Apple Nachos

Happy Halloween!! I always try to come up with something fun that the kids can have for lunch, snack or supper on Halloween and I am definitely going to bust this one back out! It is way healthier then all the candy that they are going to be carting in tonight... You can switch this up as much as you want, add whatever toppings that you feel your family would like. I skipped the lemon juice since I put these on the plate and served them up right away. I don't think that there was enough time for the air to even hit the apples and brown them! :)

Apple Nachos
(recipe found on pinterest via http://www.manifestvegan.com)

3 apples, sliced
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons peanut butter
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup pecans
1/4 cup flaked coconut
1/4 cup chocolate chips
caramel

Place sliced apples on a plate. Cover with lemon juice. Melt peanut butter until super runny and drizzle over apples. Sprinkle with remaining ingredients and top with drizzled caramel. Eat up!

Three Cheese Sausage Lasagna

This was a fun new take on lasagna... The sauce was better then red sauce (since I'm not too partial to red sauces) but it did taste a little biscuit and gravy-ish! The kids all enjoyed it and some even asked for seconds - means it is a hit at our house!

Three Cheese Sausage Lasagna
(recipe found in A.C.C.)

1 1/2 pound bulk italian sausage
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
3 cups milk
9 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
6 ounces sliced mozzarella cheese
4 ounces sliced provolone cheese
1/3 cup grated romano cheese

In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain and set aside. In a small saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. In a greased 9x13 baking dish, layer 1/4 of the sauce, 3 noodles, half of the sausage and 1/3 of the mozzarella and provolone cheese slices. Repeat layers once. Spoon half of the remaining sauce over the top. Layer with remaining noodles, sauce and sliced cheeses; sprinkle with romano cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 30-35 minutes, or until heated through. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.

Chow Mein Hot Dish

This was a great quick meal that I could throw together during naps and pop in the oven so we were ready to roll as soon as the daycare kids were gone... Personally I am a big fan of canned chow mein (should I admit that?) but I love that this recipe is homemade and tastes just as good! I didn't want the chow mein noodles to get soggy, so I didn't add them to the hot dish, we just put them underneath! I love the crunchiness that went with it...

Chow Mein Hot Dish
(recipe found in A.C.C.)

1 pound ground beef
2 small onions, chopped
2 cups celery, diced
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1 (8 ounces) can water chestnuts
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 (11 ounces) can cream of mushroom soup (or cream of everything soup)
1 (11 ounces) can chicken and rice soup
2 cups water

Brown beef, onion and celery. Add remaining ingredients and stir together. Bake at 350 for 1 1/2 hours. Add chow mein noodles the last 15 minutes.

Weekly Line Up - 10/26-11/1

Once again I am on the eternal quest for eating healthier and losing some of this weight that I have managed to find again... This means making healthier meals and better choices as to what and how much I eat. To help in my quest a group of us have joined up at healthy wage in order to put our money where our mouth is! Hopefully this will give us all the extra nudge that we need. They have a variety of mini challenges there, so I hope that you will stop by and vote for our team, The Flab-U-Less Five! We could use all the help and encouragement you can spare!

Friday - Sandwiches (on the run)
Saturday - *15 minute pork chops
Sunday - Roast
Monday - pasta primavera with shrimp
Tuesday - italian burritos
Wednesday - grilled cheese with spaghettios
Thursday - *Grandma's Dip (that's my item for her birthday party!)

Extras: *zucchini mini muffins, *candy corn kix mix popcorn balls

* new recipes

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole

Since this meal includes black beans I had to make sure that I made it when Josh wasn't around. The rest of us aren't quite as picky and we thought that it was fabulous! :) It was easy to throw it together during nap time and put in the oven to be ready when the daycare kids left... Love meals like that!

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole
(recipe found at http://tastykitchen.com)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked
4 cups cooked brown rice
3/4 cup frozen corn
1 cup greek yogurt
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (4 ounces) green chiles
1/2 cup salsa
1 cup cheese, plus more for topping if desired

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients together thoroughly and transfer to oven safe baking dish. Top with extra cheese if desired. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Java Roast Beef

This was an easy alternative to our usual roast beef and it made our house smell so fabulous! I'm a big fan of coffee, but Josh was a little leery since he isn't really a coffee drinker. It worked out well though and we all thought that it was VERY yummy... Definitely tender and delicious with a salad and potatoes!

