Easy Cheesy Beef and Spinach Pasta

When our evening schedule gets really jam-packed like it is right now, cooking healthy meals for my family gets difficult .  I find myself falling more and more to either convenience foods or to a few quick and easy recipes that I can throw together with ingredients I have in the house (this, this, and this being among our family's favorites).  However, lately we have gotten a little tired of the same round robin of quick recipes and I have been on the hunt to add some more into the rotation.   This one was one that was a smashing success at our house.  It took about 5 minutes to chop the spinach and garlic and the rest of it came together in about 15 minutes!  Only 20 minutes of effort and it made a meal that the whole family loved.  The combination of cheese, tomato sauce, and pasta proved to be a winning combination and I will definitely be making this again soon!

Click here for printable recipe.

Posted by Lara.


The ingredients:
2 cups uncooked penne pasta
1 lb. ground beef (I used ground turkey)
1 tsp. minced garlic (could use garlic powder)
1 can (15-oz.) tomato sauce ( I used pizza sauce)
1-3/4 cup beef or chicken broth
1-1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning (I used 3/4 tsp. basil, 3/4 tsp. oregano)
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

Directions: 
Cook pasta as directed on package.  Drain and set aside. 


Brown the ground beef or turkey.  Drain fat, then add minced garlic, tomato sauce (or pizza sauce), broth, Italian seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. 

Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until slightly thickened.   Add chopped spinach and stir. 

Add cooked, drained pasta and stir.  Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top and stir.   Makes 4-5 servings. 

Serve hot. 

Enjoy! 

Recipe adapted slightly from Joyful Homemaking. 

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Garlic Chicken Pasta (in the Crockpot)

Life with five kids is always hectic, but with spring activities kicking into high gear, I've found that dinnertime is getting the short end of the stick more and more often.  This recipe is one I discovered, bought the ingredients for, and whipped out on one crazy night.  Just throw the chicken and the bottle of marinade  into the crockpot, let it cook all day, cook the pasta, and whip together the sauce in a couple of minutes an voila you have a very yummy dinner that takes about 10 minutes of hands-on cooking time.  We loved the flavor of this dish and I am now keeping the Lawry's marinade in the pantry for another insane day. 

Click here for printable recipe.  

Posted by Lara. 

The ingredients:

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 bottle (12 oz) Lawry’s mesquite marinade with lime juice

1 pkg. (16 oz.)  pasta

1/2 cup butter

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 Tbs. pepper

2 to 3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 lb. bacon, cooked and chopped

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions: 

Place chicken and bottle of marinade into crockpot and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.  

When chicken is tender and cooked through, remove from crockpot, drain the juices, and shred the chicken.  

  Set aside.  About a half-hour before serving, boil the pasta as directed on package. In a small saucepan, melt butter, then add whipping cream, pepper, garlic, whipping cream, and chopped bacon. Whisk together on low heat for 3-4 minutes. 

In a large bowl, pour over cooked, drained pasta, add chicken and stir through. Sprinkle a little bit more shredded parmesan cheese on top and serve immediately.

Makes about 6 servings.  

Enjoy! 

Recipe Source:  Becky Higgins

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Turkey Lettuce Wraps

I am always on a quest to get my kids to eat healthier, but sometimes I feel like it is an uphill battle...especially with certain of my children.  One in particular is by far my pickiest eater and when a recipe wins his approval, I consider it a happy day.  So imagine my surprise when one night I make this healthy new recipe, filled with broccoli and wrapped in lettuce leaves, and my son goes gaga over them.  In fact, all five of my kids loved them and it was good that my husband was out of town that night, because there wasn't a drop left afterward.  The next time I made them I learned my lesson and made a double batch.  Too bad I only had two heads of Romaine lettuce though, because we soon ran out of lettuce and I had very disappointed kids when I suggested they try wrapping it in a tortilla instead. 

Hmmm....it's a super quick meal to throw together AND the kids are happily gobbling up broccoli and lettuce...I think we have a winner here! 

Recipe Source: 71 Toes

Click here for printable recipe.

Posted by Lara.

The ingredients:


2 Tbs.  olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 lb. ground turkey
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp garlic salt (I used 2 cloves of chopped garlic and another 1/4 tsp. salt)
1 (12-oz) bag broccoli slaw (in the produce section, near the bagged salads)
1/2 cup Teriyaki sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
 Romaine lettuce leaves

Directions: 
Heat olive oil over medium-high heat, add diced onions and saute until soft (about 5 minutes). 

