Breadsticks, Dinosaurs, & Hearts!

I recently posted this quick and super easy Pizza Dough Recipe, and I've gotta say--it rocks!  Since then, other than making pizza, I've used it for breadsticks as well!
Here is what my breadsticks looked like before and after baking. 

They were a super hit!  I brushed some butter, fresh pressed garlic, and italian herbs on some of them, while the others I left plain with just butter brushed on top.

Tonight I needed a quick meal.  So once again, I threw together some of this fabulous dough and made my son a dinosaur shaped pizza and my daughter a heart shaped pizza at their requests!  They were THRILLED!!!
Here are some photos of the process!

Everything tastes even better when it looks cuter apparently! 

Enjoy!
=o)
Jen

Pumpkin Pancakes!

Happy Fall, Y'all! =o)
I LOVE Fall, I LOVE baking, and I LOVE Pumpkin flavored anything!
We had another "pancakes for dinner" night last week (and I had some canned pumpkin on hand), so I decided to search online for a Pumpkin Pancake recipe! I found one on allrecipes.com that I used and adapted! My kids loved it. In fact, my son ate 3 whole pancakes! These pancakes are hearty and rather filling too!

Pumpkin Pancakes

2 cups all-purpose flour *
2 teaspoons packed brown sugar *
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups milk *
1/2 cup canned Pumpkin (NOT Pumpkin Pie filling) *
1 large egg *
2 teaspoons vegetable oil *
Maple Syrup *

* indicates an organic ingredient was used

1.Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt in large bowl. Combine milk, pumpkin, egg and vegetable oil in small bowl; mix well. Add to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened; batter may be lumpy.
2.Heat griddle or skillet over medium heat; brush lightly with vegetable oil (I used Organic margarine). Pour 1/4 cup batter onto hot griddle; cook until bubbles begin to burst. Turn and continue cooking 1 to 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.

My pancakes turned out VERY thick so I had to spread them around a little in the pan with the back of a spoon and covered the pan while cooking as well. I got 11 pretty thick pancakes out of this mix. I served them with a little bit of Organic maple syrup drizzled on top.

These are only some of the pancakes. I took the picture of the stack after the kids started eating! You could definitely make a batch of these and freeze them between some wax paper for a quick-I-have-absolutely-no-time-to-cook breakfast!

Enjoy!
=o)
Jen

The Quickest and Best Pizza (Dough) Ever!

I found this EASY and QUICK homemade pizza crust recipe online and I've been meaning to get on here for forever to share! It came out amazing and the kids loved it!!

My husband had to run out to Earth Fare (not far!) to pick up some Organic Mozzarella cheese. In the time he was gone, I had mixed the ingredients and rolled out the dough and was ready to pop it into the oven! One of the best things about this pizza dough is that you don't have to wait forever for it to rise!

Here is what ya need:

1 (1/4 ounce) package yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

1 cup water

2 1/2 cups flour *

2 teaspoons olive oil *
1 teaspoon sugar *
1 teaspoon salt


* indicates an organic ingredient was used


Combine yeast and warm water.
Stir until dissolved.
Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
Let rest 5-10 minutes.
Roll out to fit your pizza stone. (I found it easier to place the dough directly onto my round pizza stone and roll it out on there rather than on a mat and having to transfer it over.) You can add a little flour to make rolling easier if you find the dough too sticky.
I prebaked mine for 10 minutes at 450*. Then, I added the sauce and toppings and baked for another 8-10 minutes until the cheese was melted.

Definitely keep an eye on the crust (even during prebaking) as it can brown FAST! I found that I had to poke holes in the crust as it bubbled up during prebaking.
Instead of sugar, you can throw in some Italian Seasoning or even brush some olive oil mixed with some freshly pressed garlic before prebaking--yum! Your house will smell divine!
You can use this recipe for calzones, breadsticks, individual pizzas, or whatever!!!

Here are some photos of the process!

This pizza is seriously healthier and quicker than ordering out for delivery!

YUM YUM YUM!!!!!!!!

Enjoy!

