#1,511: Fruit-free Green Smoothie (Paleo)

In an attempt to keep fruit out of my smoothies, I decided to try this green smoothie made with (what else) green veggies.  I do like spinach and avocado in my smoothies, but will admit, I was scared of the cucumber.  Although I drank SOME of this smoothie, I certainly didn't finish it and nor did I love it.  It sure is healthy though.  Would I make this again, definitely not.  But I'm glad I tried it at least once.  

½ organic cucumber, chopped

¼ cup parsley

½ lemon, peeled

½ avocado, pitted and peeled

2 cups organic, raw spinach

1 cup coconut water

6 ice cubes

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy immediately.

#1,510: Cinnamon Tea Rolls

I am on a breakfast kick lately apparently, and my kids certainly don't seem to mind!  Chloe (6) helped me make these and did a great job putting these together.  I used crescent sheets to make it easier and quicker, and also added some melted butter to make them a little moister.  It also needs WAY more cinnamon and sugar than the recipe calls for.  Otherwise it's a good recipe.  The kids devoured these and I made a double batch!  I will definitely be making these again.  

1 tube (4 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls (I used crescent sheets)
1 tablespoon sugar (I used about 1/4 cup!)
2 tbsp melted butter
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I used about 1 tbsp or more)
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1-1/4 teaspoons orange juice

Unroll crescent dough into one rectangle; seal perforations. Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over dough. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a short side; pinch seam to seal. Using a serrated knife, cut into four slices.  (Since I used crescent sheets, I just unrolled it, brushed with the melted butter and the sprinkled the cinnamon and sugar on top.  I rolled mine up starting on the long side and cut into about 12 pieces). 

(I skipped this step and baked on a cookie sheet instead!)  Place rolls, pinched side down, in ungreased muffin cups. 

Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. 

In a small bowl, combine confectioners' sugar and orange juice; drizzle over rolls. 

#1, 509: Clean-out-the-fridge tuna salad

I had a lot of random veggies in my fridge and a packet of tuna so I decided to throw a whole bunch of things together and see how it turned out.  Shockingly, I actually really, really loved this tuna.  I ended up eating it over some lettuce that I picked from my garden which made it even better.  I will definitely be making this again...hopefully someone else will find this as delicious as I did.

You can totally adapt this to veggies you have in your fridge!

1 packet of low-sodium tuna (I used tuna in water)
1 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 bell pepper, diced
1/2 green onion, diced
2 Brussel sprouts, shredded

In a small bowl combine the yogurt, mustard and vinegar.  Whisk to combine and add more vinegar as needed to thin it out.

In a separate bowl combine the tuna, sun-dried tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, and brussel sprouts.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Pour the yogurt mixture over the tuna and mix to combine.  

Eat as is, or serve in lettuce wraps, over salad mix, or on bread/crackers if desired.  

#1, 508: Garlic Bread Spirals

This recipe has been sitting on my pinterest board for two years!  Why have I waited this long to make this super easy recipe?!  Allison helped me make this recipe and my whole family loved it, even with "veggies inside it."  It has great a flavor, especially with the addition of the parmesan cheese.  I will definitely be making this again!!

The original recipe says to use refrigerated crusty French loaf, but after reading the reviews on this, it sounded like this does not roll out easily and I wanted this to be as simple as possible so I decided to use crescent sheets instead.  I think that was a good call.  

1/4 cup butter, melted
2 green onions, finely chopped
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tube (11 ounces) refrigerated crusty French loaf (I used 1 tube of crescent sheets)

In a small bowl, mix the first five ingredients. Unroll dough; spread butter mixture to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side. Cut into 12 slices; place in greased muffin cups, cut side down.

Bake at 400° for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 1 dozen.

#1, 507: Bubble Up Breakfast Bake

Since we have some extra time now that it is summer break, I have more time to cook different meals for my family.  Thank goodness, because I can finally have time to do things I love to do and not have that work thing in the way.  LOL

Anyhow, I decided to make this simple breakfast bake for my kids (for lunch) and hoped they would enjoy it because it was similar to our bubble up pizza bake that we make and they enjoy.  I figured Allison (8) would enjoy it, but the other two (3 and 6) would just pick at it.  They kids all agreed that they did not like the egg part that was on the bottom and asked that I cut it off.  But once I did that they enjoyed it and ate half of a 9x13 pan.

