Iced Lemonade Cookies

Lemon zest and freshly squeezed lemon juice makes these sweet little refreshing cookies the perfect break from all the holiday chocolate. They're slightly chewy with just the right amount of sweet to compliment the sour.

Snickerdoodles

Cinnamon and sugar make for one awesome and classic holiday cookie. These guys are quick and easy to throw together and make the whole house smell like butter and cinnamon perfection. Snickerdoodles are also great for getting help in the kitchen from our little friends! Depending on age and skill level, kids can jump in and help roll them in cinnamon sugar or go all the way up to making these guys all by themselves. 

Chocolate Cookies with White Chocolate Chips (Crack Cookies)

This has been my hands down most popular and beloved cookies recipe for years. I can post something about taking them out of the oven and people will magically appear on our doorstep. They really are that good, thus are affectionately nicknamed Crack Cookies for their addictive taste. I'm giving away some big secrets here, so hang on to your hats folks. My youngest son helped make this batch, because they're his favorite, too. They're very kid friendly to make.

Homemade Bread Bowls

Although they may look daunting, these guys are pretty easy to make at home and this is a very versatile bread recipe. You can use it as it is here, or divide the dough up into 2 basic Italian loaves for fresh bread with dinner. As with all bread bowl, these work best with thick soups, chili, or chowders. I've used them for broccoli cheese soup, potato soup and even homemade mac and cheese. Like any yeast bread they're slightly time consuming only because of the rise time, not too terribly long hands-on.

Homemade "CheezIts"

So Goldfish and CheezIts are a staple snack food in our house. I decided this was definitely something I could make and eliminate even more chemicals, preservatives and dyes from our diet. The recipes looked fairly simple, 5 ingredients and not very labor intensive with my handy dandy food processor. I'm going to fool around with different kinds cheeses and see how amazing I can make these little crackers, but for the first batch, they're pretty darn tasty. I adapted this recipe from Rachel Cooks, and yes, Rachel, the "z" in CheezIts makes me absolutely nuts, too!

Homemade Belgian Waffles

Breakfast is one of the easiest meals to let slip to the wayside when it comes to real food. Everybody is half awake, rushing around, trying to get ready for work and school. I know we've been guilty of it, especially since my awesome husband usually handles the morning shift. Pop Tarts, sugary cereals and other foods loaded with chemicals and preservatives are quick and easy and fill tummies quickly. With just a little bit of foresight, you can freeze homemade waffles for quick breakfasts that are REAL FOOD.

A Larger Effort to Eat Real

Kids crave sweets and processed crap. No matter how great your intentions are or what they've been fed at home, eventually they will be out in this wide world without you guiding their choices. Rather than have them make poor choices because they feel like they're missing out, I've been trying make more of the things they love at home. This afternoon I knocked out Belgian Waffles, Cheese Its, and cookies. Here's to hoping it at least makes a dent. And never fear, they still get lots and lots of fruits and veggies. 

Look for these recipes to be up soon. Any other foods that your family is addicted to that you'd like to learn how to make out of REAL FOOD? 

Homemade Pie Crust and Chicken Pot Pie

This one is a bonus recipe. Not only to get to learn how to make an easy pie crust at home, you also get to make chicken pot pie from scratch! Talk about the perfect comfort food! Not only do you get flaky, buttery pie crust, but add in chicken, veggies and gravy....perfection in a baking dish. It's also a great way to get used to pie dough, because it can be rustic, no need for neat crimped edges. You can even piece the crust together if you have trouble transferring it the first time. This recipe goes through all the steps, including cooking the chicken, but this is a great use for leftover chicken or turkey, just skip those steps.

Red Wine and Tomato Pot Roast

I adapted this recipe from a crock pot recipe I've had since I was 19. The original called for canned condensed tomato soup...but I wasn't comfortable with using it because of the preservatives found in the major brands, so I switched up the recipe a bit. It was a resounding success, even the extremely picky 83 year old Norwegian ate it and said it was delicious.

I should also note that I'm in the process of trying to clear out my freezer, so the cut of beef I used for this wouldn't be my ideal choice, but it made for nice pictures.

I've also included tips into this recipe for making it in a crock pot instead of on the stove top, like I did. Be sure and read through any recipe from beginning to end before getting started!

Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese

The ingredients list on the average box of macaroni and cheese is scary. It's loaded with chemical preservatives, a crap ton of sodium and even petroleum based food dyes. That blue box is the go to for so many busy parents and students. Think you don't have time to make anything else? Wrong! I'm going to show you how to make macaroni and real cheese on your stovetop in the same amount of time it takes to cook your pasta. As an added bonus, this recipe shows you how to make a basic béchamel that can be used as a base for so many other awesome sauces.

Homemade Chicken and Pastry

Some of the most useful tools in the kitchen when you're trying to eat real food versus processed junk are methods. To get the ball rolling on this blog, I've been trying to pick recipes that include methods you can use to translate to other dishes. This recipe includes how to make stock. Once you've made a basic chicken stock you can translate this method into different meat and vegetable stocks that are so versatile in so many recipes.

"Popcorn" Chicken

Ever really looked at a chicken nugget? You know, that chicken flavored paste that's shaped into nugget form and breaded? We can do so much better and make it cheaper, too. With just 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (which are definitely recognizable as a part of a chicken), your family can have plenty for dinner and even a gallon size zip top bag to freeze for quick meals later. Seriously, this makes so much food that I've come to realize "popcorn" chicken from a restaurant at $5 an order is such a rip off!

Homemade Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls

There are very few things that make the house smell better than cinnamon rolls baking in the oven. It's welcoming, warming and just feels like home.

If you're a bread novice, the idea of making them from scratch can seem pretty daunting. If you know how the dough is supposed to look during each stage, making these amazing rolls at home is so much simpler. I suggest making any bread dough with a stand mixer, however, if you really need an workout, they can be made by hand. They are slightly time consuming, as they have to rise twice, but it isn't active time in the kitchen, so you can walk away. We'll start with the basic recipe....

Why I'm Here

Does anybody really read food labels anymore? To be completely honest, I never used to worry about it......then I had my sons. All these voices in the media trying to grab people's attention about what we are actually putting in our bodies started to get louder and louder in my head. With two parents working full time and all of life's other commitments, I fell into the same trap as so many other busy American moms. Convenience. It didn't occur to me what an issue it had become until I had a 4 year old who wouldn't eat chicken that wasn't nugget shaped and basically lived on fresh fruit and boxed macaroni and cheese.

I've always loved to cook, there just never seemed to be enough hours in the day. It didn't make it any easier that I worked mostly nights and weekends running the bar at a once very popular neighborhood hangout. When my youngest son entered pre-school, I went to work full time, leaving my husband to try to get food in hungry bellies most nights after working all day. Whatever could be microwaved or thrown together on the stovetop in a few minutes became my family's regular meal. Oh, and pizza....lots and lots of pizza. Even on the nights I was home, I was too exhausted and too busy trying to catch up on household chores to really put any effort into our meals.