Stir Fry Chicken

A simple dinner idea is stir fry chicken. It only takes a few ingredients and if you don't have fresh veggies you can use frozen veggies. It's a healthy meal and it's another favorite at our house!
Ingredients:
2 T oil (I use olive oil)
1 bag frozen stir fry veggies or 3-4 cups of fresh veggies of your choice
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced
1/4 c chicken stock or broth
2 T soy sauce
2 cups cooked rice (or 1/2 per serving)
Directions:
Heat oil in a large skillet on medium heat on the stove. Slice your chicken in thin strips and add to the hot oil. Cook the chicken, about 8-10 minutes, then add chicken stock and soy sauce. Add veggies and stir. Cook for another 7-10 minutes. I like my veggies a little crunchy. Add cooked rice and mix together. (You can also leave the rice out serve as a side on your plate, then add the stir fry mixture over the top). This makes about 4 servings. Enjoy!
Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi

Bean-Bacon Chowder

I'm always in the mood for a good soup or chowder, especially when it's chilly..and in the Midwest, there's no shortage of chilly days...even though it's supposed to be spring! This is one of my "go to" recipes when I need something filling and am short on time. I almost always have the ingredients on hand. It's adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Pork Sausage & Ham Cookbook.
Here's what you need:

• 6 slices bacon cut up
• 1c chopped onion I use sweet yellow
• 2 T flour
• 3 c milk
• 2 medium potatoes peeled and diced
• Salt and pepper to taste, because of the salt in the bacon I only add pepper
• 1 22oz (or close to it) can or jar baked beans -I use Bush's Original

Cook bacon and onion till bacon is browned and onion is tender. Blend in flour. Add milk, cook and stir until bubbly. Add potatoes salt and pepper. Cover and simmer 12-15 minutes or till potatoes are done. Stir in beans and heat. Makes at least 6 good size servings.
Enjoy!
~Simply Angie

15 Minute Blueberry Sauce or Jam

If you have 15 minutes and a couple of ingredients, you can make your own blueberry sauce or jam without using sugar or pectin. My inspiration for this recipe actually came from a recent yogurt experience. I ran out of homemade yogurt and didn't have an extra minute that day (for real - lol) so I had to buy yogurt to get me through the crisis situation. I have issues with store bought yogurt, which is why I make my own. Here's the recipe in case you haven't been following us, Simply Homemade Yogurt. If I have to buy yogurt my favorite is the brand Kalona but this week I spotted the "Noosa Yoghurt" and it looked really good. It had blueberries on the bottom and what looked to be a nice creamy yogurt on the top. I usually dislike yogurt with fruit on the bottom because they have too much sugar and syrup, but the Noosa yogurt was delicious! The yogurt was creamy and the fruit was real! So as I savored every bite of my store bought yogurt, I thought there must be a way I could make this at home! And you know how it goes, a few experiments and you finally get the right combination! So here is the delicious blueberry sauce/jam (yes, you can use it for either purpose). I made 1 pint which is perfect for our house and no canning is required.
Ingredients:
2 cups fresh organic blueberries (you don't have to use organic)
1/4 c honey
1/4 c water
Directions:
Wash the blueberries and place them in a small pan over medium low heat on the stove. Add the honey and water and stir gently. Let your blueberries come to a boil, then turn it down and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir them a few times during this process. Remove from heat and let it cool for about 15 minutes. I poured mine into a 1 pint Ball jar, then into the refrigerator. You can use this as jam or sauce.
I placed a layer of yogurt with some honey (about a teaspoon but add honey according to your taste) and spooned some blueberry sauce over my yogurt. As I enjoyed every bite of my new favorite homemade blueberry yogurt, my husband used the blueberries as jam on a Simply Homemade English Muffin! True yummy-ness happening here!
Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi 

Breakfast Sandwich

My husband used to like the scary breakfast muffins from the fast food restaurants. I tried a bite once then suggested we change that routine. To me, nothing about that bite tasted like real food. So I started making our own breakfast muffins, froze the extras in the freezer so he could take them to work and heat them or just grab one on the go. These taste great and are a healthy breakfast or I even like them for lunch. You can decide what you want to put on your muffins. The favorites for the children are ham, bacon or sausage, or you can make them without meat. The very best is to make your own English muffins using our recipe Simply Homemade English Muffins. It may seem like a time consuming process but it really isn't, there time while you are making them to multi-task and in the end you have 20-24 delicious homemade English muffins! Use your favorite English muffins if you don't have time to make your own. This recipe is for 6 egg breakfast muffins. If you are making meals ahead, triple the recipe for about 20 breakfasts.
Ingredients for the Egg Muffin:
6 English Muffins (or as many as you want to make)
5 eggs, scrambled
1/3 c milk
1/3 cup cheese of your choice, you can use shredded or sliced cheese
Cooked meat of your choice, ham, bacon, sausage or Canadian bacon
Optional - veggies such as diced peppers, mushrooms, shallots, onions
Directions:

• In a medium bowl, whisk eggs and add milk. Whisk together. Pour egg mixture into a pan over medium heat on the stove and stir eggs until they are cooked. 
• Place cheese over the top of the eggs and turn off heat, the cheese will then melt. 
• Slice your English muffins in half and toast them, butter them lightly (optional) once they are toasted. You are now ready to put your muffins together. 
• Add meat to half of a muffin then add the egg and cheese mixture. Top with the other half of the muffin and enjoy your delicious breakfast!

If you are going to freeze some of the muffins, follow the instructions above and wrap in foil. Place in freezer until you are ready to eat them. Heat them in the microwave or oven until they are warm.
Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi