Mini meatloaf....or something along those lines

OK, so I haven't posted on here in a month...which is barely better than on my regular blog. Sorry for the hiatus. Either way, I'm back and I've got a few posts lined up for ya.

Today's is an entire meal (main dish and side dish). This was something I just made up a couple days ago and it ended up being pretty good....actually REALLY good.

1 lb ground beef

1 lb ground turkey

Italian seasoning

1/2 lb mozzarella cubed

1 jar pizza sauce

I mixed together the meats and the Italian seasoning (I NEVER measure my seasoning, so I have no idea how much it was, just use common sense and your own taste). I then added a little bit of the pizza sauce (I'd say about 1/4 cup). Then I sprayed Pam on a muffin pan and divided the meat amongst the sections. I then pressed a cube of cheese into the middle of each and topped them with the remaining sauce. I put the pan on a cookie sheet (very important b/c it WILL spill over the sides). I baked at 350 for about 30 minutes.

This side dish is something that I do A LOT. It's really easy, everyone loves it and I love things that cook all together (less clean-up). It's also nice because you can make as little or as much as you want.

Wash and chop fresh broccoli (I use the whole head and that gives us some leftovers). Lay it out on a baking sheet (I use my pampered chef stone and it works great b/c nothing ever sticks to it).

Wash then chop/dice (pretty small so that they cook through) red potatoes (you can use any kind, but I prefer the smaller red potatoes). Spread them out amongst the broccoli. Drizzle with a good amount of EVOO then sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Roast in the oven at 350 for about 45 minutes.

And this is what you'll end up with.

One-pan chicken potato bake

This one is super easy and it's definitely a good weeknight meal. It takes about 10 minutes to put together and It's made with food that almost anyone has in their house on any given day.

4 bone-in chicken pieces
4 potatoes, cut into spears or wedges
1/4 C (approx. I just drizzle it over the entire thing) any salad dressing (I use Italian or a vinaigrette)
1/4 C parm cheese

Preheat oven to 400
Place the chicken and potatoes in a 9X13 pan.
Pour dressing over the top.
Sprinkle with cheese.
Bake for 1 hr or until chicken is fully cooked.

4 servings
440 calories
18g fat (5g sat fat)
33g carbs
4g fiber
36g protein

Creamy one-pot pasta

I have to give the credit for this recipe to The Pampered Chef.

4 lg garlic cloves peeled and minced

1 jar (7 oz) sun-dried tomatoes in oil (undrained) I would say this is optional, because I have never used them since none of us like them.

3 cans chicken broth (5 1/4 c)

1 lb penne pasta

1 head broccoli I use a little more than this because I don't do the tomatoes and we like broccoli

2 medium carrots, peeled

4 oz reduced fat cream cheese

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

grated fresh parmesan cheese and snipped fresh basil

I add in chopped cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast so that it's a complete meal (since we aren't vegetarian). I usually cook it in some olive oil and add some Italian seasoning. Then I just add it at the end. But you could also use smoked sausage.

1. Heat garlic on med heat with 1 Tbsp of the oil 2-3 mins. Add broth and heat to boiling. Add pasta and cook 8-10 mins.

2. Meanwhile, slice carrots on a bias and diagonally. Chop broccoli, slice tomatoes and cut cream cheese into cubes.

3. Add vegetables, cream cheese, salt and pepper (and meat if you are adding it) to stockpot with pasta. Stir until cream cheese is melted and fully incorporated. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook an additional 2-4 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Mine generally needs to rest a couple minutes for the sauce to thicken a little. Top with parmesan and basil if desired. I actually stir it in so the cheese melts.

6 servings (the nutritional value does not include the addition of a meat)

410 calories

11g fat (4g sat fat)

65 g carbs

15g protien

1000 mg sodium

5g fiber

Cake mix cookies

I put this recipe on my facebook around Christmastime, but I thought maybe I should put it over here for anyone else that might want it. I've made these a few different ways. I've added Andes mint chips, pb chips, white chocolate chips. I also made a batch where I didn't add anything in, but after they were done, I put a "hug" on top and once it started to melt, I swirled it around. Every way I've made them, they were AWESOME! (esp when they are still a little warm). I've also heard that they are good with yellow cake mix and chocolate chips added in. They are SUPER EASY, though and will definitely cure your sweet tooth.

