One of Madisen's favorite dishes

Curried chick peas


2 tbsp butter
1 small onion finely chopped
1 clove garlic finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp corriander
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 large can of chick peas
2 tbsp chopped parsley


in a skillet pan melt butter add onions
saute for 8 mins, add garlic,ginger and all spices
mix well let cook 1 minute
Add chick peas and liquid from the can into the skillet
stir and let cook another few minutes or until liquid reduces by half.

This is great cold or hot and the flavor improves after 24 hours.

Tempura battered deep fried butternut squash chips

I had a butternut squash that had a very long neck on it so I peeled it and sliced it into thin chips.
I thought what can I do with this and I thought of the zucchini chips I made in the summer that the kids gobbled up so I gave these a try.


Using my onion ring/fish batter listed on my blog
I lightly salted the slices battered them and then fried them.
OMG so good and a good alternative to fries or onion rings

vanilla,oatmeal,banana cupcakes Another mommy cheat

Sometimes time gets away from me and I have to put a snack out for after school so I throw together these cupcakes and the kids love them.


1 white cake mix
1 banana mashed
1/4 cup oats

In a large mixing bowl put cake mix,1/4 cup oil,2 eggs,mashed banana, 1/4 cup oats and 2 eggs
mix together add 1/2 cup of water and mix together.
I add the water slowly because I don't want the batter too loose.
spoon into lined muffin tins and top with a few chocolate chips.

Easy and delicious

Quick Easy and a few more mommy cheats

Chicken and Tortellini Soup

3 chicken breasts chopped up 1/2 inch cubes
1 small onion chopped small
2 carrots sliced thin
1 small zucchini sliced thin
2 cups of fresh spinach or 3 cubes of frozen ( they come in a bag of cubes about the size of ice cubes,perfect for soup and cheap)
1 package of chicken/bacon filled tortellini or cheese filled
1 1 litre of chicken stock
1 cup of water
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic


in pot put oil,onion,chicken,garlic,salt,pepper
cook for 10 mins on medium heat
add veggies cook for 8 mins and then add stock and water
add basil,oregano,
cook until veggies are soft
Add tortellini 5 mins before serving.

Super Easy, Super good

Honey crusted chicken another kid favorite

18-20 mins  350 degrees  makes 6 servings

4 chicken breasts cut in half or 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 tbsp of honey
2 tbsp orange juice
1/4 tsp fresh grated ginger
pinch pepper,salt
pinch cayenne
3/4 cup crusted cornflakes  (turns into about 1/3-1/2 cup)

mix together honey,salt,pepper,cayenne,ginger,orange juice
dredge the chicken in the mixture and then into the crushed cornflakes.
Bake for 18-20 minutes

Wheelie pasta with cheddar cheese and ham hidden veggies too

So some of my recipes have certain little cheats because I am a busy mom.
This recipe has a cheat or two...............


2 1/2 cups of pasta  (to make it fun I use the kind that looks like a wheel)
1 can of campbell's cheddar cheese soup
1 can of milk (use the cheddar cheese soup can)
1 carrot grated
1 small zucchini peeled and grated
1 rib celery chopped small
1 ham steak cut into small cubes
1 cup shredded cheese

cook off pasta ( leave a slight bite to it because it will be baked for 20 mins)
drain pasta and place back in pot
stir in grated veggies and celery, ham
In your pasta pot add can of soup,milk and 1/2 the shredded cheese
mix together well
Pour into a greased casserole dish
sprinkle with remaining cheese and cake for 20 mins at 350

What a crazy Monday morning........................

A super easy kid friendly meal
Every kid likes chicken fingers, these look the same but are healthy and delicious


Sole fingers

Instead of horrible pre package fish fingers give these simple fish fingers a try!

1 cup bread crumbs (I use seasoned panko crumbs) presidents choice black label to be exact
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
4 thawed sole fillets   ( frozen fish section at super store $6) CUT INTO STRIPS
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter

combine bread crumbs and parmesan cheese together mix well
dry off sole and then coat with bread crumb cheese mix
heat up a skillet pan and place half the oil and butter in the pan  medium heat
You need the other half of butter and oil for second batch of fingers

Fry on side 1 for 5 mins and flip and fry for another 3 minutes. both sides should be light brown and crispy.

Serve with oven baked sweet potato fries.

cut 2 sweet potatoes into small strips 1/4 inch thick and toss in a bowl with olive oil,salt,pepper and a dash of Italian seasoning. bake at 375 for 15 mins and then turn over for another 10-12 mins.
I always line my cookie sheet with parchment paper.