Roasted Congee

I don't roast a lot of things, but when I do, I keep the carcass for congee the next day. Why waste it? The carcass typically has lots of roasted flavour from the roast, so it gives the congee a nice mouth feel and TOTALLY makes it less boring. Plus when I debone the roast, I don't have to stress over leaving too much meat on the bones. It wont' matter since it'll go into the congee the next morning. >:)


Roasted Congee
(serves 4)

Ingredients:

• Leftover bones from a roast (e.g., prime rib, chicken, turkey)
• Water
• 1 cup uncooked white rice
• 4-5 cups water
• 2 thick slices of ginger
• Salt & pepper, to taste 

Directions:

1. Wash rice until water runs clearish. 
2. Combine rice, water (4 cups for thicker congee and 5 cups for a looser congee), ginger and leftover bones into the instant pot pot. Press the congee button. 
3. Once the machine beeps, wait 15-20 minutes before lifting lid. Remove the bone and separate any remaining meat from the bones. Place meat into the congee. Season with salt and pepper. 
4. Serve by itself or with green onions and Chinese donut. 

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

K love pancakes. So I made him some with grated apples. This way I can finish up my stash and feed him some more fruit. This is the easiest pancake recipe ever. It's not that fluffy, so it's not Hubby's fave, but it's awesome when I'm too lazy to look for my usual fluffy blueberry pancakes recipe (although if you do replace the blueberries with shredded apple in the blueberry pancakes recipe, it's the best pancakes I've ever had. No joke). ;)

I find that when everything is at room temperature, I don't end up burning the pancakes before they're cooked. And that's always been an issue with me and most pancake recipes. Either that or it'll take forever to cook over a medium low heat. -_-

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

(serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup warm milk
• 1 egg, room temperature & lightly beaten
• 1 medium apple, grated
• Butter or canola oil for greasing pan

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. 
2. Pour in milk, egg and mix until combined.
3. Stir in grated apple. 
4. Heat up a nonstick pan over medium heat. Lightly coat with butter or canola oil. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan and cook until edges look dry and bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake. Flip and cook the other side. 
5. Repeat with remaining batter, lightly coating the pan with butter or oil between each pancake. 
6. Serve with maple syrup and coffee or milk. 

Applesauce

K loves his applesauce, so I make it. Come to think of it, I tend to make a lot of stuff that the boys loves. Best way to actually ensure they eat their food, right?

This is one of the best ways to get K to have some apples. He doesn't tend to like them much when you slice them up. Picky little boy, eh?

You can totally make this as one of baby's first foods by removing the salt, cinnamon and lemon juice.


Applesauce
(makes ~2 cups)

Ingredients:

• 8 medium apples, cored, peeled and cut into bite size chunks
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• A splash of water

Directions:

1. Toss everything into a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and lower heat to simmer. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until apple chunks are soft to the touch.
2. Use a stick blender to purée or transfer to a food processor to purée.
3. Serve as a side to pork chops, with oatmeal, over pancakes, by itself, as an ingredient for other recipes, etc. 

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I swear a secret to a good grilled cheese sandwich is to have the bread lightly toasted first BEFORE you put the cheese in the middle.

I've made a buttload of grilled cheeses in my day, whether it be in the toaster oven, pan, or even the sad microwave. But this is definitely the way I like it most. Of course I use Kraft Singles, cuz it just tastes like my childhood. Hubby can't handle the process stuff so I gotta use real cheddar for his - claims I spoiled him with real food. I suppose it's a good thing, right? :P

This is a simple enough recipe but it's a good reminder. Plus maybe it'll be useful for the kids when they grow up...One can only hope, right? ;)


Grilled Cheese Sandwich
(serves 2)

Ingredients:

• 4 whole wheat bread slices
• 2 (any) cheese slices
• 4-6 Tbsps mayonnaise

Directions:

1. Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Spread mayonnaise on one side of the bread and place the mayo-side down in the pan. Top with a slice of cheese. Spread one side of another slice of bread with mayonnaise and place it non-mayo-side down on top of the cheese.
2. Once the bottom slice of bread turns golden brown, use a spatula to flip the whole thing over to brown the other side of the sandwich.
3. Cook until both sides are golden brown. Transfer to a cutting board and slice sandwich in half, diagonally. Repeat with the other sandwich.
4. Serve with milk or tomato soup, etc.

