Blueberry Cheesecake Bites

Oh my-LAN-ta!!!!!!!  SOOOOOO good!!!!  Bonus, they are actually a little healthy for you...  ;)  Shh, don't tell anyone, especially your kids!  ;)

I got this recipe from a website called weelicious, sooo many good ideas and recipes!  I have made quite a few different kinds!  Haven't found one that I haven't liked either!  ;)

I will do a few things differently next time I make, and yes, that will be very soon!  ;)

For the crust, I will cut the whole wheat in half, and I will double the filling, I may put it in a 9x13 pan instead of the 8x8 pan...  Not sure on that one yet.  But def double the filling part!  :)

I'm also thinking of trying it with a pumpkin mixture, and I really think this would be good with chopped up strawberries!  Can't wait to make another batch!  :)


Blueberry Cheesecake Bites (makes 20-25 bites)

Oat Crust:

1 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/3 Cup Light Brown Sugar
6 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, chilled (I used coconut oil, already melted...  worked just as good!  :))

Filling:

4 oz Cream Cheese, room temperature
1 Large Egg, at room temperature
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 Cup Sour Cream
1/3 Cup Light Brown Sugar
1 Cup Fresh Blueberries (I used frozen and it worked GREAT :))


1. Preheat oven to 300 F.
2. To make the crust, place the first 3 ingredients in a food processor and pulse to chop oats.
3. Add the butter and pulse to combine.
4. Press the crust on the bottom of a parchment-lined 8 x 8 baking dish and flatten evenly with your hands. Bake for 10 minutes to set, then allow to cool.
5. Lower the oven temperature to 250 F.
6. To make the filling, place the first 5 ingredients in a bowl and beat to combine.
7. Fold in the blueberries.
8. Pour the batter on top of the crust and bake for 1 hour.
9. Cool and then chill until ready to serve.
10. Cut into squares and serve.*

*To get clean squares, wipe your knife between each slice.

I didn't put the coconut oil in the blender, I just mixed it all in a bowl and pressed it in the pan.  Also, the middle wasn't 100% done, so I just put it in the frig and it firmed up really good!  :)  My kids LOVED this and it even passed with the hubs!  :)  He agrees, the strawberry should be the next one I make!  :)
(p.s. sorry the pic isn't the greatest...  Took it off my phone and it's a bit blurry, having computer and downloading issues, again... have patience with me on this part of the blog!  I'm trying!  :))

Peanut Butter/Chocolate Dip (or sunflower butter)



I could've eaten this whole batch! It was SOOOO good!  Even healthier if you use the natural peanut butter, but since I didn't have any, I used regular creamy! 

I'm thinking cashew and almond butter would be good, even sunflower butter for those who are allergic to nuts, that way they can enjoy this yummy goodness as well!

I served this with apples, banana and 2 graham crackers.  You could use strawberries, marshmallows, pretzel sticks, etc....  I used what I did since that's all I had!  ;)

Super easy to make, and actually pretty good for you, minus the chocolate sauce, but again, you don't "have" to add it...  It just gives it that little bit of chocolate kick which makes it taste even better!  ;)

Here is a bit of cream cheese, carrots, peanut butter and chocolate sauce

Mix it all up!  Ok, in the green bowl, it doesn't look the greatest, but then again it almost looks like a chocolate shake stirred up REALLY good!  ;)

Here's what I served it with, an egg puff (recipe coming SUPER soon, maybe tomorrow? ;)), that was their "lunch", graham crackers, banana, and half an apple cut into slices.

This lunch was not only EASY, it was GOOD and healthy!  Which y'all know I'm all about!  ;)  Easy and healthy!  That's what I like with 4 littles and 2 more coming!  :)

Peanut Butter/Chocolate Dip (or Sunflower Butter)

1-2 oz cream cheese (depends on how much you want, I use almost 2, but will use 1 next time)
1/2 cup natural creamy peanut, almond, cashew, or sunflower butter
1/4 carrot puree
6 tablespoons chocolate syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients together until nice and creamy.  Keep in frig until ready to serve, or just start eating it right away like I did!  ;)  Give me some credit, I HAD to make sure it was worthy enough for the kids!  Just make sure you save enough for them!
Notice in the last picture, they only got about a heaping tablespoon full....  ;)  I am not gonna say if that's how much was left, or if I chose to give them only that much!  ;)

Seriously EASY and good!  Let me know how you like it! 

