Strawberry Lemonade

Meat-Lover's Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

2018-02-01T12:40:00.000-08:00

This Meat-Lover's Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce has been my go-to for awhile. Everyone enjoys it and it's so easy to throw together.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 small onions, chopped
1/4 pound bulk Italian sausage
1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 (29 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes
1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon white sugar

Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 8 hours

Directions

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onions and Italian sausage until the sausage is browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer the sausage and onions to a slow cooker. In the same skillet, cook and stir the ground beef, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder and marjoram, breaking the meat up as it cooks, until the meat is browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer the ground beef to the slow cooker.
Stir in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, thyme, basil, oregano and 2 teaspoons of garlic powder. Seth the cook on low and cook the sauce for 8 hours. About 15 minutes before serving, stir in the sugar. Serve hot.

My changes

I never put in the sugar.
I typically just use ground beef. The Italian sausage gives it a little spice that is too much for my kids and they won't eat it.

Meal Plan- Week of 1/10/18

2018-01-10T13:38:00.001-08:00

Wednesday- Leftover chicken, potato and veggie
Thursday- Loaded Broccoli and Cheese soup with french bread (new recipe)
Friday- Breakfast Quesadillas (new recipe)
Saturday- Sheet Pan Fajitas
Sunday- BBQ Chicken Tostadas
Monday- Enchiladas with Mexican Rice
Tuesday- Slow Cooker Lasagna with salad

Sheet Pan Fajitas

2018-01-10T13:32:00.000-08:00

These Sheet Pan Fajitas were found on pinterest and and yummy! I double the chicken as the kids didn't like the peppers.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts
3 bell peppers- red, yellow, green
1 medium onion
1 tsp cumin powder
1 1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp garlic powder or minced garlic
2 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp vegetable oil
8 flour tortillas

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Servings: 6

Weight Watchers Freestyle Points: 1 (does not include tortilla or toppings added)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Set aside a large baking sheet.
On a work surface, cut chicken breasts, onions and peppers into 2-3 inch strips.
Place chicken, peppers, onions and peppers on the baking sheet. Sprinkle cumin, chilli powder, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper on top and drizzle with oil.
Using tongs or two spoons, toss all ingredients on the pan to coat evenly.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven, and use tongs to slide the ingredients one quarter of the way over.
Mop up excess juices with a paper towel, and then add the tortillas to the pan. Return to the oven and bake for 5 more minutes.
Remove from oven and squeeze optional fresh lime on top. Serve with optional cilantro and sour cream and enjoy!

BBQ Chicken Tostada

2018-01-10T13:24:00.000-08:00

This recipe for BBQ Chicken Tostadas was found on pinterest and quickly became a kid favorite.

Ingredient

8 tostada shells
3 cups cooked and shredded chicken
1 1/2 cups of your favorite barbecue sauce, divided
2 cups shredded cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, Monetary Jack or a blend)
3 green onions, very thinly sliced (optional)

Prep:

Cook:

Servings: 4

Weight Watchers Freestyle Points: 22 (varies depending on type of bbq sauce and cheese)

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degree F. Lay out the tostada shells (or baked tortillas) on two rimmed baking sheets.
Combine the chicken and 1 cup of the barbecue sauce in a small bowl and stir to coat.
Divide the chicken between the tostada shells and top with the cheese (about 1/4 cup on each)
Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, just until the cheese is melted.
Remove from the oven and drizzle with the remaining 1/2 cup barbecue sauce. Sprinkle with green onions, if desired.

Mexican Rice

2018-01-10T13:14:00.001-08:00

This recipe for Restaurant Style Mexican Rice comes via pinterest. I pair this with enchiladas often. The kids love it so I often double it for them.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup long grain rice, uncooked
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 cup tomato sauce
14 ounces chicken broth
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Prep:

Cook:

Servings:

Weight Watchers Freestyle Points: 6

Directions

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Add the rice and gently stir until rice begins to lightly brown.
Add the garlic, salt, and cumin and stir the rice until it looks golden.
Add the tomato sauce and chicken broth and turn the heat up to medium high.
Bring the mix to a boil then turn the heat to low and cover the pan with a lid.
Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove from heat and fluff with a fork, then stir in chopped cilantro.

Enchilada Sauce

2018-01-10T09:15:00.002-08:00

I found this recipe for enchilada sauce via a different recipe on facebook. Very good and much cheaper than store bought.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons avocado oil (or vegetable oil, or any other neutral oil)
2 tablespoons all purpose or gluten free flour
4 tablespoons chili powder (not cayenne!)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Directions

Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour and whisk together over the heat for 1 minute. Stir in the remaining seasonings (chili powder through oregano). Then gradually add in the stock, whisking constantly to remove lumps. Reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes until slightly thickened.
Use immediately or refrigerate in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.