Do I personally think this is the best breakfast casserole I've ever eaten, definitely not.  But would I make this again, yes I would.  I used 3 cans of buttermilk biscuits and as you can see from the photo on the top right, it didn't let the egg mixture really seep in between the pieces.  If you are an egg lover you might want to just use 2 cans.  For my crew, 3 cans was better.  

1 pound of reduced fat breakfast sausage

1 tube of refrigerated biscuits (I used 3 cans with 10 biscuits in each)

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 small can of diced green chills

6 eggs (I used 4 eggs)

Salt and pepper to season

1/4 cup milk

Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees.  Add the sausage to a medium skillet on medium high heat. Cook until no longer pink in the middle.

While cooking the sausage, cut each biscuit into 8 pieces and place in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Add the sausage to the pan, on top of the uncooked biscuits. Sprinkle cheese on top of that, along with the green chillis.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, salt and pepper and milk. Pour the egg mixture over everything in the baking dish.

Place in the oven for 30 minutes or until a knife comes out clean in the middle of the dish. 

It Works for Us: Young Living Eucalyptus Radiata: Helped our Cough/Allergies

A few months ago (after an entire long month of the kids being sick!) I finally gave in and started purchasing some Young Living Essential Oils.  My chiropractor had been suggesting them, but because of the price I was leery of trying them.  But after "pukey-December" I broke down and gave some of them a try.  Since then I am an essential oils addict.  :)  One that I decided to try was Eucalyptus Radiata.  My research online showed that it could help with a cough.  We've already been doing vicks on the bottom of their feet at night when needed, but my 3 year old had a persistent cough, which I am pretty sure is due to seasonal allergies.  

I've been using this essential oil on him for a few weeks now and it has helped his cough tremendously!!  When his coughing is really bad, I put it on him 3 times a day; but otherwise I just put it on him in the morning when I get him dressed and at night when he puts his pajamas on.

I use 4 drops of a carrier oil (we use avocado oil) and 1 drop of the Eucalyptus Radiata on 3 spots:
On his chest
On his spine/back
On the bottom of his feet

We love this stuff!!


Disclaimer: The information shared is not intended to treat, cure, or diagnose any illness, nor is it meant to replace professional medical attention or advice. Advice and testimonies are all based on use of Young Living brand of oils specifically. Use and application of this information is done solely at your own risk.

#1,506: Hamburger Soup

This healthy, yummy looking soup is going to be my lunch for the next few (last few!) days of work/school.  I made it because I had most of the ingredients on hand, it's healthy, it was simple to throw together and was paleo (once I omitted the potatoes).  Although this would be great with potatoes, it doesn't need it.  It kind of reminds me of a stuffed pepper soup this way, and as you can tell from the many posts from this blog, I am a stuffed pepper soup fan.  :) 

2-1/2 pounds Ground Chuck (I used ground turkey)

1 whole Large Onion, Diced

2 stalks Celery, Diced

3 cloves Garlic, Minced

1 can (14.5 Ounce) Can Whole Tomatoes (I used petite diced)

3 cups Beef Stock Or Beef Broth, Plus More As Needed

1 whole Yellow Bell Pepper, Seeded And Diced

1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Seeded And Diced

1 whole Green Bell Pepper, Seeded And Diced

4 whole Carrots, Peeled And Sliced On The Diagonal

5 whole Red Potatoes, Cut Into Chunks (I omitted)

3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt (more To Taste)

1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper, More To Taste

2 teaspoons Dried Parsley Flakes

1/2 teaspoon Ground Oregano

1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (more To Taste)

In a large pot over medium-high heat, brown the meat with the onion, celery, and garlic. Remove the pot from the heat and drain off as much fat as you can. (Discard the fat once it cools.)