If you have a big pan, you can do two at a time. I don't have a big enough pan to make two at a time without squishing the sandwiches, so I just use a small 8" pan and make the sandwiches individually. It's not so bad when you only need to make two sandwiches.

Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

It's that time of the year when blueberries are in season. We've got lots of blueberries and I needed to make something with it. I figure muffins would be awesome since we almost never finish cakes or tarts in this house. While I'm at it, why not make them a little healthier and more filling with some oats, eh? ;)

It's not necessary to mix 2 tablespoons of the flour with the blueberries, but it helps to make the blueberries stay whole while they bake. If you don't care about that, then by all means, just leave out that step.

I really do like these muffins. They're not too sweet and that cinnamon sugar topping totally hits the spot.


Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
(makes 1 dozen muffins or about 35 baby muffins)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, divided
• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tsps baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 egg, beaten and at room temperature
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed and dried
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Line muffin tins with liners. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine all but 2 tablespoons of flour with the oats, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, combine beaten egg, milk, canola oil and vanilla extract. Mix well. 
4. Pour liquids into the dry ingredients. Mix just until combined. Set aside.
5. In a small bowl, toss blueberries in remaining 2 tablespoons of flour. Gently fold into the batter. Spoon batter into muffin tins to the top. 
6. In another small bowl, combine the sugar and ground cinnamon. Top each muffin with some of the cinnamon sugar mixture.
7. Bake in the center rack for 10-15 minutes (for mini muffins) or 20-25 minutes (for regular muffins), or until a cake tester comes out clean when poked inside the middle.
8. Serve with (a pat of butter and) coffee.

Mom's Meat Sauce

Most people will probably think this is too sweet and it's sacrilege but it's a taste of childhood for my sibs and me. And man did we ever love our ketchup. This is definitely one way to have your kid have spaghetti and meat sauce if they love ketchup the way K does and the way my sis and I did as kids.

We used to have this as "sloppy joes" with buns, or with rice or with spaghetti (our fave way to eat it). I introduced this sauce to K last night and he had a healthy portion of it. Any way I can get him to have any meat, I'm happy. :)


Mom's Meat Sauce
(serves 4-5)

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs lean ground beef
• 1 10 3/4 oz (305g) can condensed tomato soup
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1/2 - 1 Tbsp sugar
• Salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Heat up a large pot (or in my mom's case, a wok) over medium high heat. When pot is hot, add beef and cook until no longer pink. Season with a pinch of salt.
2. Once meat is cooked, stir in tomato soup, 1/2 cup of ketchup and a 1/2 tablespoon of sugar. Mix well until sauce is hot and bubbly. Taste and season with more ketchup, sugar and/or salt, if needed.
3. Serve over spaghetti, rice or use as a "sloppy Joe" filling.

Easy Mini Cinnamon Buns

These are probably the easiest cinnamon buns I've ever made. I like them mini, so I could finish one in 2-3 bites. You can always make them normal sized by not cutting the dough in half before rolling. :)

It's important to use pasteurized milk, otherwise the bacteria will likely kill the yeast. Although I wouldn't worry about it, since most milk is pasteurized these days.

Definitely eat these while they're hot. Otherwise I'd just nuke them in the microwave for about 5 seconds to warm them up if eaten after they've cooled down.


