Menu Plan - October 31

October.  It was a busy and delightful fall month!  We spent this weekend tiling the kitchen back splash {part 1} and next weekend we'll finish up the kitchen.  I told my family I kind of want to move my bed into the kitchen because it's the nicest room in our house and I love it!!

This past week, we enjoyed:

Jack-O-Lantern Cake

Cherry Balsamic Chicken Skillet

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars

Crockpot Breakfast Casserole (x2)
{recipe on Wednesday}

Pumpkin Spice Granola

Grilled Apple Cheddar Sandwiches
{Recipe on Thursday}

Pumpkin Muffins
{recipe on Tuesday}

Ham and Garden Veggie Shells

Apple Muffins

{for my students as we talked about FOOD and digestion in class}

Spiced Country Applesauce

We didn't get to the cheesy spinach lasagna soup from last week's menu plan, so it appears here again :)  And, since we have Italian sausage in the house this week, Frog Prince requested his favorite Broccoli and Red Pepper Penne... yum!

Sunday
B - Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Granola Bars {new}, Apples
Brunch - 100% Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes, fried ham
D - Pumpkin Pizza {new}
Dessert - Jack-o-Lantern Cake

Monday

B - Pumpkin Spice Granola, apples

D - Cheesy Broccoli Potato Soup, leftover pizza

Tuesday

B - Kris Kringle Pancakes with Apple Topping

D - Penne with Spinach and Chicken

Wednesday

B - Leftover pancakes

D - Cheesy Spinach Lasagna Soup {new}

Dessert - Apple Crisp

Thursday

B - Blueberry Breakfast Cake

D - Brown Rice Bake, steamed mixed veggies

Friday

B - Leftover Breakfast Cake

D - Broccoli and Red Pepper Penne {our favorite}

Saturday

B - TBD

D - Roasted Vegetable Stew, English Muffin Bread

What are you eating this week?

Ready for Halloween!?!

Besides all the pumpkin sweet potato recipes we've been cooking up around here lately... you'd never know Halloween is right around the corner at the house of SnoWhite and Frog Prince.

I love all-things fall, but two things make Halloween a tough celebration at our place:

• (1) Frog Prince is allergic to pumpkins!!  
• (2) Finding Halloween candy that's allergen friendly is tough!

I really miss carving up a pumpkin and oh... how I miss roasting those pumpkin seeds!  But, I love Frog Prince more, so we've come up with other ways to be festive around Halloween.

Our family has started a tradition -- a Jack-O-Lantern Cake!

Even though we can't carve pumpkins, carving into this pumpkin cake is a real treat.

 

Yes, this cake has something inside....

Surprise!!  We have our own carved pumpkin.  

Okay -- so it's not really the same as carving up a squash, but it works for us!  This is our pumpkin and nut-allergy friendly Halloween tradition!  We enjoy a slice of this delicious Halloween cake while we hand out allergen-friendly candy at our door.  

Does your family do anything special for Halloween?



This post is linked to:

• Tasty Traditions

Friday Favorites

Baked Acorn Squash with Spinach

Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner

Caramel Apple Chex Mix

Cupcakes and Kisses

Pumpkin Gingersnap Ice Cream

Picky Palate

Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake

Simply This, That and the Other

Sweet Potato Spread

Kitchen Stewardship

Fruit and Veggie Rainbow Pancakes

My Charming Kids

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Spread

Home Matters

Easy Crackers

Faith and Family

Italian Tortellini Stew

B is for Boy!

Mozzarella Chicken Bake

Feathers in Our Nest

Cherry Balsamic Chicken Skillet

A cozy, and delightfully flavored dinner!

This is going on our make again list.  The combination of cherries with the vinegar is wonderful -- almost like a BBQ sauce!  Try it.  You'll enjoy it!

Cherry Balsamic Chicken Skillet - Adapted from Out of the Box and Into the Kitchen 
{Print Recipe}

1 lb. chicken breasts
3/4 C sweet cherries {I used frozen}
1/4 C Balsamic vinegar or vinaigrette
1 C chicken broth
Olive oil, as needed

In a little bit of olive oil, brown the chicken breasts on both sides until nicely golden brown (about 5 minutes per side).

Then, add in the chicken broth (my chicken broth was frozen, hence the rings), and allow the chicken broth and chicken to simmer away for about 10 minutes, covered.

