Posted in - Pork, Budget Friendly

Frugal Fridays: Roasted Sausage, Peppers & Onions

Posted on by Northerly Nosh

Roasted Sausage, Peppers & Onions

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Serves 6

2 lbs. smoked sausage – $9.18
2 green bell peppers – $2.78
1 large onion – &.89
2 T balsamic vinegar – $.13
2 t course brown mustard – $.02
1 t Italian seasoning – $.01
Salt & pepper to taste – $.01

Total Cost – $13.02
Per Serving Cost – $2.17

Prep Day: Slice sausage into 1 inch pieces. Place in zipper bag. Slice peppers and onion into bite size pieces. Add to zipper bag. Pour the next 3 ingredients into the zipper bag. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Zip and mix around to coat everything. Freeze now if you want to.

Serve Day: Thaw. Pour sausage mixture onto baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed with non stick spray. Bake 400 degrees 20-25 minutes.

Posted in Dessert, Tips and Tricks

Tasty Treat Thursdays: Super Soft Snicker-doodle Cookies and Freezing Cookie Dough

Posted on by Northerly Nosh

Super Soft Snickerdoodle Cookies

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makes about 3 dozen cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
3 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 teaspon vanilla extract

For the cinnamon sugar:
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Heat the oven to 425°F. Gently melt the butter in a saucepan or in the microwave and let it cool while you mix the dry ingredients. Stir together the sugars, flour, spices, baking soda, and salt. Whisk the eggs into the cooled butter and add the vanilla. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, stirring just until it comes together.

In a soup plate or shallow bowl, mix together the white sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Form small 1 1/2-inch balls of dough and roll them in the cinnamon sugar. Place them on an unlined, ungreased baking sheet and flatten slightly. Bake for 7 minutes then remove and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Remove to a wire rack.

The dough can be refrigerated for up to 5 days, well-wrapped. It can also be frozen in logs.

Freezing Cookie Dough

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1. Make the dough from any drop cookie recipe. Just stay away from cookies that are made with an egg white dough (like meringue) or a more liquid batter (like macarons or brownies).

2. On a baking sheet, place heaping spoonfuls of your dough. If the recipe requires the dough balls be rolled in a sugar mixture, do this before putting them on the sheet. Continue plopping dough balls until the entire sheet is full.

3. Put baking sheet in the freezer for a couple of hours or overnight.

4. Remove from freezer and place in airtight containers or freezer bags. Return to freezer.

When Ready to Bake:

Remove desired amount of cookie dough balls from the freezer. Place on a cookie sheet and bake per your recipe instructions. No need to thaw first, but you may need to add a minute or two to your baking time.

Posted in - Poultry, Healthy Eating

Wellness Wednesdays: What is Clean Eating?

Posted on by Northerly Nosh

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Clean eating, is eating foods in their most natural form. This means consuming foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean meats, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates. Clean eating is not a diet, but rather a lifestyle. It focuses on eating whole foods and limiting processed foods. This lifestyle can be for anyone looking to make healthier choices, get fit or improve their health. When you first start eating clean it can be a little overwhelming. Trying to figure out what is considered clean and what is not can be confusing. I suggest starting with changing your habits by taking small steps towards eating clean.

Here are some tips to get you started:

Avoid soda and sugary drinks. Opt for water instead and add lemon or melon for flavor.

Eat 5-6 small meals a day. Eating every 2-3 hours will prevent over eating, control blood sugar levels and boost your metabolism.

Read labels. Try not to purchase foods that have more than 5-6 ingredients. If the ingredient list is too long or you can’t pronounce any of it, it’s most likely over processed and unhealthy.

Prepare meals Ahead of time. Prepping your meals ahead of time will help you avoid temptation and hunger.

Avoid processed and refined foods. Most processed foods are high in fat, sugar, and salt.

Avoid sugar. Sugar spikes your insulin levels and has no nutritional value. Use honey or agave nectar.

Clean eating has many health benefits such as weight loss, increased energy and improved sleep habits. I hope these basic tips help you better understand the clean eating movement.

Please enjoy one of my kids favorite clean eating recipes…

Crunchy Oven Baked Chicken Tenders

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1⁄4 C. honey (I love orange blossom honey)
1⁄4 C. mustard (I use whole grain organic)
2 C. Panko bread crumbs
15 – 18 chicken tenders

Prep Directions – Label 9×13 deep pan or another deep type of container. Pour honey and mustard into shallow bowl and mix well. Pour Panko crumbs onto a plate. Dip each chicken tender in honey mustard then crumbs. Store in pan with lid. Use wax paper between layers. Freeze if you desire.

Serving Directions – Bake tenders on foil lined baking sheet in 375 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until juices run clear. Add to 10-15 minutes if frozen.