Whole Wheat Band Bake Sale Brownies

I ran into a fellow band booster at the high school Saturday and her question to me as I headed home with a very tired Josiah in tow cracked me up:  “Why are you leaving? Don’t you live here?”  Yeah, that about sums it up.

I try not to whine too much (or too loudly). Forgive me if it seems like I complain about band season.  I truly love band seeing the band at games and practices and watching the birds begin to fly south while I’m at the band field and running back and forth from the band fields to drop off bake sale goods and coming home from games to scarf down a quick meal so that we can head back to the band field again or packing food so we can eat during half time…

I’m serious.  Supporting Fulton sports teams and participating in the games with Hannah Rose is so stinking much fun!  I can’t stay away and if Fulton has away games, I try as hard as I can to watch the games on the TV sports hoping to catch a glimpse of her on the field. I’m so proud of her and her devotion to her fellow band members. Even if their new uniforms look like something from Star Trek.  

But yes, August through the end of October is just a little bit hectic for us.  I was actually trying to finish the Clean Office project I’m working on by November.  I’m pretty sure that is not going to happen.

So today, I’d like to give a little shout out to God.  We’re heading toward the end of September - and I’m still standing.  How about that?!  Through umpteen jars of apple butter, dozens of band games, countless bake sales and missing band socks - I am surviving. Better than that, I’m loving’ it. 

In honor of the Bake Sale I’m sharing my favorite brownie recipe:

Whole Wheat Brownie Recipe

Ingredients
3/4 cup cocoa
3/4 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 to 4 eggs
1/2 t. cinnamon
2 t. vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour 

Directions  Preheat oven to 350F  Melt butter and stir in cocoa. In a bowl mix together sugar salt flour. Add butter/cocoa. Stir in eggs and vanilla. Mix until all ingredients are blended. Pour into greased 9 inch cake pan. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the sides of the brownie just start to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool, then cut.

Cottage cheese lasagna

If like me you are a bit of a cheese fan then there is an alternative to the full fat hard cheese as a snack. Cottage cheese is not only delicious but also low fat so can be eaten without all the guilt of eating the full fat cheese. Cottage cheese can be mixed with sweet corn or chopped tomatoes, peas or any other chopped vegetables to bulk it out. My hubby likes his with pineapple. Cottage cheese is a cheap snacks option as you can buy quite large tubs for a fraction of the cost of normal cheese. I love mine in lasagna so much the time I made it with ricotta I didn’t like it!

3 Cheese Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1 (32 ounce) jar Spaghetti  Sauce (or make your own)
• 32 ounces cottage cheese
• 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
• salt to taste (if using)
• ground black pepper to taste
• 9 whole wheat lasagna noodles
• 1/2 cup water

Directions

1.    In a large skillet over medium heat  pasta sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.

2.    In a large bowl, mix together the cottage cheese, 2 cups of the mozzarella cheese, half of the grated Parmesan cheese, dried parsley, salt and ground black pepper.

3.    To assemble, in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish evenly spread 3/4 cup of the sauce mixture. Cover with 3 lasagna noodles, 1 3/4 cup of the cheese mixture, and 1/4 cup sauce. Repeat layers twice. Top with 3 noodles, remaining sauce, remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Add 1/2 cup water to the edges of the pan. Cover with aluminum foil.

4.    Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Will the real Vegetarian please stand up?

We eat too much meat for our own health, never mind our purse or the planet and many vegetarian recipes will taste just as good as any meat or fish meal. It helps to learn how to stretch the meat you eat with vegetable protein and to cook with low cost cuts of meat. Frugal cooking is all about making more with less, saving energy and reducing carbon emissions whilst enjoying a good wholesome diet. My mother is a complete vagan and on and off we’re tried that but come back to poultry, dairy and fish. Currently we’re trying new recipes and foods to introduce to our family. Partly to have simply more veggies and fiber on the table we’re including more meatless meals. Sometimes it’s confusing as to who eats what…or who eats who I guess. So here’s some guidelines to review:

Types of Vegetarian Diets

Most vegetarian diets will fall into one of the following categories:

·         Semi-vegetarian (sometimes called “flexitarian”) is the least restrictive. Semi-vegetarians eat mostly a plant-based diet, along with milk, milk products, eggs, and occasionally small amounts of chicken and/or fish.

·         Lacto-ovo-vegetarians eat a plant-based diet, along with milk, milk products, and eggs. Legumes (dry beans, peas, and lentils), soy products, nuts, and seeds are eaten for protein instead of animal sources.

·         Lacto-vegetarians include milk and milk products in their diet, as well as all plant-based foods.

·         Ovo-vegetarians include eggs in their diet, as well as all plant-based foods.

·         Vegan is the most restrictive of all vegetarian diets and includes only plant-based foods.

