MommaCooks

posted by Nina on Feb 17

My kids like lasagna and I thought maybe they’d like it in a little muffin cup. These are super easy to make and are easy to heat up if you have leftovers, too.

Ingredients:
2 packages plain or buttermilk biscuits
1 jar pasta sauce, divided
1 lb Italian sausage
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese
Ricotta cheese

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cook Italian sausage in a pan over medium heat.

Spray muffin pan.

Press one biscuit into each muffin cup, pressing around the edges forming a cup.

Mix sausage, cheese, and 1/2 cup pasta sauce in a mixing bowl.

Place a spoonful of the sausage/cheese mixture in each muffin cup and
top with a small dollop of ricotta cheese.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

Serve with pasta sauce on the side for dipping.

What did the family think? These went over VERY well. I think our oldest went back for thirds.

Where did this recipe come from? Spark Recipes

posted by Nina on Feb 16

These are so good, so easy and so versatile. Hopefully everyone in your family will be able to find something in these that they like. Isn’t it awesome when that happens?

Ingredients:
2-3 lb pork loin roast
2 jars (8 oz each) Mexican salsa verde sauce
Pinto beans or black beans
Rice
Cilantro
Shredded cheese (Mexican blend or cheddar)
Salsa
Guacamole
Sour cream

Instructions:
Pour salsa verde in slow cooker. Add two salsa jars of water to slow cooker. Place pork roast on top. Cook on low for 6-8 hours (or high for 4-5). About one hour before you plan to serve roast, shred with two forks.

Prepare rice according to package directions.

To assemble burrito bowls: Scoop a spoonful of rice into bowl, top with cilantro, beans, pork, salsa, guacamole, sour cream or whatever else you would normally put on your Mexican food.

What did the family think? Everyone in our house who is into eating something that’s not pasta loved it. In other words, our youngest was not into it, but I am SO TIRED of telling you that. Also, he does eat. I promise. And not just candy.

Where did this recipe come from? Cozi.com

posted by Nina on Feb 8

I have never been to Tuscany, but if this is what people are eating there, then I need to get myself there ASAP.

Ingredients:
1 lb mild Italian sausage
32 oz chicken broth
12 oz evaporated
6-8 red potatoes, diced
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
3/4 cup frozen chopped spinach

Instructions:
Cook the sausage in the same large stew pot you’ll use to cook the soup, drain excess fat and return sausage to pot.

Add the chicken broth and evaporated milk and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat so soup simmers. Add potatoes, onions, seasoning, salt and pepper.

The soup is done when the potatoes are cooked through, about 20-30 minutes. Add spinach during the last few minutes of cooking.

What did the family think? My husband is not a huge soup-for-dinner fan and he loved this. I loved it too. The kids did not…they like miso, occasionally a little chicken noodle and any kind of soup with meatballs in it, but that’s about it.

Where did this recipe come from? Cozi.com

photo from Cozi.com

posted by Nina on Feb 6

This was our special Superbowl treat that we munched on last night after we’d had dinner. There’s nothing like a little Madonna and Cee Lo while you’re snacking on some chocolatey oatmeal yumminess.

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups rolled oats
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions:
Cream butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla with electric mixer on high.

Stir in flour, salt, and baking soda, all at the same time. Stir in oats. Last, add chocolate chips and stir them in.

Press cookie dough into a greased 9×13-inch baking dish. Dough should be somewhat flattened, but it’s okay for some cracks to remain.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until lightly golden and cookies are set in the middle.

Cool for 20 minutes; cut into 24 squares. Delicious warm or cold!

What did the family think? These are so crazy good, especially with a nice big ice cold glass of milk.

Did I change anything? I reduced the amount of sugar a little. The changes are reflected about. Also, the original recipe called for walnuts which I left out.

Where did this recipe come from? Allrecipes

photo from Tammy’s Recipes

posted by Nina on Feb 2

This recipe is from The Biggest Loser. I have never personally watched the show, but it seems like they make some pretty good pancakes.

Ingredients:
6 egg whites
1 cup rolled oats, dry
1 cup cottage cheese
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:
In a blender, blend all ingredients until smooth.

Heat a griddle or large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Spray with non-stick cooking spray.

For each pancake pour 1/4 cup of batter onto griddle. Flip when they start to bubble. Cook until golden brown. Repeat with remaining batches, spraying the griddle as needed.

We had these with eggs, sausage and fruit salad.

What did the family think? I thought these turned out great. I put a little extra cinnamon in them, so they were great with butter and syrup on them. Everyone else at the table gobbled them down, too.

Did I change anything? Just a teensy bit more cinnamon was added.

Where did this recipe come from? The Biggest Loser

photo from Goop

posted by Nina on Jan 31

This is a cold-night-I-need-some-comfort-food kind of dish.

Ingredients:
½ tsp salt
1 lb ground beef, chicken or turkey
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14.5 ounce) garlic, basil and onion diced tomatoes
1½ cups broth
1 tsp minced fresh oregano or ½ tsp crumbled dried oregano
¼ tsp pepper
8 ounces orzo pasta, dried (1 cup)
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
½-¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:
Crumble beef into pan and cook, stirring often, until meat begins to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt.

