So if you haven't noticed, I'm on this one pan/pot dinner kick. It just makes it SO easy! This one is by far my favorite!

 

This recipe originally came from #2 Pencil found here.

(Also C&P below)

Prep it:

2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 of a small onion, diced

1.25 pounds of taco seasoned ground turkey meat or 1.25 pounds of lean ground beef and packet of low-sodium taco seasoning

2 cups of low-sodium chicken broth

1 19oz can of red enchilada sauce

8oz (about 2 1/2 cups) of dried rotini pasta

2 cups of freshly shredded Colby Jack cheese

green onions

black olives

 

 

Make it:

In a large skillet or sauté pan, sauté garlic and onions in olive oil over medium low heat until softened. 
Add ground turkey meat and cook, breaking meat up with a wooden spoon until browned.
Once turkey meat is cooked through, add pasta, chicken broth and enchilada sauce to pan.
Bring to a boil, then reduced heat to low and cover.
Cook on low, with pan covered for about 15 minutes. 
Then remove lid and let simmer for additional 5 minutes until pasta is tender and sauce has reduced. 
Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of cheese.
Top pasta with additional cup of cheese and melt under broiler for a minute or tow, or place lid back on pan and let heat from the pasta melt the cheese.
Garnish with black olives and green onions.

  

I didn't have taco seasoned ground meat so I browned some ground beef and threw half a packet of taco season in it. It took about 35 minutes and the pasta was definitely al dente - so if you want softer pasta just add a tiny but more water and cook a couple minutes longer! 

Chicken Burrito Bowls

I found this recipe over at Budget Bytes (she calls them taco bowls) and just like she describes it's "slow cooker 101". I threw this together when I came home from work one morning last week and it was ready by the time I woke up for my next shift!

 

Prep it:

 

1½ lbs. chicken breasts (I used three of the frozen ones from the bag)

1 (16 oz.) jar salsa

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained

½ lb. (8 oz.) frozen corn

1 Tbsp chili powder (I left this out)

½ Tbsp cumin (And I left this out)

½ Tbsp minced garlic (I used double this)

½ tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp cayenne pepper (Again, just shook some in there)

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups dry rice

8 oz. shredded cheddar (I just used a Mexican blend)

½ bunch cilantro (optional - but I definitely recommend it)

[You can tell I follow recipes super well] 

 

Make it:

(Directly from Budget Bytes)

1. Add everything except the rice, cheese, and cilantro to the slow cooker along with ¼ cup of water (for good measure). Give everything a good stir and make sure the chicken is covered in the mixture.
2. Secure the lid on your slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hrs.
3. Near the end of the cooking time, cook the two cups of rice according to the package directions (I definitely used instant)
4. After 8 hours of cooking, carefully remove the lid of the slow cooker. Stir with a fork to shred the chicken (it should be super tender and will shred easily). Build the taco bowls by placing rice on the bottom, then the taco chicken mix, shredded cheese and fresh cilantro.

Cheese Ravioli Bake - Recipe

 

One of the meals I posted last week was a picture tutorial of a ravioli bake. Well I made it, and it was really good! Definitely enough for a family of 4 or 5. Prep is super easy, cook time is a little longer than I prefer.

  

Prep it:

• Bag of frozen cheese ravioli
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• Marinara sauce (1 jar) 



 

Make it:

 

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

 

Spread a layer of sauce on the bottom of square pan.

 

Layer raviolios' on top of sauce.

 

 

Add another layer of sauce then a layer of cheese.

Repeat one more time then cover and back for 30 minutes. Remove cover and continue baking for 15 minutes. After pulling out of the oven, sprinkle parmesan cheese and serve.

  

 

Weekly Meal Plan

Meal planning in this house is really hit or miss. I either do pretty good and write it down, grocery shop and stick to it or half-ass it, make a simple one in my head and spend $100 on random items at the grocery store (which means we eat out the majority of the week).  

 

Like I said in the last post, I'm always on the hunt for good, quick and easy recipes. Some of these on the menu I've tried, some I haven't.

 

Thursday: One Pot Pasta (Recipe here)

 

 

Friday: Burrito Bake (Recipe here)

 

 

Saturday: Crockpot No Boil Manicotti (Recipe here)

 

 

Sunday: Slow Cooker Balsamic Beef & Potatoes (Recipe here)

 

 

Monday: Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Bowls (Recipe here)

 

 

Tuesday: 'Best' Chicken Tenders (Recipe here)

 

 

Wednesday: Honey Pineapple Chicken (Recipe here)

 

 

Thursday: Baked Ravioli (Photo tutorial here)

 

 

 

Total shopping trip was $92.93. Amount actually spent on groceries for the meal plan is just under $65.

One Pot Pasta Dinner - Receipe

I'm always on the hunt for something new to make for dinner (preferably quick and without tons of off the wall ingredients). I've found quite a few recipes on Pinterest. Some have been amazing, while some have left us ordering Chinese take-out.

Side Note: The first year of our marriage, I made so much spaghetti that my husband as officially boycotted it. At that time we were on a TIGHT budget (if you could even call it that) and truthfully Taco Bell was cheaper than cooking at home. We literally survived off Taco Bell, frozen pizzas and the infamous spaghetti. Yum.  

While he's not exactly picky he is one of those people that has to have some sort of meat, whether it be chicken, beef, pork - whatever in every meal. So when I found this one pot spaghetti dish that had sausage in it plus many ingredients that I already had - I was stoked!

I found this on Damn Delicious from Pinterest. (I'm now obsessed with her blog)

I did change a few things, but here is her recipe:

Took about 5 minutes to prep and 12 minutes to cook. 

Ingredients

• 1 pound spaghetti
• *1 (12.8-ounce) package smoked andouille sausage, thinly sliced
• *1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cups halved grape tomatoes
• 2 cups basil leaves
• *4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 cup grated Parmesan

Instructions

• In a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat, combine spaghetti, sausage, onion, tomatoes, basil, garlic and 4 1/2 cups water; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until pasta is cooked through and liquid has reduced, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in Parmesan.
• Serve immediately.

*NOTES: I'm not a huge pork fan, so I used beef sausage. Also, I don't cut onions. I just don't. So I bought the pre-chopped ones (picture below) from the grocery store and also used the pre-chopped jar of garlic I had on hand, which again I think actually worked better. I let mine simmer for about 12 minutes. For softer noodles I would suggest about 15 minutes. I used one container of grape tomatoes (cut in half), but next time I'll use two.

(This last picture is it still simmering - maybe another 3-4 minutes. I forgot to take a final picture because I was so hungry!)