horizontally) onion and 2 cups lettuce. Roll up in tortillas length wise; secure with toothpicks and cut in half. Add remaining lettuce to bowl of dressing and toss. Serve wraps with salad.
Receipt
Bacon $3.00
Red wine vinegar $0.17
Sugar $0.01
Dijon mustard $0.03
Mayo $0.35
Flour tortillas $1.30
Cantalope $1.25
Red onion $0.12
Lettuce $1.00
Well it’s time to catch up on recipes from last week and this week! So here we go!
-Tortillas (flour not corn) (about 6 more if you have a bigger family)
-1 cup of pizza sauce (about half a jar)
-pepperoni slices (about 20 more if making a bigger batch)
-2 cups mozzarella cheese
+ any other tops your family likes (onions, bell peppers, olives ect)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay tortillas flat and spread 2 tablespoons sauce per tortilla. Layer each with pepperoni and other topping then sprinkle with cheese. Roll up tortillas and place snugly into 8X8 baking dish bake in over for about 10 minutes until cheese melts.
A great side is Garlic Bread or rolls with a salad.
This is on the menu plan for this weekend and I ahd a few people ask for the recipes so here it is!Ingredients
4 burrito size flour tortillas
3 chicken breasts
Teriyaki Sauce or Marinade (we use Lawery’s)
1 teaspoon Soy Sauce
1/4 cup peanuts, finely chopped (most of the time we do with out)
1/2 bag baby carrots
Handful romaine lettuce
Directions
-Combine teriyaki sauce/marinade with tahini.
-In skillet, add sauce mixture and chicken. Saute chicken about 5 minutes on each side until cooked through
-Once chicken is cooked, slice it into strips.
-Shred carrots (I will normally buy a bag of shredded carrots
-Assemble wrap by adding chicken, shredded carrots, lettuce, peanuts in the tortilla.
1 lb. cocktail wieners or franks, cut in 1″ pieces 2 tsp. French’s mustard 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 cup brown sugar 3 tablespoons flour 1/2 cup cider vinegar 1 cup pineapple juice
Combine all ingredients except wieners (see note). Heat, stirring until sauce comes to a boil. Add wieners and heat through. Keep in a chafing dish or Crockpot on warm setting. Serve with cocktail forks or toothpicks. Note: Use only half the amount of vinegar at first, since some vinegars are stronger than others; an excellent quality vinegar will make the dish while a cheap vinegar will be overpowering. Taste after mixing; if the vinegar is too strong, add the remaining 1/4 cup in water. Adjust to your own taste. Makes 4 or 5 dozen appetizers.
Did you see these Cheeseburger Eggrolls Rachael Ray made the other day?? Well I have to share as they look amazing and will be added to my recipes!!
Rachael Ray’s Cheeseburger Eggrolls
Ingredients
1 tablespoon EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 medium red onion, minced
3/4 pound ground sirloin
Salt and pepper
1 cup sharp yellow cheddar cheese, grated
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tablespoon grainy, whole-seed mustard
1 package egg roll wrappers
Water
Cooking spray
Sesame seeds
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Heat EVOO in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and let sweat. Once cooked, add ground sirloin and brown, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks. Season with salt and pepper. Once meat is browned, drain fat from pan and pour meat and onions into a medium-size mixing bowl and let cool. Once cool, mix in cheddar cheese, Worcestershire and mustard.
To wrap egg rolls, brush water around all four sides of a wrapper to act as the glue. Place a 1/3 cup of the meat and onion mixture into the center of the wrapper. Fold two corners into the center and then wrap the other corner to the next, creating a long skinny roll. Place finished rolls onto a sheet pan with a wire rack.
Spray the tops of each eggroll with cooking spray and sprinkle some sesame seeds on top.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until eggrolls start to brown.
It’s back to school time, and that means it’s time to come up with lunch ideas that are healthy and that won’t bore your child. Having trouble coming up with some ideas to vary the meals that your kids eat at school? I’ve got some great ideas that give your kids a break from the typical sandwiches and chips – and these are healthier as well!
Waffle and Fruit – Put a whole wheat waffle in your child’s lunchbox with some fruit for a fun lunch!
Muffins, Popcorn and Fruit – Want a change from sandwiches? Give your kids some muffins for lunch along with some extras like popcorn or pretzels and fruit!
Pita Bread Sandwiches – Here’s an alternative to sliced bread – use pita bread for your kids’ sandwiches! Supplement with fruits or veggies and maybe some pretzels.
