Mommy Hates Cooking

Make Bake Create Featuring Homemade Menu Planner

2013-05-20T22:54:23Z

I have been so inspired by the links on the Make Bake Create party! I even used several for gifts for Mother’s Day and Teacher’s Appreciation Week. Today, I’m going to share with you something I made a few weeks ago!

If you are late to the party, no worries, every Wednesday come and link up your favorite projects from the week. This could be any food, recipes, crafts or DIY! Since there are 5 hosts… your link will be seen on 5 blogs at once.

Your hosts are Rachel from Bubbly Nature Creations, Sarah from Hope In Every Season, Kristy from Mommy Hates Cooking, Brandi from The Creative Princess and Vanessa from The Rookie Seamstress.

We would love for you to follow us on Google+!

Bubbly Nature Creations

Hope In Every Season

Mommy Hates Cooking

The Creative Princess

The Rookie Seamstress

As we entered into both Mother’s Day and Teacher’s Appreciation week, one of the themes for our teachers was ‘food’ or ‘kitchen’. I thought a great way to show a passion that I have would be to create these simple menu planners! My best friend made me something similar several years ago, so I switched it up just a bit to make these cute planners!

What do you need?

All you need is a frame and erasable marker! That’s it! Then, all you do is print off a menu planner on any type of scrapbook paper you would like to insert into your frame. I used an 8×10 frame and then cut the paper down to fit after I printed it.

I simply attached a marker and printable gift tag to it and an inexpensive gift was made! These are such a great way to get personal and really put your own touch on the gift.

I even made this more simple for you! Find the FREE Printable Menu Planner template HERE! Now, all you need to do is print it on your favorite paper and you are all set!

Now are you ready to get crafty? Be sure and link up some of your favorite projects!

Be sure to follow our Make Bake Create Party Pin Board where we will be pinning the projects linked up here!

Disclaimer and things to keep in mind:

* You may link up any DIY/ recipe/ food type post.

* You may link as many links as you want.

* Be sure to include The Make Bake Create button or text link to in your linked post; this is recommended to be featured!

* By linking up you are agreeing that the photos are yours or that you have permission to use them, that we may use those photos to feature your project on a blog post, Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter with a link back to your blog of course.

(We may also occasionally MAKE YOUR PROJECT OURSELVES- with a link back to your recipe or tutorial, this gets more exposure for you… and potentially lots of traffic!)

]]>

The Best of Make Bake Create

2013-05-13T22:36:56Z

Have you been joining us in our Make Bake Create Party? Guess what? I’ll be sharing with you more about these cute Menu Planners this evening, but first I had to share some of my favorites that have been linked up!

Do you have a favorite?

I have to say, I have been so inspired by these post. I have been a crafting crazy woman over the last few gift giving holidays like Mother’s Day! I’m now gearing up for Father’s Day, so I’d love to see some of your projects for Father’s Day on the next few link ups!

Today though, I wanted to share my top 5!

Citrus Salt Soak (I made this for both the moms and teachers in our life. It was a hit!)

Bananas Foster Waffles from Cooking with Curls

Outdoor Spring Bench from Artsy VaVa

Body Butter by Homespun with Love

Blueberry Banana Bread by Hickory Trail

Are you inspired yet? I know I am!

I could take one of everything!

Now, I’m heading off on a jet plane to South Carolina to visit the Bigelow Tea Plantation! Don’t despair though, I’ll be back this evening sharing more on those cute menu planners plus another link up for this week’s blog party!

Happy Tuesday!

Have you visited our Products list? Be sure and check out Mommy Hates Cooking Products and Services.

Need more recipe ideas? Check out the Recipe Index by Mommy Hates Cooking.

]]>

Menu Plan Monday

2013-05-18T00:32:39Z

This is going to be a fun week! I’m heading off to South Carolina to visit the Bigelow Tea Plantation!

That means, I’m not cooking much at all! So, I’m making this week’s menu fairly easy and loading up on easy meals for my husband and son.

I’ll be sharing with you on Friday all about the trip!

Monday-

Toni’s Tangy Meatballs

Tuesday-

Tangy Meatball Subs

Wednesday-

Spaghetti & Tangy Meatballs

Thursday-

Slow Cooker Orange Roast

Friday-

Pepperoni Pizza Night

Saturday-

Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken

Sunday-

Grilled Rosemary Steaks

Enjoy!

Have you visited our Products list? Be sure and check out Mommy Hates Cooking Products and Services.