Best Chicken Enchiladas Ever!

2018-01-10T09:09:00.001-08:00

The recipes for Best Chicken Enchiladas Ever was found on pinterest. I loosely utilize this recipes as we don't include most of the ingredient list. I do love her homemade enchilada sauce. What's listed below is just the ingredients I utilize.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles
8 tortillas
3 cups of cheddar cheese
1 batch enchilada sauce or 1 can store bought enchilada sauce

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Servings: 8
Weight Watchers Freestyle Points: 12 (includes everything)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare your enchilada sauce, if making homemade.
In large saute pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add green chiles and season with salt and pepper. Saute for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally or until cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside.
To assemble the enchiladas, set up assembly line. Add enchilada sauce down the middle, put in the onion mixture and add cheese. Roll tortilla and put in pan.
Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Garlic Parmesan Chicken with Potatoes

2018-01-10T08:58:00.000-08:00

I found the recipe for Garlic Parmesan Chicken with Potatoes on facebook. This was a big hit with my husband but not as much with the kids. They liked the chicken and potatoes but were not fans of the "long green fingers."

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pound baby red potatoes, quartered
1 pound asparagus, cleaned and trimmed
1 cup butter at room temperature
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
6 gloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped (or 1/4 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon fresh basil, chopped (or 1/4 teaspoon dried)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 7 hours 45 minutes

Servings: 4

Weight Watchers Freestyle points: 9 (this accounts for 2 tablespoons of the decadent parmesan sauce)

Directions

Toss red potatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place in the bottom of a 6 quart slow cooker.
Season chicken breasts with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and drizzle with remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Place in a single layer on top of potatoes.
Place lid on top of slow cooker and cook on low for 7 hours, until potatoes are tender and fluffy.
In a medium-sized bowl combine the butter, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, garlic, oregano, basil, lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Pour over the chicken and arrange asparagus along the sides of the chicken. Replace the lid and cook for another 30 to 45 minutes, until the asparagus is fork-tender and the sauce is hot throughout.
Using a slotted spoon, remove asparagus, chicken and potatoes.
Make a decadent parmesan sauce: The sauce will have separated, but there is a lot of great flavor in it that you don't want to lose. Pout it into a measuring cup or other easy to handle container. Using a blender, slowly add in the cause, blending on high to emulsify the parmesan sauce. In a pinch, you can pour it into a mason jar and shake it up for a quick blend before pouring over the chicken.

Diamond Burgers

2018-01-09T13:29:00.000-08:00

I found the Diamond Burger recipe from facebook. It looked great and cheeseburgers is one of the few things both my kids eat without compliant. We gave it a try and had no leftovers!! Although, we may need a new name because my 3 year old was disappointed there wasn't really diamonds.

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 cups diced onion (about 1 whole onion)
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (10 ounce) can Ro-Tel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chiles, drained
12 slices cheddar cheese
12 dinner rolls

Glaze

1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon mustard
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Prep:
Cook: 25 minutes
Servings: 12 burgers
Weight Watchers points (2018 plan): 11 for 1 serving

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Coat 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
Place a large skillet on the stovetop over high heat. When the pan is very hot, add the beef and season with salt, pepper, cumin, mustard powder, and paprika. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until beef is browned and onions are golden. Stir in drained tomatoes until well combined.
Place the bottom half of buns in prepared pan. Top with beef and sliced cheese. Finish off with the top half of the bun.
Mix all the ingredients for the glaze in a sauce pan over medium heat until melted, smooth and combined. Pour over the buns.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes.

My Modifcations

The first time I made this, I was distracted with 4 kids running around and forgot to put in the Ro-tel. The burgers are still amazingly delicious.
Use slider buns instead of dinner rolls.

Meal Plan- Week of 1/2

2018-01-01T20:52:00.001-08:00

I meal plan Wednesday-Tuesday because that's what works best for my family. Between wrestling and camping, our weekends are full and grocery shopping isn't a priority. I use King Soopers click list and have my husband pick up my order on his way home. It adds 10-15 minutes to his trip home and saves my a trip into town (40 minutes round trip). Plus, then he carries them in. :)

Wednesday- Diamond Burgers and Salad (new recipe)
Thursday- Garlic Parmesan Chicken with Potatoes (new recipe)
Friday- Shepherd's Pie
Saturday- Nachos
Sunday- Homemade Spaghetti with Meat Sauce and Salad
Monday- Chicken Teriyaki Bowls
Tuesday- Ranch Chicken Tacos (new recipe)

Chicken Teriyaki Bowls

2018-01-01T20:40:00.000-08:00

These are so yum! Both kids loved the chicken teriyaki bowls and wanted more. Very easy to make.

