Homemade Chocolate Milk Mix

Sometimes it seems that our kids go through a tin of Nesquick every week. (Okay, maybe I exaggerate, and maybe I help out a lot.) Here's a recipe for homemade chocolate milk mix that doesn't have any weird chemicals in it, and it's cheaper than buying the real stuff. The kids love it.
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1/2 cup powdered milk
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1 1/2 cup sugar
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1. Throw it all in your food processor or blender and blend until it's a nice dust consistency.

2. Store it in an airtight container.

3. Mix 1 Tbsp of the mix with a glass of milk and enjoy.

(If it doesn't blend well, mix a very small amount of hot water with the powder first so it will melt in, then add it to the milk. It's like the trick of mixing cornstarch with a little cold water first so you don't get lumps in your food)

BBQ Meat Loaves

These are really quick and the kids always ask for seconds. You end up with 5 personal serving size loaves. This is adapted from a Taste of Home cookbook recipe.

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1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup milk, 2 Tbsp separated
1/3 cup bbq sauce
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 Tbsp onion soup mix (optional)
1 1/4 lbs lean ground beef

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1. In a bowl, combine the egg, milk, 2 Tbsp bbq sauce, bread crumbs, and onion soup mix. 

2. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well.

3. Shape into 5 loaves and arrange them around the edge of a microwave-safe dish.

4. Microwave, uncovered, for 6-7 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees.

5. Cover and let stand for 5-10 minutes. Top with the remaining bbq sauce.

Garlic Green Beans

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1 Tbsp butter
1 Tsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves
2 cans green beans, drained
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
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1. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter with olive oil; add garlic, and cook until lightly browned, stirring frequently.

2. Stir in green beans, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until beans are tender, about 10 minutes.

3. Remove from heat, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Roasted Balsamic Baby Carrots

This recipe takes baby carrots and turns them into something beyond delicious.
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2 pounds baby carrots
italian seasoning
2+ Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp honey
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
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1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Place the carrots on a large pan covered in tin foil. Brush a little olive oil on and then sprinkle them with italian seasoning.

3. Put the carrots in the oven for 20 minutes.

4. Combine olive oil, honey, and balsamic vinegar, then drizzle it on the carrots.

5. Put the tray back in the oven and let the carrots cook an extra 5-10 minutes, depending on how soft/crunchy you like them.

Grilled Fish Tacos

So yummy!  These are better than most fish tacos I've tried in restaurants.  I can never find cod at my grocery store, so I've only used tilapia.

2 limes, divided
2 plum tomatoes
1 small onion
1/3 cup snipped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I use light and it still tastes great)
2 tbsp milk
1 minced garlic clove
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups thinly sliced Napa cabbage
1 avocado
8 corn tortillas
1 lb skinless cod fillets
1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

Juice limes to measure 1/4 c. juice. Combine 2 tbsp lime juice, mayo, milk, and garlic, whisk until smooth.  For salsa, dice tomatoes and chop onion. Combine remaining lime juice, tomatoes, onion, cilantro and salt.  Mix well.

Heat grill pan over medium high heat.  Lightly spray tortillas with vegetable oil.  Place tortillas on pan (as many as fit in a single layer), cook until lightly browned turning once with tongs.  Repeat with all tortillas.  Keep warm until ready to serve.

Lightly spray grill pan with oil.  Season fish with pepper.  Place fish on pan, cook 5-8 min or until it flakes easily with a fork, turning once.  Remove from pan, flake into bite-size pieces.  Top tortillas with cabbage, fish, sauce, salsa, and avocado slices.

Yield: 4 servings

Honey Lime Enchiladas

These are so flavorful and delicious!  Seriously, try them.

