Healthy & Easy Chicken & Biscuits Casserole

Update: This is a recipe I posted awhile back, I've made it a lot, The seasonings in it make it so flavorful. I wanted to update the post with some new & better pictures of the casserole :)

I've made this one several times, Very yummy. I'm posting this for Brie, She was asking on her blog for "Pot Pie" type recipes so this is mine :o)

Healthy and Easy Chicken and Biscuits Casserole Recipe

1 (10 3/4 ounce) can low-fat cream of celery soup
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can low-fat cream of potato soup or low-fat cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, cooked and cut up
4 cups frozen broccoli carrots cauliflower mix
1 cup skim milk
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon celery seeds
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon savory (I cannot find this spice so I omit it)
1 (16 1/3 ounce) can refrigerated reduced-fat buttermilk biscuits

Blend soups and milk in large skillet on low heat. Add herbs and spices and mix well. Add cooked cut up chicken and frozen vegetables. Heat to warm vegetables and chicken. Put in large ovenproof dish and bake in 400 degree oven for 15 minute. Take chicken dish out of oven and stir well. Cut up biscuits into fourths and top chicken with biscuts. Bake another 15 minute until biscuits are browned.

Italian Meatloaf

This recipe was really good! I didn't take pictures because no matter what you put inside a meatloaf it always looks like a meatloaf from the outside.. hehe! I would definately put this up there to my top crock-pot recipes and will make again for sure.

Italian Meatloaf (Crockpot)

From: Mom's Menu Plan Group

2 lbs. Ground beef
2 eggs, beaten
2/3 cup quick cooking oats
1 envelop dry onion soup mix
1/2 cup pasta sauce, your favorite
1 t. Garlic powder
Onion slices

Combine ground beef, eggs, oats, soup mix, pasta sauce and garlicpowder. Shape into a loaf. Place in slow cooker. Garnish top of loafwith onion slices. Cover. Cook on low for 8 hours. Serve with pasta andmore of the sauce that you mixed into the meatloaf.Serves 8 to 10

Honey Wheat Rolls

These rolls were so yummy!! They were soft and had a slight sweet taste, Delicious! I will be making these a lot!!

Honey Wheat Rolls

Recipe from Recipezaar #52515

SERVES 12

1 1/4 cups warm milk
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 cup honey
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 3/4 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 teaspoons bread machine yeast
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press start. When dough cycle has finished, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape into rolls by pinching and pulling the dough into balls, with smooth side facing up. Place on lightly greased cookie sheets; cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Alternative: These can be stored after shaping in the refrigerator until ready for rise. Simply remove from fridge and allow to come to room temperature, which is usually all the additional rising time they need. They should be approximately double the size after shaping. Bake as usual.

Chicken Stew

We LOVED this recipe, It was so yummy, It tasted a lot like potato soup when added goodies, I served it with homemade french bread that I made and it was delicious! The only thing I did differently on this recipe is I softened all the veggies in olive oil not just the onions then let it simmer for 3o minutes too, It was so yummy, everyone loved it. Ashley asked me to please make this a repeat recipe!

Chicken Stew Recipe #22127

From: My Week - Recipezaar #22127

1 hour 20 min prep

SERVES 4

1/4 cup oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 cups diced potatoes
1 1/2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups chopped chicken breasts (, 1in pieces)

Heat oil in large pot, saute onions for 2 minutes. Add next 7 ingredients. Bring to a boil. Add potatoes, carrots, and chicken. Simmer until vegetables are done, about 30 minutes. Thicken with cornstarch if you like a thicker stew.

Banana Muffin Recipe

I've never made homemade Banana Muffins before. I think I've made bread once and it didn't get cooked all the way through or something. But that's been a while ago. We had 3 banana's about to go bad so I decided to make use of them before I had to throw them away. I looked up some recipes on my trusty recipezaar and this is the one I tried, It's easy and SOO yummy. I did use pecan's though because I didn't have walnuts on hand :) I'll be keeping this recipe around for sure!

Banana Muffin Recipe

From Recipezaar #9176

Ingredients

3 large bananas

3/4 cup white sugar

1 egg 1/3 cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (I used Pecans)

Directions1Mash bananas.
2Add sugar and slightly beaten egg.
3Add the melted butter and chopped walnuts.
4Add the dry ingredients stir to mix.
5Fill greased muffin tray with mixture and bake for 20 minutes in a 375F degrees oven.

