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