Monday Munchies: Asparagus “Fries”

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Jamie

I tried three new recipes one evening last week. I must have been in the mood for Parmesan as all of these recipes have grated Parmesan in them.

The fish recipe is from my friend Lauren’s husband’s blog – Parmesan Crusted Fish – I used tilapia. Lauren was a county fair queen and is still one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met. Her smile lights up a room instantly. Both she and her husband recently started food blogging and I’ve been trying many of their recipes. They are great!!

The pasta is Orzo with Parmesan and Basil that I found on Tasty Kitchen and the Asparagus Fries were inspired by another recipe I printed recently, but now I can’t find the site! (If it’s you, send me an email and I’ll add a link!)

Mike and I had this for dinner after the kiddos went to bed, and I liked the asparagus fries so much that there were not any leftovers. Mike ate one of them (he isn’t an asparagus fan) but did say, “It’s actually good. It doesn’t taste like asparagus at all.” The kids did eat leftover orzo and fish and liked them both. 🙂

Asparagus “Fries”

1 bunch asparagus
2 egg whites
1 cup panko crumbs
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Lay a wire rack on a baking sheet and coat with nonstick spray. Cut the ends of each asparagus spear. Lightly beat the eggs and place on a shallow dish or plate. Combine the other ingredients on another shallow dish or plate. Coat each asparagus spear in egg whites, then lay in the panko mixture and throughly cover. Lay each spear on the wire rack. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden and crispy.

Each Monday, I’ll showcase a family and kid-friendly recipe to share with your family. Please let me know if you try one of my recipes! Enjoy!

Monday Munchies: Banana Pudding

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Jamie

Pardon the Lightning McQueen bowl and Gerber spoon – I mostly feed children! This is one of my favorite dessert recipes. It is quick, easy, and perfect for parties. I made this with the leftover heavy whipping cream from last week’s Creamy Sausage Bowties and used it’s sugary goodness in an attempt to coerce my, then sick, children to eat. All three little ones enjoy this dessert – there are no photos of Anna trying hers, as she was still pretty sick when I made it.

This is my mom’s recipe and I have no idea where it originated. This is the only type of pudding Mike will eat, however, he prefers his without bananas (aka vanilla).

Banana Pudding

3 bananas
vanilla wafers
1 pkg. Instant vanilla pudding
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 ½ cups water
2 cups heavy whipping cream

Beat whipping cream until fluffy. Mix other ingredients together in a large bowl, folding the fluffy cream in last. Line a large bowl with vanilla wafers. Slice bananas in a single layer on top. Add some of the pudding mixture. Continue to layer ingredients in bowl. Refrigerate. If you plan to eat over several days, do not put banana slices in the bowl. Slice fresh banana over the top right before serving.

Each Monday, I’ll showcase a family and kid-friendly recipe to share with your family. Please let me know if you try one of my recipes! Enjoy!

Monday Munchies: Creamy Sausage Bowties

Posted on March 21, 2011 by Jamie

Just so we’re clear – there is a reason I have a muffin top. And it isn’t because of the flax-laden treats I serve my children. It’s because of recipes like this one. My friend Jenny sent this me this recipe from one of our favorite recipe sites, Tasty Kitchen. The subject line said “yummy pasta” and she’s right!

The kiddos were sick when I made this and Mike and I had it for dinner after they were in bed. It’s pretty spicy, so I’m not sure if it would be a big hit for them, but I really enjoyed it. Mike thought it was too spicy, and we’ll probably use mild Rotel in the future to calm it down a bit.

The bread is homemade Pain d’Epi, from the cookbook Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day, which is amazing!

Creamy Sausage and Tomato Bowtie Pasta

2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
3 cloves of garlic (diced)
1/2 cup yellow onion (chopped)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 pound ground seasoned pork sausage
2 tsp corn starch
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 can diced tomatoes and chiles (Rotel)
12 ounces bowtie pasta
Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain and set aside.

Heat EVOO in large skillet over medium heat. Add in garlic, onion, red pepper flakes and mix for 1 minute. Add in ground sausage and cook for until meat is no longer pink. Add cornstarch to skillet and mix with meat. Add heavy whipping cream and Rotel to the meat mixture and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in cooked pasta, and let stand for 10 minutes to thicken, stirring occasionally. Serve with fresh grated Parmesan.