Easy Mini Cinnamon Buns
(serves 4-6)

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 tsps (or 1 packet) instant yeast
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup (semi-)melted butter, divided
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 - 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 6 Tbsp sugars, divided
• Canola oil, for greasing bowl
• About 1 cup cream cheese frosting (1/4 of this recipe's frosting is good enough)

Directions:

1. Heat up milk and 3 tablespoons of butter until the temperature reaches about 110F (the temperature of bath water/just a bit warmer than your body temperature), either in a small sauce pan over medium heat or in a 2 cup measuring cup in the microwave.
2. Transfer butter and milk mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add yeast, 1 tablespoon of sugar and salt. Mix well.
3. Add 2 cups of flour to the liquid mixture. Use the handle of a wooden spoon to mix dough until it gets sticky and a ball of dough starts to form. Roll it out onto a floured surface and knead, adding flour as needed, until the dough is just tacky and no longer sticky (usually about 2 1/2 of flour and 5 minutes of kneading will do). Form the dough into a ball. Grease the mixing bowl with canola oil and place the ball of dough in it, rolling it in the bowl to get it greased up.
4. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave it in the microwave for 1 hour, or until the dough doubles in size. Do NOT turn on the microwave. It's the best place to let the dough rise.
5. Line a 8" x 8" pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
6. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a thin rectangle. Brush with 3 tablespoons of butter. Sprinkle 1/4 of sugar on top and then with the cinnamon. Use a knife or pastry cutter to cut the rectangle lengthwise (to make 2 long rectangles).
7. Starting at one end, tightly roll up the dough and situate seam side down. Repeat with the other rectangle. Using the same knife or pastry cutter, cut the dough into 1 1/2 - 2 inch long pieces.
8. Place the cinnamon buns into the parchment lined pan. Spread remaining butter over the tops of the cinnamon buns.
9. Place the pan on top of the oven to rise while the oven preheats. Preheat to 350F. Bake in the middle rack for 25-30 minutes, or until slightly golden brown. While the cinnamon buns are baking, make your cream cheese frosting.
10. Spread the frosting over the hot cinnamon buns. Let cool for a couple of minutes before serving with milk or coffee.

Danish Pancake Balls

I just got myself a new takoyaki pan so I'm super happy. Although I'm all takoyaki'd out, I wanted to use it to make other foods. It just so happens that this pan is similar to the ones used for Danish pancake balls. So I decided to make some. :D

They turned out pretty good. Everyone loves them, so that's pretty darn awesome. I probably would've liked them more with whipped cream and fresh strawberries. But I didn't have any, so I just stuffed them with some chocolate chips and drenched them in maple syrup. :P


Danish Pancake Balls
(makes 60-64 balls)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 6 Tbsps sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• Canola oil for greasing pan

Directions:

1. Place an aebleskiver or takoyaki pan over medium-low heat. 
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flours, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
3. In a smaller bowl, mix together eggs, milk and butter. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined. 
4. When pan is hot enough to make a drop of water dance, brush holes with canola oil and fill each to slightly below the rim with batter. Drop a couple of chocolate chips in the center. Using knitting needles, picks, chopsticks, takoyaki picks, or your fingers, move some of the batter so that the chocolate chips are covered.
5. Cook for another minute or so, until golden brown and you can use a skewer/takoyaki pick/chopstick to break the contact between the pancake ball and pan. Using the pick, turn/flip the pancake over to the other side, while stuffing the batter that overflows over the edges/from the turning ball into itself using another takoyaki pick (1 per hand!).
6. Cook until golden brown, crispy on the outside and the pick comes out clean when pierced into the pancake ball. Transfer balls to a plate. Repeat with remaining batter, re-greasing the pan each time.
7. Serve with maple syrup, powdered sugar, whipped cream, fresh fruits, etc. and coffee.

Sweet Crepes

Nomnomnom. I love crepes. I'd get them when I go to the night market or something. But this one time, I had it and it was super greasy. It was gross so I was sad. The next day when I was trying to figure out what to make for breakfast, I decided to just try to make it for myself. Success! And SUPER easy. I can't even believe it.

