easy

Taco Bake (Gluten-Free)

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Youngest and I love eating tacos. This recipe is a combination of tacos and nachos in a casserole. YUM!

You can use up those crushed tortilla chips in your cupboard/pantry for this recipe.

What you need for the recipe:
  • Ground beef
  • Onion
  • Salsa
  • Taco seasoning
  • Tortilla chips
  • Shredded cheese – Mexican blend or cheddar – You can certainly shred your own.
  • Your favorite toppings: jalepenos, cheese, cilantro, sour cream, salsa, lettuce, and tomato
Variations:

Vegetarian option: Instead of ground beef, you can either use meatless ground beef crumbles or black/ pinto beans.

In step 4: You can also add cilantro lime rice or black beans as a layer.

Recipe

Click on the photo to go to a printable recipe card.

Notes:

  • You use half of the taco seasoning in the 2 steps.
  • The layers for the taco bake are ground beef mixture, cheese, and then tortilla chips. In that order
  • It says you can feed 6. Youngest and I only got 4 servings out of the meal.

Air Fryer Bacon (Gluten-free and easy)

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My mother-in-law got each family a Ninja Air Fryer for Christmas. Oh, my goodness is that appliance a dream. Oldest and I have put it through the paces in the last week. He has made French toast, French fries, and hamburgers in the fryer. I’ve made some sheet pan meals, bacon, and toast in it.

A goal of mine was to make perfect bacon in the air fryer. If you have an oven that has a convection setting, you can certainly use that feature.

You can certainly make a big batch of bacon as part of your meal prepping for the week.

What you need:
  • Pork Bacon – I’ve not attempted to use turkey bacon for this recipe.
  • Air Fryer
What you can use the bacon for:
  • BLTs
  • Sandwiches – Youngest and Hubby both have used the bacon for one of the meats on their sandwiches.
  • Just eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack.
  • Salads – BLT salad or Cobb salad

Recipe (Click on the photo for a printable version of the recipe card.)

Simple Shrimp Veggie Salad

What You Need:

  • Raw shrimp (See note) – How to shell and devein a shrimp – Follow the link.
  • Butter
  • Lemon
  • Mixed greens
  • 1 cup of your favorite raw veggies
  • goat cheese, feta cheese, or blue cheese
  • Raspberry Vinaigrette (I like the Raspberry Merlot from Bolthouse Farms.)

Simple Shrimp Veggie Salad

Stars of the Recipe:

  • 1 oz. raw shrimp (see note)
  • 1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 Tbsp. butter
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 c. mixed greens
  • 1 c. cut veggies (I used bell peppers and cucumbers.)
  • 1/4 c. Goat, Feta, or Blue Cheese (I used blue cheese.)
  • 2 Tbsp. raspberry vinaigrette

Steps:

  1. Heat the skillet to medium heat.
  2. Add the butter, deveined, and shelled shrimp.
  3. Cook for 3 minutes. Flip.
  4. Squeeze the lemon over the shrimp and then cook for an additional 3 minutes.
  5. In the meantime, in a bowl place the mixed greens and cut veggies.
  6. After the shrimp are finished cooking, place on the greens and veggies.
  7. Top with cheese and vinaigrette.
  8. Enjoy!

Note:

You can also use already cooked shrimp if you don’t want to cook the shrimp.

2 Yummy Do It Yourself Cream Cheese Flavors – Cinnamon Brown Sugar and Strawberry

Cinnamon Brown Sugar Cream Cheese

  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients

-1 tub of WHIPPED cream cheese, room temperature

-1/4 c. brown sugar

-1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Directions

  1. Place the cream cheese in a mixing bowl.
  2. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon.
  3. Mix with electric mixer until blended.
  4. Enjoy with bagels.

 

Strawberry Cream Cheese

  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients

-1 tub of WHIPPED cream cheese, room temperature

-1/2 c. diced strawberries (cut into tiny pieces)

-1 Tbsp. sugar

Directions

  1. Cut the strawberries.  Place in a bowl.  Sprinkle with sugar.  Allow to sit for 15 minutes.
  2. Place the cream cheese in a mixing bowl.
  3. Add the strawberries.
  4. Mix with electric mixer until blended.
  5. Enjoy with bagels.

Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels – Christmas Making and Baking 2016

I’ve begun my Christmas Making and Baking 2016.  When I found this recipe, I decided to make it since it looked so simple to put together.

While I was waiting to put the white drizzle on the pretzels the Wee One wandered into the kitchen.  He decided he needed to taste the pretzels.  The Wee One told me how much he loved the taste of the pretzels.  He helped me put the drizzle on top of the pretzels.  When I was packing up the pretzels, we put the pretzels into two containers.  One was for later and the other was for he and his brother to snack on.

Later on in the day, we made another two batches of cinnamon sugar pretzels for a cookie/ treat exchange Hubby was going to attend.  The Wee One helped me with making those two batches.  He told me that he wanted to know how to make cinnamon sugar pretzels.  The Wee One enjoyed making the cinnamon sugar pretzels.

The cinnamon sugar pretzels are easy to put together.  When we did the white chocolate DRIZZLE, we used a baby spoon to do the drizzle.

I also used a large 8 cup measuring cup to make the pretzels.  It was the perfect size

Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels

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Stars of the recipe:

  • 1 (16 – 18 oz) bag of pretzels
  • 2/3 c. oil (I used canola.)
  • 1/3 c. sugar
  • 1 & 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/2 c. cinnamon sugar for sprinkling
  • 1 c. white chocolate chips

Steps:

  1. Prepare two cookie sheets by covering them with parchment or wax paper.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, and cinnamon.
  3. Add the pretzels.
  4. Stir until all the pretzels are coated.
  5. Microwave for 1 minute.  Stir.
  6. Microwave for 2 more minutes.  Stir.
  7. Divide them between the two cookie sheets.  Make sure the pretzels are in a single layer.
  8. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
  9. While the pretzels are cooling, melt the white chocolate in the microwave.  (70% power, 1 minute, stir, if not melted – continue at 70% power 30 second intervals until melted.)
  10. Drizzle the white chocolate over the pretzels.
  11. Allow to harden.
  12. Store in an airtight container.
  13. Enjoy!

happy-eating

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Ginger Pineapple Smoothie – Back to School (Secret Recipe Club)

#Secret Recipe Club

Every month, I’m assigned another blog to check out.  After checking out their blog, I’m to find a recipe to make, photograph, and then post the recipe with the photograph of the recipe.  August has five Mondays so we are posting a family friendly meal for the fifth Monday.

Continue reading →

Asian Cole Slaw

I started back to work last Wednesday.  Since I know life can get crazy when I’m at work, I decided I needed to make some freezer meals.  I cooked up some hamburger in the slow cooker.  Some of the cooked up hamburger became taco meat for the freezer.  The Wee One loves tacos so he’s going to be super excited to have tacos in the freezer. Continue reading →

Almond Joy Apple Bites

“Almond Joy” Apple Bites

Quick and Easy

Apple bites are quick to put together.  All you need to do is slice up the apple, spread the apple slices with a nut butter, and then top the apple slices.  Yum!  Such a healthy snack depending on what you put on top of the apple slices.

These apple slices were topped with almond butter, coconut shreds, and cacao powder. Continue reading →