Au Gratin Beef Bake

This one is SOOOO good, When I read the recipe I was unsure of how the tomato soup would fit in there but it was delicious!! I do have one recommendation, Stir the casserole about half way through a few of my potato pieces that weren't covered were a bit krispy but not many, This one is a keeper and will definately make over and over, Even my picky eater loved it!

Au Gratin Beef Bake

From: Melissa Week on RecipeChallenge

1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 package (5-1/4 ounces) au gratin potatoes
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed tomato soup, undiluted
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1-3/4 cups water
2/3 cup milk

In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion, celery and green pepper until met is no longer pink and vegetables are tender; drain. In a greased 2-1/2-qt. baking dish, combine beef mixture, potatoes with contents of sauce mix, soup and Worcestershire sauce. Stir in the water and milk. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 45-50 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Yield: 6 servings.

Bacon Chicken

This recipe was good, I love that it was pretty simple with few ingredients, I honestly don't see how you can go wrong with bacon in or on anything! LOL!!!

Bacon Chicken

From: Melissa's Week on Recipe Challenge

Ingredients:

6 slices bacon

1 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp. olive oil

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1

onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preparation:

Cook bacon in 12" skillet until crisp, about 4-6 minutes. Crumble bacon and set aside. Pour bacon grease out of skillet, but don't wash or wipe it. Add butter and olive oil to skillet. Saute chicken breasts in this mixture over medium heat, turning once, until chicken is cooked and no longer pink in center. Place chicken in ungreased 12x8" baking dish. Cook onion and garlic in drippings remaining in skillet. Cook until onion is softened, then stir in salt, pepper, and cooked bacon. Spoon over chicken breasts and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted. Serves 6

Hillbilly Goulash

This recipe I got from a yahoo recipe group I was a part of for awhile called FriendlyRecipeSwap. I did add ONE thing to this recipe to make it taste a little more like my Mom's famous goulash, Worcestershire sauce, Probably about a tablespoon or less. This was cheap and yummy, It would have been perfectly wonderful even without the cheddar cheese and baking in the oven :)

Hillbilly Goulash

From: FriendlyRecipeSwap group

1 pound ground beef

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 cups dry macaroni

10 oz can condensed tomato soup

14 to 16 oz can tomatoes (I bought diced)

6 oz can tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon each salt and garlic powder

1/2 to 1 cup shredded cheese (optional)

less than 1 TBsp. worcestershire sauce (I added this)

Start the ground beef and onion to frying in a large skillet, breaking it up into small pieces with a fork.

Meanwhile start the macaroni to cooking too. Use a fairly large pot (4 quart or bigger) to boil the macaroni, because you will use it to stir everything up in later. When the macaroni is tender, drain it and put it back into the big pot.

When the hamburger is cooked clean through, drain off the fat and add the hamburger to the drained macaroni in the big pot.

Next, open up all three cans and dump their contents into pot. Add the salt and garlic powder.

Use a big spoon to stir everything up nicely.

Reheat and serve sprinkled with the cheese if you are starving. Or if you're not that hungry, then turn the goulash into a well oiled 2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle the cheese on top. This may now be baked, or refrigerated or frozen.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes if the mixture is still hot. If it is cold from the fridge, cook it for about 35minutes. If it is frozen, cook at 350 degrees for at least an hour, with the top covered with tin foil. Serves 6.

An Everything Dough

I went in search on recipezaar for a cinnamon roll dough recipe for the bread machine. I found this dough. I thought it was a good one to try. You can use it for Hamburger or Hot Dog buns as well & I've been wanting to try to make those for us ever since I saw Prudence Pennywise make her own!

So I've used this dough three times now. Twice for Cinnamon Rolls and Once for sticky buns & oh man it's GOOOOOD!

When I made the cinnamon rolls I just rolled the dough out into a rectangular shape, slathered as much butter all over as I could, added lots of cinnamon, brown sugar and even a little granulated sugar, rolled it up and cut into buns, laid in the pan let them rise and baked :)

When I made the sticky buns, they were yummmy Here is the recipe I used for that.

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

5 tablespoons light corn syrup

3/4 cup pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped

melt everything together in a sauce pan and pour in the bottom of your well greased cinnamon roll pan, make the cinnamon rolls place in pan let them rise and bake. dump out of pan as soon as they come out of the oven.

Here is the dough recipes, you simply must give it a try :)

Hot Dog/Hamburger Buns/Rolls/Cinnamon Buns Dough Cycle A.b.m.

From: Recipezaar Recipe #96475

SERVES 9 -12

1 1/4 cups skim milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil or canola oil

1/4-1/3 cup sugar (I use a 1/4 cup measure)

1 teaspoon salt

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (I have never found the need to use bread flour
these rise beautifully)

2 1/4 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Place all ingredients in order recommended by your bread machine manufacturer. Select dough cycle and start machine.