This would be a GREAT game nite snack, make a big bowl of it, serve it with graham crackers, cinnamon and sugar pita chips or tortilla crisps, marshmallows, pretzel sticks, apples, bananas, pears....  Yummy.....  :)

*Just a note, my kids were actually full after eating this and didn't ask for more.  Now, I am not sure if it was because I made them soaked oatmeal for breakfast, so that fills them up even more, or if the egg puff really did the trick with the other goodies!  ;)

Corn Confetti Eggs

Ok, here it is!  Just like I promised, and on time!  Someone should get me a medal!  ;)  Just kidding...

These are easy, and a good breakfast!  The muffins were actually really good, but I don't remember where the recipe is for the muffins, will have to do some digging.. ;)

But when I find it, I will post it!  ;)

There really isn't a recipe for these.

I just had some leftover filling from the Corn Confetti Quesadillas, so I decided to try something.  I knew I wanted to fix eggs for the kids for breakfast, but I didn't just want the plain ole plain old ones.  I also had just given them the eggs in a flour tortilla, so I didn't want to do that again...

Light bulb went off as I was looking in my frig for things to use.  Ah-ha, leftovers with eggs... Works for me!  So I scrambled 9 eggs (that's just for the 4 kids... :\), poured that into a skillet, then dumped in the leftover corn confetti and added a bit of cheddar cheese.  I probably had anywhere from 1/2 - 3/4 cup of the filling left over.

I stired it around until they were done, added a muffin, and fixed them a smoothie.  We called it a good day! And a good filling, nutrious breakfast!  :)

So really the "recipe" is left over corn confetti filling, how many eggs you need, a skillet and some coconut oil.  Mix it all together, until the eggs are cooked, then serve with fresh fruit, muffins and/or smoothies!

You can EASILY make this into a lunch, or even brinner, which we call breakfast for dinner!  ;)

Feed back is ALWAYS welcome!!  :)



Corn Confetti Quesadillas

LOVE the colors in this!  Not only does it look pretty and good, it tastes good!  :)

This is something that you could easily make a big batch of and just keep the extras in the freezer for a really quick and easy meal when you are short on time or just don't feel like cooking!  :)

The ingredients in this is probably items that you have all the time, and if not, they are REALLY easy and cheap to get!  I don't know about you, but I like easy and cheap!  ;)  But yet, it has to taste good!  ;)

I don't have an after picture because when I cooked these, my husband was out of town on a missions trip and he had the camera, and all I had was my phone, so this is the only picture I got!  I was to lazy to take pics as I went, but really, this is soooo easy!

Corn Confetti Quesadillas

2 cups fresh or frozen corn (I sued a frozen mixed, as in yellow and white, sweet corn, yummy!)

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 green pepper, diced

1/2 onion, diced

8 (9-10 inch) flour or wheat tortillas

8 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Heat skillet to medium-high heat, butter, corn, onions, and pepper and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.  Take out of skillet and wipe the skillet clean.

Lay 4 tortillas on counter and place 1/3 cup cheese on each one, then about 1/2 - 3/4 veggies on top of cheese, then add another 1/3 cup cheese.

Place tortilla in skillet, then place one of the remaining tortillas on top, press down with spatula to get out air pockets.  Cook until lightly browned and flip, do the same, cook until lightly browned.

Repeat until done...

Cut into wedges and serve immediately.

My kids also gobbled these down!  I think they ate 2 each of this one too!  ;)  Like I said, I think I am going to make a big batch of this and just put in freezer...  It will be easy enough to break apart what I need. 

I used the leftovers for a breakfast the next morning...  will have that posted tomorrow, so stay tuned!  ;)

Let me know if you made this, any changes, and how you liked it!