Applewiches – Here’s another sandwich, this time WITHOUT bread – use apple slices with to make a peanut butter sandwich!
Turkey Slices, Crackers and Fruit – If you want to lose the bread altogether, you can roll up some turkey slices to give your kids some protein without the extra carbs.
Crackers, Cheese, Fruit and Veggies – Here’s another way to lose the bread – give your kids some cheese and crackers, and let them make their own sandwiches! Want them to get in some protein? Add some lunch meat slices! It’s like a homemade lunchable!
I won’t lie I LOVE Chick-Fil-A Chicken Salad Sandwich, but let’s face it it can get expensive to eat there as much as I have a craving for it! So I started my hunt for a Copycat recipe and this is the best and closest I can get and it work for me!
INGREDIENTS
1 cup cooked Chicken (I use the white meat from the Chicken breast but you can use whatever you have)
1/4 cup Celery, diced
1 Hard Boiled Egg, diced
2 tbsp Relish (I use sweet but you can use dill too)
1/3 cup Mayo
Salt & Pepper to taste
4 slices Wheat (or White) Bread, toasted
Leaf of lettuce
DIRECTIONS
Combine chicken, mayo, relish, egg, celery, salt & pepper.
Top 2 slices of bread with lettuce.
Add half the chicken mixture to one Slice of toast and the other half tot he 2nd slice of toast.
Top with remaining slices of bread to make your sandwich.
While this recipe makes two sandwiches they are very filling and chicken mixture does hold well in the fridge for a few days.
So our picnic got rained out and had to have it in our sunroom which is why you see carpet in this picture. I wanted to share a super easy and patriotic side dish my kids loved. This Fruit Flag is beyond easy! NO COOKING NEEDED! Don’t us mom get so excited to hear that phrase?! I started with a square of blueberries on the left corner. For the red stripes I used Strawberries and Pluots (a cross between a plum and an apricot.) And of course fort he white stripes we use bananas. My kids loved it and it even got my picky eater to try ‘all the colors’!
This just goes to show being festive doesn’t have to be labor intensive! This would be great to put on a nice platter for any picnic or BBQ!
There are a few things that I am vaguely sad that my kids will miss in not going to a brick and mortar school – the thrill of riding the yellow bus, and the surprise of opening your lunch from home to see what mom packed are two of them. While I wouldn’t change the fact that I am homeschooling for a few things the kids miss, I do try to give them those experiences in our own way. Of course I feed my kids lunch everyday, and I do sometimes cut them into fun shapes and themes but I wanted a little more variety and healthy options (for some days) that is not to say we don’t choke down a Happy Meal regularly while running errands. But I do get a little bit jealous for my kids when I see all these cool containers, lunch boxes, and creatively packed Bento type lunches.
// ]]>
Lunch Gear- I must admit even though my kids have no need of a lunch box I let them each pick one out to purchase. These are great for packing for a long day of errands, it helps me avoid the fast food line for convenience. We also use them for trips to the park, or some of our field trips. And occasionally they have even requested a packed lunch at home. I have also picked up a basket full of fun shaped and character covered containers, thermos’s, and colorful baggies. Sometimes its fun to just break up the monotony of lunches, even for momma. Keep a pack of wooden skewers on hand- anything is fun on a stick and it only takes a minute to thread a fruit kabob or something like salami and cheese but the kids will love it!
Hot Lunches- Eating at home means you have the benefit of having hot lunches right as they are ready- soups, pasta dishes, homemade hot pockets ( ready made pizza dough rolled out, cut into small rectangles, stuffed with pizza or other ingredients, baked according to package directions- super!), chicken and yellow rice, etc. This means we can really stretch our dollar by heating up leftovers from last nights dinner so they don’t go to waste. Target has 2 packs of rectangle divided plates for about $2.00 if you want to recreate the lunch room feel!
Themed Lunches- The easiest way to match lunch to your school themes is to start with cookie cutters. Lots of things can be turned into fun and delicious shapes with cookie cutters-sandwiches, pancakes, cheese, meats, fruit roll ups, tortilla’s, and cookies are my standard go to items. From there I will add themed fruit gummy’s, shaped crackers, and other small snack foods. Start with a good basic set like this and add as you go, I always look for them at yard sales and thrift stores- we have quite a collection now.
I will also pull out my fun containers and baggies for these. The Dollar Spot at Target is a great source for inexpensive sandwich and snack containers, baggies, and sports bottles.
This lunch is one I actually made for my toddler since we were learning shapes I included as many shapes as I could from food we already had on hand.
