Easy Cheesy Chicken Biscuitwiches! (Wholesome & From Scratch-ish)

Let me just say... I invented this recipe! It's super easy. And I love it!

We've been going through some difficult money stuff lately and there have been quite a few times where we can't afford to buy groceries and we know it's going to be days before we can and I've needed to get creative with what we have around the house in order to make sure Otto gets healthy, hearty foods in a wide variety of recipes. These little biscuitwiches were the product of one of those occassions and really turned out great. It's a loosey goosey interpretation of a Joy of Cooking biscuit recipe that I just ran with and the end product is delicious, wholesome, and Otto approved. It would also become vegan instantly by subbing out the chicken with a vegan substitute & using nutritional yeast + herbs instead of the cheese.

All you need is:
- 1 cup flour (I used whole wheat flour)
- 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup oil (olive, vegetable, or I used grapeseed)
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar, monterey jack, or mexican blend cheese
- 5-8 chicken nuggets - prepared (i.e., heat em up)

All you do is:
- Mix the ingredients together in a large bowl (except the chicken nuggets). The batter will be thick and pastey/lumpyish.
- Drop by the tablespoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Drop the same number of biscuits as the number of chicken nuggets you prepared.
- Now, add a chicken nugget to each (see pic)
- Last step is to add another tablespoon (or so) of batter to top off each. Use a spoon to spread it out so the nugget is mostly covered.
- Any excess batter can be used to make tablespoon-sized biscuits (same cooking time)
- Bake at 475`F for about 8 minutes (until the bottoms begin to look brown)

We dip ours in a homemade honey mustard. We've also added peas to the batter (although if your little one doesn't dig peas the way Otto does this may be a bad idea!). We've also added basil and rosemary to the mix! So go crazy... throw whatever sounds good in there.

I hope you enjoy this easy, cheap-o, healthy, and fun recipe as much as we do!

-Lindsey

CSN Stores!

I've been seeing mucho mucho CSN Stores giveaways buzzing all around the blogosphere for months now and have even entered a few (fingers crossed!). CSN sells almost anything at their 200+ linked stores with one "shopping cart" and at lowwww prices. From a much needed stylish coffee table for my living room (lovin on the cocktail ottomans and not just because we call Otto "OttoMan" sometimes) to the world's darlingest John Deere toddler cowboy boots for my OttoMan!

CSN Stores is giving me the opportunity to do a review, which I'll post here soon (and which will probbbbably be for the above mentioned cowboy boots). I'm no cowboy but Ot can rock those bad boys Billy Corgan style, gents!

What Tastes Like Banana Bread, Looks Like a Pancake, and Is Loaded With Oatmeal Heartiness?

I was reading in one of my parenting books recently about how good oatmeal is for kids. I tried feeding Elliot some good old fashioned oatmeal, but he wasn’t having it. Even when I spiced things up with raisins, brown sugar, or apples, Elliot just didn’t care for oatmeal.

I came across this recipe for oatmeal pancakes and decided to give it a shot. I added the cinnamon for that extra zing and Elliot went crazy for these pancakes. They are super fluffy and really good with butter and a little bit of syrup.

If you add banana slices just after the first time you flip them, they come out tasting like banana bread.

These pancakes taste amazing and are a great way to get your kids eating oatmeal! Enjoy!

OATMEAL PANCAKES RECIPE:

1 1/3 c. wheat flour

2/3 c. quick-cooking oats

2 tbs. sugar

2 ½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

1 egg

1 1/3 c. milk

3 tablespoons melted butter or margarine

1/8 tsp. cinnamon


1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

2. In a medium bowl, beat the egg. Beat in the milk and butter.

3. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined; let stand 5 minutes.

4. Heat a skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Brush the skillet lightly with butter, margarine, or oil. For each pancake, drop 3 tablespoons of batter onto the skillet. Cook until one or two bubbles start to burst on the top; turn and cook until golden on the bottom.

-Megan

Stock That Durn Play Kitchen For Free! Upcycle!

Check out Otto's super-stocked play kitchen... 

We've been collecting pics from magazines and grocery/department store ads to cut out and tape into the kitchen. On the lower left we've got a nice amount of colorful pots on the shelf. On the upper shelf, some pantry staples:

Then, so Otto has something to play "with" we super-glued shut empty boxes from our own pantry.

Popcorn, soba noodles, whatever...

