Table of Contents

Welcome to My So-Called (Mommy) Life. For many years I had dreamed of writing a food blog; a place where I could share my favorite recipes and and my thoughts on local restaurants.  Three years ago I became the mama to a feisty, voracious baby girl, and my life has been a beautiful chaos every since.  This year I welcomed a sweet, smiling baby boy to my brood, and life has gotten even more colorful!  Like my life, the blog's concept has evolved into something bigger, messier, and better.  It's a mix of recipes, toddler food, restaurant reviews, and more.  Hopefully this Table of Contents will help you navigate the chaos that is My (So-Called) Mommy Life.

Veggie and Turkey Egg Casserole

Veggie & Turkey Egg Casserole

INGREDIENTS

1 lb Lean Ground Turkey
Garlic Powder, to taste
Chili Powder, to taste
2 Tbsp Butter
1 Bunch of Kale, chopped
2 Bell Peppers (I like 1 orange and 1 red)
12 Eggs, beaten

1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp (or more) Salt
2 Cups Cottage Cheese
2 Tbsp Butter, melted
8 oz Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
Optional: Sour Cream, Sriracha, Black Beans, Salsa

DIRECTIONS

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 x 13 pan.  

2.  In a large skillet, cook the ground turkey until no longer pink. Season to taste with garlic and chili powder and salt, and then spoon the turkey into a bowl and set aside.  

3.  In the empty skillet, melt the butter and sauté the kale over medium heat until wilted.  Pour kale (with any butter and/or grease left in the pan) into the bowl with the turkey.  Stir in the chopped bell peppers with the turkey and kale.

4.  In a separate large bowl, beat the eggs.

3.  In a separate small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, garlic powder, and 1 tsp salt.  Once combined, pour into the large bowl and mix with the eggs until smooth.

4.  Stir in the cottage cheese and shredded cheese; followed by the turkey/veggie mixture.  Pour mixture into the greased baking dish.

5.  Bake for 60 minutes, or until cooked through and a toothpick comes out clean from the center.  

6.  Serve immediately or alternatively you can cut it into 12 servings and once cool, it'll keep in the fridge for a week or you can freeze it.  

Sausage, Apple, & Pecan Stuffing

INGREDIENTS
16 oz loaf French Bread (or bread of choice) - torn into bite sized chunks
8 tbsp butter, divided
1 lb ground Sage Sausage
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted preferably (bake at 350 for 5-7 min.)
2 Golden Delicious Apples, cored, peeled, and diced
1 Onion, diced
2 Celery Stalks, diced finely
1 tsp Kosher Salt (or to taste)
1 Tbsp to 2 Tbsp of Poultry Seasoning (to taste)
1/4 cup chopped fresh Parsley
3 Cups Chicken Stock
2 Eggs, beaten


DIRECTIONS

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Place the bread pieces in a single layer on a pan and bake until the bread is dry and hard, and no longer soft - be careful not to overcook.  I find it usually takes about 10 minutes, but it will depend on the freshness of your bread.

2.  Grease a 3 quart casserole dish with butter and set aside.

3.  In a large skillet, melt 2 tbsp of the butter and then cook the sausage - breaking it up as you go - until it is just barely done and no longer pink.

4.  Take the bread out of the oven and put into a large bowl.  Pour the sausage and all its drippings over the bread and then stir to evenly disperse.  Next stir in the toasted pecan pieces evenly in with the bread pieces.  Set aside.

5.  In the now empty large skillet (don't clean it!), melt 4 tbsp of butter over medium high heat.  Add in the onions, celery, and apples and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until they have softened.  Stir in the salt, poultry seasoning, and parsley.

6.  Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil, stirring consistently.  Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat off and carefully pour the entire skillet contents into the bowl that has the bread & sausage.  Stir well until everything has integrated evenly.  Do a taste test - and add more salt or poultry seasoning if needed!

7.  Once you've done a taste test and made sure it tastes how you want it, pour in the beaten eggs into the bread mixture and stir until it's evenly combined with the rest of the ingredients.  Now spoon the entire contents into the greased casserole dish.

8.  Bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes.  In a small bowl, melt 2 tbsp of butter, and evenly drizzle the butter over the top of the stuffing and bake for 10 more minutes, or until the top gets crispy.

9.  Serve warm and enjoy :)

Protein Oatmeal Muffins

PROTEIN OATMEAL MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS

5 Cups of Old Fashioned Oats

4 Tbsp Ground Flaxseed

1 tsp Salt

1 1/2 Cups Whole Milk

1 Cup Full Fat Greek Yogurt

1/4 Cup Coconut Oil, softened

1/2 Cup Pure Maple Syrup

1 Cup Natural Peanut Butter

2 Cups Unsweetened Applesauce

4 Rounded Scoops of Unflavored Unsweetened Protein Powder

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

12 oz Frozen Blueberries or 2 Cups Fresh (or fruit of choice)

DIRECTIONS

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease the muffin tins.

2.  In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the blueberries.  Stir until well combined.  Fold in the blueberries and stir until evenly mixed.

3.  Spoon batter evenly into 18 muffin cups (should be enough batter to fill each cup to the top).  Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Be careful not to overcook.

4.  Serve the muffins warm!  I store a week's worth in the fridge, and the rest in the freezer, and microwave as needed.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serving Size:  1 Muffin

Calories:  303

Fat:  14

Carbs:  31

Protein:  13

Sugar:  13

Best Cheeseburgers Ever

INGREDIENTS
1 Egg, beaten
2 tsp Worcestershire
1 tsp Dijon (or regular) Mustard
1/3 Cup Italian Seasoned Panko (or non-Panko) Bread Crumbs
1 Tbsp of Cream or Milk
1 Garlic Clove, minced or 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 lb 80% Ground Chuck


DIRECTIONS
Combine all the ingredients and patty into burgers.  Cook it however you like to cook your burgers :)

Healthy Meatballs

Kid Friendly Meatballs:

INGREDIENTS
1 lb 93% Lean Ground Beef or Turkey
1/3 Cup Old Fashioned Rolled or Quick Oats (or breadcrumbs)
1 Egg, beaten
1/4 Cup Whole Milk or Buttermilk
1/3 Cup Freshly Grated Parmesan (optional - omit if you have a picky kid)
2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Italian Seasoning (alternatively you can use Italian seasoned breadcrumbs and then omit this)
1 tsp salt
Olive Oil


Combine all the ingredients and then chill for an hour if possible - it makes it easier to roll into balls when chilled.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking pan with aluminum foil coated with nonstick spray or use a silipat.  Roll into 20 or so 1.5" balls.  Brush the meatballs with olive oil.  Bake at 350 degrees for 13-15 minutes or until no longer pink (or reads 170 degrees on a meat thermometer), being careful not to overcook.


NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Serving Size:  1 Meatball
Calories:  58
Fat:  3
Carbs:  1
Protein:  6

Instant Pot Sous Vide Egg Bites

I am currently obsessed with Starbuck's Sous Vide Egg Bites, so when I saw Food & Wine's copycat recipe using the Instant Pot, I had to give it a try!  It's a really flexible recipe, so you can switch out ingredients to your liking.  I made one batch with just spinach and ham and called it "Green Eggs and Ham" for my children, and then made another with roasted red peppers and hot sauce for myself.  I did alter Food & Wine's cooking time, because I used bigger size jars.  You may have to play around with yours to see what time works best for yours.  If it comes out a bit undone, just throw it under the broiler in your oven for a few minutes until it's cooked completely through!