Chocolate cake cupcakes and buttercream frosting

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/buttermilk-chocolate-cupcakes (makes 24 cupcakes)

https://addapinch.com/perfect-chocolate-buttercream-frosting-recipe/ (1/3 recipe is adequate)

I used 1/3 of the cocoa called for in the frosting recipe. It has too much IMHO. These were for Ila's birthday

Beef Mushroom Stir Fry

https://foodnessgracious.com/beef-and-mushroom-black-pepper-stir-fry/

This was pretty good! I didn't have rice wine so put in a little rice vinegar instead (much less than called for).

This was part of a meal plan from Simple Roots Wellness, week 50 of 2017. https://s3.amazonaws.com/nourishedplanner/2017-Meal-Plans/50-2017.pdf

Potato Latkes

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/classic-potato-latkes-74127.aspx

Made these for our Hanukkah 2017 meal. I put 1/2 inch of canola oil into a skillet and had temperature on 6.5. I measured it with a candy thermometer too, it was close to the 360-375 range recommended for latkes. I used 6 cups of frozen shredded potatoes, that were thawed. Grated onion, got extra water out of onion and potato with towel. The latkes turned out great. I cooked 6 at a time, and it made 24 total.

Spiced Applesauce Cake with Icing

https://www.budgetbytes.com/2016/10/anne-byrns-1917-applesauce-cake/
http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/white-glaze-icing-for-pastries-cinnamon-rolls-and-danishes-454978
Spiced Applesauce Cake with Icing

I made a tiny fraction of the icing recipe. Probably used only 2-3 Tbsp powdered sugar and it was plenty. The clove in the cake is a significant amount. It will be spicy and add a big kick to the cake. But it was great! I used more like 3/4 cup sugar since my homemade applesauce was slightly sweetened.

Clyde wanted applesauce for this birthday cake and this was what I made. It was a hit! It was great that it was a small cake in an 8x8 pan also.

Brownie Cheesecake

https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/brownie-cheesecake-low-carb-and-gluten-free/

I used swerve in this recipe but in slightly smaller amounts. It was terrific dessert. I served it to guests and they said they liked it.  I weighed the flour and cocoa.

I might make the brownie part less so its more of a crust next time. Also will use straight up erythritol next time since i'm nearly out of swerve.

Chili Spaghetti Squash Casserole

https://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/2013/12/cheesy-chili-spaghetti-squash-casserole-low-carb-gluten-free.html

This was great. I made it while on week 1 of the authors free low carb meal plans. I cooked the spaghetti squash according to these instructions using the "softer spaghetti" option. Since this is oven cooked also, next time i'll try al dente and see if it's any better.

One pot meal Chicken and Brown Rice Instant Pot

http://www.superhealthykids.com/all-in-one-instant-pot-chicken-and-brown-rice/
One pot meal Chicken and Brown Rice Instant Pot

This was great. It made a huge amount though. I'd say 1 cup of rice would have been more than enough for our needs. I made this with 2 huge chicken breasts and cut them in thirds. They shredded easily after 28 minutes + natural release.

note: my kids hardly ate this at all. They don't like their dinner mixed together I guess. Too bad.

Old Fashioned Potato Salad

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/16729/old-fashioned-potato-salad/

Old Fashioned Potato Salad

I made this as written except put in half the relish. And i put in onion powder instead of onion. It was really great!

Instant Pot Pulled Pork

http://www.allergyfreealaska.com/2017/01/13/crowd-pleasing-instant-pot-pulled-pork-with-dry-rub/

I used a 9 lb bone-in pork shoulder for this. I cut off the top skin/fat layer and cut it into 3 pieces: 1 large piece that would fit into the bottom of my pot, and then 2 smaller pieces that could squish in beside it. I let the pot heat up to high on saute function and browned the pieces on multiple sides after applying the rub. This made a huge amount of  meat, as expected! After searing (~4-5 min per side) I pressure cooked it for 2 hours and 30 minutes. So yes I had to add another 30 minutes onto the end since my pot only goes up to 120 minutes. 150 minutes was enough time to make the pork super easy to shred and the bone literally fell off, which was what I wanted. It tasted great.

