I am finding that with the colder weather my anxieties have spiked… worrying about making sure I have the “usual basics” in my house (like milk, eggs, bread, oatmeal and some frozen dinners as well). I hate driving in the snow and especially in the dark!! So even though we had a cold snap with some snow earlier in October, the fall weather has actually been not too bad. We are still getting a fair amount of sunshine during the days and the snow has thankfully melted at this point. However, I am well aware that winter has not exactly started yet. So in preparation of the coming weather changes, and again trying to find ways to put my anxious energies into something productive, I have started playing with some recipes I found randomly online. :0)

I am not one to stick to a recipe exactly… so I fiddle with the different flavours suggested and sometimes the amounts of ingredients added. I also use canned tomatoes and frozen fruits, as well as precooked meatballs. Basically I try and make things homemade… but homemade with “help”. ;0)

Below I have included some pictures of what I have made over the past couple of weeks. I find I enjoy making frozen yogurts and soups the best… maybe the chilli too. I am always worried about cooking meats to their correct temperatures. An example of this is the one night I had cooked the pork chops well, but they were a bit dry. So the next night I cut them into thin strips and created a completely different dish! In doing so I learned that with food you can find ways to change it, make it taste better and be more enjoyable. (It will always fascinate me though how quickly food can be eaten… in comparison to how long something takes to cook… like turkey!! This I find is similar to money because it is very easy to spend it! Whereas can take a lot more time to gain it).

Anyway, point being that I thought I’d share my food creations. I hope they give you some inspiration too! I don’t use any particular website either. I just Google a recipe or put in the main meat for a dish and see what suggestions pop up. And if the recipe looks fairly straightforward and easy to make, plus I already have all the ingredients, then I just go for it! :0) I have found that I also do better with things that I can freeze extras for later and enjoy making foods in the morning, so my afternoons and evenings are more open for relax and recharge (and/or readings). Plus, it means tackling the dishes earlier on in the day, too, hahaha!

So without any more ramblings… here is what I’ve been making…

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Berry Jam.

I used frozen berries and cooked the jam on the stove for about 25 minutes to get the right consistency. I am hoping to use some later to create little berry turnovers using the premade Pilsbury turnover dough (the one in the can). Should be fun to make! This jam turned out delicious… so might make some for my mom for Christmas too.

Next is a Berry Frozen Yogurt. I added some honey, lemon and lime juice and simply blended everything until smooth. I used my cherry flavoured Greek yogurt for this to add a little extra protein. Then I put it directly into the freezer. I find it to be very cold when you first go to eat it! So I do prefer letting it warm up some before digging in… but the other night I had this when felt a bit peckish and it did the trick! I have also now made a peach, strawberry and orange juice flavoured frozen yogurt. Excited to try that one!!

“Fancy” Oatmeal

I added dried mango, almond slices and shredded coconut. I think this has become my new favourite breakfast! I use the packaged oatmeal (the brown sugar one is the one shown below) and just add these extras on top. Very yummy! I am finding I want to eat my oatmeal… it’s not so bland or boring. I am curious to try other mix-ins… maybe raisins, walnuts.. or if I am craving something chocolatey I could add some Chipits. Anyways, this is definitely a winner for me! Lots of room to play and it does help warm my tummy on a cold day.

Protein Peanut Butter Balls

Now this one was an adventure! I looked up a recipe online and then decided I wanted to add some cocoa powder along with the vanilla protein powder. They became soooo dry! So had to add a lot more peanut butter… and I ended up making 32 balls, which was way more than intended on. Original recipe I found said these can remain in a closed container in fridge for up to 2 weeks, so will test that out. I gave a few to my brother and he said they were delicious (which may have been partly due to me adding some Reese’s peanut butter Chipits into this mix). Either way they are tasty and are good for like a snack with an afternoon tea or coffee. I am planning on making more of these (maybe with chocolate protein powder) for my boyfriend’s dad too… he likes a little afternoon snack, usually a granola bar of sorts, so I’m hoping he enjoys these. They don’t take long to make… the longest part is rolling the sticky mixture into balls! I also have plans to make ones out of dates and add dried fruit and roll into coconut flakes. I am very excited for those!!

Below is a take on my usual sausage and potato soup. Normally I cut the sausages (that I typically have cooked the day before), into little rounds but I didn’t want to take the time so I just cut the sausage into little bits/shreds and put into the soup right after cooking them. I also normally use sweet potatoes, but I decided last minute when was at the grocery store to get a small bag of the little potatoes since I knew I’d be creating various dishes and that seemed like a better value at the time. I also added some frozen corn (which side note, be careful with the bag! I opened it over the pot and so much corn came flying out! The pot smelled like popcorn to me for a bit after!) I added in onion and garlic, baby carrots and celery. Oh! I also added one of those gravy type packets into it to give it some flavour and make it a little thicker so it became more like a “stoup” (word I learned from Rachel Ray years ago). Very delicious and also an easy recipe to play around with… and easy to make in a slow cooker, too. ;0)

Not Just a One-Hit Wonder Chilli

If only I could remember exactly what I did! Brian (my boyfriend), really enjoyed this dish! We had it on Halloween too.. so two nights in a row! Just hamburger meat that I cooked separately with taco seasoning, and in a slow cooker put two different kinds of beans and some tomato paste and red peppers. Once the meat was done I added it in with rest of the dish and let it sit and simmer for maybe a couple hours or so… can’t quite remember but I may have added a chilli seasoning pack in with the beans as well. So yeah we ate it with chips and I put some Frank’s hot sauce on mine. It was so nice and thick and had that slow cooked taste. Very delicious and will absolutely be making it again!

My Re-purposed Pork Chops

These were the ones I had mentioned earlier. I pan fried some mushrooms with garlic and onion and added leftover zucchini. (I am not a huge fan of zucchini so shredded it and then added it to the pan with mushrooms). Sauteed all that with margarine while in a separate pot made gravy (also from a sauce/powder pack). Once gravy was done and mushrooms too I topped it all together on sliced pork and put the concoction into the oven. This didn’t take very long to cook since the meat had been made the night before. I also cooked some baby carrots separately on the stove while this was in the oven, and then we decided to top the carrots on top and eat it all as one dish. Brian also approved of this very much… so adding this to my list of dinners to continue making. ;0)

As you can see from my very random choice in dishes, I really do try and make things with fruits and veggies wherever I can, but my main goal is to make it easy and simple. This way I can hopefully re-create it and not have to spend a lot of energy or time in actually putting it together. I have also made (and then frozen) some pasta sauce. Again, not totally “homemade” considering I made it with canned tomatoes and canned tomato paste… but I added my own spice flavours and some garlic and shredded zucchini to sneak in some healthy veggie. I find cooking can be a lot of fun and allow for space to be creative and playful. I am hoping to try making some baked goodies soon… and I’m sure I will take some pictures to share with you.

I hope this post has been enjoyable for anyone reading it and wish you play, fun, and a little luck in your kitchen!

Take care and be well,

Brandy Marie :0)