Peach Crisp Overnight Oats

I think I've made it pretty clear how much I like a sweet breakfast, especially one I can grab as I'm running out the door in the morning.  This peach crisp overnight oats recipe is my new favorite.  Its perfect for this gorgeous early spring weather and makes me so happy when I eat it!  

I love the serious peachy flavor from the oats and at less than 300 calories per serving, plus 14 grams of protein this little jar will keep me going all morning.  It tastes like dessert, makes me happy, and doesn't make me hangry halfway through the morning like some other quick breakfast can.  

I like putting my overnight oats in cute jars so they're easy to grab the next morning, but it also helps with portion control.  Yeah, I'd probable eat more of it because its so good, but its really the kids I portion it for. They can be little rage monsters if I don't give them the right amount, but if its already in a little jar?  Crisis averted.  Yay!

I love making overnight oats because it takes ingredients I keep in stock anyway, one big bowl, and 5 minutes the night before to make.  You can't beat it.  Sometimes I'll double the batch or make single batches of different flavors.  My other favorite is chocolate.  

Peach Crisp Overnight Oats

serves 3

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 6 oz. peach yogurt (1 yoplait container)
• 1/2 Cup vanilla whey protein powder
• 1 1/3 Cups old-fashioned oats, uncooked
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 Cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1-3 teaspoons sugar (optional)

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until fully incorporated. 
2. Portion into 3 airtight containers (mason jars, tupperware, etc.)
3. Refrigerate overnight.  Enjoy cold.  

Note: These containers last at least a week in the fridge so don't worry if you want to make several batches at a time.

Roasted Garlic

Okay, so this isn't much of a recipe because its so simple.  I guess its more of a public service announcement?  Because garlic is awesome, especially when its roasted, so everyone should eat more of it because its delicious and I don't want to be the only one with crazy garlic breath.

I go through a ton of garlic, and I hate spending all my time peeling it so lately I've been buying the huge pre-peeled bag of it at Costco.  Its so worth it.

This garlic spread is super yummy when served with good bread.  I like using it with the best bread.

This spread is great for an appetizer, or I also like serving this with a big hearty bowl of black bean soup.


Roasted Garlic

Ingredients:

• peeled garlic
• olive oil
• salt
• black pepper
• basil
• oregano
• cayenne

Directions: 

1. Use whatever amounts you want of each ingredient and dump them all into a small oven safe container.  Quickly stir them up a bit to evenly mix the flavors together.
2. Bake at 325 degrees F for 60-75 minutes with your container loosely covered in foil.  The garlic is done when it is very tender and not too brown or firm.
3. Spread onto bread and enjoy!  It should spread like warm butter.  

Panna Cotta

Doesn't this just look so fancy?  Yeah, it took me a whooping 5 minutes to make.

Panna cotta is such a great dessert.  It's quick to make, it requires very few ingredients, it looks so fancy, it isn't messy to eat, you can make it a day ahead of time.  Shall I go on?  Oh, and obviously, it tastes great too.  If you aren't familiar with panna cotta, it's like a vanilla pudding, and means "cooked cream."

Since this is such a simple dessert you can change it up every time you make it.  You can either serve the panna cotta in a pretty glass or turn the dessert out from a fancy mold and serve on a plate.  There are many sauce and flavoring options as well.  Jeff is a big fan of strawberry, I love orange and cranberry.

I know my panna cotta is ready when I can turn the glass over and nothing moves.  It totally reminds me of getting a Blizzard at Diary Queen as a kid.  That was always my favorite part.  Wow!  It didn't fall out!  Hi.  I'm a grown up and still fascinated by that.

I love all things orange creamsicle.  This panna cotta isn't super pretty with the thin color on the top but I really don't care.  I wanted to infuse the orange flavor throughout so after about an hour and a half in the fridge I poured about a tablespoon of orange curd over the panna cotta and allowed it to sink to the bottom.  This way I had the layer of orange covering the bottom, but also got a hint of orange through.  Yummy!

I made my orange curd, but store bought is fine.  You could also try lemon curd, strawberry jam, a fruit compote, fresh fruit, chocolate sauce, etc.

This go around I used a cranberry pomegranate curd on the top, which I spread on after 4 hours.  I just love that bright color!