Return the pot to the heat and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir to combine, then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, then cover the pot and simmer the soup for 15-20 more minutes, until potatoes are tender but not overly mushy.

Soup should be somewhat thick, but if you'd like it to be more "soupy," add 1 to 2 cups more broth OR hot water and heat through. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt if needed.

#1,505: Grilled Mojo Pork Tenderloin

I've mentioned before that I'm not a huge fan of pork, but I've got to give this recipe some credit.  It was REALLY, REALLY good.  It was so easy to make and it was ridiculously moist.  I am not a very good griller because I burn a lot of my foods (on purpose!), and as you can see the photo on the right is a little well done.  I was afraid this was going to be tough, but it was definitely not.  I will definitely be making this again...especially if I have company coming over because it looks like I worked hard on it, but I really didn't.  

2-3 pound pork tenderloin

3-4 large sweet onions

Marinade:

1/2 cup olive oil

8 large garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon cumin

1/3 cup fresh lime juice

1/3 cup fresh orange juice

1/3 cup water

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

For the marinade: In a small pot heat the oil, garlic, and cumin. Let the mixture simmer for 2-3 minutes then stir in all of the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Remove marinade from the heat and stir in the cilantro after it cools. Pour marinade over pork either in a covered container or in a large Ziploc bag and marinate in the fridge for at least 24 hours.

For the pork: After at least 24 hours, remove the pork from marinade, reserving marinade for later use. Preheat the grill to medium heat. Sear the tenderloin on all sides and continue to grill over medium heat for about 20-30 minutes rotating meat when needed until cooked thoroughly. The cooking time will vary depending how thick your tenderloin is. You want it to be slightly firm not gushy when you touch it with the grilling tongs. You want it to be cooked but not dry. Let pork rest for a couple of minutes before slicing so that the juices can settle back in. Slice pork into 1/2 inch medallions.

For the onions: Slice the onions into thick slices and brush with a little bit of oil. Grill onions when the pork is almost done so that they finish at the same time. Grill for 2-3 minutes per side or until soft.

For the sauce: Take remaining marinade and bring once again to a boil in a small pot. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 3-4 minutes. I made this, but could not eat it, and ended up dumping it.  I have a real issue with trying to use a marinade as a sauce...I was so afraid I was going to give my family food poisoning!! 

To serve: Pour sauce over sliced pork with grilled onions on the side. 

#1, 504: Paleo Egg White Muffins

I really, really, really wanted to like this recipe.  If you love eggs, then maybe you will be a fan of this one, but I hated it.  I actually threw it all away, I couldn't even finish one.  I'm sure it's my preferences/tastes and not the recipe itself, but blech!  This was super simple to make though and would be a great way to use up leftover veggies you have in your fridge and is great for paleo/whole 30/protein meals.  

6 eggs (I used egg whites) 1 zucchini peeled and chopped

1/4 jar sun dried tomatoes

4 ounces cooked ground beef (I used cooked and crumbled bacon)

1/2 onion chopped

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350F.  In a pan sauté the onion and minced beef until the beef is cooked.  Remove from pan and combine with the remaining ingredients and whisk together.  Scoop the batter into a greased muffin tin.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Preparation time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes | Number of Servings: 12 muffins

#1,503: Oatmeal Yogurt Breakfast Blend

During our farm unit in Pre-k, one of my students' grandma came and did a presentation from the Dairy Council.  When she came, she gave me a small recipe booklet with different dairy related recipes in it.  This was one of the recipes, and since I had all of the ingredients on hand, I was super excited to try it.  Sadly none of my kids like this, but I sure did.  I love the texture of this, the tartness of the yogurt, and sweetness from the fruit.  Delish!

1/2 c old fashioned oats
3/4 c plain non-fat yogurt
1/2 c diced apple
2 tbsp raisins
2 tbsp sliced almonds (I omitted)
2 tsp brown sugar
dash of cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together and serve.  For best results, prepare the night before and let flavors meld in the refrigerator.

