Keto enchiladas and tacos

Keto Enchiladas and Tacos

It all starts with the "tortilla shell" or in this case cheese. Yes, I did say cheese. I used a mixture of freshly shredded cheddar and Colby Jack cheese. Placed on my silpat covered jellyroll pans. Placed on the oven at 350F for approximately 7 min. Until the edges were Brown and the cheese melty.

Make sure to give enough room for spreading. About 1/4 of a cup or so. I eye balled it. 

I made a keto friendly taco meat mixture for the enchiladas and used the same meat in the tacos. Both were delicious. I used a low sugar taco mix (you can make your own). Diced tomatoes and ground beef with onion cooked in avacado oil. I added beans after I took out the portion for the keto enchiladas and tacos to add extra fiber for my kids enchiladas (made out of flour tortillas. I used regular red enchilada sauce for the enchiladas. About 1 medium can. About, 8oz I think.

 Meat for my kids enchiladas

 My keto pan for enchiladas was lightly spread with enchilada sauce in the bottom to keep the cheese "tortillas" from sticking to the pan.

 My separate meat mixture for the enchiladas taco and enchiladas. (No beans)

 I placed the meat mixture in the cheese and rolled them up then placed them in the prepared pan.

 Topped with more shredded colby Jack cheese. Then baked for 10min to heat through. My "tortillas" kept their shape and had a great texture for the enchiladas.

For my Taco shells, I took the cheese about 1 min after taken out of the oven. I draped them over wooden spoon handles to create the "tortilla" shells. Ate cold or cool with meat and it was hearty. I couldn't eat more than one it was so filling and delicious. Enjoy!

Keto Shrimp Scampi with Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients:
1 lb shrimp: raw, deveined, shell and tail off
1 lemon
1 cup cooking white wine (zero carbs)
2 TBSP minced garlic
1/2 stick of butter
 1 Spaghetti Squash: cut in half, seeds scooped out.
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Avocado or olive oil
S&P to taste
Parsley for sprinkling

Directions spaghetti squash:
Place 1 cup of water in Instant Pot. Place trivet in instant pot. Lightly oil the inside of the spaghetti squash with avocado oil and S&P. Place into Instant Pot. Close lid, (make sure your ring is in place). Set on Manual/Pressure to high, set time for 10 min. Let cook.

While spaghetti squash is going, time to make the scampi.

Shrimp Scampi directions:
Add 1/2 of the butter and some avocado oil to non-stick pan. Let melt and get bubbly. Add in the garlic and stir. Once garlic is aromatic and slightly browned add white wine and reduce a little, once reduced add lemon juice and shrimp. Cook shrimp until pink. Stirring to incorporate the sauce and shrimp. (About 5 min, at most). Shrimp cooks very quickly. Add in parmesan cheese and stir to incorporate. It helps thicken the sauce. Remove from heat. Set aside.

Once the spaghetti squash is done cooking remove from the Instant Pot with silicone mits or coverings, caution will be HOT! Take two forks and dish up on plates, one half of the spaghetti squash can feed about 4 people. Add butter and S&P to squash on plates, top with shrimp scampi sprinkle with parsley, enjoy!

Keto sausage bake

Keto Sausage Bake

 Ingredients:
1 lb Beef smoked sausage
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
1 bell pepper (I used red)
15 baby carrots cut in 4ths length wise
1/2 red onion diced or chopped
2 TBSP Montreal steak seasoning
Avacado oil or olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Cut the sausage, zucchini, squash, bell peppers in about 1 inch pieces. Place in a gallon size plastic bag or large bowl. Add all ingredients to bag or bowl. Shake or stir well. You can line with foil or parchment if you choose, I lined mine with foil to help with easier cleanup Spread out in even layer on jelly roll pan. (Cookie sheet with sides). Spread ingredients on pan into a single layer. Place pan in preheated oven. Set timer for 30 min, flip ingredients or stir ingredients half way through. Serve warm. We eat it this way, but you can add a side of salad, rice, mashed potatoes or garlic bread. Enjoy!

Keto instant pot BBQ ribs

I recently got an Instant Pot. Dinners up until that point lately was mediocre at best, quick premade no real thought dinners. Instant Mac n cheese, premade hamburgers, junk to say the least. No excitement and desire to make dinner. I bought an Instant Pot at my you Gest sisters joy of feeding her family, quick, healthy, prepped meals. While getting her dinner done j. 30 mins. Target had a sale on them so I jumped in with both feet. Verdict... I love this thing!!! Don't get me wrong I was terrified I'd blow up the machine and maim one of my kids or myself in the process of using it. I psyced myself out and read the material, did the water test... Once I did the water test, my fears were gone! I was looking up easy recipes, like hard-boiled eggs, chicken breasts from frozen and dinner ideas. My hubby decided at about the time to start Keto! Another hurdle to overcome. How to make family dinners for basically 4 people with no pasta, bread or rice! Ok... Challenge accepted... Let's start with ribs!