I like using a wide glass for the panna cotta so I get my fruity topping in every bite.

Panna Cotta
serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup milk
• 1 1/2 packets of unflavored gelatin
• 2 Cups heavy cream
• 1/3 Cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
• fruit topping of your choice

Directions:

1. Combine the milk and gelatin in a medium saucepan off the heat and allow to absorb for 5 minutes.
2. Add the cream, sugar, and vanilla and whisk continually on medium heat until sugar has fully dissolved and steam begins to rise over the pot.
3. Remove from heat and pour into 6 glasses.  Let cool on the counter for several minutes, then place in the fridge for at least 4 hours.  Add your choice of sauce, jam, compote, etc. in a thin layer on top of the panna cotta after 4 hours to keep it from sinking.

Note: This dessert can be made a day ahead of time and kept in the fridge until needed.  If you want to make panna cotta in molds and tip them out make sure to rub the inside of your molds in coconut oil before pouring the dessert in.  To remove the panna cotta simply run the outside of the molds briefly in hot water.

Also, I prefer my panna cotta on the thick side.  If you don't, use one gelatin packet instead of 1 1/2.  No problem.

Buddha bowl

Can I just say, Buddha bowls are THE BEST?!  What's a Buddha bowl you ask?  Well, its essentially a bowl full (like a Buddha belly) of veggies, greens, beans, and grains.  It is a delicious  single bowl balanced meal, full of color and flavor.  All you need mixed together in a beautiful melody of food.

If you were very lazy you could throw in some chopped raw veggies, but I like to roast as much as possible to bring out flavor and texture.

Even if you are being lazy, this recipe is so simple a monkey could make it.  Really.  Cut up some veggies, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and olive oil, and throw them in the oven.  That's the most difficult part of this whole recipe.  Seriously.

The combination shown here is my favorite, but you could easily prep tons of veggies, grains, and beans and mix n' match a week's worth of meals, easy.

Buddha bowls are great because you can make them with whatever you have on hand.  No rice?  Use quinoa, couscous, barley, etc.  So many possibilities!

There are many options for protein too.  Buddha bowls are generally plant based, so I use beans mostly.  Garbanzos, white beans, lentils.... I could go on and on.

Last on the list are the greens.  I like lettuce.  Something fresh with a nice crunch.  Broccoli, brussel sprouts, kale, etc.  all good options too.

Roast some veggies.  I like to make plenty for us.  Leftovers are my friend. :)  Cauliflower is always my go-to roasted veggie.  It is so versatile and can blend in with any seasoning you choose.

Sweet potatoes, red onion, and red bell peppers.  Yum.

A batch of roasted BBQ garbanzo beans fits right in with the bowl.  A bit of heat, sweetness, and a touch of savory flavor too.

 This bowl is so chock full of yum you can't even see the rice or the red onion.

Some Buddha bowls have a gentle sauce drizzled over top.  It isn't necessary, and with all the seasonings in the garbanzos I didn't see the need for one.  A lack of sauce saves calories, and prevents everything from getting too goop-y.  IT's also tidier for kids to eat.  They make enough of a mess on their own!  :)

 Buddha bowl
serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 cups brown rice, cooked
• 1 head of cauliflower, in florets
• 1/3 red onions, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 medium sweet potato, chopped
• 1/2 small head of butter lettuce, chopped
• salt
• black pepper
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 batch roasted BBQ garbanzo beans

Directions:

1. Make a batch of roasted BBQ garbanzo beans.  Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Cut up the cauliflower, red onion, bell pepper, and sweet potato and place on parchment covered baking sheets.  Sprinkle lightly with salt, black pepper, and olive oil.  Bake for 40-45 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through for even cooking.
3. Meanwhile, make a batch of brown rice, set aside. 
4. Chop the lettuce and set aside.
5. When all pieces are ready, fill the bowls evenly with a little of everything.  Dig in and enjoy!

note:  If you have any leftovers, place everything but the lettuce in tupperware together and refrigerate.  Reheats really well in the microwave.

double chocolate fig muffins

Try as I might, I just can't do these muffins in photos.  It's always difficult to capture the true yumminess of something when the chocolate makes them so dark.  I love these muffins.  They are dark, chocolatey, and fruity.