Need more recipe ideas? Check out the Recipe Index by Mommy Hates Cooking.

]]>

Grilled Romaine Chicken Salad

2013-05-18T00:31:55Z

I have professed my love in the past for Tyson Grilled & Ready Chicken! Now, I’ll say from the start it’s rare that I like a pre-cooked frozen meat at all, but I LOVE this chicken. I am an awesome menu planner but for lunches, it’s usually just me so I like something simple. The Tyson Grilled & Ready Chicken Breast Strips make the perfect addition to my lunch salads or even pinwheels!

On top of that it makes a great addition to dinners too, like in this Grilled & Ready Chicken Stir Fry!

I am so excited to share this recipe because it’s not only light and easy but it’s perfect for the summer months! I was shown in a cooking class that I took a while back how to grill romaine lettuce for a salad, it’s perfect and so tasty.

I decided to take what I learned and incorporate it in with the Tyson Grilled & Ready Chicken.

If you are anything like me, grilling during the day with the kids especially and infant can sometimes be difficult. Well, this grilled romaine just takes less than 3 minutes to grill! So, while my son is outside playing and the baby is content in her swing or asleep I can throw some romaine on the gas grill.

The first step is cutting the romaine in half. Basically, one store bought romaine lettuce makes 2 salad servings when cut in 1/2 lengthwise. Then, I like to put mine in a bag with olive oil and garlic then shake the bag up to coat it.

Once it’s well coated you simply place on medium heat on the grill cut side down for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, then flip and do the same.

Then, it’s all about the toppings and the Tyson Grilled & Ready Chicken! I get my protein and a healthy grilled tasting lunch in less than 5 minutes!

Now, after that 5 minutes you will have this healthy dish just in time for your toddler to start crying for a nap and the baby to start crying because she’s hungry! Sound familiar?

Maybe later on during your day you’ll be able to sit back, prop your legs up, and enjoy it. We can always hope, right?

Now on that note, I know what I’ll be whipping up for lunch today! I just love this. Love. Love. Love! This could easily be swapped with some fajita style Tyson Grilled & Ready for a fiesta style salad too.

Grilled Romaine Chicken Salad

Serving Size: 2

Ingredients:

1 Head of Romaine Lettuce
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tsp Sea Salt
1 Clove Crushed Garlic
1 Cup Tyson Grilled & Ready Chicken Breast Strips
1 Tomato, Diced
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Vinaigrette Dressing
Salad Toppings (Bacon Bits, Croutons, Egg)

Directions:

Begin by cutting the romaine lettuce in 1/2 lengthwise.

Place it in a Ziploc bag with the olive oil, sea salt, and garlic.

Then, shake it up to coat it well.

Place it on the grill on medium heat cut side down for 30 seconds - 1 minute. Then, flip and leave on the grill for 1 minute.

Place on a serving plate and then get your toppings ready.

Heat the chicken according to the instructions on the package.

Top the salad with the chicken, tomato, cheese, dressing and your choice of additional salad toppings.

Cut and serve.

Now are you ready to try this? You should, now! It’s wonderful!

Check out more great recipes on Twitter at @ClubTysonLive or on their Website and Facebook!

Happy Eating!

]]>

Comments

By: Jayna by Jayna http://www.behindthestudio.com
By: Patricia Cook by Patricia Cook http://PopcornandPearls

Building a Garden Herb Box

2013-05-16T23:46:27Z

I feel like this picture should be a ‘caption this’, don’t you think? It completely cracks me up!

We have been doing a lot in our garden over the last week. We even had some green onions that we used for dinner in a recipe, they were delicious!

I noticed I also have herbs sprouting in our planters. That’s my favorite part!

My husband and son love to work in the garden together. My son says that he’s my husband’s best buddy and he calls it their garden. I love it…melts my heart!

My son helped him plant some more green beans this week and squash. We planted spaghetti squash and I sure hope we did it right and that it works! I seem to be buying them weekly lately!

This week my husband also built me an additional garden box using some scrap wood we had for herbs. I bought a TON of herbs and ran out of room for them. We are going to show you the start of our garden box and how we made it.

My husband also said to note that if you do not feel comfortable using a saw to cut the wood yourself for the box, stores such as Lowes will typically cut the wood for you. Easy Peasy!

So in a nutshell, all you do is use the drill to put nails in the ends where the wood meets to build your box!

