Stuffed Shells with Meat Sauce

This is only the second time I've made stuffed shells. I think they are pretty good, but I also wish there were something other than ricotta that could be used (and not cottage cheese). I'm really not a big fan of ricotta. I don't think the kids are either because they didn't eat much. Do y'all have a suggestion for a substitution for ricotta?

Spinach & Bacon Macaroni & Cheese

I'm looking for new ways to make macaroni and cheese. My kids (like most their age) love it and I kind of got sick of feeding them the plain ole processed out-of-a-box mac'n'cheese over and over again. I was very pleased with the outcome of this recipe. My 4 year old former-picky eater ate every last bite!

Bananarita Smoothie

I'm not a big fan of eating bananas, so I try to find other ways to eat them. I don't think I've had a mainly banana smoothie before, so I was curious to see how this one would turn out. It was very good. It wasn't overly sweet or thick. Both the kids loved it too.

~Twisted Thursday - 8.25.2011~

40 Clove Garlic Chicken

This chicken was SO good. I love how any chicken cooked in the crockpot is so tender and moist and juicy! Nothing can compare to the quality of meal that you get from cooking chicken in the crockpot!

Super Easy Chicken Chili

The original recipe called for 2 tbsp of cayenne. I thought that was a bit much for me and my kids, who are kind of wusses when it comes to spicy food.

Garlic Bubble Bread

I like to think of this as a garlic "monkey" bread. Obviously, it has no cinnamon sugary goodness, but it's the equivalent and it's great as a side dish for a spaghetti dinner!

Pam’s Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

While this isn’t completely homemade (spaghetti sauce mix), it is the closest that I have that tastes good. It also makes plenty of sauce, so I froze about 3/4 of what I made (after eating it for leftovers twice!). It's nice and thick - full of flavor!

Copycat McDonald’s Cheeseburger

Update 11/13/12: We made these again and I got a little better picture of them. They are still dead on and the whole family loves them!

Easy Apple Strudel

I love all the possibilities from puff pastry and I’m always looking for a quick and easy breakfast. I’ve also been trying to get the kids to eat apples. I’d love to offer applesauce at lunchtime, but they won’t touch it. Thankfully, both of them ate this. So maybe it’s a step in the right direction.

Amazing Homemade Pizza Rolls

These are unbelievable! Unbelievable! They are a lot bigger than normal pizza rolls and just too good. You all HAVE to try them. Seriously!!

Baked Oatmeal with Berries

This has been on my list for a really long time. I have had the ingredients and kept meaning to make it. I finally did and I am blown away at how delicious it was. Both kids ate it too! That's when you know it's really good. :)

Cheeseburger and Fries Casserole

This is a good variation of Tatortot Hotdish. Actually, it's a really neat little twist on it :)

Fauxtisserie Chicken

This was my first time ever baking a whole chicken. I figured I'd give it a go and I may just start using whole chickens for my chicken recipes, like I did for Heidi's Smothered Chicken Burritos. It seems like a lot of them use shredded chicken and this is a lot cheaper and gets a lot more chicken.

Heidi's Smothered Chicken Burritos

These were absolutely delicious :) Nom nom nom.

August 2011 Menu Plan

So I decided to try and make a monthly menu plan and shop at the beginning of the month for my non-perishables and then every week go to get perishable items and things I've run out of. I want to see if this will be cheaper or more expensive or the same. Then I guess it will boil down to convenience. So here we go!

Breakfast Recipes

Week 1: Baked Oatmeal with Berries, Easy Apple Struedel, Baked French Toast Sticks, Strawberry Coffee Cake, Cinnamon Swirl Bread that Actually Works
Week 2: Blueberry Crumb Muffins, Silver Dollar Pancakes, Carrot Yogurt Muffins, Spring Fruit Pizza, Bacon & Egg Toast Cups, Orange Rolls
Week 3: Cinnabon Cupcakes, Breakfast Pizza, Blueberry Crumb Coffeecake, Dad's "Clean Your Plate' Buttermilk Pancakes, Raspberry Swirl Sweet Rolls, Broccoli & Ham Frittata
Week 4: Cinnamon Roll Bites, Blueberry Yogurt Smoothie, English Muffins, Cinnamon Raisin Bread, Tex Mex Breakfast Wraps.

Lunch Recipes

Amazing Homemade Pizza Rolls, Chicken & Broccoli Mac & Cheese, Spinach & Bacon Mac & Cheese

Dinner Recipes

Week 1: Sour Cream Noodle Bake (dud), Italian Pineapple Chicken, Broccoli & Pasta Bianco, Copycat McDonald's Cheeseburgers, Chicken Florentine (dud), Double Cheese & Bean Nachos, Spanish Rice

Week 2: Pam's Spaghetti Sauce, Garlic Bubble Bread, Cheesy Tuna Shell Casserole, Hush Puppies, Grilled Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin & Pineapple, Zucchini Meatloaf, The Best Green Bean Casserole Ever, Mom's Tacos, Rancher Mexi-Chicken Crostada

Week 3: Hamburger Macaroni (dud), Super Easy Chicken Chili, 40 Clove Garlic Chicken in a Crockpot, Baked Mashed Potatoes, Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin, Muffin Pan Tacos

Week 4: Swiss Steak, Tequila Lime Grilled Chicken, Crockpot Pulled Pork, Pot Roast, Stuffed Shells with Meat Sauce, TGIF Sizzling Chicken & Cheese

(I haven't decided on sides for most of these...so I may update later)

Extra Recipes

Week 1: Coffee Smoothie, Deep Fried Pickles, Homemade Oatmeal Creme Pies (dud)

Week 2: Berry Banana Smoothie, Coconut Pound Cake (FRG meeting), Soft & Chewy M&M Cookies

Week 3: Bananarita Smoothie, Girl Scout Short Bread Cookies (Copycat), Twix Fake Out

Week 4: Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Soft Pretzel Bites

And I just realized...TOMORROW is my 1st blogiversary! :)

Have a good week everyone!

Deluxe Cheeseburger Salad

I love salad. I mostly love minimal toppings on salad and it usually is a lovely healthy salad. On occasion, I like a salad that isn't really too salady! :)