I saw several people posting on Facebook their instant pot ribs... Looked easy enough.

Ok, ribs were super easy! IP with chicken broth (about 2 cups), apple cider vinegar (about 1/2 cup to 1 cup), and liquid smoke (2-3 Tbs). After dry rubbed the ribs with choice of dry rub. (Be sure to remove the membrane), cook manual high pressure 30-35 min (I did 35 min for two full racks), natural release for 15 min. Removed ribs, placed on cookie sheet, broiled with liquid BBQ sauce of choice for 5 min close to broiler. Serve! Delicious, fall off the bones!

French onion smothered boneless porkchops

It's a dreary, overcast day outside and I just want to curl up in bed and sleep all day. I force myself to be productive even though it's hard.

I tried to use what I had at home, but realized I had to go out anyway so I picked up a couple items I needed for this recipe.

It is super easy, it was done in however long it takes to brown both sides of boneless pork chops. Maybe 10 min. Thrown in the Crock-Pot on high for 4 hours. Even put in at 2pm. Dinner will be done by 6pm tonight. That's a win in my book.

Ingredients:

6-8 boneless pork chops (I had 7)
1 onion, sliced thinly, halved
1 can Campbell's chicken with herbs soup
1 can Campbell's french onion soup
Season of choice. I coated both sides of my pork chops with Ms. Dash

2tbsp butter and olive oil for browning pork chops

Directions:
Brown pork chops in olive oil and butter.

Place half the sliced onions on bottom of Crock-Pot

Place first half of pork chops on top of onions then layer rest of onions on pork chops. Top with remaining pork chops.

Mix the two cans of soup together and


pour on top of layers of onion and pork chops. Set on high 4 hours. Enjoy!

Easy Sunday crockpot French dip sandwiches

I love easy Sunday crockpot dinners. The house smells amazing, I'm not slaving over the stove and everyone gets a delicious tasting meal.

Today we had choir practice after church. The song is so pretty as it comes together. However, my stomach was feeling empty on the way home from church. I have felt uninspired of what to make for dinner. I had thin sliced beef that needed cooking and all I could think of is Philly cheese steak sandwiches which would need bread I don't have, or beef and broccoli which we've had recently. So as I was talking to my hubby about what he might be able to think about to use the meat for. He suggested some kind of meat sandwiches. Then it hit me. The older boys favorite sandwiches are French dip sandwiches. I had some "fancy" buns in the freezer... So here is my take on an easy French dip crockpot sandwiches.

Ingredients

Thin sliced beef (I had stir fry beef)
1  small onion sliced thin
1 PKG dry italian seasoning
1 PKG dry au ju mix
2 cups water
4 tbsp worchestershire sauce

Directions
Add onion, beef and dry italian seasoning to crockpot, mix the water, worchestershire and au ju mix together. Pour over top. Set cook on high 2-4 hours. Serve on buns with cheese.  Use sauce for dipping.

Enjoy!

Easy peasy creamy salsa chicken

Nothing could be easier than this. Not many ingredients, open cans and most if not all are pantry staples.

I love this on busy nights or when I feel overwhelmed, or even just not inspired to make anything.

A quick go to that can even be put in the crockpot early afternoon and be ready for dinner.

Ingredients:

3-4 chicken breasts (mine are almost always frozen)
1 medium size container of salsa of choice
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained
1 block cream cheese

Cheese for topping when done

Directions:

Use a crockpot liner (such a life saver)

Add chicken, beans, salsa, corn, and block of cream cheese*, Let cook 6-8 hours on low. Shred chicken, stir all together. Serve over rice topped with cheese. Enjoy.

*Note: cream cheese should be on top, it softens as the rest cooks. Stirs on smoothly when ready to mix after chicken has cooked.

What's cooking?