Oh, I remember what I did for mine, I didn't have enough cheese for all of them, so I put Pepper Jack cheese on mine, boy was it good and that extra kick!  Yummy!!!  :)

I should also mention, that I HARDLY EVER measure, so these are more like guesses...  If it seems like too much, then back off a bit, but if it isn't enough, add more!  You can't hurt it!  ;)

Butternut Squash Quesadillas

Can we say YUMMY???? This time of year this are PERFECT!

You can get butternut squash pretty cheap, since it's in season right now. You can get it cheaper out here at the farmer's market! I've gotten a squash for a buck, yes, it's a little bit smaller, but it still works for 4-6 of these quesadillas!

You don't have to use this type of cheese, I just wanted to try it. It's a really good mild cheese, not such a huge strong bold flavor! You don't have to add the walnuts either, it's really good without, but I think it just adds a nice crunch and yummy flavor.

These are REALLY easy to make! They are GREAT for lunches, but you could easily do this as a supper too, just add something to go with it! Maybe a side dish of spiced apples! ;)

My kids all ate 2 of these, they LOVED them!

You can also cook a few squash, let them cool, then put any leftovers in the freezer so all you have to do it pop out the already cooked squash. I would heat it a bit to make it warm, sometimes the outside of the quesdailla cooks faster than the inside, so if its still really cold, it may not get hot on the inside. (if that makes any sense? ;))

Here's the quesadilla inside! :) One tortilla, some squash, nuts, and then the cheese... Then place another tortilla on top!

All done and oh soooooo good!!!!!! :)


Butternut Squash Quesadillas

1 whole butternut squash, cooked
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium yellow onion
1 tablespoon brown sugar
8 (9 to 10 inch) flour or wheat tortillas
8 oz fontina cheese, grated, or thinly sliced
1 cup diced or chopped walnuts or pecans

Dice your onion and place in frying pan with butter and brown sugar.  Cook until caramelized, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Lay 4 tortillas on the counter. Spread the filling on each, 1/3 cup cheese, 1/2 cup squash, sprinkle some onion, then some nuts if desired.  Top off with another 1/3 cup cheese. 

Slide one of the cheese covered tortillas into a frying pan over medium heat.  Place one of the remaining tortillas on top, press down with spatula to get all air pockets out.  Cook until light browned, then flip until the other side is lightly browned.

Place on plate and cut, serve immediately!

Repeat until you are done!  You can easily make more than the 4 here.  I think I've made about 8 at a time!  ;)

I've made it with and without the nuts, but I really like it with the nuts!  I used walnuts because I didn't have any pecans, but pecans would be REALLY good on this as well!

You could also just use a Munster, provolone, or even a mozzarella cheese.  I just wanted to try this cheese, it's really good!  But a bit more expensive than the other 3 I listed!

Try it and let me know what you think!  :)

Adoption Fundraisier!!!

We are selling flower bulbs to help with our adoption fees.

Here's a link to the flowers that we are selling, they are all bulbs.
I'll keep the order open for about 2-3 weeks, then it takes about 2 weeks or so to be delivered.

http://www.dutchmillbulbs.com/store.asp?pid=16691&catid=19813

INDIANA family/friends, I can ship your order to my mom, and then you can contact her for a pick up time...

PA family/friends, if you are interested, contact me and we can work something out!

ANYONE else that I didn't mention, contact me and we can work something out! ;)

These bulbs are beautiful! They (Dutch Mill Bulbs) guarantee that their bulbs will grow!

They are all $6. We will get 50% profit of what is sold, it will all go into our adoption jar fund!

If you don't want to plant them, but want to buy, let me know, I can put them in our yard in honor of your name. ;)

I have an order form, so please e-mail me what you want and I'll get payment from you when I see you, or just send me a check. I just posted the link so you can see the flowers! They are really pretty! :)

Just please remember NOT to purchase from the attached link as the only way we get credit for the adoption is if you order through me personally. If you want to email me your order, my email is busymommy3@gmail.com

Feel free to pass this onto a friend if you know someone who likes to plant bulbs or would like this! ;) .

Coming Soon!!!

I had REALLY good intentions of posting some recipes this week, but I lost all my pictures of all the recipes that I have made this month...  Ahh!!!

