Easy like Sunday morning (breakfast)

My mother-in-law came for a visit this weekend. As I was lying awake in my bed in the wee hours of Sunday morning feeding my little baby, I kept thinking, "what the heck are we going to eat before church?" (Food consumes way more of my thoughts than it should.)

So this is what I came up with: Cheesy, sausage, biscuit cups. So easy, a sleep deprived mother could do it and it came to a grand total of $2.38 for 16 biscuits (that's only $.15 a biscuit).

What you'll need:

1 can of biscuits (I used Pilsbury Grands)

4 large eggs

1/2 cup shredded cheese

1 cup cooked sausage

Seasoning to taste

A muffin pan

Preheat the oven to 350 and open that can of biscuits.

Tear each biscuit in half and place in the bottom of a well greased muffin pan.

In a bowl mix together the eggs, cheese and seasoning. I used dried onion, garlic salt and paprika.

Chop your sausage into bite sized pieces and whisk into the egg mixture.

Spoon the mixture over the biscuit dough and place in the oven for about 12 minutes. Quick and easy and can be eaten in the back of the car while you calm a crying infant and put on mascara!

Check out Life As Mom, where others are sharing some great recipes for Frugal Friday. 

Beefy, cheesy corn bread

One of my husband's favorite meals is cheesy cornbread with some sort of meat in it. The problem is it's usually very unhealthy. So I cut way back on the meat, used far less oil and only used half the cheese. And guess what? He didn't know the difference. (Note, he probably did know the difference, he is just nicer than I am.)

1/3 pound ground beef

2 cups self-rising corn meal mix

2 eggs

1 tbsp. vinegar or lemon juice

3 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 cup milk

1 jar salsa

one medium onion, diced

1/2 cup cheese

I used a cast iron Dutch oven. It's the best way to make cornbread, if you don't have one then you will need to grease a pan and preheat your oven to 350. I am assuming you don't have a Dutch oven, so I am going to give you instructions based on that assumption.

Heat a skillet over a medium heat and brown your beef. Then add your onion and salsa. Let it all cook for a few minutes, you want well-cooked onions.

Next, in a bowl combine your cornmeal, milk, eggs, vinegar and oil. Mix well. You made need more milk to thin out the mix; it should be the consistency of pancake batter.

Add your beef mixture and stir well. Add in your cheese and MIX.

Transfer all of the contents to your grease pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

My husband likes to top this with salsa and sour cream. But, it's good on its own. If you feel guilty about all the carbs, serve with a salad. Or, don't feel guilty. ;)

For freezing, make sure the pan is tightly covered in aluminum foil. When ready to thaw let sit in fridge over night and bake for 45 minutes at 350.\

Do you have nay last minute meals you LOVE? 

Homemade Tortilla Bowl: Restaurant Copy Cat

When I was in high school I used to frequent a Mexican restaurant in town. It was a favorite spot after football games or before other events. 

My favorite dish to order was this tortilla bowl filled with rice, chicken and cheese. But after I went to college I couldn't find another restaurant who served the same thing. So, I learned to make it myself. 

And it was so simple. Ridiculously simple. Shamefully simple. 

You can make these "bowls" from flour or corn tortillas or your homemade favorites. 

What about you? What resteraunt copy cats are you making at home? 

Fall soups and stews to warm you up

I hear it's fall in some parts of the country... it was 80 degrees today. It was gorgeous, but still 80. 

However,  I will pretend it is fall by sharing with you some of my favorite homemade soups, stews and chilis. 

Chicken Tortellini Soup 

Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo

Fiesta Chili 

White Chicken Chili 

Paleo Friendly, Vegan, Dairy-Free Butternut Squash soup! 

Confetti Chili 

Quick, Chicken Corn Chowder 

What is your favorite fall soup or stew? 

Dinner in 15 Minutes: Beef Fajita Bowl and tips to make cooking faster and easier

One thing I hear time and time again from a lot of busy moms is that they don't have time to cook. They have jobs and children and spouses and homes to maintain and obligations and it just gets to be too much. The last thing they want to do is spend an hour in the kitchen. 

Got it. I hear you. I do. 

Last week I took a break from meal planning. I realized later that this was a BIG mistake. 

The week got busy and I was running around at supper time like a mad woman. 

I had a general idea of what we were all eating until Thursday... and then I just ran out of ideas. 

I asked everyone on Facebook what they thought and I got some pretty good ideas. 

Then I came up with dinner. It was a beef fajita bowl and you can watch that recipe in the video below. 

If you're reading this in your email browser: click here. 

But I have some tips for making dinner time faster, smoother and easier. 

1. Prechop your vegetables. Okay, so I told you a few weeks ago I got a BUNCH of bell peppers for just $.10 each! I chopped them up and flash froze them. Then when I want to cook with them I just pull out as many as I need and I am good to go.  

2. Precook your meat. Have some meat already cooked and waiting in your freezer to be thawed and thrown in a dish. This is by far the best thing I could have done! A few weeks ago I bought 40 pounds of ground beef (more on that another day) and I cooked some of it in the slow cooker. Then I stored it in 1/2-pound increments in the freezer. It takes little time to thaw.

Of course, this can also be done with chicken. I have cooked chicken in the slow cooker, shredded it and froze it for later use. 

3. Keep your basics on hand. Brown rice, a few cans of beans and some tomatoes in canned in my freezer. That's pretty much the basics to build about 20 different recipes that I already have in my brain. 

Of course the best thing to do is meal plan. But no one is perfect. So if you have a backup plan and know you can get dinner on the table in under 20 minutes you won't be hitting up the drive through. 

