Banana Oat Pancakes

1 1/3 c flour
3/4 old fashioned oats
1 T sugar
2 t baking powder
1/2 t cinnamon

Combine in a large bowl.

1 egg
1 1/3 c milk
1 cup mashed ripe banana
2 T canola or vegetable oil

Combine wet ingredients in a smaller bowl.  Stir into dry ingredients until just moistened.
Pour by 1/4 cupfuls onto a greased hot griddle.  Serve with syrup.

***
I made these for breakfast this morning. What I loved most is that they are healthy, and my children gobbled them up.

Squash & Potato Hash

8 slices bacon
1-2 large baking potatoes, peeled & diced
2 zucchini, peeled & diced
1 yellow summer squash, peeled & diced (looks like a yellow zucchini)
1 onion, diced

Cook bacon, set aside.  In bacon grease, cook potatoes about 5 minutes, until light brown.  Add other vegetables and cook until tender, about 8-9 minutes.  Add bacon and heat through.  Season with dried basil, salt and pepper.

***
Yum!  I put ketchup over top for my kids.  I preferred it without ketchup so I could taste the squash flavors better.  This will be a great summer recipe when zucchini is in season.  Would also be good served with eggs for breakfast or as a breakfast burrito.

Fried Rice

2 c. white rice + 4 c. water (OR 4 c. cold, leftover rice)
3 Tbsp. butter
1/4 c. minced red onion
2 Tbsp. chopped green onions
1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1/4 c. chopped carrots
1/2 c. chopped mushrooms
8 oz. (1/2 bag) of coleslaw mix
3-4 generous Tbsp. soy sauce

SEASONING:
1 Tbsp. dried onion
1 Tbsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 ½ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. celery salt
1 ½ tsp. sugar

Heat butter over medium heat and saute onions, carrots, mushrooms, and cabbage until carrots are tender. Add cooked rice, soy sauce, and seasoning to taste (you won't even come close to using all of it; save the rest for future fried rice or use as you would seasoning salt.)

Optional add-ins: chicken, ham, shrimp, egg, peas, etc.

I got this recipe from Our Best Bites. I usually just throw whatever in my fried rice and it's always good. Following a recipe was a nice change and I thought the seasoning made it better than my usual fare.

Huevo Rancheros

2 teaspoons canola oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (19 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon chopped chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
8 (7 inch) corn tortillas
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
4 eggs
Salsa

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Place 1 teaspoon canola oil in a skillet, and heat over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, and cook 1 minute until light brown. Mix in the black beans, chicken broth, and chiles; simmer until beans are heated through, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat, and keep warm.

Place four tortillas on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the tortillas. Top with the remaining four tortillas. Cover the baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Bake tortillas in preheated oven until cheese melts, about 5 minutes.

Place the remaining 1 teaspoon canola oil in a skillet, and heat over medium heat. Crack eggs into skillet, and cook to desired firmness.

To assemble huevos rancheros, place filled tortillas on four serving plates. Top each tortilla with black bean mixture, a layer of salsa, and an egg. Serve immediately.
 
***
I make these slightly different....just the lazy version!  I don't use the chiles or the chicken broth.  And I just scramble the eggs.  I also throw the tortillas in the microwave instead of using the oven.  We love these...and the leftovers make great breakfast burritos!

Rice & Bean Tostadas

1-1/2 cups water
1-1/2 cups quick-cooking brown rice
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
1 15-ounce can chili beans with chili gravy
1 8-ounce can whole kernel corn, drained
8 purchased tostada shells
3 cups shredded lettuce
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (2 ounces)
1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes

directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large saucepan, bring water to boiling. Stir in rice and onion. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir undrained chili beans and the corn into rice mixture. Heat through.

Meanwhile, place tostada shells on a baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes or until heated through.

To assemble, place 2 tostada shells on each dinner plate. Top tostadas with shredded lettuce and the rice-bean mixture. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and top with tomatoes. Makes 4 servings.

***
Other than the fact that they were sort of messy to eat, these were really good!  It was really fast and easy to make too.  And I love the healthy ingredients.  Definitely going to one of our summer meals because after a long day of playing outside, it's easy to throw these together.

Sloppy Joes

Brown 1 lb ground beef, drain fat. Add seasonings, an 8oz can tomato sauce and 1/2 c water. Serve on toasted hamburger buns.

1 T minced onion

1 t green pepper flakes ( usually don't use this)

1 t salt

1 t corn starch

1/2 t minced garlic

1/4 t dry mustard

1/4 t celery seed

1/4 t chili powder

Lime Chicken Soft Tacos

In a crockpot combine:

3-4 chicken breasts, frozen
1/8 c red wine vinegar
1 tsp minced garlic
1 onion, sliced
Salt & Pepper to taste
Juice from 1-2 limes

Cook all day.  Shred about 1-2 hours before serving.

Serve in a warmed wheat tortilla with shredded mozzarella, green leaf lettuce & tomatoes.  Squeeze another lime over top if desired.
***
I will admit, this doesn't smell all that great while cooking (thanks to the vinegar).  I was nervous.  But...it was delicious!  So good!!  The chicken was really moist and the flavors were really good.  Both of my kids gobbled the chicken mixture up so fast!  I made simple chicken/cheese roll-ups for them.  This is definitely a keeper at my house!

Simple Corn Chowder

1 small yellow onion, diced
2 large baking potatoes, peeled & diced into small chunks
1 12 oz can evaporated milk
1 can creamed corn
1 package frozen sweet corn

Saute onion in some olive oil until tender.  Add potatoes.  Add water just to cover potatoes.  Boil, cover, then simmer for 20 minutes.

Drain most, but not all, of the potato water.  Add corn and can of milk.  Add s&p to flavor.  Simmer again for 20 minutes.

Serve with bacon and cheddar cheese on top.

***Feel free to change it up...add carrots, celery or red pepper.  You can make it thicker by draining all of the potato water...or make it thinner by draining less.  Or add chicken broth or flour to thicken/or dilute it. 

BBQ Chicken Bacon Pizza

Crust:
I used the whole wheat crust I posted last week.
Topping:
Throw 3-4 chicken breasts in the crockpot along with some bbq sauce and a large onion, sliced. 

When crust is rolled out, place on pizza:
~Thin layer of bbq sauce
~Chicken/onion mixture
~5 slices bacon, fried, cut up
~Lots of mozzarella cheese

Bake for 17 minutes.  YUM!
Update: This turned out GOOD!  I ended up making the whole wheat pizza crust I posted earlier....less work, and Nate liked it.  I also highly recommend using your crockpot for the chicken/onions.  The chicken wasn't dry at all and had so much flavor.  And the bacon definitely made the pizza....next time I'll add even more!

Mini-Meatloaves

Ingredients

1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound ground beef
2/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.In a large bowl, combine the egg, milk, cheese, oats and salt. Add the ground beef, mixing well, and form this mixture into eight miniature meatloaves. Place these in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
3.In a separate small bowl, combine the ketchup, brown sugar and mustard. Stir thoroughly and spread over each meatloaf.
4.Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.

We love these! I always serve with mashed red potatoes and a green vegetable.  I have also read that they can be cooked in muffin tins as well.