Category Archives: Recipes

Heidi St. John’s Favorite Chicken – Stock Up and SAVE

Hi moms!

Alrightey. I’m a mom of conviction and passion—who also cooks. 🙂 If you have followed me for any length of time, you KNOW I love this company! Great food, GREAT customer service—pretty much, you can’t go wrong.

Fresh, delivered to my area, hormone-free—and I can order enough to feed the small army that my husband and I have created all-by-ourselves. 🙂

I’m stocking up—again–because a girl can’t have too much great chicken in her freezer! If you don’t have a deep freeze—consider splitting a case with a friend. You will be glad you went with this outstanding company… I pinky-promise! Zaycon is worth it.

You’ll need to find your area and then see if they still have product coming to your neck of the woods. There’s till time… don’t wait. (I waited too long once, and after I told y’all about it, my truck sold out.) Boo.

Enjoy!

The Best Slow Cooked Pot Roast {ever}

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So well… here’s the thing: if 4pm comes at my house and I don’t have a plan for dinner, I get cranky. Nevermind that my husband gets “hangry” around 5:30 p.m. IYKWIM. Put cranky and hangry together in the same house with a bunch of kids—and you can see why I need a plan for dinner.

As I’ve said before a million times: I think crockpots are a busy mom’s best friend. You can avoid the 4pm emotional breakdown by simply having a PLAN before you need to have a meal.

This pot roast has been in my slow cooker many, many times in the past 30 years I’ve been married to my man—and now my girls are making it for their friends and family! (Win!) It’s inexpensive and delicious… it’s the best slow cooked pot roast ever. Enjoy!

You’ll need:

One 4-6 pound lean boneless beef chuck pot roast (tied)
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 spoonful of beef bouillon (I love “Better than Bouillon“) – enough for 2 cups liquid
1/2 cup boiling water
2 cups red wine
packet of leek soup mix (from Knorr, if you can find it) I keep these in my pantry at.all.times.
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce (or more if you like)
2 Tbsp minced garlic (that’s about 8 cloves if you like it fresh)
1 tsp each
- thyme
- marjoram
- rosemary
carrots – enough to cover the pot roast, cut into chunks
3 med/large parsnips – these are GREAT in this roast! Cut them up into chunks

Directions:

Dissolve bouillon in boiling water. I like to put a spoonful of the bouillon into a coffee mug and just let it sit there. While you’re waiting for it to dissolve, put leek soup mix, garlic, tomatoes, wine—just put it all in except the meat and veggies. Pour bouillon in and mix together.
Add meat, turning to coat with the liquid
Arrange veggies around the roast. Cover.

Cover and cook for 9-11 hours on low or until fork-tender.

Remove meat to cutting board
Leave the rest in cooker; set to high… you’re going to make gravy!
Whisk 6 Tbsp flour into 1/2 cup of cold water. I use my bullet to do this now-a-days (five stars!)
Stir flour mixture into liquid—with 2 tsp tarragon if you have it (yum!) and some more red wine if you like that sort of flavor. We think it’s amazing. Cover and cook for about ten minutes, until thickened.
Place meat onto a serving platter and spoon some gravy over it to serve.

I hope you love this as much as my family does!

Enjoy!
P.S. – Would you like more ideas for managing your busy days, including meal planning? Check out my book!

Easy Allergy Free Banana Muffins

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I’m not an overachiever when it come to gluten free baking. If I see a list of more than two flours or anything I can’t easily get my hands on, I won’t even look any further at the recipe. As often as possible, I want to use only brown rice flour and some starch, though I even avoid the extra starch as often as I can. That’s why this recipe has been a long time favorite!

It’s an adaptation from this White Lily Cookbook someone gave us as a wedding gift.

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine in a small bowl, stir together:

2 c brown rice flour
1/2 c starch (potato/tapioca/corn or mix of any of them)
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon

Combine in mixing bowl and beat until well blended:

3 eggs (best substitute written below)
4-5 mashed bananas (about 2 c after mashing)
1/2 c shortening (I prefer Spectrum)
1 1/2 c sugar
1 t vanilla extract

Directions: Add dry ingredients to mixing bowl and mix on low (or hand stir) only until moistened. Pour into muffin tins and bake for 18-20 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean or muffins are lightly brown on top.

Free tip for all quick bread recipes: Do not over stir or you’ll end up with rubbery muffins.

Options, because all allergy free bakers like options!
*Coconut oil substituted for shortening – I have found this to be too wet, so I don’t prefer it, but it works.
*If using a cup for cup gluten free flour blend, use 2 1/2 c of it and eliminate the starch.
*Egg substitute – 2T ground flax stirred into 2T warm water (let sit for 2-3 minutes to gel) – This is for EACH egg in a recipe and is a fabulous substitute for all breads and (non-snow white) cakes.
*Substitute 1/2 c almond flour to add some protein. Makes them a little heavy, but I don’t mind trading that for the added protein.
*Applesauce can be substituted for the oil in order to make these 2 point weight watchers muffins. The texture is different, but they’re still good.

Enjoy!

Busy Mom’s Party Pleaser: Crispy Rice Balls with Marinara … You’re Welcome.

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So, my daughter’s mother-in-law helped me with a new recipe on Christmas day. They were SO GREAT, we’re serving them up again on New Year’s Eve. (Next week, I’m clearly doing a cleanse or something.)

Anywho! I thought YOU might want to try them, too! They’re that good.

