Sunday Funday Football Food!!

This week's Sunday Funday football food is (excuse me while I drool lol!) Soft Pretzels!! Soft pretzels are that weakness I have when I literally don't even want anything to eat and I run to the mall and as SOON as I smell those darn things I am salivating, starving and have to run to the nearest soft pretzel stand!!! I love them all! Salt, cinnamon & sugar, dipped in cheese--you name it, I love it! For this week's recipe I am just making a basic soft pretzel with butter and salt and then we are gonna dip them in nacho cheese. Some of you saw the photos on Facebook of the last time I made these, but I will post recent photos when I make these on Sunday! Such a cheap and DELISH snack on Football day!! You will want to prepare these a bit ahead of time though, because the dough takes a while to prepare! This is the recipe I use:

What You Need:
1 1/2 C. warm water
1 1/8 tsp active dry yeast
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 1/8 tsp salt
1 C. bread flour (you can just use self-rising flour if you don't have bread flour)
3 C. regular flour
2 C. warm water
2 Tbsp baking soda
To taste, coarse salt
2 - 4 Tbsp butter (melted)


What To Do:
Warm water to a comfortable temperature, not too hot or you will kill the yeast, and not too cold or it won't activate...very picky this yeast! Sprinkle yeast into water in mixing bowl and stir to dissolve. Add sugar, salt and stir to dissolve; add flour and knead dough until smooth and elastic. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise at least 1/2 hour.

While dough is rising, prepare a baking soda water bath with 2 cups warm water and 2 tbsp baking soda. Continue to stir this often while the dough is rising.

After dough has risen, pinch off bits of dough and roll into a long rope (about 1/2 inch or less thick) and shape. The thinner you make these ropes, the more like the 'mall pretzels' they will be :) Dip pretzel in soda solution and place on greased baking sheet. Allow pretzels to rise again for about 30 min. Bake in oven at 450 for about 10 minutes or until golden. Brush with melted butter and whatever else you like and ENJOY! YUMMY!!

Veggie Breakfast Wrap

So I was absolutely starving this morning and I am so SICK of yogurt and eggs!! I took a look at what else I had as my tummy rumbled and I had a TON of fresh veggies! And a pack of tortillas! I know the tortillas aren't 'good' for you, but you can always substitute for a whole wheat wrap, or skip the carb all together! I just immediately thought a wrap sounded good!! Plus, I am TOTALLY full and the whole meal was only 221 calories and contained 9 grams of protein!! Anyways, here is the recipe!!

What You Need:
ANY veggies you have on hand- about 1/4 cup of each veggie, less if you have a LOT of different kinds!
I used:
white onion, yellow squash, and baby spinach
about 1 tbsp of Olive Oil
and about 1 tbsp of finely chopped garlic
Optional: 1 tortilla, wrap, etc.

What To Do:
Heat the olive oil over medium heat
and saute the garlic. Be sure not to burn it; that's yucky!!!

Add in all of the veggies except the spinach and saute for 2-3 minutes.

Add in the spinach and stir until wilted.

Set veggie mixture aside and heat a tortilla.

Place the mixture in a tortilla and enjoy! YUM!

**Note: you could always add salsa, sour cream, greek yogurt, or cheese to it to give it an extra punch! :)

This Housewife goes HEALTHY!!!

Okay, so as many of you may know (or not know, lol) my husband and I are going to be trying to conceive again this winter! Since that is the case, I want to get my body in tip-top shape and start eating clean and healthy!! I decided to bust out my old 'healthy eating' cookbooks, blow the dust off, and get some yummy and nutritious meals from them like I should be doing! I haven't been feeding myself the best foods and have been going out a lot lately, but I am ready for a change!! Something else that is important to me is getting my husband to eat better as well. He literally has the palate of a 6 year old, so it is really difficult for me to get him to eat anything 'nutritious'! I usually have to find ways to mask these veggies and other healthy foods so he won't notice (I know, such a BABY!).