Java Roast Beef
(recipe found in Taste of Home Healthy Cooking)

5 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
3-3 1/2 pound boneless beef chuck roast
1 1/2 cups strong brewed coffee
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water

Combine garlic cloves, salt and pepper; rub over roast. Transfer to 4 quart slow cooker. Add coffee, cover and cook on low 8-10 hours or until tender. Remove meat and keep warm. Kim fat from juices; transfer to a saucepan. Bring to a boil Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; gradually stir into pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened.

Crockpot Cheddar Beer Chicken

I love a good taco recipe! Found this recipe when I was searching for new recipe to try for our secret recipe club and we loved it! Super easy to throw together, although the workers that were at our house were wondering why I was pulling out a beer at 10:30 in the morning! :)

Crockpot Cheddar Beer Chicken
(recipe found at http://cookinchemist.blogspot.com)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup beer
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup freshly grated monterey jack or cheddar cheese
taco shells or tortillas

In a bowl, combine spices. Measure beer and stir in 1 1/2 tablespoons of spice mix. Place chicken in crockpot. Pour beef mixture over top. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. When cooked, remove the chicken from the crockpot and shred. Add chicken back to liquid and mix until combined. Leave in crockpot to cook for an additional 15 minutes. Remove the chicken from the crockpot and immediately mix in the shredded cheese.

Caramel Drizzled Pumpkin Poke Cake

Are you ready for a big slice of cake that you definitely need a glass of milk with?? This is the one that you want!! Pumpkiny, rich deliciousness... I took this dessert to a back to school party that we had and it was a big hit! A little rich so the pan didn't get finished, but it was still delish the next day...

Caramel Drizzled Pumpkin Poke Cake
(recipe found at www.bettycrocker.com)

Cake
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Topping
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
2 jars (12 ounces each) hot fudge topping
1 container whipped fluffy white frosting
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
2 tablespoons caramel topping

Heat oven to 350. Grease or spray bottom only of 13x9" pan. In large bowl, beat cake mix, pumpkin, water, oil, eggs and pumpkin pie spice with electric mixer on low speed until moistened, then on medium speed 2 minutes. Pour into pan. Bake 26-33 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center. Immediately poke cake every inch with handle of wooden spoon halfway into cake. Drizzle condensed milk evenly over top of cake; let stand until milk has been absorbed into cake, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, place hot fudge in medium microwavable bowl. Microwave uncovered on high 15-30 seconds or until smooth. Spoon and spread over cake, pressing slightly into holes. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen cake. Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours or until chilled. Spread frosting over top of cake. Sprinkle with pecans. Just before serving, drizzle with caramel sauce over each serving of cake. Store cake loosely covered in refrigerator.

Jello Pineapple

So one of my best buds and walking partner shared a little treat that she remembered having whenever she visited a friend's house in high school. So simple and they begged for it every time that they were there... I thought it sounded like something fun for the daycare kids and definitely easy so we tried it out the other day. I only had one tell me that they didn't like it otherwise the rest gave it definite thumbs up!! We have already had it a few times!! I have only done it with the pineapple slices, but I would like to try it soon with the pineapple chunks - less work of cutting it up when it is serving time.

Jello Pineapple
(recipe found from THEE ravishing Rachel Close)

2 cans sliced pineapples
1 small package jello (any flavor)

Open up cans of pineapples. Drain juices and separate pineapple slices as much as possible. Make jello according to directions on package. Pour into cans of pineapple. Place in fridge until set.

Grands Easy Taco Melts

These were definitely a favorite around our house. With only 4 ingredients, we will surely be doing them again!! I might need to make a double batch though because Brody chowed down about 3 of them... No leftovers at our house that night!

