Guest Blogger: Chili Pasta Skillet

1 pound ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 -- 8 ounce can tomato sauce
1 can of corn
1/2 cup dried elbow macaroni
1 -- 4 ounce can diced green chiles, drained
2 to 3 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
A couple squirts of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup shredded cheese

In a large skillet, cook meat and onion until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain fat.

Stir in beans, undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, corn, uncooked macaroni, green chiles, chili powder, garlic salt, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to boiling, reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 20 minutes or until macaroni is tender, stirring often. Remove skillet from heat; sprinkle mixture with cheese.

*D: My sister-in-law sent this recipe to me. Her son is a picky eater and will always eat this dish! Pin It

Q-tip: Meat Portion Control

Whether you are trying to lose weight, save a dime, or save yourself a few minutes of cooking, this q-tip is a great help.

When a recipe calls for a pound of hamburger, I brown a pound of hamburger with onions and garlic powder. When it's nice and cooked, I put half of it in a plastic container and pop it in the freezer. Next time I make a recipe that calls for a pound of browned hamburger, I pull the container out of my freezer, microwave it for a 30 seconds and viola! My meat is ready to go.

This cuts back on the amount of meat we eat, helping us get the protein we need without feeling like we are on a diet.

It saves us money because our meat goes twice as far.

It saves me time cooking so when it's 4:55 and Tyler will be home soon, my meal is already half cooked and I can just add necessary ingredients and make myself a casserole or skillet dish in half the time.

The same thing can be done with any ground meat (sausage, pork, turkey, etc) or even chicken. With chicken recipes, 9 times out of 10 I prefer not to leave the breast whole. I like making the chicken pieces bite sized. They cook faster (and there's a better chance they are cooked through without becoming tough) and I like having dishes I can eat one handed. (This is important when you have an infant.)

When freezing your chicken portions, I follow the same guidelines. I cut up my chicken with kitchen shears, cook it in a skillet until juices run clear, then scoop half of it into the plastic container and away it goes.

Take a look at your favorite recipes and see if these tips would help you manage your portions, save you money, or give you more time. Pin It

Taco Casserole

1 lb hamburger - brown with onions
2 cans (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 1/2 TBSP chili powder
1 can cream of chicken soup
shredded cheese
corn tortillas

Brown hamburger with onions and then drain. Mix with tomato sauce and chili powder. In a separate bowl, mix soup and milk. Layer tortillas, meat mixture, soup mixture and top with lots of cheese. Bake uncovered at 350* for 15 - 20 minutes.

*D: Yum, yum and yum.

I cut back on the chili powder a bit, and I did not add enough corn tortillas to the bottom of the pan. When I made this I had about 1/2 pound of cooked ground beef already in my freezer, so I used that. The recipe made enough for 2 - 4 people, so if you plan to feed more than that, you may have to 1 and a half it or just double it. It's hard to say for sure since I only used half the meat, but when I made this I baked it in a square glass dish, 8 X 8 I think.

Great recipe, tastes almost like enchiladas.

Possible side dishes: corn, Mexican rice, beans, salad. Pin It

Extra Easy Lasagna

3/4 pound ground beef
3 cups spaghetti sauce
6 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 container (15 oz) ricotta cheese (about 2 cups)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup water

Brown the ground beef. Spoon off fat. Add spaghetti sauce; heat through stirring occasionally.

In 2-quart oblong baking dish, spread 1 1/2 cups meat mixture. top with three uncooked lasagna noodles, half the ricotta cheese, and half the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers. Top with remaining meat mixture. Slowly pour water around the inside edges of t baking dish. Cover tightly with foil. Bake at 375* for 45 minutes. Uncover; bake 10 minutes more. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

*D: This is so easy to make and tastes like lasagna. I know that's a silly thing to say, but sometimes "easy" recipes don't taste like the hard recipe. This one, however, does. I would caution you to make sure you layer your lasagna as follows:


1 1/2 cup meat
3 lasagna noodles
1 cup ricotta
1 cup mozzarella
1 1/2 cup meat
3 lasagna noodles
1 cup ricotta
1 cup mozzarella
remaining meat


I did not read the instructions right and had a total lapse in judgement when I made this and ended up with my ricotta/mozzarella layers on top, so then I had to open another jar of spaghetti sauce to top it off.


I also like to put mozzarella on top. I use home-made spaghetti sauce, and that tends to be a little runnier anyway. If you are using home-made, you don't need to put in all the water. Maybe 1/8 cup or none at all. Ours ended up pretty runny because I added the full water as called for.


Possible sides: french bread and salad. Pin It

Simple Salisbury Steak

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 pound ground beef
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
1 small onion, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1 egg, beaten
1 TBSP vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

In a large bowl, mix 1/4 cup soup, beef, bread crumbs, onion and egg. Shape firmly into 6 oval patties of even thickness.

In a 10-inch skillet over medium heat, , in hot oil, cook half of the patties until browned on both sides. Remove; set aside. Repeat with remaining patties. Pour off fat.

