Recipes

This is one of my favorite fresh dinner swap meals of all time. I really like having one of our swap meals being a fresh meal rather than all frozen meals. Emilie brought this yummy salad one month and it was so delicious we made it again the next week. Be sure to toast the almonds – it really makes a difference!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup almonds, blanched and slivered
1 pound spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
1 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons minced onion
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook and stir almonds in butter until lightly toasted. Remove from heat, and let cool.

In a large bowl, combine the spinach with the toasted almonds and cranberries.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, onion, paprika, white wine vinegar, cider vinegar, and vegetable oil. Toss with spinach just before serving.

Jessie is the mother of three sweet kids and the author of Bites, a recipe blog that will make your mouth water.  Make sure to follow Bites on Facebook so you don’t miss a single recipe.

Make sure to check out our Recipe Box with links to all the recipes we have posted over the years.

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One of my favorite dinner swap meals is Pioneer Woman’s white enchiladas. They are creamy, spicy and delicious. Lightly frying the tortillas may seem like a lot of work but you won’t be sorry. For a freezer swap meal, assemble in a foil casserole pan and freeze before baking step.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 cups chicken broth
3 Tablespoons canola oil
12  corn tortillas
1 whole large onion, diced
3 whole 4-oz cans whole green chilies, diced
1 whole jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
1 teaspoon paprika
½ cups heavy cream
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour
1 cup sour cream
2 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, grated
Salt And pepper, to taste
Picante sauce (optional)
Cilantro, chopped

Directions:

Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Fry tortillas for no longer than 20 seconds, just to soften (do not allow to become crisp.) Place tortillas on a large towel or stack of paper towels to drain.

Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in separate skillet over medium heat. Add onions and jalapenos and saute for 1 minute, just to start the cooking process. Add chicken, half of the green chilies, and 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Stir together. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and stir. Add cream and stir, allowing mixture to bubble and get hot. Turn off heat and set aside.

In a separate large skillet, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together and cook over medium heat for one minute. Pour in 1 1/2 cups chicken broth. Whisk together and cook for another minute or two. Stir in the other half of the chilies. Reduce heat, then stir in sour cream. Add 1 1/2 cups grated cheese and stir to melt. Add 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.

To assemble, spoon chicken mixture on top of tortillas, one by one. Top with plenty of cheese and roll up. Place seam side down in a 9 x 13 casserole dish.

Pour cheese mixture all over the top of the tortillas. Top with extra cheese if you’d like, then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Sprinkle generously with chopped cilantro.

Jessie is the mother of three sweet kids and the author of Bites, a recipe blog that will make your mouth water.  Make sure to follow Bites on Facebook so you don’t miss a single recipe.

Make sure to check out our Recipe Box with links to all the recipes we have posted over the years.

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My husband leaves for work early and he likes to sneak out of the house without making a lot of noise. However, our house is super tiny and if he makes a lot of noise, all the kids wake up.  So, inspired by Melody’s recipe for Overnight No-Cook Steel Cut Oats, we came up with this version that he can take with him and eat at work.  The recipe below is our favorite but you can pretty much add and subtract anything but the first three ingredients depending on what you like or what you have in the kitchen.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup steel cut oats
1/2 cup yogurt (this homemade crockpot version is great)
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 Tbsp powdered peanut butter (like PB2)
1 Tbsp shredded coconut
1/3 – 1/2 banana, sliced

Directions:

This is the easy part! Combine all the ingredients, stir and put in the fridge.  The next morning your oats are ready to eat.  We eat them cold but you could warm them up as well.

I make these on Sunday night for the entire week and they keep well through Friday.

