Oven Baked Frito Pie

Mmmm…we made this tonight and it was D.E.licious!! Super easy too which is ALWAYS a bonus! Here ya go :)

Oven Baked Frito Pie

1 lb. ground beef or turkey

1 can (16 oz) pinto beans {I use Ranch Style}

1 can {8 oz} tomato sauce

1 envelope chili seasoning mix

1 cup shredded cheese {I added more…what can I say, we like cheese!}

3 1/2 cups Fritos {I didn’t measure, just eyeball it!}

1 1/4 cup sour cream

Cook ground beef or turkey until meat is cooked through; drain. Stir in beans, tomato sauce, chili seasoning mix and 1/4 cup of cheese.

Cover the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish with Fritos. Cover with chili mixture.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Spread sour cream over chili and top with remaining Fritos and cheese. Bake 4-5 minutes longer.

Meal Planning Monday

I was enjoying my lazy day just a little bit too much yesterday and forgot to post my weekly menu…sorry folks! Better late than never though right? Last week was the first week of school and I definitely forgot how T.I.R.E.D you are by the time Friday rolls around {or even Wednesday for that matter}. Anyways, our year is already off to a great start and I’m so excited to see how the rest of the year goes!

Monday: BBQ Pulled Pork with Maple Baked Beans

Tuesday: Creamy Chicken Taquitos {I didn’t get to this last week so I just carried it over}

Wednesday: Breakfast for Dinner {D’s softball night}

Thursday: Oven Baked Frito Pie – looks goooood!

Friday: Ham & Egg Pizza

I’m not linking any recipes this week but if there’s one you’d like, just comment and I’ll post it separately!

Supper Planning Sunday

School officially starts tomorrow and it is definitely bittersweet. I am excited to get back in the classroom with my new kiddos and see my awesome school family every day…but I am going to be a little sad to leave my lazy days behind! I’ve got lots to do today so I’m going to whip this post up as quickly as possible!

Monday: Two Timin’ Pasta Bake

Tuesday: Crock Pot Chicken & Rice

Wednesday: Tacos with some Queso Blanco on the side…loooove me some queso!!

Thursday: Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Friday: Brisket & Brie Quesadillas with Mango BBQ Sauce

Supper Planning Sunday

The dinners this week are all about ease and pretty much just making do with what we already have in the house. Needless to say, this week isn’t all that spectacular—just practical!

Monday: Taco Spaghetti {combining mexican food and pasta…YUM!}

Tuesday: Pot Roast…I’m all about the slow cooker when it’s going to be a busy week {this also means LEFTOVERS!!}

Wednesday: Softball night for Dusty so it’s either Breakfast for Dinner or Cheddarwurst Sausage…so difficult, I hope I don’t work up too much of a sweat in the kitchen ;)

Thursday: Crispy Shrimp Pasta -- yes I already cooked this recently but it was so good and so easy….two of my favorite things in a recipe!

Friday: Filet Mignon and Spinach Salad…this one is all Dusty, I leave the grilling to him :)

Hope everyone has an AWESOME week and if it’s the first week back for you fellow teachers, have fun and try not to stress out too much!

 

Back to School, back to School To Prove to Dad that I’m not a Fool…

Gotta love Billy Madison :)  I can’t believe that the summer is already over for us teachers. Summer conference started on Tuesday and we were busy all the way through Friday. Even though I didn’t like having to wake up early again {I really, really love my sleep}, I LOVED learning all kinds of new things to use this year! It was definitely a great way to kick the new school year into gear and get pumped!! We have convocation tomorrow morning and then we’ll be at our campus the rest of the week. Time to REALLY tackle that mile-long to do list—no more piddling around in the classroom and chatting it up in the hallways for me! I’ve been working on and off in my room the past couple of weeks, but I don’t feel like I’ve got much to show for it. Time to GET.TO.WORK!! Kiddos arrive in T-minus 7 days—so much to do, so little time!

I just got home from a Mystery Host Pampered Chef party with my good friend Katie, so Supper Planning Sunday is a little late today…I’ll post that next, I promise! I am so proud of myself for only ordering 2, yes ONLY 2 things today! However, I did schedule to host a party in October so that is the only reason I was able to hold off on ordering all the goodies I was oooing and ahhing over. The party was about an hour away so Katie and I had lots of time to talk and laugh about numerous things {one of those things being us getting lost EVEN with GPS!} Katie walked away with the jackpot, she was the MYSTERY HOST!! {That means she is getting some goood stuff} I didn’t leave empty handed though, I won a door prize that I am excited to put to good use. After a few hours of gabbing,eating and figuring out how much money we could get away with spending, we hit the road to come back home {with a pit stop to Starbucks of course}.

