1/30/2012 - Mexican stuffed shells

we have a few meals and this one sounded good! so we are having mexican stuffed shells! I only burn my self a few times which was durning the stuffing of the shells it says to let the meat mixture cool LISTEN!!! LET IT COOL!!! my thumb is still a lovely shade of red. this was an amazing dinner! it was so different so good. we used a little more salsa then it called for and I put light cheese on mind and also a lot of onion it was really good! 4 1/2 stars!!!

Mexican stuffed shells
Source:the way to his heart

Ingredients
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 package low-sodium taco seasoning ( or better yet use this Taco Seasoning!)
4 oz. cream cheese
14-16 jumbo pasta shells
1.5 cup salsa
1 cup taco sauce
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 cup monterey jack cheese
3 green onions
Sour cream

Directions:
In a frying pan cook ground beef; add taco seasoning and prepare according to package directions. Add cream cheese, cover and simmer until cheese is melted. Blend well. Set aside and cool completely. While ground beef is cooking, cook the pasta shells according to directions; drain. Set shells out individually on cutting board/baking sheet so that they don’t stick together.

Pour salsa on bottom of 9×13 baking dish. Stuff each shell with the meat mixture. Place shells in 9×13 pan open side up. Cover shells with taco sauce. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, add shredded cheese and bake for 10-15 more minutes, with the foil removed. Top with any condiments you’d like (green onions, black olives, etc.) Serve with sour cream and/or more salsa.

1/26/2012 - Monterey chicken

were coming to the end of the pay period and we still have 10 meals about left! so next groceries will be cheaper **i hope** ok to last night was beef so tonight is chicken! Monterey chicken I originally found this on Pinterest. it looked yummy
Dinner was AMAZING! it was tangy and spicey but really good!

Monterey chicken
Source: All the simple

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 c. bar-b-que sauce ( I use kc honey bbw
1/4 c. real bacon bits
1 c. colby and jack cheese, shredded
1 14 oz. can Rotel tomatoes, drained (I used in lime juice with cilantro)
sliced green onions
pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pound out chicken breasts to flatten. Season with pepper. Grill chicken until no long pink (we used our George Foreman grill) and place on baking sheet covered with foil. Top each chicken breast with one tablespoon bar-b-que sauce, 1/4 c. cheese, 1/4 c. tomatoes, green onions and one tablespoon of bacon bits. Place in oven and bake until cheese is melted (about 5 minutes).

1/25/2012 - walking tacos!

When I was in school there was only a few days I would buy lunch from the lunch line and one of those was WALKING TACOS! now if you have never heard of walking tacos you are gonna think I'm crazy! I don't know if it was the way the school made them or what but they were great! first thing you would get was the bag of Fritos with taco meat inside the bag then you could get you tomatoes, lettuces, cheese and your drink. so there isn't really a recipe for these its just from memory!

Walking taco's
Source: Lake orion schools / memory

Ingredients:
small bag of Fritos one bag for each person eating or each serving
1 lb ish of ground beef
1 package of taco seasoning (this time i did not follow direction on the package i just added the seasoning to the meat no water)
and of course anything else you want in your walking taco

Directions:
cook ground beef till browned add taco seasoning
a good size scoop of meat into each bag of fritos
and shake it up or stir with your fork then add what ever else you would like!

mmm memories!

1/18/2012 - sausage mini pizza

we've been trying to spread out what we have each night so that its not chicken chicken beef beef lol so last night we had chicken so tonight is sausage! I'm loving this trying new things its really help me plan future menus and to find what my stomach can and can't handle after gastric sleeve. Also because i've been eating smaller portions I haven't gained any weight i'm also not really losing much more but i'm also not working out much right now! this weekend there wont be as many meals because were moving the stuff from storage which means a pizza night and also making simple meals which dont need a blog for lol

any way back to tonight food!
we were going to have sausage calzones however something changed while cooking them that turned into sausage mini pizzas!

Sausage mini pizza :
Source: Justin and I :-)
INGREDIENTS
1 lb bulk Italian pork sausage
2/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 can (10.2 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (5 biscuits)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (2 oz)
pizza sauce


DIRECTIONS
1 Heat oven to 375°F. In 8-inch skillet, cook sausage, onion and bell pepper over medium heat until sausage is no longer pink; drain.
2 Separate dough into 5 biscuits. On ungreased large cookie sheet, press each biscuit into 6-inch round.
3 top each one with a little bit of pizza sauce and what toppings you want (justin put canadian bacon and peporions)then add about 1/3 cup of the sausage mixthen top with a little cheese
4 Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

1/17/2012 - Chicken Quesadillas

Justin's favorite fast food chain would be taco bell, he always orders a Chicken Quesadilla So I thought ok ill make them they can't be that hard! After looking through pintrest I found one that looked pretty good and was pretty simple too! so with that said that's dinner tonight! we bought grilled pre-cooked chicken the kind you put in salads and used that (we were lazy)I wrote in Italics what we did that was different. it was very good different very good with sauce.

