Bite-sized pecan pie

When it comes to pies, I'm not a huge fan of the fruity ones. My husband loves the pecan pie and I love the crisp topping, but not the gooey inside or the crust. So, when Anjuli sent me this recipe, I thought it was perfect.

I made 23 mini muffins and those small little things are 161 calories each, so it takes a lot f self control to stop at one.

Or two.

What I had:

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 2/3 cup melted butter
• 2 eggs

What I did:

• Heated my oven to 350 and greased a mini muffin pan well
• Mixed the dry ingredients together in one bowl and the wet ones in a second one.
• Mixed the two together.
• Filled the pan 2/3 full of the batter, like I said before, I managed to fill 23 out of the 24 containers in the pan.
• Baked for 25 minutes.

Oh my goodness these are so good! The inside is soft but not oozingly gooey and the top is crunchy.

Slow cooker lamb tagine

What I had:

• 3.5 lbs lamb shoulder, cut into half inch bite sized pieces
• 2 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
• 1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 2.5 cups beef broth (I used 3 beef bullion cubes)
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom

What I did:

• Placed lamb in crock pot (I have a 7 quart one and this recipe filled it to the top)
• Cooked the garlic in a little bit of love oil till fragrant, add onions till limp, and then add all the dry spices and ginger. Cook for a minute.
• Sprinkled the mixture over the lamb.
• Poured the tomatoes and broth over everything.
• Cooked on low 7 hours.
• Served over couscous.

Verdict: it was absolutely delicious and will be joining our dinner rotations.

chicken tots casserole

Recipe adapted from here.

What I had:

• 32 ounces tater tots
• 2 lbs chicken from a rotisserie chicken
• 1 cup shredded mexican style cheese
• 1 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
• 3/4 cup milk
• salt, pepper, garlic, paprika to taste

What I did:

• Sprayed a 2.5 qt casserole dish with Pam.
• Layered half of the tots on the bottom.
• Spread 1/3 of both cheeses over the tots.
• Layered the chicken over the cheese, sprinkled spices to taste.
• Spread another 1/3 of the cheeses over the chicken.
• Layered the last of the tots over chicken.
• Spread last of the cheeses over the tots.
• Poured the milk over everything.
• Baked for an hour in a 350 degree oven.

It was delicious! I served it with some green beans on the side and it was a perfect meal.

Zucchini feta flapjacks

I had torn this recipe out of a Parenting magazine for zucchini feta flapjacks. I thought I had everything listed but I didn't so I adjusted the quantities. As you can see, they are toddler approved.

What I had:

• 2 zucchinis shredded
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp oregano

 What I did:

• Heated small fry pan with spray olive oil
• Mixed all ingredients together well
• Dropped spoonfuls onto fry pan so it made a thin pancake, cooked about 2 minutes on each side
• Served with yogurt on the side

My ingredients made 8 flapjacks, I calculated 2 per serving and it was only 95 calories.

Chicken paprikash and home made spaetzle

So, according to the meal plan, tonight was chicken paprikash & home made spaetzle.  And, it was a success! Even Oli had some, after he had an entire pb&j sandwich. I followed the linked recipes with minor changes.

Chicken paprikash:

What I had:

• 1.5 lbs chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
• Olive oil
• 8 oz fat free sour cream mixed with 1 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 medium chopped onion
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp paprika
• 2 tbsp garlic
• 2 cups chicken broth (I used 2 chicken buillion cubs in 2 cups boling water)

What I did:

• Cooked the chicken in olive oil till done, put aside
• Browned the onions in the same pan
• Added the paprika and salt and mixed well
• Added the chicken stock and brought it to boiling
• Reduced the heat and added the sour cream and flour mixture, whisking so it mixes well
• Added the chicken to it
• Let it cook on low heat till sauce was a little thick

Spaetzle:

What I had:

• 1.5 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp garlic
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp milk
• 3 eggs

What I did:

• Mixed the first five ingredients well
• Mixed in the milk and eggs, alternatingly
• Brought a pan of water to boiling
• Used a slotted spoon to drop the batter into the water
• Removed it as soon as it rose to the top

Slow cooker Indian chick peas and spinach

I have been looking for easy slow cooker recipes for Indian food. I want to make more of it for Oli but don't have time to spend hours in front of the stove for one dish. I read some in The Indian Slow Cooker book, and looked at a few online. I didn't like any in their entirety so I decided to take the plunge and make my own!!!

