S/O Feed the Duggars right

[SunnyAndrsn]

French toast bake:

12 slices of bread, cubed

1 1/2 cups of skim milk

6 eggs

2 tbs of sugar, brown or white

1tsp of vanilla

Mix the eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla. Toss in the the bread cubes until moist. Pour into a lightly greased 9x9 non-stick pan.

Top with a tablespoon of butter mixed with another tbs. of sugar. Sprinkle top with cinnamon. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes to an hour.

This is our holiday breakfast--we make this for Christmas breakfast, Easter breakfast, or when we have overnight guests. This small pan serves at least 4. We top it with light syrup. Very easy to double or triple as needed for a larger crowd.

Another breakfast dish we like to do for company:

4 cups of bread cubes (about 12 pieces)

6 eggs

2tbs of parsley

2 cups of cheese: 1 cup swiss, 1 cup mild cheddar

1 cup of breakfast meat: We love to use ham, but the J'slaves could easily substitute turkey sausage

Mix eggs, milk, and parsley. Spray crock pot with non-stick spray. Start with a layer of bread, then a 1/2 cup of cheese, and some of the meat. Continue to layer, ending with cheese. Pour the egg/milk mix over the top. Bake on low for approximately 4 hours.

Chicken soup:

Saute onion and celery in a tablespoon of butter until soft. Toss in a stock pot with chicken broth. Add chopped carrots. Add leftover chicken and/or cook chicken breast, shred, and toss in the pot. Add salt, pepper, and whatever other seasonings you want until you like the flavor.

Size is adjustable to any family size. For 3-4, I use 1/2 medium onion and a couple of stalks of celery, and about 1/2 pound of chicken breast.

In the summer, my favorite meal is grilled chicken breast cut up on a salad. The grill flavor mixed with salad greens are so good.

This is something the J'slaves could easily make is well. How hard is salad? How hard is soup from scratch?

[Witsec7]

Ok I love mashed cauliflower but the butter and milk are too much for me. I make mine Lebanese style. I use tahini instead of butter and some lemon juice. When its cold I love to smear it in a pita with some salad greens and red peppers.

[terranova]

This is one of our favorite things:

[link=http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2009/11/slow-cooker-southwest-chicken-stacks.html]Slow Cooker Southwest Chicken Stacks[/link]

Those sound soooooo good they're making me really hungry. I need to invest in a slow cooker!

[snarkbillie]

Ok I love mashed cauliflower but the butter and milk are too much for me. I make mine Lebanese style. I use tahini instead of butter and some lemon juice. When its cold I love to smear it in a pita with some salad greens and red peppers.

oooooo I want to try that!

[NurseNell]

Too much butter? You could probably skip like 3/4 of it. I don't think the Duggar's palate would deal well without it though.

They taste like mashed potatoes, btw. I started eating it rather than mashed potatoes on a diet once and fell in love with it.

Now don't go lying to me woman. Do they really taste like mashed potatoes? Because I might be tempted to try them in that case. Be honest.

[SunnyAndrsn]

How about an easy dessert? One of my favorite weight watchers recipes was this:

1 box of 1-step angel food cake mix

1 can of crushed pineapple, in natural juices

Mix together and bake in an un-greased 13x9 pan at 350 for about 30-40 minutes.

[snarkbillie]

Now don't go lying to me woman. Do they really taste like mashed potatoes? Because I might be tempted to try them in that case. Be honest.

With a proper ratio of butter and cream, they do. They totally do.

[Brainsample]

Sausage Casserole

I get good tasting nitrate free chicken or turkey sausage on sale at Whole Foods or the farmer's market. (It's also a good way to use up diced ham or chicken, or any other kind of meat most likely.)

Six eggs to a cup of milk, and about ten pieces of whole wheat bread, diced up (You'd have to Duggarize this, but I make a big tray of it and freeze it for lunches and quick dinners.)

Frozen broccoli or chopped frozen spinach.

