Homemade Wheat Thins

I just tried this recipe from Finding Joy in My Kitchen. Next time I will double the recipe!

Ingredients

1 1/4 C whole wheat flour
1 T honey
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. paprika
3 T butter, melted
1/4 C water
<1/4 tsp. vanilla

Directions
1. Combine the dry ingredients together, and then add in the honey, vanilla, water and butter.
2. Stir to combine.
3. Roll out to 1/8th inch thickness on a cookie sheet.
4. Cut with a pizza cutter into crackers - about 1" square
5. Bake at 400 for 5-10 minutes until lightly browned.
6. Enjoy! Great with hummus!

Our Favorite Granola Bars

Ingredients
4 1/2 c. old fashioned oats
1 c. whole wheat flour (or spelt)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 c butter, soft
1/2 c. honey
1/3 c. sucanat or brown sugar
2 c. of add-ins (mini choco chips, coconut, nuts, raisins, use your imagination)

Directions
1. Mix the butter, honey, and sucanat (brown sugar) until creamy.
2. Add the vanilla.
3. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Blend well.
4. Stir in 2 c. of add-ins
5. Press FIRMLY into a 9x13 pan. Very, very firmly or the granola bars will crumble.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 325.
7. Cool for 10 minutes and then cut into bars.
8. Let bars cool completely before removing from the pan.
9. Wrap, store, and ENJOY!

This recipe was a combination of one found on http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/ and one found on http://www.allrecipes.com/.

Hamburger-Vegetable Soup

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Biggest Book of Soups and Stews.

My family downed a huge pot of this soup. Feel free to add other/additional vegetables as desired. The original recipe asked for succotash, but I used more carrots and yellow squash instead.

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef

1 chopped med. onion

1 chopped green pepper

2 cloves garlic

4-6 cups beef broth (I used 6)

2 tomatoes, diced (or 1-15oz can)

1 yellow squash, diced

5 red potatoes, peeled and diced small

2 chopped carrots

Spices to taste – basil, oregano, parsley

Dash or two of black pepper

A drizzle or two of Worcestershire sauce

Directions

1. Cook ground beef

2. Saute onions, peppers, and garlic until soft

3. Dump all ingredients into large pot

4. Boil

5. Simmer for 15-40 minutes (I prefer longer)

6. ENJOY!

Curry Lentil Stew and Honey Ginger Yogurt Sauce

My boys LOVED this nutritious dinner.

Ingredients
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups dried lentils
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 tbsp curry powder

Directions
Dump it all into a crockpot.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
Top with yogurt sauce and enjoy with pita bread or tortilla wrappers


HONEY YOGURT SAUCE
1 1/2 c plain yogurt
1 tbsp ginger (more or less to taste)
2 tbsp honey (more or less to taste)

NOTE: My boys loved to eat the yogurt plain. Our stew was thick, so we made "sandwiches" by stuffing the pita pockets with lentils and topping with the yogurt sauce.

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Soda Bread

This is a scrumptious bread. Not really for sandwiches, but goes great for breakfast or with soup.

Ingredients
2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 sugar (use less if using brown sugar or honey)
a little salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups buttermilk

Directions
Mix dry ingredients.
Stir in buttermilk with wooden spoon.
Pour into greased loaf pan
Bake on 350 for 45-60 minutes, until knife comes out clean.
Let cool in pan for ten minutes.
Remove, slice, butter, and enjoy!!

Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients
2 tbs butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 med or 3 small carrots, chopped
2 med potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 med butternut squash - peeled, seeded, cubed
32 oz chicken broth (1 only used between 16-24)
salt
pepper
cinnamon
ginger

Directions
1. Put butter and all vegetables into the crockpot. Add enough chicken broth to cover about 1/2 of vegetable mixture. Cook on high for at least 4 hours. (You can also saute vegetables with butter for 5 minutes, cover veggies with chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes until vegetables are tender).

2. Process all ingredients from crockpot in the blender until smooth, adding chicken broth to reach desired consistency. Put in large pot, add salt, pepper, cinnamon, and ginger to taste (a dash or two of each). Heat, adding more chicken broth to desired consistency.

3. Serve. Possible toppings include parmesan, sour cream, etc.

Note: My children LOVED this soup. A great way to get veggies down the kids!

Roasted Vegetables and Couscous

My friend introduced me to this dish, and my husband and I love it; the kids are warming up to it:)

General Ingredients
1-16oz. box of couscous
6-8 oz crumbled or diced feta cheese

Roasting Ingredients
1 med eggplant, diced into 1" pieces
2 red peppers, cut into small pieces
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
5-6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 zucchini, skinned and diced
3 TBSP olive oil
dash of kosher/sea salt
dash of pepper

Dressing Ingredients
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
splash of balsamic vinegar
2 TBSP olive oil
4 tsp. basil

Directions

Prepare couscous according to package directions.

Combine the roasting ingredients in a large bowl. Toss well. Broil for 5-10 minutes until eggplant is browned.

Mix together the dressing ingredients while vegetables are broiling.

Toss everything together well. Top with feta cheese and serve.

Note: Capers or a ground meat (such as lamb) would be a great addition to this meal. It also serves well cold.