I preheat my oven to 100°F and turn off.

When dough cycle is complete remove from machine and proceed.

I roll into a long log and cut into 12 pieces for hot dog buns or 9 pieces for
large hamburger buns How big you want them is up to you. For Hot Dog Buns, I roll out till they look like long skinny wieners,. Hamburger Buns, I flatten with my palm till about the thickness of a pancake. They rise beautifully and look as nicely shaped as store bought ones.

Put on parchment-lined baking sheet so sides are almost touching. You can brush with melted butter if you wish but I never bother. Cover with cloth and put in the warm oven for 45-60 minutes to rise. When doubled remove from oven.

I bake mine on the top shelf in my oven. Turn oven to 400°F and when you put the buns in the oven, reduce temperature immediately to 375° and bake hot dog buns 15 minutes and hamburger buns 17 minutes.

CINNAMON BUNS. Use 1/3 cup sugar in recipe. Made 10 large buns. Roll out to about 12 x 15" and spread with butter or margarine. Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture over all and roll up tightly. Cut into as many buns as you want. I make 10. Set oven to 400° and turn down to 375° when you put buns inches Bake 20 minutes.

Country Casserole

Country Casserole

from: Southern Plate

2 cups small shell pasta, cooked and drained
3 cups frozen mixed vegetables, cooked and drained
2 cups shredded cheddar, divided
One can French fried onions, divided
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup
¼ cup milk
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine everything in a large bowl, reserving half of the cheese and half of the onions for topping later. Spoon into 9x13 casserole dish. Bake for twenty five minutes. Top with remaining onions and cheese, bake until cheese is melted, about five minutes more.
Freezing options: Instead of freezing this in your casserole dish, simply spoon it into a gallon ziploc bag. Lay the bag flat so that it will thaw out quicker and place it in your freezer. On the day you want it, take it out the night before and refrigerate or place in fridge that morning.If you forget to do all of this, no sweat! Just microwave the bag until it thaws just a bit, pour into your casserole, and bake! To bake a casserole that is still frozen, simply place in the oven while the oven preheats. This allows the casserole to thaw quickly and then bake to perfection!

Brushetta Chicken Skillet

I found this recipe from my friend Brie's Blog. You can find her post here. this is delicious!

Bruschetta Chicken Skillet

From: Brie's Blog

1/4 cup KRAFT Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing

4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)

2 large red peppers, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans (14-1/2 oz. each) pasta-style or Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained

1/2 cup water

2 cups instant white rice, uncooked

1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1 large tomato, chopped

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil

HEAT dressing in large skillet on medium heat. Add chicken, peppers and garlic; cover. Cook 10 min. or until chicken is cooked through (165ºF), turning after 5 min. Remove chicken from skillet; cover to keep warm.

ADD canned tomatoes and water to skillet. Stir in rice; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer, uncovered, 10 min. Meanwhile, combine cheese, chopped tomatoes and basil.

RETURN chicken to skillet; sprinkle with cheese mixture. Cover. Cook 5 min. or until chicken is heated through and cheese is melted.

Garlic Pizza With White Sauce & Breadmaker Pizza Crust

This pizza crust was Delicious!! This was my very first time to make my own pizza crust. I've always bought the premade crusts at the store, I'll never do that again, With my bread maker this crust was so easy and had such a great flavor! The topping for this pizza was good, very different from the normal type of pizza sauce we are used to but this was a yummy Pizza!

Breadmaker Pizza

From http://cheapcooking.com/Recipes/pizza-breadmachine.htm

1 cup water

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. sugar

2 tsp. yeast

After the dough has risen in the machine, grease a 14" pizza pan or baking pan. Stretch the dough to fit. Spread your favorite sauce, sprinkle on grated mozzarella (and Cheddar if you like), add toppings, and bake at 450 for 15 - 20 minutes.

--------------------------------

Garlic Pizza with White Sauce

from http://cheapcooking.com/Recipes/garlic-pizza.htm

make Pizza dough

The toppings I chose were chicken,onion & bacon my family does not care for spinach.

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbs butter

3 Tbs flour

1 cup milk
4 slices bacon

10 ounces fresh chopped spinach

2 onions, sliced

1/2 tsp sugar

1 cup grated Parmesan

Garlic Sauce: This is basically a white sauce with garlic: Saute a few cloves minced garlic in 1 Tbs of butter. Add 3 Tbs of flour and cook for a few minutes, while stirring. Slowly add 1 cup of milk, whisking together so it's not lumpy. Bring to a simmer and cook 5 minutes, stirring almost constantly.