Dried mustard powder, and or dijion mustard, too, depending on how spicy you like it.

Lots of garlic and onion minced finely so kids that don't like the texture can't tell.

Shredded cheddar in the big frozen bags from the warehouse club, or put the kids to work shredding with the box shredder to keep them busy. Save a bit extra to put on top, but you don't have to do it.

Mix it all together and soak in fridge overnight.

It turns into a nice quiche like thing or a souffle, and even if you don't put cheeze on the top, it makes a very nice crusty top.

Bake in a casserole dish for about an hour or so, and it's done when the top gets nice and light crusty brown.

You can keep bumping up the veggies, sneaking them in, or add both broccoli and spinach. Or you can cut back on the cheese and sodium if you like.

[Witsec7]

With a proper ratio of butter and cream, they do. They totally do.

Add some good grated parm or asiago. That will change your mind.

[Brainsample]

Make a white sauce with canned evaporated skim milk to cut calories if you like.

Add ham bits and frozen peas, and you can finely dice up bits of frozen spinach in it or chiffonade fresh to add to the cream sauce.

Use good sea salt or you can add nasty MSG bouillon for extra flavor, but I don't think it needs it.

Serve over linguini.

Yum.

[Jessica]

Veggie Scramble

A butt-load of chopped veggies, whichever you like -- spinach, mushrooms, bell peppers, broccoli, onion, etc. Sautee in olive oil or butter until cooked, about 15 minutes. Crack over 2 eggs per person and scramble until the eggs are cooked, about 2-3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle a little cheese over. You're done.

Why don't they cook stuff like that? They could have some of the boys doing things like chopping the veggies or grating cheese, have another couple of kids mixing the eggs with a little milk, then have 3 of the older kids each manning a big-ass skillet while the kids go through, assembly line-style, dumping their veggies in. The meal would only take about half an hour to do, including getting everything chopped.

[SunnyAndrsn]

Okay, this one has a cream of soup in it, but it's still very tasty:

3 cups cooked wild rice

1lb of Italian turkey sausage

1/2 red pepper, diced

1/2 medium onion, diced

1 can of sliced water chestnuts

Cook the wild rice according to package directions. While it's cooking (takes almost an hour in my rice cooker), cook the turkey sausage. Drain fat and set aside. Saute the onion in a small amount of olive oil and butter until soft, then toss in the red pepper and water chestnuts. Drain excess fat. Add the sausage and combine well with a can of cream of celery soup, undiluted. Add the cooked rice, stirring well to mix.

Husband loves this, and especially likes it if I saute fresh mushrooms to go in this as well. I just don't like mushrooms though.

[NurseNell]

With a proper ratio of butter and cream, they do. They totally do.

OK, I'll try it. I'm going out of town in a.m., back in a few days, will try it then.

[doggie]

[

They taste like mashed potatoes, btw. I started eating it rather than mashed potatoes on a diet once and fell in love with it.

I make collitator salad with it. just cook drain very well and make your favorite potato salad (usually need extra seasoning.

[Aerial312]

"Roasted Fall"

winter squash, cubed & peeled if neccessary (I like delicata because you don't have to peel it)

sweet onion, sliced thick

apples, cored and cubed

beets, rough parts cut off, cubed

drizzle on olive oil, salt & pepper, bake on 400 or so for about 25 minutes (brown and caramelized, but not burnt). I drizzle balsamic vinegar on at the end.

Other good veggies to roast this way: carrots, sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, kale...the list goes on and on. It's a rare vegetable that isn't delicious roasted, and what's easier than putting it in the oven and leaving it alone for a half hour.

[Brainsample]

Canned salmon with lite mayo, onion and celery and diced hard boiled egg, seasoned with Old Bay, thin shreds of fresh spinach mixed in, open faced on top of english muffins. Top with a big thick slice of tomato and a slice of the cheese of choice. Toast lightly.

It's very high in protein and calcium.