Grands Easy Taco Melts
(recipe found at www.pillsbury.com)

1 pound ground beef, cooked and drained
1 1/2 cups salsa
1 can (16.3 ounces) refrigerated biscuits
1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

In 10" nonstick skillet, mix cooked beef and 1/2 cup of salsa. Cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until hot. Press each biscuit into 6" round. Spoon 1/3 cup meat mixture and 1 tablespoon cheese onto center of each round. Fold dough in half over filling; press to seal. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 9-14 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with remaining salsa.

Pumpkin Granola

Here I go on my pumpkin kick once again! I love fall and finding new recipes that include pumpkin to try... I have been having yogurt for breakfast a lot lately and I like to throw a little something in there that gives it some crunch and this granola seemed like the place to start! I had some troubles getting it to the right crunchiness so I am going to have to try it again - soon! I ended up cooking it longer then the 40 minutes that it called for. It still seemed not as crunchy as I liked but I took it out anyhow. It continued to "crunch up" for lack of a better way of saying it and almost got too crunchy... So, make sure you take it out when it is almost to the texture that you would like it. Play around with it until you get it just right, I know I am going to! :)

Pumpkin Granola
(recipe found at www.cookinchemist.blogspot.com)

5 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup almonds
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup pepitas (or pumpkin seeds)

Preheat oven to 325. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a small bowl, combine oats, spices, salt and almonds. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, pumpkin puree, applesauce, maple syrup and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Combine wet and dry ingredients and stir until oats are covered. They will be moist. Evenly spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. bake for 20 minutes. Remove pan from oven and stir. Bake for 15-20 more minutes or until granola is golden and crisp. Remove from oven and stir in dried cranberries and pepitas. Let cool completely. Store in airtight container.

Skillet Chicken Burritos

These were a tasty supper that we had the other night and they took no time to whip together. Mine kept turning out more black then "browned" on each side so I wasn't happy with that result, but they tasted delicious... I skipped spritzing both sides with cooking spray since that sounded a little gross to me, but I think that might have been why I couldn't get them to brown up. Guess I will be trying that next time since I would definitely make these again!

Skillet Chicken Burritos
(recipe found in Taste of Home - Healthy Cooking)

1 cup (8 ounces) reduced fat sour cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapeno slices
2 teaspoons chopped onion
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 teaspoon grated lime peel

Burritos
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (11 ounces) mexicorn, drained
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 whole wheat tortillas

In a small bowl, combine the first six ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, beans, corn, cheese, salt and 1/2 cup sour cream mixture. Spoon 1/2 cup chicken mixture onto each tortilla. Fold sides and ends over filling and roll up. Spritz both sides with cooking spray. In a large nonstick skillet or griddle coated with cooking spray, cook burritos in batches over medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Serve with remaining sour cream mixture and salsa if desired.

Serves: 8
Points: 7 points per 1 burrito with 1 tablespoon sour cream mixture

Moon Sand

You know how it goes... the kids are watching cartoons and every commercial comes on and it is the chance for them to tell you how much they want this and how much they need that. My kids are that way too - it gets old really quick! Last winter their obsession was moon sand and while my sister was nice enough to get it for her kids for Christmas she didn't think that it was worth the money... So, when I found this recipe on pinterest I thought that I would give it a shot. Not that exciting to me either, but the kids have played with it continuously since I made it and while it is kind of messy, it is pretty easy to clean up. The next batch that we make will include a bit more baby oil since I didn't feel like this was quite sticky enough.

Moon Sand
(found on pinterest - no link included)

8 cups flour
1 cup baby oil

Mix ingredients together and play!

Slime

I am always on the look out for cheap activities to do with the daycare kids and I found this one on pinterest and decided to try it. I didn't have the clear glue that she suggested, but white glue worked just fine and the kids really couldn't have cared less if it was as "cool" looking as the one with the clear glue! They just went nuts playing with it for about 45 minutes! Now that's a long time for them to be occupied...

Don't be concerned if it starts out looking like this...

You just need to get down and dirty and mix it together with your hands little more! Then it will turn out to look like this...

or this...

and you will have super happy kids!

Find the recipe here!