Want to hear something even better?  They're chock full of protein!  Each muffin has about 6 grams of protein in it.  This muffins are healthy (yes, they're still full of chocolate), yummy, and filling.  They are also approved by everyone at our house.

There is a very slight protein after taste, so if you REALLY are against that, just use more flour, less protein powder.  It's an even substitution.

Double Chocolate Fig Muffins
makes about 16 muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unbleached flour
• 1 cup vanilla whey protein powder
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3 large figs, diced

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Grease your muffin tin.  
2. In a medium bowl stir together the flour, protein powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder.  Set aside.
3. Cream together the butter and sugar in a stand mixer.  Add in the egg and vanilla and mix again.  Mix in the Greek yogurt, then slowly add in the dry ingredients while mixing on low.  Do not over-mix.  The batter should be fluffy and light.  Gently stir in the chocolate chips and the diced figs.
4. Evenly spoon the batter into the muffin cups and bake for about 20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the muffin tin and let cool completely on a wire rack.

note: these muffins make a great healthy snack for kids.  If you want to make the recipe using mini muffins, bake for 16 minutes instead of 20.

Butternut Squash Risotto

This risotto was sooo good!  I was just playing around with new ways to use butternut squash.  I love it, but I don't always want to use it in the same old recipes every time.  I love figuring out new recipes that taste good, are healthy, and that the whole family loves.  Yay!

Jeff hates white rice (too sticky and mushy) so I used brown rice.  I liked the way the risotto turned out with it.  Not complete mush, but still soft.  Healthier with brown rice too.  If you're a purist you could use the traditional arborio rice,

This dish was great for the to eat.  Liam loves rice and squash, so he had no problems eating it (although he DID freak out for a while after he dropped his plate on the way to the table), and Jack is going through a MASSIVE independent phase where he refuses help eating.  The risotto is sticky enough to stay on a spoon pretty well, but not so sticky the the kids hands were a mess.  Jack ate about half his bowl full with his spoon, then gave up and tried to drink the rest.  :)

Bonus of making risotto?  I can see the TV from my stove, and I got to binge on Netflix while making dinner.  :)  This dish really didn't need a lot of close attention, just absent mindedly stirring, so I didn't have to worry so much about messing it up.

Butternut Squash Risotto
serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 48 oz chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups brown rice
• 1 medium butternut squash, small cubes
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, diced
• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• salt
• black pepper
• 2 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 spoonful of sugar (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Cover a baking pan with a piece of parchment paper and lay the cubed squash in an even layer on top.  Drizzle with 2 tsp of olive oil, and a light sprinkle of salt and pepper.  Bake for about 45 minutes, until squash is soft with lightly golden edges.
2. Dice the onion and garlic and saute on medium heat in a large pot with the remaining olive oil, and a light sprinkle of salt and pepper.  Stir occasionally for about 5 minutes, until fragrant and soft.
3. Add the rice and broth to the pot.  Leave the pot alone for about 20 minutes or so.  When the rice has absorbed most of the broth start stirring.  You'll be doing this pretty often from this point on.  Either stirring or watching the pot to see if it needs to be stirred.  When the squash is ready dump it into the pot.  Add the thyme and cayenne and stir everything together.  Taste and add more seasonings if needed.  When the rice is soft enough and the broth has been absorbed, the risotto is ready to remove from heat.  Serve immediately. 

note: some squash is sweeter than others.  If your squash isn't very sweet you might want to add a spoonful of sugar to your risotto.  Just stir it right in.

triple cinnamon cinnamon rolls

You know your husband is awesome when he goes to the grocery store and brings home fun new food items to mess around with.  This time he brought home Hershey's Cinnamon chips.  He scored big time with these.  They are so good!  Super hot and cinnamon-y, not too sweet, and very creamy.  Heavenly.  Of course my first thought was to make cinnamon rolls.  Jeff always wants a crazy amount of cinnamon in his cinnamon rolls, so I figured, why not add the cinnamon chips?

I'm never going to back to chip-less cinnamon rolls again.  Ever.

The best part about these extra cinnamon-y rolls?  I used TONS of chips and still have some left in the bag for later!