The toppings could be anything you like of course. One option is spinach, bacon, and caramelized onions with Parmesan cheese on top. Cook up a few slices of bacon, then chop or crumble it up and set aside. Leave just a tablespoon of the drippings in the pan and cook 10 ounces fresh chopped spinach for a few minutes, until wilted. Put the spinach in a colander and squeeze as much liquid out as possible. Put two sliced onions in the same pan and sprinkle with a spoonful of sugar. Cook slowly until browned, about 10-15 minutes. In the meantime, grate 1 cup Parmesan cheese, about 1 cup total.

Take your pizza crust and spread the garlic sauce on it. Add the onions and spinach and bake at 475 for 20 minutes. Add the bacon and Parmesan and cook another 5 minutes.

"Whatever Floats Your Boat" Brownies

These were way yummy, I added coconut and pecan's to my brownies. SO So Good :) Also, I doubled the recipe so I could send some down to my Mom :)

" Whatever Floats Your Boat" Brownies!

Recipe #32204

SERVES 16

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

WHATEVER FLOATS YOUR BOAT1-2 cup chocolate chips (semisweet, white, butterscotch, peanut butter) or raisins or chopped maraschino cherry or chopped nuts or M&M' or Reese's pieces or miniature marshmallow

1.Preheat oven to 350°F.

2.Grease an 8 inch square pan or line with foil.

3.In a medium bowl combine melted butter and cocoa and stir until cocoa is dissolved.

4.Add sugar and mix well.

5.Add eggs one at a time and stir until well combined.

6.Stir in vanilla, flour and salt until you no longer see any flour (do not overmix).

7.Fold in "WHATEVER FLOATS YOUR BOAT"!

8.Spread in pan and bake for approximately 25 minutes.

9.DO NOT OVER-BAKE -- your brownies will come out dry. Adjust time/temp accordingly for your oven. If you do the knife/toothpick test, it should come out with moist crumbs, not clean.

10.Cool completely before cutting into squares.

11.For vegetarian omit the marshmallows.

12.For double recipe, bake in 9x12 pan and add 5 minutes to baking time

Bacon Sloppy Joes

My husband enjoys sloppy joes he likes the ones from the can, me not so much.. this recipe was so good, much more tasty than the can for sure! Jake enjoyed it a lot, definately a family keeper :)

Bacon Sloppy Joe's

From Recipezaar #248648

A recipe from the Everyday With Racheal Ray magazine.

30 min 30 min prep
SERVES 4

4 slices bacon, chopped

1 medium onion

2 celery ribs, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef

3/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup worcestershire sauce

1 dash salt

1 dash pepper

4 hamburger buns, toasted

1.In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat for 5 minutes.

2.Add onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic.

3.Cook until vegetables are softened, about 7 minutes; push to side of the skillet, add ground beef and cook, stirring to break up clumps, until cooked through, about 7 minutes.

4.Stir in the ketchup and Worcestershire sauce and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes more.

5.Salt and pepper to taste.

6.Serve on toasted buns

Chicken and Rice Recipe - Paula Deen

This recipe was pretty tasty, we liked it a lot because it's quiet a bit different form other casseroles I make, I didn't have any water chestnuts to add when I made this, I missed that item on my grocery list but Jake and I both agreed they would be yummy in there for sure!

Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe courtesy Paula Deen


From Teresa's Week on Recipe Challenge/ found on food network

2 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
3 cups diced, cooked chicken
2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans green beans, drained and rinsed
1 (8-ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1 (4-ounce) jar pimentos
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (6-ounce) box long-grain wild rice, cooked according to package directions
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar Pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat butter or oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl.
Add all remaining ingredients to bowl and mix together until thoroughly combined.
Pour into a greased 3-quart casserole dish. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for a few minutes before serving

Chocolate Chip and Pecan Cookie Bars

This is delicious!!!!

Chocolate Chip and Pecan Cookie Bars
recipe by Stephanie


2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips


1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, soda and salt. Set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
3. Add eggs, one at a time until thoroughly mixed. Add vanilla. Mix until creamy and smooth.
4. Slowly add flour mixture a little at a time until mixed thoroughly.
5. Stir in the pecans and chocolate chips by hand.
6. Pour batter into a greased 9 X 13 inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes or until center is set through and top is browned. Cut into squares and indulge!

