Time to Make the Donuts

I can’t open anything these days..the packaging makes me freakin’ crazy(ier)!!!  Sunday mornings I usually make a batch of muffins.  I believe in the power of dietary fiber – these Cereal Muffins are loaded! You soak  a cup of cereal in buttermilk for 15 minutes or so then add the rest of the players.  Uncle Sam has 10g of fiber! I always have Saco Buttermilk Blend in the fridge as I don’t use buttermilk enough to buy a container of it.

 I add dried fruit – Aldi has great choices and prices – I always stock cranberries, apricots, dates, figs & currants.  Aldi  nuts as well – walnuts, almonds, peanuts or pecans.  I made another batch of snack mix too – more fiber yipee!  All of this required the opening of various cereal bags, foil lid liners, blister packs and the like.   My cucumber was shrink-wrapped and further struggles ensued while trying to open my bag of chopped nuts as zip lock bags now have double zippers!  Think I mentioned doing fish in the clay baker tonite – I know each fillet will be encased in its own personal vacuum-packed pouch.  I’ll soldier on with the help of my box cutter, ice pick or circular saw.

I love my clay bakers –  my Mother introduced me to one decades ago while we were visiting her and my step-father in Myrtle Beach; she had bought one at Waccamaw Pottery, which I recently read is supposed to undergo a revival.  Mom had prepared a simple medley of layered vegetables and potatoes seasoned with a bit of salt, pepper and butter and baked at 425° for half an hour.   The pot lids are soaked in water for 15 minutes prior to cooking, which keeps food from drying out.  High heat enhances the flavors and nutrients are preserved.   This model, also called a Romertopf Clay Baker, can be found at Williams-Sonoma.  Here’s the Sunday dinner lineup – served with a brown rice pilaf and Aldi’s  tangy and not-too-sloppy coleslaw.

Clay Pot Fish

Cucumber Onion Salad

Back to where I started….

Snack Mix

7 Grain Cereal Muffins

A recipe for oven-baked donuts using baking mix – I prefer Trader Joe’s or Hodgson Mill Insta-Bake.

Chocolate Oven Doughnut

Pizza Wednesdays

Wednesday nights we usually make our own pizzas but I had thawed some frozen salmon the night before so this week it will be Pizza Thursday.   One of my weeknight standbys is salmon with pesto, Alexia Spicy Sweet Potato Fries and  a steamer bag of vegetables.  The salmon recipe calls for fresh tomato slices which, at this time of year, don’t exist in my part of the world so I tried a different simple recipe using mustard, brown sugar and dill.  Once you manage to free the products from  their packaging, this meal comes together quickly and is baked in about 25 minutes.  Both recipes are attached.

Pesto Salmon

Mustard-Topped Salmon

The pizza recipes in my main file are for reference only..I seriously doubt I’ll ever make my own dough (easy as it sounds) as the whole point of this project is to share my methods and prepare creative, healthy meals with a minimal amount of prep and ingredients I have on hand.  Although I occasionally experiment, I tend to recycle  the tried and true favorites.  The recipes in the following Pizzas attachment reference products and their sources.  My dietary choices are based on a combination of research and experience;  we eliminated trans-fats, fast and most processed foods years ago.  Although we now have a more convenient array of organic products available, I still rely on frozen items when things are not in season.  Luckily none of us are gluten/wheat-sensitive as I do use a lot of wheat and grains in an effort to up the fiber ante.  Frozen dark berries and bean dishes add to the count.  I need to make a batch of cookies – dark chocolate chip oatmeal with flax seed. It’s been stormy all morning, I was glad to not feel obligated to work in the yard but the sun suddenly appeared.  Too soggy for yard work but not for a walk.

Pizzas

Oatmeal Flax Chocolate Chip Cookies

Meant to edit the cookie recipe – use white whole wheat flour, Hodgson Mill Multi Grain Flaxseed & Soy Hot Cereal (also used in my morning smoothie) for the 1/4 cup flaxseed and Country Choice Organic Multi Grain Hot Cereal for the oatmeal – serious fiber!!