Asian Chicken Meatballs

 

Ingredients

2 tsp olive oil or sesame oil

2 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp. or 2 cloves of garlic

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 large eggs

1/4 cup Kikoman Soy Sauce (I prefer low sodium)

2 cans chicken (chopped finely) or two-three cooked chicken breasts

1/2 large onion, or 1/2 cup of finely chopped green onions 

1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs

dash of pepper to taste

  

Directions -

Preheat oven 375

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. 

Add the bread crumbs last to make sure everything else is blended well.

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and place 6-8 chicken, hand rolled meatballs on the sheet.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning after 10 minutes to make all sides golden brown.

 

Optional homemade sauce - (my kids liked the "sweet and sour sauce", too.)

2/3 cup hoisin sauce

1/4 cup red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar

1 tsp honey

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp onion powder

2 tsp garlic

1 tsp ginger

3 tsp Soy Sauce (low sodium if possible)

1 tsp of baking powder to thicken sauce (optional)

Pepper to taste

 

 

 Directions - while chicken meatballs are baking, whisk ingredients and heat ingredients on stove on Medium/Low until blended and warm.  Serve as a dipping sauce or cover finished meatballs and serve!

 

*** party option to keep warm? place meatballs in slow cooker and cover with sauce or serve sauce on side.

 



Boo Cakes - Happy Halloween!

Cute, Quick and Easy!! BOOOO Cakes!

I cheated - (I know, I know - like, I'm BUSY?!?!?)
I used carrot cake mix and made the cupcakes.
I replaced the oil with apple sauce,  however. I try to use healthy in place of not-so-healthy as much as possible. 
Otherwise, follow the directions on the box and you can change your name to Betty or Julia.  And BAM! Easy treat for trick-or-treaters. 
After they cool, put white frosting in a zip lock. Squiggle on top of each and then top with 3 chocolate chips.

Sooo cute! :) Sooo easy (when you cheat, like I had to for lack of time) and they were done in time for a treat before trick or treating!
Happy Halloween!

Heather

Ground beef for dinner - something besides hamburger helper? Please help!

After a while of cooking the same-ol' thing for dinner everyone gets tired of it, including the cook. :) Pinterest is an amazing tool and can help you get ideas for those nights where you just don't know WHAT to make anymore.  Being on a budget, that is pretty tight, it is hard to be creative, cost effective and healthy that the kids will eat, too? Gasp! That's almost too much to ask. 

Here's what we did tonight - Easy Enchiladas and Homemade sauce
Cooking time 35-45 minutes
Prep time - approx 20 minutes
Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Ingredients -

For the sauce -  Original @ Foodnetwork.com click here
3 Tbs. Olive Oil
1 Tbs. Flour
1/4 cup Chili powder
2 cups chicken stock (or Veggie stock, low sodium)
6 oz tomato paste
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp ground cumin (optional - it's in the chili powder)
1/2 teaspoon salt (also optional - we are watching salt intake and I didn't add it)

Making the sauce - combine dry ingredients and blend with the oil and stock, use a whisk to keep sauce smooth.  keep on medium heat until blended, then simmer on low. Add water to thin, if necessary. Stir often.

Ingredients for the Enchiladas -
1 1/2 pounds of lean ground beef (turkey)
1/2 a small onion
1 small zucchini
2-3 large broccoli florets
1/2 cup of tomato sauce
2 cloves of garlic (or 2 tsp. of garlic powder)
2 cups of our Easy Enchilada sauce
8 whole wheat tortillas (large)
8 oz of low fat Mexican cheese blend or shredded cheese
Cooking spray

Directions -
You're already browning ground beef in a pan. Do this until it’s no longer pink.
Drain any extra fat.

Use a food processor/chopper to pulverize the zucchini, onion, broccoli florets and garlic. (so the kids don't know they are eating them!)
Add in chopped veggies and cook for 5 minutes. (see how they hide?!?)

Add in 1/2 cup of tomato sauce and 1 cup of our Easy Enchilada sauce.

Place about 1/2 cup of beef mix onto a tortilla and roll up like a burrito (lay seem
side down in a 9 X 13 baking dish.)
When all tortillas are rolled, spray tops with cooking spray.
Cook enchiladas for 20-25 minutes.
Take out of the oven, and pour on enchilada sauce and top with shredded cheese.

SpOOOOOk-tacular Recycled/ DIY Halloween Decorations

Fun, easy, craft for school age kids to help light the way for trick-or-treaters!
 Pinterest

Supplies:

• Milk Jugs
• Sharpie (black)
• Utility knife
• White Felt (or white paint)
• Glow Sticks or strand of  white lights
• Glue Gun and Glue sticks
• Play Sand

Directions:
Each person draw a ghost face (each of ours has a unique personality! We have the "Chef", "Surprised Howler", the "Girlie" and "Silly". Sounds like 7 dwarfs.





Cut the felt into little "ghost" style tops. This will cover the red/blue lids of the milk jugs. (or you can use white paint).  Hot glue the felt tops on the face side of the jugs.

The adult needs to cut a hole for placing the sand and inserting the lights.   We placed the hole in the back, near the handle.  Then, glued the ghosts together, to help stabilize them and keep them from literally, blowing away!

Then, when the night comes - light up your ghosts to help trick-or-treaters see their way to your door!



DIY Acne Treatment

Super easy and inexpensive!

1. Uncoated or lightly coated asprin
2. crush 2-4 of them
3. add several drops of water to make a paste
4. apply paste to areas that need treated
5. leave on for 5 minutes.
6. rinse
7. pat dry
8. use a light moisturizer with SPF 15