Beef & Zucchini Taco's ($5 Meals)

On a quest to save money around here I tried the $5 meals for two weeks to see if I could bring our grocery bill down.  I still have to work on it but I did it close to the $5 a meal.  I did find some yummy recipes that the boys and I enjoyed.  This one I could actually eat just modified (most night I fix them a meal and then me what I can eat - which on this diet is so limited).

I found this recipe on the $5 Meal Website for Beef & Zucchini Taco's.  I've included her break down of prices (mine was a little more)

Ingredients
1.5 lb ground beef, browned and drained ($1.95/2=$.98!!!)
2 cups zucchini, diced ($.25) 
1/2 yellow onion, chopped ($.15)
1 tsp garlic powder ($.05)
1 tsp onion powder ($.05)
1 tsp chili powder ($.05)
1 tsp ground cumin ($.05)
Use her homemade taco seasoning mix or substitute a packet of taco seasoning
Salt/Pepper, to taste

Old El Paso – 6 hard shells, 6 soft shells pack ($1.49)

1 large tomato, diced 
About 1 cup chopped iceberg lettuce ($.20)
About 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese ($.30) 

Directions
1. Brown ground beef with diced zucchini and chopped onion. Drain and return to pan. Add spices and let saute for 3-4 minutes to let the flavors infuse.
2. Prepare taco fixins…chop lettuce, dice tomato and set out shredded cheese.
3. Cook corn cobs in boiling water for 4-5 minutes, or in a microwavable dish covered with plastic wrap for 2-2.5 minutes per ear.
4. Assemble tacos

(I used taco seasoning from the bulk isle at Winco.  I used coleslaw kit to add a little extra veggies - didn't use the sauce)

The boys had it in a shell

I had mine naked in a bowl :)

Have a wonderful day, give this one a try a great way to get some veggies in!

Wonton Rattlesnake Bites

I found a recipe for Rattlesnake bites on Pinterest the other day, it called for crescent rolls.  I didn't have any of those on hand so I thought I would create my own version of the recipe.  YES I had Wonton Wrappers on hand of course because that is the new must have theme in my house these days.  I know I'm obsessed with them, I can't help it.  They are just so versatile and I'm loving all these recipes I've been finding.  If you want more that I have done click this link to see more.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• Wonton Wrappers (24)
• Cheese

Directions

• In a large skillet, cook beef and chilies over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the cream cheese, cumin and chili powder. Cool slightly.
• Place one wonton wrapper in each cupcake pan (remember to spray the pan first so they don't stick). Place a scoop of the meat mixture into each wonton wrapper.  I used a ice cream scoop and just dropped into each one.  I topped with some low fat cheese to give it that extra little yummy factor!
• Bake at 375° for 11-14 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Yield: 2 dozen.

Hope you enjoy them, I thought it turned out to be a pretty cool creation!

Been Sick so Been Crockpoting it!

This cold has really kicked my butt, 3 weeks of coughing and feeling like dirt it enough!  Then add on stress of having to have Rick’s car in the shop and rent a car on top of it … and oh yeah come up with $750 dollars you know can really help one feel better .. lol.

I’m hoping to be back up and running soon, in the meantime I thought I’d share some crockpot recipes.

First off we have a Beef & Broccoli that was yummy and easy to make.  I Made some brown rice and used the steamer on top of my rice cooker for the broccoli.  I hate mushy broccoli!

Then to I made Crockpot Chicken Fajitas, the boys love anything Mexican.  I used corn tortilla’s.

And last on our list is the Crockpot Pork Chops & Potatoes.  An easy all in one meal!

Happy Wednesday everyone.  Ok sadly I did start this post on Tuesday … lol.  Hope you enjoy the recipes and find something you may like.  What is on your menu?

More Comfort food that does not lead to muffin top!

Rick has been asking for beef as you can see in yesterdays post.  One of his favorite meals is cubed steak, I came across this Country Fried Steak and Gravy on Laa Loosh is another great site for weight watcher recipes.

