Cinnamon Tortilla

I can almost guarantee that most children will rave over the Cinnamon Tortilla.

When I would make this for the children I worked with in a day care program, about 90% of the group would jump for joy. Seriously. I don't blame them, because the cinnamon sugar combination is never a bad choice. I used the whole wheat tortilla from Montana's own, Trevino's Tortillas. 

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat Tortilla

Light butter

Cinnamon

Sugar

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Put a thin layer of butter on the tortilla and sprinkle cinnamon sugar on the top.

Bake in hot oven for 7-10 min. 

Cut into triangles and ration appropriately. 

The final product.

Serve with yogurt of fresh fruit!!

Quinoa Pizza Bites

What does everyone think of Quinoa? I'm a new user and so far, I love it. I used this blog post to educate myself on the new grain in my life: Quinoa Users Guide!

My personal favorite food is and always will be pizza. I love trying new recipes that provide a healthy spin on my favorite meal. I adapted this recipe from the blog, So Very Blessed.

Ingrediants:

•  2 cups cooked quinoa
• 1 large eggs
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• minced garlic
• basil
• seasoning salt
• oregano
• 1 cup chopped mushrooms
• 1/2 cup black olives
• 1/2banana peppers
• pizza sauce for dipping

What are your favorite toppings???

Choose whatever pizza toppings that you love! I enjoy veggies on my pizza but feel free to add meas, onion, peppers, and much more!Explore your topping options to the fullest.

            

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Mix together all ingredients, except pizza sauce.

3.  Distribute mixture into a greased muffin tin

4.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.



The recipe orginally calls for a mini muffin tin, I used the standard muffin tin and they worked. When serving children the smaller tin pan would be more efficiant.





dinner is served with a side of fresh tomato sauce





Vegetable Meatballs

A kitchen is a laboratory and recipes are experiments. 

There are some amazing blogs just  filled with healthy recipes and awesome fitness tips. Check them out and get inspired.This recipe was an adaptation of two recipes I collected from other blogs:

Blogilates- Super Healthy, Ultra-Clean Meatball Recipe! 

&

A Cozy Kitchen - Turkey Zucchinni Meatballs 

Ingredients:

2 cups carrots

1 cup frozen corn

2/3 cup almonds

1/2 cup flax seed

3 egg whites

2-3 lbs ground Turkey

1 cup oats (the recipe calls for quick oats but I used the old fashioned and they tasted great.)

1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese

salt/pepper/oregano/basil

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.

I combined the carrots, flax, and almonds in my food processor until they were finely minced. Next time, I will crush the flax up first so it can become a powder. I added them all together and the carrots and nuts ended up very tiny but the flax needed some extra time, I was nervous the carrots would puree so I stopped.

*The flax needs to be ground up in order to be absorbed into the body, otherwise it will just go through your system compared to putting clean oil through a dirty filter in your car. Next time :)

After that I added all of the ingredients together and formed them into larger balls that fit into my muffin pans.

Spray the pans with olive oil and cook them in your hot oven for about 25-30 minutes. 

Feel free to try out adding zucchini, squash, peas, onions, and peppers. I never cook with onions because I don't care for the taste. Let me know what works for you!!

Serve with whole wheat noodles and fresh sauce, in a tortilla, or eat it plain. 

Montana Foods List:

Carrots -163

Ground Turkey-54

Potato Soup

The winter weather is approaching and there is no better cure for the cold than a warm bowl of soup. I decided to do a CROCK POT recipe and make a soup. 

Ingredients:

6-8 Potatos

2/3 cup whole wheat flour

6 cups 2% milk

1 cup shredded cheese

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup sour cream

2 cloves garlic

*My seasonings: seasoning salt, pepper, steak seasoning 

Use whatever seasonings you want

Onions and bacon could also be added to this soup. Feel free to add veggies/proteins!

Directions:

Pierce potatoes with a fork and bake at 400 degrees for one hour, or until potatoes are tender

Peel potatoes skins then  mash/chop 

Add flour and milk to crock pot on high and MIX WELL for about 45 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients and let cook on low for 3-4 hours.

 I like to top a creamy soup off with cheese.

My Favorite Sloppy Jo

This was one of the tastiest concoctions that I have ever thrown together. This meal is super easy to make and packed with whatever veggies you would like. Here is how I made mine:

Ingredients:

2 lbs. ground meat

1 can reduced salt black beans

2 cans organic, no sugar tomato paste (1 may be enough)

1-2 cups of frozen corn

2-3 garlic cloves

*use onions and peppers if you like them!

Directions:

1. In a large pot; brown meat, add your favorite spices* Mrs. Dash is good for low-salt flavors

   I chopped up the garlic and let it cook with the meat.