Jerk Pork Loin or Roast

http://www.diabeticconnect.com/diabetic-recipes/general/2354-caribbean-jerk-pork-roast

Do NOT use nectresse next time in seasoning blend. Also, if doing pork loin chops, use 25% or less of this recipe. I'm not so keen on the sweet spices in it, mayb eleave those and the sweetener out completely. I made this and it was overwhelming and weird, we scrapped off the seasoning as best we could. I smelled good while baking though, and a variant is a great idea for thick cut pork loin or a roast.

Turbo Soup

https://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/2016/01/ibih-turbo-atkins-diet-soup-low-carb-paleo.html

This soup is so delicious. It's got a long scary name but the flavor is phenomenal. Definitely a keeper. The broth is amazing, Ila had 3 bowls of it. I swapped radishes for the celeriac, only because celeriac was too expensive. I'll have to make this again when I get celeriac from my CSA.

Tilapia in coconut milk

I made this recipe up. It's the best preparation of tilapia I've had in a while.

Put 1 cup coconut milk into 9x13 dish. Set 4-6 tilapia fillets into the milk (1 - 1.5 lb), getting it onto both sides of the fish.
On top of the fish, sprinkle dried chopped onion, tarragon, salt, and pepper. Then I sprayed some olive oil pam on top of the fish to moisten the herbs. I'm not sure if that step was necessary.

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Or something. I didn't set the timer. I used 6 tilapia and they were all touching.

Quick Pizza Crust

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/20171/quick-and-easy-pizza-crust/

This was great. I used 1 cup = 120 gram weight using all purpose flour. I had extra time so I mixed the proofed yeast liquid with the flour and let sit for 10 minutes before mixing in the salt and oil. Then I covered and let that sit for 20 or 30 minutes. Then I floured a small baking sheet and stretched the dough onto the sheet. It turned out great, but next time would do 1.5 the recipe to be adequate for our family.

Definitely do this one again. It is flexible for how much time you have. Can easily be converted to sourdough also.

Low Carb Waffles

http://www.tryketowith.me/2015/08/01/the-only-keto-pancakewaffle-recipe-i-need/

This was a good low carb waffle. It was not enough for my family of 4, so i disagree with the "4 servings" thing. I served it with bacon and eggs also, but my kids wanted more. I would definitely double this next time and serve with bacon and/or eggs. I used swerve for the sweetener and put plain greek yogurt and a couple sliced strawberries on top. It was good when I needed a change.

Mayo and parmesan chicken

I cooked two giant chicken breasts in the pressure cooker, based on this method, but did 15+10 because I only thawed them enough to separate them and they were frozen through the middle still.  Afterward, i placed them in a glass pyrex dish, sliced them into a fallen domino pattern, put some homemade mayo on top (a modest amount) and then put shredded parmesan on top of the chicken.
Then put under the broiler for ~5 minutes until cheese is golden. It was so delicious. David and I both loved it.

Baked Skinless Chicken Thighs

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-cook-boneless-skinless-chicken-thighs-in-the-oven-180140

I have used bone-in chicken thighs/legs (removed the skin) also and baked it for 30 minutes and it was done.

Quick Tortillas

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/homemade-tortillas
Homemade tortillas

This worked great, my family liked it. I was able to make it and cook it while the oven preheated and salmon baked. I did half a batch and kneaded it in the bowl, then rolled out between two silpats.

I made half a batch (since I wasn't having any) to go with salmon and tzatziki sauce. Much faster than pitas but maybe i'll just use the tortillas from the fridge next time!

But i could modify this to be sourdough pretty easily. This is the original recipe in grams.

240 g flour
177 g water
1/2 tsp salt
3 T olive oil

To convert to sourdough, add 250 grams (1 cup) of starter in place of 125 g water and 125 gram flour.

That changes the recipe to:
115 g flour
52 g water
250 g sourdough starter
1/2 tsp salt
3 T olive oil

So do that next time and see if its worth the effort.

