Necessity is the mother of invention, and this is especially true at the lunch hour.

Our lunches run the gamut here– from lunch trays assembled to share while we do lessons, packed lunches on co-op or adventure days, YOYO days in which the kids are on their own for figuring out what they want to eat…

… and hot lunches that are both deliciously satisfying and simple enough that we almost always have the ingredients on hand.

These twisted breadsticks fit the last description. I can easily stir together a quick pizza dough, and twist together whatever mix of meat, cheese, and veggies is in the fridge. All done in about 30 minutes.

One portion of my homemade pizza dough can make 10-12 breadsticks. Last week for my crew of 6, I made 2 dozen breadsticks– half twisted with ham and half with spicy pepperoni. It was the perfect lunch to make when I really needed to get to the grocery store.

If you haven’t tried my pizza dough before, it’s hugely popular for a good reason. It comes together very easily and very quickly, making it perfect for lunches and simple family pizza nights. (I use it for Stromboli, too!) All you need is flour, sea salt, active dry yeast, and warm water.

Give these breadsticks a try this week! Lunch or dinner, they are sure to please. Serve them with dipping bowls of marinara sauce for extra tastiness. (My favorite homemade marinara recipe is in my Instant Pot cookbook. It’s super easy and SO good!)

Check out these other healthy and easy lunch ideas too:

• Garlic Orzo with Bacon & Greens
• Instant Pot Ramen Noodles
• Homemade Pigs in A Blanket
• Sheet Pan Nachos
• Our Favorite Tuna Salad
• Stovetop Popcorn

Twisted Cheesy Breadsticks

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• Author: Lisa @This Pilgrim Life

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Description

A simple pizza dough twisted up with herbs, Italian meat, and cheese! Enjoy these delicious breadsticks for a quick lunch or snack!

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Ingredients

• simple thin crust pizza dough
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp Italian herbs
• 1 handful (about 1 C) spinach leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 C shredded mozzarella cheese
• Italian meat– salami, capicola ham, prosciutto, etc
• 1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 500° (to use with a baking stone/steel) or 450° (to use with a baking sheet).

2. Make the pizza dough. (One portion per 10-12 breadsticks).

3. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 10″x15″. Drizzle olive oil across the top of the dough, then sprinkle the salt, pepper, and spices on top. Distribute the chopped spinach, cheeses, and meat evenly across the dough.

4. Fold the bottom third of the rectangle up towards the middle. Fold the top third down, to form a sealed “envelope”. Use a dough scraper or knife to divide the dough envelope into 10-12 strips.

5. Twist each strip twice and place on a piece of parchment paper. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 500°, or 12-15 minutes at 450°.

6. Let cool slightly and serve with marinara dipping sauce.

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The post Twisted Cheesy Breadsticks appeared first on This Pilgrim Life.

When I first got married, my husband converted me to the deliciousness of Duke mayonnaise. This might just be a southern thing, but Duke mayo is very good.

A lot has changed since my early married days, though. Well, come to think of it, just about everything has changed. I mean, five kids, as many moves, and almost as many jobs later, here we are approaching our 17th anniversary this summer.

Back to the point at hand, we now buy much less processed foods. I have learned to make many, MANY things from scratch. Once you get over the initial learning curve that comes with trying something new, it becomes routine and easy to make your own jam, ranch dressing, sandwich bread, mayonnaise, and more. 

The trade-off is better tasting food, more saving on your grocery bill, and fewer special trips to the store for that one ingredient you’re missing.

Three Minute Homemade Mayonnaise

(Recipes in the picture above– fancy grilled cheese sandwiches, hiker’s salad with citrus poppyseed dressing, and chip dip– can all be found in my newest cookbook, Cooking From Scratch for Teens). 

Homemade mayonnaise really can be made in just three minutes (or less). I make mine with non-GMO canola oil, but you could substitute a different oil of your choice. Sometimes I use freshly squeezed lemon juice, but most often I just pull some lemon juice out of the refrigerator.

For years, I used my Vitamix to make mayo and still appreciate that method (its in the video below). But recently, I’ve started using my immersion blender instead because its the same process, but I can mix the mayo directly in the jar I will store it in in the fridge. It’s just so easy!

More “From Scratch” Recipes to Check Out ::

• Whole Wheat Sandwich Loaves
• Best Ever Ranch Dressing
• Chia Seed Jam
• 5 Minute Super Greens Pesto
• Simple Thin Crust Pizza Dough

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Three Minute Homemade Mayonnaise

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Lisa @ This Pilgrim Life
• Prep Time: 3 minutes
• Total Time: 3 minutes
• Yield: 1 heaping pint 1x
• Method: blender

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Description

Homemade mayonnaise is so easy to make and uses common kitchen ingredients– you’ll never have to buy it again!