   Drain.

2. In the same pot that I browned the meat, I added the rest of the ingredients and let it simmer on a low setting for about an hour. The dish could be smelled by the neighbor children while they were playing outside.

3. Serve plain (like a chili), with your favorite whole-wheat bread, a wrap, or Oven Baked Parmesan Fries!

 I love this recipe from Playing With Sugar.

I would usually prefer to eat these with a wrap, but I was feeling fries this time. How did you choose to serve your Sloppy Jo's??

awesome blogs

I apologize for not having the new recipe up yet! On Monday, our office was closed, on Tuesday, I forgot my camera at home, and today, I took out the battery and brought that to work instead of the memory card.... I clearly have not had any coffee yet. I will definitely get that up tomorrow. We will be having a twist on the old favorite: Sloppy Jo's. 

Since there is a delay in the posting, I want to leave some links for other healthy recipe bloggers.

Super Healthy Kids has 20 healthy toppings for toast! The creativity in this is amazing.

I think this blog has awesome recipes. Here is some awesome things to try for LUNCH!!

& peak here to graze some new ideas for snack time :)



Again, sorry for the delay. Take some time to explore the blogging world and apply new recipes in your home.

Crock Pot Spaghetti

The plus side of making a huge supply of delicious sauce; you will have it all week to add to your meals. This recipe requires a crock pot. I have made Crock Pot Lasagna before, this is a variation of that recipe.

1. Ground meet;browned &drained with garlic.
2. Layer of meat then sauce.

3. Layered meet,sauce, cheeses, and noodles.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. of your favorite ground meat (I used deer meat)
• *I browned my meat with a garlic clove (optional, but tasty)
• 5-6 cups of your favorite sauce. 
• 2-3 cups of Italian/Provolone/Mozzarella Cheese (Whatever your preference)
• Whole-Grain spaghetti noodles (I only used half of the box but it's up to you)
• *I added about 4 oz. of cream cheese to make the dish creamer (optional) you could add ricotta cheese instead.

After about a half hour I mixed the pasta very well and added a little more cheese.

Directions:

• Brown meat with garlic; drain
• Layer meat, noodles, sauce, cheese, noodles, sauce, cheese in the crock pot
• Set to low for 4 hours until noodles are tender

*Set on high if you want to speed up the cooking process, but be careful to keep stirring the pasta as it can burn to the side of the crock pot.

Tender noodles in a creamy, veggie sauce with meat. YUM.

Montana Foods List:
Tomato Sauce-263
Ground Meat- 120
Whole Grain Spaghetti Noodles: 52 
Mozzarella Cheese- 81



*I love this recipe because there is no right or wrong way of added properly measured ingredients. Just add what YOU think would win over your eaters and be the most tasty. We all have different food preferences and that is what this blog is all about. Let us know what you liked about this dish and how you made it perfect for you. Keep check out Child Care Connections! Thank you!!

Snack Balls

Life is busy. We don't always get to the grocery store when needed and find ourselves with one or two ingredients shy of a recipe. This snack is for those of us who enjoy the madness of improvising in the kitchen. This recipe used the appropriate ingredients that I had available in my kitchen. "Snack Balls" are super flexible and a perfect on the fly snack. Not to mention they are a healthy treat that is packed with energy.

Ingredients

My Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup of dry, old fashioned oats.
• 1/4 cup toasted coconut flakes
• 2/3 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup ground flax seed (adds fiber)
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 cup dried pomegranate  

Optional Ingredients:

• sunflower seed butter, almond butter, peanut butter
• alternative oatmeal, grains, granola, wheat germ, and rice cereals
• your favorite dried fruits/berries: raisins, dried cranberries, dried blueberries,  
• your favorite chopped nuts; walnuts, peanuts, almonds or sunflower seeds
• no chocolate chips or alternate with milk chocolate, white chocolate, or butterscotch

My mixture before I it chilling

Directions:

• Put all of your ingredients together in a large bow,l and mix well.
• Let the mixture chill in the refrigerator for about  30 minutes.
• Once chilled, roll into appropriate sized balls or other fun shapes.
• The balls will stay fresh in the fridge for one week :) 

 

*I was not a fan of the coconut flakes, I probably won't use those again. I also think it was a waste of vanilla so I don't think I will use that ingredient either. I found that you don't really need to measure the ingredients in this recipe. As long as you put enough grains to hold the balls together,  any variation of this recipe will be perfect. 


*This recipe is nice if you have a busy week and only have one day to spend on preparing meals and snack. Try this out for breakfast, snack time, or if you are running late to soccer practice. 

