Chicken & Pasta Alfredo

I heated up one of my Lean Cuisine meals and sat at the table. My 4 year old wanted to try it. It was the Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo pasta. He really liked it so I decided to make a casserole for him. This is super simple. Really, just 4 ingredients. I would have used Costco's Rotisserie chicken breasts but I didn't want to make more than one stop at the market since I had my kids with me. So I picked up a 2 cans of chunk chicken.

INGREDIENTS:

Penne Pasta
Can of Alfredo Sauce
2 Cups Chicken Breast Meat
2 Cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Can you tell I shop at Walmart a lot? haha

DIRECTIONS:

Cook pasta according to package.

Drain and put pot back on stove. Empty jar of Alfredo sauce and pour the pasta back in. Add Chicken and combine.

Pour half of the pasta into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Add 1 cup of cheese.

Pour the other half of the pasta in & top off with the remaining cup of cheese.

Bake at 375° for 20 minutes.

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Beef Enchilada Bake

My husband is a big Mexican Food fan. Me, not so much but when we go out, I normally just eat enchiladas. So... I thought I can make something both of us will enjoy. It's pretty much anything you want to put in tortillas and LOTS of cheese :)

INGREDIENTS:

6 Medium Flour Tortillas
1 lb Ground Beef
1 Small Can of Chopped Green Chilies
1 Can of Enchilada Sauce
1/2 Yellow Onion, chopped
2 Cups Mexican Blend Shredded Cheese
1/2 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Cumin 
Salt & Pepper to Taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

Brown the meat & season. I think I used about 1/2 tsp of cumin, I just sprinkled it on the meat. Drain. Add onions, Chili & some enchilada sauce (about 1/4 of the can). 

Assemble the enchiladas by putting the meat in the tortilla and topping it off with cheese. Logan loves to help.

Lay them in a greased 13 x 9 baking dish. Pour remaining sauce on top & top off with the rest of the cheese.

Bake at 375° for 15 minutes.

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Pizza Casserole

My kids are picky so I thought I'd try making them a pizza casserole. They like pizza, so this should sound good to them, right? I hope they eat it! Logan loves to help so that may make it more exciting to eat!

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb Pasta (I used Rotini)

1 Jar of Pasta Sauce (I used Kirkland's Marinara sauce & a jar of pizza sauce)

1 lb of Sausage (I used Jimmy Dean)

2 Cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1 Pack Pepperoni
Grated Parmesan Cheese

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven at 350 °

1. Cook Pasta according to package. Drain & cool with cold water.

2. Brown Sausages in a pan. We have always cautioned our son to stay away from the stove but I let him help for the first time. With supervision & a lower heat, he helped brown the sausages. I actually already browned it and just let him move the meat around... As I snapped a photo, he says "Send the picture to daddy to show him I'm helping!" He was so proud of himself.

3. Spray a 9x13 pan & start layering your casserole (I layered twice)

Sauce

Pasta

Sausage

Cheese

4. Repeat another layer. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top (I don't have a photo because I completely forgot about the parmesan cheese *SIGH*). 

5. Top off with Pepperoni. Did you notice I forgot the meat!?!?! Instead of taking the whole thing apart, we removed the pepperoni & added the sausage and then put the pepperoni back. All is good hehe

6. Cover with foil & bake at 350° for 20 minutes

7. Uncover & bake for another 15 minutes

I like to eat my pasta with Sriracha Sauce. Yep. Hot Sauce. Mmmmm :P 
And since I forgot about my parmesan cheese, you can be assured plenty of that will be sprinkled on top too! 

I love the plate I used. It's a cake stand I made for my Cake Smash Sessions. The base is a ice cream bowl from the Dollar Tree & the plate was on clearance at Target. (Check out how to make your own cake stand)

Connor approved!

Logan, not so much :(

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Pasta Salad

This was my all time favorite thing to make for potlucks many moons ago. 

I've forgotten all about it!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb Pasta (I had bow ties in my pantry. I normally use the tri-color Rotini)
• 16 oz Bottle of Italian Dressing
• 16 oz Mozzarella Cheese 
• 8 oz Salami
• 3 Bell Peppers (I used orange, green & red for something colorful)
• 1 Head Broccoli
• 1/2 Red Onion

 DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook pasta per instructions. Place in a large bowl.

 2. Chop/slice all other ingredients. I like mine cubed.

I almost forgot the salami! I cut mine into quarters.

3. Combine everything with pasta & empty a bottle of Italian dressing into bowl. 

My little man loves to help!

4. Stir well. Serve!

mmm.... yum yum yum

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Banana Crumb Muffins

I know I'm not the only one who always end up with over-riped bananas. Instead of blending up a smoothie, I want to make some banana muffins. I know I'll be the only one eating it because my family doesn't care for banana bread or muffins.  

So... I just fed the baby (who seems to want to nurse every hour!) and the TV is on... It happens to be one of my favorite hopeless romantic movies... Serendipity starring Kate Beckinsale & John Cusack... I watched this movie when I first met my husband 13 years ago... this was back when he would sit through chick flicks for me hehe. Gone are those days...

Anyway, back to the muffins... A quick search online and I just went with the first recipe that popped up. This one is from allrecipes.com. The only change I made was add 1 cup of choc chips. Mmmm chooooocolaaaate. 

INGREDIENTS:

4 (over)Riped Bananas (like covered in black and your husband is about throw it out and you're like "NO! I can make muffins!")
1.5 Cups of flour
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1 Tsp Baking powder
1/2 Tsp salt
3/4 Cup white sugar (update: I find that just 1/2 cup is plenty)
1 Egg, lightly beaten
1/3 Cup butter, melted
1 Cup of chocolate chips

Crumbs:

1/3 Cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1/8 Tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp butter, melted

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375°

Line muffin pan with 12 cups

In a large bowl, mix together 1.5 cups of flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

In another bowl, combine mashed bananas, egg, melted butter and sugar. (One time I accidently put the sugar with the flour. Still worked. Tastes the same - and I was soooo worried I messed up!)

Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. 

My mess. This was only part of the mess!

Add 1 cup of chocolate chips. I absolutely LOVE Ghirardelli chocolate chips. They are sooooo good!

Using an ice cream scoop, fill cups with batter.

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, 1 tablespoon butter, 2 tablespoon flour & cinnamon.

Sprinkle sprinkle!

Bake for 18-20 minutes.... The whole house smelled awesome!

I had to bite into one while it was still warm and ooooooh my goodness, it really hit the spot. Moist & delicious.

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