Each Monday, I’ll showcase a family and kid-friendly recipe to share with your family. Please let me know if you try one of my recipes! Enjoy!

Monday Munchies: Chocolate Pudding (Made with Avocado!)

Posted on March 14, 2011 by Jamie

The trio has been sick all weekend. 🙁 However, I made this Chocolate Pudding a few weeks ago and the girls loved it! I was inspired by Roni over at GreenLiteBites. Bo was at school when I made it and the girls ate it so fast (I knelt on the floor and fed it to them – patience is not a virtue) that he didn’t try this recipe. Also, due to the hurried nature of their eating, there are no photos of of the girls trying this one, but it was definitely a hit!

I tried it, and I couldn’t taste the avocado. It just adds the creaminess. This definitely isn’t low-calorie, but it is full of good fats and perfect for my quest to fatten up Anna.

Chocolate Pudding (made with Avocado!)

1 ripe avocado
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
4 tsp agave nectar (can use sugar)
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp milk

Dice avocado and place all ingredients into a small food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. Dish into serving bowls and garnish with whipped cream, if desired. Makes 1 large or 2 small servings. Double if feeding twin girls. 😉

Each Monday, I’ll showcase a family and kid-friendly recipe to share with your family. Please let me know if you try one of my recipes! Enjoy!

Monday Munchies: Cinnamon Pear Baked Oatmeal

Posted on March 7, 2011 by Jamie

On Thursday evening, I threw together a batch of baked oatmeal to use up some pears that were nearing the end of their lifespan. My original recipe calls for quite a bit of fat (great for Anna, bad for Mama) so I decided to lighten up this recipe a bit. Clara, Anna, and I enjoyed the results. Bo was in a mood and wouldn’t try it. He gave his to Anna and had yogurt with granola for breakfast on Friday morning instead.

Cinnamon Pear Baked Oatmeal

1/2 cup applesauce (replaces oil)
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp flax seed mixed with water to make a paste (replaces eggs)
3 cups quick cooking oats
2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp wheat germ
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup milk
2 small pears, diced

Mix applesauce, sugar, and flax mixture until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Fold in diced pear. Pour into greased 8 x 8 pan and bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Also great with diced apple!

Monday Munchies: Blueberry Spelt Mini-Muffins

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Jamie

On Friday morning, I was up early, so I decided to throw together some mini-muffins for the trio’s breakfast. Bo had his with strawberry yogurt for dipping. These do have sugar, but are still significantly better (tasting and health wise) than the Hostess versions.

Blueberry Spelt Mini-Muffins

4 Tbsp. canola oil
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 eggs
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tsp. good quality vanilla
2 cups spelt flour (can substitute 1 cup flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp lemon peel
pinch of salt
3 heaping teaspoons flax seed
3 heaping teaspoons wheat germ
2 cups fresh blueberries

Heat oven to 375. Spray two mini-muffin pans with Pam spray (I used Pam for baking). In a large bowl, cream together oil and sugar. Add applesauce, eggs, orange juice, and vanilla. Add flour, baking powder, lemon peel, salt, flax, and wheat germ. Stir until just combined. Fold in blueberries. Using a melon baller, scoop batter into prepared mini-muffin tin. Bake for approximately 12 minutes. Makes approximately 48. mini-muffins.

Monday Munchies: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Jamie

Inspired by Katie’s post for Protein Balls, I tweaked the recipe a bit and developed these. They taste a great deal like uncooked cookie dough, are a bit healthier, and the kids liked them. Success!! We had these Saturday afternoon for snack.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

1 cup vanilla protein powder
1/4 cup skim or soy milk
1/2 cup organic, natural peanut butter
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup agave nectar (you can use 1/2 cup honey if you do not have this)
1 tsp good quality vanilla (I prefer this brand)
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
2 Tbsp flax seed
2 Tbsp wheat germ
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine the milk and protein powder. Mix well. Add the peanut butter, honey, agave, and vanilla. Mix until well combined. Add oatmeal, flax, wheat germ, and mini chocolate chips. Roll into balls and place on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper. Let set in the fridge for approximately 30 minutes. Serve. Store remaining balls in Ziploc bag in the fridge. Makes approximately 20 balls.