For dessert, soak millet grain overnight to soften. Cook in coconut milk, and it needs very little else added to it. A pinch of salt perhaps. It's bird seed and cheap when you buy it in bulk.

[Jessica]

A delicious soup from Nourishing Traditions:

Sautee 2 leeks or onions and 4 carrots in some butter, add 4 chopped potatoes, 2 sprigs thyme (I use rosemary instead), sea salt and enough chicken broth to cover. Simmer until vegetables are tender. Add 4 chopped zucchinis and cook another 10 minutes. Blend the soup in batches until creamy. Takes about an hour.

From the Blendtec manual:

4 tomatoes, 4 carrots, 2 stalks celery, 1 can pinto beans, 1/2 a bell pepper, half an avocado, water, taco seasoning packet or homemade seasoning. Blend until creamy. Takes less than 5 minutes to make. Serve with a quesadilla for dipping.

They could even make macaroni & cheese healthy for the younger kids. Use these noodles, and while cooking place a steaming basket over the pot and fill with chopped broccoli. Add milk, butter, a pinch of salt, and real cheese instead of a powdered "cheese" packet or velveeta. Toss it all together with the broccoli.

Pizza:

Use a recipe for whole grain tortillas (2 cups flour--I do half white whole wheat, half whole wheat, 3/4 cups water, 3 tbsp olive oil, knead into a soft dough), grate up a few carrots to add to the sauce (blend it up so it's smooth), add bell peppers, mushrooms, and chopped spinach. Yes spinach. It tastes great! Chop the heck out of it so it's in little flakes instead of big leaves. Spread out on top of the sauce, then add the rest of the toppings, and you wouldn't even know it's there. :)

Snacks healthier than Ramen noodles (and their 4 whole grams of protein or whatever Michelle was excited about):

Apples, pears, or bananas dipped in sugar-free alomd or peanut butter

Berries dipped in yogurt

Carrots, bell pepper strips, green beans, cauliflower and/or pea pods dipped in this dressing: Juice from 1/2 a lemon, 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp Bragg Liquid Aminos, 3/4 teaspoon sea salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1 large minced garlic clove (blend all dressing ingredients until smooth).

Smoothie. Doesn't even have to be one of my green ones loaded with kale. ;) A banana with half a peach and a spoonfull of almond butter is yummy.

Muffins! There are so many good recipes. Here are a couple of my favorites: Whole Grain Morning Glory Muffins. Pumpkin muffins.

A stick of cheese, a few multigrain crackers, and some grapes is a delicious snack.

[Brainsample]

Veggie dip snack:

Drain a can of white beans, a couple of TBSP of peanut butter, lemon juice. If you think it needs it, add some chili sauce or worchestershire sauce or both. ETA: Put in blender or a magic bullet to blend together to make a paste.

You can switch out the PB for another nut butter or add lime instead of lemon to brighten it up. It would give the girls a chance to be creative and would wake up their brains.

Dip into it with celery and carrots. Addictive. Seriously addictive.

[Witsec7]

Tofu pate, firm silken tofu pressed and drained. Put it into a food processor with a clove of garlic, some smoked paprika, chives, grated carrot and a box of drained (uncooked) chopped frozen spinach and a teaspoon of curry. Process it until creamy. Use it as a dip for pita chips or veggies or on crackers as a spread.

[doe]

oooooo I want to try that!

Thanks for convincing me it's worth the trouble to get a huge jar of tahini from an inconveniently placed grocery store on friday (where I can also load up red lentils and the best pita bread we have around here).

I love tahini on things. I use it in stuffed mushrooms, on mashed potatoes, the list goes on. Will try mashed cauliflower with it!

[shangrila]

Jacket potatoes, and a dressing made of shredded onions, cream, cottage cheese, and a pinch of salt. Delish.

