Orange Creamsicles... drinkables

 Lately I have been thinking about foods and drinks that use flavors from other foods and drinks, and somehow this led to a small creamsicle smoothie obsession.  Here are my smooth results.

Orange Creamsicle Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 cup of orange juice

4 scoops of vanilla frozen yogurt or vanilla ice cream 

(may I suggest natural vanilla bean ice cream)

Instructions:

Combine the orange juice and frozen yogurt or ice cream in a blender, magic bullet or food processor. 

Blend until creamy.  

Breakfast-worthy Orange Creamsicle Smoothie

Ingredients: 

1 11 oz. can mandarin oranges in juice 

1/2 cup frozen pineapple chunks 

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt

1 Tbsp. honey

1 cup vanilla soy milk

1/2 cup ice

 

Instructions:

 Open can of oranges and drain. Place in a zip-top plastic bag and freeze the night before.  Place the frozen oranges and pineapple chunks in the bottom of a blender, magic bullet, or food processor.  Puree until the mixture reaches the texture of a milkshake. Add more ice, if desired.

Easy Boozed-up Creamsicle

Ingredients:

2 oz Smirnoff® Vanilla Twist vodka

8 oz orange crush

Instructions:

Pour the vanilla vodka into a collins glass with ice. Add orange crush til it tastes good. Serve.

 

 

 

'The Best' Creamsicle Recipe (boozed-up)

Ingredients:

 

tablespoons Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur

   tablespoons Galliano liqueur

   1/2 cups partially frozen diced oranges

   1/2 cup vanilla ice cream

 

Instructions:

Place all the ingredients in a blender and pulse until the ingredients are mostly blended. Continue mixing until the mixture is smooth.

Recipes and ideas for recipes came from these links:
http://kidscooking.about.com/od/beverages/r/orangedreamsmo.htm
http://www.drinksmixer.com/drink12155.html
http://www.dvo.com/recipe_pages/smoothies/Creamsicle.html

Kraft Dinner of the Week: Apple-Glazed Chicken KD

 Apple-Glazed Chicken KD

 

I know.  Apple?  Hey, give anything a try once, you never know what is good out there in the big, wide world.  I once made chicken burgers for my baby and covered them in carrot baby food while I baked it (I felt he needed more veggies that day, and that is what I had on hand)  and that actually turned out amazing, so now my world view on 'what goes with what' is askew.  Anyways, back to the Mac and Cheese stuffs.

Ingredients 

2 boxes of kraft dinner
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2-4 cloves garlic (depending on how much you love garlic, and you could chop some onion too, my husband hates onion though, so to each their own...)
1/4 cup apple juice 
2 -3 cups broccoli florets and/or cauliflower, cooked
1/2 tsp. dill weed
salt and pepper to taste

Prepare Kraft Dinner and set aside.  Chop chicken in bite size pieces and cook in some olive oil or oil of choice until fully cooked.  Remove chicken from the pan and add more butter or oil if needed in pan and keep the pan hot. Chop the garlic into chunks and coat with  your salt, pepper and dill, then saute in the hot oil for a few minutes.  Pour apple juice in the garlic-oil concoction and return the chicken to pan.  Cover and simmer for a few minutes, then mix in the prepared Kraft Dinner.  Lastly add the cooked broccoli and/or cauliflower, and mix a bit together.

This recipe was adapted from the 'Super Kraft Dinner Recipe' I found here.

Chow for the Chubster: using up infant cereal

Although I have not had any infant cereal in the house for quite a while, I thought I would look into recipes that use it up, as it tends to get wasted and well, babies don't really like it.  There are many ways to get iron into your baby, but infant cereal is an easy way, so why not have some fun with it if you have it.

 Always supervise children when eating any finger foods

BABY OATMEAL CEREAL COOKIES
2 c. flour
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 1/2-3 c. baby oatmeal cereal
2 eggs
1 c. white sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. oil
1 tsp. vanilla
Mix eggs, sugars, oil and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Bake at 350 degrees about 15 minutes.

 You can use the infant cereal to thicken your smoothies, for you or the baby.  Added vitamins never hurt a smoothie.