Now, I don’t normally try new recipes out on Christmas day guests, but this simply had to happen. The locals where we first tired them in New York say they’re called arancini, but I can never spell that (or say it) right… and since this girl from Boring, Oregon can’t come up with anything better than “crispy, cheesy, rice balls,” that’s what I call them.

Not too creative, but it’s honest. I like to know what I’m getting into when I go to eat something.

Speaking of honesty, you can find recipes for arancini all over the Internet. I read this one from top to bottom and was glad he agreed with my sushi rice decision. We also did a little yummy twist on the mozzarella. We like our cheese to have a little more bite to it so we opted for mozzarella and brie. Also, I added a little bit of seasoned salt to the finished product. Either way is delicious—but when a girl needs a little salt—she needs a little salt. IYKNWIM.

So, allow me to take you straight to Cheese.Heaven: crunchy, cheesy, creamy.
You’re welcome. Continue reading →

Christmas Spritz Cookies

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This is my husband’s favorite Christmas cookie recipe. It was passed down from his mom and we have enjoyed them every year for the last 25 years that we have been married! I was looking forward to sharing it with you..and, well, things didn’t go as planned.

I needed to make the recipe so that I would have images for this post. Now let me just say that EVERY year we have put this dough through a cookie press. See??

This lovely tool makes beautiful little shapes…like the ones you see in the picture. One problem: It’s missing the part that seals off the end which renders it completely ineffective. I spent 30 minutes looking for it, only to find myself distracted by how messy my cupboards are. Where is the part you ask? Your guess is as good as mine. Probably the same place as my missing garlic press and the potato peeler my husband bought for me from a very expensive kitchen store. Actually, I could probably tell you who took off with it…”not me.” “Not me” has committed many crimes in our house over the years and when I find “not me,” I’m pretty sure it’s going to get ugly.

Fortunately this recipe comes with a “Plan B.” Really, don’t most of us moms live in “Plan B” (Or C or D or F)? The dough can be chilled for a bit, rolled out and you can use cookie cutters to cut the shapes. So here’s the recipe:

Spritz Cookies:

Mix these together with a mixer:

1 c. butter, softened

1 c. sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 t. vanilla

In a sifter, sift into a separate bowl:

3 1/2 c. flour

1 t. baking powder

2 t. cream of tartar

Gradually stir dry mixture into wet mixture. Chill for an hour if rolling out for cut out cookies. Then roll out 1/4 in. thick. If using a cookie press, (WAHHH!!!) there is no need to chill. (But I should probably think about chilling myself). Add any pretty sprinkles or colored sugar you may want to the tops.

Bake at 425 degrees for 6-7 minutes. Watch closely as smaller cookies may bake faster. May YOUR baking days be merry and bright and may all of your kitchen tools be easily found.

The Busy Mom’s Favorite Kitchen Time-Savers and Recipe Round-Up

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I don’t know about you, but I. am. busy.

Actually, maybe I do know about you. You’re probably a wife and mom, just like me, which means you’re busy, just like I am!

While I love to cook, I am often side-tracked by how much time it can take to get a delicious, healthy meal on the table each night (not to mention those other two times a day)!

Because the holidays are notorious for meals that can take forever to prepare, as we enter the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons, I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite time-saving kitchen tools, along with a round-up of some recipes here on The Busy Mom for ideas of how to use them!

All of these useful tools make holiday cooking (well . . . actually all cooking!) much easier for the busy mom.

Slow Cooker

Rotisserie-style Chicken

Easy, Delicious Chalupa

Slow Cooker Italian Beef Soup

Pulled Pork

Crock Pot Artichokes

Easy Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

Best Slow Cooked Chicken Soup

Mandolin

Spicy Baked Zucchini Chips

Food Processor

Crock Pot Chicken Curry

Chipotle Salsa

Put the red pepper, chipotle peppers, garlic cloves, salt and pepper in at the same time.

Pressure Cooker

Split Pea Soup

15 Bean Soup

Apple and Potato Peeler

Allergy Free on Thanksgiving

Apple Butter

Dutch Oven

1 Chicken, 3 Meals

What are your favorite time-saving kitchen tools?

Quick and Easy Delicious Donuts

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Our family is on a real food journey. This means that most of what we eat is made from real, whole, quality ingredients and not chemical-laden, processed foods.

However, there are still a few things that just scream comfort, and this is one of those things.

In our family, Fridays are “fun night.” We have something fun for supper and watch a family-friendly show or movie. Sometimes we make something extra fun for dessert like these donuts. “Real” donuts have their place and I love those too, but there is just something special about these biscuit donuts.

If you haven’t tried them, you are in for a real treat!

Quick & Easy Biscuit Donuts

What you need:

1 Can of regular canned biscuits (10 ct)
Granulated sugar
Oil (for frying)
Deep Fryer (worth the investment for the ease, but not required)

What to do:

Preheat oil to 350 degrees. (if you’re using a regular skillet, just fill skillet with 2 inches of oil and heat on med-high heat.
Open biscuits and remove from can. Form biscuits into shapes. For “donuts,” I simply use the round end of a wooden spoon to poke a hole in the middle and then work it a bit to widen the hole. For the “holes,” I simply tear a biscuit into 3-4 pieces and roll them into loose balls.
Once you have your donuts and holes ready, and the oil is thoroughly heated, you’re ready to fry them. Gently place donuts in hot oil (be careful!), cooking them on each side for about 2 minutes, until browned.
Remove cooked donuts and drain onto paper towels, then toss with sugar to coat. We just use plain sugar, but you can also add in cinnamon, use powdered sugar, or make a quick glaze (1 cup powdered sugar + 2 tbsp milk + 1 tsp vanilla).

Enjoy!