=o)

Jen

Homemade French Bread Rolls

I was SO excited to make my own French Bread Rolls.  I figured I could make them and my family could use them as hamburger buns!  We picked up all the ingredients and some "bulk yeast"--who knew you could buy it that way?!  Well, it turns out that there is a BIG difference between nutritional yeast and baker's yeast.  Nutritional yeast does not contain active yeast therefore will not make your bread rise--OOPS!  Live and learn, right?
Well, I had the whole batch mixed up and put in a warm place to rise--but it didn't.  That's when I pieced it all together.
I searched on the Internet and found that you could substitute baking soda for the yeast in a 1:1 ratio and add a teasoon of lemon juice.  The baking soda was to be mixed with the dry ingredients and the lemon juice was to be mixed in with the liquid ingredients...yeah, that was a problem for 2 reasons.  One, I had already mixed the batch of dough together, and two, I had no lemon juice or lemons in the house.  Out of desperation I juiced an orange and used a teaspoon of that.  Worse case, I would toss the rolls and be out the cost of the ingredients.  Luckily, they didn't turn out so bad!  They could have been a bit "fluffier" and "lighter", but they were definitely edible.  My two biggest critics, my kids, actually liked them--hooray! 
Here is the recipe I used (and botched up) from Food.com!  I'm sure that it will turn out even better if you actually have the correct ingredients on hand!

French Bread Rolls to Die For

1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups bread flour

Directions:Prep Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 50 mins

1. Mix together warm water, yeast and sugar and let stand for about 10 minutes.
This is what it should look like except with ACTIVE yeast! 

2. In large bowl, combine yeast mixture with oil, salt and 2 cups of the flour.

Oh, and I had trouble finding organic bread flour, so I used this Arrowhead Mills flour! 

 

3. Stir well to combine.
4. Stir in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.

I had some help!

 

6. Lightly oil a large bowl and place dough in and turn to coat with oil.

 

7. Cover with cloth and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Twirl and perform ballet while waiting!

 

8. Deflate the dough and turn out onto floured surface.
9. Divide dough into 16 equal pieces and form into rounds.
10. Place rolls onto lightly greased baking sheet at least 2" apart.
11. Cover rolls with cloth and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes.
12. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake rolls for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

And with all my adjustments, voila!  Here is the finished product!!!

And here is how they looked served with Organic french fries (not homemade) with a mini grassfed beef patty!  Oh, and yes that is Organic Ketchup WITHOUT high fructose corn syrup!!

Enjoy!
=o)
Jen

Sweet Beet cookies can't be "beet"!

I found this interesting recipe on Weelicious that I thought was worth trying.  I'm pretty lucky in that my kids are pretty great vegetable eaters, but still, it can't hurt to add a bit more to their diet, right?  These cracker-like cookies actual have a 1/2 cup of raw grated beets in them!!  Crazy, huh?  What's even crazier is that my kids actually REALLY liked them!!!
Here is the recipe:

Sweet Beet Cookies (Makes about 50 – 1 inch square cookies)

1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
2 Tbsp Sugar
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Raw Beets, shredded fine*
2 Tbsp Oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Here is my peeled and ready-to-grate beet!

 

Grated with my Adjustable Microplane Grater (Pampered Chef)!  I grated more than needed so I divided it up and froze it in portions for future use.

2. Combine the first four ingredients and stir to combine.

3. Using your hands, add the beets to the flour mixture coating the beet pieces with the flour.

 

 

4. Add the oil and work with your hands to bring the dough together (the salt and sugar will fall to the bottom of the bowl so make sure you knead the dough well to combine everything — the outcome will be a smooth dough).

It actually looked like the color of ground beef!

5. Form the smooth, sweet beet dough into a flat rectangular disk and roll it out 1/2 inch thick on parchment paper or a dry clean surface.

I had some help!  =o)

6. Using a knife, cut the dough into squares or use small cookie cutters to cut out shapes.

7. Bake on a Silpat or parchment-lined cookie sheet for 15-17 minutes. 
I had mine in for 15 minutes and burned the bottom of some of them.  I made 45 total instead of 50, but I think I made them too thin.

