As you know, I am currently on the lookout for quick, easy and delicious GLUTEN free meals my whole family can enjoy! One of my friends sent me the link to the this recipe and it was perfect!!  It came together super fast and was so tasty!  We all loved it.  I served it with some fabulous grilled  teriyaki chicken that I will post soon:)  I was thinking that you could easily add some shrimp, pork or chicken to this stir fry for a one pan dinner!  Next time I will add shrimp–yum!

So are you all ready for summer?!  I can not believe that school is out for us tomorrow!  This year has flown by, but hopefully summer is slow!  I am so excited to have my boys home and have a relaxing schedule for a few months!  I am looking forward to days at the pool!  I have been working on revamping our summer chore chart though.  This one from last year worked very well, but I am thinking about a few changes for this summer.  I want my boys to enjoy their summer, but I also feel it is so important to require some work, you know?!  I really want to raise hardworking boys and I am finding that it takes a lot of effort and planning on my part,  without the farm responsibilities  the older generations had.  Life seems to require less and less work these days and I worry about that a little.  How do you balance work and play during the summer months?  Tell me here, I could use some fresh ideas:)

Quinoa and Vegetable Stir Fry
submitted by Melanie~www.thesisterscafe.com

• 1 cup pre-rinsed quinoa
• 2 cups chicken broth (could use vegetable broth)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sesame seed oil
• 1 cup finely diced carrots
• 1/2 cup minced green onions
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup frozen peas (thawed)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Kosher or sea salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons lite soy sauce (or Gluten-Free soy sauce, Tamari or Bragg Liquid Aminos), more or less to taste

Directions

Add the quinoa and broth, to a medium saucepan and turn to medium-high heat.  Cover, bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until all of the liquid has been absorbed, about 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool. Refrigerate quinoa until cold, approximately two hours. I like to make the quinoa the night before or first thing in the morning.

In a large skillet, heat oils to medium-low heat, add carrots and green onions, cover and cook until tender, approximately 8 minutes.   Then add garlic and cook one additional minute.  Add quinoa and peas, cook until heated through, 5 to 6 minutes.

If using eggs, push quinoa to the sides of the skillet, add eggs and scramble. Stir to combine scrambled eggs with quinoa mixture. Add soy sauce and cook just until heated, about 1 minute.

NOTE Brown rice can be substituted for quinoa.

Recipe Source: Skinny MS

]]> http://www.thesisterscafe.com/2013/05/quinoa-vegetable-stir-fry/feed 0 http://www.thesisterscafe.com/2013/05/chicken-gyros http://www.thesisterscafe.com/2013/05/chicken-gyros#comments Mon, 13 May 2013 13:50:52 +0000 Melanie http://www.thesisterscafe.com/?p=8453
With summer coming on, I have added these Chicken Gyros (pronounced YEE-ROH) to our menu–which by the way I am going to start posting again!  When I used to post my weekly menu, it really helped me stay on track!  Lately I have been a bit of slacker with menu planning and our evening/dinner has [...]]]>

With summer coming on, I have added these Chicken Gyros (pronounced YEE-ROH) to our menu–which by the way I am going to start posting again!  When I used to post my weekly menu, it really helped me stay on track!  Lately I have been a bit of slacker with menu planning and our evening/dinner has suffered:)  So I am getting back on track!  Look for a two week menu here later today ( I am almost done:)  Anyway, these Gyros are light, healthy and oh so good!  And this meal always puts me in the mood for the film “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”  and saying “Opa!”  I need to introduce that movie to my boys.  There are some classic lines, regarding the ‘Bundt cake’ and’ windex’ that my husband and I quote and our kids join our laughter, but I am pretty sure they think we are weird and have no idea why we think we are so funny!  I guess it is time to whip out our old copy for family movie night:)  But, back to the food…this dish is bursting with flavor,  it is fun to say, and hey, it just may inspire a movie night!  I think your family will enjoy this dinner as much as mine does!  I like to serve it with this homemade pita bread , but you can find it any grocery store if you are not in the mood for baking.  I did recently learn a little fact though…traditional pita bread does not have a pocket in it.  I am so happy to hear that because I find the act of creating a pocket can be very aggravating!!  Next time I will not fill them as shown. It would be much easier to just put the chicken and toppings down the center and fold over.  Either way, these Gyros are a winner!  Opa!!