And for a yummy side of Cheddar, Bacon Mashed Potatoes from another great weight watcher site Friends for Weight Loss. This was a pretty simple one to make.  Now it called for FF Greek Yogurt, my grocery store of course only had flavored Greek Yogurt so I had to improvise and use light sour cream I had on hand.  I also used turkey bacon.

Happy Tuesday everyone!  I yet am still battling this cold but I can at least talk a bit better.  Need more rest, you get that when you die right?  hehe just joking!

Manic Monday Meals ~ Where’s the Beef? Well here of course silly!

As many of you may have guessed while I’ve been trying to cut down on calories and watching what I serve the family.  So beef has not been on the menu for sometime.  The lean beef is always so spendy so I buy turkey instead.  After SEVERAL comments from Rick that he wanted beef I did some searching and found these.  Very yummy and not to bad on your push on the muffin top either!

Rick LOVES meatloaf so I made this HG's Big Beef 'n Bacon Meatloaf.  I just love her site!  And for you pig lovers (Amy) I used turkey bacon!

And these Healthy slow cooker fajita were a perfect meal that was easy to put together.  You can serve as a stew or on some corn tortillas.  I had FF sour cream but I skipped it and it was just as yummy .

Happy Monday everyone , I’m still sick but starting to feel better!  Hopefully soon my head and nose will go back to normal!  Hope you find something you like!

And my BFF Poser Amy had her baby boy Tyler John early this weekend.  Stop by and say congrats to her and why not wish her a early happy Birthday also!

Ground Beef Tried & True by Heidi Style :)

One of my favorite blogs is Tried and True Cooking by Heidi she always has a recipe to help me out in a pinch. Yes you have seen I've done several of her recipes, she is my girl in a pinch. Check out her blog I promise you'll never be sorry. If you like Taco's this is one of the best places to go :).

Beef Taco Skillet found on Tried and True Cooking by Heidi

1 pound ground beef
1 can Condensed Tomato Soup
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup water
6 (6 inch) flour tortillas, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped onion


Cook beef in skillet until well browned, stirring to break up meat. Pour off fat.
Stir in soup, salsa, water, tortillas. Heat to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes Stir. Top with cheese.

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Tangy Meatballs by Tried & True Cooking by Heidi

2 eggs
2 cups quick cooking oats
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
1 cup chopped onion
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3 lb. lean ground beef

Sauce
2 cups ketchup
1-2 tsp liquid smoke
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp garlic powder

In large bowl; beat eggs, add oatmeal, milk, onions, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add ground beef mixing well. Shape into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place into 2 9x13 inch pans. Bake uncovered at 375 for 30 minutes. Remove and drain. Place all meatballs in one pan. In saucepan, bring all sauce ingredients to a boil. Pour oer meatballs. Return to oven and bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Makes about 4 dozen meatballs.

ALEXIS NOTES: I added in a little extra oats to make it a little thicker & FF evaporated milk.

I'm linking up to Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays and Tasty Tuesdays.

MSM ~ One Crazy Cookie Style

One of my favorite foodie bloggers is Tiffanee @ One Crazy Cookie. She absolutely has the best recipes, as you seen before I love finding recipes on her blog. Today I decided to dedicate two awesome recipes I found on her blog. I saw these last week and had to make them the day I saw it ... lol! These both are amazing and believe me I'll be making these again!

First I start with dinner this was so easy and so freaking yummy!!! Cole loved it and has seconds (so did mom ... lol).

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Beef Noodle Bowl from One Crazy Cookie

8 oz thin spaghetti

3 cups stir fry veggies

1/4 cup diced onions

1 Tablespoon olive oil

3/4 - 1 pound ground beef

1/2 cup Zesty Italian Dressing

1/2 cup teriyaki sauce

Brown hamburger and drain. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Cut up veggies. Pour the olive oil in a skillet and add the veggies and onion,

Saute over medium heat until they are done to your taste.