What I had:

• 2 cups dry chick peas, rinsed and drained
• 8 oz fresh spinach
• 2 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes
• 2 russet potatoes diced into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 inch piece of ginger, grated
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped finely
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper 
• 2 cups water

What I did:

• Put the chick peas in the slow cooker
• Added the potatoes and tomatoes
• Added the garlic and ginger
• Added all the spices
• Put the spinach on top
• Added 1 cup water
• Started the slow cooker at high for 8 hrs
• After 3 hours, I checked and the spinach seemed to be getting dry on top so I mixed it all up and added another cup of water
• I checked at 5 hrs into cooking and it was done!

You can swerve this with naan, over rice or even over bread slices.

Oven baked breakfast casserole

We had friends coming over this morning and I promised them the slow cooker breakfast I have made before. The only problem was Oli decided to sleep in and by the time I got myself up and going, I didn't have the 4 hrs needed for my crock pot. So, I looked at some recipes online, looked at what was in my fridge and decided to try an oven casserole that could be baked in an hour. If I might say so myself, it was successful.



What I had:

• 32 oz bag of tater tots
• 10 eggs
• 1 medium onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed and diced finely
• Green Giant frozen vegetables (I had the antioxidant blend with the olive oil)
• 1 cup shredded cheese, I used the Mexican mix

What I did:

• Turned oven on to 350 degrees
• Cooked the garlic on medium heat in a tablespoon of olive oil till we could smell it in the entire house
• Added onions and cooked till they were soft and translucent
• Added the frozen veggies and cooked till soft
• Beat the 10 eggs in a large mixing bowl, added the vegetable mix and cheese to it
• Added the tater tots and mix well
• Poured into a greased 9X11 pan
• Baked in the pre-heated oven for 1 hour or till the middle is cooked through
• Served with some crescent rolls, scones and fresh fruit that friends are generous enough to bring over

Meal planning

So y'all, I've been doing meal plans. A week in advance, for the next week. This has resulting in us eating out less, saving money on groceries and eating healthier. I plan my meals around what I have in my freezer and pantry, and what's on sale at the grocery store. I thought I'd start putting my meal plans here so I could keep an eye on it and link them to the recipes I am inspired by (because I never use the recipe as is). I'll also post successful recipes with whatever changes I make.

Weekday lunches aren't listed because those are leftovers.

So, the upcoming week or so looks like this for us:

Saturday 4/6: 
Brunch - slow cooker breakfast
Dinner - Going to the O's game so most probably out. I have a deal to Patrick's of Pratt Street, so maybe there.

Sunday 4/7:
Lunch: Costco since need foods from there :)
Dinner: slow cooker meatloaf

Monday 4/8: 
Dinner: chicken paprikash & home made spaetzle

Tuesday 4/9:
Dinner: spinach and beef casserole

Wednesday 4/10:
Dinner: man pleasing chicken

Thursday 4/11:
Dinner: baked eggs and spinach

Friday 4/12:
Dinner: pizza (Jeff and a friend are going to the Hops & Grass Festival at the Heavy seas Brewery, so it's the wives and children enjoying some ordered in pizza!)

Saturday 4/13:
Lunch: probably at Wegman's after grocery shopping
Dinner: double date at the Alehouse Columbia with friends

This week's heavier than most with going out, just seemed to happen that way. Usually, we only have 1 night of eating out and 1 lunch after grocery shopping.