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Applesauce Pancakes, Applesauce Chicken and Southwestern Sweet Potatoes

I made pancakes last Friday. Figured I’d post the recipe. It’s from Justin’s mom.

Applesauce Pancakes (I made them into blueberry applesauce pancakes)

1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk (I just make sour milk…milk + vinegar)
1/2 cup applesauce
2 Tbsp. oil (I just use a little extra applesauce and leave this out)
1 cup flour (I used 1/2 white and 1/2 whole wheat)
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Beat egg. Add remaining ingredients and beat. Cook on hot griddle. Makes 6-7 pancakes.

*I folded in blueberries after mixing the batter.

Here is what we had for lunch today. Of course I forgot a picture as usual. I’m so bad about that lately. Rebecca is a big distraction :p They are both from A Year of Crockpotting. I made them in the same crockpot. I put the sweet potatoes in a tinfoil packet next to the chicken. It worked perfectly! It’s nice to know I can make 2 dishes at once in my crockpot now and don’t always have to do an all-in-one. I can do a separate meat and side dish.

Crockpot Applesauce Chicken

4 chicken breasts or thighs
1 1/2 cups applesauce
1 onion, chopped finely
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (I left these out)

Put chicken in crockpot. Add onion. In small bowl mix applesauce, vinegar and spices. Pour on chicken. Cook on low 5-7 hours or high 3-4 hours.

Southwestern Crockpot Sweet Potato and Corn Medley

3 medium sweet potatoes (first ones from the garden today!!)
1 can corn, drained (I just put in some frozen corn)
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 limes, juiced (I used bottled lime juice)
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil (I used dried…about a tsp.)

Peel and cube potatoes into 1″ chunks. Put in crockpot. Add onion, corn and basil. Sprinkle on chili powder and salt. Squeeze limes over top. Toss. Cook on low 5 hours or high 3-4 hours.

Pork Chop and Potato Skillet

I made another Voogt family recipe last night. Normally it’s done in the oven. But I tried it in the crockpot so I could get it going earlier in the day when I had time. I think it works a little better in the oven since some of the liquid evaporates that way. But it was still good in the crockpot. Justin still liked it 🙂 (I didn’t have any…I had dinner at MOPS). And since I was in a rush trying to get ready for MOPS and making sure Justin was all set to watch Rebecca, I forgot to take a picture.

Pork Chop and Potato Skillet

6 pork chops (I use center cut…normally only make 2 since it’s all we need)
8 cups thin potato slices (I cut back on this with fewer chops, maybe 2 potatoes)
1 1/2 cups onion slices (adjust to your taste)
3 Tbsp. flour (reduce a bit if using fewer potatoes)
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 1/4 cups milk

Brown pork chops in skillet. Combine potatoes, most of the onions (reserve a few), flour and seasoning. Toss lightly. Place in buttered (or sprayed) 2 qt. casserole. Place chops on top of potatoes. Top with reserved onion slices. Add soup and milk to skillet with meat drippings. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Pour over potatoes and chops. Cover. Bake @ 350 for 1 hr. 10 min., until potatoes are tender.

To make it in the crockpot I sprayed the crockpot, tossed the potatoes, onions, flour and seasoning together in the crockpot. Put the chops on top (I didn’t brown them…but it might work a little better to do that if you have time to cut back on some of the grease in the crockpot). Top with a little onion. Whisk the soup and milk and pour over top. I cooked it for about 6 hours, on high part of the time and low part of the time.

Sweet Potato Fries and Hobo Dinners

Friday we had chicken nuggets (just cut up some chicken breasts, coat w/ breadcrumbs and bake) and sweet potato fries. I got the fry recipe from the Biggest Loser cookbook (snagged a few recipes before giving it to Sara:). I have sweet potatoes in the freezer that I’ve already cut in fry shape and partially boiled. So the fries are super easy. Last night we had hobo dinners. Most people probably already know how to make them, but we never had them growing up. So I’ll post the “recipe” anyway. We always make these when we go camping, but I like to make them at home once in a while too (especially since we didn’t go camping this year). They are great for prep ahead meals. Then just toss them into the oven about an hour before you want to eat.