Several friends have said I need a blog to post what my meals are for dinner and other stuffs... I tell them I already have one, I just haven't updated it in a while. Things have been pretty hectic the last two years. We've moved from West Virginia to South Carolina. My husband is working from home full-time. I am in school full-time, while trying to be a mom and all that entails. My oldest moved out and lives on his own in West Virginia and working full-time for a pool cover installation company. My second oldest finished high school in WV then moved home for about a month, then went back to WV for about another month and is now living with us again working full-time at Walmart, and has decided to join the marines as a way to pay for college. My third child (who is 16) graduated from High School, is working full-time at Walmart and also wants to join the marines when he turns 17 at the end of March 2020. My fourth child, who is four yrs old, is rambunctious as ever, growing so big and strong... He is very inquisitive and loves being in the middle of everything. Last but definitely not least my fifth, last and only girl is still not potty trained, 2 1/2 going on 15, super sassy, sleeps on my floor and loves to do everyone's make up is Andys shadow. She wants to be so grown so fast... I can barely keep up.

So, dinners have been hit or miss but I try and share on Facebook what I'm doing if anyone needs ideas of what to make for their dinner if they are tired of the same things all the time. I have made bacon, cheeseburger pockets, egg salad, crockpot Salisbury steaks with crockpot mashed potatoes just to name a few. I've posted recipes on my Facebook page as well.

Tonights dinner of choice:
Crockpot Salisbury steaks with Crockpot Mashed potatoes.

Luckily, I have two different sized crockpots so I am able to cook them both at the same time. It would also work if you only have one crockpot and a small family, the potatoes can be cooked on top of the Salisbury steaks (I would think) with foil dividing them or next to the Salisbury steak divided by foil in the crockpot.

Salisbury steak
Use 6-8 qt crockpot with crockpot liner

Ingredients

 8 - hamburger patties (I prefer frozen) (I've even used flavored ones with like bacon and cheese or vadelia onion ones)
1 pkg dry au ju mix
1 pkg brown gravy mix
1 med onion sliced
1 container of sliced mushrooms
1-2 cups of beef broth
Monterey steak seasoning
Worcestershire sauce


Directions:

In the crockpot place on the bottom a layer of onions. Place 2 or 3 hamburger patties (however many will fit easily). Dash Worcestershire sauce and then sprinkle with Monterey seasoning on top of that. Layer on top of the burgers with seasoning more onion and mushrooms, then repeat hamburger patties, sauce, seasoning, onion and mushrooms. Until all layered. Next mix the au ju, beef broth and gravy mix together, and pour on top of layered meat, mushroom and onions. Set to cook high 4-6 hours or 6-8 hours low. Enjoy over mashed potatoes with green beans, broccoli or Brussel sprouts  on the side.


Crock pot Mashed Potatoes
Use 4-6 qt crockpot with crockpot liner

Ingredients

2 small potatoes per person (if using yellow, yukon gold or red potatoes) or 1 large russet per person
1 onion, diced
2 tsp minced garlic
1-2 cups chicken broth
1-2 sticks of butter cut in chunks
1/2 cup to 1 cup sour cream or 1/2 brick of cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup milk or heavy cream
S&p to taste

Directions:

wash and peel potatoes
dice potatoes
dice onion

in crockpot layer potatoes, onion, garlic and butter. Pour chicken broth over top.

cook on low6-8 hours or high 4-6 hours.

mash potatoes, mix in sour cream or cream cheese, milk and S&P. Stir to mix together. Enjoy.

Crockpot Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Crockpot Sweet and Sour Meatballs

One of the easiest recipes I've ever made. I found a similar recipe on Pinterest that used kielbasa. Since I didn't have that and not as much bell pepper (my family won't eat it any way) I altered the original recipe that was for Freezer Meal Crockpot Sweet and Sour Sausage, to Crockpot Sweet and Sour Meatballs. 

Trying to adjust to having a baby and three teenage boys, making dinner has been a real challenge. Well, at least made by 9pm. The two older teenage boys are playing football this fall, and are at practice most of the day. When they come home they are famished, to say the least. Having something quick and easy to make and have ready has been much needed these days. 

Luckily, lately the baby has been napping without me holding him for a few hours in the morning. Thus I can get a few things done that were previously neglected. 

One of those being dinner prepped and/or made.

Crockpot Sweet -n- Sour Meatballs

1/2 bag prepared meatballs (found in frozen section)
1 can pineapple, DO NOT DRAIN (I use the small can..8 oz. I think?)
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
**Or, alternatively, I buy a small bag of frozen, chopped pepper and onion mixture to throw into it. (I would probably only use half a small bag)
Cooked rice

Sauce Ingredients
3/4 cup sugar
4 T. ketchup
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
2 T. soy sauce
1 t. garlic salt

3 T. Sweet Chili Sauce
Mix the sauce ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix well. Add directly to Crockpot mixing the meatballs, pineapple, bell pepper, onion and sauce mixture. Cook on low 6 hours.

Freezer Meal directions:

Place the mixture in a gallon ziploc and freeze.  The day before serving, thaw mixture in fridge.  The morning of serving, place the mixture in the crockpot and cook on low for several hours.  Serve with rice.