KFC Coleslaw

We had a BBQ this weekend and I wanted to make my own coleslaw, I won't post a picture here because almost all slaw looks the same, But this was way yummy! I'll be making this many times over....

KFC Coleslaw

From Recipezaar Recipe #33489

8 cups finely diced cabbage (about 1 head)
1/4 cup diced carrot
2 tablespoons minced onions
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

Cabbage and carrots must be finely diced. (I use fine shredder disc on food processor.) Pour cabbage and carrot mixture into large bowl and stir in minced onions. Using regular blade on food processor process remaining ingredients until smooth. Pour over vegetable mixture and mix thoroughly. Cover bowl and refrigerate several hours or overnight before serving.

Turkey Pot Pie

These days I'm all about the easy, frugal recipes. I'm trying to keep our grocery budget down while the prices are going up. I got this recipe from Miserly Moms I didn't take a picture because YOU know what a pot pie looks like :) This was cheap, super easy and yummy!

Turkey Pot Pie

from: My Week on Recipe challenge

This is also a good way to use up those Thanksgiving and Christmas leftovers.

Turkey Pot Pie
2 c. cooked turkey, cubed (pennies if using leftovers)
1 can cream of chicken soup ($.60 on sale)
1 can Veg-all brand mixed veggies, drained ($.50)
1 can biscuits ($.50 on sale)

In a 2 quart casserole dish combine turkey, soup and veggies; mix well. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until heated through. Remove from oven. Place biscuits on top of casserole. Increase oven heat to 400 and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown. Total cost of this dish is around $2.00 for 6 servings. That averages out to about $.30 per serving

Mushroom Onion Chicken

Mushroom-Onion Chicken

Omg this was so tasty! I served it over mashed potatoes and the gravy was yummy!!

My Week on Recipe Challenge

2-4 chicken breasts (I usually get a large bag frozen on sale for 6 bucks)
1 can cream of mushroom (3 for 1.00 at dollar general)
3/4 can of milk *soup can* (pennies)
2/3 cup French fried onions (small can on sale for 79 cents @ winn Dixie)
black pepper (pennies)

heat a skillet. brown chicken, add soup and milk, stir... simmer about 10 min... add onions and season with pepper to taste. cheap, fast and easy....

Busy Mom's Chicken and Rice w/broccoli

Busy Mom's Chicken and Rice w/ Broccoli

another very frugal and easy recipe if your feeding more than 3 I recommend doubling this.

from: My week on Recipe Challenge

*2-4 breasts of chicken (buy the skin on/bone in @ 88 cents a pound, then simply de-skin and de-bone the chicken)
*2 cans cream of mushroom soup (50 cents/each - store brand)*
1 box chicken & broccoli rice mix (Farmhouse or Rice-a-Roni are always on sale)
*1 bunch broccoli (75 cents pound on sale)

Place chicken breast in crock-pot. Pour cans of soup over breasts. Season to your discretion. Cover crock-pot and cook on low for 10 hours. Before you are ready to serve the chicken, prepare box of chicken & broccoli rice according to package. Steam broccoli. Combine the two. Spoon breasts onto plates. The soup makes an excellent gravy topper. Add the broccoli and rice mixture as the side dish. Enjoy.
Makes 4 good size servings.

Red Beans & Rice

Red Beans & Rice

I know it's always better to post recipes with pictures, but last week I tried a lot of new frugal recipes and I was terrible about not taking pictures. So please forgive me but the next few recipes will not have photo's but they were good or I wouldn't be sharing them here. My mission for our family right now is to keep our grocery bill down as much as I can, Prices are sky rocketing and we really can't afford to budget more money for groceries so that means, frugal recipes and simple things.

from: My Week on Recipe Challenge

1 lb. smoked sausage (about $2.00 or less if it's on sale)
1 can (10 ounces) tomatoes and green chilies (about $.60 store brand)
2 cans (16 ounces each) red beans or dark red kidney beans, undrained (about $.50 each store brand
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) cream of mushroom soup (about $.60 store brand)
3/4 tsp Creole seasoning (miniscule amount unless you have to buy a new container; we keep some on hand all the time)
4 -5 cups cooked white rice (about $.50)

Cut up sausage into 1 inch chunks. Brown sausage in 10 inch skillet. Add tomatoes, beans, soup, and seasoning and heat through. Add cooked rice and heat through again, if necessary.
Another variation on this I tried this week that was just as deliciouswas using cubed chicken (bought on sale for $1.69 lb in frozen bag)

Creamy Ranch Chicken

Creamy Ranch Chicken

Oh my gosh, You HAVE to make this, It's in our top five recipes for the family. oh so yummy!