Marshmallow Caramel Corn

An impromptu bonfire calls for snacks and smores right?? I hadn't planned for people coming over so I was working hard to find something yummy that I could whip up quickly and with all the ingredients that I had in my house. So, we went with a variety of popcorns! :) I made up a batch of "blue" popcorn for the kids and also tried this new recipe that I found on pinterest. This was just as big of a hit as the blue popcorn was and I was definitely glad that I had made up a double batch from the get go!! So, make a batch of popcorn, kick back and enjoy the night!

Marshmallow Caramel Corn
(recipe found on pinterest via www.pincookie.com)

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
9-10 marshmallows
12 cups popped popcorn

Pop popcorn and set aside. In microwave safe bowl, melt brown sugar and butter for 2 minutes. Add marshmallows and microwave for another 1 1/2-2 minutes or until melted and smooth when stirred. Pour over popcorn and stir.

Chicken Alfredo Pasta Pies

My husband is still raving about this meal and we ate a few hours ago! I thought that he was giving me a hard time when I told him what we were having for supper - "I love chicken, pasta and spinach..." Sarcasm runs high at our house so I really believed that he wasn't too excited for supper - turns out I was dead wrong. He quickly packed away 2 of these bad boys for lunch tomorrow and ate 2 more at supper. He wasn't the only one that ate them like they were heaven either... My 1 year old - who boycotts ANY type of food most of the time, inhaled them also! Must be a keeper...

FYI: I don't have a jumbo muffin tin so I just used my regular one... This meant that I had a lot more filling then fit in 8 biscuits so I needed to open another can. So, if you don't have a jumbo pan either - make sure you pick up 2 cans biscuits because you will use about 11 of them...

Chicken Alfredo Pasta Pies
(recipe found at www.pillsbury.com)

1 cup uncooked penne pasta
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 jar (15 ounces) alfredo pasta sauce
1 box (9 ounces) frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed to drain
1 can (16.3 ounces) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 350. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package. Mix pasta, chicken, alfredo sauce and spinach. Separate dough into 8 biscuits; press each biscuit into 5 1/2" round. Firmly press 1 biscuit in bottom and up side of each of 8 ungreased jumbo muffin cups, forming 1/4" rim. Fill with chicken mixture; sprinkle with cheese. Bake 28-32 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from pan.

Slow Cooker Big and Spicy Chicken Hoagies

I was a little worried that this would be a little too spicy for the kids but they didn't say anything about it being spicy - which is a great thing!! This meal was super easy to throw together, cooked all day long and tasted wonderful with some simple sides... Great for a weeknight meal!

Slow Cooker Big and Spicy Chicken Hoagies
(recipe found at www.pillsbury.com)

3 tablespoons caribbean jerk seasoning
3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 large red or green bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup ketchup
8 hoagie buns

Rub jerk seasoning generously over chicken. Place bell pepper and onion in bottom of greased slow cooker. Place chicken over vegetables. Mix broth and ketchup in small bowl; pour over chicken. cover and cook on low 6-8 hours. Remove chicken from cooker; place on cutting board and shred. Return chicken to cooker and mix well. Using a slotted spoon, remove chicken mixture from cooker and fill buns.

Two for One and the SRC

In case you are not familiar with the Secret Recipe Club, here's the low down... Each month we are assigned a new blog, usually one that I have not had the opportunity to discover yet, and we choose one recipe from their blog to create and blog about. That's the quick version! :) It is an exciting thing for me... I love to peruse through new blogs and see what kind of stuff other people are cooking up and if it fits with the kinds of stuff that I like to cook up. Some months are more challenging then others, but it is always fun to try a new recipe and meet a new blogger!

This month was one of those months where I felt like I couldn't go wrong... I usually try out a few different recipes, pick one and continue on my way. Not with this blog!! It was recipe after recipe of "oooh, I want to try this one and oh my gosh, that one sounds good. I felt a great kinship with Tessa, who lives in Arizona as I did for about 7 years and also likes to cook straight from a recipe, even though we both spend a lot of time in the kitchen... Her excuse is her pharmacist background, my excuse? Probably the control freak in my that needs to have everything neat and tidy in a recipe and hopefully not screw it up! :) Doesn't work all the time, but I will keep trying...