Chicken Quesadilla
Source: Like the rain

Ingredients: we quadrupedal everything we had four large tortillas with about 1/4 cup of chicken in each tortillas
1/4 c. real mayo
1/2 tsp. cumin
3/4 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
dash of salt. (not too much!)
2 chicken breasts or more depending how much chicken you want
tortillas

Directions
Mix all your ingredients besides the tortillas and then add the chicken to that.
heat your nonstick pan on med-high heat.
once heated, set your tortilla inside, scoop your sauce mixture and add some shredded cheese to one side of your tortilla.
fold it and put the lid on your pan for a few minutes. flip and cook the other side to your liking!

1/15/2012-Breakfast burritos

Well i got the idea from pinterest, however not following any recipe kinda winging it....we had these this morning and they were pretty good I was not a fan of the sausage we used but it worked. 4 red skin potatoes were not enough for the burritos I didn't have any it made about 7 burritos with potatoes but justin said mine that i made for him for the freezer did not have enough potatoes opps lol I still had some egg left so I got out the precooked dieced ham and added it to some so all together I made 5 sausage egg potato and cheese, 2 sausage egg and cheese, 2 ham egg and light cheese, and one extra ham extra cheese and egg. Justin ate 2 that morning and I had one so a total of 12 burritos so an egg each burrito! they froze pretty nicely justin had one for dinner the other night and said it was better than it was fresh However I forgot to take a picture of them ill try to remember and add it in when I warm mine up!

Tara's Breakfast burrito creation
source: SELF

Ingredients:
dozen eggs
4 red skin potatoes
1lb breakfast sausage
diced ham
1 package craft cheese
burrito tortillas
olive oil
salt
pepper
milk

directions
1. preheat oven 450
2. cube up the potatoes and place on a cooking sheet or baking dish.
3. coat with a little bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper
4. bake for 20 - 30 mins until golden brown
5. brown sausage
6. mix eggs with 1/2 cup milk add salt pepper to taste
7. combine into burrito with cheese on top!

freezing instructions like a baking dish with parchment paper place burritos on it not touching freeze for about 30 mins to an hour non covered then place burritos in a zip lock baggy

1/12/2012 - crock pot chicken parm

Today's been a very annoying day!!! we were post to be moving into on post housing in the next month or so, however they said today its gonna be a while so justin and I made a choice to just stay where we are! Hard thing to do since I strongly dislike this place but its cheaper and maybe its for the better! so today was family day so justin got home a little early. we wanted chicken parm one of our favorite meals so since I have now one week to make room for the big stuff in storage to be moved into this house I thought crockpot that way I dont have to watch it! again we are using the big crock pot that cooks way to fast. so I got everything in the crock pot at 3:00 and then went back to unpacking boxes that I just packed (pain in the but) at 3:30 justin called to say hes on the way home and a light bulb went off in my head hello dummy you gotta turn on the crock pot! I had everything in it and thought it was cooking but forgot to turn it on! blonde moment! at 5:45 justin checked the chicken and it was fully cooked! so I started some noodles to have it over noodles.

Crock pot Chicken Parm
Source: Get crocked

Crock Pot Chicken Parmesan
INGREDIENTS
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (i had 5 thinly sliced ones)
• 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs (i used regular bread crumbs)
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (i used kraft 5 cheese)
• 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning ( i didn't have any so I used garlic and herb with oregano)
• 1/4 tsp black pepper (forgot)
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt (forgot)
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 egg
• sliced mozzarella cheese (didn't have any just used extra kraft
• Spaghetti sauce (26 oz or more)
• canned or fresh mushrooms, sliced
Directions
1. Pour olive oil into the bottom of a crock pot and coat the bottom well using a paper towel.
2. Beat the egg in a medium bowl.
3. Combine breadcrumbs, seasonings and the parmesan cheese and place in a shallow dish.
4. Dip the chicken into the egg and then lightly dredge into the bread crumb mix to coat both sides.
5. Place the chicken in the bottom of the crock pot.
6. Place one slice of cheese on each chicken breast.
7. Combine pasta sauce and mushrooms the pour over top of the chicken breast pieces.
8. Cook on low for 7 hours (8 hours if you are using frozen chicken)
9. Serve with angel hair pasta and crusty french bread.

