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Now that school is back in full swing, I know that your time in the mornings is at a premium. The temptation is to skip breakfast and let the kids skip or eat something they can grab on the way out the door – usually not the healthiest option. Statistically, we already know that your [...]
Now that school is back in full swing, I know that your time in the mornings is at a premium. The temptation is to skip breakfast and let the kids skip or eat something they can grab on the way out the door – usually not the healthiest option. Statistically, we already know that your student will do better in school, you will be more productive at work and you will both have better weight control, if you eat a healthy breakfast. So, I wanted to spend a little time this fall, sharing some recipes that can help you and your kids have a good breakfast and still be on time for school and work. The easiest way to do this is with freezer or bulk cooking and you don’t need a big freezer to take advantage of this time and money-saving technique.
A little butter and honey with some fresh berries and they're perfect!
I wanted to start with pancakes, because they are easy to make and can be reheated quickly - from frozen to plate in a matter of seconds. You can pop them in the toaster or in the microwave, whatever your family prefers. Pancakes are also inexpensive, can be dressed up or down, eaten on a plate or rolled like a tortilla with some scrambled eggs or peanut butter inside for something to eat on the run. The recipe I will share is just a good, basic pancake. Add fresh or frozen fruit, chocolate chips or other flavorings that your family might enjoy. The recipe also doubles easily. That’s a time saver and if you have the extra few minutes to flip a few more flapjacks, go for it. You’ll double your product with only a slight addition of time. Pancakes are easy to freeze, too. I lay them out, side by side, on a cookie sheet and “flash freeze” them. That way I can just toss them into a ziptop bag and they won’t stick together in the freezer. I can pull out one or a dozen, as they are needed.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 8 Tablespoons Buttermilk Powder
- 2 cups water
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 2 large eggs
- 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
Instructions
- Whisk dry ingredients together in large mixing bowl.
- Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and add in water, sour cream, eggs and oil.
- Mix until wet and dry ingredients are incorporated, but don't overmix. Batter will be lumpy.
- Let the batter set on your counter for 10 minutes. The sour cream and baking soda will react and begin releasing carbon dioxide, creating tons of bubbles through your batter and helping to make light, fluffy pancakes.
- Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, pour batter onto a lightly greased, hot griddle. I set my electric griddle to 375 degrees when I make pancakes. I can usually get four at a time on my griddle.
- When the bubbles in the top of the pancakes have popped and they are dry around the edges, they are ready to flip.
- Turn the pancakes and allow to cook on the other side until that side is golden brown, also.
- Serve with butter, syrup, jelly or other condiments your family loves.
- If you're prepping them for the freezer, move the pancakes to a rack to cool. Then place in single layers on cookie sheets and flash freeze.
- Once they are frozen, place them in a ziptop bag and store in your freezer. They can be quickly reheated in your microwave or toaster.
- Possible variations: You could substitute yogurt for the sour cream AND you could add fresh or frozen fruit or even chocolate chips in the batter. Also, if you keep buttermilk on hand, substitute 2 cups buttermilk for the water and buttermilk powder.
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You know me. I love a challenge and I REALLY love recipes. This week, I had the chance to create a few of my own. Well, actually the challenge was to create one, but as a chronic overachiever and indecisive recipe selector, I made all three. You’re going to be so happy that I did! [...]
You know me. I love a challenge and I REALLY love recipes. This week, I had the chance to create a few of my own. Well, actually the challenge was to create one, but as a chronic overachiever and indecisive recipe selector, I made all three. You’re going to be so happy that I did!
Clear American Water was something new for our family. You’ll find it in the bottled water section of your local Wal-Mart. I was truly shocked at the vast variety of flavors that were available. You can buy individual-sized bottles, in 4-packs or the larger 33.8 oz bottles. Since my challenge was to create a recipe using Clear American Water, we opted for the larger bottles and selected every flavor available on our local Wal-Mart shelves. Even more amazing? Those large bottles were only 64¢ each. Compare that to a 20 oz soda at the check out stand. Clear American Water is a great bargain!
These yummy flavored waters packed a few more surprises for our family. They’re carbonated. We seriously loved them, just straight from the bottle. The flavors were delicious and served ice cold, they were incredibly refreshing. Plus, Clear American Waters have 0 sugar, 0 sodium, 0 caffeine and 0 calories. Surprises are good!
So, what are we making? Strawberry Slushies, Mandarin Orange Popsicles and Fruit and Cream Parfait Sodas! Are you hungry, yet? 