This was the very first time I've made cinnamon rolls where Jeff hasn't (half joked) that I should try to add more cinnamon next time.  But at the same time, they weren't overly spicy hot or sweet.  Perfect balance of hot, sweet, and creamy.  My personal best.

 Evenly distribute the chips over the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon when you lay out the filling.

Haven't even been baked yet and they look amazing!

Take your cinnamon rolls out of the oven when they look like this.  Lightly golden edges, cooked centers, and don't expect all your chips to be melted.

 Set the rolls aside to cool because its time to make your cinnamon icing!

This is my favorite part about this recipe, and why the cinnamon is tripled.  Cinnamon can be found in the rolls in two ways, and the icing is cinnamon flavored, not vanilla like usual.

 Little tip?  I like to double the icing recipe and store the extra in tupperware in my fridge.  A bit of it drizzled over oatmeal, vanilla ice cream, in your coffee, etc... sooo good!

I made these yesterday and my batch is already half gone!  I like them soft and warm.   Enjoy!

Triple Cinnamon Cinnamon Rolls

total time: 2 hours

makes 12 rolls

Ingredients:

rolls:

• 2 1/4 tsp yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 1/2 cups AP flour

filling:

• 3/4 cup unpacked brown sugar
• 6 tbsp cinnamon
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup cinnamon chips

icing:

• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup cinnamon chips

Directions:

1.  In a small bowl mix the yeast into the warm water, set aside.
2.  In a large bowl or stand mixer mix the milk, sugars, melted butter, salt, egg, and vanilla. Add half the flour and mix. Pour in the yeast mixture, then mix in the remaining flour. Knead the dough until smooth. Let the dough sit in a greased covered bowl until it doubles in size, about an hour.
3.  When the dough has doubled in size punch it down. Spread plenty of flour on your counter and roll your dough into a 9x15 inch rectangle. Leave one long side empty on 1" and cover the rest of the dough evenly with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and the cinnamon chips. Roll the dough inwards towards with the empty long edge. Pinch the edges together. Cut into 12 pieces.
4.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the 12 rolls 3x4 in a greased casserole dish and cover with a dish towel.  Let rise again for 45 minutes. 
5.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven when the edges have become lightly golden.  Let cool.
6. In  small saucepan whisk together the milk and sugar on medium heat until the sugar has dissolved.  Do not allow the milk to boil.  Once the sugar has dissolved turn off the heat and whisk in the cinnamon chips.  When the cinnamon chips have also dissolved take the pan off the stove and set aside.  Let the icing sit for several minutes to allow it to thicken.  Once the rolls has mostly cooled pour the icing over top. Enjoy!

These don't last long at our house!

plum ice cream

I love fruit in general, and plums are no exception.  They are sweet and tart, and a very convenient tiny size.  However, I can really only make so many plum tarts and pies before I get REALLY bored, and I have a ton of plums right now, thanks Jenna!  Have I mentioned before how awesome it is to have generous relatives with fruit trees?  Anyway, I was searching for new plum recipe ideas on Pinterest (of course!) and I saw plum ice cream.  None of the recipes were exactly what I wanted, so I made up my own.  I'm so glad I did!  It turned out great.  Sweet, tart, a beautiful consistency, and the most gorgeous color pink I've ever seen.

I just LOVE this color!  No food coloring necessary.  Puree all the ingredients and refrigerate for 2 hours. THen just churn in an ice cream maker, and freze.  Soo easy!

I love the consistency of this ice cream.  Some ice creams have to sit on the counter for 5 minutes before they are soft enough to scoop, and some ice creams are so soft they they are practically liquid.  This ice cream is a perfect medium.  Soft enough to serve immediately out of the freezer, but holds it shape post scooping for plenty of time before melting.

plum ice cream
makes 1 1/2 quarts

ingredients:

• 2 cups of plum puree
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup strawberry yogurt
• 1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

directions:

1. Puree all the ingredients together in the blender.  
2. Refrigerate the puree for 2 hours.
3. Churn in an ice cream maker according to its directions.  Mine needed 25 minutes and perfectly filled the 1 1/2 quart capacity.
4. Scoop ice cream out into a freezer safe container with an air tight lid.  Freeze at least 1 hour.

note: I pureed lots of plums by themselves.  I poured out the excess after the needed 2 cups and froze for smoothies later.  I then added in the rest of the ice cream ingredients and pureed.

pasta and garbanzo bean soup

I totally love this soup!  Not only is it really easy and healthy, but its super kid friendly (Liam's favorite soups all have pasta and beans), but you can make part of it ahead of time!