Look at that scandalous sink full of dirty dishes. I guess I'm leading by example, haha, because our real kitchen sink seems to look like that all the time (minus the corn).

And an added bonus to the whole "wow, it's free" thing is that it's all recyclable. If a box gets smashed or Otto wants to rip some of the paper pots down (so far he hasn't, knock on wood) well who cares. It can all go in the recycle bin and be replaced when the next annoying batch of junk mail arrives.

-Lindsey

Creamy UnChicken Enchiladas from Mommy D's Kitchen!

Mucho Mucho Bueno Bueno!

I wanted to share with you an awesome recipe I discovered at the amazing Mommy D's Kitchen blog (that link will take you to the original recipe - yum!). I made Mommy D's creamy chicken enchiladas but subbed out Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Chik'n Strips.

Other than the chicken substitution, we followed the recipe to a T and ended up with a super delicious dinner than will definitely become a regular on the menu at my house (even my 18month old, Otto, loved these enchiladas and he is famous for his "no tortilla" attitude).

That's right, Otto hates tortillas, how dare he!? Haha, but these enchiladas made the grade!

I loved that this recipe was quick to make but allowed for the use of super healthy and hearty ingredients. So even though it's quick and simple, the end product was very healthy!

♥♥♥♥♥♥

-Lindsey

Giveaway! Baby NasaKleen & Mama Nasaline - Breathe, Eat & Sleep Better! (Closed)

SQuiP manufactures a line of gentle, homeopathic and medically tested products that promote good health including nasal rinsing systems for adults, children, and infants. All parts of Baby NasaKleen are DEHP/phthalate, BPA and latex-free.

SQuiP provided us with a Nasaline nasal rinsing system and Baby NasaKleen nasal aspirator to review as well as one of each to give away! One of my close, wonderful mommy friends (Jennifer) agreed to do the reviews:

Jennifer's Review #1 - Nasaline Rinsing System (the adult one):

I had never used a nasal irrigator before. However, I took a quick glance at the large, colorful, and easy to understand instruction sheet, filled the Nasaline up, hummed ahhhh (which closes the back of your throat), and plunged away. Easy peasy, and it doesn't hurt a bit. The purpose of a nasal irrigator is to treat symptoms associated with allergies, sinus infections, colds, or the flu. It is a wonderful option especially if you don't like the side effects of decongestants or allergy medications, or if you are a pregnant or nursing mom and need to avoid those medications. The Nasaline also comes with 10 pre-measured packets of pure powdered salt to mix the optimal saline solution. This is important because a saline solution that is either too strong or too diluted can aggravate nasal congestion by causing the nasal membranes to swell. It probably takes a wee bit of practice to use the Nasaline perfectly. I experienced a little salty drip at the back of my throat, and some dripping from my nose afterwards. This is probably because I didn't take the time to make sure I blew my nose and tilted my head to get all the solution out. Overall though, I highly recommend the Nasaline.

Jennifer's Review #2 - Nasaline Baby NasaKleen

When we took Milo home from the hospital, we were prepared with one of the standard items every new parent purchases (or is given) -- the bulb syringe aspirator. What a terrible invention. It doesn't work worth a hill of beans and only leads to frustration and tears for all. Of course, there is no need for nasal aspiration except for when your baby is congested and feeling yucky -- which serves to exacerbate the frustration/tears scenario. Fortunately, when he was only a few months old, I found out about "snotsucker" devices. Baby Nasaline is a "snotsnucker" type of device. Snotsuckers consist of a nozzle, a plastic chamber with a hygiene filter, a tube and mouthpiece. You gently put the nozzle against your baby's nostril and, you guessed it, suck out the boogers. It is helpful if you don't really think about what you are doing and just trust the instrument. Which is fine, because then you can look at your baby and make sure he is doing okay while you entirely control the suction process, instead of pinning him down while trying to work that dumb bulb syringe. (Note: you may still need to pin them down, but eventually most babies realize that they feel much better after the snot has been sucked out -- unlike the useless hateful bulb syringe.)

I like the Baby NasaKleen because it has a soft silicone nozzle which would feel comfortable to a baby's nose (some snotsuckers have a hard plastic nozzle). The Baby NasaKleen also comes with a generous supply of replacement filters, well written and illustrated instructions, and a storage case. (Although, in my experience, because there is only one baby using the aspirator, a filter can be reused after being washed in very hot water and left to air dry.) Honestly, it will be quite a few years before your child will learn to blow his or her nose effectively, and until then, he or she deserves a snotsucker instead of a bulb syringe (did I mention that I think bulb syringes are a piece of crap?).

