Asparagus Fries

It’s been a very long time since I have posted and I apologize.  Life has gotten away from me a little with time and I promise to be back at my blog much more often!!

These baked asparagus fries are delicious and super easy to make.  You can season the panko bread crumbs any way you like or even make your own bread crumbs to use.

Here is how I made ours:

Trim the asparagus, dredge in flour and then dip into one beaten egg

Roll in the seasoned bread crumbs (I used seasoned Panko crumbs with a mix of parmesan and some ground pepper added)

Place on a wire rack on a foil lined cookie sheet or you can lay them directly on the foil lined sheet but should turn them once half way when cooking.

Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 12-14 minutes.  The crumbs should be browned and the asparagus softened.  Serve right away.

I served ours with our oven roasted potatoes (recipe here: Oven Roasted Potatoes ) with a bit of sour cream and a ham steak that was warmed in a frying pan in a little pineapple juice.

Don’t forget to visit our family Facebook page to see all of our crazy daily happenings on the farm!!  Chasenchanceranch

Veggie Tips

We eat a lot of vegetables in our house.  Raw, grilled, steamed, chopped, pan-fried, over the open fire, you name it, we eat it that way.

I thought I would share some tips we have learned along the way as well as how we (ok it’s me really) sneak more veggies into our family diet.

Keeping sliced carrots and celery in our fridge in some cold water to make them last longer is a trick I do every week.  I keep blue cheese and peanut butter around so they can dip them instead of just munching on them raw all the time.  Works like a charm!

Chopping up all types of vegetables and storing them in baggies or small containers that are visible when opening the fridge is another way of getting the kids to snack healthy as they will grab them when hungry.  I keep some ranch dressing along with the blue cheese for these types of vegetables.

Storing my own homemade salad in a bag is another easy thing for kids to grab.  I have a few different dressings to choose from and also red wine vinegar as that’s the Teen Queen’s favorite to top off her salad.  You would be surprised how quick a kid will eat salad if they only have to grab a handful out of a bag and put it in a bowl!

Keeping things colorful is inviting to all.  In our chicken stir fry I use all different color peppers and also for when I am making a vegetable side dish for dinner.  The kids call these dishes “rainbow vegetables”.

Kale chips are another great crunchy snack.  You can do the same thing with brussel sprouts by peeling them and baking.

Topping veggies with sauce and cheese is a great alternative to pasta.  This gets scooped right up in a matter of minutes!

Filling them with meat and rice topped with sauce…who could resist!

Loading up your crockpot meals with all different types of veggies that soften, add flavor and break down into the gravy is sneaky!!  This is how I hide parsnips from the Boy!

Grilling is huge in our world.  I will grill many many vegetables in the summer.  Seasoned with a little olive oil, garlic powder and salt and cooked until charred and soft.  Every vegetable is delicious!

And last, keeping fresh corn around and teaching the kids how to microwave their own for 4 minutes and then peel allows for a delicious, no string ear every kids loves!

I have shared recipes on this blog (you can find them under the “Categories” section) as well as on our Facebook page: ChasenChanceranch for all of these pictures.  If you can’t find one, just ask!

Baked Zucchini and Summer Squash

Baked Zucchini and Summer Squash on the menu tonight.

Slice and layer squashes, cover in sauce, top with grated mozzarella. We like onions on ours too but you can use anything you like (mushrooms, peppers, ground beef, shredded chicken and so on).

Comfort food minus the carbs!!

Bake at 425 until squash has softened, cheese has melted and onions have browned.

Avocado Chia Seed Chocolate Pudding

 

This is a delicious healthy way to indulge a little!  The benefits from the avocado and chia seed are plentiful and good for your body!  So go ahead and enjoy!

2 ripe avocados peeled and chopped
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3 TBSP Chia Seeds
1/4 cup honey or agave (I use our homemade maple syrup too)
2/3 cup almond milk, coconut milk, or regular milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Place all in a blender and blend until somewhat smooth. (you may have to scrape the sides of the blender here and there).