Strawberry Slushies
Mandarin Orange Popsicle
I’ve made it super simple for you to go through my shopping experience and see the step-by-step photos of the creation of my three summertime treats. You’re going to love how quick and simple they are, which is critical in the midst of summer heat waves. When your family wants something cool and refreshing, now you’ll be able to offer them something fun, affordable and delicious. Watch my ThisMoment slideshow below, to learn how. (P.S. If you’d like to watch it full-screen with large print captions, feel free to view it on my ThisMoment page. It will open in a new window for you.) And there is a printable version of the Fruit and Cream Parfait Sodas recipe, at the bottom of this post. Enjoy!!!
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Ingredients
- 2 cups various fresh fruits, sliced and chopped for parfaits
- 1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream
- Clear American Flavored Waters in varieties to complement your chosen fruit
- whipped cream (spray can works best)
Instructions
- Put a layer of ice cream in the bottom of a pretty glass.
- Add a layer of fresh fruits, continuing to alternate ice cream and fruit layers until you are within 2 inches of the top of your glass.
- Pour your chosen flavor of Clear American Water over the parfait and fill until the foam reaches the top of your glass.
- Spray with whipped cream and garnish with fresh fruit.
- Add long spoons and a straw and collect tons of smiles as you pass out these yummy Parfait Sodas.
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You saw them listed in the “Month o’ Meals” at the bottom of my last post and I couldn’t wait to share them with you any longer. So, even though these are not for the freezer, they will be the first recipe in my list of recipes for our Freezer Cooking series. (Actually, I suppose [...]
Strawberries and Vegetable Peeler
You saw them listed in the “Month o’ Meals” at the bottom of my last post and I couldn’t wait to share them with you any longer. So, even though these are not for the freezer, they will be the first recipe in my list of recipes for our Freezer Cooking series. (Actually, I suppose you could freeze them, but the texture of the strawberries would not be as good after thawing. Maybe if I am ever able to salvage even one, I will test it in the freezer for you.)
"Cored" Strawberries
These are so delicious, you’ll have to fight for them to make it to your table. Your family is going to want to gobble them up as fast as you make them. They make me feel like spring is here and like I’m having a party, even when I’m not. – lol- They look pretty and they taste even better, plus you can whip them up in minutes, if you want to impress unexpected guests.
The original of this recipe came from my favorite recipe site, Recipezaar. As you will
The "Close-up"
see, I have altered it a little, (but only slightly this time. It’s hardly noticeable. – lol ) The original recipe calls for nuts and since we have those in our family who prefer not to associate with nuts (which I will never understand), I decided to try something different. The logical choice for cheesecake was graham cracker crumbs. It was a smash hit! You’re going to love them!
Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries
- 24 large strawberries, hulls removed
- 12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
- 1 graham cracker, crushed for crumbs
-
A delectable tray of deliciousness!
Place cream cheese in a bowl, and microwave for 15-30 seconds, so that it’s soft.
- Whip together the cream cheese, vanilla, and sugar.
- In the center of each strawberry, using a sharp knife, make a hole in each one, as deep as you can without going out the bottom. For this I just used the tip of a vegetable peeler. With its curved sides, it “cored” the strawberries fairly easily.
- Spoon or pipe the filling into each hole. My handy-dandy decorator from Pampered Chef made filling these very simple. You could also put the filling in a plastic sandwich bag and snip off one of the bottom corners to create your own decorator bag for filling them.
- Sprinkle the cheesecake end of each strawberry with graham cracker crumbs.
- Chill, and serve.
The most difficult part of this recipe was trying to decide how to “stand” these up on the tray. I basically wedged them, one against another, to hold them up. But, I have been thinking about it and I think that a thick layer of graham cracker crumbs, sugar or some other granular product in the bottom of the tray, would allow me to settle the tips of the strawberries into the granules and help them to balance. I will try it next time and see how it works.
It also occurred to me, since making these, wouldn’t they be pretty dipped in or if the sides of the berries were drizzled with white or dark chocolate? Next time we make these, and there will definitely be a next time, I may try that. Do you have ideas for some variations? I’d love to hear them! Leave a comment about how you would “change them up”, or if you just want to eat some right this very minute, you can leave that in a comment!, too – lol - Enjoy!
This post is linked to The Grocery Cart Challenge, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday and Beauty and Bedlam’s Lower Your Grocery Budget by Tracking Your Food Expenses.