#1,502: Quick-Pickled Radishes

I really, really want to like radishes, and can tolerate them in small doses, but figured I would give this recipe a try to see if I like them more.  I'm super happy to report that I LOVED this recipe and will be making these again very, very soon.  They got pretty spicy the longer they marinated, so if you don't like a lot of heat/spice, I would cut back dramatically on these.  I was able to coerce 2 of the 3 kids to try these at dinner and although they did not like them, they still ate one small slice.  Love, love, loved this! PS...I'm 99% sure I found this recipe in the Rachel Ray magazine.  

12 radishes, thinly sliced
3 tbsp sugar
2 tsp kosher salt
4 whole cloves
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
3/4 c distilled white vinegar
1/2 c water

Place thinly sliced radishes in a glass jar and set aside.  In a saucepan combine water, sugar, salt, cloves and red pepper, and bring to a boil.  Add vinegar.  Pour vinegar mixture over radishes and let stand 30 minutes; chill.

#1,501: Cold-Brewed Iced Coffee

I had a very similar recipe pinned for 2 years on my pinterest boards when I came across this recipe in a recent magazine issue of Real Simple.  So I figured it was about time for this iced coffee lover to give this recipe a chance.  Although I do think this is a lot of work for this lazy cook, I have to admit, it was really good.  I enjoyed this more and more as the days went on.  However, you go through A LOT of coffee grounds with a recipe like this and it sure does take a while to get the liquid to drain through a coffee filter.

6 oz (1 1/2 heaping CUPS) medium to coarsely ground coffee
4 cups room temperature water
milk of choice (skim, whole, almond, etc).
ice

Combine coffee grounds and water in a glass container.  Let sit at room temperature for 12 hours.

Strain through a mesh strainer lined with a coffee filter. This should yield about 2 3/4 cups of coffee base, and can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

To make iced coffee, combine 1/2 cup of strained coffee with equal parts of water or milk.  Pour over ice.

#1,500: Mini Sausage Quiche

This recipe was so much easier to make (and tastier) than I thought it would be.  I made these to take to a friend and I hope she enjoyed them as much as I did.  The recipe claims you can get 48 mini muffins out of a tube of crescent rolls....that's a joke.  Try half of that!!  I got 12 large ones and 12 mini muffin tin sized ones.  I would definitely make this again though.  

1/2 pound bulk hot Italian sausage (I used 1 lb bulk pork breakfast sausage)
2 tablespoons dried minced onion
2 tablespoons minced chives
1 tube (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls (I used crescent sheets)
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese (I used Italian blend)
1 cup (8 ounces) 4% cottage cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Paprika

In a large skillet, brown sausage and onion over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in chives.

On a lightly floured surface, unroll crescent dough into one long rectangle; seal seams and perforations. Cut into 48 pieces. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of greased miniature muffin cups. 

Fill each with about 2 teaspoons of sausage mixture. In a large bowl, combine the eggs and cheeses. Spoon 2 teaspoonfuls over sausage mixture. Sprinkle with paprika.

Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Serve warm. Yield: 4 dozen.

#1,499: Paleo Tex-Mex Casserole

I LIKED this recipe (which has been on one of my pinterest boards for almost a year now!), but didn't love it and I THINK it's because of the coconut oil.  It was too sweet tasting, so I will omit the coconut oil next time or use olive oil instead.  I'm finding I don't love cooking with coconut oil as often as I thought I would.  I think I'm more of a savory girl than a sweet one...when it comes to meat dishes!  Personally, I probably will not make this recipe again, especially because there are SO many steps to this one.

1 – 1.5 pounds grass-fed ground beef (I used ground turkey)
2 cups spinach
2-3 carrots, diced
1 parsnip, diced (I omitted)
1 zucchini, diced
2 cups diced bell peppers
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
14.5 oz can organic diced tomatoes
3 tbsp olive oil, bacon grease or lard
⅓ cup taco seasoning
½ tsp sea salt
5 cups shredded sweet potatoes, about 3 (I used 1 sweet potato)
½ cup coconut oil, melted
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp ground coriander

Optional garnish: fresh cilantro, sliced scallions, avocado and hot sauce

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.  Chop, dice and mince all the veggies and garlic.

