Ham & Swiss Sliders

 These sammies are where it's at! My family goes crazy over them.  I pair them with mixed veggies and sliced apples. 

This is a food assembly line to cut down the time for weeknight meals. I use the King Hawaiian bread, Virginia baked ham, Swiss cheese, Sauerkraut, and yellow mustard. Pop them in the oven on 350 until the cheese melts.

To add a little extra, mix a packet of Italian seasoning with a few tablespoons of water and pour over the top of the sammies before baking. It's a variation to the butter and poppy seed topping.

Burritos

Sometimes Taco Tuesdays call for Burritos. Pair it with rice, beans, and guacamole and my kids are happy campers.

Click Here For My Taco Seasoning Recipe

Slow Cooker Pulled BBQ Chicken

I like to use boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs.  Depending on the size I use two large chicken breast for my family of four.

Now I was born in Florida and even though I live in Indiana I know everything about the awesome BBQ joint, Sonny's. It's been a family favorite for years. The closest one to me is in Corbin, KY so when we're anywhere close we stock up on our favorite sauces.  My family loves the Sizzlin' Sweet sauce.

I pour half the bottle with the chicken and set the slow cooker to low for 8 hours. The chicken is tender and easy to pull apart. You can have it as a sandwich or on its own paired with beans and veggies.

15 Minute Garlic Bread Pizza

Make this when you have no energy left...oh and serve with a side salad. Gather your favorite toppings and pile them on top of garlic bread. Boom. Dinner's on the table in 15 minutes.

Chicken Chili (Leftover Baked Enchiladas)

It's faster to make meals when majority of it is already cooked.  This is the previous night's baked enchiladas in soup/chili form.

PREP 4 hrs slow cooker time (low heat)
I throw one large boneless skinless chicken breast in the crockpot with one whole box of low sodium chicken salt.  Do NOT add any seasonings.

DIRECTIONS
Shred chicken with two forks while still in crockpot.  

Add 1 1/2 cups of precooked brown rice. It helps thicken the soup.

Stir in leftover baked enchiladas. 
Click here for the baked enchiladas recipe.

Precook Ground Turkey For Faster Meals

The last thing I want to do when I get home from a long day at work is to wait for my ground turkey to cook while I prep for a meal. This method saves time and reduces the amount of leftovers.  

I buy the two pack of Butterball 93/7% ground turkey from Sam's Club. It totals 5 lbs. I cook the ground turkey completely and LIGHTLY salt and pepper so it's ready to go. I can get 7 ziplock bags with 2 cups of ground turkey in each bag.  That's perfect for my family of four.

The freezer bags store the turkey nicely up to a month. It's never lasted longer in my freezer because we use ground turkey all the time.

Baked Enchiladas

INGREDIENTS
16 oz. ground turkey (cooked)
8 corn tortillas
4 oz. cheddar cheese
1/2 cup light sour cream
1 cup of your favorite salsa
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 15.5 oz. can black beans
2Tb. Taco seasoning mix (Or sub chili/cumin powder)
Chopped cilantro (optional)

PREP 5 minutes or less
Combine salsa and sour cream. Combine cooked ground turkey and taco seasoning.

DIRECTIONS
In an 8x8 glass cooking dish, add 2 Tbsp. of salsa mixture and coat bottom of dish. Layer 4 corn tortillas and add, turkey, beans, corn, cilantro, and cheese. Repeat second layer and end with sauce and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes on 375 or until cheese is bubbly.

Turkey Kielbasa Cheesy Pasta with Peas

INGREDIENTS
13 oz. turkey sausage kielbasa
8 oz. Velveeta 2% cheese
18 oz. frozen peas
6 oz. pasta

DIRECTIONS
The amount of cooking time for pasta will be long enough for the sausage and sauce. Cook pasta to box directions. Slice sausage on the bias and cook in nonstick pot on medium heat.  Brown edges of sausage.  Add cheese and let it melt.  Add peas. Add water if it needs to be thinned out. Once pasta is cooked, drain and add to pot. Combine and serve.

Deb's Turkey Marinara Sauce For Spaghetti Night

This is how I like to make my spaghetti sauce. It's a fast go to meal when all else fails. I like to serve spaghetti with a side salad and a whole wheat baguette seasoned with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

INGREDIENTS

1 package (19.2 oz.) Fit & Active 93/7% Lean Ground Turkey

1 whole onion diced

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

1/4 Tbsp. fennel seed

1 Tbsp. garlic powder

1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning

1 Tbsp. olive oil

Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

In a large saucepan on medium heat, cook onions, garlic, and fennel seed in olive oil until onions are translucent. Add ground turkey and brown until fully cooked. Add diced and crushed tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. Add garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper to your taste preference.

