Holiday Menu Ideas & Meal Planning Tips

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For December, my meal plan is to prepare quick meals that are tasty and can provide leftovers for the next day. We are super busy and need meals to be available in between our busy schedules. Here are some of those holiday menu ideas and sweet treats. Monday- Sliders, Salad and Spicy Fries and Gingerbread Chocolate Eclair Dessert
Tuesday- White Cut Out Cookies and 7 Veggie Slow Cooker StewWednesday- Egg Free Egg Nog and Thai Basil Fried Rice with Chicken, Beef or Shrimp

Thursday- Creamy Hot Cocoa Mix and Tomato Ravioli Soup

Friday- Melted Snowman Cake Pops and Leftovers
Weekend-Super Hero Sandwich and leftoversFeatured Menu from last week's linky up- Pary Moppins Menu Plan
BONUS PARTY- if you have any holiday crafts, recipes, giveaways, deals, etc stop over at my Holiday Hop of Goodies and link up there, too! It is growing and I would love to see your awesome ideas there, too! 

I've linked up at OrgJunkie's Menu Plan Monday link up and always check out 3 Boys and a Dog menus. I will pin some of the below post on Pinterest as I have time! If you do pin my post, please leave a comment and I will be sure to get yours pinned. Thanks!
How to Meal Plan ebook 
One of my blogging friends, Crystal & Co just released her How To Meal Plan ebook. One of the reasons that she meals plans is to provide her family with low cost, healthy meals. If you plan, you will save money from eating out and of course time. In her ebook she explains why it is painless to meal plan! 
Here are her steps and she goes into a well laid out discussion on each one:
Step 1: Develop a Recipe Criteria-learn to get what works for your family.


Step 2: Find 21 Recipes-This would give you 3 weeks of no repeat meals. She also list 20 recipes websites (mine is included! Yay)


Step 3: Make Your Grocery List- She teaches you the importance of the list, tips to help you decide how to shop as provides wonderful grocery list tools.

Step 4: Display Your Menu- This is very important for many reasons. It makes a huge different in the success vs. failure of your prepared menu. The ebook list helpful tips on how to display the menu and why it is important.

Step 5: Putting Your Menu to Work- Crystal teaches you how to make the menu work for you! Ever have a meal plan hiccup? She gives tips on this, too! 

Meal Plan Struggles? The book is for beginners and seasoned menu plan users. It is quick and simple to follow. The book is jammed packed full of tips, recipes and resources. I loved all of the recipes, color photos of her recipes (I'm such a visual person) and full of printables! I give this ebook 2 thumbs up!

Crystal has a new How to Meal Plan Facebook Community. Check it out today!
Order the book for yourself and a friend! How to Meal Plan ebook 



Have a super weekend! Remember link up menus & recipes. I will pick to to try next week and feature you on my menu plan!

Baked Chocolate Covered Cherries

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What are your favorite Holiday Treats? Here is one of our family traditions. My teen loves to help make these sweet Christmas treats.

Baked Chocolate Covered Cherries

Ingredients
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. cocoa
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. margarine, softened (sorry folks but I tried butter and margarine works best)
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
16oz jar Maraschino cherries with stems on (need about 30 cherries, separate juice from cherries)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In large bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, salt, b.powder and b. soda.
In another bowl, beat together margarine & sugar until fluffy.
Add egg & vanilla.
Gradually add dry ingredients & beat until well blended.
Shape dough into 1-2 inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet.
Press thumb into center and put in a cherry.  Cover top of cherry with more dough.
Bake 10-12 minutes and let cool completely.
While baking make frosting.

Frosting (optional)

6 oz pkg. semisweet chocolate pieces
1/2 c. sweetened condensed milk
Drained cherry juice

In a small saucepan, combine chocolate and sweetened condensed milk.
Heat until chocolate melts.
Stir in 4 tsp. of reserved cherry juice.
Once the cookies come out of the oven, spoon about 1/2-1 tsp over each cherry.

These are very yummy! They are time consuming to make but everyone loves them! 

Merry Mint Spice Holiday Drink

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Here is one of Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar’s SPECIAL HOLIDAY COCKTAILS. Do you have any special holiday drinks that you make? Share them in the Holiday Hop of Goodies!