1 pkg chocolate cake mix
2 eggs
2 Tbsp veg. oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1 stick of butter, softened

1. mix all ingredients together with mixer until well blended.

2. stir in 1-1 1/2 cups ANYTHING (PB chips, white choc chips, Andes mint chips, toffee bits, nuts....anything would be good).

3. drop by spoonfuls on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes

4. cool 5 minutes on cookie sheet, then cool completely on cooling rack

For me, they make just over 3 dozen (39 to be exact) and when I use my pampered chef stones they take about 10-12 minutes. Obviously, the nutritional info would be different with each variation.

BBQ short ribs

These were aaaaaamazing. They were super tasty and very tender. Obviously ribs of any kind are not cheap, but it was definitely worth the money and lots of times you can get short ribs on sale. This is another good one for the working women out there too. It's really quick to throw it all in, in the morning and it's done when you get home. Also, I'm sure these would be just as good if you only used BBQ sauce. I served mine with au gratin potatoes and green beans, which was delicious. But mashed potatoes or baked potatoes with steamed veggies would be good too. (btw what's everyone think of the new layout?)

4 lb beef short ribs
1 onion, sliced
1 C BBQ sauce
1/4 C honey
1 Tbsp mustard

Place the ribs in the bottom of the slow cooker. Then place the sliced onions on top. Mix together the remaining ingredients and pour over meat and onions.

Cook on low for 8 hrs.

The recipe says that it makes 8 servings. So based on that, the nutritional info goes like this....
430 calories
26g fat (10g sat fat)
26g carbs
1g fiber
22g protein

Cheesy Chicken Manicotti

OK, you're going to have to bear with me on this one. I lost the recipe for this after I made it, so this is all from memory.

1 lb uncooked, boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1/4 lb Velveeta
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 c water (i think? it might have been 1 1/4 c)
12 uncooked manicotti noodles (i actually used 1 box which was 14)
2 cups broccoli
Parmesan cheese

In a bowl, add the Velveeta, cream of chicken soup & the water. Microwave for 3 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Mix it all together. Pour 1/3 of the mixture on the bottom of a 9X13 dish.

Place the strips of chicken into the noodles and place the filled pasta in the dish.

Top with the broccoli and the remaining sauce then sprinkle with the parm.

Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

We thought it was really good. I was concerned that it didnt call for any seasoning, but it actually didn't need it. I'm sure you could add some pepper or garlic powder or something, but I didn't.

french dip sandwiches

I tried this one a couple days ago and I forgot to take a picture. It was really good, however when I make it next time, I'll probably make one or two changes. One of which is the beer. To ME it tasted strongly of beer. Generally when you add alcohol to any recipe, it cooks away and you aren't really left with the taste of the particular alcohol. I'm not sure if it was because it was cooked in the crock pot (lower temperature than if I were, say, browning a steak on the stove top). But either way, I really could taste it. Now, if you like beer (like my husband), it wont be an issue for you and I'm sure you will really like it (he did). But if you are like me, and even the smell of beer makes you want to puke, you will prob just want to use another can of broth (or nothing, because quite frankly, it had plenty of liquid).

So, here's the basic jist of it (not really a recipe, just one of those throw it in and do what you want per your taste). In a crock pot add a 4lb chuck roast, 1 can beef broth, 1 can french onion soup, 1 can/bottle of beer, a splash or two of Worcester sauce, a couple cloves of minced garlic, salt and lots of pepper. (again, this is just how I did it. you can adjust to whatever you want). Cook on low for 7 hours. Remove from liquid and slice thinly. Add back to cooking liquid and continue cooking for the rest of the 8 hr low setting (should be about 30-45 minutes). Butter french rolls and bake in the oven at 350 for about 10-15 minutes. Add the sliced meat. Immediately top with sliced cheese (I used provolone, but mozz or swiss would be good too). I made fries with it, and it was really good. You can also put a small dish of the cooking liquid on your plate. We just didn't because it was already super juicy and tender.