Ingredients

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 teaspoons minced garlic
4 cups cooked rice
2 cups baby carrots, steamed
2 cups baby florets, steamed

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 6-8 hours

Servings: not listed, will need to figure out

Directions

Spray slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray and place chicken inside.
In a small bowl, whisk together chicken broth, teriyaki sauce, brown sugar and garlic. Pour over chicken.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Shred chicken in slow cooker once cooked.
Place cooked rice in individual bowls. Top with chicken, extra sauce from slow cooker and steamed vegetables.

Shepherd's Pie

2018-01-01T20:29:00.002-08:00

My love for Shepherd's Pie started as a child and this recipe makes it so easy to make.

Ingredients

1.5-2 pounds potatoes (about 3 large potatoes), peeled and quartered
8 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion (about 1.5 cups) chopped
1-2 cups vegetables- diced carrots, corn, peas
1.5 pounds ground round beef
1/2 cup beef broth
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt, pepper, other seasonings of choice

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 50 minutes

Servings: 4

Directions

1 Boil the potatoes: Place the peeled and quartered potatoes in medium sized pot. Cover with at least an inch of cold water. Add a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until tender (about 20 minutes.

2 Sauté vegetables: While the potatoes are cooking, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large sauté pan on medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook until tender, about 6 to 10 minutes.

If you are including vegetables, add them according to their cooking time. Carrots should be cooked with the onions, because they take as long to cook as the onions do.

If you are including peas or corn, add them toward the end of the cooking of the onions, or after the meat starts to cook, as they take very little cooking time.

3 Add the ground beef, then Worcestershire sauce and broth: Add ground beef to the pan with the onions and vegetables. Cook until no longer pink. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the Worcestershire sauce and beef broth. Bring the broth to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes, adding more beef broth if necessary to keep the meat from drying out.

4 Mash the cooked potatoes: When the potatoes are done cooking (a fork can easily pierce), remove them from the pot and place them in a bowl with the remaining 4 Tbsp of butter. Mash with a fork or potato masher, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

5 Layer the meat mixture and mashed potatoes in a casserole dish: Preheat oven to 400°F. Spread the beef, onions, and vegetables (if using) in an even layer in a large baking dish (8x13 casserole).

Spread the mashed potatoes over the top of the ground beef. Rough up the surface of the mashed potatoes with a fork so there are peaks that will get well browned. You can even use a fork to make creative designs in the mashed potatoes.

6 Bake in oven: Place in a 400°F oven and cook until browned and bubbling, about 30 minutes. If necessary, broil for the last few minutes to help the surface of the mashed potatoes brown.

Suggested variations:

Put a layer of creamed corn between the ground beef and the mashed potatoes.

Sprinkle grated cheddar cheese over the top of the mashed potatoes before baking.

Mexican Rice

2018-01-01T20:08:00.002-08:00

This Mexican Rice is a new discovery but the kids love it! I had no leftovers the first time around so doubled the second time. The kids and husband asked for this again the very next day.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup long grain rice, uncooked
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 cup tomato sauce
14 ounces chicken broth
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes
Servings: 4

Directions

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Add the rice and gently stir until rice begins to lightly brown.
Add the garlic, salt and cumin and stir the rice until it looks golden.
Add the tomato sauce and chicken broth and turn the heat up to medium high.
Bring the mix to a boil then turn the heat to low and cover the pan with a lid.
Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove from heat and fluff with a fork, then stir in chopped cilantro.

My Modifications

Leave out cilantro
I accidentally used instant rice one time and, while it tasted ok, is much better with the correct rice.

Meat-Lover's Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

2018-01-01T19:56:00.002-08:00

I found this Meat-Lover's Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce recipes years ago- shortly after I got married. It's seen some modifications over the years and remains a strong recipe. Both kids will eat it without any fight which is rare.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 small onions, chopped
1/4 pound Italian sausage
1 pound ground beef
I teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 (29 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes
1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon white sugar

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 8 hours 20 minutes

Directions

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onions and Italian sausage until the sausage is browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer the sausage and onions to a slow cooker. In the same skillet, cook and stir the ground beef, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, and marjoram, breaking the meat up as it cooks, until the meat is browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer the ground beef into the slow cooker.
Stir in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, thyme, basil, oregano, and 2 teaspoons of garlic powder. Set the cooker on Low, and cook the sauce for 8 hours. About 15 minutes before serving, stir in the sugar. Serve hot.

My Modifications

Leave out Italian sausage
1 pound Italian sausage and 1 pound ground beef
2 pounds ground beef
Leave out sugar (I never do this step)
Add in a small amount of red pepper

Disclaimer: I do not like the Italian sausage in this so tend to leave it out more often than not. My husband and son love the Italian sausage in it but they both prefer things with more spice.

Organization.

2018-01-01T19:43:00.001-08:00

Learning to cook and desperately need somewhere to organize recipes. Trying this out for now to see if/how it works. Time will tell.