What's for Lunch?

I rarely cook myself anything from scratch for lunch, but I had a number of odds-and-ends ingredients leftover in the fridge from other meals I've made this week that I wanted to use up... and that's how this "recipe" was born!

I made homemade onion rings baked in the oven one night with dinner (recipe to be shared another time!), so the scraps from that were chopped up and ready to go. For dessert this week, I made my chocolate chip squash bread and my pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting, and I didn't quite need the full quart-size bag of buttercup squash I had defrosted from the freezer. Then I had some fresh spinach that was on the verge of not being salad-friendly anymore, so it would be perfect to cook and wilt down.

Voila! It even looks good enough to be served in a restaurant. :)

Servings: 1

Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cups fresh spinach
1/2 cup mashed buttercup squash (or butternut squash)
pinch of ground sage
pinch of salt
1 large egg

Directions
1. In nonstick pan over medium heat, saute onion in olive oil until translucent. Add spinach. Cook until wilted. Remove vegetables from pan onto plate.
2. Meanwhile, stir sage and salt into mashed squash (season to taste). Heat in microwave to warm through. Place on top of cooked spinach and onion.
3. Lastly, fry egg in same pan used for onion and spinach to your desired doneness. Place on top of squash.
4. Enjoy!

Taco Soup

January seems to be the coldest month of the year in South Dakota, so a warm bowl of soup for dinner is always the perfect answer! This recipe is best described as a soupy queso filled with smokey Mexican flavors.

Taco Soup
Yield: Crock Pot Recipe

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork sausage
2 small onions, chopped
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese
2 (10 oz) cans Rotel
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
4 cups chicken broth

Directions
1. Place cream cheese, Rotel, and seasonings into slow cooker.
2. Brown ground beef until no longer pink. Ladle beef into slow cooker.
3. Brown sausage until no longer pink. Reserve about 1 Tbsp sausage grease (discard the rest). Ladle sausage into slow cooker.
4. Saute onion in reserved grease until tender. Ladle into slow cooker.
5. Pour chicken broth over mixture. Stir to combine.
6. Cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours. Stir before serving.
7. Garnish individual servings with shredded cheese, sour cream, and/or crushed tortilla chips.

Notes
* For low carb or keto version, omit sauteed onions.
* To serve as an appetizer: add only 1-2 cups of chicken broth instead of 4 and it becomes a warm dip.

Recipe adapted from Beyer Beware.

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Let's be honest here: these moist pumpkin bars are really just a catalyst for the sweet cream cheese frosting layered on top!

Pumpkin Bars
Yield: 9x13 pan

Ingredients
For bars:
 4 eggs
 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
 1 cup vegetable oil
 15 oz can pumpkin (or 2 cups mashed butternut/buttercup squash)
 2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
 2 tsp baking powder
 2 tsp cinnamon
 1/2 tsp salt
 1 tsp baking soda

For frosting:
 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
 2 cups powdered sugar
 1 tsp vanilla

Directions
Make bars:
 1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
 2. Using electric mixer at medium speed, combine eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin until light and fluffy.
 3. Stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture. Mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and batter is smooth.
 4. Spread batter in greased 9x13 pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

Make frosting:
 5. Combine cream cheese and butter in medium bowl with electric mixer until smooth. Add sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.
 6. Store frosted bars in refrigerator.

Notes
• Cut recipe in half to make 8x8 pan. Cook 25-30 minutes. (I still make the full frosting recipe even when I make them in the smaller pan!)

Recipe adapted from Paula Deen on the Food Network.

White Ambrosia {Snack Mix}

This is one of my mom's tried-and-true recipes that dates back to my childhood! In those days, we weren't concerned with gluten so the original recipe called for Golden Grahams and Crispix. I've experimented with different gluten free options to achieve a similar sweetness and texture that those two cereals brought to the mix. Feel free to customize the recipe by changing up the proportions to accommodate your own cereal and taste preferences!