In same skillet, combine remaining soup and mushrooms. Heat to boiling. Return patties to skillet. Reduce heat to low. Cover, cook 20 minutes or until patties are no longer pink, turning patties occasionally.

*D: I don't use the mushrooms because I don't like mushrooms. I also add a bit of garlic in the beef.


Possible side dishes: fried potatoes and green beans, corn and rolls, steamed carrots and salad. Pin It

Q-tip: Meatballs

Meatballs are awesome. I love meatballs. You can put them in spaghetti, serve them over rice, make a bunch of them at once and freeze them...the possibilities are endless! And don't get me started on flavors.

The thing I've found with meatballs is that it's the sauce that really makes the dish. I have a generic recipe for meatballs and I switch it up depending on the sauce.

I always use seasoned bread crumbs, egg, milk, garlic powder, onion powder, and dehydrated onions. Sometimes I add some wheat germ or corn meal for extra folic acid or something. Occasionally I put rice in them, though I don't have a ton of luck with that.

The biggest trick with meatballs and making them healthy is this: bake them instead of fry them. My mom always baked her meatballs, so it was weird to me to see a recipe that called to fry the meatballs. That's just crazy talk! Bake them for less oil, less grease, and better chances of having your meatball cooked thoroughly. Also, make them smaller so they'll cook faster.

Cheers! Pin It

Teriyaki Meatballs

3 lbs ground beef
3 cups quick oats
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 large onion, chopped fine
1/4 cup oil
1 cup ketchup
1/3 cup vinegar
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 cup brown sugar
a/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 TB flour

Combine onion and oil in fry pan. Cook onions. Combine ketchup, vinegar, mustard, garlic salt, brown sugar, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and flour in saucepan. Mix together with onions and simmer for 1 hour. While sauce is simmering, make meatballs: mix ground beef, eggs and oats.

*D: That's the recipe. Here's how I do it:


I disregard the recipe. Honestly. I make meatballs the way I make them: ground beef (one pound for the two of us, but I'd use three pounds if you've got more than four people eating), an egg per pound, seasoned bread crumbs, garlic powder, dehydrated onion, pepper, Mrs. Dash, and Worcestershire. I mix it up, form the meatballs, put them in a glass baking dish, pour the sauce over the top and bake at 350 - 400 degrees for about a half hour.


The sauce I do NOT simmer for an hour. No thanks. I mix the ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce and heat until mixed (about 5 - 10 minutes). The dry mustard gives it a little more of a kick, so I don't always add it. I do not add the flour or garlic salt. I just don't.


Serve these bad boys over rice or pasta or with steamed potatoes and corn. Mmmm. Pin It

Cheesy Hamburger Hash

1 lb ground beef
1 TBSP butter or margarine
1 bag refrigerated diced potatoes with onions
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes with Italian herbs, undrained
1 TBSP pizza seasoning or Italian seasoning
1 1/2 c shredded pizza cheese blend (mozzarella and cheddar)
2 TBSP fresh parsley

1. Cook beef in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown; drain. Remove beef and drippings from skillet.

2. Melt butter in same skillet. Add potatoes. Cover and cook over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Stir in beef, tomatoes, and pizza seasoning. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly heated.

3. Sprinkle with cheese and parsley. Cover and heat until cheese is melted.

I got this recipe from a quick and easy cook book. Want to know why it's quick and easy? Because the ingredients are already prepared! Ok, so that makes it quick and easy, but it also makes it pricey. I am not about to buy frozen potatoes when I live in potato country. (Tyler raises his eyebrows at me when I buy frozen seasoned fries, but he's learned to live with it.) I don't buy a can of diced tomatoes, I dice my own. And I don't buy shredded cheese. I just use a little elbow grease and shred it myself.


Here's how I do it: I brown the hamburger. Then I throw in the potatoes - into the same skillet with the beef. If I'm not in a hurry I'll pull out the meat and drain off the grease, brown the potatoes and then throw the meat back in. But if I'm in a crunch, the potatoes go in with the meat (once the meet is cooked). I season heavily with garlic powder, onion powder, and Mrs. Dash. I use Mrs. Dash religiously. So if you're not a Mrs. Dash kind of person, just use some sort of seasoning you think would go well on fried potatoes. You can use pizza seasoning or Italian seasoning if you want/have it. I just never have.


Voila. The meal is complete. It's pretty much just frying meat and potatoes. I dish out the hash, sprinkle it with cheese and top it off with diced tomatoes if I have them. If I don't I do without. Salsa might also be pretty good on this. Try it out and let me know.


PS. I fry potatoes all the time, but you may be new to this. When I fry potatoes I first melt butter in a skillet. I chop my potatoes small because the smaller they are the faster they will cook. Once the butter is melted, I pour in the potato chunks. Then I LEAVE THEM ALONE until I hear them start to sizzle and I can see the edges darkening (you can see the potato cook). I season them and stir them up to fry the other side. They are done when they are soft, but I love my crispy, so I cook mine until they crunch on the outside. Mmmmmm. Pin It