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Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1/4 C lemon juice
• 1  tsp dry mustard
• 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 3/4 C non-GMO canola oil

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Instructions

1. Combine the eggs through the salt in a high-powered blender*. Pour the oil into a liquid measuring cup.
2. Place the lid on the blender and turn it on, then immediately to high. Immediately pour in the oil in a slow and steady stream while the mixture runs on high. You should hear the change in the blending as the mixture emulsifies and thickens. Turn the blender off as soon as you finish pouring in the oil.
3. Transfer the mayonnaise into a pint jar* and store in the refrigerator.

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Notes

*Alternately, combine the eggs, dry mustard, salt, and lemon juice in a quart sized jar. Use an immersion blender to emulsify the mixture while gradually pouring in the oil until the mayonnaise comes together and is smooth and thick.

The post Three Minute Homemade Mayonnaise appeared first on This Pilgrim Life.

The links below may be affiliate links, meaning I earn a small compensation at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure policy here. 

Last month I was looking for a master muffin recipe to use in my Baking Basics class at our co-op. I had plans to develop one based on the countless muffins I’ve baked over the years, but did not have time to put it together before class.

Instead, I grabbed a master muffin recipe from a popular, trustworthy baking site and grabbed all the ingredients we would need to bake. The muffins were delicious, it’s true. But they were much more like cupcakes than the muffins I usually bake. They were loaded with butter and sugar, where my preference is to sweeten with natural sweeteners as much as possible, and often to use healthy subs and ingredients like applesauce, yogurt, etc.

I promised my class I would add to their recipe notebooks with another muffin option the following week. (You know, in case a group of kids wanted a less-cupcake-like version).

We eat muffins regularly for breakfast, lunch, and snacks because they’re so portable, easy, and the variations are endless. This master muffin recipe makes it even easier to play around with different flavor combinations and allows you to use the ingredients you have on hand.

Naturally Sweetened Master Muffin Recipe

The base of this recipe is a mix of flour and old-fashioned oats. You could also substitute a 1:1 gluten-free flour to make the muffins gluten-free.

After the dry base of the muffin mix, you have a few different options. Each option will yield a slightly different taste to your muffins, so have fun and try several variations. 

For the “fat”, you can use butter, coconut oil, applesauce, or Greek yogurt. Pick honey or maple syrup as a liquid natural sweetener. Keep the vanilla extract for a traditional flavor, or substitute another extract like almond, lemon, orange, etc.

Once your batter is mixed together, you can gently stir in your additions. I provide several ideas in the recipe like nuts, seeds, dried fruit, chocolate, and more. You can even divide the batter at this point and make a few different combinations in one pan! 

A personal favorite muffin combination of mine is orange, sliced almonds, and almond extract. So good.

I also highly recommend parchment muffin liners for the easiest clean up ever. I try to always have them on hand, and miss them whenever I’m out and have to wash my muffin pans out.

More Like This :: 

• 50+ Lunch Tray Ideas
• 12 Easy Homemade Bread Recipes
• From Scratch Breakfast Biscuits

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Naturally Sweetened Master Muffin Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review

• Author: Lisa @ This Pilgrim Life
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 18 minutes
• Total Time: 28 minutes
• Yield: 12 muffins 1x

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Description

A naturally sweetened muffin recipe with endless options! Use this one recipe to make all kinds of muffins, with easy, healthy ingredients. Choose from butter, coconut oil, or applesauce for your “fat”, then sweeten the muffins with honey or maple syrup. Finish with any combination of add-ins you’re in the mood for!

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Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter/coconut oil/applesauce/Greek yogurt (pick one)
• 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
• 1 cup milk or whey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract*
• 1 1/2 cup add-ins**

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt). Stir to incorporate. In a large liquid measuring cup or another mixing bowl, stir together the wet ingredients until well-blended.
3. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until almost no streaks of flour remain. Dump in whatever add-ins you are using, then stir until everything is evenly distributed and no streaks of flour remain. (If the mixture is too wet, you can add 2-4 tablespoons of flour to the batter. You want the batter to be wetter than bread dough, but not runny).
4. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin pan, or add parchment muffin cups. Fill each muffin cup with the batter, until each cup has the same amount. (Optional) Top the muffins with turbinado or demerera sugar before baking.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 18 minutes, or until the muffin tops spring back when gently pressed, and a toothpick inserted in the middle of the muffin comes out clean.

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Notes

*vanilla extract is the most all-purpose extract to use in baked goods, but you can also sub for a different extract to try other flavor combinations

**Add-In Ideas:

• nuts & seeds (chopped walnuts or pecans, sliced almonds, sunflower seeds, etc)
• dried fruit (raisins, dried blueberries, dates, etc)
• fresh fruit (chopped apples, mashed banana, blueberries, diced strawberries, etc)
• chocolate (dark, semi-sweet, white)

Favorite Combos:

• banana & walnut (w/ honey and coconut oil)
• blueberry & white chocolate (w/ maple syrup and applesauce)
• mandarin orange & almond (w/ almond extract, orange zest, butter, and maple syrup)

Sharing is caring! Don’t forget to pin and share. Thank you!

The post Naturally Sweetened Master Muffin Recipe appeared first on This Pilgrim Life.