Keep trying your own variations and let us know what works for you and what doesn't.!
 Happy Wednesday, Bozeman! It's the first snow of the season :)

*This recipe makes 15-20 balls

Montana Foods List:
Oat Cereal Flakes 150
Peanut Butter 141

 

Apple French Toast

3 Gala Apples, I kept the skin but it can be removed. I also realized I needed my apples much smaller when they started to cook.

Ingredients

• 3 medium apples
• 2 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 egg
• 1/4 cup low-fat milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 slices bread (I used High Fiber Flax & Sunflower from Wheat Montana)
• Powdered Sugar (optional)  

  Directions

• In a large skillet, saute the apples, brown sugar and cinnamon in 1 tablespoon butter until apples are tender. 
• In a shallow bowl, whisk the egg, milk and vanilla (I added some extra cinnamon.) Dip both sides of bread in egg mixture.
• In a large skillet, melt remaining butter over medium heat. Cook bread on both sides until golden brown. Serve with apple mixture and powdered sugar if desired. Yield: 2 servings

The final product! A breakfast perfect for a cool, Fall morning.!!

Montana Foods List:

Apples 01

French Toast 14

 

Vegetable Sauce Recipe

The first recipe to share is a staple in my house and the variations are endless, so don't be afraid to experiment. I have red tomato sauce running through my veins, my mouth waters for the taste. I never, ever buy pre-made, brand name sauces. If you are serving a group of folks who are rather particular about chunky sauces, I have a basic sauce recipe to share; 1 12 oz can of crushed tomatoes, 1-2 cloves of fresh garlic, & a few bay leaves. I believe that nothing can come close to outdoing the succulent taste of those 3 ingredients. Just add them to a pot, turn on warm/low and let it simmer and enjoy the aroma in your home.

1 can of organic crushed tomatoes, fresh bay leaves, & Montana grown garlic

 *I use my hand mixer to give the sauce a smoother texture. If you are going to do that, you might want to do it before adding the bay leaves. Sometimes I forget and get a mouth full of leaves. I have used the already crushed bay leave seasonings, and I think they are easier to use in a sauce because they are nicely minced. I just love the smell of bay leaves simmering in tomato sauce!

Now, things can get interesting. I believe in vegetables. I recently discovered how easy it is to add veggies to this sauce recipe. As stated above, the possibilities are endless. I also feel this is a wonderful way to sneak veggies into the lives of children. I have used the veggie sauce with pasta, spaghetti squash, stromboli, and on pizza. First, choose your vegetables!! I chose to add banana peppers, mushrooms, carrots, celery, and frozen artichoke hearts. *The frozen artichoke hearts are awesome, I bought them at a local grocery store in Bozeman. They are a great price for what you get, compared to the canned/jarred artichokes.*

banana peppers, mushrooms, and chopped carrots

frozen artichoke hearts

First, I made the basic sauce from above then started chopping. When serving this in your child care program or home, be sure to cut the vegetables accordingly, in order to prevent choking.Then, just add the veggies to your sauce and stir. Super easy, right?? Just continue to let the sauce simmer until the veggies are soft.

1:The veggies added to the original red sauce. 2.&3: The sauce is mixed and simmering to perfection.

 This sauce will be a hit in your lives, we hope. It may not be a home-run the first go around, but don't give up! Simply change the variations of veggies to best fit your meal time. I would like to create a recipe for this using fresh tomatoes from the grocery store and to further explore healthier variations. Don't forget to visit the website for Child Care Connections! Enjoy!

A list of sauce friendly vegetables,                                          
but not limited to:                                                                              
Artichoke                                                                                              
Beans                                                                                                    
Carrots                                                                                                 
Cauliflower
Celery
Corn
Mushrooms 
Onions
Peas

Peppers
Zucchini



Montana Foods List:
Celery 165
Mushrooms 188
Carrots 163
Tomato Sauce 263

*Here is a printer friendly version of this recipe

Meals on Monday...ready, set, GO.

Happy October!!

We thought it would be neat to start a recipe blog as a follow up to our cookbook called "Cheap Eats". This cookbook was designed to help families and child care providers make healthy meals on a low budget. If you are interested in a copy of this cookbook, please email: deneen@childcareconnections.info

We would like to offer a new healthy, low cost recipe each week. We are calling it Meals on Monday and hopefully you can coordinate a new recipe into your weekly meals. This first week of October, we will be posting a new recipe every day to kick off the launch of this project. A printer-friendly version of each recipe will be available at the end of each post. 

We love to hear feedback from our readers! Please do not hesitate to comment on our posts and request recipes/ingredients for us to work with. Thank you in advance for your commitment to Child Care Connections. 

Enjoy :)