I made the first half of the recipe while the kids were napping and I had some free time.  Then the boys and I went swimming, and when we got home I only had about 15 minutes of cooking before it was all ready.  No fuss, little mess, healthy and filling.  Jeff and the boys loved this soup, and one bowl (plus a few pieces of obligatory "soup bread" to dip) was very filling.

If you're looking at the soup and wondering how it could be so healthy, look no further.  The soup is full of veggies!  I roasted and pureed them before stirring them into the chicken broth (low-sodium of course).  That made the broth thick, flavorful, and creamy.

I roasted a pan of carrots, red bell pepper, and cauliflower with a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper until the tops were golden and fragrant, then I pureed the veggies with some of the chicken broth.  I did all this ahead of time and then stuck the liquid in the fridge until I was ready the finish the soup.  You could make the soup all in one go if you want to though.

I just love the bright orange color!  The cauliflower and bit of olive oil really help thicken the soup and make the broth creamy.  I swear, it tasted so luscious, like I was eating some super fatty, but HA-HA!  I was only eating veggies. Yay for taste bud deception.  :)

I wanted a mostly pureed soup because I was going for simplicity.  A lot of my soups are massively chunky and busy, and I wanted something simple.  Plus, Liam loves veggies, but he doesn't always enjoy them in large chunks in his soup.  He'd rather have the flavor of them, and actually be able to see the pasta in the soup.

I like my soup to be pretty thick, and this soup thickens more the next day (looking almost like a very cheddar-y mac and cheese), so feel free to adjust the amount of broth used accordingly.

pasta and garbanzo bean soup
serves 6

ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into pieces
• 8 carrots, sliced
• 1 large red bell pepper, de-seeded and cut into large pieces
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (add more if you prefer thinner soup)
• 2 15 oz. cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 cups small pasta
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp chili powder

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Cut up cauliflower, carrots, and bell pepper and place as flat as possible on a parchment lined baking sheet with the garlic.  Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Bake for 40 minutes.  
2. Slide veggies off the parchment and into a blender.  Add chicken broth and puree.  At this point you can store the puree in the fridge for later use, or pour the puree start into a pot on the stove.
3. Bring liquid to a boil, reduce to a simmer and add the pasta, garbanzo beans, basil, oregano, and chili powder.  Stir occasionally.  As soon as the pasta is al dente the soup is ready.  Serve with french bread to dip.

note: feel free to add more chicken broth if you prefer a thinner soup.  You might want to have some extra broth on hand for leftover soup, as it will thicken the next day in the fridge.

southwestern pizza

I love pizza.  Jeff disagrees with me.  He says that since my pizza is cheese-less (lactose intolerant & personal choice) its technically a flatbread.  Whatever.  I love flatbread.  :)

This version was just for me, so no cheese.  It tastes great this way, but I have included cheese in the accompanying recipe.

I love how versatile pizza is.  I generally make an uber veggie one for myself, and pepperoni or BBQ chicken for Jeff.  It is a great source of happiness for me that the boys also prefer my veggie filled pizza.  For the win!

I wanted to try some new pizza flavors, and southwestern seemed like a good place to start.  If all goes well, look for another new flavor coming soon.

This pizza is so good!  Tons of fresh veggies, lots of flavor, and refried beans?  Yes please!