1/3 c. honey
1/4-1/3 c. lime juice
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 lbs chicken, cooked and shredded
12-14 fajita size tortillas
3 c. Mexican cheese blend
1- 14 oz. can mild green enchilada sauce
1 c. heavy cream
1/3 c. chopped cilantro

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together honey, lime juice, chili powder, and garlic.  Stir in shredded chicken until coated in sauce.  Combine enchilada sauce and cream, whisk together.  Spray a rectangular casserole dish with cooking spray.  Pour 1/2 c. cream mixture into the bottom of the casserole dish.  Spoon chicken into tortillas and add some cheese into each one.  Roll tortillas and place tightly together in the casserole dish.  Pour remaining cream mixture over the top.  Top with cheese.  Bake for 30-35 min. until bubbly and cheese is melted.  Top with cilantro.

Asian Salad with Sesame Ginger dressing

I'm not really a fan of salad. But this, was, good! Great flavor combination. You'll have dressing left over, and it will store well in the fridge for up to a week. This would also be good with shredded chicken added for protein.

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Dressing

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 Tbsp reduced sodium Soy Sauce
2 cloves garlic
4 inches fresh ginger
3 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil (the darker kind)

Salad

1 head of lettuce, chopped
2 cups spinach, chopped
1 8oz can mandarin oranges in lite syrup
2 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 red bell pepper, sliced julienne
optional: grapes
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Combine all the dressing ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.

Combine all the salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss with enough dressing to coat.

Serve with additional dressing on the side.

Orange Chicken

This is delicious and similar to what you'd get at a Chinese takeout. We used pre-breaded chicken and that made it a very easy meal to put together. It went well with Asian Salad and Sesame Ginger Dressing.

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Breaded Chicken
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken, chopped into bite sized pieces
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
oil (for frying)
1/2 cup cornstarch, plus
1/4 cup flour
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Orange Sauce
3 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp water
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp white sugar
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp white vinegar
zest from 2 oranges
1 tsp sesame oil
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2 Tbsp ginger root, minced or grated
2 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp crushed hot red chili pepper
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup water
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In a large bowl, combine egg, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon oil and mix well.

Stir in chicken pieces until they are completely coated in the mixture.

In another bowl, combine cornstarch and flour.

Take the coated chicken and dip it in the flour mixture.

Add chicken, small batches at a time, to a wok or pan with hot oil and fry 3 to 4 minutes or until golden crisp. Make sure not to cook it too long or it will be too dry.

Remove chicken from oil with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels; set aside.

While you're waiting for your batches of chicken, put together the orange sauce. Combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth.

Clean wok and heat 15 seconds over high heat, then add 1 tablespoon oil.

Add ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant; about 30 seconds. Then add the crushed chiles and green onions and stir fry until soft. Add the rice vinegar and Orange Sauce. Let the mixture heat until boiling.

Add the cooked chicken, stirring until well mixed.

In a cup, mix 1/2 cup water and 2 Tbsp cornstarch until smooth and then add this to the chicken and sauce mixture.

Heat until sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally. Serve over jasmine rice.

Tortellini Spinach Bake in Creamy Lemon Sauce

This Our Best Bites recipe has become a favorite at our house. It's very gourmet with the bacon, lemon, and creamy pasta flavors all combined. It's easy to eat way too much. It works as a side dish or a main dish.

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12 oz bag tortellini, meat stuffed or cheese (frozen or in the dry pasta aisle)
3 strips bacon
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs flour
2 C milk
¼ tsp kosher salt
⅛ tsp black pepper
1 tsp dry basil
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
1 medium lemon
2 C loosely packed fresh spinach, roughly chopped
¾ C grated mozzarella cheese, divided
¾ C grated Parmesan cheese, divided
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill a large stock pot with water and bring to a boil. Add tortellini and cook according to package instructions.

Place bacon in a medium sized skillet on the stove-top at medium-high heat. Cook until crisp. Remove bacon from pan with slotted spoon and set on paper towels to drain. Reserve two tablespoons bacon drippings in pan and discard the rest. Add garlic to pan and cook until fragrant and tender, about 1 minute. Add flour to pan and stir with a whisk for about 1 minute. Slowly add milk and continue to stir with whisk until smooth. Add salt, pepper, basil, and red pepper flakes and bring sauce to a simmer.

