{family recipe} french toast

French Toast is something that probably doesn't need a recipe because everyone kind of does their own thing, but in case any of my children want to make "just like Mom did" after I'm gone, well here it is.

French Toast
1 loaf of sliced Italian Bread
1 dozen eggs
1/4 c milk
1 t. cinnamon
2 T. granulated sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat griddle or skillet to medium heat.
2. Mix eggs, milk, cinnamon and sugar. Dip one slice of bread in egg mixture and transfer to pan. Wait 2-4 minutes then flip. Continue with the rest of the pieces of bread.
3. Serve with (pure) maple syrup.

Freezer instructions:
Lay out pieces of french toast in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Place in freezer. When frozen, transfer to a freezer gallon-sized bag or other container.

To reheat from frozen: Place 1 piece of french toast in the microwave for 30 seconds. Then move it to the toaster to finish warming up and it gets a little crispy. Perfect make ahead breakfast, ready to enjoy!

{our best bites} baked ham & egg cups

I have found that breakfast is a lot faster when you've got some of these in the fridge just waiting to be warmed up. They are tasty and I make them almost weekly. Enjoy!

Baked Ham & Egg Cups

Picture from Our Best Bites

Recipe slightly adapted from Our Best Bites

Ingredients:

8 eggs

3/4 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 c grated parmesan cheese

1/4 c cottage cheese

5 oz frozen spinach, defrosted, squeezed of water, and roughly chopped (opt)

1/3 c diced roasted red peppers

1 oz. finely diced ham, canadian bacon or crumbled bacon (1/4-1/3 c.)

1/4 c chopped green onions or 1/2 t. onion powder

1/4 t. kosher salt

1/8 t. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 t hot sauce

12 slices lunchmeat

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*.

2. In a bowl, combine all ingredients (except ham slices) and stir well.

3. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray and place one piece of ham in each well to form a bowl.

4. Evenly divide the egg mixture between the 12 muffin  well (about 1/4 c. each), being careful to keep ingredients evenly distributed. You want them to fill right up to the top.

5. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. The tops should be puffed and just barely set on top. Eggs will sink after cooling.

Freezer instructions:

Store in an airtight container in the fridge, or freezer. If possible, remove from the freezer the night before to thaw in the  fridge. When microwaving set on a folded paper towel to absorb excess moisture.

{meal plan} March 2015

Here's what we cooked up in March. Find these recipes here (or coming soon).

Crockpot Chicken Teriyaki

{obb} pear pomegranate salad

Chicken DaVinci

{obb} sugar cookies

Garlic lemon orzo & broccoli with shrimp 

{paleo} grilled/baked chicken thighs

Zesty green beans

{obb} guiltless fettuccine Alfredo with chicken

French toast, scrambled eggs & bacon

Paleo Crab Cakes

Easy chicken cordon blue

PBBOCCC

grilled ham & cheese

Pap's baked chicken legs 

{obb} ham & egg cups 

{cafe rio salad} = Cafe Rio Chicken with Cilantro Lime Ranch Dressing & romaine

Birthday request- Grilled hot dogs & Doritos

Alice Springs Chicken

Zesty green beans

Fiesta Fanitas

PB double marble swirl cake

Pap's baked chicken legs

We love it when Pap makes his chicken legs. He was nice enough to share the recipe with me and now we can have them at home! I made a double batch the other night and they were ALL GONE in 2 sittings! Mmm, mmm!

Pap's Baked Chicken Legs

Ingredients:
2-3 lbs. chicken drumsticks
Salt
Pepper
Seasoning: McCormick's Montreal Chicken, Rotisserie Chicken or BBQ seasoning
1/2 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce (we love Sticky Fingers).

Directions:
1. Line a 9x13 pan with foil. Preheat oven to 325*.

2. Rinse chicken, pat dry and place in a 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and your choice of seasoning.  Bake for 1.5-2 hours.

3. Drain off juices. Brush with BBQ sauce and bake another 1/2 hour or so. (Or, if it's grilling season- do this part on the grill.)

