Whip out the Waffle Iron

Even though I'm currently trying to watch what I eat, I am excited to share with you busy folks the glorious waffle iron. Talk about quick fixing. This machine is amazing when it comes to creating delicious meal accessories (that are usually laden with carbohydrates, but incredible nonetheless).

Here are a few of my favorite contents to cook up with the waffle iron. Once that sucker is heated up, it only takes a couple of minutes until your product is finished.

1. cornbread - I typically buy the bag mix that requires only a few additional ingredients, but cornbread waffles are spectacular with chili or soup!

2. muffin mix - again, bag mix + milk is the way to go

3. cake mix - this time, I go for the boxed kind (shocking, I know)

4. shredded hash-browns

5. canned cinnamon rolls

6. canned biscuits

7. cookie dough (works best when 'partially' frozen)

8. brownie mix

Am I leaving anything out? What is your favorite thing to fix in the waffle iron?

Creamy Cajun Chicken & Shrimp

So I made another really delicious meal for my family last night, and shhhhhh, I'm actually on a diet. So, here is a little sumthin sumthin to make your taste buds do a dance. AND the best part, it's balanced and doesn't break the bank in calories. Here goes.

Ingredients
1 jar LITE alfredo sauce (half the calories and fat of traditional!)
3 oz. shrimp per eater (because that is a serving size)
1 chicken sausage per eater (I used Savory Kitchen brand Bacon & Cheddar flavored sausages from Sam's Club - they are only 120 calories each - not too shabby since they are incredible) *sliced*
1 small zucchini chopped chunky
1 small yellow squash chopped chunky
1 yellow bell pepper chopped chunky
1 small-med. onion chopped chunky
heaping spoonful of minced garlic
cajun seasoning


I started off by grilling the veggies until they are golden, but still crunchy. Remove from pan and toss in your sausage slices. Once those are browned, throw in the shrimp. Stir for about a minute and return the cooked veggies to the pan. Pour in the sauce, garlic, and any extra seasoning you prefer to taste. I used a good amount of wedding spice in addition to the Cajun, but it's mostly Cajun seasoning anyways. Stir and simmer on low for about five minutes - or until your shrimp are completely pink.

I served mine with rice and red beans - it was phenomenal AND healthy. Boom shakalaka. Oh and it only took about 30-35 minutes to prep and make this entire meal.

If you are trying to eat healthier, the bulk of this dish is veggies and substituting the lighter version of the sauce is a much wiser choice. You could also go as far to serve with brown rice instead of white but that's all we had in the cabinet.

Enjoy y'all!

Repurposing Chicken For a Week's Worth of Vastly Different Meals

Many of my mom friends enjoy cooking up a big batch of chicken on Sunday so they have plenty of cooked meat to incorporate into recipes throughout the week. I think this is a great idea, but my picky taste buds are already screaming 'chicken overload.' Here is a meal plan idea for repurposing cooked chicken in order to create completely different dishes with entirely unique flavor combinations.

Sunday - Grilled Chicken + 2 fancy side items of your choice - this is your chance to go all out on an accessory dish since the majority of my time is usually dedicated to the main meat.

Monday - Cube some chicken for chicken Philly cheese steak sandwiches.

Tuesday - Slice chicken into strips for fajitas or shred for chicken tacos.

Wednesday - Shred chicken and create a BBQ chicken pizza

Thursday - Use shredded chicken to make this awesome chicken roll 'casserole' dish. I add broccoli in between the chicken rolls so I can pat myself on the back for a one-pot dish that includes vegetables.

Friday - Use chicken chunks to create chicken pie or chicken n dumplins.

Saturday - Chicken teriyaki with stirfry vegetables

The easiest way to add variety to a meal plan that incorporates a limited number of ingredients is to stock your spice cabinet with various 'ethnic' themed items.

For example, consider making your menu with a different cuisine inspiration in mind.

Italian, Asian, American, soul food, Mexican

If you think about it, these categories of cooking styles tend to incorporate entirely different spice and sauce varieties.  Regardless of which meat you have on hand, you can add variety to your meal plan with a thematic alternation of these cultural trends.

Stromboli - Busy Mom Styled

I really enjoy cooking Stromboli. I feel like this is one of those recipes that is time consuming the first try, but after that, it's one that is incredibly easy and equally delicious.

Ingredients:

1 canned pizza crust (or you can use the quick mix kind, or you can make your own)
~8 slices of provolone cheese
~8 slices of ham
sliced pepperoni
Optional: grilled veggies (onions, mushrooms, peppers, zucchini, etc - whichever you prefer)
Optional: additional grilled meat like beef or chicken

Arrange your pizza crust on a greased baking sheet; press the corners out and flatten the dough so you will have enough to fold over and create a roll once the fillers are added. Arrange 1/2 the ham, provolone & pepperoni in the center of the dough, leaving 1/3 free to the left and right. Top with optional veggies & grilled meat. Finish layering the remaining ham, pepperoni and cheese on top of the veggies. Fold both sides of the dough over the center to create your Stromboli log. (you can brush the roll with oil before baking, but I never do)

Bake at 375 until the crust is golden brown and crispy - usually about 15 minutes for me, but cooking time will vary. Slice and serve with marinara sauce for dipping.

