41 weeks, 2 days...

That's right, I'm still pregnant! He's being evicted soon though. :)

I haven't made a single meal plan recently which is driving me nuts! Up until a few days ago I was still enjoying cooking, now it's too much for me. But I thought I'd share some of what I've been eating, some old and some new.

Eggplant Caponata with homemade baguettes
Red Beans and Rice
Spiced Beef Kabobs
Applesauce Pancakes
Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili
Pumpkin Cornbread
Homemade biscuits
Cheesy Lasagna Rolls
Zucchini Chips
Chocolate Chip Banana Spiced Muffins

It's that season again...

...that's right, pumpkin season! My favorite!

If you own a crockpot and a blender/food processor, MAKE YOUR OWN PUMPKIN PUREE!

Save those seeds and roast them! (Sorry, no recipe since I just roast with whatever strikes my fancy.)

Muggle Cookies

Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage

Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin Lattes

Pumpkin Pancakes

Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Soup

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Cookies

And head on over to Give Peas a Chance. She has a lot of pumpkin recipes! :)

Pumpkin Bread

Adapted from Irya's Pumpkin Bread

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup canola oil

4 eggs

1 can pumpkin (2 cups using homemade)

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups white all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 ½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon ginger

½ cup water

1 cup chopped nuts of your choice (optional)

Sift dry ingredients together with spices. Cream butter, oil, and sugars. Add eggs and pumpkin and mix well. Add water. Mix wet and dry ingredients slowly. Add nuts if using. Pour into 2 greased floured 9×5 loaf pans or one Bundt pan. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until done at 350*.

For muffins bake for 15 minutes for mini muffin tins or 20-25 minutes for regular muffins tins. 

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Pumpkin Puree

There are several ways of doing this, but this is by far the easiest method I've found. If you can make your own puree, do it! Well worth the small amount of effort.

First, buy yourself a pie pumpkin. They're smaller than those that you carve for Halloween. :) Give it a good scrub.

Then cut the top off (don't take too much off!). Then cut the pumpkin in half. Using a spoon scoop out all the stringy goop and seeds (keep the seeds for roasting!).  Cut the pumpkin halves into 4ths or whatever you need to do to fit it in your slow cooker. Do NOT add water or anything. Just throw in the pumpkin chunks into the slow cooker and turn it on high. Ignore for a few hours. It's done when it's tender with a fork. Let the chunks cool for a bit before peeling the skin off. Use a food processor to puree the pumpkin in batches. You can use a blender, but you'll have to add some water.

You can store your fresh pumpkin puree in the fridge for a few days or freeze in one cup batches (freezer bags work great) in the freezer for several months.

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Menu-ish: 10/10-10/16

This will probably be my last attempt at a menu for a bit. Baby has already dropped and such, so it looks like I'll be a mommy very soon! :)

Easy Baked Tilapia (didn’t make from last menu)

Mini Meatloaves

Teryiki Madness spicy chicken copy-cat w/ broccoli (sorry, no real recipe)

Grilled hamburgers and zucchini with tater tots

Slow Cooker Turkey Chili

Baked spaghetti squash

Menu: 10/3 - 10/9

Sunday:

Homemade pizza! (did not get to make from last menu)

*Bake playground granola bars

Monday:

Fend for yourself

Tuesday:

Red Beans and Rice with Smoked Turkey Sausage

Wednesday:

Chicken taco salads

Thursday:

Beef Noodle Bowl

Friday:

Easy Baked Tilapia

Saturday:

Baked Oatmeal w/ fruit added

Leftovers/menu make up day/out to eat

Not as adventurous this week. I made sure everything on the menu is something that DH can make if need be. I'm really slowing down lately. 

Soy Ginger Salmon

Original recipe here.

1 lb salmon filets
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons lemon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/3 cup orange juice

In a small saucepan over medium heat, pour in brown sugar, lemon pepper, garlic powder, soy sauce, olive oil, and ground ginger. Heat until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in orange juice.
Place fish and marinade into a re-sealable plastic bag and refrigerate overnight for best results.
Reserve marinade and bake salmon at 400* for 15-20 minutes (time depends on thickness) in a non-stick sprayed baking pan/dish.
While salmon is baking, put marinade in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for several minutes, stirring occasionally. For a thicker sauce use cornstarch or a bit of flour while cooking.
Serve salmon with sauce on top.

***
DH, the salmon lover of the family, thought this was fantastic! I put my paranoia aside and cooked the marinade down unlike the original recipe. Glad I did! I also baked the fish rather than broil because I prefer to not have the smoke detectors in the house going off. :)

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Playgroup Granola Bars: Variation #2

Original recipe here.

2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup wheat germ
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup of raisins, semi sweet chocolate chips, nuts total
1/2 cup honey
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350* and grease a 9x13 baking pan (any non-stick spray works great).
In a large bowl mix the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, salt, raisins, chocolate chips, and nuts.
In a separate bowl beat the egg and add to it the honey, applesauce, and vanilla. Mix.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Use a wooden spoon or your hands to mix well. Pat mixture evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake 30-35 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes. Use a serrated knife to cut into bars while it's still warm.

***
Updated recipe 10/19/10. Haven't tried other dried fruits in it yet, but will in the future! Love these bars. :)

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