Recipes
As I mentioned in her monthly letter, Sarah Graves is becoming more and more picky. I think some of it is that she gets bored with eating. I also think that we have been feeding her the same healthy foods for a while and she got burnt out on them. I have been trying more one dish recipes as a way to feed her things that might appeal more to her and allow me to sneak a few good things in, too. I thought I would post a few of the things that seem to be hits with her.
Cheesy Chicken Pasta from Once a Month Mom
Prepare pasta according to package directions. Brown onion in butter (do it over low heat and let them caramelize). Stir in soup, chicken, milk, and 1 1/2 cups cheese; heat until cheese melts. Blend sauce with cooked noodles; pour into buttered baking dish. Mix the remaining 1/2 c. cheese and bread crumbs and place on top. Cover with plastic wrap and foil. Freeze.
Serving Day:
Remove foil or if in Ziploc bag, pour into buttered baking dish and top with bread crumb topping before baking.
If thawed: Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until hot.
If frozen: Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until hot.
Sour Cream Noodle Bake from The Pioneer Woman
Cook egg noodles until al dente. Drain and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Add to noodles and stir. Add green onions and stir.
To assemble, add half of the noodles to a baking dish. Top with half the meat mixture, then sprinkle on half the grated cheddar. Repeat with noodles, meat, then a final layer of cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until all cheese is melted.
We also discovered that she likes the Indian dish, butter chicken. We first introduced it while eating Indian food in a restaurant and later found this jarred sauce that really is pretty tasty. Because she is a little funny about whole pieces of chicken, I put the sauce and chicken in the food processor before serving it to her over rice. I also add a little bit of vegetable puree like eggplant to it to thin out the sauce/chicken mixture once it is ground up.
Other hits that we have tried have been jambalaya and Hamburger Helper. I know, you are thinking about all the preservatives in these mixes and I think they are in there and not so good for us, but it is better than a kid who will only eat a Ritz cracker or a Gerber Graduate teething biscuit for dinner. I healthify these dishes a bit by adding some veggie puree to them. The flavor of Hamburger Helper is greatly improved if you add a little seasoning to it while cooking it. The cheeseburger macaroni works well with some Essence added to it.
Here is the cookie recipe that mom found when she was going through her cookie craze!
Banana Cookies
Cheesy Chicken Pasta from Once a Month Mom
- 1/2 cup onions, chopped · 4 Tablespoons butter or margarine
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 - 10.5oz. cans cream of chicken soup (you can buy cream of chicken soup in the organic section in cartons to avoid the BPAs from soup in the can, the cost goes up significantly)
- 2 cups chicken (or turkey), cooked & cubed (I cooked the chicken in a skillet with some olive oil, coating both sides of the breast heavily with Emeril's Essence before cooking)
- 8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
- 4 cups cooked bite-size pasta, (I used shells)
- 1/4 cup buttered bread crumbs
- (I added some salt and pepper to taste)
Prepare pasta according to package directions. Brown onion in butter (do it over low heat and let them caramelize). Stir in soup, chicken, milk, and 1 1/2 cups cheese; heat until cheese melts. Blend sauce with cooked noodles; pour into buttered baking dish. Mix the remaining 1/2 c. cheese and bread crumbs and place on top. Cover with plastic wrap and foil. Freeze.
Serving Day:
Remove foil or if in Ziploc bag, pour into buttered baking dish and top with bread crumb topping before baking.
If thawed: Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until hot.
If frozen: Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until hot.
Sour Cream Noodle Bake from The Pioneer Woman
Ingredients
- 1-1/4 pound Ground Chuck
- 1 can 15-ounces Tomato Sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 8 ounces, weight Egg Noodles
- 1/2 cup Sour Cream
- 1-1/4 cup Small Curd Cottage Cheese
- 1/2 cup Sliced Green Onions (less To Taste)
- 1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground chuck in a large skillet. Drain fat, then add tomato sauce. 1/2 teaspoon salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir, then simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.Cook egg noodles until al dente. Drain and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Add to noodles and stir. Add green onions and stir.
To assemble, add half of the noodles to a baking dish. Top with half the meat mixture, then sprinkle on half the grated cheddar. Repeat with noodles, meat, then a final layer of cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until all cheese is melted.
We also discovered that she likes the Indian dish, butter chicken. We first introduced it while eating Indian food in a restaurant and later found this jarred sauce that really is pretty tasty. Because she is a little funny about whole pieces of chicken, I put the sauce and chicken in the food processor before serving it to her over rice. I also add a little bit of vegetable puree like eggplant to it to thin out the sauce/chicken mixture once it is ground up.
Other hits that we have tried have been jambalaya and Hamburger Helper. I know, you are thinking about all the preservatives in these mixes and I think they are in there and not so good for us, but it is better than a kid who will only eat a Ritz cracker or a Gerber Graduate teething biscuit for dinner. I healthify these dishes a bit by adding some veggie puree to them. The flavor of Hamburger Helper is greatly improved if you add a little seasoning to it while cooking it. The cheeseburger macaroni works well with some Essence added to it.
Here is the cookie recipe that mom found when she was going through her cookie craze!
Banana Cookies
- 3 ripe bananas
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup dates, pitted and chopped
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Stir in oats, dates, oil, and vanilla. Mix well, and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly brown.
- I store them in the refrigerator since they have banana and seemed like they would mold quickly if left on the counter.
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