**this will not be as smooth as a regular pudding with the Chia Seeds. If you want a smooth pudding omit the seeds and reduce the milk to 1/2 cup

 

 

 

 

Egg Muffins

I know these are all the “rage” now. In our world, they are a perfect breakfast for our busy mornings. The kids can microwave them themselves for a change from cereal, I take one to work in the morning, and the Teen will usually heat one up for a snack if we have them.

I make them many different ways and today was ham, onion, kale and cheddar cheese. I use a jumbo size muffin tin and it’s the perfect serving.

I used 6 eggs, 1/4 cup of skim milk, and as much of the fillings as you like.

Spray your muffin tins well, layer the ingredients in, scramble the eggs and milk and pour over the filling. Sprinkle on the cheese.

Bake at 350 for about 25-30 minutes or until cooked through. Let cool slightly and tip onto a plate and cool completely before placing in bags and freezing or refrigerating.

Harvesting

Fresh lettuce daily

It’s a special time of year when you are finally “eating” what you’ve sown.  A few of our garden items have been producing very well in this wet summer we are having.  Here is a peek into some of our harvested meals.

We are growing head lettuce, romaine lettuce, and purple leaf lettuce.  Every day it’s great to have a choice of which fresh lettuce you are going to eat.  We grow most of this to feed the rabbits, goats and chickens as well as ourselves.

Kale chips

With our lettuce we have our kale planted.  We have 5 huge plants full of thick heavy leaves perfect for kale chips, soups, and kale salads (the teen’s favorite).  She uses just the kale with apple cider vinegar and some taco shredded cheese.

The pea plants are producing in one spot only.  Some of them have become molded from the rain.  We have a second planting of 18 plants almost ready to go into the ground.  We are still getting about 7 pea pods from each plant but we need WAY more for my kids!

These were the only strawberries we collected this year from our plants. We lost quite a few plants to rabbits/voles this spring.  They have been replaced but won’t produce until next year.

Beans and basil are doing well.  This is a store bought tomato as ours are not ready yet but with fresh basil, this caprese salad was awesome!  The beans did not make it past washing them.  The kids ate them immediately.  Luckily I have a previous harvest already blanched and frozen!

One of the last 3 jars of peaches left from last summers canning.  Still a sweet treat.

Looking forward to the many more items to come!

Watermelon Jello

Super fun for the kids and great for a get together!

You can see how we make ours on my Facebook page here:  Watermelon Jello

Fluff-n-Stuff

This is the perfect light dessert!

It’s always a hit at summer parties as it’s cold and refreshing with the perfect amount of sweetness.

The best thing is it’s not that bad for you!!!

And you can make this MANY different ways and flavors!

Here is how I make ours:

8 oz tub Cool Whip (you can use light and even Fat Free if you choose)

8 oz container of cottage cheese (you can add more or less if you like)

1 package jello any flavor (I used raspberry tonight)

1 can fruit cocktail (or fruit of your choice)

1 cup miniature marshmallows

Mix all together in a bowl and chill.

It’s that simple!

NOTES: You can make this with mandarin oranges and orange jello, pineapple pieces with pineapple jello, raspberry with blue raspberry jello etc. You can add shredded coconut as well! Experiment!

Also you can make this with a package of pudding and the coolwhip and add a cup of chocolate chips and the minature marshmallows. Mix all and chill.

This is a win win dessert that can be made many ways!

Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs

I shared the method to make hard boiled eggs that are always easy to peel along with our family recipe for Deviled Eggs on my Facebook page today.  You will never have to worry about destroying your eggs when peeling again!  The link is below:

Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs

Planning Ahead (Kitchen Tips)

Planning ahead is a time saver and leads to eating healthier.  Double win!!

I shared one of the things I do with just a little planning ahead which saved time and made 3 healthy meals on my Facebook page here:  Kitchen Tip