Chicken Gyros
submitted by Melanie~www.thesisterscafe.com

For the Tzatziki Sauce:

1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 regular cucumber, peeled and seeded
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. For the the tzatziki sauce, shred the cucumber or you could chop in a food processor. Be sure to wrap the shredded cucumber in a towel and squeeze to remove as much water as possible.  This is VERY important!!  Mix together the yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. Drizzle lightly with olive oil.
2. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.
3. Now for the chicken:  combine the garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Whisk together until well combined.  Add sliced (or cubed) chicken pieces to the bowl and mix well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour but overnight is even better!
4. Cook the chicken as desired, either in the skillet or with the broiler. Once the chicken is completely cooked through, transfer to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut into strips. Heat pitas. Top with chicken, tzatziki sauce, spinach or romaine, diced tomatoes, feta crumbles and sliced onions. Serve immediately.
   Recipe Source:  Adapted from Annie Eats

Talk about quick and easy… and really tasty too. These yummy meatballs are a favorite with my kids. Meatballs just make spaghetti so much more fun! ;) To be honest I had never made meatballs before… I’m one of those lazy gals that wondered why anyone would ever roll the meat into balls instead of just adding it the sauce!  Well after I tried these at my friends and saw how easy the recipe looked, I thought I would give it a try.  It was a fun change and the kids loved it!  I hope you all enjoy this simple recipe too.

Quick and Easy Meatballs
submitted by Brittany ~ The Sisters Café

1 pound ground beef
1 envelope of onion soup mix
1 egg
1 Tb milk
breadcrumbs to desired consistency (around 1/3 cup)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Mix all ingredients together, roll into balls about 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter.  Place on baking sheet in 350 degree oven. Bake for 30 minutes.

Cutest thing to watch my little guys giggling and “fishing” at snack time the other day.  And even better was when my 4 year old slowly munched his way through his celery stick!  Isn’t it funny how a lot of kids have such a hard time with textures and new foods?  I find myself encouraging, bargaining, and then threatening my own little eaters to get them to try new things.  So this snack was a major hit with me along with the little guys.  Anything that fills my kitchen with laughter AND accomplishes eating a new veggie is alright in my book.

Kids in the Kitchen: Celery Fishing Poles and Gold Fish
Submitted by Mindy ~ The Sisters Cafe

Celery, cut into sticks
Peanut Butter
Gold Fish Crackers

Sprinkle fish crackers on a plate.  Spoon some peanut butter in a mound on the plate.  Then use celery sticks to dip into the peanut butter, and go fishing!

Adapted from Creatively Blooming

So I’ve been seeing these Nutella Banana Ice Cream recipes from time to time on pinterest and floating around on the internet.  I tried a version last year, and it was pretty darn good.  I got glowing reviews from the kiddos, and the adults who tried it liked it too.  So I tried it again last week with half the Nutella, and the popsicles I made were still absolutely yummy and had a strong Nutella flavor.  I doubt I’ll ever make this again with the full cup of Nutella.  The consistency is surprisingly close to ice cream, too.  You can totally scoop it.  And it worked beautifully in my popsicle forms as you can see.  Way healthier than eating Nutella out of the jar.  Oh wait, am I not supposed to admit that?  And I suppose it is way healthier than eating Nutella Ice Cream actually made with cream.  Oh who cares.  Nutella is divine.  And Nutella Banana Ice Cream is super good!  Period.

Nutella Banana “Ice Cream”
Submitted by Mindy ~ The Sisters Cafe

1/2-1 cup Nutella (I like 1/2 cup)
6 medium bananas

Combine Nutella and bananas into a blender or food processor until very smooth. Pour into freezer safe container or popsicle forms and freeze.  Approximately four hours later, enjoy!