Each Monday, I’ll showcase a family and kid-friendly recipe to share with your family. Please let me know if you try one of my recipes! Enjoy!

Monday Munchies: Blueberry Oatmeal Pancakes

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Jamie

Blueberry Oatmeal Pancakes

1 cup quick oats
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
two eggs
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp butter (melted)
1 tsp. cinnamon
splash of vanilla
blueberries (optional)

In a large bowl, soak the oats and the buttermilk overnight. In the morning, add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Cook on a hot griddle. Add blueberries while cooking. Very good! This recipes feeds 1 and 3 small children. Double if planning to feed 5 hungry, full-sized humans.

These pancakes do take some forethought, as you need to soak the oats in the buttermilk overnight. I put mine in the fridge last Tuesday night when it became apparent that we would be spending Wednesday snowed in thanks to the Blizzard of 2011. These were easy to pull together on Wednesday morning for a yummy breakfast that all three of my kiddos enjoyed. The pancakes have a very good flavor and texture.

Each Monday, I’ll showcase a family and kid-friendly recipe to share with your family. Please let me know if you try one of my recipes! Enjoy!

Ask Jamie: Dump Cake

Posted on December 11, 2009 by Jamie

Kristi asks in the comments on this post:

But what is dump cake?

Mmm… dump cake. It sounds gross, but is very easy and quite delicious! They don’t photograph well, so I won’t share a picture with you, but they taste great and are quite yummy. The ‘dump’ of dump cake is just dumping a box of cake mix over the top of other ingredients and not mixing.

My favorite dump cake recipe is this Weight Watcher friendly one:

Dump Cake

2 bags frozen fruit (or 3 cups fresh fruit)

1 cake mix

1 diet pop

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9 x 13 pan with PAM. Dump in fruit. Sprinkle cake mix on top. Pour diet soda over the top. Bake for approximately 45 to 50 minutes until the top is golden. 12 servings – 4 points each. Great served warm with fat free vanilla ice cream. You can experiment with different flavors but my two favorites are blackberries/yellow cake/diet sprite and blueberries/vanilla cake/diet cream soda.

The dump cake from the post that I referenced above is this recipe:

Pumpkin Dump Cake

1 29 oz. can pumpkin

1 12 oz can evaporated milk

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

3 tsp cinnamon

1 box yellow cake mix

1 cup chopped pecans

3/4 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350. Mix first six ingredients in a large bowl and pour into a 9 x 13 pan sprayed with PAM. Sprinkle cake mix on top and then cover with pecans. Pour melted butter over the top. Bake for 50 minutes.

Enjoy!!

Friday’s Feature at Sticky Feet Part Deux is Ask Jamie. Feel free to email me or leave a comment with any question you would like for me to answer. Anything is fair game!

Tasty Tuesday: Coconut Cream Pie

Posted on July 21, 2009 by Jamie

Last Wednesday, I decided I was in the mood for coconut pie. I noticed a recipe in one of Mom’s Taste of Home magazines and decided to take to the challenge and make my own. (My recipe is slightly modified). It was quite good – even though I’m not a fan of meringue. Give me some Cool Whip any day. 🙂 Mom, Bo, and I managed to polish off over half a pie as our afternoon snack that day.

***For those of you who are local — I loved the coconut pie and chocolate pie that they use to make at Skipper’s Galley. If you have either of those recipes, please share!!***

Bo had never had coconut before and even though he liked it – he did have a few red blotches after eating. Luckily, they went away fairly quickly and there didn’t seem to be any long-term consequences.

Coconut Cream Pie

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups milk

3 egg yolks, beaten

1/2 cup flaked coconut

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (I prefer coconut extract)

1 pie crust, baked

Meringue:

3 egg whites

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

1/4 tsp vanilla

6 Tbsp. sugar

1/4 cup flaked coconut

In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add milk, stir until smooth. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat to low and cook and stir for 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat Stir a small amount of the hot filling into the egg yolks, then return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the coconut and vanilla. Pour into prepared shell.

In a small bowl, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and vanilla on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar, 1 Tbsp. at a time, on high until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over hot filling, sealing edges to crust. Sprinkle with coconut.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on on a wire rack and then refrigerate.