yummy – Page 22 – Hewes Family Fun

Stockpile Cooking: Yummy Strudel Pumpkin Muffins

September 16, 2019September 15, 2019Abby H.

Screen Shot 2019-09-15 at 7.35.48 PM.png As part of my “use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without” mantra, I’m trying to bake more out of the cupboard. It helps us use up what we’ve got on-hand, and it’s also a lot healthier than buying store-bought muffins.

While I was digging in the very back of the cupboard, I found

These muffins were amazing. The recipes makes 1 mini muffin pan (24 mini muffins), or regular sized muffins.

Low Fat Pumpkin Muffins

1.5 cups all-purpose flour (you can also use whole wheat flour, or a 1 for 1 gluten-free flour blend if you prefer)
1/4 cup flax meal (You could also use almond meal if you prefer)
1 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon ground ginger
1 can canned pumpkin puree (approx. 30-ish ounces)
3/4 cups light brown sugar
3 oz. container of fat-free Greek vanilla yogurt (or use 3oz. of fat-free plain Greek yogurt and 1 T. vanilla extract)
1 egg
1/3 cup milk (whatever kind you like)

Strudel topping

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) room temperature butter
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 c. oatmeal
1/4 cup Flour (you can also use whole wheat flour, or a 1 for 1 gluten-free flour blend if you prefer)
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon ground ginger

Directions:

Muffins-

Mix dry ingredients together, set aside.
In a large bowl, combine all the wet ingredients with an electric mixer until smooth and combined.
Add dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredient mixture and mix until smooth and combined.
Pour batter into greased muffin tins (or use cupcake liners).

Strudel-

Mix all strudel ingredients together in a small bowl.
Option one: Spoon about a tablespoon of the strudel onto the uncooked muffins right before putting to the oven.
Option two: Fill the muffin tins halfway with muffin batter, drop in the strudel mix, and top with more muffin batter to make strudel surprise muffins.
Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes.

Top 10 Herbs and Spices needed for a Well-Stocked Kitchen!

September 13, 2019September 12, 2019Abby H.12 Comments

I get a lot of people who ask about my spice rack- what do I keep in my kitchen, since we cook at home so much. I made a list of what I use, then I polled my Facebook friends. Below is a reflection of what we use most at home, plus what most of my foodie friends use too all combined into a handy dandy top ten list!

I prefer spices and herbs from Penzey’s– They have the best quality and a wide variety. They tend to be a little more expensive, but they are very high-quality herbs and spices, and you will use much less than their cheaper counterparts. If you have a Penzey’s store near you, it’s worth checking out. Join their mailing list- they frequently have coupons for freebies and really good deals (and free shipping sometimes too if you don’t live close to a store). Penzey’s also sells their spices on Amazon!

These are of course in addition to Table Salt, Kosher Salt, a pepper mill for freshly cracked pepper, roasted garlic, granulated garlic, toasted onions, onion powder, and air-dried shallots. For me, these are pantry staples and every kitchen should have them, as they are used in so many recipes, in addition to the 10 above.

Talk Back: What are some of your favorite seasonings?

Urbane Cafe: Free lunch for Teachers and Staff (El Cajon and Encinitas Locations)!

September 12, 2019September 12, 2019Abby H.

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Various Urbane Cafe locations are offering free lunches (sandwich or salad) to teachers and school staff.

Not so small print…

Only one meal per ticket
Must have Valid Teacher ID
No app, phone or online orders
Must be present to receive the offer

The El Cajon Location is offering them on 9/17/19 and 9/18/19 at 11am. RSVP here.

The Encinitas location is offering them on 9/24/19 and 9/26/19 11am-9pm. RSVP here.

Please share this post with your friends and family who might benefit! Teachers and school staff work so hard- they deserve a free lunch!

Family Favorite Recipe: Mountain Man Breakfast Casserole

September 7, 2019September 7, 2019Abby H.

This is a great old Boy Scout/backpacking recipe. We eat it when we go camping, cooked in a dutch oven. You can cook it at home in a baking dish in the oven if you aren’t out cooking in a field.

Ingredients

1 bag O’Brien Potatoes, approx 28 ounces- defrosted
1 dozen eggs
1/4 cup whole milk
1 lb. bulk breakfast sausage (like Jimmy Dean) cooked, crumbled and patted to absorb the excess oil
2 cups cheddar cheese, divided
Salt and pepper, to taste
Sour Cream and Salsa (for a topping)

Directions

Mix the sausage, 1 cup of the cheese, and potatoes in a bowl
Pour sausage/egg/cheese mixture into a 9×11 baking dish
Scramble eggs and milk and pour over sausage/egg/cheese mixture
Top the dish with the remaining 1 c. cheese.
Bake at 350 for 20-35 minutes until the eggs have set and the dish is brown, bubbly and delicious.
Serve with Sour Cream and Salsa.
Serves 8-10 at home 4-6 when camping (fresh air makes you hungry).