A big part of eating clean for me is planning my meals ahead of time. If I know in advance what I am going to be preparing and have the snacks on hand etc, I won't purchase the impulse 'junk' stuff. If I don't buy it, I can't eat it, right?

Here is my meal plan for the rest of this week, not sure for the weekend yet! (a lot of chicken because that is what I currently have in the freezer, LOL):

TUESDAY:
Chicken with Peach Salsa and Brown Rice- Pg. 116 "Big Book of Healthy Family Dinners"
Click Here for similar recipe.

WEDNESDAY:
Pasta Primavera with Chicken and Fresh Veggies- Pg. 119 "Big Book of Healthy Family Dinners"
Click Here for similar recipe, just add Grilled Chicken.

THURSDAY:
EZ Cheesy Lasagna- Pg. 232 "300 Recipes Under 300 Calories by Hungry Girl"
Click Here for exact recipe.

FRIDAY:
Crispy Cheeseburger Pizza- Pg. 270 "300 Recipes Under 300 Calories by Hungry Girl"
(I am using ground turkey rather than the soy ground 'beef' that she uses)
PER SERVING (entire pizza): 226 calories, 4.5g fat, 1,207mg sodium, 33g carbs, 15g fiber, 9g sugars, 27.5g protein -- POINTS® value 4* Make our quirky, burger-style pizza in the comfort of your own kitchen. It has fewer calories than ONE SLICE of CPK's version...
Ingredients:1 1/2 tbsp. ketchup
1/2 tbsp. fat-free mayonnaise
1 tsp. yellow mustard
1/2 cup frozen ground-beef-style soy crumbles (like the kind by Morningstar Farms or Boca), thawed
1 La Tortilla Factory Smart & Delicious Low Carb High Fiber Large Tortilla
1/4 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
1 tbsp. chopped onion
3 tbsp. shredded lettuce
2 tbsp. chopped tomato
Optional toppings: hamburger dill pickle chips, additional ketchup
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a small dish, combine ketchup, mayo, and mustard, and mix until uniform. Add soy crumbles and toss to coat. Set aside.
Lightly spray a medium-large skillet with nonstick spray and bring to medium heat on the stove. Lay tortilla flat in the skillet and cook until slightly crispy, a few minutes on each side.
Transfer tortilla to a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray. Scoop soy crumble mixture into the center of the tortilla and spread it out evenly, leaving a 1/2-inch border around it. Evenly sprinkle with cheese and onion.
Bake in the oven for 11 - 13 minutes, until tortilla border browns and cheese melts.
Top with lettuce and tomato. If you like, add pickles and a squiggle of ketchup. Cut into slices and EAT!
MAKES 1 SERVING
HG Heads Up! We know this one's a bit high in sodium. You can save about 300mg sodium if you use no-salt-added ketchup, like the kind by Heinz.

Another score at 99 Cent Stores!!

For those of you who follow The Homemade Housewife of Facebook (if you don't, go do it now!!), you know that I scored big at 99 Cent Only stores this morning!!

I came home with an unbelievable amount of produce, name brand products from Athenos, Quaker, Almay, Jennie-o, Campbells and so much more! Even a Halloween costume for my dog, Sasha!! Here are some close ups of what I got for about $35.00!!!

Game Day Snack! Bacon Cheddar Jalapeno Poppers!

So I bought a bag of about 50 jalapenos at 99 cent Only Stores and needed to come up with a way to use all of these jalapenos before they go bad. Then I thought, what's better than some delish jalapeno poppers on Game Day?! I searched the internet for the perfect recipe and gathered various ideas to come up with my own recipe. The great thing is, they are baked rather than deep fried :) Here's the recipe I put together:

What You Need:

15 fresh jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise, stems, seeds removed
1 pkg cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar Cheese
1 lb bacon, cooked, cooled and crumbled into small bits (or just use bacon bits)
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup panko crumbs, or fine dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
What To Do:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside.

