5 Ingredient Easy Meatloaf

Ok, I am a meatloaf fan. It’s an “All-American”, “Down-Home Cookin”, “Stick To Your Bones” meal that is hard to deny. But I will be honest. I don’t like making it. At all. Something about mushing raw ground beef with other wet things just makes me sick to my stomach.

But this… This has changed the game. With only 4 ingredients to mash together in a bowl, it wasn’t so gross. And to top it off, from pulling the bowl out of the cabinet to putting the loaf in the over.. It only took about 2 minutes tops! Bonus points! I will have to admit, I am used to my moms meatloaf.. So I had some high standards to measure up to. This definitely gave it some good competition, and will definitely be a new staple on our dinner menu!

 

Ingredients

• 1 lbs ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1 box of stove top stuffing mix (I used traditional sage)
• 1 cup of water
• Ketchup to drizzle on top

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Mix beef, egg, stuffing mix, and water in a bowl
3. Smash it all into a greased loaf pan
4. Top with katchup
5. Bake for 45 minutes

 

Rich and Fluffy Homemade Pancakes

These pancakes are SOO yummy, you can throw your syrup away! This is a recipe I found a few years ago, and every time I made them, I changed it just a tad.. Until they became what they are today. Perfect. Once again… I don’t really measure seasonings, so the amounts are approximate. Feel free to use more or less to your own taste. I also occasionally add blue berries, apples, or diced strawberries to my pancakes just to change it up. Just make sure to add your blueberries to the pancakes as they are cooking on the griddle, otherwise you may have a hard time getting the pancake to cook evenly.

This recipe makes A LOT of pancakes, so cut it in half if you want. I purposely make a load on the weekends so that I can freeze the left overs. Yes, I said freeze! These freeze really well. Just put two in a zip lock bag with a piece of wax paper between them and load up that freezer. Now you have breakfast for a week (or more)! To reheat, just take them out of the bag and wax paper, wrap them in a paper towel, and zap it for just 20-30 seconds. Perfect for those early morning school days for the kids.

Ingredients 

• 6 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp baking powder
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp nutmeg
• 4 cups milk
• 3/4 cup melted butter
• 8 eggs
• 3 Tbsp vanilla

Directions

1. Mix flour, sugars, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl.
2. In a different bowl, whisk eggs.
3. Add milk, melted butter, and vanilla to eggs and whisk well.
4. Pour wet ingredients over dry and gently whisk until just combined. This is very important. If you mix too much your pancakes will be runny. The trick to making them thick and fluffy is the timing of when you stop mixing!
5. Pour pancakes on heated griddle (I do about 1/4 cup at a time)
6. Cook each pancake until the top is speckled with bubbles, and a few have popped open.
7. Flip pancakes over and cook until underside is lightly browned.

Baked Italian Zucchini Slices

Baked Italian Zucchini Slices… Can you tell I couldn’t think of anything creative to call these? I know it’s not summer yet.. But the weather is getting warmer, and I am looking forward to our garden! This is a summer favorite of ours, especially because it mainly comes right from our backyard. This is a light meal that we sometimes eat as a main dish… Or something we make half the amount, and slice it up to eat as a side with a nice juicy grilled steak (aren’t you ready for summer food??) This often replaces cheese bread with our meals.

**Ingredient amounts are approximate.. As I just cut what seems like enough, and don’t always measure. Use what you want to your own tastes! =)

Ingredients 

• 2 zucchini
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Tbsp fresh chopped basil
• 1 Tbsp fresh chopped oregano
• 1 Tbsp fresh chopped rosemary

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Cut each zucchini in half length wise and place on a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray (you may want to use one with a lip around the edge)
3. Brush olive oil across the cut side of the zucchini and season lightly with salt and pepper
4. Sprinkle your chopped herbs
5. Cut your tomatoes into thin slices, and lay across the zucchini end to end
6. Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes (or until zucchini is cooked through)
7. Pull out of oven, cover with cheese and return to oven until cheese is melted and golden
8. Eat halves for your meal, or slice into small sections and serve on the side

**note** sometimes I will stick it back in with the cheese under broil. But not always necessary!

Berries and Cream Pull Apart Monkey Bread

I made this recipe with the intentions of it lasting through out the week. That just wasn’t the case. It’s like the Pringles commercial “once you pop you can’t stop!” This amazing tasty treat didn’t see a full 24 hours in our house.

