Mommies Lasagna

So have I mentioned I LOVE pinterest before? I love being able to find new recipes without trying hard; and I have to say most of what we have tried has been great! Insert dinner "Mommies Lasagna".

What's Cooking Wednesday 1/5

Crockpot Unstuffed Cabbage

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef or turkey (or half and half) 1 med head of cabbage, chopped 1/2 C long grain rice 1 large onion, chopped 1 bell pepper, chopped 1 C water 1 can petite cut diced tomatoes 1 can tomato soup garlic to taste paprika to taste salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a large crockpot on low heat, combine all ingredients. Cook 6-8 hours!

TIP~ I use brown rice and cook it before putting into the crock pot. This step can be done an hr before serving!

Number of Servings: 8

New Recipe: Pumpkin Whoopie Pies!!!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Yield: about 32 sandwich cookies 

Ingredients:
For the pumpkin cookies:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tbsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup canola oil
3 cups chilled pumpkin puree
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
For the maple cream cheese filling:
3 cups powdered sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
3 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions:
To make the pumpkin cookies, preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and spices.  Set aside.  In a separate bowl, whisk sugars and oil together.  Add the pumpkin puree and whisk to combine thoroughly.  Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined.  Sprinkle the flour mixture over the pumpkin mixture and whisk until completely combined.
Use a small ice cream scoop with a release mechanism to drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets (about 1.5-2 tablespoons.), about 1 inch apart.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cookie comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the pan for about 10 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Repeat with remaining dough.
To make the filling, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter until smooth with no visible lumps.  Add the cream cheese and beat until combined.  Add the powdered sugar, maple syrup and vanilla and beat until smooth.  Be careful not to overbeat the filling or it will lose structure.
To assemble, turn half of the cooled cookies upside down.  Pipe filling onto the flat side of the overturned cookies.  Place another cookie, flat side down, on top of the filling.  Press down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edges of the cookie.  Repeat until all the cookies are used.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm before serving.

WOW these are so YUMMY!!! (I don't remember where I seen this but I copied it to word. If you have seen this on another blog please let me know so I can give credit!)

Hershey's Old Fashioned Rich Cocoa Fudge

So when I was a child my grandma made the best fudge in my eyes. It was crumbly and oh so good. Now a days all I have been able to find is the gooey fudge; which is not to my liking. Then I stumbled across my grandmas old recipe.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup cocoa
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Our Halloween and a Recipe!

This year for Halloween we decided to take the boys to a bunch of different Fall Festivals at churches. They had such a blast! 

 Now what to do with all the left over candy?!?!

Snickers Bar Salad

Ingredients:

• 6 fun-sized Snickers Bars, cut up into bite-sized pieces (more if a bad week or PMS are involved…)
• 3 Granny Smith Apples, diced
• 1 5-oz package Vanilla Pudding mix
• 1 8-oz package Cool Whip
• 1 cup Milk

Directions:
In a bowl, mix pudding mix and milk. Fold in Cool Whip. Mix in apples and Snickers Bars. Cool and enjoy.

Not Your Canned Sloppy Joes

I know that it is not Wednesday but I had to share this recipe I made last night for you!

Sloppy Joes

Ingredients

• Vegetable Cooking Spray
• 1 Onion, Finely Chopped
• 1 Large Sweet Pepper, Finely Chopped (I used the mini red, orange, and yellow peppers about 8 mini)
• 1 pound Lean Ground Beef (Next time I will try with Turkey)
• 1 Can of no/salt added diced tomatoes
• 1 cup drained and rinsed no salt added kidney Beans
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Black Pepper to taste
• 4 Whole Wheat Buns Or 4 servings cooked Brown Rice

Directions  

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and coat lightly with cooking spray. Add the Onion and Sweet Peppers. Cook for aprox 3 min, stirring. Crumble in meat and cook until browned, Keep breaking it apart with a spoon for about 4 minutes.

While meat is browning mash your Kidney Beans. The recipe I have says to use a fork... (left), I have a bean masher/potato masher (right)

Stir in beans, tomatoes, vinegar, tomato paste, cloves, cinnamon, sugar, salt, and pepper. Cook for an additional 4 minutes. (I cooked on low simmer for 30 minutes before serving) 

Divide the mixture among 4 rolls or brown rice (as pictured above).
Number of Servings: 4
Calories: 415  (approx)

This was so good! Even my four year old gobbled it up! I will be trying it with ground turkey next time! I do think  it made more then 4 servings (at least in our house), as we got about 6 out of ours.


Recipe courtesy of Bob Greene The Best Life Diet Cookbook

What's Cooking Wednesday

I have decided to start a weekly special on Wednesday's called What's Cooking Wednesday. I am sorry it is being posted so late this week. School has been closed since Thursday, last week, and let me tell you I HATE snow days. Okay so back to what this series will be. Every Wednesday I will try to post a healthy, time saving, and cost saving meal for a family of four. I would also love to see posts from readers on their own healthy, time saving, and cost saving meal for a family of four. I will try to post these each Wednesday morning but as life can often get in the way.... it may be later.

Teryaki Pork Stir Fry

1 Tray of cubed pork. (I buy these in my managers special bins at my grocery store for about .50 - 1.00)

1 Bag of Stir Fry Veggies (You can get these on sale for .50 or less with coupons)

1/2 cup of Teryaki sauce or glaze (I love the glaze personally, I pay about 2.50 for a bottle that lasts for about 5 meals)

1 cup brown rice (about 1.50 for a bag with about 5 meals)

1. Cook rice according to directions on bag
2.  Cut pork into bite sized squares
   
3. Brown pork in about 2 tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (takes about 2 min)
4. Add thawed bag stir fry veggies and Teryaki Sauce
5. Cook for 5 min and serve over rice

You can dress this up with any additional items in your pantry. Nuts, ginger, Chinese noodles, etc. Be creative. Also stir fry veggies can come in so many varieties; we love the asparagus one or even the asian with mushrooms.

(I will try to add calories next meal)
Total Cost for Meal: $1.80  Total per person: .45