In a bowl, cream together the cream cheese, cheddar cheese and fold in bacon pieces.
In a small bowl, beat together the eggs and milk. In a shallow dish such as a pie pan, dump in your panko crumbs. In a third dish, dump in your flour. These will all be used for dredging. Spread about a tablespoon of the cheese mixture into the middle of each jalapeno half. One at a time, dredge in the flour, dip into the egg mixture, then in the panko crumbs, pressing to coat. If necessary, repeat the process so they are thoroughly coated. Place the coated peppers, cut side up, on the prepared baking sheet and bake until the filling is runny and the crust is golden, about 30 minutes. YUM!!!! This recipe is definitely a TOUCHDOWN!

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Home Made Dog Biscuits

I have been wanting to find a good recipe for making dog treats and came across this one. It is perfect for someone who wants to just use the stuff you have already in the kitchen!! Enjoy- These are bow-wow-wonderful according to Sasha! LOL

Chick N' Biscuits

Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup cornmeal or cream of wheat
1 tablespoon soft butter

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine chicken, broth and butter and blend well.
Add flour and cornmeal (or cream of wheat). Knead dough into a ball and roll to 1/4 inch. Cut into one-inch sized cookies.
pieces and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Makes 18 dog treats.

Finger-licken-good BBQ Chicken Dinner :)

So, recently, I discovered boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Now yes I know they are a bit higher on the calorie count, however, they are packed with many more nutrients that breasts don't have and they are CHEAP. Literally, I found the pack for this recipe at Target in their new rad grocery section marked down to $2.69 from $6.99 for 6 thighs!! Anyway, this recipe will knock your socks off without burning a hole in your pocket!! Take a look!

What You Will Need for the Chicken:
1 package of 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (This will feed approx. 3 people, but if you have big eaters, pick up an extra package :)
1 bottle of Honey BBQ sauce (I use Sweet Baby Rays)
1 container of your favorite smokey mustard. Any brown mustard will do, or perhaps a dijon?
about a palm full of Brown Sugar

What to do for the Chicken:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
Squirt a layer of BBQ sauce into a large baking dish and line with the chicken thighs.

Sprinkle a palm full of brown sugar evenly over the top of the thighs. Layer a thick glaze of BBQ sauce over the top of the thighs, followed by a few dabs of the mustard. Use a brush to massage it in (your hands work too).

Place the dish in the oven for 20 minutes.
After the 20 minutes, grill for an additional 10 minutes to char the thighs. My husband and I have found through trial and error that baking the chicken first and then charring the outside seals in the juices and makes for a very tender, delicious meat. You can then glaze with additional BBQ sauce or mix the mustard and BBQ to make a yummy glaze!!

For the Rest of the Meal You Need:
1 pkg Frozen corn on the cob
1 onion (whatever is your favorite)
1 can basic pork and beans
1 pkg salad
2 pats of butter
basic seasonings: salt, pepper, garlic salt, parsley, anything else that sounds good

The Corn:
I absolutely HATED frozen corn until I figured out how to cook it. The trick of the trade is to UNDER cook it so it doesn't become soggy. You will want to prepare the corn while the Chicken is on the grill.

Get your water boiling and do not place the corn in the water until it is at a rapid boil. Place your corn into the pot.

Frozen corn is also known for being bland, so I add about a 1/2 tablespoon of sugar to the water.

Boil for about 5-6 minutes and remove to a strainer. Add a couple sprinkles of sugar and allow to rest.

I then usually pop the corn onto a baking sheet and cook it in the oven at 400 for about 10 min. Keep warm until serving, and slather with butter, salt, and whatever else your little heart desires :)

Grilled Onion: 
Slice up one onion of your choice into bite-sized pieces. I chopped some up for our salads.

Place onto a piece of foil and add your favorite seasonings. I did salt, pepper, garlic salt, parsley, and 2 pats of butter.

Place on the grill at the same time as the chicken.

Beans:
Open can. Pour in pot. Heat. LOL

Salad:
Just about any salad will do for this meal, so whatever you say goes :)

Hope you guys enjoy this meal!! Thanks for reading!!

This weeks deals and freebies!

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Freebies!


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Alright guys, thats all I got for today! Hopefully I can find more tomorrow!!!