oatmeal cookies

We bribed the kids with bakery cookies during our grocery trip this past weekend, and Sawyer had an Oatmeal Raisin cookie that he devoured in what seemed to be in an instant. It's been awhile since I've turned out a batch of oatmeal cookies, and since I've been having this unusual cookie craving lately, I decided to make some, thinking at least it would be better for my "diet" than chocolate chip or some other completely indulgent fare.




We made them last evening with dinner so they were nice and warm after our meal. I actually didn't have any last night (figuring there'd be plenty of time for me to submit to temptation later in the week), but Ryan raved about them. I treated the kids and let them each have one with their yogurt for snack this morning, and after I took a nibble off of Sawyer's cookie, I immediately returned to the cookie jar for one of my own. I don't normally care much for Oatmeal Cookies, and I must say these are so good! So I just had to share this yummy recipe...

It's a slightly (keyword: slightly) healthier, more flavorful version of the traditional Quaker Oats cookie.

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 cups oatmeal
• 1 tbsp cinnamon (yes, a whole tablespoon!!)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp softened butter
• 1/2-2/3 cup raisins

I baked these at 350* for about 12 minutes and ended up with just short of 3 dozen cookies. They came out so perfectly slightly crispy on the outside and soft and melt in your mouth on the inside. Reminds me of a muffin top!

Salmon Tuesday

Ryan was at work a little late tonight, so I fed the kids leftovers and he and I had a "grown up" dinner by ourselves after they were in bed.
Normally I stick to my all-time favorite baked salmon (YUM!), but since we just cooked that up last week with my parents in town, I was ready to try something different with the couple of salmon filets we had left.

Kim left me a recipe that sounds oh-so-good (thanks Kim! I love getting ideas from everyone!!), but since I didn't make a big grocery trip this week and I didn't happen to have the herbs or parmesan or white whine, I thought I'd save that for another time.

What I did have on hand was an unopened bottle of Trader Joe's Lemon Dill Sauce, so I poured a little of that over the salmon and let it soak in before grilling... and it was sooo yummy! I don't know why I was so (pleasantly) surprised... Trader Joe's has seldom disappointed... but I was honestly savoring every bite of that fish. I'm going to stock up on that sauce! It'd be awesome on a salad with a little tuna or salmon in it too. Tonight we enjoyed a nice salad on the side of our Lemony Dilly Grilled Salmon, and with a nice cool beverage (Captain's and diet Coke, thankyouverymuch), it was the perfect spring/summertime meal. Too bad it was already cold and dark out by the time we enjoyed it!!

Meatballs

I decided to try something different today with the meatballs than I normally do. I usually just make a quick brown gravy and we eat the meatballs with mashed potatoes.
Last minute-try something new kind of recipe. Simple:

30 frozen meatballs
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp onion powder

I simmered it all together in a pan over med heat for about 20 minutes. Then served over egg noodles.
We also had some honey sweet peas and crescent rolls.
Sawyer: ate only a roll
Savannah: ate everything but the noodles (she's not a pasta fan)... and had seconds on the meatballs!
Ryan: didn't really say one way or the other, but ate lots.
Heather: meh. I really liked the flavor on the meatballs, but the sauce by itself on the noodles I thought was kind of bland.

Menu for April 28th-May 4th

Monday: Meatballs and mashed potatoes
Tuesday: Salmon (haven't quite figured out what to do with it, but salmon of some sort!)
Wednesday: Grilled Chicken with salad
Thursday: Spaghetti
Friday: leftovers
Saturday: Grilled Steak
Sunday: Breakfast for dinner

I'll come back and link when I figure specific recipes...