8. Cool and serve.

*You can only use RAW fine shredded beets for this recipe. Using canned beets will not work because of the thickness of the beets and they are already cooked.
*These cookies are best stored on the counter in an air-tight container.

Here is the proof that they passed the little kid test for tastiness! 

Enjoy!
=o)
Jen

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with a Healthy Twist!

My kids love eating grilled cheese sandwiches (or "toasted cheese sandwiches" as my husband calls it)!  In fact, these are really the only type of sandwiches they do like.  We use organic cheese, organic margarine--however, my husband is not a fan of organic bread, so we've been buying conventional bread that is free of high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils.  I am hoping to try to start making homemade bread to see how that turns out.  If anyone has any tips on doing so or some foolproof recipes, please share!  =o)
Anyway, back to the sandwiches!  I try to make everything as healthy as I can--even if it means sneaking in some "hidden" ingredients!
Here are some of the things that I use to make my grilled cheese sandwiches (all of which can be found at Earth Fare) :

The twist here is that I like to sprinkle flaxseed over the cheese before I put the sandwiches together and grill them!  The kids NEVER know it is there, and flax is a great way to add some extra nutrients and fiber! 

I always serve lunch and dinner with a side of veggies, and my daughter seems to think that carrots taste better when they've been cut into sticks, so that's the route I went!

Enjoy!
=o)
Jen

Crepes: a small very thin pancake

I have been so excited to try out new recipes and make them my own by using organic ingredients!  I am starting to realize that just about ANY recipe can be altered and made healthier!  I am proud to say that EVERY single ingredient down to the syrup and peanut butter I used on the finished product was organic!  There is something so satisfying about knowing you are making the best choices for your family.

I have NEVER made crepes before!  I just recently finally mastered making pancakes--well, I don't know if mastered is the best choice of words, but I'm getting better.  My husband is still the "master pancake maker" in this house. 

I found this recipe for crepes on one of my new favorite sites, Weelicious. 
Here is the recipe I used from that site:

Crepes (Makes 14 Crepes)

2 Eggs
1 Cup Flour
3/4 Milk
1/2 Cup Water
1/2 Tsp Vanilla
2 Tbsp Butter, melted
Butter for sauteing

1. Place all the ingredients in a blender and puree.
2. Refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight (this helps the bubbles to settle and the crepes not to tear).
3. Grease a saute pan or crepe pan with butter. Pour in 2 tbsp of batter and swirl to cover the pan.
4. Cook for 1 minutes, flip and continue to cook another 30 seconds or until just starting to become golden.
5. Remove to a plate and continue to make remaining crepes.
6. Spread with apple butter, almond butter, mashed bananas, fruit preserves or any other favorite filling.
7. Roll into a cigar shape.
8. Serve.

*After step 5, allow to cool, place crepes on a sheet tray, layer a piece of parchment paper between each crepe, place in ziploc bag, label and freeze up to 4 months. When ready, defrost in fridge for 24 hours and heat in a dry pan for 30 seconds on each side and follow steps 5-8.

Now I've got to say, the recipe says it makes 14 crepes, and by golly, it makes 14 crepes! Well, that is if you don't count the first two I totally messed up! =o) There is something about the first pancake (or two) that never comes out right for me! 
I started later than I had planned so the batter only sat in the refrigerator for an hour. I just left it in the blender after I pureed it, and stuck it in there. When I made the actual crepes, I poured the batter from the blender into a Tablespoon (twice!) right into the pan and rolled it around to spread it evenly. I am such a rule follower that I set the microwave for each crepe for 60 seconds for the first side and 30 for the second! Needless to say, the timing was perfect!
My kids ate them all but ONE! They loved them! We had a "breakfast for dinner" meal that night, and I served it with some organic bacon that I purchased at Earth Fare. Alexa had some of her crepes rolled up and dipped in syrup, spread with peanut butter and rolled up, and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and rolled up. Carter preferred his plain.  Either way they were a big hit!
I don't have the best photos of them, just this one, but I think you'll get the idea. They disappeared so fast, I didn't have a chance to take more photos!