Egg Roll in a Bowl

Egg Roll in a Bowl

This is a very low carb dinner. the carbs are in the vegetables. Which to me means, no carb, since those are some of the best carbs to eat. :) As I'm trying to keep my blood sugars under control and find foods that are low in carbs and healthy and filling, I am looking on Pinterest for ideas. This recipe I found on Pinterest and it made enough to feed our family of 5. I had a full plate, my other family members had a slightly smaller portion as they are not huge fans of cabbage. They still ate it all and said it was delicious. That is saying a lot. The original recipe I found called for ground ginger or fresh ginger... I had neither so I made mine without. It might be even better if you like the flavor of ginger... I think it's more of an acquired taste. Each to his own. So, Here is the original recipe. Mine is listed below :)

Egg roll in a bowl

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp sesame oil
1 lb ground beef or ground pork (NOT sausage)
6 cups sliced/chopped cabbage (I used regular green cabbage, but napa or red would be good too)
2 cups shredded carrots (4g carbs per 1/4 c serving)
1 med onion, diced
2 tsp minced garlic (I used refrigerated pre minced)
1/4 c Braggs Amino Acid (less than 2g of carbs per meal)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Brown ground beef in a large skillet or wok, season with salt and pepper. Turn heat to med-high add onion and sesame oil, heat until onions are translucent. Add garlic and amino's to the pan and stir. Next add the cabbage and stir. Cook for a few minutes stirring and mixing to help the cabbage soften and wilt. The cabbage will reduce in size. Add the carrots and heat through, stirring to incorporate together. Once carrots are incorporated and warmed, and cabbage is softened. It is done... Serve :)

Serve warm.

Serves 4-6

Notes:
This recipe is quick. The longest part will be the chopping and shredding. Best to chop cabbage and shred carrots before starting this recipe. This recipe would be good with ground pork as well.

Breaking News!!! Philly Steak Salad and Low Carb Cream Cheese Pancakes

Baby JellyBean #4 Due June 3, 2015

OK, I know it's been a while since I've updated this blog. I apologize, I have been under the weather and sick. I found out a year ago I was a diabetic and have been trying to get my blood sugars under control. That being said, I also just found out that I'm pregnant with baby #4... It's my 5th pregnancy but 4th baby (so far). I am still diabetic, with crazy blood sugar. My Dr. said I need to get it below 95 fasting and 140 when I eat or I'll be put on insulin. I am doing everything I can NOT to go on insulin. I have made a dramatic change since last night. After I realized that the "diabetic diet" I got from my Dr was still putting my blood sugars way out of whack! I am going to do a no carb or low carb eating from now on. I plan on cutting out all processed carbs like rice, bread, pasta, and even potatoes (except sweet potatoes). It will be a lot like a mixture of Atkins (r) and Paleo. I plan on eating lots of veggies and meats, while limiting several fruits and carbs. I am hoping this will help my body to work better and lower my blood sugar. I have already seen a drastic change since last night and this morning. That is saying something.

My average after meal BS level was between 250 and 350 with medication. My fasting BS average was between 150 and 220 depending on what I had for dinner the night before and if I had any snacks between dinner and bedtime.  Those numbers will make me have to be on insulin. I decided last night to try something... This was not what I wanted... I wanted to lower my BS numbers, not raise them.

Last night, I made Philly Steak subs for my hubby and kids. I emphasize Steak as I had cut up actual steaks and not those thin pieces from the freezer section. While they had it on hoagie buns, I had mine on a bed of lettuce, with extra bell peppers, onion and mushrooms.  It was delicious and filling. I did crave something sweet after dinner, but I think in time that will go away. I didn't have my after dinner snack either. My BS level an hour after eating was 165. That was a good start to being around where it needed to be. This morning my fasting BS was 121... that is a HUGE difference then the day before. So for breakfast I decided NO carbs or very low carb intake.  So I made low carb pancakes. OMGoodness! They were so delicious and easy to make, plus... I could eat every one I made! :) They were very crepe like and sweet enough without syrup on top, or anything extra added. Talk about delicious! I may need to make those again, later today or tomorrow for breakfast just because they are so good! I've posted the recipe and a pic or two of the dinner and breakfast.

I am planning on adding more recipes, reviews and updates to this pregnancy and diabetes as it affects me as the months progress. Thanks for stopping in and leave a message to say HI!