So what do you do with 2 picky kids who don’t really even LIKE veggies? You start with snack. It’s small, it’s fun and you don’t fear them starving since you know that they’ve already had 3 squares a day. At my house snack is optional before bedtime and since we’ve never offered sugary gunk it’s an easy opportunity to add some more healthy stuff. You can see we’ve opted to keep the dairy in our diet.

Here’s what we have for the next 2 weeks for snack on our Menu Plan:

½ oz. cheddar cheese served with:

Any type of grain/bread, such as ½ toasted mini bagel; or ½ oz. whole wheat crackers (4 crackers); or melted on ½ whole wheat pita pocket

Any type of vegetable, such as ½ cup lightly steamed carrots and broccoli or ½ cup carrot and celery sticks

Any type of fruit, such as ½ cup apple slices or ½ cup pear slices

½ oz. mozzarella cheese served with:

Any type or grain bread, such as melted onto ½ toasted English muffin with 2 Tablespoons of tomato sauce for a mini-pizza

1 oz. low-fat cottage cheese served with:

Any type of grain/bread, such as ½ oz. graham crackers (2 crackers) or ½ oz. whole wheat crackers (4 crackers)

Any type of fruit, such as ½ cup pineapple tidbits or ½ cup of diced peaches

1 Tbsp. peanut butter served with:

Any type of grain/bread, such as ½ slice whole wheat bread or ½ oz. pretzels for dipping

Any type of fruit/vegetable, such as ½ cup apple slices; or ½ cup celery sticks; or spread on a banana half and sprinkled with 1 Tablespoon of granola ½ hard-boiled egg served with:

Any type of grain/bread, such as ½ slice toasted whole wheat bread or ½ toasted bagel

Any type of fruit, such as ½ cup fresh orange sections or ½ cup Carrot-Raisin Salad ¼ cup pureed black beans served with:

Any type of grain/bread, such as ½ oz. toasted whole wheat pita bread or spread on ½ oz. toasted tortilla triangles with 2 Tablespoons salsa

Pumpkin Muffins

Serving dinner rolls to help stretch your food budget is smart, but putting muffins on your table is even better.  I know many people who will pass up a regular dinner roll but will help themselves to a couple flavorful muffins when they are passed around the table.  These are easy and inexpensive to make and will stretch your food budget without anyone noticing – or caring! It’s beginning to feel like fall here in Knoxville, in the mornings when it’s cool at least. Personally I will buy a pumpkin and roast it but it’s not quite the season yet and I purged the freezer so I’m using canned pumpkin here this time.

So here’s one to try-

Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups raisins
• 4 3/4 cups (all-purpose) whole wheat or white wheat flour
• 4 cups white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
• 6 eggs
• 1 (29 ounce) can pumpkin
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 12 cup muffin pans, or line with paper muffin liners. Soak raisins in hot water for ten minutes to plump, then drain.

2.    In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ground cloves. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, pumpkin, and applesauce, until smooth. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and stir thoroughly to make a smooth batter. Stir the raisins and walnuts into the batter. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups.

3.    Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Veggie "chicken" broth

We're not red meat eaters at my house. I was raised by a vegan but married a man that probably would have eaten the family pet if hungry enough. So we do eat dairy, chicken, fish etc. But these days we're trying to reduce out the amount of meat we eat for a lot of reasons, moral and carbon foot print being two of them.

Let me share my final secret ingredient here for a successful vegetable broth that looks like chicken broth and tastes rich and wonderful.  Olive oil! Yes, with olive oil in your vegetable broth and you won’t miss the chicken!

Roasted vegetable broth

Ingredients

• 1 pound celery
• 1 1/2 pounds sweet onions
• 1 pound carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 pound tomatoes, cored
• 1 pound green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 whole black peppercorns
• 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 gallon water

Directions

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2.    Remove leaves and tender inner parts of celery and set aside.

3.    Toss onions, carrots, tomatoes, bell peppers with olive oil. Place vegetables in a roasting pan and place them in the hot oven. Stir the vegetables every 15-20 minutes. Cook until all of the vegetables have browned and the onions start to caramelize, this will take about one hour.

4.    Put the browned vegetables, celery, garlic, cloves, bay leaf, pepper corns, Italian parsley and water into a large stock pot. Bring to a full boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Cook uncovered until liquid is reduced by half.

5.    Pour the broth through a colander, catching the broth in a large bowl or pot. The liquid caught in the bowl or pot is your vegetable broth it can be used immediately or stored for later use.