The other day I made more cuz I had some leftover whipped cream, custard and strawberries in the fridge. I figure it was the perfect way to get rid of them. Although I still like filling them with Nutella and strawberries the most. Same with K. Just blogging this with him in my lap, he's pointing at the picture and asking for more. LOL.


Sweet Crepes
(serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsps sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsps whole milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 Tbsps butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Butter for greasing the pan
• Filling options: Nutella, sliced strawberries, blueberries, custard, sliced bananas, whipped cream, melted chocolate, jam, etc.

Directions:

1. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and sugar. Whisk in eggs, milk, water, butter and vanilla extract until the batter is smooth.
2. Heat up a nonstick pan over medium heat. Coat the pan with just a light layer or butter. Pour batter in the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly. Once the edges get dry (about a minute or so, depending on your pan), flip and cook for another 15 seconds or so, until the other side is cooked. Transfer to a plate to cool/fill. Repeat until all the batter is gone.
3. Spread filling on one side of the crepe, fold the non-filled side over the filled side and then fold in half again. Top with whipped cream and fresh fruit.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

I don't know what's more toddler friendly than sweet and sour chicken. Honestly. It's sweet, it's tangy and it's saucy. God, I love this stuff. K just goes for the pineapples. He'll eat a couple of peppers, but then spit them out cuz he likes the pineapples more. It's almost impossible to get him to eat anything other than the pineapples if he feeds himself. Can't blame him. They are pretty darn sweet. Fresh all the way!


Sweet & Sour Chicken
(serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
• 1 medium bell pepper, chopped
• 1 1/2-2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 inch knob of ginger, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tbsps cornstarch, divided
• 1/4 cup soy sauce, divided
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 4 tsps sugar, divided
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1 green onion stalk, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 4 tsps canola oil, divided

Directions:

1. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of canola oil. Toss in chicken and marinate for 10-15 minutes.
2. Heat up the wok over high heat. Add remaining canola oil. Once the oil shimmers, add chicken to cook in one layer. Once one side is browned, turn the chicken slices over to start cooking on the other side while you add ginger, garlic and onions. Stir the mixture and let it cook while you put the slurry together.
3. In a small bowl, dissolve the remaining cornstarch in water, remaining soy sauce, and vinegar. Add to the mixture in the wok.
4. Toss in bell peppers and pineapples. Add ketchup and the remaining sugar. Mix well. Cover and let it cook for a few minutes until the peppers are tender crisp and the chicken is cooked through.
5. Taste and add more ketchup if needed. Toss in green onion.
6. Serve with white rice and soup.

Creamy Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal

I haven't made any oatmeal for K for a while. He used to have it every day for 4 months or so when he first started eating. But now I make it for him way less. He just gets sick of the same foods so easily. He won't eat the same thing more than 3 days a week. And don't even try giving him the same thing more than once a day! Unless it's cookies and fruit. Those, he can eat 24/7 if we let him.

The kid loves raisins and we're running low on frozen blueberries (which he loves to put in his yogurt and oatmeal), so I thought I'd just make him cinnamon raisin oatmeal. Why not? They make cookies out of this stuff! ;)


Creamy Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal
(serves 3 adults)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quick cooking oats
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1 small pinch salt
• 1 cup raisins
• 1-2 Tbsps brown sugar
• 2 tsps ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Bring milk to a gentle boil in a pot over medium heat. Add in remaining ingredients. Turn heat to medium low and cook until oatmeal is thick and creamy, about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally with a spatula to prevent oatmeal from sticking to the pot.
2. Serve with fresh fruit.

Ham & Peas Pasta

This can be a pretty soupy pasta, which is pretty nice. I just tend not to make it very soupy for K cuz I don't want him making too much of a mess. Plus he's not really that fond of drinking any soups after having pasta. But he loves soupy noodles. What the heck?! O.o

You can always add more or less water. Season it more or less to your liking. Don't like peas? Then don't add them! The green onions do give a nice fresh taste though so I wouldn't leave that out. Unless your toddler doesn't like green onions. Mind you, most toddlers don't like peas either but K loves both peas and green onions. I try to lure him to eat more of the pasta and ham by putting the peas and green onions toward the back of the spoon so he has to eat a full spoonful before he can get to the peas and green onions. Devious? I think so! But totally required...