Merry Mint Spice

1.5 oz Gentleman Jack1 oz. Domaine De Canton2 oz. POM juice5 oz. Simple Syrup8 fresh mint leaves

 In a Boston shaker, muddle 8 fresh mint leaves with the simple syrup to release the mint aromas. Add ice and add Gentlemen Jack, Canton, and POM juice. Shake vigorously. Strain into a bucket glass over ice. Garnish with mint sprig.Go visit the over 200 ideas shared by some of my most favorite blogs!Holiday Hop of Goodies and 5 Sweet Treats & Holiday Drinks
Note: Guest recipe: Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar’s holiday cocktails will be available in restaurants beginning December 1. Please visit www.flemingssteakhouse.com for more information.

Phyllo Wrapped Baked Brie with Red Pepper Compote

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Are you looking for something yummy to add to your Holiday Menu? If so check out this warm cheese dish! It is sure to please everyone at your party!!

Phyllo Wrapped Baked Brie with Red Pepper Compote

Ingredients
8 Sheets Athens® Fillo Dough, (9" x14"), thawed4 1/4" Brie wheelCooking sprayEgg wash, 1 egg + 1 Tablespoon water

Directions

Thaw one roll of fillo, following thawing instructions on package. 
Place one sheet of fillo on counter, keeping the remaining sheets covered with a damp towel or plastic wrap. Lightly coat the entire fillo sheet with cooking spray. Repeat with three more sheets of fillo, but do not spray the top layer. Repeat with the remaining four fillo sheets to make a second set. Place Brie wheel in the middle of one set of layered fillo. Place second layered fillo set over the Brie wheel in the same direction as the bottom set. Mold the top fillo set around the Brie. 
Cut the fillo leaving a 1 1/2" border around the Brie wheel; a pizza cutter works well. 
Starting with the closest fillo edge, begin to tightly roll the fillo up to the cheese. Continue rolling the fillo until you have reached the starting point creating a ring 
around the Brie wheel. Trim any excess fillo and tuck into the beginning rolled section of fillo. Lightly egg wash all the fillo.

Reroll unused sheets and wrap in plastic for later use.
On a baking tray, bake brie wheel for 10-12 minutes in a preheated 400°F oven or until the fillo is golden brown. Let stand for 15-20 minutes before cutting. Top with Red Pepper Compote (see recipe below), or your favorite preserve.Yield 9 servings

RED PEPPER COMPOTE

Ingredients

2 tablespoons canola oil1/2 cup red onion, 1/4” diced1 teaspoon garlic, minced1/2 cinnamon stick1 star anise, optional1 bay leaf1 cup red bell pepper, 1/4” diced1/4 cup apple cider vinegar1/4 cup red wine vinegar1/2 cup sugarSalt and pepper, to taste

In a medium sauté pan, heat canola oil. Add red onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, cinnamon stick, star anise, and bay leaf and sauté for 2 minutes. Add red bell pepper and sauté for 2 minutes. Add vinegars and reduce liquid by half. Add sugar and simmer about 20 minutes or until a rubber spatula separates the compote cleanly in the middle. Cool.
Yield 1 1/4 cups
Recipe from Athens®

Want more holiday recipes? Check out the Holiday Hop of Goodies!

Santa and Snowman Wreaths with weekly linky

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Happy Saturday! Thanks for stopping in. How are your Christmas Crafts coming along? What have you been creating? Santa WreathSnowman Wreath
Here are my Santa Wreath (takes 5 minutes to make) and my 30 minute or less Snowman Wreath that I created for the Bowdabra blog this past week. I'd love for you to stop over and check out the easy-to-do tutorial.
I'd love for you to link up any fun projects from your blog so that I can pop in and see what you have been up to! Leave your links and join the Pinterest Party!  Check out my Christmas Crafts & Recipe Pinterest board, too!
HOW TO JOIN THE LINKY below- (do any of the following)
1) Pin this Party Post to Pinterest- Please! Why? To let others know about the party. It advertises the party so more people see it which in turn more people will see what you pin and give you traffic.
2) Add your Pinterest name to the linky. If you aren't on Pinterest and want an invite, leave a comment and emailaddy.
3) Link up anything you want to be pinned! No limit. We just ask that you make sure your post has a decent picture.
4) In turn pin a few things on the linky.
5) If you want to host the party on your blog, scroll down and take the code. Make your own Pinterest Saturday page. That way you will get more attention to your blog.
Please follow my boards on Pinterest- SusieQTpies Scraps of Life and cohost  Crystal and Company and  3 Boys and a Dog. We do follow back.