[Witsec7]

I posted a recipe for Annies Goddess dressing over on a recipe thread at one point. The Indian grocer is only two blocks from my house. I'm truly lucky. I pay between $3.99-$4.99 a pound for it. I really use it to replace butter and add nutty goodness to something. Make a sate sauce with tahini instead of peanut butter :D or Tahini, blond miso, sesame oil, basted chicken/fish.

[shangrila]

Satay sauce is great, I normally just add wok fried choppped meat, diced onions, diced cucumbers and I serve the whole thing with rice. Tahini is expensive, though, but yes, much healthier.

[AnnieC 305]

Oh you just had to ask...

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Bean and sausage soup

4 cups dry beans, you can mix black, kidney, great northern and pinto in any combination

16 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cup chopped onion

2 cup chopped carrots

2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons dry, ground cumin

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground white pepper

16 cups beef broth

2 bay leaves

12 turkey sausage, sliced

Directions

- Rinse the beans, sorting out any broken or discolored ones.

- In a large pot over high heat, bring the water to a boil. Add the salt and the beans and remove from heat. Let beans sit in the hot water for at least 60 minutes.

- After the 60 minutes of soaking drain and rinse them. Rinse the pot and dry it.

- Put the olive oil in the bottom of the pot and let it get hot. Add the chopped onion and let it cook, stirring every so often so it doesn't burn, until it's translucent (look that word up)

- Add the carrots and let it cook 5 minutes, stirring a bit so nothing sticks or burns.

- Add the garlic powder, cumin, chili powder and pepper and stir for 1 minute

- Add the sausage, the beans, the bay leaf and the beef broth.

- Let it simmer (look that up too) for 1-2 hours, testing the beans every so often by sampling and seeing if they're soft.

- Fish out the bay leaf, don't eat it.

Makes 18 servings

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Slow cooker chili

1 pound ground beef

3/4 cup diced onion

3/4 cup diced celery

3/4 cup diced green bell pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 (10.75 ounce) cans tomato puree

1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans with liquid

1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained

1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans with liquid

1/2 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon dried basil

3/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Directions

- Place the beef in a skillet over medium heat, and cook until evenly brown. Drain grease.

- Place the beef in a slow cooker, and mix in onion, celery, green bell pepper, garlic, tomato puree, kidney beans, and cannellini beans. Season with chili powder, parsley, salt, basil, oregano, black pepper, and hot pepper sauce.

- Cover, and cook 8 hours on Low.

Makes 8 servings in a big crock-pot. Depending on the size of your crock-pot you can either double it or make two batches in two crock-pots

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Slow-cooker jambalaya

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes

1 pound andouille sausage, sliced

1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice

1 large onion, chopped

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chicken broth

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons dried parsley

2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 pound frozen cooked shrimp without tails

Directions

- In a slow cooker, mix the chicken, sausage, tomatoes with juice, onion, green bell pepper, celery, and broth. Season with oregano, parsley, Cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, and thyme.

-Cover, and cook 7 to 8 hours on Low, or 3 to 4 hours on High.

-Stir in the shrimp during the last 30 minutes of cook time.

Makes 12 servings. Make two batches in two crock-pots. The shrimp might make this a bit pricey.

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Mulligatawny Soup

1-1/2 cups chopped onion

6 stalks celery, chopped

3 carrot, diced

3/4 cup butter

1/4 cup and 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons curry powder

12 cups chicken broth

1-1/2 apple, cored and chopped

3 skinless, boneless chicken breast half - cut into cubes

salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste

3 pinches dried thyme

Directions

- Mix onions, celery, carrot, and butter in a large soup pot. Cook, stirring so they don't stick, until the onion turns translucent (look it up).

- Add flour and curry, and cook 5 more minutes, stirring a lot so nothing burns.

- Add chicken stock, mix well, and bring to a boil. Simmer about 1/2 hour.

- Add apple, rice, chicken, salt, pepper, and thyme. Simmer 15-20 minutes, or until chicken is done.