General Tso Chicken, Broccoli, & Brown Rice

I chose to use the slow cooker this week, but you can bake your chicken and broccoli together in the oven.  This was a crowd pleaser with no leftovers.

INGREDIENTS

Boneless skinless chicken breast/tenderloins
1 12oz. jar General Tso sauce
1/2 cup water
1 12oz. bag of frozen broccoli
1-2 cups brown rice - precooked/instant/your preference


DIRECTIONS

I used boneless skinless chicken breast tenderloins, but you can sub in whole chicken breast or thighs.  I use 6-7 tenderloins for my family.  The General Tso sauce is from Aldi.  Pour half the bottle over the chicken.  Add 1/2 cup of water in the slow cooker.  Cover and cook on medium heat for 4 hours.

I steamed the broccoli in the bag in the microwave for two minutes.  We used the leftover "Mexican" rice from the previous night's dinner.  The rice is only flavored with salt, pepper, and diced tomatoes for color.

After the broccoli is done steaming, add them to the chicken. Pour the rest of the jar in with the chicken and broccoli.  Serve over rice.

Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken Quesadillas & Mexican Rice

This is the perfect meal if you're on the go. I like to make this in the slow cooker so it's ready after we get home in the evenings. It's an assembly job after the chicken is ready to go.  

INGREDIENTS

6 Chicken breast tenderloins (Change amount depending on servings)

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 Tbsp cumin powder

1 Tbsp garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

3 Cups brown rice (I make enough to use with another meal)

1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

1/2 Cup salsa

2 Tbsp sour cream

4 8" tortilla wrappers

(Typical taco toppings - can vary)

I put the chicken in the slow cooker frozen. It makes the prep time fast so I do this on my lunch break. Add the seasonings and set to medium heat. It will be ready in 4-5 hours. The chicken will thaw itself during the cooking process and will provide moisture.  

Cook the rice according to the directions. My way: I eyeball the amount of rice I want and then fill water to an inch above the rice. Stir in the dice tomatoes and add a pinch of salt. Brown rice takes longer to cook so allow 20-25 minutes into your time before you're ready to assemble the quesadillas.

While the rice is cooking it's time to prep the toppings. I like to mix sour cream and salsa together to act as the "glue" for the quesadillas. Chop your favorite taco toppings and set aside.

Shred the chicken. Add chicken and toppings to the flour tortilla. I like the fold-over method to keep everything intact. I use cooking spray in a nonstick pan to brown and crisp the outside of the quesadilla. Cut into thirds and serve with a side of rice.

Thanksgiving Monte Cristo Sammies

We were in the mood for Thanksgiving already.

I know this isn't a traditional Monte Cristo, but we're going with that name instead of "Leftover Thanksgiving Sammies".  

It's Monday so that means with work and all our running around dinner needs to be fast.  With the exception cooking the Stove Top, this is basically an assembly line setup.

INGREDIENTS

Stove Top Stuffing in Turkey

Oil/Spray Butter/Butter

Sliced Bread

Sliced Turkey

1 Can of Jellied Cranberry Sauce

DIRECTIONS

First cook the Stove Top to the box directions.  I omitted the butter, but you can keep it if you prefer.  Start building the sammies by adding cranberry sauce to the bread.  We used rye, but I know that flavor isn't for everyone so you can sub in your favorite sliced bread.  Add the sliced turkey, stuffing, and layer more cranberry sauce on the other slice of bread. On medium heat in a medium sized pan, spray cooking spray (melt butter or use 1 Tbsp. of vegetable oil) and grill the sammies like a grilled cheese.  It's that simple.  You can make a soup to go with this, but it's a hearty sandwich and we have it by itself or with chips.

Shrimp Alfredo Linguine (Spaghetti Squash)

Shrimp Alfredo Linguine & Root Vegetables

(This is a family favorite.)

Linguine is for the family and the spaghetti squash version is for me.

Spaghetti Squash Directions

I didn't have time to roast it in the oven because it would take longer than the root vegetables. Cut the squash in half and then fill a huge pot with 2 inches of water. On high heat, let the squash steam until it softens (15 minutes). Scrape out the "noodles" with a fork and saute with cap full of canola oil, salt, and pepper.

