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

 

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!

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

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 ***

White Chicken Enchilada Casserole

This recipe is actually my husbands! I had to share it (with his permission of course), as it is one we keep returning to. I only wish I could figure out how to make this into a freezer meal. If you have any ideas, please feel free to share them in the comments! This meal came about after Josh, my husband, took my enchilada recipe (I will post it in the future, I promise!), tweaked it, and made it a casserole.  Delish! And plenty of leftovers is always a plus.

Ingredients

• 8-10 soft taco shells
• About 2 cups of shredded chicken
• 3 Tbs butter
• 3 Tbs flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tsp cumin
• 4 oz can diced green chilies – drained
• 1 can rotel – drained
• 1/2 large onion – diced
• 2 cups Mexican shredded cheese

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. In a large sautée pan, melt butter on med-high
3. Add flour and whisk until blended
4. Add 1 cup of the chicken broth and whisk for 1 minute
5. Add the rest of the broth, sour cream, chilies, onion, rotel, and cumin.
6. Reduce heat and whisk until thickened. Remove from heat.
7. Tear your taco shells into strips, set aside
8. Grease the bottom of a 9×13 pan, and layer half of your taco shells on the bottom, followed by half of the chicken, half of the sauce, and half of the cheese
9. Repeat the layers with the remaining ingredients.
10. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes.

Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli

This one is one of my favorites. It reminds me of simple down home cooking, and even (to me) comfort food! With as easy as this is to whip together, it is on regular rotation in our house… As well as one of my go – to freezer meals.

Ingredients

• 4-5 chicken breasts
• 2 cans Cream of Chicken
• 2 cans Cheddar soup
• 14 oz. chicken broth
• 1 Tbs Cajun seasoning
• 1/2 Tbs garlic salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 6 cups steemed broccoli (or boiled in hot water for 3 minutes and drained)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Combine soups, broth, Cajun seasoning, and garlic salt in the crock pot. Whisk until smooth.
2. Add chicken, pressing to the bottom. Make sure to spoon some of the mixture over the top of the chicken to cover.
3. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3.
4. Use 2 forks to pull the chicken apart into bite size pieces, or shred.
5. Stir in sour cream and broccoli until well combined.
6. Serve over rice, and use the shredded cheddar cheese to sprinkle on top.

Freezer meal directions

1. Combine all ingredients (except sour cream, broccoli, and cheddar cheese) into a gallon size freezer bag and freeze
2. When ready to cook, cook on low for 6-8 hours.
3. Use 2 forks to pull the chicken apart into bite size pieces, or shred.
4. Stir in sour cream and broccoli until well combined.
5. Serve over rice, and use the shredded cheddar cheese to sprinkle on top.

Salsa Chicken Casserole

So when I last asked my husband what freezer meals he would like me to put together, this was the first one he said. It’s also easy enough to throw together after work during the week if you don’t have one in the freezer ready to go. Freezer meal directions below.

Ingredients 

• 1 cup uncooked rice
• 1 15 oz can of corn
• 1 15 oz can of black beans
• 1 24 oz jar of salsa
• 1 cup of chicken broth
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1/2 Tbsp oregano
• 2 large chicken breasts
• 1 heaping cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. In a 8×8 pan, mix rice, corn, beans, salsa, chicken broth, chili powder, and oregano  together until well combined
3. Cut chicken breasts into roughly 3-4 pieces each
4. Push chicken pieces into salsa mixture and push to the bottom
5. Make sure chicken is covered with salsa mixture, spooning it over top if needed
6. Cover dish with foil and bake for 1 hour and 15 min
7. Check to make sure rice is tender and chicken is cooked through. Add time if needed
8. Uncover and sprinkle cheese on top
9. Return to oven until cheese is melted

For a freezer meal:

1. Precook your chicken
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
3. In a 8×8 pan, mix rice, corn, beans, salsa, chicken broth, chili powder, and oregano  together until well combined
4. Cut chicken breasts into roughly 3-4 pieces each
5. Push chicken pieces into salsa mixture and push to the bottom
6. Make sure chicken is covered with salsa mixture, spooning it over top if needed
7. Cover dish with foil and freeze

To cook:

1. Thaw dish over night
2. Bake at 375 for 1 hour 45 min. Check chicken and rice, and add time if needed
3. Uncover and top with cheese
4. Return to oven until cheese is melted