ALEXIS NOTES: I also used a little extra noodles, next time I will use the whole wheat (I ran out this time). I picked up some shredded carrots, zucchini & broccoli. I used ground beef like she did (original recipe calls for steak strips). I must admit I like the ground beef :). Cole is now like Caden and on a Corn kick and since it has been since a horrible season for the farmers I've been picking it up for 4 for $1.

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Next is dessert! These are absolutely fabulous!!! I must admit I loved the dough :).

Shortcut Peanut Butter Cookies by One Crazy Cookie

Shortcut Peanut Butter Cookies

Adapted from Kids Cook!

1 package yellow cake mix

1 cup chunky peanut butter (or creamy)

2 eggs

1/3 cup water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine half of the package of cake mix and peanut butter together. Add the eggs and 1/3 cup water. Mix well. Add the other half of the cake mix and mix again. The batter may get really stiff.

Lightly grease a cookie sheet. Put a small amount of sugar in a bowl, Using a cookie scoop drop dough into sugar (it is sticky dough) Roll in the sugar and place on the cookie sheet.

Dip fork in the sugar and make crisscross imprints in each cookie.

Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cookies will be lightly colored.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

ALEXIS NOTES: I saw her note about it being sticky so I threw it in the fridge and that helped make it to harden up a bit and was very easy to work with after that. This is a perfect ending to a delish meal!

TMTT ~ Beef-Broccoli Strudel & New Take No Bake Cookies

Another busy week around here last week and I found some yummy new recipes that were a big hit. Last night we actually got out for our anniversary so it's a quick post and I hope to catch up soon ... ugh. Thanks for stopping by ;).

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Beef-Broccoli Strudel

Beef-Broccoli Strudel

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 onion -- chopped
• 1 10 oz pkg frozen chopped broccoli -- thawed/drained
• 4 ounces mozzarella cheese -- shredded
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• 8 ounces phyllo dough -- thawed
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Brown ground beef and onion in skillet, stirring until ground beef is crumbly; drain. Mix in broccoli, cheese, sour cream and bread crumbs. Cook until heated through and cheese is melted.

Place sheet of phyllo on waxed paper; brush with butter. Repeat with remaining dough, layering sheets. Spoon ground beef mixture evenly on half the dough. Roll up from ground beef side as for jelly roll. Place seam side down on baking sheet; brush with remaining butter.

Bake at 350F for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

ALEXIS NOTES: I again had my ground beef broke up so it was closer to 1 1/2 lbs. I used fresh broccoli and light sour cream.

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A New Take on No Bake Cookies

Non Chocolate No Bake Cookies:

1/3 cup butter

1/2 bag of mini marshmallows

1 cup white chocolate chips

2 cups oatmeal

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup coconut

1/3 cup smooth peanut butter

Melt the marshmallows, butter and chips in the microwave at 50% power for 2 minutes (depending on the power of your microwave, it may take a bit more or less). Stir until smooth. Add the peanut butter and vanilla and mix well. Add the coconut and oatmeal. You may need to use your hands to get it all incorporated. Form golfball sized balls and place on waxed paper or a silpat pad. Refrigerate if necessary. Mine were so firm that I just left them on the counter.

Note: You could leave out the peanut butter and still have a great cookie.

ALEXIS NOTES: I didn't have white chocolate chips just milk chocolate wanting to stick with the white color I skipped this part and added a little extra peanut butter (about 1/2 cup total). Also had about 1 1/2 cups of coconut in the bag so used that. I found that if your hands were a little wet in between the roll of each cookie it didn't stick to my hands as much :).

Thank you Kristen at Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker for this awesome recipe, check her blog out you'll love it!

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday - Easy Taco Casserole

Yup I'm getting home late so I'm turning to my list of pretyped recipes :). Holiday weekend throws me off :). HUGS

This was a yummy taco one, you know how my boys love taco recipes. I didn't have taco shells so I used tortillas and it was just as yummy. Yup you know the way I roll we use what we have on hand, no running to the store to buy extra stuff! Enjoy!!