From: My Week on Recipe Challenge

adapted from Better Homes and Garden's Quick and Easy Recipesstart to finish: 20 minutesserves about 4

6 slices bacon
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite size pieces
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons ranch dry salad dressing mix
1 1/4 cups milk
3 cups dried medium noodles(I used egg noodles)
1 tablespoon finely shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Start your water for your pasta. Cook noodles according to package directions.

2. Cut bacon into narrow strips. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain bacon on paper towels; discard all but 2 tablespoons drippings.

3. In the same skillet, cook chicken in reserved drippings until no longer pink, turning to brown evenly. Sprinkle flour and salad dressing mix over chicken; stir well to coat the chicken. Stir in milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute more. Stir in bacon.

4. Serve the chicken over the noodles. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy

Mother's Macaroni Bake

This was very tasty

Mother's Macaroni Bake

From frugal website & My Week on Recipe Challenge

This was a side dish recipe and I added a 1lb of Ground Beef to make a meal
2 cups dry elbow macaroni, cooked and drained ($.99 for entire box, so at most $.50)
1 small onion, diced (pennies)
1 small green bell pepper, diced (free from my garden, or about $.35 from local Farmer's market)
1/2 stick of margarine (pennies)
1 can tomato soup ($.33 on sale)
2 slices of American cheese singles, cut in half diagonally (whole package of 16 singles, store brand, on sale for $.99, so pennies)
Grated parmesan cheese (optional, as topping)

Cook and drain macaroni, set aside. Sautee onions and peppers in margarine until tender. Add vegetables to macaroni and mix lightly. Stir in soup. Pour mixture into a lightly Pamed casserole dish and arrange cheese singles over top. Bake in 350 degree oven until heated through and cheese is melted (about 15 mintues). Sprinkle with parmesan cheese before serving. Serves 4. Approximate cost, $1.50 for the whole casserole.

Italian Mac Recipe

So many of the girls on the recipe challenge group were trying this one and it was getting

such rave reviews I had to try it myself and it definately loved up to the hype, This one

was yummy!!!

Italian Mac Recipe

from: Brie's Blog

2 boxes Mac & Cheese

1lb hamburger

1 small onion diced

1/2 green pepper diced

1 16oz can spaghetti sauce

1 package (2 cups) mozzarella

Make mac&cheese according to package directions. Brown hamburger, onion, and pepper. Drain and add spaghetti sauce. In a 9x13 baking dish layer hamburger mixture, then mac &cheese, then mozzarella. (I use a 1 cup measuring cup and spread it out evenly). End layers with a cheese layer. Everything is already cooked so bake at 350 until cheese is as melted or browned as your family prefers. Serve with Salad .

Marey's Grandma's Meatloaf

I didn't take a photo of this one because I completely forgot but also it looked like a normal meatloaf, I wanted to try this recipe because it had stove top in it, Something I've never seen mixed in a meatloaf, This recipe did not disappoint it was delicious and is a keeper :)

Marey's Grandma's Meatloaf

from: Recipe Fanatics Meatloaf Week Shared by Marey

This was a favorite of Marey's grandma's.

2 Lb. Ground Beef
1 Package (6 oz.) Stove Top Stuffing, any variety
1 Cup Water
1/2 Cup BBQ Sauce

Mix all ingredients except 1/2 of BBQ sauce. Shape into 2 oval rolls. Bake in a 13x9-inch baking dish on 375 for 35 minutes. Remove & pour rest of BBQ sauce and bake for a few more minutes.
*I just made this into one normal sized meatloaf instead of 2 ovals*

Garlic Cheddar Chicken

This is definately going to be a family favorite, It was SO GOOD! everyone loved it!

Garlic Cheddar Chicken

From: Teresa's week on Recipe Challenge as taken from Allrecipes

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup butter

4 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup dry bread crumbs

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1/4 teaspoon dried parsley

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded thin

DIRECTIONSPreheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat, and cook the garlic until tender, about 5 minutes. In a shallow bowl, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Cheddar cheese, parsley, oregano, pepper, and salt. Dip each chicken breast in the garlic butter to coat, then press into the bread crumb mixture. Arrange the coated chicken breasts in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Drizzle with any remaining butter and top with any remaining bread crumb mixture. Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Pork Chop Casserole

A very sweet friend of mine had shared this a long time ago on a recipe group we were on together at the time. I saved it in my many folders of recipes and finally got to try it last week, I'm always looking for new ways to make pork chops because we all love them so much, This was delicious!