Variations:

We pretty much use whatever we have in the pantry to make these, but like I mentioned, the above recipe is our favorite. Some of the things you can add or sub with are:

• Raw Cocoa Powder (I love having a reason to use this superfood!)
• Honey/Raw Honey
• Fresh or Frozen Fruit
• Brown Sugar or Sucanat
• Soy milk/Almond Milk/Cow Milk (instead of coconut milk)
• Soy Yogurt/Almond Yogurt (instead of regular yogurt)
• Old-Fashioned Oats (instead of steel cut oats)

Where I Buy Ingredients:

I typically buy these ingredients and have them in my pantry all the time. I find the best prices at the stores listed below but they should have the ingredients at most places you shop. You can’t beat the price on coconut milk at Trader Joe’s and the price on steel cut oats at Costco (when they are in stock) is amazing.  Shredded coconut often goes on sale at Amazon and my favorite place to pick up organic raw honey is from Tropical Traditions.

• Vitacost 
• Amazon
• Trader Joe’s
• Fred Meyer
• Costco

Make sure to check out our Recipe Box with links to all the recipes we have posted over the years.

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This month Emilie and I are going to be explaining our monthly dinner swap. We will share more details later but every month each one of the 4 participants gets one of these assignments: Fresh Meal, Soup, Vegetarian Main and Hearty Main. We haven’t had many repeats over the past two and a half years we’ve done the swap, but white chili is one that we’ve done a few times because it is so great! If you are going to freeze it for a dinner swap, do not add the sour cream or whipping cream. Write on the zip lock bag that it can be added as a topping after reheating!

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 T. vegetable oil
2 cans white beans, rinsed well and drained
3/4 14oz. can chicken broth (use whole can for thinner chili)
2 (4oz.) cans chopped green chilies
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream (optional)

Directions:

In a large pot, sauté chicken, onion, and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies, and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat (or just turn the burner off); stir in sour cream and cream. Serve immediately.

(Adapted from Taste of Home)

Jessie is the mother of three sweet kids and the author of Bites, a recipe blog that will make your mouth water.  Make sure to follow Bites on Facebook so you don’t miss a single recipe.

Make sure to check out our Recipe Box with links to all the recipes we have posted over the years.

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Another way I like to save money with recipes is a “two-fer”. Two meals for one! The recipe below is for a fabulous Martha Stewart Slow-Cooker Green Chili. It makes a lot! So save half of the chili and a couple days later make these great Pork and Cabbage-Slaw Burritos

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (I bought a package of Costco pork shoulder country ribs)

Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 medium yellow onion, diced medium
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
5 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 poblano chiles, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes
Fresh cilantro leaves, flour tortillas, and lime wedges, for serving

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over high. Season pork with salt and pepper. In three batches, cook pork until browned on all sides, about 15 minutes total (add up to 1 tablespoon oil as needed). Transfer pork to a 6-quart slow cooker.

Add broth to skillet, stirring and scraping up browned bits with a wooden spoon. Pour broth into slow cooker, then add onion, garlic, cumin, carrots, chiles, and potatoes. Cover and cook on high until meat is fork-tender, 6 hours.

Skim excess fat from top of chili. With a slotted spoon, transfer 2 cups chili (leaving liquid behind) to an airtight container; let cool, uncovered, then refrigerate (see Pork and Cabbage-Slaw Burritos). Serve remaining chili with cilantro, warmed flour tortillas, and lime wedges.

Jessie is the mother of three sweet kids and the author of Bites, a recipe blog that will make your mouth water.  Make sure to follow Bites on Facebook so you don’t miss a single recipe.

Make sure to check out our Recipe Box with links to all the recipes we have posted over the years.

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Another great way to stretch a grocery budget is to include at least one vegetarian meal in your weekly menu plan. I love these Couscous Bowls because they have a lot of flavor (similar to fried rice) and it makes quite a large meal for only the cost of the couscous and a few veggies.

Ingredients:

1 12 oz box of Israeli Couscous (about 1 1/3 cups dry pearl couscous, I buy mine at Trader Joes)
12 oz or 5 cups broccoli florets
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp sesame oil
4 eggs
2 cloves garlic, crushed or 2 cubes frozen crushed garlic
1 1/2 cups shelled edamame
1 cup sliced green onion
2 Tbsp soy sauce or tamari

Directions:

Prepare couscous according to package instructions, but add broccoli florets to the pot during the last 5 minutes (just toss them on top and put the lid back on). Allow the broccoli to steam in the pot along with the couscous until both are done.

