Slow Cooker Lasagna

I had a craving this weekend for lasagna. The temps have been topping out in the low 50s and plummeting into the 20s at night. Lasagna, chili, soup, and stew are all beckoning for me! We also had a wonderful lunch planned with some dear friends from church today. So ... craving lasagna, little time, and far too frugal to go to the store ... I started reading recipes. I came up with the following list of ingredients after reading at least a dozen online recipes and finding myself short of at least one ingredient in each recipe. It turned out amazing, if I do say so myself :)

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 t each garlic powder and onion powder
• 2 t each black pepper and Kosher salt, divided
  
• Approx 6 C total of tomato based product. For me this was 2 C homemade spaghetti sauce and 2, 14.5 oz cans Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
• Approx 10 lasagna noodles, uncooked
• 1 lb whole milk mozzarella cheese, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 4 oz cream cheese, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 C grated Italian style cheese (you can use mozzarella and a sprinkle of Parmesan also)

1. Brown the ground beef with the garlic powder, onion powder, and 1 t each pepper and Kosher salt.
2. Add the tomatoes and sauce an heat through. Test the taste once it's warm - add the reserved 1 t each pepper and Kosher salt if needed.
3. In a 5-6 quart slow cooker, place about 1 C sauce mix and then a double layer of lasagna noodles (break them to fit into the oval shape of a slow cooker).
4. Top the noodles with half each of the cubed mozzarella and cream cheese.
5. Repeat layers - sauce, noodles, cheese and another layer of sauce.
6. Sprinkle with the grated cheese.
7. Cook on low 4-5 hours.
8. ENJOY!!!

A Well Stocked Spice Cabinet

Several weeks ago, I posted about keeping our pantry well stocked. Along with the basics in the pantry, I find it essential to keep our spice cabinet well stocked. I do not use many fresh herbs and spices at all. First, I find them rather expensive and second - and maybe more important - is that they often spoil before I can use them. Throwing away good money is not something I am a fan of at all. So, dried it is for us. It's amazing what the addition of a bit of salt, pepper, or another spice will do to a plain dish. I love to experiment with spices and I love full-flavored food! Our essentials in the spice cabinet are:

• Salt - iodized, Kosher, sea salt, Himilayan sea salt
• Pepper - ground black, whole peppercorns, crushed red
• Chili Powder - regular, dark, chipotle
• Italian Seasoning Mix
• Basil
• Oregano
• Paprika
• Old Bay
• Dill
• Caraway Seed
• Poppy Seeds
• Mustard Powder
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Cumin
• Cinnamon - regular and Pampered Chef's Cinnamon Plus Spice Blend
• Allspice
• Cloves - whole and ground
• Minced Onions
• Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
• Cajun Spice Blend
• Mrs. Dash - original, tomato & basil, hot & spicy, garlic & herb ... really, all varieties!
• Chicken and Beef Boullion

I have found that using spices can really liven up a boring meal and can make a frugal meal seem like something restaurant-worthy!

Menu Plan - Week of October 18

Fall has officially arrived in NC!! Yes, I know the calendar said it was fall a few weeks ago, but it was still 85 degrees here. Now the temps are down in the low 70s, overnight lows in the 40s ... NOW it's fall!! Time to celebrate the season with squash, pumpkin, and all the wonderful savory flavors that this season brings. I have also recent discovered the Noble Pig website. I absolutely love, love, LOVE this blog and her recipes. I also love that she has one child who is a super-picky eater, but she keeps trying and that gives me hope for our little man.

Weeknight Dinners:

• Pumpkin, Barley, and Sage Soup with crusty French bread
• Pork chops with cranberry sauce and Spiced Squash with Brown Butter Glaze
• *Minestrone style soup in slow cooker with a bit of browned Italian sausage. I'll post the recipe later in the week if it turns out well.
• Pizza night with cut veggies or green salad

Baking:

• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins (double batch)
• I am waiting (not so) patiently for my donut pans to arrive from Amazon. When they do, I plan to make these and these in copious amounts!!

Have a great week in your home!!