Add in the cherries and vinegar.  Cover and continue simmering, stirring occasionally, for another 10-15 minutes.

Cook until chicken has reached an internal temperature of 180 degrees.

Serve with brown rice and steamed veggies.

Enjoy!



This post is linked to:

• Recipe Swap Thursday
• The Grocery Cart Challenge
• What's on Your Plate?

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars

Sometimes I just enjoy a really good oatmeal chocolate chip cookie.

Do you?

I love the combination of oats and chocolate... but sometimes I'm lazy.  So, I decided to try my favorite cookie recipe as a bar just because I didn't feel like scooping out all those cookies.

I ended up loving them as a bar, and still had enough dough left over to freeze 10 cookies for later.

The best of both worlds. If you ask me.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars - Adapted from Mom {and Quaker Oats}
{Print Recipe}

3/4 C butter
1 C brown sugar {I use just under 1 C}
1/2 C sugar {I use just under 1/2 C}
1 egg
1/4 C water
1 tsp. vanilla
1 C white wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3 C Old Fashioned Oats
1 C Dark Chocolate Chips

Begin by creaming together the butter and sugar. Then add in the egg, water and vanilla.

Stir the flour, salt and baking soda together. Add these to the moist ingredients until blended.

Then, add the best part... the oats.

:)

Stir until oats are combined.

Next, add in the dark chocolate chips.

Have I mentioned before that I love dark chocolate?

You should see my chocolate drawer.

Pour the majority of the dough into a lightly greased 9x13 glass baking dish.

To smooth out the dough, you'll need to spray your spatula (or hand) with cooking oil otherwise the dough will stick.

Scoop the rest of the dough into cookies, if you'd like, and flash freeze on the cookie sheet for 10-20 minutes. Then, store in an airtight bag or freezer-safe container. These make a perfect after school treat :)

Bake at 350 for 30ish minutes, or until edges begin to brown and the center is set.

Slice and serve.

If you wish to bake them all as cookies, this recipe yields about 5 dozen cookies. Bake a tray of them at 350 for 12-14 minutes until the edges are set and slightly browned.

Enjoy!

Crockpot Baked Potatoes

These are the best baked potatoes I've ever had.  They are delightfully moist, soft and have a yummy skin.    

Not to mention they're made in the best kitchen appliance ever -- your crockpot!  Did you know that cooking in your crockpot is the most energy efficient way to cook?!  The crockpot is the least energy-consuming appliance you have, and is much better than our hummer-mimicking ovens.  

Knowing I can save energy and have a great tasting potato at the same time means I don't think I'll be going back to cooking potatoes in the oven any time soon!!

Crockpot Baked Potatoes - From Around My Family Table
{Print Recipe}

4-5 russet potatoes
1/2 T - 1 T olive oil
Sea Salt

Scrub potatoes well and pat dry.

Spray the crockpot with olive oil cooking spray.

Then, lightly coat each potato with olive oil.

Arrange the potatoes in the crockpot.

Sprinkle with sea salt.

Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, rotating potatoes a couple of times during cooking to make sure that all potatoes come into contact with the crockpot sides/bottom for a portion of the cook time.

Serve warm with desired toppings --

we love broccoli, cheese and a few bacon bits!

This post is linked to:
Delicious Dishes
Tasty Tuesday
Slightly Indulgent Tuesday
Ingredient Spotlight: Potatoes
URS

New Feature: From the Archives

Starting next Monday, November 1, I'm introducing a new feature here on Finding Joy in My Kitchen!

Over the past year, more and more of you have been checking in with Finding Joy in My Kitchen and peaking at the recipes I've posted here {THANK YOU!!}.

But, since there are over 700 recipes here {many of which were posted when only my mom read my blog} I plan to highlight a recipe from the archives every Monday afternoon.

I hope you will enjoy this  peek into the archives!

Menu Plan - October 24

Well, here we are at the end of the month already... wow.  We're hitting the 9th week of the semester, and things are starting to function well in my classes (Praise God)!  There are now four weeks until Thanksgiving break (but who's counting?!).  We're in the process of picking out a tile back-splash for the kitchen, which means we're getting close to being finished with our work.

I'm greatly enjoying the new kitchen... but even with all the new cooking space, there are still times when things go wrong in the kitchen.