While sauce is heating, use a microplane grater or a fine-holed cheese grater to zest lemon. Then cut lemon in half and remove juice. Add 2 teaspoons zest and 1 tablespoon lemon juice to sauce. Continue to stir until thickened, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Drain tortellini and place back in stock pot. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the cooked bacon and add the rest to the pasta mixture. Add spinach, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Add sauce and gently stir to combine. Place pasta mixture in an 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish and top with remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan and also crumbled bacon.

Cover pan with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, until cheese on top is melted and pasta is bubbly throughout. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Naan bread

This is a great bread for all Indian dishes. It's easy and tastes great. (Plan for 45 minutes of rising time)
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2 tsp yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup water
2 1/2 - 3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
1 large egg
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1: In a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and water. Stir to dissolve then let sit for a few minutes or until it is frothy on top. At that point, stir in the oil, yogurt and egg until evenly combined.

2: In a medium sized bowl, combine 1 cup of the flour with the salt. Next, add the bowl of wet ingredients to the flour/salt mixture and stir until well combined. Continue adding flour a half cup at a time until you can no longer stir it with a spoon (about 1 to 1.5 cups later).

3: At that point, turn the ball of dough out onto a well floured counter top. Knead the ball of dough for about 3 minutes, adding flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. I ended up using about 3 cups of flour total. The dough should be smooth and very soft but not sticky.

4: Loosely cover the dough and let it rise until double in size (about 45 minutes). After it rises, gently flatten the dough and cut it into 8 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a small ball by stretching the dough back under itself until the top is smooth and round.
 
5: Heat a large, heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat and spray lightly with non-stick spray. Working with one ball at a time, roll it out until it is about 1/4 inch thick or approximately 6 inches in diameter. Place the rolled out dough onto the hot skillet and cook until the under side is golden brown and large bubbles have formed on the surface (see photos below). Flip the dough and cook the other side until golden brown as well. Serve plain or brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with herbs.

For the most bubbles, don't roll out the ball of dough until just before it is ready to be placed in the skillet.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

This one has taken awhile to get right, and I think we almost have it! This is wonderful over saffron rice and served with a side of naan.

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1 cup Greek yogurt
juice from half a lemon
2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne (or more if you like spicy)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1 1/2lbs chicken breast cut into slices

1 Tbsp ginger, grated
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, finely diced

2 cans (28 oz.) diced tomatoes
 1 can (5.5 oz) tomato paste
1 tbsp garam masala (I found this in the spice section of Macy's)
1 tbsp red curry paste (Thai Kitchen makes a good one, and you can get it at WalMart or Macy's)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried coriander
1/2 tsp cinnamon

juice from the other half lemon
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp garam masala
Salt to taste
1 cup cream
fresh cilantro, chopped
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Combine the first 7 ingredients in a shallow dish and then add the chicken, making sure it is completely coated. Refrigerate overnight, or for at least an hour.

When the chicken has marinated, you can either grill it or broil it. If you're doing it on the grill, put the chicken on skewers and grill until almost cooked through. If broiling, cover a pan with aluminum foil and arrange the chicken on it before putting it in the oven to broil for 15 minutes, turning halfway through.

 In a medium pan, add some oil and saute your onion, ginger, and garlic until the onions are fairly transparent. Put this in your crockpot. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, garam masala, curry paste, cumin, chili powder, coriander, and cinnamon. Stir until combined.

Once the chicken is done broiling, stir the pieces in and then cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6 hours. Before serving, add the remaining lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, chili powder, garam masala, salt, and cream. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars Ever

The post title says it all. These were gooey, chewy, and oh so yummy. This is adapted from the recipe on Mel's Kitchen Cafe. This one is our very favorite dessert recipe for get togethers.

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2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
10 tablespoons butter (1 sticks + 2Tbsp), MELTED and cooled slightly
1 cup (7 ounces) light brown sugar
1/2 (3 1/2 ounces) cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cups chocolate chips (or use your preferred type of chips)
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Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Adjust the oven rack to lower-middle position. Line a 9X13-inch baking pan with foil, letting the excess hang over the edges of the pan by about 1 inch so you can grab those edges and pull the brownies from the pan after they have baked. Spray the foil-lined pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.