Ingredients:
1 Pound Ground Beef
1 Cup Chopped Onion
1 Cup Water
2 Cloves Garlic , Minced
½ Cup Taco Sauce
2 Ounces Sliced Black Olives
1 Package Taco Seasoning Mix
12 Medium Taco Shells Broken into pieces
9 Ounces Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375

In a large skillet over medium heat combine the ground beef, onion and garlic.

Saute for 5 to 10 minutes or until beef is browned and onion is tender.

Drain excess fat and stir in the water, taco sauce, 1/4 cup olives and the taco seasoning.

Turn heat down to low and simmer for 4 or 5 minutes.

Layer half of the broken taco shells in the bottom of a lightly greased 8x12 baking dish. Cover with half the meat mixture and sprinkle with 1 cup cheese. Repeat using the remaining taco shells, the remaining meat mixture and the remaining cheese.

Bake at 375 for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Top with the remaining olives.

You can chop up a onion and add it to the mixture as well as any of your other favorites, depending on how spicy you like it.

Found here http://www.essortment.com/all/tacocasseroler_pmw.htm

Tempt My Tummy ~ Chili Cheese Potato Casserole

OMGosh sorry everyone still behind on post and life is running over me ... hehe. Here is a recipe I did about a year ago, yes I'm that far back with some recipes .. lol Enjoy!

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The best of all words you add in some cheesy potatoes and ground beef and you have a yummy meal that everyone will LOVE! As usual this is super easy and cheap my moto for every meal, make that dollar stretch.

TIP: When ground beef goes on sale for the family pack buy it up, I usually will by 3. I'll put 2 in the freezer and then I brown up one, that way when I come home from work all I have to do is mix the other ingredients and throw it in the oven. Believe me it can save 20 minutes and that my friends is helpful when you don't home until 6pm.

Chili Cheese Potato Casserole

Ingredients
2 lbs potatoes, diced
1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion, diced
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/3 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheese, separated
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Place diced potatoes in a large pot 3/4 full with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until fork tender. Drain and pour into a 13×9 casserole dish.
2. In a large skillet, brown ground beef and onion. Drain. Add tomato sauce and crushed or diced tomatoes. Stir in chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt and cayenne pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes.
3. While the chili simmers, melt 2 T. butter in a small saucepan. Whisk in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in milk, bring to a boil and simmer until thickened, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in 1 1/2 Celsius cheese. Stir until cheese is completely melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Pour cheese sauce over the potatoes in the casserole dish.
5. Top with the chili.
6. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 Celsius shredded cheese over the chili.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until bubbly and cheese is melted.

Found here: http://www.recipezaar.com/chili-cheese-potato-casserole-377356

Make Something Monday ... Pillsbury Ground Beef Pot Pie

I had to break into my reserve of already wrote up recipes, this weekend has been nuts and with Easter I was a little less on time! Hope you enjoy this one!

Looking for a yummy easy meal for the family, this is it! Another one I made a while back when my favorite little book came, that has become a favorite of the house. Plus check it out I can sneak in carrots and no one knows!! So no veggie eaters here, and sadly that includes me sometimes too!

Ingredients:

Crust
1	box Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
Filling
1	lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1	medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1	teaspoon garlic salt
1/2	teaspoon pepper
3	tablespoons cornstarch
3	cups frozen southern-style diced hash brown potatoes (from 32-oz bag), thawed
3	medium carrots, sliced (1 1/2 cups)
1	jar (12 oz) beef gravy

DIRECTIONS

1.	Heat oven to 450°F. Make pie crusts as directed on box for Two-Crust Pie, using 9-inch glass pie plate. In 12-inch skillet, cook beef, onion, garlic salt and pepper over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain.
2.	Stir cornstarch into beef mixture until mixed. Stir in potatoes, carrots and gravy. Cook 5 to 6 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until hot. Spoon into crust-lined pie plate. Top with second crust; seal edge and flute. Cut slits in several places in top crust; cover edge of crust with foil.
3.	Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.