Milk Cookies

I know this isn't a healthy recipe, per se, but they are a great gift for new mamas. They help with milk supply and taste so yummy. I love to make a batch and freeze them in ready to go dough balls. If the new mama lives nearby, I usually cook them up before delivering them. But, if she is further away and I need to deliver before baby's arrival, I'll take them frozen with instructions to cook.
If you've got a non-chocolate friend, disown them! Just kidding, just sub out the chocolate chips for white chocolate chips and cranberries. So good! Recipe credit goes to my childhood pal, Jennifer Lee Smith!

1 Cup butter
1 Cup sugar
1 Cup brown sugar
4 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp flaxeed meal (no subs)
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 Cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp Brewer's yeast (no subs)
3 Cups oats
1 bag chocolate chips

Combine dry ingredients, except oats and chocolate chips.
Mix 2 Tbsp flaxseed meal and 4 Tbsp water, set aside for 3-5 minutes.
Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs. Add flaxseed mix. Add vanilla. Beat until well blended.
Add dry ingredients. Add oats and chocolate chips. Drop on parchment paper on baking sheet. Bake 8-12 minutes at 375.

Veggie Burgers

Y'all those frozen veggie burgers are for the birds. I just don't like them. I have truly fallen in love with Alana Chernila's cookbook The Homemade Pantry! She has so many amazing recipes that are way better than their store-bought brothers. You can make her veggie burger recipe and eat them right away or freeze them for later use. Today, I made them to take to a friend that is having a baby next week. They were a go-to for me post-baby. I made a batch (about 16-20 depending on size) and had an easy, healthy lunch option when I was adjusting to life with a newborn in the house. I hope you love it as much as I do. It's a lot of work, but so worth it.

Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra (or cooking spray) for the baking sheet
1 medium onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium carrots, shredded
1 red bell pepper, diced
10 large mushrooms, stems removed and caps diced
1/2 cup corn (fresh or frozen)
1/2 Tbsp ground cumin
1/2 Tbsp dried oregano
1/2 to 1 Tbsp chili powder, or to taste
salt and pepper to taste
3 15.5 oz cans black beans, drained
2 cups cooked brown rice (from 1 cup dry)
2 cups Breadcrumbs, store-bought or homemade (I didn't have any today, so I toasted 8 slices of bread and pulsed in my blender/food processor)
2 large eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (I use Brewer's Yeast)

Tips: I cook the rice first so it's done by the time my veggies are chopped and other ingredients are ready to go. I premeasure the spices and put in a little bowl so they're ready to go for their step. I do the same with the mustard, vinegar, etc. Also, while waiting for the mixture to cool, do your dishes. This makes a lot of dishes. :)

1. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook until soft and shiny, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, carrots, red pepper, and mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until soft and aromatic, about 10 minutes. Add the corn, cumin, oregano, chili powder, salt and pepper. Continue to cook for 3 minutes more. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly.
2. Preheat the oven to 425. In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of the beans, 1 cup of the rice, and half of the cooked veggie mixture. Mash with a potato masher until the ingredients are well blended. Use your hands to combine this mixture wiht the breadcrumbs, eggs, mustard, vinegar, soy sauce, yeast, and remaining 2 cups beans, remaining 1 cup rice, and remaining cooked veggies. Let the mixture cool entirely.
3. Oil a baking sheet with olive oil. Using your hands, form the mixture into well-packed patties. Lay the patties on the oiled baking sheet, and flatten with a spatula. Bake for 15 minutes, flip the patties, flatten with the spatula once again, and bake for another 15 minutes. Serve immediately, or if storing for later, allow to cool, then freeze on a baking sheet for at least 3 hours before transferring to freezer bags.

Storage
Freezer-safe container or bag, 4 months (microwave for 1 minute and then grill or fry the frozen patties on low heat in a covered, oiled frying pan for 10 minutes on each side)
Fridge-(after defrosting or before freezing) covered container for 4 days

Andrea and the Red Crayon

I have been a mom for nearly 9 years. I have 5 children, but it wasn't until this weekend that I had a crayon run through the dryer. Pretty good, right?! Well, I still had the problem of getting it all out. I am so grateful for Google and the author over at Diary of a Doctor's Wife for sharing her experience. I'm happy to report that I successfully got most of the crayon out of the clothing. (Which, by the way, was MY clothing! It was totally MY fault that crayon was in MY pocket! I picked it up to avoid a choking baby situation and forgot to throw it away! Blergh!)

Here's what I did! I didn't even have to go to the store. All of these items were already in my house. Hooray!

1.) Boil water in your largest pot!
2.) Add regular laundry soap, 1/2 cup of vinegar, 4-6 tablespoons of Dawn dish detergent to the washing machine and set it to hot!
3.) Add boiling water to the washing machine.
4.) Add the victims of the crayon attack to the washing machine. Soak for 15 minutes.
5.) Run the wash as normal and dry as normal.

Well, my trust in the Doctor's Wife was warranted! It worked splendidly. It was a red crayon on a light colored load, but now you can hardly see the offending marks. Most were completely gone, just a little evidence remained.

Watermelon Cucumber Salad

I'm always looking for healthy, tasty recipes to take to gatherings. I feel like I show up to BBQ's or church socials and there are about 50 desserts and no fruits or veggies. I made this delicious salad recently and wanted to share it with you. It is beautiful and tastes so yummy! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. It is the perfect take along to your next BBQ!

1 English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cubed
1/2 of a seedless watermelon, cubed
1/2 a lemon juiced
1/2 thinly sliced red onion, soaked in cold water for 15-20 minutes
1/8 cup olive oil
Thinly sliced fresh mint to taste

I sliced the onions first and then let them soak while I chopped the remaining ingredients. Drain the onion, squeeze dry and toss with cucumber, melon, lemon juice, 1/8 olive oil, and mint. Chill until ready to serve. If desired, right before serving,
season lightly with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

If you give a family a PANCAKE...

Pancakes are a family favorite around these parts. I prefer to double or even triple this recipe so that we can eat pancakes for breakfast on another day. I love the flavor of these pancakes so much, I rarely even put syrup on them. My recipe is modified from the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook.

Ingredients
1 Cup Unbleached All Purpose Flour
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
2 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Ground Flaxseed Meal
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Large Egg
3 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, Melted
2 Cups Buttermilk (or Sour Milk--2 Cups Scant Milk, plus a little lemon juice)
1 to 2 tsp Oil (to grease pan)

Whisk together the flour, sugar, flaxseed meal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, melted butter, and then add in the buttermilk. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour the buttermilk mixture into the well, and whisk very gently until the buttermilk mixture is just incorporated. The trick is to leave a few lumps. Don't whisk it smooth!

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Brush the pan bottom with the oil. Pour batter  on the skillet and cook until large bubbles begin to appear, about 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook until golden brown on the second side. Repeat with remaining batter, brushing skillet with oil as needed between batches (I only do this about every other batch.)

Enjoy right away or let cool and refrigerate for leftovers. You can turn them into blueberry pancakes by placing blueberries on the wet side before you flip the pancakes. I've also do this with thinly sliced bananas to rave reviews.

Hope your family loves these as much as we do!