Add ground turkey, salt, pepper, and garlic salt and cook until turkey is browned and cooked through.

Drain the liquids, then stir in broccoli slaw, teriyaki sauce, and sesame oil and cook for an additional 7-10 minutes. 

Serve by the spoonfuls in Romaine lettuce leaves.  Makes about 4-5 servings. 

Enjoy! 

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Thanksgiving dinner for two, in less than an hour

I'm thankful that I normally have the whole day to cook and plan out my Thanksgiving dinner. However, I know that there are many out there who have to work, or don't have family close by to be with. Or maybe it's just you and your significant other so you don't want to make a big huge meal. Well, here is an easy Thanksgiving dinner for two, in under an hour. You can still have your stuffing, turkey, potatoes, and pumpkin and not stress about being at work or not having the time to cook.
The Ingredients for the turkey:
2 small turkey breasts (these turkey breasts were the size of a large chicken breast)
1 can turkey gravy
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning (or more to taste)
2-3 celery stalks
1 small onion
butter for sauteing onions and celery
1 tsp orange zest
1 pkg of your favorite stuffing mix

The ingredients for the sides:

2 good sized potatoes
1 bag ready to use salad (your favorite kind)
1 loaf french bread or package of brown and serve rolls
1 can cranberry sauce (jelly or whole)
or whatever you like to eat for your Thanksgiving

(sorry I forgot the picture, but you get the idea!)

The Ingredients for the pumpkin spice custard:**

15 oz can pumpkin
2 eggs (ignore the 4 in the picture)
3/4 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon (or less depending on your taste)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
pinch of nutemeg
1/4 c molasses
1 c milk
6 ramekins 

The Directions:
The night before or the morning before you eat, soak your turkey in a brine. Mine fit in a 8 c Tupperware with about 4 c of water, 2 tbsp salt, and about 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning. You can also add a couple tablespoons of brown sugar and 1 tsp orange zest for added flavor. This will help your turkey retain some of its moisture while baking.  Let soak in the brine overnight or at least for 6 hours.

When it's time to bake, turn on oven to 350 degrees. Scrub and poke your potatoes. When the oven is ready put them in. These will take the longest to cook as they will take about 30-45 minutes.

Read the instructions on your stuffing and follow the directions for two servings. Mine called for 1/4 c chopped celery and 1/4 c chopped onion. Melt butter in pan and sauté onions and celery until almost soft (about 5 minutes). Add the stuffing (for 2 servings) to the butter mixture (my stuffing called for 2 cups of the mix). Mix well. Mix 1/4 of the can of turkey gravy and 1/2 cup of water and add it to the stuffing mixture to moisten it.Spread 1/4 of the can of gravy on the bottom of a 13x9 baking pan. Place the turkey breasts on top and rub with poultry seasoning and salt. Zest 1 tsp of the orange over the chicken breasts.
Pour the rest of the 1/2 can of gravy over the turkey breasts and then top it all off with the stuffing.Cover with tin foil and place in oven for 30 minutes. My turkey breasts were thin so they were definitely ready by then. If you need to, then insert in a meat thermometer and cook until the temperature reaches 165 degrees or the juices run clear. If you want the crispy top of your stuffing, then remove the foil during the last 10 minutes of the cooking time.

Once the turkey/stuffing is in the oven, start on the pumpkin custard. Grease 6 ramekins. (this recipe will make 6 or so, but let's face it, who's really going to stop at one?!)

In a medium bowl add the pumpkin, the sugar, the spices, the 2 eggs and the molasses. (hint: spray the inside of your measuring cup before measuring the molasses to make it easier to come out). Blend well. Add the milk and blend slowly until it's all mixed in. Pour into the greased ramekins. Place ramekins on another rack in the oven (like the rack with the potatoes) and bake for 20-30 minutes. (until a toothpick comes out clean. The custard will start to pull away from the edge a little.)
*IF you want an entire pie, this recipe will fill 1 deep dish pie crust (plus a ramekin or two, ) OR 2 smaller pie crusts. My favorite prepared crust is Mrs. Smiths frozen deep dish. Just keep in mind that it will push you over the hour limit, but put the pie in the oven when the potatoes and turkey come out and you will be able to smell the pie cooking while eating dinner.

