Halloween Treats for school

Since the boys still think this is cool, I always make Halloween treats to bring into classroom :)  Kiddos LOVED them!!

Supplies

For cheese and cracker mummy: 

-Cheese and cracker packs

-White medical tape

-goggly eyes

For spider cupcakes:

-hostess Cupcakes

-black pipe cleaners

-googly eyes
 

Halloween Spaghetti

 I love myself a themed dinner for Halloween!!!  How cute and easy is this?!

Ingredients:
Spaghetti
Meatballs  (this is a good recipe if feeling fancy :)
Mozzarella cheese balls
Black olives, sliced

Make up spaghetti and meatballs.

Cut the mozzarella cheese balls in half and put one half on top of the meatballs and bake for 3-4 minutes to melt the cheese.

Top with sliced olives to create the eyeballs :)

Halloween school lunch ideas

I always scramble the night before Halloween to think of what to pack for kids school lunches so figured I would put them all in one spot so I just have to look here :)  They always love their special school lunch!!!

This guy I just used pieces of string cheese to make him look like a mummy (and used a gingerbread cookie cutter)

Cinna-Bones Halloween Bfast!!

 I love myself some Halloween themed meals and this was EASY, YUMMY, and SO CUTE!!!!

Ingredients:
2 packages cinnamon bun packages

Just pull apart and create your mummy any way you want :)  Then bake according to package and put icing on top!!!  and DONE!!!!

Mexican Chicken Quinoa Casserole

This was pretty good!!  I didn't think the kids would like it but they actually both liked it!!  Rossy and I thought it was delicious!!!  It's a little putsy to make but totally worth it -- and the leftovers were great too!!!  AND you can prep parts ahead of time too so wouldn't take quite as long to put together.

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces (about 2 large breasts)
1 tablespoon, plus 2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon minced garlic about 2 cloves
1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes (15 ounces) well drained
1 can black beans (15 ounces) , rinsed and drained
1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese divided
1/2 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese divided
Fresh cilantro for serving

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a large casserole dish (9×13 inch or similar) with nonstick spray and set aside.

Place 2 cups water and quinoa in a large saucepan, then bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside.

In a Dutch oven or similar large, deep sauté pot, heat the olive oil over medium high. Add the onion, green bell pepper, and red bell pepper. Sauté until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken, chili powder, cumin, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Continue to sauté until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and drained tomatoes and cook 1 additional minute. Remove from the heat. Stir in the black beans, reserved quinoa, Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, and 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and spread evenly in the pan. Top with remaining cheddar and mozzarella. Bake, uncovered, until the cheese is melted and the casserole is hot, about 15 minutes. Turn the oven to broil, then continue cooking until the cheese is lightly browned, about 3 to 4 additional minutes, watching carefully so that the cheese does not burn. Let rest 5 minutes, sprinkle with chopped cilantro, and serve.

Hoisin Pork Chops

 This was AMAZING!!!  We all loved it and it was super easy to make!!!  We did pork chops, but this would be great on salmon, chicken, anything!!!!

Ingredients:
4 bones pork chops
3/4 tsp salt
2 tablespoon sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoon ginger minced
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons water

cilantro, for serving

1. In a small sauce pan set over medium heat, simmer the garlic, ginger, hoisin, rice vinegar and water, whisking occasionally until the mixture is fully combined, about 4 minutes. Set aside.
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1. Lightly salt pork chops. Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet over high heat. Once oil is smoking, place the pork chops in the skillet, cook without turning until well browned, 3-4 minutes on each side (adjust timing based on how thick your pork chop is). When an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 135°F, remove the pork chops from the pan. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes.

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1. Serve with hoisin sauce drizzled over top and sprinkle with cilantro if desired.

Halloween Quesadillas

Had a pumpkin themed dinner so got creative with dinner :) 

 

Halloween Dessert

Had a pumpkin themed dinner tonight so made up some dirt cups and put pumpkins on it to look like pumpkin patch :)

 

Creamy pumpkin soup

This was eh…I almost didn’t post it but some people might think it’s tasty! It was very easy to make so there is that….good for fall!!!

Serves 8

Equipment

• Large Stock Pot
• Blender
• Whisk

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp. margarine
• 1 Large onion finely chopped
• 2 carrots finely chopped
• 28 oz chicken broth 2 14.5 cans of chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 29 oz. canned pumpkin 1 can plain pumpkin
• 1 golden delicious apple peeled, cored, and chopped
• 1 tsp. ginger
• 1 tsp. salt optional
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 cup heavy cream

Instructions

• Melt margarine in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add onions and carrots, cook 5 minutes or until soft.
• Add broth, water, pumpkin, apple, ginger, salt, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Cool mixture slightly by removing from heat for a short period of time. Using a blender or food processor, puree soup in batches. I use an immersion blender blending it right in the pot.
• Return blended soup to pot and whisk in heavy cream by hand. Reheat, but do not boil! Sprinkle a little nutmeg on top and serve! Enjoy!

Almond Chicken

This was yummy!!! Makes a ton so be ready for that (we cut chicken smaller so it would cook faster too!)

Ingredients

• 3/4-1 cup almonds , depending on the size of the chicken
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg , beaten
• 4 chicken breast halves 4 small or 2 large

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Combine the first six ingredients (through the salt) in a food processor. Pulse until the almonds are chopped fairly small.
• Pour the almond mixture in a shallow bowl.
• Pour the beaten egg egg in a shallow bowl.
• Salt the front and back of each piece of chicken.
• Working with one piece at a time, dip the chicken in the egg and then coat with the almond mixture making sure to pat the mixture into the chicken.
• Place the chicken on a non-stick baking sheet or one lined with parchment paper.
• Drizzle olive oil over top of chicken to help make crispy.
• Bake for 22-25 minutes and remove from oven.
• Let rest for 3 minutes to let juices redistribute
• Serve hot.