Philly Steak and Cheese Salad

Ingredients:

4 oz steak, sliced thin

1/2 cup diced bell peppers

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (bella)

1/4 to 1/2 cup diced onion

1 Tsp dried Italian seasoning (the kind for spaghetti)

1 Tsp seasoning salt

1-2 Tbsp oil

1 slice swiss cheese

1 slice yellow american cheese

Directions:

Sauté bell pepper, onion, and mushrooms in the oil and season with Italian seasoning; until onions are translucent and bell peppers are softened. Add thinly sliced steak and season with seasoning salt. continue to sauté until beef is cooked all the way through. Add the cheese slices to the top of piled beef and veggies. Add about 1-2 Tbsp water and cover once cheese is placed on top, and let heat and melt cheese for about 1 min or 30 sec. depending on how thick the cheese slices are. Remove and place on bed of lettuce. No dressing needed. Enjoy! 

Low Carb Cream Cheese Pancakes

Ingredients:

2 eggs

2 oz cream cheese

1-2 Tbsp Agave Nectar

1/4 tsp Cinnamon

Directions:

Blend all ingredients together. I used a cup attachment to my Ninja blender. Heat griddle or pan sprayed with non stick spray until hot. Pour batter on heated griddle in (4) 4-6 inch size pancakes. Flip after about 1-2 min when sides are dull looking and bubbly. Make entire amount of batter. Enjoy when all cooked. * These are very thin and crepe in texture. They will cook quickly and spread fast. 

** These pancakes are so delicious and are only 2 grams of Carbs per 4-6 in pancake. If you are allowed 15-20 grams of carbs for breakfast. Then you get the whole stack of pancakes, with no guilt! Even if they look like mine and fall apart because they are so thin, that's ok!  :) they still taste delicious!

Crockpot Chicken Sloppy Jo's

Crockpot Chicken Sloppy Jo's

I had been going through my Pinterest board looking for ideas for todays dinner.  I knew I wanted something easy and that could be put in the crockpot. I had found a recipe for crockpot sloppy jo's and I was pretty sure I had most of the ingredients for the recipe. I was excited. I had never made sloppy jo's in the crock pot before. As I was going through the ingredient list I realized I didn't have any Worcestershire sauce. I was worried that I would need to scrap the whole idea. But luckily for me, I am creative and not afraid of a little challenge. I decided that I would try to make it with what I had around and what I could try to concoct for a delicious alternative for those of us who don't have exacting ingredients when we find recipes that look and sound delicious but are missing one or two ingredients. We get the joy of substitutions, praying they work. Luckily for me this time it worked splendidly. My husband raved about these, and said they were the best sloppy jo's he's ever had. I thought they were good, too. My children all ate theirs I put on their plates but they didn't eat seconds. Which is fine with me. They snacked all afternoon when I was napping. I am glad I took a nap. 

A side note I even forgot to plug the crockpot in before I took my nap. I woke up and checked dinner at 5pm. Realized I didn't have it plugged in... I set it on high, making sure I plugged it in. And 2 hours later it was heaven. So this is not something you necessarily need to make in the crockpot. It can be heated and cooked on the stove. The chicken or beef is precooked, you just heat the rest of the ingredients so they meld together. The leftovers will be frozen for a future meal when I don't have the energy to make anything or will throw in the crockpot to reheat for a busy school night. I love dual purpose dinners. They make life so much easier. In my opinion.

Ingredients:

2 lb ground chicken or beef (precooked, browned)

1 lg green pepper, diced

1 lg or 2 med onions, diced

2 8oz cans tomato sauce with green chili's

1 1/2 cup ketsup

1/2 cup BBQ sauce (I used sweet baby ray's)

1/2 cup soy sauce

5-6 dashes red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp dry mustard

1/2 Tbsp garlic powder

Directions:

Brown chicken (cook), Add all ingredients to crockpot, set on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4 or all day. Enjoy on hotdog, hamburger buns or on baked potatoes. 

Verdict,

My husband said the sauce part would be delicious on any thing such as pork, ribs, or any kind of meat. I think he really liked it, he had 3 helpings. This makes a lot to feed a crowd or to freeze part for a later meal. 

