Prairie Grit Cakes

To keep with the Westward Expansion era of American history we have been studying I made some Prairie Grit Cakes.

The grits were milled just down the road and all I added was a pinch of salt and pepper (and of course had to cook in water).

Follow directions to cook whatever grits you have on hand.


Scoop a small round into a warmed and sprayed skillet.


Smash down with the back of a spoon and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Turn once and serve with vegetable fritta.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Onion on Kale

I came across this recipe which I believe is a weight watchers recipe. It looked yummy and I had all ingredients on hand. It was quite tasty.

My girls wanted to know if the potatoes had pumpkin pie spices in them.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Red Onion Salad

2 Large sweet potatoes (peeled & cut into bite sized pieces)
1 Large Red Onion (chopped in bite sized pieces)

Roast these 400 (degrees) for 45-55 minutes.

In a small bowl mix:
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 Tblsp white (or red) wine vinegar
1 oz (~2 Tblsp) frozen OJ concentrate

Pour dressing over potatoes and onions and lay on a bed of sauteed (or steamed) kale.

Vegetable Fritta

I wanted grits and eggs one evening - an easy supper after a long day. My fridge was packed with lots of fresh veggies but my mind was at a loss at what great meal to make with them all.

I pulled the eggs out and found the grits.

Then grabbed a red bell pepper. It was so pretty.

The asparagus was washed and ready to use, simple enough.

I had just made some fresh almond milk that morning. (I usually add milk or water to my eggs to make them fluffy and go a little farther with out adding more eggs.)

And of course I must get the spinach, since I have all these other great, beautiful vegetables...

I had out a bell, so I grabbed an onion... they just go together ALWAYS!


The almond milk is still being strained through the orange colored cheese cloth on my 'milk' pitcher.

So, let's see what I can do with this...

Dice the bell pepper, onion, asparagus and spinach. Add to warmed skillet and saute in a bit of water (if needed).


While that is cooking, crack 3 or 4 eggs with some milk and whisk together. Add salt & pepper to season.


After the vegetables are soft, pour the milk/egg mixture into the skillet.



(not a great picture, but bear with me - I'm not a photographer...yet). Turn the heat on low and cover to cook. I had to work the spatula around the edges to get out pretty wedges when serving.

Serve with Prairie Grit Cakes and a slice of tomato.

Granola recipe

I have wanted to make granola for awhile now and have had most of the ingredients from Green Smoothie Girl's granola recipe on hand for awhile now. I finally made the time to do this!

I found this recipe in her 12 Step book and it looked simple enough. It is also on her video 1 page #9.

I actually did not change much at all to her recipe, which is not like me. I usually have to add or take away something...but, not this time. Her ingredients were simple to find and it was all easy to do.

I did, however, half her recipe. In her video she says she doubles her batch, but for my first time I wanted to make sure we liked it before investing so many ingredients into it. It was a hit!

I have sprinkled it on our morning cooked grains, such as barley, oat groats or steal cut oats with fresh fruit and coconut milk. I have eaten it plain with coconut milk and served it in a plastic cup with a spoon for an afternoon snack.

This is the halved recipe I used. To make the full recipe...just double the amounts I have listed.

Into a large bowl, combine:

4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/8 cup sesame seeds
1 Tblsp cinnamon

Into a sauce pan add:

1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup maple syrup (or molasses)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 Tblsp vanilla

Heat this on the stove until barely melted. Stir well and pour over dry mixture.

Mix liquid and dry ingredients until distributed evenly. Bake 250 degrees, stirring every 20 minutes for 1-1 1/2 hours (or until dry).

Granola keeps in the pantry for 2 weeks or in the fridge for 6 weeks.

BlendTec Whole Wheat Pancakes

Here is an easy and plentiful pancake recipe. I used this in my BlendTec and call it:
BlentTec Whole Wheat Pancakes.
The original recipe came from the book by Mildred A Martin Prudence and the Millers.
This recipe serves seven.

I blended 3 cups almond milk (that I made fresh with my blendtec ) with 1 egg and 3 Tblsp flax and 6 Tblsp water and 1 snack cup of natural apple sauce (no, I did not blend a whole apple, but that's a good idea!).

To the wet mix I add 3 cups fresh milled whole wheat flour, 2 Tblsp baking powder and 1 tsp. salt. Press the batter button.

Every time I have made these pancakes my consistency has been great. Not too runny and not too thick.


This recipe makes plenty of pancakes for everyone to come back for more. Be sure to have plenty of Maple Syrup on hand for these.

The left over pancakes store well in the fridge to be warmed up during the week for a quick, easy and healthy breakfast.

You can also add flavorings, fruit to the mix or nuts...

BlendTec Whole Wheat Pancakes
3 cups milk ( I like almond)
1 egg + 3 Tblsp ground flax + 6 Tblsp water
1 snack cup of apple sauce
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 Tblsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Blend in blendtec blender and enjoy!

Black Bean Sloppy Joes

I got this recipe from Stephanie and we really love it. I think it is best as left overs, then it seems to take on more of a 'Sloppy Joe' taste.


Black Bean Sloppy Joe's

1 bell pepper
2 chili jalapenos (Optional)
1 red onion (I use white)
2 garlic cloves (I use many more)

Cook together in a pot.

2 (15 oz) cans black beans
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander

Stir beans and seasonings into veggies. I mash up some of the beans.

1 can 15 oz fire roasted (or diced) tomatoes
1 Tblsp brown sugar
1 Tblsp Worcestershire sauce

In a bowl blend tomatoes, sugar and W. sauce. Then add to bean mixture and simmer 3 minutes.

Salt and pepper to taste and garnish with lime (optional).


We have tried it on onion buns and it's really good. And for an extra healthy meal eat with home made whole wheat bread, carrots and a smoothie!!!

Tortilla Soup

My newest appliance now is a Crock-Pot. I think I have appliance issues. When will it stop? Are there meetings for these problems...is it real? Can anyone help me, or does anyone understand???

Well, I felt I (we as a family) needed an upgrade from our old crock. It was and still is a great appliance. I inherited it when I married my wonderful husband. He had it first and used it often as a bachelor, I'm sure. It's one with "low, high, off" and a plastic lid with lots of cracks. I had to put a towel on it when cooking. Really, it works, but...like I said, I have a problem.

My new Crock has a digital timer and when it is done...it goes to warm! Sweet!!! I like it. My fancy -shmancy rice-cooker has a sister...and it's a pretty red! :)

So, this post is supposed to be about the great recipe I cooked in my fancy-schmancy Crock-Pot. This recipe is adaptable for the stove or crock. I love this recipe and have been cooking it for years.

It has a list of ingredients, but I don't mind because a large majority are fresh. I like to chop and mix... other wise I guess you could go simple and use the frozen or canned or dried...your choice.
Tortilla Soup
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can enchilada sauce
1 med. onion chopped
1 bell pepper chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic (I love garlic! You can add more or less, or powder)
1 stalk celery chopped1 can chopped green chilies (optional)
2 cups water
14.5 oz veggie broth (or veggie bullion)
1 tsp cumin (be generous)
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt (again, be generous)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 can corn (or 10 oz. frozen corn)
1 can red beans
1 can pinto beans

Chop and put all ingredients into crock. You can add shredded cooked chicken if you like.



Serve with tortilla chips and pico de gallo with fresh line slices!

This is also a great dish to make ahead of time and take camping. Just put in jars and heat up at the camp site.