Whisk the melted butter and sugars in a large bowl until combined.

Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix well.

Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined; do not overmix.

Fold in the chocolate chips and turn the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the spatula.

Bake until the top of the bars is light golden brown, slightly firm to the touch, and edges start pulling away from sides of pan, 24-26 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack to room temperature. Remove the bars from the pan by lifting the foil overhang and transfer them to a cutting board.

Cut into 2-inch squares and serve. For a gluten free option, substitute coconut flour for the white flour. The baking time will vary.

Cream Cheese Chicken & Vegetable Soup

This is a very creamy and delicious soup that is good for sneaking vegetables into your kids' diets. It calls for cooked chicken, so you might want to throw a couple chicken breasts into the crockpot with some chicken broth a few hours before you'll be cooking dinner.

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2 tablespoons butter
1 yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 cup diced carrots (about 2 regular carrots or a handful of baby carrots)
3 cups chicken broth
2-3 potatoes, peeled and finely diced
1 cup milk
 4 tablespoons flour
1 (8 oz. package) regular or light cream cheese
2-3 (about 1 pound) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced
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1. In a large pot, melt the butter and add the onion, garlic, celery and carrots. Saute, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes, until the veggies are slightly tender and the onions are translucent.

2. Add the chicken broth and potatoes. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.

3. In a liquid measuring cup, vigorously whisk the flour and milk together until smooth. Whisk the mixture into the soup, stirring quickly, and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until the soup begins to thicken slightly. Stir often to avoid burning it.

4. Soften the cream cheese in the microwave until it is very soft. (Place the unwrapped cream cheese on a plate and microwave it for 1-2 minutes at 50% power.)

5. Add the cream cheese to the soup in small tablespoon-size pieces. Let the pieces sit in the soup and warm through then whisk or stir the soup until the cream cheese melts and mixes in completely.

6. Add the cooked chicken and heat through. Season with salt and pepper before serving.

Fast Homemade Pancakes

You know a recipe is good when your little boy asks for seconds and while you're getting it for him, he's giggling maniacally and murmuring "oooohhhh boy!".

These pancakes are super fast to make - they took about 20 mins from beginning to end, and I was surprised at how really tasty they are. Cover them with whipped cream and frozen berries, or pour some delicious maple syrup on there. Since most of us don't usually have extra buttermilk in our fridge, this recipe uses a substitute, but if by chance you do, just replace the milk and vinegar with 3/4 cup of buttermilk, and it will probably be even better.

The key to the flipping is to make sure your pan is hot enough before you pour on the batter. If it's not hot enough, you'll have a runny mess. If it's too hot, you'll have a burnt pancake. Medium high is the setting that works best if you let it heat long enough, but by your second round, you might want to turn it down a little.

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1 1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 egg
4 tablespoons butter, melted
cooking spray
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1. Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to "sour".

2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk egg and butter into "soured" milk. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are mostly gone.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.

Macaroni Grill Bread

This recipe is from Jamiecooksitup. The recipe makes 2 loaves and it is SO good! It was simple to make with a Kitchenaid. The breads at Italian Restaurants are my favorite, and this does taste like something you'd get there. I didn't have any fresh rosemary, so I used 1 tsp of dried rosemary, which was a nice balance.
Yield: 2 loaves
Time: 1 1/2 hours start to finish

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1 1/2 t active dry yeast
1 C warm water
1/4 t sugar
3 T olive oil
2 1/2 C flour
1 1/2 t salt
1/4 t Italian Seasonin
1/4 t cracked black pepper
3/4 T fresh rosemary, snipped
1 egg
butter
salt
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1. In the bottom of your mixer combine water, yeast and sugar. Mix it around a bit with a spoon and let it sit for 5 minutes.

2. Add the salt, oil and 1 C flour. Mix for 30 seconds to incorporate.

3. Add the rest of the flour about 1/2 C at a time, while the mixer continues to mix.

4. When all of the flour is incorporated mix on high for about 7 minutes.

5. While your mixer is doing it's fine work, get your herbs and seasonings ready to go. I like to snip rosemary with scissors. You don't want to eat any of the thick stem that rosemary comes on, only the little needles.