The original recipe called for Worcestershire sauce and no tomato sauce. I think this by far is the best recipe ever for sloppy jo's. No Worcestershire sauce needed for me. But if you'd like to try the original recipe feel free. Let me know what you think, I love hearing from you. Thanks,

Shae ;)

Sausage Egg Rolls

Fried Sausage Egg Rolls

Baked Sausage Egg Rolls

Sausage Egg Rolls

These egg rolls are super yummy whether fried or baked. Someone from our church gave me this recipe and I have loved it ever since. I have made this recipe so frequently that I no longer need the recipe. I have made these egg rolls with salad shrimp as well, just exchanging the sausage for salad shrimp. This recipe is doubled. I feed 3 Huge boys, myself and husband. We love these so much I freeze some and cook later. The freezer ones are better baked. As the outer wrapper gets soggy and won't fry well. If you can tell me how to freeze them where the outer coating doesn't get soggy when thawed... I would love you forever! well, maybe not forever but would definitely give a shout out!  Anyways, I just love these. They fry up nicely and bake nicely. As you can tell from the pictures. This is another of my loves for cheap takeout at home. I love asian cuisine but don't have the money to go out to eat much. These are so perfect! 

Ingredients:

1-2 onions diced (depending on size)

1 head of cabbage diced/sliced

6-9 carrots grated, or finely jullianed (the more carrots the better)

1 bag Mung Bean sprouts, drained (Sam Sung brand)

2 Tbsp Black pepper

2 lbs ground sausage/pork (raw), or salad shrimp (thawed and drained)

2 pkg egg roll wrappers (Wei-chuan spring roll shells)

Vegetable Oil for frying or Non-stick PAM for baking

Directions:

Mix onions, cabbage, carrots, bean sprouts, black pepper, and protein (sausage or shrimp) in a large bowl. (might need to get your hands dirty) Make sure ingredients are dry ingredients. (well except for the sausage). If ingredients are wet dry in towels or in oven. When rolling these follow directions on the wrapper. Usually 2 Tbsp of filling is enough per roll. Don't over fill. Once you have wrappers filled, and ready to go...

Frying:
Heat oil to 450F, fry until golden brown on both sides. I use an electric skillet to fry and only use about 1 inch of oil. you don't want them floating, they need to rest on the bottom and oil needs to come to about half way up the side of the egg roll.  So you can easily flip them and they stay put.

Baking:
Preheat oven 450F, spray bottom or cookie sheet/jelly roll pan with non-stick spray (PAM). Place egg rolls on cookie sheet about 1 inch apart. Then once egg rolls are placed on cookie sheet, spray egg rolls with cooking spray. Then place in oven for 15-20 min until brown. (check center of largest roll to make sure sausage is completely cooked.)

Enjoy! These are tasty with some Sweet chili sauce! I also find that at my International Grocer (Food Maxx)...

My family loves these and eat them all up! I've tried freezing them so I can stretch them out. I have frozen them all put together, but in the future I may just bag the filling and then thaw when ready to use with the wrappers. But either way, these are a HIT! I hope you enjoy them. We LOVE Them!!! :)

Thai Chicken Pineapple Curry

I love me some Thai! I crave it but usually when I don't have the money to go out to eat. I made up this great recipe to help curb some of those cravings. Luckily for me there is an international grocery store about 30-45 min away. I make a monthly trip there and get what I want. This place has everything! It's called Food Maxx... I digress... oh anywho's.... This recipe is tangy and spicy, sweet and full of flavor. If you try it, please leave a message on any changes you made and/or how you liked it. I love hearing from my readers :)

Ingredients:
2-4 Tbsp Yellow curry paste (I like yellow, but many like red) The more you add the spicier it gets...
2-3 chicken boneless, skinless breasts (chopped about an inch in size or what ever your personal preference)
1 can coconut milk
1 can chunked pineapple in natural juice
1 red bell pepper (chopped)
1 yellow bell pepper (chopped)
1 onion (chopped)
2 Tbsp white sugar
5 leaves of Thai Basil (optional) diced
Jasmine or Basimati rice

Directions:

Make rice per package directions either on the stove or in a rice cooker.

In a stock pot mix curry paste and diced chicken breasts. with a Tbsp of butter and olive oil. Keep stirring until blended and chicken is mostly cooked. Add the bell peppers, and onions, and cook together with the chicken. Until onions are mostly translucent. Then add the remaining ingredients except the rice. Let simmer and let flavors meld together for about 15-20 min on a low simmer.

To serve, pour a ladle or two over prepared rice. Enjoy...

Verdict... I love it! Reminds me of a great Thai restaurant in Draper, UT I used to eat at. You can use shrimp except add shrimp at the end and only cook until shrimp turns pink. Very, very tasty! :) Even my kids will eat it.

Homemade Pizza Rolls

A friend of mine posted in Facebook her pizza rolls. She said she found the recipe on Pinterest. So I searched pinterest and found this recipe. Is was so easy. I used what I had around the house to make it work. This pan is larger than a 13X9... and part of them are just cheese rolls.