Sourdough Cornbread

http://emerils.com/125741/sourdough-cornbread
Sourdough Cornbread

I wasn't able to taste this (my diet), but my family rated it so-so. But I did not have buttermilk and so used regular milk (not even soured! I was in a rush). Also used coconut oil instead of butter. Next time I'll sour the milk (I never have buttermilk on hand!) and use butter and then that will be the final word. Also--I would say this is quite a large recipe. Half is plenty, and it will cook in 20 minutes. Finally, 1 tbsp might be too much oil. I was in a rush and guessed, but it was too much oil and it made the cornbread soggy on top (i also only poured in half so it would cook faster). Try 1 tsp oil and see what it looks like.

I am looking for biscuit and cornbread recipes so that I can make one or the other in a snap to go with dinner so my family doesn't have to eat cauliflower rice all the time (or rather...not eat it!)

Lime Cake

http://laughingspatula.com/fresh-key-lime-cake/
Lime Cake

This was a really delicious cake. I used more zest than it called for, whatever I could get from the 5 (real limes, not key limes) limes I juiced. I would make this again for sure. It's my new favorite cake!

Chocolate pudding with gelatin

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/01/how-to-make-jello-pudding-from-scratch-chocolate-pudding-recipe.html

This uses gelatin instead of cornstarch. I also put in an egg. This is so great. 5 oz sugar is too much. I use 1/3 cup sugar at most. This is easy to make a low carb version.

Instant Pot Egg Custard

https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/instant-pot-hk-egg-custard/
Instant Pot Egg Custard

I adjusted this recipe in the following way:

1 cup milk (have only tested with 2% fairlife)
2 eggs
sprinkle salt

and 2.5 tbsp sugar or substitutes (have done 1 tbsp swerve w/ 5 drops sweetleaf stevia toffee. Wasn't quite sweet enough)

use stick blender a little to blend.

Put in bowl and cover with tin foil, on steam rack, with 1 cup water in bottom of pot. High pressure for 5 minutes and let natural release for 10 minutes after.

King Arthur Cornbread

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/cornbread-recipe
King Arthur Cornbread

This was really great. I doubled it and put it in a sheet pan. Also added cheddar, corn, and scallions. Very good.

Sourdough Naan

http://www.mykitchenaddiction.com/2011/04/sourdough-naan/
Sourdough Naan

This was a fail. I used old unfed sourdough starter and the dough turned out far too wet. I used regular yogurt but i doubt that accounts for it. The author claims the recipe is something she "can handle, even on the busiest days." I emphatically disagree...i wont make it again. There are better naan recipes out there with tastier results.

Weeknight Curry

This is from super natural every day, heidi swanson.  I used this method but instead did the vegetables/meat i had on hand.

Pressure Cooker Pot Roast

https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/pressure-cooker-pot-roast/
Pressure Cooker Pot Roast

The best pot roast I've ever made. Seriously good. I used a sirloin roast that I had already...and it was half frozen when I started (after soaking it in water for 20 min). I used balsamic in the deglaze step. Definitely must make this again. The website it came from is terrific for instant pot cooking.

Pressure cooker chicken breasts

2 chicken breasts, one weighing 380 grams (big!).
1 jar simmer sauce. I used tikka masala. Save the runny sauce for a curry soup. Water from the chicken made it runny.

Pressure cook on high for 10 minutes + 10 minutes natural release. I adjusted this recipe to get that mount. The breasts were moist and great with a temp about 170. https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/make-moist-chicken-breast-pressure-cooker/

Waffle crab cakes

http://www.skinnytaste.com/waffled-crab-cakes/
Waffle crab cakes

This can be any kind of tinned fish cakes, really. I made a double recipe of this but used 1 can 14.5 oz salmon and 1 can 6 oz lump crab. Drained of course. The rest of the recipe was doubled. It was so good. We ate it with salad greens and ranch for dipping sauce.

Clyde loved this. He likes fish already, but he was as excited about these as real waffles with syrup. Win. I will have to make more savory waffle dinners. We all liked the dish quite a bit. I used 1/4 cup liquid whites to equal 2 egg whites.