The plainer varieties can be used in meatloaf and meatballs instead of bread crumbs.  It's best to buy plain anyways, because a few spoons of baby food or applesauce tastes much better for baby anyways, and adds real fruit in the mix, instead of fake powdered fruit.  On the same note, you could use it to top macaroni and cheese casseroles, and you could use the fruity ones with a bit of butter and brown sugar to top your muffin recipes.

Dip chicken strips in plain yogurt and then roll or shake in plain cereal and bake them.  Makes a good chicken finger for toddlers.

Teething Biscuit Recipes - Egg-less Baby Cereal Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup dry infant rice cereal with bananas (or other flavored or
unflavored infant cereal)
3 tablespoons cooking oil
ice water

Directions:
Preheat oven 425F
Mix flour and cereal.
Gradually stir in oil. Mix a little ice water at a time (start with 1/4 cup) until dough begins to form a ball and pull away from the bowl.
Roll out to the thickness of a cracker on a floured surface and cut into desired shapes.
Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet 10-12 min. or until lightly brown. Cool completely.

Store in an airtight container. (you may want to try 1/2 plain and 1/2 flavored baby cereal as the taste when using full flavored baby cereal is very strong.)

Orange and date muffins

250 ml pure orange juice
1/2 cup of finely chopped dates
1 egg(you can us 2 egg yolk only if there are egg allergies in family)
3tbs canola oil
3tbs honey(you can use sugar instead)
1 cup flour
2 cups fortified baby cereal(I found rice made the dough tougher, so I prefered oatmeal)
2tsp baking powder
2ml of salt

-mix wet ingredients together
-mix all dry in a seperate bowl, then pour wet mixture with dry until just blended.
-in greased muffin tins, add then bake at 200C(400F) for about 15 mins.
should make about 24 muffins. They can be kept for 4 days in the fridge or up to 3months in the freezer.

If you find the mixture to dry, you can add a bit more liquid.

Cereal Pancakes

1 egg
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp oil
3/4 cup dry infant cereal
1/4 cup flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda.

In a med bowl, beat egg; add rest of ingredients and mix. Pour 1/2 cup batter onto hot, greased skillet for each pancake. Turn pancakes as soon as they are puffed and full of bubbles. Cook other side until golden brown. Makes 6-9 pancakes.

Baby Cereal Cookies

1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups infant cereal
3 TBsp whole milk.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet or spray with nonstick spray. Lightly cream molasses and butter. Mix in egg and vanilla. In a seperate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and cereal. Add to the butter mixture. Blend. Add milk. Drop on the cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake 10-12 minutes.

 There.  No more waste.  The recipes I found mostly on the internet in various forums, and there are plenty more if you 'Google' or 'Swagbucks' them.

Food Ideas Of Interest...

Hmm.. I thought I would post a few links about things you can do with food.

New tricks for your coffee:
http://www.browniepointsblog.com/2009/05/10/new-tricks-for-your-coffee/

Utilizing Leftovers:
http://frugalliving.about.com/od/utilizingleftovers/Utilizing_Leftovers.htm

List of foods that are better to buy generic:
http://www.momsbudget.com/groceries/genericgrocerylist.html

(This one isn't really that much about food but has a lot of frugal tips that are great!)
Tips for the Truly Frugal:
http://www.frugaltimes.com/frugaltips.html


Hopefully someone can find some use out of these links :)

Crock pot chicken

This is the easiest dinner I can even think of.  You may think you need a recipe to successfully crock-pot, but it really is a simple process requiring little thought depending on what you are cooking.  Today we look at chicken.

When I do chicken in the crock-pot, I take whatever chicken or turkey was the cheapest, be it bone-in chicken breast or turkey wings (surprisingly good) or what have you, then spray the crock-pot of choice with spray or put 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil or oil of choice in the bottom.  Place in the chicken pieces, any chopped vegetables you may want, then you can use a can of soup and a touch of water to add in for flavour and moisture.

Mushroom soup works well, and you can add a tablespoon or so of  Mrs.dash, parsley or your spice of choice to the soup before covering the chicken.  If you have the pot mostly full, you may want a second can of soup, but do not add a lot of water, it doesn't escape the pot and you will end up with soup instead.