1/10/12 - ziti

I have been lazy the last few days its been follow the directions on a box or eating out but thats because we've been busy and doing things or extremely grouchy!! so tonight its back to cooking! ziti! this is my first time ever cooking ziti I noticed how simple the recipe was and had to try it. the other day we had pizza and bread sticks we had some bread sticks left so we had those with the ziti. It wasn't bad, it was pretty good I personally found it a little plain...it was like a spaghetti with different noodles. It was different which is what were going for!

Ziti
Source : Better homes and Garden

Ingredients

* 1
pound 95%-lean ground beef
* 2
cups shredded carrot
* 2
10 3/4 ounce cans reduced-fat and reduced-sodium condensed tomato soup
* 2 1/2
cups water
* 8
ounces dried cut ziti pasta (about 2 1/2 cups)
* 2
tablespoons snipped fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried basil, crushed
* 1
teaspoon onion powder
* 1
teaspoon garlic powder
* 1
cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (4 ounces)
* 1/4
cup shredded Parmesan cheese (1 ounce)

Directions

1. In a 4-quart Dutch oven, cook ground beef and shredded carrot over medium heat until meat is brown. Drain off fat. Stir tomato soup, the water, uncooked ziti, dried basil (if using), onion powder, and garlic powder into meat mixture in Dutch oven.

2. Bring mixture to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and cook about 25 minutes or until ziti is tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in fresh basil (if using) and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle individual servings with Parmesan cheese.

1/6/2012 - Dynasty Chinese

I don't have a picture of the meal or the place right now but I wanted to put my review out there! So, Dynasty is located at 54 and kenworthy by the Walgreens. We ordered our food to go, its easier for me to measure it out. it was a buffet and they also have a menu. The buffet was $8.50 a person for nights and weekends. I ordered the almond chicken with fried rice, Justin ordered Beef and mushrooms with white rice. our total was about $15, it was AMAZING! I haven't had a good almond chicken since I left Michigan. There was a lot of big chucks of vegetables and that's not my thang.

1/5/2012 -familyish day

Tonight's menu was a familyish day! we had meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables. These are kinda wing it recipes. There is not a set recipe its a familyish recipes so its all hear say and remembering.

Meatloaf
source: mommy
1lb hamburger meat (or turkey)
some onion
sprinkle of garlic salt
one egg
handfull bread crumbs
a heaping amount of ketchup

I mix egg first, then add the meat, some onion (I like a lot but Justin doesn't so depends on whos around when I make it) half a handful of bread crumbs and then mix with my hand. next I add a good amount of ketchup and use a fork to mix I add more bread crumbs and then more ketchup (if I feel like it needs it) then place in a pan (i've made it in 8x13 and a actually loaf pan what ever is around really. I sprinkle bread crumbs on the top and then bake!



MASHED POTATOES!
Source: dont remember!

(this is for 2-3 people but I think the rule is one potato per person)
4 potatoes
half a can of small pet milk (pictured below!)
spoon of butter

peal and cut potatoes in small cubes and boil. drain water add a spoon of butter and mash away! then I add the milk and mix more, I like mine creamy so I add more milk until its the way I like it!




This is the key!!!! I've used regular milk and its just not the same!! this makes it!

1/4/2012 - easy banana bread

I was in a great mood yesterday(today's date is 1/5/2012)! so I thought I would be nice and make Justin's favorite breakfast on the go. BANANA BREAD! we usually buy it precooked at walmart however I thought I would try to make it my self!

Easy banana bread
source: squidoo

Banana Bread Recipe Ingredients

3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar (I used 3/4th of a cup and I should have used a full cup)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
With a spoon, mix butter with the smashed bananas in a large mixing bowl.
add in the sugar, egg, and vanilla.
next add in the baking soda and salt and mix in.
Add the flour last, mix.
Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan.
Bake for 1 hour.
Cool on a rack.
Remove from pan and slice to serve.

1/4/2012 - Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Sandwiches

This is a slow cooker kind of day! I was packing, and cleaning so it was nice to have the chicken in the slowcooker and not have to really worry about it. (that is if my slow cooker worked right) I put on dinner at noon because we wanted to eat around 5:00 well our slow cooker is a hunk of junk! I set it on the 10 hour setting and the chicken was fully cooked with in an hour maybe 2. Stupid thing so I shut off the slow cooker and waited till closer to 5 to turn it back on. we had slider buns that we used for the sandwiches (I try not to eat a lot of bread so these were perfect)I used regular classic ceasar next time i will use lite I think. It is something different that's for sure. But Justin likes it I liked it a lot better with a little bit of melted cheese on top.

Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Sandwiches
Source: The girl who ate everything

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/2 to 1 cup of your favorite Caesar dressing
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley (I used 2 teaspoons of dried parsley)
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce (we didn't used lettuce)
12 slider buns or 4-6 regular sized hamburger buns

1. Place chicken in a 3-4 quart slow cooker with 1-2 cups of water, cover and cook on low heat for 4-6 hours.

2. Remove chicken from cooker using a slotted spoon and drain the water from the slow cooker. Place chicken on a cutting board and pull chicken into shreds, discarding any fat.

3. Place chicken back in the cooker and pour dressing, Parmesan cheese, parsley, and pepper over the top. I really make sure that I discard any fat pieces so by the time I was done I only used about 1/2 cup of dressing but you make need more if you have more chicken. Stir until mixed evenly. Cover and cook on high heat for 30 minutes or until mixture is hot.

4. Spoon 1/4 cup mixture onto each slider bun if you are making sliders or more for regular sized buns. Top with extra shredded Parmesan cheese and lettuce to serve.

1/2/2012 - Homemade meatballs

Justin has been craving pasta! I haven't been cooking pasta to avoid the carbs. I know I can afford some carbs its just about the portion. I know I can't do what I use to which was a giant plate of pasta I now have small amounts of pasta and I'm ok as long as I have meat! So I didn't want plain hamburger, so I decided to look usome meatball recipes and I stumbled on this one. It was really good. They took 20 mins in the oven and they were done however, so I fliped them to brown both sides and then cooked them for another 10 mins just to brown them. Justin really liked them and so did I. I have been eating the meatballs more than the pasta. I made thin Spaghetti, with 2 bottles of prego (I didn't feel like making my own sauce). I then added the meat balls and also cooked some garlic bread.

This made a good amount of meatballs so we have lot left over so we are having this for dinner tomorrow too!

Grandma Maronis Meatballs (title of recipe I call it homemade meatballs)
Source: Group Recipes

Ingredients:
1 pound ground chuck
4 ounces dried bread crumbs
4 large eggs
4 ounces whole milk (i used 2%)
6 ounces grated Romano
3 ounces grated spanish onion
2 ounces finely diced fresh garlic
2 ounces finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves (I used the spice)
2 ounces finely chopped fresh basil leaves (I used the spice)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray.
Mix all ingredients thoroughly in large bowl. If mixture seems a little loose add more bread crumbs.
roll meatballs loosely about the size of a golf ball and place on baking sheet. Place into preheated oven for approximately 35 to 40 minutes. Enjoy!

1/1/2012-tender grilled pork chops

Today is Sunday, January 1st 2012! wow its 2012! It's around low to mid 60's today so I thought it would be great to BBQ outside with Crock pot bake potatoes. we had a late lunch so we were going to start cooking around 6 or 7pm in order to also watch the new guy vs Rachel show on food network. I started cooking the bake potatoes on low around 1:pm (the directions said 7-8 hours) at the same time Justin start making the marinade. we doubled the marinade because one batch didn't look like enough. well at about 5pm I turned the potato's to warm because they were pretty soft already. At 6:15 Justin came down stairs and said "do you really want these grill" I knew that was his way of saying I don't feel like cooking out on the grill. So out came the electric skillet. The pork turned out really tender, cooked for about 20 mins top. They were good. Now the potatoes on the other hand I burnt them apparently. They were NOT GOOD so we tossed them and made a pasta side instead.


tender grilled pork chops
Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe
INGREDIENTS:
4 boneless pork loin chops
1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon steak seasoning (such as Montreal Steak Seasoning or make your own*)

DIRECTIONS:
Mix olive oil, soy sauce and steak seasoning ingredients in a small bowl and pour into a one-gallon resealable plastic bag. Add the pork chops and set the bag in a baking dish in a way that the pork chops get a healthy dose of the marinade (it may be advantageous to flip the bag over halfway through the marinating time). Marinate in the refrigerator for 3-8 hours (no more than 8). Heat the grill to medium and grill the chops 6-8 minutes per side (depending on how thick they are) until they are no longer pink in the center. Remove the chops from the grill and tent them with foil and allow them to rest for 5-7 minutes. Slice the chops in 1/4 to 3/8 inch slices across the grain and serve.