Loaded Roasted Potato Casserole

This meal was oh so simple and oh so yummy - well for me anyhow!! I love a good baked potato with all the trimmings and this definitely had the taste of that... As for Beau, who doesn't care for potatoes and informed me on this night that he only likes the bottoms of the broccoli, it wasn't so much of a wonderful meal... Oh well! :)

Loaded Roasted Potato Casserole
(recipe found on bettycrocker.com)

2 bags (19 ounces each_ frozen roasted potatoes, broccoli and cheese sauce
3/4 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1/2 cup crumbled cooked bacon, omit if going for no meat meal!
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped green onions (4 medium)

Heat oven to 400. Cook vegetables in microwave as directed on the bag. Spoon into 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Top with cheese and bacon. Bake 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and light golden brown. Serve with sour cream and green onions.

No Bake Granola Bars

I try to buy healthier snacks for my kids to eat around the house - and usually ones that can be kind of portable since we are one the go a lot. This usually translates into some kind of granola bar being thrown into the shopping cart, along with plenty of other things. They are pretty healthy, but also pretty spendy for a small box. When I found this recipe floating around pinterest, I thought that I would give it a try. I have a few more pinned that I want to try and also compare, but this one was pretty good! I made half the way that the recipe called for it and the other half I made with chocolate chips to give it a little variety. The serving size seemed a bit small to me, but I also think that I didn't press them down into the pan as far as I should have! :) At any rate, the kids like them and that is one of the important criteria!



No Bake Granola Bars
(recipe found on pinterest via penniesandpancakes.blogspot.com)

1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/4 cup unsalted butter
4 cups quick cooking oatmeal
2 cups crispy rice cereal
3 teaspoons vanilla

In a large bowl, stir together crispy rice and oatmeal. In a saucepan, melt together honey, butter, peanut butter and brown sugar. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and stir until sugar dissolves completely. Remove from heat, add vanilla and stir to combine. Pour over dry ingredients and stir togehter until mixture is completely combined. Spoon into parchment lined jelly roll pan and press down to a 1/2" - 3/4" depth, keeping the granola bars as close to one side of the pan as you can. I doubled my recipe and it took up the entire pan. Let cool to room temperature and cut into bars. If you are adding chocolate chips, press them into the top of the pan once it is packed down so that they don't melt all over the place.

Healthified Skillet Lasagna

Homemade Hamburger Helper anyone? This is definitely the taste and feel that I got for this meal. Definitely a hit at our house and probably a heck of a lot healthier then the box of Hamburger Helper that I pick up once in a while!

Healthified Skillet Lasagna
(recipe found on bettycrocker.com)

1 pound extra lean ground beef
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 jar (25.5 ounces) italian herb pasta sauce
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon ketchup
3 cups uncooked mini lasagna noodles (malfalda), I couldn't find these so I just bought a different kind of noodle!
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 cup shredded italian cheese blend

In 12" skillet, cook ground beef, onion and garlic until browned; drain. Stir in remaining ingredients, except cheese. Heat to boiling and allow to simmer uncovered 10-12 minutes. Top with cheese and serve.

Cookies and Cream Popcorn

I love finding fun new recipes for a snack that we all love... Covering popcorn with something sweet is always a "love" in my mind!! While we enjoy it just plain, it is great to mix it up a bit and this one hit the spot! A little too addicting if you know what I mean!



Cookies and Cream Popcorn
(recipe found on pinterest via www.chef-in-training.com)

12 cups popcorn
20 oreos, coarsely crushed
24 ounces white vanilla almond bark

Melt almond bark according to package directions until completely melted and creamy in consistency. Drizzle almond bark over popcorn. Sprinkle oreos on top and gently stir to completely coat. Place wax paper on counter and dump popcorn onto wax paper and allow to harden.

Grilled Cheeseburger Wraps

We are really in a wrap mode lately! I buy tortilla shells in bulk and we use them for everything from snacks to lunch to supper! I keep finding quick and easy recipes that feature tortilla shells and they have all been wonderful! Who doesn't like a good cheeseburger and this is a great way to cook one up right in the house! You might want to double this recipe - these go fast!



Grilled Cheeseburger Wraps
(recipe found on pinterest via www.semihomemademom.com)

1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon minced onion
salt and pepper to taste
5 flour tortillas
shredded cheddar cheese
any additional "burger" toppings you would like

Brown ground beef and drain. Add worcestershire sauce, ketchup, dried onion, salt and pepper to beef and simmer for 5 minutes. Sprinkle cheese down center of tortilla shell and add beef to top. Add any additional toppings desired and roll up burrito style. Place wraps on preheated indoor grill or frying pan on stove top. Cook for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and tortillas are browned.

Dill Mashed Potatoes and the SRC

I am sad to say that this is my last hurrah with the Secret Recipe Club... :( It has been so much fun, finding new blogs to check out, trying new recipes that I might not have found with the club and just cooking up a storm. But, lately it seems that I am just not keeping up with the blog enough - sick kids, vacations, work and just life in general is coming up and all of that comes before a blog... So, rather then be someone that can't give her all to the group that she is in, I am going to bow out. I'll still be blogging (you should see the recipes piling up around here) but just more on my own terms! That being said...

This month I had the honor of checking out the blog groundcherry.wordpress.com/. Stephanie has a variety of gluten free, healthy, veggie recipe ideas on her blog and it was very interesting going through them. What does a meat and potatoes kind of girl find to make on a mainly veggie type blog? Why mashed potatoes of course!! They were a different taste from our regular potatoes and oddly addicting... Check them out sometime and take a step off the beaten path! :)



Dill Mashed Potatoes
(recipe found on groundcherry.wordpress.com)

4 medium red potatoes, scrubbed and diced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 tablespoon spicy mustard
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
dash of lemon juice
black pepper, to taste

Place potatoes in saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and allow to boil until potatoes are soft enough to pierce with a fork, about 15 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of potato water. Add remaining ingredients and mash with potato masher. Add potato water to create desired consistency (I only added a bit.) Enjoy these warm or cold!

Weekly Line Up - 3/1-3/7

We've got a calmer weekend on the line this weekend - it will be a much needed break! :) We have been running hard every weekend and it will be nice to kick back and relax... That being said, we aren't just going to stay home the whole time! Heaven forbid that would happen! :) A lot of new chicken meals on the menu this week... Obviously I had one thing in mind when I was planning my meals! Have a great week!

Thursday - *Crockpot Chicken Teriyaki
Friday - *Chicken and Corn Chili
Saturday - *Asian Veggie Wraps with *Cauliflower Patties
Sunday - *Pizza Grilled Cheese with *Twice Baked Potatoes
Monday - Breakfast for supper/ eggs and pancakes!
Tuesday - *Cilantro Chicken
Wednesday - *Slow Cooker Northwoods Wild Rice Soup
Thursday - Night out!

Extras - *Kale Chips

* New Recipes