WIC-Inspired Recipes For Family Dinner

Shepherd’s Pie Is Budget-Friendly, Nutritious Family Favorite

This shepherd’s pie is so tasty, you’ll forget that it’s meatless! This recipe is sure to be a new comfort food staple, and a great way to get your veggies in and use up any leftover mashed potatoes, or potatoes you may have lying around the kitchen.

VEGETABLE SHEPHERD’S PIE

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ cup diced onion

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 ½ cups diced mushrooms

1 stalk thinly sliced celery

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons tomato paste

½ cup chicken broth

2 cans mixed vegetables, drained

3 cups of mashed potatoes

½ cup shredded cheese

Seasonings: Paprika, Thyme, Black Pepper

Bring olive oil to medium high heat in a skillet then add onion and garlic, cook for about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and celery, then worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, chicken broth, and spices. Stir and cook for about 10 minutes. Add canned vegetables, stir gently and bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Transfer to an 8 x 8 baking dish and spread evenly in the pan, flattening as you go. Add mashed potatoes on top & spread evenly.  Top with your choice of cheese and herbs if you like!

Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, or until light golden brown. 

Allow to cool, and serve. Makes 4 – 6 servings.

 

 

By |2023-03-21T08:54:13-05:00March 17th, 2023|Categories: Meal Planning, Recipes, Texas WIC, Texas WIC, WIC Grocery Shopping, WIC Nutrition|Tags: , , , , , , , |0 Comments
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WIC Inspired Recipes – Broccoli Tater Tots

Broccoli Tater Tots

3 large russet potatoes

2 (12 – 14 ounce) bags frozen broccoli florets that have been thawed, or 8 cups steamed broccoli florets

2 cups shredded parmesan cheese (or mozzarella)

2 teaspoons salt, plus more for sprinkling on top

Olive oil

Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and cook for 25 minutes, until fork tender but still have some give in the middle. Drain water and let potatoes cool until they are comfortable to handle. Once potatoes are warm enough to handle, remove the skins.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grate potatoes on the large side of a grater and place into a large bowl.

Place the broccoli into a food processor and blend until it’s in very small pieces, 30 seconds – one minute. You may need to do it in two batches. Place broccoli onto paper towels and squeeze all excess water out.

Add the broccoli to the grated potatoes along with the salt and mix everything together well.

Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Use your hands to form small cylinders with the mixture. Use about 1 tablespoon per tater tot. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer for about 10 minutes to allow them to firm up.

Brush the top of each tater tot with a small amount of olive oil and sprinkle each one with salt. Bake tater tots until browned crispy, about 30 minutes, flipping halfway though.

This recipe works great in an air fryer too!

Enjoy!

 

By |2023-02-20T09:33:57-05:00February 20th, 2023|Categories: Meal Planning, WIC Food, WIC Grocery Shopping, WIC Nutrition|Tags: , , , , , , , , |0 Comments
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WIC Inspired Recipes – Corn Chowder

Everyone seems to be talking about corn these days. With the viral song about corn, it seems most of us can appreciate the vegetable for it’s sweetness and versatility. Corn just seems to go with everything! This hearty corn chowder recipe is sure to keep your family warm this fall and winter. It’s so tasty and comforting, you may find yourselves going back for a second serving!

CORN CHOWDER

2 tablespoons butter

4 slices of bacon (optional)

1 onion 

2 celery stalks 

1 bell pepper

1 jalapeno 

1 large carrot 

3 medium potatoes 

6 ears of corn

5 cups milk

1 bay leaf

Salt & Pepper

Smoked Paprika

Green onion

Peel potatoes and dice along with onion, celery, carrot, bell pepper, and jalapeno.  Shuck the husks off the corn and slice corn kernels off of the cobs, then save the cobs for later. (You can also use canned or frozen corn to skip this step! But you’ll want to add the corn in with the rest of the veggies to get more corn flavor) Slice some green onion & shred some cheese to top off each bowl of corn chowder if you like!

Place butter and bacon into a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot. Heat on medium high heat until the bacon renders its fat, about 5 minutes.

Cook the vegetables (except the corn and potatoes):

Add the chopped onions, celery, bell pepper, jalapeno, and carrot, and lower the heat to medium and cook until vegetables are well softened, about 10 minutes.

Break the corn cobs in half (after you’ve stripped off the corn) and add the cobs to the pot. Add the milk and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Cover the pot and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After 20 minutes, discard the cobs and the bay leaf. Add the potatoes, corn, salt, pepper, and paprika to the pot. Increase the heat to return the soup to a simmer, then lower the heat to maintain the simmer and cook for another 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Stir often to prevent milk from curdling. Add more salt, pepper, and paprika to taste, and add a little shredded cheese and sliced green onion on top of each bowl when serving. Enjoy!

By |2022-12-07T14:43:20-05:00December 6th, 2022|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: , , , , , , , , |0 Comments
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WIC Inspired Recipes – Blackberry Banana Bread

Try out this unique take on a classic banana bread recipe using WIC approved products like bananas, eggs, and blackberries! This warm and comforting treat is perfect to serve Thanksgiving morning, or any time this winter.

