Easy On the Go Harvest Granola Rounds

Rain, Rain, Go Away, Come Again Another Day...

This isn't the first time I have said this. Unfortunately, this summer, we haven't seen a lot of it which hasn't been good for our corn and soybeans trying to grow in the fields.  Although it hasn't been quite as dry as last summer, it has definitely been less than desirable which is why rain this time of year is not exactly welcome. Rain this time of year will not help our crops as their growing season is over and harvest season is upon us; however, we can't harvest our crop if the ground is wet.  So after the rain this week, we will wait for it to dry up before heading to the fields and hope that harvest will begin soon.

That being said, I am always looking for quick and easy snacks that The Farmer can take with him when he is in the fields as harvest usually means long hours.  And this recipe is a super double bonus as it is not only quick and easy, but also rather nutritious, and can serve as a snack or breakfast.  I had seen a few recipes for these "health balls" floating around on the Internet, but when our great friend Nancy made some for The Farmer and I this summer, we were hooked and they will be the perfect snack for me to keep on hand during the upcoming harvest season.

Easy On-the-Go Harvest Granola Rounds

Ingredients
2 cups oatmeal
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup ground flaxseed
1 cup chocolate chips
2/3 cup honey
2 tsp vanilla

Directions

Mix all ingredients together.  Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or longer.  Roll into rounds and store in air tight container.  (I made approximately 40 one inch rounds.)  Enjoy!!!!

Tips

• Store in refrigerator if desired.
• Pre-package 4-5 rounds in a sandwich bag for a grab 'n go snack or breakfast.
• Perfect with a glass of milk

I am participating in Indiana's Family of Farmers Table Talk Series and received a gift in exchange for my participation.

Kid Friendly Apple Cranberry Pops

Now, I wouldn't have made it through the Farm Girls Freeze event without the help of Big Sissy and Little Sissy so it was only fitting that they decided to whip up their own recipe during the event as well from the same Gooseberry Patch Freezer Friendly Recipes cookbook.

Big Sissy and Little Sissy decided to make Apple-Cranberry Pops

Apple-Cranberry Pops

Ingredients
12 oz. can unsweetened frozen apple-cranberry juice concentrate, thawed
2 c. plain yogurt
2 t. vanilla extract

Directions
Mix ingredients together.

(After some trial and error and few messes, I would recommend adding the ingredients in the order of yogurt, concentrate, and vanilla and use a whisk to mix the ingredients together.)

Pour into small paper cups.

Insert a wooden treat stick into the center of each yogurt cup.  (We also learned through trial an error that they are some tricks to this step too, but you will have to stay tuned for those.)

Freeze overnight.

When ready to enjoy, let stand at room temperature for a few minutes; peel off paper cups.

Super Easy Freeze and Bake Lasagna

So last weekend while college friends, Tequila, Tutti Fruity, The Captain, and Miller, were heating it up on the beaches of Florida, I was freezing it up in the kitchen with some of my fellow Real Farmwives.  (Unfortunately, my work, farm, and mom schedule didn't make traveling to Florida to possible, but that allowed me to join in on the freezer day fun and watch Big Sissy and Little Sissy's soccer games while The Farmer watched Bubby's football game at the same time.)

Thanks to Gooseberry Patch and their Our Favorite Freezer-Friendly Recipes cookbook, I had a bunch of new recipes to choose from for the Farm Girls Freeze event.  Now I have learned a few things since our last freezer cooking day so I had a few requirements when looking for a recipe.  I was looking for one with relatively few ingredients and one that was easy to put together.  From my experience this is key when making a recipe in bulk and I had 11 batches to make.  (Thankfully I had Big Sissy and Little Sissy to help me.)

This is how I stumbled upon Freeze & Bake Lasagna.  8 ingredients which actually became 7 because I couldn't find one of them and it call for uncooked lasagna noodles so it my opinion it more than met my requirements.

Freeze & Bake Lasagna

Ingredients
28 oz jar spaghetti sauce
1 lb. ground beef, browned or I used 1 lb. Italian sausage, browned
8 oz. jar mushroom pieces, drained
16 oz. container ricotta cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 T. Italian seasoning
8 lasagna noodles, uncooked and divided
2 c. shredded Monterrey Jack cheese ( I couldn't find any plain Monterrey Jack cheese so I just substituted mozzarella cheese)
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions
Combine sauce, beef/sausage, and mushrooms; set aside

Mix ricotta cheese, egg, and Italian seasoning together; set aside.

Layer as follows in each of 2 ungreased 9x5 loaf pans (I couldn't find disposable 9x5 loaf pans so I improvised with a 9x13 pan and doubled my ingredients when layering):

once cup meat sauce,

2 lasagna noodles,

1/2 cup ricotta cheese mixture,

1/2 cup Monterrey Jack cheese and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese.

Repeat layers.

We then covered with Press 'n Seal and then aluminum foil as it is ready for the freezer.

When ready to prepare, thaw overnight in the refrigerator.  Remove Press 'n Seal, cover with foil, and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

And then enjoy!