Pressure cooker split pea soup

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/vegetarian-split-pea-soup
Pressure cooker split pea soup

 Use an entire 1 lb package of split peas, it is just barely over 2 cups. Also I used chicken broth (or rather 6 cups water and 6 bullion cubes) instead of vegetable broth. Put first 9 ingredientes into pressure cooker.

I did 30 minutes yesterday and it was too long, so next time pressure cook for 20 minutes. Then after its done, add 1 pound of chopped ham or turkey ham and serve.


It tastes really great and doesn't need a ham hock or sauteing veggies ahead of time or anything. Just put uncooked veg in with the broth and split peas.

Note 3/23/19: I doubled it and pressure cooked for 25 minutes and it seemed perfect.

Oatmeal Pancakes

http://www.food.com/recipe/family-favorite-oatmeal-pancakes-52999
Oatmeal Pancakes

My new favorite pancake. I used 2 cups of oats and soaked them for 2 hours in the milk. These were really great. Not exactly the same as the oatcakes at Manna cafe, but close enough to make me happy. I didn't measure the flour but used 90 grams.

This is just barely enough for our family right now.
Try using quick oats next time.
Note: quick oats were inferior. Regular oats are best!

Note 5/11/2020: Extra delicious using buttermilk.

Quinoa redemption

http://eatwithinyourmeans.com/pressure-cooker-quinoa/
Quinoa is great when cooked this way. I have a new respect for quinoa. It was always soggy and gross before, but cooked this way it has been good.

Tarragon Chicken and Rice Soup

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/231509/tarragon-chicken-and-rice-soup

I used 2 quarts broth. It was quite a thick soup after it sat for a few minutes cooling. Could have used even more broth. This would have been fine with half the rice too. I cooked an entire cauliflower in the broth first and pureed it so the soup would be more creamy.

Black Bean Brownies

3 Eggs
1 Can Black Beans (Rinsed)
2 Tbsp Coconut Oil (You can use butter too if you don't need it to be dairy free)
3/4 Cup Sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup cocoa powder

Just blend it all up in a blender and cook for 25-30 min at 350.

These were pretty good. I will make these again. I got this from Melissa Neary and it called for honey, but i don't like honey with chocolate. And I don't digest honey as well as sugar.

Better Broccoli Casserole

http://eatwithinyourmeans.com/pressure-cooker-quinoa/
http://cookieandkate.com/2016/better-broccoli-casserole-recipe/
Better Broccoli Casserole

This is the first dish I've made with quinoa that I actually like. I rinsed the quinoa and made it using the pressure cooker method described in the first link. (1:1 ratio using wet grains...high pressure 1 min, depressurize for 15)

I used 1 lb broccoli, stems included.

This was really tasty. I just used a handful of gluten free breadcrumbs and didn't do any garlic saute. That probably would have made it even better, but it was super tasty as it was.

Sheet Pan Teriyaki Salmon

http://damndelicious.net/2017/02/10/sheet-pan-teriyaki-salmon/

Sheet Pan Teriyaki Salmon

This was great. I used only 1 giant carrot and it was yummy. I used 4 oz salmon fillets and store bought teriyaki sauce and baked 18 minutes.

Whole Egg Coconut Macaroons

https://twospoons.wordpress.com/2013/06/02/whole-egg-coconut-macaroons-the-easiest-cookie-youll-ever-meet/
Whole Egg Coconut Macaroons

These cookies were great--I hate whipping egg whites so these were super easy and fast macaroons. Definitely use the baking paper or silpat. I made them inside muffin tins and they all stuck badly and had to be scraped out. The crust on these is divine. I reduced the sugar to 80g since I used sweetened shredded coconut, and I'm guessing the original recipe wants unsweetened. They were plenty sweet.

Enchilada Soup

http://thepioneerwoman.com/food-and-friends/easy-enchilada-soup/

I made this recipe with the following alterations: Added 1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes, did not include the fresh salsa. Used a large 32-oz can of red enchilada sauce instead of 2 10-oz ones. Used 15 oz can corn instead of frozen. Added ~1 cup leftover refried beans to thicken. Did not add garlic. Added ~ 2 tbsp lime juice.

