We had some thunderstorms overnight but I only briefly heard them and fell back to sleep. That's a good sign that I didn't get up and worry all night long!
It was so hot and humid last night that I just couldn't get motivated to make dinner. Since we eat from the pantry and freezer there aren't any easy foods in the fridge either. My son and I were looking for a foot locker or storage trunk for school next year and decided we would get a couple of frozen pizza WHICH I NEVER DO. I haven't bought a frozen pizza in many, many years. There were so many in the freezer section I had no idea where to begin choosing one. I don't even walk down the frozen food aisle at any grocery store so I was totally frustrated. Apparently, my son doesn't either since he was just as baffled as I was! We got three pizza's as I didn't even know how many people that would feed not knowing how full or not they would be.
Tonight we're cooking again. Does anyone have good recipe for a Cheeseburger pasta casserole? I thought I had a recipe but I can't find it. We don't want to do the quickie foods again in the near future. It was too expensive.
Laundry--that's a daily think with six adults. But at least they're a clean bunch!
Alice
Alice, pasta casseroles are my quick, easy go to meal as a rule. I have so many different variations of them that when I say that we are having a pasta casserole, the kids ask, which one? lol
I use a 9x13 glass baking pan to cook them in.
For the cheeseburger one:
I take 2 16 ounce bags of pasta (I use penne,fusilli, or it can even be regular elbow macaroni, doesn't matter, whatever I have) and pour them into the pan. Then add a jar of pasta sauce (you can add more to make it more tomato-y) Then I add in hamburger meat that I have cooked in a skillet until it is all of the way done. (You can even make this part easier, by cooking up a bunch of meat at once and portioning it into small ziplocs and freezing them.) Then you just add water about to where it covers the ingredients and cover with aluminum foil(the foil is important or pasta will dry out otherwise.) Cook for an hour on 375-400. If you check it and it still has water in it, a little longer. Now just stir the ingredients to make sure all pasta is cooked add your favorite cheese! We use cheddar, or mozzarella or sometimes even parmesan. Then put it bake in for about 10-15 minutes.
If you have the meat precooked and in the freezer bags, it takes prep time down to less than 5 MINUTES! Seriously!
I do one with chicken too that they really like that adds in vegetables.
Chicken variation:
2 bags pasta noodles of your choice
1 bag of frozen broccoli
Optional diced sweet peppers
2 cans of canned chicken breast
a carton(?) of red roasted pepper and tomato soup (you can use your favorite pasta sauce here, I just use this because it creates a totally different flavor.)
Mix all of that in your baking pan and fill with water until ingredients are covered and cover with foil.
An hour on 375-400 or until water is about gone. stir and top with cheddar cheese, cook until cheese is melted and serve.
Again, prep time is 5 MINUTES and they have a healthy, yummy meal that fills them up.
If you need some ideas for some super simple crock pot meals, The Encouraging Homeschool Mom has some on her youtube channel that are as simple as just minutes in prep time. I love this channel!
I have more quick healthy stuff I fix if you need it and would be more than willing to share, because I cook for so many, so many times a day. Hope that you find this to be somewhat helpful to you!
Lindsay