Ingredients:
1 bag turkey pepperoni
3 canisters of regular refrigerator biscuits
8-10 cheese sticks cut into 4ths
1 stick of butter (melted)
2-3 Tbsp italian seasoning

Directions:

Prepare 13X9 baking dish by spraying with non-stick spray. Preheat oven to 375F. Open the first canister of biscuits. take one of the biscuit rounds and flatten with fingers and insert 2 pepperoni, then 1/4 of a cheese stick and 2 more pepperoni's. Wrap the biscuits around the pepperoni's and cheese. place seam side down in a 13X9 baking dish. Repeat process until pan is filled. Spoon melted butter on tops of the prepared biscuit rounds. Then sprinkle with italian seasoning.

Bake in 375F oven for 15 min or until golden brown.

Serve with favorite marinara sauce.

Verdict... Now a new item on my menu. My children loved them so much there were no leftovers and the kids were asking if I had any more. Total hit here! I hope you love them too. Thanks :)

Beef and Bean Chili

This recipe is a concoction of stuff I had around the house and in food storage. I am trying to stretch our food budget and our food. This recipe includes leftovers from a previous freezer meal for Beef Burritos. This seemed like a great alternative to extend our food. The meat from the burritos stretched from burritos, to quesadillas and now to chili. All from one pot and one freezer bag. Three meals! I find that amazing. Talk about stretching a dollar. :) I may even be able to stretch this to one other meal. That would make four meals from one freezer meal! I'm thinking since this makes a TON of chili. You can reuse leftover chili from anything such as chili cheese dogs, to cornbread chili, and chili burgers. The list can go on and on. You could even make it into a cheese dip for chips. MMM my mouth is salivating thinking of all these possibilities. I digress... Well, here is the recipe for tonights chili. I hope you enjoy it. I know we will.

Ingredients:
2 cups leftover burrito beef (or other leftover meat)
2 cans corn (do not drain)
2 cans white beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can black beans, low sodium (drained and rinsed)
1 can chili beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies
1-2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 tsp beef buillion
4-6 dashes of liquid smoke
2 tsp cilantro
1 tsp garlic, minced
2 tsp onion salt

Add all ingredients in slow cooker. Stir gently, not smashing the beans.  Set on low and cook until heated through or let simmer all day for a full blended flavor. I have mine set on low for 8 hours.

Serve with sour cream and cheese, tortilla chips or corn bread.

Beef Burritos Freezer Meal

I have been trying to do more freezer meals to help me in the evenings since we've become so busy this school year. I found a great recipe on Pinterest for Beef Burritos. I've changed the recipe a bit. It's really good. I want to warn you... this is spicy, but very flavorful. I found it delicious.

I bought my meat at Costco, because it comes in bulk and is usually cheaper unless you hit a sale some where else.

Ingredients:

1 Beef roast (aprox 2-3 pounds)
1 diced onion or 1/2 cup minced dry onions
3 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp ground pepper
2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2 cans (8oz) tomato sauce (I used spaghetti sauce)
1 Chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (comes in a can, ONLY use 1 pepper per roast)
2 tsp chili powder

Stick in a gallon size labeled freezer bag, seal. Freeze up to 3 months.
When ready to use. Run outside of freezer bag under warm water to loosen contents from bag. Empty contents in crockpot for 8 hours on low. Enjoy in taco shells, tortillas, make into enchiladas or divide and make into separate meals.

This makes a LOT of beef. I made this and it will provide 2-3 meals.

Bourbon Sesame Chicken Crock Pot

Picture taken from Pinterest

Tonights dinner I found on tablefortwoblog.com but it called for honey and red pepper flakes. I didn't have either.  I also didn't want to cut an onion. I also changed the oil to sesame oil instead of regular veg oil. This should give it a nice nutty flavor. I have adjusted the recipe with my changes. I also doubled the recipe to feed my crew of growing boys. So these measurements can be cut in half to feed less people, or have smaller portions. With less chicken, you will also need to cut the cooking time in half. This dish smells delicious. Tonight I will take a picture and add it, since it's cooking right now. I also changed the name of this dish since I don't have any honey in it.  I'll write the verdict at the end of the recipe after dinner tonight. I hope you like this. I am looking forward to dinner tonight :)

Bourbon Sesame Chicken

Serves: 5-8 depending on appetite

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

salt and pepper

1 1/2 cup corn syrup

1 cup white sugar

1 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

4 Tbsp sesame oil

2 Tbsp minced garlic

1/2 cup dry minced onion or 1 cup minced fresh onion

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper powder

Cornstarch

toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

Place chicken breasts in slow cooker, sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides. In a medium bowl, combine rest of the ingredients except the cornstarch and toasted sesame seeds. Stir to combine well. Pour over the chicken in the crockpot.