Can't Wait to Aspirate? You can buy SQuiP products online here.

Wanna Try to Win The Set? Read On...

Entry is easy! There is no mandatory entry but there are multiple opportunities to enter! Please remember to leave a comment for each entry to increase your chances.

* Comment your thoughts about nasal irrigation. Have you done it before? Does the idea make you nervous? Whatever it is, I'd love to know. And if you have questions, put them in your comment and I'll reply as best I can.

* Follow @squipUS on Twitter and comment, make sure to include your Twitter name.
 
* Tweet the following and then provide a link to your tweet. You can do this up to 3 times a day!
 
 Down with sinus congestion! I want to WIN Nasaline & Baby NasaKleen systems from @squipUS and @OttosMomBlogs http://ow.ly/2b80H #GiVeAwaY !  
 
* Visit the SQuiP website and tell me what other products you'd like to try or anything else interesting you find there.

Make sure we can reach you by including your email or Twitter name.

Giveaway ends 11:59pm Pacific Time on August 15. We will use Random.org to choose a winner.

Many thanks to SQuiP for contacting us to do this review/giveaway! We were not otherwise compensated. The opinions expressed here are 100% my own and the lovely Jennifer's.

-Lindsey and Jennifer

Congrats to the winner of this giveaway Kim@ChubbyCheeksThinks with comment #48. I'll be contacting you via email and Twitter!

Tilapia to Make You Happy-a!

Super super healthy and easy as anything, even for weenie freaks like me who are completely intimidated by the idea of cooking fish. (I grew up in a house where we never ate fish unless we were scooping it out of a can and into our mac and cheese.) Anyways, this recipe is soooo easy and makes a delicious, citrus-y summer dinner for the whole fam in under 30 minutes. Guaranteed to make you happy-a!

I found this recipe in the June 2010 "Parents" magazine and then tweaked it to meet my needs, which included cooking the fish quite a bit longer than necessary to appease my undercooked-fish-will-give-me-cooties fear. I also added more veggies, used lemons instead of oranges, skipped the salt, and switched out Mrs.Dash for my favorite organic seasoning blend.

Let's get going. Preheat your oven to 400'.

Gather:

- 4 boneless tilapia filets (2-3 oz. each)

- 24 asparagus spears

- 1 TBSP seasons blend (my favorite organic blend from CostCo is pictured or Mrs.Dash garlic herb)

- 2 liz lemons

- Parchment paper

- EVOO

- Frozen organic brown rice - prepared (aim for 2 cups)

- 1/2 cup frozen organic vegetable blend - steamed

Put it together:

1. Cut the parchment paper into 4 squares, each about 12". Fold each square in half to create a pouch.

2. On each parchment page lay on one side of the fold a tilapia filet. Garnish that guy with 6 asparagus spears, drizzle lightly with EVOO, squeeze almost 1/2 of a lemon onto it, and then sprinkle with the seasoning.

(Note: between the 2 lemons you just want to set aside about 1/2 lemon worth of juice for the brown rice with veggies.)

3. Fold paper over the fish/veggies and roll up the edges of the parchment paper all around so you're creating a "sealed" pouch. Arrange your 4 pouches on a large baking sheet.

4. Bake for 17 minutes, rotating the cookie sheet 1/2 way through. At this point they should be done and you can check by testing the fish to see if it is flakey. Me, though, I keep those bad boys in there for another 5 minutes just to be sure they're d-o-n-e. (Note: "Parents" suggested a 12 minute cooking time, but I found that by almost doubling that there were no negative effects. The fish still comes out moist and lovely.)

5. While the fish is baking, prepare your organic brown rice and veggies separately. Then mix them together and squeeze about 1/2 of a lemon over the top.

6. Plate, dish, eat. Yum! Or, if you're like me, take 1 pretty picture and then throw it all in a bowl and cut it up into a homogenous gruel for your toddler.

Check out Otto scarfing down Yo Yo Baby yogurt after polishing off his tilapia, brown rice and veggies!

See (she says to herself) cooking fish doesn't have to be scary at all. And because this is cooked in parchment paper, cleanup is minimal.

-Lindsey