We will flip this around and fasten it to the deck once it’s painted, then it’s time to plant!

I am planning to paint it this week and decorate it because it needs to be cute, right?

Next week, I’ll be taking a break from gardening to share with you about my trip to South Carolina and visit to the Bigelow Tea Plantation. So, that means in TWO weeks I’ll be sharing with you the final product of how our herb box turned out.

We will also share a tip plus an update on how our garden is coming along.

Let us know, do you have some gardening tips? Share them with us! Also, keep us posted on how your garden is coming along!

Have you visited our Products list? Be sure and check out Mommy Hates Cooking Products and Services.

Need more recipe ideas? Check out the Recipe Index by Mommy Hates Cooking.

]]>

Comments

By: Tina by Tina http://www.mommyskitchen.net

Grilled Honey Dijon Chicken

2013-04-30T01:20:39Z

It’s time! Grilling time that is! One thing I love to grill is chicken, but it is often hard for me to find the perfect blends of seasonings to make my chicken extra juicy and not dry!

Recently, I have enjoyed making this Grilled Honey Dijon Chicken. It is beyond simple to make and with a few short minutes on the grill, dinner is served.

I serve this using a split chicken fryer; however, it can be served with any part of the chicken that you prefer. I would say I typically prefer whatever part is on sale. Yes…I know that just doesn’t sound right.

When I make this chicken, I simply dip the chicken in flour then coat it with the honey mixture. I usually prep mine by placing it in a foil lined dish so that it’s ready to place on the grill.

Looks yummy, right? It was!

Grilled Honey Dijon Chicken

Ingredients:

1 Split Fryer Chicken (or you can use wings, breast, drumsticks, or thighs)
1 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Honey
1/2 Cup Honey Dijon Mustard

Directions:

In a shallow dish add the flour, then in a separate shallow dish mix together the honey and mustard.

Dip each piece of chicken in the flour, and then coat with the honey mixture.

Grill on medium heat until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165* or to your preference.

Enjoy!

Have you visited our Products list? Be sure and check out Mommy Hates Cooking Products and Services.

Need more recipe ideas? Check out the Recipe Index by Mommy Hates Cooking.

]]>

Comments

By: Kristy Still by Kristy Still http://www.mommyhatescooking.com
By: Kelly @ Texas Type A Mom by Kelly @ Texas Type A Mom http://www.texastypeamom.com

Apple Oatmeal Muffins

2013-05-15T02:12:53Z

Do you ever wake up thinking that something in particular sounds so good that you just may have to make it? Well, it happens to me ALL the time!

There was a time before this website that I was happy to open a box and pop a store bought item in the toaster or microwave and quickly make breakfast. Now…don’t get me wrong on occasion that still happens, but since learning how easy it is to make just about anything I want from scratch that’s my method of choice!

This particular morning I had some apples I needed to use up before they went bad, so I decided to add those to these delicious oatmeal muffins.

A friend of mine, Tara from Organized SAHM, told me this great way to ‘bake’ apples quickly. Simply put them in a plastic dish (peeled and cored) along with cinnamon and just about a tbsp of water in the microwave for 5 minutes with a plate over them. Then, let them cool for 2 minutes…guess what? It worked! I was all over it after that!

Now, it’s time for some apple goodness for breakfast…or all day!

Oh and to note, I did use gluten free all purpose flour to make these; however, they will work with either gluten free or gluten filled. Eat up!

Apple Oatmeal Muffins

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups Flour or Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
1 Cup Rolled Oats or Certified Gluten Free Oats
1/2 Cup White Sugar
2 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Egg
3/4 Cup Sugar Free Vanilla Creamer
1/3 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Baked and Sliced Apples (see shortcut in post, use about 2 apples to make 1 cup)
1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400*.

Combine the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt in a large mixer.

Then, beat in the egg in and stir in creamer, applesauce, and vanilla. Once this is well mixed add in the apples and cinnamon.

Spray a regular muffin pan with non stick baking spray. These pans can also be lined with paper baking cups if wanted. They will make 12 regular size muffins.

Bake these at 400* for 18-20 minutes.

Let cool and top with additional cinnamon if desired.

Enjoy!

Have you visited our Products list? Be sure and check out Mommy Hates Cooking Products and Services.

Need more recipe ideas? Check out the Recipe Index by Mommy Hates Cooking.