Ingredients

• 2 tubes of refrigerated thin crust pizza dough
• 1/2 cup of strawberries
• 1/2 cup of blue berries
• 1 8oz pack of cream cheese (softened)
• 3 generous Tbsp of sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Spray a round pie or cake dish with non stick spray
3. Combine strawberries, blue berries, cream cheese, and 1 Tbsp of sugar in a food processor and mix until just smooth. (If you combine too long, it came become runny)
4. Lightly flour a surface and roll out both tubes of pizza dough, making sure to pinch together the edges
5. Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a 2 inch border on one edge
6. Gently roll the dough into a log, rolling toward the edge with the boarder. Gently press the end to seal the log together
7. Cut the log into 1 inch sections and arrange side by side in the pan until the pan is full
8. Sprinkle dough with remaining 2 Tbsp of sugar
9. Bake for 30 minutes and enjoy!

** Note** It may be easier to roll your log is you roll the dough out on a cookie sheet and refrigerate it with the cream cheese mixture for about 20 minutes!

One Pan Blasamic Chicken and Veggies

Wow it has been a long time since I have posted! In this time I have made an attempt to eat healthier… Or at least to make better choices. But don’t worry! I promise everything I will share with you will not taste like “diet” food. If it did… I wouldn’t be eating it either. Along with these posts, I will also let you know what the *estimated* calorie count is per serving! Now.. This of course will vary depending on brands of foods you buy, if you decide to use fat free or not, or if you vary from the recipe. Which is totally fine! I encourage you to try different variations and PLEASE share them!

Here is a recipe from a meal we made just the other night. Amazing! I would make this over and over again. The ONLY problem I had with this is that both my husband and I forgot to put the left overs in the fridge. I could physically feel my sad face when I came downstairs in the morning and saw it sitting on the stove. Bummer.

About 4 servings, 277 calories per serving

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup Italian salad dressing
• 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp honey
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 1/4 lbs chicken breasts
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lbs fresh asparagus (try to get thinner stalks, or opt for green beans)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved 
• Small white onion, diced

Directions

1. Cut rough edges off asparagus, and cut into 2 inch pieces. Put aside in a bowl along with diced onion and carrots. 
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together salad dressing, balsamic vinegar, honey, and red pepper flakes. Set aside. 
3. Cut chicken breasts into strips and season with salt and pepper
4. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Place chicken evenly in skillet and cook 6-7 minutes, rotating once halfway, until chicken is cooked through
5. Once chicken is cooked, add half the salad dressing mixture to skillet and rotate chicken evenly to coat
6. Transfer chicken to a large plate while leave sauce in skillet
7. Add asparagus, onion, and carrots to skillet, season with salt and pepper. Cool, stirring frequently until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer veggies to plate with chicken
8. Add remaining dressing mixture to skillet and cook, stirring continuously until thickened. About 1 minute. 
9. Add chicken and veggies to skillet, along with tomatoes, and stir to coat. 
10. Eat and enjoy!

30 Minute Stove Top Chili

It’s that time of year! The temp is dropping along with those tailgates! If you are anything like our family, then you know nothing goes better with fall football than a good bowl of chili (also check out the recipe for Chicken Taco Chili ) =) This recipe takes just 30 minutes start to finish, including prep time! In other words.. This doesn’t just fall under my “weekend recipes”. AKA- recipes that take longer than 45 minutes to eat. Feel free to freeze these left overs for later, it makes plenty!

(Corn muffin is Jiffy.. Sorry no recipe for that one! But you have a good one please share!)

Ingredients:

• 1 lbs ground beef
• 1 1/2 lbs ground sausage
• 2 large green peppers diced
• 2 large onions diced (or about 4 cups)
• Oil for sautéing
• 2 Tbsp minced garlic
• 16 oz tomato sauce
• 2 cans pinto beans
• 2 cans kidney beans
• 2 cans tomato soup
• 1 soup can of water
• 8 oz diced green chilies
• 6 Tbsp chili powder
• 2 Tsp ground cumin
• 1 Tsp cracked red pepper
• 2 Tsp salt
• 1 Tsp black pepper
• 2 Tbsp white vinegar

Directions:

1. In a skillet over medium heat, brown your ground beef and sausage. Drain and set aside
2. In a large stock pot, add your peppers, onion, and oil. Sautéed until slightly soft
3. Add minced garlic and browned meat, tom sauce, beans, soup, water, chilies, and seasoning
4. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low
5. Simmer uncovered for approximately 15 minutes
6. Stir in vinegar at the end before serving

Gnocchi Lasagna

  
This recipe is easy peasy, and just 15-20 minutes INCLUDING prep time! Makes for a great week night meal after work. I think my husband was skeptical, but the meal spoke for itself!

