Turkey Burgers

Turkey Burgers

1 egg

1 lb ground turkey

½ cup ground oatmeal

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ cup spinach, chopped

1/3 cup cheddar cheese

¼ tsp salt

Pinch of pepper

Directions:

1.   Whisk egg: Whisk an egg in a large bowl.

2.   Mix the rest: Add the other items and mix well.

3.   Form into patties: Roll the mix into balls and form into patties.

4.   Cook: Cook them to your desired level of doneness. You can even add slices of cheese on top if you want.

5.   Enjoy!

Notes: You could just use beef patties if you want, it does hide the spinach better. We just use turkey because it is healthier and better for the hubby's cholesterol levels.

Apple Muffins

Apple Muffins

1/3 cup white flour                         1 egg

1/3 cup wheat flour                        ¼ cup applesauce

1/3 cup ground oats                       2 Tbsp milk

3 Tbsp ground flax seed                 1 ½ cups shredded apples (about 2 apples)

½ cup brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp salt

Directions:

1.   Prep work: Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray muffin tins with baker’s joy (the recipe makes about 12 muffins or 24 mini muffins).

2.   Mix dry ingredients: Mix all the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients.

3.   Mix wet ingredients: In a separate bowl whisk the egg slightly. Add the milk and applesauce and mix together. Add the apple and mix together.

4.   Add the wet ingredients to the dry: Pour the wet ingredients in the well of the dry ingredients and mix until moist.

5.   Fill tins and bake: Fill the muffin tins about 2/3 full. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

6.    Enjoy: Remove from tins and enjoy!

Notes: You could probably omit the cinnamon if it bothers your bladder. I have just been doing great lately and have reintroduced it. You also don't have to grind up the oats. I just do that because my little boy is picky. I just blend them up in the blender. You can also omit the flax seed if you don't have it on hand. We just do it so that we have more omegas since we don't eat seafood.

Breakfast Casserole

Breakfast Casserole

3 potatoes, peeled and shredded                                 ½ cup milk

6 slices uncured bacon                                                ½ cup mozzarella

1 small red pepper                                                       ½ cup mild cheddar

6 eggs                                                                           1 tsp salt

Directions:

1.   Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.   Prepare potatoes: Line a greased 9 x 13 baking dish with potatoes. Bake for 10 minutes.

3.   Prepare other ingredients: Meanwhile, in a large skillet, sauté bacon, and peppers. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and milk.

4.   Make layers of ingredients: Pull the potatoes out of the oven. Sprinkle the potatoes with cheese, cooked meat and pepper. Pour egg and milk mixture over the top.

Bake: Bake for about 35-40 minutes. Enjoy!

Notes: I'd love any tips on how to make this even yummier. I like it, but feel like something is still missing. Let me know if you have any ideas :)

Ranch Dressing

Ranch Dressing

2/3 cup cottage cheese

¼ cup milk

1 ½ tsp parsley

¼ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp dill

¼ tsp kosher salt

Directions:

1.     Mix: Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor and mix until smooth.

2.     Store: We like to store this in an old honey bottle and date it, so we know when it expires. It will keep until the milk and/or cottage cheese expires. 

Notes:

You could easily double this recipe. We just don’t use it fast enough to need to.

Healthy and Delicious Pancakes

Healthy and Delicious Pancakes

Dry ingredients:                                                          Wet ingredients:

1 cup white whole wheat flour                                    1 large egg

½ cup oatmeal (blended until fine)                              1 ½ cups milk

3 Tbsp flax seeds                                                                                   2 Tbsp applesauce

2 tsp baking powder                                                    1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

1 Tbsp sugar

Directions:

1.     Mix dry ingredients: Whisk flour, oatmeal, flax seeds, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar together in a medium sized mixing bowl.

2.     Mix wet ingredients: In a small bowl, beat the egg. Then add milk, applesauce and vanilla extract and whisk together.

3.     Combine the wet and dry: Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the wet to the center of the dry ingredients and then mix them together until just combined (don’t over mix).

4.     Let the batter sit: I like to transfer the batter to a 2 cup liquid measuring cup, then let the batter sit in the cup for about ten minutes before cooking (this helps the baking powder to do it’s job to create fluffy pancakes). This is a good time to start warming your skillet (if using one).

5.     Cook and enjoy: Now you just cook them and enjoy!

Notes:

This recipe makes about 12 pancakes. We mix up the dry ingredients and store them in quart sized ziplock baggies. This way, when it comes time to make the pancakes, you just pull out the mix and add the wet ingredients to it. Be careful not to over mix when combining the wet and dry, because it will make your pancakes too tough. You could omit the oatmeal and flax seeds if you want to and just use 1 ½ cups of whole wheat flour. We just add oatmeal for variety and flax seeds because we don’t eat fish.

You can also make a simple syrup by mixing 1 cup white sugar, 1 cup brown sugar and 1 cup water in a medium pot. Bring it to a low boil and then add 1 Tbsp vanilla extract and 1 Tbsp maple extract. Stir and enjoy! Any left over syrup can be stored in the refrigerator and then reheated. 

French Toast

French Toast

¼ cup all-purpose flour                                                           4 eggs

¼  tsp cinnamon                                                                      1 cup milk

¼ tsp nutmeg                                                                           2 tsp vanilla extract

2 Tbsp brown sugar                                                                 8 slices of homemade bread

Directions:

1.     Mix flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar in a small mixing bowl.

2.     In a large mixing bowl, mix eggs, milk and vanilla together.

3.     Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

4.     Dip the bread (we slice homemade bread into four triangles) into the egg mixture, soaking it for a few seconds.

5.     Butter a skillet and cook the bread.

6.     Serve with homemade syrup recipe or honey.

Tips:

Stir the mixture, after every bread dipping, to help the cinnamon and nutmeg to distribute evenly in the mixture. If you have too much egg mixture just pour a little extra over the last few slices. This isn't a perfectly IC safe recipe due to the nutmeg and cinnamon, so if those spices bug your bladder, just leave them out!

Thanksgiving Stuffing

Thanksgiving Stuffing

1 cup butter                                                                1 Tbsp fresh marjoram (or 1 tsp dried)

10 garlic cloves, diced                                                 2 Tbsp fresh rosemary (or 2 tsp dried)

2 cups chopped celery                                                 1 tsp salt

2 cups finely chopped mushroom                                ¼ tsp pepper

½ cup chopped fresh parsley                                       15 cups dried bread cubes

2 Tbsp fresh sage (or 2 tsp dried)                                3 cups turkey broth (as needed)

1 Tbsp fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)                              2 eggs, beaten

1 Tbsp fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried)

Directions:

1.     Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Then add garlic, celery, mushroom and fresh herbs into butter, stirring frequently.

2.     Spoon cooked vegetables over bread cubes in a very large mixing bowl. Season with dry herbs, salt and pepper.

3.     Pour in enough broth to moisten (the bread should absorb all the moisture), and mix in eggs.

4.     Transfer to a slow cooker, and cover (place a kitchen towel in between lid and top of crock pot to absorb moisture). Cook on low for about 4 hours (stirring about every hour, adding extra broth as needed).

Tips: If it is too soggy, remove the lid for the last half hour or so, if it is too dry, add more broth. You can prepare this early too. Just mix all the ingredients, except the eggs into a big bowl. Cover and chill until completely cold, then add the eggs and mix. Cover and refrigerate until morning, then cook on low all day. You could easily halve this recipe and it would still work out just fine. I just usually make it for big family gatherings so I make a ton :)