So, in my quest for finding a recipe to blog about, I made quite a few goodies that I will be blogging about in the future - pumpkin granola? already made 2 batches! Crockpot Cheddar Beer Chicken Tacos? Delicious... For supper tonight? Chicken Avocado Pizza with Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars coming up soon! There were so many yummy recipes to choose from that I just had to add her blog to my favorites list and go back there time and time again!

For today's post I decided on Root Beer Pulled Pork, but that seemed a little too easy, so I whipped up a batch of her White Chocolate Oatmeal Crunch Brownies too!

Let's start with the Root Beer Pulled Pork! So simple that there is no way to screw this one up! I didn't even have root beer in the house, so I busted out a bottle of Pepsi and went with it. Super delicious! My husband was super happy with the results and the kids ate it up too... Win, win!

Root Beer Pulled Pork
(recipe found at http://cookinchemist.blogspot.com)

1 pound pork loin
1 liter root beer
barbecue sauce

Trim meat of visible fat and place in crock pot. Add root beer. Cook on low 8 hours. Shred pork and place back in crock pot for 5-10 minutes. Place meat on bun and cover with barbecue sauce.

For dessert that night (my kids were ecstatic - we don't do dessert too much around here) we had the White Chocolate Oatmeal Crunch Brownies. Mine fell a bit in the middle when I took them out, but that didn't stop us from chowing down on the majority of the pan! In fact, I had to get them out of the house and brought a few to my mom and her friends where they also received rave reviews! :) They were super quick to throw together and definitely tasty...

White Chocolate Oatmeal Crunch Brownies
(recipe found at http://cookinchemist.blogspot.com)

crust:
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup oatmeal
1/3 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled

brownies:
1 1/2 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
2/3 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons skim milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8x8 pan with cooking spray or line with aluminum foil or parchment paper for easy removal after baking. For the crust, mix all dry ingredients in the first list together. Pour in melted butter and mix to combine. Press into pan and bake for 12 minutes. Meanwhile, for the brownies, melt the butter and white chocolate together and allow to cool slightly. In a separate bowl, whisk the sugar and egg together until light in color. Stir the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until combine. Add dry ingredients, milk and vanilla. Stir just until no streaks remain. When the crust finishes baking, add dough to top of crust and carefully spread to cover. Bake an additional 30 minutes. Cool completely.

Frankenstein!

Here's another cute project that I did with the daycare kids... They love to paint and had a lot of fun putting these together. Did I mention how much I love pinterest? I am finding Halloween projects galore!

Color Mixing Experiment

Again, I found a fantastic idea on pinterest, so I had to share! This took a bit of time, but it was a perfect experiment for the kids to watch while they were eating lunch. A little learning along with their meal?? What a great idea!

So simple and the kids went wild! I just went off of the picture for how to do it but for the link to the actual experiment you can click here.

Weekly Line Up - 10/5-10/12

This week has been crazy wild with stuff going on each and every night... running out of the house as soon as the daycare kids leave means a lot of meals ready to roll from the oven or out of the crockpot... Next week should be a little less busy, but I always say that and then we are out and about running anyhow! :) I love it, but I have to say, I am ready for the weekend and just hanging out with the family...

I have been trying out a bunch of new recipes from my blog that I was assigned for Secret Recipe Club and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the blog I was assigned... I swear, we are sisters from another mother. We both like quick and simple and there are so many recipes that I want to try that I can't decide which one to actually blog about! I have already made 2 of them, but still want to try a few more before the big reveal on Monday... That means some baking this weekend - YES!

Saturday - *Root Beer Pulled Pork
Sunday - *Crockpot Ham
Monday - *Chicken Avocado Pizza
Tuesday - Mom's Chili
Wednesday - Taco Night
Thursday - Chili Rubbed Pork Chops
Friday - Sausage Pasta with Vegetables

Extras: *white chocolate oatmeal crunch brownies, *thick and chewy chocolate chip cookie bars, pumpkin granola

Chicken and Ravioli Carbonara

Wow, wow, wow... This was so good that I could barely stop myself from eating and eating and eating!! I love the combo of chicken and pasta and then add some bacon and a sauce?? Out of this world! I cooked it up quick while the daycare kids were still running around and had it on the table about 2 minutes after they all left - we were once again running out the door... Delicious and the kids chowed without a word!