Root Vegetables Side Dish

1 butternut squash
5 organic Yukon gold potatoes
8 organic multi colored carrots
Olive oil cooking spray
Salt and pepper


Preheat oven to 425°. Chop all root vegetables to one inch pieces.  Place on baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray and season with salt and pepper.  Roast in oven for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

(Tip: I cut all my vegetables and then store half in a freezer bag for future meals.)

Shrimp Alfredo Ingredients

1 package 30-40 large shrimp (chop shrimp in thirds)
1/4 cup of butter
3 cups of milk
3 Tbsp. all purpose flour
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
1 Tbsp. granulated garlic
1/2 lb. linguine noodles (cook to box directions)
Olive oil cooking spray

Shrimp Alfredo Directions

Spray cooking spray into saucepan.  On medium heat add shrimp (precooked) and season with salt and pepper.  Add butter until it melts then add flour (make a roux).  Cook until flour is gone and thickens the mixture.  Add milk, Italian seasoning, granulated garlic, and let simmer for 10 minutes.  Turn heat to low and add Parmesan cheese.  Add linguine noodles (cook to box directions) and serve.

Buffalo Chicken Wraps

You know what's good about these?  They are an easy make ahead meal.  You have the option of boiling your chicken breast (that's what I did) or cooking your chicken mixture in a slow cooker.  Your choice depending on your schedule.  Since I plan my meals in advance, I knew I would be coming home late today so I made these last night.  This is such and easy fix for lunch too.  Throw this in your 20 minutes or less category for recipes.  

You can add any veggies that you like, but we kept it simple with lettuce since I was making the wraps and sticking them in the fridge.  Note: If you want to make this ahead of time and plan on using a lot of veggies (tomatoes/cucumbers that are watery), then make sure you don't assemble them until you're ready to serve.

Mix 1/2 cup of light sour cream with 1/4 cup of buffalo wing sauce. Mix a whole packet of ranch mix and add 1/4 cup of water to thin out the mixture. The sauce is really up to your taste buds.  I don't make it too spicy because of the kiddos, but they love these wraps with a hint of wing sauce. So all you do is shred your chicken to bite size pieces and then assemble them in flour tortillas.  Boom...another week night dinner in the books. 

Turkey Tacos (My Seasonings)

Taco Tuesday!
Seasonings for Turkey Tacos
I've used taco seasoning packets many times, but I like to control how much salt is going into our food.  Here's a quick way to make your own.

I used 97% lean ground turkey for my tacos.  We've been using ground turkey for so many years that we don't miss ground beef.

To make your own taco seasoning for 19.2 oz. of ground turkey add the following ingredients to your meat as it's browning.

1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

Turkey Stroganoff (My version)

The nontraditional way!

INGREDIENTS
1      package of 93% lean ground turkey (Fit & Active 19.2 oz.)
2      cans of cream of mushroom soup (Fit & Active 10.5 oz.)
1/2   cup low fat sour cream (Friendly Farms Light Sour Cream)
1      cup 2% milk (Substitute fat free or non dairy milk)
8      oz. egg noodles (Reggano - comes in 16 oz. package)
1      package of frozen peas (Season's Choice - 16 oz. package)
1      Tbsp. garlic powder
1      Tbsp. Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
You'll need two large pots. One is for boiling water for the noodles. Follow directions on the egg noodle package, but slightly under and drain the noodles.  Set aside until ready to add to the other pot.

In the other large pot, cook the ground turkey completely. On medium heat add sour cream, mushroom soup, and milk to the cooked turkey. Simmer for 10 minutes until liquid thickens. Add seasonings, peas, and stir in cooked noodles. Simmer for another 2 minutes and serve.

The Beginning

Hey guys!  It's Deb and welcome to my...blog?

So you may have seen me from YouTube sharing my recipes and family life. I did that for over four years as a hobby and I guess you can say over a year ago I retired from that hobby. As in...I don’t post anymore. Maybe I will again someday, but I’m not promising anything. I’ve always kept a full time schedule working and being a mama to two wonderful kiddos that it’s hard to upload consistently. 

This blog is what I’m passionate about...cooking and sharing. Plus...we all gotta eat!

"So if you're ready, I'm ready, let's get started." 

Nothing But Love! ♥

~Deb