Being able to spend that time with such a great friend helped remind me how extremely BLESSED and HAPPY I am with the life that God has given me. Dusty and I are surrounded with amazing friends and family and we could not be any happier with our life together and the people that we share it with. God is GREAT!!!

Easy as 1…2…3…4

GARLIC CHICKEN PENNE

8 ounces uncooked penne pasta

1 1/2 cups frozen sugar snap peas

1 package {1.6 ounces} garlic-herb pasta sauce mix

1 package {6 ounces} sliced cooked chicken

In a large saucepan, cook pasta in boiling water for 6 minutes. Add snap peas & return to a boil. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until pasta is tender. Meanwhile, prepare sauce mix according to package directions. Drain pasta mixture; add chicken. Drizzle with sauce and toss to coat.

ITALIAN BOW TIE BAKE

8 ounces uncooked bow tie pasta

1 jar {16 ounces} garlic & onion spaghetti sauce

1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix

2 cups {8 ounces} shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook the pasta according to the package directions; drain. In a large bowl, combine the spaghetti sauce and salad dressing mix. Add the pasta; toss to coat.

Transfer to a greased 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until heated through.

There you have it. Easy as 1…2…3…or maybe 4 ;)

Smells Like the Holidays

This scorching Texas heat has had me yearning for my favorite season of the year—FALL!! My favorite time of the year means the beginning of the holiday season..Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas :) And what good are the holidays without all the amazing food?! One of my favorites is the Broccoli Rice Casserole my mom makes every year. I’m ashamed to admit it, but I could honestly eat the whole thing if someone let me! In spirit of the {non} holiday season, I decided to attempt this dish. {I can at least pretend it’s cold outside, right?!

BROCCOLI RICE CASSEROLE

Small Jar of Cheese Whiz

1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 stick of butter

1 Yellow Onion

Box of Frozen Broccoli {I use fresh broccoli and cut off the stalks, using only the florets}

1 1/2 cups White Rice

1 Can French’s Fried Onions

Chop onion and sauté in stick of butter on med-high heat. Meanwhile, cook the rice according to package. If you are using frozen broccoli, cook broccoli in the microwave while rice and onions are cooking.

Combine onion mixture, cooked rice and broccoli in a 2 quart casserole dish and crumble fried onions on top. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes.

ENJOY!!! :)

Supper Planning Sunday

As planned…Meal Planning Mondays have officially been changed to Supper Planning Sundays. Sitting on the couch on a Sunday evening while blogging and winding down from an awesome {and productive I might add} day is a great way to end the week. Hopefully I can get in the habit of this routine because I LIKE IT! This weekend was Dusty’s 4-day {he only gets one Friday through Monday off a month} so needless to say I don’t hesitate to take advantage of having those precious 4 days off with him. We did some shopping, Dusty did some golfing, and of course we RELAXED!

This morning we were so blessed to be able to visit a church that our friends had invited us to. We really enjoyed it and are very excited to go back. It was a wonderful start to our day followed by a much needed workout at the the gym. For those of you that don’t know…Dusty is habitual about getting to the gym…me—not so much, but I’ve been working on it. After preparing my legs to be S.O.R.E. for the next 2-3 days, we parted ways so Dusty could go get a round of golf in with the guys and I went to go work in my classroom.

I am happy to say that I have accomplished organizing my endless files and tubs. Next up….sorting and organizing all my books! Summer conference starts on Tuesday and while I am sad to see my much loved {and appreciated} days off fade away…I am very excited about this upcoming school year!! :) Anyways, enough babbling from me…here is this week’s menu:

Monday: Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken {a repeat, yes I know, but it is one of our faves}

Tuesday: Italian Bowtie Bake {so simple and only 5 ingredients!!}

Wednesday: Breakfast for Dinner per Dusty’s request {D has softball on Wednesday nights so he wants to just make every Wed. night breakfast for dinner night.} I’m telling you now that I may get bored with that so it miiiight not be EVERY Wed. night ;)

Thursday: Crunchy Parmesan Chicken with Spinach Salad

Friday: Garlic Chicken Penne {another 5 ingredient recipe…doesn’t get much easier than that!!}

Meal Planning Monday

NEWSFLASH!! Meal Planning Mondays may soon turn into Supper Planning Sundays. Since I plan for for our weekly menu on Sundays, it just makes more sense :) Not really sure if it makes any difference to you guys out there but just thought I’d let ya know! Here’s this week’s menu --

Monday: Taco Pizza {I’ll put the recipe up soon..I’m short on time right now}…SO.GOSH.DARN.GOOD!!

