Category Archives: Kid Friendly

Baked Beignets

March 15, 2010 admin Leave a comment

The best part of this recipe was the espresso dip – so incredibly rich and it very much reminds me very much of a similar dip served in one of my favorite restaurants. I would recommend it for any plain baked good (scone, cookie, etc.) The beignets themselves were a little dry and I would definitely add more water (1/4 c more) and some Splenda (1/4 c) to the dough. But even with them being a bit dry – it was sweet dough with sweet powdered sugar on top and an awesome dipping sauce, so I will definitely try again 🙂

12 servings
260 calories per serving

Beignets:
¼ c warm water
1 package quick rising active dry yeast
¼ c sugar
3 c flour
1 ½ t baking powder
½ t baking soda
½ t salt
4 T cold butter, cut up
¾ c low fat buttermilk
1 large egg
¼ c confectioner’s sugar
Pam

Café Dip:
1/3 c sugar
2 T plus 1 t instant espresso powder
1 T plus 1 t cornstarch
2 c whole milk
1 ½ oz. unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped

Place warm water in a small bowl and sprinkle with yeast and 1 t sugar. Stir and then let stand about 5 minutes or until foamy. In a large bowl stir flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and rest of the sugar until well combined. With a pastry knife, cut in butter until the mix resembles fine crumbs. With a fork, mix buttermilk and egg into yeast mixture and blend well. Make a hole in the center of the flour mix and pour in the yeast mix. Stir until a dough forms. Lightly flour a work surface and knead dough several times until smooth. Spray the bowl with Pam and place dough in the bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and let stand in a non-drafty spot for 10 minutes. Spray 2 baking sheets with Pam and punch down dough. Roll the dough with a floured rolling pin to a 9 inch square and cut into 6 strips. Then cut each strip into 6 pieces for a total of 36 pieces. Place on baking sheets about 2 inches from each other. Spray a sheet of plastic wrap with Pam and place over the pans while they sit and rise for 20 minutes.

To prepare dip, combine sugar, espresso powder and cornstarch in a pan. Whisk in milk and cook on medium for 8 minutes or until it comes to a boil and thickens slightly then reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes then remove from heat and add chocolate and whisk until melted. Cover and set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake beignets 12 minutes or until golden brown. While they are still hot toss with confectioner’s sugar. Serve with dip.

Beef, Crock pot, Dinner, Kid Friendly

10 Layer Beef Hash (Crock Pot)

March 14, 2010 admin 2 Comments

This is a very hearty meal – and like so many crock pot meals, a great way to put something together, be able to run errands for a few hours – – and then come home to a hot cooked meal. This is reminiscent of a stew with the nice mushroom gravy flavor 🙂

8 servings
370 calories per serving

1 ½ lb. lean ground beef
6 medium potatoes thinly sliced
1 medium onion thinly sliced
½ t salt
½ t pepper
15 oz. can of corn, undrained
15 oz. can of peas, undrained
¼ c water
1 can fat free cream of mushroom soup.

Brown the meat in a skillet and drain. Layer the ingredients in the crock in this order:
¼ of the potatoes
¼ the onions
¼ the salt and pepper
½ the corn
¼ the potatoes
½ the peas
¼ the potatoes
¼ the onions
¼ the salt and pepper
½ the corn
¼ the potatoes
½ the peas
All the water
All the meat
All the soup

Cover and cook on high 4 hours. Be sure to give each person a serving that contains some of each layer.

Kid Friendly, Sides

Cheesy Bread

March 13, 2010 admin Leave a comment

This is great next to light soups and stews. And all you need is a toaster oven !

1 serving
72 calories per serving

1 slice 45 calories whole wheat bread
10 sprays I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spray
Sprinkle of oregano flakes
1/4 t garlic powder
1 T parmesan cheese

Spray bread with butter spray. Sprinkle with oregano, cheese and garlic powder. Place in toaster oven until lightly browned.

Appetizers, Breakfast, Kid Friendly, Lunch

Breakfast Pizza

March 11, 2010 admin Leave a comment

This breakfast pizza also makes a great appetizer or lunch. You can easily change it up a little by adding different veggies – mushrooms, tri color peppers, even some spinach leaves !

6 servings
239 calories per serving

1 can refrigerated biscuit dough
½ lb. turkey bacon slices
2 T butter
2 T flour
¼ t salt
1/8 t pepper
1 ½ c skim milk
½ c low fat shredded cheddar cheese
¼ c sliced bell peppers
Pam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13×9 baking dish with Pam. Separate biscuits and place on a floured surface side by side. Roll into a 14×10 rectangle and place in sprayed pan patting the edges up side of the dish. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. Cook bacon until crisp – cool it – and then crumble and set aside. Melt butter in a pan and stir in flour, salt and pepper. Gradually stir in milk and cook on medium heat until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheese until it is melted. Spread sauce over crust and sprinkle with bacon and peppers. Bake 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Dessert, Kid Friendly

Apple Raisin Sour Cream Pie

March 10, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Pie. With Apples. And Raisins. It’s sweet and fruity and all the things a pie should be. The sour cream mixed in before cooking adds a nice creamy texture to the apples. Enjoy !

8 servings
245 calories per serving

1 prepared low fat graham cracker crust
4 c sliced, peeled Granny Smith apples (4-5 medium)
2 t lemon juice
¼ c dark raisins
½ c low fat sour cream
1 egg white, beaten
10 packets of Equal
1 T flour
¼ t cinnamon plus extra for the top of the pie
1/8 t nutmeg plus extra for the top of the pie

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix apples with lemon juice and add raisins. Combine sour cream, egg white, Equal, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix with the apples and raising then spoon into crust. Sprinkle with extra cinnamon and nutmeg. Bake about an hour, until apples are tender.