What tips do you have for making dinner easier? 

Mushroom Spinach Calzone

I am trying to find new and inventive ways to go meatless or meat less. 

I am still working on getting Jason fully on board with this. But I have several reasons for trying to go meatless once a week. 

There are several reasons I am attempting to do this. 

1. It saves money. 

2. It's healthy. 

3. It's better for the enviroment. 

You can read more about all of that here. 

My husband, however is a major carnivore. Major. So I have had to get a little sneaky. 

Last week I made mushroom and spinach calzones. I waited until we were finished eating to point out they were meatless. 

"Yeah," Jason said. "But they have mushrooms, so we're good." 

Yes! Success!

Okay. This is what you'll need:

1 carton mushrooms washed and sliced

3 cups spinach

1 onion, diced

1/4 cup chicken stock

1 clove garlic, minced

pizza dough or refirgerated pizza crust

mozzerella cheese 

In a skillet caramelize your onions. You can read a full tutorial on how to do that here. 

Once that process is complete deglaze your pan with a little chicken stock and add your spinach, garlic and mushroom. Cook until the spinach wilts. Remove your pan from the heat and preheat your oven. 

Roll out your pizza dough on a cookie sheet. I cut mine in to four squares. Then I spooned out my vegetable mixture and added a little cheese. 

Then, because I got EXTREMELY frustrated with the pizza crust, I had Jason fold it over the vegetables for me. When I saw I got extremley frustrated... I had to apologize to Jesus and my family for all the words that came out of my mouth. Yeah, it got ugly. 

I brushed the dough with a little bit of egg before popping them in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes. 

They were so delicious. 

What meatless dishes have you tried at your house? 

Fish tacos in a bowl

There are foods that just scream summer: ice cream, lemonade, bbq, fresh pico de gall and tacos. 

I am trying to cut back on the amount of flour I eat during the week, but I LOVE my fish tacos. So I had to come up with a healthier option. 

Why not put it in a bowl with quinoa? After all, quinoa is loaded with fiber and protein. 

What you'll need:

2-3 tilapia filets or your fish of choice

juice from two limes

black pepper

2 tbsp dried cilantro

Pico de Gallo

2 cups cooked quinoa

1-2 avocados

Preheat your oven to 350. Sprinkle fish with cilantro and squeeze the lime juice on top. Bake for 20 minutes. 

When the fish is done break it up with fork. Place your fish over a bed of quinoa and serve with your pico de gallo and avocados. 

What summer foods have you been cooking? 

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

So I am on the hunt for healthy recipes that are quick and easy. And that my toddler will eat. This one seemed to fit that bill last week. It only took a few minutes to put together and then throw on the grill and even Ry liked it. 

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken. It's juicy, flavorful, healthy and delicious. And simple. Oh so simple. 

What you'll need:

2-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2-4 tbsp Italian seasoning

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tomatoes, diced

Warm up your George Forman grill. (I assume you have one. If not, it's a good investment.)

In a ziplock bag combine your chicken and all your seasoning, oil and juice. Let sit while the grill heats up. 

Grill until fully cooked all the way through. Then add your tomatoes to the top and let warm. 

I served mine with a basic cucumber salad. It was a big hit. 

What healthy recipes are you cooking up at your house? 

Taco Roll Ups

Print recipe

Back before our kid days Jason and I used to go to Chili's where I enjoyed the Southwest Chicken Eggrolls. Gimme a second... and let me reflect on that. 

Okay, I am back. I got a hankering for those just the other week, and I decided to put lean ground turkey, corn and blackbeans along with brown rice in a tortilla. It's not an exact replica by a long shot but pair it with my Cilantro Lime Avocado Ranch and it's like a little plate of happiness. 

So this is my version of a the Chili's Southwest Chicken Eggrolls Copy cat. Or as I am calling it "taco roll ups." You're welcome. 

What you'll need:

1/3 pound lean ground turkey (chicken, pork, beef would all work.)

1 cup cooked black beans

1 cup cooked corn

1/2 large onion, diced

2 cups cooked rice

Taco seasoning 

1 cup shredded cheese

8 tortillas 

Mix everything but your cheese (and tortillas of course) in a large bowl. 

Then you will scoop the contents into your tortillas and sprinkle with cheese and roll up.

Line up your rolled up tortillas in a pan and brush them will a little olive oil. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. 

I served mine with a little home made pico de gallo. So good! 

What's your favorite "copy cat" recipe?

Cilantro Lime Shrimp Tacos

It's spring and closing in on summer and where I live that means... shrimp! There is just something about Gulf Shrimp. Am I right? 

A few weeks ago I made this delicious cilantro like shrimp taco. It was divine and I am sure you will love it. It has fresh pico de gallo and succulant shrimp. 

Let's get started. 

You can head on over here to find my fresh pico de gallo recipe.

What you'll need:

One pound peeled shrimp

1 bunch fresh cilantro

2 tbsp lime juice

4-6 warm tortillas

1 cup shredded cheese

In a bowl whisk together your shrimp, cilantro and lime juice. Then pour the mixture in a casserole dish. I baked mine on 350 for 20 minutes. Baking the shrimp make them plump, sweet and juicy. Yes, you can bake shrimp in the oven and I HIGHLY reccomend it. 

I then put my shrimp on the tortillas and covered them with the pico de gallo and cheese. Then for a little a little added measure I poured on some home made lime avocado ranch sauce. yum yum! 

What's your favorite seafood dish?