If you have any leftovers, it’s great in a warmed tortilla the next morning as a burrito! I’ve also been informed that this is really good with avocado slices on top.

Modifications for special dietary concerns:

You can make this vegetarian by using soy sausage crumbles.
This recipe is naturally gluten-free.
This recipe cannot be made vegan.

New Recipe: Shakshuka!

September 3, 2019September 2, 2019Abby H.

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Shakshuska is an incredibly easy vegetarian recipe! It’s high in flavor and protein. Most of the ingredients can be found in any kitchen.

We’ve been enjoying it for a few years, and I can’t believe I’ve never posted the recipe! My recipe is based on the NYT recipe found here.

Ingredients:

2 T. Oil (I usually use olive oil, but grape seed oil is great too)
1 large onion, chopped
1 large bell pepper, sliced
3 garlic cloves, diced (sometimes I use the chopped garlic in the jar)
1 teaspoon each ground cumin and sweet paprika
Dash of cayenne, or to taste
28 ounces of canned whole plum tomatoes with juices, coarsely chopped (I usually use 2
14-ish ounce cans, as they are cheaper/easier to find)
1 small can tomato paste
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
6-8 large eggs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a large, ovenproof skillet (I use one like this), heat oil, and saute onion and peppers until soft and onions are clear about 10 minutes.
Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
Add spices, canned tomatoes, and tomato paste, cook over low for 10-15 minutes until sauce is thick and bubbly.
Stir in about half the feta, and cook until combined/melted.
Turn off the stove.
Crack eggs into sauce, top with remaining feta and bake in the oven for 6-10 minutes or until eggs are done to your liking.
Season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve with crusty hot bread, and a green salad.

Dietary/Allergy Note: There is no way to make this recipe vegan, but it is naturally Gluten-Free!

September: New Month, New Coupons!

September 2, 2019Abby H.

Here is your monthly reminder! A new month means new printable and electronic coupons!

Check out the following sites:

Coupons.com (printable an e-coupons),
Redplum (printable),
SmartSource (Printable),
SavingStar (E-Coupons)

One of my favorite websites is the Sunday Coupon Review. It helps me plot out scenarios in advance and I can email friends to ask for coupons in advance. Remember if clipping coupons isn’t your thing, but saving money is, check out my list of Smartphone apps that can save you the big bucks! New offers are added on the Smartphone Savings Apps all the time!

Here are a few of my favorite new coupons:

Save $3.00 on any ONE (1) Aleve® Back & Muscle Pain (24ct or larger)

Save $1.00 on any ONE (1) Glade® 3-Wick Candle, PlugIns® Scented Oil Refill, or Large Automatic Spray Refill

Save $5.00 when you spend $25.00 on Magnum® Ice Cream Products.Expires 11/30/2019.Save $5.00.

Save $2.00 when you purchase ANY ONE (1) Beyond Sausage®. Any Variety..Expires 10/2/2019.Save $2.00.

Save $1.00 when you purchase ANY ONE (1) Select Atkins® Shakes. Valid on any 4 pack,. Excludes Atkins® PLUS Protein & Fiber Shakes. Valid only at Walmart..Expires 9/4/2019.Save $1.00.(Only at Walmart)

Save $1.00 when you purchase ANY ONE (1) Honey Maid Grahams. Valid on 14 oz. or larger..Expires 9/26/2019.Save $1.00.

Save $0.75 when you purchase ANY ONE (1) a2 Milk™. Valid on 1.74 liter carton, any variety..Expires 10/4/2019.Save $0.75.

Oat Flour Banana Bread Recipe

August 28, 2019August 27, 2019Abby H.3 Comments

The big kid LOVES banana bread, so I am always looking out for new recipes, especially those that are higher in protein or lower in added sugar.

Recently we found ourselves with an overabundance of oatmeal, so I looked online for recipes to use it up and I discovered Oat Flour. You basically grind up oatmeal in your blender or food processor. Because it doesn’t contain any natural gluten, you have to use another flour with it otherwise your bread just… falls apart. It also doesn’t rise, so you will need to add leavening (baking soda in this recipe).

I also had received 30 bananas the next day, so I knew the time had come… TO MAKE BANANA BREAD!!

After looking through several recipes, I cobbled together a recipe that incorporated what I had on hand, and had all of the appropriate chemicals via ingredients to form quick bread. If you are interested in learning about baking and cooking ratios to form new recipes, check out Ratio by Michael Ruhlman– It’s great!