An awful experience at Aldi's

I had heard from friends that an Aldi grocery store was a little different from the typical grocery store. I knew ahead of time that I would need my own grocery bags or would have to purchase Aldi grocery bags. One negative to shopping at ALDI is that they do not provide bags for the customers. This is one way that they keep their costs down. There are bags for sale at the cash register if you must use them. You are welcome to bring your own bags, boxes, baskets or crates to put your groceries in. This is no big deal we’ve been using cloth shopping bags for years and even spoke with the Save A Lot manager when we stared since the staff had no idea what I was doing when we started. Once your groceries have been scanned by the cashier and paid for, simply go to the bagging area and put your groceries in the proper holding spaces.

I also knew they kept the grocery shopping carts locked together outside. A quarter would be needed to unlock the shopping carts. Okay, I was ready for my first Aldi grocery shopping experience. Sadly however I didn’t find the store to offer anything Save A Lot didn’t and then they lost 100 points in my eyes, the staff were rude to me. There was no bagging area at the store I went to and when I tried to move my cart aside for the next person to check out the cashier put her foot out to stop the cart. So there I was attempting to put my change in my purse, bag up my groceries and the lady behind me nudging me with her cart. When I questioned why I was being held back. The cashier was downright nasty. I doubt the store telephone numbers are unlisted ONLY to avoid needing an employee to answer the phone.

So in honor of the sweet friendly staff at the 2 Save A Lots’ I shop at frequently I give you:

Fruit Cobbler

21 ounce can of fruit pie filling

1 ¼ cups Ginger Evans baking mix

1 Tbsp. sugar

¼ cup sAVE a Lot milk

¼ cup sour cream

With oven at 425 F, grease 1 ½ quart casserole. Heat pie filling to boiling in saucepan. Pour into casserole.  Mix remaining ingredients until moistened, stir vigorously for 30 seconds. Drop spoonfuls to cover over most of the fruit. Bake for 20 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown. Makes six servings.

Josiah’s Five-Cheese Bake

By my God have I leaped over a wall.  II Samuel 22: 30

Our son Josiah, at the age of twenty months, was willing to try any new word. He pointed at what he wanted to know and said, "This is? This is?" I’d answer, "Pickup truck ... flag pole ... garbage can, mail box." He dutifully repeated what I said-leaving out a consonant or vowel and then went on to the next item that has captured his fancy. I started to wonder if this game was worthwhile when I had to name things like "incinerator," "storm drain" and "fire hydrant." Undaunted, Josiah tried them out (something like erter, stumdane or "irdrent"). It didn’t quite matter that he didn’t know exactly what they were. The point is he wasn’t afraid to try something new- even if it was beyond his grasp. 

It's this fearless attitude I think of when I'm faced with a new challenge such as a new assignment where I work or volunteer, an unfamiliar situation such as serving as the new head of a parents' association in our children’s schools. Part of me wants to retreat, going back to what’s comfortable. "The challenge is beyond me," I say to myself. "I talk too fast and am not a public speaker," I rationalize, or ''I'm a better Indian than chief. I’ll never have anything worth while to share at devotion time during staff meetings.” But then I think of Josiah picking up a new word, and trying out a new phrase. "Act boldly," I tell myself. "Just try it. Don't be afraid of making mistakes. You'll learn. Be like Josiah." I take a deep breath; ask for God's help, and then leap.

This attitude came into play more recently helping serve communion. My senior pastor asked if I would help with Sunday’s communion service and I said “no!” immediately. I was sure I’d drop something, trip over someone or spill the blood of Christ all over the floor. Somehow I let myself get talked into helping serve.  I stressed about it until I was a nervous wreck, but at the 2nd round at the rail I saw a lady SMILING at me. So I smiled back and LOVED it. Pretty soon the butterflies were replaced by a warm feeling and I saw others smiling at me. On my way to Sunday school 4 people stopped me to tell me they were glad to see me helping serve. I hope they get shorthanded enough to ask me again soon!

Let us pray-

Lord, bring all Your mighty forces to aid when I take a leap of faith. Amen

Josiah’s favorite cheese is gouda, which I’ve always thought odd yet sophisticated for an 8 year old boy. It’s also one of the more expensive cheeses out there so this helps get more mileage out of the block!

Josiah’s Five-Cheese Bake

• 1 (16 ounce) package elbow macaroni
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup shredded gouda cheese
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded provolone cheese
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup skim milk (if you’re counting calories,  heavy cream if not)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add macaroni, and cook until tender, 6 to 8 minutes.

In a large bowl, toss together the mozzarella cheese, Gouda cheese, Parmesan cheese and Provolone cheese. Remove about 1/2 cup for topping and set aside. In a separate bowl, stir together the ricotta cheese, sour cream and milk. Season with parsley, Italian seasoning and garlic salt.

Pour the ricotta cheese mixture and drained macaroni into the bowl with the cheeses and toss lightly. Do not mix too thoroughly, it's better left muddled. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the reserved cheese over the top.

Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes, and then turn the oven to broil. Broil for about 5 minutes to brown the top.