September 30, 2014

Queso Taco Pasta Bake

Taking a break from the freezer meal sharing to share this amazing pasta dish. It was one of my new favorite dishes.


4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup salsa
1 pound lean ground beef
One 10 ounce can Rotel tomatoes, mild
1 tablespoon ground cumin
3/4 pound small pasta of your choice


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a saucepan.  Whisk in flour, salt and pepper for about 30 seconds. Whisk in chicken broth until smooth. Continue to whisk until thickened.  Stir in  1 1/2 cups shredded cheese and salsa until well mixed. Set aside

Brown and drain ground beef. Mix in tomatoes and cumin. Mix cheese sauce with beef.

Cook pasta al dente'. Drain and mix with cheese beef mixture.  


Pour into baking dish. Top with remaining 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. 






September 29, 2014

Crock Pot Freezer Meal Golden Chicken & Noodles

The crock pot freezer meals I made a few weeks ago are running out. =(  I have another list of some that I want to try, but it will probably be a few more weeks before I get them all prepared.  Today's recipe is golden chicken & noodles. I made this the other day, but we ended up going shopping and just ate dinner out so I threw it into the fridge and just warmed it up the next night. It was delicious.


4-5 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
 10 3/4 oz can broccoli cheese soup
1 Cup milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp basil
1 tsp pepper
Extra Wide Egg Noodles (used on day of serving)


On cooking day, just dump bag into crock pot and cook on low for 5-7 hours.

Cook pasta al dente' and mix in before serving. 


September 25, 2014

Crock Pot Freezer Meal Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

Ready for another crock pot freezer meal? This recipe was delicious. The broccoli was in smaller pieces so it was easily hidden from the kiddos and I so we ate it with no complaining.

1 ½ pounds chicken breasts
1 (16 oz) bag frozen broccoli florets
2 (16 oz) jars Alfredo sauce
pasta (on cooking day, do not freeze)


To freezer, just put all ingredients (except pasta) in a gallon freezer bag. 


On cooking day, thaw for 24 hours ahead of time.  Pour into crock pot and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Cook pasta al dente and mix in before serving. 




September 24, 2014

Crock Pot Freezer Meal Bean Tater Tot Casserole

Here's another crock pot freezer meal that I prepared last week.  This recipe says its for 2 meals, but I only made one with it. We each had 2 helpings and then Mike had some for work the next day.

1 lb ground beef, browned and drained
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 lb string beans, fresh or frozen
1 10 3/4 can cream of potato soup
1 cup shredded cheese
21 oz bag frozen tater tots


Split all ingredients in half and place in 2 bags. Lay flat and freeze. Day of cooking grab from freezer, pour all contents into crock pot and cook on high 2-3 hrs or low 4-6 hours.









September 23, 2014

Crock Pot Freezer Meal Tortilla Soup

I'm back sharing my second recipe from my crock pot freezer meals I prepared last week.  This recipe was pretty good, but it was more of a chili consistency than soup. Either way it was good.


1 lb ground turkey
1 can crushed tomatoes
8 oz frozen corn
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
taco seasoning (on cooking day)

To freeze, just mix all ingredients and pour into gallon freezer bag.


On cooking day, add one cup water, taco seasoning to taste and cook on low for 4-6 hours or until turkey is completely cooked. 



September 22, 2014

Crock Pot Freezer Meal Creamy Ranch Pork Chops & Potatoes

On Friday I posted about part two of crock pot freezer meals. Here's the first recipe we tried out. It was really good. Let me know what you think if you try it out.


1 1/2 pounds boneless pork chops
3-4 medium potatoes, chopped in large pieces (I sliced mine)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 packet ranch powder mix
1/2 cup milk

To freeze, just mix all ingredients together and pour into a gallon size freezer bag. 


On cooking day, just thaw for 24 hours before putting in crock pot and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. 





September 18, 2014

Crock Pot Freezer Meals- Part 2

I'm back for part 2 of Crock Pot Freezer meal recipes. I did part one last year and it was amazing. It was so nice to just grab a bag from the freezer and toss it in the crock pot and continue with the rest of my day.

