Chicken Fingers

Ingredients


3 skinless boneless chicken breasts
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/8 cup milled flax seed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 cup buttermilk


Preparation
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Cut chicken breasts into 1 1/2 inch size pieces. In a medium bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, wheat germ, flax seed, cheese, salt, thyme and basil. Mix well. Put buttermilk in a bowl or dish for dipping.
Dip chicken pieces into the buttermilk first, then coat with the breadcrumb mixture. Place well coated chicken pieces on a lightly greased cookie sheet in a single layer, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Blueberry Muffins

This is one of my favorite blueberry muffins recipes. We have made this one a lot and my boys always get mad at me when I don't double it.










2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup butter
1 1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk
1 large egg
1 cup blueberries
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400°.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (flour through nutmeg) in a medium bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal.
Combine buttermilk, egg, stir well with a whisk. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moist. Gently fold in blueberries.
Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 18-20 minutes or until the muffins spring back when lightly touched. Remove muffins from pans immediately, and place on a wire rack to cool.

Yield: 1 dozen (serving size: 1 muffin)

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

We love this soup. I got the recipe from a very good friend from South Africa, who is an excellent cook. We always think of her when we have it.





3 T. Butter
2 onions chopped
2 C butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed and cubed
3 T Flour
1-2 t Curry
Pinch of nutmeg
3 C chicken stock
1-1/2 C half and half or milk or coconut milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion in butter until soft.
Add squash, stir and saute 3 min
Add flour, curry, nutmeg and stir
Add chicken stock and half & half and stir
Simmer for 15-20 min until squash is tender
Put in blender and blend till smooth
Pour through sieve back into pan to remove strings
Top with toasted pumpkin seeds.

Spinach Pomegranate Salad with Apples and Pecans

We tried this salad last night for the first time. Stats are the 4 out of my 5 boys ate it and loved it and 2 asked for more. Big step in our house!







4 cups baby spinach leaves
1 apple, cored and chopped
1/3 cup pomegranate seeds
1/3 cup chopped toasted pecans
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup pomegranate vinaigrette (recipe below)

Toss all ingredients in a large bowl. Serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings.

Pomegranate Vinaigrette
1/2 cup pomegranate juice (I used POM Wonderful)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 cup vegetable oil (any neutral-flavored oil will do)
salt, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste

In a medium bowl, whisk together pomegranate juice, balsamic vinegar, mustard, and honey. Slowly drizzle in the oil, whisking constantly, until it’s all incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Yield: approximately 1 1/4 cups.

New start

I decided to start our food blog because I want a place where I can have all of our favorite recipes in one place and to easily share them with others. I am not very good at keeping track of my favorite recipes. I get them from so many different places that I thought that if I made a blog of what we are eating and what our favorites are, I can stay a little more organized. Enjoy!!