Cook on low for high for 4-6 hours.

When done remove chicken from slow cooker, slice/cut up. while chicken is out of slow cooker, add cornstarch mixed with cold water to crockpot to thicken sauce a bit. Add cut up chicken back into the slow cooker stir around to coat chicken with sauce. Serve hot/warm over rice, or eat in a lettuce/cabbage wrap. 

Sprinkle sesame seeds on top of dished up chicken.

BESTEST CrockPot Mac N Cheese

This morning I asked my kids what they wanted for dinner tonight. Last nights dinner was very tasty but the kids didn't want it for dinner and so then dinner became a fight. I am trying to limit the amount of contention in my home. Fighting with my kids to eat the delicious dinner I made them, because they didn't want to eat it, is not something I want to do every night. I figured that I needed to make something that they actually wanted to eat tonight to save myself some sanity and peace in my home, at least one night this week. I can hope right :). Well, They asked for homemade mac n cheese. I totally could have used the "blue" box, I have several. However, my kids said they wanted HOMEMADE, mac n cheese. I said I could make baked mac n cheese, and they didn't want any part of that either. So homemade cheesy goodness was to be made on the stove and be ready for them for dinner. I decided I didn't want to turn on my stove to make a white sauce into a cheese sauce and then make the noodles and wait for them to just eat it. Too many dirty dishes, and headache for me. The only cooking on the stove for this is to pre-cook the pasta a little, but I think it would be just fine to skip that step in the future. I will test and let you know a different day.

This is recipe is a culmination of looking online and through my recipe apps for a crockpot mac n cheese. I didn't find any that are made this way, but OMGoodness... this is so delicious!  I am so glad that I adjusted this with what I had at home and what I thought would be good.

Ingredients:
12 oz. velveeta, cubed
1 1/2 cup shredded cheese blend
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cup half n half
1 can evaporated milk
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 lb medium shell pasta
1/4 c butter, cubed
1/2 med/large onion diced
1/4 tsp garlic salt
5-8 dashes tabasco
salt and pepper to taste (may need to just add pepper)

Directions:

Pre-boil pasta 5-6 minutes in salted, rapid boiling water to al dente. Drain and set aside (do not rinse). Spray slow cooker with "Pam" or other non stick spray. Add drained pasta. In a medium bowl mix together the rest of the ingredients, pour over the pasta and stir to incorporate throughout the pasta. Set cooker on low and stirring periodically for 2 hours, so the cheese melts thoroughly and does not get crusty on the sides and bottom. After cheese is melted throughout the dish is done. Pasta is cooked perfectly. Eat right away, or set on warm and eat later.

This dish is one of my favorites I've made so far! It's that GOOD! This makes a bunch, but as much as my family LOVES Mac N Cheese, I doubt there will be any left over for lunch tomorrow. I was thinking of serving some chicken tenders with this, but the Mac N Cheese maybe all we eat tonight.

Please let me know what you think of this I am curious to see how you like this recipe. Thanks for stopping by :)

Crockpot Freezer Meal - Teriyaki Pork and Cream Cheese Peas

Tonights dinner was one of my Freezer Crockpot meals that I made a week or so ago, to help me with evening dinners since we are doing Football in the evenings and it's new for our family. These easy dinners have really helped me with juggling these busy evenings.

This recipe was originally for pork chops, but I only had pork roasts, instead of cutting them up into chops, I figured cooking the whole roast would be tasty. It really was! My husband raved that I needed to keep this recipe and make it again. Soon! So, because it tasted so yummy I'm posting it on my blog and sharing with you. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

ingredients:
2-3 pound pork roast or 6-8 pork chops
salt and pepper to taste (I recommend sprinkling them before you freeze them)
1 Tbsp minced garlic
4 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce or amino acid
2/3 cup chicken or veggie broth

Add the garlic, brown sugar, soy sauce and broth in a large gallon size ziploc freezer bag. Mix well, then add the pre-seasoned pork roast or chops. make sure you coat all of the roast or chops in the marinade. Place in the freezer. Pull out the morning you want this for dinner, run warm water over the outside of the freezer bag to loosen up the items in the bag. Place in a crockpot on low 6-8 hours. I removed mine about 10-20 minutes before the end of the cooking time, and let set for about 5 min. This will allow the pork to stay moist.

I served this with cream cheese peas and instant mashed potatoes.

The cream cheese peas is super easy and I made that in the microwave. it's half a cream cheese package, salt and pepper to taste, and 1 pound sweet peas. Microwave 5 min on high, stir, microwave on high another 5 min. Serve warm.