Chicken and Ravioli Carbonara
(recipe found at www.bettycrocker.com)

2 tablespoons italian dressing
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" strips
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 package (9 ounces) refrigerated cheese filled ravioli
1/2 cup half and half
4 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled
shredded parmesan cheese, if desired

In 10" skillet, heat dressing over high heat. Cook chicken in dressing 2-4 minutes, turning occasionally, until brown. Add broth and ravioli to skillet. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to medium. Cook uncovered about 4 minutes or until ravioli are tender and almost all broth has evaporated. Stir in half and half; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 3-5 minutes or until sauce is hot and desired consistency (cook it longer for a thicker sauce). Sprinkle with bacon and cheese.

Peanut Butter and Banana Roll Up

I have started keeping tortillas on hand all the time now because my kids LOVE anything that I make with them... Cheese crisp? Meat and cheese Wrap? Peanut Butter and Banana Wrap? They will eat anything if it is in a tortilla shell! So, I saw this recipe on pinterest and since I had all the ingredients on hand I thought that I would try it out for a daycare snack. The kids LOVED it!! It was quick to throw together and the little bit of chocolate included made it more special...

Peanut Butter and Banana Roll Up
(recipe found on pinterest)

tortilla
peanut butter
banana slices
chocolate chips

Spread peanut butter over tortilla. Add a layer of banana slices and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Roll up and serve to the hungry mob!

Ranch, Bacon and Tomato Pasta Salad

I was in charge of lunch for the last camping trip that we had and I went the easy route with wraps! Simple and quick to make and the kids can all pick whatever toppings they want in their wrap... I figured I better round it out a bit though and add something yummy on the side and found this recipe hiding in my "to try" pile! It was a perfect compliment to our wraps - anything is better with bacon, right??

Ranch, Bacon and Tomato Pasta Salad
(recipe found at www.jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com)

1 (16 ounces) bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 (16 ounces) package large shell pasta
1 1/2 pounds grape tomatoes
3 green onions, chopped
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup mayo
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 (1 ounce) package hidden valley ranch dip mix
salt and pepper

Boil pasta according to package directions. Pour into a strainer and rinse with cold water. Slice grape tomatoes in half and place in large mixing bowl with green onions and pasta. In a small mixing bowl combine sour cream, mayo, buttermilk and hidden valley. Stir well to combine, making sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Add bacon and half of the dressing to the pasta mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate both dressing and pasta for one hour or until you are ready to serve. When ready to serve pour remaining dressing over top and stir well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Slow Cooked Taco Casserole

We are obviously on a taco type kick around our house! Found another crock pot recipe that I tried out this past weekend and it was a winner... Very thick and hearty. I took out the corn tortillas - I don't really care for the gummy texture that they become when they are baked or slow cooked in something, but followed the rest of the recipe. We topped ours with corn chips to give it a little crunch and we all loved it!

Slow Cooked Taco Casserole
(recipe found at www.pillsbury.com)

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (1 ounce) taco seasoning mix
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
9 (5 1/2 inch) corn tortillas
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 (10 ounces) enchilada sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 (15 ounces) cans pinto, black or kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (11 ounces) can mexicorn
1 (4.5 ounces) can chopped green chiles
1 (2 1/4 ounces) can chopped ripe olives

Spray slow cooker with cooking spray. In large skillet, brown beef with onion and garlic over medium high heat for 8-10 minutes or until thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently. Drain. Stir in taco seasoning mix, salt and pepper. Place 3 tortillas in bottom of slow cooker. Top with beef mixture, broth, tomato sauce and enchilada sauce. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese. Layer with 3 more tortillas. Top with beans, corn, green chiles, half of the olives and 1/2 cup cheese. Place remaining tortillas in slow cooker and sprinkle with remaining cheese and olives. Cook on high 2 1/2 - 3 hours or low 6-7 hours. Uncover slow cooker for last 30 minutes. Top with sour cream.

Serves: 8 1 1/4 cup servings
Points: 9