In a non-stick skillet or wok, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.. Beat together the eggs and sesame oil in a small bowl, then pour into skillet. The egg will spread out in the pan. Cook only for about 30 seconds, just until it starts to set up, and then use a wooden spatula to push the eggs to one side, breaking it up.

Quickly toss the garlic into the exposed part of the pan. Add couscous and broccoli and stir-fry for an additional minute.
Add edamame and green onions. Sprinkle in the soy sauce and stir to combine.

Jessie is the mother of three sweet kids and the author of Bites, a recipe blog that will make your mouth water.  Make sure to follow Bites on Facebook so you don’t miss a single recipe.

Make sure to check out our Recipe Box with links to all the recipes we have posted over the years.

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 BBQ Nachos

Here’s how to get 4 meals from one butt. Pork butt, that is. We have an awesome local butcher, Double D Meats, where I can get a 7 pound pork butt for just over $15. With that 7 pounds of goodness, I made Pioneer Woman’s Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork. I love this recipe because the leftover possibilities are endless. I served some of the pork in taco format for my family and wrapped up two other 4-serving portions for two friends I was bringing meals to AND froze the remaining pound of shredded pork.

The next week I used the frozen meat to make Steph’s Bite by Bite’s BBQ Nachos.  Basically, you layer chips, shredded pork, BBQ sauce and cheese and melt it all together. Top with avocados, tomatoes, green onions, etc. Delish!

Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork

Ingredients:

1 whole large onion
1 whole pork shoulder (“pork butt”) – 5 To 7 Pounds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 can (11 Ounce) chipotle peppers In adobo sauce
2 cans Dr. Pepper
2 Tablespoons brown sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Peel the onion and cut it into wedges. Lay them in the bottom of a large dutch oven.

Generously salt and pepper the pork roast, then set it on top of the onions in the pan.

Pour the can of chipotle peppers over the pork (include the sauce.) Pour in both cans of Dr Pepper. Add brown sugar to the juice and stir in.

Place lid tightly on pot, then set pot in the oven. Cook for at least six hours, turning roast two or three times during the cooking process. Check meat after six hours; it should be absolutely falling apart (use two forks to test.) If it’s not falling apart, return to the oven for another hour.

Remove meat from pot and place on a cutting board or other work surface. Use two forks to shred meat, discarding large pieces of fat. Strain as much of the fat off the top of the cooking liquid as you can and discard it. Return the shredded meat to the cooking liquid, and keep warm until ready to serve. (You can also refrigerate the meat and liquid separately, then remove hardened fat once it’s cold. Then heat up the liquid on the stove top and return the meat to the liquid to warm up.

Serve on warm flour tortillas. Top with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, grated cheese, avocado slices, salsa or whatever else you’d like.

Jessie is the mother of three sweet kids and the author of Bites, a recipe blog that will make your mouth water.  Make sure to follow Bites on Facebook so you don’t miss a single recipe.

Make sure to check out our Recipe Box with links to all the recipes we have posted over the years.

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Here’s how to make 4 meals from one bird.  Everyone knows about the $5 rotisserie chickens at Costco right? Those babies are SO flavorful and I can barely wait to get home to take a bite! My husband is usually on shredding duty and he always laughs that there is a fork bite out of the top.

I came across this tasty recipe from Picky Palate and thought it would be a great way to stretch a rotisserie. The serving size is 8-10 so I just doubled the recipe below to make 4 (4 person serving) dishes. These are great to freeze or give to new moms, sick neighbors, etc. And it’s a creamy casserole without any condensed soups. Hooray!