Note: I do not like to roll the dough so that there is breading in the center of the stromboli log - that middle portion never cooks quite right for me, leaving the exterior either burnt, or the interior a soggy mess of uncooked dough. Limit the breading to the exterior of your filling to avoid any inconsistencies in the baking.

Omelets, Omelets, We've Got Your Omelets

I am almost ashamed to admit that I really suck at making omelets, BUT I have a few tips and tricks to share with you about making these breakfast delights.

Most people think of omelets that look a little something like this:

eggbeaters.com

 
Personally, I prefer the messy omelet, or groundhog version, where everything is just mixed all together and thrown in the pan. They don't call me Rebel Chef Mom for nothing. For the sake of visual clarity, my omelets usually turn out something like this:

http://behealthybehappywellness.com

Regardless if you like the pretentious perfection of a beautifully flipped, perfectly folded, symmetric egg pocket of fillers, or simply toss everything in a pan and stir, here are some tips and ideas that I find helpful for this meal of breakfast perfection.

1. Add about 1/8th of a cup of milk and about 2 tablespoons of pancake mix or general purpose baking mix to your scrambled eggs before cooking. Whip with a fork or spatula for the ultimate fluff factor to your eggs. The mix powder helps the eggs to stick together and really make the art of flipping and folding much easier.

2. Keep the temperature down - low to low/medium heat is idea for cooking eggs. If you turn the burner on too hot, you'll brown your eggs.

3. My sister-in-law introduced me to the concept of Ziplock omelets, and although we don't do this often, I think it's a great idea for families that have different preferences on omelet ingredients, and especially at larger gatherings.

 

So, here's the catch. Apparently some super chemical conscious folks don't think that boiling plastic bags is very safe. I'm a Rebel Chef Mom, so honestly, I don't think twice, but just in case you have second thoughts about boiling, Ziplock company does have instructions for how to make a Ziplock omelet in the microwave. Personally, if I'm going to microwave eggs, I'll just pour them in a microwave safe dish, but whatever. The bags make it easy to clean up, and everyone can prep their omelet just the way they like it.

If you decide to boil your omelet bags, I suggest keeping an eye on your product. If the pot gets too hot, the top of the bags that are not submersed in the water can droop over and rest against the side of the pot. This could potentially melt your bag and cause your contents to seep out into the boiling water. Use tongs to keep the tops of the bags held upright until the omelets are completely cooked.

Especially for moms of picky eaters - I have successfully incorporated steamed cauliflower puree into scrambled eggs. The finished product is somewhat thinner in texture, but the cauliflower adds a buttery sweetness to the eggs which I personally think is really delicious. Check out Jessica Seinfield's book Deceptively Delicious if you want more ideas for how to sneak healthy veggies into popular foods that kids love.

Wedding Spice

When my husband and I got married, I wanted to create a unique favor that guests would keep for a little while and be reminded of us. Since I'm a huge foodie, and my husband loves to eat, we decided that a personal spice blend would be great.

We've been married for 3.5 years, and we are down to our last few jars of this stuff. It makes me incredibly sad that I don't have a ready supply of this phenomenal blend, but I can, and certainly will, make more.

So here is what I did:

I bought the jars from a discount vendor online.

I purchased all the spices in bulk from our local Sam's Club.

I bought a large, solid laundry basket for the mixing process.

I used a scoop & a funnel to fill the jars and tied or adhered printed labels on the jars.

The favor table at our celebration included the following note:

 

If you can't read it:

We would like to say thanks for sharing our special day

So grab a jar when you head out on your way

It contains a little sweet and a whole lot of spice

Two of the things that make marriage nice.

Sprinkle some on your mean, French fries, or fish

And when you do send to us this wish

May your love continue to grow,

And your eagerness and passion never slow.

May your days be filled with happiness and love

and you constantly live your lives as one

And should you disagree or have a fight,

always remember to kiss goodnight.

So the ratio of spices is a little iffy because I pretty much just dumped stuff together until I was happy with the taste, BUT the two most prevalent ingredients include Cajun seasoning and brown sugar. I'd say those make up about half, but probably more brown sugar than cajun. The remainder is a combination of:

- dried onion flakes

- garlic powder

- seasoned salt

So if you really want to get it down to brass tacks, I would guesstimate that it goes a little something like this:

30-35% brown sugar

20-25% cajun seasoning

16% seasoned salt

16% garlic powder

18% onion flakes

This is really such a versatile spice. It goes great on pretty much everything, meat, veggies, starch, scrambled eggs, you name it. The only issue with this spice blend is the fact that the brown sugar can make it a little clumpy. I simply break up the clump with my hands whenever that happens.