One of my favorite things about having a garden, is fresh basil. Nothing beats fresh basil. If you don’t have any, dried basil will work fine. I actually cut too much from the garden, so I threw the extra in with the sauce =) I just can’t get enough. 

  
Ingredients 

• 16 oz package of gnocchi
• Jar of spaghetti sauce
• 1/2 lbs ground beef or sausage
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese
• Fresh tomato slices
• Basil

Directions

1. Set oven to broil
2. Cook gnocchi according to package directions
3. Brown your meat over medium heat in a medium or large skillet
4. Reduce heat to low, and add pasta sauce and gnocchi. Heat through 
5. Add half of your gnocchi mix to a greased 8×8 pan, and top with 1 cup of cheese
6. Repeat the two layers with remaining ingredients. Top with a layer of sliced tomatoes and fresh basil
7. Broil in the oven for 5-7, or until cheese is bubbly and lightly golden

Pesto Zucchini Pasta

This one is so simple, and a great light dinner for the summer! This zucchini and the tomatoes came right out of our garden and onto the stove, my favorite thing about summer. Nothing is more satisfying than growing your own food, and making meals literally from your garden to your table. Here it is! Pesto Zucchini Pasta. Only 4 simple ingredients! I didn’t measure for this, I just eye balled and used what seemed like enough. Feel free to use as much or as little of the ingredients as you like! Listed is *approximately* what I used. (And by large zucchini.. I mean my garden prouduces zucchini the size of my arm. I’m not kidding).

Ingredients 

• 1 large zucchini
• 8-10 grape tomatoes, quartered
• 3/4 cup pesto sauce
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Using something to shred the zucchini (I have a kitchen tool that “ribbons” veggies.. But you could probably just use a cheese grate), shred into a large skillet to desired amount
2. Cut grape tomatoes and toss in with the zucchini
3. Stir in pesto sauce
4. Heat covered, over med heat. Stir occasionally until cooked through (about 15-20 min)
5. Sprinkle cheese on top until melted

Southwestern Smothered Chicken

So this was a recipe I threw together on a whim the other night. I found a similar recipe on Pinterest, but the ingredients didn’t sound appetizing. Just took the idea, changed the ingredients, and ended up with a new favorite weeknight meal! Incredibly easy to put together, and only takes 30 min to cook.
Ingredients 

• 4-6 large chicken breasts
• Sliced pepper jack cheese
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 2 cans of rotel
• 1/8 cup of milk
• Tbsp chili powder
• Stove top stuffing- chicken
• 1 stick melted butter
• (Optional) Bacon crumbs

Directions

1. Pre heat oven to 375
2. In a greased 9×13 pan, lay out chicken breasts
3. Layer sliced pepper jack cheese over chicken
4. In a small bowl, mix cream of chicken, milk, and chili powder
5. Spread soup mix on top of cheese
6. Sprinkle drained rotel on top of cheese mixture
7. Cover with the dry stove top stuffing mix
8. Pour melted butted over stuffing mix
9. If adding bacon, sprinkle bacon crumbs on top as desired
10. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Check and add extra time if needed.

Green Chili Chicken Bacon Mac and Cheese

This was dinner tonight, by request from the husband. Needless to say, this hits all the comfort spots. Enough said!

Ingredients

• 1/2 lbs dry elbow pasta
• 1 stick of butter
• 1/2 cup of flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 cups of milk
• 1 cup of cheddar cheese
• 1 cup of Mexican blend cheese
• 2 4oz cans of green chilies
• 2 cups of shredded chicken
• 1 lbs of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1/2 cup verde salsa
• 1/4 chives or green onions

Directions

1. Shred your chicken
2. Cool and crumble your bacon
3. Cook your pasta as directed and drain, returning to pot
4. Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat
5. Whisk in flour, salt, and pepper. Stir and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until roux is darker
6. Slowly whisk in milk, stirring continuously until thickened, about 2-3 minutes
7. Reduce heat to a simmer and stir in cheese until melted
8. Pour cheese sauce over cooked pasta and stir to combine
9. Add green chilies, chicken, bacon, verde, and chives. Combine

*** If sauce it too thick, add a little bit of milk at a time to thin to your desired consistency ***