Melt half of your fat of choice in a very large skillet or heavy-bottomed pan and add in all the veggies.  Season with that ½ tsp of sea salt, toss together and cook these down until they are just about fork tender. Remove from the pan and set aside for later

.

In the same pan, add in the other half of your fat and get it up to temp.  Crumble in the ground beef, top with taco seasoning, mix and brown.

While the ground beef browns, peel enough sweet potatoes to get about 5 cups worth (about 3). Grate the sweet potatoes and set in a large mixing bowl.

Melt ½ cup of coconut oil and pour over the shredded sweet potatoes while warm, toss immediately! The coconut oil will start to solidify again as it cools, so work efficiently.

Once the coconut oil is mixed well, sprinkle the sweet potatoes with the onion powder, chili powder and ground coriander. Mix together.

Add the cooked vegetables and the diced tomatoes back into the pan with the beef, mix carefully to bring everything together and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes.

Transfer all of this veggie-meaty goodness to a large casserole dish (I filled a 9″ x 13″ pan). Top with the seasoned, shredded sweet potatoes, cover with foil and pop this in the oven.

Bake at 375°F for 20-30 minutes, then remove the foil and broil on low for 5 minutes — or until the sweet potatoes have browned and crisped up a bit.

To serve, top with fresh cilantro and sliced scallions with some avocado and hot sauce on the side!

#1,498: Choco-Avocado Fruit Dip

Only Allison and I were fans of this dip.  Too bad for the little kids because they were missing out on some good sneaky foods, that I normally can't get them to eat (but desperately tried to sneak past them).  But, on the bright side, it left more for Allison and I.  :)  I personally would definitely make this again...for myself! 

2 avocados
1 banana
1/2 cup raw honey
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 Tbsp coconut oil
Pinch of sea salt

Throw all ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth and creamy, like a chocolate pudding.  Serve with fruit.

#1,497: Balsamic Marinated Chicken Breasts

I've intended to make this recipe several times and somehow it always got bumped from our menu, but I'm pretty sure this one is going to make it into our regular summer grilling recipe.  It was so simple to make, and we all really enjoyed the flavor (and moistness!) of this one.  The recipe says to bake in the oven but we are not oven-baked chicken fans.  The grill made it taste better...in our opinion!  

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh basil
Salt and pepper
4 chicken breasts

In a large zip lock bag combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, basil, salt and pepper and mix well.  Add the chicken breasts and seal, mixing to coat.  Place in the refrigerator for 2-24 hours.

Preheat oven to 400F.  Place the chicken in a glass dish and bake for 25 minutes.

#1,496: S'more Muffins

My kids and I really, really loved these simple muffins!  I over-cooked them a bit so they were a tad dry, but the flavor in these are good.  I don't know if it necessarily tastes like a s'more, but the ingredients are similar!  They are kind of fun to make too with the addition of the marshmallow fluff/cream.  Messy and sticky, but different.  The recipe says it makes 6 large muffins, but I got about 22 mini muffins out of it instead.  Overall, I would make these again. 

3 tablespoons butter, softened

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

4 teaspoons sugar

1 egg

1/3 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons 2% milk

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup milk chocolate chips

6 tablespoons marshmallow creme

In a small bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then the sour cream and milk. Combine the flour, graham cracker crumbs, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and baking soda; beat into creamed until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips.

Coat six muffin cups with cooking spray; fill one-fourth full with batter. Spoon 1 tablespoon marshmallow creme into each muffin cup. Top with remaining batter.

Bake at 400° for 14-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm. Yield: 6 muffins.

#1,495: Farmhouse Barbecue Muffins

My friend Jenny turned me on to this recipe several years ago.  I made it once or twice before and then it got filed away in my cookbooks.  I was going through recipes as I cleaned out our kitchen before a garage sale and found it again.  I figured this would be a good time to make it again for my family, see if we still liked it, and then add it to this list of recipes.  Fortunately we all still really enjoyed these muffins.  This is such an easy, and kid-friendly recipe that you can made partially ahead of time.  Brian also said they reheated pretty well as leftovers in his lunch.  (Bonus!)  