My mom used to make this for us all the time as kids. It's one of the easiest things to make in the mornings for breakfast before school. Good for leftover ham too. :D


Ham & Peas Pasta
(makes ~2 toddler meals)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry macaroni, small shell or any small pasta
• 1 slices of ham, finely diced
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1 small stalk green onion, finely diced
• Salt, to taste
• 1/2 pinch chicken bouillon (optional)
• Water

Directions:

1. In a small pot, bring 3 cups of salted water to boil. Add in dry pasta, ham and chicken bouillon, if using. Simmer until pasta is to the texture your toddler likes.
2. Turn off heat and stir in peas and green onions. Taste. Add more water if you want it more soupy and adjust seasoning if needed.
3. Cool to room temperature and serve.

Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

A few years back, I was on this diet where I couldn't have any butter or oils (except for virgin olive oil), among other things...But I wanted mashed potatoes. So instead of adding butter and milk, I added cheese. It was a good idea.

I hadn't made it again since then. But I thought I'd try that diet again. So here we go...Cheesy Mashed Potatoes that even K and Hubby will devour. :)


Cheesy Mashed Potatoes
(serves 3-4)

Ingredients:

• 3 large russet potatoes, cubed
• 1 cup cheddar/marbled cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup hot milk
• Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Boil potatoes in salted water until fork tender. Drain water.
2. Add hot milk and cheese to the drained potatoes. Mash with potato masher. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Serve with veggies and grilled meat.

Chicken Teriyaki

Isn't this chicken breast just GORGEOUS? Lol. I think it's pretty anyway. :)

I love chicken teriyaki. I prefer it with chicken thighs but I'll usually make it with chicken breasts, simply because I don't like deboning a huge package of chicken thighs. Lazy? Hells yes. :P

But you know what? I can always claim that the best is healthier. So there. >:)

Traditionally you'd use mirin but I almost never have mirin at home, so I just use my yellow wine. It works just as well. I just have to add more sugar. That being said, if you have mirin, don't use as much sugar!

The sauce is pretty standard so you can use it to make tofu teriyaki, salmon teriyaki, beef teriyaki, etc. I just like to add veggies to it cuz they soak up all the sauce and impart some flavour to the sauce itself. ;)


Chicken Teriyaki
(serves 2)

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless chicken breasts (with skin!)
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup yellow wine/dry sherry/mirin
• 3 Tbsps sugar (use less if using mirin), more to taste
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• 2 Tbsps canola oil

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, heat up canola oil. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. 
2. Put chicken in the pan skin side down. When the skin has a nice golden colour (about 7 minutes), turn it over. Lower the heat to low and cook until the juices run clear. Transfer chicken breasts to a plate to rest. Set aside.
3. Toss onions and bell peppers into the pan. Cook until onions start to soften. Stir in soy sauce, wine/mirin and sugar, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom. Add more sugar if necessary and cook until sauce is bubbly and thickened.
4. Spoon onions and peppers onto a plate, top with the chicken breasts and drizzle sauce over chicken. Serve with rice and miso soup (or another clear broth/consomme).

Christmas Oatmeal

I gotta call this my Christmas oatmeal. Simply because eggnog is only sold in our stores in December. I know I can probably just make my own, but there's something nice about only being able to get something once a year. It makes it more special. Plus the last time I tried making eggnog, it was pretty darn nasty. Albeit I was only 12 but still....


Christmas Oatmeal
(makes 1 1/2 cups)

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cups quick cooking oats
• 2 cups eggnog (or 1 cup each of whole milk and eggnog)
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Bring eggnog and cranberries to a gentle boil over medium heat. Be careful because it'll bubble over very quickly.
2. Stir in oats and a half pinch of salt. Cook until oatmeal thickens to desired consistency, about 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Serve with milk or diluted juice. 