6. When your dough is done mixing add the rosemary, pepper and Italian seasoning. Mix just until incorporated.

7. Cover your mixing bowl with a kitchen towel and let it rise for about 40 minutes, or until doubled in size.

8. Divide the dough into 2 parts. Shape into balls and place on a sprayed cookie sheet, or a cooking stone with a bit of olive oil on it.

9. Spray a sharp knife with cooking spray and cut 2 slits in the top of the bread like an X.

10. In a small bowl whisk an egg until frothy. Brush the egg all over the top of the loaf and into the cracks.

11. Place the loaves into a warm oven. (I set mine to 170) Let them rise until doubled in size, about 15 minutes.

12. Turn your oven up to 370 degrees and bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

13. When the loaves come out of the oven, place them on a cooling rack. Brush butter over the tops and sprinkle a little bit of salt over the top of the butter.

Cowboy Quesadillas

We make this one all the time now. It's great to have on hand for healthy lunches and snacks. A lot of the time, I don't even put chicken in it, but it's still very filling. When using it for quesadillas, we just put them in our George Foreman grill. It makes it even easier. The filling goes great with chips, and it would make an awesome nachos dip. This is another genius Our Best Bites recipe. Fast, healthy, and uses food storage ingredients. The kids really like this one. Use corn tortillas for gluten free.

NOTE: We've started making this an alternative way, and the kids like them even more. Put a few spoonfuls in each tortilla, wrap it burrito style, and put them in a 8x8 pan. Mist with olive oil and sprinkle on a little cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. This cuts down on the prep time and it's easier to eat for the kids. I like to eat a few spoonfuls of the filling on salad for a healthier version.

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1/2 C white rice
1/3 C black beans
1 cup diced cooked chicken
1/3 C fresh frozen corn kernels (no need to thaw)
2/3 C diced tomato
3 Tbs sliced green onion
1 1/2 C shredded cheese (any type or combo you like)
1/4 C bbq sauce
6 small tortillas (fajita size, about 6″)
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1. Combine rice, beans, chicken, corn, tomato, green onion and shredded cheese.

2. Add bbq sauce and stir to combine.

3. Place about 1/3 C of mixture on half of each tortilla and fold over to close.

4. Heat a skillet to medium heat on the stove top. When hot, spray lightly with cooking spray, or drizzle with canola or olive oil.

5. Place quesadillas in pan and cook for 2-4 minutes or until golden brown and slightly crisp.

6. Flip and repeat on opposite side. Cool for a few minutes and then serve with BBQ-Ranch dipping sauce.

Cilantro Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa

This one is top of the list for healthy but delicious. The chicken is packed with yummy flavor, and the avocado salsa is a very good complement to it, or it would be great as a dip for chips. We served it with Saffron Rice, and the meal got rave reviews from Dave.

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2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray

1 cup chopped plum tomato (about 2)
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 avocado, peeled and finely chopped
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1. To prepare chicken, combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; toss and let stand 3 minutes.

2. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade.

3. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt.

5. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done.

6. To prepare salsa, combine tomato and next 4 ingredients (through pepper) in a medium bowl.

7. Add avocado; stir gently to combine. Serve salsa over chicken.

Nutritional Facts: Calories - 289, Fat - 13.2, Carbs - 6.6, Fiber - 3.6, 

Bacon Macaroni & Cheese

Another hit with the kids. This is a very tasty alternative to the boxed Mac & Cheese, but still pretty fast to make. I was in a hurry, so didn't broil it at all, and it still tasted great. You can add in some shredded chicken or hamburger if you want more of a main dish.

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3 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
12 ounces strozzapreti or penne pasta
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups skim milk, divided
2 cups finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 slices center-cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
Cooking spray
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1. Preheat broiler.

2. Bring 6 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil. Add pasta; cook 8 minutes or until al dente; drain.

3. Combine flour and 1/2 cup milk in a saucepan over medium heat.

4. Gradually add 1 cup milk; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

5. Remove from heat; let stand 4 minutes or until it cools to 155°. Stir in 1 1/2 cups cheese. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, onions, hot sauce, pepper, and bacon; stir.