Parmesan Pepper Sweet Potato Fries

1/2 lb. sweet potatoes, cut in 1/4″ thick sticks
1 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. EVOO
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. paprika
pinch of cayenne, salt and pepper

Heat oven to 450. In medium bowl toss all ingredients. Place in single layer on non-stick baking sheet (I always spray mine). Bake 8 min. Flip potatoes. Bake 10-12 min. more, until tender and browned.

*I use pre-cooked potatoes so that I’m just crisping them in the oven and don’t have to worry about them getting cooked all the way through. I usually bake mine for about 30 min.

Hobo Dinners

ground beef
potatoes, sliced
carrots, sliced
onion, sliced
salt
pepper

You can use whatever quantity you like of all the ingredients for each hobo dinner (1 per person). Form a patty with the beef. Lay it on a piece of tinfoil. Add layers of potatoes, carrots and onion. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Make a foil packet around the food. Bake for about 1 hour at 375-400. This is kind of the traditional hobo dinner. But you can really put anything you want in it. I’ve used ground turkey and chicken chunks before. And I usually add more veggies to mine…whatever I have on hand. It’s nice to be able to make each dinner the way each person likes it. Serve it with lots of ketchup 🙂

*To make them over a camp fire use heavy duty tinfoil and use 2 layers. Place the packets into the fire. Cook for 30 min., flipping after 15 min.

Pesto Pork and Hot Taco Rice

Yesterday we had sun-dried tomato pesto stuffed pork. It was something I had in the freezer, so I didn’t make it from scratch yesterday. But I figured I’d still post the recipe. It’s a Robin Miller recipe. Tonight we’re having hot taco rice. I got the recipe from my mom. Can’t remember where she got it, maybe a minute rice box. Very easy and yummy.

Sun-dried Tomato Pesto Stuffed Pork

2 1/2 lb. pork tenderloin
1 cup sun-dried tomato pesto
salt and pepper
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. honey mustard
2 Tbsp. chopped, fresh thyme

Heat oven to 400. Spray shallow roasting pan with cooking spray. Cut pork lengthwise (open like a book) 3/4 through. Place in pan and spread pesto in middle. Fold pork back. Close seam with a metal or wooden skewer. Season with salt and pepper. Combine vinegar, honey mustard and thyme. Spoon over pork. Roast 1 – 2 hours (until internal temp is 155). Let rest 10 min.

Hot Taco Rice

1 lb. ground beef
1 1/2 cups salsa (however hot or mild you like)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups rice

Garnishes: chopped tomatoes, sour cream, shredded cheese, avocado, salsa, olives, peppers, onions, tortilla chips (anything you would put on nachos or tacos)

Brown beef in skillet (sometimes I cook peppers and onions with it to add in some extra veggies). Drain. Add salsa, tomato sauce and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 10 min. Prepare rice (be sure to soak the rice in advance if using brown rice). Serve the beef mixture on top of rice. Top with garnishes. Scoop and eat with tortilla chips.

Meatloaf and Spaghetti Sauce

Yesterday was fairly productive. I made another batch of granola in the morning. Later in the day I baked cookies, made meatloaf for dinner and made and canned a batch of spaghetti sauce. I made more sauce than I could can in one batch. The extra will probably go in the freezer. And I still have enough tomatoes for 3 more batches…or to make something else. I just got those in the freezer to help keep them longer. The spaghetti sauce recipe is from Justin’s mom. So yummy. I like to have lots of that on hand. The meatloaf recipe is from my mom. I made rosemary red skin potatoes and roasted veggies with the meatloaf…almost all stuff from our garden. I don’t think I’ll have time for any more canning this week. Hopefully next week I can do more with the tomatoes.

 
Meatloaf
1 1/2 lb. ground beef
3/4 cup oatmeal
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 egg, slightly beaten
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup diced onion
 
1/3 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. mustard
Mix beef, oatmeal, salt, pepper, egg, milk and onion. Put in large loaf pan. Mix ketchup, brown sugar and mustard. Put on top of meatloaf. Bake at 350 for 1 – 1 1/2 hours.