Pork Chop Casserole

From: Misty in RecipeFanatics

4 pork chops
4 cups sliced potatoes
1 can cream of celery soup
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
grated American cheese

Brown pork chops. Place potatoes in greased 2-quart baking dish. Mix together soup, milk, onion, salt, and pepper. Pour over potatoes. Place pork chops over potatoes; sprinkle with cheese.

Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for about 60 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.Serves 4

Crock Pot Beef N Beans . .

This was so good! We loved it!! The Pineapple give the dish a great added flavor :)

Crock Pot Beef N Beans

From : Sabrina's Week on RecipeChallenge

INGREDIENTS:

1 to 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 large cans (28 ounces each) baked beans
2 cans (8 ounces each) pineapple tidbits or chunks, drained
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
Dash cayenne pepper

PREPARATION:
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add ground beef, onion, and bell pepper; fry until ground beef is no longer pink.
Combine the ground beef mixture with the remaining ingredients in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.Serves 6 to 8.

Upside-Down Salsa Cornbread

Here in the South, we LOVE cornbread, This was a nice yummy filler :)

Upside Down Salsa Cornbread


From : RecipeChallenge - My Week

Filling
1 tablespoon oil
1 pound lean ground beef
1 pkg dry taco seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 green or red pepper, sliced into rings

Corn Bread Mixture
2 cups Mexican corn bread mix
1 tablespoon sugar
1 (16 oz) jar thick and chunky salsa
1 1/4 cups milk
3 tablespoons oil
1 egg, beaten
1 cup shredded, cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 4250. In a heavy (10-inch) iron skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add ground beef, onion, salt and pepper, and garlic powder. Cook over medium heat until ground beef is well browned. Add taco seasoning mix and add other seasonings and water required, following directions on packet. After beef is done, remove from skillet.

Place sliced pepper rings in bottom of skillet. Spoon beef mixture over rings. In medium bowl, combine all corn bread mixture ingredients, stir mixture until smooth. Spread evenly over beef mixture in skillet. Bake at 4250 for 40 to 45 minutes or until cornbread is golden brown. Place serving plate over skillet, carefully invert and remove skillet. Cut into wedges.

Mushroom Soup Meatloaf

I've tried really hard to remember where I got this recipe, but for the life of me I cannot remember. Normally I make a note with the recipe of where it came from but this one didn't have one! This was my very first time making this recipe and it was deliscious!! If your looking for cheap and simple with good taste... do make this :)

MUSHROOM SOUP MEATLOAF

1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 lbs ground beef
1 pkg dry onion soup mix
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1 egg beaten
1/4 cup water

In a large bowl mix 1/2 cup of mushroom soup, ground beef, onion soup mix, bread crumbs and egg.

Shape mixture into a 4x8" loaf and place into a greased8x12" loaf pan (I shaped mine and put it into a 9x13 glass dish) bake at 350°F for 1 hr 15 min or until done.

Spoon off drippings, reserve. In saucepan,beat remaining soup, water and drippings at med. heat until boiling. Stir occasionally. Thin sauce w/additional water if desired. Spoon over meat loafservings. DELICIOUS!!

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

so easy, so delicious

From Melissa on RC

4 chicken breast fillets

2 egg whites, lightly beaten

2 cups finely grated Parmesan cheese

Cracked black pepper

Preheat the oven to 390 degrees F. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Dip the chicken breasts into the egg whites, then toss in the combined Parmesan and pepper to coat. Place in the baking tray and cook for 15 minutes or until the chicken is golden and cooked through. Serve with a simple rocket and tomato salad. Note: You must use good quality Parmesan for a crunchy crust.

Shar's Chili Dog Casserole

Chili Dog Casserole

I got this recipe a few years ago from a very good Canadian friend of mine. This is a family favorite, My Husband asks for this one a lot! so yummy!!!

2, 15oz Cans of Chili with Beans

2 package of Frankfurters

6 large flour Tortillas (cut in half )

1 cup or so of Shredded Cheese............

1. Preheat oven to 425*2. Spread 1 can of the chili in the bottom of a 9X13 inch baking dish.

2. Roll up franks intside tortillas and place in baking dish, seam side down, on top of chili. Top with remaining can of chili and sprinkle with Cheese.