Menu Plan - Week of October 11

This is our little man's birthday week! We started with a fun party at a local mini-golf place with friends. Tonight, we had a yummy dinner and watched a DVD my dad made of photos of his birth and first few weeks. So sweet!! Tomorrow is cupcakes at school and dinner with the grandparents. Then ... maybe, just maybe, by Tuesday we'll be back to normal! It's been so much fun to watch our son as he turns 5 and is enjoying every moment of his special time. On to the food:

Weeknight Dinners:

• White Chili with homemade tortilla chips; I have leftover chicken from dinner tonight - I figure I can have this on the table in less than 30 minutes
• Sideline Sausage Soup with corn muffins and honey butter
• Shrimp Tacos with homemade guacamole and tortilla chips
• Friday will bring something very easy - pizza, takeout, hubby making burgers on the grill

I would like to get a batch of Granola Bars and a double batch of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins made this week - we'll see how it goes!

Easy Pantry Recipes

As promised, I am sharing some very easy and delicious dinner recipes that can be made mainly from the pantry tiems I detailed here. I do not have a good supply of meat in the freezer right now either. I have a few split chicken breasts, 1 roasting chicken, 1 lb ground beef, and a handful of thick cut pork chops.

• Chicken with Peanut Mole Sauce and Cilantro Rice
• Sideline Sausage Soup
• Spicy Honey Chicken
• Chicken, black bean, and corn enchiladas
• Stir fry with pork or chicken
• Spaghetti and baked pasta
• Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup
• Toscano Soup - a blend of Italian sausage, white beans, orzo pasta, kale, chicken stock, and seasonings
• Spicy Fatboy Sausage Pasta
• Crock Pot Black Bean Salsa Chicken
• Crock Pot Lasagna
• 40 Clove Garlic Chicken

These are some of my go-to meals. They are easy, inexpensive, and tasty - all importnat in our house!

A Well Stocked Pantry

Over the past 3 weeks as I have returned to work full time, I am realizing more and more the value of keeping a well stocked pantry. Having basic supplies on hand makes it so easy to plan a menu or even throw something together at 5:30 if I have forgotten to plan. Don't ask how many times that has happened already! There are - literally - hundreds of posts out there about stocking a pantry, so I don't pretend to be offering something new, but this is what works for our family. Here is a list of what's currently in the pantry that I use most often for dinner. We all have oodles of cereal and kid's snacks available, but not everyone wants to eat that for dinner. Tomorrow I'll share several recipes that can be made mostly from pantry items.

• Rolled oats
• Beans - canned and dry
• Tomatoes - diced, crushed, tomato paste, diced w/ green chilis
• Whole wheat pasta - a variety of shapes from elbow noodles to spaghetti, pasta side mixes
• Panko crumbs
• Rice - brown, long grain, seasoned mixes
• Salad dressing - ranch, honey mustard, several vinaigrettes
• Mole sauce
• Salsa verde
• Adobo chilis
• Diced green chilis
• Chicken gravy mix
• Peanut butter
• Nutella (yummy!!)
• 2 cans of fiesta style corn
• 1 can of sauerkraut
• Baking supplies - white & wheat flour, white & brown sugar, chocolate chips, baking powder, baking soda, powdered milk
• Molasses
• Soy sauce
• Rice wine vinegar
• Duck sauce
• Stir Fry sauce
• Olives - Kalamata and green
• Roasted peppers
• Sundried tomatoes
  

Notice what's missing? A lot of processed foods! As good a deal as those items are sometimes (especially with coupons), I don't keep much of that in the house.

This is the first post of at least 3 I will have about keeping your home well stocked. I will also share the contents of our freezer and spice rack. I hope to inspire some of you to stock up when you can on healthy options to make yummy meals any night of the week!

Change Is In The Air

Big time change is on the horizon for our little family. God has been faithful and provided an amazing opportunity for me to go back to work full time. We are thrilled about this and look forward to our new routine and even the new challenges. I've been home over 3 years and this is going to be a change, no doubt! I will continue to post from time to time and will definitely be sharing our favorite recipes.

I spent some time over the past few days prepping items in advance, scouring my favorite websites and this AMAZING new cookbook and have planned out our menu for the next 3-4 weeks. I also went and did a big grocery run to get stocked up since I won't have the luxury of shopping 3-4 stores per week any more.

Menu Plan, Week of September 20:

• Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas with lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream (make 2 and take 1 to a family from church)
• Spaghetti with homemade sauce and green salad
• Chicken Marengo over Lemon Pepper Polenta
• Mushroom & Fettuccine with Red Pepper Flake and green salad
• Pizza night with salad or cut veggies

Have a blessed week in your homes!!