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 Tbsp minced garlic
2 cups shredded, cooked chicken (If you’re doubling just buy one rotisserie)
2 cups cooked white rice (that’s two cups of already cooked rice)
16 oz. wild rice, cooked (Trader Joes sells this inexpensively or you could look in a bulk section)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic salt

For the cheese sauce
4 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups shredded cheese
top with 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Heat oil in a medium dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Saute onion, celery and carrots until softened, about 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in chicken, both rices, salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Turn off heat.

To prepare cheese sauce: melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Whisk in flour, salt and pepper then slowly pour in chicken broth whisking continuously. Whisk until thick and nearly boiling, then stir in cheese until melted. Pour cheese sauce into rice mixture then transfer to a 9×13-inch baking dish. Top with additional cheese and bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted through. Serve hot.

Jessie is the mother of three sweet kids and the author of Bites, a recipe blog that will make your mouth water.  Make sure to follow Bites on Facebook so you don’t miss a single recipe.

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Emilie has mentioned these pancakes before but they are good enough to mention again! I know this defeats the healthy breakfast goal but I LOVE to add banana chunks and butterscotch chips to my pancakes. Give it a try sometime!

Ingredients:

3/4 C whole wheat flour
3/4 C all-purpose flour
3 Tbs sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 C low-fat buttermilk *
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbs canola oil
1 large egg
1 large egg white
Cooking Spray or butter for pan

Directions:

Combine flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk together. In a separate bowl combine buttermilk, eggs, oil, and vanilla and whisk well. Add the wet ingredients into the dry and mix just until moistened and combined.

Heat a nonstick griddle or skillet to medium heat. Coat pan with non-stick spray or a little butter and then pour on pancake batter. Use about 1/4 C batter for large pancakes (5-6″) and 2 T for kid-sized ones (2 /2-3″). Wait until bubbles form and edges are set and then flip.

*As a substitute for 1 C buttermilk, place 1 Tbs lemon juice (or vinegar, but I prefer lemon juice) in a 1 C measuring cup and then fill the remainder with milk. This recipe calls for 1 1/2 C buttermilk, so do the same thing with 1/2 Tbs lemon juice and remaining 1/2 C milk.

(Recipe adapted from Our Best Bites)

Jessie is the mother of three sweet kids and the author of Bites, a recipe blog that will make your mouth water.  Make sure to follow Bites on Facebook so you don’t miss a single recipe.

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Here’s a yummy cold cereal alternative. It’s a flexible oatmeal recipe so you can switch out different types of fruit/nuts/etc. Instead of sending your hubbie to work with another dried oatmeal packet, imagine his surprise when he finds a container full of this yumminess in his lunchbox!

For an easy, make-ahead alternative, be sure to check out Melody’s Overnight No-Cook Steel Cut Oats recipe.

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup walnuts or almonds, toasted and chopped
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 cups milk
1 large egg
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 ripe bananas, cut into 1/2″ slices
1 1/2 cups berries
maple syrup, for drizzling

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Butter and 8-inch square baking dish.

Combine the oats, half the nuts, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk the milk, egg, half the butter, and vanilla.

Arrange bananas in a single layer on the bottom of the coated baking dish. Sprinkle with two-thirds of the berries, then cover with the oat mixture. Slowly drizzle milk mixture over the oats. Gently tap dish on a work surface to distribute liquid. Scatter remaining berries and nuts across the top.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is nicely golden and the oat mixture has set. Let cool slightly. drizzle with remaining melted butter and maple syrup.

(Recipe adapted from Heidi Swanson)

Jessie is the mother of three sweet kids and the author of Bites, a recipe blog that will make your mouth water.  Make sure to follow Bites on Facebook so you don’t miss a single recipe.

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This is probably my favorite healthy breakfast! I thought my kids would be hesitant about the green color but they thought it was the coolest. The ingredients below are for one serving size. I usually triple the recipe for my three kids and I.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup frozen pineapple
1/2 cup frozen mango
1/2 banana
Large handful of spinach
Water (depending how thick you like your smoothies)

Directions:

Blend. And done.