Sorry, not much more to say, I just couldn't stop taking photos...

southwestern pizza
makes 1 large pizza

ingredients:

• 2/3 can of refried beans (I used vegetarian beans, waaay less sodium)
• 4 garlic cloves, diced
• 1/3 large green bell pepper, sliced thin
• 1/2 yellow onion, sliced thin
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup corn
• handful of tomatoes (your choice which veriety, I used sun gold), sliced
• 1/2 small can sliced black olives
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• fresh cilantro for garnishing (optional)
• your favorite pizza dough (I love the Pioneer Woman's recipe)

directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  In a small oven safe pan roast the garlic, bell pepper, onion, and corn in the olive oil for 30 minutes.  Take out and set aside.
2. Set oven to 500 degrees F.  Lightly spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and lay down rolled out pizza dough.  Spread evenly with refried beans.  Top with the roasted veggies, tomato slices, olives, and seasonings.  Bake for 11-12 minutes.  
3. Remove form oven, cool for several minutes.  Top with optional cilantro and serve.

note: This pizza is almost better the next day.  I usually love cold pizza, but not one with beans on it.  To reheat bake on a baking sheet at 375 degrees F for 6 minutes.  Delicious!

homemade healthy fast food

We don't eat fast food very often.  It's usually a special treat, or a "well, we're already out of the house, starving, and have no food at home".  Of course you wouldn't know it by talking to Liam.  He acts like we go all the time, and will point out every "Donald's" location he sees.

I'm not really a fan of fried foods, and I try to make everyone happy with their food, so I thought I'd make some healthy versions of fast food instead.  I came up with

• baked chicken nuggets
• baked fries
• chocolate covered strawberry shake (smoothie)

I used sweet potatoes for this recipe, they're just what I had on hand.  Russet potatoes or yams could be used instead.  Whatever you prefer.

Peel the potatoes and slice them up.  I like mine like steak fries.  Bonus if you cut them like steak fries because they take the same cooking time as the chicken so you can bake them for the same time.

Once the potatoes have been cut stick them into a freezer bag and season.  This makes the seasoning distribution so much more even.

I always let the kids shake the bag.  Next time I might have to video it.  They get really into it!

Classic breading station for the chicken.  Get a bowl each for flour, beaten egg, and seasoned breadcrumbs.  Work left to right covering fresh defrosted chicken pieces one at a time in the contents of each bowl.  Try to keep your fingers out of the contents as much as possible or you'll end up with "monster hands".  Liam thinks that part is hilarious.  Place the chicken pieces on a parchment covered baking sheet when they are ready.

 Once the potatoes and chicken are prepped, bake together at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.  If you want to you can broil them for 2 minutes at the end for extra crispiness.

This is one of Liam's favorite ways to have chicken.  I only make it this way occasionally.  I don't want him to get too used to the idea of "fast food style".  :)

You know how people say that a great way to get kids to eat healthy is for them to cook their own food?  Liam's hands down favorite chicken is when I give him carte blanche of my spice drawer and let him season a whole chicken breast for himself.  My little string bean will inhale the whole thing that way!  Crazy.

This meal all came about from a few days ago when we had NO groceries at home, we were doing a million errands around town, and Liam was being an angel (I know, right?).  I promised him I'd split a milkshake with him on our way home, but the closet McDonald's milkshake machine was broken.  Liam was devastated, so I told him I'd make him one at home.  He had his heart set on strawberry, and I figured that would be the easiest flavor to make healthy anyway... 

baked fries

ingredients:

• 4 medium potatoes (russets, yams, or sweet potatoes)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp oregano

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Peel potatoes and slice steak fry style
2. place potatoes slices in freezer bag with oil and seasonings. Shake well.
3. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake 30 minutes.
4. (optional) broil for 2 extra minutes for crispiness.

baked chicken nuggets

ingredients:

• 3 defrosted chicken breasts, cut into pieces
• 1 1/2 cups AP flour
• 2 eggs, well whisked
• 1 1/2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs (I like Italian seasonings)
• 2 tbsp parmesan
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• garlic, salt, pepper, basil, chili powder to taste

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Set out 3 bowls in a row.  Left to right fill with flour, whisked eggs, and breadcrumbs with seasonings and olive oil.
2. Have a parchment covered baking sheet set out in easy reach of the bowls.
3. Quickly dredge chicken in the bowl contents left to right, keeping your fingers as clean as possible.  Place finished chicken on baking sheet.
4. Bake for 30 minutes.  Outside should be golden.

chocolate covered strawberry "shake"

ingredients:

• 12 oz. strawberry Greek yogurt
• 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups frozen strawberries
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tbsp honey (optional)

directions:

1. Place all ingredients in blender and blend!  Pour and drink. Depending on the sweetness of the strawberries, honey may or may not be utilized.