1 tube (10 ounces) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (not Grands!)
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Separate dough into 10 biscuits; flatten into 5-in. circles. Press each onto the bottom and up the sides of a greased muffin cup; set aside.

In a skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar and chili powder; add to beef and mix well.

Divide the meat mixture among biscuit-lined muffins cups, using about 1/4 cup for each. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 375° for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before serving. Yield: 10 servings.

#1,494: Stuffing Meatballs

For years now I've been making meatloaf stuffing muffins, in muffin tins.  Although the recipe is super simple and my family loves them, I absolutely hate cleaning out the muffin pans when I'm done.  The ingredients in this recipe are quite similar so I figured we would probably like this one...but I also thought that trying to make this on a cookie sheet would end in a big globby mess.  I was happily proved wrong!  Not only do these taste so similar to the meatloaf muffins, but they are 1000 times easier to clean up!  I will definitely be making these again and there is a super strong possibility that these will be replacing my meatloaf muffins.  :)

This recipe says to make these the size of a meatball and serve over noodles....YUCK!  These are way too dense to eat with spaghetti.  It also says to make them using 1/4 cup of meat mixture, but that is HUGE for a meatball.  Unless you are a giant.  So I made these as directed but ate with a side of veggies.  I personally would have enjoyed this dipped in a little spaghetti sauce, but my family and kids ate it dipped in ketchup.  Let's be honest, I ate these right off the pan.  It doesn't need a dipping sauce.  :)  It's also great cut-up and eaten with roasted veggies.   

2 lb. ground beef (I used 1 lb ground turkey)
1 pkg. (6 oz.) StoveTop Stuffing Mix for Chicken (I still used the entire box of stuffing)
1-1/4 cups water (I started with about ½ cup and added more until it was moist and mixed well but not overly wet)
2 eggs

Heat oven to 400ºF.  Line two large cookie sheets (I only needed 1) with foil; spray with cooking spray. Mix ingredients just until blended; shape into 32 (1-1/2-inch) balls, using 1/4 cup for each. (I got about 20 out of it)

Place on prepared pans. Bake 16 to 18 min. or until done (160ºF).

#1,493: Enchilada Casserole

As you can tell by my continual lack of posting recipes, I am really struggling this semester to find the time to make new recipes for my family!  :(  I hate that!!  BUT never fear, summer is just around the corner and time off from school is sooooo close (11 more days to be exact!  Wahoo!).  So then I will have SO much more time to do the things I love: 

• Spend time with my kids
• Crossing items off our bucketlist
• Trying new (and often healthy) recipes!

I actually have made a few new recipes the last few weeks (not nearly as many as I'd like though), but just haven't had the time to upload them.  So since I'm at a standstill on my end-of-the-year slideshow for school for tonight, I figured this was the perfect time to update this and get these recipes posted. 

I guess I'll start with my most recent one...as I made this recipe tonight for dinner.  I had to modify it a little bit for my family and their picky needs, but it was pretty minor.  Overall my family really enjoyed this, especially Brian, Allison and I.  The other two are my pickier eaters so it wasn't a surprise that they weren't gaga over this.  (Don't let that dissuade you though). This was super simple and would be a great way to use up some extra taco meat.  

1 pound ground beef (I used ground turkey)
1 can (10 ounces) enchilada sauce (I used a little less than half a can)      
1 cup salsa
6 flour tortillas (10 inch) (I made this in an 8x8 pan and only used 3 shells)
2 cups fresh or frozen corn (I omitted)
4 cups (16 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet, cook ground beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in enchilada sauce and salsa; set aside.

Place two tortillas, overlapping as necessary, in the bottom of a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Cover with one-third of the meat mixture; top with 1 cup corn; sprinkle with 1-1/3 cups cheese. Repeat layers once, then top with remaining tortillas, meat and cheese.

Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes or until bubbly. Yield: 6-8 servings.