I found this to be pretty sweet (almost like a dessert), so if you want, just use half whole milk and half eggnog for the little ones. :)

Raisin Cranberry Apple Oatmeal

K has been having oatmeal since he was about 8 months old? Maybe a little older. But I've stopped giving him oatmeal for some time since he got sick of the Blueberry Oatmeal.

Now that he can have little chunks of apples without my having to worry about him choking, I almost never make him his Apple Pie Toddler Cereal. I probably can, since he still loves his applesauce. And I have so much brown rice leftover. Heck, yes I think I'll do that later today or tomorrow.

In the meantime, he still has about 2 cups of this oatmeal left. And he loves it. I mean who wouldn't? It's sweet from just the dried fruits I put in there!


Raisin Cranberry Apple Oatmeal
(makes 2 cups)

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup quick cooking oats
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup dried sweetened cranberries
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 apple, cored, peeled & diced
• Half pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Bring milk to a gentle boil over medium heat. Be careful because it'll bubble over very quickly.
2. Stir in oats, raisins, cranberries, cinnamon, nutmeg and a half pinch of salt. Cook until oatmeal thickens, about 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Take oatmeal off the heat and stir in diced apples.
4. Serve with milk or diluted juice. 

Oatmeal can keep in the fridge for a up to 5 days. Add a splash of milk when heating up to loosen the oatmeal. Otherwise it may be too thick when reheated.

Nutfree Toddler Granola Bars

K loves his cereal bars. We buy the organic ones from our grocery store all the time for him. But from the way he was devouring them, we were going to either go broke (haha not really cuz we're not that poor) or he'd  go crazy from all that sugar. That got me wondering about the possibility of making my own granola bars for him to take to daycare. It's a nut-free facility so I had to make sure there wasn't any nuts in the product. Poor guy. K loves his peanut butter but basically can only have it at home. Oh well.

Of course I researched and then decided to make these granola bars instead of the cereal bars where I have to ground all the stuff into flour. Good thing cuz I'm too lazy to do all that extra work. This turned out pretty well. But I think I'm going to use a bigger pan or split the mixture in two and make two separate dishes worth so that the bars wouldn't be quite so thick. And maybe add some applesauce to it so that it's less crumbly.


Nutfree Toddler Granola Bars
(makes 12 thick bars or 24 thin bars)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup raisins
• 2/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a 8" x 8" square baking pan (for thick bars) with parchment paper. Line two pans if you want thinner bars. Make sure there's some parchment paper hanging over the sides so you can use them to pick up the slab of granola later. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients (oats, raisins, cranberries, chocolate chips, wheat germ, flours, sugar, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg). Once mixed well, stir in honey, oil, egg and vanilla extract until everything is mixed very well.
3. Transfer mixture to your parchment paper lined pan(s) and use your hands or a spatula to smooth out the top so that it's nice and flat.
4. Bake for 12-15 minutes (thin bars) or 18-20 minutes (thick bars), or until the sides start turning golden brown.
5. Let the slab(s) rest out of the oven for about 5 minutes, then lift them out of their pan(s). Using a sharp knife, cut the slab(s) into bars.
6. Let the bars cool down completely before storing in an airtight container or a large Ziploc bag to keep the bars chewy.

Cheddar Mac & Cheese

I'm sorry, but Hubby and I don't really eat mac and cheese. We did need another side dish to go with the ham for Hubby's birthday dinner so I went with this! It was a lot more liquidy after I made it, but it sat for a few minutes before everyone started eating so that's why it looks so much more stiff.

It's pretty good. Very rich says my Sis. Meh. That's what mac and cheese is supposed to be, right? Lol. Who knows. I'm the type who would rather eat the Kraft kind in a box than ones made from scratch. Blasphemy (is what most people would say but I don't care)!