And this was a great soup and easy since it utilized leftovers and food from cans. It was definitely spicy, the leftover shredded chicken I used was already seasoned with taco seasoning and so made it even spicier. But with sour cream, cheese, and old broken chips on top, it mellowed and Ila loved it when she has rejected spicy things in the past. Clyde did not eat any. :)

Protein Waffles

http://damndelicious.net/2016/07/15/healthy-protein-waffles
Protein Waffles

I also made this to go with it: https://lrhrecipes.blogspot.com/2015/11/blueberry-syrup-unsweetened.html and it didn't use an entire 12 oz bag. so 10 oz seems about right. It made about a cup. I did add a little bit of stevia (one 1/16 tsp scoop) to the syrup. The syrup made about 1 cup total.

These definitely seemed more filling than usual waffles. I did 1.5x the recipe and it made 8 waffles with my waffle maker (the first one was pretty small though). If I'd measured it right from the beginning and used nearly 3/4 cup batter per waffles, it would probably have been more like 7 full circular waffles. Cottage cheese and eggs really make it super filling.

I also served it with trader joes bacon...my favorite...but totally unnecessary with this recipe since it is already high in protein. Based on the original recipe, the 1.5x version should make 9 waffles with 240 calories each. So if it only makes ~7 then the calories are 308 per waffle if 2% cottage cheese is used.

Ila and Clyde both asked for waffles for the next two days so they really loved waffles. I need to make these regularly.

Almond flour and oatmeal Banana Muffins

http://www.fortheloveofbasil.com/healthy-almond-flower-banana-muffins/
Almond flour and oatmeal Banana Muffins

These were very good. I used brown sugar instead of honey and added a little bit of chopped 85% dark choc to the batter, and some shredded coconut. I also used cashew butter only because i'm trying to use up the last bit.

Soaked Flour Free oatmeal pancakes

https://www.nourishingdays.com/2010/06/soaked-flour-free-oatmeal-pancakes/
Soaked Flour Free oatmeal pancakes

These were fine. Nothing amazing. Technically flourless. It took extra time to spread each pancake out. So these may not be as fast to make.

Mushroom Casserole

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/mushroom-casserole-recipe.html
Mushroom Casserole

This was pretty good. I made it from her cookbook which calls for gruyere instead of parm. I didn't have fresh tarragon so i put dried in with the rest of the mixture.
I made this in my 2.5 qt oval bake dish.

Applesauce Muffins (egg and dairy free)

http://www.fivehearthome.com/2013/09/30/dairy-free-egg-free-spiced-applesauce-muffins-or-first-birthday-applesauce-cake/
Applesauce Muffins (egg and dairy free)

I used my homemade applesauce for this and then halved the sugar. It was still plenty sweet for a muffin, but probably not as sweet as a cake.

Pesto Cream Sauce

http://www.food.com/recipe/pesto-cream-sauce-287975
Pesto Cream Sauce

We ate this over chicken and rice. Very delicious.

Peanut butter monster cookies

http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-peanut-butter-monster-c-40455

Some very good cookies! I made them with sunbutter for st patricks day. it didn't turn green as fast or as well as I'd hoped because there was no flour in them and were flat and thin, but still great for a gluten free cookie recipe. Use peanut butter next time.

Beef Brisket

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/221041/wine-braised-beef-brisket
Beef Brisket

We ate this for hanukkah in 2016. Very good!

Spaghetti Carbonara

http://damndelicious.net/2014/03/29/spaghetti-carbonara/

David has made this twice now and it is really yummy.

Spicy Cheese Bread

http://www.browneyedbaker.com/spicy-cheese-bread/#
Spicy Cheese Bread

This was a very tasty bread, but I think it's not as good as Stella's. Either it was overbaked or it rose too much, because it wasn't as heavy as Stella's. Also I was hesitant to put in 12 oz of cheese so I only put in 8 oz, and I think it could have held the 12. I would make this again.

Thai Cucumber Salad

https://www.budgetbytes.com/2016/04/thai-cucumber-salad-2/
Thai Cucumber Salad

This was an excellent cucumber salad. I used only 1 tbsp sugar and it was perfect.