Jessie is the mother of three sweet kids and the author of Bites, a recipe blog that will make your mouth water.  Make sure to follow Bites on Facebook so you don’t miss a single recipe.

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This hummus is amazing! I can eat it by the spoonful. If you are a snack grazer, put some of this in a Tupperware with cut up carrots and celery dipped in for an easy grab and go snack.

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas, drained
1 clove garlic, minced
1 heaping Tbsp Tahini Paste (in peanut butter or natural section)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice + more if you want to thin it out
a pinch or two of salt

Directions:

Put everything in the blender and blend it up. It will take a few times of pushing the mixture back down, and turning on again. If it’s too thick, I start by adding just a little bit of water. If it still needs more liquid, add a little bit more olive oil or lemon juice.

Jessie is the mother of three sweet kids and the author of Bites, a recipe blog that will make your mouth water.  Make sure to follow Bites on Facebook so you don’t miss a single recipe.

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If you are having a New Years Eve party- MAKE THIS DIP! Or a Super Bowl party or a birthday party or a night-before-we-start-our-2013-diet party. Make an excuse to make and devour this.

Ingredients:

1 8 oz. block cream cheese
1 can Rotel, drained (Rotel is diced tomatoes with green chilies)
1 lb. spicy breakfast sausage

Directions:

Brown the sausage in a skillet and drain on a paper towel. Add cream cheese, rotel and sausage to small crockpot (I use my Little Dipper). Cook on low for 90 min. Devour.

Jessie is the mother of three sweet kids and the author of Bites, a recipe blog that will make your mouth water.  Make sure to follow Bites on Facebook so you don’t miss a single recipe.

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This is my favorite cookie to bring to a holiday cookie exchanges! Keep an eye out for Melody’s Rite Aid match-ups as there have been quite a few deals on Hershey Kisses recently.

Ingredients:

½ cup butter softened
½ cup peanut butter (usually smooth but crunchy is fine)
¾ cup light or dark brown sugar (packed)
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract or flavoring
¼ tsp salt
1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
Extra white sugar for rolling cookie dough (not a lot – a few TBS or so)
Hershey Kisses candy (45 or so – depending on how large you make the cookie balls)

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, use a mixer and blend the softened butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, regular sugar, egg, vanilla, and salt until nice and creamy.

Add the flour and baking soda and mix until even.

Roll dough into balls. The size is around the size of ping-pong balls. Try to keep all the cookie balls close in size. You may have more or less than 45 especially the first time when you’re learning to make these cookies.

Place a small amount of regular white table sugar in a bowl. Dip each cookie ball in the sugar and shake off excess. You don’t want a lot of sugar on the cookies, but the quick sugar dip adds to the flavor and gives the cookies an interesting texture at the end.

Place cookie balls on baking sheet. Leave space – about two inches all around. They spread a bit.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes at 375 degrees F in a preheated oven until the cookies are done. They should be a pretty golden brown color.

As soon as you take the cookies out of the oven, press a Hershey Kiss in the center of each. Press firmly until the Hershey Kiss is nestled in the middle of the hot cookie. Do this before removing the cookies from the baking pan.

Once you’ve put Hershey Kisses in the middle of all the cookies on the pan, remove cookies and let cool.

Jessie is the mother of three sweet kids and the author of Bites, a recipe blog that will make your mouth water.  Make sure to follow Bites on Facebook so you don’t miss a single recipe.

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This is the coffee cake we make every Christmas morning for Jesus’ birthday cake. It is SO moist!

(Adapted from Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

1 cup butter
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, cream together 1 cup butter and white sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the sour cream and vanilla. Mix in 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt. Spread 1/2 of batter in the prepared pan.

Prepare the filling: In a medium bowl mix 1/3 cup flour, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and cinnamon. Sprinkle cake batter with 1/2 the filling. Spread second half of batter over the filling, and top with remaining filling.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Jessie is the mother of three sweet kids and the author of Bites, a recipe blog that will make your mouth water.  Make sure to follow Bites on Facebook so you don’t miss a single recipe.

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