Recipe Re-vamp

Since regularity isn't always so... regular at our house, finding ways to get healthy oils and lots of fiber into our bodies seems to be pretty important! I know we all need more fiber and DHA than we normally get and since I'd rather add them in through our food than through supplements (although Mike and I do take Cod Liver Oil...) I've been experimenting with flax seed - I purchased a box of Hodgson Golden Milled Flax Seed a few weeks ago and have been adding it into our foods...

...1/4 t mixed into Sofie's baby cereal
... 1/2 t sprinkled on Bekah's PB sandwiches
... 1 t mixed into my Malt-o-Meal

This morning I decided to give it a try in an actual recipe (as a substitution for some of the fat) and it worked pretty well! I also changed up the flour from all basic white flour to half whole wheat. Although the muffins are a little more "bready" than normal, they're still really tasty and have a few health benefits included in them now that they didn't before!

Here's my Revamped Poppyseed Poundcake Muffins Recipe

2 c flour all purpose flour
2 c whole wheat flour
2 T poppy seeds
1 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
2 c sugar
14 T butter (2 sticks, one with 2 T cut off)
6 T ground flaxseed
4 eggs
2 c Vanilla yogurt (want to use greek next time - didn't today)
2+ t vanilla

Preheat oven to 400
Combine flour, poppyseeds, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl
In a large bowl cream butter, flaxseed, sugar
Beat in eggs one at a time
Beat in yogurt and vanilla until well blended
Stir in flour mixture until moistened (THICK batter!!!!)
Spoon into muffin tins
Bake 15-20 minutes (16 mins is perfect in my oven!)
Makes a BIG batch (3-4 dozen depending on the size of your muffins). They freeze really well after baked - thaw overnight and you've got a tasty breakfast!

Yummy!!

How have you made little changes with big benefits in your kitchen?

Taco Casserole

This is a family favorite we've adapted from a recipe my mom shared back when I was pregnant with Bekah

1 lb ground beef, cooked
1 can tomato soup
1 package taco seasoning
1 can black beans, rinsed
Mix together

Cover the bottom of a 9x13 pan with crushed up tortilla chips

Pour the beef mixture over the chips

Cover the beef mixture with a cup or two of cottage cheese

Cover the cottage cheese with a cup or two of shredded cheese

Bake, covered at 350F for about 45 minutes.

Enjoy with tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, salsa... Any taco toppings!

Recipe Help?!

I need your help!

Seeing as I only own about 20 cookbooks and have limitless recipe options online it doesn't make sense that I'm at a loss for what to cook around here...

But it's the sad truth.

Mike and I are really working on our diets - eating healthier foods, cutting costs, cutting artificial things...

Many of the things we love to eat aren't the healthiest options. But we're working on re-vamping what we enjoy eating and also how we make favorites (whole wheat pasta, whole wheat flour,...). I'm thrilled that we're finding more and more products without corn syrup and artificial ingredients - such as gogurt for Bekah, canned fruits, etc.

Now, where can I use your help?

I'm looking for favorite casserole (or hotdish for my Minnesotan fans) type dishes that are tasty, quick, cheap, and most of all, HEALTHY!

If you've got a favorite, feel free to blog about it and link to me, post it in my comments, or send me an email!!!

King's Casserole, Pillsbury Crescent Creations, Giveaway

I have a giveaway just for you!!

Thanks to the kind folks over at Pillsbury through their partnership with my friends at MyBlogSpark I was given a chance to test out a product giftpack and a chance to share one giftpack with a winner!

The pack I was sent included:

• 2 VIP coupons for Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dough
• 3 small platters to serve creations on

With my 2 containers of FREE Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dough I made a brand new-to-me recipe, shared with me by my friend Lyn - KING'S CASSEROLE. Let me tell you, this is a new family favorite!!! King's Casserole

2 packages refrigerated crescent dough
1-2 pounds ground beef
1-2 onions, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 cups spaghetti sauce
1-2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4-1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (I'm guessing that freshly grated would be best, but I only had the crumbles in a can... It was still tasty!)

Spread 1 tube of the crescent rolls in an ungreased 9x13 pan. Bake at 425 for 8-10 minutes.

While it's baking, brown the beef with the onions and seasonings. Drain if necessary. Add the spaghetti sauce and heat through.

Spread the meat/sauce mixture over the hot crust. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Gently spread the second tube of crescent rolls over the cheese and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes.

This recipe is super fast, super easy, and super tasty. Everyone loved it at our house, even Bekah!

Would you like to make this recipe with your own free Pillsbury Crescent Dough!? Would you like to have 3 little serving platters that come in so handy at all those parties and gatherings you host?! Well, then you've come to the right place (that is, if you're currently in the USA - unfortunately these coupons won't work anywhere else!)

In order to earn one mandatory entry in this giveaway please let me know what you think of my new blog layout. I made it all by myself so be nice ;) I've been playing around with a new computer scrapbooking program and have been having some fun!

If you'd like to earn more entries you can do one (or all) of the following (please leave a second comment for each extra entry!)

Blog about this giveaway and link back to me

Post on Facebook about this giveaway and link back to me

Tell me what kind of cloth diapers you use at your house

Tell me your favorite recipe using Pillsbury Crescent Dough

Give your favorite healthy cooking tip

Please be sure to leave an email address or have one accessible from your profile so I can contact my winner!

I will be selecting my winner using Random.org on February 12th sometime after noon. Stay tuned and good luck!!

I was provided one Pillsbury Crescent Creations before writing this post from Pillsbury through MyBlogSpark.
My winner's prize package will be sent from MyBlogSpark after their notification.

A New Favorite Bulk Recipe - Poppy Seed Pound Cake Muffins

I have always enjoyed cooking. I love the benefits it give both to my pocket book and my waist line. What I haven't enjoyed lately, though, is my lack of TIME to cook... Between Bekah, Piano Teaching, and other life activities, I just don't have the time to prepare meals that I once did.

So, the beginning of October I've been working on preparing meals in bulk and freezing them so we can enjoy home cooked, wallet friendly meals quickly and easily. I spent one day with friends in October preparing a ridiculous amount of meals. Since then I've made many batches of soups that I've frozen in individual containers for our lunches (sandwiches don't cut it when it's below 50 degrees...) and put together a few meals where I cooked 1/2 or 1/3 of it and froze the rest for later use.

Well, today I'm on my second batch of Poppy Seed Pound Cake Muffins (making a triple batch each time!). This recipe is rather easy, incredibly tasty, and not too terrible ingredient wise!

2 c Flour
1 T Poppy Seeds
1/2 t Salt
1/4 t Baking Soda
1 c Sugar
1/2 c Butter
2 Eggs
1 c Plain Yogurt (or vanilla, or lemon, or raspberry...)
1 t Vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a small bowl, combine flour, poppy seeds, salt, and baking soda.
In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in yogurt and vanilla until well blended.
Stir in flour mixture until evenly moistened.
Spoon into greased muffin tins and bake 15-20 minutes.

You can eat these fresh from the oven or freeze them (I prefer using gallon sized ziplock type bags for freezing these over other methods). I like the better from the freezer - they get a little more dense. Mike likes them better fresh. Bekah eats them like crazy no matter if they were frozen or fresh!