Convenience Foods- Even though we are home, homeschooling mom’s know that doesn’t mean we have all the time in the world to cook from scratch. Frozen pizza’s, corn dogs, Uncrustable PB&J’s, Hot Pockets, Spaghettio’s- These can all be a lifesaver to a super busy day. If you don’t want to serve processed meals all of these can be made from scratch in bulk, frozen, and heated up for lunch. A healthier alternative to the sodium and preservatives with just an hour or two of prep time. A quick search on Pinterest can provide you with a ton of recipes!
Snackers- If you have snackers on your hands like I do- preportion for quick snacks, don’t miss a beat with your lessons. Pick up several packs of small Rubbermaid or Glad containers, place in the fridge with chopped fruit, cheese, yogurt, veggies and ranch, jello, and other refrigerator favorites. Use baggies to portion out goldfish, graham crackers, pretzels, popcorn, and trail mix.
Being at home for lunch doesn’t mean you or your child have to settle for a hurried lunch eaten at the kitchen counter. A little planning, a few cool tools and containers, and you have the makings for fun homeschool lunches.
I have a slight Olive Garden addiction! From the salad and breadsticks to the tiramisu I love it all. The Minestrone soup is one hubby and I can both agree on! So since we love it and the kid tolerate it I went on the hunt for a recipe to make at home and we all can agree on this one as the closest contender!
// ]]> Ingredients
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 chopped small Zucchini
1 medium Onion, diced
14 oz Green Beans (Italian Style if possible)
4 teaspoon minced Garlic
1 stalk Celery, diced
4 cups of Vegetable Broth
30 oz drained Great Northern Beans
30 oz drained Red Kidney Beans
14 oz can Diced Tomatoes with juice
1/2 cup dry Red Wine
1/2 cup of Shredded Carrot
4 oz can of Tomato Paste
1 teaspoon of Basil
1 teaspoon of Oregano
1/2 teaspoon of Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon of Thyme
1/2 teaspoon of Onion Powder
1 Whole Bay Leaf
3 cups of Hot Water
4 cups of fresh Spinach (can use frozen defrost and dry off the moisture)
1 and 1/2 cups of Shell Pasta
Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions
Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. I love using my Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven for this!
Saute celery, carrots, zucchini, and onion, until onions are clear.
Add tomato paste, garlic, and green beans and stir.
Add the red wine, broth, and hot water, stir well.
Add beans, tomatoes, and all the spices.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
Remove bay leaf.
Add Pasta and spinach, cook for an additional 30 minutes.
Serve and Enjoy
I LOVE a great sandwich. So does my husband, and the Applebee’s Clubhouse sandwich is one that I love to make at home it’s easy and REALLY yummy!! (though I like mine without tomato!)
Ingredients
2 slices Texas Toast
1 tbsp softened Butter
2 tsp Mayo
1 slice Jack Cheese
1 slice Cheddar Cheese
3 slices of Ham
3 slices of Turkey Breast
2 slices Applewood Bacon, I like mine thick and crispy!
2 thin slices of Tomato
2 teaspoons Honey Barbecue Sauce
Shredded Lettuce
Directions
Butter 1 side of each slice of bread and place butter sides down in skillet and cook under golden brown. (like making grilled cheese)
Move from skillet to a plate
Stack ham, turkey, both cheeses on top in skillet over low until cheese melts.
Spread barbecue sauce on the untoasted side of one piece of bread.
Transfer meat and cheeses from skillet and place on top of barbecue sauce. Top with Bacon, Tomato, Lettuce.
Spread mayo on the untoasted side of the other peice of bread and place mayo side down on the top of the sandwich
Slice and serve!
Apples are so abundant this time of year and I tend to go over board when apple picking so I wanted to share some apple recipes. These are my favorite salads great for lunches!
Delicious and hearty pumpkin beer soup hits all the requirements for good fall fare- #1 it’s pumpkin, then of course it is filling and full of flavor. If you are a fan of pumpkin and have not yet tried it in a savory dish then you really should try this recipe on the next cool fall day. While the beer cooks and the alcohol evaporates off it lends a delicious depth of flavor to this soup when combined with cream and cheese blend. Add a little more Cayenne if you like a little heat for flavor. Serve with a stack of crackers and a dollop of cream to finish it off.