3. Cover dish with aluminum foil, and bake at 425* for 30 minutes.

My BBQ Pizza

My BBQ Pizza

from : MeMakes 2 Pizzas

1 lb of cooked Chicken (I diced mine and
cooked in 2 tsp of Olive Oil & then tossed the
chicken in a little BBQ sauce to coat)

1 Bell Pepper

1 Onion

1 pkg Fresh Mushrooms

Your Choice of BBQ Sauce (I always buy KC
Masterpiece)

2 premade Pizza crust

Mozzerella Cheese

saute' Onions, Bell Pepper and Mushrooms in
Olive oil (I did this after cooking the
chicken)

Spread BBQ Sauce liberally over both pizza
crust, layer veggies, then cheese, then
chicken and bake until to your liking :)

WW's Zesty Beef Chili

I didn't Take a Photo of this one because well, it looked like Chili, it was delicious and spicy & I only used half of the chili powder that it called for so I would reccomend cutting it down even more if you don't like it too spicy.

From: Marey on Recipe Challenge
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
1 large Onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 4 1/2 oz. can chopped mild green chilies, drained
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
1 lb. ground lean beef (5% or less fat)
1 28-oz. can Italian peeled tomatoes, chopped
1 cup fat-free salsa
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup chili powder
2 15-oz. cans red kidney beans, rinsed & drained

1. Heat the oil in a large nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion & cook, stirring occasionally until translucent, 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic, chilies & Cajun seasoning; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the ground beef & cook, breaking up the beef with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 8 minutes.

2. Add the tomatoes with their liquid, the salsa, water & chili powder. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and summer, covered, until the flavors are blended and the chili thickens slightly, about 1 hour. Stir the beans and cook until heated through.

Yields: 6 servingsServing size: 1 1/2
CupsPoints per serving: 5

* Top the chili with minced red onion and cilantro, and for an extra 1/2 points value per serving, 2 tablespoons of shredded fat-free cheddar cheese.

Kraft Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

Kraft Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

OMG this was SOOOO good!!!

from Kraft Food & Family Summer 2007 Issue

1/4 cup Kraft Sundried Tomato Viniagrette dressing, divided

1 lb of Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

1 Tomato, finely chopped

1/2 cup shredded Mozzerella Cheese

1/4 Cup chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried

Cover 1/2 of grill with Heavy Duty foil. Preheat grill to medium heat. Pour 2 tblsp of dressing over chicken in ziplock bag and marinate 10 minutes. Remove chicken from Marinade & Grill on uncovered side of grill 6 minutes.

Meanwhile combine tomatoes, cheese, basil & remaining 2 tbsp of dressing.
Turn chicken over and placed cooked side on foil sheet. Top with mixture close lid and grill until chicken is cooked thru

WW Chicken Goulash

Weight Watchers Chicken Goulash

This was tasty! Very enjoyable :)

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

3/4 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 bell peppers

2 garlic cloves

1/2 white onion

2 plum tomatoes

15 baby carrots

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1 1/2 cups beef stock

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 tablespoon cornstarch

cooking spray

2 tablespoons water

salt (to taste)

pepper (to taste)

Preparation

1. Cut the onion into strips, mince the garlic.

2. In a large pot over a medium flame, heat the oil and add the onion and garlic.

3. Cook, stirring, until the onions are translucent (be careful not to brown them!).

4. Cut the peppers into strips, carrots into slices and add to the onions.

5. Add about a cup of the beef stock and bring to a boil.

6. Reduce the heat all the way to low, cover the pot and let everything simmer for about an hour (or until very soft).

7. Cut the chicken breasts into cubes and season according to taste.

8. In a separate pot, cook the chicken on cooking spray.

9. Add the chicken to the vegetable stew (add the rest of the stock if it seems dry).

10. Cut up the tomatoes into cubes, add along with the tomato sauce into the chicken/vegetable mixture.

11. Season with paprika, salt and pepper to taste.

12. Let everything simmer for another 30 minutes or so.

13. Mix the cornstarch with the water and add to the mixture, let it come to a boil.

14. Serve hot.

WW POINTS per serving: 3Nutritional information per serving: 167 calories, 2.8g fat, 3g fiber

Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti

This was very very good a bit spicey due to the green chilies but this would be just as delicious without them :)

Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti

Serves - 12 (1 cup each)Points - 6

Ingredients:

16 oz. dry spaghetti, cooked

1 lb. Velveeta Light cheese

12.5 oz. can chicken breast, drained and flaked

10 3/4 oz. can 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

10 3/4 oz. can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup, undiluted

10 oz. can diced tomatoes and green chilies (Rotel)

4 oz. can mushroom stems and pieces, drained

1/2 cup water1 small onion, diced

1 medium green pepper, diced

salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and stir to mix well.
Cook on LOW for 2-3 hours. Stir again just before serving.
Nutrition Information:286 cal., 5.7 g. fat, 2.7 g. fiber