Zucchini Breakfast Bars with Alfalfa Sprouts

I've been having fun growing sprouts in the dead of winter. I was looking for recipes that I could add them to and decided to try making a zucchini muffin bar. Alfalfa sprouts hide very well in these since you expect some green flecks from the zucchini anyway. The sprouts add a ton of vitamins but don't change the flavor at all. Hooray! My kids have devoured these and don't even care that I hid sprouts in them!

Whole-grain Oatmeal Carmelitas

Here's another family favorite made over to be a little more healthy and big enough to take to a pot luck or youth acitivity. These freeze well so when I make them just for us, I always package some up in snack baggies and keep them in the freezer to use for school lunch treats. I hope you enjoy them too.

Zucchini Applesauce Breakfast Bars

We're still working through the zucchini that we shredded last fall and put in the freezer for later. This is one of the ways we love to use it! These are a muffin like bar that are low in sugar and high in fiber. They freeze very well. I just place a piece of waxed paper between the layers in a freezer safe container.

Pumpkin Black-Bean Turkey Chili

I like to spend my spare moments looking over cookbooks. I know that may sound odd to some of you, but I've found I enjoy it much more than reading a magazine. Sometimes I visit thrift stores just to pick up some new ones.

Freezer to Crockpot Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

I am continually looking for recipes that I can make ahead and allow to cook while I am shuttling kids to and from activities. This one is a keeper!

Carrot Cake Muffins

The holidays come and go too quickly! My husband was able to take a few days off and we enjoyed some slower mornings as a family. One morning he surprised us with these delicious muffins. When I got out to the kitchen and could smell them cooking, he said,"Don't worry, I put in whole wheat flour for half of the flour and applesauce for half of the oil." Then he smiled and added,"I am learning."

Freezer to Crockpot Creamy Chicken and Noodles

It's basketball season at our house which means weeknights are a little more hectic as we try to get our boys to and from all their practices. Weekends are also crazy as we watch 3-4 ball games every Saturday. I am relying on my crockpot a lot to have a meal ready when we make it home, hungry and tired after it all. This freezer to crockpot creamy chicken and noodles is a new favorite.

Zucchini Brownies

As my five kids grow, I am increasingly responsible for providing treats for large groups. This is a great homemade brownie recipe that is a mix between fudgy and cake-like. I have been on the hunt for the best homemade brownies. I've tried 6 recipes in the last couple of months and this is by far our favorite!

Rustic Chicken Pandowdy

This is less of a recipe post and more of a method for doing the crust on a chicken/turkey pot pie. I've done fruit pandowdies often.  They are a fun, old-fashioned way

Lazy Lasagna Bake

Sometimes we are in the mood for lasagna, but don't want to go to all the work. This dish is a great solution to that dilemma. I never have Ricotta cheese at the house and sometimes

Herb Glazed Pork Loin

Pork Loin is one of the least expensive ways you can serve a nice meal. When seasoned just right it can be a big hit. This is one of those great recipes - so simple, yet so satisfying! We had my parents over

10 Freezer to Crockpot Meals

I've rounded up 10 of my most requested recipes that work to go from the freezer to the crockpot. We pull from my stash in the freezer a few times every week because of our busy family schedule. The studies are in and we all know how important having a family dinner is. These meals allow me the chance to get the kids to all the places they need to be after school and still sit down to a meal together. I hope they help you in your meal planning also. 

Artisan Bread

I have been playing with this artisan bread recipe for about a year now. I have no idea why it took me this long in my bread making journey to find this simple process. I am convinced that artisan bread is what our pioneer and pilgrim mothers made on a daily basis. It is so simple that there is no need to feel intimidated! It makes any soup or casserole night amazing!

Freezer to Crockpot Mediterranean Chicken

Isn't it the loveliest of all pictures? This is another meal we enjoyed during our kitchen remodel when I was cooking in a crockpot on the bathroom counter and eating on paper plates in the basement. The activity tablecloth is on the table since the other half of the space was being used to paint a school project. Ahh - the joys of remodeling! During that remodel, I learned to love the freezer to crockpot method. It was the only way we survived the remodel with home-cooked food! It has made my life since the remodel so much easier also. I serve a freezer to crockpot meal at least once a week to free up my dinner prep time to be used shuttling kids to and from events.

Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

My oatmeal breakfast bars have been such a popular recipe that I thought I would share a variation in case, like me, you get ready for a new flavor every now and then. These bars are very similar to the original recipe, but they have the distinct taste of bananas - perfect for breakfast in my opinion! These have less sugar since the bananas add moisture and sweetness. The bananas also work as an egg substitute allowing these to turn out great without any eggs.

Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Bars work great for a make-ahead quick breakfast option or also go well as an after school snack. I hope your family enjoys them as much as mine!

Taco Pulled Pork

This is a quick and easy way to flavor meat for tacos, tostadas, burritos, chimichangas, etc. We often use pork, but you can easily do it with chicken or beef as well. Start by cooking your meat long enough that it will pull apart. You'll find my instructions for cooking pulled pork here. I always have some unflavored pulled pork in the freezer to use as the base for meals. 

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

A bowl of this comforting chicken and wild rice soup will make anyone feel better! The addition of brown rice makes this soup just a little more healthy and the white sauce mix leaves out all the fat. That means it can count as one of your "better for you" meals you've resolved to make this New Year. I created this recipe the other night because I was in the mood for something new. Everyone at my table - all 6 of them - gave me a thumbs up and asked for seconds - that's a winning recipe in my book! Hopefully your family likes it too.

The leftovers freeze well so don't hesitate to make a large batch while you are at it. It will give you an easy day down the road.

Mexican Lasagna

When you are ready for something different than traditional tacos, you should give this Mexican Lasagna a try. My family loves it! I had a sweet friend share this recipe with me when I was serving a mission for our church in Virginia. It is so very simple to throw together and you can make an extra at the same time to freeze for later.

Freezer to Crockpot Beef Stew

The nights are getting colder and I am ready for a few easy, crockpot meals. I learned to love these freezer to crockpot meals last winter when we were living through a kitchen remodel and cooking on the bathroom counter. The truth of it all is, they also make my evenings run smoother even when I have a functioning kitchen. I can throw a few of these together in what feels like no time at all and then dinners are easier for a couple of weeks or more depending on many I have put in the freezer.

Freezer to Crockpot Mongolian Beef

Notice the lovely paper plate - this is another meal we enjoyed during the weeks of our remodel. It's just taken me a bit to get it posted here on the blog. Now that the nights are getting cooler and the kids are busy every afternoon, I am turning to my crockpot much more. Preparing a few meals all at once and then storing them in the freezer for later is a time saver for me.