6. Add pasta; toss.

7. Spoon into a 2-quart broiler-safe dish coated with cooking spray; top with 1/2 cup cheese.

8. Broil 7 minutes.

Cheeseburger Soup

This was extremely popular with the kidlets. They asked for thirds, and didn't pick out any of the vegetables. It has a lot of healthy, filling ingredients, so even though it is wonderfully creamy and cheesy, it's still a good way of getting in your veggies.
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1 Tablespoon Butter
¾ cups Diced Onion
¾ cups Carrots, Peeled And Diced
¾ cups Celery, Diced

¾ pounds lean Ground Beef

4 cups Cubed Potatoes
½ teaspoons Dried Crushed Basil
1 teaspoon Parsley, Dried
4 cups Beef Broth

3 Tablespoons Butter
¼ cups All-purpose Flour
1-½ cup Milk
1-½ cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
½ teaspoons Salt
½ teaspoons Black Pepper

¼ cups Sour Cream
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In a stockpot, saute the onions, carrots and celery in 1 tablespoon of butter for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, fry ground beef in a skillet until no longer pink.

To the stockpot, add the cooked ground beef, potatoes, basil, parsley and beef broth.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.

Ten minutes before the soup is cooked, melt the 3 tablespoons of butter in your skillet.

Add the flour to the melted butter and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes.

Add the milk to the skillet and bring to a boil.

Cook, stirring until thickened.

Remove from heat and stir in the shredded cheddar cheese until melted.

Add the salt and pepper to the cheese sauce.

Stir the cheese sauce mixture into the cooked soup.

Remove from heat and add in the sour cream.

Minestrone Soup

I looked at quite a few recipes and I feel like I've combined the best two (here & here). It was really flavorful and hearty. I added in some cooked hamburger too (for Devin, because he needs meat!), but it would be good with chicken, beef, or just vegetables.

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 cup fresh or frozen green beans
2 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes-- I used the olive oil and garlic diced tomatoes
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup beef broth
2 cups water
1 (14 ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained-- I couldn't find these so I used black beans
1 cup whole wheat elbow macaroni or ditalini
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 bay leaves
2 cups coarsely chopped spinach
Salt and pepper, to taste
Parmesan cheese-optional, for garnish

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat olive oil in a large stockpot. Add onion, garlic, carrot, and celery. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add in zucchini, green beans, and diced tomatoes. Stir in vegetable broth and water. Add bay leaves, beans, macaroni, spinach, oregano, and basil. Simmer until vegetables and pasta are tender-about 35 minutes.
2. Season soup with salt and pepper and serve warm. Garnish with parmesan cheese, if desired.

It works great as a crock-pot recipe too, just put everything in (omit the olive oil since nothing is being sautéed) except the pasta and spinach and Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. Add the pasta and the spinach the last 30 minutes of cooking.

Southwest Beef Wraps

This recipe is so fast to put together and put in the crock pot. The beef is nice and tender and tastes like what you'd get at a nice Mexican restaurant. An Our Best Bites recipe.

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1 onion, chopped
2 1/2-ish lb. beef roast, trimmed of fat but left whole
1 heaping tsp. chili powder
1 heaping tsp. garlic powder
1 heaping tsp. cumin
1 heaping tsp. Kosher salt
2 bell peppers (you can use 2 green bell peppers or mix it up a little with red, yellow, or orange; just make sure one is green), chopped
1 14 1/2 oz. can Mexican-style diced tomatoes
Small flour tortillas (or corn tortillas)
Desired toppings: salsa or pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, etc.
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Place chopped onion in the bottom of the slow cooker.

Combine seasonings in a small bowl and then rub seasoning mixture all over the roast.

Place roast over onions, top with chopped peppers,

and then pour the canned tomatoes on top of everything.

Cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 8-9 hours OR start this in the morning, cook it on high until things start to boil and then cook on low until dinnertime and the meat shreds easily with two forks.