// ]]>
Ingredients:
1 can Pumpkin puree
1-12 oz. beer, pumpkin or fall brew is best
3 cups chicken stock
1 ½ cup shredded colby jack cheese
½ cup heavy cream
2 garlic cloves, crushed
½ medium onion, diced
½ tsp. Cayenne pepper
½ tsp. Nutmeg
2 Tbsp. butter
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Melt butter in a large pot, add onion and sautee over medium heat until it becomes transluscent.
Whisk in broth, beer, garlic, nutmeg, cayenne, and pumpkin-simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir in heavy cream, and shredded cheese until thoroughly melted and blended together.
Simmer an additional 10 minutes on low.
Top with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt before serving.
1 lb. cocktail wieners or franks, cut in 1″ pieces 2 tsp. French’s mustard 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 cup brown sugar 3 tablespoons flour 1/2 cup cider vinegar 1 cup pineapple juice
Combine all ingredients except wieners (see note). Heat, stirring until sauce comes to a boil. Add wieners and heat through. Keep in a chafing dish or Crockpot on warm setting. Serve with cocktail forks or toothpicks. Note: Use only half the amount of vinegar at first, since some vinegars are stronger than others; an excellent quality vinegar will make the dish while a cheap vinegar will be overpowering. Taste after mixing; if the vinegar is too strong, add the remaining 1/4 cup in water. Adjust to your own taste. Makes 4 or 5 dozen appetizers.
Did you see these Cheeseburger Eggrolls Rachael Ray made the other day?? Well I have to share as they look amazing and will be added to my recipes!!
Rachael Ray’s Cheeseburger Eggrolls
Ingredients
1 tablespoon EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 medium red onion, minced
3/4 pound ground sirloin
Salt and pepper
1 cup sharp yellow cheddar cheese, grated
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tablespoon grainy, whole-seed mustard
1 package egg roll wrappers
Water
Cooking spray
Sesame seeds
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Heat EVOO in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and let sweat. Once cooked, add ground sirloin and brown, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks. Season with salt and pepper. Once meat is browned, drain fat from pan and pour meat and onions into a medium-size mixing bowl and let cool. Once cool, mix in cheddar cheese, Worcestershire and mustard.
To wrap egg rolls, brush water around all four sides of a wrapper to act as the glue. Place a 1/3 cup of the meat and onion mixture into the center of the wrapper. Fold two corners into the center and then wrap the other corner to the next, creating a long skinny roll. Place finished rolls onto a sheet pan with a wire rack.
Spray the tops of each eggroll with cooking spray and sprinkle some sesame seeds on top.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until eggrolls start to brown.
It’s back to school time, and that means it’s time to come up with lunch ideas that are healthy and that won’t bore your child. Having trouble coming up with some ideas to vary the meals that your kids eat at school? I’ve got some great ideas that give your kids a break from the typical sandwiches and chips – and these are healthier as well!
Waffle and Fruit – Put a whole wheat waffle in your child’s lunchbox with some fruit for a fun lunch!
Muffins, Popcorn and Fruit – Want a change from sandwiches? Give your kids some muffins for lunch along with some extras like popcorn or pretzels and fruit!
Pita Bread Sandwiches – Here’s an alternative to sliced bread – use pita bread for your kids’ sandwiches! Supplement with fruits or veggies and maybe some pretzels.
Applewiches – Here’s another sandwich, this time WITHOUT bread – use apple slices with to make a peanut butter sandwich!
Turkey Slices, Crackers and Fruit – If you want to lose the bread altogether, you can roll up some turkey slices to give your kids some protein without the extra carbs.
Crackers, Cheese, Fruit and Veggies – Here’s another way to lose the bread – give your kids some cheese and crackers, and let them make their own sandwiches! Want them to get in some protein? Add some lunch meat slices! It’s like a homemade lunchable!
I won’t lie I LOVE Chick-Fil-A Chicken Salad Sandwich, but let’s face it it can get expensive to eat there as much as I have a craving for it! So I started my hunt for a Copycat recipe and this is the best and closest I can get and it work for me!
INGREDIENTS
1 cup cooked Chicken (I use the white meat from the Chicken breast but you can use whatever you have)
1/4 cup Celery, diced
1 Hard Boiled Egg, diced
2 tbsp Relish (I use sweet but you can use dill too)
1/3 cup Mayo
Salt & Pepper to taste
4 slices Wheat (or White) Bread, toasted
Leaf of lettuce
DIRECTIONS
Combine chicken, mayo, relish, egg, celery, salt & pepper.
Top 2 slices of bread with lettuce.
Add half the chicken mixture to one Slice of toast and the other half tot he 2nd slice of toast.