Mini Pear-Ginger Cheesecakes with Gingersnap Crust

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These individual cheesecakes are a healthier twist on the classic dessert with dried pears, gingersnaps and canola oil. Sugar plums will be dancing in your head with each bite!
“Skinny Mini Holiday Desserts” Recipe Collection is available at CanolaInfo.org.
Mini Pear-Ginger Cheesecakes with Gingersnap Crust
Ingredients:Cheesecake

• ½ cup water 125 mL
• 8 dried pear halves, chopped (dried apples can be substituted)
• 1/3 cup crystallized ginger 75 mL
• 3 packages (8 oz/250 g) low-fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• ¾ cup granulated sugar 175 mL

Crust

• 40 gingersnap cookies, processed to form crumbs (about 2 cups/500 mL)
• 3 Tbsp canola oil 45 mL
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar 30 mL
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar 30 mL
• 2 tsp salt 10 mL

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 °F (160 °C). 
2. In medium saucepan, bring water, dried pears and crystallized ginger to simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 12 minutes until water is absorbed and pears softened.
3.  In food processor, process pears and ginger until course paste forms and cool about 10 minutes. While paste is cooling, make crust.
4. To make crust: combine all crust ingredients. Spray miniature cheesecake pans with canola oil. Divide crumb mixture evenly among mini cheesecake pans and press firmly into bottom.
5. Bake crusts for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown around edges. Remove from oven and set on wire rack and cool completely. 
6. Reduce oven temperature to 250 °F (120 °C). 
7. While crusts are cooling, continue making cheesecake filling. In large bowl, beat cream cheese and gingered pear paste together on low until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs. Add sugar and beat until smooth, frequently scraping down sides of bowl with spatula. Transfer filling into liquid measuring cup or pitcher and pour filling into crusts, dividing evenly.
8. Place in oven and bake about 30 minutes until filling is set. Remove from oven and set on wire rack about 1 hour to cool completely. Then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before removing cheesecakes from pan.
9. To serve, garnish cheesecakes with crystallized ginger.

Tips: The cheesecakes can be also made in non-stick mini muffin tins that are sprayed well with canola oil and/or lined with cupcake holders. Dried pear halves may be substituted with dried apples.  Find out more on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/canolainfo
CLICK here for over 200 more holiday ideas on the Holiday Hop of Goodies! Share yours, too! 

Not so Naughty Holiday Peanut Butter Brownie Bites

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There are so many tempting desserts everywhere you go this Holiday Season. One way to get you through it is to prepare yourself ahead of time on how much you can eat and what foods to look for and to avoid.

This holiday season make your own tasty treats that you can eat. Others will eat it, too! If you prepare it then you will know what is in it. Make it healthier so you can have a piece without the extra guilt.

One yummy treat that would be worth making is Not so Naughty Peanut Butter Brownie Bites. Being a mom of 3 teen girls where someone is in need of chocolate, this recipe uses Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Flour, less oil and less sugar than most brownie recipes. They are tasty, satisfying especially with the chocolate peanut butter combination!

I'm entering this recipe into the Have a Grain Holiday!’ Recipe Contest! I also have a giveaway for you, too! You can enter below and here Baker’s Holiday Gift Pack Sweepstakes!!

Not So Naughty Holiday Peanut Butter Brownie Bites

Ingredients

3 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup natural applesauce
1 cup milk- your choice
1 teaspoon vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Flour Flour
1/2 cup Hodgson Mill White Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 cup of cocoa

6 tablespoons natural peanut butter, smooth or nutty
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter chips

Directions

1-Preheat oven to 325° F (165° C).
2-In a large bowl, add all the ingredients except the last 3.
3-Line mini muffin tins with mini muffin liners or lightly oil each muffin tin.
4-Pour the batter evenly into each muffin well.
5-Bake for 8-10 minutes. Insert a toothpick into one and if it comes out clean they are done.
6-Let brownies cool for 5 minutes.
7-Use your finger or a wooden spoon handle to make a small well into the center of the brownie.
8-Spoon 1/2 teaspoon of peanut butter into each well.
9-Top each brownie with a few mini chocolate chips and peanut butter chips.

Notes

When you make the well, be careful not to go to the bottom of the brownies.
This recipe is one that I have been making for quite sometime. I've created a healthier version to go along with my healthier lifestyle.

Yield 36 mini brownies

Enter to win a Hodgson Mill’s Baker’s Holiday Gift Pack in the below Rafflecopter form which includes a $1 coupon! 


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