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

1 c. Oat Flour
1 3/4 c. AP Flour
2 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1/2 c. melted butter or melted coconut oil
1/2 c. brown sugar, not packed
2 ripe banans, mashed up
2 eggs
5 ounces plain Greek yogurt
1 T. Vanilla
1/2c chopped nuts (I like pecans, but walnuts work too) OPTIONAL

Directions:

Grease a loaf pan and set aside Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl mix flours, soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and sugar until well mixed.
Add bananas and continue to mix until incorporated.
Add eggs one at a time. Once they are blended, add yogurt and vanilla.
Combine dry ingredients into wet, and add nuts (if desired). This batter is very wet!!
Pour into greased pan and bake for 45-55 minutes.
Once the bread is cooled, remove from loaf pan and serve with butter or cream cheese.

Options:

To make the recipe Gluten-free, use gluten-free oats, and a 1 for 1 Gluten-free flour.
To make the recipe vegan, use coconut oil in place of butter, substitute a flax egg, and use dairy-free Greek-style yogurt.

Family Recipe: Veggie Loaded Pasta Sauce

August 13, 2019August 13, 2019Abby H.1 Comment

I’m always on a mission to add more fruits and veggies into our diet. My pasta sauce recipe is full of veggies: Onions, peppers, carrots, zucchini, celery, fresh tomatoes.

And because I love meaty sauce, I can’t forget the 80/20 ground chuck!

I served it last night with both whole wheat pasta and Italian squash that I ran through the spiralizer (I have this one).

The kids aren’t too big on zoodles, but that’s ok. We paired our meal with a green salad (cucumber slices for the kids), and garlic bread (a family favorite).

Veggie Loaded Pasta Sauce

Ingredients

1.5 lbs ground chuck or your favorite ground beef (don’t use super lean beef)
2 T. olive oil
1 white onion, diced
1/2 c. each chopped or diced: carrots, celery, bell peppers (I used red)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
6 ripe tomatoes, cut into quarters
1 large can (28 ounces) fire-roasted tomatoes
2 cups red wine
1 can tomato paste
2 bay leaves
2 t. Shallot pepper seasoning
2 T. Italian Seasoning
4 large zucchinis, spiralized, ends diced and reserved for sauce

Directions

Brown meat in olive oil over low, breaking up meat as it cooks.
Add onion, carrots, celery, bell peppers, and cook until soft and onions are translucent.
Add garlic, cook until fragrant.
Add fresh and canned tomatoes, and tomato paste.
De-glaze pan with wine, add seasoning, and small pieces of zucchinis leftover from spiralizing.
Cook on low for 2+ hours, stirring occasionally.
To cook zucchini spirals, steam for 6-8 minutes, drain and serve right away!

This sauce freezes well too and gets better overnight in the fridge. You can also use this sauce to make lasagna.

Cheese and Crafts with Truly Grass Fed & Tryazon!

August 11, 2019Abby H.

On Thursday we invited some friends to the park to sample Truly Grass Fed Cheese and paint some wooden crafts.

Screen Shot 2019-08-11 at 7.33.14 PM.png If you haven’t heard of Truly Grass Fed, here is some info about what they are and their philosophy, “The Truly Grass Fed way of dairy farming has been passed down through the generations and has continued to evolve and innovate with the times. Our belief in sustainability and in preserving the beautiful land of Ireland is ingrained in our values and informs our way of life. We love what we do and we’re passionate about maintaining our unique way of farming. We truly believe that ensuring our cows live outside for most of the year, providing them with 95% grass to eat and treating them with care and respect makes for superior-tasting cheese and butter. We are proud of the products we produce, and we are excited to share the abundance of our labors with those looking to discover a little piece of Ireland in an exceptional hunk of cheese or generous spread of creamy butter.” You can learn more here.

The cheese was soo good! Rich, creamy and sharper than most cheddars. The moms gobbled down the samples (seriously, it’s so good). In San Diego, you can find Truly Grass Fed at Vons stores- It’s in the deli with the fancy cheese!

Screen Shot 2019-08-11 at 7.29.56 PM.png We snacked and painted, and the kids ran off to play at the playground before it got too hot.

Everyone in attendance received a reusable cloth grocery bag and a money-saving coupon.

And if you want to learn more about Tryazon, their website has tons of information about all of the cool campaigns and parties they have coming up!

I received coupons for free cheese and the party favors (bags and coupons) for free in order to facilitate a group party with friends and their kids. All opinions are my own. I was not financially compensated, however, we did get to keep the charcuterie board.

#choosetruly #trulygrassfed #tryazon