I had a few in my iPod, and I downloaded them, but they are no where to be found!  Argh....  So I am trying to find them and if I can't, well, I guess I'll be posting recipe blogs without pictures, which I don't like to do!  Or I'll figure something out!  ;)

I've made some really good one lately and was super excited to share them, but now, I have to start all over!  Oh well!  It could be so much worse!!!  :)

Grilled Eggplant Panini

I'm really liking eggplant, LOVE the ratatouille I have one here that calls for bacon, yummo!!! ;) But the kids aren't huge fans of it... but they will eat it.
They don't like the bigger chucks of it by itself...

Plus, I'm getting a nice sized eggplant for a DOLLAR at the Farmer's Market, um, yes, I'm gonna buy a few and see what I can make with it! Seriously, a dollar and feed my family, um yes please!

I also had left over white bread (I know, white, ick...) that I had bought when we were in Williamsburg a little while ago. It was right before the hurricane was supposed to hit, and I wanted to make sure I had bread. I did NOT want to get home, and have to turn around and go back out in the rain for bread... I figured most everyone was going to be sold out here anyways... ;)

So for about $1.50 I made 6 sandwiches and then we had carrots sticks to go with it. The kids LOVED this and wanted more! But that's all I planned to make, so I didn't give them anymore! ;) Next time I will make sure to make them each 2!

Another super easy meal. You could easily make this for a supper, but maybe make a salad of some kind to go with it? Also some fruit would be really good too.... I'm thinking maybe a potato salad and a fruit to go with it...?






Grilled Eggplant Panini

1 medium - large eggplant, depends on how many sandwiches you want to make ;)
As many slices of bread as you need
1 tomato or 2 if making more than 5-6
Mayo
Dried Basil
Sliced onion
Shredded Italian cheese

Slice eggplant to the thickness you want it. Remember, not to thick or it won't work very well on the sandwich! ;)
I sliced mine in half then. I got my panini maker (or a George Foreman grill will work as well...), turned it on so it could heat up. Once ready, I took my eggplant and placed them on the maker, then sprinkled a little bit of dried basil on each one.
While that was cooking, I got my bread all ready by spreading mayo on all slices, then sprinkled more basil on top. After my eggplant was grilled, I placed 2 half pieces on one side of the bread, sprinkled with the shredded cheese, then put a totamo on top, for mine, I put a little bit of purple onion in, then put another piece of bread on top. Put the whole sandwich in the panini maker and close lid until nice and brown. Pull out and cut in half and viola, you got yourself a super delish and healthy sandwich.
Ok, maybe the white bread isn't THAT healthy, but it's what i had! ;) I'll be making it again on whole wheat bread. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!!

Let me know how you like it! Again, REALLY easy, and CHEAP!!! Go get some eggplant from your Farmer's Market before it's too late!!!

Pizza Soup

It's really good! Not gonna lie!

I didn't take pics as I went with this because my hubs had the camera packed away for his missions trip to Mexico, so I only have the finished product, but it's soooooo easy!

Let's just say it was HOT when I made this, but it was so good! You don't have to heat up your oven to make this pizza!!! So if you want some pizza, but don't want to go buy one, or have it delievered, or turn your oven on, you can make this is less than 30 minutes! :)

I also don't like soggy things, like oatmeal, cereal, and most of all, bread, yuck!!! This calls for bread, yeah, you brown it, but then you dump it in LIQUID, it's not gonna stay crispy... I was very unsure about this! I knew the kids would love it, but me, I was very hesitate to try it. But as I was cooking it and adding this and that, I would taste it (yes, I used a new spoon each time... ;)) and I was really liking it!

I added the bread, stirred it up, cooked it for a few more minutes and viola, it was done. I tired it one more time before putting it at the table and I LOVED it!! I can't tell you how easy this dish is! Seriously!

The cool thing about this is, you can make it vegetarian, or a meat lovers. I added mushrooms, onions and olives to mine, but this would be SO good with mini meatballs!