]]>

Comments

Oh these sound great. I will be making them. Maybe today? by Maleesa

Make Bake Create Featuring Taco Seasoning

2013-05-18T16:13:51Z

Guess what? This week we are talking food with our hostess of the week! That’s right up my alley! Let us know, what have you found inspiring about Make Bake Create? Have you tried anything that has been linked up?

Your hosts are Rachel from Bubbly Nature Creations, Sarah from Hope In Every Season, Kristy from Mommy Hates Cooking, Brandi from The Creative Princess and Vanessa from The Rookie Seamstress.

We would love for you to follow us on facebook!

Bubbly Nature Creations

Hope In Every Season

Mommy Hates Cooking

The Creative Princess

The Rookie Seamstress

This week Sarah is our guest host and she is showing us how to make a large batch of Taco Seasoning! I’m pretty anxious to try this one out. Head on over to Hope in Every Season to find the complete recipe!

Be sure to follow our Make Bake Create Party Pin Board where we will be pinning the projects linked up here!

Disclaimer and things to keep in mind:

* You may link up any DIY/ recipe/ food type post.

* You may link as many links as you want.

* Be sure to include The Make Bake Create button or text link to in your linked post; this is recommended to be featured!

(We may also occasionally MAKE YOUR PROJECT OURSELVES- with a link back to your recipe or tutorial, this gets more exposure for you… and potentially lots of traffic!)

]]>

Slow Cooker Orange Roast

2013-05-14T02:11:22Z

I have mentioned in the past my all time favorite roast is this Slow Cooker Rosemary Roast. Although it is my favorite, I decided to venture away from it just a bit by adding a little lemon and balsamic vinaigrette to the mix in my last roast creation!

The verdict? Delicious!

I love to use roast for meals because I can typically get a few days out of them. We normally end up with leftovers for lunch then roast sandwiches for dinner. That’s what happens when you only have 2 people eating it! My picky eater almost 4 year old would not go near roast if his life depended on it. I’m not kidding! I’m already saying prayers that my daughter is a better eater than he is.

Now…back to the roast!

I used what I had on hand plus a few finds at the grocery store like oranges that were on sale to make this delicious! I also added spinach and potatoes as well that were on sale…making it a very frugal meal for us!

So, basically I adapted my Rosemary Roast to give it an orange spin! Tasty, right?

Slow Cooker Orange Roast

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Dried Rosemary
2 Tbsp Minced Garlic
3/4 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Ground Black Pepper
3 Lb Beef Pot Roast
1/2 Cup White Onion, Sliced
3 Large Potatoes, Cut lengthwise in half
2 Tbsp Butter
1/2 Cup Fat Free Balsamic Vinaigrette
2 Oranges (1 Sliced, 1 Juiced)
1 Package of Baby Spinach

Directions:

First mix together the rosemary, garlic, salt, and pepper. Then, rub it on the roast and set aside.

Spray the slow cooker with non stick cooking spray, then place the potatoes on the bottom. Place the onion slices over the potatoes and add the butter as well. Next, pour in the balsamic vinaigrette.

Put the roast on top of the potatoes and then arrange the orange slices on top of the roast and squeeze or pour the juice from one of the oranges over the entire dish.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Remove the roast and set aside letting it cool. Use a slotted spoon to remove the potatoes and set them aside.

Pour in the baby spinach into the juices and let it cook until wilted. This only takes a few minutes.

Remove the spinach with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl or on a plate.

Now, arrange the potatoes, roast, and spinach to serve.

Enjoy!

Have you visited our Products list? Be sure and check out Mommy Hates Cooking Products and Services.

Need more recipe ideas? Check out the Recipe Index by Mommy Hates Cooking.

]]>

Menu Plan Monday

2013-05-12T03:46:55Z

A big, black lab that attacks my food. That is my life. Anyone remember this picture? It still happens on a regular basis.

Only now she goes after my son’s food because he’s a weak target. He sees her now and picks up his plate and starts running yelling…”No May, not my sausage!” That is as she is chomping down on his sausage!

Now to menu planning…as I sit down to write my menu plan, I am typically looking at sales flyers. Are you?

One of the best ways to immediately save on your menu and groceries for the week is to buy from the sales ads.

I am a horrible couponer, seriously…the worst of worst. So, in order for me to save the most, I typically always use the sales.

What are some strategies you have for getting the most for your money at the grocery store?

Monday-

King Ranch Chicken

Tuesday-

Beef Goulash

Wednesday-

Poached Egg Salad

Thursday-

Turkey Spaghetti Squash Tumble