If you want the chicken to have a bit of crispness on top, don't fill with soup over the chicken level, and put the veggies on the bottom.  For moister chicken, veggies on top and coat with soup.  All you have to do now is turn on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.  This will depend on your unit, but if you are worried go to the max on low, if you are not, just pick a time that best suites your dinner time.  I find it depends when I can get my kid down for a nap and can get to actually throwing things in the pot.

Kraft Dinner of the Week: Souped up KD

Souped up Kraft Dinner

Sorry for the delay in KD recipes,  with the husband getting over illness, baby with pinkeye and myself catching said illness the husband is getting over, I am afraid that my thoughts have been towards soup instead of KD.  This, however, makes this KD recipe more appropriate than ever being about soup and all.

PREPARE 1 package Kraft Dinner as usual, replacing the milk with 1 can (10oz/284mL) tomato soup, and 1 soup can of water.
HEAT.

That wasn't so painful.  Found that 'recipe' at Kraft Canada.

Hot Toddy for a cold

Contrary to popular belief, a hot toddy does not cure a cold, however, many people do swear by it as a non-drug alternative to cough medicine.  I even read about some people who have had their doctors recommend the recipe to their adult patients instead of cold and flu medications. 

The hot toddy originates in Scotland, and originally calls for whiskey, hot water and sugar.  Most modern recipes have adapted the sugar to be honey.  This is a recipe I kludged together from a bunch I read while looking it up, as I am still avoiding most medications until my son is completely weaned.  The odd alcoholic drink when given enough time between feeds (baby is asleep right now)  is fine. 

If you can't (or don't want to) have alcohol, don't worry, because the alcohol is more of a relaxant, maybe a little bit antiseptic, but not that important.  It's the hot water and honey that soothe the throat, with the honey's vitamins and immune boosters helping, and the vitamin C from the lemon that help alleviate the cold.  It isn't mandatory, but some recommend having a hot shower or bath to ease the congestion right after this drink.


Ingredients:

2 oz. of Whiskey, any kind (if you don't have whiskey... or had bad quality whiskey like I did, it is fine to sub in brandy for whiskey.)
1 tablespoon of honey
1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice (I used the stuff in the squeeze bottle, when using fresh you may want to up it to half a cup as the squeeze juice is more concentrated and bitter)
250 ml of hot water, almost boiling.
1 green tea bag (adds antioxidants that help fight the cold.)
1 fresh slice of lemon.

Directions:

In a mug, mix the whiskey, honey and lemon juice, leaving the spoon in the mug.  Put the tea bag in the measuring cup and pour hot water over it.  Let steep for 3-5 minutes.  Stir with honey spoon and remove bag, then pour tea into the mug and stir mixture together.  Add the slice of lemon and drink.  It tasted different to me, but not too bad, and this is coming from someone who is not a big fan of whiskey or brandy.  (the exception with brandy is in eggnog, but that is a different story)

Chow for the Chubster: baked fruit

Baked fruit

I found this post here and thought it sounded like a great way to get extra fruit into my little man.  It can be hard to find good kiddie chow sometimes, and these recipes are great because you can chop the fruit up for finger food, puree it if you are into that whole 'mushed baby food' thing or serve it with a variety of things for adults and older kids too.  The site suggests serving it with frozen yogurt, oat meal or even cake, but they are all good on their own too.

BAKED PEACHES, NECTARINES and PLUMS

• Turn on the oven to 400(F),
• Halve the fruit if using peaches, pears, or nectarines and plums
• Do not peel
• Add 1-2 inches of water to a baking pan,
• Place fruits "face down" and bake at 400F for approx. 40 minutes or until skin puckers. 
• If you use this method for pears, bake for 20 minutes or until skin puckers
• Once baked, slip off the skins if you desire and enjoy warm

BAKED APPLES

• Core a few apples (leave peel on),
• Wipe center inside with butter if desired or add a wee bit of water to the inside
• Sprinkle some cinnamon if desired
• Add raisins and a wee dash of brown sugar if desired too. 
• Place apples upright in a baking pan filled with 2-3 inches of water (more water than with peaches as peaches are more shallow) -
• Bake at 400 for approx. 40 minutes or until skin puckers and/or fruit begins to bubble.