Chicken Waldorf Salad

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/chicken-waldorf-salad-recipe
Chicken Waldorf Salad

This recipe was great. I did use 2 chicken breasts making 3 cups of chicken and added some chopped green onions. Ila loved it especially, even the lettuce.

Lemon Garlic Kale Salad

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015707-lemon-garlic-kale-salad
Lemon Garlic Kale Salad

I made a smaller version of this salad and we all liked it (except clyde who hardly ever eats dinner). I did massage the kale a bit and that made it a little nicer.

lunch + soups

The days I don't have salad, I like to have soup for lunch. Sometimes I'll do both. I've been trying to make a large pot of soup on sunday (or whatever day works) and then we'll have some for dinner, and then I'll freeze 2 quarts and still have another 2 quarts for the fridge and lunches.

My current favorites are:
http://lrhrecipes.blogspot.com/2017/01/minestrone-soup-by-lisa.html (but I leave out the pasta now since I'm avoiding grain for a while. Really I think the pasta is superfluous.) This recipe will make plenty to freeze.
http://lrhrecipes.blogspot.com/2017/02/wickizer-veggie-chili.html. I'm not sure how much this makes, but I'll probably double it the first time to make sure I had extra.

Wickizer Veggie Chili

My neighbors made this for me after baby, and then brought it again when I asked for the recipe. They are great! I love it vegetarian, but I will add some ground turkey when I make it so it is more filling. I haven't made it yet but I have the right beans finally.

Anyway, we all LOVED the chili. I like it way better than the "30 minute chili" that I have on this sight. I hardly ever make that because I don't really love it. But I'd make this frequently. Ila loves it especially.

Lunch + Salad Vegetables

 About a year and a half ago I tried to get into the "mason jar salad" craze. You get a quart jar (or 5), and put in dressing, then a bunch of veggies, and then squish in some lettuce. This is a great idea if you need it all in one to take to work. But I work from home. So I found it annoying to eat the same salad 5 days in a row, and the dressing got tiring and was always partially wasted since it never comes out of the jar all the way without scraping with a spatula. Which I did not do. Plus you have no idea how much salad you can cram into those things. It comes out and you have way more lettuce then you can handle.

So they did not work for me. But I decided to try again with just the vegetables. And I love it! This is my second week of making mason jar salad vegetables. I actually look forward to my easy lunch salad now since I can customize it so easily. The hard part for me with salads is prepping the vegetables. So if I do that ahead of time and make 4 or 5 quart jars of salad veggies, then all i have to do is chop/spin lettuce, add meat and dressing of choice. That way you can use whatever leftover meat you want, or meatless with eggs and nuts and cheese, or whatever.

I am currently deciding whether I want to try adding salad leaves to the jars too. We will see. It is kind of annoying using the spinner every day and I don't have a lot of time to spare to eat.

So far this is what I do so far, split between 4 quart jars:
handful of cherry tomatoes (or 1.5 clamshells split in 4)
1 cucumber, sliced into semicircles
8 baby radish, sliced
8 oz mushroom, sliced
1 colored bell pepper, chopped in big pieces

I choose 4 from that list, or whatever is on sale.
I'm also really loving the growers mix that aldi sells. It is enough for about 6 salads.

For meat I always buy 1- 6 oz package of southwest grilled chicken. I use that for 1 or 1.5 salads. Other toppings: leftover taco meat twice, shrimp and a hardboiled egg, leftover shredded pork, pistachios, beans, block parmesan cheese, and queso fresco. And lately for dressing I've been using light champagne vinaigrette from trader joes.

Pumpkin Maple Sourdough Cake

http://pinchmysalt.com/pumpkin-maple-sourdough-cake/
Pumpkin Maple Sourdough Cake

This was very delicious. I would make this again for sure. It has a nice cohesion to it, and very moist. I added 2 T of brown sugar after realizing the squash I used was not at all sweet and quite bland. I would not add the sugar if it was a butternut or pumpkin squash. David said he liked it even better the next day.

04/2020: used brown sugar instead of maple syrup, and added 1/2 tsp maple flavoring. Used microwaved sweet potato, and then canned pumpkin a second time.