Enjoy!
=o)
Jen

Gluten Free Cheesy Meat Organic Lasagna

I had some frozen grassfed ground beef in the freezer and wanted to make something super yummy with it! I purchased some Gluten Free Lasagna noodles (which I didn't realize you didn't have to pre-boil which is NICE) so I wanted to use those too. I searched online for a lasagna recipe and found one written by Dianne Smith on the Suite 101 dinner ideas web site.
I took pictures of the process the whole way through! I am a very visual person so for those out there like me, hopefully this will help!
First off, here is the recipe I used:


Meat and Cheese Lasagna Ingredients

•1 pound lean ground hamburger meat (I used grassfed ground beef)
•3 cloves garlic, minced (I added 4--you can never have too much garlic!)
•1 tbsp whole basil (I added quite a bit more fresh basil!)
•1 1/2 tsp salt
•28 oz (1 lb 12 oz) canned diced tomatoes (the non-diced can can be substituted and then simply diced. Use the liquid in the can, too)--I had one 14.5 oz. can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes (which gave it a little kick) and one 14.5 oz. can of plain diced tomatoes
•2 6-oz. cans tomato paste
•1/2 to 3/4 cup water, to taste, depending on the lack of dryness desired
•10 ounces lasagna noodles (I used Gluten-Free noodles)
•2 eggs
•4 cups cream style small curd cottage cheese
•1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
•2 tbsp. parsley flakes
•1 tsp salt
•1/2 tsp. pepper
•1 pound mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced or grated

All of the ingredients I had on hand were organic except for the GF lasagna noodles and the parmesan cheese which I grated fresh.

Meat Lasagna Recipe Preparation
1.Boil the noodles till tender according to the package directions in boiling, salted water; drain and then rinse. (I didn't need to pre-boil the GF noodles)

2.Meanwhile, brown the ground meat slowly in a large frying pan; spoon off the excess fat or drain it into a container to be thrown away afterward.
3.Add the next five ingredients to the meat and the water.
4.Cover and simmer the meat mixture for 15 minutes, stirring often.

5.Beat the eggs in a medium size bowl; then add the rest of the ingredients except the mozzarella.
6.Layer half the noodles in a 15 x 10 x 2" baking dish (glass Pyrex works great); spread with half the cottage cheese filling; add the next layer of half the mozzarella cheese; add the next layer of half the meat sauce. (I used a 13" x 9" pan)

First , Second, and Third Layers!

7.Repeat the exact same layers.

Ready to bake!

8.Bake at 375* for 30 minutes (or assemble early and refrigerate; bake 45 minutes).
9.Let stand covered tightly for 15 to 30 minutes. (I added some more mozzarella cheese on top before covering it.) Tin foil can be used but be careful to not let the tin foil touch the lasagna as it can adhere to it. Plastic wrap can be used first, then covered with the tin foil to prevent this problem. Serves about 10.

Here is the finished product! 















And...here is my dinner!  We have a LOT of leftovers!!!

Lasagna does take a little bit of prep. time, but the great thing is that it makes such a large amount of food that you are sure to have leftovers!

If you like my posts, feel free to "Follow My Blog" or Subscribe to it by clicking on the links on the right!  Thanks!

Enjoy!
=o)
Jen

Mini Muffin Pizzas!

So I found this recipe on Weelicious for Pizza Muffins that you make in a mini muffin pan--so cute! I had to try it out! I used the site's recipe for Whole Wee-Eat Pizza Dough and using organic ingredients, mixed up a batch!

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

1 Package Dry Yeast
1 1/3 Cups Lukewarm Water
2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 Tbsp Olive Oil, plus extra for greasing bowl and brushing on pizza crusts
1 Tbsp Honey
1 1/2 Tsp Salt

1. Combine yeast and water in a bowl and allow to stand until foamy, about 5 minutes (Make sure to check the expiration date on the yeast. If it doesn’t foam, your yeast may be old and you will need to buy fresh yeast).
2. Stir the flour and salt in a bowl or a bowl of a standing mixer (using a dough hook attachment).
3. Add the olive oil and honey to the yeast mixture and stir to combine.
4. Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients mix on low for 3 minutes or until smooth and elastic (you could also combine the liquid with the flours in a bowl and knead the dough on a clean surface for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic). You want the dough to be smooth and bounce back when you press it.
5. Transfer ball to an oiled bowl and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled.