Tuesday: I’ll be out of town so Dusty is on his own {Luckily he’s a good cook so he can fend for himself!}

Wednesday: Grilled Chicken Breast with Broccoli Rice Casserole {recipe for Broccoli Rice Casserole coming soon}

Thursday: Breakfast for Dinner..YUMMYYYY!

Friday: Buffalo Chicken Pizza Pockets

Meal Planning Monday

After one week of making whatever ingredients/food we had in the the house S-T-R-E-T-C-H until we left for vacation and then another week of eating fabulous lunches and dinners {that had my body screaming at me to work out…grrr}, Dusty and I are so ready to get back to our weekly menus. I’ve fallen in love with a new site so the majority of this week’s menu is from there…go check out kevinandamanda.com for LOADS of yummy recipes, fonts, and scrapbooking stuff. I’ve linked the recipes to the titles so all you’ve got to do is click on them and it’ll hook you right up!

Monday: Cheesy Chicken, Bacon & Avocado Quesadillas {can’t wait to try these!!}

Tuesday: Chicken & Ravioli Carbonara

Wednesday: Cheeseburger flatbread melts…these look so EASY!

Thursday: Crispy Shrimp Pasta {mmm…shrimp + pasta = my new favorite combination}

Friday: Zesty Lime Tacos

Call me the Cookie Monster…

because that’s what these cookies have turned me into!! Thank you again to the amazing Cara Carroll for sharing this D-E-licious cookie recipe. I want to pass along the recipe to y’all because they are some of the best cookies I’ve ever eaten. OHMIWORD!!!

MONSTER COOKIES

3 eggs

1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 12 oz. jar creamy peanut butter

1 stick butter, softened

1/2 cup M&M’s

1/2 cup chocolate chips

2 tsp. baking soda

4 1/2 cups quick cooking oats {don’t use instant}

1/2 cup raisins, optional {I didn’t use any this time}

In case you missed me…I’m baaack!

In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been MIA for the past couple weeks…but I’m back and ready to blog! I didn’t post my weekly menus for the past two weeks because we were preparing to go on vacation, and then we were gone for a whole week. Needless to say…we were in DIRE need of a trip to the grocery store when we got back yesterday. Not gonna lie—I was a little nervous about the hit this shopping trip was going to take on my wallet, but it wasn’t near as bad as I though it was going to be. :)

Dusty and I are slowwwly floating back down to the real world after being in the “most magical place on Earth” for the past week…DISNEY WORLD!!! I’ll put up a post later with lots of pictures from our vacation. But I will go ahead and tell you the obvious…we had so much flippin F.U.N.!!!

Recipe Request

I had someone ask what the Cajun Shrimp & Rice was....sooo here ya go!!

CAJUN SHRIMP & RICE

1 tbsp. butter

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp. cajun seasoning {Tony's is our favorite}

1 lb. large shrimp, peeled & deveined {Frozen is the easiest way to go!}

salt & pepper, to taste

4 plum tomatoes, chopped

2 bunches green onions, chopped

3 cups cooked white rice {I used 2 bags of boil in a bag rice}

Heat butter, garlic, & olive oil in a large skillet for about a minute or so.

Add cajun seasoning and shrimp.  Stir and cook until the shrimp start to curl up on ya…about a minute.  Now add the salt & pepper.



Add tomatoes and green onions to the mix and stir.  Cook for another minute.

Add the rice & 1/4 cup of water. Cook until rice is heated through…about 3 more minutes.

That's it! I will warn you that it's a bit on the SPICY side though...so if you're a spice wimp...proceed with caution...

 {or just take the Tony's down a notch}

Slow-Cooker Recipes are My Friend

I have recently been introduced to the wonderful world of Crockpot Heaven...and I'm in L-O-V-E love! I can't wait until the school year starts back up and I can just turn that little baby on in the morning and VOILA dinner is pretty much done when I get home. Aaahhh...it's gonna be so nice!!

SLOW-COOKER BBQ CHICKEN

24 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3/4 cup barbecue sauce {Head Country is our FAVE}

1/4 cup reduced-fat Italian dressing

2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

2 Tbsp. low-sodium chicken broth

Put the chicken in the crockpot. In a bowl, combine BBQ sauce, italian dressing, brown sugar & Worcestershire sauce. Pour over chicken. Cover & cook on low for 5 hours.