Pizza Soup

2 Tablespoon butter (I used coconut oil)
1 small onion, diced small
3-4 cloves of garlic, either minced or chopped, whichever you prefer
2-3 cups bread chucks, about 1 inch in size, can be any kind of bread, sourdough, leftover garlic bread, Italian bread or white-wheat...
1 1/2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
1/2-1 cup chicken broth
1 12 oz can tomato sauce (or if making your own, I used 3 medium sized tomatoes and blended them in my vitamix, but you could use a regular blender... blend until smooth)
1 can tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (if you don't have balsamic, you can use apple cider vinegar)
1/2 teaspoon pure maple syrup
sea salt and black pepper to season
1/4 mozzarella cheese

Saute onion and garlic in coconut oil (or whatever oil you are using) until the onions are soft, but not yet turning brown. If using mushrooms, add them in as well at this time, or if using peppers, add them in too. While you are waiting for your onions to soften, cut or rip (I ripped mine..) bread crumbs into 1 inch cubes. When onions are ready, turn the heat up to high, throw in all bread crumbs and cook until the bread starts to brown (I'm not gonna lie here, mine really didn't brown too much...) Add the 1/2 cup chicken broth, stir and lower heat to low.
Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, vinegar, maple syrup, salt and pepper, and Italian seasoning. Simmer for 15 minutes, add more chicken stock if it is too thick. Or if it's too thin, add more bread to thicken it up a bit.
It should be warm and ready to eat after the 15 minutes, taste to make sure the seasonings are just right, if not, add more seasonings, simmer for 5 minutes and taste again! ;)
Pour into bowls and sprinkle a little bit of Parmesan or mozzarella cheese on top and serve!

*Like I said, you can add WHATEVER pizza toppings you want to this! It looks like there is a lot to add to it, but it's sooooo easy! My kids LOVED it and they all asked for seconds!
I added mushrooms, olives and I forgot to add the cheese at the end, it was still good! ;)
I add just a little bit of leftovers, for the next day, I took my leftover, threw it in a pot, added more tomato sauce and more bread crumbs and it was just as good! I didn't saute the bread crumbs...
Let me know if you try it and if you like it! SUPER easy and so good! Whether is 90 degrees or 25 degrees outside, this will be good! :)

Homemade Laundry Soap

I know, this is a LOOOOONG time coming and I'm so sorry! I am seriously trying to catch up, just hope I can stick to it! :)

A lot of people were asking for this recipe and I wanted to use it for a little bit before posting it, and I have, I've used a whole batch already and I love it!

There is another recipe that I want to try and will be getting the castile soap to make a batch for next week, so once I see how that works, will post it too, but will prob give it a week or so... ;)

Anyways... here's the long awaited SUPER easy home made laundry soap! :)

I should also mention that I have a front load HE washer and this stuff works GREAT with it! The soap you use in this recipe is a low sudsing soap, the kind you need for the HE washers. Now, I don't add that much soap, mine has a line to fill it too, and I probably fill it at the half way mark before the line. If that makes any sense? ;)


Homemade Laundry Soap

2 Gallons hot water
1 bar soap (grated)
2 cups baking SODA

Melt grated soap in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Cook on medium -low heat stirring frequently until soap is melted.

In a large pail, pour 2 gallons hot water. Add melted soap and stir well.

Then add the baking soda, stir well again.

This next time I make it, I'm going to put it in my big huge massive container that I had. I used to buy in bulk at BJ's, so I rinsed that out, and added the new homemade stuff. Like I said, I am going to make a powder version to try it out and see how I like it, then I'll put that in an empty ice cream container that has a lid.

Oh, for the soap, I got a 3 pack Ivory kind for under $2. Then the baking soda is one box, which is also under $1. I honestly can't remember how long this lasted, but for a good while! It's so cheap and the kids enjoyed helping me make it!

I don't have any pictures for this, but it's really easy! Any questions, don't hesitate to ask! :)
Let me know if you try it and how you like it! :)

Many Uses of Vinegar-MUST READ!!! ;)

Vinegar is an AMAZING cleaner!

A little hint....

Instead of using that expensive jet dry AND fabric softener, use WHITE VINEGAR!!!

Yes, you read right!