 

 I'm so glad that we chose this favor for our wedding guests, and I'm so glad that we've had a bit of our special day incorporated into so many meals even years later.

Shopping For Quick Fix Meals

One of the ways that I can efficiently create quick meals is by spending a few extra dollars at the grocery store to buy pre-prepped food items. I know it's more expensive, but honestly, a few extra bucks in the grand scheme of my food bill is totally worth the time that it saves me at home.

Chopping veggies, peeling, cutting, de-coring, de-seeding....ugh. No thank you. So here are some of my favorite quick fix assistants that greatly speed up the time I spend in the kitchen.

1. Pre sliced apples
Not only are these great for snacking, but I can make some spectacular faux baked apples in less than 10 minutes. I also enjoy using them as an extra in a variety of pork dishes as well as on salads.

2. Refrigerated pizza crust
This canned delicacy is fantastic for making homemade pizza and one of our household favorites, Stromboli. It can also be cut down to make a fantastic crust for chicken pie. Having a can of pizza crust on hand is one of those items that makes a last minute meal decision much easier.

3. Frozen veggies
Bird's eye, store brand, Green Giant - you name it. I don't discriminate. Frozen veggies are incredibly quick and nutritious.

In particular, Schwanns makes a great bag of prepped peppers and onions that can literally be used in SO many different recipes: Philly cheese steaks, omelets, spaghetti sauce, etc. These bad boys come chunky diced - perfect size in my opinion, and I can just grab a handful and toss them into whatever I'm cooking.

4. Canned pasta sauce
Nothing compares to a from scratch marinara sauce, but have fun with the umteenmillion prep steps. I'll stick to my glass jars and save a tremendous amount of time instead. Remember, you can always doctor up your canned sauce with additional spices and vegetables.

5. Canned, diced tomatoes
I buy them by the case.

6. Fresh, minced garlic
I use this stuff by the spoonful, so not having to chop it up is incredible.


There are many more ingredients that I typically buy in some sort of pre-prepped fashion. I highly recommend choosing this route if your ultimate goal is to save time in the kitchen. What are your must-have, tried and true pre-prepped items that help you? I'd love to hear your suggestions.

xoxo,
Rebel Chef Mom

This is why I don't follow recipes.

If you choose to follow my blog, I will rarely post specific recipes with exact amounts. Why? I don't particularly like to follow the rules - this is what makes me a rebel chef.

I really like to find inspiration through recipes, but I prefer to do my own doctoring. I like to spice things up. I like to substitute. I like to make it my own.

Not only does this mentality allow me to express my creativity in the kitchen, but it makes me more confident and comfortable with the underlying science and flavor combinations of what I cook. It allows me to learn as I go.

Now, I know you recipe Nazis are appalled by this concept of thinking - how do I know if it's right? How much do I buy when I go to the grocery store? How can you ever recreate the dish if you don't know how much you used?

I estimate. Unless I'm baking - and then I follow the recipe because I'm just not skilled enough yet in the pastry department to be able to make the right substitutions that allow for my liquidy concoctions to somehow meld and form into a solid piece of baked goodness.

But when I'm preparing meals, I like when things aren't always the same. Eating the same thing over and over gets boring. So, to those of you who do not like the idea of using your own cooking and flavor judgements, this blog might not be for you.

But if you are a busy mom, or just a busy person in general, my ultimate goal is to provide recipes and complete MEAL instructions that allow you to prep & cook in the most efficient amount of time. Instead of flipping back and forth between several pages of your cook book, or frantically switching, clicking, and searching through your endless Pinterest recipes, I want to give you step-by-step suggestions for simultaneously cooking a main course + some coordinating sides in a way that saves you time and sanity.

I also want for moms to feel like they can substitute, estimate, and switch things up without feeling restricted to recipe rules. This is what makes cooking fun for me, so hopefully you'll agree!

xoxo,
Rebel Chef Mom

Spicy Honey Garlic Lime Chicken

I'll admit, I threw together a delicious chicken marinade the other night, and honestly, it's probably one of my favorites that I've ever made - especially on a whim, without much inspiration from somebody else. Here are the ingredients for the marinade:


Juice of 2 limes (after squeezing, I let the squished lime halves sit with the remainder of the mix)
~1/2 to 3/4c of a lime based beverage (I used Budlight's Lime-arita, but you could really use anything that you wanted to to add some liquid volume to your marinade)
1 heaping spoonful of minced garlic (the fresh kind, not powder)
~1/4 c. honey
a few pinches of your favorite seasoning


That last bit is where you can get creative. I prefer to use a house seasoning mix that I created a few years ago. I'll share that combination in a later post, but for now, just get a little crazy. Chili powder, spicy pepper, seasoning salt - all of those are great additions to this marinade. After all, when you're only using a few pinches, it's really just to give your marinade some saltiness and kick. If you want to play it safe, stick with just plain ol' salt and pepper.