Spaghetti Sauce
Makes 5-7 pints
1 green pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic (a/b 3 cloves)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
I sometimes add other veggies, like zucchini
12 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup water
2 tsp. basil
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. oregano
1 can (12 oz.) tomato paste
1/2 cup brown cane sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
Saute pepper, onion, garlic and oil (and any other veggies you like). Stir in tomatoes and cook 5 min. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer until desired consistency (1 hour – 3 hours). Can in boiling bath for 35 min.

Pizza Bugers

Last night was another Voogt family favorite – pizza burgers. Not really sure why they are called burgers. It’s a recipe from Justin’s mom, something he grew up eating. There are two recipes, but I kind of combined them into one last night to use the ingredients I had on hand. I’ll post both recipes.

Hamburger Pizza Burgers

1 lb. hamburger
1 can tomato soup
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1 loaf french bread, sliced

Brown hamburger. Drain. Add rest of ingredients except cheese. Heat until bubbling. Add cheese. Put spoonful on each slice of french bread. Broil 3-5 min.

Pepperoni Pizza Burgers

1 lb. hamburger
spaghetti sauce (or pizza sauce)
oregano
pepperoni
mozzarella cheese
1 loaf french bread, sliced

Brown hamburger. Drain. Top each slice of bread with spaghetti sauce. Sprinkle with oregano. Lay pepperoni on each slice. Put hamburger on top. Top with mozzarella cheese. Broil 2-3 min.

Last night I made the burger/tomato soup/cheese mixture and put that on french bread in addition to pepperoni. I only made a half recipe (1/2 loaf of bread…a/b 9 burgers). There are a few left over for another meal for Justin this week. And there is enough casserole for another meal. So my plans have changed a bit. Mostly just odds and ends or salad for me. I’ll still do chili tomorrow.

Hamburger Corn Bake

Last night I made an old favorite (of Justin’s). It’s a recipe from Justin’s mom. They grew up calling it 2nd favorite casserole (I’ll have to post favorite casserole the next time I make that:). I prepped it before breakfast yesterday and then it was ready to put in the oven in the evening. I forgot to take a picture until after dinner and after I had taken some out for Justin’s lunch.

Hamburger Corn Bake
1 lb. hamburger (I only use 1/2 lb. and it seems like plenty)
chopped onion (however much you like)
1 pkg. corn, cooked (I just throw it in frozen and it thaws quickly and cooks when it bakes)
1/2 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 can cheddar cheese soup (I replace all of the soups with homemade cheese sauce or white sauce)
2 Tbsp. chopped pimento (I’ve never added this)
1 1/2 cups medium egg noodles (I add anywhere from 1 1/2 – 2 1/2 cups, depending on how much I want to make)
1/2 cup bread chunks (just rip up a slice of bread)
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
Salt and pepper to taste if you like
Cook noodles and corn. Brown meat with onion. Drain. Stir in corn, soups and pimento. Mix well. Stir in noodles and seasoning. Put in 2 qt. casserole dish. Mix bread and butter. Sprinkle on top. Bake at 350 for 45 min. – 1 hr., until hot and bubbly (I usually bake it with the casserole lid on for about 3/4 of the baking time and then remove it at the end to let the bread crisp up a bit).

Crockpot Pea Soup

I grew up eating pea soup, and it is one of my all time favorite foods. I make it a lot in the winter for an easy, healthy meal. And then I get most of the leftovers (since my family likes it…but not quite as much as I do). It is so easy to put in the crockpot first thing in the morning. Then at dinner time you’re all set.

Pair it with some muffins, bread or crackers. It is easy and very nutritious. Perfect!


Crockpot Pea Soup

1 lb. dried split peas (green, yellow or a combo of both, you can also replace some of the peas with lentils)
8 cups liquid (water and/or chicken broth)
nitrite/nitrate free ham or sausage (optional)
1 1/2 cups carrots, sliced (optional)
1/2 cup onion, diced (optional)
garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste
ham bone (optional)

Rinse the peas. Combine all of the ingredients in the crockpot. Cook on high 7-12 hours (the longer it cooks the thicker it will get). Stir the soup once or twice while it is cooking. Add more water/broth if the soup gets too thick. Remove the ham bone before serving.