For dishwashers, make sure the jet dry is completely out, then fill it up with white vinegar! It works, I'm tellin ya! I've been using it for quite some time! :)

For washers, either fill your downy ball or your fabric softener container in the washer with WHITE VINEGAR! TRUST ME, your clothes WILL NOT smell like vinegar! I PROMISE!!! I've used it for my dish clothes, towels, dark and white clothes... I don't use it all the time, but when I do, it does not make my clothes smell! Give it a try... just once... ;)

I've also been using vinegar as a floor cleaner... Not only is it safer, it's cheaper, and healthier to for you and the family! ;) For the floors, I pour in, actually, I don't know how much, but the ratio is either 1/2 vinegar to 1/2 warm water, or 1/3 vinegar to 3/4 warm water. I want to try using it on my windows and mirrors and will try that soon!

I love using vinegar so much that one of my cleaning spray bottles is full of the vinegar water! Once it was empty, I rinsed it out really good and keep it handy! Someone spills something on the floor, we use that to clean it up, spray the spot and wipe it with a paper towel! also, I have a flat top for my stove, it works GREAT to clean it up and make it shine!

I've also taken the spray bottle and sprayed down my cupboards and wiped them off, the refrigerator... etc, you name it!

Next will be cleaning the bathroom! ;)

Let me know how you use vinegar to clean, I am open to more ideas! :) Also, let me know if you try any of these! ;)

BBQ Pulled Pork and Noodles

I just LOVE getting home from vacation and finding NOTHING in my frig!!! :\ The last time we went on vacation I made sure there was something in my freezer so I could pop that out when we got home and it would be ready to cook or re-heat the next day. I'd also make sure there was an un-opened box of cereal for the next day and pick up a gallon of milk before reaching home. But never have the energy to get much of anything else with that gallon of milk! ;)

So this was my dilemma getting home from vacation! The kids and hubs were outside working on cleaning things up from our wonderful hurricane weather we had, and I was standing in front of the frig looking for something to fix! Did I mention that it was 5:10 and we normally eat at 5:30!

I seriously was standing in front of the frig waving my magic wand WILLING something, ANYTHING to come out of my frig, already fixed at that matter! ;) It was quite a lovely site I might add!

Ok, I confess, I didn't have a magic wand that I was waving, but I was hoping to find soemthing to fix with what little I had in there!

I had some left over pulled pork, grabbed that, and some Famous Dave's BBQ Sauce. I then remembered I had a bag of homemade Amish noodles that I had gotten while we were in Indiana. Hmm, noodles, bbq pulled pork....?

Here's what I came up with! It would have been GREAT with mashed potatoes, but of course, I didn't have any potatoes! So I had a bag of frozen corn, so we had BBQ Pulled Pork and noodles with corn! I was praying it wouldn't give us food poisoning or kill us, and it didn't! The kids really liked it! So I was happy with that! If you make this, take the time to make sure you have potatoes to make some garlic mashed potatoes to go with! It would make it REALLY good! :)

BBQ Pulled Pork with Noodles

1 bag of homemade Amish noodles (if you don't have these, then a bag of egg yolk noodles will work or whatever kind of wide noodles will work too! :))
BBQ Pulled pork


Corn and Mashed potatoes

Cook the noodles to the desired doneness
Drain the noodles
Put the noodles back in the pan and add a little bit of bbq sauce, just enough to cover the noodles a bit
Stir it up
Add the pulled pork, as much or as little as you want
Stir it up and serve warm over mashed potatoes!

SUPER easy and good!




See, my little one really liked it! :) The only reason he didn't have a shirt on is because he was outside playing in the water! ;)
Also, I was trying to get his expression when we were praying! I LOVE how he bows his head, and then his eyes sometimes go up to see if anyone is looking... ;)

When I made my pulled pork, I put it in my crock pot and poured a whole jar of banana peppers on top. I put it on high for about an hour, then right before we left for church, I turned it on low. By the time we got home from church, it was done! You can eat it however you want, but pouring some BBQ sauce on top and serve in a bun would be yummy! :)
Here's a link to the pulled pork:
http://mandysboxofrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/12/peppered-pork-tenderloin.html