Overnight Oats + whey powder oatmeal test

I recently purchased some unflavored whey protein powder by Jarrow hoping it could mix into oatmeal and be undetectable. This is what works and what doesn't.

Oatmeal tests:
Add whey powder before microwaving oats/water: FAIL. The cooked whey absorbed water and was chunky and strange texture. It tasted ok, but texture is too big a turn off.

Add whey powder to hot cooked steel cut full liquid oatmeal: WORKED. The addition was undetectable to finished steel cut oats. I think I tried adding half a scoop, but I think a whole scoop would be fine too. Make sure to stir in quick. Only add it to oatmeal that has all the liquid needed.

I tried adding it to hot cooked old fashioned oats with only half the liquid (a microwave trick I do in order to add milk later) and sort of had to mash it in, then I added milk after. This had strange texture again. FAIL.

If I stir it into hot cooked old fashioned oats with full liquid, then x.

Overnight oats:
I like them. This is what I do:

1/2 cup old fashioned oats (the package says this is 40 grams, but 40 grams is actually more like a scant 1/2 cup. I usually do the scant or measure it by weight.)
3/4 scoop unflavored whey powder
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 cup 2% milk
1 tbsp maple syrup
fruit mix in, chopped strawberries are great or half banana.

Shake up first 3 ingredients in wide mouth pint canning jar, then add milk and let sit overnight. Add syrup and fruit before eating.

I'm sure I'll try more variations over time. The strawberry version has 30/13/54g p/f/c. 433 calories.

Another high protein breakfast to do is http://damndelicious.net/2016/07/15/healthy-protein-waffles/

Sourdough Muffins

http://webpages.charter.net/rhamley/bread/quickbreads2.htm
Sourdough Muffins

This recipe is easy to convert to corn muffins or any other grained muffin by subsituting the 1 cup of flour with 1 cup cornmeal, or 1 cup millet, or whatever flour you want. It might work with almond meal too, I haven't done that though.

I have tried it with cornmeal and they were terrific. It baked in 10 minutes in a mini-muffin pan.

Sourdough Pancakes or Waffles

Sourdough Pancakes or Waffles

This recipe is great. It feeds our family of 4 (plus infant) and there were a few extra too. I use whole wheat for the additional cup of flour.

Instructions from Leann about her 40 year old starter:

Put your sourdough starter in a Tupperware that will be its new home. 

Directions for today and after use:  Add flour and cool water to make about 1 1/2 cups of starter that is the consistency of thick pancake batter.  Let it sit on the counter with lid off for a few hours until you start to see bubbles on top.  Put the lid on and put it in the fridge. 

 Directions for before use:  About one hour (or as soon as you remember:)) before use, bring starter out of fridge. Add enough flour ( I usually do two or three spoonfuls) and water to make sure you have enough starter for your recipe with a couple of TBSP leftover as culture. Let sit on the counter until you are ready to make your recipe;  hopefully you will start to see some bubbles at that time.  After you use your starter, you should have a couple of tablespoons left over in your Tupperware.  Follow the "after use" directions. 

 Ideally use the starter every two weeks, but I usually do it once every month or two.

Laura's modifications for the starter and this recipe:
I have been maintaining the starter at 100% hydration (equal parts weight flour and water). 1 cup of starter weighs 250g.

Night before Instant Pot Oatmeal

Using rolled oats:
2 cups old fashioned oats, 2.5 cups water. Use pot in a pot method--I used 1.5 quart souffle dish. Add dried fruit/nuts/seasonings etc.
Put 2 cups water into instant pot, then put in trivet that came with it. Place souffle dish on top of trivet and put on lid.
Set to steam for 13 minutes, then put delay timer so that it will start around 6 am.

Notes:
This worked. But I think the oats were overcooked, and there were too many leftovers and kids didn't want them. Only do 1 cup oats next time, which is enough for 3 people. Try 10 minutes pressure time. Soaking the oats overnight reduce the cooking time needed.

