Crusty Lemon Chicken

I found this recipe where I found this blog idea in the first place...
Melissa's Did They Eat It? blog.
The Crusty Lemon Chicken is a quick and easy recipe she got from a book called Seat of the Pants Suppers.

I loved how easy this chicken was and then how good it tasted even with all that ease! Definitely one we'll do again. I made up some cheesy broccoli rice and some crescent rolls and we also ate the applesauce we made today.
The kids basically stuck to the applesauce and rolls, but I made Savannah eat at least half of her chicken and she didn't complain too much. She didn't even need ketchup!!

Homemade Applesauce

*Edited to Add* Sawyer loved it! He ate a whole big bowl at dinner and asked for more.

I love homemade applesauce. I love anything baked with apples, but that's beside the point!

Here's my favorite Crockpot Applesauce recipe:
8-10 apples, peeled, quartered, cored, and sliced through food processor
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Put water and apples in slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours.
Add brown sugar and cinnamon and cook for 30 minutes longer.
Simple as that.
Yummy.

Here's also another version I have sitting in my cookbook along side this one. I have never tried it because I love the basic version so much, but doesn't this sound good??...
Caramel Applesauce
31/2 lbs of Granny Smith Apples
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 jar of caramel topping sauce
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Cook at on low for 8 hours.

Carrot Cake Recipe

Since Sawyer is so anti-vegetable, I'm trying to sneak it in other places. We had carrot cake at my sister's house for her birthday and Sawyer devoured it. I'm going to try out a few recipes of healthier versions so I can use it more as a snack cake than a dessert for the kids. Here's my first attempt. I put in a ton of carrot and a ton of apple. And no walnuts. I hate nuts.

Carrot Cake Recipe

3/4 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 cups grated carrots
1 1/2 cups grated peeled apples
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnuts

Mix together the sugar, oil and eggs until the mixture is slightly thickened. Sift the flours together with the soda, salt and cinnamon.

Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture. Add the carrots, apples, raisins and walnuts. Stir until evenly mixed.

Bake in a greased and floured pan, 9"x13"x2" or a bundt type pan or two round cake pans. Bake at 350ºF for 35-40 minutes if using the 13" long pan. 30-35 minutes for round and 40-45 for bundt.

Always check for doneness by piercing the center of the cake with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, it's done.

Let the cake cool and ice with the cream cheese icing below.

I, however didn't ice it... I made the bundt cake and just slice and hand it out. So far so good. It really is moist and yummy! I don't think this one will be around for long!

Variation:

• Replace the grated apple with an equal amount of crushed pineapple that has been well drained. It adds a wonderful bit of tropical flavor to the cake and blends well with the carrots and raisins.

Cream Cheese Icing

4 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup icing sugar

Blend all together and spread over cooled cake.

If you are making a layered carrot cake in the round pans and want to put some icing between the layers, double this recipe to make sure you have enough.


Variation:

• If you want to drizzle the icing on a bundt style cake you will need to make it thinner. Do this by adding warm water to the icing a few drops at a time until it is the right consistency. Don't add too much water at one time. It's easier to add a bit more than try to fix runny icing.

Menu for September 24-30

We're back and we're getting settled into the normal routine again.
Horrible dinnertime tonight though... these kids just don't ever eat anything. Between their pickiness, their arguing and their fighting with each other, it just makes for a not fun meal time. Ugh. We had Cheesy Chicken Alfredo, which the kids have both devoured before... neither would touch it tonight.

I'm making homemade applesauce tomorrow along with some carrot cake/snack bread. Those are two things Sawyer ate wholeheartedly while on our trip, so I'll give them a whirl here. He won't touch regular jarred applesauce, but he loved the homemade stuff.
I'll get the recipes up tomorrow and let you know how they go over.

Meanwhile, here's the plan for the week:
Monday: Crusty Lemon Chicken with rice and veggies and homemade applesauce
Tuesday: Cheesy Tuna Noodle with Sweet Peas
Wednesday: Pork Chops and Stuffing with homemade applesauce
Thursday: Tacos and roasted tomatoes
Friday: Toasted Ravioli and salad
Saturday: Beef Kabobs and corn on the cob
Sunday: Meatballs and Mashed Potatoes