No Bake Granola Bars

Marley takes lunch from home about two or three times a week. They eat lunch at 10:30am so I want to make sure she's full to last her until 3:30pm when they get out of school. I saw these granola bars on pinterest and decided to try them out to see if they would be a good addition to her lunch. They were and I've made them several times since.

2 cups quick cooking oats 

1 cup rice crispy cereal

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix oats and cereal in a bowl. 

In a small pot over medium high heat melt the butter. Add the honey, brown sugar and salt. Stir together then leave it alone as it comes to a boil. Let it boil for 2 minutes.  During this time, you may need to turn the heat down a bit so it doesn't overflow, but be sure it keeps boiling.

After the 2 min boil, turn off heat and pour over the cereal oat mix. Mix together using a rubber spatula until well coated. 

Mix in any thing you want at this point. I've done peanut butter chips, M&M's, chocolate chips, white chocolate chips.  After those are mixed in press into a cookie sheet. Press firmly so they stick together.  Place in refrigerator for 20 minutes. Cut to serve. 

These are so yummy, but mine always fall apart, no matter how long I keep them in the fridge or how hard I smash them into the pan. I did notice the chocolate chips help hold them together a little because they had melted when I mixed them in and then hardened and that did help. 

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Bowls

Marley told me a few months ago that the food I make is 'unique.'  I guess you could say she is right, I never just make plain beef tacos or plain hot dogs on buns. So in true mom fashion I cooked up these taco chicken bowls.  They were delicious and we didn't have any leftovers.

1½ lbs. chicken breasts
1 (16 oz.) jar salsa
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained
½ lb. (8 oz.) frozen corn
1 Tbsp chili powder
½ Tbsp cumin
½ Tbsp minced garlic
½ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp salt

1/4 cup water
2 cups dry rice
8 oz. shredded cheddar

Add everything except the rice and cheese to the slow cooker. Mix it all together. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Cook the two cups of rice according to the package directions. Shred the chicken but don't remove it from the crock pot. Build the taco bowls by placing rice on the bottom, then the taco chicken mix and top with the shredded cheddar cheese.

Cheesy Burger Bake

I really like all recipes that include tots. How can tots be bad?!  This recipe turned out really good and will be added to our list of favorites.

No-Stick Cooking Spray

1-1/2 pounds ground round beef 

1 can (14.5 oz each) diced tomatoes, drained

1 envelope (1 oz each) dry onion soup mix

1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 

1/2 cup ketchup

1 egg

4 cups frozen shredded potato puffs

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray 8x8-inch baking dish with cooking spray; set aside. Brown meat and drain. Stir in drained tomatoes and dry soup mix. Reduce heat to low. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese and set aside.

Beat ketchup and egg together in small bowl until well blended.  

Add to meat mixture; mix well. Spoon into prepared dish. Top with potato puffs, pressing lightly into meat mixture. Bake at 450 for 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are browned

Lasagna Soup

It's been really cold here lately. Like 40 below zero cold. So that means soup time!  This recipe has a lot of ingredients but didn't take long to cook at all.  It was delicious but my noodles were a little chewy. The original recipe suggests cooking your noodles separately and placing them in bowl then pouring the soup over top. Might try that next time.

2 tsp. olive oil

1-1/2 lbs. Italian sausage

3 cups chopped onions

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp. dried oregano

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes

6 cups chicken stock

8 oz. pasta

8 oz. ricotta

2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking up into bite sized pieces, and brown.  Add onions and cook until softened. Add garlic and oregano. Cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes.  Add diced tomatoes and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.  Add uncooked pasta and cook until al dente.  Put a small amount of ricotta in each bowl and pour soup over top.  Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.