Mini Hines Handsmade Jax

Jax loves CRAFTS, it's his favorite activity.  Sunday, after being out with Miya all day, we came home with the hope of letting Daddy watch his game.  I needed to make dinner and Miya volunteered to feed H, which she find HILARIOUS, because he eats more than she does, so it's like a game.  See how much the man baby can eat.  Now I need to cook dinner and Jax needed an activity. And he REALLY wanted to cook with me.

Jax Food Craft #1

• 4 bowls, each filled with his favorite snack foods, mini marshmallows, trailmix, chocolate chips, gold fish, cereal, etc.
• 1 mixing bowl
• 5 plastic baggies

I showed Jax how to scoop his increments into his mixing bowl, then stir it and poor it in his baggie, he was so stoked and made 5 bags of his own snack mix, this took about 20 minutes which was perfect timing to get dinner started!



Chicken Apple Sausage Soup with Parmesan Garlic Croutons

So here I am , 24 hours after a horrible stomach flu, living off of Bolio's and ginger ale for the last 24 hours, and I AM HUNGRY! So is my family, but I am a little worried about a big meal...using my end of the week veggies (everything left after a week starts to look a little bleak) and a pack of Chicken Apple Sausage and left over rolls a tasty, hearty, healthy soups come about!

 

 

Soup Ingredients

1 pack Chicken Apple Sausage, or really any sausage will work.

2 large sweet potatoes, NOT YAMS, 1 inch pieces

1 cup baby carrots, cut in half

1 cup celery, chopped

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped orange bell pepper, or any color

20 oz vegetable stock

1 cup water

1 tbsp butter

salt and pepper

 

In a large pot or dutch oven, melt butter and brown potatoes, carrots, celery, onion and bell pepper.  Saute until veggies are brown and soft, but not mushy.  Salt and pepper and add veggie stock and water, cut up sausage and place in pot, bring whole pot to a boil then simmer on low for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

 

Croutons

3 cups cut up bread

3 tbsp butter

1 tbsp Parmesan cheese

1 tsp garlic powder

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, in a large baking dish, put cut up old bread or rolls in dish.  Melt butter, add Parmesan and garlic powder, mix and spoon over bread. Toss with fingers and top with salt and pepper is you like (I LIKE)>

 

Bake in the oven for 20 min. 

 

Spoon hot soup into bowl and top with croutons, SO GOOD!


 



Crock Pot Tri Tip with Mushrooms and Dutch Potatoes

I totally scored on the Ranchers Reserve meat sale at Safeway last week, but seem to forget to defrost the meat, so I wanted to make a tri tip today and at 1pm it was frozen solid...so to make a short story even shorter, I went the route of the crock pot.  the meat was SUPER tender and the flavor was delicous.

 

 

Crock Pot Tri Tip with Mushrooms and Dutch Potatoes

• Tri tip
• 4 cups of beef stock
• 4 cups of water
• 2 cups sliced mushrooms
• 10-15 small potatoes
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 21 Seasoning mix from Trader Joes
• 1tbspn flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup grated parmesean cheese

 

 

Place your tri tip, fat side down, in your crockpot, salt and pepper meat, sprinkle seasoning, add potatoes, mushrooms, beef stock and butter.  Add water until meat is completely covered and vegetables are almost covered. Cook on high for about 4.5 hours.  The rest is optional, but I like it this way.

Remove tri tip and and trim off all fat, reseason.  Remove veggies and 1/2 liquid.  Take 1 cup of remaining liquid and mix in flour and milk, add to liquid in crockpot. Put meat and veggies back in for lower heat to low and continue cooking for 1 more hour.  To serves, slice meat, pour mushroom gravy on top, place potaoes around and sprinkle potaotes with parmesean cheese, salt and pepper.

 



Cinnamon Banana Splenda Muffins

About a year ago, my dad asked me to make him some baked goods with egg whites, Splenda and Soy Flour.  After half dozen not so great attempts, I concluded that whole wheat flour would just have to do and still be better than full fat, full carb versions. 

 

Fast forward to today, and our return from a family adventure to Bass Lake, CA.  Bananas...lots of brown bananas.  Too many to just "toss."

I planned on banana bread, but was out of white sugar, so switcharoo, and we get whole wheat, splenda and egg white muffins! They are tasty and 18 month old H approved!



Cinnamon Banana Splenda Muffins

• 1/2 cup butter (you could use apple sauce but it will stick to paper liners)
• 1 cup Splenda
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 cup Liquid Egg Whites
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 3 nasty bananas

Preheat oven to 350, put liners in muffin pan.  Mix butter, splenda, vanilla and egg whites in a bowl.  Sift in flour, baking soda and Cinnamon.  Add 3 smashed nasty bananas and mix well.  If your batter is dry add a little milk. 

Scoop into muffin liners, makes about 16.  Bake at 350 for 18 minutes.

BBQ Shredded Beef Tacos with Coleslaw

This is a take on my pulled pork, and it is JUST as good!

 I use low carb tortillas but you can use any thing you like!

 

 

 
BBQ Shredded Beef

• 1 lb cubed stew beef
• 20 oz beef stock
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• Garlic Powder
• Cayenne
• Salt
• Pepper
• Water
• 16 oz BBQ Sauce ( I use Sweet Baby Rays)

 
In a large pot with a lid, bring all your ingredients to a boil for 30 min, except for the BBQ sauce. Cover and simmer on low for 3 hours, or do all of this in a crock pot! While the beef is simmering, stir often and if needed add extra water to make sure the meat is not touching to bottom of the pot.  When the meat falls apart, add the BBQ sauce and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes or until the sauce is thick and dark. Remove from heat and let cool.
 
 
Cole Slaw

•  
• 1 bag shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix
• 1/2 cup mayo or 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup sour cream, 1 cup total sour cream or mayo
• 1/4 tsp celery seed
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

 
Combine everything in a bowl mix well and store covered in the fridge for 2 hours
 

 

You can pile all this goodness in a tortilla, a bun or just on a plate!

Enjoy!

Bottom of the Bag Cereal Bars

If you are like me, you have gone to the cupboard, reached for a box of cereal only to find that there is not enough for a serving, but too much to waste.  So what do you do? You put it back, then when you open the cupboard again 2 months later, the cereal is still there, as well as 5 more almost empty bags.  What to do...What to do?  In my son's best Higgleytown Hero Voice, " I know, I know!"

 

 

 

Bottom of the Bag Cereal Bars

Ingredients:

• All your old cereal
• Marshmallows
• Butter
• Chopped Nuts
• Chocolate Chips or Candy Pieces
• Frosting

Not a lot of measurement going on here, but the general idea is 1 cup of marshmallows for 3 cups of cereal and 1 tbsp of butter.

So I had about 10 cups of cereal, so 3.5 cups of marshmallows, 4 tblsps of butter, etc.  You can really add more or less depending on what you like. 

Melt your butter, add marshmallows to the melted butter, turn off heat and stir in cereal, nuts and chocolate pieces, alternating for full coverage flavor. Transfer mixture into a large, greased pan and use parchment paper to press it down.  Then heat your frosting in the microwave until is is the consistency of syrup, drizzle over cereal mixture and top with more nuts and chocolate.

Cool completely and cut into bars or squares.

Enjoy!