Note: For a real crowd pleaser, serve with my Crockpot Mac &  Cheese or Skillet Mac & Cheese.

paleo Maryland crab cakes

I have been looking for a good crab cakes recipes for a long time. This one has GREAT flavor AND it's made with almond flour. I found it here (along with the picture) allrecipes.com and it's a keeper!

Paleo Maryland Crab Cakes
Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ready in 1 hr 35 minutes

Servings: 6-10

Ingredients

1 large egg

2 T mayo

1 t Dijon mustard

1/2 t Worcestershire sauce

1/4 t hot pepper sauce, opt.

1/4 t lemon juice

1 1/2 - 2 t Old bay seasoning (seafood seasoning)

Ground pepper to taste

1 lb fresh lump crabmeat, pressed and drained

1/4 c almond flour

1 T finely diced red pepper, opt. 

2 t sliced green onions, or 1/4 t onion powder

1 T chopped fresh parsley or 1 t dried parsley

1/3 c almond flour

Directions

1. Grease a baking sheet or line one with foil. 

2. Whisk together egg, mayo, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, lemon juice, seafood seasoning, and black pepper in a bowl.

3. Place crabmeat in a separate bowl and pour egg mixture in; gently combine with hands. Mix in 1/4 c almond flour, peppers, green onions, and parsley. 

4. Form mixture into 6-10 patties. Place 1/3 c almond flour in a shallow bowl. Dredge each cake in almond flour and set on prepared sheet pan; refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or stick in the freezer for 15+ minutes). 

5. Preheat oven to 400*.

6. Bake crab cakes in oven until golden brown, 15-20 minutes. 

Bathroom renovation

We were able to renovate our bathroom and finished just a while ago. But first, I have to show you the transformation it's gone through.

This is what it looked like when we bought the house 8 years ago.

Jack & Jill bathroom. 4" white tiles everywhere, carpet, and thick, oriental-themed wallpaper.

A few months after we moved in we tore down the wallpaper, painted the walls red, painted the cabinets brown and then later took down the shower door. Ahhh. So much better. (Sadly I don't have a picture to document that but you can get an idea as we started demolishing it for the FULL rehaul.)
No more white tiles everywhere and no more leaky spot under the tub! Woohoo! I can breathe better already!

Looking great! New 18" gray tiles. Love love LOVE THEM!

HOLY COW! How is this possible?! Is this my house?! I feel like I'm in a hotel! My father-in-law is amazing. He did ALL of this, with a little help from us. Doesn't it look great?! We love the huge mirror that takes up that whole space. It really makes the room bigger. New semi-custom cabinets, along with an engineered quartz countertop, (custom) lights, bead board all around. Love love LOVE it all!

No more knee wall. It really opens it up. This IS a big bathroom. 

New curved tub and tub surround with TONS of storage!! Awesome!

And last but not least, new shelving unit in the linen closet. SO MUCH STORAGE! Woohoo! (Note: I was SO excited to re-organize this because I LOVE to do that! Looks great and everything in it's place.)

Thank you SO very much to my very talented father-in-law. He is fantastic and we love it all. Thank you so much! And a big thank you to our tile guy Tim and my sweet hubby for helping get it all done. It's wonderful!!!

{meal plan} February 2015

Here's what we cooked up in February. Find these recipes here (or coming soon).

{primal} pigskin pineapple & Canadian bacon

{primal} Crab & bacon stuffed mushrooms 

Paps baked chicken legs

Lemon Rosemary chicken with sweet potatoes 

Zesty green beans

Crockpot chicken teriyaki 

Cauli rice

Wet enchiladas

PBbOCCC

Easy chicken cordon blue 

Salmon, red onion & fennel

{obb} everyday cinnamon rolls

Cafe Rio Pork

Penne Rustica

Oreo Truffles

{obb} Ham & egg cups 

Alice Springs Chicken

Spinach bacon mushroom and feta Crustless quiche 

{primal} Pumpkin pancakes 

Taco Soup

{primal} chocolate mousse