I chose to marinade some chicken breast tenderloins because they thaw quickly.

After grilling, I served with white rice (big fan of the 5-minute, instant variety myself) and this Southwestern Black Bean Medley:

1 can black beans (drain ~1/2 the liquid off)
1 can diced tomatoes (drain ~1/2 the liquid off as well)
2 large zucchini sliced
1 med-large onion (chunky diced)
small spoonful of minced garlic
few pinches of southwestern seasoning (I used the Tastefully Simple brand for this one)

Toss all this stuff in a pot and simmer on medium (covered) while you cook your chicken. Stir often to prevent the beans from sticking.


This combination of dishes also makes a spectacular burrito. Throw in some mango salsa, shredded cheese, & sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt) and enjoy!


Once your chicken has marinaded for about an hour, this meal only takes about 20 minutes to cook. Basically the order of operations for the most efficient cooking time = prep marinade while chicken is thawing. While chicken is marinading, cut up veggies. While cooking chicken, cook rice & bean medley.

For an even more efficient cooking experience, toss the marinade and the frozen chicken in a bag so it marinades while it thaws. This can be done ahead of time. In fact, you can freeze the marinade with the chicken.

Ranch Gravy Pork + Roasted Baby Carrots + Faux Baked Apples

On a whim, I came up with this meal, and in my opinion, it was stellar. It was fast, easy, and delicious, so here you go:


Start out by pre-heating your oven to ~400 degrees F.

Arrange baby carrots on a baking sheet. Spray or drizzle with oil of your choice. Pop those bad boys in the oven when it's up to temperature. I let mine cook for about 20 minutes - I never set a timer, so just check often and use your judgement. You might want to stir/flip half way through the baking process depending on your oven.

When tender or cooked to your liking, toss with your favorite veggie seasoning. I use a very simple combination of cajun seasoning + brown sugar + garlic salt.


Next

Prepare your apples or go the quick route with a bag of the pre-sliced variety. I cook with the peels on, so the plastic container of apple slices from Sams Club is a staple in our household. It's all a matter of preference.

Dump your slices into a microwave safe dish - I'm a huge fan of the Pampered Chef Cranberry Baker. Toss in a spoonful of butter or margarine, cover, and cook for 6 minutes on high. Sprinkle with brown sugar, drizzle with a heavy portion of honey, stir, and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Let sit while the remainder of the food is finishing up.



Ranch Gravy Pork Chops

Ingredients:
boneless pork chops
equal parts plain Greek yogurt + sour cream
ranch powder seasoning stuff (comes in those little packets)
milk or water for thinning (I used a few tablespoons)

Grill your pork chops on medium/high until they are ~half done. I flipped once so both sides were equally cooked & used a lid. Turn temperature down to low.

Mix everything else together in a bowl and spoon HALF of that mixture on top of the chops. Let simmer for a minute, flip and spoon the rest of your saucy stuff on top. Half of your ranch mix will naturally mingle with the juices from your pork chops to create this creamy, rancy, succulent sauce. Cover and let simmer until chops are cooked through.


All in all this meal took me no more than 30 minutes to prepare - carrots & apples were already prepped & the sauce was simple to mix up in just a minute. I'm patting myself on the back for a job well done with this meal. Yum.

Welcome!

As a busy, working mother, I have many friends who also can attest to a lack of time, overwhelming pressure, intense exhaustion, piles of laundry, scattered toys etc. How do you manage life and a career and child raising and still have time to cook and clean?

Honestly, I don't know. I think every mother has to pick and choose her priorities. If you ever meet the woman who can successfully get it all done without any help, she is my ultimate hero. Send her my way because I want to know her secrets.

Truth be told, that mother is just a figment of our imagination. Nonetheless, I decided to start a blog so moms alike can share their tips and tricks for managing the chaos.

My primary focus is on cooking - easy, quick, functional, but occasionally we'll discuss other areas of busy moms' concerns.

Unfortunately, I have developed a pickier palette with age. I prefer to call it gustatory wisdom, but nonetheless I enjoy cooking meals that are packed with flavor, have a spicy kick, and are generally different from your  typical chicken casserole.

This certainly does not limit our intake of frozen pizzas, fast food, microwaveable chicken nuggets, and PB&Js. I consider it a huge accomplishment if I'm able to cook 2 or 3 wholesome, relatively healthy, for-the-most-part homemade meals each week.

So welcome to my blog!

xoxo,
Rebel Chef Mom