Remove chicken to a cutting board and shred with 2 forks. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and chicken broth. Stir into sauce in crockpot, cover and cook until sauce is thickened and heated through -- 5 to 10 min.

Return chicken to crockpot, stir, cover and continue cooking on low for 45 min. Serve on buns or tortillas.

YUMMY :)



Meal Planning Monday...or Wednesday

I know it's Wednesday but just pretend that it's Monday....better late than never RIGHT??

Monday: No cooking for meee! 4th of July meant spending the evening with friends at the lake...no complaints here :)

Tuesday: Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken

Wednesday: We're having friends over for dinner which means more mouths to feed sooo...Bacon and Parmesan Pasta it is!!--I think I'm gonna have to make a double batch tonight--{This is BY FAR the B.E.S.T. pasta I've ever had!}

Thursday: Cajun Shrimp & Rice

Friday: Two Timin' Pasta Bake {Click on name of the recipe and it'll take you straight to Cara Carroll's site with the recipe on it}

Cornflakes for Dinner??

Dusty raised an eyebrow when I started getting out the ingredients for this recipe {mainly towards the cornflakes}, but quickly took that back once he tasted this AH-MAZING dish!

CRUNCHY PARMESAN CHICKEN

1 cup cornflakes, lightly crushed

3/4 cup shredded parmesean cheese

Salt and Pepper

3 large eggs, beaten {I used 3 but had quite a bit left over so next time I'll try it with 2...no need to waste!}

4 six-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breasts

5 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a shallow bowl, combine the cornflakes, parmesan and 1/4 tsp salt plus 1/4 tsp pepper. Place the eggs in another shallow bowl. Coat each chicken breast with the cornflake mixture, then egg mixture, then AGAIN with the cornflake mixture--transfer to a wax-paperlined baking sheet.

In a large nonstick skillet--heat the olive oil over med-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once until golden {about 2 min per side}. Transfer to a clean baking sheet. Bake the chicken until cooked through--about 10 minutes.

Dusty RAVED about this chicken and I must say, it will definitely be making some more appearances in our weekly menus. YUM!

My new Pampered Chef goodies!! YAY :)

Meal Planning Monday

Dusty and I had presents sitting on our front door step this afternoon when we got in from our little weekend vacay—my Pampered Chef orders came in! Talk about Christmas in July, I was SO FLIPPIN’ EXCITED!! Ohhhmygoodness! It was my first time to host a Pampered Chef party, but after going to a party my sweet friend Katie hosted in April, there was no turning back. I am hands-down a Pampered Chef ADDICT! Luckily, Dusty shares my love of cooking and food so it’s something we enjoy together and he can’t get too annoyed with my new investments ;)

Anyways—I CANNOT wait to put all my new goodies to use this week!!

Monday: Baked Ravioli with Chicken Sausage

Tuesday: Crunchy Parmesan Chicken

Wednesday: Crockpot Shredded Beef Tacos {from the amazing Cara Carroll—her recipes are our favorite and you’ll see MANY of them on here!}

Thursday: Scrambled Pasta {I’m outta town for the night so Dusty is on his own, we’ll see if he tackles this recipe or not!}

Friday: Tex Mex Chicken Skillet {another Cara Carroll--I’m EXCITED to try this one out…it looks DELISH!}

Hello There Blog World!!

So after almost a month off of work with absolutely NOTHING taking up my time or attention, I guess it's time to start being productive and put an end to being a lazy bum! I wasn't sure how long it would take for me to reach "bored status" being that this is the first summer I haven't been taking summer classes, working, planning a wedding, getting married, etc....apparently I now know that 3-4 weeks is my breaking point!!

I've flirted with the idea of blogging for a little over a year, but I honestly don't feel like my life is anything anyone would be DYING to read about...but I've been cooking a lot lately and getting into some D.I.Y. projects so I thought why not work some of that in here. I'm a 23 year old newlywed...{about to celebrate our 1 year anniversary--do we still qualify as newlyweds??} I just finished my first year of teaching the best grade ever--KINDERGARTEN!! I have no kiddos yet, which means all the cute pictures you'll see on here will be of my adorable neice and nephew who I love.love.LOVE! So needless to say, this blog will be a hodge podge of weekly menus, recipes, D.I.Y. projects, and updates in my CRAZY.BEAUTIFUL.BLESSED life!

HAPPY READING BLOGGERS!!!