White Ambrosia {Snack Mix}
Yield: serving size varies

Ingredients
24 oz package white almond bark
4 cups Honey Nut Cheerios
3 cups Rice Chex
2 cups gluten free pretzels (I use twist shape)
2 cups crisped rice cereal (I use Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice)
11.4 oz bag M&M’s milk chocolate candies*

Directions
1. Line two baking sheets with parchment or wax paper; set aside.
2. Put almond bark in glass bowl and follow melting directions on package. Once completely melted and smooth, add cereals and pretzels to bowl. Gently stir to evenly coat. (Be careful not to crush the Chex cereal!)
3. Add M&M’s and gently stir to evenly distribute.
4. Pour and/or scoop mixture onto lined baking sheets. Let mixture cool for about 1 hour. Once almond bark has set up (i.e. hardened - it will lose its shiny appearance), break mixture into smaller pieces and store in airtight container(s) at room temperature.

Notes
* Holiday-colored candies make this the perfect gift for teachers, coaches, neighbors, or anyone else you want to acknowledge!
* Feel free to substitute a different variety of M&M's for the milk chocolate candies. Choose whichever flavor is your favorite: peanut, caramel, almond, peanut butter, mint, candy corn, etc.

No Bake Cranberry Coconut Energy Bites

I love a portable, easy to grab-and-go snack that keeps me feeling satisfied. These energy bites do just that! There are only 7 simple ingredients in these little protein-packed balls of goodness. This recipe highlights a fruit and nut combination sweetened with maple syrup. (For a more indulgent chocolate-filled bite sweetened with honey, check out my other post.)

No Bake Cranberry Coconut Energy Bites
Yield: 16-26 bites

Ingredients
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped
1/4 cup pecans, finely chopped
1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Quick Cooking Oats
1 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup pure maple syrup

Directions
1. In large bowl, mix together cranberries, pecans, oats, coconut, and flax.
2. Add peanut butter and maple syrup. Using sturdy spatula, stir and fold together until well incorporated.
3. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of mixture into your hands. Roll and press into bites. If mixture is too dry, add a bit more peanut butter or maple syrup. If mixture is too wet, add a bit more coconut or oats. You want a slightly sticky dough texture.
4. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Beaming Baker.

Squash Casserole

I first started making this dish when my in-laws had an over-abundance of yellow squash in their garden one year, and I needed to figure out a way to use up all those veggies besides just slicing them and eating them raw (with dip, of course!). It's now become a staple at our house, and I purposely buy yellow squash just to make it!

Here's a look at the "finished" product (prior to baking), all assembled and ready to go into the oven.

Good thing I took the above photo, because as soon as the casserole came out of the oven, my family was ready to eat dinner! I served it alongside pork tenderloin and carrots cooked in a separate crock pot. Here's a look at what was leftover.

Squash Casserole
Yield: about 8 side dish servings

Ingredients
Main Dish:

• 1 lb yellow squash (2-3 medium) - peeled, seeded, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• 1 egg, room temperature
• seasoning to taste (salt, pepper, Captain Mike’s, etc.)

Topping:

• 1/4 cup shredded cheese
• 2 Tbsp Kraft Parmesan cheese (we call it shaky cheese at our house!)
• 1 tsp dried parsley

Directions

1. Steam squash, onion, and garlic in slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours, or until tender. Drain off excess liquid. Use immersion blender, leaving smooth or chunky texture, to taste. Beat egg and slowly whisk into veggies (important so it won't cook!). Mix in additional ingredients.
2. Pour into greased casserole dish. Top with additional cheeses and parsley.
3. Bake at 350°F for 40 minutes, or until cheese on top turns golden brown. Serve hot from the oven and enjoy!

Notes

• Zucchini can be used in place of yellow squash, or try a combination of the two! Acorn squash also works well. Really, any savory squash will do!
• I use a four cheese Mexican blend because it melts nicely. Colby Jack or any other soft cheese blend would work well, too.
• The dairy free version of this recipe can be found here.

Recipe adapted from Genius Kitchen.