Last week I cooked a chicken in the crockpot -- and I must have been a little stressed/pre-occupied with the midterm exam I was writing because I cooked the chicken with the bag (you know... the one filled with the gizzard, etc) inside the chicken.

Fail.

Needless to say, that did not make my week.  We ended up making a second chicken later in the week so I could have broth for soup... that made for a much happier SnoWhite.  

In addition to the chicken, last week we enjoyed:

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

with Crustless Apple Pie

French Bread Pizza

Crockpot Baked Potato Bar
{recipe on Tuesday}

Crockpot Chicken

Pumpkin Spice Granola

Mom's Apple Pie

Broccoli Smashed Potatoes

Mom's Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Ham and Potato Casserole

Honey Wheat Bagels

Vegetable Beef Soup

On our menu this week:

Sunday
B - Bagels and cherry blueberry preserve
L - Grilled apple and cheddar sandwiches {new}, green beans
D - Ham and Garden Veggie Shells
Dessert - Apple Pockets
{To Do: Make Apple Chips, prepare veggies for dinner Monday}

Monday
B - Granola and yogurt
D - Breakfast Crockpot Casserole {new}
{To Do: Boil Sweet Potatoes, mix up dry ingredients for muffins, thaw chicken}

Tuesday
B - Pumpkin Pie Muffins {new}
D - Cherry Chicken Skillet {new}, brown rice and carrots

Wednesday
B - Leftovers, apple slices
D - Leftovers
{To do: Prepare veggies for soup}

Thursday
B - Granola and dried cherries
D - Cheesy Spinach Lasagna Soup {new}, bread
{To do: thaw beef for pizza}

Friday
B - Veggie Omelets
D - Sloppy Joe Pizza {new}, mixed veggies

Saturday
B - Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Granola Bars {new}
D - Veggie Stir Fry
Dessert - Jack-o-Lantern Cake

Friday Favorites

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

{Two Peas and their Pod}

Grilled Cheddar and Apple Sandwiches

{Recipes for You}

Beef and Cheese Manicotti

{The Atwoods}

Maple Butter Spiced Popcorn

{The Kitchn}

Minestrone with Garlic Toast

{Lil Daisies}

Snack-o-Lantern Fruit Cups

{Pennies on a Platter}

Sausage Spinach Loaf

{The Newlyweds}

Sweet Balsamic Grilled Chicken

{Jenn's Food Journey}

Oatmeal Raisin Ice Cream

{Susi's Kochen Und Backen Adventures}

Philly Cheesesteak Soup

{Extraordinary Life}

Autumn Minestrone

{My Kitchen Cafe}

Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast Cookie

{Family, Stamping and Food}

Bacon and Cheddar Cornbread

{One Crazy Cookie}

Sesame Free Hummus
Living Without

Cheesy Green Bean Skillet

I love brown rice.  I'm always looking for more ways to use it.  And, it happens to go well with cheese :)  

This is a meat-less meal (although it's not vegetarian because I used chicken broth), and it would be great as a side dish in houses who require meat each night!  

We ate it as a main dish, and enjoyed it very much.  Nice and comforting flavor, with an excellent texture thanks to that yummy brown rice.  

Cheesy Green Bean Skillet - Finding Joy in My Kitchen
{Print Recipe}

1 C brown rice
2 C chicken broth
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 C water
1 T minced onion
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. salt
1 C shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
2 C green beans

Begin by sauteing mushrooms in a large skillet.  Remove from the skillet.

Combine the broth, water, onion, salt, pepper and brown rice in the same skillet.

 Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until water is absorbed and rice is tender.

Then, add in mushrooms. Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Next stir in the green beans, and simmer for 10 minutes, until green beans are cooked.

Finally, remove from the heat.  Stir in the cheese and allow the heat from the dish to melt the cheese.

Enjoy!

Update: I have now made this recipe entirely in the rice cooker.  Cook the rice on the bottom, steam the veggies over the top in the steamer while the rice cooks.  Then, add the cheese to the rice.  Finally, stir in the veggies.  I love making it this way -- the rice cooker does all the work for me :)  

This recipe is linked to:
Recipe Swap at Prairie Story
URS: Cozy Foods, OneDishDinners
Ingredient Spotlight