Serve with white rice. Makes 18 servings

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Italian Sausage Soup

3 pounds Italian sausage

3 cloves garlic, minced

6 (14 ounce) cans beef broth

3 (14.5 ounce) cans Italian-style stewed tomatoes

3 cups sliced carrots

3 (14.5 ounce) cans great Northern beans, undrained

6 small zucchini, cubed

3 boxes frozen spinach, thawed and drained

3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

3/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

- In a stockpot or Dutch oven, brown sausage with garlic. Stir so nothing burns

- Stir in broth, tomatoes and carrots, and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.

- Stir in beans with liquid and zucchini. Cover, and simmer another 15 minutes, or until zucchini is tender.

- Remove from heat, and add spinach. Replace lid allowing the heat from the soup to cook the spinach leaves. Soup is ready to serve after 5 minutes.

Makes 18 servings. Make this in the summer when people are practically giving away zucchini. You might even try planting some

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Indian Dal with Spinach

6 cups dry lentil

1/2 cup butter

4 onion, chopped

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon mustard seed

1 tablespoon garam masala

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

2 teaspoons chili powder

14 cups chicken broth

2 teaspoons salt

4 pounds spinach, rinsed and chopped

2 cups coconut milk

Directions

- Rinse lentils and soak for 20 minutes.

- In a large saucepan, stir and cook the onions and butter until translucent. Don't let them burn.

- Add cumin, mustard seed, garam masala, tumeric and chili powser. Cook and stir for 1 minute.

- Add broth, salt, lentils, turmeric and chili powder. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.

- Stir in the spinach and cook 5 minutes, or until lentils are soft. Add more water if necessary.

- Turn off heat and add coconut milk

Serve with brown or white rice. Serves 16

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Chicken Tortilla Soup

8 chicken breasts, with bones

1 onion, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder

16 cups water, more or less

1/2 c black beans, soaked the night before

2 cans green enchilada sauce

2 cans red enchilada sauce

2 cans Ro-Tel tomatoes with chilies

2 pounds frozen sweet corn

Directions

- Remove the large chunk of meat from the bones, but don't clean too much off. Freeze the boneless breast meat for another recipe.

- In a large stock pot heat the olive oil and add the onions, salt and chicken bones. Cook and stir until onion is translucent and bones are starting to brown.

- Add the garlic powder, cumin and chili powder. Cook and stir 1 minute

- Add the water. Boil one hour

- Remove the bones from the pot and set aside to cool. Add the beans to the liquid in the pot and boil 45 minutes or until the beans are soft

- When the bones are cool enough to handle, strip the meat off the bones and set aside.

- Add the meat from the bones, the enchilada sauce and the tomatoes. Simmer 20 minutes

- Add the frozen corn. Cook 10 minutes

Serve with tortilla chips. This ought to make 16, but it's my private recipe and I'm not sure. This also works well with leftover roast turkey bones

[Jessica]

Chipotle burrito bowls at home:

Cook up a big pot of black beans and another pot of brown rice (in the last 5 or so minutes of cooking, add fresh lime juice and cilantro)

Cut up a whole chicken into parts, season with salt, lime juice, garlic powder, and cumin. Grill until done then chop into chunks.

Line up the serving area with bowls of:

Salsa and/or chopped tomatoes

Guacamole (or even just chopped up avacoados to make it a quicker meal)

Corn sliced right off the cob (no cans allowed, Duggars!)

Chopped cilantro

Torn lettuce

Sauteed onions and bell peppers

Grated cheese

Again, have the little kids help out with chopping/tearing/grating and have the older kids (or here's an idea... JIM BOB OR MICHELLE!!!) do the beans, rice and chicken. See, it doesn't have to be a long and involved process to make healthy food for that many. The beans take a few hours to cook but it's about 5 minutes of prep time. While that is cooking, add a few cups of rice to a rice cooker and turn it on. The chicken is easy peasy. The toppings can be done in minutes with a few helpers.