Directions for entire pie:  Increase the temperature to 425 degrees. Put pie in the oven and after 15 minutes reduce heat back to 350 degrees.(without opening the oven door)  Continue cooking for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean in the center.

** A quick note about my pumpkin pie recipe. This is my mother's and I grew up with this one my whole life. However, it does not have that major pumpkin flavor. While it is definitely pumpkin, all the added spices and molasses makes it more of a gingerbread flavor pumpkin pie. But I love it, because I'm not too keen on the whole squash flavor of pumpkin by itself.

If you're just using the ramekins, then when ready to serve, add some whipped cream and a gingersnap cookie, if desired.While the pumpkin custard and the turkey are cooking, prepare your salad, set the table, pour your cranberry jelly into a bowl (heat if desired), and then relax until the timer goes off.

When your timer goes off and everything is cooked (test temperature of turkey and clean toothpick in pumpkin) then remove it all and prepare to eat. In one hour you have made two turkey breasts cooked in turkey gravy, with stuffing, 2 baked potatoes, salad, cranberry sauce, and a bunch of little single serving crust-less pumpkin pies. No stress. Not a ton of clean up. And plenty of time to spend with your loved one, your friend, or your football game.

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Halloweeen Pretzel Bites

Similar to my Christmas versions (here and here), these super easy pretzel bites are the perfect blend of salty and sweet.  They're cute, easy to make, and sturdy enough to store in a ziploc baggie, so they're a great make-ahead food for a Halloween party.  (see other fun Halloween ideas here)

Just line your cookie sheet with parchment paper and a single layer of the square grid pretzels (they're officially called "snap" pretzels). 

Place an unwrapped Hug or Kiss onto the center of each pretzel.  A word of warning...don't try to do both Hugs and Kisses on the same pan, as they have different melting points.  The Hugs will be a liquid mess before the Kisses are ready. 


Place the cookie sheet into a 275 degree oven and set the timer for 2 minutes and every 30 seconds thereafter.  Chocolate will be ready when it is soft enough to gently press a candy into it without much resistance.   Don't leave these unattended as they will melt very quickly if you're not watching them closely. 

How cute would these look on your party table?

Or how about these festive looking Hug/candy corn bites?! 

Just pop them in a fridge for a few minutes, then pour into a bowl or ziploc baggie and eat away! 

                         Click here for printable recipe.

posted by Lara. 

The ingredients:



HERSHEY HUG VERSION

square shaped pretzels (snap pretzels)
Hershey hugs
candy corn (or reese's pieces)



HERSHEY KISS VERSION
square  shaped pretzels
Hershey kisses
reese's pieces or autumn colored m&m's or candy corn

Directions:
Place the pretzels in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Place one unwrapped Hershey hug or kiss in the center of each pretzel.   (NOTE:  Hugs and Kisses have different melting points, so it will not work to have them both on the same pan).    Place the cookie sheet in the oven heated to 275 degrees.    Set the timer for 2 minutes and test the chocolate by pressing a candy corn or reese's pieces into the center of the softened chocolate.  The candy should press down fairly easily as shown in the pictures.  If the chocolate is not ready yet, place it back in the oven and test readiness every 30 seconds or so.  Take particular care with the Hershey Hugs as they tend to melt very quickly.   When the chocolate is ready, remove the cookie sheet from the oven and place a candy in the center of each.  Place entire pan in refrigerator for about 10 minutes.  Remove from pan  when cooled and hardened. Store in a ziploc baggie until ready to serve. 

Be careful not to eat too many!

Enjoy!

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Creamy Pesto Pasta

With school back in session now, our family is in need of some quick-to-prepare meals on the menu.  And this simple pasta dish fits the bill perfectly!  Including chopping and sauteing the chicken, this go-to meal can be prepared in less than 30 minutes beginning to end.  And if you have leftover chicken or a rotisserie chicken on hand, it could be done in only the time it takes to cook the noodles!  Super fast, creamy, and full of fresh basil flavor...this one is a winner at our house! 


Recipe Source:  See Jane in the Kitchen

Click here for printable recipe. 

Posted by Lara.

The ingredients:


1-1/2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup pesto

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

salt

pepper
3 cups shredded chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken)

1 pound penne pasta, cooked and drained

Directions:
Boil heavy cream, stirring constantly, over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until it thickens. Add pesto and stir then add Parmesan cheese. 

Stir until cheese melts and mixture is well-combined.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Toss with chicken and pasta.

Enjoy!

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