BLACKBERRY BANANA BREAD

4 bananas

2 eggs

1 stick of butter

1 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups of flour

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

big pinch of salt

1.5 cups of blackberries

4 oz of chocolate chips/chunks (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350. Prepare all the ingredients. Prepare the pan by buttering it or using non-stick spray. Use either a 9×5-inch loaf pan or a 10 inch round cake pan.
In a small pot melt the butter, take it off the heat and let it cool. In a small bowl, mix the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together. Set aside.
Add the eggs and sugar to a mixing bowl, whisk quickly for 5 minutes until the mixture is pale, light and foamy. Add the mashed bananas, vanilla extract, and melted butter, mix until just combined. Slowly add the flour mixture into the batter, stir in with a spatula, until partially combined. Add the chocolate pieces and about 1 cup of blackberries, fold in gently, taking care not to over mix. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan, and lay the remaining blackberries on the top. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean. It may run longer or shorter in your oven and depending on what pan you are using. After about 45 minutes, check if the top is not browning too much, if it is – cover it loosely with a piece of aluminum foil.
Enjoy!

 

By |2022-11-19T11:14:38-05:00November 17th, 2022|Categories: Recipes, WIC Food, WIC Grocery Shopping|Tags: , , , , , , , |0 Comments
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WIC Breakfast Foods

Breakfast Recipes With WIC Foods Good Enough To Eat All Day

Some might say breakfast is the best meal of the day. 

Texas WIC offers many healthy breakfast foods for pregnant women and children to help get the day off to a great start. But it is also a great way to end a day.

Here are some examples of healthy WIC foods that make the best breakfast ingredients, no matter when you eat them.

Eggs , Whole Wheat Bread, Whole Wheat Tortillas, Fruit, Vegetables, Cereal, Oatmeal, Milk, Fruit Juice, Cheese, Yogurt are all part of the Texas WIC program.

These foods are healthy and great served individually. Combine to make some of the best breakfast foods: omelets, tacos, breakfast sandwiches, smoothies and more. But changing it up is always fun. Here are a few WIC breakfast foods with a twist your family will love

BREAKFAST QUESADILLA

2 Whole Wheat Tortilla

2 large eggs

¼ cup shredded cheese

1 teaspoon butter

Cooking spray

Salsa

Sliced Avocado

Crack eggs in a bowl and whisk. Spray skillet with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Put eggs in a pan and cook for about 5 minutes. Put eggs on a plate. Wipe pan clean. Lightly butter one side of the tortilla. Place butter side down in the pan. Put ½ of the scrambled eggs on top of the tortilla and add half of the cheese and fold the tortilla in half.  Cook on each side until the tortilla is crispy and the cheese has melted, about 3 minutes. Repeat to make a second tortilla. Serve with salsa and sliced avocado.

 

PEANUT BUTTER, BANANA OVERNIGHT OATS

½ cup old fashioned rolled oats

½ cup milk

1/4 cup plain yogurt 

1 teaspoons maple syrup or honey

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

pinch of salt

1 tablespoon peanut butter

Sliced bananas

Add oats, milk, yogurt, maple syrup and salt and ½ tablespoon of the peanut butter into a container with an air-tight lid. Stir. Place in the fridge overnight. The next morning, remove the lid. Stir oats and add a splash of milk. Top with remaining peanut butter and slice bananas. Overnight oats can remain in the fridge for up to 5 days in a sealed container. 

For all your WIC groceries, visit any JC Food Mart location in San Antonio. JC Food Mart caters to WIC clients by providing an easy shopping experience and format to get all your WIC foods in one easy stop. SNAP also accepted. Find a location near a WIC clinic near you, jcfoodmart.com/locations.

 

By |2022-12-05T15:26:43-05:00August 17th, 2022|Categories: Meal Planning, Recipes, Texas WIC, WIC Food, WIC Grocery Shopping|Tags: , , , , , , , |0 Comments
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Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Sometimes we all need a treat, and this one is perfect for a weekend snack or breakfast. Let your kiddos help you with this one in the kitchen. They can help mix in a few ingredients, stir the batter or just spend time with the family in the kitchen. This special treat also has a few WIC ingredients (milk, egg, and berries).

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

2 cups of blueberries, fresh or frozen (You can also substitute a mix of berries of your choice)

1 stick of butter

1 lemon

½ cup milk

1 egg

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp kosher salt

1 cup, 1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 375. Zest a lemon over a stick of softened butter. Add one cup of sugar and beat together until light and fluffy, then add the egg and vanilla extract and beat again until mixed. Toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour, then whisk remaining flour into the batter along with the baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients a little at a time, while alternating with the milk, and beat until creamy. Fold in the blueberries gently with a spatula. Transfer the batter into a lightly greased 12 piece muffin pan and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and add remaining sugar on top of each muffin. Return to the oven for about 5 minutes or until muffins are lightly browned on top and sugar has c