Beef, Dinner, Instructional, Kid Friendly, Videos

Beef Rolls and Salad

March 6, 2010 admin 2 Comments

These beef rolls are like eating mini cheese steaks – so yummy ! Just look at the cheese dripping out the ends of the rolls !

4 servings
227 calories per serving

¾ pound braciola beef (thinly sliced top round) cut into 4 pieces lengthwise
Kosher salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste
2 oz. pepper jack cheese thinly sliced into 4 pieces
2 t oil
7 oz. Very Veggie salad mix
1 ½ t Sherry vinegar
1 T oil
1 onion halved and cut into thin slices
1 ½ yellow or orange bell peppers sliced very thin
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat 1 T oil in a skillet on medium high heat and add onions, peppers and garlic. Saute 7-8 minutes and then add salt, pepper and 1/2 c water. Cover and lower heat and simmer 2 minutes or until dried out. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

Season meat with salt and pepper. Put a piece of cheese and ¼ the onion mix into the center of a piece of meat. Roll up long ways and secure the seam with a toothpick or mini skewer woven in to keep the meat from opening while cooking. Heat a skillet to medium high and add 1 t oil. Place meat rolls in the pan and cook about 8 minutes browning all sides. Lower the heat if it browns to quickly as you want it to stay in the pan long enough for the cheese inside to get melty.

Toss lettuce with vinegar and 1 t oil and season it with salt and pepper. Serve next to the beef rolls. Remove toothpicks from beef before serving.

Here is a video to help show you how to roll these up !

Dessert, Kid Friendly

Banana Cake

March 5, 2010 admin 3 Comments

This was so incredibly delicious ! The cake is moist, the frosting is decadent – and at only 120 calories per serving, it is pretty much guilt free!

24 servings
120 calories per serving

Cake
1 2/3 c flour
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 1/2 c mashed ripe bananas
1 1/3 c skim milk
2 T pineapple juice
2 large eggs
3/4 c Splenda
6 T butter, melted
2 t vanilla extract
Pam

Frosting
16 oz. fat free cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 c light butter, at room temperature
1/3 c Splenda
2 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 13×9 pan with Pam. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside. Mix bananas, milk and juice and set aside. Beat eggs and Splenda at high speed for 4 minutes and then add melted butter, and vanilla extract and beat at medium a minute longer. Alternately add flour mix and banana mix and beat at low speed just until blended being sure not to over mix. Put the batter in the pan and bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan. To prepare the frosting, beat the cheese and butter until creamy then gradually add Splenda and beat on medium. Mix in vanilla and then spread over a cooled cake. Chill 30 minutes and then cut into squares. Try serving with a few slices of fresh banana on the side.

Crock pot, Dinner, Kid Friendly, Pork

Pork Stew

March 1, 2010 admin Leave a comment

This one is so easy to do and produces great results consistently (I have been making it for years). And there is nothing like throwing the meal in the crock pot in the morning and then not having to worry about it all afternoon!

6 servings
380 calories per serving

1 T oil
1 ½ lb. boneless pork cut into bite sized pieces
¼ t salt
1/8 t pepper
8 small red potatoes, unpeeled and quartered
2 c fresh baby carrots cut in half lengthwise
12 oz. jar fat free pork gravy
¼ c ketchup
¼ t pepper
¼ t onion powder
¼ t garlic powder
1 ½ c frozen cut green beans, thawed

Heat oil in a large skillet and on high heat cool pork with salt and 1/8 t pepper. Cook 5 minutes or so, or until browned. Mix pork and the rest of the ingredients other than the green beans in the crock pot. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours. About 20 minutes before serving, stir in green beans and increase heat to high and continue cooking 20 minutes.

Breakfast, Kid Friendly

Sweet Muffins

February 27, 2010 admin Leave a comment

A sweet alternative to cinnamon toast – this one is quick to make and wonderful tasting.

1 serving
146 calories per serving

1 100 calories whole wheat light English muffin
2 t lite buttery spread
10 sprays I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter
3/4 t Splenda
1/2 t cinnamon

Combine Splenda and cinnamon. Spread muffin halves with butter and sprinkle with the sugar mix then spray each half with the butter spray and place in a toaster oven until warm and sugar is melted.

Kid Friendly, Lunch, Sandwiches, Turkey

Turkey Paninis

February 26, 2010 admin 2 Comments

Turning a regular sandwich into a Panini makes it much more special – and all you are doing is grilling it up and pressing it a bit to melt down all the contents really well. A have a Panini pan that goes right on the stovetop – I also have a George Foreman type grill, but I like doing it stovetop better.

4 servings
257 calories per serving

2 T fat free mayo
4 t pesto (get the prepared version from the refrigerator section of your grocer)
8 1 oz. slices sourdough bread
8 oz. deli turkey (low fat Sara Lee or Hormel prepackaged works great here)
2 oz. thinly sliced provolone cheese
8 slices tomato
Pam
I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spray

Combine mayo and pesto and spread 1 T on each of 4 slices of bread. Top each slice with turkey, 1.2 oz. cheese, 2 tomato slices and the rest of the bread. Preheat grill pan and spray with Pam. Spray each sandwich with a few spritzes of the ICBINB Spray and add sandwiches and cook 3 minutes per side.