This time around I gathered 5 recipes to try out. I try to find recipes that have similar ingredients so it cuts down on my grocery spending. Then I just space them out when eating them so we're not eating chicken 6 days in a row.  Here's what I made-





*Edit* Since I was using my crock pot almost every day for a week, I bought these Reynold's Slow Cooker Liners.   It was so nice to just put the leftovers away, grab the liner, toss it in the trash and not have to wash the crock pot every night. 

September 17, 2014

Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole

Here's another recipe that is inexpensive, quick to throw together and the kids will also like it.


1 lb ground beef
1 can sloppy joe sauce
16 oz frozen tater tots
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Brown ground beef and drain. Mix in sloppy joe sauce and simmer. 


Pour the meat into the bottom of a baking dish. Top with cheese.  Spread tots in a single layer on top.  Bake at 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until tots are browned. 



September 16, 2014

Crock Pot Tuscan Soup

Usually anything that is able to be made in the crock pot gets pinned on my Pinterest board. I love using my crock pot.  I don't make too many soups, but I'm so glad I decided to make this one.



One (12-ounce) package of turkey or chicken sausage, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
4 cups kale, stems removed, & leaves chopped 
3 cups chicken broth
One can red kidney beans, rinsed & drained
One can great Northern beans, rinsed & drained
One can Italian seasoned diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. dried basil


Put all above ingredients into crock pot and mix together.  Cook on low 8-10 hours or until veggies are tender. 


September 15, 2014

Pork Chop Casserole

We eat a lot of chicken and beef so whenever I come across a recipe for pork chops that looks good I add it to my dinner rotation.  This casserole was pretty good and quick to make. 


4-5 bone-in pork chops (1.5 – 2 lbs.)
2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 10.5-oz. cans French Onion Soup
1 cup uncooked long-grain rice


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat vegetable oil in a skillet. Brown both sides of chops. (don't cook them all the way)

Add soup and rice to dish and mix together. 


Add browned chops on top and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Make sure it's sealed on all edges or the rice won't cook right. 

Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour. 






September 12, 2014

Garlic Pesto Chicken Pasta

This is another recipe that's been on my pinterest board for a while. Finally got around to making it the other day and it was so delicious that I will be making it again. 


2 Boneless Chicken Breasts- cut into strips
1/2 bottle Lawry's Herb and Garlic Marinade
8 ounces Pasta 
2 tablespoons Olive Oil 
3 cloves Garlic minced
2 tablespoons Pesto
1/2 cup chicken broth
8 ounces Tomato Sauce 
1 cup half-and-half

Marinate chicken overnight in the herb and garlic marinade.  

Cook pasta al dente.  Heat olive oil and add in garlic.  Slowly add in the pesto. Pour in the chicken broth and simmer for a few minutes.  Add tomato sauce and half-and-half. Let simmer for 5 minutes. 


Pour chicken into skillet and cook until no longer pink.  


Mix cooked pasta in with the tomato sauce mixture.  


Mix chicken in with the pasta and serve. 






September 11, 2014

Freezer Breakfast Wraps

When we stop at dunkin donuts I usually get a wake up wrap instead of a donut.  I decided to make them at home to cut some costs and to also give me a quick breakfast to throw in the microwave and go. 


All you need is some cheese, some sausage patties and tortilla shells. You could also add eggs or anything else you like. 


First I cooked all the sausage. Then I cut the tortillas in half and put cheese and a sausage patty on each side. Folded them up and they were all done.   I wrapped them up individually and tossed them in the freezer.  To reheat, just put in microwave for 45-60 seconds or until warm. 





September 10, 2014

Crock Pot Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole

With Marley being back in school it puts us on a schedule that we totally lacked over the summer.  Mason takes an almost three hour nap every day so I get lots done, but once Marley gets home from school the pressure is on. Finish homework, make dinner, baths, bedtime routine all in 4 hours. It can be a lot.  Relying on my crockpot saves the day a lot of time.  This recipe was thrown together during nap time and ready at dinner time so we could stay on schedule.


2 lbs of frozen hashbrowns, thawed
2 lbs of ground beef, browned and drained
10 oz of bacon bits, real bacon
2 c of milk
3 c of cheddar cheese, shredded
3 T of butter, melted


Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Pour into crock pot and cook on low for 4 hours.


It was really good even though it's presentation isn't very pretty.