French Toast Casserole

http://fantasticfamilyfavorites.blogspot.com/2010/05/brazos-bakes-french-toast.html

French Toast Casserole

This was terrific. Leann made this for me post baby, and I liked it so much I made it tonight. I have been enjoying more bread lately, and made some this week. I used 3/4 loaf (but should have used a whole one) of this bread. (Because it was only 3/4 of a loaf I left out 2 of the eggs, but with a whole loaf I would use all 10.)

It is not clear from the directions, but this should be baked uncovered. You may need to cover near the end if it is getting too brown (I did not need to).

Alterations:
Instead of half and half I used 1/2 cup milk and 1 cup lowfat cottage cheese blended up. It was thick and worked well (also boosting protein in the dish, and much less fat). It would have been fine to do equal parts milk and cottage cheese also.
I also only put 4 oz cream cheese
and 4 T butter.

I think the butter is totally unnoticeable, I will leave it out next time.

David liked this dish. He usually does not like "soggy bread" dishes so I am glad he likes this.

Microwave Chocolate Mug Cake

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/241038/microwave-chocolate-mug-cake/

Microwave Chocolate Mug Cake

This was great for a mug cake (not as good as a real cake with egg in my opinion..but still delicious). You need an oversized mug or bowl for this or else it will overflow. I've made it a bunch of times now and it was good when i followed the recipe exactly (except did cut out a little sugar). I tried replacing some of the fat with water and the result was terrible.

Pumpkin Yeast Bread Recipe

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/pumpkin-yeast-bread-recipe

This was good, but i don't see much use for this bread since its not very versatile. My yulecake bread would have been far preferred  as a sweet yeast bread. I folled the recipe exactly except put in 1/3 part whole wheat flour by weight, and used only 1 packet of yeast instead of 2 (and proofed it in milk).

Powdered Milk Biscuits

http://seniorark.com/RE/a/powdered%20milk%20biscuits.htm
Powdered Milk Biscuits

I thought these were a bit dry, but they would have turned out better if I'd rolled out dough and cut it out rather than pretending this was a drop biscuit recipe and plopping uneven amounts on the silpat. David and kids liked them though.

FAIL Soaked Whole Wheat Crackers

http://just-making-noise.com/easy-homemade-whole-grain-crackers/

Soaked Whole Wheat Crackers

490 grams whole wheat flour (140 g/cup)
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1 cup water
2 Tbsp. raw apple cider vinegar

Add after soaking:
1 tsp. sea salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
These were terrible.  I did two batches, rolling them out and scoring them with a pastry wheel I have. The first I baked 10 minutes. They were soft and chewy, definitely not cracker like. Ila said they were "noodley." The second batch I did 15 minutes. They were hard, not flaky or anything, just hard. Ila said those were like biscuits.

Either way, I will not be making these again. I think the original recipe called for ww pastry flour, and I think that using regular ww flour just does not work. Thankfully the kids still like them so they will not go to waste!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-brussels-sprouts-recipe2.html
Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Winter Minestrone Soup

Lisa made this soup for me after I had Henrik. She used frozen meat balls in place of the bacon. It was the best minestrone ever, I really loved it. She also "added a head of cauliflower and a zucchini. I usually just throw in whatever sad vegetables are dying a painful, not-fresh death in the back of my crisper drawer. That soup is a great redeemer of sad vegetables."
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/winter-minestrone-soup-with-garlic-bruschetta/

Notes 1/31/17:
I made this, without spinach, and added a head of cauliflower and a yellow squash. Plus the other vegetables were more 2 cups instead of 1.5 cups. It made nearly 8 quarts. It is so delicious though! I think the sweetness of the butternut squash is what really makes it so tasty for me. And the pesto is a must.

Lisa suggests removing and freezing half the soup before you add pasta, then when you thaw it you can add the pasta then and cook a bit more. I think this keeps the pasta from breaking down since it does not freeze well.

Notes 2/28/17:
I made this with leftover christmas ham. It was amazing. I added a whole cauliflower again, and 1 cup tomato sauce (or puree...it was home canned and was a bit thick). Also I used my food processor to slice most of the vegetables and squash, and added spinach this time. It was great again!