BAKED BANANAS and PEARS

• peel and cut bananas or pears in half length-wise
• then place on baking sheet lightly spread with olive oil -
• You choose the temp and keep a watch.  We use 400 for approx 10 minutes. 
• Pears are generally more soft so keep a watch as they may bake up faster than you realize.
• Sprinkle bananas and/or pears with some cinnamon, ginger or nutmeg if desired

Bananas are also yummy when fried in a dash of butter on the stove top - sprinkle with cinnamon and drizzle with honey if age appropriate.   Pears are very yummy when lightly fried with a touch of vanilla.

KD of the week: Lentil Mac and Cheese Bake

Lentil Mac and Cheese Bake

Ingredients

• 2 pkg. Kraft macaroni and cheese
• 1  can of lentils
• 1 (16 oz.) pkg. frozen mixed vegetables, any variety, as red bell pepper, broccoli, mushrooms or any vegetables you enjoy
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 3/4 c. milk
• Shredded cheese
• 1/4 cup of bread crumbs or coating mix (like shake and bake or something, you could also use panko)

Preparation

• Bring water to boil, add macaroni.  With 5 minutes left on the clock add frozen vegetables. (3 minutes for any fresh or canned veggies) Cook until tender, drain. Add lentils, butter, cheese mix, milk and additional shredded cheese. Mix well. Place in casserole dish and top with more shredded cheese and bread crumbs. Bake 30 minutes in 350 degree oven or until browned and bubbly, depending on your oven.

Free food

Since tomorrow is my birthday I feel that it is appropriate to speak of all the good freebies and discounts I took advantage of this year just for being born.  You should always check for free sign ups at your favorite food and drink locations, because it makes the week of your birthday full of free treats.

*Starbucks.  I registered one of my many free gift cards I have received from redeeming my Swagbucks and as a reward I got a free any size and type of drink voucher, in the mail (snail mail, but I prefer tangible coupons anyways).  I chose a Venti White Chocolate Mocha.  IMMD.

*Baskin Robins.  Joined their fan club and received an e-mail coupon for a free scoop of ice cream.  While I enjoyed my free ice cream, I got the tiny spoons of sampling for free for my little man to try.  Free ice cream for me and my baby.  Sweet.  I had Chocolate Mousse Royale.

*Boston Pizza.  I am going there tonight for birthday dinner.  I got a free e-mail voucher for free gourmet pasta or dessert.  Not sure yet which I will choose.  :)

*Red Lobster.  Probably won't end up using it in the end, but it is $5 off any dinner menu item. 

*Dairy Queen.  Have an e-mail coupon for a free Blizzard sitting in my virtual mailbox.

*Orange Julius.  Free print out coupon for a 16 oz. Julius fruit drink.

The best part of free stuff for your birthday is that they also don't expect that you will actually go on your birthday, so you can sign up for them all, and most have a week or two to redeem them, so enjoy the free ride where you can, and of course, let me know if you find anymore sweet freebies for birthdays, I have a son and a husband who have birthdays too.

Cinnamon coffee scones

 Baking with coffee.

At Folgers.ca they are offering free recipes that include their coffee, but I am sure any strong-brewed coffee would work for the recipes they offer.  ... also offering free recipes is not exactly a 'new' thing, but I did like the idea of this recipe... with the exception of raisins, I don't like raisins in my food.  To each their own I suppose. 

Prep Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 30 minutes Makes: Two dozen scones (depending on their size) 2 cups self-rising flour 2 teaspoons cinnamon 6 tablespoons sugar 1-1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter 2 eggs 1/4 cup strong brewed Folgers coffee 1/4 cup milk 1/2 cup golden raisins (or chopped dried apricots) 1/2 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts) Extra milk and sugar for toppings

Stir together the flour, cinnamon, and sugar. Cut the butter into tablespoon pieces and blend with the pastry blender or two knives into the dry mixture. (Butter pieces should be the size of small peas.) Mix together the eggs, coffee, and milk. Stir into the dry mixture to form a soft dough. Stir in the fruit and nuts. Turn out onto a floured board and gently pat into a circle of dough about 1/2" thick. Cut out rounds with floured biscuit cutter and place them on a greased baking sheet. Gently brush tops with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake in a preheated 400° F oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden-brown.