Fiesta Meatloaf

One of my kids' favorite foods is meatballs. I use their love of meatballs to get them to eat other foods that include ground meat. In this recipe, along with many others, I add salsa saving me the trouble of chopping onions and peppers. It really is a time saver, and the added spice keeps my husband happy.  I've made it without black beans, but my husband requested that I try to add more beans to our diet to take advantage of  both the protein and fiber.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 package stuffing, 6 oz
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 T chili powder
• 1/2 cup oatmeal, uncooked
• 1 can black beans
• 1 cup salsa, divided
• 3/4 cup Mexican cheeses
• optional chopped fresh veggies (I throw in whatever is around)

Forgot the  beans in the first photo...love this can opener!

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Mix all the ingredients, except 1/4 cup of salsa and 1/4 cup cheese.
3. Shape into loaf in a 13 x 9 baking dish. (Ever since I made Joyce's mini-meatloaves, I make this recipe in muffin tins; baking for 30 minutes)
4. Top with remaining salsa.
5. Bake 1 hour.
6. Remove from oven and sprinkle remaining cheese; continue baking 5 minutes.
7. Allow to stand for 5 minutes.

Difficulty:Easy

Time: 10 minute prep; 65 minutes baking

Source: Adapted from Kraft Food and Family

Turkey Day Casserole

During my first pregnancy, I fell in love with The Food Network.  While on bed rest, I watched episode after episode.  Semi Homemade with Sandra Lee stood out to me as food I might be able to make.  She had tons of shortcuts for busy people.  My dad and I take turns talking up her recipes.  Recently, he found a new discount store near his home; they had an entire section of Sandra Lee stuff.  He bought me two new cookbooks.

I chose to try this recipe because many of the ingredients are on sale as Thanksgiving approaches.  My favorite local grocery store had a special on ground turkey for $1 a pound.  This was super easy to put together and tasted wonderful.  I plan to make it with my Thanksgiving leftovers in a few weeks, substituting turkey leftovers and homemade mashed potatoes. I can't wait!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 container (24 oz) mashed potatoes
• 1 pound uncooked ground turkey
• 1 box stuffing for turkey
• 1 can (16 oz) whole cranberry sauce
• 2 jars home-style turkey gravy
• 2 T butter, cut into small pieces

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit   Microwave mashed potatoes, uncovered in container on high for 1 minute.  Stir to break up potatoes.
2. In a medium pan, brown ground turkey; drain.
3. Spread dry stuffing mix in the bottom of a casserole dish.  Top with cranberry sauce.  Layer turkey and 1 jar of gravy.  Spread mashed potatoes over layers in dish.  Dot with butter pieces.
4. Bake in oven for 30 to 40 minutes
5. Serve; heat remaining gravy (I suggest trying the dish before opening the second jar; we didn't need one).  Serve with casserole.

This version is made from leftovers, so the turkey is not ground.  Not a totally photogenic meal, but delicious!

Difficulty: Easy
Time: 15 minute prep; 40 minutes baking time

Source: Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Slow Cooker Recipes

Mini Meatloaves

Years ago, when I made these mini-meatloaves for my husband and I for the first time, I vowed I would never make a traditional meatloaf again.  There is just something so tasty and so easy about them.  Fast forward to two kids later, and I am pretty sure I still will never go back.  When you have a meal that is a guaranteed hit, why mess with it?

INGREDIENTS: 

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 (6 oz) package stuffing mix for chicken
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• appx 3/4 cup spaghetti sauce (sometimes I use salsa, which is delicious, too, and it would be easy to do both in the same batch if you already have a jar of salsa open)
• appx 3/4 cup cheese of your choice (I typically use cheddar, but have also used mozzarella)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375.  Mix meat, stuffing mix, 1 cup of water, and seasoning until well blended.
2. Press the mixture into 12 muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray; make an indentation in the center of each one with a spoon.
3. Spoon spaghetti sauce (or salsa) into the center of each meatloaf.  
4. Bake 30 minutes, until cooked through.  Top with cheese and bake 5 minutes longer.

Difficulty: Easy

Time:  about 15 minutes prep and 35 minutes baking

Source: adapted from Kraft Food & Family

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Easy Chicken Bake

This is a great meal to prep the night before and throw in the oven the next evening. The best thing about it is there's only one dish to clean. My kids, who can be picky, love this meal.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 package of stuffing mix for chicken
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast (cut in 1 inch pieces)
• 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1 bag of frozen mixed vegetables (thawed)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit.
2. Sprinkle 1/2 box of dry stuffing mix evenly on bottom of 13 x 9 dish; set aside.
3. Add water to remaining mix; stir until just moist; set aside.
4. Place chicken over dry stuffing mix in baking dish.
5. Mix soup, sour cream, and vegetables; spoon over chicken.
6. Top with prepared stuffing.
7. Bake 30 minutes.

Difficulty: Super Easy

Time: 10 minute prep; 30 minute baking time

Source: Kraft Food & Family