Then I used this recipe off the same site:

Pizza Muffins

1 Lb Package Pizza Dough (white or Whole Wee-Eat Pizza Dough)
1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
1/2 Cup Pizza Sauce
Olive Oil

1. Bring dough to room temperature and preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Roll out the dough to a thin 18 x 12 rectangle and cut into squares about 3 x 3 inches.
3. Grease mini muffin cups and place one square in each cup, making sure that the corners of the dough are sticking out.
4. Brush edges of dough with olive oil.
5. Par-bake dough for 8 minutes and take tins out of oven.
6. Pour 1 tsp of sauce in each cup and evenly distribute the cheese between the cups (you can add toppings now as well).
7. Bake for an additional 5 minutes.
8. Cool and serve.


The recipe says it makes 16-18 mini muffins however I ended up with 24 and enough dough left for a mini pizza! I did mess up and accidentally prepared the pizza without prebaking the crust so I baked it at 400 for 10 minutes and then 450 for 5 minutes. They came out good but I'd recommend following the directions and brushing them with olive oil (and maybe some pressed garlic?) and prebaking! Here are some photos of the process:
























My kids liked them! So, yes, they were a hit! I was going to freeze some of the leftovers and reheat them in the toaster oven and pop them in my daughter's stainless steel Thermos to pack in her lunch!

Enjoy!

=o)
Jen

Who says Organic dessert has to be complicated?!

It's funny because I think that the idea of "Organic" conjures up all kinds of different ideas in different people. My family isn't walking around eating twigs or any other crazy stuff. We are eating healthier which means in some ways it is more about what we are NOT eating! We are not eating pesticides and chemicals or genetically modified organisms (GMOs). We are eating food that is more pure like it is supposed to be. Just about ANYTHING you normally eat, you can find an organic version of. (Of course, I prefer to make food from scratch whenever possible, but that's not always feasible.) One of the reasons I LOVE shopping at a store like Earth Fare is that they literally have everything there in organic form!

Here is the quick and easy dessert we had tonight--Organic Ice Cream in Organic Ice Cream Cones! Who knew Organic Ice Cream Cones existed--not me!





















We even stumbled upon organic seaweed while there today for making your own sushi--how cool!
Earth Fare also sells these wonderful organic cookies that are similar to Oreos but organic! I think it would be terrific to use these for a pie crust or just eat with a cold glass of milk! As you can see, we've already dug in!

I guess the point I am making is that eating organic and eating healthier doesn't mean you have to give up everything that you love--you just have to search a little to find the healthier version of it. Cookies are cookies in any form and of course should be eaten in moderation, but I feel a little better about giving my kids cookies that I know do not have pesticides, GMOs, High Fructose Corn Syrup, or Hydrogenated Oils and Trans Fat in them.

Oh, and while we are talking about desserts and ice cream, if you'd prefer to make your own, here is a delicious ice cream recipe for your ice cream maker that I got out of a Cuisinart Recipe Booklet for the Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker that we own. It is YUMMY! Again, this recipe is TOTALLY doable with all organic ingredients! If you'd like to lighten it up a little, you may substitute lower fat creams and milk for heavy creams and whole milk that the recipe calls for.

Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream

1 pint fresh ripe strawberries, stemmed & sliced
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup sugar, divided
1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In a small bowl, combine the strawberries with the lemon juice and 1/3 cup of the sugar. Stir gently and allow the strawberries to macerate in the juices for 2 hours.
In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer or whisk to combine the milk and granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream plus any accumulated juices from the strawberries and the vanilla.
Pour into ice cream maker and mix until thickened, about 25-30 minutes (in the model that I own).
Add the sliced strawberries during the last 5 minutes of freezing. The ice cream will have a pale pink appearance due to the strawberries.

Enjoy!
=o)
Jen