Cheddar Mac & Cheese
(serves 6-8)

Ingredients:

• 4 cups dry macaroni pasta
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 3 cups whole milk
• 5 cups cheddar cheese, grated (or more if you want)
• 1 1/2 tsp salt (more to taste, if needed)
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp mustard powder

Directions:

1. In a large pot, cook macaroni in salted water until al dente and drain.
2. In a separate large pot or dutch oven, melt butter on medium low heat. When butter has melted, whisk in flour to make a paste. Sprinkle in nutmeg and mustard powder. Cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes or so.
3. Slowly pour milk in a bit at a time while whisking constantly to break up any lumps. Add salt and pepper. Whisk until smooth and mixture has thicken (sauce will leave a trail when you dip a spoon in to drizzle sauce on top of the sauce in the pot). Reduce heat to low.
4. Stir in cheese and mix until all the cheese has melted. Season with more salt and pepper if needed.
5. Pour in the cooked macaroni and mix until every piece is well coated. Add more milk if it's too dry.
6. Serve immediately if you like it very creamy, or let it sit for a few minutes, if you like it less creamy.

Cheesy "Refried" Red Kidney Beans

Okay, fine so it doesn't look all that appetizing. But it's actually pretty darn good. K loved it when I wrapped it in some tortilla and dipped it into sour cream. That kid is learning to love sour cream, which is good for me, since I love the stuff too. Mind you, that kid also will eat raw onion. He's so weird! Just like his daddy. =\

I didn't have a can of refried beans and I didn't have any pinto beans, so I made red kidney refried beans instead. Love it! You can always change the consistency if you like it thicker. I like it a little thinner since it's easier for K to eat it. This actually makes enough to make 8 burritos if you're using it as an ingredient for burritos. That's what I did. :D


Cheesy "Refried" Red Kidney Beans
(serves 6-8)

Ingredients:

• 1 540ml (19oz) can of red kidney beans, drained
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 - 1/3 cup water
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Cilantro (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan on medium high heat. Sauté onions until translucent. Add garlic cloves and stir until fragrant.
2. Pour in the beans and 1/2 cup of water. Lower heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until beans are soft. Use a potato masher and mash the beans. Add more water if you want it to be thinner. Stir in cheese and season with salt and pepper.
3. (Optional) Garnish with some cilantro if desired. Serve as a dip for tortilla chips or use as a side.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

K has been eating so much bread lately. The little guy just LOVES bread! He'll grab a slice of multigrain bread an just walk around the house nomming on it. The most amazing part is that he'll eat the crust first and then the soft fluffy part. Mom and I think he likes the crust more than the inside. Such a funny toddler.

Anywho, he's getting a little tired of his blueberry oatmeal. Who could blame him? He's been eating it every day at least once a day for the past 6 months or so. That being said, I have to sneak blueberries into him in another way and blueberry muffins is the way! I wanted to make a loaf, but muffins are so much more portable. :)

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

(makes 16 muffins)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 tsps baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup milk
• 2 1/4 cups frozen blueberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Grease muffin tins or line with muffin cups. Set aside. 
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Set aside. 
3. In a small bowl, combine the eggs, milk and oil. Stir in the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. 
4. Fold in the blueberries. And scoop into muffin tins. Fill any empty muffin cups 1/4 way up with water to prevent them from burning while baking.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until no crumbs stick to a toothpick when it's inserted into the middle of a couple of muffins.

This IS for a toddler, so I used less sugar and didn't make a crumbly topping for it. If you're making it for adults, I suggest increasing the sugar to 1 1/2 cups and maybe adding a crumbly topping for it. Crumbly toppings and toddlers just don't mix. The dog is always helpful in cleaning everything up off the floor but I take pride in having our pets at a healthy weight and with the way K's been feeding the dog off his highchair, we're going to have to work harder at keeping our barking vacuum cleaner nice and slim. :)