Top with remaining slices of bread to make your sandwich.
While this recipe makes two sandwiches they are very filling and chicken mixture does hold well in the fridge for a few days.
So our picnic got rained out and had to have it in our sunroom which is why you see carpet in this picture. I wanted to share a super easy and patriotic side dish my kids loved. This Fruit Flag is beyond easy! NO COOKING NEEDED! Don’t us mom get so excited to hear that phrase?! I started with a square of blueberries on the left corner. For the red stripes I used Strawberries and Pluots (a cross between a plum and an apricot.) And of course fort he white stripes we use bananas. My kids loved it and it even got my picky eater to try ‘all the colors’!
This just goes to show being festive doesn’t have to be labor intensive! This would be great to put on a nice platter for any picnic or BBQ!
There are a few things that I am vaguely sad that my kids will miss in not going to a brick and mortar school – the thrill of riding the yellow bus, and the surprise of opening your lunch from home to see what mom packed are two of them. While I wouldn’t change the fact that I am homeschooling for a few things the kids miss, I do try to give them those experiences in our own way. Of course I feed my kids lunch everyday, and I do sometimes cut them into fun shapes and themes but I wanted a little more variety and healthy options (for some days) that is not to say we don’t choke down a Happy Meal regularly while running errands. But I do get a little bit jealous for my kids when I see all these cool containers, lunch boxes, and creatively packed Bento type lunches.
Lunch Gear- I must admit even though my kids have no need of a lunch box I let them each pick one out to purchase. These are great for packing for a long day of errands, it helps me avoid the fast food line for convenience. We also use them for trips to the park, or some of our field trips. And occasionally they have even requested a packed lunch at home. I have also picked up a basket full of fun shaped and character covered containers, thermos’s, and colorful baggies. Sometimes its fun to just break up the monotony of lunches, even for momma. Keep a pack of wooden skewers on hand- anything is fun on a stick and it only takes a minute to thread a fruit kabob or something like salami and cheese but the kids will love it!
Hot Lunches- Eating at home means you have the benefit of having hot lunches right as they are ready- soups, pasta dishes, homemade hot pockets ( ready made pizza dough rolled out, cut into small rectangles, stuffed with pizza or other ingredients, baked according to package directions- super!), chicken and yellow rice, etc. This means we can really stretch our dollar by heating up leftovers from last nights dinner so they don’t go to waste. Target has 2 packs of rectangle divided plates for about $2.00 if you want to recreate the lunch room feel!
Themed Lunches- The easiest way to match lunch to your school themes is to start with cookie cutters. Lots of things can be turned into fun and delicious shapes with cookie cutters-sandwiches, pancakes, cheese, meats, fruit roll ups, tortilla’s, and cookies are my standard go to items. From there I will add themed fruit gummy’s, shaped crackers, and other small snack foods. Start with a good basic set like this and add as you go, I always look for them at yard sales and thrift stores- we have quite a collection now.
I will also pull out my fun containers and baggies for these. The Dollar Spot at Target is a great source for inexpensive sandwich and snack containers, baggies, and sports bottles.
This lunch is one I actually made for my toddler since we were learning shapes I included as many shapes as I could from food we already had on hand.
Convenience Foods- Even though we are home, homeschooling mom’s know that doesn’t mean we have all the time in the world to cook from scratch. Frozen pizza’s, corn dogs, Uncrustable PB&J’s, Hot Pockets, Spaghettio’s- These can all be a lifesaver to a super busy day. If you don’t want to serve processed meals all of these can be made from scratch in bulk, frozen, and heated up for lunch. A healthier alternative to the sodium and preservatives with just an hour or two of prep time. A quick search on Pinterest can provide you with a ton of recipes!
Snackers- If you have snackers on your hands like I do- preportion for quick snacks, don’t miss a beat with your lessons. Pick up several packs of small Rubbermaid or Glad containers, place in the fridge with chopped fruit, cheese, yogurt, veggies and ranch, jello, and other refrigerator favorites. Use baggies to portion out goldfish, graham crackers, pretzels, popcorn, and trail mix.
Being at home for lunch doesn’t mean you or your child have to settle for a hurried lunch eaten at the kitchen counter. A little planning, a few cool tools and containers, and you have the makings for fun homeschool lunches.
I love simple and easy recipes. 4 ingredients and they are ones I generally have in my house 95% of the time! This makes a great lunch when I have kiddos over. Kids love sandwiches and they love pizza. Then they generally love the person who put 2 of them together! Seriously your kids have… Read More »