Reduce heat to medium, stir in onion, and continue to cook, stirring, until onion is soft but not brown, about 5 minutes. Spoon off and discard excess fat.

Add garlic, tomatoes and their liquid, broth, oregano, and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil then stir in pasta. Reduce heat, cover and simmer gently until pasta is tender to bite, 10 to 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, squeeze as much liquid as possible from spinach. Stir spinach into pasta mixture just until heated through. Serve with cheese to add to taste.

What did the family think? I knew the spinach would throw the boys off (even though they eat it ALL OF THE TIME in salads and smoothies) so they had orzo pasta with pasta sauce. Hubby and I liked this dish very much. I am very much looking forward to the leftovers for lunch.

Did I change anything? I like spinach as much as the next person, but I think this might have a had a little too much. Next time I will reduce the amount just a little bit. I also only put in 1/2 an onion. The original recipe called for a whole onion.

Where did this recipe come from? Cozi

photo from Cozi

posted by Nina on Jan 30

I know your are thinking to yourself…goodness gracious, does she eat nothing but granola and smoothies? I know there’s been a lot of the two on MommaCooks lately, but aren’t granola and smoothies yummy? Wait, what if we could combine the two? Breakfast nirvana!

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup granola
4 tbsp wheat germ
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup FROZEN blueberries

Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender. Pulse on the ice crush option until the berries are mostly blended, then put on puree for about 2 minutes or until smooth.

What did the family think? I am the only one who has had this one so far, but I think they’ll like it. The kids have started having smoothies for their bedtime snack, so I might have to introduce this one tonight.

Did I change anything? No, but I think the next time I make this one I might add half a banana or maybe a whole banana so that it’s thicker.

Where did this recipe come from? SparkRecipes

photo from The Everyday Veggie

posted by Nina on Jan 25

I have been trying a variety of homemade granolas over the past several months. I even got my hubby to start eating them (which was a mistake because now he’s eating all of my granola). Anyways, this one is super easy to make and turned out great.

Ingredients:
4 cups rolled oats
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup chopped walnuts or slivered almonds
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup water OR apple juice
1 (6-ounce) package dried fruit, such as raisins

Instructions:
Heat the oven to 300º.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the oats, wheat germ, nuts, sesame seeds, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the oil, honey, and water. Toss the mixture until the ingredients are well combined, then spread it evenly on a cookie sheet.

Bake the granola for 40 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring every 10 minutes to keep the mixture from sticking.

Let it cool completely, then stir in the dried fruit.

What did the family think? I am the only person in our house who has tried this version so far, but I will attest to its yumminess.

Where did this recipe come from? Family Fun

posted by Nina on Jan 20

I have several roasted chicken recipes on this blog, but this one is a little different. First of all, anything with butter rubbed all over the top is going to be good and I love how it comes out all crispy and golden after being broiled in the oven for just a few minutes at the end.

Ingredients:
1 whole roasting chicken (3 1/2 – 4 1/2 pounds)
1 large onion, chopped
1 pound baby Yukon Gold potatoes
4 whole peeled carrots, chopped
1 whole lemon (reserve zest)
4 Tablespoons room temperature butter
2 cloves minced garlic
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Instructions:
Place onions, potatoes, and carrots in the bottom of the slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper.

Clean and dry chicken. Zest lemon and reserve. Quarter lemon, and place in the cavity. Place chicken on top of vegetables.

In a small bowl, combine butter, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper.

Cover the chicken with the butter mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook chicken on LOW for 4-8 hours. The cooking time depends on how large your chicken is. Cook until an internal temperature reaches 160 degrees in the leg and the juices run clear.

Take the chicken out of the slow cooker and place in an oven proof 9×13 pan. Brown the chicken under the broiler for 4 to 5 minutes or until the skin is brown and crispy.

What did the family think? 3/4 of us liked it. 1/4 of the family just doesn’t do chicken. Period. He tried it though (drowned in ketchup).

Did I change anything? I used dried herbs instead of fresh. It turned out great. I just didn’t use as much.

Where did this recipe come from? Tablespoon.com

photo from Tablespoon.com

posted by Nina on Jan 18

STOP! Don’t give up on this smoothie just because it has spinach in it. I PROMISE you that you will not only not see the spinach once you get it all blended up, but you won’t taste it either and with a combo of all of these powerhouse foods in one smoothie you KNOW it’s going to be good for you. What else is awesome is that you can keep some frozen spinach and frozen blueberries on hand so that you can make this anytime. This is so good for you and it tastes good too. Try it, just once for me, pretty please.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1/2 cup milk (soy, skim…whatever you’ve got)
1/2 cup fresh spinach (small handful, sub 1/8-1/4 cup frozen)
1 banana
1 teaspoon flax seed meal

Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender. Pulse on the ice crush option until the berries are mostly blended, then put on puree for about 2 minutes or until smooth.

What did the family think? I am the only one who has had this, but it was SO good! I know the boys will like it too if I don’t tell them about the spinach because who really wants to drink spinach.

Where did this recipe come from? Food.com

photo from Brandy Gerard